#i like to think she was a tiny bean in hs but then had the growth spurt of all time
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in my mindâs eye shoko is almost as tall as stsgâŠâŠâŠ her being tiny just feels wrong
#she is lanky!!!!!!!#long thin limbs ⊠like a spider#:3c#i like to think she was a tiny bean in hs but then had the growth spurt of all time#i also . want her ⊠to tower over meâŠâŠâŠâŠ#but that has nothing to do with this ofc!!!!! perish the thought#T_T i love my wifeeeee#ari noises â©
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Yeah yeah you coward ass american i backed down are vbrave keep telling uoursekves that. You wanna see what bravery looks like you cant ask an smerican tbey wouldnt jnow what that word even means these days. They look like pathetic s aredy cats. Di t you argue with me mexican junping bean thats yoyr new nivkname jenna ortega taco sauce. Or that. Yeah whose gonna stop me cheech? I told you your men ate fuckn rat cowards all if them. I kaugg right in their fuckn faces. Jenna i smoked many americans over the years look how i talk sbout you for years taco sauce. Ots just straight taco sauce. Tvats yoyr new nake. Taco sauce. Hs ha ha its funny just laugh taco sauce. Or oacket od taco sauce cause ur tiny. Ha ha ha. I think youre awsome and i live taco sauce if you jnow what i mean.of course ive eaten it my friend daniellla. She had nice hips and could really move em taco sauce. Or jumpn bean i like that too. Dont get mad taco sauce. Be hspoy youre awweome and i love you. Anyway you wanna see brave. Watch the video of the eussian drone operator who knows hes dead already. Listen to how calm he is when he knowz one hundred percent he gets killed in the next assault. And he went anyway. Thats bravery and thats how i am. Ill be going to same shitty place he was eventually. And i die in pretty much the same way.
Jenna Ortega | August 30, 2024 | đ· Gabriel Perez Silva
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@arcangel-wings REQUESTED:Â Heya! Iâm new to your blog and I really like your writing! Can I request Tenma Udai with an s/o whoâs a baker while heâs in hs? So like heâs a delinquent and sheâs a sweetheart whoâs always giving people the stuff she bakes? Everyone thinks itâs weird but they fit together kinda thing đ„ș?
A/N: Thanks for requesting!! This is ĂŒber cute. Fem!Reader as alluded in the request^^
kilig. | udai tenma
word count: 2155
warnings: manga spoilers!!
(n.) the rush or the inexplicable joy one feels after seeing or experiencing something romantic
âChocolate is the ingredient for love~!â you say after pouring what seems to be an entire bucketful of chocolate chips into your bowl.
Your friend Saeko has seen just about enough of your nonsensical chatter about baking, your boyfriend and your abundant love for both. Already exhausted from a recent scolding by the vice-principal, she decides that itâs better off to smile and nod rather than try to come up with a snarky remark for your innocent mania.
âT-Thatâs a lot of chocolate,â she blurts out. When she picks up her spatula from the bowl, the girl grumbles at the sight of a liquidy trail drizzling down the utensil. âAhh geez, itâs not supposed to be like this, isnât it? Katagiri-senseiâs going to fail me again...â
You smile and hand her a bowl of flour. âDonât worry, Saeko-chan. Just add a bit more flour and youâre good to go! You can never go wrong with cookies.â
The halo above your head is nearly visible. Saeko swears she can even hear angels singing to her in the background as you mix away on your fragrant bowl of dough. You donât even seem realâfrom your angelic grin down to your overwhelmingly flowery aura. Itâs tough enough to imagine that youâd ever talk to her of all people, but to imagine youâd go for a guy whoâs just as much of a thug...
Unthinkable! Saeko shakes her head. Sheâd thought youâd pulled a joke on her the first time you announced that you were dating... him. Udai Tenma, star of the Boysâ Volleyball Club, a red-hot beacon of undomesticated temper.
Sheâd always known you liked himâthough which part of him you liked is somewhat still a mystery to herâand as much as Saeko wanted to protect you from those ruffians, that absolutely infatuated look in your eyes was too much to bear. And eventually, she succumbed to your incessant ambitions of high school romance.
âYouâre a saint, dude,â she sighs longingly. âI donât get how youâre still dating that guy. Iâm not really one to say anything about this, but donât you think Udaiâs kind of a jerk with the way he treats you?â
You chuckle, like a sweet grandmother about to tell a nostalgic tale to her grandchildren.
âI suppose you can say that Tenma-kun is a bit shy. He likes to act tough and mighty when heâs around people, but heâs actually just a normal boyfriend with a very sweet tooth and a penchant for manga.â
Saeko scowls. âNormalâs normal, but you have to at least let him know that you have your limits too. I really canât stand leaving the two of you alone, w-what if Udai breaks your heart, or worseââ
âTanaka-san. If you have time for chatter back there, then surely, youâre finished with your cookies?â at the sound of the grouchy Home Economics teacher at the front of the class, Saeko quickly returns to her bowl in a sorry attempt to look busy.
Deciding to humor her interest, you lean towards her and whisper lowly. âIâll be fine, Saeko-chan. He may not look like it, but Tenma-kunâs actually very cute.â
In her mind, itâs much easier to simply handcuff herself to you so that youâre under her watch at all times possible. But your gaze is nothing short of genuineâyou really love this guy, and the fact that youâre still with him, assures Saeko even just a tiny bit that he might not be so bad after all... with you at least.
Youâre already storming away in your little world of baking. It amuses your best friend whenever youâre off making your personal masterpieces (ââMasterpieceâ is absolutely right!â sheâd say while stuffing her mouth full of your mini tarts). Each and every one of your creations are whipped up with the utmost amount of love and care, and for just the right reasons, everyoneâs been pestering you to set up a bakery after high school. Your regular patrons just happen to be the Karasuno Boysâ Volleyball Clubâwith the addition of the lively Coach Ukai who is rather fond of how much filling you put into your red bean buns.
As regular as regular can be, youâve found yourself visiting the Volleyball Club clubroom after school every Wednesday to hand out your treats to not only your aloof boyfriend, but also to his friends, his coach and the prostrated manager who direfully needs a pick-me-up. And suddenly, youâre âKarasunoâs Cookie Goddessâ.
âAh, youâre making another batch, Y/N?â Saeko perks up when you split your dough in half.
âYep!â you giggle, essentially a high school student drowning in love. âI want to make something special for Tenma-kun today.â
â... Whatâs the occasion? Is it his birthday or something?â
You shrug, face absolutely alight. âNope, I just want to give him a surprise~â
ââââââ ââ
â ââââââ
Tenma isnât exactly unapproachable. Itâs just that people tend to avoid him at all costs. Perhaps you were just bold... or remarkably stupid, but if you hadnât addressed him that day, life wouldâve probably been drabber.
Your parents and your friends (with emphasis towards your overprotective Saeko-chan) had shown their unfiltered concern when the news of your relationship circulated like wildfire. What was the analogy they used, again?
âYouâre like a rabid bridge troll and a rabbit! It doesnât work!â Â You could only laugh at their valiant efforts of a correlation... if they were really trying to make one. But after a few more reassuring pushes and awkward family dinners, theyâve come to be more lenient about your little âliaisonâ.
But you never feel like you have to worry when Tenma is around. In fact, when Tenma is around, you feel calmâeven when heâs spouting off curses to a taller rival.
Thereâs a warmth unlike any other when he holds or kisses you. And though youâd have to drive him through hell and waters to say it out loud, you already know that every action he does for you is out of love. Words are material, itâs the action that counts, right?
âSorry for the intrusion~!â you call out into the open doors of the Boysâ Volleyball Clubâs space.
A flash of obnoxious yellow hair flashes before your eyes and suddenly, an imposingly tall  figure appears in front of you out of nowhere. âCookie Goddess!â
âGood afternoon, Yukimura-kun,â you smile. âIs there only you right now?â
âIâm here too, Y/N-chan,â the lax-faced captain Tokito emerges from the room in the midst of zipping up his jacket. His eyes flicker towards the packages in your hands and a smile cracks on his face. âOoh, chocolate chip cookies today~â
You quickly raise the fragrant bags of treats into their view, bringing in the remaining swamp of boys from the clubroom. Suddenly, the common hallway is blocked by an influx of starving teenagers who are rampaging on about your existence.
âSo good...â Yukimura murmurs dreamily, mouth full of chocolate. âMan, anyone would be lucky to have you as their wife if you were to cook them these everyday.â
A brazen first-year with frosted tips elbow him and sighs. âToo bad youâre taken, huh, Y/N-chan-senpai? If it were me instead of him, Iâd always make it a point that âHeeey... guess what my girlfriend made for me today~ Isnât she the bestââ
âOi, brat. Whose girlfriend do you think youâre talking about?â
The gangle of boys freeze up simultaneously at the grouchy voice behind you (aside from Tokito, whoâs yawning at the whole ordeal). Whipping around to the dark aura boring holes into your back, you immediately light up at Tenmaâs presence.
âTenma-kun~!â you launch at him with your arms wide open. Youâre ready for some sort of swerve from him, so you make sure you protect his bag of cookies with your arm... Youâve learned this counter-attack the hard way, of course.
But what you donât expect is that your boyfriend makes no move to avoid you at all.
âH-hey! Donât just lunge at me like that, you idiot! What if you fell down and knocked your head open?â Ah, at least the embarrassed comment is there.
You can only smile at him kindly. From the edge of your eyes, you swear that you can see a light blush dusting his face as your boyfriend gains newfound interest in your shoes.
âCome with me for a while,â he finally grumbles, effectively breaking the silence between the both of you. Grabbing your hand, Tenma leads you down the little aluminium staircase, eliciting small grates from the steps below you and a mass of curious whispers from the group youâd just left behind.
âHey, Udai-kun~â Tokito calls out, a lilt of roguery in his tone, âMake sure to get back in time for practice, okay? And keep Y/N-chan in one piece, wonât you? We canât get another Cookie Goddess if you donât.â
When he turns into a secluded corner away from the prying eyes of his teammates, you can hear him audibly huff and mutter something under his breath. As silence lingers between you, you nearly forget about the reason why you came to visit.
âI made some cookies for you, Tenma-kun,â you say to him, urging the neatly wrapped bundle into his hands. âI hope you like it.â
You can clearly see the hesitation in his eyes when he takes it in his hands. You can probably guess why.
(âY/N, your skills with a knife are scary, dude,â Saeko grimaced as she watched you trail over the dough with the gleaming blade of your paring knife.
âAaand... done!â you proudly wiped the sweat off your forehead. It wouldâve been more helpful with a cookie cutter around, but you figured that it wouldâve been more heartfelt otherwise.
