#oh right and a funny little thing was that (at the time at least) the bots struggled so hard on getting Lilya’s eye colour right btw

[clrasecretdiary]

Why does she give a damn about me? | Spencer Reid x Reader

cutesy, cheesy fluff

In wich Spencer thinks reader is out of his league but she could not be more into him.

Content: Garcia is a queen as always, sunshine!reader

Warnings: Maybe some light lack of self steem from spence, but nothing crazy!!

He was used to it at this point. Being the weird kid in high school and college, Spencer never really expected anyone to be into him and, after being rejected a couple of times, he had practically closed himself off in that sense. But then, you came into the picture.

You are one of those girls that everyone seemed to gravitate toward, not only because of your beauty but because of your essence. You were genuinely kind, smart and good with people in a way he wished he was, maybe that’s why he was so drawn to you, you had all the qualities he wished he had and being close to you made him feel complete.

Needless to say that he was in love with you, it had started as an admiration and when he realized he was thinking about you all the time, but he was sure you would never be into guys like him, he was sure you’d never see him as more than friends.

–

You had joined the team a few years ago, you were excited to finally be doing what you really wanted when you joined the BAU, going out in the field and being on cases instead of just working a desk job all the time. When you first met the team, everyone seemed very welcoming but you felt yourself especially drawn to Spencer out of all people, at first he seemed distant but with time you noticed how sweet he was and how much he cared for everyone around him and god that man was so funny, you loved his weird science jokes and his magic tricks. How were you supposed to not fall in love with him? You asked yourself that question every time he brought you coffee in the morning or went on his rambles about some random thing.

After a particularly intense inquiry from a very drunk Garcia in one of the girls' nights she organized at her home, you told her your feelings for Reid and she made you swear you would act on it.

“Garcia, I'm not confessing. He's not into me like that, i’ll just ruin our friendship”

“Oh honey, he practically kisses the floor you walk in, he follows you around the office like a lost puppy and practically kills any officer that dares to be the tiniest bit mean to you. There’s no way he’s not into you, at least try pretty please” She says, doing puppy eyes at you. Garcia took her job as a cupid very seriously and was not going to let this be her first fail.

“Alright, i’ll try but if he ends up hating me you’ll have to bake me cookies everyday until i die” You say rolling your eyes and finishing your glass of wine.

“Ohhh i’ll be cooking cookies for you guys wedding!”

–

So, here you are holding his favorite order from the local coffee shop and gathering the courage to press the button to the elevator

“Hey are you fine?” A familiar voice calls you, when you turn around its spencer.. Great, guess you’ll have to do this right now

“Oh hi yeah, I was just um… meditating”

“Did you know meditanting has been proven to increase your memory and is also great for reducing anxiety. I really should start doing it, what method do you use?” Spencer says while pressing the button to the elevator

“Ummm breath in, breath out i think” You say, unsure how to respond

“That's actually one of the best ways as it oxygenates your brain and helps it work better, it can also help you feel more calm since deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system that sends a signal to your brain to tell the anxious part that you're safe and don't need to use the fight, flight response” He says, doing the little smile and head nod thing he always does after info dumping.

You smile back at him, as you both enter the elevator and press the button to the BAU floor.

“I brought you something” You say, handing him the coffee shop bag

He opens it and smiles at you “I can’t believe you remembered my favorites, thank you so much” You love that smile so much, all you can think about is how perfect he is and how there’s no way you can continue on without dating this man.

“Actually, I need to tell you something spence… I was thinking, maybe we could go out together as like, a date or something” You say, already blushing from the embarrassment you felt and how scared you were that he did not reciprocate the feelings.

“Really? Of course i want, to be honest i’ve wanted to ask you to be honest but i thought you’d never see me like that”

“Are you kidding me spencer? I’ve had a crush on you since we first meet”

The elevator gets to the office, and you both walk in blushing and joking about how you two were so blind to each other's feelings. As you get in, garcia passes by you two stopping to stare

“There’s something happening here…” She says, pointing between you two and pressing her eyes together as if she’s profiling you two

“I asked him out”

“Oh my god finally, you see? I’m always right, I don’t even need to ask what he said, look at Reid, he’s glowing, ohh i’m so happy” She says, walking out to probably tell the news to everyone on the team.

[warping-realities]

A Night in the Devil's Den - Part I

“I still think we should hit up somewhere else, Jamie. There are tons of bars that would look the other way and let us grab a few drinks.” One of the three young men passing through New York during college break said as they made their way to the old building housing the Devil’s Den, apparently the most hyped club in the city, which had a strict policy of keeping anyone under 21 out.

“Stop being such a fag, Fred! We’re gonna get in, trust me, man of little faith.” Jamie, the group leader with light brown hair, same color as Mark, shot back. Fred, on the other hand, was blond, and more sensitive, which didn’t mean he couldn’t hold his own when it came to arguing; on the contrary, the debate skills of the former debate team captain were legendary.

“Chill, Fred. The worst that can happen is the bouncer looks at the IDs that Jamie’s buddy hooked us up with and realizes we don’t have the right age and kicks us out. But I doubt that’ll happen; in a few months, we’ll all be 21.” Mark commented, always the peacemaker.

“Another reason to wait until we’re actually of age. I don’t want any trouble, guys.” Fred tried to argue again.

“I can’t believe you came all the way here to chicken out, man. If you wanna bail, I’m cool, but think about all the work I put into getting these IDs. And I didn’t even charge you guys!” Jamie grumbled.

“That’s just because your buddy did it for free, asshole. Who the hell is he, anyway?” Mark jumped in before things got heated between the two.

“Some dude I met at the hostel; he’s the one who told me about this place. Apparently, this is the spot for anyone looking for a good time.”

“You mean you trusted someone you barely know? Doesn’t that seem kinda sketchy to you?” Fred asked, outraged, totally shooting down Mark’s efforts.

“I’m sick of your attitude, man! If you’re so unhappy, why don’t you just head back to the hostel?”

“Hey, hey, chill out, you two! We’re here to have a good time! Fred, let’s check out the place, and if we don’t like it or they kick us out, we’ll head back to the hostel, and I promise I’ll be your wingman with those hot Italian chicks who showed up yesterday, alright? And Jamie, you dumbass, he’s not entirely wrong; it was pretty stupid to trust a stranger, but it’s done now, so let’s just try to have fun, please?” Mark chimed in again.

“Fine, but you know that your parents would kill us if anything goes south, Mark.” Warne Fred, whose parents had already passed away, and, in Jamie’s opinion, was the last one who should be worried instead of acting like a little pussy. Not that he’d say that, at least not now that his buddy finally decided to man up.

“Finally acting like a man, Fred, and not like a little bitch!”

“Hey, man, that’s enough!”

“Chill out, Mark; you’re starting to sound like your dad. Sorry, Fredster, I just want an unforgettable night with my best buds.” Jamie said, hugging Fred on one side to encourage him while Mark did the same on the other.

