#prom is wearing tall boots if you like

[horrificshit]

Limits.

Dom!Lou miller x Sub!Reader

Warning(s): Smut, dumbification, strap on?, daddy kink, age gap

A/N: I decided to write this in a first person point-of-view. Why? Don’t ask me.

Words: 1.8k

Ding!

The sound of my phone going off. Curiosity peaks, I pick up my phone, revealing who messaged me:

Incoming message from Lou💕:

Lou💕: “Hey baby, I’m out doing some errands, can you be dressed by the time I’m home?”

Oh? Why does she want me dressed? Maybe we’re going somewhere fancy? Surely not.. Surprisingly, going to places which require dressing up for are a rare occurrence.

I shoot a text back, giving a response to Lou’s message.

You: “Okay! Should I dress fancy?”

Lou💕: “Yes, you’ll see why once I’m home 😉”

I get up from my once cave-like spot in the king size bed, giving up the warmth of the bedsheets. The room is quite cold due to the crispness of the winter weather in late January.

Speed walking to the closet, I sift through a number of dresses; all of different colors, lengths, patterns, and materials.

a long sleeve dress was obviously the ethical choice given the weather, but a short, skintight dress seemed more ethical in my opinion. Who cares about being cold when id feel like the sexiest girl in the room?

My eyes land on a white satin dress. I don’t think I’ve ever worn this one. Where did I get it again? Maybe from high school prom.

Bleh. Prom. I always hated prom. And evidently, I only went that one time. Brian Richards, the boy I went with, he ended up being a huge duche.

Whatever.

I slip on the dress, and— oh my god. I could literally fuck myself. The dress, it hugs all my curves in all the right places. My collar bones stick out and I find that extremely sexy, and hopefully Lou will think the same.

Shoes.

Grab a pair of white heels. Not to tall, not too short.

My jewelry is dainty. a gold necklace with a small heart. So small in-fact, you can hardly see it. Large gold pearl earrings accompany the necklace.

I trot over to my vanity, gathering a few products: primer, concealer, blush, highlighter, mascara, and lipgloss. Simple, yet bold.

My hair lies in a simple half-up-half-down with, of course, a white bow in the back.

And, just as I get finished, I hear that familiar ding of my phone, notifying me that Lou must be here for me. I check my phone, and to my expectation, I see an incoming message from the older woman.

Incoming message from Lou💕:

Lou💕: “I’m here. Take your time, the reservation isn’t until 6:30.”

Smiling, I put my phone down and take a look in the mirror. Hopefully she likes it as much as I do.

I grab my small brown purse and take yet another look in the mirror, giving one last check before going out the door to greet my girlfriend.

Overall outfit:

I walk toward Lou’s sports car, the cold nipping me in the butt. Literally and figuratively. I sort of regret wearing a sleeveless dress, but whatever, I look amazing.

Lou unlocks the car door, and I enter the vehicle. She looks like she’d seen a ghost from how she was looking at me. Did I look that good?

Her eyes rake up my entire body, stopping at my lips. I smile, flattered and proud of myself that I indeed, do look that good.

“Where are we going?” I inquire, still having not been told why I had to get all dolled up. “Somewhere fancy.” Chuckles Lou, already having naughty thoughts.

She takes the initiative to reach her hand over and grasp onto my thigh. I squeak, not being prepared for her to touch me, but relax a few seconds later.

Some time goes by and I decide to take in what Lou herself is wearing:

She wears a black turtleneck top, a black leather jacket atop. Black skinny jeans, the type that hug her curves, or in reality, her ass, in the most perfect way.

In correlation with the rest of her outfit, she wears black heeled boots. And of course, in typical Lou fashion, her plethora of necklaces lay on top of her chest.

The car stops, and the older woman squeezes my thigh, silently letting me know she’s going to let go, and that we’ve arrived at the final destination.

“We’re here,” Lou says with a smirk. I look up and see a restaurant with a name I cannot even pronounce. At least without stuttering that is. The restaurant looked exclusive; like we weren’t allowed in. But, according to my girlfriend, we are.

We both get out of the car, and I immediately am reminded of how cold it is outside. Lou takes notice of my shivering, and ushers me inside of the restaurant.

The girl in the front greets Lou and I. “Hello, welcome to Novitá, do you have a reservation?”

Lou grabs her phone, pulling up a digital receipt. I didn’t even know that was a thing, but the world changes everyday, I suppose.

“Here,” Lou shows the girl the receipt, looking back at me with a smile.

“If it doesn’t work, my reservation should be under the name Lou Miller.”

She types in her name and smiles back, grabbing two menus. “This way,” we’re leaded to our table, which Lou previously reserved days before.

We both order our drinks, champagne for myself, whilst Lou opts for an ‘old fashioned’, or in other words, whiskey, sugar, and water.

She obviously has a stronger tolerance to alcohol than I do, because I could never handle the extreme burn of whiskey going down my throat. Other things maybe, but definitely not that.

The drinks arrive, and the girl from before, who, upon reading her name tag, appears to be Arabella.

She takes our orders, and apologizes for any delays, the restaurant appears to be quite busy. I look around and take note of the ‘noble looking’ people surrounding the table we’re sat at. We don’t look nearly as rich as them.

“Y/N? What do you want to order?” I’m snapped out of my trance by Lou and brought back into reality. I look at her, and back down at the menu that rests in my hands. ‘Gnocchi di Patate’. That sounds delicious. But wait, $34.99?? How is she getting all of this money?

I open my mouth after some time and tell the waitress what I want. She writes it down, and tells us it may be a while, and to enjoy our drinks.

“So,” Lou starts. She rubs her foot up my leg, making me squirm slightly at the feeling. “I thought you deserved a treat for being such a good girl.”

I look into her eyes. Completely blown out. I can’t help but the small smirk on my face, knowing all to well how this will end: with me bent over,screaming her name, her hand muffling the noise.

“Are you not gonna say anything? Daddy paid a lot of money for this, I think I deserve to at least hear your voice.” I look down, not being able to carry out the eye contact. She continues to rub my leg underneath the table. Good thing there’s a satin mat, covering the whole length of the table, down to the floor.

“I-“ words weren’t an option at this point. My mind is far too small at the moment to even comprehend anything else but the husky voice of the older woman across from me.

“What? Cats got your tongue?,” She starts, staring at me like she’s the predator and I’m her delicious little prey.

“,or are you just too dumb to use your words?” Continues Lou, sending me into a serene headspace. My mind is completely blank, besides the vision of the woman across from me.

TIME SKIP

We finish up with our food, no words being exchanged between Lou and I. Just her speaking to me. Telling me that she thinks I’m beautiful, though some ways more appropriate than others.

The check arrives and she pulls out her platinum card, swiping it. I can’t help but feel bad that she spent that much on me, between the cost of my drink, and the food.

“You ready?” She inquired.

“Mhm.”

I appear to be shy, but in reality, I’m extremely horny. She’s been teasing me all night, and I just know that there’s more in store. If not at home, she’s likely to get impatient and do her business in the car.

Buckling into the car seat, she revs up the engine. I look up at her, smiling innocently with my signature doe eyes. Unlike my own, her eyes are completely blown out. She’s more that ready to pounce when given the chance. Pounce being her having her way with me; not that I’d have a problem with that.

Lou’s hand once again finds its spot on my thigh, where it remains for the duration of the car ride, occasionally feeling a squeeze every now and then.

“I really don’t like how quiet you’re being,” Lou confronts, the once silent car ride no longer.

“What’s wrong?”

Silence.

I just can’t get any words out. Even if I were to try, the only thing that’ll come out is a string of whimpers and sounds. Words just aren’t an option at this moment.

Then, the whirring of the car’s engine stops, Her key taken out of the fob. Lou turns to me, hands still on my body.

“Baby. Did I do something? Daddy would feel terrible if she hurt her baby.” Her hands wander up my legs, stopping at the end of my dress.

Soft hands caress my calf, smiling as she knows what she’s doing.

“Lou.. not in the car…” I say in an extremely small voice, the headspace Lou has created for me completely taking over my mind.

“Fine,” she opens the car door, walking to my side, opening the door for me. “Inside. I want you on the bed, stripped.” The older woman said in her husky voice.

Once we made it up to her apartment, she unlocked the door, and I made a b-line to the bedroom.

Taking one last look in the mirror, I slip off my dress and take off my shoes, revealing a matching white lingerie set:

Climbing on top of Lou’s bed, I wait patiently for her return.

“I guess you are a good girl then,” Lou says, the door slowly creeping open. “, and I see you’re wearing my present.”

Lou bought me this set a while back to celebrate her and Debbie’s successful heist. I’ve never been a huge fan of her job, but she enjoys it, so I can’t see a problem with that.

Slow steps, excruciatingly slow, inch their way toward me. “Nothing to say, huh?” Now crawling on top of me, I can’t help but let out a small whine.

Lou chuckles at my pathetic sound, enjoying the power she has against me and my body.

“You know,” The older woman starts, huskily. “I wish I could get you to tell me what’s up.”I want to speak; say something, anything, but I know the only thing that would come out is my silent pleas, and a string of cries.

She scoffs at my silence. My eyes are burning from the tears that threaten to fall, my mind and body so sexually frustrated. “I suppose we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

[thorniest-rose]

okay but also...... i love fem steve and fem eddie. like skinny butch eddie. she's got short frizzy hair (possibly buzzed - canon eddie's long hair is a rebellion; for fem eddie, short or buzzed hair is the rebellion) and big brown eyes, heavy with eyeliner. she dresses the same as in canon but with shitkicker boots, to be as tall as she possibly can be. even without the boots she's a couple inches taller than cheer flyer stephanie harrington and her perfect, perky ass and tits. she's covered in tattoos and piercings, likes the faces people make when they see a girl with so many piercings, with a sharp, mean smile and sharp, mean teeth.

((eddie who makes stevie call her daddy, eddie who wears a thick strap and likes to split stevie open on her cock cause it makes stevie absolutely tremble, eddie who ties stevie down and sits on her face while she begs to be suffocated AND sits on her knees and makes her cockwarm her strap, eddie who flips up stevie's cheer skirt and fingers her pussy while stevie whines, talking about how well eddie's going to fuck her till she cries))

Wow wow wow 🥵🥵🥵 Honestly are you a writer yourself because this is so seriously hot!!! Like I have nothing to add myself other than my heartfelt conviction that prom queen and head cheerleader Stephanie would love getting her pussy wrecked by the school's biggest freak, with her piercings and tattoos, her boots and fishnets. And I just know Eddie (Edie?) would have the biggest, most intimidating strap but she'd train Stephanie's tight little pussy to take. Would squirt while Eddie's fucking her, coming so many times it starts to hurt. When she finally pulls out, Eddie makes her lick her own squirt off the strap and then puts Stephanie's cute little mouth to good use. Putting her on her knees to eat Eddie out, purring at her and telling her what a good girl she is. Making her put her ass in the air, her sore cunt all pink and red from the pounding she got. Eddie pulling on her own nipple rings as she shudders and comes all over Stephanie's mouth. Afterwards asking if her boyfriend could ever make her feel as good as she does, but already knowing the answer.

[whereismyhat5678]

I know this is weird to dump on y’all but can I vent for just a few minutes? If this is even considered a vent since it’s not anything sad, I just wanna get this off my chest real quick.

(If you don’t want to read the essay I wrote scroll to the bottom and just read the TLDR 😅)

I like being a woman. I do. I like using she/her pronouns. I like wearing pretty feminine stuff. And in general I just like to be feminine. I’m happy being a girl.

But I just always wanted to just- try on a suit- JUST JUST HEAR ME OUT FOR A SECOND-

I wanna look like a dapper young gentlemen- like a very posh man that wears like- like one of those eyeglass thingys-

Like this fellow right here:

I also wanna have a mustache, LIKE THOSE ONES THAT ARE FLUFFY AND COVER YOUR MOUTH- the- THE PAINTERS BRUSH MUSTACHE!! Or examples like: The lampshade, the handlebar, the Hungarian, OR THE IMPERIAL (that one’s GODAM GORGEOUS-)

But more about the suit- I wanna- I PICTURE myself in a black slick suit with a white undershirt and a silk like tie, with nice shiny black buttons and some white gloves to match the undershirt. To show sophistication. With one of those top hats OH I LOVE THOSE!!

I’d like to see it on me but I wanna look more masculine in it like- like what I just said I wanna have a mustache and OH such a deep voice!! I wanna be those narrator voices that are soothing and just, you can fall asleep to them.

I wanna look dapper, I wanna look snazzy, I WANT TO WEAR A SUIT. I want to have a cane that I can lean onto while standing, I want other men to talk to me like if I were just another guy.

I WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS- that are like, buff but also a bit fat since, ngl I would genuinely like to be a fluffy guy, AND REALLY TALL and look down at people. I want to be tall too not just as a man but as me because I just wanna be the size of my dad. At LEAST 6’0 that’d be AMAZING.

I WOULDN’T JUST WANNA WEAR A SUIT EITHER- I wanna be a gentlemen that wears warm cream colors and a nice soft brown sweater with a beanie and THOSE BOOTS. (You know the ones I’m talking about-). I wanna have big legs and wear those jeans that look HUGE to other people but are normal for you cuz you’re just a big guy! I wanna wear that, THAT AMAZING SMELLING COLOGNE GOD DO I WANT TO WEAR COLOGNE.

Okay- to wrap things up- sometimes, I just want to look masculine AND IF ANYTHING IF I CAN’T LOOK MASCULINE AND APPEALING (and smoke cigars like one of them guys in the movies, drink alcohol or beer even though I don’t like it- OH AND HOW HAVE I NOT MENTIONED WANTING TO HAVE THAT MAN GOLFER FIT-)

OKAY BUT REAL QUICK- I’d want to have like A BUNCH OF PAPER BOY HATS (I already wear them and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH- but if I looked like a man?? 🤯🤯) with like different colors to have one each day to match the shirt I’m wearing- with brown pointed at the tip shoes that are shiny and SO SO HANDSOME!!! I wanna look handsome I want someone to tell me I look handsome in like a vest and a red tie with a paper boy hat and nice cologne and A GOD DAMN SOPHISTICATED ASS MUSTACHE!- And when I go golfing with buddies I have the casual golfer fit, BECAUSE THEY JUST SO NICE AND SPIFFY AND HANDSOME I WANNA LOOK LIKE THAT!!!

I love being a woman, I REALLY DO- I like being a woman because in the future I wanna look beautiful in pretty dresses and nice necklaces and pretty shiny hair (short obviously-) and cute glasses to match my cute outfits! Heck I wanna wear some of these dresses:

Vintage I know- but you gotta admit they look GORGEOUS!!!

And I’ll admit I’m completely fine with being a woman because of this! I wanna look pretty in dresses, be called beautiful, have a dazzling outfit to make myself look even prettier!

But I also just, wanna look handsome! Wear a suit. Have a mustache. Have a nice deep voice and- funny story- I remember I saw an episode of Steven Universe where Pearl was wearing a suit and I thought she looked AMAZING!!

I ended up telling my mom that when I got to Prom I want to have a suit, which my mom laughed and jokingly said I would look like a lesbian. Of course I don’t like woman like that, I think they’re all beautiful but just not like that. But in general I thought to myself I just wanna see myself in a suit, a tie, nice shoes, a nice hat, with cologne. And I again don’t even have to look masculine, I just want to look handsome and spiffy!

I started liking the idea of having masculine facial hair because I can’t stop thinking about if I did have those things, they would be AWESOME!!

I’m sorry if I ended up writing too much or confusing you with my words, so in long short of it:

I like being a woman, wouldn’t mind wearing a suit, wouldn’t mind having a masculine voice features hair etc, and I wanna look handsome. But I still like dressing femininely.

I’m sorry for the long talk, I just wanted to spill my mind a bit, nothing much to it though 🤷‍♀️

[sapphirefallschronicles]

- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Welcome to Sapphire Falls - chapter 5 ❜┊˚̥۪͙۪◌

Basketballer!Chris Evans x Abigail Syverson (plus size!ofc) & Farmer!Syverson x Livia Darmandi (Asian ofc)

Summary: Livia gets herself ready for dinner at the Honey Bee Ranch, while Abigail worries a little.

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: None

The Advent Calendar (a.k.a. the masterlist)

●・○・●・○・●

After carefully thinking about what to wear (and my options were limited since I couldn’t fit a lot in my suitcase, even after using Marie Kondo’s magnificent tips), I finally found the perfect outfit. 

High waisted jeans, paired with some platform boots to give me some added height (considering I’m meeting the Syversons and an NBA player) and a green cardigan like sweater, should suffice.

I know that back in the day, Sy would always compliment me whenever I was wearing green. He never stated his favorite color, but he did mention something about how I should wear more green. I even wore green for my prom, as it matched his tie.

The walk from my hotel to the Honey Bee Ranch isn’t too long, but long enough for me to thoroughly enjoy the scenery. I take in a deep breath, as I can look miles ahead of me, without it being ruined by traffic and other typical New York City things I have grown so accustomed to. 

The closer I get to the place, the harder my heart starts to race. I wonder if a lot has changed, but knowing Sy, I bet he kept everything the way his mom left it. 

When Bernard Syverson died, Sy barely spoke two words about it. Instead he took on the role of the man of the house, all while he was still a teen. He grew up way too fast and sometimes I wondered whether or not the pressure was too much for him. The loss of his dad was hard on him, but I just know losing his mother had to be harder for him to deal with.

And this time around, I wasn’t there to keep an eye on him. When we were teens, Chris and I went out of our ways to take care of the twins. Chris took care of Abigail, I made sure Sy wasn’t doing stupid stuff, kept him up to date with school and tried to be there for him. 

Once I’m closer, I see a very familiar figure. ‘Oh my, is that Chris Evans, the star player of the Chicago Bulls? Right here in Sapphire Falls?’ I say, pretending to be a very hysterical fangirl, though I burst into some sort of laughter halfway through. 

The tall and handsome basketball player I’ve known since he was just a cute middle schooler, turns around and smiles widely when he sees it’s me. Back in the day he couldn’t grow a beard, but now I see some facial hair. Looks good, I think to myself. 

‘Is that Livia Darmandi, the best selling author?’

That comes as a shock. ‘What? You knew?’ I ask as I approach him. ‘I thought you didn’t read!’

‘I don’t, but when I recognize the name of my friend, I obviously read it.’ He walks up to me and pulls me in a bone crushing hug. ‘And I have to say, GAME OVER book one might be my favorite read.’

What a sweetheart.

‘How have you been?’ I ask, once he placed me back on the ground again.

‘I’m alright,’ he says, while we make our way towards the ranch. ‘Just a damn injury.’

‘Yeah, I’ve heard something about that. That must suck.’

He shrugs. ‘Well, next season I’m back. Stronger than ever. What brings you to Sapphire Falls?’

‘I’m desperate for some inspiration,’ I say, because it’s part of the truth. That I’m escaping a very lonely December month in New York City, he’ll discover that sooner than later. ‘So, you bumped into Sy, right?’

‘Yeah, but I just know he is a lot happier that you’re in town than me being here.’ Chris lets out a chuckle as we can already see the ranch come closer and closer. ‘Crazy right, how nothing has changed.’

‘It is beyond crazy,’ I admit, realizing he is totally evading my very obvious next question, whether or not he has seen Abigail. ‘Strange how I feel right at home after so many years.’

‘Mhm.’

‘You okay, Chris?’ I ask. ‘You seem… A bit nervous if I’m being honest.’

‘I’m fine,’ he says, forcing a fake smile on his attractive face. ‘You know, if we’re ever playing against the Knicks, I’ll arrange free tickets for you. Or, is that considered adultery, because I am playing for the Bulls and you’re probably a Knicks fan?’

Classic Chris, turning the conversation into a different direction. I decide to be the bigger person here and not to pry for information he isn’t willing to share just yet. ‘Bold of you to assume I’m a fan of the Knicks, solely because I live in New York.’

‘Aren’t you?’

I chuckle. ‘Sweet, oblivious Chris. I’m a Chicago Bulls fan. Wherever you go, my loyalty follows. Can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t support my friend. Deeply disappointed in you.’ I smack him in the stomach. ‘Now hurry up,’ I say, picking up my pace, ‘we can’t be late. Dinner at the Syversons is always six thirty sharp.’’

●・○・●・○・●

●・○・●・○・●

‘You did what?’ I ask Sy after he casually tells me he bumped into not just one, but two of our long lost friends. I knew about Chris, but I had no idea Livia was back. Of course Sy already spoke to both of them. 

‘Ya heard me. They’re coming over for dinner tonight,’ he says. ‘I think it’s nice to have a lil’ reunion.’

I hum in response, but my head is spinning. Chris is coming over. And we are gonna have to talk. I pinch the bridge of my nose. ‘But you ran into them yesterday? And you’re only telling me now?’

‘The later I’d tell ya, the less time you’d have to go nuts,’ Sy snickers as he grabs his car keys. ‘Have fun freaking out about Chris while I’ll go get the groceries.’ 

Sometimes I hate my brother. 

●・○・●・○・●

I cast one last glance in the mirror, and am pleased with the outfit I pulled together while mentally preparing myself to talk to Chris again. Plaid gray trousers, a white tank top with a gray cardigan on top and flat black loafers. Livia always pleaded for me to wear flat shoes so our height difference would be minimized, but we both knew that issue could never be avoided. Yet, I always tried to wear flat shoes and she would wear heels or platforms, because that’s what friends do; at least that is what we used to do. 

The clock on the wall tells me Livia and Chris are gonna be here soon. To calm my nerves I decide to go to the stables, the goat enclosure to be precise. A few minutes with Honey might be exactly what I need. 

The baby goat is happily hopping around as I come closer. The minute she sees me, she bleats loudly, and scatters away from her mother towards me. ‘Hi Honey,’ I say, scratching her behind her little ears. 

‘That’s a nickname you haven’t called me before, but I’m digging it.’ I shriek loudly as I hear a deep voice behind me. 

‘For fuck’s sake, Chris! Did you have to scare me like that?’

‘Wasn’t necessary, but I was kinda funny,’ Chris smirks. ‘Sy told me I could find you here.’

He looks even better up close, damn it. I spent the second I saw him in town investigating his Instagram. Whoever takes his pictures should do something else with their life, because the pictures he posts are not doing him any justice.  

‘For you maybe,’ I smile. I look at the goats, but Honey and the others fled to the other side after my inhumane sound. Silence fills the air, and I hear Chris’ footsteps coming closer. 

He places his hand on my lower back, and smiles softly at me as I look at him. ‘It’s good to see you.’

‘It’s good to see you too, Chris.’ He pulls me in for a hug, which turns into an awkward side hug as we both struggle with where to put our hands. We both chuckle stiffly as we turn our attention to the goats again. 

‘Someday I need you to tell me how you convinced Sy to get these animals. If I remember correctly, he hates these immensely.’

‘Oh, he hates them, and they hate him. Which might be half the reason I wanted them,’ I say. Not knowing what to say to him any further, I decide to redirect the conversation. ‘Why don’t we get inside first?’ I suggest. ‘Is Livia hear yet?’

‘Abigail!’ I hear a sweet voice behind me say. ‘Speaking of the devil, or angel, yes she is here!’

