#seriously love this event come checkout everyone's art!!

[6amcoffe]

ARCVFASHIONWEEK on twitter; gossip academy

[haiky-u-lously]

Day 5: Yamaguchi Tadashi

December Soulmate Prompt Calendar

“Born with Soulmate’s previous life’s memories, get yours when you meet”

Warning: HQ Adults, bakery shop, kitsune fox types, dream world, damsel-in-distress, fighting, animal death mentioned, friendly teasing, and prodding.

Author’s Note: Day 5 I have yet to fail myself, yey! Everyone's lovely, innocent loyal puppy dog of a future captain, he is so impressionable and yet know when to stand his ground at the same time, how could you not love this green haired freckle boi? I took some liberty and translate his name to get some points of...storyline for this piece.

Hope you enjoy!

“(L/N), I love these new pastries you’ve created. Where does your inspiration come from?” One of your regulars inquired, pointing to one of the new creature type bread forms in your display case.

You smiled as you pulled out a Kukan for them to inspect closer, “Let’s just say my soulmate had a strong obsession with kitsune.”

They gave a grin back at you before taking the shaped bread roll, “Well the kids in my class love them. Can I get five of each type of new pastry?”

Laughing at the lack of care in the customer’s voice, you explained, “Just because they are in a new shape doesn’t mean it’s a new pastry, Sugawara Sensei.”

“Maybe, but don’t tell the kids that.” He winked at you, before handing over his card to process the payment. “So, these all stem from your soulmate’s past life?”

Humming a bit while you scanned the payment through, and to give you a moment to finalize your thoughts before verbalizing them, it shocked into the present when the machine dinged in acceptance of the card’s funds. “Well, I don’t think it’s their most recent life. But it’s definitely their past.” You smiled as you presented the card back to him.

He took the small square of plastic and organized it back in place of his wallet. “Well, my soulmate’s past life memories were from a while ago too, so I didn’t presume it was their most recent life.” He laughed at the face you pulled from his statement, “But! If it helps, I’m sure you’ll meet them.” He paused and grabbed his boxed purchases, “Eventually.”

“Thank you, I appreciate the vote of confidence!” You finally smiled back at him, after letting your own beat of silence fall.

The bell above the store’s door rang as he opened it to leave, only for cold air to hit your ankles as you realized it did not immediately close afterwards.

“Forget something Sensei?” You teased.

“Actually yes, I came in to ask if you catered events.” He answered, seriously.

You thought about it, the last ‘event’ you’d catered was a few years back and the princess of the party was so upset with her dad for having a pastry bar instead of a cookie bar that it put you off events for too long. You answered him honestly in response, “I haven’t in a while, but it’s about time I got back on that horse. What do you need?”

He walked back in, the bell ringing overhead once more as the door closed behind him. “Well I’m having a get together with my old high school volleyball team. And I think it’d be nice to have snacks available when we get to our old training grounds.”

“I mean, I could probably manage that, but do you really think your buddies would want to gather for some basic bread snacks?”

Suga approached the checkout desk, placed his purchases down and locked his eyes with yours before finally speaking again, “Are you messing with me? You make literal works of art, out of food? How is that ‘basic’? And just bread? What’s stopping me from asking for cookies, donuts, tarts, or custards? Heck I should probably just get a couple hundred buns just for the two bottomless pits.” The annoyance in his voice was drowned by the compliments he was spitting at you.

“Okay, maestro.” You smiled, taking the compliments at face value and not trying to argue with him further. “Let’s talk business. What would you want for and when is this event going to be?”

“Tomorrow, and I guess whatever I can get for then, plus a few dozen meat buns, I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a pair of bottomless pits coming to the party.”

You stuttered around confirming the day he wanted to hold this event. “Tt-tto-tomorrow?!”

“Yea,” He sheepishly scratched at the nape of his neck, “I apologize about the late notice. I’d meant to come bother you about it last week but parent conferences took up all my evenings.”

Your pair continued to hash out the plans for what would be needed for his event, you continuingly having to remind him of his deadline and making sure you both were giving yourself realistic expectations. Once the menu was finalized, he made the down payment and left out the front door once more. A few hours later, when your display box was down to only a few remaining pieces, you moved the open sign to closed and began cleaning for the evening. Packing what was left in the display case to take to the shelter like always, a perk from running your own business that allowed you to not just waste left over goods.

That night you had another dream of your soulmate’s past life. They were the most loyal soldier to the King of the Yamato region, you had gathered that much through all the snippets of life you’d seen thus far. You found yourself more and more thankful that their past life you were privy to was so far back in history, because all the interactions he had gave way for all your creations in the real world in the present.