As they approached the ridiculously long entrance line, Jamie commented.

“Since we’re talking about those hot Italian girls, it’s funny that if we were in most other countries, we wouldn’t even need to convince Fred here; we’d all be of age to drink until we drop without a care in the world.”

“I don’t think your dad would be too happy about hauling his kid from the gutter.” Mark remarked.

“He’s not as strict as your dad, man, but yeah… maybe it’s best not to push it. Damn, look at this line! No way I’m waiting all this crap! Oh, wait, I just remembered something; follow me!” Jamie said, signaling for his friends to follow him to the front of the line, where a huge black guy, looking like a muscle mountain, was running the door, checking IDs and occasionally greeting a buddy with a half-smile in his otherwise stern face. He saw the guys approaching and crossed his arms, giving them a menacing smirking look.

“Hey, fellas, what do you want here?”

“Good evening, sir! Jerome told us to go straight to the bouncer at the main door and, said… said that he hopes you have a… a hell of a night.” Jamie said, sounding unsure for the first time.

“Jerome, huh? IDs?”

“Here you go, sir.” Mark replied, handing over the fake IDs, which the guy scrutinized for a few seconds.

“Any problem, sir?”

“Nope, on the contrary, looks like you guys got VIP passes. Jerome must’ve liked you a lot.” He said while fiddling with a walkie-talkie before speaking again. “Jerome’s group is on the way.” He radioed someone before handing the IDs back to the guys and cracking a smile. “Boys, looks like we’re all in for a hell of a night!”

As they stepped into the spacious lobby, the guys were hit with the sounds of music and excited screams, along with flashing lights. And the most impressive thing of all was a guy with olive skin, well-groomed beard and black hair, and a distinctive aquiline nose that hinted at some mediterranean ir middle eastern heritage. But what really stood out about the guy was his stunning build, partially covered by a sharp suit and shiny black pants, with his muscular torso on display for anyone who wanted to see, staring at them with disconcerting eyes and a mischievous grin that made the three feel like they were really inside the Devil’s Den.

“Dude, they really know how to set a mood.” Jamie remarked, eyeing the imposing figure. “Alright, first drinks, then we hit the dance floor for the hot chicks!”

“Actually, I think I’m gonna hit the bathroom; my bladder’s about to explode!” Fred said.

“Then it’s a wonder you didn’t piss yourself from fear before we even got in.”

“Go fuck yourself, Jamie!” he shot back, irritated, as he blended into the crowd on the dance floor.

“You really can’t pass up a chance to be an idiot, can you?” Mark commented, following his other friend through the crowd. “Let me talk to him; you do something useful and grab the drinks. You know a few shots will loosen him up.”

“It’s not my fault he needs booze to stop being a little bitch.” Jamie yelled to be heard over the noise, turning heads with expressions of disbelief toward him, but he was too hyped about the night’s promises to notice, heading for the nearest bar, closely followed by the sinister figure from the entrance. It wasn’t until he reached the bar that he noticed the company.

“Hello, James.” The man said over the cacophony, though his voice didn’t need to rise for Jamie to hear him.

“How do you know my name?” Jamie shouted back.

“Jerome gave me a heads-up about your arrival; I’m Mr. Shay the manager of this place. And I know you shouldn’t be here tonight, kid.”

“Damn… then why didn’t you stop us at the door?”

“Because I understand the need for a young man to rebel. Especially when his dad is such a major buzzkill.” The man said with bright eyes.

“I… he just wants what’s best for me… a decent job for a real man and… and sometimes it’s a drag.” Jamie replied in a whisper, not realizing the man knew way more about him than he should.

“Oh, I get it, kid, and just when you finally have a chance to chill, your friends leave you hanging.”

“Pussies!” The kid grumbled, not seeing the man’s eyes flash dangerously.

“You seem to have a problem with gay people. What’s that about?”

“I don’t have a problem with gays; I have issues with little faggots, those sissy boys who take it up the ass like they’re chicks. My dad raised me to be a real man.”

“But it’s tough living under the weight of other people’s expectations, under the rigid standards taught by someone, isn’t it? Sometimes all you wanna do is chill out, let loose, and be happy, right? And have your friends be able to enjoy that with you.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, it’s settled! Poncho, a shot of tequila for my buddy here.” The man said as the spell seemed to break while he glided through the crowd with ease, almost floating, and for an instant if one looked closely one would catch a glimpse of his true form.

Still a bit dazed, Jamie turned to the bar and bumped into a Latino guy in his late thirties, with a chiseled, muscular chest completely exposed except for a bow tie around his neck, sipping a drink while the shot of tequila the other guy ordered was held in his hand.

“On the house.” The guy said with a smile. Without thinking twice, Jamie downed the shot.

“Nice one, hermano.” The man commented, grinning.

“Gracias, tio.” Jamie replied, smiling as he left the bar with a dreamy look.

There was definitely something extra in that tequila, Jamie’s rational side thought, a side that seemed to shrink more every minute. He wandered aimlessly through the crowd, seeing colors and smelling scents he’d never experienced before, while that rational side tried in vain to shout inside his head, drowned out by an overwhelming numbness.

“Mierda, que guapo…” he murmured in Spanish, watching a muscular guy dancing shirtless. Without even stopping to think how out of character that was for him.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, with an unspeakable desire taking hold of him, making him vibrate and tremble inside he made his way toward the guy, and just like that, in the blink of an eye, Javier, the latino 21 years old man, approached the older man.

“Hey, papi, want some company?” He asked with a vacant look and dreamy voice that the other guy didn’t seem to notice, and in a few seconds, they were both dancing to the rhythm of the music.

“So, kid, where you from?”

“Right here, raised in El Barrio.” Javier answered.

“But where did your family come from?”

“My grandparents came with my dad and my uncles from Colombia in the early 90s. Maybe you know my uncle. He works as a bartender here; they call him Poncho, even though he’s not Mexican, but he says he doesn’t care.”

“Oh, so that’s why a kid like you is in here.” The man commented.

“I’ll show you who’s the kid.” Javier replied, kissing the man, who returned the kiss with passion.

Neither of them seemed to notice that the kid’s shirt seemed to evaporate in the air or the inches he gained in height or the facial hair sprouting on his face. After a long moment of pleasure, the two pulled away.

“So, papi, am I man enough for you?” Javi asked with a grin, while the other guy stared at him, breathless.

“Now I gotta bounce; my shift’s about to start!” Javi said, walking with a smile toward the bar. His muscles growing and expanding into an athletic, well-proportioned physique, with just the bow tie of his uniform to cover up.

“Hey, you didn’t even tell me your name, boy!”

“If you want to find me, just head to the bar. And don’t call me boy; do I look like a kid to you?” He replied, flexing his muscles. Only a man could call him that, and that certainly wasn’t this one.

When he got to the bar, his uncle greeted him with a smile but also with a warning.

“If your dad finds out about this…”

“What my dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him, tio. Plus, next year I’ll be graduating, and the boss is gonna put me to work in accounting, although I think I’ll still take a few shifts with you just for fun.”