‘Livia!’ I manage to say before she throws herself in my arms. Her tiny figure wouldn’t tell you, but that girl can give firm hugs. ‘It’s so good to see you!’

‘You look amazing, Abigail, I love those trousers. You can never go wrong with plaid.’ 

I look down, and see she is wearing platform shoes, something might never change, and a smile forms on my face. 

The clan is all back together.

●・○・●・○・●

The four of us are back in the main house, and I take a moment to myself in the kitchen. 

Deep down I think: what happened to me and how I feel about everything, is none of their business. It’s clear that there are many unspoken truths between us. Seeing Livia and Chris sitting in the living room where it’s usually just Sy and me, is odd, yet awfully familiar. 

To say we all have matured, is an understatement. To see the entire gang took me back. My brother has grown up, from a teen who took on the role of the man of the house to a secure grown up, who has many things hidden in his heart. 

It takes no genius to see how Livia, despite her eleven year absence, still has her special effect on him. Mom always joked about how they would get married, but the jokes became less frequent the longer Livia stayed away and the more hurt Sy got whenever she mentioned Livia’s name. But here she is, our tiny baby of the group. Not only was she the youngest, she was also the smallest of us all, but she always stood her ground. Managed to wrap Sy–of all people–around her finger.

And then there is Chris. Our famous, ever so handsome Chris. The one who carried his basketball around everywhere he went. He always held up his sporty, bad boy attitude, but he was always the sweetest to Livia and me. 

Last but not least, there’s me, the other Syverson. I always felt like the outcast of the group. I wasn’t like Livia, who could wrap people around her finger like that. Unlike Sy and Chris I didn’t have a clear path in life. I was the girl who hid behind her camera and preferred to not be in the spotlight. 

‘You coming Abi?’ Chris asks as he, Livia and Sy make their way to the dining table. Abi. He was the only one with permission to call me that, and it’s been ages since he said it. It felt good, and weirdly familiar. Maybe it was nice to have him back in my life. 

‘Yeah, sorry.’ I make my way towards the table and take place next to Chris. Livia and Sy are already sitting opposite of us, both of them unknowingly scooting their seats closer to each other. 

Nothing truly has changed.

●・○・●・○・●

‘So, yeah, an injury and a broken engagement are the reason I’m back in town,’ Chris finishes his story. We needed to catch up with each other, so we took turns telling how our lives went the last few years. Sy and I were quickly done, as not much had changed for us, except the death of our mother. But we stayed in Sapphire Falls, on Honey Bee Farm. No big city or exciting careers for us.

Chris just told us his story and I’ve got to say: that’s kinda sad. I feel sorry for him, but I also know he isn’t telling the whole story. His fiancée and him suddenly figuring out they aren’t a match? There is more to that story, but I know he will share that whenever he’s ready. ‘I’m sorry that happened to you Chris,’ I say. 

‘Thanks, but it’s fine,’ Chris responds. He fiddles with the empty glass in his hands, and Livia exchanges a look with me. There is definitely more to this story. 

‘What about you, Livia? What brings you back to this boring old town? I can’t imagine leaving the big city behind for this,’ I ask, deciding changing the subject would be best. 

‘I needed a change of scenery. New York is amazing and I love it, but I need the peace and quietness of Sapphire Falls to get some new inspiration.’ 

As the conversation continues, I know no one is telling the whole story. Don’t get me wrong, the conversation is flowing. It feels like it was only yesterday we saw each other, but we all are keeping out the details of what happened the past years. 

Sy pretends that he’s not hurting. Livia makes us believe that all she needs for inspiration is a change of scenery. Chris puts on a front that discovering that he and his ex-fiancée weren’t a good match was reason enough for a broken engagement. I’m faking that life here in Sapphire Falls is everything I want.

I glance at Chris, that beard looks damn good on him. And his thigh, accidentally or not accidentally, touching mine every now and then is sending shivers down my spine. 

This is gonna be a long night. 

●・○・●・○・●

It was a long night, however we got through it. Sy is gonna drive Livia and Chris back, while I’m staying here. I say my goodbyes to them and watch them get off the porch. However Livia turns around and rushes back to the front door. 

‘Abigail,’ she says, ‘what do you say about a girl’s day tomorrow? I already cleared it with Sy: you are not needed on the farm.’

That actually does not sound that terrible. Besides, there are many things I want to know. Maybe it’s easier to talk to a girl. Growing up, there was a clear division in our group. Sy and Livia, Chris and I. But there were moments where boys need boys and there are moments where girls need girls. Getting ready for prom? That was a job she and I needed to do. Talking about our deepest fears? That was reserved for either Sy in Livia’s case, or Chris in mine, though I never totally bared my soul. 

‘That sounds nice.’

‘Fantastic,’ she says. ‘We should get some coffee and stroll around. It has been ages since I had such a beautiful walk. In New York it’s all people, cars and rats.’

‘A scenery walk it is,’ I chuckle. 

‘Liv, hurry up,’ Sy says to her, who is already waiting by the truck, together with Chris. While he is very keen on the orders and commands, I can already tell there is a very special layer added to it, one he specifically reserves for Livia Darmandi.

Great, with her around, my brother will be absolutely useless again.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow at the cafe,’ I say with a smile and Livia gives me a quick hug, before rushing back to the truck. 

[exorcqism]

﹆₊花束‧₊˚ POCKETFUL OF POSIES, KAMO CHOSO

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ﹆₊ 概要 ‧₊˚ it’s prom night but your evening doesn’t exactly go as planned. wc, 4.04K. dark mode recommended.

␥ note. ANOTHER TV GIRL SONGGGG :D but it isn’t actually based on the song i just liked the title. i thought it fit for this. my prom is tonight so i wanted to get this story out for the occasion. anywayyy hope ya enjoyyyy. reblog to support meee

␥ tags. self-indulgent story (more related to myself than to you all as readers..), female anatomy, romeo and juliet will be quoted [not in order], no smut, all fluff, etc. lmk if i missed anything

␥ misc. masterlist AO3

a few weeks ago, you were standing by your locker when choso approached you and asked you to be his date for the upcoming prom night. you were over the moon with excitement as you had always harbored a secret crush on him and even drawn him during art club sessions, which your friends had playfully teased you about. you couldn't believe he had finally asked you out, and you agreed without hesitation.

as the days turned into weeks, the anticipation for prom night only grew stronger. finally, the night of prom had arrived, and you found yourself sitting near the entrance of the hall, your nerves getting the best of you. you took a sip from your cold can of coke, hoping it would calm your nerves and soothe your anxious mind. you had been eagerly awaiting choso's arrival; the thought of seeing him tonight made your heart flutter with excitement.

you couldn't help but wonder what he would be wearing, how he would style his hair, and whether he would bring you a corsage. the minutes ticked by slowly, and you tried to distract yourself by people-watching and admiring the decorations around you, but your mind kept wandering back to choso.

choso was a man who preferred to keep to himself, which made him appear intimidating and brooding to those around him. his tall, imposing figure had an aura that made everyone in the room go silent as they heard the sound of his black boots slamming against the polished tile flooring of the school and the jingling of the chain that hung from the side of his jeans.

his black leather jacket, adorned with silver studs, only added to his tough exterior. his dark hair was tied back with strands framing his face. despite his tough appearance, choso had a soft spot for you that you weren't aware of, which made you wonder what had made him ask you to prom.

finally, you saw him walking towards you, looking as handsome and charming as ever. your heart skipped a beat as he approached you, the faint scent of cologne entering your nostrils. he was no longer that brooding emo boy you once knew. no baggy jeans or a black beanie cap. instead, he was wearing a suit that fit him to perfection. a black suit, which paired with his dark hair and the metal that adorned his ears.

choso looked at you with a gentle smile on his face, but there was a hint of seriousness and reservation in his eyes. he opened his mouth to speak and said, "hey," in a calm and measured tone, as if he had something important to say.

you stood there, frozen in shock, as choso appeared in front of you. he looked like a completely different person than the last time you saw him. your heart raced as you scanned his face, taking in every detail. the color rose in your cheeks, and you felt your pulse quicken just as much as it did when he asked you to go to prom with him.

despite the surprise, you couldn't help but smile as you took in the sight of him. the wind picked up, causing your black dress to flutter around you as the occasional breeze from the opening and closing doors of the building seeped through. "hey.." you finally said back.

"you look…incredible," choso would say, his gaze flickering to your dress. it fit your figure nicely, hugging the curves of your chest and hips. his eyes roamed back to your face, his eyes now softening. it was quite rare to see him look like this. he might've really liked you if he went out of his way to go out of his comfort zone to talk to you.

you found yourself at a loss for words and stumbled over your reply, feeling embarrassed for not being able to come up with a more eloquent response. finally, you managed to blurt out a short, awkward reply: "thank you…uh," followed by a rushed and somewhat inadequate "you too."

choso offered his hand to you, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he asked, "shall we go in?" despite being a naturally shy person, he was making an effort to be more confident around you, and you couldn't help but appreciate his efforts.

as you took his hand, the two of you made your way into the dance hall. the anticipation for the upcoming prom event was palpable, with students from your grade filling the space. some were chattering excitedly, while others were busy taking pictures on their phones to capture the moment.

the hall was decorated with colorful streamers and balloons, and in the center of the room was a large dance floor. the dj was setting up his equipment, ready to play some music for the upcoming dance.

you and choso made your way further into the room, you walked past clusters of people dressed up in fancy outfits, all in line with the expected casino theme of the night. a few of them caught your eye - they were familiar faces from your class, and you exchanged quick smiles and nods of recognition as they sipped on their drinks.

you noticed that several card games were going on, with groups of people huddled around tables and concentrating on their hands. in addition to the ice water, there were also plenty of non-alcoholic options being sold, including refreshing lemonade and other drinks.

as you walked around the venue, the laughter and chatter of your friends and classmates enveloped you. you noticed how they all seemed to be with their prom dates, twirling and dancing with carefree joy. a sense of camaraderie washed over you as you exchanged quick smiles of acknowledgment with them. but amidst the happy chaos, you couldn't help but notice the envious looks thrown your way by other girls.

they sized you up, clearly jealous that you had your arm hooked around choso's. the most sought-after guy in school, even though he always seemed like a loner. his dark hair was tousled just right, and his eyes glinted mischievously as he whispered something in your ear, making you laugh. you couldn't contain the feeling of pride and happiness that swelled within you at being the one on his arm tonight.

choso led you towards the dance floor, weaving his way through the crowd of people. as the music began to play, he pulled you closer, wrapping his arms around your waist. you were surprised by this sudden display of affection, as choso had never been the type to touch anyone besides when he was holding your hand. his embrace felt safe and comforting, and you couldn't help but lean into him, feeling the rhythm of the music flow through your body.

you were caught off guard by the sudden touch of choso's hand on your arm. you instinctively turned your head towards him, only to quickly glance down at the placement of his arms and then your feet, which were positioned close enough that a wrong step could have resulted in either of you getting stepped on.

while you looked around the place, the feeling of disbelief washed over you. it all seemed too surreal, and you couldn't help but wonder if this was all just some sort of dream. the slow, romantic-like music that started playing in the background only added to your confusion and mixed emotions.

despite the enchanting ambiance, you couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. it all seemed too convenient, and you couldn't help but be wary of what might come next.

choso stood still for a moment, trying to gather his confidence, before he began to sway his body to the music. he made sure to keep steady on his feet, not wanting to trip or step on your toes. his hands were still wrapped around you, but he was being more careful now when shuffling his feet.

choso kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding any eye contact with the other students who were still staring at the two of you. he didn't want to come off as rude or arrogant, but he also didn't want to feel uncomfortable.

as you both swayed slowly to the music, choso began to hum the song softly. he had a very nice voice if you'd never noticed during the few times he'd spoken. you could feel his voice vibrating against your back, and it was a comforting feeling. his voice was deep and smooth - it reminded you of midnight rain. he then spoke up in a low, quiet, and reserved voice.

choso's demeanor suddenly shifted, his previously confident tone replaced with uncertainty. the faint blush that had earlier receded from his cheeks now reappeared, slowly creeping back up. his question hung in the air, hesitant and tentative, as if he was afraid of the answer. "so… do you know how to dance?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

once he asked you whether you wanted to dance, you felt a sudden jolt of discomfort pass through your body, causing you to flinch involuntarily. you hesitated for a moment before responding, "oh…no-no…i don't dance…i never did a slow dance or anything like that. i wasn't really planning on dancing tonight anyway."

your voice wavered slightly as you spoke, betraying your nervousness and uncertainty about the situation. despite your reservations, you tried to keep a polite and friendly demeanor, hoping to avoid any awkwardness or tension between you and your companion.

"that's alright," choso spoke up, still in a low yet calm tone. he'd try to smile, and it didn't look forced - as if this was just normal for him. this was just an act, but one he was doing well at, you could tell. "i guess i'll have to teach you."

choso chuckled slightly, hoping he wasn't being too awkward to you with this. he looked down at you, his eyes flitting for a second before looking away again. he stepped away slowly, his hands falling from your waist and onto his pockets. he took a few steps back before stopping.

as you tried to keep up with choso's steps, you couldn't help but feel nervous. you were afraid that you might lose your footing and ruin your rhythm entirely. you could feel your legs wobbling a bit and your ankle ready to twist. however, choso noticed your struggle and was quick to react. he reached out and grabbed your hand to ensure that you didn't fall, and you felt a sense of relief wash over you.

you could see that choso's face was starting to redden a bit again as he continued the slow waltz with you. he appeared to have been in several school dances before, so he knew how to lead a partner. "you're not used to wearing heels, are you?" he spoke up, once again catching on to your struggle. he had a keen eye and always observed things around him.

despite your struggles, choso kept leading you around the dance floor, still going a bit slowly and patiently for you. his grip on your hand was firm but gentle, and you felt safe in his company. you couldn't help but feel a little grateful that he was there to guide you through the dance.

"no," you replied softly, "i'd much rather have on a pair of converse than these heels."

"well, you look beautiful in them regardless," choso responded, his cheeks flushing a bit at his own words. this was probably the first time he had ever complimented a girl's appearance when he wasn't forced to by the drama teacher when he played romeo in his junior year of high school. "i'd rather have you be comfortable though," he added shortly after.

"oh…well, thank you - you know, for being considerate and the compliment," you said softly, a gentle smile gracing your lips. you glanced down at your feet, feeling a mix of gratitude and nervousness, hoping you were handling the situation well.

choso flashed a warm smile before glancing down at your feet, making sure you were steady and not about to slip. his grip on your hand remained firm as he remarked, "you're doing remarkably well for your first time."

"oh… i didn't think i was," you chuckled awkwardly. "i always wanted to do this… seeing all the pretty princesses in the movies dancing with their prince…" you trailed off, a wistful look in your eyes as you gazed into the distance, lost in a moment of longing and nostalgia.

"i never would have imagined you were the kind of girl to envision yourself as a princess in fairytales," choso chuckled, genuinely surprised by your revelation. the faint blush on your cheeks in response to his comment made him smile softly. "but you know, you would actually make a stunning princess," he continued, maintaining a firm grip on your hand.

"uh…i'm more into the shakespeare kinds of stories when it comes to that stuff," you said. "you know, like hamlet and ophelia, or romeo and juliet."

"those are some pretty good ones," choso spoke after taking a moment to consider. he admitted that he wasn't too familiar with shakespeare's works, but he acknowledged their popularity in the realm of drama. "..so, you like tragic romance stories?" he inquired.

"i guess so," you smiled. "but being a princess is nicer."

"well, you're one now. i can be your prince charming," choso smiled back at you, finding this situation pretty amusing. "though, unlike romeo, i won't die in the end," he would add jokingly. he'd pull you a bit closer to him.

your cheeks flushed a little as you hesitantly replied, "i…uh, yeah, i'd like that," your voice barely above a mumble. "and i can be juliet, happy that romeo didn't die on me."

choso’s face got flushed upon hearing you call him your romeo. he didn't expect you to go along with that. he also couldn't help but smile at the thought of you being happy that he didn't die.

"juliet," he spoke softly, his hands going down to your waist. this was more like a waltz than the slow dance now, but choso didn't care.

"your romeo won't die on you anytime soon," he'd say, as he continued to sway you to the music.

choso gently led you in a slow sway to the rhythm of the music, his hands enveloping yours. he couldn't help but feel slightly awkward being so close to you, but he didn't want to show any signs of discomfort. he was doing his best to control his emotions, but his cheeks were starting to warm up again at the thought of being your romeo.

he couldn't help but think back to all the times he had played romeo with drama girls before. but he never saw them as potential partners, as they only acted together for the plays and nothing more.

as you both continued to dance, choso's blush deepened with each passing moment. he kept his gaze lowered to avoid looking directly at you while his face was flushed red. finally, after a few moments of silence, choso mustered up the courage to speak. "so, since you're my juliet," he began hesitantly, "do i have the privilege of kissing you?"

your heart skipped a beat as you blinked, your own blush still present on your cheeks. "um…yeah," you stammered, barely able to form a coherent sentence. "if you want to."

choso would chuckle, as his blush increased more and more with your immediate and positive response. after a moment of hesitation, he decided to go for it. he brought his hand slowly up, tilting your face up so that he could have your lips within reach. he then leaned forward and gently placed his lips against yours in a soft kiss.

it was a short kiss, but it was sweet. he’d pull away shortly after, still keeping you held close. his face was even redder now - the whole experience felt slightly surreal to him.

choso's words came slowly, hesitant and measured, as his eyes avoided yours. "was i a good romeo?" he finally asked. your breath caught in your throat at the question, and you couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh. "maybe more than just good," you replied, feeling the heat of his hand on your cheek from where he had gently lifted it to meet your gaze.

the intensity of his stare took your breath away, even though you couldn't deny that you welcomed it with open arms. this caused choso’s cheeks to turn even redder than they had been already. a soft smile then spread on his lips as he looked down at the ground once again. he had never felt this way about anyone before. inwardly, he was panicking over this moment and the sudden romance that was blooming before him.

with a deep breath, he began in a voice that was both comforting and jittery. a touch of bashfulness lingered beneath choso’s words as he said, "then i’m proud to say, my juliet, that i will not meet my end in anyone else's hands." he paused, smiling warmly as he leaned in once more to place a tender kiss upon your lips. this time, his lips lingered for a few moments longer, his grip on your hand tightening as the heat from his palm sent shivers down your spine. the tension between you both was palpable as you stood there, lost in the embrace and the promise of forever.

as he spoke, his eyes fell to the ground with a small smile playing on his lips. "i would say i like being romeo," he said, recalling their high school production of romeo and juliet once more.

"you didn't like it in junior year," you chuckled, remembering how everyone had talked about how much he had hated the role. "but you were the best person to ever play romeo out of the entire school."

choso blushed at the praise, grateful yet slightly embarrassed by the memories. he brushed it off, not wanting to dwell on it too much. "and i'd say that you were the best Juliet," he continued teasingly. "i guess i should thank my drama teacher for forcing me to memorize romeo's lines just so i could play the role."

You couldn't help but chuckle at his playfulness and suggested, "why don't you repeat them to me? i can't say i remember any of mine, so i won't be able to reciprocate."

choso couldn't help but grin at the thought. seeing himself as romeo and you as juliet made him feel a little flushed, and he knew it would have a similar effect on you. "oh?" he teased, his smile growing wider. "well then, let romeo serenade juliet with his famous lines."

and so, choso began to repeat some of romeo's famous dialogue from the play. "what’s in a name? that which we call a rose. by any other name would smell as sweet."

you giggled, “i like that one. it’s juliet’s part.”

choso's eyes twinkled with amusement as he listened to your simple yet endearing giggles. "i'll try to keep it brief. don't want to bore you," he said with a calm tone. he found himself enjoying this, being able to have a conversation like this with you. no one else seemed to understand him the way you did.

he continued reciting the lines that romeo had said, his voice smooth and soothing like a lullaby, but also clear and easy to hear. despite feeling flustered, he couldn't help but revel in the romantic atmosphere of the moment. so then, choso began to repeat some of romeo's famous dialogue from the play. "i take thee at thy word. call me but love and i'll be new baptized. henceforth i never will be romeo…”

your giggles were infectious, filling the room with a sense of playful joy as choso repeated the old but romantic lines from the playback to you. you felt slightly embarrassed that you couldn't remember your own lines, but choso took it all in stride and continued on, finding your laughter endearing and charming. in fact, he seemed to enjoy reciting the lines for you just as much as you enjoyed hearing them.

as the scene progressed, choso could sense your growing discomfort with not remembering your lines. so, without missing a beat, he leaned in close after delivering his final line. it caught you off guard, but before you could even process what was happening, his lips were pressed against yours in an impassioned kiss. the moment seemed to stretch on forever as you both lost yourselves in the heat of the moment.

choso didn't pull away when it seemed appropriate to do so; he wanted to savor every second of this electrifying connection with you. finally, when the kiss ended and he pulled back ever so slowly, you both were left breathless and gazing into each other's eyes.

the flush on choso's face only intensified as he took in your beauty and realized how much that single kiss had affected him. he couldn't help but regret not taking things slower, wanting to fully appreciate every moment shared with you. but for now, all he could do was bask in the lingering warmth of that unforgettable kiss.

choso's eyes remained fixed on the floor, his voice soft and measured as he spoke. he had a way of being smooth without trying too hard, an effortless charm that drew people in. even now, as he looked slightly awkward, it only added to his playful appeal. his hand was still wrapped around yours, the warmth of his grip sending tingles up your arm.

"huh?" you blinked, dazed from the lingering kiss that had lasted over a minute. choso seemed to sense your confusion and let out a small chuckle before speaking again. the smirk on his lips disappeared as he seemed to be embarrassed by the intensity of the kiss.

"romeo. romeo was a pretty smooth guy," he said, his hand squeezing yours tighter as if to emphasize his point.

"oh…oh yeah, he was," you mumbled, finally finding your voice.

choso smiled at your delayed response before speaking again. "i hope you don't mind me repeating one final line for you," he said, a mischievous glint in his eye as he recalled one of the most memorable romantic phrases from the play. he wanted this moment to stay with you forever.

"come what may, come death, demise or worse, in spite of fate, i'll love you ‘till my dying breath," choso spoke, keeping his grip on your hand tight even after he finished speaking.

“damn, that’s the part that made me cry,” emotions swirled within you as you chuckled bashfully, a wave of sadness and longing washing over you. you cleared your throat, trying to hide the sudden lump that had formed there.

"yeah," he spoke softly, his voice thick with emotion. "romeo and juliet were an extraordinary example of love, weren't they? it's just a shame their story was cut so tragically short…" his words held a hint of guilt as if he shouldn't enjoy such a tragic tale so much.

"we’ll live longer," you reassured him, determination shining in your eyes.

"we’ll have a long and happy life together," choso smiled, relieved by your words. they brought him a sense of peace he hadn't felt in a long time. "i will love you until my very last breath," he whispered, his own version of romeo's famous last words.

"likewise," you replied softly, your hand still entwined with his.

"juliet…" choso's voice was barely above a whisper as he looked down at the floor. he felt his cheeks flush as he spoke, nervousness fluttering in his chest.

