#listen i have an iced chai latte but it’s a iced green tea day

[willowtreewillowtree]

bc i am the type to get worked up over minute choices that somehow define my whole mood

help

[because-she-goes]

bare boned

warnings: swearing, enemies to lovers, banter. Enjoy!

The coffeeshop quietly buzzed as she sipped her iced peppermint tea. Servers collecting delicate plates, people typing in their computers, teenagers whispering over their oatmilk-chai cold foam lattes about who was going out with who, and ofcourse the various hipsters who were simply looking at pages of Ralph Waldo Emerson as opposed to actually ingesting the beautiful literature.

Rooney exhaled, blowing her auburn bangs out of her face, and checked her watch sharply. 15 minutes late and counting. Typical rockstar fucking asshole. Some golden-rust leaves blew in from the breeze of someone entering the coffeehouse.

“Sorry, love. Couldn’t decide what outfit made me look more pretentious - figured if I am going to be interviewed for NME to may as well look the part, yeah?” Gray curls and cigarette smoke was the first thing she noticed. Then the deep, Manchester soaked voice, then came the eyes. Fuck, his eyes - chocolate brown and ocean deep.

She cleared her throat and reached out a manicured hand, “Matty, is it?” Voice silky smooth, an equally Northern accent noticeable by anyone within feet of her.

“Yes, and you’d be Rooney Atkinson if I’m not mistaken.” He shook her hand, eyes piercing her blue ones.

“In the flesh. Now, take a seat I don’t have all day, Rockstar.”

“Yes, Ma’am”

“Don’t call me that, I’m not my mother. Just call me Ms. Atkinson.”

“Deal!” His hands flew up in surrender. She looked at her yellow legal pad filled with pre-set questions… all ones he’s been asked millions of times and answerable with a google. Luckily, she’s a good reporter and had watched everything there was about him.

“So, can you enlighten me as to how you landed yourself in America, specifically New York, for this album? Jack Antanoff can travel to any studio in the world and produce the album from Zoom. You guys have made records in the UK and LA before so why New York?”

“Well, for my own self I wanted to make something unique - outside of where we had gone before. We went to the english countryside for our previous album Notes on a Con-“

“Yes, I’ve listened to it. And I’ve heard this answer before I believe, so please… an original answer, not something you’ve recycled and said hundreds of times. I’ll give you the time to think further.”

A silence falls. He takes a drag of his cigarette and leans back into his chair, wiping a hand over his face in thought. Gold cartier love bracelet, rumpled gray trench coat slung over the back of his chair, dark green button up with a hole in the collar, pressed black striped slacks she lists off in her head - fashionable and casual she internally compliments. She adjusts her posture, back straightening and shoulders squaring. Her black sweater, cream scarf and adorning necklaces complimenting the color of her not-quite-maroon hair wonderfully. He takes a quick once over at her and mentally notes how her chest rises and falls with each breath. A sideways smirk falls on his lips, she clocks the cocky “bet i could shag her” attitude a mile off.

“I thought you were in a hurry… Rooney” He dares, dark eyes piercing her - she shivers in her seat and shakes her head to knock herself back into reality. “And if you must know, I was going to move to the city after the pandemic… I looked at apartments with a girl. Fell even more in love with the city after that broke apart so figured if I was already there - why not have George join me for a bit. Adam and Ross could fly there to record their bits when the lyrical shit was done.” She jots the answer down and takes a sip of the tea that had left a pool of condensation on the table near her. This was gonna be a long day, she texted her assistant and asked to cancel her appointments for the afternoon.

“Not anymore, hot shot. Keep talking.” She practically spit back at him.

“About myself? I’d love nothing more.” He fucking winks. Fuck him.

Matty was running late, he pulled a hand anxiously through his hair. Fuck, where was this coffee spot? There were a million in London that all looked identical. He stumbles upon a sign that reads “Rise Up” with a little sunrise cartoon and mug of coffee. Finally, he yanks the heavy door open, golden leaves spin around his ankles. Autumn in London is something unlike anything else in the world. His favorite season: the season of socks with sandals, scented candles and knit sweaters. He breezes in and the smell of roasted coffee beans hits his nose like a tidal wave, looking around like a lost puppy for the redhead Jamie had mentioned. What magazine was this for again? Rolling Stone? Pitchfork? No, it was NME wasn’t it? And her name fuck what was her name… “Rooney Atkinson” he remembers reading on an email.

Like he manifests her into existence at the mere thought of her name, he sees the ginger checking a watch. Oh he’s fucked, he thinks. Both for being late and because she is simply ethereal looking. It was as Persephone herself had come down and landed on Earth to inspect her mother’s harvest. God, he runs another hand through his curls.

He walks up to her and quickly apologizes for the tardiness - like a schoolboy walking in late to homeroom. He feels her eyes rake over him, he smirks. They exchange introductions and remarks - she makes a comment about not being her mother.

He hears her equally northern accent ask him a question he knows he has answered at least 1000 times in this promotional cycle. He offers the staple answer in response, but hears her voice interrupt him halfway through his shpeel. He lights a cigarette and makes a point of looking extra handsome while taking a drag of it. He, once again, notices her eyes glazing over him and admiring his outfit. Matty takes the opportunity of her eyes being averted to scan over her - the sweater and scarf combination contrasting against her burgundy hair. He smiles at her fashion sense and how she looks so comfortable and warm in the tad-bit oversized long sleeve .

Remembering the interruption, he gives the real answer to the question - the answer he’s been hiding from the press for ages out of respect to his ex-girlfriend. Once he’s finished he recalls her saying she had other places to be… he double checks and the point is shot down immediately.

As if he was imagining her saying that, she brushes it off without giving him a minute to deny her earlier plans. The singer is asked to keep talking… he thinks of a comment that might fit will in her article and in with his whole Truman Black persona and throws in a dashing wink. He sees her visibly shudder. Fuck him, he’s a goner, but he knew that the minute he layed his eyes on her.

[cripplingparanoia]

Vanilla Chai Latte: its more than that. :)

Flat White: both?

Cappuccino: joy!

Mocha: author, performer/artist, funeral home director/graveyard worker

Pumpkin Spice: yellow VW bug w Daisy rims

Jasmine Tea: id go to Japan, because I've been obsessed w it my whole life, before I even knew about anime I was trying to learn Japanese on rosetta stone & buying books on the culture.

Old English: if I'm gonna die, my bf, so we can be together. If not, my arch nemesis, so when I get saved I can leave her to die :)

Iced Chocolate: aside from my boyfriend, only fictional characters and women catch my attention, but currently I don't have a y girls I like, atleast not any I talk to or anything. One of my HS crushes added me on fb recently, but other than that, no, not really, aside from my ongoing crushes on characters, like Snape and Kylo Ren lol

Carmel Frappe: Sally Face and Minecraft

Iced Lemon Tea: Artist - XXXTENTACION & Joji, Band: Nirvana & MCR

Iced Cafe Mocha: hot chocolate or tea w honey & lemon, big warm fluffy weighted blanket, background noise TV show, reading a book in bed :)

Hot Chocolate: V E R Y

Carmel Macchiato: M bf :)

Green Tea: 5'2"

Earl Grey Tea: survival by ANY means, but especially surviving the kill self instinct 😭

Mint Tea: my favorite ways to relax are by reading, listening to music, watching movies and TV, watching YouTube and playing video games, and giving myself a spa day or a little treat :)

Vanilla Latte: ive never personally tried it but this made me think, why not combine the two, lol. that sounds fun to me

Iced Coffee: yes! The Farthest Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks

Italian Soda: we start the date at a little mom & pops cafe in Old Town, and take a walk down Main Street afterwards, stopping in a few little shops along the way. Afterwards, we head to the art museum. for lunch, we have a picnic outside by the sculptures, & then go back in for a little bit. we then go to the botanical gardens and finish our date at a nice restaurant. When he takes me home, he surprises me with flowers & deserts, & we eat them & watch a movie until we fall asleep.

Sparkling Water: In a sense, I have physical "types", but I usually only worry about physical attraction after everything else, and I'll probably find someone physically attractive by default if I like their personality. A big one is if they treat me with more respect than anyone else, whether that's a man or a woman, because I date to marry & I'm not spending my life being treated the same or less than a stranger, that's so damaging to my self esteem. But also, someone who is usually kind to others, unless they don't deserve it. Someone who not only loves but is good with animals and children. Someone who knows when and when not to raise their voice with me & in general. Someone who also wants to be married and have kids. There are probably more I can't think of,but I'm already taken anyway so 😂

Orange Juice: the question is, have I ever NOT? (a few times, but mostly no[now I have a Forever Valentine tho])

Rose Hip Tea: I actually love telling this story way too much. I was with this guy I met at v stock in the mall playing Pokemon cards in a league. We were on the 2nd floor of the v stock, & there were these big windows w large ledges by the bookshelves, & I was leaning over it, propping myself up on my hands, & he came up from behind me & grabbed my chin & kissed me, not like a long kiss but not a peck or anything either. It was so romantic & then I got a nosebleed like an anime girl 😭😭😭 I broke up with him like a week later for getting a haircut 😭

Herbal Tea: Something that smells like the beach or the ocean

Cafe Asks ☕️

Vanilla Chai Latte : Are you in love? Flat White : Coffee or Tea? Cappuccino : What’s your middle name? Mocha : Dream Job? Pumpkin Spice : Dream car? Jasmine Tea : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Old English : You’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you? Iced Chocolate : Do you have a crush on someone? Caramel Frappe : Favorite video game? Iced Lemon Tea : Favorite song/band? Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days? Hot Chocolate : Are you an affectionate person? Caramel Macchiato : You’re travelling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. Who do you take? Green Tea : How tall are you? Early Grey Tea : The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! What’s your plan of action? Mint Tea : How do you relax? Vanilla Latte : Board games or drinking games? Iced Coffee : Do you like reading? If so, what’s your favorite book? Italian Soda : Describe your dream date Sparkling Water : Describe what qualities you look for in a person Orange Juice : Have you ever had a valentine? Rose Hip Tea : Describe your first kiss Herbal Tea : You’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

[flyingkiki]

We Played Dangerously (3/?)

May our hearts and nerves be ready for the rollercoaster of emotions these stupid birds will take us on. Gaaaaaah.

Enjoy my loves. Adult nonsense will be ready for you in the next chapter to fuel the this storm of emotions.

~~

Present, downtown Gotham

Red Robin slipped through Raven’s balcony relatively easily, something that he found deeply concerning. He frowned as he carefully closed the balcony door and locked the flimsy lock. He'd have to remind her that she lived in Gotham and practically anyone could climb through her doors.

Turning around, he looked at the sparsely decorated living room, taking in the old brick walls of the building and the large fireplace that stood in the center of the room. Raven always did like the appeal of a fireplace.

Not bothering to turn on the lights, Tim silently walked through her apartment, mildly surprised that she still wasn’t home. It was close to 10, would her job at the library really take that much of her time?