“Javi, you really don’t get it, do you? If not your dad, then because of that musclehead you’re seeing.”

“It’s his fault for not showing up yet. And right when the main attraction’s about to start.” He said, looking at the club’s stage lighting up. “Though to him no attraction compares to my ass.” He concluded with a grin.

[pichiru]

The Sun Also Smiles - Chapter 5

Chapters - [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Summary - With Mabel and Dipper's 16th birthday party on the horizon, Grunkle Stan takes to online dating to find a date for the party. Things start to get real weird real fast.

Word Count - 3,582

Pairing(s) - Stan Pines x OC

Genre(s): Romance, Comedy, Mystery

~~~~~~~~

“Sixer, is this really necessary?” Stan panted as he was running on a treadmill in their lab. He was keeping up just fine but of course he was a little winded. Being on a boat nonstop for two years will do that to you.

“Yes, it’s extremely necessary because I don’t want to wake up tomorrow morning and hear that my brother died from over exerting himself if he…” Ford cleared his throat with his fist over his mouth. “Happens to “get lucky” the night before.”

“Why do ya talk about sex like you’re the kids’ ages? Like ya don’t sneak off in the dead of night to be with Fiddleford,” Stan said loudly, unable to control the volume of his voice from running so much.

“Shut it!” Ford snapped as his face reddened from Stan’s words. He was completely unaware that his brother knew about that and now he was self conscious.

Stan cheesed, pleased with himself that he outed his brother the same way he outed him to the kids. “How much longer do I gotta run?? I gotta take another shower cuz of ya!”

“You should wanna freshen up before a date. Anyways, you can stop at any time. Nobody told you to run. I told you to just get on the treadmill. You’re the one who started running like there were demons chasing you,” Ford said in a snide tone.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Stan growled, immediately turning the treadmill down to a comfortable speed before hopping off. “Are your tests conclusive?” He asked as he went to the fridge that was in the lab. Ford spent long hours down here since they were back and Stan thought to get a fridge installed so he could stay hydrated at least. He saw a jug of water and sighed in relief.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ford said with his back to Stan, waving his hand dismissively. “You’ll do just fine if you get lucky tonight. I have no doubts. Just watch that your heart doesn’t start feeling funny,” he explained while he wrote on a piece of paper.

Meanwhile, Stan was chugging the water and let out a loud sigh then burped loudly. He put the half finished jug in the fridge and closed it. He wiped his mouth followed by his forehead to get rid of what sweat he could for the moment.

“If I do get lucky, can I bring her down here? Don’t wanna scar the kids. Not somethin they need to be around honestly,” he half joked.

“Yeah, sure,” Ford said, waving his hand again. He wasn’t paying attention in the slightest anymore. He was too focused on what he was doing to hear any of what Stan was saying.

“Loser says, yeah?” Stan said quickly.

“Yea- Oh, good grief,” Ford groaned, putting his head in his hand in defeat. Stan’s obnoxious laughter could be heard receding as he went upstairs to get ready for his date.

Mabel was sitting in Stan’s recliner when he came up from the lab. He walked into the living room.

“Hiiii, Grunkle Stan,” she said cutely.

“Hi, Pumpkin,” he said, ruffling her hair affectionately as he walked past her. “Bein good?”

“As alwaaayyyssss,” Mabel said with a grin.

“Good. Take care of your brother tonight for me, alright? He seems like he needs a lot of support right now.” Stan started up the steps then stopped and looked at Mabel.

“Can I ask you somethin?”

“Anything for yooouuuuu!” She chirped happily.

“What should I get her for our first date?” He asked shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,” Mabel hummed for what felt like centuries.

“Cmon kid, I ain’t got all day,” he said playfully.

“She looks like the type to enjoy flowers if they were very specific flowers,” she said honestly.

“Specific flowers?” Stan asked, intrigued by this thought process now.

“Yeah like don’t get her just any old bouquet of random flowers. I’ve seen rose and sunflower bouquets. The red and yellow look soooooooooooo good together. Also! She just seems like a sunflower kinda lady. You know that special fact about sunflowers right?”

“No?” Stan said in a tone that gave his confusion away immediately.

“Sunflowers always face the sun no matter what. And I think, if I remember correctly, if there’s no sun, they face each other. So you could be all corny, hand her the bouquet, and say, “wow! I didn’t know you were the sun with the way these sunflowers are facing you!” Or something like that,” Mabel mimicked in her best Stan voice.

Stan stared at her with a deadpan expression, not buying it in the least bit. “I’ll get her the flowers but there’s no way in hell I’m sayin all that.”

“Why nootttttt! It’s cute! I think she’d appreciate it!” she pouted cutely.

“I think she’d laugh me out of house and home,” Stan chuckled.

“Noooooo! She’s really nice! I don’t think she’d do that to you,” she said, nodding to emphasize her point.

“If you say so kid. Anyway, I’m gonna go get dressed. Don’t let the tv or the phone rot your brain,” Stan said, walking up the stairs.

“Suuuurrreeee!” She said before whipping her phone out immediately and texting the group chat she had with Grenda and Candy.

Mabel said:

Guuuuyyysssss

Candy said:

What’s up Mabel!

Mabel said:

My Grunkle Stan is going on a date tonight and I kinda wanna spy on them 😼😽

Grenda said:

Spy on them?? How would you do that?

Mabel said:

Welllllllllll the driving age is 16 here and Candy is 16,,,,,,,,,,and she has her driver’s license,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Mabel said:

😼😼😼

Candy said:

I don’t think my parents would let me drive this late in the day

Mabel said:

That’s why yooouuuuuuuuu sneak ouuuuttttt. Just this one time! Please please please please please please pleeeeaaaassseeeeeeereeee 🙏🏻

Candy said:

Sighhhhhhhhh fine. This one ☝🏻 (1) time

Grenda said:

OOOOOOH SPY MISSION SPY MISSION!!!

Mabel said:

Operation Date Night is a go 😈

Mabel hopped up from the chair then hurried up to her and Maze's bedroom. "Maze! Maze, Maze, Maze!" She repeated excitedly but enough to where Stan couldn't hear if he happened to be listening too hard.

"Whaaaaaaaat?" Maze asked in an annoyed tone. He was laying on his bed and reading a comic book when Mabel jumped on his bed.

"Wanna go on a spy mission with me and the girls?" she asked as she got extremely close to Maze's face. Her nose was pressed against his cheek which made her breathe heavily on him over and over again.

"A spy mission? Who are you spying on?" he asked, looking out of the corner of his eye so he didn't move to look at her.

"Grunkle Staaaaaannnnnnnn."

Maze fully turned his head to look at his insanity driven sister. "Mabel, isn't that a little...extreme?"

"Well yeah but don't you wanna make sure that this lady isn't some weirdo freak?" She retorted simply. "I wanna make sure Grunkle Stan is happy and taken care of in his old...er...age. That's all."

Maze sighed heavily. "Okay, even if I agreed to go along with this insane plan, how would we even get there?"

"Candy has her license," Mabel said in a singsong voice as she grinned from ear to ear.

He stared at Mabel for what seemed like 117 business days. "Fine," he said simply. "But if this goes downhill for us, I'm gonna say I told you so. Deal?"