âHeartfeltâ, you pondered on the word for a moment. Would this be too heartfelt for such a rag-tag person like Tenma? It would probably be better to go for something simpler, just like the other days...
Nah. You shook your head as you chucked the tray of heart-shaped cookies into the oven.)
Youâre hoping for a shocked response from him, but Tenma only grumbles meekly. You brace yourself for another scolding for acting too chummy with him, or being too affectionate, orâ
âYou shouldnât get too close with other guys.â
Wait.
Tenma crosses his arms, the curls of his hair falling gently over his forehead. His pink cheeks darken into a soft maroon. âIf they found out youâre giving me this sort of special treatment, theyâll be all over you the next day, asking for it too... I donât like it.â
The laugh that rises in your throat threatens to burst. What is this, you think. Your stomach hurt from the mere image of this innocent âdelinquentâ professing his jealousy for you. If he was like this all the time, wouldnât that be an interesting change... Aah, your boyfriend really is cute, isnât he?
A giggle escapes you and you watch him jolt in chagrin. âTenma-kun, youâre so red.â
âIâm not!â he yells rather briskly, then shoots back at you. âYou canât say Iâm red when you were all burning up as you were giving me these heart-shaped cookies.â
TouchĂ©. âIâm glad you like them, Tenma-kun.â
His gaze visibly softens up as you give him an angelic smile. âUh, yeah. Thanks.â
At times like this, you really do see the boy whoâd shyly confessed to you under the shade of the summer ginko tree. It wasnât anything of a distant memory, it was just that Tenmaâs usual demeanour and your unrelenting tolerance hindered the both of you from being completely outward with one another. Maybe something like this isnât so bad after all.
âI-I have to go back to practice. You can go home by yourself, right?â your boyfriend clears his throat, urging you to leave.
Though you wished the moment would last a little longer, you know there are other countless shared opportunities with him. âMm-hm! You do your best in practice, okay?â
He ruffles your hair and chuckles endearingly.
âAtta girl. Now go home before Tokito catches me getting all touchy-feely with you.â
Bidding him goodbye, you sullenly trudge away from your boyfriend (and his friends waving back at you from the balcony). Then the idea strikes you.
Special cookies ought to have a special flair to them, no?
Cupping your hands around your mouth like a megaphone, you shout, loud enough for his teammates to hear. âI love you, Tenma-kun~!â
And the crowd goes wild.
ââââââ ââ
â ââââââ
From: Tenma-kun âĄ
Subject: Untitled
(15:58) Now Tokitoâs all over me thanks to you, making me do extra diving drills. You better make more of those cookies as compensation, idiot. Be prepared for it.
(15:58) Btw, donât forget to look both ways when you cross the street on the way home. If you get into an accident, you wonât be able to apologize to me properly.
(15:58) ... Hey.
(16:00) I love you too.
#bruh haikyuu writing#haikyuu!!#haikyuu#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu imagines#haikyuu scenarios#haikyu#udai tenma#udai tenma x reader#haikyuu fluff#udai tenma imagine#udai tenma scenario#karasuno x reader#udai x reader#little giant x reader#sfw
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MCLUL 18
The episode starts where the previous one had left: either in Nathâs flat if you decided to follow Amber, or in Castielâs if you didnât. Either way, Candy goes to Nathâs place after Amber calls her and the same dialogue unfolds. Nath explains that he has been back in town for weeks because Erik, his cop friend, tracked him down as soon as heâd left and they are now working together to collect enough evidence to dismantle the cartel for good. Heâs playing the bait (hence the traffic light-looking attire) and wearing a wire under his clothes. He leaves soon after saying that he will be back once heâs done with this dangerous mission.
The rest of the episode is mostly about university work, the last we will ever see. First, Candy practices her presentation with Rosa, Morgan and Alexy. We assist a fight between the two lovebirds that soon morphs into a sweet declaration of love. Later, Candy keeps practicing alone first and later with Yeleen (if you chose it).
We also attend Rayanâs final class. The first part is about the group work, each group reports their experience. I thought this whole group work sub-plot was going to lead to something, either a mini-arc for Chani, where she learns to be less of a perfectionist and shows her art to the world, or some kind of drama with Melody, or at least something important for the degree. It was all very tepid, almost as if the writers had changed their mind and dropped it from the plot. The second part of the class is, instead, about relaxation techniques in the park. Because it makes total sense in a modern art history course.
After all this, Candy goes to the cafĂ© to tell Clemence she is going to quit soon. Clemence tells her to not rush into this decision because thereâs no job for history of arts majors and she may end up having to keep working as a waitress (charming as usual, but also strangely nice?). Also, an improbable friendship is born when Clemence shows lots of interest in Chaniâs magical aptitude.
That evening Nina sends a text saying sheâs witnessed the cops arresting her assailant, and Candy and Priya have a discussion about Nath and what that could mean for him.
The day of the thesis discussion Candy is very stressed, but she finds Castiel outside the class and he helps giving her relaxation technique tips. She also gets a little spooked finding Rayan in the class (I donât see why? Seems pretty normal to me). Anyway, time-skip to the end of the exam and Candy is pretty satisfied with herself. She even buys Chani a crystal as a thank you for her support and encouragement for her own exam.
In the evening Candy attends a party Hyun has thrown to celebrate the end of the academic year. She had also invited her parents and the illustration shows the moment she introduces the LI to them. Everyone except Nath. Having sneaked into the cafĂ©âs kitchen, his illustration portrays the moment he tells Candy heâs finally free from the Cartel.
The episode ends in the middle of the party.
THE END
Now letâs go into more detail on everyoneâs route:
Here, Iâm saying it... Nath is always 100% bangable. Even like this, once the problematic leggings and the blinding yellow t-shirt are off, thereâs really nothing to talk about.
I found the resolution of Nathâs route very anticlimactic, happening off screen. If Candy got somehow involved however, it wouldâve probably been quite trashy and ridiculous so there was really no win in this crazy scenario. It just feels they dragged too long, only to create angst, something that they resolved with just a few words and no involvement on our part. If MCL is indeed ending in a couple of episodes, this was basically the main recurring plot-line of the whole season and it fell short, at least for me.
Him acting as a bait... letâs say it was fine, he showed some courage. But there are two things that didnât make sense for me (in this episode): firstly, his explanation to why the cartel didnât simply kill him, because they thought it was easier to pull off a mugging than a murder, especially if the victim was a snitch. REALLY? What does it even mean. These people were really kind drug lords: first hiring a young boy out of nowhere, then beating him up when they found out he had betrayed them instead of killing him, even giving him three days to say goodbye and skip town, and later exposing themselves enough letting him stay in town for weeks instead of killing him on the spot. Also, second thing, shouldnât he have cut a deal with the police for his immunity BEFORE he helped them? They wouldâve given him pretty much anything to shut down a whole drug cartel. I donât know Nath, you should be so smart, at least get a lawyer next time.
A round of applause to Candy for spilling the beans with everyone about Nathâs dangerous and super-secret plan đđđ
The reunion with Nath, if you are on his route, is cute and pretty emotional. She falls on the floor, overwhelmed, and he kisses her and reassures her. All this in front of Amber. The scene in the kitchen at the end of the episode, however, was a little less emotional than I wouldâve liked. Especially the illustration, there was NO NEED to include Amber in it.Â
I did appreciate the choice to not introduce him immediately to the parents, it really wasn't the right time.
Bae is particularly charming when he laughs and smile. Both a hottie and a cutie, heâs the whole package.
I think BV tried to apologise for the lack of Castielâs content in the previous episode, because this time we had plenty, well... more than with had the others.
After the scene in Nathâs flat, he takes us to the dorms on every route, but if you are on his route you can choose to spend the night at his place. To find an excuse so they wouldnât hook up, BV wrote that Candy feels dizzy and they just cuddle. Sheâs not dizzy on any other route, just tired. And now that Iâm writing these words Iâm having an AWFUL SUSPICION THAT I DONâT EVEN WANT TO WORD EXPLICITLY, please no... just no.
His relaxation technique was funny, pretending to be super confident, but if youâre his girlfriend he gives Candy a breathtaking kiss right before the final exam that ensures victory for both of them.
His meeting with the parents is super chill, my Candy and him were together in HS, so they remembered him and love him already, not sure if anything changes otherwise but I guess not. Philips goofs in front of him, dancing horribly joking that he should be on his next music video and they all laugh (except maybe Candy, but itâs a happy moment nonetheless).
Crack and Rum, Castielâs band name according to mom đ
Now, I left the bad part for last:
Yeleen touches Castielâs arm while talking to him in front of the cafĂ© on any route. Even if heâs not our boyfriend I wanted to clock her. B*tch there is a strict NO TOUCHING policy here. But when heâs our boyfriend I timidly told Castiel that the parents were coming AND I LOST 10 FREAKING POINTS!!! What. The. Hell. Should I fight with him too? I feel like I should. This requires a heated conversation!
The green dress is super hot, and Candy is a total snack, but sheâs just one small accident away to show her nipples to the world. (Surfboard my ass, Castiel)
As usual thereâs very little to say about Hyunâs route. Heâs excited to meet the parents and doesnât realise they were already there, so he keeps blubbering Candy about their summer trip and kisses Candy in front of them. When he figures out he gets bashful, but they all laugh it off.
Honorable mention to Philip for not knowing where Slovenia is. SERIOUSLY??Â
Look at this fierce power couple, it looks like theyâre about to conquer the world or rob a bank. Probably both.
Was it the right moment to spill the beans about their relationship in the middle of a college party. No. But did I enjoy their power walk, hand in hand, in the middle of the crowd? YES.
The parentsâ reaction couldâve been worse. Philip couldâve gone ballistic. We didnât see the âman-to-man chatâ, probably because it was a tricky one to write, it couldâve sounded either ridiculous or trashy. Kudos to BV for taking the coward way out and skipping the problem altogether.
Rayan said that he loved her and it was sweet. However, Candy talking about how much she's into him in front of Sweet Amoris knowing that that is my Lys account felt like being sucker punched.
Also, Rayan got a tenure track position. I. Hate. Him. (Iâm not envious, not at all)
Priya tearing up when Candy tells her that she wants to be with her completely is probably THE MOST FREAKING CUTE THING IâVE EVER SEEN. Cuter than cat videos. (But less cute than duckling videos. Thereâs nothing cuter than a baby duck).
The parents are happy to meet Priya, zero drama in Candyâs coming out, I found it refreshing, I donât think I wouldâve enjoyed a bad reaction (even a short one). They even all dance together until late night. The illustration shows Priya accepting Philipâs challenge at a sort of dance-off.