Tim had returned from his business trip in Japan a little while ago, his itinerary stretched out way too much for his liking. The moment his plane landed, he had thanked Tam for her help and brushed past her in a heartbeat, rushing down the tarmac of their private hanger and disappeared into his car. Within an hour he had gone home, showered, downed two cups of cold brew, and changed into his uniform.

And found himself slipping into Raven’s apartment uninvited.

As he absently stared at the sole decoration that stood on top of fireplace mantel -- an old group photo of the Titans in civvies. His nerves were buzzing under his skin as he stared at the familiar scene. He chalked it up to his coffee and lack of sleep.

Her apartment was small, decently sized for a single occupant -- was she a single occupant? His night vision-enhanced gaze briefly swept through the apartment, trying to find any signs of a roommate. The thought unsettled him.

The living room was filled with a few cardboard boxes, several neatly stacked piles of documents and books, tons of books piled on a rather large coffee table and scattered across the floor, a bookshelf that seemed halfway built, and a handful of potted plants and decorations. His gaze settled on a ugly beige throw blanket strewn over the backrest of Raven’s large couch, the intricate woven pattern looked worn. The sight of the familiar blanket made his chest jump at a distant memory.

Tim stilled as the lock of Raven’s front door jiggled and turned, breaking the silence. He paused and watched from the shadows as the hallway lights switched on and Raven walked into the apartment, busy talking to whoever was on the other end of her phone call. He ignored the relief that washed over him when she entered her apartment alone.

“Yeah, Toni, just a small papaya salad on the side,” Raven said while she absently tossed her keys and her phone on the hallway table, leaving her phone on speakerphone. Her keys clattered into a ceramic bowl and Tim blinked at the noise, intently watching her. He watched as she struggled to deposit her laptop bag on her floor before proceeding to pull off her heels.

“So, pad thai and a side order of green papaya salad. Do you want that spicy or not so spicy, but probably spicy still?” Tim could hear the garbled voice of the store owner through the rustle of clothes. He watched Raven pull off her trench coat, revealing a grey a-line office dress. Raven paused, her hands lingering on her coat as she stood by the coat rack and Tim could see the familiar rise of her shoulders, tensing just a fraction of an inch.

“Sorry, could you change that?” she said suddenly, her tone changing ever so lightly. “Could you make that into a large order of Pad Thai? To share. And add an order of Khao Pad fried rice, large. And some Thai fried chicken? Throw in an order of mango and sticky rice, please,”

Raven pulled the hair tie out of her hair and ran a hand through her hair, trying to get most of the tangles out as she listened to the restaurant owner prattle through her order. Tim watched her blink and nod, before continuing. “And two large Thai Iced Teas,” she paused as she picked up her phone from the small hallway table and easily caught Tim’s eye from where he stood in the dark corner of her living room. Tim watched a familiar smile form on her lips before turning back to her phone. “Thanks, Toni. That should be all.”

Raven quickly ended the call after the promise of having her food delivered within 20 minutes. Turning on her bare feet, Raven stared into her dark living room, easily spotting Tim next to her potted fern that was close to dying. “I’m going to change clothes. Our intern spilled some chai tea latte on my skirt and I smell like cardamom,” she said simply, speaking to his silhouette. Tim watched her blink, as if him lurking in her living room corner was nothing out of the ordinary. “If Sam the delivery guy comes and I’m not yet back just tell him to leave it at the door, I’ll pay for the food later via Venmo or something. Just make sure my neighbors don’t see you, it’ll be weird to explain you to them,”

And without another word, Tim watched Raven gracefully turn and disappear around the corner. He blinked, staring at the old red bricks of the wall she just walked behind as if they just picked up their conversation from six years ago. Unable to move, he heard her shower turn on and he felt his insides leap at the sound. What was he here for again?

After a few moments of listening to the distant noise of her shower and trying desperately to fight the tension that seemed to stretch across his shoulders, Tim finally came to his senses and stepped out of the corner. Tentatively walking into her sparsely decorated living room, Tim continued his venture through her apartment staring at bare walls and large framed pictures of landscapes propped against the wall waiting to be mounted.

Beyond the living room there was a small kitchen and black kitchen island, he could see that it was already set up. In the corner of the kitchen counter he found a red KitchenAid stand mixer and Tim smiled at the sight, wondering if she actually did end up learning to bake (“I’d like to be able to bake some passable shortbread cookies,” she told him one Christmas). He didn’t bother walking into the kitchen or anywhere else in her apartment, since it seemed too much invasion of her privacy - as if breaking and entering into her apartment wasn’t enough.

He lingered in the darkness of her living room, cataloguing trinkets and the general mess to memory. Tim stared at the myriad of little trinkets that littered one of the selves next to her television -- Raven had always liked picking up quirky trinkets from her travels. He spotted a few he had known she had kept from her days at the Tower. An assortment of rocks from Tamaran, a necklace from Zambia, a little carved box from Peru. A familiar little elf with a lettuce hat stood out from the group or ceramics and stoneware; it was a little elf souvenir she picked up in Iceland.

Tim blinked as her door buzzed loudly, pulling him out of his thoughts. The door buzzed again, longer this time and he stared at her front door unsure what to do.

“Could you get that?”

Raven’s voice carried through her apartment. Tim blinked and stared at the direction from where her voice came from before carefully walking up to the phone in the hallway and picking up the receiver just as it buzzed again. “Hello?” he asked tentatively, feeling just a little out of place.

“Err, Royal Thai’s. Uh, Rachel?” the voice on the other end of the line sounding terribly confused over the noise of outside traffic. “Did I get the right apartment number?”

Tim cleared his throat. “Yeah, 7 oh 4,” he said and blinked at the old telephone mounted on the wall. It was one of the older models that came with the building. “I’ll buzz you in. Just leave the food by the door, we’ll get it in a bit. We’ll pay via Venmo. We’re a bit, uh,” he stumbled and tried to find the right words as he looked at his combat boots. “Busy,”

Tim immediately regretted his choice of words, wincing at the snort of amusement from the other end. It sounded like they were busy with certain activities. Tim sighed, absently tapping the receiver with his gloved finger and pressing the buzzer and allowing access to the delivery guy.

He waited by the door and listened as the elevator finally dinged in the distance. There was a knock on the door followed by rustle of paper bags being deposited on the doormat. “Royal Thai’s!” came the muffled announcement through the old wooden door.

“Thanks, man. We got this,” Tim called back. He leaned into the door, waiting and listening as footsteps slowly disappeared with the sound of an elevator opening and closing. Waiting briefly to ensure the coast was clear, Tim finally opened the door slightly and carefully pulled in the paper bags to avoid being seen by her neighbors. It would be terrible to start rumors of a Red Robin sighting visiting a library researcher.

Enjoying the familiar smell of thai food, Tim silently went back into her living room and carefully deposited the bag on her coffee table, careful not to disturb any of her documents. Engulfed in the familiar smell of Thai fried chicken, Tim felt nervousness slowly creep under his skin as the familiarity of the smell and scene stirred distant memories. His chest tightened at the thought.

“Why didn’t you turn on the lights?” Raven asked as she stepped into the living room, the familiar scent of fresh lavender soap announcing her entrance. Tim watched, her silhouette cast from the hallway’s light, a sight he had committed to memory as she stood in the doorway of the living room. With the flick of her wrist, her lights turned on.

Tim wasn’t sure why his throat tightened at the sight of her, but he spent a moment staring at her. Last night’s image of Raven was familiar, but tonight seeing her in an frayed, oversized Gotham Knights shirt and blue sweatpants, was an achingly intimate image that he had burned into memory. He watched Raven blink, her lips curling into a smile.

“Your uniform has changed,” Tim watched dark blue eyes sweep over this uniform, lingering on some of the upgrades he added in recent years. She approached him slowly, keeping her gaze steady with his.

“Just a few upgrades,” he supplied, intently watching her face as she studied him. Tim felt his breath catch as she stood in front of him, her eyes sweeping over his form. He wondered what she saw as she stared at him, her lips curling as his voice carried through her living room. She looked the same to him, the sight of her in oversized shirts and damp hair a familiar sight he remembered well.

Raven stared up at him, she had to crane her head just a little bit to stare up at him. A small playful smile played on her lips as she studied his face. “Are you going to stay masked the whole time?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.

Tim chuckled as whatever moment broke and he shook his head, “No.”

Raven’s eyes brightened and she smiled. Not giving him the time to pull off his cowl, she leaned forward and stood on her toes, reaching out to carefully push his cowl off his head. The press of her fingers against his hairline were familiar and her movements well practiced as she knew exactly what to tug and unclasp.

“You’re taller,” she noted, her fingers curling into his cowl as she stood back and stared up at him. There was an amused sparkle and wonder in her eyes as she studied his unmasked face, and Tim found himself eagerly drinking in her curiosity and wonder.

“Might have grown a bit while you were gone,” Tim teased, his voice light and he smiled as Raven released a soft laugh.

Raven hummed, eyes bright and a small smile every present on her lips. She studied him for a moment longer before turning to her coffee table and eyeing the large paper bags. Dropping his cowl on her couch, she walked up to the table and picked up the bags. “Let’s eat. I’m starving and I’m sure you did not eat anything yet,” she said with an air of finality.

Tim silently followed her into her kitchen and watched Raven deposit the bags in her own kitchen. He stopped short in her kitchen doorway and found himself watching an intimate scene from years ago in his own apartment: of a much younger Raven plating a large order of Pad Thai onto the cheap plates Jason gave him as a housewarming gift.

“Are you going to stand around and watch or are you going to eat something?” asked Raven, pulling him out of his thoughts. Tim blinked and approached her kitchen island, staring in amazement at an all too familiar sight of thai dishes.

“You remembered,” he asked, an amused smile playing on his lips as he sat down opposite of her and pulled off his gloves. The familiar smell of Thai fried chicken and pad thai filled his nose.

Raven rolled her eyes and sat down, pushing a spare plate his way and nudging the pad thai closer to him. Her eyes were bright and playful as they shared an amused smile. “Difficult not to, when this is practically the only food you willingly eat every time we’re here without having to remind you it’s mealtime,” she teased.

Tim hummed through a mouthful of Royal Thai’s pad thai, his favorite. The first time they came up to Gotham together he had quickly introduced her to his favorite restaurant and ordering in had quickly become a routine for them.

Back then.

“I was kind of expecting you to sneak in here last night,” commented Raven absently as they went through their food. Tim caught her mild amusement as she took a small sip from her iced tea.

Tim shrugged and got himself a large helping of fried rice. “I had an early flight to Japan and I couldn’t risk missing the flight. Tam would kill me,”

Raven released a soft laugh. “I’m sure she would,”

"The last time I arrived late to a board meeting she gave me so much paperwork the next day to spite me," commented Tim wryly. "One should never mess with Tam's schedule,"

Raven made an amused face and snorted. “Oh, I know,” her small smile was playful and there was an amused lilt in her voice.