Mabel laughed at that. "Deal!"

"Do you even know where they're going?" he asked.

"I asked Grunkle Ford and he said that they're going to some...wine tasting event at the art gallery. I dunno. Adults are weird," she explained.

"Huh. I knew Grunkle Stan was the artsy type but I didn't think he'd share that so readily with someone he just met. I only found out from Grunkle Ford recently in a correspondence from when they were out on their voyage."

"Mhm, mhm," she responded, nodding her head with her arms folded across her chest thoughtfully. "I'm gonna tell Candy to come get us after Grunkle Stan leaves. I know exactly which gallery they're going to. It's so nice from what I remember."

"Okay. Come get me when they're here and you're ready," Maze said, giving her a quick nod before going back to reading his comic book.

"You're the best little brother I could ever ask for!" Mabel said as she tackle hugged him.

"Hey, hey! Easy on the little stuff!" He said in a strained voice, starting to blush.

"I thought you were over that stuff??"

"Sometimes," he grumbled in response.

"Maze, you're always gonna be the little brother. You just have to learn to live with it at this point," Mabel teased, poking his side which caused him to flinch from being ticklish in that spot.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure," he laughed gently.

About an hour passed before Stan emerged from his room. There was a tolerable smell of cologne wafting off of him and his hair was done perfectly to his standards. He had on a black button up shirt with a fancier than usual, but still simple, gold chain adorned around his neck. His pants were simple but he definitely put on his best pair of shoes for this event. He even put in some old earrings he forgot he had.

Nobody ever really noticed except Ford because his hair was shaggy majority of the time but Stan had six piercings. Three on each ear. One on each lobe and two going up the outsides of his ears. There were two gold hoops and four gold studs. The man even shaped up his beard of all things. He felt amazing and most of all, ecstatic, about this date.

"Kids?" Stan called to the twins in the hallway. "I'm headin out! Be nice and try not to kill each other. Take care of Ford too!" he yelled out to them as he started down the hall to go down the stairs.

"Grunkle Stan!!" Quick and heavy footsteps could be heard closing the space behind Stan. Mabel held up her closed fist at him with her fingers facing upwards. "Give these to her," she said sweetly.

Stan turned to see what Mabel was going on about. "What is it?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow as he stared at her closed hand.

Mabel opened her hand to reveal a pair of well made conversation heart earrings that read, "Be Mine" and "Sweetheart". One was yellow and the other was pink. "She seems like a conversation heart kinda gal. Tell her you commissioned me for these and watch how fast she swoons," she suggested with a wink.

Stan stared at the earrings then took them from her gently. He smiled at the gesture and closed his hand around them. "Thanks, Pumpkin. Appreciate this a lot."  He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

She giggled and blushed shyly. "Let me know how she likes them!!"

"I will. Solana's an artist too and I know she'll appreciate how much work ya put into this, kid." Stan smiled at her gratefully while he patted the top of her head lovingly.

Her eyes sparkled at that fact. "I'd love to see her work some time!"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind showin ya. Just be patient, yeah?"

Mabel nodded quickly, pursing her lips at the same time. "I got ya!" She winked at him.

"Okay, I gotta get goin," he said as he checked the flashy time piece he had on his left arm. "Don't wanna be late to my first date in years." He chuckled. A date. That felt funny to say out loud.

"Yeah! Gogogoogogogogo!" She urged eagerly, pushing him to go down the stairs faster. "I wanna hear all about it when you get home!"

Stan laughed to himself. As if he'd tell her every single thing. Especially if things were to get a little heated like they did earlier at the store. He made it to the bottom of the stairs intact, no thanks to Mabel still pushing him. She didn't stop until they were at the front door. "Gooooooooo!"

"I'm goin, I'm goin!" he snorted, opening the door to leave. "Be good, kid." Stan closed the door behind himself and walked to his car.

Mabel whipped out her phone immediately and texted the new group chat that she'd made with Maze, Candy, and Grenda.

Mabel said:

Guys. Operation Date Night is a go. 😈

Candy said:

Got it. On my way. 🚗

Grenda said:

I'M SO EXCITED!! 🗣

Maze said:

Ready as I can be to spy on my grunkle

On the drive to the gallery, Stan sang along to the radio to every song that played. Either he listened to the radio too much or they needed to find new songs to play for once. Maybe it was both. He didn't really care either way. It was a way to work off the nerves he was feeling the closer he got to the gallery.

He'd already met her and kissed her but he still wanted to make a good impression on her anyway. He _had_ to. There had to be some way to make for his behavior earlier. Hopefully the earrings Mabel made for her would butter her up even more in his favor. Make it look like he loved his niece and believed in her work. Which does. Obviously.

Once he arrived, he parked the car and cut the radio off to sit there in silence. The nerves were creeping back up on him slowly the longer he sat there in deep thought.

Stan reached in his pocket for his phone to see if Solana messaged him. And by a stroke of luck, she did.

Solana said:

I'm inside whenever you get here. I'm the one in the long and frilly off the shoulder affair 😋🖤 It's all black

Stan 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Alright I'm here I'll be in

Solana smiled at the message before putting her phone back into her purse and waiting for Stan. She was just as nervous as he was, surprisingly. She started fidgeting with her hands to try and work some of the energy off.

Breathe in.

It's okay.

Breathe out.

He's a nice guy. He won't be weird.

Breathe in.

What's to be nervous about?

Breathe out.

What if he thought she was…promiscuous…for throwing herself at him?

Breathe in.

He definitely thought that.

Breathe out. Breathe in.

Oh God.

Breathe out. Breathe in. Breath out.

He does.

In. Out. In. Out.

He does???

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In…

He does.

The speed of her breathing quickened alongside the speed of her thoughts. It started to become overwhelming almost immediately. Everything around her started to sound extremely deafening but unintelligible gibberish at the same time. Her head started spinning the longer she sat there with herself. It became unbearable.

"...ana?" A voice said through the fog.

"Huh?" She said softly, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"Solana?" Stan's voice said clearly, snapping her back to reality promptly.

"S-Stan," Solana said softly as she tried to compose herself. She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. After shaking her head a little to reduce the fog in her brain, she saw Stan clearly. Smelled him too. He smelled so...*good*.

Stan was standing there with a bouquet of roses and sunflowers like Mabel suggested with a distressed look on his face. He was worried sick about the state Solana seemed to be in at the moment.