"come on, say my name," you urged him gently. "call me by my name."

choso repeated your name quietly, relishing the sound of it on his lips. saying your name in such an intimate manner only added to the jittery feeling inside him. he squeezed your hand tighter for a moment, reveling in the easy flirtation between the two of you.

© vmpiires | like, reblog & follow.

[breezy-cheezy]

Another commission done! For @thedarkrose17! Noct joins the party cosplaying human Daxter :P I think Prom wants Iggy to take their picture~

My commission info is here! 

[almostxinnocent]

Columbine GQ

Come here, by the side of this road that runs out of town. It's the night before, and you must understand: It has become urgent to tell this story one last time. Right now, as it happens again—and again. The foothills of the Rockies—the Hogbacks, as they're known here in Littleton, Colorado—rise spookily beneath a waxing moon. The stars shift and rearrange themselves. Jupiter and Venus clash. Tomorrow, the charts say, children will rule the world.

The road running between is what gaffs them. The hook is cold and silver.

The short one, who goes by Rebel—or just Reb—drives from his cul-de-sac in town out to the house of the tall one, who goes by VoDKa—or just V—who lives down in the canyon, in his parents' chalet perched among red slickrock. Out Chatfield to Wadsworth, then right on Deer Creek, the falsity of strip malls falling away, the hollering churches of heaven-obsessed believers obliterated, and then the last of the instant-housing divisions, dematerialized. Denver becomes a shimmering apparition in the rearview. The last lights go on and off in living rooms, families gather before the big-screen. Their innocence is staggering. And will soon be remedied.

Stand here by the side of this road leading out of town in the early months of 1999. Snow begins to fall. The road turns cold and silver. A muted silence descends, broken only by the two passing cars—a gray Honda (Reb's) and a black BMW (V's)—blasting loud music.

The machinations of their plot complicate even as their days seem like the same humdrum: school, work at Blackjack Pizza, computer games and those long stretches where Reb and V are left to their own devices. They've known each other since seventh grade, and now they're seniors. V is six feet four, shy and awkward, formerly in a program for gifted kids, with a mane of red corkscrew hair shot with a small shock of white, a birthmark of sorts that kinks from the back of his head. Reb is five feet six, moody, shares his buddy's passion for computer games. He has a concave chest, can't get laid and takes antidepressants.

In increments, they've come to occupy the lowest social rank of their high school. Among students of mostly white sameness, these two dress differently: in goth black, wearing combat boots and long dusters. They attach themselves to a group called the Trenchcoat Mafia, but not even among the misfits are they fully accepted. They listen to fringe punk music and begin to act out. They shout "Heil Hitler" in bowling class when they roll strikes. In the cafeteria, sitting down to eat, they suddenly find themselves caught in a downpour, drops sharply stinging their heads, clattering on the table, a fusillade of Skittles fired by the jocks who call them "fags" and "homos." The greater their humiliation, the greater their defiance, until they've built their own country—half real and half imagined—over which they've anointed themselves absolute rulers.

And what is their big idea? When they light on it and finally commit to it, when the guns are secured and the bombs are being built, they spend a month as happy as they've ever been. "What fun is life without a little death?" V writes in his notebook. "It's interesting, when I'm in my human form, knowing I'm going to die. Everything has a touch of triviality to it." But they go on living, too—V commits to the University of Arizona and attends the prom; Reb, who unsuccessfully asks three girls, meets up with everyone at the afterparties, then dutifully shows up for work at Blackjack Pizza the next night, betraying nothing.

Meanwhile, Reb's room contains an arsenal, most of it bought at gun shows: a double-barrel twelve-gauge shotgun, a pump-action shotgun, a nine-millimeter carbine, 250 nine-millimeter rounds, fifteen twelve-gauge slugs, forty shotgun shells, four knives and four ten-round clips for the carbine. V has a TEC-DC9 handgun. They have thirty-nine "crickets" and twenty-four pipe bombs. In Reb's basement, they make videotapes. They joke and boast about their fame to come, guess at what director will make the movie of their lives, claim that they will incite mass revolution. Before the camera, where they show off their weapons, they become equal-opportunity bigots. "We hate niggers, spics...and let's not forget you white pieces of shit also. We hate you," says Reb. They pick the date: April 20, Hitler's birthday. Zero Day. The end of time—and the beginning too. If all goes well, they'll bag 250, maybe 500. But even on the tapes, there are strange cracks and disconnections, flashes of two kids trying to talk themselves into something. V admits that the date is problematic because it falls near Passover and his uncle will not be pleased.

"Dude, you're Jewish?" asks Reb, stupefied.

"Half," says V sheepishly.

Reb pauses, then after a time says, "I'm sorry. I really am."

And yet all they have is each other, and this talent they share: an ability to dupe nearly everyone. It's the one thing that separates them—and, to their mind, sets them above everyone else at Columbine High School. It's what protects their secret and draws them more deeply together. One face they wear goes to their parents, one face goes to their friends, one face goes to their school, but who they are, deep down, in the damaged turbines of their being, they save for each other.

It's about to begin.

Reb is the first one out, wearing a T-shirt that reads NATURAL SELECTION. He removes a heavy duffel from his Honda, lugs it into the cafeteria, past the chaos of hundreds eating, and leaves it in the kitchen. Inside the bag is a twenty-pound propane tank with nails taped to the exterior, set with an igniter and a bell clock. Then he scuffs back to the parking lot.

It has taken them a year to plot this, to get the guns and ammo and propane, to figure out how to build the bombs and homemade Molotov cocktails—and test it all. After the first explosion in the cafeteria, they plan to open fire on anyone trying to escape from the school. Finally, Reb and V have rigged their cars to explode, killing anyone lucky enough to make it out alive.

In the parking lot at Columbine, the boys keep waiting for the cafeteria explosion that never comes. PReb straps on a black vest loaded with ammo. V, in combat boots and a T-shirt that reads WRATH, turns his baseball cap backward, picks up his TEC-DC9. The two boys cross the parking lot, and no one stops them. It's not clear who lofts the first pipe bomb up on the school roof, where an air-conditioner repairman, believing war has come to Columbine, takes cover. They seem to move now as one organism. At the side door of the cafeteria, Reb peers in—yup, 500 students dumbly eating lunch like bovine. This is the golden moment, exactly what they've been waiting for. "You've given us shit for years," V says in a Jack Daniel's-fueled rant during one of the videotapes. "You're fucking going to pay for all that shit. We don't give a shit because we're going to die doing it." But do they hate enough? Are there sudden misgivings? Instead of entering for the slaughter, Reb pulls back, and he and V move past the cafeteria and toward the grassy hill that runs up the side of the school. Some kids are eating lunch in seventy-degree weather or just taking a little air. A finger pulls a trigger, and then the two of them are unleashing bullets like Skittles.

Is this enough hate?

The killers now start up an outside stairwell, twenty-five steps in all. Inside, some students believe a senior prank has begun. But teachers are screaming for everyone to get down. In the cafeteria, hundreds hide under tables; in the library, upstairs, thirty or so huddle in small groups beneath more tables. Reb and V swing open the outside door on the main floor, about fifty feet from the library, going from dazzling sunlight to the shadowed insides of the school.

Underneath a table in the library, Patrick Ireland hears popping noises, coming closer and closer, until the two killers enter, V wielding the TEC-DC9, Reb with a shotgun. They go from table to table, peering under, pulling people up, humiliating them. "What do we have here?" says Reb just before he shoots a student in the chest. "A nigger." Reb asks one girl if she believes in God, and when she answers in the affirmative, blasts her with his shotgun. Another student remains crouched in a ball while those on either side of him are murdered. He ends up alive, covered in their blood.

After sixteen minutes and twelve murders, the killers go on. The principal, Frank DeAngelis, has been told of gunshots and, in disbelief, bolts from his office out into a long hallway that runs from the front to the back of the school, only to see a shadow at the far end, maybe eighty yards away, firing a gun in his direction. When the plate-glass windows shatter behind him, he's certain he's going to die.

Inside, Reb shoots at a short man who has just emerged from the principal's office, misses, and then is distracted by a teacher coming up a nearby set of stairs. He turns and fires on Dave Sanders, one bullet passing through his neck, another through his chest. Then he and V head downstairs to the cafeteria, where surveillance cameras catch them drinking from water bottles left on tables and shooting at the propane-tank bomb they've left, hoping to ignite it—but to no avail. They light a small bomb that sends several students scurrying. And yet, in the next twenty minutes, the killers don't fire on another soul. With hundreds still hidden in lockers and behind classroom doors, Reb and V wander quietly, almost as if in a postcoital trance. A streamlet of blood drips down Reb's face, his nose having been broken by the recoil of his shotgun. V sticks his head up into a ceiling crawl space and comes face-to-face with a friend of his with whom he was, just last night, playing fantasy baseball—but does nothing. They're already receding—or perhaps have lost heart. Later, some will call this the Quiet Time.

Tired of roaming, they return to the cafeteria, drink again from left-behind water bottles. Then they climb the stairs back to the library. There are twelve bodies left for dead here. They take their place among them, and Reb takes a shotgun, puts it in his mouth and fires, blowing off the top of his head. V raises his TEC-DC9 and shoots himself in the temple. Their feet nearly touch as they lie in the shadow of a bookstack.

The sun moves into a new quadrant of sky. The stars, unseen in the glare of midday, shift back into view. The children are dead.

Time has stopped: Let the terrible glare of time begin again.

The killers' bodies are taken from the school. There's nothing left now but aftermath. The snow begins to fall as they're hauled away. Big, locust flakes, blown by an east wind, banishing the earth, unbelievable except for the fact that they're real and cling to everyone—the camera crews jockeying for tears, the governor's entourage, which has just arrived to inspect the decimated building, and the kids, wearing tranquilized masks, who gather to mourn at makeshift memorials, held up by one another, their hair covered in veils of white.

Something cracks and falls away—and something rises. America grieves over Columbine but with a fruit fly's attention span, and immediately seeks closure. An out-of-stater appears with fifteen wooden crosses and plants them on Rebel Hill to memorialize everyone who lost their lives at the school. Kids scrawl messages on them, even those of the killers. We love you, Dylan. After a few days, Brian Rohrbough climbs the hill with two signs that say MURDERER, BURN IN HELL, and attaches them to Dylan and Eric's crosses, where they're quickly removed by a local cop. So now speech isn't free when it's the truth?

Can you feel where this is taking us? Time keeps moving backward. The teenagers are becoming

Listen: There's innocent laughter—and then, in a second, there's none at all.

Michael Paterniti is a GQ writer- at-large.

Full story is here: (I cut out large portions because it was so long) ww.gq.com/story/columbine-shooting-littleton-colorado-200404

[bozers]

Paid Time Off Ch. 2

Chapter two is up! Thank you for reading. We are gonna get tooth rotting levels of precious so get ready.

Chapter 1

Despite spending nearly all their time together, Jayce had only been to Viktor’s apartment a handful of times. The man didn’t spend much time there, and so, they primarily saw each other at work. Jayce had to admit he also only went home to see his mother and get some sleep on an actual bed, so Viktor’s home situation was befitting of a fellow scientist married to his life’s work. 

The evening was comfortably cool, Jayce stood on the sidewalk in front of Viktor’s apartment building. His tall, lean form, usually sporting the Academy’s standard uniform, was dressed down now. Causal. 

He had opted for a maroon cable knit sweater that brought out his eyes. He didn’t really know why of all days the color of his eyes needed complimenting, but he figured that’s just what one does when they go out on the town. 

Also most of his other clothes were scruddy welding shirts with burn marks and the elbows out.

He looked up to the darkening sky.

He wasn’t nervous. 

Not at all. 

The slight tremor flitting through his hands was residual stress from the day's presentation, that’s all. It had gone off without a hitch, but it was still stressful. Jayce was ready to put it fully out of his mind for now by spending the evening with his friend and science partner. A man who had been attached to his hip for the better part of the year, but outside of the context of their lab, he wasn’t sure how to act. What if Viktor thought he was lame? When they worked, all expectations were on the table, every problem solvable…but now? 

The sound of a heavy metal door slamming shut snapped Jayce out of his thought bubble, followed by the sound of uneven footsteps and the familiar clink of a cane. Viktor descended the small set of stairs that led down from his floor, with a surprising amount of grace and speed. But Jayce quickly realized the speed was obviously due to the fact that If Viktor stopped or slowed down he would fall down the stairs. 

Before he could rush to his aid, Viktor was already on the ground level, looking nonplussed. Like this was merely routine. Until his eyes landed on Jayce and he froze in place. 

“Why do you look like you are going to a baby’s baptism?” Viktor crooked an eyebrow as he looked Jayce over from head to toe.

Jayce could only stare wide eyed at his partner's choice in outfit. He realized he had never seen him wear anything besides a select few tailored vests and shirts, all within the Academy dress code. Viktor now stood before him in a tight black turtleneck with one long sleeve, and one that was cut off at the shoulder, revealing a long, lithe, naked arm with a leather cuff around his wrist. A very loose red patterned vest hung off of him like a flag. His pants were impossibly tight fitting black and white pinstripes, with a thick belt that encompassed his entire midsection, and knee high boots that lace up the front. To top it all off, he had pomade smoothing his hair back, opening his face and drawing attention to a whisper of eyeliner applied around his golden eyes. Eyes that were quickly becoming more and more piercing as he impatiently awaited Jayce’s explanation.

Jayce gulped, trying to re-hydrate his mouth. He could feel heat gathering in his cheeks “What-me? I look like- What are you dressed like? You look like, look like…” Jayce huffed, and ran his hand through his hair, abandoning his retort due to lack of oxygen “no, I got nothing. You look amazing Viktor, like damn.

Viktor blinked, his mouth scrunching up into a an embarrassed smile. He looked down, coughing, muttering a “thank you”, trying to get his face back under control.

“Shit,” Jayce gasped, “now it looks like I’m your dad chaperoning you to your quarry prom date.”

This did not help the face fixing. Viktor was now shaking with stifled laughter, but given the setting, the casual clothing, and the fact it was only his best friend in earshot, he decided to let loose for once. 

Instead of his usual strangled chuckles, Viktor allowed the full volume and intensity of his wheezing, snorting laughter out into the world.

Jayce stopped mid sentence and looked on in awe. Something in his heart snapped, and warmth spilled out around it, enveloping the beating piece of muscle in a velvety feeling he had never experienced before. He had never heard Viktor laugh like this. And he decided right then that the sound of Viktor’s laughter, his real laughter, was the best sound in the world. 

Viktor finally recovered, breathing deeply, coughs kept escaping, but he was back under control. He carefully wiped away the tears that escaped without smudging his makeup. 

“No, no you look like a mark. If we are going to the Undercity,” Viktor said, pointing a long finger up at Jayce, “ it’s a good idea to dress the part.”

Jayce sputtered, “Yeah, yeah that would have been helpful information. I assumed we were going someplace closer.” He couldn't help but laugh in a good natured way, grateful that Viktor seemed to not care or notice his slight breakdown. 

“I suppose I should have given you a heads up about that…but,” He rubbed his chin, Jayce recognized when Viktor was committed to figuring something out, and that something was him.

Viktor continued to rub his chin thoughtfully. “We can still fix this, here.” He stepped up to Jayce and lifted the hem of his sweater up.

Jayce reflexively slapped his hands down, smoothing the sweater back down with a strangled yelp. 

Viktor only looked up at him with a flat expression. “I know, it is a shame, because it really brings out the green in your eyes, but this is like…” He grimaced, ”a flashing target that says “I’m from Topside, please mug me.”

Jacye sputtered, still not sure where this was going

Viktor put his non-cane hand on his hip “Do you trust me or not, Jayce?”

“Of course I trust you!” His voice nearly cracked, nearly “I just wasn't prepared for the peep show, is all…”

Viktor snorted “Calm down, aren't you wearing anything underneath that thing?”

“Just a tank top.” He replied

“That’ll do.” Viktor said as he gestured for Jayce to hurry up. “You’re in luck, tank tops are the staple of Vaun fashion.”

Jayce gulped. Then grabbed the bottom of his sweater and pulled it over his head, catching his undershirt in the process, revealing much more of his midriff than he would have liked. By the time the sweater was free of his head and the tank was re-secured, Viktor was looking away again, eyes trained on something in the middle distance, with utter concentration. 

“Uh, Vik-”

“Ah, much better.” He snapped his attention back, looking him up and down again like he was an ill placed pillar on the street corner. An ill paced pillar with very very nice arms.

Jayce opened his mouth to ask what he should do next but to Jayce’s utter shock, Viktor shushed him. Viktor never shushed him.

In fact, Viktor was acting very differently than usual. He was more animated, his face seemed more expressive and, most shockingly, all of his attention was on Jayce.

Viktor bent down and began rolling up the cuffs of Jayce’s pants and stuffing them into his boots. Jayce was so shaken by this entire experience he just let the man work. He obviously knew what he was doing.

After that was satisfactory, Viktor reached up and began mussing up Jayces carefully styled hair. He nearly jumped back, but the feeling of those fingers carding through his hair took him by surprise. Viktor wasn’t messing it up to be a joke, his face was that of pure concentration, he was working toward a desired look. The man was obviously having fun with this.

“Ok is that good enough?” Jayce finally broke the tense silence. 

Viktor gave him a final look over and nodded. “You’re ready.  Or should I say, you look less like a topsider.” He truly looked proud of his work “You look like you care about your appearance, but not too much. Stylish, yet casual.”

Jayce smiled back at the other man, “Thanks Viktor, I dunno what I’d do without you.”  

“Now,” Viktor framed Jayce with his hands like a camera lens “In order to truly blend in, you must give off the impression that something is deeply, irreparably, wrong with you.”

Jayce blinked. “Okay...I think I can do that.” He then scrunched his face up into a grimace, and slouched his shoulders.

“Constipated works too.” Viktor said quickly, patting himself like he was dusting off this whole awkward scene, and strode past Jayce. “Shall we go now? The night’s not getting any younger.” Viktor gestured toward the tram station.

Jayce nodded, tying his sweater around his waist, and falling into the familiar step of his friend. 

/ / / / /

    The Undercity was, a lot. 

Jayce remembered the last time he was down here, a few days before his apartment exploded and his life almost came to an abrupt end. That was nearly 18 months ago, but the city was much the same as it ever was. The sights, smells, and sounds were nearly overwhelming. But following Viktor somehow made traversing the crowds easier, like he was a salmon in a stream full of, rough, much more muscular salmon. They slid through the flow making their way toward a main street of sorts, all kinds of shops and vendors declaring what great deals they had. He soon realized that people were paying him no mind, a sharp contrast to his previous visit. He had been approached by numerous people asking for money, or to spit on him. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t a great idea to strut around in his Academy uniform…. 

Jayce took a moment to look down at his guide, who navigated the shitty broken up cobblestone streets with ease, like he never left this place. Natural as could be. Jayce constantly found himself looking down at his feet to make sure his toe didn’t catch on an upturned piece of street and end up on his face.

If a stranger approached them, propositioning or begging, Viktor managed to signal them some way, with a flick of his chin. A nonverbal cue that Jayce didn’t understand, but everyone down here seemed to know, like a second language, and they moved on without fuss.

He really was out of his depth.

But he was here now, and with Viktor. He could do anything with Viktor by his side. 

“Are you hungry?” Viktor called over his shoulder once they ducked out of the stream of people into a little grouping of food stalls. The smell of fried dough, spicy oil, and a sweet smell he couldn’t place assaulted his senses and his mouth began to water.

“I could eat.” Jayce replied coolly.

Viktor nodded, “Let me order, or else you’ll probably get something you won't like.”

If Jayce felt any kind of offense, it quickly slid away as soon as he glanced over at the menu items. He didn’t understand a single word or what the hell anything was.

He watched Viktor stand in line, gesturing with his hand to the cook, a flicking of his wrist, he then called out an order of something, speaking loudly over the din of the crowd. Jayce felt a shiver go up his spine, he hadn’t heard Viktor reach that register before, soft spoken as he was.

In a flash, money was exchanged, and in a blink Viktor was pushing a warm wrap of bread and meat into his hand. 

It smelled incredible. 

He took a delicate bite, in case it was too hot. The meat juices proved to be too tantalizing, so he committed to a full, sizzling, chomp. It was really good. Pure comfort. The roof of his mouth was burning but he didn’t care. 

“Oh my god, what is this? It's incredible.” Jayce continued inhaling the food.

Viktor only stared at him, a wry smile playing on his lips. He had nibbled his own, the same order but subbed for sauteed vegetables. “It’s only shawarma, my friend.” He chuckled.

Jayce breathed in deeply as he swallowed a particularly large bite before popping the last morsel with a satisfied sigh.

“You act like you’ve not eaten all day, or is it possible you’ve forgotten what real food tastes like after eating too many of those protein bars?” Viktor prodded Jayce as he ate his meal like a normal person. 

“Maybe I haven’t had much of an appetite, and that’s rich coming from someone who eats a single serving of coleslaw and has to go lay down.” Jayce peered down with a snide look, taking pleasure in the dramatic eye roll Viktor only rarely deployed. 

When it was clear Viktor was going to ignore his ribbing, Jayce decided to fill the dead air with his food thoughts. “Piltover food is very…dry. It’s good, but if all the undercity food is half as good as that shawarma, I may have to come down here more often.” Jayce was ascending to new planes of existence, and Viktor let him. Quietly observing his face journey. 

Viktor opened his mouth to retort but Jayce interrupted him. 

“Oh hey do you need to sit down? We did a lot of walking.” Jayce gestured over to some crates in an alleyway.

Viktor glanced over and back quickly “And have our backs to the dark alleyway? No thanks.”

Jayce blanched. “Oh. Yeah. Stupid.”

“It’s fine, I’m fine. These boots actually stabilize my leg quite well. And I brought a healthy dose of my pain management meds just in case. “Alright, “dad’?” He flicked his sandwich at Jayce dismissively. 

Jayce shrugged, palms up in a placating manner.

A few moments passed while Viktor concentrated on eating his shawarma, both of them took to leaning against the side of another food cart. 

“So, do you come here often?” Jayce blurted

That earned him a closed eyed look with eyebrows raised and a slow head shake.

“Ok yeah that sounded weird, I meant do you come visit your hometown often.” Jayce squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the pink from blooming on his neck and face.

After some thoughtful chewing Viktor simply said “No.”

He finished his last bite and threw the crumpled paper into what seemed like a garbage chute. Jayce was not positive if that was its use, and Viktor might not have been either. 

“You’re the boss, boss. Lead the way.” Jayce said as he stood up straight, hands clasped behind his back.

Viktor smirked up at him, and simply gestured with his hand to follow him. Jayce felt that same shiver go up his spine from before. It might have been the hint of a canine peeking from behind that sly smile of his. 

[fiadhulresims]

All outfit descriptions for Annabeth Chase

hi i'm weird so i decided to reread all of the books in which annabeth appears to transcript all the times her clothes and items are described.

i hope this can help someone out there in some way, like drawing her!

Observation: I might have skipped something

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Lightning Thief

“From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.”

“The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.”

“Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.”

“Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.”

“Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens.”

“Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads.”

“A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.”

“Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts.