Tim chuckled softly and a distant thought crossed his mind, this moment seeming so normal to them. Like years had not passed. He swallowed the small lump that formed in his throat. He sobered up slightly.

As if catching the shift of his emotion, Raven blinked, her gaze sweeping over Tim’s face. Carefully placing her fork on the edge of her plate, she stared at Tim curiously and tilted her head. “How have you been?” she asked, her voice softer.

Tim gave her a wry smile.

“Busy,” Tim breathed. He winced at how lame the answer sounded. He stared at her, familiar blue eyes boring into his, and he suddenly was unsure where to begin and pick-up from six years ago. The easy moment minutes earlier slowly melted away and an uneasy feeling settled low in his stomach. “Mid-year reporting season is coming up, things are crazy at the office. There’s a new business acquisition we’re working on, too.”

“You’re acquiring that tech company in Tokyo, right?”

Tim blinked, surprised that she knew. “You know?”

Raven smiled, tilting her head and studying his reaction. “I read about you in the papers. You’re hard to miss,”

Tim released a bark of laughter, grinning teasingly. “I hope you only saw the good stuff,”

“I keep away from TMZ and other tabloids,” she sent him a teasing smile.

Tim paused and stared at her, drinking in the familiar sight of her. A wave of nostalgia washed over him. His stomach churned and he knew she caught his emotions as she tilted her head curiously. “You’ve been difficult to keep track of,”

Raven inhaled, breaking eye contact briefly. She stared out her window, thoughtful, before turning back to Tim and offering him a muted smile. “Reception was bad in Iceland,”

A distant memory of hot springs, breathtaking mountainscapes, and the aurora borealis crossed Tim’s mind and he immediately squashed those memories as his stomach churned and his chest tightened. He watched Raven’s gaze darken briefly. “Yeah, I guess it was,”

Raven picked at her food thoughtfully before continuing. She shrugged absently and glanced at Tim. “After I finished at NYU, I moved to Boston for the conservation and restoration program. And then I went around for a few research projects --”

“Indonesia, Africa, Bulgaria,” Tim looked at her, watching Raven’s reaction. He smiled at her. “Iceland once in a while,”

Raven looked thoughtful for a moment as she stared at Tim, a small smile playing on her lips. She swallowed and averted her gaze briefly, before turning back to him. “Yeah,” she breathed, a soft laugh followed.

Tim exhaled, releasing a breath he was unconsciously holding. “I guess we’ve been both pretty busy,”

Raven blinked and smiled pensively. “I guess so,”

Tim swallowed, conscious of how his nerves seemingly crawled under his skin.”Have you been in touch with the others?”

Raven shook her head. “Not in recent years. Rose once in a while, but not really the rest.”

He looked surprised. Rose had never mentioned that she and Raven had been in touch. “You should swing by,” he suggested, an encouraging smile playing on his lips. “The team misses you,”

Raven tapped her iced tea thoughtfully. Tim saw the brief flicker of emotions in her eyes, catching her microexpression easily and he felt his nerves jump. Raven nodded. “Yeah, I miss everyone too,”

“Do you like what you’re doing now?” Tim asked curiously, as they continued to navigate through their meal and finish their shared pad thai and fried rice. The fried chicken had been long gone, most of it polished off by Tim.

Raven shrugged and made a dismissive sound in the back of her throat. “I like it,” she said while shoveling a few spoonfuls of fried rice onto her plate. She fiddled with a peanut thoughtfully before spooning it. “I like the research and working on old books. It’s fun,”

Tim smiled in amusement. “Only you will say that gluing old pages together is fun,”

Raven rolled her eyes and lobbed the fried peanut at Tim, who easily dodged the projectile legume with a bark of laughter. “It’s more than just gluing pages together, jerk.”

Tim laughed and nodded. “I know. We’re funding your research project, I know the details. I’m sorry, I’m just teasing you,” he grinned, leaning over just a little bit and into their shared space, blue eyes dancing in amusement.

“It’s a lot less exciting than what we do with the Titans,” she mused. “But I get to travel for projects. I like that. It’s fun to go around Asia or Europe and get to experience food and culture without having to worry about being shot or killed at every corner,”

Tim chuckled. “I see where the appeal is coming from,”

“It’s nice when people don’t know you,” said Raven, absently stabbing the last of her chicken. She cast Tim a wry smile. “They don’t hold that expectation or fear that you can bring down an entire building or destroy the planet at will,”

Tim frowned, catching how she sobered up and looked away. He swallowed, knowing how deep some wounds ran. “Civilian life looks great on you,” he said, grappling to shift the somber mood, staring at her in the all too familiar Gotham Knights shirt she was wearing. “Even if you’re in a very ratty Gotham Knights shirt. I was wondering where that went,”

Raven released a soft laugh, blue eyes a little brighter and he watched her run a free hand over the terribly frayed and stretched collar of the shirt. “You leave it, I keep it,” she said simply.

“In fact, I lost quite a few pieces of clothing,” Tim commented, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“You leave it, I keep it, your honor,” Raven raised her hands in mock innocence as she stood up and threw an amused smile at him. She went to grab another plate for their mango and sticky rice.

“From what I hear you’ve not only been working on sticking old pages together,” said Tim as Raven slid their dessert in between them. He sent her a small grin as she snorted. “Intercepted a human trafficking ring in Africa, busted drug cartel in Indonesia,”

Raven shrugged and helped herself to the sweet desert, taking a large helping of sweet rice and mango. She always had a sweet, something she never would openly admit. But Tim knew better. “The police was not help, they barely did anything for those kids. Those were easy enough jobs. In other countries it's easier to slip on the uniform occasionally and no one recognizes you. Easy in and out jobs,” she explained.

“Do you miss it?”

Raven looked at him, blue meeting stormy blue. Tim watched her look thoughtful. “Sometimes,” she finally said.

He swallowed and tried to bite the bullet, nerves thumping under his skin as she stared back at him, anticipating his next question with bated breath. “Will you come back to us?” he asked, the pit of his stomach gnawing as he anticipated her answer. He wondered how he would react if she did not say the words he wanted her to say -- his stomach flipped.

“I don’t know,” Raven said finally, breaking contact and looking out the window. There was an air of melancholy that draped around her and she looked significantly smaller in his old Gotham Knights shirt, for the first time looking so vastly different from the woman he remembered. “I like what I do, Tim. I like the life I have and the opportunity of walking through this world without biases and fear directed towards me,”

He distinctly felt a cold jolt run down his back and Tim straightened in his uniform. Tim knew he had no place to ask for her to come back. He remembered their conversation years ago -- this was her life and this was what she wanted, needed. Tim felt his nerves take a tumble and his chest tighten as his first concerns from years ago were confirmed.

“Well, you did say you’d take a sabbatical. I did not hear a no,” he tried feebly, sending her a wry smile.

Raven exhaled and looked at him, her gaze soft. “Yeah. It’s not a no,” she repeated. Looking like she had enough of her food, Raven stood up and picked up her empty plates and started to carefully place them into her sink. Tim watched her movements silently, he tried to ignore how this looked exactly like an old scene from his apartment’s kitchen.

Sensing that tonight’s conversation was over, Tim slowly stood up and helped her with the dishes. They worked silently, putting away leftovers and placing all dishes into the sink. He stood to the side, watching as Raven used her powers to clean all dishes with a sweep of her hands and they were washed and neatly stacked on the drying rack.

“It’s getting late,” Raven breathed, pushing herself away from the sink and looking at him over her shoulder. A signal that tonight’s conversation was done. Tim swallowed. “I have an early meeting with the museum’s director tomorrow and I have to go through my notes,”

“Right,” echoed Tim. As he returned into her living room to pull on his gloves and pick up his cowl, he found himself in an internal battle, trying to figure out what to do next. His throat tightened at the thought of how he drew a blank and the panic of tonight ending with so many things still unresolved settled heavily on his chest. He drew in a rattled breath and pulled on his cowl. Perhaps tonight truly was enough.

“It’s good to see you again, Tim,” Raven said behind him, her voice carrying through her apartment. It was a tone he was deeply familiar with. He fiddled with his belt to keep his hands busy as he was unsure what to do next.

Turning around, Tim offered Raven a bright smile, quickly sweeping aside his unsettled feelings. He’d take what he could from her, from this moment. He ignored how different it felt, to be Red Robin in front of Raven, a civilian, in his old t-shirt, an image that he had burned into memory. “It’s good to see you again, Raven,” he told her.

Tim had his arms around her even before she was pressed into him. Raven stepped closer and offered him a long hug, arms wrapping tightly around his torso and fingers pressing into the kevlar of his back. The press of her was exactly how he remembered, warm and soft, perfectly tucked into his side and under his arms. He catalogued this to memory, inhaling the familiar scent of her and memorizing her softness. How could he have missed this?

Tim swallowed uneasily as she stepped away and slipped out of reach. “Good night, Tim,”

“Good night, Raven,” he smiled at her. He slowly made his way to her balcony and paused as he opened it. Looking over his shoulder, he caught her watching him leave. He licked his lips and continued. “I--” he paused and breathed. Fuck it. He felt his heart leap. “I wish we kept in touch,”

Raven tilted her head and Tim watched an expression he could not quite place cross her face. “Why didn’t we?”

His fingers tightened around the cold handle of her balcony. Tim blinked as a million reasons raced through his mind, stabbing him accusingly. Guilt and regret grabbed him by the throat. He inhaled shakily. “I don’t know,”

Raven smiled sadly at him. “I think we both know why,”

Tim dropped his head and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” He looked at her, drinking in the sight of her basked in the dim lights of her living room. “I’m sorry,”

He watched the rise of her chest as she inhaled and emotions flicker through her somber face. She offered him one last somber smile. “Good night, Red Robin,” she said softly, a signal that tonight had truly ended.

[lesbiansayaishii]

Vanilla Chai Latte : Are you in love?

Pumpkin Spice : Dream car?

Iced Chocolate: Do you have a crush on someone?

Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

Green Tea : How tall are you?

Orange Juice : Have you ever had a valentine?

vanilla chai latte: Are you in love?

oh yes. constantly all the time etc etc. you get the picture. i'm in love with everyone at all times hope that helps <3

pumpkin spice: Dream car?

don't have one LMAO is that odd

iced chocolate: Do you have a crush on someone?

oh also yes. constantly all the time etc etc etc etc. i think you get the picture

iced cafe mocha: Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

just rained/stormed here today... it was so nice. i love to just lay on my bed and listen to it... sometimes i read too. me n my book n my coffee had a good day today :D

green tea: How tall are you?

5'4😔 was just called out for being short and told to grow just today

orange juice: Have you ever had a valentine?

not a romantic one, and frankly idk if i'd want to. i like my friends and the way we do it too much <3

cafe asks

[for-sappho]

Vanilla Chai Latte: Are you in love?

Pumpkin Spice : Dream car?