“Wow, you look fucking amazing,” she complimented as she looked him from head to toe a few times over. “The sexy black shirt. We just so happened to wear all black and match? That’s cute. And oooh, the earrings? You really pulled out all the stops,” she rambled, trying to get the residual nerves to go away at this point.

Stan’s entire face turned red at the compliments she rapidly fired at him. He was completely speechless.

“I…uh…speakin of earrings. I…I had these commissioned for you. From my niece,” Stan said after clearing his throat. He pulled earrings from a little part on the bouquet and handed them to her in a decorative baggie. The florist did him a solid and gave him a mini bag for them.

Solana took the baggie gently and opened it then poured them into her hand. A soft look plastered itself on her face. It was an expression that held admiration for Stan and happiness that he’d even think of something like this so quickly.

“Stan, I…”

“Oh! It’s not me askin ya to do anything ya don’t wanna,” he said quickly, his embarrassment becoming much clearer the longer they stood there in silence. His neck and ears heated up.

Solana stepped forward then stretched onto her tippy toes in her heels to place a kiss on his lips. Stan cleared his throat to hide the pride he felt in getting another kiss from her.

“Thank you. I love these. I’ll put them on right now, actually.” And she did just that. As she was putting them on, she finally turned her full attention to what was in Stan’s hands.

“Flowers? For me?” She asked, tears clear in her tone. “Homemade earrings and a bouquet of flowers so delicately made and designed? For me?” She asked again as she started sniffling.

“WAIT, why are you cryin!” Stan said, holding his free hand out at her. Admittedly, he didn’t know what to do with her like this so he waited until she told him what she needed.

“Should I get ya some tissues??” He asked worriedly.

“No, no. I’m fine,” she said through her copious amounts of sniffles as she pulled a jet black and lace trimmed handkerchief from her cleavage. Stan blinked at that motion. That was…kinda hot. Solana started dabbing her the waterline of her eyes with the cloth then patted her cheeks dry.

“I’m sorry. It’s just so sweet of you to do all of this and I don’t have anything for you.”

“S’fine, toots. I don’t need anything,” Stan deflected quickly.

Solana rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I asked or said. Now I have to get you something as equally or even more amazing than these gifts. Can I?” She asked, holding her hands out for the flowers.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. They’re all yours,” he said while putting the flowers into her hands gently. “I got ya sunflowers cuz ya been lightin up my life like the purest ray of sunshine since we met and sunflowers always face the sun no matter what. So…yeah.” He took Mabel’s advice but he tried to doctor it up a little from what she originally said.

“Stan, that is…” She started sniffling again. “That’s the sweetest thing a man has ever said to me. You got game, old man,” she joked through her stifled tears.

“Yeah, you know, I try,” he said with a shrug and charming half smile that could only be interpreted as him trying to be humble but failing miserably.

Solana giggled at his attempt to seem nonchalant. “You’re so funny,” she sniffled once more, wiping her eyes and cheeks again. After she did that, she folded the handkerchief up and put it back in her cleavage.

“Are you…ready to get this show on the road? It’s a night of fine wine and fine art beside a fine man.”

“With a fine lady on my arm,” Stan added before holding out his arm for her to take.

She let out an excited but quiet “ooh” sound then took his arm just as he wanted her to. “Wanna get the wine before or after the art?”

“After. I don’t wanna be tipsy for this,” he said honestly.

“I respect that so much,” she said sweetly. “Lead the way?”

“Glad to do it, toots.” Stan started towards the beginning of the gallery with his date on his arm and his confidence through the roof. He leaned down closer to her ear. “Ya look great by the way. I’m diggin the whole goth vibe. It’s sexy,”he said in a low voice.

“Oh!” She said as her face flushed. “Thank you.”

As they walked deeper into the gallery, Mabel, Maze, Candy, and Grenda were peeking around a corner and watching from afar. Mabel and Candy were borderline crying at how Stan managed to pull everything together and make it cohesive.

“I am so proud of him!” Candy nearly sobbed.

“The sunshine line was my idea. He just dressed it up a bit,” Mabel said in a wavering voice as her bottom lip quivered.

Maze rolled his eyes and, of course, put his hands in his pockets. “You guys are so mushy.”

“Guys, they’re getting away from us! We have to focus!” Grenda said as she grabbed Mabel’s face and held it tightly in place. “We have to see,” she whispered.

“Grenda’s right. We gotta go!” Mabel said in a louder than she should voice. Maze immediately covered her mouth.

“Do you wanna ruin your own covert operation??” He asked her. She shook her head. “Then we gotta be quieter so we don’t get found out. Got it?” She nodded and he removed his hand from her mouth.

“Let’s go,” Candy whispered, sneaking forward to try and catch up to Stan and Solana at a reasonable distance. Everyone else crept beside her.

[primalmagic]

hi okay so here is the unedited version of the last chapter of letters written in incognito !! will post the edited version on ao3 / here tomorrow <3. enjoy!

-----

“What am I going to do?” She panics, walking back and forth in her room, “Tyler, what do I do? What if its a misconception or something, what if Barron sits in the seat next to me- or- or behind me? How can we be sure-?”

Tyler glares at the wall, “Every time I hear his name I want to strangle something,” He says, in a monotone voice, “Out of all the people I expected, he sure as hell wasn’t on the list.”

She freezes, “Expected?”

“Taylor, you aren’t subtle.”

“What.”

“I’m not blind! It’s kind of obvious you have a crush on Ben. Literally all of us can see it. Except for him, obviously.”

“I don-”

“You do.”

Goddamn it.

“Wha- why didn’t you say anything before??”

“I didn’t know I had to! I trust him, and I trust you. And then all this started and I could see the way you looked at him and… I don’t want you to be hurt again, Tay. I don’t want your heart to be broken by all of this. And then we find out that it’s most likely the guy we all, uh, dislike. And I don’t know, now it’s not some funny thing anymore? Because I know this is killing you, and I don’t… I don’t like seeing you upset.”

Taylor feels like she’s a little kid again, holding on to her brother and crying for hours.

“Oh.”

He gives her a burnt-out smile, “Yeah.”

A few seconds pass, the silence more anticipating than awkward. Finally, Tyler stands up, “How about I give you some time alone?”

“Okay,” she whispers.

He turns around, the silence almost unbearable to Taylor’s ears- and right as he’s about to leave their room, she speaks again.

“Tyler?”

“Yeah?”

Her voice comes out wobbly, cracking around the edges, “Can I have a hug?”

Tyler turns around, his eyes softening, “Duh.”

Wrapped in her brother’s embrace, she feels small again- in more ways than one. She feels small like a little kid, without the burdens she’d never even known had existed. She feels small like she’s insignificant, as if nothing matters anymore and it’s all just… stupid. She feels small like she’s been hit by a shrink gun, like no matter how much she yells for help, nobody is going to see her.

At least she’d always have Tyler.

“Sorry,” She mumbles, “I don’t want to stress you out or anything.”

He looks at her with a wry smile, “Don’t worry about that- I don’t think you can stress me out anymore than I already am.”