‘That pine-tree bead’, I said. ‘Is that from your first year?’

She looked. She hadn’t realized what she was doing.

‘Yeah,��� she said. ‘Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year’s bead. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress — now that was a weird summer...’

‘And the college ring is your father's?’

‘That's none of your —‘ She stopped herself. ‘Yeah. Yeah, it is.’

‘You don’t have to tell me.’

‘No... it's okay.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn’t have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her...’”

“At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads (...) The design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center.”

The Sea of Monsters

“She was wearing jeans and a denim jacket over her orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. Her blond hair was pulled back in a bandanna.”

“She had a ragged backpack slung over her shoulder, her baseball cap tucked in her pocket, a bronze knife in her hand, and a wild look in her storm-gray eyes, like she’d just been chased a thousand miles by ghosts.”

“She was wearing a sleeveless silk dress like C.C.'s, only white. Her blond hair was newly washed and combed and braided with gold. Worst of all, she was wearing makeup, which I never thought Annabeth would be caught dead in.”

“She undid the golden braids in her hair.”

“‘S'okay,’ I grunted, though I'd never really wanted to know what Annabeth’s sneaker tasted like.”

“One grabbed Annabeth and Grover by their T-shirt collars.”

The Titan's Curse

“Her blond hair was tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean.”

“She used to wear no jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls — the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long blond hair tumbled down her shoulders.”

“I thought of some harsh things to say, and I might've said them too, but then I looked down and saw something navy blue lying in the snow at my feet. Annabeth's New York Yankees baseball cap.”

The Battle of the Labyrinth

“She was wearing jeans and an orange camp T-shirt and her clay bead necklace. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail.”

“He slung a leather satchel off his back, unzipped it, and produced a sleek silver laptop computer — one of the ones I'd seen in the workshop. On the lid was the blue symbol ∆.”

The Last Olympian

“It's not that she tried to look good. We'd been doing so many combat missions lately, she hardly brushed her curly blond hair anymore, and she didn't care what clothes she was wearing — usually the same old orange camp T-shirt and jeans, and once in a while her bronze armor.”

“He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much standard issue — the same kind of round shield we always used in capture the flag. But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty — which wasn't anywhere near us.

‘Whoa,’ I said. ‘A video shield.’”

“My brain started seizing on little random details, like the fact that she was still wearing those silver owl earrings from her dad, who was this brainiac military history professor in San Francisco.”

“She wore her orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tucked up in her Yankees cap, which was strange because that should have made her invisible.”

“She was dressed in black camouflage with her Celestial bronze knife strapped to her arm and her laptop bag slung over her shoulder — ready for stabbing or surfing the Internet, whichever came first.”

“The girl had tangled blond hair and was wearing flannel pajamas.”

“Annabeth was wearing new clothes — jeans and an oversize army jacket.”

“She had pulled her owl helmet low over her face, but I could tell her eyes were red.”

“Kronos whirled to face her and slashed with Backbiter, but somehow Annabeth caught the strike on her dagger hilt.”

The Demigod Files: Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon

“She bumped me with her shoulder, which I guess was supposed to be friendly, but she was wearing full greek armor, so it kind of hurt. Her gray eyes sparkled under her helmet. Her blond ponytail curled around one shoulder. It was hard for anyone to look cute in combat armor, but Annabeth pulled it off.”

The Demigod Files

The Heroes of Olympus

The Lost Hero

“Two teenagers stood in the chariot — a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks. They both wore jeans and orange T-shirts, with shields tossed over their backs. The girl leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulled a knife and ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.”

The Mark of Athena

“She took out her camp necklace, strung with her dad’s college ring and a colorful clay bead for each year at Camp Half-Blood. Now there was something else on the leather cord: a red coral pendant Percy had given her when they had started dating. He'd brought it from his father's palace at the bottom of the sea.”

The House of Hades

“She'd tied her blonde hair back with a strip of denim torn from her jeans, and in the fiery light of the river her grey eyes flickered. Despite being beat-up, sooty and dressed like a homeless person, she looked great to Percy.”

“In his massive hand, the white shard looked like another toothpick, but when he offered it to Annabeth she realized it was a sword – a blade of dragon bone, honed to a deadly edge, with a simple grip of leather.”

The Blood of Olympus

“Piper and Annabeth were disguised as lovely Greek serving maidens. Even in their white sleeveless gowns and laced sandals, they had no trouble navigating the rocky path.”

“She looked uncomfortable in her serving-maiden outfit. She kept hunching her shoulders to keep the dress from slipping. Her pinned-up blonde bun had come undone in the back and her hair dangled like long spider legs.”

“Annabeth slung her own amphora off her shoulder. She, too, had a concealed sword, but even without a visible weapon she looked deadly.”

“Annabeth re-adjusted her golden belt.”

“She ripped through her supply pouch and unwrapped a piece of godly food.”

“She fingered the red coral pendant on her necklace – a gift from Percy when they started dating.”

The Demigod Diaries: The Diary of Luke Castellan

“As soon as I lifted the sheet of tin, something flew at me — a blur of flannel and blond hair.”

“Her ribs were bony under her flannel pijamas”

The Demigod Diaries: The Staff of Hermes

“She was wearing her regular orange camp T-shirt and shorts, but her tan arms and legs seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her blond hair swept over her shoulders. Around her neck hung a leather cord with colorful beads from our demigod training camp — Camp Half-Blood.”

“She wore a dark green sleeveless dress that showed off her long blond hair and her slim athletic figure. Her camp necklace had been replaced by a string of gray pearls that matched her eyes.”

Demigods and Magicians

The Staff of Serapis

“At the moment, her most deadly weapon was her backpack, which was loaded with heavy architecture books from the public library.”

“She pulled out something she hadn’t carried with her in a long time: her battered blue New York Yankees cap”

The Crown of Ptolemy

“I'd never actually seen her wearing her Yankees cap before, since she vanished every time she put it on, but there she was — wide-eyed with surprise, caught in the act of sneaking up on Setne.”

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

The Sword of Summer

“She was dressed more sensibly in snow boots, jeans and a parka, with an orange T-shirt peeking out at the neckline.”

“She was better dressed than me — orange North Face ski jacket, black jeans, lace-up winter boots — but if people saw us together they would've mistaken us for brother and sister.”

The Hammer of Thor

“Annabeth was there before me, standing on the platform in jeans and sandals and a long-sleeved purple shirt with a laurel-wreath design and the letters SPQR: UNR.”

“Her blond hair was loose around her shoulders today. She seemed to be growing it out.”

The Ship of the Dead

“Her long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her dark blue T-shirt was emblazoned with the yellow words COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN, UC BERKELEY.”

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Welcome To Backwater ch.3 (spicyhoney)

Summary: Stretch is getting out and meeting new people, if only things weren’t a little...ominous. 

Content:  Spicyhoney, Midwest Gothic

~~*~~

Read Chapter Three on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

The thing was, Stretch had never really lived on his own. For most of his life, he’d lived with his brother. Taking care of Blue when he was a kiddo, then sort of swapping roles for a while as they got older. By the time they were on the surface, they had a pretty good give and take going when it came to cohabitation. Living with his bro was never the problem.

It was moving back in with him after everything went down that was the hard part. His sympathy felt more like stifling pity, the relentless cheer Stretch normally adored was grating, and as much as Stretch loved his brother, (and he did, his brother was the coolest and fuck anyone who didn’t see that), he just…he couldn’t. Not right now.

That all came to a head and landed him on the midnight bus to anywhere and living here essentially alone was turning into a balancing act between being necessarily solitary and lonely enough to start befriending the local spooks, and now look at him.

Standing in Red’s living room and armed with a lamp shaped like a flamingo, probably about to be murdered for the hundred bucks in the front register and Red’s shitty microwave, and his first stupid thought was, holy shit, he’s gorgeous.

Not that it wasn’t a valid thought, but it didn’t do much to better the situation. A skeleton Monster (another one? really?) that was almost as tall as he was, but instead of Stretch’s scrawny bod and knobby knees poking out of his cargo shorts, this guy looked like he’d just stepped out of GQ’s leather edition, available only with a valid ID. From those slender hips with all the right curves all the way up to the delicate intricacies of his cervical vertebra, he was like a book written in braille, begging for a touch. Those cheekbones alone were sharp enough to do more damage than any damn lamp, fuck, he should have to carry a weapons license for those things, they were sure as hell giving Stretch a good stab in the libido.

Mystery guy only stood there in Red living room, cool and calm in spite of the fact he was wearing a sleek leather jacket and knee-high damn motorcycle boots, (fuck, those legs), on a sweltering day. Didn’t even bother to pull his hands out of his jeans pockets, like he was hanging around patiently for a fucking takeout order instead of starring in a home invasion.

The guy raised a browbone, and fuck, how did even the scar running through his socket seem sexy? “Well?” Mystery Man said, “Nothing else to say?”

That broke the spell. Well, kinda, holy shit, take two. That voice, it was almost rich enough to pour into a cup, but damn, if Sugar Tongue here dusted Red, what was Stretch gonna tell the cops? That he was too busy getting seduced by those dark molasses wiles to do anything about it?

Stretch brandished the lamp again and blustered out, “i asked you first!”

The guy sighed heavily and for half an idiot second, Stretch felt bad for disappointing him. “If we’re going to continue down this path of childish competition, then I was here first. Would you care to offer a rebuttal? Or is that word too complicated for you, I’d make an attempt to bring it down to your level, but I don’t have the time to journey back out of the realm of stupidity today.”

That was enough to snap him out of this guy’s erotic stupidity spell. Great, he was a murderer and a dick, Stretch should’ve known. No one with hips like that could be on the side of good. He raised the lamp again threateningly, flamingo-beak facing front, “the only butt around here is gonna be yours when i kick it!”

The guy only rolled his eye lights, deep crimson, huh, how about that. “Ah, how refreshing it is to have a chance to engage in such cunning debate,” he drawled. “But as enchanting as this has been, let me interrupt the vigilante plotline you seem to be starting. I’m only here to drop off a package for my brother.”

“brother?” Stretch parroted dumbly. Oh. Ohhhhh, for fuck’s sake he was an idiot. Red eye lights, skeleton monster, all he was missing was a fucking name tag that said, ‘Red’s Tall Brother, Please Do Not Ambush.’

Well, that was one way to make a first impression.

Stretch sheepishly lowered the lamp, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. “oh. uh, sorry about that, i’m a little on edge.”

“On edge, are you,” the guy repeated. One corner of his mouth pulled upward in a sardonic little smile, another sign of the unfairness of life that it only made him look even more appealing, if that were possible. Sex on legs and that voice? Some guys cheated to role for charisma twice was all Stretch was saying. “Ah, aren’t life’s little ironies precious.”

Before Stretch could figure out what the heck that meant, he heard the familiar thump and bump of Red hurrying down the hallway. The door was flung open hard enough to bounce against the opposite wall and Red paused in the doorway, taking in the scene. His brother standing there is all his sexy glory, completely unconcerned and weaponless, and Stretch still sweaty and disheveled from trekking through the heat outside, standing there with a lamp in his hands trying to look like he hadn’t been ready to bonk the guy on the noggin like the first chapter of an Agatha Christie novel.

Red was snickering before Stretch could even scramble for any sort of excuse, “whatcha gonna do with the lamp, armstrong, knock his lights out?”

“i was improvising,” Stretch mumbled. He plunked the hideous thing back on the table, fumbling to plug it back in. "you didn't tell me you had a brother."

"no?” Red set both hands on the top of his cane to lean against it and innocent was not a voice he wore well, nope. “musta slipped my mind."

"Your mind is ever slippery, brother," said brother put forth in a clipped tone, "Somehow, you managed to forget to mention this…person…to me as well."

"and 'cause i did you got to have an excitin' first meeting,” Red said, abandoning innocence for pure mischief. He gave them both a broad wink, “ain't that right?"

About the only thing Stretch and this guy had in common was the mutual dirty looks they gave back to that.

“only if you get your thrills from a criminal sort of meet and greet,” Stretch said.

"Yes," the brother said irritably, "Very exciting. And now that we’ve all confirmed who I am, would you care to explain who this is?”

Red’s grin widened, his gold tooth winking in the mellow sunlight streaming in through the tatty curtains. “my new clerk.”

“Your—” That irritation melted into horror as the guy’s spine went ruler-straight as if someone jammed a yardstick up his ass before he blustered out, “have you lost your tiny little mind?”

Stretch couldn’t help feeling a little insulted. It was a little grocery store, not the Ritz, they didn’t need all their cheese on the crackers to manage selling ‘em, thanks.

Red didn’t seem bothered by his brother’s disbelief, he only shrugged, “nah. don’t think so, anyway.” Then with a touch of acid, “not like you’re around long enough to find out.”

His brother ignored that. Seemed like he was still stuck on Red’s audacity in hiring a clerk. “You have,” he said wonderingly, “You’ve completely lost your mind this time. And you’re keeping him right here in the house?”

“room upstairs, but yeah.” Red sucked on his teeth loudly, grinning his wide, feral grin. “got a problem with that, little brother?”

Conversation briefly ceased as they both seemed to be trying to communicate in glares and Stretch didn’t know enough of the language to interpret, but he didn’t think it was going well. Especially not when the tall drink of brother abruptly turned to him and said, “Go get your things.”

Stretch only gaped at him, too surprised to even protest, of all the fucking arrogance—!

“Go get your things,” he repeated, a touch louder and flavored with a dash of impatience, “and I’ll take you to the bus depot right now.”

“you’re serious,” Stretch said in disbelief. He shook his head with a short laugh, “heh, sorry, champ, not going anywhere on your say-so. besides, i just got here, if i leave now, I’ll never get voted prom queen.”

The other guy’s face didn’t so much as twitch and intensity in that crimson gaze made Stretch want to look away. He resisted, meeting that glare defiantly, even as he said, quietly, “If you stay long enough, leaving won’t be an option.”

Stretch only snorted, seriously, what was with this guy? “and you’re calling your brother a nut?”

He didn’t bother to answer that one, only swung around and pointed an accusing finger in Red’s direction. “This is on you, brother.”

Red only gave him that easy, sharky grin back. “always was.”

Stretch thought that was the end of it. The guy nodded shortly and started towards the door, brushing past Stretch to get to it and that was where he paused. He turned towards Stretch, those red eye lights moving over him searchingly. The end table with its returned lamp was at Stretch’s back, there was nowhere to go as Red’s brother loomed into his personal space, leaning in uncomfortably close, only inches away from Stretch’s collarbone as he sniffed delicately.

“Hm,” he said thoughtfully.

Stretch resisted the urge to give his armpits a testing sniff. “what?”

But he only drew away and gave Red another unreadable look. Red nodded once.

What. The. Fuck?

“Fine,” the guy sighed out. His hands curled into brief fists, sharpened fingertips pressed into his palms. “It’s your problem, brother, you deal with it.”

“don’t i always?”

“Perhaps with the least amount of property damage possible, if you don’t mind.” He gave Stretch another dismissive half-glance. “Now if you’ll excuse me, brother."

He turned and started to walk off and yeesh, even the way he walked caught the eye, damn, hate to see you leave, love to watch those hips go.

Down boy, Stretch told his libido. There was enough weird shit going on and he really didn’t need to take another hike down that path. Besides, with hot stuff constantly looking at him like something to be scraped off the bottom of his shoe, it wasn’t exactly opening the door for romance. He’d had his fill of assholes, a lifetime’s worth, and just case it might be a question, Stretch proved he was still an enormous idiot by calling to that leather-clad back, “didn’t catch your name.”

The guy didn’t even pause. “Then next time you should be a better hunter.”

With that he was out the apartment door. Stretch and Red stood there and listened to the cow bell jangling loudly, the door slamming, and then the roar of an engine speeding away.

Only then did Red speak again, with laconic ease, “if you’re done staring at my baby bro’s ass, y’can come eat with me.”

“i—" wasn’t, Stretch started to say, then shrugged. Busted. “don’t worry, i don’t think i’m his type.”

“don’t think too hard, gonna hurt yourself,” Red said, dry as a mouthful of sand. “what’s the problem, don’t think you got the right size font?”

“let’s not get into that, it’ll take too long,” Stretch tossed back. “and don’t take this the wrong way but your brother is a dick.”

“yeah,” Red said fondly, “ain’t he great? now, before you tried to light up my bro’s life, i was setting up for dinner. if you grab that bag, you can have some, too.”

Stretch followed where Red pointed with his cane to find an insulated bag sitting by the sofa, black because fuck knew Fonzie’s stunt double needed matching accessories. He lugged the bag along as he followed Red back down the hallway into the store, setting it on the counter while Red struggled into the chair. There were a couple of dusty bowls already sitting there next to the beers and Red gave them a cursory wipe with a rag of dubious cleanliness.

“my bro got his own place a while back,” Red unzipped the bag and pulled out a large ceramic casserole dish. “but he still drops off food for me coupla times a week. says that eating at ‘mama’s’ along with a double daily dose of mac and cheese ain’t healthy.”

Stretch watched, reluctantly intrigued. “he doesn’t stick around for dinner?”

“nah, my bro has kinda a special diet.” Red pulled the lid off and steam rose out, along with the gorgeous, rich smell of sinfully delicious food. Long greenish noodles drenched in some sort of glistening sauce with chunks of more green and purple veggies mixed in, and dusted with a heavy sprinkle of parmesan. Whatever it was, it wasn’t anything like what they brought to the table at Olive Garden.

Stretch inhaled deeply, his mouth already watering. “holy shit, he cooked this?”

“cooked it, hell,” Red spooned out portions, uncaring about the little drips that fell on the counter and pushing the first bowl over to Stretch. “he makes the pasta by hand. planted the veggies, too, like he’s fucking ol’ macdonald on his farm. he made that stew i gave ya the first night, too.”

Stretch barely heard him because he’d already taken his first bite and had he really thought Red’s brother looked sexy? He was wrong, totally wrong, because this was the sexy, this delectably orgasmic taste exploding across his tongue in a blend of garlic and vinaigrette, carried on perfectly al dente noodles mingling with the bright crunch of zucchini and beets. It was hard not to moan aloud as he chewed down that first bite and went back for another.

“is he single? i changed my mind, holy fuck, i’m gonna marry him and chain him to the stove,” Thoughtlessly said around a mouthful of deliciousness and Stretch winced as he realized what he said, “sorry, sorry, bad joke.”

Red only slurped up more noodles, teeth glistening with oil and the long strands flinging droplets of sauce as he sucked them in. “he’s single, but good luck putting a leash on him. go ahead, ask him out next time he stops by. i could use a good laugh, ‘cause, honey, you two hooking up would be a joke.”

Absurdly stung, Stretch shrugged and tried on a laugh, “hey, i’m a hell of a catch. gainfully employed and everything.”

“oh, yeah, you’re the seafood special, all right.” Red’s sharp teeth sheared easily through the noodles as he took another bite. “rebound fucks never work out, kid.”

“how did you—" Stretch stopped with a groan as Red raised both brow bones mockingly. He slumped back over his bowl, twirling up noodles on his fork. “yeah, yeah, handed that over with gift wrap.”

“yep, you did.” Red clapped Stretch on the shoulder with enough force to make him drop his fork. “the list of reasons people end up in the middle of nowhereville is pretty fucking short, kid, an’ you got that look. don’t worry ‘bout it, you got a place to stay here as long as you want.”

The unexpected kindness from Red of all people made him blink hard, but then, that wasn’t really giving him a fair shake, was it, not when he’d given Stretch a job to begin with and kept him semi-fed. “thanks.”

“don’t mention it, to anyone.” Red said dryly. He sucked down the last of the noodles and pushed the bowl away with a sigh. “gonna ruin my rep. make you a deal, air conditioning’s better down here. if you wanna watch tv in my place, y’can go ahead, if,” he stressed, “if ya call your brother. bet he’s out of his mind worried by now.”

“how—” Stretch shut his mouth hard enough for his teeth to click together. Red only looked serenely back, the chair creaking as he leaned back and laced his hands together over his middle. He looked away, not wanting to see what else might shine knowingly in those crimson eye lights. “i’ll text him.”

“good enough,” Red said agreeably. He pulled a can of beer off the plastic ring and popped it open, gulping some down and belching with mellow contentment. “where the fuck did you go earlier, i been waiting on these beers.”

Stretch’s bowl was empty and he ran a finger along the inside of it, licking away the smear of leftover sauce. “to see a movie.”

Red’s mouth opened in a silent ‘ah’. “didja say hi to doris?”

That was not what Stretch expected. “i…yes. you’ve seen her?” Stupid to think Red hadn’t, he’d been here for a long time, hard to believe he’d never stepped into the theater and any Monster with half a gram of sense would’ve noticed her.

“sure, loads of times,” Red said, confirming it. “sweet gal. don’t be offended if she don’t remember you right away, she’s gotta little problem with short term memory.” He pointed a finger at his temple and let his thumb drop like the hammer on a gun. “keep stoppin’ in and eventually you’ll stick. takes her a mo’ when i stop by, but she gets there.”

“good to know.” And it was. Any faint, stupid hurt that he wasn’t the first Monster in Doris’s unlife was a little eased by that tidbit. He probably would’ve been more upset if he went to see her again tomorrow and had to go through the intros again without it.

“okay, g’wan, get outta here,” Red shoved a beer in Stretch’s direction and waved him off. “just remember, wheel of fortune is on at 7.”

Stretch took the dirty bowls with him along with the serving dish, giving them a quick wash and setting them into Red’s already overflowing dish drainer. He spent the rest of the afternoon on the saggy sofa in the living room, watching reruns of ‘MASH’ and ‘Little House On the Prairie’ until Red closed shop for the Wheel.

That night Stretch had a strange dream. Vast trees towering over him and unstable ground beneath his feet. He stood in a puddle of ragged moonlight and when red eyes loomed out of the darkness, he met their stare and didn’t run. Not even when he saw the huge, dark shape that contained them, jagged white teeth in a gaping maw that gnashed and slavered, ready to consume him. The shape leapt at him and he couldn’t move, trapped by that gaze. He woke with a gasp before it landed, waking with a scream tangled up on his throat, clammy sheets sticking to his sweaty bones.

He lay for a moment on the thin mattress, catching his breath. His window was covered, had been since his second night here and he’d found an old blanket in his closet, tacked it up to keep out the blistering heat of the noontime sun. Now it kept out the midnight darkness and he didn’t even glance at it as he rolled to his feet and headed into the bathroom to splash cold water on his sweaty face.

He set both damp hands on the sides of the sink and looked at his dripping reflection. The only shadows in this room were the ones beneath his sockets. His skull was pale, his eye lights pinpricks of diffused white.

“liar,” he whispered to his reflection and watched as it whispered it silently back.

But that was one shipment of guilt he could offload right now.

Stretch shuffled back out and scooped his phone off the nightstand. He ignored the messages, the voicemails, and only tapped out a message of his own, hitting send before he could think of an excuse not to.

i’m okay, little brother, i’m safe. i’ll call soon.

It wasn’t a lie. Soon was relative, just like brothers.

He sank back down on his damp sheets and didn’t bother to turn out the lights.

tbc

[askmissthunder]

We did both!