Iced Chocolate : Do you have a crush on someone?

Caramel Frappe : Favorite video game?

Iced Lemon Tea : Favorite song/band?

Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

Green Tea : How tall are you?

Orange Juice : Have you ever had a valentine?

oh my goodness thank u lovely!!❤️❤️❤️

1. no i’m not in love

2. mercedes benz or an old volkswagen beetle teheh

3. yea your mom❤️

4. i don’t play video games sowwy🙈 but i do love lady dimitrescu so resident evil ig skshsjs💀💀

5. ummm my fav bands are the regrettes and IDK HOW teheheh

6. listen to the rain actually. it’s just calming

7. i’m 5’9😌

8. no i haven’t lmfao

[yandereplumsim]

Ophelia Nigmos (all !)

Nonnie is trying to finish what the vaccine started... Aka kill me.

❤️: OTP

Johnny Smith. They're so cute together, I can't break them apart. I once tried to have the JRO three way relationship, but it wasn't really working for me.

💔: No OTP

Ripp. I'm sorry but after that experience I really can't ship Ripp and Ophelia, at least not on my game, I still enjoy it on others, but is a pass for me.

🌈: Sexuality

Straight. I have never found a ship for her with a girl that (or outside Johnny and Ripp) called my attention.

😊: Friends

Beside her friendship turned into love with Johnny, she is good friends with Ripp, she almost sees him as her younger brother.

💀: Enemies or Rival

Pita Florica (The Sims 2 psp) , I brought her to Strangetown just for this. Thru Pita dislikes her more than what Ophelia dislikes her.

She doesn't like Tank.

🌷: Flowers or plants they like

Ophelia loves plants, specially cactus and their flowers because they're colorful and bright and they give her strength. She loves going to Johnny's house because of his green garden. But the one plant that own her heart is her little cow plant that she has started growing recently ❤️

☀️: Favourite Season

Spring time, is not too hot as summer, and is the perfect time to practice gardening.

🌧️: Favourite Weather

Raining. In the desert it doesn't rain as often as she would like, but after the rain the desert blooms in colors.

🕯️: Favourite Aromatic candle

Lavender and Jasmine. As I mentioned earlier, Lavender helps with anxiety and Insomnia, while Jasmine is found to be anticeptic and sedative. All things that Ophelia needs. Beside Jasmine is a night Blooming flower so.. . Fitting.

🥘: Favourite Food:

Ophelia on my game is a vegetarian, which makes sense, as is a healthier diet... And it has an irony with her meat eating Cowplant. Favourite dish might be vegetarian chili with meat or Shawarma.

☕: Favourite Drink

As a get go Green Tea. Chai Latte at the coffee shop... But most importantly, Ophelia makes sure to drink 2 lts of water every day, not from the tap.

🍦: Ice-cream Flavour

Don't ask me why, I just know that is pistaches... Like I can feel it in my bones.

🍕: Pizza Topping

Garlic. She prefers Gaelic bread over pizza actually, but if it's pizza she will add some dried Garlic over it.

🍟: Snack

Cookies. Something that she picked up from living with her Aunt Olive.

🍿: Movies they like to watch

Hollywood Golden age movies... Because they're the only ones that the Strangetown Car Cinema would show.

📺: TV Show they like to watch

Medical series like Gray's anatomy and Doctor House (I need Simlish versions of these) but only the early seasons. The gardening Chanel.

🎵: Music they listen to

90s/2000s Alternative Rock

⚽: Sport they like or play

Walking from the house to school and back is enough exercise for her. She used to swim when she was little, but not anymore.

📚: Books they like to read

The Medical enciclopedy, the vademecum and some Herbal journals that aunt olive owned. She might read some old short sci-fi romantic book if found appealing.

🕹️: Video Games they like or Play

Whatever videogane is working at the Strangetown arcade that week.

🎻: Musical instrument

She knows how to play the organ and was the person in charge of playing the piano during the Strangetown High School events. Ripp has been begging her to form a band ever since.

🎨: Favourite Colour

Lavender, indigo, burgundy & black

👠: Shoes they like

Sandals, convers & docs

👕: Clothing style

As a teen I would say late 90s early 2000s grunge, with ripped baggy jeans, t-shirts, cardigans and slip dresses. As a young adult her fashion is mutating more into the Gothic boho style.

👜: What's always on their bag

Gel Alcohol and desifectant. She carries a little farmacy on her bag. (all Around the sims Cold misery set)

📰: Section of the Newspaper they read

The Gardening section.

💻: Website they visit the most

Google search, looking up possible symptoms. YouTube "top 10 medical conditions" videos or Gardening Tutorials.

📱: Social media they use the most

Instagram, because of Ripp.

📗: Favourite School Subject

Biology and Natural science classes were her favorites during high school.

📕: Less Favourite School Subject

The P. E. class, no Metter how many (fake) doctor recipes she presented, the teacher refused to acnowlage her medical conditions and forced to take part on classes.

🎓: University they attended (or not)

La Fiesta Tech.

🎒: University Major

I'm on the fence between Biology and Paranormal... But definitely leading toward Biology as I want to put her on the Natural Science career later on.

🔮: Something Random

She's witch.

[thekisforkeats]

The Joys of Fandom, or, how TMA helped me rediscover my love of tea

So among the many (many) good things The Magnus Archives podcast has brought to my life, none has been quite so profound as remembering how much I love making a good cup of tea. I’ve got a whole post about how it’s helped me categorize the anxiety cloud I live with on a constant basis, how it’s gotten me writing again, and writing poetry which I haven’t done in forever, how identifying with so many openly queer boys going through so much crap has helped me figure out that I want to transition.

But.

Tea is the reason we’re here today, because making a pot of tea has become a daily ritual since I started listening to TMA, and it’s been one of those tiny things that’s changed my life profoundly, and I have TMA to thank for this almost entirely.

I did not grow up drinking tea. I am from the Seattle, Washington area, and I’m just old enough Starbucks was a popular local coffee shop when I was a kid. My parents both drank a TON of coffee, my mother basically runs on the stuff, and by the time I was 6 I was drinking coffee too. Tea, growing up, was Lipton, sometimes iced or sometimes not. I didn’t even realize herbal tea was tea. Green tea was a thing one drank at Chinese restaurants. I was not at all informed.

When I got my first job, I would stop at Starbucks during the bus layover (as once does in the Seattle area) and one day in a fit of teenaged desire to be “cool” and “writerly” because I’d seen a tin of “Writer’s Chai” in the store I bought a chai latte. I loved it, and that became my go-to Starbucks drink.

I still didn’t really get tea, but I at least started learning how to boil water in the kettle and waiting for it to actually boil, pouring it over the tea bag, etc. I didn’t put in milk or sugar because I drank coffee black unless it was a latte or a mocha. I would just sort of... boil the water and pour it over and wait a few minutes and drink the tea with the bag still in the mug.

It wasn’t until I moved to Toronto that I sat down and had a good cup of tea. The woman who hosted the social group I was part of had her particular tea-making rituals, and she encouraged me to try it with milk and sugar, and it was... amazing. Life-changing, even. My perseveration drive kicked into full swing and I had to know everything about tea and its history and how to make a proper cup and so on and so forth. I learned all I could from our hostess, and then turned to the internet.

I bought a kettle to make tea at home but my ex wasn’t really supportive of my desire to brew tea on the regular, so loose leaf and teapots and “does the milk go in in cup before or after the tea” had to wait until I moved out and got a place of my own.

Then I moved to Tallahassee.

In Tallahassee, the coffee was atrocious unless it was from a couple of specific places, mostly serving cafe con leche. But I had my own place and my own dishes and I could have a teapot and make tea and nobody could stop me. So I did. Mostly for myself, while I was contemplating things, and it was really nice to sit and stare out at the ridiculously heavy Florida rain--which hit, in Tallahassee, right about 4:15 in the afternoon all summer so perfect for tea time.

I moved back to Seattle with my spouse, and we moved into my mother’s house. For a long while we didn’t have a kitchen of our own and we had small children, so tea wasn’t a thing I did any more. I had leftover coffee (or canned/bottled coffee) for the caffeine fix, but rarely tea. When my grandmother died and we moved into her old apartment we didn’t have a stove, and I despise heating water for tea in the microwave.

So for the better part of a decade, I barely drank any tea at all. I did discover Oi Ocha in this time, which is bottled green tea from Japan, which is amazing and I love it, but again--it was in a bottle. Not a thing I was personally making.

Then I started listening to The Magnus Archives, and I really identified with Martin Blackwood, because of reasons too complicated to get into here. But it inspired me to want to make tea again, and so I started getting K-cup pods, but it just... wasn’t... right. It wasn’t the same. I mean, it was tea, but it wasn’t... tea.

So I went and bought an electric kettle, and a teapot, and a strainer, and ordered regular deliveries of loose leaf tea, and started making tea for myself and my spouse. I developed my own ritual: cold water in the kettle, put hot water into the teapot (so it doesn’t crack), put three scoops of loose leaf in the strainer. Pour out the water in the teapot when the kettle boils, put in the strainer, pour the boiling water over the strainer. Wait four minutes or so, and while you’re waiting put a splash of half-and-half in the tea mugs (milk goes first so it doesn’t scald and we like the taste of half-and-half best). Then pour the tea into the mugs. The mugs are big enough that I take three spoons of sugar and my spouse four, so put all the sugar into the mugs and then increase the entropy (aka stir) until the sugar’s dissolved. Bring the tea out into the living room, enjoy.

The first time I got it all right, and made a good cup of tea, I literally cried, I was so happy. It was like seeing the sun after it had been dark for so long I’d forgotten what the sun looked like.

The thing I have come to realize about what tea means to me is something that Jon says in the trailer for Season 5 of TMA. Martin brings him a cup of “tea” and Jon goes “that’s not tea” and, indeed, it turns out to be some weird skittering thing. The following exchange really crystallized things for me:

Jon: This is no longer a world where you can trust-- Martin: Tea?! Jon: Comfort.

And that was it, right there. Coffee is fuel, for me. Coffee is “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There.” (Quite literally; part of playing Persona 5 was remembering how much I love trying out new coffee blends.)

Tea, however, is comfort. Tea is slowing down. Tea is caffeine, yes, and therefore focus for my poor ADD/autistic brain, but it’s afternoon focus. It’s contemplation. It’s sitting and breathing in the aroma and thinking about things in a way that isn’t spiraling or catastrophizing. Whether it’s breakfast tea or Earl Grey or green tea, or an herbal like peppermint or chamomile, tea for me is self-care.

Taking those few minutes to get up and go make a pot of tea in the afternoon, to stop the business of the day and just stand there waiting for the kettle to boil, is something I’ve desperately needed. Coffee is easy to sort of make as “fire and forget,” to the point that I’ve gulped down cold or lukewarm coffee I’d forgotten about just because I need the caffeine. Tea, though, if you’re doing it right you have to stand there and wait for the water to boil and wait for the tea to steep. If you walk away to do something else you’ll ruin the whole thing. I completely understand why Martin is running around making tea for everyone in Season 2 all the time, because everything is falling apart in slow motion and it’s a chance to stop, to focus on making the tea, and then to take the time enjoying the tea itself.