A few final comments:
I didnât understand auntyâs comments about a masked party at the end of the school year, is that a French thing?
Philip not knowing where Slovenia is, and Hyun having to explain that itâs an European country, makes me think that theyâre trying to convince us the game is not set in France. Mph.
I also wonder where Hyunâs parents live exactly. It canât be Korea since Hyun goes back home all the time, even just for a weekend.
Everything points out to the end of the story being about a new separation, everyone moving away to achieve their own future.
Alexy is probably going to follow Morgan to Washington.
Rosa is moving to the beach house (which is not very far, but not exactly in town either).
Yeleen is excited to live in London. (The girl is going to get a HUGE wake-up call the moment she realises that apartments here are tinier than her dorm room, quite bad and life is so expensive that (if she doesnât want to accept money from her mother) with a tourist guide salary sheâs probably going to afford only a tiny room, in the middle of nowhere, in a flat shared with 10 other people).
Castiel is going on tour.
Hyun will probably want to move closer to his family after the trip.
Nath may or may not go to jail.
Priya wants to go back to India to fight social injustice.
Rayan is the only one staying in town for sure.
I GUESS, after some angst about a possible separation and break-up, the series is going to end with Candy making a life choice that brings her closer to her crush.
Anyway, the end is coming and Iâm sad.
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Have some more HS AU that got way longer than intended. Basically a page right out of my life.
 Dan knew that it was a bad idea for him to even attempt to play kickball. In his infinite wisdom, he had decided to actually try kicking instead of letting everyone cut him in line, and now he's paying for it. Coach Phelan is crouched next to him on the ground where he's sitting, clutching his left ankle. He's trying really hard to not cry but it's growing more and more difficult by the second. He had torqued the fuck out of it when he went down.Â
 "Do you think you can walk?" Coach Phelan asks, lightly prodding his ankle with cool fingers. He shakes his head no, and his wild curls whap him in the face. The coach turns to scan the gymnasium, and her eyes fall upon Arin Hanson, who is standing as far away from the action as possible without leaving the room. "Hanson!" she shouts, and Arin jumps, startled. He hurries over, confused.Â
 "Yeah, Coach?"Â
 "I need you to carry Dan to the nurse's office," she says, and both boys say "what?" at the exact same time. Phelan looks amused. "He's sprained his ankle and he can't walk, and you're strong enough to carry him."
 "I'm pretty sure a light breeze could carry him," Arin points out, and Dan fixes Arin with a cold stare.Â
 "That may be," Phelan says, and Dan interjects with a quiet "hey!", but they both ignore him. "Get a move on, boys." Arin looks down at Dan, who is still clutching his ankle. Even with his face twisted in a grimace of pain, he's fucking attractive. He's talked to Dan several times since they had AP English together, but they aren't much more than acquaintances. In all honesty, Arin spent more time staring at Dan than paying attention in English.Â
 "C'mon, string bean, lift your arms," Arin says, crouching down. Dan huffs grumpily, but raises his arms. Arin picks him up bridal style and Dan hooks his arms around Arin's neck. Fuck, this is awkward. Arin walks slowly so as to not jostle Dan's ankle too much.Â
 "I'll have you know I weigh a hundred and thirty pounds," Dan quips, looking ahead so that he doesn't have to deal with how close he is to Arin's face. He can smell the cinnamon gum he's chewing.Â
 "A hundred and thirty ounces, maybe," Arin teases.Â
 "Don't make me kick your ass," Dan threatens, though they both know he's not serious. He yelps when Arin shifts him. "Some fucking warning would be nice!"
 "Oh, by the way, I readjusted you." Dan finally turns his head to look at Arin. He's close enough to see the different shades of brown in the other boy's eyes. His face begins to heat with a blush and he really hopes it isn't too obvious.Â
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Arin grins and Dan's stomach does a jump kick into his throat.Â
 "Takes one to know one."Â
 "TouchĂ©."Â
 They travel in silence for a minute before Arin speaks up. "Dude, why do your shorts have to be so tiny?" There is nothing but miles of bare leg against Arin's right arm and it's incredibly distracting. Even with the knobbly knees, Dan has nice fucking legs. Most of the guys in class (including Arin) wore basketball shorts. Leave it up to Dan Avidan to be wearing booty shorts.
 "My sister stole my gym shorts and put hers in my bag instead," Dan explains. He had been embarrassed as fuck when he first pulled out the shorts, especially since 'CAAAAAAKES' was written across the ass, but he now refused to give them back. He looked damn good in them.Â
 "You can fit into your sister's shorts?" For some reason, thatâs fucking hilarious to Arin.
"It's not like she's six!" Dan says, mildly indignant. "Dana's fourteen."Â
 Arin can't help but laugh. "Her name is Dana? Dan and Dana Avidan?"Â
 "Get this," Dan says, "my dad's name is Avi."Â
 "You're fucking kidding me," Arin says through his laughter. Dan can't help but join in. "Avi, Dan, and Dana Avidan. That's golden."Â
 "Well, technically my first name is Leigh, but I've always gone by Dan, so." The hanging sign that points toward the office is coming into view and Dan's excited to get some ice on his throbbing ankle. "My mom is Debbie so she at least escaped the redundant naming trend."Â
 "Leigh is a pretty name," Arin says nonchalantly, and Dan looks up at him again.Â
 "What?" He's blushing again. Fuck.Â
 "Exactly what I said. Leigh is a pretty name." He's sincerely enjoying how flustered he's making Dan. "Makes sense."Â
 "What makes sense?" Dan has decided none of this makes sense, actually. Stupid Arin making him all stupid flustered.Â
 "A pretty name for a pretty dude." Dan squeaks and ducks his head, letting his hair fall in his face to cover the bright blush rushing across the apples of his cheeks. He chews his lip for a moment before peeking up at Arin through the curtain of curls.Â
"You think I'm pretty?" Arin smiles, and Dan can't help but smile back.Â
"You're fuckin' gorgeous dude." Dan squeaks again. Arin manages to look away from where Dan is biting his lip, and he sees that they're at the nurse's office. "If I jingle jangle your ankle, I'm sorry." Carefully, he tilts Dan so he can get hold of the door handle and he tugs on it to open it far enough to wedge his foot into. Dan yelps in pain, and Arin squeezes the hand that's around his waist in an attempt to comfort him. "Could I maybe get some assistance?" Arin asks, salty as fuck. The secretary hops up and holds open the door as if she hadn't seen Arin trying to open it with an armful of Avidan. He doesn't tell her thank you because goddamn. She informs them that it'll be several minutes before the nurse can get to them. A kid had a nosebleed somewhere and the nurse was on blood cleanup duty.Â
 Dan is gritting his teeth from all the movement, and Arin quickly takes him into the nurse's room and lays him down on one of the cots. Since the nurse isnât here, Arin opens the freezer and grabs an ice pack, and after he wraps it in a few paper towels, he hands it to Dan. "This'll probably hurt," he warns while untying Dan's shoe. Dan nods and grits his teeth, but he still whines loudly when Arin takes his shoe off. "Sorry. Fuck, that's swollen as shit."Â
 "Don't fuckin' swear so much," Dan mutters, and Arin snorts. "Will, uh, will you stay with me until the nurse gets here?" He's embarrassed again. He blames the constant blushing on Arin, 100%.Â
 Arin sits down next to him and grabs the pillow from the head of the cot and plops it in his own lap before carefully maneuvering Dan's foot to rest on top of it. He holds the ice pack to where it's most swollen. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and unlocks it before handing it to Dan. "Could I have your number?"Â
"Uh, sure. My phone is in my locker in the locker room," he explains, inputting his number. Arin laughs when he sees that he put his name as Danny (the pretty one) đ. Dan smiles at him and it's his turn to blush. Dan opens his mouth to say something, but they're interrupted by the nurse bustling in through the door.Â
"Oh, Danny," she says, and Dan grins sheepishly. "What the hell did you do now?"Â
 "I tried to play kickball," he says.Â
 "And that was your first mistake," she teases.Â
 "How often are you in here?" Arin asks quietly, and Dan pokes him in the ribs.Â
"Shut up."Â
 "I could start carrying you everywhere," he offers.Â
 "That would be an improvement," Nurse Kathy says, and Dan groans in exasperation. She begins examining Dan's ankle, and without thinking about it, Dan reaches out and squeezes Arin's hand. If Kathy notices, she doesn't comment on it. "Well, I'm gonna have to call your mom. I don't think it's more than a bad sprain, but you can't be sure without an x-ray."Â
 "Dammit," Dan mutters.Â
 Arin has to cover his mouth to quiet his laughter when Kathy calls Dan's mom, because he can hear Debbie ask "what did he do this time?"Â
 "Shut up," Dan repeats, but heâs got a smile on his face. "I'm not used to my grasshopper legs yet!"Â
 "At least they're good looking grasshopper legs." Ah, there's the flustered squeak again.Â
 "I hate to interrupt," Kathy says with a smile on her face, "but could you get Dan's stuff from his locker?"Â
 Dan writes the combination to his main locker and his gym locker on Arin's arm. "Thank you," he tells him.Â
 "Sure thing, string bean!" He ducks out of Dan's reach when he tries to poke him in retaliation, laughing at Dan's frown.Â
 Arin makes it back to the office in time to end up holding the door for Dan's mom. He follows her into the nurse's room so he can give Dan his stuff.Â
 "Dan, why are you wearing Dana's shorts?" Debbie asks, and Arin breaks into a fit of giggles.Â
Dan snatches his gym bag from Arin. "That's not important," Dan mutters. Debbie sighs loudly, but lets it go.Â
 "And who's this handsome young man?" she asks, turning to Arin.Â
 "Debbie, no," Dan whines, covering his face. "What have I done to deserve this?"Â
 Arin shakes the proffered hand and smiles sheepishly. Dan looks a lot like his mom.Â
"I'm Arin. I helped the damsel in distress get down here."Â
 "Lord, take me now," Dan grumbles. Everyone else ignores him.Â
 "Thank you for helping him," Debbie says, and Arin beams with pride.Â
 He stays until Debbie and Dan are headed out the door, just in case he's needed for something. As they head outside, Arin hears Debbie say to Dan, "He's cute, Dan. Why haven't I met him before?"Â
which is met with a loud, "Oh, my God, Doobles, please stop talking."Â
Arin doesn't even have to see him to know Dan's face is bright pink. Before heading back to class, Arin fires off a text to Dan, who probably won't get around to checking it until later.Â
 Check ur gym bag đÂ
 He doesn't get a response until he's a few blocks from his house.Â
 Oh god what did you put in my bag?? Is it dicks I bet it's dicksÂ
Pause. Â Oh!! Uh yeah uh I'd love to go to the movies with you :)Â
 Arin practically skips the rest of the way home.