Actually, it really worked out because when I told Cassie what Eli and I were planning to do, she was eager to join us along with the girls.

"Oh, that sounds like fun, Penny!", she said, bouncing up and down on her heels, "We can get candy, go through a haunted house, the works!"

We agreed to meet up at my flat before we went out, mainly to put any finishing touches on our costumes. Like before, Eli sniffed out the girls long before they came up to my floor.

"They're heeeeeerrree...", he said in a high, creepy voice.

"Fantastic! I'm just about ready, Eli, how do I look?"

This year, for our couples costume, Eli and I decided to dress up as Velma and Scooby Doo.  I had asked my Mum to make me a tailor-made orange jumper a couple months in advance while the skirt and stockings came from my Nan's Circus Fat Lady clothes.

Eli let out a whistle and a growl before giving me a peck on the cheek.

He got his Scooby outfit from the costume shop which was a big onsie with paw shoes, a blue collar, and fake ears on a headband. However, we chopped off the fake tail on the costume and cut a small hole in the back so Eli could let out his real tail.

As he opened the door, the girls were already in costume, holding out small bags or buckets. "Trick or Treat!", they called out in unison.

"Jinkies!", I cried out exaggeratedly, "What scary costumes!"

The girls had certainly outdone themselves this year as they were all dressed up as different spooky monsters. They then quickly lined up to do a little presentation one-by-one of their costumes.

"I vant to suck your blood!", Cassie said as she bared her fake fangs in her vampire costume, a tight slinky black dress that showed off her legs with a high collar cape and long red nails.

Joanie waved her hands through the air in a mystical manner as she strutted in wearing a long sparkly red hooded robe with magical symbols sewed along the bottom.

"Ooh! Are you a witch?", I asked, admiring her outfit.

She wiggled her fingers in my direction, "An enchantress! Beware or be cursed!"

Tamika's costume was very striking as she styled her hair in long dreadlocks and had her face painted like a skull, wearing tight dark trousers, thigh-high boots, a long coat, and a corset that enhanced her already abundant curves.

"Whoa! What are you supposed to be? A zombie?", Eli asked.

Tamika glared theatrically at Eli, "I'm the Voodoo Queen of Ocean City, boy! You best show some respect 'lest you end up as food for the gators!"

Leaping in through the doorway, Deb, wearing an all-black long-sleeved leotard and leggings let out a loud "Rowr!". As she crouched on all fours, I saw that, like Eli, she wore a headband with fake ears, only these were black cat ears along with fuzzy clawed gloves and a long tail tied to her waist.

Eli gasped, "You're a cat!"

Deb faked licking her paw before scratching the air. "And you're a dog! Hisss!"

An eerie moaning came from the doorway as Stacey slowly walked in with her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She was wearing a long tattered blue dress with a sash that said "PROM QUEEN" but her skin was painted a deathly grey and her dark hair was hanging messily over her face. "OoOoOh!", she moaned.

"Let me guess: a ghost?", I said, holding up a magnifying glass to my eye.

Stacey shambled over up to my face, the glass making her eye unnaturally big. "Boo!", she said, before breaking character with a giggle.

Next up, we heard a voice starting to raspily sing:

I could while away the hours Conferrin' with the flowers, Consulting with the rain;

A tall scarecrow wearing a tattered flannel shirt and denim overalls crept through the door. Their face was concealed in a burlap sack and a straw hat, a stitched-on smile leering widely.

And my head I'd be a scratchin' While my thoughts are busy hatchin'

As they stumbled right in front of me, they tapped my forehead with a plastic hand sickle.

If I only had a brain...

Me, Eli, and the girls inside couldn't help but give a spirited applause to the Scarecrow's spooky performance. They lifted their mask and hat to reveal Amanda, who gave a theatrical bow. "Thank y'all! You're much too kind!"

"Tik-tik-tik-tik!" came a shrill voice from the hallway. We all jumped as Lailani, wearing a plastic vampire mask, fake bat wings on her back, and fake guts wrapped around her stomach, leaped through the doorway. Attached to the vampire's mouth was a long pink tongue which she shook wildly about as she screeched, clawing the air.

"WHAA!", I yelped, "What are you?!"

"A Manananggal! Tik-tik-tik-tik-tik!"

"A what-what-what-what?", Eli asked, tilting his head.

Lailani lifted her masked and smiled, "I'm a Manananggal! It's like a Filipino vampire."

She pointed to her fake guts, "They separate from their lower half and go flying around at night! And they use their long tongues like a mosquito to drink blood from sleeping victims!"

"Wow! That's ace, Lailani!" I said, "Very very creepy looking but ace!"

Karen walked in a robotic gait, wearing a silver jumpsuit, her face painted green and two springy antennae bouncing on her head. "I come in peace!" she said, holding a shiny blue crystal aloft and making vibrating humming sounds with her mouth.

Deb clicked her tongue and gave a cheeky smile. "Karen! We said to come in costume, not your pajamas!"

Karen pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Don't tease! I'm using this crystal so I can stay in the same frequency in this dimension! Plus, it took me a long time to paint my face just right!"

"Aw, your costume's fine, Karen!", Tamika reassured her, "Some kitty cats don't know how to play nice!"

Deb only replied with a hiss.

Finally, Talon walked casually in wearing a dark jumpsuit and familiar white mask. She lifted the mask up and said, "Hey, it's me. I'm Michael Myers this year. 'Sup."

After the costume show-off had finally ended, Cassie gasped, "Oh my God! You two look so cute!"

"You can thank Eli for the idea!", I said, patting him on the back.

We had been watching cartoons together and Eli, like before, wanted a costume where he could let his tail out. When Scooby Doo, Where Are You? came on, the idea took hold in his mind and snowballed from there.

With all of us finally together, we headed out into the night.

We stopped by a convenience store and got some big bags of sweeties to take with us on our journey. We taped them up around my wheelchair, that way the girls could just grab a handful while we moved.

Like before, we saw lots of families or small gangs of kids running to and fro, getting their Trick or Treating candy. Many of the residences were feeling the holiday spirit as they were all decorated from simple pumpkins on their front steps to whole buildings looking like haunted houses!

We actually came across a haunted house tour (one of those attractions where you wander through dark hallways while people in costume jump out and spook you!). The girls wanted to go in but alas, me and my wheelchair were too big to fit in the entrance. Buuuuut just between you and me, even if I did fit, I didn't really have the nerve to go inside anyway. I still have bad memories of my older cousins dragging me into one when I was six and they had to carry me out because I was screaming too much and attacking the scarers.

So, me, Karen, and Stacey were the scaredy-cats who waited outside while the other girls and Eli walked in. We didn't have to wait long before Talon stormed out at an angry pace.

"Tee, what happened? Don't tell me you got too scared!", I asked.

She sighed, "Ah, I probably shouldn't have gone in. My Fight-or-Flight instincts came in when a guy dressed up as a zombie jumped up and I punched him in the face. They kicked me out after that."

We munched on candy as we waited before Eli and the girls came out the exit, screaming and laughing.

"Hey, there's our little zombie slayer!", Cassie yelled, pointing at Talon.

Even through her Michael Myers mask, I could see Talon roll her eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny."

Stacey asked, "So how was it?"

Eli bounced up and down on his feet excitedly. "Oh, it was great! There were ghosts swooping down and monsters popping out behind doors and big spiders leaping off the ground!"

I winced at the idea of the spiders but gave a nervous laugh, "Well, I'm glad you liked it, Luv."

A lady with her face painted like a skull walked up to us on the sidewalk, a Polaroid photo in her hands. "Here ya go, girls! Your complimentary photo! Have a Happy Halloween!"

As the photo cleared, we all gave a great laugh. The photo showed Eli and the girls all clinging to each other's shoulders like in a conga line. Something must've had just popped out at them because they were either in mid-scream or their eyes were wide with fright.

We then headed towards Hamilton Park where I remembered from last time they had a Halloween parade and carnival games. This year, there was a big stage all set up for a costume contest.

Stacey gasped, "Oh, we should sign up! We all put in a lot of work for our costumes, we need to show them off!"

An apprehensive giggle came out of me. "You girls go right ahead. I'll just sit this one out."

In my defense, all I could see by me being up on stage was being jeered and mocked or people just gawking at me like my Nan during one of her Fat Lady performances.

"Hold up, Penny.", Cassie said, scratching her chin, "I already know what you're thinking but I think there's a way we can have a bit of Halloween fun with this..."

After an introduction by the MC, the contestants went one by one up on the stage, either doing a twirl to show off their costumes or acting in character, giving the audience a jolt. It was finally my turn as I wheeled up on stage alone. As I thought, everyone in the audience went slack-jawed or bug-eyed at the sight of me, an awkward silence filled the air.

"Eh heh heh heh...J-jinkies?", I said hesitantly, waving my magnifying glass.

"Ruh-Roh, Relma!", Eli yelled in his best Scooby voice off stage as he came running towards me and hopped into my arms, shaking like a leaf. He pointed stage left, "M-m-m-monsters!"

Suddenly, Amanda the Scarecrow and Karen the Alien came trotting towards us, their arms reaching out ominously.

Eli and I both screamed as I wheeled towards the right side of the stage but Cassie the Vampire and Tamika the Voodoo Queen jumped out, hissing and groaning. We screamed again and I wheeled around in circles as the "monsters" chased us about while the Scooby Doo theme song played over the speakers.

As Cassie had hoped, the audience started to laugh and clap at our silly performance. When the song ended, we all linked hands and took a bow, Cassie throwing me a sly wink.

After the girls got to show off their costumes individually (Except Talon, who opted to stand silently and creep people out in the crowd), we awaited the results. While none of them got "Scariest Costume", Lailani won "Most Unique Costume"! But the biggest surprise was Eli and I got an Honorable Mention for "Best Performance"!

We decided to head back to my flat but not before stopping at the video store to rent some scary movies. We debated and discussed the merits and flaws of what to pick before finally settling on three: The Horror of Dracula (My pick!), Pet Semetary, and The Serpent and the Rainbow!

For the rest of the night, we watched the movies while we ate pizza and drank cider, some of it a little "harder" than others, heh heh heh!

All in all, maybe it wasn't as eventful as past Halloweens but it was much more fun to spend it with friends than by myself.

Oh! Is there something you wanted to say, Eli?

Eli: Yup! Happy Halloween and Scooby Dooby Dooooooooooooo! Hee hee hee hee hee!

(Artwork by @ExponentialMass on Twitter!)

[drethanramslay]

Without You

Pairing: Logan x MC (Lexi Cahill)

Masterlist

Word count: 2.5 K words

Warning: Just a little cursing, here and there and Angst

MC is actually not present in this fic, this is Logan's POV, four months after he had to leave LA

Author's note: I decided to take part in @rodappreciationweek so here is my submission :)) 

Thanks to @choicesarehard @brightpinkpeppercorn and @client-327 for hosting this 💙

Thanks to @mvalentine for pre-reading it❤️❤️

Title inspiration: Without You by Avicii (ft. Sandro Cavazza)

Song: Gone by Blake Rose

Forgive me if I make any mistakes.

The rays of the sun spilled through the crack in my curtains, making the white walls a yellow hue. My eyes were bleary and red rimmed. It had just been moments since I woke up and my hangover struck me like a train wreck, a familiar electric pain behind my eyes.

I shouldn't have drank so much.

I moved my head to only see an an empty bed side. Of course she left. Who would want to stick around after a one night stand?

The hazy memories of last night filtered through my head, making me wince. Another night, another rave, another tray of shots and another chick to bang.

You could call it saturday shenanigans but, this was different.

Everything was different since I left her.

All my days just seem to melt away into a haze of alcohol and drugs... Today, tomorrow, yesterday seems to fuse into this neverending torture, an ache which no matter how much I drink or how many girls I fuck, never fucking ceases to hurt. The only thing which can fix this gaping wound in my heart is Lexi.

But she is not here.

And never will be.

So this is how it has been for the past weeks. Me getting inebriated to new extremes just to numb the pain and to temporarily erase the loneliness before I become sober again.

Because when I'm in those intoxicated wastelands, I'm so out of it that I can almost hallucinate her dancing with me. I can almost smell her strawberry shampoo, tickling my nose. I can almost hear her tinkling laugh.

And in my alcohol induced sleep, I dream of her in my arms the both of us fitting together, like two jigsaw puzzles.

I despise being sober. Because when I am In my senses, the entire load of loss weighs down on me, crushing me and suffocating me. The 'could have been's' and the regret are all a heavy burden on my shoulders.

A small part of me is often wishing, praying and hoping that things could just go back to normal but, deep in my gut I know, that nothing is ever going to be the same again.

Nothing is ever going to be the same, now that she was gone...

How much time does it take to get over people?

It may be a day, a week, a month or a year. There is no definitive time span for getting over someone you loved, someone you cherished or someone who was close to your heart.

I think it depends on how much of an impact the said person had on you or how much of a void that person left in you.

I was the wild and carefree guy, with no strings attached and never saw myself being the one to fall in love because... Let's admit it, love is a vulnerability, a weakness which people don't hesitate to exploit.

But fast forward to four months later, I am in the same category as those emotional pussies crying over a breakup.

Being brought up in foster homes made me grow up quickly. Some houses were good and caring whilst some were harsh. And knowing that I am the most cursed person to walk the earth, I was always was stuck with the shitty households.

Don't believe me? I still have those scars from the fights and the beatings.

Growing up in such a hostile environment, taught me that there is no room for weakness or error and that love and feelings are just some fairy tale myth which is made by philosophical fools to give you a sense of hope.

But, hope is a dangerous thing, two side of the same coin. It can make you and break you.

I don't think I would have survived my childhood but... That's when I fell in love with cars.

It holds a special place in my heart.

The way my adrenaline spikes as the pointer on my speedometer achieves unattainable speeds, the way I feel the purr of my engine resound through my entire body and they way it's just me, my car and the open road... Nobody could ever compare to that sensation of freedom.

Well, that was before I met her.

Lexi Cahill.

I admit it started off as a way to recruit her as an informant, a tool to stay out of prison, another heart to break.

But little did I know that life would pull the fucking reverse uno card on me. But, I'm low-key glad it did.

It's been 4 months since that scum bag was thrown into the jail.

Four months since the crew went its separate ways.

Four months since I walked away from her.

I don't want to let you go...

Those words were on a repeat in his head, like a broken tape recorder and her teary eyes and broken expression is forever burnt into his brain. It was so hard to let her go. The one time I found a reason to stay, a reason to fight for, a reason to stop running, life just fucked it all up.

It was a tussle, a war between what my heart wanted and the logical side of me which just left me exhausted.

In conclusion, heartbreak sucks.

I reach for my phone and switch it on to check the time. But my eyes fall on our prom photo which I had made as my wallpaper. It's really stupid how head over heels I'm in love with her.

But it's the truth.

There is a saying that life gives you only one great love and that many people go for years without that.

I was one of the few lucky people to get that at 18.

But life is not sunflowers and unicorns shitting rainbows. It's rough, it's hard with its a mix of ups and downs. But it seems like mine is set to be on the all time low.

Staggering to the bathroom, I heavily leaned against the counter, my muscles flexing as I gripped the edge. My eyes lifted to see my reflection staring back at me.

I look like a hot mess.

This isn't you Logan... My inner conscience said, which eerily sounded like her.

God, I really must be losing it, huh?

Slowly and painfully I started my morning chores, my body on auto pilot. My mind kept on wandering to Lexi. She would be in Langston by now.

Would she be in that off shoulder sweater of hers, her feather tattoo peaking from underneath the sleeve? Would she be highlighting and colour coordinating her notes like she always did?

Would she have made new friends? Or dare I say a new boyfriend?

Logan stop hurting yourself. I said to myself as I visibly cringed at the thought of someone else having their arms around her.

The idea of someone else kissing her soft lips or someone else holding her hands or someone else running his hands along the curvature of her naked back made me equal parts angry and sad.

Angry for you know, obvious reasons but sad for the life I had to leave behind in LA.

God I hate this existential crisis shit... It's to early to question life.

I dragged myself in the direction of the kitchen, the smell of bacon waking me up. I was shirtless and wearing a pair of sweatpants because I was too fucking tired to wear anything else.

"Look who has decided to grace us with their presence."

"Shut up Carl, it's too early for your bullshit." Raven said as she slapped the top of his head.

I shot her a look of gratitude as I sank into my seat and reached for the plate of pancakes.

Carl and Raven were the closest thing to parents for me. Carl was a tough man with huge muscles, around six feet tall but, he was as goofy as a child. Raven was his girlfriend who was hella intimidating. The kohl lined eyes and the floral tattoo on the side of her shaven head made her look fierce. Both of them were in their early thirties and ran the Detroit Central crew.

We three were in a different crew when I was 15 and they really took a liking for me. They taught me everything I know and they are the family that I always came back too.

I dug into my breakfast, eating slowly and savouring the sweetness of the maple syrup.

"Thank god you are atleast eating now." Raven said as she ruffled my hair and turned towards the sink.

I shrugged and Carl picked up the newspaper to read, settling into his seat. Suddenly, the bell rang which had all of our backs becoming as stiff as a rod.

"Were you expecting someone, darlin'?" Raven asked, trying to peak through the windows.

"Don't get up, I'll do it." Carl said as he picked up the gun on the counter and pushed it into the back pocket of his cargo pants.

I was frozen, terrified. I had been very careful in escaping but me being the reckless fool and getting drunk seven ways to Sunday may have tipped them off.

I'm such a colossal dumbass.

I could hear Carl's gruff voice talking but I couldn't peek at the person on the other side of the door. I just sank further into my seat, hoping that it was some lost person and not the FBI.

"Boy this one's for you." He moved aside and the person I least expected to see walked in.

"You look like shit."

"Good morning to you too, asshole." I rolled my eyes.

Colt walked into the kitchen, wearing his trademark leather jackets and dark jeans. His combat boots made a thud sound with each step which made my headache worse.

"Will you be okay, Lo-lo?" Raven asked, her eyes flitting to the jerk standing in her kitchen.

Colt snorted at the nickname but luckily kept his mouth shut.

"Yep Ra. Meet Colt Kaneko. Colt meet Raven and Carl." I spoke at I stood up and put my dirty dishes in the sink.

"Oh you are Kaneko's boy, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"We heard about what went down in LA. Our condolences. He was a great man."

He gave a nod. It was a sore subject for me as well. That night in the alley, I wished I could take it back. I usually am not one to regret what I spew but whatever I said to Kaneko is another burden I'm gonna carry all my life.

"Also heard about your crew busted the Brotherhood? You were the mastermind behind it right?" Carl said as he crossed his arms.

"As much as I would love to take the credit, it was Lexi who came up with the plan." Colt said his eyes darted towards me, gauging my reaction.

"The newbie? Heard she drives like the wind-"

Hearing her name felt like an iron fist clenching my heart. That name will always be the source of my happiness, my cherished memories and my melancholy.

"Colt let's take this to the backyard, shall we?" Logan spoke up, interrupting them.

He walked to the back door and Colt followed him wordlessly. It a sunny day but a cool breeze blew which provided some kind of relief.

I reached to take out two beers from the cooler and handed him one. Colt raised an eyebrow.

"Beer... At ten in the morning?"

I shrugged as I popped the bottle cap off mine. "It's 5pm somewhere else."

"That's true too. Cheers." We clinked the necks of our bottles and took a sip as we sat down on the patio chairs.

I turned towards him. "So what brings you to Detroit?"

"To see your pretty face?" Colt said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

I snorted. "Always knew you had a thing for me, pretty boy."

"Always knew that you had an ego the size of Jupiter, dickhead. Some things just don't change."

I sighed. "Can't say the same for me through. Everything is different now."

Surprisingly, Colt didn't mock him. He stared down at the bottle in his hands. "Yeah... I can understand. How are you holding up?" He asked as he turned to face me.

I took a huge gulp of my beer before responding, my eyes staring at the mango tree in my neighbor's back yard.

"Not too good. It's been hard for the last couple of months. Kaneko's death, leaving LA and maintaining a low profile... It's been tough."

Life without Lexi is tough.

"Yeah I can understand. I still imagine pops opening the door to wake me up. And don't get me started on the FBI... bunch of bloodsuckers." He muttered the last part.

I snorted. "I'll drink to that."

"Good thing they are off our backs now." Colt spoke eyeing him from the corner of his eyes.

I scoffed. "Bitch please. They are anything but lazy. They are gonna continue hunting us down till the end of time."

"I meant that we are not the top priorities at the moment. Sure Mona was sent to jail but, a little birdie told me that they are after this 'world class' thief at the moment."

"That's a relief I guess."

"Do you know what this means?" He asked taking another sip of beer.

"It's too early for my brain to function. Come to the point, asshole."

"We are rebuilding the crew, dickhead."

My eyes widened. "No way."

"Yup." He said popping the 'p'. He downed the remainder of his beer before standing up. "I'm done repairing the garage. We have a job in two months and I need a crew for that. I already have Ximena on board and now I'm gonna go over to Toby's."

My mind was swimming. Mercy Park Crew was coming back for good.

I looked up at him, suddenly nervous. "What about Lexi?"

He rolled his eyes. "When I said I'm rebuilding the crew, I also meant recruiting Lexi, dumbass."

Oh god.

She is going to come back.

I was frozen in my place once again. I had often asked myself how I would react if I got the chance to meet her again. I always imagined that I would let out the loudest cheer and dance like a mad man.

But this is reality and my thundering heart was a reminder of that.

"Why are you sitting there with your mouth open like a fish? Go! Get your girl."

And that was it. I rushed to my room, put on some decent clothes and haphazardly stuffed my things into my satchel. Grabbing my keys and yelling a quick good bye to Raven and Carl, I was out and in my 2005 Devore GT.

Reving the engine I took off on the roads of Detroit, heading for the highway.

The window was open and the breeze threaded through my unruly hair, making me feel alive. My hands clutched the wheel and my foot pressed down on the accelerator, speeding through the empty streets.

For the first time, in a very long, the roads which felt like a never ending maze for me, were the very ones which were the path to my freedom.

The path to my happiness.

The path to my Lexi.

I hope you liked it 😊

Logan x mc: @kaavyaethanramsey @openheart @skylarklyon @shadowycreatorpaperopera @pixelberryownsme @magicalshepherdtreeprofessor @anotherbeingsworld​

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[cosmiclatte28]

Heterochromia (Lucas x reader)

ONE SHOT ... SOULMATE AU! .. HETEROCHROMIA (different eye colors)

Warning : none (?) It's fluff and safe for everyone

Enjoy!!

Heterochromia- when one person owns two different colors of iris.

Having one purple eye and one green eye is nothing new to the society. Everyone is born with it. One of the color belongs to you, and the other color obviously belongs to your significant others aka your soulmate.

Science proof that when you meet your soulmate, your eye color will change. You will finally have a pair of your true color and vice versa. Truth be told, this is such a cool indicator and people are all loving this new mutation.

Waking up to coffee and toast is a good way to start your day. You toss your blanket aside and push yourself away, you’re in a good mood to start college today.

“Morning Hendery,” you greet your flat partner.

“Morning (y/n)~” his bed head greets you.

“coffee, bacon and eggs?” his questioning tone is enough to offer you breakfast.