Making tea for others also means love to me. I make tea for my spouse alongside myself. I included one of my teenaged children in tea-making for the first time yesterday and my youngest keeps getting the last bit of tea in the pot, and it’s such a joy to see their faces light up. Bringing someone tea means bringing them a mug of love and care. Another reason I identify with Martin--I often don’t know what to say to help someone, so I try to be sure they’re fed and hydrated and cared for. And I, too, had to learn to stop setting myself on fire to keep those people warm. I had to learn to be sure I was fed and hydrated and cared for, so I could care for them. But even now as I get older and wiser and grumpier I still run around making sure everyone’s fed and has had their mug of tea, I just don’t do it at my own expense anymore.

One of my next crochet projects is a tea cozy in the shape of a green owl, in honor of the Magnus Institute owl, because my little tea-making ritual is always going to be connected to TMA in my head. Also I have a “Fifteen Fears” mug and my spouse has a “Magnus Archives” owl symbol mug, so it’s literally just this really intense connection between TMA and tea, for me.

It’s funny how much comfort a horror podcast has given me since I’ve started listening. There are a few fandoms that have profoundly changed me--Star Trek was the first big one, Babylon 5 was the first that directly inspired me, Mass Effect helped me get out of suicidal depression, Persona (specifically Persona 5) inspired me to take responsibility for myself in a way therapy never quite managed.

And here I am with TMA, figuring out how to navigate anxiety and pain and grief in a world that feels like it’s falling apart around my ears. The concept that what we do matters; that right or wrong you should be making a decision instead of just reacting from fear or surprise; that sometimes you screw up and there’s nothing to be done, that “sorry” doesn’t fix everything, that sometimes nothing you do will fix anything and you can’t let that paralyze you... it’s all been necessary, and helpful, and I’ve been terribly grateful.

Thanks to TMA I’m writing again after years of terrible writer’s block. I’m facing my own fears and accepting that despite (because of?) my terrible arachnophobia I’d probably serve the Web if I served anything (although Eye and Lonely would also get a look in--I did say I identified with Martin pretty strongly). I’m recognizing dysphoria and dealing with it after years of trying to deny the elephant in the room.

I’m also making tea again. And for that, I am eternally, profoundly grateful.

[vindicatedvirgil]

only fools rush in / part nine: and the dark one is soft for the sunshine one

the second-to-last part of my college AU is here!!

chapter summary: Virgil and Roman celebrate the end of their performances, and look ahead to the future.

TW: vague mentions of sex, mentions of anxiety attack, random OCs thrown in because my brain wanted to include lesbians in this for some reason

---

So take my hand

And take my whole life too

‘Cause I can't help falling in love with you

-

Virgil tapped his foot nervously, his phone to his ear. He was seated in the cafe, waiting for Roman to meet him after class. Except his boyfriend wasn’t answering his phone, and, of course, Virgil was only thinking of the worst possible scenarios. He set his phone down hastily, staring at the mug with his chai latte in front of him. A chime rang through on his phone, signaling a text from Roman, and Virgil glanced at it.

Hey babe, sorry, doing extra rehearsals with Megan and Chloe. Rain check?

Virgil sighed, shooting back a simple ‘Okay’ message, then stuffed his phone into his pocket, grabbing for his latte. This was the second time that week that Roman had skipped out on their coffee dates for extra rehearsals with the main actresses, which made sense since opening night was only two days away, but… it still made Virgil feel uneasy. 

Someone slid into the chair opposite him, and he glared up only to see Emile, a concerned look on his face as he held his mug of coffee close. “Hey, you alright kiddo?”

“Emile, not now, please…” Virgil started, his head drooping down. “I’m really not in the mood for one of your ‘pep talks’ right now.”

“Well… then I won’t give ya one. But hey, sometimes it's good to just… chat, ya know?” Emile’s voice was soft, inviting, but Virgil was still unsure. “Sometimes it’s nice to have an impartial audience.”

“You mean like a therapist, right?” Virgil’s voice was almost insulting. He'd been to therapy before, it helped him, but he was so busy with school that he didn't have time to stop by to see them, or even to go to the campus counseling center.

“Sometimes. But I’m kind of impartial here, and I’ll remain so… unlike last time,” Emile took a deep breath in. “I am sorry about that, kiddo. I didn't mean to insult you or make you upset.”

“Well, you did. Because you're wrong. I’m focusing on the things that are important to me right now, like the musical and school and Roman…” Virgil trailed off, remembering where his boyfriend was at that moment. Not with him. Emile raised an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of his coffee. “It’s just… stressful, right now.” Virgil started, enticed at the idea of someone who was willing to listen to him, to offer him advice. And he decided to take that opportunity.

-

Virgil and Emile had migrated to one of the couches in the cafe, the tall man’s legs tucked under himself as he cradled a cup of herbal tea, one that Remy had brought over with raised eyebrows and a smile on his face. Virgil had opened up to Emile in a way he desperately needed, but he also got advice from the older man about his future in the psychology major, about internships he knew would be made available the following summer, about how best to balance a relationship and school. Virgil was grateful for this, and he felt a bit guilty for the way he had treated Emile in the past. 

“Oh, hang on,” Virgil said, interrupting what Emile was saying about the benefits of different teas, his phone buzzing in his pocket. Roman’s name was large on the screen, and he accepted the call, pressing the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, babe. I just came by your apartment but Janus says you haven’t come home yet today… is everything alright?” Roman’s voice was laced with concern, and he could hear the familiar sounds of Janus’ jazz music playing in the background.

“Oh, yeah. I’m great, Ro. I ran into Emile at the cafe and we’ve been chatting for a bit,” he explained, and he heard a sharp intake of breath from the other line. “I was planning on heading back to my apartment soon, though. Big day tomorrow, our final dress rehearsal. You should head home to sleep.”

“But… I wanted to see you,” Roman started, and Virgil shot an apologetic look at Emile. “I’ll be here when you get back, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon, then,” he said, about to hang up, but Roman’s voice cut through again.

“I love you,” he said, and Virgil smiled, his heart fluttering, but he said nothing as Roman ended the call. The anxious man brought his phone back down, glancing at Emile.

“I’ve gotta get going, but… thank you, Emile. I really appreciate you talking with me,” he said, smiling, and Emile reached into his messenger bag, then handed Virgil a card.

“If you need me, my cell is on there,” Emile said, reaching over to ruffle Virgil’s hair a bit. “You got this, kid.”

-

Virgil swung open the door to the apartment, the jazz music a dull background noise. He spotted Roman on one of the couches, his head resting on the cushions behind him, so Virgil came up and gave him a swift kiss. “Hey, Ro.” The shorter man beamed up at him, standing up so he could wrap his arms around his boyfriend. “I wasn’t planning on staying at the cafe that long, but… it was good to chat with Emile about psychology stuff.”

“Well… I’m glad that you had that chance, babe,” Roman said, kissing Virgil’s chin and cheeks. “I’m so sorry about missing out on our date again, Megan and Chloe were both feeling anxious about some of the scenes, and they’re scenes I’m in, so…”

“It’s okay, Ro. I’m not upset,” Virgil started, but he thought a bit. “Anymore, that is. I was frustrated when I got your text, but Emile helped me realize that I’m not the only important thing to you right now and that sometimes it’s good for me to let go a bit.”

“What? No, that’s not true, Vee,” Roman whined, tightening his grip on Virgil. “You’re the most important thing to me, always! Please, don’t let go.”

“Ro, it’s okay. The musical is really important to both of us, it’s fine-” Virgil was cut off by Roman’s lips pressing to his needily, and all rational thought flew out of his mind as he gripped at the back of Roman’s shirt tightly. “Shit, if you keep kissing me like that, I’ll…”

“You’ll what, babe? Want more?” Roman teased, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips. “You mean everything to me, babe. If you needed me to, I’d drop out of the musical right now. If you have a panic attack during the performances, I’ll shove my understudy out there, just so that I can be there for you.”

“Ro…” Virgil buried his face in the shorter man’s shoulder, biting down on his lip and hoping that the tears would stay in his eyes. “Don’t say stuff like that, unless you want me to become a puddle of emotions.”

“Maybe I do want that, Virge.”

-

Roman woke up feeling more content than he ever had; he glanced up to see Virgil’s sleeping face, their bare chests still pressed together, the marks on their bodies remnants of what had happened the night prior. It was fumbly, it was awkward, but Roman wouldn’t change it for the world. 

He traced his fingers along Virgil’s collarbone, watching as the other’s eyes slowly fluttered open, meeting his, a blush soon covering the tall man’s face and neck. “Hi, Ro.”

“Good morning, my love,” Roman said, pressing kisses to the skin closest to his face. Virgil hummed happily at the movement, his fingers tangling in Roman’s hair.

“Thank you for last night,” Virgil breathed out softly, a faint smile on his face. “Sorry about-”

“No, don’t apologize for anything, babe. It was magical, and wonderful, and I can’t wait to do it again.” Roman waggled his eyebrows a little bit at this, making Virgil laugh a little. “I almost don’t want to get out of bed, but… we should get ready and then pick up some coffee, then head over to the theater.”

“But the dress rehearsal doesn’t start until 11,” Virgil protested, hoping that maybe they’d be able to spend a bit more time in bed; He glanced at the clock. A glaring, red 8:30 stared back at him. Roman nodded.

“I know. But I have a surprise for you, my love.”

-

Virgil held his iced coffee tightly as he followed Roman to the theater. He hated surprises, and even though this was something that his boyfriend had planned for him… he was still anxious about it all. Was Roman going to break up with him in the same place where they had fallen in love?

Roman made Virgil cover his eyes with his hand after they set their stuff down in the green room, and then with one hand he led the taller man onto the main stage. Virgil didn’t hear anything other than his own heart beating rapidly and the soft coos coming from Roman, but he was stopped on what he assumed was the middle of the stage. Was it above the trap door? Was he being pranked? Was there water on the stage?

And then the instrumental to Dancing through Life was playing throughout the theater, the same way it had the day that he had scooped Roman into his arms as they danced together for the first time. Virgil lowered his hand from his face, finding Roman standing there, his hand outstretched, a grin plastered on his face.

“Take my hand?” Roman asked, and Virgil nodded gently, taking Roman’s hand and letting himself be led in a dance across the stage, although this time they weren’t afraid to stand as close as possible to each other. “I want you to know how proud I am of you, Virge. You’re going to do so great in our performances, and I love you so goddamn much.”

“Ro…” Virgil couldn’t form any words, so he just pressed his forehead to Roman’s as they continued cascading across the stage, their grips on each other tight, as if letting go would break them. “What did I do to deserve someone like you loving me?”