#shipgrumps#polygrumps#egobang#mywriting#this is a scene right out of my life minus the cute gay shit
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Ignite
Pairing: Dan x Phil
Genre: friendship, romance, slight angst
TW: swearing, mentions of alcohol
Word count: 7,494
Summary: Hawaii: the state everyone knows as paradise. For Dan Howell, the label is far from what his life is truly like. When Phil transfers to Danâs high school from Manchester, the two boys instantly become friends. But will the revelation of Danâs hidden past affect their budding friendship? Phan HS AU.
Hey yaâll! This is technically my first fanfic posting of 2017, although I already had this written back in 2016. I mentioned a handful of times in tags for my shitposting that I wrote a Phan-inspired story as part of my short story portfolio for my creative writing class last semester. I submitted said story for possible publication at my collegeâs local journal, so cross your fingers with me that itâll make the cut. I mean, can you imagine a phanfic legitimately bring published?
My professor absolutely loved the story. Even though it was over the word limit (she set it as 4,000), she told me she didnât mind the word count as long as the plot was good. Needless to say, I got an A on it. Hell, when we had to type an analysis about our stories, I specifically mentioned being inspired by Dan and Phil and how homogenous relationships are often undermined in young adult literature.
Iâm proud of this baby. Aside from character names (because I didnât wanna plagiarize), this is nearly word for word of that story. I guarantee this is different than any phanfics ever to exist. One, because the setting is in Hawaii (our professor gave us extra credit if we tied our story to Hawaii in some way since I do go to a community college in Oahu). Two, to make it personal, I made my Dan-inspired character Filipino (because Iâm Filipino myself) and kept my Phil-inspired character British. In short, this is my story using the YouTubers I had in mind while writing the story. Itâs basically a high school AU, which Iâm used to writing when it comes to AUâs.
I finally got around to posting this in light of Philâs birthday. I CANâT BELIEVE OUR BELOVED ANGEL BEAN IS FINALLY 30. *screams* Heâs getting old. Weâre getting old. Jesus Christ, Philâs finally reached the age of parenthood. Itâs only a matter of time when we see Phil Jrâs walking around England lol.
Now on with the story!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
When people use fire as a metaphor for love, I roll my eyes and silently think these people are delirious. They think love is a burning passion they allow themselves to consume them completely. Or they think love is a spontaneous combustion when two pairs of eyes are caught in a lingering stare for the first time. But those are the fools talking. Those people are blind to what fire really means.
Fire is despising the source of its ignition.
Fire is a glow you believed had completely faded, yet still remained raging within you.
Fire is a curse and a traitor, yet also a blessing and a helping hand.
Fire is what makes me fluctuate between being a dreamer and a realist.
~:~
Heâs a needle in a haystack with his raven hair, cerulean eyes, and pale skin. The cafeteria is swarming with incoherent conversations between students coming in and out of the stuffy building. I stand stock still, lunch tray in hand, debating whether or not I should go talk to him.
My feet move toward the boy with no hesitation. He stares intently at me when I place my lunch tray on the tableâs wooden surface and sit on the benched seat across from him.
We remain silent for several seconds before I blurt out, âI like your shirt.â Heâs wearing a white t-shirt embedded with lyrics from a Panic at the Disco song.
âYou like PATD?â His voice carries a heavy British accent.
âOne of my favorite bands.â
A corner of his mouth curves slightly upward. âWhat other bands are you into?â
âUmmm⊠Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, All Time Low, Breaking Benjamin, Muse-â
âWhoa there. What are you, some Asian clone of me?â
I chuckle. âNo, but that would be pretty epic.â
He grins. âYouâre the first person Iâve ever met who know Muse.â
Warmth seeps to my cheeks. âTheyâre one of the first bands I got into. I have a soft spot for their Origins of Symmetry album.â
âNo way! Thatâs my favorite album too.â
I beam. Going to meet up with my friends doesnât seem like a priority anymore. âSo how come Iâve never seen you around?â
He picks up a carrot stick, dipping it into the blob of ranch dressing on the top right corner of his lunch tray, then taking a bite out of it. âI moved here from Manchester a couple weeks ago. You know, for a place where everyone want to vacation, itâs way different when youâre actually living there.â
âThatâs paradise for ya. Tourists get beaches, fine accommodations, and hot hula girls. Locals get Pidgin, spam musubi, and a complex bus system.â
âIâm out of my element here.â
âYouâll learn to adjust.â
He finishes the rest of the carrot stick. âIâm Phillip by the way, but you can call me Phil.â
âPhil⊠got it.â
âUh-huh. My entire first name makes me sound like a grandpa.â
I laugh. âYouâre gonna be a grandpa someday anyway.â
âHey, Iâm still young! Lemme enjoy my teen years while I can.â
âSure, Phillip.â
He sticks his tongue out to me playfully. âAnd what should I call you, Phil 2.0?â
âWell Mr. PATD, you can call me Dan. Itâs short for Daniel.â
âDan.â My name rolls off his lips in a way that sounds as if he has known me for years rather than a few minutes. âItâs nice to meet you.â
Perhaps the school year wonât be as boring as I thought it would be.
~:~
Sam, Louise, and PJ bombard Phil with questions when I introduce him to them after school that same day.
âWhatâs England like?â
âHow do you like Oahu so far?â
âHave you tried a malasada yet?â
âWhat do you think about our school?â
âWhy did you move here?â
âHave you ever met Emma Watson?â
âGuys! Geez, calm your tits.â I look toward Phil apologetically. âSorry. We donât get to meet a lot of new students who come from outside the island.â
âItâs okay.â Phil smiles shyly at my friends. âNo oneâs really tried to talk to me for more than two minutes till Dan approached me. I was afraid Iâd be a loner for the entire year.â
PJ whistles. âDamn, Daniel. What happened to being antisocial?â
âI prefer the term introvert,â I retort.
âYou havenât made the first move in anything since you told Sam how you felt about her,â Louise says.
Phil glances between Sam and me. âYou two are boyfriend and girlfriend?â
Sam loops her arm around my elbow, pressing her chest against the side of my body. âAs of a couple weeks ago, yes.â
âI didnât know that,â Phil says, giving me a scrutinizing gaze.
I rub the back of my head. âI thought it wasnât important to mention until you got to meet my friends in person.â
âAh.â He nods in understanding, but I detect a hint of a different emotion in his eyes. Disappointment? Disapproval? I internally shake my head. Itâs probably my usual paranoia of studentsâ judgments whenever they see Sam and I together. Even though Sam has been my best friend for years, anyone outside my circle of friends havenât fully comprehend why Sam prefers to be around PJ, Louise, and I. Her near flawless looks makes her more fitting for the popular crowd rather than the nerdy emoâs.
âWell then,â Louise chimes in, shoving my momentary doubts out of my head. âWho want to go to Starbucks?â
~:~
Phil gives me a tour of his house the weekend following the first week back to school. The moment I step inside the Lester residence, Iâm astonished by how lively his home is compared to mine. There are houseplants in practically every corner of the house. Polaroid photos of his family are tacked to the walls of the living room. Upstairs, in Philâs bedroom, he has various plushies littering the floor, a full-length poster of Sarah Michelle Geller on the wall behind his bed, and even a tiny cactus displayed on his bedside drawer. His twin-sized bed is covered with a green, blue, and purple checkered bedsheet, shades I think is fitting to his colorful personality.
âSorry itâs a little messy in here,â Phil says. âI have a lot of stuff and my new roomâs not as big as my old one in Manchester.â
âItâs fine. My roomâs a bit messy too.â
He smiles, picking up a Totoro plushie and dropping it on his bed. âSo whatâs your flat like?â
âFlat?â
âApartment.â
âOh.â Reminder: start learning some British slang. âNot as great as yours. Roaches creeping on the floor at night. Shitty air conditioning. Noisy ass neighbors. At least my mom makes enough as a nurse to keep a roof over my head.â
âWhat about your dad?â
âHeâs⊠gone.â
He frowns. âSorry to hear that.â
I respond with a curt nod. âBut youâre free to come over next weekend if you want.â
His frown disappears, morphing back to the smile that he wore earlier. âThatâll be great.â
If only you knew just how much I miss him, I think. And hate him at the same time.
~:~
Thereâs a paper bag from Bath and Body Works on Philâs bedroom floor when I stay over at the Lesters on a Saturday night in mid-October. Iâve been spending most of the weekend so far doing homework and catching up with episodes of Attack on Titan and JoJoâs Bizarre Adventure. Sam and Louise are busy rehearsing for a PowerPoint presentation for their Modern Hawaiian History class and PJ is helping his family prepare for his cousinâs debutante, so Iâve been spending the time outside of my apartment hanging out with Phil.
âWhatâs with the bag?â I ask.
âOh this?â He picks up the paper bag and empties its contents, revealing three candles and a bottle of lotion. âMum went to Pearlridge today, so I asked her to buy these for me.â
I scan over the candle labels: Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie, and Marshmallow Fireside. âNever pegged you for a candle person.â
âItâs a thing that runs in my family.â He picks up one of the candles. âIn their uni years, my dad confessed his feelings for my mum by spelling out âI love youâ with candles at a beach in Liverpool. Mum loved the gesture so much, and since then, Dadâs been getting her candles on every anniversary.â
âYour dad sounds like a complete romantic.â
He nods, placing the candle on his bed. âI think candles are an excellent representation of my parentsâ marriage. Their love is a candle with a flame thatâll never die.â
âThey must be really happy together.â
âTwenty years and still going strong.â
Bittersweet memories of my mom, dad, my 10-year-old brother Adrian, and me surface in my mind. Thanksgivings when my dad splurged on the turkey special from Golden Coin. Christmases when we woke up at 7 AM to open gifts while watching the Macyâs Christmas Day parade. Birthdays celebrated with dinners at Maxâs Restaurant. Those days are a lifetime ago, days when I still looked forward to Sundays when Dad was off from work and gave me guitar lessons.
âYeahâŠâ Those days are a thing of the past. On the bright side, having an absent father taught me not to be naĂŻve and fueled my appreciation for rock music.
As if sensing my distress, Phil says, âSo⊠wanna play some Smash Bros?â
I grin. Crushing him in one of my video games is a healthy distraction I need from my vortex of childhood memories. âIâd be stupid not to.â
~:~
When Sam suggests for me to perform for the winter pep rally, the fears I buried when I started dating her crash through my mind like a wrecking ball.
