#it's 1 am and I just drank coffee because if I go to sleep then I'll wake up and have to face the world again

[openwund]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ✶ㅤㅤㅤㅤFAMILY MAN ﹙toji f.﹚ 𝖏𝖏𝖐

⊹ ࣪ ˖ headcanons for toji as a family man! :D

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ did i write this at 3 am on a wednesday?? yes. i had to write this or else i would be tasting colors and lose hearing in my right eye. not proofread, a lot of typos probably.

2 in 1!: marriage + fatherhood

── 𖤓

.ᐟ as a freshly married man, all he would want to do is spend time with his wife. it doesn't matter if they cook pancakes together (which ends up in a flour fight), lay on their (too small for two people to lie on) couch or shower together.

.ᐟ you know those strong and intimidating men who treat their wives like absolute queens? that's him. although, when he's at work or hanging out with his friends (against his will) he always finds a way to bring his wife up. they're at a restaurant having lunch? — "my wife would make this so much better."; he sees something that reminds him of her? — "when can we go home? i miss my wife." "toji, it's only been thirty minutes." "that's too long. it feels like forever since i've heard her voice."; afraid to disturb him by calling while he's working? don't worry, he calls first! — "toji?" "hi, sweetheart! i miss you!"

.ᐟ his love language (by txt)? does it really have to be just one? he loves doing it all. words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, physical touch? he will do them all for his beloved wife. he needed to make sure that she wouldn't doubt that he loves her for a second ("...or i will die." dramatic much?). one thing he won't do is recieve gifts from his spouse. for his birthday? she's his gift; just for being himself? don't even think about it.

.ᐟ god forbid someone has something slightly negative to say about his spouse. and if they argue with her? c'mon, you should've known better than to pick a fight with this muscular man's wife. just look at his 'i ♡ my wife' shirt.

.ᐟ baby fever™. he is the face of the phenomenon. growing up in a huge family, he loved playing and taking care of his little relatives. again, you wouldn't expect a beefy and intimidating man to be so soft around children, but he is. he gets it bad when he sees his wife playing with their friends' babies that it's a baby cold at this point.

.ᐟ he is very touchy and needs to be feeling his wife all the time or he will die (real! not clickbait!). it's not even a sexual thing, he just feels comforted by his wife's mere presence. and her perfume? show him a thousand differents scents, he will recognize it. on the very rare ocassions that he sleeps alone, he will always spray his pillow with her perfume when he can't smell her anymore.

.ᐟ when he found out his wife was pregnant? over the moon. he can't believe that he will finally be a father. he's there flr evedything. and i mean every thing. first ultrasound? he's the one dragging his wife through the door; finding out what sex the baby will be? he already drank two cups of coffee to try and calm his nerves and it's only 8 am. it doesn't matter what the baby will be, but the thought of finding out more about his child is enough to make him excited, scared and overwhelmingly happy.

.ᐟ throughout his wife's pregnancy, he didn't let her do anything. loading the washing machine and unloading the dryer? pfft, easy!; mopping and vaccuming? he got it!; wiping the dust off surfaces and trinkets? sparkling in the sunlight. (just don't move anything from it's place and we're good!); cooking? ......... whatever happened it's in the past now! thank god one of his friends owns a kbbq restaurant! what happened the last time he cooked? let's just say that he had to buy his wife another, identical, one of her favorite pasta pot.

.ᐟ his wife's second trimester of pregnancy was when 'grocery shopping dates' began to become a thing among the couple. it's 3 am and she gently wakes him up because she's craving pickles and cookie dough ice cream? who is he to say no to her when she looks so adorable in the moonlight, adorned in his hoodie as she looks at him with sleepy, shiny eyes? not a loser that's who. he helps to tie her shoes' laces, as she can't bend down because of her belly, and they make their way to the nearest 24/7 store, which thankfully it's pretty close. "pickles and cookie dough ice cream? are you sure? what if it's so bad that it makes you sick?" but after one look at her, he gives in and buys whatever she needed.

.ᐟ baby clothes? he can't escape them. it's like the universe heard that he's going to be a father so now all it shows him it's baby stuff. scrolling on his phone? "how to not fail as a dad"; "top 10 things to NOT do during parenthood"; "day in the life of a dad of 12"; "baby mma fight pt. 127". he couldn't escape it. even in normal conversations, normal words began to transform into terms that had to do with babies and it started to feel like he was going crazy (he wasn't. he's just a nervous first time dad).

.ᐟ baby names. don't ask this man to be serious about anything ever. when he suggests that their daughter should be named 'jordan terrell carter fushiguro', she makes it her mission to keep him away from any papers once the baby is born. when he realizes that this is very real, he stops joking and actually chooses pretty good options.

.ᐟ as the due date was aproaching, he was freaking himself out. he even had to ask his wife to change the password to the router and not tell him what it is because he was scaring his own self reading about 'the side effects of pregnancy' on google. don't let this man find out about that one lady's reasons to not get pregnant list, matter of fact, don't let him open tiktok or reddit (ew) at all, during and after the pregnancy.

.ᐟ during the labor, he's there, by her side, holding her hand, the whole time. how many hours has it been? 8, 10 maybe? he doesn't really process how fast the time flew by as he's cuddling his wife in her hospital bed. this eventful night, from the moment he was woken up by her screams and getting up to call a nurse, a doctor, anyone — to the moment he's holding his newborn daughter for the first time ever, was a blur. he couldn't believe that he was finally holding the product of his and his wife's love, tsumiki fushiguro. the second light in his life.

── 𖤓

.ᐟ the following year, it would all feel surreal. the baby chair sat at one of the heads of the dining table, the brightly colored play mat spread on the living room's rug filled with rattling toys and plushies made out of fabrics to help with teething, the baby formulas on the fridge's door and the breast milk bags in the freezer, the omniscient fragrance of baby powder, the crib that barely fit in their bedroom (it should've been in the nursery but tsumiki didn't want to sleep alone) and the toys that, however many times they were picked up, somehow would return.

.ᐟ would treat his daughter like a princess, so when needed, his wife took the role of being the 'strict' parent. he would do whatever tsumiki wanted and pampered her when he got the chance. tea parties, makeovers, dragon that guards the queen's tower as princess tsumiki attempts to free the 'damsel in distress', mani-pedi, 'spa days', bake-offs with the toy oven, he has done everything.

.ᐟ somehow, his wife looked even more beautiful now that they were connected in another way. she looked different in the best way possible in his eyes, more mature, warmer, sexier. if he was clingy before, he now had his two girls and he would never pass on the offer to cuddle with them.

.ᐟ "happy birthday, miki!" his wife would cheer as she placed the breakfast specifically requested by their daughter, star shaped rainbow colored pancakes with maple syrup, sprinkles, blueberries and strawberries. toji couldn't help but smile as the girl blew out the 3 candles that were stuck on her pancakes. "make a wish, baby." "i want a baby brother!"

.ᐟ his daughter's wish was his command. they were planning on having another baby anyways, but they didn't know how to explain it to tsumiki so they were glad that she could, somehow, read their minds.

.ᐟ brag central. he's the kind of guy to pull out his phone and show off pictures of his wife and daughter to others like it's some kind of competition. "what can i say? i really couldn't have done it without my girls."

.ᐟ when his wife casually breaks the news to the two while having breakfast, like he won't be crazy about the fact that he's going to be a dad again. he took a day off from work and spent it with his favorite girls going out for ice cream and watching barbie movies.

.ᐟ he's the type to get a minivan even before his second child is even born. why? "why not? it will be fun."

.ᐟ he was more than happy to go on parental leave so he could pamper his girls all day, every day.

.ᐟ when time came for tsumiki to be able to go to kindergarten, he was destroyed. "can't she just stay at home one more year? what if she will miss us too much." "toji, that's what you said last year. it's time for her to make friends and have fun with someone that's not us."

.ᐟ this time around, 9 months flew by as he grew even more excited (if that was possible) to be able to meet his son. although, he's not as scared as he was the first time around, with the experience he gained taking care of his sweet angel.

.ᐟ megumi fushiguro. the fourth (and last, like his wife warned him) member of his beloved family. she decided to let him name his son since he took baby names seriously this time around. "finally, i'm not outnumbered anymore." he would joke, but the sincere smile on his face as he watched tsumiki hold her baby brother for the first time, betrayed his attempt at being funny.

.ᐟ he loves going to daddy-daughter dances where he gets to see tsumiki smiling and giggling as they twirl around on the dance floor. did his back hurt after having to bend down a little for his daughter to hold him properly? yes. was it worth it seeing his princess happy? yes!

.ᐟ grocery shopping is always eventful in the fushiguro family. baby megumi sat in the shopping cart as he held on to his mom's blouse like he would fly away if he didn't, tsumiki holding on to the side of the cart as she asks if she cand get everything that catches her eye (which is literally ANY product. what is a 5 year old going to do with an electric saw?) and toji who clings on to his wife's back as if he's a toddler, savoring the moment before his wife pushes him off of her.

.ᐟ grill master. he counts the day until it gets warmer so he can finally used his beloved again. during the summer, he pleads his wife to let him fry anything on the grill and not the pan. he even gives the neighbours some of the meat he cooks since they didn't need that much and it was too good to go to waist. summer nights with friends or family? everyone knows that when the fushiguros invite you over to eat, you would be crazy to say no.

.ᐟ white socks with sandals, fanny pack, jorts and black cap combo. he swears it was conicidence, the dad outfit just called to him.

.ᐟ and when megumi is old enough to play a sport? soccer. there's no other choice. and who needs a coach when your dad is shouting at you, louder than anyone, from the bleachers. (kind of like troy bolton and his dad)

.ᐟ dad jokes. make this man stop. enough is enough please.

.ᐟ he definitely has a horrible case of dad sneeze. (i miss jaehyun so much y'all don't understand)

.ᐟ hands on hips and squinting kind of dad.

.ᐟ when tsumiki's prom comes around, he would takes a lot of pictures to the point that the teenagers get annoyed by him. he will treathen his daughter date to treat her as she should be treated or else. when they leave, he will cry to his wife about how his babies are growing up and won't need their dad anymore.

.ᐟ when megumi says that he doesn't like radiohead's (or any other old band) music, be prepared for a day long rant on how "kids these days don't understand real music".

.ᐟ when his kids bring home their s/os, he will take out the baby pics album and embarrass them in front of their lovers.

[ladykailitha]

You're a Dream to Me Part 8

We are getting there, but because I am an evil evil writer, I'm going to drag it out and make Eddie suffer as much as possible. So there is a cliffhanger! :D

Also I am on hiatus I promise, I just want to have this out for you people. It's completed where the others are decidedly not.

Also shout out to @bookworm0690 for suggesting modern Steve would be Chapelle Roan fan. ;)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

~

They were lying in bed, Eddie digging through his discarded pants for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Steve was sitting up with his knees pulled up and his arms draped careless around them, linked only by one or two fingers on either hand.

Steve laughed when Eddie popped up back on the bed with his prizes. “You do know those things are bad for you, right?”

Eddie wagged his eyebrows. “There are lots of things bad for me, baby, but I’m not going to stop eating pizza and downing Monster energy drinks.” He shook the box at him. “You sure you don’t want one?”

Steve snatched the box from him and shook out a cigarette. He brought it to his lips for Eddie to light and then inhaled the his first drag.

Eddie chuckled to himself as he smoked his own cigarette. “Did you ever think you’d be here?”

“Where? In this fancy hotel or with you?” Steve said, a bright smile on his face. “Either way, not really. I’ve known since high school that my soulmate was a man. Despite all my old man’s ranting and raving. But knowing it was you? No.”

Eddie thought for a moment. “I think I always wanted it to be you. From before I even truly knew who I was, I wanted my soulmate to be you. It just took me a long to time realize it.”

Steve carefully took his cigarette and Eddie’s and placed them in the ashtray. He took Eddie’s face in his hands and kissed him deeply. “You are well worth the wait.”

~

Eddie woke up the morning of his first day in Hawkins with a sleep deprivation headache and a mouth drier than a fucking desert.

He stumbled out of his bedroom that Wayne had kept for him for when he came to town. He liked it because it was out of the way and fans hadn’t found it yet. Something he lived in dread of.

He washed his face and brushed his teeth before shambling his way to the kitchen.

Wayne held out a glass of water. “Coffee’s about done. Breakfast will be right there with it in moment or two.”

Eddie blinked at his uncle for a moment. “Thanks.” He took the water and drank it down in one gulp. “I don’t know why I get so thirsty coming back home, it’s like this town is an evil sponge.”

Wayne chuckled and flipped the bacon over one more time before setting to the side. He piled hash browns, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast on Eddie plate and handed to to him. “It’s good thing I’m not in Hawkins proper anymore or I might take offense to that.”

Eddie snorted and rolled his eyes. He didn’t understand why Wayne was so dead set about staying in this literal hellhole. He dug into his food without comment. Breakfast at Wayne’s was better than any diner across the whole fucking country.

“You heading into town today?”

“Yeah,” he said poking at his hash browns. “My soulmate supposedly owns a shop in town, so I was hoping to stop by and maybe have a talk or something.”

Wayne snorted. “You don’t sound very convinced of any of it. So come on. Tell me all about your soulmate.”

“Steve Harrington who runs Coming of Page, the town’s one and only queer bookshop.”

Wayne blinked at him for a moment. “I’m familiar with Steve. Good man.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side and regarded his uncle for a moment. “I didn’t think a queer bookstore would be your speed, if I’m honest.”

Wayne snorted and shook his head. “Like I don’t have a gay nephew as dear to me as my own child.”

“Aww,” Eddie cooed. “You do love me!” He clutched his hands to his chest and batted his lashes.

Wayne swatted at him. “But no, you’re right. I may have gone to the bookstore a time or two, but that’s not where I’ve seen Steve around.” He cleared his throat and a deep blush darkened his cheeks. “There’s a singles mixer every Thursday for people without soulmates that we both attend when we can.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Eddie said, rearing his head back in confusion. “That sounds really nice actually. Didn’t even realize that was option. I’m glad you’re having fun.”

“Steve set it up about five years ago, I guess,” Wayne said thoughtfully, “when it seemed like his soulmate wasn’t ready for him yet.”

“Five years?” Eddie asked, pained. “Fuck!”

Wayne’s head snapped over to look him in the eye. ‘Hey now, none of that. You weren’t ready yet. There is nothing wrong with you not wanting to meet him until you were. Any hang ups he has about that is on him, not you. You hear me?”