“You didn’t need to do anything. You deserve the whole world, and I’m just lucky to be able to love you and hold you,” Roman whispered softly, pressing even closer to Virgil.

“I already have the whole world. It’s you,” Virgil said, the confidence growing in him, and he could feel the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them: “I love you, Roman.” No other words were said, as lips crashed together, all emotions being shared in that one touch.

-

Roman and Virgil were standing offstage, peeking every now and then around the corner at the audience. It was finally opening night, and they could see their friends in the second row, Patton’s head resting on Remus’ shoulder, Janus leaning over to whisper things to Logan. 

Roman set his hand on Virgil’s back in a comforting manner, causing the taller man to turn around to smile at his shorter boyfriend. “You alright, Vee?” Virgil nodded, glancing down at his slip-resistant shoes, then leaned down to kiss Roman. 

“I’m perfect, Ro. I couldn’t have done any of this without you, you know?” He pressed their foreheads together, smiling against Roman’s painted lips. “Thank you for supporting me through all of this.” 

Roman wanted to object, but he knew that Virgil would just remind him of their nights practicing for the auditions, their super early mornings running lines, the way Roman was always there to watch Virgil’s scenes. Virgil was there too, always supporting, always smiling, even when his anxiety got the best of him, even when it was hard to focus.

“You’re gonna be amazing, Virgil,” he finally said, pressing their lips together once more. “You deserve a whole standing ovation.”

After every scene, even though time was tight, their hands grasped each other, bright smiles sent their way and encouraging whispers were murmured in the darkness. During intermission, Roman’s hands couldn’t bear to leave Virgil’s waist, even as they were both prepped for their major outfit changes.

Virgil watched all of the kiss scenes, knowing that Roman saved the best kisses for him. When they were on stage together during curtain call, Virgil cheered louder for his boyfriend except for maybe Patton and Janus, who could clearly be heard from their seats.

It took the pair a while to get their thick patinas of makeup off of their faces, shrugging out of their costumes and into their comfortable day clothes, lips and hands wandering when no one was paying the couple any attention. The other actors filed out to meet their loved ones, even those with more intense makeup like the actress for Elphaba finished before them as they snuck behind a curtain, comforting touches meeting hot, bare skin.

The others tried to get the couple to go out after the performance, since the cast had saved the after party for after the final performances, but Virgil’s eyes drooped and Janus stepped in, making sure the pair were safely tucked into Roman’s bed, Janus covering his eyes when the couple’s hands wandered too far down.

-

“Ro, you and Virgil are coming to the cast party later, right?” Chloe was wiping off the Glinda makeup, her eyes tired but content. All of the performances had gone on without a hitch, and now they were done. It was an odd feeling, something that they had all been working so hard towards for months, finally coming to an end. 

“Yeah, we’re going to stop by for a bit, right babe?” Roman had already wiped his makeup off and was helping hold Virgil’s hair back as the silver paint was removed from the anxious man’s face. Virgil nodded, not saying anything as he wiped over his mouth. “You finally going to make a move on Megan?”

“I- Ro!” Chloe’s face turned bright red, and Virgil raised an eyebrow at the two. 

“Well, now I feel better about the fact that you two kissed my boyfriend,” Virgil muttered teasingly, and then they all stiffened as Megan came around the corner, humming the tune to Defying Gravity, the green paint removed from her body for the final time.

“Please, your boyfriend can kiss you all he likes, I felt nothing from him,” she said, her voice a bit strained. “Ugh, I need more tea.”

“I just heated up some water in the green room,” someone else said, walking past, and she groaned out a quick thanks, running off. As soon as she was out of earshot, Chloe smacked Roman on the shoulder.

“I cannot believe you!” she whined, pouting a little. “What if she heard you?”

“So? You wanna be with her, so you should go for it. Like I did with Virge.” Roman said, smirking, but Virgil glanced over his shoulder again, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

“Excuse me, I was the one who initiated our audition practices and our first dance,” he pointed out, and Roman scoffed.

“Yeah, well!” he huffed, crossing his arms, “I kissed you first!” Chloe rolled her eyes, knowing this would take a while, and walked off, letting the couple continue their bickering.

- Virgil wasn’t exactly sure how he ended up perched on a tree branch, but he didn’t mind. It was nice and cool outside, the music from inside bleeding out into the backyard of the director’s house where the staff party was being held. He had Roman’s coat around his shoulders and was watching as Chloe and Megan sat on a bench near a different tree, talking in low whispers, Chloe’s hand trailing onto Megan’s thigh, their shy smiles and blushes visible even though the only light was the moon and some fairy lights.

Virgil had sent Roman in to socialize; it was his thing, anyways, and not really Virgil’s cup of tea. Every once in a while Roman would peek his head out of one of the sliding doors, and Virgil would shoot him a sweet smile and a thumbs up. 

He glanced down at his phone, checking the time, then shoved the tech back into his pocket, swinging his legs a bit. He heard giggles from the pair of girls, so he redirected his attention to them, only to notice them kissing, Megan’s hands tangled in Chloe’s short blonde hair. Virgil smiled, eyes closing as he leaned his head onto the main trunk of the tree, memories flooding him of his first kiss with Roman, and the many kisses they had shared since that day.

It surprised him that it had only been eight weeks since they got the roles in the play, and now it was all over. Virgil was already thinking ahead to the next production; performing was a bit much for him, so he knew he’d be working as a tech in the Winter and Spring productions. But he also knew it was time to start figuring out how he wanted to use his psychology degree.

He was a year older than Roman, and he’d be graduating in less than two years. Emile had suggested some summer internships, emailed him the applications, and Virgil knew it would be the next logical step to apply and try to get those spots. He had professors he could get recommendations from and Emile was a face that many in the area were familiar with.

His whole life was around the corner. Except all he wanted to do was storm into the house, grab Roman by the collar, and kiss him into oblivion. 

He didn’t do that, of course. He stayed on the branch, deep in thought, and eventually, he felt hands on his thighs and lips ghosting over his own. “C’mon, babe. Let’s get you home before you fall asleep and take a tumble out of that tree, hmm?”

“Ro?” he asked as the two were walking home, their hands intertwined.

“Hmm?” Roman was humming, his hands swinging childishly, and he glanced over at Virgil, a smile on his face.

“Do you ever think about the future?” Virgil asked, shocking himself with his tenacity. Roman looked surprised, too, but let Virgil finish his thought. “It’s just… do I want to be a therapist? Become a psychologist? I don’t know what I want to do with my degree, but I know I want to help people.” He sighed, but Roman squeezed his hand gently.

“I think it’s okay not to know, Virge. People like Logan and Patton have their whole lives planned out, but I mean… I don’t,” he admitted, and Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Like, yes. I want to act and perform, but it’s so hard to be successful. If I only ever do community performances I’ll be happy, but… I’ll have to figure something else out to be able to afford to live, you know?”

“...I could support you,” Virgil muttered, face turning red, and he silently hoped that Roman didn’t hear what he said. He was not so lucky, though.

“Oh. Well,” Roman cleared his throat. They hadn’t talked much about their future together, but both had hopes that they’d continue to be together. “That’s a lot to ask of you, but I’d appreciate all of the love and support you’d give me, if that’s… what you want.”

“I do want that,” Virgil slowed to a stop, the pair standing under a streetlight, and Roman looked up into his boyfriend’s eyes. “If you want to be this incredible community star, then I’ll support all of it. If you end up on Broadway, travelling the world, then I can support that too.”

“What about you, then?” Roman asked, his hand pressing over Virgil’s heart as the two stood closer, their breath visible in the cool air. Virgil shrugged, smiling.

“I can help people anywhere. But there’s only one you, Ro.”

-

Roman was taking the steps down two at a time, and when he looked up he saw Emile standing at the entrance of the building. He hesitated, but then decided to chat with the older man. “Hey, Picani.”

“Hi Roman! I saw one of your performances, you did wonderfully!” Emile said, a bright smile blending across his features.

“Oh, thank you,” Roman rubbed the back of his neck, smiling a bit sheepishly. “I just uh… wanted to thank you. For being a good mentor to Virgil.”

“No thanks necessary. I’m happy to help,” Emile responded, then he pursed his lips in thought. “Has he heard back from the internship application yet?”

“Huh? Oh… uh, no. I guess he’ll be hearing back after finals,” Roman said, then he glanced at his watch. “I should get going, I have a final, but thank you again.”

“Sure thing, kiddo.”

-

Virgil was running up the steps to Roman’s apartment when he heard a call from behind him. He stopped, glancing down to see Emile waving up at him. “Hey, Virgil! I saw the musical, you did great!!” he called, and Virgil smiled, nodding.

“Thanks, Emile.” He continued his run up the stairs, then knocked on the door once, before it was opened by Roman. He practically flung himself into his boyfriend’s arms. “Ro, guess what?”

“What is it, my love?” Roman asked, a chuckle behind his cheerful voice.

“I got the internship for next summer that I applied for! I get to be an assistant on a psychological trial!” he exclaimed, pulling back so Roman could see the bright smile on his face. “It’s a paid internship, too!”

“Oh, I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!” Roman responded happily, leaning up to capture Virgil’s lips in his own. “We should go out and celebrate!”

“I have something else in mind,” Virgil said, a smirk on his face as he pulled Roman past all of the moving boxes and towards his boyfriend’s bedroom.

The future wouldn’t be so scary as long as they had each other’s hands to hold.

---

the final installment of the college au, part ten: so it goes (& an epilogue) will be posted on Sunday, September 13 at 12PM PDT

thank you for all of your support as we’ve gone on this journey together!!!

--- 

part ten

---

taglist (to be tagged in the final part, send an ask!)

@winterrose42

@are-you-even--real

@lallyphant

@deceits-left-glove

@aricana8

@pixelated-pineapple

@starstruck-xavier

@thiel

@sophiexteresa

@cemmy

@toadink2005

@eeveeeclair246

@i-cant-find-a-good-username

@pansexualpuppet

@morgan-leaf

[stifledlaughterao3]

Tagged by: @medium-dippers 

I don’t do these often but they really bring me back to my deviantart days of doing them frequently haha. 

Rules: tag 9 people you want to know better

Currently reading: I bought the book but haven’t started it yet - @umisabaku ​ ‘s “Honor the Word”, which is the sequel to “Shine the Brightest”! I also just finished “Red, White, and Royal Blue” which was as delightful and fanficcy as promised. 

Last song: I’m currently re-listening to one of my favorite albums, “Attitude” by Mrs. GREEN APPLE, a fantastic Japanese rock/pop band. Every song of theirs sounds like an anime OP/ED - I personally recommend, from this album, listening to the first 5 songs straight through as they are ALL bangers. (and yes, this includes the ‘intro’, which is one of the better album ‘intros’ I’ve heard!) 