An open field separated the cave entrance and the forest, but from your camped position, you could see both clearly. Watching as the young Yama and Mori played together, you could feel the smile tugging on the lips of the body you possessed. Yea, an obsession is certainly a way to describe the importance of Kitsune in this life. As their sole purpose as a soldier was to protect the babies once any were reported to the king.

Most dreams had you watching over Yama or Mori, sometimes Chikyu, Seishin, or Kaze, on the rare occasion Kukan or Tengoku, but other dreams forced you to relive the fights. When a captured and tortured Kasai was released onto an unsuspecting village, or when a mis-raised Umi drowned the homes of other kitsune cubs. It broke your heart to see how tortured their soul must have been, believing themselves to be at fault for not reaching that particular cub before the poor treatment found them.You knew their loyalty, but also their heart.

This one seemed rather peaceful...Until a seemingly rogue Sanda appeared, the rolls of thunder sounding around the beats of its paws against the mountainside. In a breath, you saw more than felt your form taking after the creature, and the swing of the blade most practiced from all the dreams before coming to fruition as the blade made perfect contact the instant it needed to and you were so proud of their determination.

The battle, if it could even be called that, was short lived. And the scared cubs returned to their separate homes, the Yama to the cave and the Mori to the woods. Both safe for another day, you recognized your dream body’s position change and figured you were now sat on the side of the mountain. And you listened as your body spoke to the now slain kitsune less than two yards away.

“Sorry I couldn’t save you too, but I couldn’t let you harm them. Sorry it had to end like this, but you would have just been killed upon return, or tortured to make yourself stronger in hopes of the enemy wanting a better chance of power.” A sigh escaped the lips that had just been speaking. “I’m sorry.” They whispered before a tear ran down their cheek, eyes closing to the world of dreams around you.

You woke up and felt the tears on your own cheeks, whipping them away quickly you moved to the restroom. Wanting to get our morning routine over with knowing you had a large order on top of your everyday sales items.

“Have a good one! Come again!” You called out to your last customer for the night. Having prepackaged all the items Sugawara Sensei needed for his event, you made one last box of our leftovers, planning to drop them by the shelter with anything left over from the event.

It was a shorter walk to the high school you were meeting at then you’d imagined but the cart full of pastries was heavier than you wished it was. It was a struggle pushing the cart up the giant hill, but felt just as hard pulling it while walking backwards. Finally taking a rest with the cart sideways so it would not roll back, therefore erasing your hard work thus far, you pulled out your phone. Ready to call your regular customer to get some assistance since it was his event the items were for.

“Ah, excuse me.” A voice called before you hit the call button. “I hope I’m not being rude, but it looks like you may be struggling. Can I offer some assistance?”

Giving the freckled man a smile, you answered in the positive, “I would love some help actually. I didn’t expect this cart to be so heavy.”

His smile back was so genuine that his eyes closed, and you thought his face adorable. “Happy to help!” He straightened the cart and started pushing it with relative ease.

“Hahah well I guess not too heavy!” You laughed out in slight embarrassment. Having complained about how heavy your own baked goods were just for a complete stranger to manage against the hill without a slight issue.

Whether he was laughing at you or your comment, you weren’t sure. What you were sure of was that it’s an enjoyable sound you wouldn’t mind hearing often.

“I wouldn’t say that.” He tried to appease your embarrassment, but you were fine with admitting you were unable to complete the task on your own.

“Oh this is the place!” You exclaimed, barely catching the ‘Karasuno’ name on the gate under the singular light post.

The helpful stranger looked between you and the gate, before laughing that melodic laugh once more, bending over your cart slightly before whipping at his eyes, as if tears had formed from laughing so hard. “You must be the caterer Suga-Senpai hired then!”

You gave him a side eye, but smiled innocently none-the-less. “Yes, Sugawara Sensei asked me to bake all these goods for an event. I take it, you know him?”

“Yamaguchi Tadashi, nice to meet you!” He introduced as he nodded in affirmation.

Taking his hand to give it a shake, you felt the spark pass between your pair and smiled even more as you introduced yourself, “(L/N) (F/N), nice to meet you too, soulmate.”

“So Yamaguchi, I never would have expected you to be the one that inspired all of (L/N)’s kitsune creations. Guess you really must have been obsessed with them in your previous life.” Sugawara antagonized your newly verified soulmate.

“O-ob-obsessed?!” He questioned, face going red beneath his cute as heck freckles as he looked between you and his senpai. “I wasn’t obsessed! I was following orders!”