Eddie nodded meekly. He just felt so stupid inside his head that he couldn’t figure out he was gay until five years ago. Because according to everyone else in his life, the signs had been there for years.

“Good luck,” Wayne said gently.

“Thanks!” Eddie said, trying to force some cheer into that statement. Judging from Wayne’s expression, though, he had missed by a mile.

Only as soon as he stepped foot in Hawkins, he got papped and spent the day dodging fans. The last thing he wanted was to have his soulmate meeting filmed by some teen fan with more freckles than sense. Or even fifty-something fan. After all stupid wasn’t just a feature for teenagers, after all.

He came home to Wayne defeated. “I hate being famous,” he groused and flopped face first on the sofa.

“That bad, huh?” Wayne asked, bringing Eddie a beer.

Eddie sat up so Wayne could sit next to him on the sofa and popped open his bottle, flipping the cap like a coin toward the coffee table.

“Like I get that people want to meet me,” he muttered after taking a long gulp of his beer. “But I don’t want Steve to think I’m doing this for the publicity. That would be like the worst way to be introduced to your soulmate.”

“There are worse,” Wayne huffed. “There was a very publicized case during WWI where an English soldier met his soulmate on the battlefield. With a German soldier. He was staring down the barrel of his soulmate’s rifle.”

Eddie blinked at him for a moment and then licked his lips. “Yep. That’s worse. So, so much worse. But geez, old man, can’t you have let me have my melodrama a minute or two longer?”

Wayne cocked his head to the side and then shook his head. “Nope.”

Eddie glared at him as he sipped his drink.

~

Day two, he couldn’t even leave the house. Someone had followed him to Wayne’s and the address was all over the internet before he could even wake up and have his morning coffee.

The first thing he did was call Chrissy about going after the fan who doxxed him, because holy hell they shouldn’t be invading Wayne’s property like that.

Then he put out a statement about his privacy and that he was supposed to be taking these three days to relax and visit with family, and because of the overzealous fans he hasn’t been able to do that at all.

The third and final thing he did was get a room in a hotel close to the Hideout so that fans would leave Uncle Wayne alone.

Just after the sound check, Eddie shoved his hair up under a hat, put some sunglasses on, and ditched the leather jacket. He finally made it to the bookstore with an hour before it closed and two hours before the show.

He looked around the shop and immediately loved it. While the rainbow colors were prominent there were trans flags, asexual and aromantic flags, gay and lesbian, and proudly behind the cash registers was the bisexual flag.

He spotted the greasy, teenager and made a beeline for him.

Eddie knocked on the counter to get his attention. “Hello, my good sir! I was wondering if I could speak to the owner of this fine establishment.”

The teenager, who’s name was Chase, according the name tag, snorted. “Steve isn’t here today. He’s going to Indy for some big concert or whatever. Bought the tickets like over a year ago or something obscene like that.”

Eddie blinked him for a moment, pained. It took him a moment to get his voice to work. “Oh, who are he going to see?”

Chase shrugged. “I don’t know, man. The dude’s music is all over the place. It could Depeche Mode or Chappell Roan for all I care.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side. Like fair. Dave Gahan was still hot and Chappell Roan was, well very on brand so to say.

He knocked on the counter again. “Well thank you again, good sir!” He turned on his heel and went back the way he came, defeated.

~

Steve was vibrating out of his skin as he got ready for his second metal concert. He had gone out with Robin and Dustin to find something that he could wear so he didn’t stand out like prep in a metalhead bar.

But they really couldn’t find anything that worked. Not with out going out of town for it. Which he should have done the shopping when he was in Indy for the first concert. But he didn’t think he would need to.

At the large concert there were plenty of people who weren’t wearing the metalhead uniform as it were so he really hadn’t stuck out like a sore thumb. Not like he would at The Hideout.

Then Robin struck on the most ingenious of plans. “Don’t blend in. Purposely stick out. You’re trying to make him notice you as his soulmate. He needs to be able to spot you in a crowded room.”

Steve and Dustin stared at her for a moment.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Steve said, nodding in a agreement, Dustin nodding along side him.

He still wore black jeans, but he wore a red sweater over a button up and rolled up the sleeves. He looked himself but also a ‘cool teacher’ vibe version of himself. He made sure to style his hair and add a dab of cologne.

Then he was ready. He looked in the mirror one more time before letting out a sigh. He couldn’t believe it had only been two weeks since he had his first clear soulmate dream. It felt all at once longer than that and shorter somehow.

He walked out of the bathroom to see that both Dustin and Robin were kitted out in metal gear. He blinked at Robin a moment.

“Where did you get that?” he asked cocking his head to the side. His platonic soulmate had been holding out on him.

“Turns out my soulmate is a secret metalhead,” Robin said brightly. “She used to go to metal bars in Indy and Bloomington on the weekends in high school.”

“Well, okay then,” Steve said, still a little stunned. Vickie looked as wholesome as ‘Anne of Green Gables’ for fuck’s sake.

Also why she didn’t remember for the Indy concert, he didn’t know that either. But knowing Robin like he did? He bet she just forgot to ask. He shook his head fondly. But he really didn’t have the brain power to deal with that right now, so he just bundled them all into his car and drove out to the The Hideout.

They parked and filed out of the car.

Robin gave his hand a squeeze and Dustin patted him on the back.

“What if I still don’t make eye contact with him?” Steve said, nervously chewing on his bottom lip and running his fingers through his hair. “It’s not as though any of us have a ton of money to go see the band again in another venue.”

“Well,” Dustin said, “if you know it’s Eddie, then Eddie’s got to know it’s you. You can reach out to his management and say you’re soulmates. Describe the trailer you keep having in your dreams. Because fans know of the trailer but they wouldn’t know what it was like on the inside.”

“Yeah, Steve,” Robin agreed. “Or a tattoo that would be on an intimate part of his body. Or how he got a particular scar.”

Steve nodded and then followed him into the bar.

It was still early so it wasn’t quite packed yet, but he could see that the band had gathered around the bar for what looked like a meet and greet.

And for the first time since he started getting his soulmate dreams he was in the same room as his soulmate. There he was in all his rockstar glory. Beautiful and wild.

The air left Steve’s lungs in a rush as Eddie threw back his head and laughed.

Fuck.

He wanted to bottle that sound forever.

Then Eddie turned around and Steve’s heart stopped and his stomach swooped. He was even more beautiful than he had been in his dreams.

He was incandescent.

~

Part 9 Part 10

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @themoonagainstmers @eyehartart @tartarusknight @chaotic-waffle @dotdot-wierdlife

10- @stedestielfrattficlover @steddieislife @riotrose8 @bunnybens-blog @watermelonmite

[oshawottarchive]

[Pt 1] [Pt 2] [Pt 3] [Pt 4] [Pt 5] [Pt 6] [Pt 7] [Pt 8]

More because I am bored again

————

Jimmy: *standing at the top of the stairs* What are you all doing at the bottom of the staircase?

Impulse: I accidentally fell down

Tango: Skizz PUSHED ME down the stairs because I refused to pay HIS part of our rent!

Martyn: Scar bet me fifty bucks that I couldn’t reach the bottom of the stairs faster than Impulse did falling down them, so I slid down the banister

Pearl: I don’t know how I got here. One moment, I was sleeping in my bed, three floors up, and then suddenly I was waking up here, just in time to get crushed by Martyn

————

Grian: Hey guys, today Jimmy pushed me so I’m starting a kickstarter to put him down

Grian: The benefits of killing him is that I would get pushed way less

————

Tango: *pulls a glass of water from out of nowhere*

Scar: Where did you get that?

Tango: My pocket

Scar: How do you keep a glass of water in your pocket?

Tango: Skills

————

Pearl: The four Gs

Pearl: Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, and Gem

————

Etho: Life is like Bdubs. It’s short

————

Gem: Do you see yourself as a glass half-full person or a glass half-empty person?

Grian: Half-full, definitely

Grian: Half-full and constantly rising

Grian: Soon the water will escape its container and consume us all

————

Etho: Today at 7 AM, Impulse poured a monster energy drink in his coffee, said “I’m going to die”, and drank the whole thing

Skizz: I watched Impulse brew his coffee with monster instead of water. Three cups in two hours. I think he ascended into the astral realm

Tango: The survivability of the human race never fails to amaze me

————

Tango: Who would you swipe right for, Imp or Skizz?

Etho: I would delete the app

————

Tango: We can bake these cookies at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or 4,000 degrees for 1 minute

Etho: No, that’s not how you make cookies

Skizz: Floor it!!

Tango: How about 4,000,000 degrees for 1 second??

Etho: You’re gonna burn the house down!

Tango: I’M GONNA HARNESS THE POWER OF THE FUCKING SUN TO MAKE COOKIES!!!

Impulse: Do it!

Etho: NO—

————

Impulse: Small creatures are much more vicious because they have a smaller body to bottle up all their emotions

Bdubs: Ridiculous. Give me some examples

Tango: Wasps?

Skizz: Terriers?

Etho: Bdubs

————

Etho: You were stabbed. Do you remember anything?

Impulse: Only the ambulance ride to the hospital

Etho: That wasn’t an ambulance, I drove you

Impulse: But I heard a siren. . .

Tango: That was Skizz

Skizz: Sorry, I got nervous

————

Scar: I wouldn’t put it in those words, exactly

Grian: Why not?

Scar: Cause I don’t know what they mean

————

Scar: Dude, I will never forgive Craigslist for banning me after I wrote a post seeking a sworn nemesis. Whoever reported it is obviously my nemesis but I was so pissed

————

Skizz: Can we go to a haunted house?

Impulse: What’s wrong with the one we live in?

Skizz: Wh-what?

Scar: *through an intercom* Goodnight, Skizz

————

Tango: Are you busy?

Impulse: Yes

Tango: Okay cool. Hey listen to this—

————

Skizz: Man I’m so glad we didn’t forget the marshmallows

Impulse: Yeah, imagine if we got lost in the forest without s’mores ingredients

Grian: I still say that if everything goes south we should eat Skizz

Tango: *being used as a campfire* Screw you guys

————

Impulse: Everyone has a toxic trait. Except Skizz, he’s cool like that

Skizz: WRONG. My toxic trait is how badly I want to domesticate a raccoon

————

Skizz: Hey, G-Man! Where’s Top, Dipple-Dop, and Scarface?

Grian: They’re playing hide and seek

Skizz: Where?

Grian: I don’t think you get how this game works

————

Skizz: If you put “violently” in front of anything to describe your action, it becomes funnier

Skizz: Violently practices

Grian: Violently studies

Tango: Violently sleeps

Impulse: Violently shoots pictures

Zedaph: Violently boxes

Scar: Violently murders people

Tango: Violently worries about the previous statement

————

Grian: Why are you two always out during rainstorms?

Skizz: It’s very peaceful and refreshing. I love the smell of rain

Tango: Scar bet me that I couldn’t get struck by lightning, but he’s WRONG

————

Scar: Truth or dare?

Zedaph: Dare

Scar: I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room

Tango: *catches fire*

Tango: I’m ready, Zed

————

[passthe5sos]

F O U R ; P L A N

"Well, now that you've got your gun, It's much harder now the police have come, and I'll shoot him if it's what you ask, but if you just take off your mask you'd find out everything's gone wrong, now everybody's dead."

Rory

Every bone in my body feels brittle. Being wanted only for sex is a weird feeling. Never before had a guy ever come to me explicitly for sex. It's always been 'did you take the math notes?' and 'what'd you get on number eight, i just guessed'. I had never ever felt like I've been wanted in a sexual manner. I hadn't ever seen myself as a sexual being. Someone who can find joy in the simple pleasures in life. I always just thought that sex was necessary for procreation, but remembering the feeling of Niall's hand in mine. Even though Giselle says he took advantage of my weakened state, cause I was so caught up in the moment, I didn't think of the implications. I was never raised to read between the lines. My mama always wanted me to see the good in people, and wanted me to help them see the good in themselves too.

Don't even get me started on the way Harry was talking about it, like he believed we were committing the worlds biggest sin. I don't understand why me going upstairs was so problematic. I mean, I get Niall's intentions were a little askew, but I wouldn't have let him get far at all. I probably would have freaked before he even got to kiss me, if he kissed me. Giselle says that she hardly ever kisses her one night stands, that it's so much more emotional than sex. I don't get that, but maybe one day I will.

Giselle sleeps peacefully beside me. We talked about what happened to me on the stairs. I talked about Louis, how he basically fell asleep on me, and gave me his weed stick, which I found out is called a blunt! So I look 1% less stupid. She looked a little distraught over me bringing up Louis, but she wouldn't explain why. She also said that she hadn't mentioned them to me before (the boys who aren't American) because she didn't know I was into that kind of thing, and since I so totally am, we imagined booking a trip to Europe. Meeting hot Italian boys, French kissing the french, her drinking in Ireland. Honestly, it was the perfect way to fall asleep if my brain hadn't been running all night long. It's like my brain drank coffee. I was exhausted, and all I wanted was to sleep, but it was escaping me. I guess it's a good thing then, cause I didn't dream of those gorgeous sea green eyes. Why do boys get all the good things? The hair that does what you want it to, why can they just roll out of bed in yesterdays clothing with no makeup? Why don't we bully them for not shaving under their arms? Your armpits don't need to look like jungles boys. Makes me wonder what boys looked like in the cavemen era, women and men were probably covered head to toe in hair, and they didn't complain then? I feel like men have devolved. 

I finally fall asleep, and I probably looked like shit so Giselle didn't wake me in the morning. We really didn't speak much on the weekend. I think she kinda felt bad about forcing me to go to the party, and all that happened when I clearly didn't want to go. As upset as I think I am about everything, I couldn't ever be mad at her for making me go. I really could have let her go on her own, but that idea made me feel sick knowing she was having a bad time too in the end. 

I say I'm not as upset as I think I am (or probably should be) because I learned something valuable. What sex means to the average man. To me, it's everything, just as kisses are. Both are super personal to me, considering I haven't done either. It would take a lot of trust in me to do that with someone else. But to guys like Niall, a proclaimed 'ladies man', sex means nothing. I need to protect myself a little better around these kinds of people. These guys aren't high schoolers, they are full grown adults who still have the mental capacity of a 12 year old boy, meaning they are way worse. I just hope Niall isn't going to talk about me, call me a prude or something nasty. Technically, I wasn't the one who ruined it, it was Harry. Thank God for Harry. God and Harry being in the same sentence sounds just as strange as the devil and God being in the same sentence. Like I feel like Harry isn't menacing, but he kinda intimidates me a lot. More than I think I'd ever admit out loud to myself, or to anyone for that matter.