âYouâre kidding,â I say in a monotone voice. Weâre on my bed, Sam laying down with her dyed dirty blonde hair fanned across my Pikachu pillow and me sitting cross-legged with my guitar settled on my lap. I was in the middle of playing âChasing Carsâ by Snow Patrol when Sam casually brought up the question.
âIâm not.â She moves into an upright position. âThink about it. Five minutes on stage with hundreds of students cheering your name. Phil, Peej, and Lou know how talented you are. Donât you think itâs about time to let the entire school know too?â
âNo.â
She sighs. âItâs your dad, isnât it? Danny, just because your dad was a musician doesnât mean youâll make the same choices he did. Besides, if being at the center of attention isnât for you, then the pep rally can be a one-time thing. Donât let your potential go to waste.â
I bite the inside of my mouth. A part of me is itching to live out my dream of capturing peopleâs souls while I perform, but the other part of me is trembling at the thought of being in my dadâs shoes. Going through with this could open up a possibility of Sam and me splitting apart.
I canât lose Sam. Even if she isnât my girlfriend, I canât imagine a future without her. The Earth can be a cruel planet; I canât navigate through it without having someone whoâs equally as confused about the world as I am by my side.
She curls her arms around my neck. âI know youâre scared, but can you do it for me? For one day, can I pretend to be your rock star girlfriend sitting in the audience as you play a song dedicated to me?â
âWhat song do you have in mind?â
âHmmm⊠a song probably everyone knows, but still fits your style.â
âSo⊠something from Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, or Bruno Mars?â
âYeah!â She stares at me with her puppy-dog eyes. âSo will you do it?â
One pep rally wonât be the death of you. âIâll⊠give it a shot.â
She squeals, peppering the side of my face with kisses. âThank you thank you thank you! Youâre gonna be great, Danny. Show those Mariah Carey wannabees that serenading isnât dead yet.â
I laugh. Maybe this wonât be so bad after all.
~:~
Nerves rattle through my body when the student announcers call my name. The audience claps as I make my way onto the platform of the makeshift stage. Standing in front of the microphone stand with the Velcro strap holding my guitar against my abdomen, I position my fingers above the instrumentâs strings. Looking out into the crowd, I spot Sam, Phil, PJ, and Louise grinning enthusiastically at me.
Youâll be fine. Theyâll be proud of me no matter what happens.
I strum the opening notes of âGive Me Loveâ by Ed Sheeran. When I start to sing, my pre-performance jitters dissipates. I let my hands do the playing and the lyrics do the talking. I lose myself to the symphonious tune of the song, my heart beating rhythmically like a pendulum. Thoughts about my dad are knocked out of my head, replaced with a surge of joy as I think, Why didnât I answer to the spotlightâs call sooner?
The gym fills with applause once my performance ends. My friends are on their feet, along with dozens of other juniors, upperclassmen, and even underclassmen.
I beam from ear to ear.
Iâve never felt so alive.
~:~
Hip-hop music pulsates across the spacious area of Chris Kendallâs house. Bodies grind on the open area of the living room where furniture was shoved aside to make room for a dance floor. Parties are definitely never on my agenda. Iâm only here at Chrisâs graduation party because PJ wanted to go for fun (it was an open invite), Sam and Louise wanted to go to have the full high school experience, and Phil wanted to see if a high school party in Hawaii is any different than the few he went to when he lived in England. Before my performance during the winter pep rally, I was someone that no one spared a second glance. Five months later and two more performances from the spring pep rally and junior prom under my belt, I get hellos from random students in-between class periods and invites to parties from popular students. So here I am, a red plastic cup filled with Pepsi in my hand (I have my values and know better than to take one sip of alcohol) while watching my friends dancing, breathing through my mouth to avoid sniffing the sickly scent of weed and cigarettes.
âDan!â Phil stumbles out of the kitchen holding an empty Heineken bottle.
âHey⊠Phil.â I finish the rest of my drink and toss the cup into one of the trash bags lying around next to the snack table. âYou look like youâre having fun.â
âI am! Arenât you?â
âIf by watching people shamelessly doing things they might regret in the morning, sure.â
âAw. Lighten up, mate!â His palm slaps the back of my shoulder. âWant me to get you a bottle?â
âIâll pass⊠wait, how much have you had to drink?â
âEh, couple bottles I think. Might go for a third.â
âNo you arenât.â I grab his wrist and drag him to the front door. When weâre outside, I lead him to the backyard. I donât want to haul an intoxicated Phil back to his house. Perhaps some fresh air can sober him up.
I lay him down on his back on the grass, then sit down next to him. His mouth forms into a lazy smile.
âYou look pretty, Dan.â
I laugh. âIâm not a girl, dude.â
âWhat a shame. Youâd be my perfect Buffy.â
âYou and your Buffy obsession.â
âYeah⊠but I love you more than Buffy.â
My blood goes cold. He isnât saying what I think heâs saying, is he?
Phil takes my silence as a sign for him to continue. âWhy did I meet a perfect guy whoâs taken? Youâre so smart and talented and so good at video games. I had so much hope the first time we met that we could someday be something more, then I find out you have a girlfriend and I had to learn how to just be friends with an impossible dream.â He sighs. âWhy did it have to be you I fell in love with?â
Suddenly, he takes a fistful of my shirt and yanks me down onto him. I fall on top of him, my face inches away from his.
âI⊠love you,â he mumbles before his eyelids flutter close.
I roll myself off from his body, then scramble to sit up and scoot away from him. Heat rushes to my face, my own body quivering from his words.
âHoly shit,â I whisper.
I touch my lips. He may not have kissed me, but his words feel like he did.
~:~ One week has passed since Chrisâs party.
Thereâs no one I can tell about Philâs drunk confession. He has no recollection of what he told me, and I have no clue if what he said is true. Thereâs a likelihood it isnât. People can say all sorts of unpredictable things when theyâre shitfaced drunk and not mean any of it.
Yeah right. No one says âI love youâ to me without being serious.
âFancy playing Mario Kart while we wait for the others?â Phil asks. Weâre sitting on the sofa in my living room, waiting for Sam, Louise, and PJ to arrive. The five of us arenât in the mood of going out today, so we planned a casual indoor hangout in my apartment.
âSure,â I reply. âIâll go get us some drinks.â
âGrab me an iced tea, yeah?â
I smile. After living in Oahu for nearly a year, Phil gradually got himself addicted to Hawaiian Sun drinks. âYouâre in luck. Mom bought a fresh stock just for you.â
I leave Phil to peruse my video game collection under the TV stand and head to the kitchen. I open the refrigerator door and grab two cans of Hawaiian Sun: an Iced Tea for Phil and a Lilikoi for me. Carrying the cans back into the living room, Iâm putting the two drinks on the coffee table when I hear three knocks on the door.
That bus ride was quick. I dash to the front door. Upon unlocking it, the face that greets me is one I least expect to see.
âDaniel.â The way he speaks my name has the familiar tenderness that would gravitate me into his arms when I was in elementary school. But hearing his voice now is a thousand needles stabbing at my heart all at once. My lungs shrivel at the pain scorching my chest.
I canât breathe. My vision is blurring from months of pent-up resentment. Not knowing what to do, I back away and rush to my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I collapse on the floor and bury my fingers in my hair. This cannot be happening to me.
A few minutes later, I hear the door swing open.
âMate!â Phil kneels down in front of me, his face contorted into a concerned expression. âYou look like rubbish.â
âNo shit.â
âThat guy at the door told me heâs your father. Is it true?â
I remove my hands from my head. How he could be staying so goddamn calm? He should be furious at me for lying to him, not composed and acting like I didnât drop a bomb on him.
âHe is,â I whisper.
âYou said he was gone.â âHe was, but he may as well be dead to me.â
âWhy? What did he do to you?â
I swallow my anger threatening to rise again. âHe left me, alright? He left my family for some woman named Erica he met on the streets while we were on vacation for the summer in the Philippines when I was nine. They were contacting each other behind our backs after we left and Mom caught âem together at Ala Moana a year later when Erica came to visit him. Mom and Dad ended up getting divorced the summer before I was in 7th grade, just shy of my 12th birthday. He left for the Philippines afterward and heâs been living there with Erica since.â
Phil doesnât immediately respond, just staring at me in shock. I use his silence to continue my rant.
âMusic is important to me because of my dad. He played all sorts of gigs when he was my age, but gave up his musician dream so he could support my mom when she was pregnant with me. He taught me how to play a guitar and got me into rock music when he told me rock is music in its rawest form.â I direct my attention to the vinyl cover of Museâs Origins of Symmetry album nailed next to the window. âDadâs the reason why I love that album. He bought it for me on my 7th birthday. I listened to that record on repeat after the divorce and was what got me through the first few year without him.â
âAnd you hadnât seen him since the divorce,â Phil concludes.
I shake my head. âHe came once during the holidays when I was in 9th grade. I pretty much avoided talking to him the whole time.â
The wake of a wildfire is outside of my bedroom. Heâs the cause of why my family is a mess. He chose another woman over us. How can I forgive the man who destroyed my picture-perfect family? How can I let go of the hurt Iâm still feeling four years later?
âI donât blame you for not telling me,â Phil says.
I turn my head to look at Phil, vulnerability running through my veins. âIâm a horrible person. I shouldâve told you a long time ago, but I kept it a secret because I didnât want you to know how crappy my life really is.â
âAgain, not blaming you.â He drapes his arm across my shoulders. âI get that you felt betrayed by your dad, and nothing can erase the pain you still feel. But heâs out there right now. He flew whatever miles it is from the Philippines to Hawaii to see you. Nothingâs hunky-dory between you two, but you can still fix things with him. I saw how crushed he looked when you ran off on him like that. He wants to make things right. Iâm not saying you should outright forgive him, but I think you should give him a second chance. Let him be a father to you while he still has healthy lungs and isnât in a wheelchair.â
I look into his eyes, his blue orbs looking back at me with a softness that douses my anger away. As tension rolls off my shoulders, the memory of his drunk confession flashes through my mind.
âWhy did it have to be you I fell in love with?â
Did Dad or Erica ever speak the exact same sentence to each other at one point in their relationship? What was it about Erica that drew my dad to him? How did Dad know he loved Erica more than my mom? I donât know the answer to those questions. I donât know why Mom didnât fight for her right to remain as Dadâs wife. I donât know how Ericaâs family reacted when they learned about her relationship with a married man. I donât know much about their relationship, other than how they met and how they loved each other to a point of sacrificing their familyâs trust to be with each other.
The clarity hits me like a curveball.