He means it as a joke, but she sees the way his face falls flat when he notices how the words affect her.

“Shit, no, I mean- Taylor, it’s not your fault. Seriously. Stop blaming yourself, alright? You’re doing the best you can, and that’s good enough. Don’t worry about me, kay?”

“You do more,” she murmurs.

“Good thing it’s not a contest then, eh?” He cracks a smile, “Goodnight, Taylor.”

She wants to argue, wants to say something, anything- but her body refuses to cooperate. She’s exhausted.

 “I guess. Goodnight Ty.”

– 

The next day in school is awkward. Hell, awkward is an understatement. The next day at school is a living hell. Logan comes up to her before the bell rings, fixing his glasses, “Hey, uh, how you doing?” 

He asks like she just suffered through a bad fever, and not that some annoying-ass kid that they all hated apparently had a crush on her. Which, by default, meant that she was being played.

Because there was no way Barron actually would write her a love letter, right?

It seemed to be the most plausible solution. 

He’d written it to get a rise out of them, watch them run in circles with no answers and then eventually reveal it is a joke.

It did seem like a very Barron thing to do. 

“I’m okay!” She smiles.

He looks taken aback, “Really?”

“Yeah! I mean, at least now I don’t feel bad about not reciprocating, right?” She shrugs, ignoring the sting in her stomach, “Good thing it ended up being a joke anyway.”

Logan sighs, “If you say so. You sure?”

“Mh hm.”

“Okay, then. See you at lunch?”

She waves at him, watching him walk away, “Bye!”

As Logan leaves, Taylor waits there, unsure, alone, for a bit. The bell would ring in five minutes, and Tyler was busy harassing Aiden- so she decidingly stayed away.

You seem happy.

She whirls around, noticing Ben leaning against the lockers, “When did you get here??”

Two seconds ago. Maybe three. Four now.

She snorts, “I got the point, thanks.”

He smiles softly, and it’s quite endearing, really. 

You’re happy it’s not real?

So he heard her conversation with Logan. He’d definitely not been here for only a few seconds.

She shrugs, “I mean, I guess so. It’s not like I was the burden or an issue then, you know? It was just Barron trying to get me mad. Besides, it was a longshot thinking someone would have a crush on me anyway, I didn’t even ever fully believe it.”

He shakes his head, I think someone wou-

“Oh!” She gasps, cutting off the text-to-speech. “Oh shit, I completely forgot. Guess what, I do have an admirer. And even better- he isn’t secret.” She grins, “You know Leon?”

No?

“Well, he’s been in a few classes of mine and he got me flowers yesterday! And he told me I deserved better than all this and I think he asked me out?”

Are you going to say yes?

“Maybe,” she shrugs, suddenly regretting telling Ben. He’s frowning, looking at her with an expression she can’t pinpoint just yet, and she’s pretty sure she doesn’t like it, “He’s kind of cute, I guess. And he’s really nice.”

He probably only confessed because you're popular right now.

She shakes her head, “I don’t really think so.”

Well, are you sure? Some people aren’t what you think they are.

She frowns, “Why are you being so hostile today? Are you okay?” She reaches out to grab his hand, but he jerks away.

I’m fine.

“Alright… hey, want to get ice-cream after school with me and Ashlyn? You never answered the text in the group chat.”

I’m good, thanks.

He looks sullen, and now that she’s really looking, tired. He has light dark circles under his eyes, and he’s basically slumped against the lockers. 

“Dude, did you get enough sleep last night?”

He doesn’t bother answering her in words, just gives her a curt nod and turns away, leaving her to stare after him in confusion. 

He’s mad… but why?

And why does it feel like her fault?

– 

Ashlyn catches her before lunch begins, dragging her into the nearest girls bathroom.

“Spill.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Spill.”

“Ash, what are you talking about?”

“Ben has been moping around all day, Aiden keeps stopping his sentences like he’s afraid he’s going to say something he’s not supposed to, Tyler’s been constantly distracted, and you… I’m not even going to start talking about you. So spill. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she huffs, “Barron?”

Ashlyn scoffs, “Yeah right. I was there yesterday too. This isn’t asshole induced, trust me. Whatever the hell did you say to Ben to get him to change the topic every time we even say your name?”

Oh.

Well that hurt a little bit.

That was a lie, actually. It stabbed Taylor in the chest like a baseball bat.

And she was very familiar with stabbing and baseball bats, so she would know.

“I told him about the guy that asked me out,” She frowns, “He seemed fine, and then he got all annoyed and just left. I don’t even know why. He just… stopped answering me and walked away.”

Ashlyn looks at her for a solid second before groaning, “Jesus Christ.”

“What?”

“Everyone’s stupid. All of you. Dear god.”

“Ashlyn, come on,” She sighs, the crypidness already killing her.

“No, shut up. Listen to me, okay? You need to talk to Barron.”

“What the hell- no!”

“Yes. I don’t know, think of it as closure?”

“Ash, that’s insane. I can’t talk to him about this! It’s obviously a joke. Why don’t we just forget it ever happened and leave it at that!”

“Tay- I- god,” She tugs on her hair, obviously frustrated, “I’m going to tell you something, and I need you to listen, because I’m not repeating it again.”

“Uh- okay-”

“What if Barron did like you?”

What.

All the blood rushes from her face as she croaks out exactly that, “What.”

“You don’t want that. We don’t want that. So figure out what’s going on. What was his intention? Why would he do that? He’s not our mortal enemy anymore, he doesn’t have a reason to pull something like this.”

This is honestly the most Taylor has ever heard Ash speak directed to her, but she’s definitely not complaining. 

And it makes sense.

Why would he? Unless… god, she doesn’t want to think about that.

Ashlyn continues, “Maybe if you ask him, you’ll… you’ll find out something you didn’t know before. You can’t finish the puzzle without all the missing pieces.”

“Makes sense,” she admits, begrudgingly, “I guess I should talk to him, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes.”

Ash scowls at her, “And, also, I’m all for killing him, but Logan wants me to tell you not too. He said something along the lines of, ‘I’ll do it myself’. So yeah. Now go find him.” 

Logan? Wait a second-

She pauses. Of course they’d planned this together. No wonder Logan was all fidgety this morning

Wait.

“You want me to go now?”

Ashlyn’s already turned around, walking outside. Taylor runs after her, “I can’t- I can’t even find him- maybe later- how about-”

Ashlyn sighs, “Over there.”

Damn it.

– 

Taylor is internally freaking out. She grazes the crowd until she spots just who she’s looking for. “Aiden!”

Aiden turns around at her voice, “Oh, hey, Tay.” He sounds nervous, which is weird, because Aiden’s never cautious about things. And he’s definitely looking wary right now.

She’d have to decode that later.

“I need help.”

Aiden perks up, just a little bit, “You’re not mad at me?”

“What? No, why would I be?”

“About the whole school knowing thing, you never answered my texts and I didn’t see you at all this morning.”

She shakes her head, “I’m so sorry about that. I barely had time to be on my phone and I was talking with Ben until the bell rang. I didn’t realize I seemed mad.”

“Oh” He grins, “Cool.”

She smiles back, “Cool.”

“Sooo… what did you need help with?”

Right.