You laughed a bit before saying your own piece, “Orders, smorders. It may have started that way but you loved those little guys more than anything else.”

“Not more than my king!” He retaliated, fist straight against his sides as he jumped from his sat position, eyes closed tight as he expressed his true feelings.

Sugawara gave you a questioning look, and it took everything you had not to turn tail and run. Sheepishly you admitted, “I had never met the king he was so loyal to. Only after we switched memories did I find out that it was because the king was my former life and that loyalty was dedicated to me…” You tried to hide behind your hands, but the green haired boy next to you must have thought this retribution since he forcibly removed your hands and held them tight.

“Aw, look Daichi. The happy couple is already living in their own little world. How can us senpai ever hope to compare catching up with our junior when he has a new found soulmate to connect with…” The fake tone of sadness accompanied with the false singular tear from the frowning elementary school teacher had both your par shooting from your seats.

“Suga-senpai!”

“Sugawara Sensei!!”

You both shouted, he stuck his tongue out at you before turning away completely and moving to talk to a more crowded group within the small gym, most of which were making comments about your pastries.

Yamaguchi moved to hold your hand, this time his movements were shy as if questioning if you would reject his touch. “Sorry about him, but honestly that’s probably just the beginning.”

Watching him nervously fidget with the hem of his shirt, a loose button up you were sure he threw on to look nice but not too nice for his old team’s meet-up event, you realized that your loyal and full hearted soulmate was rather shy. You rolled your thumb over his hand holding yours before you said your own piece, “If you can bare with me now and then, I can get through it. I think!” You gave him a toothy grin to help mitigate his nerves as well as your own.

Day 1 |  Day 2  |  Day 3 |  Day 4  |  Day 5 [X] |  Day 6  |  Day 7  |

Day 8  |  Day 9  |  Day 10  |  Day 11  |  Day 12  |  Day 13  |  Day 14  |

Day 15  |  Day 16  |  Day 17  |  Day 18  |  Day 19  |  Day 20  |

Day 21  |  Day 22  |  Day 23  |  Day 24  |  Day 25  |  Day 26  |

Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30  |  Day 31

[lonestarpost]

March 19, 2021~ Masterlist ~ Issue 11

The Edits Edit

Some of the best edits this week that deserve all the love.

911 LONE STAR CHARACTERS + Personality colors. Paul Strickland: blue. (insp.) by @shoenaerts gives Paul Strickland some much needed love, and I love this edit so much.

TOP 911: LONE STAR DYNAMICS as voted by the fandom — [insp. x, x] #9. TK and Owen → 58/391 (14.8%) by @rafasilvas shows off the parts of the Owen and TK dynamic that are worth paying attention to, and that's an important pursuit!

911/911: Lone Star PoC Appreciation Week by @bicepsie is a beautiful Marjan edit that really brings the heart eyes out of me

This Taros Edit by @beesgraphicsmess is BREATHTAKING!

Sometimes the most important rescues are not rope rescues and scaling building, they are just a person willing to lend a listening ear. by @alwaysablossom is wonderful fan art that showcases Grace so well. Also, this one is great.

points of contact (as a whole) by @reyeslonestar is fantastic! Plus, checkout this Carlos art!

Fic Recs

Some of the best fics this week that deserve all the love.

Friendships Proposals and Tabitha the Cat by @bellakitse (bellakitse)

Word Count: 2004 Chapters: 1/1 Nancy waits until it’s firmly locked before she turns to Carlos. “Dude,” she says, putting a hard emphasis on the word. “Give that man his ring already.”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Through the Farmer's Market by @alilypea (alilypea)

Word Count: 696

Chapters: 1/1

TK has been acting weird lately, and so Carlos goes to worst-case scenario.

somewhere over the rainbow (Chapter: become a family together) by @lire-casander (Lire_casander)

Word Count: 201

Chapters: 1/7 (stand alone works)

911 in the future, lire style

Food for Thought by @sneetchestoo (sneetchestoo)

Word Count: 5172

Chapters: 1/1

Judd gets it, he really does, everyone just wants what’s best for TK, but dammit if the kid didn’t stop cramping his style, they were going to have words.