Love is an emotion that canât be tamed. It can blind us, be an intense slap to the face, hurt us in any way possible, but it can never leave us completely empty. Itâs why Iâm still affected by my dadâs choices. Itâs why I still prefer rock over any other genre of music, even when it was Dadâs preferred music style. Itâs why thereâs still fire raging inside me whenever I think about Dad. I still love him amidst the ache he imprinted in my heart. Itâs why, as I gaze into Philâs vibrant eyes that always seem to contain a gentleness I usually donât see in males, I finally understand what Iâve been fearing all along. I wasnât afraid of thinking about the past and making the same wrong choices as my dad; I was afraid of listening to the other side of a story and discovering things that may have been right in front of me all along.
âGo talk to him,â he murmurs, drawing his arm away from me. The loss of his friendly touch leaves a dull ache in my chest.
Itâs time to face the music.
âMind if you come with me?â
âOf course. Did you think I was planning to let you face him alone?â
Fireflies stir in my stomach. Once I deal with the person outside this room, Iâll think about what these fireflies mean. I donât know why the fireflies popped up unexpectedly, but I sort of like it.
Phil helps me stand, staying close to me as I open the door. We walk into the living room, where I find Dad sitting on the sofa. I take a deep breath, my hand taking purchase on Philâs arm. His presence is my gravity, helping me to control negativity in my emotions. If Iâm going to make an effort to patch things up, I canât go berserk if I feel the slightest agitation.
âDad?â
I hear his breath hitch when he turns his head to the direction of my voice. Same dark chocolate eyes. Same unruly brunette hair. Same mole marked on the ridge of his nose. Iâm looking at an older version of myself, albeit as someone wiser that has seen more of the world. That, and I canât stand my natural messy hair. I canât leave the house without using my hair straightener.
âAnak,â he says softly.
The fireflies glow for a brief second.
âItâs okay,â Phil whispers. âHeâs not going to hurt you.â
Dad glances toward Phil. âThis is your friend, right?â
Phil gives an awkward wave at Dad. âHi. Sorry I didnât properly introduce myself earlier. Iâm Phillip, Phil for short.â
âPhil ⊠itâs nice to meet you.â
âPleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Howell.â
I canât help the low chuckle that escapes my lips. âThis isnât Pride and Prejudice, dude.â
Phil laughs. âWhat? This is a momentous occasion, Dan. This is more nerve-wracking than making a first impression to my girlfriendâs parents.â
âYou never even had a girlfriend.â
âI will one day.â
For some reason, Iâm a bit upset by his response. So did his drunk confession mean nothing? Or is he making an Oscar-worthy ruse to cover up his feelings? My effort to analyze his emotions is only confusing me further.
Dad clears his throat. Right. Dad first, Phil later.
âAnyway-â I say, âDad, what are you doing here all of a sudden? If youâre looking for Mom, she wonât be home from work till around six.â
âIâm aware of that. I actually wanted to talk to you first, if itâs okay,â Dad replies.
âFine, but Phil stays with us.â
âI see no problem with that.â
Phil and I make our way over to the sofa, my hand still on Philâs arm. Dad moves to give us room, leaving me to sit in the middle so Dad is to my left and Phil is to my right.
âWhereâs Erica?â I begin.
Dad shakes his head. âI asked her to come, but she thought it would be best for me to be here alone.â
âHow long will you stay?â
âA week, two weeks at the most.â
âDadâŠâ I move my hand from Philâs arm to his jean-covered thigh. âUmmm⊠this might sound out of the blue, but how did you know you were in love with Erica?â
âOh⊠to be honest, Jessica was the reason why,â he tells me sheepishly.
âMom?â I say incredulously. âBut⊠how?â
He smiles, leaning back on the sofa. âIn many ways, Erica is a lot like your mother. She put her studies first, cared about her family more than anything else, and worked hard to give herself a good future. She became an attorney to provide for her family, and she cherishes her job so much, though she told me more than once she felt she was missing something from her life. She didnât know what it was until she reunited with her childhood friend.â
âWho was that?â
âYour mother.â
âWait⊠what? I thought Mom and Erica were strangers until you got together with Erica.â
âYour mother and I only said that because we thought you werenât ready for the truth.â
âDad! I was 11! I watched enough episodes of Maalala Mo Kaya to know what reality is about.â
He looks at me forlornly. âI know that now, anak. Iâm sorry.â
I sigh. âIâm turning 17 next week. Whatever secret youâre keeping from me, I wanna hear it.â
He nods. The story he tells me drastically alters my perspective of Dad.
Mom and Erica knew each other because they were best friends when they were kids and lost touch with each other after Mom immigrated from Cebu to Honolulu when she was eight.
Dad courted Erica in high school. When he got accepted into an exchange program for the University of Hawaii in Manoa, he made a promise with Erica to go on a date with her once he graduated from college and moved back home.
During his third year at UH Manoa, he met Mom during an open mic night at a bar in Waikiki. Mom was in UH Manoaâs nursing program and skipped a night of studying to hang out with her friends at the bar that Dad had his gig at.
Mom and Dad became friends, which gradually turned into love.
Dad was guilty about breaking his promise to Erica, but Erica understood and she wished the best for him and Mom.
Parenthood treated Mom and Dad well when they had me and Adrian.
Then came the Philippine vacation.
Dad hadnât communicated with Erica since he told her about his relationship with Mom, so he was surprised when he bumped into her at a Chow King restaurant while buying lunch for Mom, Adrian, and me. They exchanged phone numbers and used long-distance phone-lines for communication over the course of a year, where they found themselves revisiting their past and falling in love with each other all over again.
During winter break of my 5th grade year, Erica lied to her parents about wanting to spend Christmas and New Years with a friend in America so she could see Dad, even if it was just for a few days and a majority of her time would be spent cooped up in her hotel room at Ala Moana Hotel. On that fateful day when Mom saw Dad and Erica together, she was at Ala Moana Shopping Center to do some last-minute shopping while she supposedly thought Dad was helping my Tito Kevin pick out a gift for my Aunt Elizabeth. As soon as Mom exited from Macyâs, she witnessed Dad and Erica holding hands while sitting at one of the tables outside the neighboring Starbucks. Erica saw Mom and that was when all hell broke loose. Mom tried not to cause a scene at Ala Moana, but she had a crying fit when she learned that Dadâs mistress and her childhood friend, Erica Bautista, were the same woman.
That night, when I overheard my parents arguing but Mom told us she and Dad were disagreeing on something about bills, it was really about Momâs reaction to finding out about the affair.
For months, they kept the issue a secret from Adrian and me. Mom swallowed her pride, staying in the sidelines as she encouraged Dad to go after his true love. The issue loomed like a raincloud over their heads once Dad chose Erica over Mom, and that raincloud lingered until Mom and Dad finally told me about Erica and their mutual decision to file for divorce.
Unfortunately, that raincloud only transferred over me, towering over my own head and remaining there to this day.
âDamnâ is all I can say when Dad finishes speaking.
The pieces are coming together.
It was never supposed to be Mom and Dad.
If Dad never met Mom, it would have been Dad and Erica.
Itâs a classic case of how wrong timing can affect even the strongest of relationships.
âFucking hell,â Phil breathes. Hearing him swear surprises me. He rarely swears, and when he does, itâs when heâs incredibly emotional about something.
âI didnât tell you this because I thought you might dislike Erica more if I told you the truth,â Dad tells me.
Everything coming out of Dadâs mouth sheds more authenticity to the entire situation. All this time, Dad was never at fault. It wasnât his fault that Mom was an intervention who prevented him from keeping his promise to Erica. It wasnât his fault for reaching a point where he had to choose between his wife and kids over a woman his heart subconsciously still yearned for. It wasnât his fault for allowing his heart to direct him down a path that led him to hurt those he cared about. Everything happens for a reason, and itâs the reason why Iâm existing in the first place. If his life went according to plan, I wouldnât have ever taken my first breath in this world.
Love isnât always kind. It isnât an easy stroll through the park or a cookie to steal from a cookie jar. Itâs having to pay 75 cents for a gumball from one of those machines in supermarkets or trying to find parking during Black Friday at any mall. Love always comes with a price. For Dad, the price for his happiness with one woman is the trust he has from those he loves the most.
âThat was a possibility,â I say. âOr I couldâve appreciated her role in your life. Weâll never know. Either way, it wouldnât have changed how much you love Erica.â
Dad nods in agreement. âErica hasnât changed how much I love you, Adrian, and your Mom. It was wrong of me to leave you how I did, but Iâm here to right my wrong.â
The fire in my chest blazes more furiously than it ever has before. Flames send the fireflies in my stomach glimmering in a flurry of excitement, sending my emotions in a tailspin.
âIâm sorry I havenât been a good father ever since I moved to the Philippines,â Dad continues. âIt wasnât my intention for you to think I didnât care about you anymore, but it was my way to give you space. You were angry at me, and I believed distance was the solution to ease your anger. When you refused to speak to me when I spent Christmas with you on your first year of high school, I realized the distance led you to resent me more. I donât want to hurt you anymore, anak. Iâm tired of being away from you. My life may be in the Philippines, but my heart belongs here with our family.â
My insides melt. These are the words I longed to hear Dad say. Iâd be a fool if I ignored my subconscious whispering how I should stop being hostile and allow my dad to make up for lost time.
âDid you steal that line from a Justin Bieber song?â I joke.
Hope swims in Dadâs eyes. âSo you forgive me?â
âNot⊠exactly,â I answer hesitantly. âBut we have two weeks. We can go around the island like we used to.â
Iâm not looking at the enemy anymore. For the first time in years, Iâm looking at my idol, the man who rooted my dedication to music, the greatest hero Iâve ever known.
A smile cracks on Dadâs face. âYour old man is looking forward to that.â
~:~
Summers brings goodbyes, hope, and refreshing starts. Four years ago, summer was bidding a reluctant farewell to the perfect family I had. One year ago, summer was sharing my first kiss with a girl who meant more to me than my best friend. This summer, a new chapter with a man I granted a second shot at redemption opened up, and an opportunity to follow my heart like every protagonist in a cheesy YA novel is ushering in a wave of anticipation of what the vast unknown will bring.
The sky is enveloped by a murky blanket of gleaming stars and a moon illuminating the night. Sitting cross-legged on the rooftop of my apartment complex, I fish out another roll of Smarties from my jacket pocket. I unravel the plastic packaging and shove pieces of the colorful candy into my mouth, savoring its sweet, tangy mixture. Aside from the occasional car zooming along the streets at midnight, I relish the relative silence. My mind is still reeling over all the things that occurred since Dad showed up at the front door of my apartment.