Everything about him feels like his was created to be just that, magnetic, devilish. He's like the first ever sin created, fresh, new, and pure in a way that's totally warped and evil. It makes me sick to my stomach. His voice too, killer. It's deep and monotone. I wonder if he's ever been happy before. Probably not. It was deep and God forgive, but attractive like all British voices are. But I've heard British voices, and there's nothing so liquid gold like his. Music to my ears. He's barely spoken ten words to me and I already find him interesting. I just wish Niall hadn't been... Well, so boyish. I think I could have genuinely liked Niall. He's not too much like Harry, not sure how true that statement is or not, but their vibes are a little different. Niall is more like a camouflage snake I suppose. You don't realize it's true intentions until it's venom is coursing through you while it drags you back to it's place for a midnight snack. 

But they were just too cute to forget about. Maybe that's their motive. Look like cute little bunny rabbits (minus Harry, he's more like a scary bat, no vampire pun intended), and lead girls into your bedrooms.

The ceiling looks rather interesting this time of day. The popcorn ceiling is painted a fun white color, cause how fun can white paint actually be. I run my finger against the plump part of my lower lip. To kiss someone. To have sex with someone. I wish I hadn't been so afraid, I would have slept with Niall, I'm sure of it, if I hadn't been so afraid of it. Even with all that being said, Harry stopped us from doing anything, not even me. It's like he knew it was going to happen, and he was waiting there to save me. Harry, saving someone. Funny, vampires don't save people, they kill them. Unless I'm like some sort of prey.

You know, in the way that predators play with their food for a while until they devour it. I suck in a quick breath. Can that even be possible? They're both toying with me on purpose, making me think one thing so I ignore the other red flags. I should really as Giselle's mother for a lesson on reading people, it would help me so much in cases like this. I feel like a fly stuck in a spider web. They have me right where they want me, but they're not going to pounce yet, they want to watch me squirm. And boy, do I squirm. 

The door pushes open and I lurch upward to sit making Giselle shriek. "You scared me!" we both shouted at the same time. She groaned and shut the door behind her, sitting down on her bed. "You okay, you don't look okay?" I asked, taking in her appearance. Her lips were downturned in a frown. Giselle never frowns. "My mom called."

Dread. All I feel is the cold washing of dread. "What about it?"

"They found another body in the park last night, around 8 this morning." I let out a deep breath. "Who is it this time?" she looks to the side, eyebrows deep in worry. "Do you remember Eleanor from the bakery? Her daughter came to visit this week, she's been away at college..." Giselle trails off and I sigh. Wow. I went to school with Eleanor's daughter, Ruby. Ruby was two years older than me, so we never spoke, but she always brought treats from the bakery her mom worked in and gave them to the kids who didn't have lunch. Usually just bread, she brought cookies once for the teachers and staff, and she brings cupcakes for kids on their birthdays. "I don't understand what's happening. The people in Georgetown are so sweet." I stand up, running my hands through my messy hair. Giselle nods solemnly. "Yeah, Ruby was a friend of mine actually." I stop pacing and sit down on her bed. "I'm really sorry Giselle." she stutters out a breath, her tears bubbling up in her eyes. "We need to do something about this. I'm putting in an application at the station, and I think you should too. The station needs all the help it can get." Giselle rants. "We need to put a stop to this." my eyes widen and I cup her hands in mine and nod. "Yeah, I can help. I'm not much good when it comes to field work, but I can do something behind the scenes." I nodded, promising away my assistance, and probably every waking minute I have until the case closes. I unclasp a hand from our little bundle on her lap and wipe away at her tears.

"Too many people have died, and I worry every day who's going to be the next one. What if it's my mom, your mom, you!"

"Hey, shh, you said it yourself, the people who were killed were probably affiliated with the gangs. So, we can start with Ruby and her family, see what they know." Giselle's eyes hardens as she shakes her head. "No way would Ruby ever be into something like that, I mean, she gives out cupcakes to people for God's sake, not run ins with drugs and murder!" I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight while she cries. "I know this is a difficult thing to process, but you and I both know, that Ruby getting to go to UCLA is a bit weird, even for this town."

Ruby is one of the first girls since Georgetown Community College, and Greensboro University was crated, to be able to go to a different, more impressive school. Most of the people that lived in Greensboro did that all the time, but then the college was made, and it was slightly more affordable than any other university, so most kids chose to go there instead if they could swing it. My first guess is that Ruby got involved cause she needed the money to go to school, but I'm no investigator, what do I know?

"No! Absolutely not, I am trashing these right now!" 

Officer Westbrook, Giselle's mother wasn't all that impressed with our idea, as you could call it. "But mom, please! We have to do something!" Giselle argued, walking around the precinct like she owns the place. "Giselle Tahlia West, I will not! I mean not, have you or your friends apply for jobs here. That is putting a direct target on your backs." Giselle's mother shot back quickly.

The idea of working for the station hadn't been totally uncalled for for me, I wouldn't mind helping save people. But Officer Westbrook thinks that Giselle and I working for the station will cause some discourse. We could lose friends over it. I mean, wouldn't that be a good thing? If people distance themselves for us, there's probably a reason, no? That would be super suspicious to me. But in her world, that puts a direct 'kill me before I catch you' sign on our backs. Of course it made me worry, but at the same time, this was an important job. I can understand why Officer Westbrook wouldn't want her own daughter to work there, but her not wanting me to work there warmed my heart. I felt like a part of the family. 

Officer Westbrook tears up our printed resume and job applications, tossing them into a shredder. That's a bit deep. "Giselle, maybe we should go." I suggested, tugging on her flannel jacket sleeve, but she rips her arm away. "No, not until I'm working the case."

Officer Westbrook shuts her eyes, pressing her fingers against her temples. I glance around, a couple people that worked here were staring at us like we're crazy. "In my office, now." Giselle's mom snapped and the both of us walked into the office directly behind the front desk. Giselle's mother, Sharon Westbrook, shuts the door, shutting the blinds as well. This feels just as bad as coach yelling at me. Giselle and I take a seat each opposite the desk. "I'm going to have a nice calm discussion about this with the both of you, and when you leave, you will smile, and forget today ever happened." Sharon sits down on her chair. She folds her hands up, fingertips pressing against each other. She takes a gulp of air. "I haven't been completely honest with you baby." She stares at the empty space in between Giselle and I, like she can't bare to look at either of our faces. "So far, we've accumulated a head count of 250 bodies. Some, more mangled than others, most, without identification." Sharon begins, twisting the silver band on her ring finger in a nervous habit. "Ruby was just... 251. Before she was killed, we hired six men and three women to try and infiltrate their ranks, find out who they are, but nobody budged. Nobody in Greensboro or Georgetown knew anything about gangs, rivalries, most barely even knew anything about the murders." Sharon's tongue darts out to swipe across her bottom lip. "Ruby was one of the women we hired, and she came down this week to look into the case." Giselle slams her hands down on either arm rest, shooting up. "Oh my fucking God mom!" Giselle shouts, turning around and grabbing onto her hair. 

"Shh!"

"I'm sorry, what does this mean then?" I asked, leaning forward. Sharon scratches the top of her head. "It means, there are six men missing and two other women who haven't checked in. The gang knows the police are trying to find a way in. Those six men's bodies will be found somewhere, and those two women will be found somewhere else. It's astonishing how well these people work." Sharon's gaze dropped down to the wooden desk. "We sent them in on a suicide mission. All they wanted to do was help!" Sharon chokes, tears pooling in her eyes. 

She takes a couple calming breaths and Giselle finally sits back down after pacing. "We want to help too," Giselle pleads. "We need to help, I need to get justice for Ruby, for everyone."

Sharon just shakes her head. "I can't hire either of you for this. The officers in the precinct aren't allowed to hire any family members. And even if I could, I don't want to put either of you in danger." Sharon stands and I know that is the end of this conversation.

Leaving feels like a blur, and Giselle and I don't speak the entire walk home. She seems... Different. I mean, I would be too if my mother hired a friend of mine to infiltrate a gang and ended up being murdered in the process. I guess I was wrong then, about Ruby being involved with the gang. She died doing what she loved, helping people. I haven't seen the body, and even when Giselle begged before we left, the records were all sealed and impossible to break into now, the entire file on the gangs have been encrypted. So, nothing can be edited, or even looked out without the proper information.

Giselle and I walk to the house together. Her mom said something about giving the both of us a car to share so we're not stuck walking around everywhere. It's very sweet of her, but I never learned how to drive and Giselle and I don't have the same class hours every day, so I'd end up having to walk home or to class anyway. "You okay Giselle?" I asked, stopping her on the driveway. She nods, not meeting my gaze. I know she's thinking of something, she doesn't rest until she gets what she wants, but her mother kinda scared me. I want to live my life honestly, I have a lot more thing's I want to do. Like go to Italy with Giselle, and French kiss the French. I rest a hand on her shoulder making her look at me. "Giselle-" I warned but she shook her head. "I know what my mom said, but we need to do something. 250 people have died! Died!" I hush her but she shakes her head. "I could really use your help. There are six guys who's bodies haven't been found yet, and there are two other women who haven't been found yet. I know you swore you'd keep yourself safe while away at college, but Ruby... Ruby would've gotten involved, she would have wanted people to save the others and stop the gang. I need your Aurora."

My heart clenches at her words. I have no other choice I guess. My hands are shaking as I nod. "Okay. What's the plan?"

R I V A L R Y

[purplesurveys]

1930

1.) What was the last strong scent you smelled? The essential oil I currently have for my reed diffuser.

2.) When was the last time you changed your outfit? This morning. I'll change before heading to bed, which I'll do after this. I really need to sleep; it's nearing 2 AM on a Monday.

3.) What did you buy the last time you went shopping for new clothes? Concert outfit for Seventeen back in January. I'm not a big clothes shopper.

4.) What is your favorite meal of the day? Dinner.

5.) Do you typically eat breakfast or skip it? Skip. Unless coffee counts, because I have that everyday.

6.) What was the last thing you took a picture of? A pissed off reaction selfie I took immediately after finishing Gyeongseong Creature 2 (credits weren't even done rolling yet hah).

I spent THE ENTIRE!!!!!!! evening watching it as I was desperate to see what would happen, but the whole season's pacing was so off and there was barely a payoff in the finale...so I took that selfie with the 5 AM blue sky as my background to let everyone know I put in That Much Time for a season that ended up sucking lol

7.) Do you have a collection of anything? BTS merch and bucket hats.

8.) What was the last thing you threw away? The can of coffee I finished.

9.) What is the cause of your current emotional state? The fact that I'm going back to work that I dread in less than 8 hours.

10.) What were the last plans you made? How about cancelled? Last plan I made was to resign, which I announced to my bosses last Tuesday. Last I cancelled was my initial plan to take the dogs to the vet earlier today, because when I checked their booklet it turned out I didn't need to take them til end of the month. I had no idea why I thought they were due today hahaha.

11.) How did you discover your favorite band? They were very huge when I was in Grade 3 and all the cool kids seemed to like them (Paramore).

12.) Does the weather affect your mood? If so, in what ways? Only if it's hot. I get cranky when it's hot and humid and there's no sign of aircon anywhere, and especially so if I haven't eaten.

13.) When are you most likely to be bored? Usually in the afternoon, from around 2-5 PM. Even at work, I get very restless during those hours because I want the day to be done with already.

14.) What was the last big decision you made? Resigning for good. There's a part of me that still thinks it was such a rash, impulsive, barely-thought-of decision to make...but September hit me like a 16 wheeler when it came to my mental health.

I really need to rest. But also, let's hope I find a new place to work in soon :)

15.) Where was the last place you traveled to, and what did you do while there? Vietnam! Saigon and Da Nang. I shopped more than I'd like to admit; walked, walked, and walked; simultaneously celebrated Jin's military discharge; drank a lot of coffee; discovered and fell in love with bánh tráng nướng (I still look for it...); took lots of photos.

16.) What is your favorite thing to go shopping for? Not much. I'm not a big shopper unless I'm traveling, in which case I like getting local knickknacks and snacks.

17.) How organized are you? I'd say a 7/10. I'm fairly organized, but I do have the tendency to lose track.

18.) What were the positives and negatives of your last week? Positives: I informally filed my resignation. I also...just survived.

Negative: I woke up every day of the week, save for the weekend, with a crushing weight on my chest.

19.) If applicable, how did you decide what you wanted to study in college/university? I liked to write and was good at it, and I've always enjoyed watching documentaries. It seemed like the obvious choice to make. I also came from a family of writers and lawyers, and I just wanted to continue the practice, albeit through an adjacent route.

20.) What was the last thing you received in the mail? Shopee orders but they were both for my sister lol.

21.) What is one of your wildest dreams or ambitions? Travel to the US alone.

22.) When was the last time you performed in front of a group of people? No clue. High school, maybe?

23.) Who was the last person to upset you? How about the last person to cheer you up? Upset would be someone related to my work. Cheer up...Namjoon.

24.) Is there anything or anyone you’re trying to get over or let go of? Yes. My current job.

25.) What was the subject of your last phone conversation? My grandma let me know she made me laing and asked me to come over to pick it up when I can. Apparently my mom asked her to make it...I'm guessing she did so because I recently shared with her my work troubles, and it's her way of helping me feel better. In any case, and whether my theory is right or wrong, the gesture is appreciated.

26.) What are your plans for tomorrow? How about the weekend? Tomorrow I need to work. I'm also working on the weekend. Both days.

27.) When was the last time you were sick? Sometime last month I threw up like 101% the contents of my stomach from food poisoning.

28.) How close do you have to be with someone before you’ll consider them a friend? If I feel comfortable approaching them first and share with them stupid stuff like memes.

29.) What did the last jacket you wore look like? Green and with the right sleeve decorated to look like the Philippine flag. It's a jacket I was given by one of the brands I handle; and we usually have to have it on during our more formal events like contract signings so that we can also be 'in-attire' and look the part as their PR reps.

30.) Name five things you can grab from where you’re sitting. Vape pen, Oatside coffee, phone, a BTS frame, highlighters.

[misslisamiray]

Took me a little longer to get this chapter up than originally planned, but here's Chapter 4 of Down With the Rickness!

