#yesterday i asked them what they did because i knew they were in florida but didn't know where they went!

[pieofdeath]

i love my faefriend so much (said incredibly wearily)

theyre at disney rn and they said "oh I'm in epcot, I bought a cool dagger" and i asked. "oh cool, where??" meaning the country or area (there's 11 (IIRC) countries represented with an area in epcot and then the star wars area. so where is a valid question.)

and in response. i get. "epcot."

[stilespeters]

Reader and jimmy on a date at a diner where they share a milkshake together and its super nice and fluffy

Milkshake Date

pairing: Jimmy Darling x gn!reader

a/n: Its a bit late, valentines day was yesterday but thats ok. Also, i kept writing and writing and eventually that led me to why the end is the end. i hope thats alright!

word count: 3946

summary: You and Jimmy go on a date on Valentine's Day. You share a milkshake and stargaze on the roof.

warnings: fluff

“I’m so nervous,” you said as you looked in the mirror. Your sister was adding some final touches to your hair, and she let out a laugh. “What for? Jimmy’s a good guy, it’ll be alright.”

You let out a groan. “That’s what I’m worried about. Jimmy isn’t just a good guy, he’s amazing and sweet and every other synonym in the book. I’m gonna screw this up,” You covered your face with your hands, “Why did I say yes to him?”

“Because obviously you like him.” she stated the obvious. You were just scared that you were gonna do something stupid. Sure, you knew Jimmy for a while, but you couldn't shake off the feeling that he was still somewhat of a stranger to you. That’s why you and him were going to a diner tonight to get to know each other better.

“You are absolutely gorgeous, Y/n. A guy like Jimmy would be stupid to not see that.” She grabbed your hands and squeezed lightly. “Besides, from what you’ve told me, he sounds like a dreamboat.”

You felt your cheeks redden at the thought of him. He indeed asked you out for a date on valentines day. It meant that he was interested in you, it meant that he liked you enough that he wanted to get to know you better. Truth was, the first time you had laid eyes on him, it felt like you were enchanted. He just had this aura around him that attracted him to you. You just didn't want to screw things up because you really liked him.

“You’re right.”

“Duh.” she rolled her eyes playfully. “The worst that could happen is you and him doing a backseat bingo.” she referred to making out in the back of the car, and you gasped and laughed. “Scandalous!”

Your laughter faltered however when you heard a knock on the door. Your face contorted into fear, but your sister pushed you towards the door. “Have fun, okay! Don't worry too much.” You adjusted the fabric of your clothing one more time before heaving your chest up and pulling your shoulders back. It was just Jimmy, you've seen him dozens of times. What could possibly go wrong?

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes before you opened the door. Jimmy stood with his side facing you, and when he heard the door open, he looked up at you. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

He was wearing a black flat cap, a blue blouse and a leatherlike black jacket. He also wore black gloves. He had always worn them, and when you first asked about it he shrugged it off as the weather being cold. You weren't stupid though. You lived in Jupiter, Florida. It was almost always hot out, except for the nights.

You didn't question it however, since he probably had a reason for it.

“Wow” he smiled widely and he looked you up and down. “You look beautiful, doll.”

You bit the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from smiling too wide. Your cheeks were already beginning to hurt. “Thanks, you look quite handsome yourself.” He smiled at that and extended his arms so you could take the flowers. “They’re beautiful, thank you! I’ll put them in a vase and then we can go.”

You walked back inside the house and when you reached the kitchen, your sister gave you a thumbs up. You felt your cheeks redden and you quickly returned back to the front door.

When you returned, Jimmy held out his arm for you to grab, and together you walked to his car.

“What diner are we going to?” you asked once you were seated and Jimmy smiled. “It’s a surprise.” You hated surprises, Jimmy knew that. That was clear to him when he surprised you with a vinyl record of ‘Only You’ by the Platters. You loved it with your whole soul, but you knew Jimmy wasn't the wealthiest man. You had scolded him for buying something expensive for you. However, when you played it on your record player, you and him first danced to that song. That was a about a week ago before he had asked you out. It became your favorite song, and even when it wasn't playing on your record player, it kept playing in your head. You kept imagining Jimmy and you dancing again.

“You’re lucky I trust you, otherwise I would've jumped out the car.”

He chuckled at that and he shook his head. “All I can say is that they have the best milkshakes ever.”