Free Falling by (fulanaise)

Word Count: 2205

Chapters: 1/1

TK Strand is a damn good firefighter. He comes prepared to face anything in his line of work. He makes sure he always has his squad’s back, he listens to his Captain - his dad - and his life’s motto is ‘leave no man’ behind. He’s a damn good firefighter, he knows he is. But TK has one problem. That problem’s name is Carlos Reyes.

for a time you had me scared by @marjansmarwani (brilliantbanshee)

Word Count: 3782

Chapters: 1/1

An accident on a call leaves TK facing a potentially career-ending injury. He's scared, more scared than he wants to admit and so afraid to hope, but he does have his friends on his side and that counts for a lot.

our steady true north fades by @morganaspendragonss (hollyhobbit101)

Word Count: 1508

Chapters: 1/1

Judd will never forget the first time he laid eyes on Grace. She'd been so alive that night, her face lit up with joy as they'd danced and laughed and talked. She couldn’t look more different now, unnaturally still on the hospital bed with too many machines doing the work her body can’t. Judd's legs tremble as he clutches onto the railings of her bed, silent tears slipping down his cheeks. He wants, desperately, to touch her, but he keeps his hands resolutely to himself - Grace is so fragile right now, and Judd…

Fandom News

Hosting events? Have important announcements? You’re welcome to bring them here to keep people in the know.

In the Future Week: April 19th-25th

For Fanfic Writers:

Day 1: “Are all these kids really ours?” + fluff

Day 2: “We are not seriously writing our own vows, are we?” + humor

Day 3: “It’ll be okay, everything’s going to be okay.” + hurt/comfort

Day 4: “This was not how I wanted to spend the night before my wedding.” + angst

Day 5: “I can’t believe I’ve put up with you for all these years.” + friendship

Day 6: “Even after all these years…” + AU

Day 7: Free Choice

For Content Creators: (*We understand that this may be tricky, but for those of you who are super talented at making AU posts, here are some prompts. Feel free to take liberties with each, and as always, if you’re unsure, feel free to ask.*)

Day 1: Kids

Day 2: Wedding

Day 3: Tragedy

Day 4: Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

Day 5: Best Friends Forever

Day 6: Growing Old

Day 7: Free Choice

[a-lockman5]

Things were different now. {Devi x Paxton}

A/N: Whoop! My first attempt at writing Paxton/Devi. Requested! (eeee!) Canonically accurate. I did not proofread so if it sucks I’m sorry. IF I SUCK, I’M SORRY. 

Also checkout my masterlist! Please request more!

Warnings: Fluff/angst, (that’s it, I think?)

“Devi, hi!” her voice came over the receiver.

“Hey!” Devi chimed back. “How’d you get my number?”

“Paxton gave it to me, of course. I have good news; I was accepted to FIDM!”

Eleanor and Fabiola looked at Devi questioningly, but she just shook her head as she rose from the table and went outside. They were at Fabiola’s house studying for their chemistry test.

“That’s amazing, but of course you did! They’d be stupid not to accept you!”

“I’m so happy! We’re celebrating tonight and Dad told me to invite whoever I wanted.”

“Great! You’ve earned it, Becca.”

“Thanks! Do you think you can come?”

“What?”

“Come to dinner! I never could have made it this far without you. You have to celebrate with me!”

“Uhh…”

***

“Who was that? Your mom?” Eleanor asked.

“No, it was my friend Becca.”

“Paxton’s sister, Becca?” Fabiola asked incredulously. Devi had finally told her friends the details of the photoshoot the day Eleanor’s mom left. She’d explained how Paxton did not trust many people around his sister, and that Devi had met her only by circumstance. When Becca needed someone to save her photoshoot for her portfolio, Paxton had few people he felt he could call.

“She got accepted to the fashion program.”

“Yeah, but have you” –

“No, not once,” Devi cut Eleanor’s question off. “I haven’t talked to him since he blew me off after Ben’s party.”

She had not told her friends about the voicemail Paxton left her on her dad’s birthday. She hadn’t even told anyone Paxton kissed her. Things were different now though, weren’t they? After making amends with her mom and spreading her dad’s ashes, Devi found Ben asleep in Mr. Gross’s car. He was waiting for her… he stayed for her to make sure she was okay. She hadn’t considered Shira in that moment like she had the night of his birthday party. Devi had been so consumed by what must have seemed like a small gesture to Ben but was monumental to her.

She’d felt so abandoned by so many people during the last few weeks, but not Ben. Ben Gross. If you’d told Devi a month ago that she would kiss Ben Gross in his father’s car by the beach in Malibu, she’d have died of laughter. Things were different now though. Ben had been there for her, opened his home to her, brought her friends back to her, delivered her to what was probably the most important event of her life to date. If that wasn’t love, what else could it be?