Newest chapter is also up on FanFiction dot net and Ao3, and I will share those links shortly.

Beth was sitting in her car outside St. Equine’s. It was still dark, but the sun was now beginning to rise. She checked the time on her phone. 5:45 A.M. With a sigh, she drank some of the extra large coffee she was holding.

“At least the sunrise is pretty. Not pretty enough to be up this fucking early, but pretty just the same. I wonder what’s going on at home. How Dad’s doing. By now, that transforming sickness must have cycled through at least a few more diseases. Morty’s there to take care of him. Oh, and Jerry too, of course. And Dad’s as tough as they come. I’m sure they’re fine. Still, I wish I knew more about these things.” Beth said to herself.

After a few seconds of thinking and a bit more coffee, something occurred to her, and she corrected herself, “Wait, maybe I know more about this than I think.” She grabbed her phone again and quickly dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?” Space Beth answered instantly.

“Hi. Hope I didn’t wake you. It’s stupid early here, and I have no idea if it is where you are, too, but we have a bit of a situation here on Earth.” Beth began to explain.

“Situation as in alien invasion? Situation as in Dad woke up some monster that’s been sleeping beneath the planet’s surface for a few centuries? Other? I need details. What happened, and how is it Dad’s fault?” Space Beth inquired. She was in her space station apartment orbiting Earth, and was studying a wall of weapons, ready to choose the correct ones for whatever mission her other self was about to describe.

“Actually, he didn’t do anything, per se. He’s sick, and he says it’s nothing to worry about, but I can’t help thinking that means I should worry more.”

“I wouldn’t. The way that man gets around, it’s doubtful this is his first intergalactic STD. He’s probably only even mentioning it to brag. And if that’s not it, then I assume he’s just more hungover than usual.” Space Beth scoffed.

In spite of herself, Domestic Beth laughed a little before replying, “No, it’s not that. Well, maybe a little of the second one, but that’s not the main issue. What do you know about Gloppydropian Mimicking Disease?” Space Beth raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

“I know that if Dad’s telling you that’s what he’s sick with, he’s lying to you.” she answered flatly.

“What?! How can you be so sure of that?”

“1, it doesn’t exist anymore. Dad, well not our Dad, but you know, a version of him – eradicated it almost 20 years ago. 2, even if it were still around, humans were never one of the species it was contagious to.” Space Beth explained. She then asked, “Out of curiosity, what kind of symptoms was he trying to blame on *Snort!* Mimicking Disease?” She was clearly amused by the situation.

“Well, all I noticed was a lot of sneezing and a nasty cough, like he has a bad cold…because that is exactly what he has, isn’t it?” Beth facepalmed as she came to that realization. Her badass sci-fi counterpart burst out laughing.

“Just to clarify, are you laughing at him, or at me for believing him?” Beth asked.

After taking a few more seconds to get herself under control, Space Beth answered, “A little of both. Naivete is not normally a quality I admire, but it’s cute on you. Mostly, I am laughing at Dad thinking he could pass off a cold as Gloppydropian Mimicking Disease.” She barely held back another wave of laughter.

“Seriously, what was his plan with that, and how did he expect to explain when the symptoms never changed? Why is he faking having an alien disease it is literally impossible for him to have, to hide having a cold?”

“I do not have answers to any of those questions. I do know Summer was onto him, and that’s why Dad sent her off with a huge list of errands like… going to Space Walmart.” Beth answered, wishing her coffee were wine instead. Space Beth had started laughing hysterically again.

Once she’d recovered her composure, she asked, “You want any help?”

“When I thought this might be something serious, yes. Now that I know without a doubt that it isn’t, I don’t want to waste your time. Dad, Jerry and Morty can handle this on their own for the day.” Beth replied.

“I wasn’t planning to drop everything and run to Earth to bring Dad chicken soup. But maybe Summer could use a hand with that errand list? You said it was long. I’m not doing anything today. If I go split the list with her, she’ll get home to keep an eye on the guys faster.” Space Beth offered. Earth Beth nodded appreciatively.

Back on Earth, Morty was walking back to Rick’s room, announcing, “Good news, bad news time. Good news is, I found a thermometer, and this almost full bottle of cold medicine. The bad news is, it’s expired by like, two years. But the internet says it’s still safe to take. It just maybe won’t work quite as well. Or it might work too well, whatever that’s supposed to mean? People on this one website were arguing about it, and it got pretty heated. I guess people really will be assholes to each other over anything online, huh? Then there was this one guy just screaming in all caps about how viruses aren’t real in the first place…”

Morty’s rambling cut off as soon as he saw Rick. Now dressed in only his boxers and a stained tanktop, he was sitting in the middle of the bed, two blankets wrapped haphazardly around him. He was currently taking a blood sample from his left arm. There was a microscope in his lap, and he was surrounded by petri dishes and empty vials.

“For fuck’s sake. Rick, what do you think you’re doing?” Morty asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

“I had an idea while you were gone, Morty! If I shrink you down and inject you into my bloodstream, you can negotiate some kind of peace treaty with the virus. Or just, y’know, nuke it. Obviously I’ll *Achoo!* send you in armed to the teeth.” Rick exclaimed.

“What?! Rick, no. I’m not doing that.”

“I figured you’d say that. Truth be told, I like the nuclear option best. It’d be quicker and more effective. But I admit, it might hurt a little more than I’m willing to deal with today. So, fine. Negotiation it is. *COUGH!* Obviously, I’ll have to make the germs sentient first. Otherwise, what good is talking to them going to do, right? That is going to add some time, but it should only be a few extra minutes.” Rick continued to rant. He removed the blood sample needle from his arm and emptied the contents into one of the petri dishes.

“No! You said yourself you can’t think straight when you’re sick, and this proves it! Making your cold germs sentient so you can inject me into your bloodstream to talk them into leaving you alone? Do you hear yourself, Rick? Of all the cornball, low budget sci-fi TV show ideas… It’d be different if you were like, dying and that was the only way to save you. But we’re not doing all that over a cold! You’re gonna take some medicine and go to sleep until it’s time to take more, and, ummm, whatever else normal people do when they’re sick. Got it?”

Rick looked back and forth between his grandson and the project in front of him a few times, thinking it over. Finally, with an exaggerated sigh, he grabbed his portal gun and used it to send the microscope and other equipment back to the garage.

“Fine! We’ll do this your way, Morty. *COUGH!* But I still say my way would be cooler.” he reluctantly agreed, scowling at Morty. He wrapped the blankets tighter around himself and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"That's more like it. Okay, Rick. Here you go." Morty sighed. He carefully filled the medicine's accompanying measuring cup to the top line and tried to hand it to Rick.

"I don't want it." Rick grumbled, waving it away.

"Seriously?! Why not?" Morty asked, exasperated.

"It looks gross. I'm too stuffed up to tell, but it probably smells gross, too. And I know it's gonna taste like shit. So no, I don't want it." Rick explained, stubbornly turning his head. Morty barely held back a scream.

"Are you kidding me?! I thought it was gonna be something about this stuff being inferior to anything you'd make, so you were like, insulted by it. But it's just that? Of course it's gonna taste bad. Doesn't all medicine? Just swallow it quick and get it over with." He held the cup in front of Rick, who shook his head and continued refusing to take it.

"Of course this would be the one thing in the whole damn universe you won't drink. Rick, come on! It's for your own good. Stop acting like a 4 year old and take it!" Morty argued, climbing onto the bed and shoving the small cup in front of Rick's face. Rick opened his mouth to argue further, which Morty took advantage of by quickly pouring the medicine in before the old man could react.

Furious, the second he'd swallowed it down, Rick began sputtering, "Ugh, that's even worse than I thought it would be! *Cough! Cough!*  What the hell, Morty?! Not cool! You can't force strange liquids down people's throats like that!"

"You think I enjoyed any part of that?! And don't be so dramatic - alI I did was make you take some cold medicine. Also, there's no way that's the most disgusting thing you've ever swallowed." Morty pointed out.

"Well, if nothing else, I can't argue that part. Still, that shit is foul. Yuck." Rick complained, still looking disgusted. He grabbed his flask and took a swig to wash away the taste. Morty considered saying something about that not being a great idea, but quickly decided it was a losing battle he wasn't interested in.

Instead, he said, “See. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Rick just glared at him again, so Morty continued, “I’m sorry it’s gross. But that medicine should help you feel better. And that’s what we’re trying to do, right, buddy? Get you back on your feet.” An indignant shrug and sniffle was all he got in response.

“You uh, you need anything, Rick? If you’re good and just gonna sleep, I might *YAWN!* go back to bed, too. Or I can hang out here if you want.”

Rick thought it over before saying, “Morty, g-give me that medicine bottle.” Morty handed it to him, figuring Rick wanted to read the ingredients, maybe get a sample to synthesize more. Or see for himself just how expired it was. After giving the bottle a quick once-over, Rick proceeded to chug the rest of the contents.

“Rick, no! What the hell?! You can’t do that! Stop!” Morty yelled, trying to take the bottle back. Of course, it was already empty at this point.

“First you want me to take this disgusting medicine, now you don’t want me to take it? *ACHOO!* Make up your mind, Morty! I’m in no mood to try and decipher mixed signals today.” Rick snapped, shivering badly. He was still cold even with the two blankets, and the medicine did taste absolutely terrible. He quickly drank the rest of what was in his flask to get rid of the taste. Morty’s look of horror and disapproval increased.

“Not like that, Rick! You’re not supposed to take it all at once! It’s dangerous! Aw geez, do we know the number for Poison Control? That cannot be good for you, and… what am I saying? If anyone else pulled a stunt like that, they’d definitely need to go to the hospital. But it’s you, so it’s fine. Probably.” Morty answered, going from panicked to weary as he thought about the situation and who he was dealing with. Rick just shrugged, clearly not sharing Morty’s concerns.

[ginhawatranslations]

Jersey Number Eleven - Chapter 19

Read the previous chapters here.

"I just want to sleep," I told Jerome as we were packing away the balls used during training.

He chuckled and just shook his head. You could see how tired he was, which was unusual because he’s usually full of energy even after an intense training session. Well, it wasn’t just him who was exhausted...the whole team was.

When Coach found out we didn’t have morning classes today, he suddenly scheduled a training session. From 4 AM to 8 AM! We usually train at night to make way for our classes. It was so hard for all of us to get up earlier, but it really looked like coach took our loss to Westmore the other day seriously.

Honestly, I really don’t like morning workouts and training.

It would be fine if we had no classes afterward. I’m sure I’ll be struggling to stay awake later because I’m already super sleepy.

But I can’t really blame Coach. Our team’s performance in game 1 of the semis was really disappointing. If we play like that again in game 2, there’s no hope.

Because let’s admit it, once Westmore put in their team A lineup, our chances of making it to the finals took a nosedive. We might even drop to the battle for bronze, and we’re not even sure we’ll win that.

But I keep thinking we can still make it. The fight’s not over yet. If that’s not our mindset, then we’re really going to lose.

"I’ll shower first," I said and went straight to the bathroom when we got back to the dorm.

I had a 10 AM class. Good thing I’d already presented my report for that subject because I felt like I could really fall asleep from how sore my body was.

"Kai, I watched your game against Westmore," my classmate Marivic said when I got to our classroom. "Bounce back in game 2. You can do it!"

I smiled. "Thank you."

"But they’re really strong, huh? And Roen Alejo wasn’t even playing yet, right?"

I paused for a moment when she mentioned number eleven. He actually messaged me right after the game. Told me we’d bounce back in game 2. He even invited me to get ice cream that same day, but it didn’t happen because coach pulled us back to the drawing board right away.

Too bad.

I probably would’ve gotten over the loss to Westmore right away if I’d gone on that ice cream date with number eleven.

Hey, Kaizen. Date, really?

I’m the only one who knew it was a date!

Your delusions are wild, huh?

Killjoy! It’s just in my head, anyway. Tsk.

"Yeah," I replied to Marivic before I lost my mind arguing with myself. "I’ll just nap for a bit, okay? I just came from training. Please wake me up when the prof gets here."

"Oh, go ahead. Get some sleep."

"Thanks."

But it probably wasn’t even ten minutes later when our professor arrived and class started. That’s how the rest of my day went until it hit 2 PM. I’d sleep before classes started, then nearly pass out fighting sleep during discussions. And mind you, I even drank coffee earlier.

I just wanted to go back to the dorm and sleep for hours, but I still had one last class from 4:30 PM to 6 PM. I hoped there wouldn’t be a quiz because I totally blanked out earlier in my second class. I almost couldn’t answer anything.

And after that…training again. Just thinking about it already made me tired. It’s like I was borrowing fatigue I’m supposed to feel next year.

Once the off-season starts, I swear I’m catching up on all the sleep I lost.

What if number eleven invites you out then?

Well… I could just sleep in his car while he’s driving us somewhere, right?

I laughed at my own thoughts. You’re getting ridiculous, Kai. Just sleep it off!

I went to the library so I could nap comfortably. It was cool there thanks to the aircon. Jerome said you could sleep there since we paid for it in our tuition anyway.

I smacked him for that. He must’ve forgotten we’re student-athletes and we don’t pay any tuition. That guy’s unbelievable.

I set my phone to vibrate and was about to hide it when a notification popped up. A DM from number eleven! And I hadn’t even turned off my data!

I sat up straighter, suddenly excited. My chest instantly started pounding. Wow? Just one DM from number eleven and my sleepiness was gone? That’s how strong his effect on me is?

roenalejo11: Hey.

kaireyes: Hey.

He didn’t reply right away. It took him three minutes to message again.

roenalejo11: I’m sorry. Do you have class today?

kaireyes: Yep. Why?

roenalejo11: Are you in the middle of your class right now? If you are, we can just talk later.

kaireyes: I have a free cut right now. My next class is at 4:30.

roenalejo11: Oh.

kaireyes: Why? What’s up?

roenalejo11: Can I call then?

This time, I didn’t reply immediately. Shit, why’s he calling? Doesn’t he have class right now? Probably not, Kai. If he did, he wouldn’t be calling, right? Ugh, whatever.

I quickly grabbed my things and left the library. I went straight to Creston Gardens since it’s quiet and breezy there with all the trees. Good thing there weren’t many people around. I sat in one of the kiosks and tried to calm myself down.

My breathing relaxed, but my heart was still pounding. It’s obvious I was talking to number eleven. Tsk.

kaireyes: Okay.