Last movie: Detective Pikachu! I had not seen it when it first came out but loved it so much. I’ve been super into Pokemon Go lately, after I put it down after the initial rush in 2016 when it came out, and it’s brought me a lot of joy, so seeing Detective Pikachu for the first time enhanced that :) 

Last Series: Still getting through the second season of Dr. Stone!

Sweet/savory/spicy: Savory, although I am learning to love spicy after 28 years of fearing it! My New Year’s Resolution was to learn to eat spicy food and 8 months in I do feel I have succeeded. I just add lots of gochujang to everything. 

Craving: Always Vietnamese lemongrass chicken. Always. 

Tea or Coffee: Tea (chai tea lattes, matcha lattes, straight iced or hot black/green teas, preferably decaf as caffeine Does Me a Bad if it’s not diluted somehow), but I am also a fan of Starbucks sweet lattes like Caramel Macchiatos and Cinnamon Dolce Lattes, so, as long as those are decaf, I can handle them! 

Currently working on: I just finished my “early 2000s internet RP” ShinDeku fic and posted the first chapter, next chapter next week, and that was really delightful to write, so much nostalgia and ‘embrace your cringe! It’s not cringe if you’re having fun!’ agenda. I am also writing the prequel to my ShinKami fantasy AU fic, where it’s focusing on Kirishima and Bakugou’s journeys to become Dragon King and the King’s Dragon.  

tagging: I admit I get very nervous tagging people in these so basically if you see this, feel free to do it! 

[thelittleredheadedmusician]

Tagged by @hood-ex! Hi!!! Thanks!!!

fav colour: Purple! Any shade really but I love a good almost plum.

last song: 99 Revolutions by Green Day because I’ve been in a weird mood where I either listen to punk & alt rock or I listen to weird indie pop & folk. No in between.  

last movie: The Betty White documentary that’s on netflix lol. It’s very wholesome. If that doesn’t count then I rewatched Shazam! the other day cause I am trash and it is amazing. 

watching: New Girl! My mom and I started it a couple weeks ago and I’m HOOKED. We’re on season 6 or 7 rn and I love it. I’m also working thru His Dark Materials cause I loved those books as a kid and it’s been really well adapted so far. 

reading: lol uh... Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert, Race and the Makings of American Political Science by Jessica Blatt, Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister, Alice by Heart by Steven Sater, and the original Hellblazer run (I’m up to issue 89!) and probs a couple others cause I shuffle through and between stuff. 

sweet, spicy, or savory: Sweet! I have an absolutely terrible sweet tooth. Like. It’s so bad. But I am a fairly picky eater so even with my sweet tooth there’s things I just won’t eat. 

tea or coffee: Tea cause coffee makes me so jittery it’s just crazy. I like floofy drinks cause sweet tooth lol but the cafe folks at my bookstore job all know that I get an iced chai latte and that’s it lol. 

Tagging: @rum-on-fire @silv3rclouds-with-graylining @radioactivepigeons @jemsjadependant and @wordshakerofgallifrey

[codyfernsdaily]

For the cafe asks? All of them. 💗✨ tell us everything!

Vanilla Chai Latte: Are you in love?

Not at the moment.

Flat White: Coffee or Tea?

I love both but coffee no question

Cappuccino: What’s your middle name?

It starts with a V that's all anyone needs to know heheheh

Mocha: Dream Job?

As a musician i wish i could support myself with my art but it's really hard to break through in this field so being more realistic I've worked in kitchens since i was 16 (or so) so i would like to do high class catering events (think golden globes)

Pumpkin Spice: Dream car?

Something that's luxury meets sport (but more luxury), if that exists i want it. The 2020 corvette is a sexy bitch that's forsure

Jasmine Tea: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I have a longing in my heart to travel, there's so many places i want to go but I'd say Rome so i could see all of the old cathedrals and churches, the architure and art makes my heart cry. I'm not religious but i can't deny how pretty that shit is.

Old English: You’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you?

My brother, we're just a bunch of idiots so i know we'd make the best out of the situation haha

Iced Chocolate: Do you have a crush on someone?

Nope!

Caramel Frappe: Favorite video game?

Ugh don't even get me started with this shit. I love Kingdom Hearts dearly, Legend of Dragoon for the ps1 is incredibly nostalgic and just overall a great game, Final Fantasy 12 and 15 fuck and I'm very excited for the ff7 remaster. I can't really pick between these, i could talk about games all night long 😅

Iced Lemon Tea: Favorite song/band?

UGH AGAIN this subject kills me. Invocation of the Continual One by Morbid Angel, love those boys.

Iced Cafe Mocha: Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

Sit on my couch and listen to my rainy days playlist, I'll probably be playing a video game

Hot Chocolate: Are you an affectionate person?

I love love even if i don't have it lol

Caramel Macchiato: You’re travelling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. Who do you take?

Given that I'm single and I'm not close enough with any of my friends to want to take one of them i would take my brother and if he didn't want to i would take my mom

Green Tea: How tall are you?

5'7, still wish i was taller

Early Grey Tea: The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! What’s your plan of action?

Already answered ~

Mint Tea: How do you relax?

Playing an instrument, and if that doesn't work I'll listen to music and play video games.

Vanilla Latte: Board games or drinking games?

Board games but if I'm with the right people a drinking game could be hysterical

Iced Coffee: Do you like reading? If so, what’s your favorite book?

I need to read more, i don't do it often but i do like the count of monte cristo.

Italian Soda: Describe your dream date

I don't have one, I'll go to a nicer downtown restaurant or a cheap 24 hour diner. I just want to make the best out of it with whoever i go with. I love rollerstaking though so that would be a great time, get some ice cream afterwards. Mm

Sparkling Water: Describe what qualities you look for in a person

If you're kind to others and are non-judgemental and accepting that's really most of it right there. I've immediately stopped liking people because even though they were downright beautiful they were huuuuge assholes and i don't vibe with that

Orange Juice: Have you ever had a valentine?

With my ex's but never a secret one

Rose Hip Tea: Describe your first kiss

I don't remember it if that says anything

Herbal Tea: You’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

Something dessert related!

Okay this is like the 6th time I've tried posting this 🙃😒

[notmichaelangdon]

Hi, it's Mads. I wanna know everything. K, thanks, bye.

You already know everything but...I love to be included 😂 so I’ll answer Vanilla Chai Latte : Am I in love? Yeah, I am. Flat White : Coffee or Tea? I don’t drink either Cappuccino : What’s your middle name?I ain’t got one lmaoMocha : Dream Job? Teacher I thinkPumpkin Spice : Dream car? a 1969 Camaro Jasmine Tea : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?I don’t really care where I end up as long as it’s with my girl, I know I’d be happy. I’d really like to visit Morocco and North Africa in general someday though. Old English : You’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you?@notmadsmontgomeryIced Chocolate : Do you have a crush on someone?@notmadsmontgomeryCaramel Frappe : Favorite video game?I don’t really play video games tbh but when I was younger, the NHL games Iced Lemon Tea : Favorite song/band?Favorite song shit uh Suzanne by Leonard Cohen and my favorite band is probably Pink Floyd or Steely DanIced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?stay inside lmaoHot Chocolate : Are you an affectionate person?extremely but only to MadsCaramel Macchiato : You’re travelling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. Who do you take?@notmadsmontgomery of courseGreen Tea : How tall are you?taller than Mads, shorter than her dad Early Grey Tea : The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! What’s your plan of action?kick zombie ass! i watched the walking dead in high school, i got this.Mint Tea : How do you relax?i don’t man lmaoVanilla Latte : Board games or drinking games?board games Iced Coffee : Do you like reading? If so, what’s your favorite book?i love reading. currently my favorite fiction book is Justine by Lawrence Durrell, my favorite poetry book is The Flame by Leonard Cohen, and my favorite non-fiction books are Night by Elie Wiesel and Kitchen Confidential by Anthony BourdainItalian Soda : Describe your dream datei just like being around my girlfriend tbh we can make almost anything a date.Sparkling Water : Describe what qualities you look for in a personkindness, open minded, good sense of humor.Orange Juice : Have you ever had a valentine?yes, it was @notmadsmontgomeryRose Hip Tea : Describe your first kissboring lmao i remember wanting it to be over so i could go listen to pink floydHerbal Tea : You’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?maybe a christmas one since it’s almost christmas time

[kassilovesr5]

You’re My Music- (Chapter 43) SCANDAL

“Excuse me… Ma’am…Um hello.”

“I’m sorry what?”

“Sorry sir the bathrooms are around the corner and to your right.” Jackson piped in behind me.

“Thanks.” A middle aged bald man wearing a green suit shirt gave me a condescending nod and followed the way Jackson’s hand pointed him.

“Whoa! Earth to Rian, anyone home?” Jackson dramatically waved his hands in front of my face.

“Sorry I just have a lot on my mind.” I said shrugging in angst. I couldn’t keep my mind on work for one second. The coffee shop was extremely slow for a Tuesday morning and I was drifting.

“Anything you want to talk about? Some tea you want to spill? How is that boy you dumped?” Jackson was the only person I really enjoyed working with.

“I didn’t dump him, it was comp-”

“I know it was complicated—aren’t relationships always!”

“And what do you know I haven’t heard about any boys on your end.”  

The coffee shop door swept open and Rocky walked in.

“Ugh yes, your hot friend is here.” Jackson said under his breath. I laughed and shoved Jackson to the side of the counter.

Rocky walked up and put his elbows down and his chin in them. I mimicked him and got face to face with him my elbows parallel to his.

“What’s up?” I tilted my head and cracked a smile. He cracked a similar half smile.

“I was bored so I thought I would come visit my favorite barista.” We both stood up.

“You come all this way just to see me?” Jackson gushed. Jackson set an iced americano on the counter.  

“You remember my drink and everything thanks man!” Rocky put his hand up for a high five, but a disappointed Jackson just cringed and walked to the back room.

“So, what do I owe you?” Rocky asked fumbling with his wallet.

“On the house.”

“Uhh…” He sighed. “What did I do to deserve you!”

“I’m just in my everlasting quest to feed your coffee addiction.” I said half chuckling. Rocky put his hand on top of mine on the counter and gave it a squeeze.

“Ri, I love you! I’m going to use the bathroom quick.” Rocky set down his coffee and walked around the corner to the restrooms.

“That man just keeps getting more gorgeous.” Jackson said.

“Well I hate to shatter your dreams, but that man is straight and too old for you.”

“Oh, trust me I know he’s straight, he is extremely into you.”

If I had been drinking something I would most likely would have expelled it from my mouth

“Excuse me what? You think Rocky is into me?”

“Yea I always see the ways he interacts with you, it’s right under your nose. He practically professed his love for you.”

“He professed his love for coffee. You are seriously out of it, we’re just friends.”

“You’re too close to the situation to realize it, but your best friend is in love with you trust me. Maybe you have some feelings for him too and that’s what’s really upsetting you.”

“Trust me I am not in love with…ROCKY!”

I jumped as Rocky came back around the corner.