“That’s so nice of you. Yes just one egg and bacon,” you say while grabbing your towel to use the bathroom first.

You return to the small dining room ten minutes later and your plate is ready on the table.

Hendery pours you a cup of black coffee with two spoons of sugar “black with two spoons of sugar.”

He pushes the cup to you as he finishes his own breakfast plate. “Thanks” you whisper

“Morning class?” you ask as you spoon yourself some eggs and bacons.

“Uh-hum, why would I get up this early if I do not have morning class.” Hendery scoffs

“You go take a shower, I’ll wash the dishes.” You initiatively take the responsibility since he had cooked you breakfast.

You met Hendery through a friend when you’re looking for a flat mate. You don’t have much rules to sharing the flat, your urgency made you sign the contract with Hendery, a sophomore in engineering while you're a junior in public health.

“Are you going to Jaehyun’s party tomorrow?” He asks after coming out of the toilet in a clean and tidy shirt. Jaehyun is a member of the same frats as Hendery and tomorrow is his birthday. You've met Jaehyun since middle school and the two of you are good friends! thus earning you an invitation to the ‘hottest man in the campus’ birthday party.

You rinse the last plate and dry your hands, “It’s a Friday night after all, I am going to come I guess.”

“Awesome! We can share a cab.” He flashes his big smile and the last thing you saw before parting ways was his half green half blue eyes. The two of us start our daily routines.

--

Preparing yourself for a party is always fun. You enjoy decorating your half blue half brown eyes with eye shadows and you love dressing up. Tonight's pick is a simple black dress with a pink choker and some wedged boots. February is still cold and you don't want to come home freezing!

You paint your lips on your favorite shade color and with one last perfume spray, you're finally ready to go.

“Hey, i'm ready.” You notify Hendery, who has been waiting for you since like thirty minutes ago…

He glances at you and stands up, “Great! The cab will be here in five minutes. You look stunning by the way. Aren't you feeling cold?” he wonders after seeing your attire.

“Nah, i'll use a coat relax. Shall we go down?” you grab your coat and then pockets your key.

“Sure, let's wait down stairs.” He offers you his hand since you'll need to go down two levels by stairs in a wedged boots. Although he knew you're so talented in wearing heels, he is a gentleman for always offering a hand.

“You know I won't fall just by wearing a 5 cm boots.” You giggle while descending the stairs.

Hendery smirks, “A thank you would be better. I’m raised to be a gentle man miss.”

“Right… gentleman.. arraseo mr blue-green" you tease him. Well the first time you saw his eyes, you lowkey envied him for having one green eye, while Hendery always love your brown eyes. Funny how we cannot switch eye colors! Or else you're going to pick purple and ash grey!

--

The party Jaehyun held was the biggest you've attended since coming to university life. He rented a whole party house complete with a swimming pool, pool, a dj, and of course free flows of drinks and foods. The room was so big and there's hundreds of people! You're sure he almost invited every one in campus. This is like a prom, but without the fancy dresses.

“Look, don't go home with any one! You're going back home with me. Okay? Contact me or just look for me.” Hendery said before you parted ways. Well, Hendery and you had only been sharing the flat for seven months, but that is enough to grow a strong sibling bond between you two. Hendery treats you like you're his little sister and you see him as your big brother.

“Right, make sure you're taking me home okay and not other girl.” You taunt and before Hendery could get you, you disappear into the crowd.

“Jaehyun! Happy birthday brother!”

Once you see the man with sweet dimple in denim, chilling with his frats, you hug him and congratulate him. Well, after all jaehyun and you are close friends and calling him brother is nothing.

Jaehyun smiles upon your greeting and arrival, he returns your hug and excuses himself from the group. The two of you walk to the quieter part of the house, the kitchen and there was a comfortable silence.

“Sooo you're hosting this big party let me guess,” you tease him and put a hand over your head, “to I don't know find your soulmate? Or just win an attention?”

Jaehyun laughs at your remarks, well those two are not completely wrong. He takes two cups of drinks and hands you one, “Well both are quite true. I'm looking for my special person… maybe i'll find them tonight. Or maybe you can find yours too.” Jaehyun swirls his cup and gulps it down.

You can catch the sweetness his brown and blue eyes hold. Yes the two of you have the same eye colors, but no you're not made for one another! Your eyes and his never change and that means you two have to keep looking on.

“I don't know if this is a good idea Jae, but meeting someone here and then realizing he or she is your soul mate will not be easy! There's like three hundred people here!” you sip on the alcoholic beverage and noted you're not drinking this tonight.

“Well I need to say it is hard, but possible. Besides there are only two hundred fifty invitations sweetie, I am sure you can find someone interesting!” Jaehyun winks and pats your hair carefully in a playful manner.

“Now, enjoy the party! I need to entertain my guests. Oh reach out for me if you need any help! Mom will kill me if something bad happens to you. Bye!” Jaehyun exits the kitchen and like the social butterfly he is, he embraces every single friends coming in.

You found your friends from your sorority, they invite you over to a beer pong game against another frats house and you're always in for games. You join your sisters and the fun begins.

Two hours of fun and games passed by, you've won two rounds of beer pong game, one round of drinking game and you've moved on to the dance floor. The crowd moves along to the dance floor, surrounding the DJ blasting “shut up and dance" loudly on the stereo. You bumped to a lot of people and drunk quite a lot of alcohols from the drinking game earlier. Now you're regretting things since your brain can't really cooperate.

“Hey (y/n)! You free?” Jaehyun asked when he sees you taking some air on one of the empty spots.

You turn your head from day dreaming and nod. Jaehyun takes your hand to bring you and sit down beside a nice looking man. You see Hendery sitting across you with some girls you did not know.

“So guys, this is the one special friend I’ve always mentioned. Her name is (y/n), we've been best friends since middle school.” Jae introduces you to the guys and you take the queue to learn one by one. The room you're sitting in isn't bright, it's dim and so you cannot really study everyone's eyes.

You learn their names quickly, Taeyong, Mark, Ten, Lucas, and a tall guy Johnny.

You got yourself engaged in a deep talk with Taeyong and Mark about raps and lyrics writing. You learn that Taeyong and Mark are studying to be professional lyric writers and turns out you blend well with them. They suddenly talk about their current project and in the dark loud room, you help them with some verses and that's how you ended up exchanging phone numbers with them.

Night deepens, your head is spinning and all you know is you were standing up to grab some water and the blazing disco lights were blinding you, you did not know when someone knocked you out. Making you fall down on someone's body.

---

The loud ringing from your alarm forces you to wake up. You look around to figure out where are you sleeping. You squint your eyes from the bright sun lights entering the room. You take a deep breath and that's when you realize something is wrong. No this is not the usual smell your room has, this is nothing near the fabric softener scent you use.

Your hands rub the bed sheet beneath you and your eyes shot wide open when you feel something that's definitely not bolsters! You turn your head to the side and in a glint of an eye, you quickly check what's beneath your blanket.

You can breathe normally when you see your clothes still completely intact. Now where were you, you try to remember what happens last night, how you ended up sleeping on a foreign bed beside a man who turns out to be the host of the party.

Jaehyun looks so wasted and drunk beside you. Although this is not the first time Jae shared a bed with you, this is definitely the first time he was drunk asleep beside you. You make your way out of the bed and room slowly, not to wake him up.

You leave the room and concluded that this is the same house where the party was held. Turns out you passed out yesterday and someone brought you to the room. You peek on the other room beside yours which is not closed completely. You spot Hendery sleeping there too with Mark and Ten. You see several other bodies passed out on the couches and floor. The smell of alcohol is pungent, you find yourself running with a closed nose to the refrigerator. You take out a sealed water bottle and calm yourself down with it.

You hear some foot steps and turn your back.

“Oh it's you Taeyong!” you greet him and move aside when he heads to the fridge to of course take some waters.

“Woah didn't know you're sleeping here too, thought you went home last night.” He speaks in his bed voice

“I didn’t remember anything. I guess someone bumped into me and I fell? But don't know. Anyways pretty colors over there! Purple and blue. Last night was too dark, can't see the colors.” You drive the conversation away from last night's talk.

“Well yeah I'm still looking for my soulmate, unlike you! Lucky you for you've found yours already.” Tae smirks while looking into your eyes.

You froze, your brain process everything that had happened. Did he just say your eyes are the same colors already?!

“Wait say that again…” you squint your eyes at him.

Taeyong smiles, “sure, your perfect blue eyes are captivating honey,” he teases you a bit, seeing that there's no one else here

You leave the half empty bottle on the counter and drag Taeyong with you as you head to the nearest mirror. It's in the bathroom.

You stand across your own reflection, looking so surprised and bewildered. Taeyong is standing behind you confused as you did not let his hand go.

“I swear Taeyong, yesterday before I went to the party they were still different!” you turn to look at him.

“Well congratulations! You've found your soul mate!” he speaks in a sing song tone.

You squeeze his hand tighter “I did not know who my soul mate is Tae,”

Before Taeyong can react to your sentence a surprised scream erupted.

“(Y/n)?! What are you doing with Taeyong in the bathroom?!” a surprised man stood in horror over the toilet door.

“Oh Hendery hyung! Nothing I just brought Tae here after he saw my eyes! LOOK! LOOK! They're no longer different!” You blink several times to show Hendery your eye colors.

“Damn! You're right, you've met your soul mate!! Congrats girl" Hendery gushes between you and Tae, he engulfs you in a hug and carries you while spinning you one time. He's too happy for you.

“So who's the lucky guy?” Hendery shoots a look at Taeyong's eyes checking their colors.

“Hmm not you. Who else then?” Hendery ponders

“last night I met a lot of people! Too much to actually remember one by one… I don't even have memories on who I met.” You usher the two men out of the bathroom and talk in another space.

“We can start by checking who's here…” Tae suggests and with that the three of you along with Jaehyun start to observe everyone's eyes. Jae needed to use the bathroom and found the three of you there pondering on where to look for your soulmate.

“Nope. None of them have the other color.. or had their color changed yesterday.” You slump on one of the sofa and bite your lips. One habit you always did when you're thinking fast and hard.

“Look, there were like hundreds of people last night and… I met my sisters.. which of course were out of the list. I knew them already and if our eyes were to change colors that won't happen last night.” You try to narrow down the options, because hell who is not excited to meet their soulmates?!

Hendery adds in, “You did play with some of the boys from Omega Lambda and you bumped to some of the boys on the dance floor?”

You shake your head, “didn't make eye contact with the crowds in the dance floor.”

“Then you made eye contact with some boys from Omega Lambda and probably from our frats.” Taeyong clicks his tongue.

“The omega lambda is a five minutes walk from here, we can check on them… there were only 9 of them last night.” Jaehyun stands up and walks to take his jacket. “Shall we? Our frats have 21 boys… might want to meet them at lunch… better that way.” Jaehyun decides everything by himself.

“Sure, Baekhyun is a good friend of mine and he's on Omega lambda.. let's go my car is free.” Taeyong plays with his car keys and the four of us depart.

Upon entering the Omega Lambda house, I definitely did not expect to see the frat house so clean and tidy.

“You're looking for someone whose eyes changed color?” Suho, their leader who answered the door, repeats the question.

The four of us nod eagerly. Suho puts on a sad smile, “am so sorry but nine of us had found their soul mates already and the other three are still…” Suho turns his head to see the living room, “taking shower.”

Baekhyun joins Suho in the front door, he greets Taeyong warmly and smiles brightly for us too.

“Oh looking for someone? Hmm let's see Sehun's still looking for his other pair.. Kai and Tao too. Tao didn't come yesterday so we can check Kai and Sehun.”

Your heart beats faster when you hear Suho calling Kai and Sehun. However to no avail, Suho confirmed that both Kai and Sehun still have different eye colors and none of them have blue eyes before.

The group parted and you're now on your way back home to wash and rest. You're not joining the boys for lunch, you don't feel close yet.

Hendery waits for you to finish showering and when you're out of the steamy door looking all relaxed in a pajamas he can only smile and ruffles your hair.

“Nice blue eyes over there! I kinda remember seeing someone with those blue eyes too, but I can't get the clear face or name… trust me I'll notify you when I find the man!” Hendery pats your shoulder and takes his turn to shower.

You go to the kitchen and start cooking your lunch. Hendery leaves after a cup of coffee and you're finally alone. You try to remember anyone from the party that might be your soulmate, but your brain was not cooperating.

You give up, finish lunch, clean the flat a bit, then you drown yourself on your assignments and papers.

Hendery must have gone to the cinema or somewhere else with the boys, because when you look up from your works, your phone shows 15 missed calls and 10 unread message from Hendery.

You glance to the clock and realize it's already noon and you see a pile of your dirty laundry. You tidy up your books, take your phone and you walk to your dirty pile of clothes. While humming to your favorite song, you take the basket and leave to go to the washing room, before that you borrowed one of Hendery's big sweater. Finally you make your way to the laundry place one block away from your flat.

There was no one when you enter the small area. The lights are bright and the sun has not yet sunken down, so you're not afraid even when you're alone here.

You unload your clothes and after putting in your favorite detergent and softener, you close the door and press the button to start the machine.

You take a step back and lean over one of the machine. Taking a glance to the right and left,, seeing if there is anyone else.

Turns out you're not alone. You spot a man wearing his ear phones, unloading his dirty laundries and ooh my gosh… he’s taking off his clothes.

You let out a small surprised cough and the man turned his body around quickly.

“Sorry…” you whisper as you close your eyes. Your cheeks burn from the embarrassment

“Ah sorry didn't see you there!” the man continues stripping his sweater off and tossing it into the machine along with his other things.

“You can open your eyes … I mean if you're not comfortable I can turn away.” He awkwardly explains.

“No it's okay..” you finally reply after collecting yourself back. Come on it's not the first time you see some man bare chested. Hendery and Jaehyun did that a lot, not to mention your younger brother who liked to strip too.

Once your eyes open, you're already face to face with the man.

“LUCAS?!” you run your eyes to meet his face.

“Yeah it's me.. you remember me!” He smiles genuinely but it didn't last long.

“Why? Something’s wrong?” you ask when you see his surprised face.

“Look at me (y/n)…” Lucas takes your face in his hands and bends himself to match your height or at least to be able to see your eyes.

You were confused at first, but now when you see it… you're suffocating.

“Hey hey..” Lucas can feel your body shaking and your breathing short, “easy easy.. breathe in.. out..”

He guides you through your small panic incident and his big generous smile is back on his face. His hands were already holding on to your shoulder and when your breathing stabilized he cups your cheeks on his large palms. His eyes widens and you're spaced out.

The two of you remain silent… with just one eye contact.. the world feels different. Your skin tingle and your heart feels so warm. No words can explain the exact unexplainable feeling happening right now.

“Lucas..” your voice cracked and a tear escaped from your blue eyes. Your hand creeps to hold onto his which are still cupping your face. You give it a gentle squeeze just to make sure this is real and he is real.

Lucas smiles and with glistening eyes he pulls you into a warm embrace. The linen Hendery's sweater provided to you, cannot hide the fast heart beat behind this man’s wonderful abs.

His hugs feels like your missing piece, his skin feels soft under your touch, and his heart beat sounds like home. You cannot hold back your tears from falling down. You make your arms slowly around his waist and gosh how you fit perfectly on his chest to snuggle.

Lucas carefully brushes your hair away from your face and with most care he locks contact with you one more time.

If time can stop, you'll want it to stop right now right at this moment in a laundry place with no one else. Your machine still buzzing and his too still rocking back and fourth. But amongst those loud rocking voice of water mixing, you find yourself hypnotized by a pair of brown eyes… the exact color you've woken up to for the last 20 years of living. You cannot mistaken that brown for anything else. Lucas too, seems to adore the blue eyes he’s now staring at.

“I love your blue eyes they look magical.” Lucas leans in closer to drown himself on those blue orbs of yours.

You blushed, “and I've finally found the man who gave me those fresh brown iris!”

Lucas crawls his finger to your chin and while keeping eye contact, his face inches closer to you. Your reflex made you close your eyes and your leaping heart flies to cloud nine when his soft lips mold into yours. It’s definitely a new sensation and you found yourself craving for more. What first was a resting lip, slowly moves. He leads you through the kiss and as your feet grow weak from matching his height, Lucas bends down for you. You tangle your hand over his neck and plays softly with his hair. The sweet soft kiss did not end there, you feel a strong hand over your hips and with one tap you jump as he lifts you up to one of the machine.

Thanks to the machine, you're now giving him an easier time to finish what he's doing. Lucas waits for your permission and soon his tongue was dashing through your rows of teeth. Your eyes were still closed, you did not really care if someone spot the two of you making out here not to mention Lucas is in his half naked state.

The kiss ends when you tug his hair as your lungs run out of air. With heavy heart he lets go and your eyes flutter open. Chest heaving up and down, Lucas stare at you in awe and adoration. He tucks your hair behind your ear and cages you between his strong hands.

“So.. look at my blushing princess… so cute.” Lucas coos. You playfully slap him and earns an “ouch" from him.

“Did you just steal my first kiss?” you ask while looking to the distance, your right hand finds its way to touch your swollen lips.

Lucas raises his brow, “That was your first?”

You stare into him with big eyes and nod your head slowly, “why?”

Lucas shakes his head and smirks, “You did amazing for a first timer"

You swing your legs and face your head down to the tiles. You're suddenly so shy in front of the man who just stole your first kiss… and was he even the right man?! What if he's not your soulmate?

“You're now doubting if I am really your soul mate right?” Lucas seriously can read you like an open book.

Your surprised face was enough to ensure him, his guess was right.

“Look, I met the boys earlier and no one has their eye colors changed.. well Mark did but his was not blue. Mark has a green violet eyes… and I was the other lucky guy.” Lucas leans over one machine that is in front of you.

You hide your blushing face, “I know it is you Lucas.. because I don't know.. my heart just tells me you're the one! Your kiss feels wonderful, your touch, your hug … and your eyes! Those were the colors I owned before.”

“And those blue… I cannot mistaken them for another color too! Plus my heart also leads me to you.” Lucas exhales a relieved breath.

There was silence and you hear your machine stopping. You quickly jump off to the ground and take your clothes out. They were dried already and you take your time to fold them.

Lucas is still waiting for his to finish as he chats with you. Now you're exchanging name hobbies and silly facts to one another.

“umm mind to tell me how you ended up half naked here?” You finally found the courage to ask him the first thing that bothers your mind.

Lucas looks puzzled from your question but he answers you anyway, “Clumsy Jaehyun spilled an ice cappuccino on my last piece of fresh sweater. I've had him clean it quick with tissues and some water, but heck I cannot stand the stickiness. So I decided to skip the movie and wash my clothes. Apparently because of Jaehyun's clumsiness I finally met you! The love of my life, the one for me.” Lucas explains as he dresses himself back in one of the fresh laundries.

“Starving?” Lucas asks as the two of you head to the exit door.

You nod.

“Got any schedule tonight?” he asks once again.

You shake your head, “I'm free for the night.”

“Great! Let's put our clothes back and we'll go to this restaurant I love.” Lucas holds one of your hand and just like that the two of you walk on the side walk hand in hand

You pass his house first and he came back with his motorcycle

“Hop on, we'll drop your laundry and we’ll go eat!”

You sit behind him and encircle your arms around his torso. Lucas zoomed to your flat and you rush your way to the door.

Quickly you put on a lipstick, grab your bag and wallet, tossed Hendery's sweater aside and you dress yourself quickly in a warm garment. Motorcycle ride on February after the sun is down will be chilling.

You descend through the stairs and greet Lucas with one twirl “How do I look for our first date?”

He pecks your lips quick, “perfect! Now hop on and hold on tight sweetheart, tonight will be unforgettable!”

Life has twists and unpredictable turns, yet in the end you'll find your soulmate just like finding your way back home. It feels assuring, safe, and wonderful. You'll know he or she is the one, once your eyes meet and your lips touch.

The end 🙌

Thank you for reading 🤧🥺🥺💖

[likehoneyandsilk]

Notes From Her - The Beginning

The little notes started when they were eight years old.

His parents had asked if she’d like to watch one of Mat’s hockey games one Sunday morning. She had obliged easily, and to this day, Mat remembers the tiny girl sitting next to him in the car squished against his side, dressed in one of his pee wee team shirts that was all to big for her.

Her chubby cheeks were as rosy as the red shirt, and it fell to her knees. Her mom had bundled her up in her winter coat and a toque, and she cheerfully chatted with his little sister, hugging the cup of Tim Horton’s hot chocolate in her hands.

When they arrived at the rink, Mat and his father parted ways with the girls, his mother guiding them to their seats. While Mat laced up his skates, he noticed a small neatly folded piece of blue construction paper tucked in his hockey bag. Confused, he reached for it.

He opened it to reveal her bubbly and small writing in sparkly pink pen. The note read:

“I hope you win! Good luck! I’m gonna cheer really loud for you!”

With her name scribbled at the end and a tiny little smiley face. And throughout the game when Mat looked into the stands, she kept her word. Later that day when he got home, he read over her note multiple times, securing it into an empty skates box under his bed. In his messy writing with a big black sharpie he labeled the box: “Notes from Her”

And from there the notes continued to grow, and the box continued to fill, and it traveled wherever he did, even after all these years.

By the age of 16 they were officially a couple. It was inevitable. Their parents had seen it coming. Their friends had seen it coming. She had more pictures of her and Mat tacked across her bedroom wall from their childhood to now than she did any other. And he kept every note underneath that battered carboard box of his.

On the morning of their first date, he had caught her by her locker. She seemed to be writing out something, her eyebrows furrowed in slight concentration, and the tiniest bite of her bottom lip. She looked pretty as always, effortlessly. It was different now that they were becoming more than just friends, yet still the same.

“Hey” his voice alerted her to divert her eyes to his. She would be lying if she didn’t feel butterflies erupt in her stomach. Mat was always tall, dark and handsome. And soon he was going to be her boyfriend, not just her best friend.

She smiled, greeting him with a “hello”. He couldn’t help but notice the BCHL shirt he’d gifted her after his first game, she’d paired with her blue jeans and white converse. Her cheeks as rosy as the first day she’d come to one of his games.

“Are you excited for tonight?” He asked her nonchalantly, leaning next to her locker. He seemed so at ease, but on the inside he was as nervous and giddy as she was. Her cheeks reddened and she let out a giggle. Excited yes, but also nervous. In response she nodded, shutting her locker tight. “Of course, I’ll be ready for 5:00?”

“Perfect. We’ll head to my game and after go for our dinner.” And then what happened next was a moment of pure bliss. He leaned down and pressed his lips softly to her burning cheek. And with such ease he pushed himself off the locker to make his way to class, turning back to send her a wink.

Phased and bashful, she turned on her heel, the sensation of his lips still burning on her cheek. Until he called out to her, “Hold on a second!”

She turned abruptly meeting Mat’s happy smile and playful eyes. They’d always been the brightest and captivating. “I like the shirt! Make sure you wear it tonight.”

After first period they met again in History. They always sat together, and by habit she made her way to the corner seat by the window next to her old friend. Mat smiled at her as class began, while they shuffled to take out their pens and binders. In the midst of it all, he caught her drop a piece of paper on his desk.