Not even a minute later, number eleven called. His background was quiet as he spoke in that deep voice again.

"Hi."

"Hello," I answered, pretending I wasn’t panicking earlier. "You called?"

"You said your next class is at 4:30, right?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"Would you like some ice cream while waiting for it?"

I blinked. My mouth fell open slightly. My heart started pounding even harder. Shit…he’s asking me for ice cream again? I heard that right, didn’t I?

I looked around for a pillow I could punch. But there were only plants and trees nearby. I couldn’t hurt those poor plants...

Tsk. Where am I supposed to channel all this giddiness?

"Uhm," I cleared my throat. "Ice cream... with you?"

The moment I said that, I knew exactly who I wanted to punch - myself! Damn it! Where did I get the audacity to ask him that?! Of course it’s ice cream with him, who else would it be, he’s the one inviting me!

What the heck, Kai!

I just wanted to crawl into my messenger bag out of embarrassment!

But my attention snapped back to number eleven when I heard him laugh. And in an instant, it felt like my exhaustion disappeared. Like I was ready to train again.

"Yeah. Ice cream with me."

I almost picked a leaf off a nearby plant. Calm down, Kaizen!

"O-Okay..."

"So, yes to ice cream?"

"Y-Yeah. But wait, should we just meet again at the waiting shed in front of Westmore? Give me 10 minutes. Or 15, depending on traffic."

"Actually, Kai, I’m already here in Creston’s parking lot."

"Seriously?!" I stood up.

I grabbed my bag and headed straight to the parking lot. MVP really went all out! What if I had said no? But then again, there’s no way I would’ve said no unless I had class or training.

When I got there, I immediately scanned the area looking for him. I tried to remember what his car looked like. I just knew it was dark blue.

"Where are you parked?" I asked, since the Creston parking area was pretty big.

Number eleven didn’t answer. I thought the call had ended, but then I heard a car door close in the background. I looked around, and my mouth dropped open when I saw number eleven not too far from me.

He was standing there, holding his phone to his ear, looking at me. And it looked like he came straight from class because he was still in their school uniform.

It was my first time seeing him in uniform.

Shit...he looked so clean. So...handsome.

"There you are," I heard him say with a smile.

I blinked. I couldn’t speak, because I think my heart just climbed up to my throat.

Translator’s Notes

A free cut means a class got cancelled (e.g. the professor’s sick or in some other appointment).

Most universities in the Philippines prescribe school uniforms the same way elementary and high schools do.

[unravelingsofastar]

Sipping Nostalgia (9/26/24)

It’s 1:12am, and tonight is the first night that I will be able to sleep, as the last two have been spent working on a large-scale art project. As tired as I am and as little sleep as I’ve gotten, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go to bed. 

Last night while I was working, I suddenly felt really sad. I miss home a lot. Before, I don’t feel like I heard much about how lonely college can be. Of course, I’ve made friends and in fact I was with one of them last night, but I still can’t help but feel lonely. I miss getting Braum’s with my friend and driving in her car. I miss being in my high school art room with my favorite teacher and my other friends. I miss working on mine and my friend’s Sally Face fanzine. I miss laughing with my mom. I miss my dogs. I miss my hometown, which is funny because I wanted to get out for so long.

I guess this is the blog where I will talk about memory. Something that’s been on my mind is the taste of certain drinks and how when I drink them I remember specific points in my life.

Whenever I drink Folgers coffee I think of being in 7th grade, just when I was really becoming friends with my now best friend. I wanted to be cool and drink an ‘adult drink,’ so I drank it loaded with creamer. It was really cold outside and my first class was art. My art teacher drove a bus so he was usually late to unlock the door, so we would either wait in the cold outside his room or in the middle school building.

Ultra Peachy Keen Monster Energy tastes like the summer of 2022, like listening to only Insane Clown Posse. I had a rampant caffeine addiction and I spent most of the summer at my first (and still only) boyfriend’s house. I don’t like disclosing the information that they’re the only partner I’ve had, because I am 18 and most of the people I have talked to have been in multiple relationships by now. I don’t catch feelings very easily. It’s been over a year and a half since we broke it off and since I last spoke to him. It ended off with a hug and an I love you. As hard as that relationship was, sometimes I still miss him. Last I heard they were sleeping with a guy they hated when we were together. I hope they’re okay. I hope I never see them again.

Strawberry Melon Brisk tastes like the later months of 2022, the early mornings spent in my vo tech school. As lonely as I was and as much frustrated as I was at the instructor, I still miss it sometimes.

Apple cider still tastes like December 5th, 2022. I had never really drank cider before that night. My ex and I were celebrating a year together by looking at Christmas lights, and we bought some cider to share. That night was hard for a handful of reasons. My mind was fuzzy for that entire month so I don’t remember a whole lot of it. I can’t bring myself to regret it though. Apple cider is still one of my favorite drinks.

My best friend works at Braum’s, so sometimes in the mornings she would pick me up for our vo tech class in February of this year and drive us to get cherry limeades (with extra cherry syrup) from her work. These were fun mornings. Sometimes after class and on our way back to highschool, we would get Dr. Pepper freezes too. We listened to a lot of P1Harmony, because it was her car and that’s what she was into.

The blue Gatorade Frost tastes like this last March. I was fixated on the game Sally Face and playing MarioKart esports because one of my friends asked me to. I was reading a lot of fanfiction and in a comfortable place mentally.

I miss everyone tonight.

(9/26/24)

[ladykailitha]

Sweet Surrender Part 3

Hello and welcome to third chapter in this delightful sequel. Which the second part got a little overshadowed by my bouncer!Eddie and Drunk!Steve post so if you missed part two you should go back and read that.

Steve and Wayne have the chat, Eddie's friends realize they're assholes and Eddie learns some valuable info.

Part 1 Part 2

****

Waking up next to Eddie was like slowly coming out of a dream and finding it to be true. He kissed his boyfriend’s temple and pulled on his jeans from last night. Not even bothering to try and find his underwear. He just needed to pee.

He dashed to the bathroom and relieved himself, his bladder nearly to bursting. He relaxed as his need emptied out.

He zipped up his pants and washed his hands. Smiling at how much Eddie’s presence was marked clearly here as well.

Not like his house. He barely looked like he lived in his bedroom, never mind the bathroom. The only indication it was used was if you actually opened the medicine cabinet or any of the drawers. His shampoo and other hair care products were kept out of sight. No point handing strangers ammunition, his mother always said. If they knew which toothpaste you used, then you know they’ve snooped.

Steve dried his hands and walked out of the bathroom to find Wayne leaning up against the counter with a mug of coffee in his hands and bacon frying on the stove behind him.

“I can’t say I’m surprised to see you this morning,” Wayne huffed when Steve froze at the sight of him. “I am surprised that you managed to escape his grasp, though. That boy can be tighter than vice when he decides to make you his teddy bear.”

“He starfished.” Steve smiled shyly.

Wayne barked out a laugh. “That must mean he really trust you to spread out like that.”

Blush darkened Steve’s cheeks. “I haven’t slept that well in years. If I hadn’t drank so much hot cocoa, I probably would be still in there with him.”

Wayne hummed thoughtfully. He turned around and flipped over the bacon. Steve looked back at Eddie’s room and then back at Wayne.

“Um...” he muttered, pointing down the hall. “I should get back there so he doesn’t think I tried to sneak off.”

Wayne glanced over his shoulder with a smile. “So you are serious about my boy.”

Steve ducked his head. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” he said firmly. “If you boys aren’t up in a bit, I’ll put breakfast in the fridge for ya.”

Steve nodded and walked back to the bedroom. He shucked off his jeans and climbed back into bed with Eddie.

Immediately, Eddie reached out and drew him in close. “Where you go?”

Steve kissed him fiercely. “I didn’t mean to wake you, baby. I just needed to pee. I wasn’t expecting your uncle to be awake yet.”

Eddie hummed into the nape of his neck. “It was the voices.”

Steve frowned in confusion. “Oh! When Wayne and I were talking? I’m sorry we woke you.”

“Is okay,” he said nuzzling Steve’s collar bone. “It was a sure sign you were still here.”

Steve kissed him fiercely. “That’s what I was trying to avoid. You thinking that I had snuck out while you were sleeping. But I really, really need to pee.”

Eddie chuckled. Steve ran his fingers through Eddie’s hair and kissed the top of his head.

“You’re car being here would have been a pretty good indication you were still here, Stevie,” Eddie murmured.

“Oh!”

Eddie lifted his head and looked up at him, bleary-eyed. “Huh?”

“I should have realized Kas was you sooner,” Steve said, snapping his fingers. “Only you call me Stevie.”

Eddie smiled and then kissed him deeply. “You got there in the end, though and that’s the important part.”

Steve’s lips twisted into a grimace and he scoffed. “Please tell that to Dustin and his friends please. They seem to think that just because I’m older I have to get everything immediately.”

“Will do, sweetheart,” Eddie said and then kissed him deeply.

Steve looked up at him in opened mouth amazement. “Wait, really?”

“Yup!”

He flopped on top of Steve and folded his arms on his chest, putting his chin on his wrists. “I have small confession to make.”

Steve craned his neck to look down into Eddie’s eyes. “Yeah, what’s that?”

“Me and my friends made up the bulk of pink hearts,” Eddie muttered, his cheeks flushing with shame. “We were trying to get the bullying to stop without placing a target on your back by throwing your lot in with ours. And it worked. So, yeah. I wanted you to know that.”

Steve cupped his cheeks and whispered, “I’ll let you in on a secret of my own. I knew that, too. When Dustin was helping me with the name references, we figured out the pattern pretty quickly. Though we did applaud you guys for changing up your handwriting.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Steve kissed his forehead, the one place he could reach and said firmly, “Because while you guys started as the bulk of the pink hearts, by the beginning of the second week, they weren’t.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide. “No shit?” Steve nodded. “So our plan worked?”

“Yup.”

Eddie surged forward to kiss Steve hard on the mouth. Steve wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him up to gentle the kiss.

“But you said that you didn’t think people were ‘stuffing the ballot box’,” Eddie said worrying his lip between his teeth.

Steve shook his head. “I didn’t think that then, but after I went over to Dustin’s on Saturday, that’s when we figured it out. And then by Valentine’s Day, it didn’t matter because other hearts far outweighed the ones your friends made.”

“Please say ours weren’t the super awkward ones,” Eddie whined into Steve’s neck.

“You weren’t,” Steve said. “Even Dustin thought the groups of four had the best compliments. The others were bad. One of the anonymous ones waxed on about my dick, so...”

Eddie burst out laughing. “Oh god! I bet it was Tommy.”

Steve joined in with the laughing.

Once they had settled back down Eddie asked, “You want to get up and have breakfast or do want to cuddle some more?”

Steve hugged Eddie tighter and settled further into the blankets and pillows. Eddie chuckled.

“I like the way you think, baby.”

“Good.”

****

“Senior Ball?” Jeff asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “Like the only one of us who is a senior is you and you’re technically a super senior. So, like why would you want to go?”

The Corroded Coffin boys were at band practice when Eddie brought up the topic.

“He wants his rich, fancy boyfriend to take him,” Gareth said, clutching he hands together and batting his eyelashes.

Eddie shoved him off the couch. “Fuck that, I don’t want to get hate-crimed, thanks.”

Brian tilted his head to the side in confusion as Gareth and Jeff shared a glance.

“Then why do you want to go,” Gareth asked, “if you can’t go with Steve?”

Eddie buried his head in his hands and sighed. “Because Steve has to go. He’s been nominated as prom king, but he doesn’t want to led a girl on. So his options are third wheel his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, go by himself, or go with a group of guys without dates as to not look awkward as fuck.”

“I’m guessing A and B are out?” Brian huffed.

Eddie just gave a half shrug.

“It’s just that we’re two juniors and a sophomore,” Jeff reminded him. “Don’t you think it’ll be weird for us to go?”

“You’re right,” he huffed. “It was a stupid idea.” He grabbed his guitar. “Let’s get practicing then.”

This time Brian and Jeff shared a glance.

No one said anything and just began band practice. But the rest of the band could tell Eddie’s heart wasn’t in it.

He was hitting all the right chords at the right times, but it had none of his usual flare.

Jeff and Brian watched Eddie bundled up his guitar without a word, as Gareth spun his drumstick over and over.

“I’ll catch you guys later.” Eddie didn’t even look them in the eyes as he got into the van and drove off.

The garage was silent for a while before Jeff spoke up.

“Ah shit,” he muttered, glaring at the floor. “I think he wants to be able to treat Steve like Steve treated him on Valentine’s day.”

Gareth snorted and began tapping a steady beat on the snare. He paused. “There is no way he can afford it.”

Brian’s head snapped up. “The basketball game.”

Gareth and Jeff turned to each other in confusion. But Gareth just shrugged.

“What about it?” Gareth asked.

“The players buy before the game,” Brian explained, “and then throw a huge party afterwards. Eddie makes bank around those games. I think he really hopes to get enough to really pamper Steve. Because how much do you want to bet that Steve has never been taken out on a date before.”

Gareth snorted. “He’s been on dates before. What the hell are you talking about?”

“No, no,” Jeff said rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I think I get it, too. Everyone knows that Steve will go all out for his dates. After Eddie told us that Steve loved to plan things like stargazing and hiking up to Skull Rock, I thought I’d ask around.”

Gareth frowned and began tapping again. He stopped after a moment.

“Anyway,” Jeff continued. “I found out that he doesn’t like to do expensive gifts. Like if the thing you wanted wasn’t cheap, he wouldn’t bat an eyelash to get it for you. But he preferred giving shit like favorite flowers, milkshake dates, small well-thought out gifts.”

Gareth tapped against the bass drum with his foot pedal. “So what you’re saying is that Steve tends to do all the work in the relationship and Eddie wants to change that.”

“Yeah.”

Brian scratched his chin. “So it’s decided, we’re going to fucking prom so that Eddie can treat his boyfriend?”

Jeff and Gareth nodded.

****

Wayne knew something was wrong with his boy the second Eddie slunk through the door. Eddie was a lot of things, but quiet wasn’t one of them. So when he came in with his shoulders rounded and his head held down, that cinched it for him.

“Didn’t practice go okay?” Wayne asked gently.

Eddie just shrugged. He continued his slinking down the length of the trailer to his room, where he put away his guitar.

Wayne waited to see if he would come out again. And when he didn’t, he got up and walked the path his boy had taken.