“Dudeeeeee you have to look at this!” Thankfully Rocky was distracted with something more pressing. Rocky showed me his phone lit up with a tweet from the celebrity gossip account: “LA Tonight!” The tweet read “RIKER LYNCH’S EX-GIRLFRIEND PREGNANT!! CLICK THE LINK TO GET ALL THE DETAILS ON THIS PREGNANCY DRAMA!”

My breath got caught in my throat and my jaw dropped. This was the first leak of the news and the first we had heard from Estella in weeks.

“What is the video?” I asked frantically.

“I don’t know I haven’t looked.” Rocky tapped on the link and opened a YouTube video.

“Jackson, I think I’m going to take my break now.” I said already undoing my apron and hanging it on the hook.

“Do you girl.” Jackson shrugged and went back to cleaning the espresso machine. I ran around the corner to Rocky and pulled him towards a small table. We sat down and clicked play on the video.

I anxiously listened to a blonde girl flip out about Estella being pregnant and spew a bunch of twisted details about her life. What really grabbed me was the first mention of Riker’s name.

     “Estella has confirmed her ex Riker Lynch is the father. She told LA Tonight:Her tone switched when she started using the quotes from Estella.

     ”I am quite nervous for the future and for single motherhood. Riker has not been supportive and has rejected that he is the father.

At that point I quit listening. My mind wondered from his screen to processing all of what had been said and what was happening. My mind was a cluster of nothing until Rocky started using a number of expletives. My vision was clouded until I focused on the screen. There was a number of gossip news companies that were tweeting about the incident all claiming to have a different inside scoop. Another in particular caught my attention.

MUSICIAN RIKER LYNCH CHEATING SCANDAL flashed across the screen.

“What the hell!” I reached across and tapped the link on his phone and he didn’t have a say otherwise

           “You all may remember the lovely relationship that fans coined RiStella well it turns out that RiStella may not have been the dream love we all remember.”

           Pictures of Riker and Estella when they were dating showed up on the screen and a big broken heart was stamped over the picture as the gossiper talked about the demise of their relationship.

            “Estella told Celeb Weekly ‘The relationship Riker and I had was sweet at the beginning I started to think he was the one until I found he was cheating on me.’”

            The quotes appeared in large black letters over a blue background on the screen.

           “‘The girl he was cheating on me with tracked me down physically assaulted me. Riker then dumped me for her and until he found out I was pregnant and has been trying to cover everything up. He’s completely shut me out and refuses that he is the father.’” The celeb gossiper read.

           “How do you guys feel? Were you a RiStella fan and are you shocked with the news of Estella being pregnant? Let us know in the comments below!”

I buried my hands in my face and knocked my head against the desk. A few seconds later the clatter of a mug sat made noise in front of my face. Jackson set down a mug with steaming liquid in front of me.

“B, it sounds like you’re going to need this.” He said cringing and stepped away slowly.

I took a sip of the steaming chai latte and took a breath. I couldn’t deal with this. I didn’t have the emotional stability I was already at a downwards slope.

“Um Jackson?” I voiced.

“Yea?” he called from behind the counter.

“Is there anyone in here?” I stood up and checked for myself as well.

“Nope still dead.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHGGG.” I screamed.

“Feel better?” Rocky chuckled a little placing a hand on my side.

“This. Isn’t. FUNNY!” I emphasized funny like I was about to snap. I sat back down and buried my head in my hands. “I’m sorry.” I apologized.

“Look Rian it’s been dead all day and you only have two hours of your shift left. I can cover you!” Jackson called.

“Thanks.” I smiled lightly at him. I brought my cup up to the counter and ruffled his curly brown hair. “You’re sure?”

“Of course! Get out of here.”

**

I opened the door and met a gathering of pillows and blankets.

“Whoa what’s all this?” I asked the body behind the pillows. A blanket slipped from his hands. I reached down and grabbed it before he did.

“I thought you were at work?” he responded moving past me to get to get outside. I followed him with the blanket he dropped.

“I got off early, I was a little stressed and it was super slow.”

“You saw all the gossip articles I’m guessing.” He mindlessly responded stuffing some of the blankets and pillows into his car never making contact with me. He seamlessly grabbed the blanket from my hands and stuffed it in as well.

“I did. Are you okay?” Riker slammed the car door and stood up walking towards the house.

“I didn’t realize it mattered how I feel.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Riker swiveled around and glared at me. His hair was a scrunched mess his eyes were red and droopy with bags under them. I wondered how much he’d slept the night before. “I get that you’re stressed. Maybe you should just cool it for a bit thing will die down.”

“Yea uh…avoiding problems is your thing. I need to handle this.” He turned around and stumbled back into the house.

“What are you even doing?” I followed after him. He was growing aggressively annoyed.

“I don’t think I should stay here. I thought I’d might go slum it at the folks’ place for a bit.”

“You know you don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t know how it’s going to look if people find out I’m still living with my ex-girlfriend.”

“Why does it matter what people think? Just let this all blow over it’ll be okay.”

“I can’t just sit here and let Estella ruin my career. I have an interview with celeb weekly tomorrow.” He sounded exhausted and agitated. I don’t think he was making the soundest decisions.

“Riker you shouldn’t just fight fire with fire!”

“YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO. I THOUGHT WE ALREADY HAD THIS CONVERSATION.” He yelled in the middle of the living room. I saw him regain his cool and shake away the urge to explode. “I’m going to my parent’s place to get some space,” he started. “Please do not follow me.” He said in a low almost whisper. He grabbed his keys from the shelf leaning against the stairs and walked assertively out the door. 

Reade more of You’re My Music: Here

[giggleshit]

All tea,,,, ask time

vanilla chai latte : are you in love?

very much so !!!

flat white : coffee or tea?

oops, neither

cappuccino : what’s your middle name?

alsu (my original first name) and hope!

mocha : dream job?

dream job is just being able to create whatever i want; art, buildings, clothes, cute designs!

pumpkin spice : dream car?

my dream car is the car i have now, his name is abe! he’s old,,, but i love him (he’s a 2003 honda civic, it doesn’t get more generic than that)

jasmine tea : if you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

i’d love to visit a lot of major places all over the globe, but if i had to choose, i’m feeling like i really want to go to italy! just a couple days in the bigger cities, and a couple days in the more rural landscapes ❤

old english : you’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you?

partners, for good company but also bc if i have to go camping i need ppl who will tolerate me

iced chocolate : do you have a crush on someone?

mm,,,,,,mayb

caramel frappe : favorite video game?

i like katamari!

iced lemon tea : favorite song/band?

rn it’s definitely hozier, but always and forever, probably fall out boy, oof

iced cafe mocha : favorite thing to do on rainy days?

listen to music, make some art, cuddle!

hot chocolate : are you an affectionate person?

i mean,, i think so,,,

caramel macchiato : you’re travelling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. who do you take?

oh no, uh, either my partners or my dad

green tea : how tall are you?

:(  ……. 5’2” ,,,,,

earl grey tea : the inevitable zombie apocalypse is upon us! what’s your plan of action?

cry

mint tea : how do you relax?

oh,, uh, i don’t

vanilla latte : board games or drinking games?

board games!!

iced coffee : do you like reading? if so, what’s your favorite book?

i mean, i liked reading, i don’t do it that much anymore but uh, i rly do like the secret life of bees by sue monk kidd

italian soda : describe your dream date

it’s a full day of taking pictures, seeing new things, plenty of cuddles, mayb make dinner, sleeeep, n then repeat,,, yes

sparkling water : describe what qualities you look for in a person

i look for whether or not they’re gonna put the same effort and energy into our relationship as i will, and to see if they really care or not

orange juice : have you ever had a valentine?

uh, yes (?) i think so

rose hip tea : describe your first kiss

hasn’t happened, im okay w/that tho, kisses r tiny anxiety babies

herbal tea : you’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

something that’s not very strong, i don’t buy candles but i’d love to start! i live in the dorms tho so, rip, but uh, probably something vanilla or floral!

shoutout to my wonderful n cute gf for existing !

[twloha]

Meet the Interns: Erin

Stuff I like: I like thunderstorms and being out in the rain in summer. I love to swim, drink chai tea lattes, and eat ice cream. I like stepping on leaves that crunch and sitting around the fire pit making s’mores. I like hot chocolate and snowball fights and watching perfect snowflakes land on black jackets. I like watching the trees turn green again, and warm air that isn’t humid. I like photography, hanging in hammocks, Hubert’s Lemonade, and living in NJ. I like stickers, dad jokes, puns, and trivia. I like the word ‘merp,’ and socks that match and a whole lot of other things, but we would be here all day if I listed them all.

Why I’m here: I think I’m here because this is where the universe wants me to be... which admittedly sounds a bit cheesy. But I think that in life things are constantly falling both in to and out of place. TWLOHA has always happened to show up exactly when I needed it, and the message was always exactly what I needed to hear. My college journey hasn’t been a typical one, and even though interning for TWLOHA has always been something I wanted to do, I never thought it would fit in with my schedule. This past fall semester when I didn’t quite pass one of my classes, I knew I’d have to wait a year before continuing in my school’s physical therapy program. While this was upsetting and frustrating, I soon realized that I could apply for the internship this summer. Something fell out of place so that this internship could fall into place, and here I am!

I would most likely stuff the office fridge with: Apples and peanut butter, chocolate milk, my mom’s Mexican Quinoa Salad, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Hubert’s Lemonade.

On the weekends, I'm usually: My weekends typically start by catching up on any TV episodes I missed during the week, followed by catching up on sleep. I like to be busy, so I usually spend my weekends going exploring or working with my hands—such as fixing the trunk of my car that was stuck closed, putting a new tire on the bike in the garage, or doing some sort of arts and crafts project.

We're jamming to your playlist on a road trip, what artists are we listening to? One Republic, Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, We The Kings, P!nk, Bleachers, Fun., Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alessia Cara, Hailee Steinfield, Halsey, James Bay, Judah & The Lion, Kesha, Matt Kearney, Birdy, NEEDTOBREATHE, Switchfoot, and Troye Sivan.

If you could go to any concert, who would you go see? This is such a hard question, but I think I’d want to see Bleachers or Imagine Dragons.

If you have dibs on the TV, what are you most likely watching? Nine times out of ten I’ll be watching Grey’s Anatomy or Criminal Minds. On the off chance I’m not watching one of those two shows, I’m most likely watching some other medical drama or crime-related show.

If you had a free plane ticket, where would you go? Since Erin means Ireland in Gaelic, I think I definitely deserve a free trip to Ireland, so that's where my free plane ticket would be headed. My mom’s family is fairly Irish, and I would love to be able to explore the country where my family is from. Ireland also just looks like such a beautiful place to visit and has always been at the top of my list of places to visit.

What takes you out of your comfort zone? Answering a phone that’s not my own—especially an office phone, big changes, especially if it’s something that’s part of my daily routine, and silence.

To learn more about becoming an intern click here.