“Uh, okay, so I’m going to go talk to Barron. And I kind of have no clue how to do it. So, as my self-proclaimed detective, I kind of need your help? Something tells me this case isn’t quite finished yet.”

He shudders, “Righty-O, captain. I’d examine his fingerprints, but I’d need to be near him for that, so no-can-do. What’s the plan?”

“I- I just asked you for one.”

“Right. Okay. Let’s see,” He scrunches his eyebrows, eyes trained on the figure Taylor had been avoiding, “Target acquired. He’s exiting the lunch room. Odd. Possible illegal activity? Or maybe just no friends. If you go now, you can catch him near the hallway. Everyone’s getting lunch right now, so I doubt anyone will be out there. You can do all the interrogation there.”

“Huh,” she laughs, “That might actually work. Thanks.”

He nods, solemnly, “I’m afraid I must part with you here, for the road ahead is too dangerous for me to continue.” He tries to stroke an imaginary beard, and Taylor is kind of surprised he hasn’t broken character yet.

“Uh huh, sure. Thanks again, Aiden- I’m just gonna… go now,” She gives him a thumbs-up, which he returns enthusiastically.

“Safe travels, dear client!”

More like crash and burn an airplane, but whatever.

She was entering pretty dangerous territory anyway. 

– 

“Hey you!” She calls after him, running through the hallways, “Barron- you- stop!”

She catches up to him just in time, panting and gasping for breath, “Dear god, you walk fast.”

“Uh. What the fuck.”

She stands up, still breathing heavily, and points an accusatory finger at his chest. “You! Why did you pretend to have a crush on me?”

Barron looks at her like she’s grown two heads, “Excuse me?”

“You- you, wrote me a letter. Why?”

He blinks, caught off track, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Taylor wants to scream, “Don’t play dumb! You know what I’m talking about! The love letter! The one that I found on my desk? The one only you could have written because nobody sits their third period and the girl in first doesn’t even know my name!”

“Okayyy,” He groans, “We’re going to backtrack here because what. the. hell.”

She waits, glaring at him. “You better have a good excuse, idiot.”

“I don’t need an excuse!” He throws his hands up in exasperation, “I didn’t write you a love letter, and quite respectfully, I find it incredibly disrespectful that you think I would have a crush on you! I have standards, thank you very much.”

Why did Logan tell her not to kill him? She would like to kill him right now.

“What’s your point?” She grumbles, “It just… appeared out of thin air? Somehow?”

“No! I was getting to that,” He huffs, like it’s her fault he’s being so cryptic, “Because what the hell did you mean by nobody sits there third period? You’re little music nerd gets to class to put his stuff in the cubby while I’m packing up. And, well, it’s quite frankly annoying, so please tell him to stop it.”

Music nerd?

“You mean Ben?” she whispers, not even trusting her own voice, “You mean Ben wrote the letter?”

“It’s sure as fuck not me, so, yeah. What, did he not tell you he sat there or something? Of course he’d be all stupid about it and blame me. God, my reputation is ruined.”

Taylor does not resist the urge to say, “You don’t even have one.”

“Yeah, well, now it’s in the negatives! Thanks to you and your little gang of ghostbusters,” He shudders exaggeratingly, “Having a crush on you, though, ugh. I wish music nerd all the best.”

“Thanks,” she says, rolling her eyes and pulling out her middle finger. (She can’t resist it, okay?)

“And no thanks to you,” he scoffs, as he gives her one right back, leaving her alone with information that will soon completely obliterate her brain. 

She needs to find Ben. Right now.

– 

She doesn’t find Ben.

Ben finds her.

She’s walking as fast as possible, practically running to their lunch table, when she knocks into another student.

“I’m so so-” She starts, and then looks up. Ben looks down at her, sheepishly.

Sorry.

“It’s fine, I should have been looking,” she shrugs, looking away.

No, I mean… I’m sorry. For how I acted today. I was having a bad day, and I took it out on you. 

Oh.

“It’s okay,” She exhales, “I appreciate the apology.”

He’d clearly written it out beforehand, waiting to find her, and she feels oddly comforted by that. 

Aiden said you were going to talk to Barron.

She shrugs, “Yeah. He told me something really weird. You wanna know what?”

She notices how he freezes up, and looks at her with wide eyes.

That’s when she knows.

It really was Ben, wasn’t it?

What?

“He said that the person who sat in my seat third period was you. Isn’t that funny?”

Ben looks at her like a deer caught in headlights, frantically fiddling with his phone but not typing anything.

She snorts, “How about we go somewhere more private?”

He looks at her for a millisecond, and then grabs her hand. Heat flies up her hand, and she forces a blush down, because come on, this was not the time for that.

He leads her to a classroom, one that’s already been emptied for the day, considering it’s upturned chairs.

She tries to say something, but shuts up when Ben grabs a whiteboard marker… and starts writing.

Hey Taylor.

Oh.

The handwriting… that- that must have been what Ashlyn had seen on the letter. How could Taylor have not connected the dots? It had been right in front of her the entire time.

And here. Here was proof.

“It’s really is you,” she whispers, understanding dawning on her face, “You wrote the letter. And- and the second one?”

Ben nods, glancing at the phone shaking in his hands, but not feeling the need to pull it up and say anything more.

“Why play with me?” Her voice cracks, “Why get my hopes up and then make another one?” She repeats, feeling so utterly stupid. For a second, she’d felt hopeful. But maybe… maybe the second letter wasn’t a sign, it was a prank.

Of course it was. Who could ever like Taylor-Fucking-Hernandez.

Ben looks at her, alarmed, and takes a step closer. His hand drifts upon her shoulder, and he squeezes it ever so slightly, like he’s waiting for her to shove him off. 

She doesn’t. 

She doesn’t have the willpower to. Not when he’s so close and looking at her like she’s everything but she knows she’s nothing- but she wants, god she wants, to be everything. 

He brings his phone up, and tries to type on it with one hand. Taylor watches, quietly, waiting, waiting, waiting for something that will simply shatter her heart and leave her here to bleed.

She’s a moth to the flame, but the flame is a burning piece of paper meant to keep her away. 

She’s an empty river, giving, giving, giving- but never taking, even as she’s left open and bare and naked to the world.

She and those phantoms have one thing in common at least. They’re both pathetic.

Stop thinking.

She jerks her head up, trying to look at Ben, but he’s still typing, his hand still on her shoulder. It’s not fair- that he can make her feel so helpless. That he’s kept her in the dark for so long, knowing how much she’s been mulling over it.

I think I want to write you one more letter.

His eyes meet hers, and a traitorous part of her wants absolutely nothing more. But her rational mind warns her that he’ll say it now. He’ll say that it was just for fun, or he fell out of love, or the reason he crumpled the first letter up and never turned it in was because it was never real.

But she gives him a chance anyway, because that traitorous part of her mind still loves Ben- still can’t say no to him.

His hand leaves her shoulder to join his other, which is furiously typing, and her entire being feels colder and emptier than before- like a weight has been lifted, but she needs that weight to ground herself. She craves it, she realizes. She needs to feel his touch, and the comfort and security and safety it brings.