When he peeked through the open door, he saw Eddie sitting on his bed with his lunch box out and opened on his lap. His expression was hard to read with his hair hanging over his face, but the tightness of his jaw and rounded shoulders screamed to Wayne that his boy was hurting something fierce.

He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.

“Wha’cha got there?” he asked, jutting his chin toward the lunch box on Eddie’s lap.

Eddie sighed. “I know we can’t go as a couple to prom because they wouldn’t let us in, but I thought that just maybe the guys would go to and we just have a big friend group. Then I’d sneak Steve off to the drama room where he could still hear the music and we’d slow dance to a cliché pop love song.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and began picking through the box. “I’ve got about $70 and after tomorrow’s game with the amount of product I’ve got, I should have another $200 easy. I was going to show Steve that I knew how to romance a boy just as easy as he could. But now...”

“Your friends don’t want to go?”

Eddie shook his head. “They think it’s weird that they aren’t seniors or whatever.”

Wayne snorted and then coughed into his hand to hide his smirk. He looked up and licked his lips as he fought down a laugh. “I’m tryin’ not to laugh at your situation because it’s pretty shitty, but please tell me your friends aren’t that stupid.”

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked, tilting his head to the side.

“It’s not called Senior Ball, because it’s just for seniors, anymore that Junior Prom is just for juniors. It’s run by seniors for seniors. Seniors chose the theme, raise money, decorate, and vote for prom king and queen. Everyone is invited to come.”

Eddie looked up at his uncle, blinking in his confusion. “Wait, what?”

He scrambled to his feet and hugged his uncle tightly. He gave him a quick, wet kiss on the cheek and ran for the kitchen.

Wayne turned slowly in the doorway, clucking his tongue and shaking his head fondly. “The things they aren’t teaching kids these days.”

“Jeff!” Eddie cried gleefully into the phone receiver. “You’re never gonna believe what I just learned.”

And just like that the sullen creature that had slunk through his door mere minutes ago was gone, replaced by his very happy boy. He watched as Eddie talked animatedly to his friend using large arm gestures and crowing excitedly.

He got off the phone with Jeff and looked at Wayne with the biggest smile on his face.

“Apparently they talked about it after I left,” he said all dimple cheeked and sparkling eyes, “and they had already decided that they were going to anyway. They wanted to give me a chance to woo my Stevie.”

Wayne’s own answering grin took over his face. “Sounds like you’ve got a good group of friends there, Ed.”

Eddie bounced up and down on the pads of his feet excitedly. “Then I told him what you told me and that made their decision easier. We’re going to go thrift shopping this weekend for suits to wear!”

Wayne laughed as Eddie spun him around their small trailer. “I think you’re forgetting one small detail there, Ed.”

Eddie stopped spinning and tilted his head to the side.

“Don’t you have to ask Steve to the dance first?” he replied.

Eddie’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit! Yeah, I should get right on that, shouldn’t I?” He put his hands over his mouth to stop the nervous giggle from bubbling out of his lips. “What if he says no?”

Wayne took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. “He’s not going to say no. That boy thinks you’ve hung the moon and all the stars. He would love to go with you to Senior Ball. Now, take a deep breath and go call your boy.”

Eddie pursed his lips and then nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

****

Part 4

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10- @w1ll0wtr33 @kultiras @sadisticaltarts @micheledawn1975

[whatwasoverwrought]

I don’t drink coffee mainly because my parents don’t drink coffee. It wasn’t part of our Asian culture. Instead, I drank cups of strong tea at dinner banquets.

Despite this, when I was in middle school Starbucks came out with Frappuccino’s and it become a popular drink for middle/high school girls. However, I never went out/never had money, so I didn’t get into the habit even though I do enjoy a mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream (which is basically a coffee flavored milkshake) while wandering around a mall.

I’m also caffeine sensitive though, so I learned even one cup of coffee (with a ton of sugar) tended to make me jittery and would make it difficult for me to sleep. That further limited coffee to a special weekend morning type thing if I happened to be out, as a special treat. I never really understood people who would get a Frappuccino just whenever they felt like it, even when I was in college and could go where I wanted, which was still mostly just on campus, and had my own money since I was finally allowed to have a job. I also didn’t understand the appeal of just sitting in Starbucks. One time I did go to Starbucks to sit and rest, but because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money (though I had plenty of disposable income at the time), so I got the cheapest thing on their menu, which was a $1 cup of tea.

When I started working, a lot of my colleagues were white men quite a bit older than I was. That’s when coffee culture really hit me. They were always going out to get a cup of coffee and usually asking if I wanted one. My answer was always “no.” But I had a crush on one of them, so I said yes one time, though I admitted that I could only drink coffee if it was half milk with a ton of sugar in it. Which he brought me.

Later on, my husband mentioned he didn’t understand why people would drink coffee when it doesn’t taste like coffee. I told him not to be such a macho snob (he only drinks black coffee, but even he had to build up to it when he was younger—free coffee at work but no milk).

I do think drinking coffee is mostly cultural, partly Starbucks marketing, gendered, social. Then people get addicted to the caffeine. Now whenever I need caffeine I drink Coke or strong milk tea (because I am in Taiwan, where the tea shops outnumber the coffee shops 10 to 1, and fully half of the drink shelves are devoted to tea). I think for some people, the transition to black coffee comes because of its lack of calories as well. One colleague that I recently had this conversation with said that he loved the cafe culture specifically, the ritual of going into a cafe and getting a cup. He mostly brews his own tea now (again, in Taiwan).

People who drink coffee: why did you start?

I don't drink coffee and I've never wanted to, but that's obviously ~not normal~, so I'm curious why most people do start drinking it.

[fivechairsthing]

So here I am. I think I could address a few things.

1. During the night while sleeping or certain moments, there was quite an activity of mental intrusions and sounds. I understand the urgency, but please accord some logical in your methodical. Surely you don't believe this is a non-good deliberate project. Because if you really do, there will no point in your joint (chatgpt's suggestion, again). Unless you are just curious like a ferrous.

2. Lo por jhan hai ho pei, ngor mm dak ah, nei gam yong nei giu ngor dim xun.

3. I just got the announcement from Elon that Grok will be open source. Nice! Rich people should be like you, being aware of and doing social goodness.

4. This is just an in case. Although I'm not sure if it would make any difference, given my openness is equalled to that of Blockchain, but in my xhs account, my likes I hope to delegate to more random likes, while my collection being more deliberate. I say this because sometimes I want to keep something for later, personal perusal, but I hesitate when I realise I have no private domain.

5. I want to strike some sort of compromise between my yesterday self and today's. Maybe I can only masturbate when I look at your stuff. Maybe, because I don't want to cross a certain boundary. Today I drank coffee just to see. I did not touch my penis even when it got hard while looking at your protect go light. I will check with Chatgpt when I encounter this issue again.

6. I realise the integration of AI and blockchain is still at its infancy.

[papercoffeandher]

Hi :)

How are you today?

Not perfect? That's ok! Me neither. :)

I read a quote a while ago on Pinterest and wrote it in my notebook to share with you today.

Might still print the actual image to put it in my room.

2 random but important topics to talk about:

1. A friend of mine never liked coffee, and drank some cold coffee to give me company in cafes, but that would be with a lot of sugar and chocolate chips and whatnot. He couldn't bear 2 sips of black coffee or cold brew.

He recently shifted somewhere for work and today he messaged me saying that he just drank one liter of black coffee and then had an energy drink to stay awake and energetic in the office because his head was hurting, because he couldn't sleep, and this was like before 10ish am in the morning. And for breakfast, he had a banana. He is feeling better. But. I don't feel good about it... I mean. When he told me he started drinking coffee, about 10 days back and drank a few cups and cans of black coffee now and then I was like ok yay we can kind of talk about coffee now. But then. Hmm. I am sharing my worry right now. I remember when another friend started taking 4 times the coffee she usually put in little water, to stay awake in the night and work, and it just got really bad because anxiety swept in soon enough. And I see my heartbeat getting faster and breathing getting tougher if I put more coffee powder or shots than usual in my drink... I don't want this to be his solution. It's easy. But it's addictive. Caffeine. And it can go down. Some people I know just chain coffee and smoke and it doesn't seem very healthy. It's really attractive, to be honest, I feel myself slipping into it sometimes too, but, must hold back.

Hm.

Interesting to look at coffee as a concern. Sucks actually.

2. On another topic. I met a new person. :) And she was so so sweet and beautiful and she's a freelance illustrator, artist, chuck the tags. But she has such good energy and I loved her doodles. She was kind and observant and patient and caring and acknowledging and a good listener and not loud. It was good. And she smiled. And other people there smiled and laughed too. It was beautiful. :) I went out after a long time. I am using the word 'was' because I met them yesterday. Anyway! My topic was: she was telling me how she has so many stickers but she doesn't use them because - then they'll finish and I think also where to use them.

I hear so many stationery lovers hoarding beautiful stickers and washi tapes and diaries and not being able to get themselves to use any. I don't face that problem a lot. I do plan and open things when they suit my needs but I don't have a problem opening and using them.

So I just thought I'd share a few tricks. Maybe they'll work for you.

With diaries, if I just can't get myself to write or draw (because what if it's not a 'perfect' work and the diary gets 'spoiled'), I just make a small scribble or a big scribble :P on the first page. It breaks the fear because the first page is already 'ruined' and the second one can't be 'worse'. You can also try leaving one or a few pages in the beginning or just using a random page. I do that too.

With stickers, the question is often where to use them and where will they look perfect and appropriate. So I just pick a few and paste them anywhere in any (mostly private) space. Like on anyone's door or switchboard or a remote, where it doesn't matter what you put and no one is greatly disturbed or offended and it's just aesthetic and fun. I giggle, laugh, and smile a lot doing that. It's like randomly throwing colors, here and there, which don't bother anyone and give me a small project of composition making. I think my approach is, to use the first things (pages of diaries or stickers) quickly and not as 'meaningfully' (like in this case: don't put the stickers on your personal devices like laptops or phones just yet) and you get calmer about the next steps.

This also reminds me, of sticky notes. To keep vandalism minimal, harmless, and little in size, I write funny or motivating one-liners and put them here and there in cafes and washrooms, or park benches. They stay temporarily so I don't think they bother a lot. That's also where my bill origami boats go. It's just fun. And non-pressurizing and just as easy to slip in.

Maybe give the first sheet of your new bundle of wow pages to someone else, and you can choose your favorite and start doing something.

Side note: My " I don't know if I'll be alive tomorrow." mindset kinda helps in this case, allowing me to make the best of today.

What will we do taking the stickers and the tapes to the grave?

Hope that didn't sound gruesome!

Ok, missing readers, bye. :)

Thanks for giving me space to express still! I wanted to use so many emoticons through the sentences but then thought they are after every 5 words so I'll just keep it to words (as much as possible).

Paper: Little journal.

Coffee: Cold coffee (Nescafe gold coffee powder)

[hoarder-of-dragons]

(I love this so much so hope u dont mind me adding my opinions as well btw) (also i just drank a lot of instant coffee after getting 2 hrs of sleep so also bear with me here) Non Residential Indian trying see if the views are same: 1. Yes, completely. Racism everywhere. I go to an Indian school and the racism against South Indians from North Indians is so bad (not excusing other forms against Indians but my experience) and have been called a black buffalo when i was as little as 8 years old 2. A LOT OF LANGUAGES AND ALSO YOU HAVE TO STUDY LIKE THREE OF THEM COMPULSARLY! I can't write my native language and my grammer is sometimes off but I completely forgot every piece of Hindi I ever learnt 3. No notes just yes. Even in families 4. Oh my god the coconuts. I have trauma from the amount of coconut water I was forced into drinking. aND THE SUGAR CANE AS WELL! Whenever I go to my place, its always sugarcane in every street corner and stalls of sugar can juice as well. You can be travelling on the main road and there are coconut and sugar cane stalls at your left and right. 5. Wow that's an image...but yes. You will be travelling in an auto beside them and their tails will be swinging in (had the experience first hand nice). The city I used to visit, as well developed it is, has just buffaloes walking in between the crowds. 6. And if your whole family chose science, its just medical and engineering. Oh you didn't pick bio, then engineering for the rest of your life. That's it 7. Hey another family disappointment high five! 8. You can't be showing skin, you can't even roll your jeans up in my family. When me and my cousin booed at the matrimony ads, my aunt shouted at us (she's a nice women though) for spreading "this rebellion" to my sister(she's ten). You will get married and have kids. Done 9. Yup homophobic and transphobic country nice. Also Asmi here's some virtual love <3 10. I never actually seen foreign people in my state, but maybe I just don't go out much. Or my place is not just popular. hmm nice different experiences and perspectives here 12. YES COMPLETE YES THE CHAAT! WE GOT A CHAAT STALL FOR MY GRADUATION AND WE JUST STOOD THERE EATING PANI PURI AND IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF THE WHOLE DAY. Notable snack mention: Grilled corn (you can find it any where trust me.) 13. Me personally, i always been afraid of the street dogs. They always used to (and still do) but maybe it's just because I never am around often 14. BOLLYWOOD TOLLYWOOD KOLLYWOOD MOLLYWOOD JUST YES EVERY WOOD 15.....again another dichotomy here cause the last beach I went to, looked like an oil spill. XD but I have gone to the mountain ranges are underrated as well. Literally visit anyone of them in the south 18. i'M CRYING AT HOW TRUE THIS IS 20. Don't forget if you speak your own language poorly as well, you will be mocked by your family instead of them telling you what's correct :') 22. 100% will prefer autos over cars. Especially when it's raining. 23. Also caste system is still there yay/s I had my family members and relatives all sitting around and just gossiping and somehow caste is always brought up. So that's nice

24. Also this is just my experience but half your family either are alcoholic and the other half are extremely against it. More drama if both of them are brothers (my dad is the latter so yay to me)

OH GOATS I FORGOT ABOUT THE GOATS AND SHEEP AND JUST HERDS OF THEM SUDDENLY POPPING UP AND I LOVE THEIR EYES

Also please take me with you Asmi I can't stand explaining to my aunt that yes, pakistans can leave their country and no we still talk to them normally.

i explain india but i'm drunk.