After their moment in Malibu, Ben went straight to Shira to end their relationship. Reportedly, there was no love lost on Shira’s end. Ben did say she’d been surprised, but not particularly upset. After that, he and Devi were together. No real discussion – not that they’d needed one. Ben was texting her the next day, telling her the details of their first date. They’d gone to miniature golf, and then for pizza. Ben actually had the good humor to take her to the pizza parlor where he’d met TheRealPickleRick69. They’d shared a laugh and it was a perfectly pleasant evening.

She’d never had a boyfriend before. She had nothing to compare her first relationship to, but Ben was nice. He didn’t bicker with her in class the way they’d used to. He studied with her during lunch. He brought her gifts every so often. They’d talk at night before bed, but only texting. Her mother didn’t know they were dating, but instead thought they had struck a competitive friendship. It was better that way. They were allowed to spend more time together. Things were different now, but they were good.

“What’d she want?”

“She invited me over for dinner,” she told them as she picked at her fingernails.

“What did you say?” Fabiola asked. Devi didn’t respond, only continued to stare at her hands.

“Devi!” her friends exclaimed in unison.

“You can’t do that!”

“What would Ben say?”

“Listen,” Devi held her hand up, “Becca is my friend, and this is big! How would you guys feel if I blew you off after you got into” –

“Cal Arts”

“Berkeley”

“Exactly,” she nodded at each of her friends’ aspirations. “You guys taught me I need to be a better friend. That means supporting my friend while she goes after her dream!”

“Okay… but what are you going to tell Ben?”

***

“Devi?”

“Paxton, hi,” she tried to say casually.

“Hey, I didn’t” –

“Coyote girl!” Trent appeared in the doorway. “What is up? I haven’t seen you since that rich guy’s party.”

“You saw me in history yesterday, Trent.”

“Oh yeah, that was you!” he laughed. “What are you doing here?”

“She’s here for dinner,” Rebecca said from deeper inside the house. “I invited her.”

Paxton glanced over his shoulder before looking back at Devi. He frowned slightly and his tongue swept across his top lip as he gaze searched hers for a moment. “Yeah, of course, I should have guessed. Come on in, Vishwakumar.”

It reminded her of that party at Trent’s – the one that had ended in Paxton driving her to the hospital. He and Trent had been surprised to see her that night too, but Paxton was much happier to see her then. She stepped across the threshold as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

*Hey, quiz me for geography?*

She had chosen not to say anything to Ben about dinner at Paxton’s. Not that she wouldn’t… she just didn’t beforehand. Things were so new and she didn’t want to start a fight over nothing. Because it would be over nothing. She was celebrating her friend, that was all. It didn’t need to be a big deal. Still, she pocketed her phone again after putting it on ‘do not disturb.’

“Thanks for coming!” Becca enveloped her friend in a hug. “I can’t believe I got in.”

“I can,” Devi said genuinely. “I’d kill to have your clothes in my closet!”

“If I remember correctly, you tried to steal some of her clothes,” Paxton grinned at them. Devi’s eyes snapped to his, and she didn’t know what to say so she just grinned back.

“So this is the Devi we’ve heard so much about!” she heard a man’s voice from the kitchen. When she turned, her eyes met the warm smile of a tall Japanese man and a shorter blond woman kind brown eyes. She saw the resemblance between them and Paxton immediately.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hall-Yoshida, it’s nice to meet you,” she smiled. “I brought some assorted chocolates, my mom would kill me if I didn’t.”

“Yes! I remember Paxton mentioning you are an excellent guest,” Mrs. Hall-Yoshida said, graciously taking Devi’s gift. Paxton’s ears turned pink at his mother’s words.

“Devi, come see my acceptance letter!” her friend pulled her out of the awkward encounter.

Devi read the letter aloud and watched as Becca beamed at her. “This is seriously so cool. I can’t wait to see your work on runways, in stores, you’re one boss woman, Becca.”

“Now, come on, everybody sit. It’s Becca’s favorite tonight.”

“Tacos!” she cried cheerfully.

“We have black beans or tofu if you’re vegetarian though,” Mr. Hall-Yoshida assured Devi.

“I’m supposed to be,” she nodded, “but I’m not always great at doing what I’m told.”

Paxton chuckled at his plate as Trent nodded next to him. “Yeah, this girl tried to wrestle a coyote! She does not follow any rules.”

“Right, my boy took you to the hospital that night, right? Isn’t that when you first met?”

“No, Devi came over before that. They were already hanging out.”

“Yeah, we had to partner up with Trent for a school project,” Paxton said, glaring at his sister. “We spent some time together then too.”

“And then of course, Becca’s photoshoot. The reason we’re all here,” Devi said trying to divert attention from her and Paxton’s… relationship? Friendship? Were they even friends at this point? Ben’s party, the night they kissed, was more than three weeks ago, and Devi never brought up his voicemail after she and Ben got together. They hardly looked at each anymore, even when they were in the same class.