Sneaking a glance at the teacher and her next to him, he abruptly opened the neatly folded piece of last weeks math homework.

“Today is our first date. I hope you win tonight! Take me out for milkshakes and fries either way”

When he looked back at her, he couldn’t help but smile and place the note into the pocket of his jeans. His eyes lingered a little longer, as a small smile appears on her lips, and the sunlight began to seep in through the window, painting her golden. She knew he’d read the note.

And that night when he picked her up in his father’s old Chevy pickup, he watched as she rushed down the front steps of her porch, adorned in the shirt from the day tucked into a knee length black flowy skirt and ankle boots. The passenger door already open for her, as it always was, but this time as she settled in the feeling was different. It was better.

“A win. Milkshakes and fries it is” he placed his pinky out for her and she giggled, wrapping her smaller one around his. And with that, began the most perfect first date, ending with the sweetest first kiss on her porch steps, tasting like milkshakes and strawberry chapstick.

A few months later Mat was back and forth between Seattle and Vancouver. They didn’t see each other as often, but they’d managed. It was an end to another weekend home for Mat before his father drove him back for three weeks of games and practices.

After another night of milkshakes and fries she’d drove him back to his house, and they sat silently in the car, the radio playing a faint song in the back, dreading their least favourite part of every weekend Mat was home. He sighed, engulfing her hand into his as she turned to look at him.

“I hate this part” she whispered, biting her bottom lip. “I know, I do to”

With a sigh they stepped out of the car. He met her at the hood of her car. She examined his face for a minute. He’d grown his hair out a little longer, the slightest of scruff on his face. Training was powerful, and he’d gained more muscle over the last few months. He was a Seattle phenomenon now. She smiled, placing her cold hands into the pocket of his Seattle Thunderbirds jersey he wore.

Mat watched as the familiar look of sadness washed over her face. Her big brown eyes seem to dull a little, glossy. The streetlights dancing off her face outlined her sad smile. She leaned furthur towards him, an urge to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear letting his digits linger into her silky strands of hair.

The Autumn air was crisp and brisk. As her hands began to warm she parted her lips to speak. “Why is it so hard everytime?” She searched his eyes for an answer. Mat leaned down as he heard the front door open, and through his perhiperal vision caught a glimpse of his sister helping his father carry down his packed suitcase.

He leaned furthur, watching her eyes begin to close, lashes like a thick blanket and pressed his lips to hers. They kissed for a few seconds, and when she pulled back, withdrew her hands from his pockets and embraced him in a hug.

“I’m going to miss you” her voice muffled against his hoodie yet he understood. “I’m going to miss you too”

As the embrace fell apart and she moved out of his way, Mat felt the urge to say more. He knew what he felt, but fear clouded over his bravery and courage. He loved her. But with a soft smile he turned and she watched. She loved him. But she didn’t have the guts to say it to his face.

As his father drove out of the neighbourhood, Mat reached into his pockets, watching as the houses he’d grown around passed by. Suddenly he felt something in his right pocket.

He pulled out a napkin from the diner they’d gone to an hour ago. Instead of grease and reminants of ketchup and milkshake, this one was clean and fresh.

“I can’t bring myself to tell you this, but I think about it everyday. I can’t wait any longer. I love you Barzy. I really truly have fallen in love with you”

She loved him. She loved him!

“Dad! We have to turn around! Please dad ...” catching his father off guard, who began to question his son. “What’s wrong? Mathew what ...”

“Please Dad. Please just turn this car around, just for a second” without furthur questioning his father turned back around, making way home.

Upon arrival, she was just about to get into her car. When the headlights of an approaching car caught her off guard. Mat rushed out of the car. His face bright and content. Almost breathless. And then at the sight of her, taking in that he hadn’t missed her yet, he seemed nervous.

“I’ll give you two a minute.” They barely heard his father make his way into the house. “Mat, what is it?” She wondered if he’d opened her note already. She hadn’t meant for him to rush home, or cause an inconvenience to his father, but in that moment in the diner while he chatted with an old friend by the jukebox, she knew that scribbling down her words and emotions onto the only source of paper was the best she could do.

“I love you too” was all he said, and with that he pulled her in for another kiss, and to this day she swore it felt like the movies. His hands wrapped around her cheeks, pulling her in and supporting her, because he’d never kissed her like this before. The intensity of the dizziness, butterflies and watery legs never felt this high.

High school was over, senior prom a memory for a lifetime, no more trips to Seattle for them both, college admissions had been approved and perhaps the most exciting of all. Mat had been invited and chosen for the NHL Draft. The excitement and nervousness was perplexing.

The night before the Barzal family left for the Draft she’d came to pay him a visit. Invited to the Draft as she was without question, unfortunate and remorse fully she had to deny. She had her own flight to catch in the morning. New York to be precise, for an early bird orientation at university.

His hair was back to shorter, neatly sitting atop his head. His Draft Day suit was laid out on his bed, his suitcase packed. As she greeted his parents, they whispered words of how he’d packed the picture frame you had gifted him a few days prior, along with other gifts. The frame was your favourite though, a picture of you two, smiling and in love at senior prom. Mat guided her out on the porch to sit, cuddled in a blanket, side by side, underneath the Summer star filled sky.

She smelt like lavender and vanilla. Her white converse covered her feet, legs bare and body covered with a pretty red floral summer dress. The moonlight cast a glow onto her features, which had become more prominent over the years, lashes long and bold, lips plump and soft, yet she was still beautiful as ever. Mat rested his head over hers as she leaned onto his shoulder.

Exciting as this was, it was also scary. Mat could be drafted anywhere. Anywhere at all. There was not a single question in that. And it’s how terrifying this was. In the end, as scared as she was, she was beyond happy and proud of how far he had come.

Her Barzy was living out his dream and he deserved every minute of it.

“What if the Canucks pick you?” Her voice caught him out of his own thoughts of leaving and not knowing where he was going. He chuckled, “That’d be pretty cool”.

“If that’s the case, could you tell Alex Burrows I am his biggest fan?” At this little give at a lighthearted moment they burst into laughter. Their bodies shook in unison, laughter filling the night. “I will babe, you know I will” he sighed, resting his palm softly against her cheek, getting her to look at him.

It was then that her eyes got glossy, and she smiled, a heartfelt and genuine smile. “I am so proud of Mat, so unbelievably proud” she whispered into the night, holding back a faint cry as he leaned into her. “I’m scared.” He confessed, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb against her cheek.

She sniffled, scooting closer. “Whoever picks you, wherever it may be, they will not regret it. You deserve this, and wherever you go we’re gonna make this work.”

She seldom saw Mat cry. Her fingers were gentle as she wiped at a tear of his, chuckling softly. “You’re going to be amazing, I’ll be watching, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you Barzy. I love you, I love you so much”. He relaxed into her and at the sound of her voice.

Resting his forehead against hers, they remained silent, in sync with their breathing, and listening to the sounds of the night, crickets chirping and the leaves whishing ever so gently. He spoke in a whisper, telling her he loved her endlessly too.

“I’m proud of you too you know.” He pressed a kiss to her nose. She chuckled, thanking him in a whisper. “I have to help Liana pick out a dress”, she informed him softly. Her entirety wished to stay this way forever, but she had something she needed to do, another task to go along with Liana’s task. “I’ll only be a few minutes, and then I’ll be back” she pecked his lips, as she hoisted herself up, making her way into the house. As she moved their hands slowly separated, and Mat felt an empty void in a part of his stomach.

. . .

“I think this could be it” Mat felt like this was the one. If it was, what a miracle and act of destiny would that be. His mother smiled, squeezing his hand. He watched anxiously the stage before him as officials began to approach the podium. A few seconds and soon they’d begin announcing the next pick.

Without even thinking Mat reached into his coat pocket, and was surprised to find yet another note.

“The day you’ve been dreaming of is finally here. I love you, I am so proud of you, and I cannot wait to see you on that stage! Don’t forget I want the first Barzal jersey! Good luck Barzy!” signed with her name and an extravaganza of hearts. He smiled at the note, imagining her sitting in her future dorm on an uncomfortable mattress, and watching the Draft play out on a tiny dorm television.

“The New York Islanders are proud to select from the Seattle Thunderbirds, Mathew Barzal”

Everything seemed to fall into place. Everything seemed to end up how it was supposed. It was almost too good to be true.

And as Mat accepted his congratulations and new found belongings, his girl sat in her future dorm, on an uncomfortable mattress, never peeling her eyes away from the tiny little television. And when they called his name, she could not believe it, but when it settled in she was as happy as she could be, already waiting for when he’d call so she could tell him how happy she was, and excited for the life that was to come.

. . .

Notes From Her - The Middle

Notes From Her - The Future

[homeformyheart]

first choice (part 2) - noah harris x mc (mtfl)

author’s note: part 2 for “first choice.” there are mentions of characters from the freshman series (emily day, zig ortega, chris powell) – enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. moodboard created by me. series/pairing: my two first loves - noah harris x mc (emma price) rating/warnings: 18+; smut between the 🔥⚡ and ❄💧 icons word count: 4.9k based on/prompt: moodboard aesthetic / prom theme inspired by the royal masquerade choices book. summary: emma and noah’s relationship continues to blossom and hit a few major milestones as they finish out their senior year of high school.

read part 1 if you haven’t. read the follow-up fic, the perfect gift if you’d like.

first choice (part 2)

2 weeks later

emma blew on her gloved hands to try to warm them up. she was wearing at least three layers, a scarf, boots, and she still felt the freezing cold in her bones. noah looked over at his shivering girlfriend and chuckled, putting his arm around her and rubbing her shoulders.

“how are you not cold?” emma whined, turning her body toward him to get as close to his body heat as possible.

“i’m always warm and it’s technically above freezing,” noah said, bending down to kiss her forehead.

berry high and eastridge had a partnership with a local community program that helped coordinate and fund group college visits. emma had volunteered to help coordinate schedules across schools. it took a little bit of convincing, and promising a lot of kisses, but noah agreed to come on the trip. even though the NAUA scholarship didn’t pan out, emma was hoping that hartfeld’s second chance scholarship might still be an option for him.

“we’ll take a 15-minute break everyone, feel free to grab some coffee!” the tour guide announced as they approached the campus coffee shop.

“oh, thank god!” emma muttered, half-dragging noah with her as she raced to stand in line.

“hot chocolate or coffee?” noah asked, wrapping his arms around her waist once they got in line.

they approached the front as emma still debated her order. “vanilla latte, please!” she said, kissing him on the cheek before going to find a table.

she sat down next to the red-headed tour guide. “hey emily, how easy is it to find flexible part-time jobs on campus? my boyfriend’s a little worried about balancing everything.”

emily smiled. “first of all, you guys are such a cute couple. second, it’s pretty easy to find a job on campus or close to campus. but how to balance it all might be a better question for my boyfriend, zig, who took a full course load while playing football and working to support his family. i’ll see if he can take his break now.”

emily walked to the counter as noah came back with their drinks. emma accepted the warm mug gratefully and sighed as the latte warmed her cold fingers. noah slid in next to her on the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders.

the tall, tanned brunette barista sauntered over with emily, who quickly introduced everyone. emma shook zig’s hand and was surprised that he and noah went in for a fist bump.

“have you guys met?” emily asked, also seeming surprised.

zig nodded. “i helped prep noah for his interview with dean stafford for the second chance scholarship.”

emma’s eyes widened with recognition. “oh, you’re the one chris mentioned when i spoke to him about the scholarship!”

“chris powell? yeah, he’s one of our best friends and team captain. he showed me your film, noah, and we made sure to pass it on to coach with our recommendations. it was a no brainer, especially hearing about your story from emma,” zig said warmly as emily cuddled in close to his side.

emma tensed and looked down. a couple of weeks ago, the hartfeld football coach reached out to noah “out of the blue” and recommended he apply to hartfeld formally. that noah would be a top candidate for the second chance scholarship, so long as he was willing to play football for hartfeld and kept his grades up. the captain of the team then reached out and walked noah through the application process and connected him with zig to prep for the interviews, which not-so-coincidentally aligned with the trip’s scheduled visit to hartfeld. of course, all of that happened after emma found chris’ contact information on the scholarship website and spoke to him about noah.

zig kept talking about how the scholarship changed his life and made it so he could finally pursue the college education he wanted and was able to put the stigma of his past behind him. noah asked zig if he could have a moment alone with him. emma bit her lip nervously as she walked away with emily to give them some privacy.

“is everything okay?” emily asked.

“um, well, he may or may not be mad at me for going behind his back and submitting his football film to chris. i came across the second chance scholarship during my research and thought it would be perfect for noah. i didn’t tell him about it because i didn’t want to get his hopes up,” emma said quickly, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach.

“well, it sounds to me like he’s very lucky to have someone in his life who cares so much about him and his future. zig and chris also wouldn’t be here if someone didn’t give them a second chance. it inspired chris to create the scholarship, and i really hope things work out for you guys,” emily said reassuringly as zig and noah fist bumped. she walked over to give zig a kiss and emma watched apprehensively as noah approached her, his face thoughtful.

“i’m sorry for going behind your back, babe. you were just so upset about losing the NAUA scholarship, i didn’t want to get your hopes up but i did a lot of research and thought the second chance scholarship would be perfect, since it covers tuition, room and board, and books, with football and boxing fulfilling the activity requirement, so any extra money you make can be sent to your mom. i had to convince ava to help me sneak into the A/V office, and i owe michael a big favor since he put the highlight reel together quickly to make the deadline, so i didn’t have time to explain, and…” emma blurted out. “are you mad?”

noah gave her such a tender look that the tension in her body disappeared. “how could i be mad at my gorgeous, selfless girlfriend who found a way that i could go to college while dealing with her own applications? but i don’t like that you felt as though you needed to keep this a secret. i want us to be a team, okay?”

emma tilted her head up and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. “okay. and i couldn’t just not help you. i care about you, babe. you mean a lot to me.”

noah lowered his head until his forehead was touching hers and closed his eyes. “what did i do to deserve you?”

she laughed. “you chose me, remember?”

“and you chose me,” noah said softly, leaving a kiss on her nose and lacing his fingers with hers as they left the coffee shop to rejoin the tour.

4 weeks later

emma was in front of her house at 7am, waiting for mason. she had texted him a few days ago asking if she could join him for a run. she was pleasantly surprised when he replied but she still wasn’t sure what to expect. she looked carefully at mason’s face as he jogged up to her house, trying to gauge his mood. he gave her a nod and she fell into place jogging beside him. when they finally reached the park and took a break, emma turned to face mason.

“thanks for hanging out with me again, i’ve missed you,” she said, her voice hopeful.

mason gave her a longing look before a small smile appeared on his face. “i’ve missed you too, em. i wish things could go back to normal with us, but i don’t think my feelings for you are going to go away anytime soon. and it hurts to think about you with noah.”

“i felt the same when you were with ava and i’m sorry if i hurt you. mason, you’ll always have a special place in my heart but i also really want my best friend back. i think we just maybe outgrew the old way we used to be friends with all the changes that happened this year, and with us going to different colleges and experiencing different things, maybe we just need to find a new way to be there for each other,” emma said slowly. she had given this a lot of thought over the last couple of months.

mason nodded thoughtfully, seeming to agree. “yeah, maybe we can talk over a milkshake?”

they spent the rest of the morning sharing a malted peanut butter milkshake and catching up on everything and anything. as the sun rose high in the sky, they decided to order food and continue talking like they used to, and emma was hopeful that they would be able to keep finding moments like this to reconnect even when school and life kept them miles apart.

* * * * * emma kept hitting the refresh button on her phone mail app for the results of the photo contest she was expecting to hear about. she was sitting in the park with noah, who was attempting to study for midterms but kept looking over at emma with amusement.

“staring at your phone isn’t going to make the results appear magically,” he teased.

emma put her phone down and sighed. “i know, i’m just really anxious.”

“come here,” noah said, putting his book aside and pulling emma on to his lap. he wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to draw her face closer to his. he left a line of kisses starting at her neck, working his way across her jaw, and up to her cheek. emma closed her eyes, tilting her chin toward noah so their lips could meet in a sweet kiss. she brought a hand up to the back of his neck and shifted so she could deepen the kiss when she heard the ping! from her phone. she quickly climbed off noah’s lap to grab her phone and read the new email that had arrived.

“oh my god, i won! i can’t believe it!” emma shoved her phone in front of her boyfriend’s face, who quickly scanned the congratulatory email and broke out into a wide grin.

he stood up, pulling emma up with him so he could wrap his arms around her and swing her around. “congratulations, babe. i knew you could do it! remember what i said when we picked that one?” noah asked, setting her back down on the ground and peppering her face with kisses.

after an hour of reading her write-ups for both photo options and looking at each photo carefully, noah grabbed the first one and handed it back to emma. “you should use this one. your write-up definitely brings the viewer into the moment and make it seem like so much more happened than the moment itself. and personally, it means the most to me since i was thinking of you when i scored that touchdown. i was so happy you were finally mine, the adrenaline made me feel like i could do anything,” he said, smiling fondly.

“how could i forget? i made sure to include it in my college applications because of that,” emma said, smiling.

6 weeks later

emma smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her navy fit-and-flare dress outside of the neighborhood restaurant noah first took her to when he asked her to homecoming. it quickly became a fixture for them as a date night spot, but tonight was going to be the first time she met his mom and sister. to say she was nervous was a huge understatement.

noah took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “there’s no need to be nervous, i promise,” he said gently, giving her a kiss on the cheek before leading her toward a booth in the back of the restaurant.

emma waved shyly as they approached the booth. “hi, mrs. harris; hazel. it’s really nice to meet you,” she greeted tentatively. she was surprised when mrs. harris stepped out of the booth and wrapped her up in a big hug.

“it’s so good to finally meet you, dear. i’m so glad you could join us to celebrate!”

the rest of the evening was pleasant as they recounted how noah got selected for the second chance scholarship. emma and noah held hands under the table throughout dinner, giving each other side glances and small smiles when they thought his family wouldn’t notice. noah looked pointedly in the other direction when they started sharing embarrassing childhood stories, and emma just laughed along until the conversation eventually transitioned to emma’s future.

“so, emma, what are your college plans?” mrs. harris asked.

she saw noah shift in his seat and avoid her gaze. she hadn’t made any decisions yet but they also hadn’t really talked about their relationship long-term.

“um, well, i plan on focusing on fine arts so i’m deciding between the california institute of design and columbia university in new york,” she replied quietly.

mrs. harris clapped her hands. “oh my, those sound prestigious! i’m sure your family would want you to stay close.”

emma smiled half-heartedly and nodded. “yeah, california would be much closer to home.” but on the complete opposite side of the country from hartfeld, she thought glumly to herself.

dinner wrapped up shortly and after saying goodbye and promising to have dinner with them again soon, emma sat quietly in the drivers’ seat of her used SUV. her dad finally caved and bought her a car as an 18th birthday and congratulatory present after her acceptances came in. it was a safe, reliable car, perfect for the eventual long drives to and from college but emma was just glad to finally have a car of her own. emma looked over at noah with a twinge of sadness as she drove silently back to his house, stopping a couple blocks away so they could have some privacy.

“we should probably talk about what’s next for us, right?” she asked hesitantly.

noah shrugged. “we still have time before you have to decide. but honestly emma, i want you to make the decision that’s best for you. promise me you won’t factor me or our relationship into your decision.”

emma looked helplessly at how the moonlight seemed to sharpen the contours of noah’s face in the most romantic way; his eyes shining sincerely with every word he said. how could this kind, sensitive, gorgeous guy not factor into her decision? she sighed and nodded, “i’ll try.”

🔥⚡🔥⚡

he gave her a sympathetic but understanding look before taking off his seatbelt and reaching toward her. emma obliged, turning the engine off and climbing over the center console to straddle his lap. noah lowered his seat back, wrapping one arm around emma’s waist and the other around her neck, bringing her in for a kiss. emma sighed contentedly at the soft, sweet kisses that quickly grew heated. she ground her hips into his, trying to get her body as close to his as possible, as her hands tangled themselves in his hair. she moaned as he started kissing down her neck to suck gently on the soft patch of skin near her collarbone, one hand moving to palm her breast and the other trailing up the inside of her thigh.

they had agreed over winter break to go slow and that sex would be off the table for now, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t still have fun. emma was starting to get addicted to his touch and wanted to speed up her readiness for him even though logically she knew they needed to take their time; noah had more experience from his time in juvie but understood more than she did that he needed to go slow with her. they ended up meeting somewhere in the middle. emma let out a soft hiss as his fingers started stroking the fabric of her underwear and she ached to feel him inside. he pulled back to look in her eyes for permission and when she nodded, her lips swollen and eyes lidded, his finger dove underneath the fabric.

she could sense the smirk on noah’s face before it appeared as her hips started grinding against his fingers of their own accord and crashed her lips into his. he quickly added a second finger and emma moaned against his mouth; she wanted more. as his fingers continued their steady strokes, she unzipped his jeans as fast as she could, cupping him in her hands through the fabric of his underwear before diving her hand beneath his waistband. she felt him stiffen even more once she freed his cock from his pants and started stroking him; knowing that she caused this reaction sent a thrill down her spine.

“noah, please, i need more,” emma whimpered, rocking hard against his hand while trying to match him stroke for stroke.

“since you asked so nicely,” he murmured against her lips, pressing his thumb down on her clit and moving it in slow circles while maintaining his finger ministrations.

emma buried her face in his neck as she felt the pressure build below her hips; her body felt like it was on fire and she came apart shortly after, biting down gently on the patch of skin that connected noah’s neck to his shoulder to keep herself from screaming. panting slightly, she pulled back to look at him as he brought his fingers to his lips and began licking them. emma picked up the pace of her strokes and gave him a mischievous grin, leaning forward to capture one of his fingers in her mouth, tasting herself. noah’s eyes widened with surprise and she felt his cock twitch underneath her hand as she swirled her tongue around his finger. she moved back to lower her head to his cock.

he tried to pull her back up. “you don’t have to do that—” but she waved him off.

“just tell me what you want,” she winked, continuing her strokes as she started licking him playfully.

noah’s hips rose slightly. “you’re not going to have to do much, i’m close, babe. just keep doing— that, yes, god!” true to his word, after a few measured tongue swirls in sync with her hand strokes, emma felt noah clench and release but not without moaning her name. she swallowed as much as she could and grabbed a tissue from the center console to clean up the rest, grinning wickedly at noah.

“you are definitely full of surprises,” he murmured, bringing her up so he could give her a kiss.

❄💧❄💧

8 weeks later

emma stood in front of the refreshments table, trying to avoid constantly looking over to see if anyone was looking at her photos. but of course, she couldn’t help it and was glancing over every 15 seconds. she stopped when a pair of large, warm hands covered her eyes.

“guess who?”

she squealed and turned around to wrap her arms around noah’s neck. he had to take a step back to keep from falling over, and let his arms wrap naturally around her back. he leaned down to give her a quick kiss before she pulled away.