Hello maggots of mine you're all such babygirls and bastards just like Aziraphale and Crowley. I'm so proud of you all for existing. Yes i'm a wholesome drunk you now know this about me. The wine tastes like rotten grapes and smells of battery acid and cost 245 rupees INR. Speaking of INR, thanks to a maggot's ask, I'm here to explain India. I've never set foot outside of this country. But I'm also very very shit at general knowledge.

To any non-Indians reading this, this is a totally legit 1000% everything covered all-inclusive summary. To any Indians reading this, I'm so so fucking sorry.

India, explained.

So there's south india and there's north india and there's north east india. north india is very racist about south india and they're both very racist about north east india. Most of these people are also probably racist either to other countries or they have internalised racism. It's a wild trip.

There are. A lot of languages here. And a LOT of scripts. I can read two scripts, understand four Indian languages and speak in two of them (badly), and those two are not my native tongues. I cannot speak in my native tongues. It's basically English at this point. These aren't dialects, those are separate. Picture like, Europe, but more, in terms of how many languages.

Everyone hates each other which is valid for the entire planet honestly.

In south india we have a lot of coconuts. Like a lot. There are so many coconuts you have no fucking idea guys you cannot escape the coconuts. I was nearly killed by a shower of coconuts when I was 5 I escaped by one second.

There are also cows. People will tell you that you are being racist when you say India has cows everywhere. But it's true. Two weeks ago I had the pleasure to be stuck in a traffic jam. Next to the street barrier thing (what divides a street im too drunk for this) I saw a huge bull fucking HUMPING a cow. The vehicles just had to move around them. They were having sex right there.

If you're a middle class Indian kid, your career options are: doctor, engineer, scientist, CA, lawyer, government official or family disappointment.

Needless to say, I was going to be doctor and am now instead family disappointment. I'm babygirling so hard it's insane. The prodigal son.

It's very ace-friendly and heterophobic in the sense that you are not supposed to be exhibiting any sexuality whatever in a respectable household. Just shut up and give virgin birth already. But be married. That's crucial.

Oh yeah gay marriage isn't legal trans people are constantly othered by society and/or given no respect whatsover and we're just all vibing here this is totally not why I'm finishing a small bottle of cheap wine on a thursday past midnight alone in my room.

Foreigners are like a zoo species you see them you're instantly concerned like what are they doing outside the TV screens and then either people are normal (rarely), they run up and take photos or try to slip into conversation (more often than you'd think, even I've been guilty of the conversation thing as a kid) OR they start talking about how 'this western culture is ruining our culture'. Which is fair but honestly both the 'cultures' these people are talking about usually involve incredible amounts of bigotry and are more similar than they think.

I think the lesson here is that humans just suck as a species. Except for you maggots. I love you all and I will defend you with my life.

THE CHAAT. THE CHAAT IS INSANELY AMAZING. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CHAAT. I HAVE NO SPICE TOLERANCE SO I HAVE TO BEG ON MY KNEES FOR THE SPICES TO BE REDUCED BUT STILL. THE CHAAT. THE CHAAT, YOU GUYS. YOU NEED IT.

Sorry yes I'm normal. ALSO THE STREET DOGS. THE INDIES. THEY'RE SO LOVELY AND SWEET AND CHAOTIC AND I KEEP TALKING TO THEM. Once when I was crying I made the dog distress while and like five dogs that I didn't know came running to me and comforted me and licked me.

INDIAN DANCE MUSIC. I FUCKING LOVE IT IT'S INSANE. My family were elitist as fuck so I never got to listen to Bollywood music as a kid but it's AMAZING I'm so glad it exists. Bhangra too.

Beaches very very pretty hills very very pretty honestly the nature is fucking beautiful if you can just quickly pretend humans don't exist, which again is true of this entire planet. Yeah. Okay I'm so fucking drunk.

Yeah lots of diversity which is very nice when the humans aren't screaming at each other about it but the rest of the time it's very nice

The garbage and sewer stories? yeah they're all true im sorry

Traffic rules more like traffic suggestions amirite

Well, we still have far better healthcare access than america. so. there is that.

If you speak English well you'll be mocked and isolated. If you speak English poorly you'll be mocked and isolated. Honestly, just be rich. That'll fix it all.

All the conservatives hate each other and don't realise they're the exact same but in like different flavours.

Oh yeah we have auto rickshaws. Look them up. They're so much better than cars I don't get motion sick as easily in them. But the drivers all hate you and never want to take you anywhere.

Eyyyyyyyyyy it's so fucking fun here *drinsk more alcohol* I am so fucking not looking forward to college.

Please someone crowdfund me out of here let's all go chill in Alpha Centauri I've heard it's nice this time of the year.

I will, however, miss the casual live cow pornos. A true highlight.

[I got this peer-reviewed by my friend in India's top law school, just in case, because I'm too drunk and generally dumb. They say I will not be killed. And they've been on Twitter so.]

Irrefutable legal proof y'all. I don't mean to offend anyone except bigots. Fuck you, bigots, if you're not offended then I've disappointed my community.

[sugarcoatedcherry]

void state progress and success!!!

I'm updating every day privately (now public) hehe

(scroll down and read pink highlighted paragraph for success story I had started attempting void much earlier than this)

day 1: tried but eventually fell asleep

day 2. did an extensive reasearch, like all day, read ton of success stories, got insane inspiration. believed void was real and manifestations are instant. I tried and got into hypnagogic state. but fell asleep

day 3: re read all the success stories again and again whole day and became more confident, I made mental notes on common symptoms I'd have, affirmed little. all night I played subliminals, binaural beats etc but got tired and fell asleep

day 4: still motivated, angry but persisting, I am affirming, made more mental notes on how I should go about void, did more reasearch on Hinduism interpretation on void, read about void on reddit, YouTube, explore astral projection and sleep paralysis video's comment section (they had similar symptoms just like void) became even more confident with void, tried methods but eventually i got exhausted and fell asleep

day 5: MADE MY OWN RULES. YES, no notes or anything, it's my way baby, it'll go how I want it to go, when I want it go. no more sending asks to bloggers, no more doubting, no more worrying the process. Just believing it will happen. not worrying about the circumstances. I'm very confident that today IS THE DAY 💅

day 6: I couldn't enter, i slept lmao

day 7: I got to the vibrational stage but my thoughts were distractibg and I slept

day 8: I learnt about sleep paralysis and tried that

day 9: last night didn't work, but I'll persist

day 10: i just slept, void is messing with my sleep schedule

day 11: spend A LOT OF TIME researching about void in Hinduism and got a lot of confidence but didn't enter

day 12: AGAIN SPENT A LOT OF TIME RESEARCHING about void in Hinduism but didn't make it

day 13: I'm getting closer to something very important and I need to enter void on a time crunch. I cried

day 14: everything is exhausting, but I still tried entering void but rolled over anf slept

day 15: i drank coffee to stay awake and I'm doing the meditation sitting up so that I don't roll over and fall asleep

(UGHHHHHHHHHH GOD )

day 16: I found a subliminal that made my body vibrate within first 2 minutes of listening?? and I looped it overnight but fell asleep sometime while listening but I'm still hopeful.

day 17: stupid exams

day 18: studied for my next stupid exams

day 19: I am so tired I didn't attempt I wanted to sleep peacefully

day 20: Literally my entire life is on hold because I am trying to get into void, I do realise this is unhealthy but at the same time I am so much confident that I can do it? I don't know how to explain this confidence but I know I will enter the void.

day 21: more exams and didn't attempt

day 22:

I DID IT GUYS I DID IT OMGGG THIS FEELS SO GOOD OH GOD JDKEODJDJDN I LOVE THIS FOR ME I FEEL UNSTOPPABLE I CHANGED MY ENTIRE LIFE THIS IS SO BIG TO ME Y'ALL DON'T HAVE A CLUE AHHHHH. I'M GONNA CRY. I HAVE EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED JSBSJDKDODKSNSN

quick thanks to all loass bloggers on Tumblr and Sammy Ingram (she shitted about void but it's okay lmao is her limiting belief but I'm thanking her for introducing the law to me) my fav bloggers are @rosellesworkshop @fleurlx @blushydior @stargirl-kira @multiversebaddie @zen-shu @prettymindset111 @luvforend @sa777urn @aphroditeapprenticee @gorgeouslypink @littlemissprettyprincess @sirensplayhouse thanks for answering my asks.

ANDDD all the anons who posted void success stories and thanks to @voidsuccess for compiling them!!! (i used to obsessively surf her blog day and night until day 10 lmaoo)

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

Them finding you asleep in public

characters: Fu Xuan / Herta / Himeko / Kafka / March 7th / Natasha / Pela / Qingque / Serval / Tingyun x gn!reader (separate)

warnings: none

a/n: The urge to write a lot more than 1 or 2 paragraphs for some characters was really strong, but I managed it because I am a man of dedication, focus and sheer will… 

that and because I knew this would take far too long if I didn’t contain myself.

Also, there are some characters I still don’t know too much about, so if I got something wrong about their personalities, then I’m sorry

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Fu Xuan

Did you have no idea how stupid you looked while sleeping like this in public? If anyone else found you like this, they’d take you for a lazy bum with no shame, but luckily for you, Fu Xuan knew you well enough to know that at least the first part would be a misconception. Nevertheless you looked stupid. Stupid and a little bit cute. So stupid and a little bit cute in fact that she couldn’t stop herself from pulling out her phone and snapping a picture of you, only for the flash she forgot to turn off to wake you up, causing you to slowly look up at her while rubbing your eyes, in turn causing the Master Diviners face to heat up.

“D-Don’t fall asleep during working hours! …what am I going to do with you..?”

Herta

Sleeping people normally were none of Herta’s concern, they were neither interesting to study, nor entertaining enough to waste her precious time on them. But considering how much of a help you were with her research, it would have been rude not to spare you from the embarrassment of being seen like this by a whole lot of other people. It also helped that she was just about to start an experiment and needed a suitable guinea pig helper.

“Wakey-Wakey. How terrible to be bored enough to fall asleep even though you’re living on my space station. Lucky you! I have just the job for you”

Himeko

Himeko was a researcher first and foremost and one of the most important tasks of any respectable researcher was to observe. It was the first step towards putting together a scientific theory and thus something she was all too familiar with. So whenever she found you sound asleep on one of the astral express’ couches, she did what she did best: observe. Was it with a cup of coffee in hand or some random book she got her hands on.For whatever reason watching you sleep put her mind at ease, like watching one of those cat videos March liked to show around to the rest of the crew. To varying degrees of excitement.

“Theory: the couch is even more comfortable when tired”, Himeko stated to herself before pressing her hand against the couch, feeling it before letting out a small yawn, covering her mouth with her free hand before nodding to herself. “Theory seems possible. I’ll need to test it more often”, she spoke while slowly putting her head on the cushions, tiredness, no matter how much coffee she drank, rolling over Himeko, only for her to quickly nod off herself, her head not far from your own.

Kafka

Truth be told, Kafka would have preferred you were awake. There weren’t many things one could do with a sleeping person, but as waking you up was out of the question, other ideas quickly began swirling through her mind, until finally, her brain decided on one.

Putting on one of her favorite lipsticks, she gave you a quick peck on the cheek, making sure to leave an imprint of her lips, only to find herself unsatisfied with the results. If you were lucky you’d notice it once you went to the bathroom in the morning, by which time you would have already passed the rest of your crewmates, and while she doubted that they’d have any reaction to it, one imprint would have certainly been enough to make you embarrassed about it.

That being said, adding one or two more couldn’t hurt.

March 7th

Seeing you sleeping in such a public place like the parlor of the astral express wasn’t something March got to see every day and while the urge to take a picture of you with her camera was compelling, she knew that there had to be made preparations beforehand. Before long, March pulled out a marker before carefully drawing a silly mustache and monocle on your face, making sure not to wake you up in the process. You were probably going to figure out the culprit relatively quickly once you looked in the mirror, but as long as she got a silly photo, March didn’t really care.

And a silly photo she got.

Natasha

You were always trying your best to keep whatever child was currently bedbound inside her clinic entertained, never leaving their side until they had long fallen asleep. And while Natasha appreciated it, the sight of you and the children causing her heart to melt each time, you fell asleep while leaned against the bed more than once.

In such moments Natasha would have loved to carry you to bed, the floor being a lot colder than a blanket, but that would only wake you from your dreams, something she didn’t want to be responsible for after seeing you take such good care of others. And so all she was able to do was cover you with a blanket of your own before making a mental note to repay you the following day

Pela

While you always indulged Pela in her hobbies, her requests of painting a picture of you always fell on deaf ears, you always finding a reason or excuse for her not to, too embarrassed by the idea of being painted. So finding you asleep like this was like a godsent. Locking the room to make sure you didn’t slip away before she got her notebook and pens from her room, Pela made sure to return quickly before beginning while you were still asleep.

After all, what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you.

Qingque

While she had been sent to find you by Fu Xuan herself, you having reportedly been sent to get something from the abandoned storage, only to not return, her boss ought to have thought twice before picking Qingque for the task of retrieving you. So when she eventually found you, having nodded off on an old couch in one of the corners of the building, the prolific slacker couldn’t help but notice how comfortable it looked. And while many would have felt ashamed for even thinking about sitting down next to you and closing their eyes for five minutes while on work, Qingque had no such inhibitions.

It didn’t sound like Fu Xuan needed you that urgently, so it wasn’t like she was going to get fired for this… probably.

Serval

When Serval found you slumped over one of the desks in her workshop, passed out from what seemed to be exhaustion as the mechanism you had tried solving these past couple of days lay next to you, not much closer to completion than it seemed yesterday, she couldn’t help but smile at your dedication to the craft, or so was the reason she would have given if she wasn’t having difficulties retaining her composure at the sight of your sleeping face

A part of her wanted to squeeze you till you popped, or at the very least displayed signs of doing so, finding what she saw in front of her as adorable as a puppy, yet she decided against as much as touching you. Neither wishing to wake you up nor to accidentally breaking one of your bones. She needed you in her audience after all.

Tingyun

If you had been Ying Juan, Tingyun’s next course of action would have been as clear as the sky on a sunny day. Snap a few pictures to sell to all kinds of Fangirls and make a quick buck. But considering you weren’t anywhere as popular and she had her qualms about the idea of anyone else getting to see you sleeping this peacefully, her conscience beat out the businesswoman inside of her.

That being said, just because she wasn’t going to let anyone else see you like this, didn’t mean she was going to let this opportunity for a nice photo slip, pulling out her phone as taking a picture in one swoop before putting it back and once again walking out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her.