“Devi, we always have fun when you’re here,” Becca told her. “You and Paxton should hangout here so I can see you more.”

Devi felt herself wince. She glanced at Paxton, who was busying himself with constructing a taco with a practiced stare. Did Becca really not know they weren’t hanging out? That would certainly explain why she let her walk right into this awkward evening.

“I don’t see why it has to be me and Paxton, Becca,” she tried to say with good humor. “You and I are the ones that have fun. We’ll just let Paxton keep hanging out with Trent. Who needs him, right?”

Everyone at the table laughed, except Paxton. Devi noticed he’d not looked up from his plate since getting his taco prepared. Was he actually hurt? He was Paxton Hall-Yoshida! He could have any girl he wanted, why was he being so weird?

“Yeah, dude, you don’t need the ladies when you’ve got me,” Trent elbowed his friend. “Mrs. H-Y, will you pass the tofu?”

“I didn’t know you were vegetarian, Trent,” Mrs. Hall-Yoshida replied, passing the tofu down the table still.

“I’m not, but my mom is, and I just have mad cravings for tofu!”

Devi couldn’t help but smile then, and it looked like neither could Paxton. Who knew Trent would be such a good buffer? So many times over the last couple months, Devi wished that Trent was not around and she could just talk to Paxton without having ‘Coyote Girl’ shouted in her face. She knew he meant well, Trent was a nice guy once you moved past his inability to read a room. Besides, it looked like that very same shortcoming would be what made this evening bearable.

“Actually, I will take the black beans too. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“Of course! Honestly, I did not know that many of those practicing Hinduism are vegetarian. My father is Shinto as I was raised. Paxton said that vegetarianism isn’t required in Hindu culture, but it is thought to be a form of body purification. Is that true?”

Devi looked at Paxton again, though he continued to avoid her gaze. When had he learned all that? Did she even tell him she was Hindu? Sure, they talked the day of Ganesh puja, but did she ever actually tell him she was a practicing Hindu? Maybe she did. She did have a tendency to ramble and lose track of her sentences. She finally tore her gaze from him to meet his father’s eye again. “Yes, generally speaking. In my mother’s house, it is expected. It’s not as common as it used to be, but traditionally the consumption of meat is considered sinful and we’re to have a responsibility to limit harm to other life forms – ya know, cows, chickens, goat. Plants are alive too, but my mom doesn’t take to that argument well.”

The table laughed again, and Devi felt herself start to relax. This wasn’t so bad. So she and Paxton kissed one time. Things didn’t have to be weird. She could still be friends with Rebecca and enjoy time in the Hall-Yoshida house. This was nice.

“So how are things with Gross?” She finally heard Paxton’s voice again.

Fuck.

“Uh..” Devi hesitated. She looked at Rebecca, who looked confused at her brother’s question, and then back at Paxton. His face was hard, smooth.. effortlessly cool. “They’re good, actually. I don’t know if you remember, but I got in a really big fight with my mom a few weeks ago. Ben was really there for me. I guess it made sense all along for us to end up together. I’m really happy.” She punctuated each word with an equally cool gaze at the boy she’d pined for for years.

She saw Paxton’s jaw set. “Good. Glad to hear it. You deserve it.”

Silence descended. Devi felt her anxiety spike. Why did he have to bring up Ben? And why did it feel like everyone knew how uncomfortable the situation became when he did it? Why was he trying to ruin dinner?

“Oh, Gross!” Trent said after what felt like an hour of silence. “I saved that dude’s life once! Man, you should have seen the crater on his face that day. Lucky I was there.”

Devi nodded at Trent slowly, not even able to begin to decipher what he was talking about. “Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.”

“You know where it is,” Paxton shot back, eyes on his plate again.

She didn’t respond. Instead she found herself shut in the bathroom with her back against the door as quickly as she could. A deep sigh escaped her as she pushed her hair out of her face. Maybe she should just go. This was a bad idea. She shouldn’t have come. You know what? No! she thought to herself. I am being a good friend to Becca. Paxton is the one who blew me off. If he’s mad about me being with Ben, then he should have thought of that before not speaking to me for a week.

Devi pulled her phone out of her pocket then and had several missed calls and text messages from Ben.  He wanted to know why she wasn’t answering. It didn’t take long for him to start spiraling. Had he said something to upset her at school today? Did she not need to study for geography? Was she with Fabiola and Eleanor? He thought they liked him, why wouldn’t they let her talk to him? Was she rethinking things with him? Devi rolled her eyes impulsively but felt guilty as soon as she realized. She typed him a quick reply before putting her phone away again.