“thanks for coming, babe. let me walk you through it,” she said excitedly, grabbing his hand and whirling around quickly to lead him toward the wall where her photographs were on display at berry high’s end-of-year art show.

noah smiled and listened attentively as emma explained the themes she was going for and why she chose each photo and placed it where she did. he glanced over at the photos as she was explaining, but he cared more about observing the way her eyes lit up as she talked about something particularly moving, the way she tapped her chin when she was gathering her thoughts, or when a light pink blush appeared on her cheeks when she glanced over and caught him looking at her.

it wasn’t long before her family, ava, mason, and berry high friends arrived and she moved to greet them, giving them a similar rundown of her photos. noah took a couple steps back to observe the photos from a distance; he wasn’t that into art but could tell that emma had a real talent. of course, someone might say he was biased since her award-winning photo, which happened to feature him, was front-and-center.

“hey noah, how’s it going?” noah turned to his right to find mason standing next to him, looking up at emma’s photos.

“jennings. i’m good.” he really wasn’t one for small talk. “i’m glad you made it; emma’s been looking forward to seeing your reaction since you’ve always supported her photography hobby.”

mason turned to him, eyebrow raised. “thanks, i appreciate that. she used to always carry her mom’s camera with her everywhere.” he paused and noah, who always found a way to extract himself from conversations when the predictable lull approached, took a sip of his drink.

“i know we’ve had our differences but i just wanted to thank you for being there for emma. she means a lot to me, and she seems happy with you. just don’t hurt her,” mason said, putting a hand on noah’s shoulder as he turned away.

noah held mason’s gaze for a brief moment and nodded. mason gave him a nod in return and walked away. noah wasn’t sure if they would ever be friends, but he knew mason was always going to be in emma’s life, and at least now the two of them had an understanding.

the crowd was starting to thin out as the evening wore on, and soon it was just him and emma. he put an arm around her waist and brought her closer. “i’m really proud of you. your photos are amazing,” he said, leaning down to give her a soft kiss on the forehead. emma felt herself flush from the compliment.

“wait, i have one more thing i want to show you,” she ducked below the refreshments table to pull out a horizontal picture frame. she tucked it behind her back. “turn around and close your eyes!”

noah chuckled but obeyed; even though he was tempted to peek, he preferred seeing emma’s eager expression when she was waiting for his reaction to something. “okay, you can open them now!”

where her photos were before now hung a series of five photos, individually framed, but connected in a large horizontal design. noah stepped closer to look at the photos, there was the goofy one of them from homecoming, the selfie they took under the stars after emma agreed to be his girlfriend, and a few others. he looked over at emma, who looked giddy, prompting his eyebrow to quirk up in interest.

emma leaned forward to flip a switch hidden on the side. it was then that noah noticed a cord from the frame that was plugged in to the outlet below. when he looked back up, a soft light came from each individual photo, lighting up the letters P R O M ? in script.

noah stood there with his jaw open slightly, stunned. “wha-? aren’t i supposed to ask you to prom?”

emma shifted her weight nervously. “well, i wasn’t sure if you wanted to go to eastridge prom and since i’m at berry high, i figured i should do the asking. and i wanted to surprise you since, you know…” she trailed off and noah raised his eyebrow at her expectantly. emma blushed and looked down at her feet. “you said before that you liked that i could surprise you. i just want to make sure i keep you interested.”

he wrapped his arms around her to pull her in for a kiss. “you just keep being you, there’s plenty to like.”

“wait, is that a yes?” emma pulled back to look up at him.

noah just chuckled. “like i could ever say no to you.”

* * * * * emma couldn’t have imagined a more magical night, as stereotypical and cliché as that sounded. berry high had outdone itself with their prom theme, “the royal masquerade,” and the sparkly gold and silver décor. she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she took in the balloon archway and the gold and silver painted vase centerpieces filled with red and yellow roses on each table. masks and crowns surrounded the vases, along with disposable cameras and costume jewelry, easily serving double duty as décor and photo props.

she turned her head to look at her absolutely handsome boyfriend. he wore a fitted black suit and bowtie with a boutonniere that matched the deep red of her dress and corsage. even though they had coordinated their outfits, she was still stunned when he came to pick her up. she had forgotten how good he looked in a suit. she kept sneaking glances at his profile the entire ride over (he drove them in her car after she made it clear she was not going to ruin her hair and makeup by riding on his motorcycle to prom), wondering how she got so lucky with noah.

“you’ve been staring at me all night, you okay?” he asked, holding out his arm for her as they stepped through the doors of the ballroom.

emma looped her hand in the crook of his elbow, hoping he didn’t notice how she lingered on his bicep. “you just look so handsome tonight,” she said, sighing happily.

noah smirked. “i think you’re the one who steals the show. you are absolutely gorgeous tonight, baby. dance with me?” he grabbed her hand and extended his arm, inviting her to twirl under it. emma giggled as she let him spin her around, the long skirt of her dress billowing out elegantly, before he put his arm around her waist and led her to the dance floor.

after taking their prom photos, dancing with her berry high friends, and enjoying the evening overall, noah quietly led emma toward one of the ballroom balconies. they stepped outside and let the night breeze cool them down.

“did you want to take a break?” emma asked, feeling grateful that she could lean against the railing and take some of the pressure off her stilettos.

noah didn’t answer but just looked at her softly as he rested his arms on the railing on either side of her, enveloping her in his arms. “i just wanted a little bit of quiet to admire my amazing girlfriend. i can’t believe we’ve been together six months already. it seems like not that long ago that we were dancing at homecoming.”

emma felt herself blush. “you are being really romantic tonight, you know that?” she said softly, placing her hand on his cheek and gently stroking it with her thumb. noah leaned down until their foreheads touched and emma felt an overwhelming warmth bloom from her heart and spread across her chest. in that moment, wrapped up in the tender way noah was holding her, she couldn’t help but feel safe and loved. she knew her feelings had progressed for a while now but wasn’t sure if she should wait for noah to say it first. her heart told her that she needed to seize this moment.

“i love you.”

noah’s eyes widened slightly. did she just say—? he blinked a couple times before a wide grin broke out on his face, his eyes lighting up with happiness. “you mean it?” emma nodded, smiling shyly. “i love you too. i’ve wanted to say it for a while now but you beat me to it,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down to give her a deep, loving kiss.

emma beamed and knew she was never going to forget this night for the rest of her life.

* * * * * summer came and went, filled with graduations (lots of tears all around as noah walked across the stage, with mrs. harris squeezing emma’s hand tightly) and grad parties, working part-time to have spending money for college, registering for classes, and planning out the road trip to school. but emma’s favorite part of the summer was how she finally got to spend it hanging out with ava at the mall like old times, reminiscing with mason at his treehouse or at the beach, helping mack find ways to express her art more productively, and going on lots of dates with noah. despite the memories she made that more than made up for missing out last summer, emma was ready to step forward into her future.

noah secured his motorcycle to the tow dolly attached to the back of emma’s car as she crammed in another box in the backseat. “that’s the last box, right?”

emma nodded, glad her dad got her a car that was big enough for both of their stuff but small enough that she shouldn’t have issues finding parking in the city. she watched as noah went back into the house to say his goodbyes and sent her dad a quick text update that they were getting on the road. their goodbye earlier that morning had been brief; he wasn’t thrilled that she was driving cross-country with noah, but agreed to trust her as long as she sent him updates every couple of hours and called him once she arrived at their scheduled stops.

she climbed into the car and put on her seatbelt, waving goodbye to noah’s mom who was waiting in the doorway. noah gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and climbed into the passenger seat. emma turned the key in the ignition and looked over at noah. “ready?”

“wait, not yet.” he leaned over and cupped her face in his hands before giving her a long, deep kiss. “i love you. now i’m ready.”

emma rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “i love you, too.”

she carefully pulled the car out of the driveway, following her phone’s gps toward the highway. she couldn’t help but glance over at noah’s profile next to her, wondering how she got so lucky. noah held out his hand and emma laced her fingers with his over the center console. he pulled their intertwined hands together to leave a soft kiss on the back of her hand, and when he looked back up at her, he was beaming. emma felt a feeling of gratitude and love swell within her for this wonderful man who chose her first.

* * * * * mentions: @khoicesbyk; @nyastarlight; @chetachisblog​; @robintora​;​ @shows-simp-card​; @brycesgirl​;

[grownups-are-the-real-monsters]

Please Come Home For Christmas

Summary:  Carrie giggled, waving her hands to get the girl to stop. The fear of her Mama waking up to a teenage girl serenading her outside was a nightmare she’d like to avoid. She could see Sue’s nose wrinkling from the bitter chill and ached to pull her inside just so the warm air could hug her in a way Carrie herself just couldn’t manage yet.

Fandom: Carrie 

Ships: Carrie White/Sue Snell

Word Count: 3,012

Not a sound beat it’s living heart in the White household on a Saturday night. 

There would be nothing to ease Carrie into sleep until dawn broke and the only ambiance then would be her Mother’s small footsteps atop the lonesome hardwood. But as times turned to Winter and soft flakes of snow hurtled to the ground, Carrie White orchestrated her own performance.

Kneeling in-front of her mirror, she dug a thin brush a bit too harshly into a tube of mascara she’d yet to wear once without crying it off before even leaving her bedroom. Her mother wanted for her to be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ but the young daughter was just realizing she’d been born with the will to celebrate herself. 

So she sat, blinking her eyes at the glass while allowing herself to admire the reflection. Her head bounced...words coming and going with the same speed as distant hail. ‘Spastic’ and ‘weirdo’. She frowned, clawing at the velvety pink fabric of her shirt. ‘Scary White’.

Carrie flung the tube of makeup against the wall...it thumped but gave her no satisfaction. Her eyes followed it as it rolled back towards he folded legs and rattled there against the skin for a few seconds. Mama remained still in her sleep downstairs. Thank goodness. 

Pebbles hitting the window like a headache to her right temple awakened Carrie from her thoughts. She crawled across the floor and gently threw open the window with something like a smile playing at the corners of her lips. 

A stray pebble came through the corner as she popped up...getting her first peek at the lovely Sue Snell who was bouncing (partly from the cold) to get her eyes on her. But young Carrie’s attention was got from her first tease of Sue’s sweet voice...singing...

“Carrie, Carrie, baby

Carrie baby

Carrie, can you come out tonight?”

Carrie giggled, waving her hands to get the girl to stop. The fear of her Mama waking up to a teenage girl serenading her outside was a nightmare she’d like to avoid. She could see Sue’s nose wrinkling from the bitter chill and ached to pull her inside just so the warm air could hug her in a way Carrie herself just couldn’t manage yet. 

“You stop that!” She tried to hold back her chuckles. “I’ll be down in a minute. That is if you’re singing didn’t wake Mama.” She scoffed as if she were really upset but Sue didn’t buy that and Carrie could tell. 

“Hurry down, fair Carrie!” Sue continued her restless hopping, hands now stuffed into the pockets of her coat. “I want to see the Christmas lights!” Her curly hair bounced high with her. 

The rough plan was to take a stroll around the neighborhood, maybe observe the shiny decorations, and head to the Drive-In for Root-beer floats or something. No big deal but Carrie had been thinking about it non-stop for the days since Sue asked when she’d come home from her college’s Christmas break. That was just something she couldn’t help, being that she was a textbook overthinker. 

But judging the way Sue had arrived exactly on time (not even off by a minute) and seemed awfully fidgety, the girl was probably no better. She stood at the end of the walk-way, snowflakes flying down atop her like a living angel...she was bathed in a white shine. Carrie had no way of knowing that Sue was thinking the very same thing about her...

“Tommy asked me to give you his Christmas gift.” She slipped a shinning slim box from her purse of wonders and waved it out for Carrie. “He’s tragically spending his Holiday studying. You miss him, though. I know, sooo...”

She sped over with a bashful smile and accepted the pure looking gift. For a horrid moment, Carrie pictured a tampon sitting there atop the blue fuzzy bed which was of course, a cruel joke from her own mind because what did lay there was a delicate silver chained bracelet. 

“He got me a matching one.” Sue giggled, wiggling her wrist. “Tommy’s a sweet boy, huh? He thought we can fill them up with charms-”

“Like real friendship bracelets?” Carrie abruptly looked up with watery eyes full of an earnest emotion that was hard to place. 

“Yeah!” She gently took Carrie’s wrist, skin-to-skin, and lined up their arms to show off the whole matching gimmick. There was just 1 charm on each of their chains. A glittering star on Carrie’s & a shining heart for Sue. Carrie turned her wrist slowly to watch the charms soak in the night’s light. “He fell for us both, I think.” 

Carrie snapped her head up at that. “Oh, Sue--I don’t think that’s true-”

Sue shook her head with a smile. “My goodness, Carrie White.” Her giggle filled the space between them. “See that it’s true-” She flicked the other girls star charm and then her own. “Poor thing just never had a shot with either of us.” She hummed, almost sad. “I never could love Tommy the way he deserved. The life I would have had with him wasn’t what I wanted. You know that, I guess.” 

Carrie pursed her lips. Yes, she remembered lovely Sue pouring her heart and soul into the cupped palms of one Carrie White. After the prom, Sue hiccupped everything out like thick blood from her throat.

It was criminally endearing. The way Sue had clawed at the tears on her cheeks, explaining that it was just fine for Carrie to date Tommy. In fact, she had subconsciously wished it would happen that way, Sue did. But Carrie didn’t fall for Tommy quite as hard as she did for Sue that night. 

“I love you, Sue.” Was all she could think to say. 

“And I love you, Carrie.” Her nose wiggled again. “I’m working on loving you the way you deserve.” She shrugged, taking her wrist away and starting on the holiday walk. Her boots thudded against the concrete. 

Carrie nearly rolled her eyes, which would have struck Sue as cute. “You love me like you love me.” She hesitantly took the girl’s cold hand in hers...feeling overwhelmingly warm inside. “It’s just the perfect way to live, Sue. To be loved by you.”

Sue slowed down a bit, a pace where the houses behind her stopped being blurry, and blushed. “You always know just what to say Carrie White.” She paused just to admire the girl. “How do you do it?”

Carrie felt her own blush creep up her neck as she shrugged. “I just say what I mean.” She fumbled on her words, feeling like a little mess but was rewarded with a quick kiss on the cheek. It felt criminally undeserved but she still enjoyed the peck of Sue’s pink lips. Part of her felt so eternally grateful for the girl that she had to hold back tears.

They strolled past lawns of beautiful Christmas decorations, Carrie felt the distant eyes of blow mold Santa’s. A tall brown house eclipsing the moon from her vision had the whole baby in the manger set-up. The baby Jesus seemed to sit up in the wooden basket and she imagined it’s glare directed at her. But when Carrie looked up, the plastic baby was asleep just like any decoration.

She sighed. Not realizing she’d stopped until Sue curled up next to her and gently grabbed her arm. She reached out to brush a few blonde baby hairs from Carrie’s temple, a simple gesture but so filled with love. “Save yourself from wasting your young-adulthood, Carrie...” She whispered against the girls skin. “Think about coming home with me.” 

The falling snowflakes around only them grew fatter and a tiny bit slanted as Carrie snapped her head over to gaze at the girl. Both knew the magical element which lay at it’s cause but neither said anything of it. In fact, Sue opened her mouth to stick out her tongue and taste the fluffy ice. 

It ignited a small fire in Carrie’s chest. “My mom-”

Sue deflated slightly, it was hard not to notice. “She doesn’t deserve you Carrie.” 

The blonde pulled her eyes away from Sue and landed them back on the front of the brown-brick home. Their left window glowed green, the right was a glittery crimson. “I deserve her...” She mumbled, mostly to herself. “I can’t Sue. I’m sorry-”

Sue blinked, letting go of Carrie’s arm to wiped her sleeve under her left eye, attempting to look away but Carrie caught the bit of water leaking out. Her chest thumped with pain. Never in her life did she want to make Sue Snell cry. It stung her with a horrible burning sensation all over her body. “Sue?”

She sniffled. “It’s fine. I’m being a baby, huh?” Her giggle then sounded strained. “I just want you to be happy, ok? I would only try to step in like this if I really thought you needed it.” She looked off again.

Carrie felt a flicker of resentment towards the girl, flashes of the prom night played like an old movie in her head. Flashes of hard reds mixed with the hues of Easter colored dresses. “I don’t need you to step in, Sue.” Her voice twitched in it’s tone, a sign of growing anger that while recognized...couldn’t be helped. “Getting your boyfriend to take me to prom just because you felt sorry for me doesn’t earn you that right.”

Sue didn’t flinch but almost. Instead, the girl just shifted her weight to her right leg to disguise her step back. She wasn’t scared. Just a little disappointed in herself for jerking Carrie around. She turned her attention to the lawn of Blow Molds again, making eye contact with one of the old Santas. Tethered reindeer raising his packed sleigh. He smiled, a grin thick with teeth which were blotted in the red color bleeding in from the poorly painted lips. 

A shiver went down her spine. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s ok, Sue.” Carrie blew a flying piece of hair away from her eyes and sighed. “I shouldn’t have-”

Sue pursed her lips and shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I do have a history of making you do things you don’t want to do.” 

Carrie smiled gently. “I had a lovely time with Tommy. Prom...” Her eyes glittered a brief reflection of the Christmas lights across the street. “Turned out pretty okay.” She pinched Sue’s arm softly as if to strengthen the point. 

“My boyfriend fell in love with you.” Sue burst into delightful giggles. Carrie couldn’t help but join her. 

“And I fell in love with his Girlfriend.” She added, tilting her chin so as to hide  behind her long blonde hair. But that didn’t block the feeling of Sue’s joy from radiating around her. Thankfully. 

Moonlight bathed the houses in a mystic pale light, leaving Carrie feeling mute and cold in the winter snow. There was a sense of deadened glee there, after the laughs passed, which they might’ve been able to keep had Sue not invited such tension into air between them. Both girls thought, different in each introspective mind, about how to pass go and collect their 200 dollars. 

Carrie sniffled, red nose flaring, and found it in her to smile. “What do you want for Christmas?” 

Sue chuckled, shoving her cold hands back into the long pockets of her coat as they strolled on. They passed more and more glittering houses that screamed of warm cookies and casual family bickering. To Carrie, it looked very beautiful and very neighborly. 

“A Christmas card, from you.” She chose her words carefully, that much was very clear to her quiet friend. “With words straight from the heart, Missy.” She poked at her. 

Carrie shook her head with a tight grin. “To you and all your family, your neighbors and your friends, May all your days be happy with a joy that never ends-” She sang so softly that no one would ever hear but Sue Snell. 

“Oh, stop that.” Sue thumped her arm gently and burst into sweet giggles. “David Cassidy’s words are not what I want from you.” 

“And what do you want?”

Sue rolled her eyes and bent her knees to pick-up a fallen Candy Cane from the next house’s lawn. Her shoes scoffed against the hard flakes of ice but she had no trouble keeping balance. “I believe I said that already.” She flicked her tongue. 

Carrie shrugged, knowing that she’d agonize over what to write for as long as possible. 

Sue stuck the decoration harder into the grass, stepped back and admired her work with a faint mumbling of lyrics pouring from her mouth. Carrie was positive she didn’t even know she was doing it. “Hello world! I'm your wild girl. I'm your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!”

"Who sings that?” 

Sue blinked a few times before realizing what she’d done. “Oh, the Runaways...” Her smiled refreshed, much brighter, as she waited for Carrie to catch up to her side again. “If you came to live with me, I could show you all my records.” 

Carrie knew now that the battle to shove that conversation down was not going to favor her. “I have missed out on a lot.” 

Sue smirked. “Are you humoring me? Finally.” She sighed happily, dramatically too, and grabbed for Carrie’s hand again. She opened her mouth, ready to list more wonderful things but stopped suddenly. Her hand weakened almost instantly.

She looked up and frowned. “I’m really lonely up there, Carrie.” There was an earnest look of despair that chilled her friend to the bone. “I’m not used to that, I guess. Being one half of a high school sweetheart couple for that long...well, it makes you really dependent.” 

Carrie squeezed her dead palm softly. “Maybe that’s good for you, Sue...” 

The young girl sighed, no dramatics that time, and nodded a few times. “Maybe.”

The epitome of sad...that was Sue Snell.

                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bells will be ringing this sad sad New Years Oh what a Christmas to have the blues My baby's gone I have no friends To wish me greetings once again...”  

The Drive-in, affectionately known as Bluebell’s, was covered in the perfect sprinkling of dusty snow. Making it a picture perfect enough for a postcard (that is if anyone gave a shit about Chamberlain, Maine). 

Sue Snell pulled her straw in-and-out of her root-beer float and watched Carrie White scoop the frothy ice-cream onto her spoon with eager eyes. It was endearingly sweet. “I think we can be independent together.” 

Carrie swallowed, spoon clinking against her glass. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose, Sue?” 

She shook her head and took a long sip of the sweet treat. “No.” Her face was neither in a happy or sad expression. “I don’t need to be independent from you, Carrie. Just...from the life I almost had. One where I end up being a housewife.” A huge hunk of ice-cream fell down her chin, which she wiped at instantly. “And you need independence from...” 

“My mother.” Carrie frowned, putting her chin in her hand. 

“I don’t think independence has to come at the expense of companionship...” Sue shook her head again. The girls went quiet again, just enjoying their--poorly decided--icy cold drink in the middle of a chilling winter night. 

“It’s a nice thought.” Carrie mumbled, licking off any ice cream from her lips in a rush as Sue blinked up at her. “But someone needs to take care of-”

“She’s an adult, Carrie.” Sue gently set her glass down on the table, fluorescent lights blinking above her in a off-putting green hue. “Your Mother can take care of herself. You need to start taking care of yourself.” She finished her point by taking another long slurp of her float. Carrie thought she was hoping to hide her nerves.

A feeling of anxiety pounded from Carrie’s chest and sunk down to her gut as she let those words rush over her. Sue didn’t pressure for any sort of response and instead smiled softly, enjoying the Holiday music. “If I was starting to consider the idea of potentially going away, what might you say to me?” Carrie twirled her straw but didn’t look up. 

The girl brightened considerably but remained calm. “I’d say...” She paused momentarily.

“But this is Christmas yes Christmas my dear The time of year to be with the ones you love So won't you tell me you'll never more roam Christmas and new Years will find you home...”  

“Don’t do it for me, y’know? Just because I’ve been...annoying you about it all night.” Sue frowned, looking madly depressed with herself. “Do it for you. Go anywhere. Just don’t stay here...with her.” 

Carrie found them very low in company, the only other customer around was hidden inside their car. She planned to reach over to cradle the girls freezing hand but found that to be even too much for her fear. So she settled for bumping their legs together from under the table, jean-covered ankles finding each other’s warmth. 

Carrie thought briefly about the baby Jesus outside that tall brown home they’d passed on the way. Laying as still as any decoration had to be in it’s wooden basket. 

She reached out for that hand. Sue instantly squeezed back but stayed quiet, possibly letting Carrie now take the lead because she felt badly. Snow continued to fall but they stayed safe under the tiny roof of the drive-in, remaining a delighted audience to the winter wonderland scene. 

There would come a time and a place during Sue’s College Break stay to discuss further but for now, the girls just relaxed. For Carrie had finally been gifted the ability to take it easy, as long as Sue kept tracing circles onto her skin. 

She’d come out tonight without permission from Mama & that was enough to make her smile. If she could make it as far as the drive-in...well, there was a big chance she’d see herself farther.