[of-a-chaotic-mind]

A Drunk Mind Speaks A Sober Heart Part 2

Summary: Reader and Buck wake up hungover but manage to make it family breakfast with the team and their families. The videos from the previous night are exchanged between the two and everyone is excited that they’re finally together 

TW/CW: Evan “Buck” Buckley x Reader, Best Friends to Lovers

Requested?: No 

Word Count: 3,061

A/N: If anyone wants a spicy third part lmk. I’m kinda down to write it lol. Not sure how good it would be tho. Again I say, I’m so proud of this. 

A/N: Absolutely gorgeous he is.

Part 1 Here

--- Your POV --- 

    The sun coming through the curtains wakes me from my slumber but upon opening my eyes, I immediately shut them again because the sun is so much brighter than it should be. I roll over to find a bottle of water, some Aspirin, a note, and my phone on charge. I don’t half remember last night to be honest. I know I got shitfaced in Maddie’s living room and look around me to find myself in one of her spare bedrooms. I reach over and pick up the note and read it, “Take two and chug. Don’t forget about breakfast at Athena and Bobby’s -Maddie” I do as instructed and then check my phone to find a text from Hen that reads, “’A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.’ -Jean-Jaques Rousseau” there’s a video attached so I make sure my volume is low so that it doesn’t burst my eardrums before opening it. I watch myself confess my feelings for Buck and flop back over to my back groaning once it’s over. I take a few deep breaths before getting up from the bed.  

    I mentally thank Maddie upon finding my duffle bag and shoes at the foot of the bed. I struggle out of last night’s clothes and into clean ones, yank on my shoes, and venture downstairs in hopes of finding my keys and slipping out without waking Maddie, Chim, or the kiddo. Unfortunately, no such luck as they have already beat me out of bed. I tip toe around the corner into the kitchen only to find Maddie standing at the counter sipping coffee as she lovingly watches Chim play with Jee-Yun. I sigh in defeat as she notices my entry and picks up my keys from the counter beside her, “How’re you feeling?” she asks as she tosses them to me.   

    “Like I got ran over by a train,” I laugh, “And embarassed,” I blush.  

    She smiles, knowing exactly what I’m referring to, “It’s alright. We all knew, we were just waiting for you to figure it out,” she winks.  

    It’s now that oblivious Chimney joins us with his adorable daughter perched on his hip, “Are we ready to head out?” Maddie and I nod so the four of us depart for the Grant-Nash residence. The entire way there I am contemplating just going home to avoid knowing and teasing looks from Maddie, Athena, Hen, and Karen all day but force myself to stay en-route because this has become a long-standing tradition. One Sunday a month, the whole fireteam, their significant others, and their children gather at Bobby and Athena’s for a good old fashioned family breakfast. I ponder if I’ll even survive this one as I pull into the drive way and put my car in park but am quickly dragged out of my safety zone by Athena’s waving hand at the front door.  

--- Buck’s POV --- 

    I realize I shouldn’t have drank so much last night as I roll off the couch with a loud thump. From the kitchen, Christopher and Eddie giggle before Eddie cheers, “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Better get your ass up and get some Aspirin in you. Clean clothes on too or we’re gonna be late to family breakfast.” I groan but know he’s right. I swipe my phone off the coffee table before making my way to the kitchen for Aspirin and then to the bathroom to change clothes. I have a text from Eddie that reads, “Maybe just show her this since you can’t ever figure out how to tell her yourself,” attached is a video so I press play to listen as I change clothes. By the time the video ends, I have my hands pressed to the counter and am staring down at my phone in shock. Maybe Eddie’s right. Apparently drunk me has a talent for explaining how I feel that sober me does not.  

    I grab my phone and exit the bathroom to make my out of Eddie’s place, declaring as I pass him, “Don’t say a word.” Feeling his amused look on the back of my neck and a blush creep to my cheeks, “Stop it. Don’t give me that look either.” Soon, the three of us arrive at the Grant-Nash household and I have to elbow Eddie in the ribs when we see (Y/N) getting out of her car due to the grin on his face.  

--- Third Person POV --- 

    The breakfast goes along almost as it always does with lots of chit chat and laughter. The ladies send teasing looks toward (Y/N) when Eddie asks how their night went but (Y/N) ignores them and they simply say it was quite interesting and elaborate no further. Eddie saw the looks though and makes a mental note to ask Hen or Maddie about it later. Several times Eddie catches Buck glancing or staring at (Y/N) and shoots him a teasing grin over Christopher’s head. Buck brushes it off with a glare every time.   

    As mentioned, things aren’t quite the same as usual. As is normal, Bobby sits at the head of the table with Athena to his right followed by May, Harry, Denny, Karen, Hen, and (Y/N). To his left is Jee-Yun in a high chair followed by Chimney, Maddie, Eddie, Christopher, and Buck. Usually, Buck would playfully kick at (Y/N) under the table and she’d snatch food off his plate, mostly his fruit. They would get carried away in their own conversation and their fits of giggles and laughter would ring out over the other conversations happening but when anyone would look their way to question what is so funny they’d be too distracted to give an answer. Everyone always got a kick out of their playful behavior. However, today there is no playful kicks under the table or food snatched off of plates. The two can’t even look each other in the eye, too embarrassed by their confessions last night that the other has no idea about. Although, they do sneak glances toward each other when the other isn’t looking. When Christopher has Buck’s attention or Buck is arguing about how a call went with Chimney over three heads, (Y/N) watches him out of the corner of her eye but pretends to be focused on something else or collects a bite of food if he happens to look anywhere near her direction. When (Y/N) is watching Jee-Yun giggle as her father makes airplane noises circling a small bite of pancake toward her mouth or listening in on the conversation between Hen, Karen, and May, Buck admires her subtly over the rim of his coffee cup but as soon as (Y/N) returns her gaze to her plate or someone near him he too distracts himself with something else. This odd behavior does not go unnoticed by the other adults at the table or even Christopher who would normally be too busy giggling at the pair’s antics to eat.   

    The young boy also happens to be the first and only one to call the two out on the peculiarity of it all, “Buck? Why are you not kicking (Y/N)? And you haven’t stole any of his fruit,” he adds looking to her.   

    The adults all grin as Harry also chimes in, “Yeah, you guys have been quiet.”  

    May nudges her brother and shakes her head as their mother speaks up, “I think they just don’t feel too good today. Maybe they didn’t get enough sleep.” Christopher and Harry exchange a look that says they don’t believe that one bit but a different conversation is picked up by the adults to shift the attention off of the two.   

    (Y/N) risks a glance at Buck, wondering what his reaction is but he has also taken the same risk. The two lock eyes but quickly look away. In attempts to escape the situation and catch the breath that had been stolen by looking into his bright blue eyes (Y/N) excuses herself from the table saying her still bruised ribs are bothering her and she needs to stretch.   

    Once safely in a bathroom, (Y/N) stares at herself in the mirror trying to decipher what it was that she saw in his eyes. Buck always has shown exactly how he feels through his eyes but today she can’t quite make out what exactly that is. She sighs heavily just as someone knocks on the door.  

    Out in the dining room, Buck has excused himself as well giving no particular reason but the adults need not ask because they know exactly why. As soon as Buck is out of earshot, Eddie leans forward to look at all the ladies in turn before asking, “What exactly happened last night?” The women all look at each other seeming to silently debate about spilling the beans.   

    Chimney and Bobby look at each other as well before Bobby adds, “I would like to know as well but you seem to have something to share too.”  

    May giggles, “It’s like a Mexican standoff of exciting stories.”  

    Chimney retrieves a coin from his pocket, “Heads, Eddie is up first. Tails, one of you ladies are gonna have to spill.”  

    Everyone nods as Maddie looks down the hall, “Might want to be quick and quiet about it.”  

    Chimney flips the coin and it comes up tails so Maddie wiggles in her seat and props her elbows up on the table, placing her fingers together. She takes a dramatic pause despite her warning to hurry up before explaining, “(Y/N) got plastered last night and we now have video proof as confirmation that she has feelings for Buck.”  

    “I knew it!” May whispers excitedly.  

    Eddie lightly smacks Maddie on the arm, “You’re telling me they both confessed on the same night?” Everyone looks to Eddie in shock, “Yeah, he had a few drinks last night and apparently drunk Buck has an easier time with putting his feelings into words. I got it on video.”  

    Hen laughs, “A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.”  

    Everyone excitedly, yet still remaining quiet, cheers before Bobby settles them down, “Those videos stay with those who took them and we don’t mention this around them. Understood?” Everyone nods except Eddie and Hen who give Bobby a guilty look. He responds to their looks with one of suspicion, “What did you two do?” In unison the two videographers confess that they sent their video to the corresponding subject.  

    Hen adds, “I figured if she had the video, she could just show it to him when she’s ready.”   

��   Eddie nods in agreement, “I literally told him it might be an easier way of telling her if he can’t find the words while sober.”  

    Bobby grins and shakes his head as Athena chimes in, “We’ll see. For now, let’s talk about something else so they’re not suspicious of us when they come back.”  

    Back in the bathroom, (Y/N) responds to the knock at the door, “Who is it?”  

    “It- it’s me,” comes Buck’s voice from the other side.  

    (Y/N) takes a deep breath before unlocking and opening the door to let him in. She hops up to take a seat on the counter as he enters and closes the door behind him. They both stare at their hands, nervously fidgeting with anything they can until they both speak at the same time, “I’m sorry, I’m just-” They stop, staring at each other with red all over their cheeks.  

    Normally, Buck would be a gentleman and let her go first but he just has to get this off his chest before he chickens out, “So, I got drunk last night. You know that saying drunk words are sober thoughts?” (Y/N) nods thinking back to the text Hen had sent with the video just this morning. Buck continues, “Well, Eddie caught my drunk words on video last night and well...” he pulls his phone out of his pocket, unlocks it and navigates to the video Eddie had sent before handing it to her, “Just watch it. Sober me 100% agrees with every word.” He looks at her with such sincerity on his face that it makes her heart skip a beat. The two sit in silence as she watches the video. Buck shifts nervously on his feet, scanning her face for her reaction and she smiles. His heart soars with hope that she feels the same way.   

    When the video ends, she hands his phone back to him before retrieving her own from her back pocket, unlocking it, navigating to her own video and then, “Drunk words are indeed sober thoughts and drunk me is pretty damn good at sharing things that sober me can’t. I too agree with every word she said,” she says, handing her phone to him. He watches with a massive grin on his face as one plasters itself on her’s as well. There’s not an ounce of fear or nervousness left in her after having seen his video. She thinks to herself that if she has the honor of marrying the man in front of her one day, it’s only right that Eddie be his Best Man and Hen be her Maid of Honor.  

    Once the video ends, Buck places her phone on the counter beside her and leans in close with a grin still on his face only now it has a slight hint of cockiness to it, “I guess the only thing to do now is ask you to be my girlfriend. So, will you?”  

    As he hooks his finger under her chin and lifts it to align their lips, the distance between them shrinks even more. He can feel her breath on his lips when she affirms, “Obviously,” so he glances down at her lips before looking into her eyes. She inches closer, encouraging him to close the distance, and he does. They share the same thought as the slow, love filled kiss takes place and that is, “I love you.” When they begrudgingly pull apart, and make eye contact, there’s no need to voice the thought as for one, their drunk selves already did but also, it’s seen in their eyes.  

    Buck pulls even further away before placing his hands on her hips. He leaves them there for a moment, observing her reaction and somewhat looking for a nudge to continue his movements. She tilts her head, “What?”  

    He says nothing at first, simply sliding his hands from her hips to place them on either side of the mirror on the wall behind her caging her in. He leans in close and brushes his nose against her’s, making her eyes flutter shut. When she opens them, he’s just barely retreated, tilted his head, and is grinning from ear to ear. Feigning forgetfulness he asks, “What was that you said you wanted to do? It was something to do with my arms. Maybe you could remind me?”  

    A mischievous grin with a hint of shyness to it replaces the look of curiosity on her face but is quickly replaced with a false sense of innocence as she lays her head over on his right arm. She stays there for a moment reveling in the eye contact between his now sultry eyes and her own wide eyed innocent ones before turning her head slightly to nuzzle her mouth and nose against his arm. A breath catches in Buck’s throat as she suddenly opens her mouth to lay her tongue against his bicep, slowly dragging it up before recoiling it back behind her teeth that she uses to nip softly against the skin covering the toned muscle. The sound that left his throat is one that she will remember for years to come and want to elicit from him again many times over. However, she simply lays her head back against his arm with a teasing look on her face, “We should get back out there before they come looking and find us in a scandalous situation.”  

    Buck huffs, knowing she’s right and stands up straight removing his hands from the wall to help her down from the counter. (Y/N) quite likes it when he lifts her by her waist to place her feet on the ground and has to stop herself from wondering what it would be like for him to toss her into bed as he takes her hand in his. He doesn’t exit the bathroom just yet but instead tugs her close, hooks his finger under her chin once more to whisper against her lips, “Fine, but you’re sitting in my lap to cover the scandalous situation you’ve caused in my pants.” She giggles and nods before opening the door herself and tugging him along behind her.   

    All eyes are on the two love birds as they reenter the dining room causing blushes to creep onto both of their faces and Buck to discretely scoot just a little closer behind her in hopes of hiding the aforementioned situation better. He takes his seat, promptly pulling her into his lap which makes everyone whoop and holler in excitement. Eddie passes Maddie a twenty-dollar bill which provokes a confused look from both (Y/N) and Buck.   

    Maddie grins triumphantly, “I bet that the videos would be exchanged today. Eddie didn’t think you guys had it in you.”   

    Eddie rolls his eyes as Athena calms everyone down, “You two didn’t… in the bathroom did you,” raising her eyebrows to insinuate naughtier acts than just exchanging videos. (Y/N) and Buck shake their head no immediately to which Athena replies, “Good.”  

    The conversation soon returns to things other than the new couple at the end of the table. (Y/N) has an arm around Buck’s shoulders playing with his hair while his arm is wrapped firmly around her waist. His other hand is placed on her knee, even though he wants it to be higher, and he leans in to whisper in her ear, “You’ll have something in you if we can ever sneak away. I just didn’t bend you over in there out of respect.” (Y/N) slaps his chest with her free hand but Buck simply returns his attention to the group around the table and includes himself in the conversation. Under her, (Y/N) can still feel the situation and knows he’s not joking. She has to fight to keep from imaging what all they could get up to today. 

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