*Mom took my phone away. I found it but I have to leave it here so I don’t get in bigger trouble. Talk to you tomorrow.*

After washing her hands, Devi returned to the table. Some of the tension seemed to dissipate in her absence, but she still consumed her meal quietly unless she was directly spoken to. It felt safer that way. Trent kept Becca and her parents in stitches, and it almost felt like Devi and Paxton weren’t even at the same table.

After dinner, Becca requested root beer floats for dessert, and was eagerly helping her father. Trent had needed to leave because he had to get his evening workout in. So Devi and Paxton were sat as far from each other as possible on the couch in the living room with the TV on. She was trying not to look at him but she couldn’t help notice his fingers tapping on his thigh. It took her straight back to riding in his car the night of Ben’s party. The night he kissed her – what, at the time, was the happiest moment of her life. Things were different now though. Right?

She looked to his face to find he was already looking back at her. He didn’t look as cold as he had during dinner. He looked vulnerable and there was an emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t pin point. She was going to ask if he was okay, but he spoke first.

“Can we go outside for a minute?”

She felt her eyes widen. “Uh yeah, sure. That’s cool,” she tried to sound aloof, but she failed. The corner of Paxton’s mouth kicked up in a smirk as he nodded briskly and stood.

As soon as the door was closed they both started speaking.

“Paxton, I’m sorry” –

“Look, Devi, I shouldn’t have” –

And then they stopped and looked at each other with what could only be described as matching stupid grins.

“I’ll start,” Paxton said reaching a hand out and grasping her shoulder gently, “but let’s sit down.”

She nodded, letting him guide her to the top step of the stoop where they’d sat together after Becca’s photoshoot. “Devi, I’m sorry. I’ve been a really shitty friend to you. I didn’t know how bad things were with your mom, but that doesn’t matter. I should have been there for you.”

“I should have told you about Ben. I didn’t mean to blow you off, but I didn’t know what to say. We hadn’t been talking, and so many things changed.” Did he flinch when she said that?

“You don’t need to do that. You don’t have anything to be sorry for. So we kissed one time, and now you have a boyfriend. If I wanted a piece of the Devi Vishwakumar, I should have taken it when I had the chance,” he winked.

“I didn’t think…” he grinned at her, much like he had when he found her kicking a locker over a month ago. “You’re joking again.”

“Let’s not let things get weird, okay?” he stood up, before offering her his hand. “At least not weirder than tonight has already been. We’re friends, right?”

“Right, why should things be weird?” She grabbed his hand and felt the electricity shoot through her. It was the same every time they touched. Sure in her mind, things didn’t need to be weird. She wasn’t sure her heart agreed.

Part 2 >>

[jaringdale]

Manspreading doesn’t end with seating

Maybe it’s just me, though I can’t think why. But more and more it seems like dudes just wanna be in my personal space. Especially standing in line. 

Seriously, like I’ll be standing in line, and suddenly there’s a presence behind me. Ok, cool, that’s how lines work, right?

Ten seconds later, the presence is suddenly closer. I can see them out of the corner of my eye every time they move. So I look behind me, I don’t know why I bother, I know it’s gonna be a dude.

I awkwardly scoot forward a couple centimetres, doing my best not to get into the space of the person in front of me, even if there’s so much room in the line that the dude behind could be a metre away and still not inconveniencing himself or anyone else. 

But here’s the thing, dude-who-will-not-take-a-fucking-hint now decides that me shuffling two centimetres away from him is a gold embossed invitation to step even closer to me. And every time the line moves forward he somehow ends up a little closer.

By this point, I can feel his body heat against my back. Seriously, what the fuck dude?

Now I’m not talking about a line a mile long in limited where everyone is doing their best to not be be shoved into compromising positions with their fellow linees.

I’m talking about when there’s two metres of space and the dude behind you feels the need to stand so close if he got a boner you’d feel it poking you in the back.

In some cases it’s culminated in dudes standing over my while I’m trying to enter the pin for my debit card, or crowding me so much I end up effectively being pushed out of the way, so that despite being in line behind me, they magically end up in front at the counter and get their business sorted first.

This happens so often I’ve developed little survival strategies

Before my loathing of strange dudes trying to rub their junk on my body overwhelmed my love of dancing, I used to go out at night. And I’d jump around to various percussive rhythms like I was trying to shake off a clingy badger, or practicing some esoteric martial art really badly. The reason? If I dance with my fists up and my elbows out, and I have long hair you can whip around, dudes creeping up on me for a little surreptitious sexual assaulting tend to come into contact with said fists, elbows or blinding-strands-of-fiery-death-known-as-my-hair before they come into contact with the rest of me.