The two weeks that Dad was here was a hodgepodge of family beach trips and father-son visits to various music stores around the island. He shared tales of his life with Erica in Manila, and in return, I shared my memories about Sam and my friends over the last four years. Those two weeks were us being mismatched pieces slowly fusing together to create the complete puzzle, with several holes that are yet to be filled. By the time he flew back to the Philippines, I was closer to the point of one hundred percent forgiving him. Itâll take me months before I can truly move on from the past, but Iâm getting there. Time will tell when that day will come.
After Dad left, I took the time to figure out my feelings for Sam and Phil. Before I met Phil, I thought Sam was my endgame. I saw a future with her after high school. I visualized the two of us moving in together, having a beachside wedding, honeymooning in Paris, and raising our kids with our brown or black hair and brown eyes. But after Chrisâs party and the long conversation I had with Dad, I questioned where my heart belonged. Sam was everything a boy could ever want for a girlfriend, someone who Mom was ecstatic about someday watching me say âI doâ to, someone who filled that empty void when Dad left. Phil, on the other hand, was everything I never knew existed as an option for me, someone who enamored me since day one and opened up parts of me that I never showed to anyone aside from Sam, PJ, and Louise, someone who was the reason why I willingly mended my relationship with Dad.
I was confused. Do I choose safety with the anchor that has always kept me grounded, or do I choose happiness with the candle who sparked an incandescence within me that not even Sam or my friends were able to light up?
A few hours ago, on a park bench with the sun dipping down in the horizon, I broke up with Sam. It was a difficult choice that I nearly backed down from doing, but it was one Dad would be proud of me for doing. Being in a position of dumping my girlfriend made me understand why it was hard for Dad to divorce Mom. True love isnât measured by years or the number of people that approve of the relationship; true love is the person who makes your heartbeat stutter and makes you smile to any love song that plays on the radio, no matter how clichĂ© the lyrics are. Love is the fire that ignites your soul and what makes you the best person you can be.
Despite the tears that were shed, Sam understood. In fact, she had a hunch that Phil harbored feelings for me. She knew it was a matter of time before I caught on and braced herself for the feasible day where I could return his feelings. Following a friendly hug, we left the park knowing that even though we arenât a couple anymore, our friendship will never fade. Weâve always been there for each other; we wonât let our breakup drive a wedge between us.
âDan?â
I turn around. Phil stands behind me, his ruffled raven hair reflected under the moonlight and his blue irises flickering with uncertainty. Weâre heading back to school next week, so my friends and I are spending our last few days of summer break with a weekend-long sleepover in my apartment.
âYo.â
âMind if I sit with you?â
âIâm not going anywhere.â
He nods, then moves to sit directly across from me, mirroring my sitting position.
âCouldnât sleep?â he asks.
I chew the remaining chunks of Smarties in my mouth and swallow. âHow can I? Weâre seniors. We have one more year in high school before weâre thrust into adulthood and weâre little fishes trying to swim away from huge-ass sharks. Not that Iâm ready to grow up, but my teen years are moving way too quick and I need time to slow down just a bit.â
He chuckles. âTrue. Iâm not ready for senioritis to bite me in the bum yet. But I think thatâs not what youâre really worried about.â
âWhat makes you say that?â
âYou have a few candy wrappers next to you. You donât binge-eat sweets unless youâre thinking really hard about something.â
Heâs right. My sweet tooth is my version of stress-eating.
âYouâre not wrong,â I say. âTruth is, youâre kinda the reason why Iâm this close to getting a cavity.â
âHow come?â
âWell⊠how else do you cope with realizing you love someone whoâs so close yet so far beyond your grasp?â
âWhat? Dan, what Shojo anime have you been watching lately?â
âNone. I just⊠God, Iâll just say it. I like you, Phil. I really, really like you and I might even love you, but I donât know if I do yet âcause itâs too soon to tell.â I bend my legs so my knees are curled to my chest and my chin is on my kneecaps. âFate is so screwed up. I shouldnât be feeling this way, but I do. Youâre strangely interesting and you get me so well. Youâre the ying to my yang. You complete me, and I canât live with the idea of seeing you with someone else. Itâs so selfish of me since I already had Sam, but thereâs something about you that wants you more than a friend. And⊠yeah.â
He blinks. âWhoa.â
âI know. Now let me down easy so we can forget I said any of that and I can start dealing with rejection.â
âRejection? Dan, what are you, blind? Iâve loved you the moment you approached me and said, and I quote âI like your shirt.ââ
âYou still remember that?â
âHow can I? It was love at first sight.â
âLove at first sight? This isnât the 19th century.â
âNot according to the swiping on Tinder.â
I laugh. Being with Phil is easy. Heâs carefree and doesnât mind my wit. Even Sam has her occasions of being offended by my snark.
âIâm serious though. I do love you.â He leans closer, his hand reaching out to rest on top of mine. âI love how you can speak like a wise old philosopher. I donât know how I went most of my life without you, because youâre what I was missing out on all this time. You came into my life with a purpose. I donât know what I did to deserve you as a friend, but whatever it is, having you around made my life so much better.â
I look down at our entwined fingers. Holding his hand is comforting, a gesture that should be so wrong yet feels so right. This is what tadhana is. Destiny works in mysterious ways. As our fingers entwine, Iâm reminded by how touching him soothed me when I spoke to Dad. He was my gravity then, and heâs my gravity now. The gravity is a force thatâs much more powerful than I foresaw.
âAre you sure about this?â I murmur. âIâve already hurt Sam. I donât want to hurt you too if this doesnât work out.â
âIt will.â His eyes sharpen with conviction. âI wonât let anyone ruin what we have. Even if the universe hates what we are, I wonât ever hate you.â He releases my hands and maneuvers them to caress my cheeks. âI love you, Dan.â
I nod. Someday, Iâll be able to repeat those three words back to him.
Because when our lips meet and my stomach is churning with gentle waves, Iâm certain that what Phil and I have is a fire thatâll never be extinguished.
What we have is real and here to stay.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
For any of you that read any of my former phanfics, I used a few lines from The Story of Us and Donât You Wonder. I couldnât resist using my one-liners while I wrote this.
Anak means âmy son/daughterâ and tadhana means âdestiny.â I canât speak Filipino fluently, but I do understand some of the language.
Maalala Mo Kaya is an ongoing Filipino TV series that showcases real-life stories of celebrities and average people like us. Danâs family background was highly inspired by numerous eps I watched of MMK involving broken families.
Hope yaâll enjoyed this! I had fun incorporating aspects of the âlocalâ life in Hawaii, especially since the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon. If you havenât tried a malasada, you should. Thereâs a reason why Hau loves âem. Donât give spam such a hard time, because I eat spam musubiâs often and theyâre delicious. And the bus system? Trust me, if you arenât sure familiar with public transportation involving the bus system, youâre easily gonna get lost. Heaven knows how many tourists I witnessed questioning what bus to catch. Hell, even a local like me sometimes has to consult Google Maps to figure out what bus to ride.
Originally, I approached this story with a love triangle angle, but it was my professor who recommended I should try focusing on a father-son relationship instead. Best decision ever, because writing the story that way felt way more real.
~ AA
#danisnotonfire#danisnotonfire fanfic#danisnotonfire fanfiction#danisnotonfire fiction#danisnotonfire fic#danisnotonfire fluff#dan howell#dan howell fanfic#dan howell fanfiction#dan howell fiction#dan howell fic#Amazingphil#Amazingphil fanfic#amazingphil fanfiction#amazingphil fiction#amazingphil fic#Phil lester#Phil lester fanfic#phil lester fanfiction#phil lester Fiction#Phil lester fic#Amazingphil fluff#Phil lester fluff#Phan#Phanfic#phanfiction#dan and phil fanfiction#dan and phil#Dan x Phil#Birthday fic
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Bring on the Squillions!