Minutes pass, feeling like hours and days and decades and longer than Taylor has lived. But then he looks up again, and the phone starts speaking, 

I owe you an apology, Tay. I’m sorry I let it go this far. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything and I embarrassed you and I was too much of a coward to say anything. I’m so sorry that I just watched. You didn’t deserve that. I’m so sorry. 

“Stop saying you're sorry,” She whispers, “And tell me why you did it. Why did you write them?”

He blinks, surprised.

Isn’t it obvious?

She snorts, “There’s a lot of mixed signals here, Ben.”

I wrote you love letters, Taylor. Obviously I love you. I have since you asked me about my music taste for the first time. I have since Tyler almost died and you let me help you bandage your cuts even when you thought asking for help was a weakness. Tay… I've loved you since I first saw you. Everything I said in every letter was real. I promise.

Ben looks away, like the confession shocks him too, and Taylor notices that his hands are still shaking. He’s scared, she understands. She is too.

“Then why did you lie? You knew I wanted to find out who it was, and you let me think it was Barron. And then I completely embarrassed myself by asking him!” There’s a bite in her words that isn’t normally there, because she’s still getting a little used to her world being turned upside down.

I was scared, I think. I’m not someone people usually want. I thought you wouldn’t like it if it were me. You deserve better. and I was so scared. I didn’t want to lose you as a friend, and I guess I didn’t think my selfishness would be worth it.

She takes the phone from his hands, softly, letting him have the choice to take it from her if he really wanted to. He doesn’t reach for it. 

Instead, he just looks at her, and Taylor feels like her insides have been turned out.

“You’re enough, Ben. For me, for everyone. You’ll always be enough.” She leans closer, and he simply watches. “Can I hug you?”

He nods eagerly, and Taylor giggles, enveloping the taller boy in a hug.

“I get it now… you were jealous of Leon, weren’t you?” She giggles, “And just for your information, I’m not going on a date with him. He’s great, but I think I might have found someone who fits me way better.

Yeah?

“Yeah. And oh, for the record, you’re not being selfish by loving me or writing me stupid letters while letting me think they came from Barron. Just evil,” she laughs.

Ben winces and squeezes her hands softly, and Taylor backtracks.

“Shoot, no, it wasn’t a stupid letter, It was just… I just- anything’s stupid when it comes to him.”

Ben gently pulls out his phone from her grip, and for the few seconds that he’s typing, everything is so silent Taylor’s voice is ringing in her ears.

I get it. Mind if we stop talking about Barron now? He grins, his eyes flickering down to her lips and back up to her eyes again. He lets the phone sink back into his pocket, and focuses his attention on her. It’s two parts unnerving and one part absolute heaven.

“I don’t know, it seems that there’s a lot to talk about,” She smiles back, and waits as they kind of just… stand there for a while, their hands clasped together.

He leans closer, as if asking a question, and she has a sudden urge to ask him one. “Can I… ?”

He nods again, but she doesn’t get to finish through with her request, because he does it first. He surges forward, lightly pressing his lips on hers.

And hey, maybe this is why people call love a drug- because it definitely feels like one. It feels like she’s floating and drowning, and flying and falling, and living and dying, and being. She wouldn’t trade it for anything in the entire world.

When they separate, it's quiet, but it doesn't feel like it. A thousand words run through their minds, shared by an invisible link. She sees him, she thinks, and he sees her.

They don’t need words to feel. 

But there are a few that she should say anyway.

“Hey, Ben?”

He makes a humming sound, and unclasps one of his hands from hers, using it to cup her cheek. She leans into it, closing her eyes for a split second because she can… she can finally have this now.

“I love you too.”

[runningatypufullspeed]

WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE TO SEE MY FUGLY UGLY ASS ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE X FAHRENHEIT 451 CROSSOVER DRAWING THAT I WAS FORCED TO DO FOR SCHOOL….. ITS SO UGLY AND MONTAG IS

WHITE.

AND THE HOUNDS ARE DISGUSTING THE COLORING IS SO SHITTY AND MILDRED …. Well ok she looks alright kindof but the COLORING ….. SKETCH WAS BETTER but do you guys. Do you still want to see it…….,,,,,,

ALSO NO OFFENSE TO WHITE PEOPLE PLEASE I LOVE YOU GUYS 🫶😁👍 within reason

[seilon]

pro: ran into a coworker at a bar last night who I don’t really talk to usually (he works upstairs, I work downstairs) and we talked and im pretty sure we were highkey flirting and he bought me a drink and the bar merch shirt i was interested in and thanks to the power of alcohol i guess i asked for his number and he gladly gave it to me and. yeah

con: i have the second worst hangover i have ever had and have been fighting for my fucking life just to eat saltines

[tardis--dreams]

I actually realized i hate work. Won't be putting any effort into this anymore ♡

[fruityfroggy]

Thinking about that period of time when I messed around with character ai so that I could explore the Verdiship dynamics better

And it ended up shifting my opinion on a character SO GREATLY LIKE I WAS NOT OKAY MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY WAS NOT THE SAME AFTER THAT

That shit can be powerful istg

[secrettastemakerland]

Judy and Nick developing the instinct to hold onto the other’s paw when they’re feeling anxious/uncomfortable/scared. and when they’re inevitably in a situation where they’ve been separated and they legit do not know how to cope

Yeah.... 🥺

[danielnelsen]

there’s so much i wanna do this week/month/etc but i’m just too sick, i have no energy, i can’t sleep, i’m constantly nauseous and headachey and on the verge of a migraine, i’m stressed and irritable and impatient and panicky…….how tf did i survive nearly 5 years of high school untreated if i can’t even manage this when i don’t have any major obligations rn

[dancing-with-stars]

guys. guys !!!!

[thethingything]

I just realised I can report medication side effects so I've done that and now at least we know that this is like, actually going to be looked into because good god it would have been nice to know those were potential side effects before taking the medication.

but also the reporting thing lets you give details about the side effects you experienced which means I had a little moment of going "do I just say 'persecutory delusions' or do I explain that I thought I was being hunted by ghosts?"

[seafleece]

i think everyone should have a moment of disillusion with a creator they really like. not because of anything really wrong they do but just. an interaction that doesn’t go the way you think it will, a response from them that you don’t understand. a moment where you want to communicate something to them and they don’t hear it. it’s good for the soul.

[omotelie]

WHERE’S MY FUKING CAPO

[relicsongmel]

Just spent over an hour searching for the static Ho-oh in the overworld and suddenly Ryuji taking literal years to reunite with his family makes sense to me now

[victory-cookies]

me: wow I’m so stressed with work and school, time to recede into my long-running escapist daydream where my self-insert juggles a job and an education