So now when I encounter a dudebro who for some unknown reason doesn’t consider my personal space to be of any importance, I make a point to look over my shoulder at him, make eye contact, pointedly look at the small-to-non-existent amount of floor space in between us, and look away.

If that doesn’t work, I stand sideways, with my hands on my hips so my elbows are out. If dudebro wants to get in my space he’s going to have to manoeuvre around my unusually pointy elbows.

If I have a trolley or a basket, or better yet a male friend, I’ll put them in between douchebro and me. I haven’t taken an exit poll among the participants to find out whether douchebros find air cuddling other dudes or grocery store conveyance devices more or less pleasant than air cuddling me, but I can only hope they get the hint. The point is, I have a buffer, I have The Neutral Zone and those Romulan douchenozzles better respect it.

My last resort is to point it out to whatever staff members are around (I prefer not to because retail staff tend to have enough shit to deal with), as loudly as I feel safe to do so. Some of them will ask people in line to step back, others won’t.

I’ve been horribly tempted at times to just turn around and say “whoa, dude, personal space”, but I gotta be honest, I’ve never felt safe enough to do so.

And yes, I know, women probably do this too, but I’ve found they do it FAR less. As in I’ve noticed maybe a handful of women be rude about queues in my entire life. Dudebros in my space while waiting in line happens at least once a week, even when there’s literally three people in the entire store. And remember, I don’t go out all that much, I avoid it in fact. This is one of the reasons why.

Thoughts for individual dudes

When you’re next in line, or basically anywhere public, check how much space you’re giving others, especially women, and then consider if you could maybe give them a little more. A good test is, if she were to turn around suddenly, or stand sideways with her hands on her hips, would you come into physical contact? If the answer is yes, you’re too close, if the answer is maybe, you’re too close. If the answer is no, maybe give her tiny bit more room anyway.

Obviously you’re not always gonna have the option, sometimes lines are bigger than the places meant to contain them, but please make the effort, k?

Also, try to look out for it happening to other people. You would not believe how nice it is to have a dude offer to swap places in line with you if it puts them in between you and the creepo who’s close enough to smell your hair. Make it clear to the creeper that if he wants to cuddle then he should have brought enough for the whole class, not just the girls (that’s discrimination after all, how come dudes can’t have his awkward way-too-close-cuddles too?). When male friends have done this for me it’s helped a lot. And honestly, you’re not a bad person if you just do this absentmindedly, without realising, and you can continue to not be a bad person by trying to be more aware. I don’t want you to feel bad, I just want to not be all-but-cuddled by a stranger, unless that stranger is an animal of some kind; in which case please form an orderly line - all consenting animals will receive cuddles, pets, scritches, kisses, and whatever treats I have to hand.

If you’re aware (before or because of reading this) and you don’t care, or feel angry about the idea that you should respect a womans personal space, then you’re an piece of entitled shit and I hope you get bitten on the dong by something that makes it itch like the fire of a thousand suns.

Thoughts for businesses, events, and organisations

Step one: Take a look at your customers, clients, etc, while they’re in line, during busy times and quiet times, it’s amazing how often this happens when there’s only two people in line.

Step two: Try to assess how you manage your lines, do you actually need more space at busy times? Maybe open some more checkout lines, or sort out one of those weird zig zaggy lane things. Look for ways to make it harder for douchenozzles to creep on women who just want to pay for their socks and leave.

Step three: Chat with your staff about ways to manage lines, because ultimately if a chunk of your customers are being made to feel uncomfortable, they’re gonna want to go somewhere else. I stopped going to one pizza place entirely because the staff allowed some huge dude to basically push me out of line and reach right across me when I was trying to pay for my pizza. And let’s be clear about this; I love pizza. It takes a lot for me to give up a supply of pizza. Give staff some ideas on what’s acceptable and what’s not, and how to manage it. And then back them up.

Step four: Consider putting up some signs or something “We apologise for the inconvenience during busy times, but please try to respect others personal space” - The MTA did something like that for the New York subway system and it was welcomed by women all over the world because finally an organisation was acknowledging what a shitty thing this is.

Maybe I can set up a sort of mobile no mans land around myself. Get some barbed wire, trenches, a few mines for good measure. Maybe those tyre covers you see on the back of four wheel drives with variants on the phrase “back off” come in t shirt sizes...