 Today's the day, friends! We're officially kicking off FUNdraising season!! Team Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, for the ninth consecutive year, is participating in Dog-A-Thon, The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County's fundraising walk for homeless pets. For those of you who are new to the blog, I think you're going to be surprised by how fun this fundraiser is. It's a really exciting time of year at the IBKC, and so many look forward to this event. During the next three weeks, we will all work very hard raising funds for our shelter, and we will have a great time doing it. We will talk about all of the positive and wonderful things our Humane Society is doing. You'll hear lots of feel-good stories about the cats we have helped. We want to keep you entertained while we're pestering everyone for donations, so you'll see lots of extra posts and pictures during this stretch. We keep it all very light and try to make it as painless as possibles for all of you! During this season, you'll see the whole IBKC community rise to support our shelter. You'll witness lots of very kind, generous, and caring kitty-loving people in action. You'll see some pretty magical moments. You'll cheer (and breath a huge sigh of relief) when we meet our many matching donation challenges. It will make you feel warm and fuzzy, and you might just even cry a few happy tears. I know I always do. You'll see some tense moments -- it can be a nail-biter at times -- but I promise you that in the end, you will always feel uplifted. Seeing so much good can't be anything but positive. And gosh, with all that's going on in our World right now, don't we need a little more positive? Even though this event is called "DOG"-A-Thon, because we're all about the cats and kittens around here, all of the money we raise goes directly towards helping our feline friends. EVERY single cent of it! This money will help life-saving projects and programs -- like our foster program. It will help make shelter improvements for the cats. It will buy cuddly beds, toys, scratchers, litter boxes, and cubbies to help make a cat's stay at the shelter more comfortable. It will help reduce the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for pets of lower income families. It will help fill the shelves of the Emergency Pet Food Bank with cat food. It will help fix and vaccinate the feral and free-roaming cats in our community. It will help lost kitties get reunited with their owners. It will fill bellies with nutritious food. It will provide medical care for tiny kittens, adult, senior, and special need cats. It will help make cats healthier and happier while they wait to meet their forever families. It will help save lives. Many lives. This year, I've set our goal at $100,000. It's a huge amount, but we've set this goal before and have exceeded it every time. It's going to take some hard work to get there, but I have a lot of faith in our community, and I know we can do it. I just know we can! In all of these years of fundraising, this little community of ours has donated over $750,000 to help homeless cats and kittens. Can you believe we did that? The Humane Society has put our donations to good use, and I've seen so many positive changes happen for the cats at the shelter because of our community. WE came together and provided them with the resources to make wonderful things happen. We've helped them help more cats. I am so proud of us! So, what can we expect this season? There's lots of great stuff on the calendar, and I'll be adding more as we go.We'll have lots of auctions this year. Once our current crew graduates, we'll bring in the next batch of babies and auction off the rights to name those kittens. I also have a very lovely cat-themed quilt that a couple of special people made just for this occasion -- I am so excited to reveal it! We'll be auctioning off some art and other cat-related items, too. We will be auctioning off the always popular "Tea with the Bean" --- your opportunity to have lunch with us at IBKC headquarters and meet Charlene, Wylla, and kittens. The tea has been a huge success over the years, so of course, we'll do it again. Even if you don't toss your hat in the ring, it's exciting to watch the bidding frenzy! We will be checking in on some of our IBKC grads, and I'll be posting lots of alumni updates, too! Thanks to some very generous folks, we will have MANY awesome matching donation challenges to help us read our goal. There's still room on the schedule for more, so if you would like to offer up a match, please send me an email, and we can discuss the details. We'll have days dedicated to some of your favorite programs and causes: The Senior Cat Medical Fund, Community Cats, Special Need Cats, The Emergency Pet Food Bank, the Foster Program and our Low-Cost Spay and Neuter program. It's a great way to give and have your money go  directly towards something you really care about. The HS is using trying a new online fundraising platform for Dog-A-Thon, so things look a little bit different this year. The new platform is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate, so I don't think anyone will have issues. But if you do, please let me know. It doesn't have a few features the old system had, but I'm working hard with my techy husband to find ways to provide some of the things that are missing. The big thing is getting a "progress bar" up on the blog.  Hopefully, we'll get that resolved today! In the meantime, you can track our progress on the fundraising page --- maybe even "bookmark" it for your convenience, so it's easy to follow along. Another thing that's a little different this year is that sadly, I won't be able to walk the Dog-A-Thon walk.  I've got a family wedding in Colorado happening that very same day, so I have to miss it the event.  I can't tell you how heartbroken I am over this -- it makes me so sad that I can't be there to celebrate our victory and the Humane Society, too.  I haven't broken the news to Wylla yet, who always joins us for the walk. I know she'll be disappointed and sad to let down her adoring fans. I am SO SORRY we can't be there. Normally, we wrap up the fundraising the day before the Dog-A-Thon walk, but because of my traveling, we'll be ending it a couple of days earlier on Wednesday, July 19th. We wanted to have a really awesome first day, so we're starting this show with a huge $5000 matching donation challenge. Our Awesome Anonymous Donor is back this year, and she will be matching every single dollar we donate today until we reach the $5000 cap. I know it's a big challenge to meet on our very first day, but to hit our big goal, we're going to have to keep things going a pretty good clip. It's going to take big matches like this along the way to get us there! Just in case you forgot how the matches work, here goes: For every dollar we give, our Awesome Anonymous Donor will do the same until we hit the $5000 max. SO, if we're able to meet the match, our $5000 will turn into $10,000! Of course, even if we don't complete the match, our dollars will still be doubled, but when someone offers up a challenge, we hate to leave a single dollar on the table, so we work hard to max it out. To jump in on this match, get your dollars doubled by our donor, and make a tax-deductible donation to our campaign, please visit our FUNdraising page. This matching donation challenge ends at 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) tonight. Thank you Awesome Anonymous Donor for this very generous match to kick things off! Our shelter has provided us with so many wonderful kittens over the years. These kittens have made us smile, they've brightened many days, they've warmed our hearts -- especially during these troubling times. Here's our chance to give something back - we can honor all those itty-bitty kitties and say "thanks" by supporting the organization that gave them their start in life - The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County. Thank you for listening, friends. It will be an exciting and emotional stretch, and I can hardly wait to see how much we can raise to improve the lives of our precious shelter cats and kittens. We appreciate every dollar you give! No matter what the size of the donation, it helps because when we put it all together, we make BIG things happen for our little friends. 100 Squillion! HERE WE COME!! OK, I'll be back with lots more today! As I mentioned before, I post a lot during the FUNdriaser, so do stay close! We've got LOTS of cuteness coming your way!!! THANK YOU for being here. Thank you for caring. We love you!!  Wheeeeeee!  Here we go!!!!! OK, Robin! You've got the fist shift on the phones, are you ready?  Yoohooo, Robin, are you ready? Don't worry, blog land. I've got this. Please click HERE to learn a little bit more about Dog-A-Thon and make your donation! PS I know that not everyone is in a position to make a donation - you can always help by spreading the word! Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or via email doesn't cost a cent, and it helps tremendously! Thanks!!! from The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2017/06/bring-on-squillions_26.html
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The Trouble with Tabbies. And Wylla. And Bean
You guys, it's been crazy around here. It all started with two trips to the emergency vet and one to the HS vet with Beau and his mysterious Limping Kitten Syndrome. That was resolved, thankfully, but next, came rivers of diarrhea flowing from all of the Huddlestons.  I'll spare you the details, but it was pretty dang gross. I took the kittens to the Humane Society Vet on Tuesday, along with a couple of poo samples, and they came home with a de-wormer, Metronidonzal, probiotics, and a bag of sub-q fluids to start them down the road to recovery. That same afternoon, Craig was cleaning out Wylla and Charlene's litter box when he noticed a little blood on the surface of the litter. We didn't know who was responsible for leaving it but suspected it was Wylla because of her recent UTI. We called the vet and set an appointment for the next morning, then monitored the box just to be sure it was her. It was. Wednesday we brought Wylla in for her appointment, and a urinalysis revealed another UTI.  We got some antibiotics, booked her for a recheck, and I decided to also make an appointment for Charlene. Bean had been drinking a lot more water than usual and was using the box more frequently,  so I wanted to bring her in for a good once-over. The next day Charlene just wasn't acting herself. She seemed very sensitive and uncomfortable, so I called the vet to see if they could squeeze her in for an appointment.  When we took her in on Friday for the exam, they did a urinalysis, blood work, and an x-ray. The x-ray revealed that one of her kidneys was slightly enlarged and when the results from the urinalysis and blood work came back on Monday, our vet concluded that the likely cause of her discomfort was a kidney infection.  She's on antibiotics for a month, then we will go back for a recheck. The drugs seem to be working for both Wylla and Charlene, and I think they are feeling much better. Now, back to the Huddlestons: After a few days on the meds, I didn't really see much improvement with the kittens. They were acting normal, eating fine, playing as they should, but things weren't thickening up in the litter box. On Friday night, Beau's energy level was noticeably lower than the rest of the kittens and his diarrhea was even worse than before.  I upped his sub-q fluids to twice a day to try to keep him hydrated, and I also started syringe feeding him to give him a few extra calories. Things didn't improve Saturday, and he was starting to feel a little too scrawny, so Sunday morning I headed out to the emergency vet with the tiny guy. They gave us a different antibiotic to try and said to continue with fluids and syringe feeding to sustain him while we wait for the medicine to kick in. Yesterday, everyone went back to the HS vet, and we came home with more new drugs to try, special food, and a different probiotic. Our fridge looks like a pharmacy! We're not through all of this yet, but Beau did seem perkier this morning. Things were looking a little better in the box for all,  so hopefully, the new meds are doing the trick. We'll get through all of this, I'm confident. Sometimes, it just takes a while with diarrhea and little kittens -- you just have to keep trying different drugs until you find the one that works.  And until then, you just make sure they're getting the calories they need and that they are staying hydrated  -- and that's exactly what we're doing. Today day marks two weeks since these cuties moved in, which is normally when quarantine is up, but until they get over their bug, we will keep them separated from the big cats. Hopefully, before this week is out, we will be able to spring them! Fingers are crossed. from The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2017/03/the-trouble-with-tabbies-and-wylla-and.html
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The Trouble with Tabblies. And Wylla. And Bean.
You guys, it's been crazy around here. It all started with two trips to the emergency vet and one to the HS vet with Beau and his mysterious Limping Kitten Syndrome. That was resolved, thankfully, but next, came rivers of diarrhea flowing from all of the Huddlestons.  I'll spare you the details, but it was pretty dang gross. I took the kittens to the Humane Society Vet on Tuesday, along with a couple of poo samples, and they came home with a de-wormer, Metronidonzal, probiotics, and a bag of sub-q fluids to start them down the road to recovery. That same afternoon, Craig was cleaning out Wylla and Charlene's litter box when he noticed a little blood on the surface of the litter. We didn't know who was responsible for leaving it but suspected it was Wylla because of her recent UTI. We called the vet and set an appointment for the next morning, then monitored the box just to be sure it was her. It was. Wednesday we brought Wylla in for her appointment, and a urinalysis revealed another UTI.  We got some antibiotics, booked her for a recheck, and I decided to also make an appointment for Charlene. Bean had been drinking a lot more water than usual and was using the box more frequently,  so I wanted to bring her in for a good once-over. The next day Charlene just wasn't acting herself. She seemed very sensitive and uncomfortable, so I called the vet to see if they could squeeze her in for an appointment.  When we took her in on Friday for the exam, they did a urinalysis, blood work, and an x-ray. The x-ray revealed that one of her kidneys was slightly enlarged and when the results from the urinalysis and blood work came back on Monday, our vet concluded that the likely cause of her discomfort was a kidney infection.  She's on antibiotics for a month, then we will go back for a recheck. The drugs seem to be working for both Wylla and Charlene, and I think they are feeling much better. Now, back to the Huddlestons: After a few days on the meds, I didn't really see much improvement with the kittens. They were acting normal, eating fine, playing as they should, but things weren't thickening up in the litter box. On Friday night, Beau's energy level was noticeably lower than the rest of the kittens and his diarrhea was even worse than before.  I upped his sub-q fluids to twice a day to try to keep him hydrated, and I also started syringe feeding him to give him a few extra calories. Things didn't improve Saturday, and he was starting to feel a little too scrawny, so Sunday morning I headed out to the emergency vet with the tiny guy. They gave us a different antibiotic to try and said to continue with fluids and syringe feeding to sustain him while we wait for the medicine to kick in. Yesterday, everyone went back to the HS vet, and we came home with more new drugs to try, special food, and a different probiotic. Our fridge looks like a pharmacy! We're not through all of this yet, but Beau did seem perkier this morning. Things were looking a little better in the box for all,  so hopefully, the new meds are doing the trick. We'll get through all of this, I'm confident. Sometimes, it just takes a while with diarrhea and little kittens -- you just have to keep trying different drugs until you find the one that works.  And until then, you just make sure they're getting the calories they need and that they are staying hydrated  -- and that's exactly what we're doing. Today day marks two weeks since these cuties moved in, which is normally when quarantine is up, but until they get over their bug, we will keep them separated from the big cats. Hopefully, before this week is out, we will be able to spring them! Fingers are crossed. from The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2017/03/the-trouble-with-tabblies-and-wylla-and.html
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