When you arrived at the diner, the lights were bright. It was in perfect contrast with the night sky.

There weren't many people out, there were only a few cars out front, and Jimmy insisted on you staying put in your seat so he could open the door for you.

You saw him run around the car to your side, and he was laughing as he bowed while opening the door.

You stepped out into the cold night air, and the breeze felt like silk wrapped around you in a thin sheet. It wasn't that cold, but it wasn’t warm either.

Jimmy held out his arm for you to loop yours through, and together you walked to the entrance. Jimmy once again opened the door for you and held it open. “After you.”

You smiled again at him, wanting him to know how much of a gentleman he was. He was generally smooth, someone who had his way with words and girls, but even though he was a playboy, he certainly had manners. The reason why you went out with him was because of that. When you first met him, you thought he was a sight for sore eyes, but you remembered his reputation. You didn't want your heart to be broken like all the other girls who fell for his charisma. But after he showed real interest in you and showed him that he was actually kindhearted, well spoken and goofy, you started to like him and you said yes to him asking you out. It was a funny councidence that it was on Valentine's Day.

The bell rang when you walked in, and you sat down on a red sofa. Jimmy took a seat in front of you. You adjusted the fabric of your clothing and rested your arms on the table that stood between you and Jimmy. There was a large bar on the right of the room, and everything was in the color red, white and black. Several posters hung on the wall, and everything was very stylish. The radio was playing in the background and you chirped up.

“You hear that?” you said and Jimmy went quiet. After a few seconds he raised his eyebrow and you smiled widely. “The song.”

Jimmy listened carefully and then reciprocated your facial expression. “Holy shit, this is our song.”

Our song

‘Only you’ by The Platters was playing on the radio in the background, and you looked at Jimmy as his face was illuminated by the red and orange lights. His dimples were even more prominent in the light, and his eyes looked like they were sparkling. His hands were folded on the table and he grabbed the menu card that laid on the table as he hummed to the song. "We should dance."

"No," you eyes went wide. "We're not gonna dance again. Not after what happened last week." He chuckled at your reaction and he looked at the options on the menu.

“They have the best milkshakes ever,” Jimmy promised and he showed you the card. “The last time I was here, I got the cherry milkshake. It was the absolute best.”

“Then we should definitely get that.”

Your mouth watered only by hearing the words cherry and milkshake. However, you hadn't missed the implication that he was here before.

“You take every date here in this diner?” you joked but deep down you weren't joking. Jimmy chuckled and shook his head. “Only ones who are special, like you. You’re the first person I brought here.”

You felt a bit relieved at that and as Jimmy winked at you, you were at a loss for words. All you could do was smile like an idiot.

Luckily, a waiter came to your rescue. She had a note in her hands and she smiled friendly at the two of you. You noticed her hair was beautifully styled and her hair color matched her red lips.

“What can I get you guys to drink?” she asked and Jimmy looked at you. “The cherry milkshake, please.” you answered and she scribbled something down. “Small, medium or large?”

You looked at Jimmy to see what he wanted, and he cleared his throat. “Large with two straws, please.” He gave the waitress a smile and she reciprocated the action, then walked back to where she came from.

Not even five minutes later, she returned with the milkshake, and she placed it in the center of the table. There was whipped cream and a cherry on top. “Enjoy!”

You leaned in and so did Jimmy, and you began sucking on the straw. The taste of cherry milkshake attacked your tastebuds, and you moaned lightly as you closed your eyes. “This is so good.”

“I know right?” When you opened your eyes you realized your faces were really close together. Jimmy was looking down at the milkshake, until he looked up in your eyes. You felt like you were in a trance. You couldn't look away.

“So, how did rehearsals go today?” you eventually asked and Jimmy hummed. He had told you he was a singer, a performer who did small gigs around town. He didn't lie, he was telling the truth. He only let out the part that he was a performer at a freakshow. He also didn't mention that he had another job as well. But he wasn't planning on telling you about that any time soon. He would actually rather take his chances on you knowing about him performing at a freak show, than you knowing about what he did with his fingers with women every-.

“It went great. I’m doing the mid-show number.”

“Really? That’s awesome,” you mused. “I hope you’re not dancing while singing.” you joked and Jimmy playfully rolled his eyes. “Come on, you still gonna use that against me? I surely am not the worst dancer to roam the earth.”

“You stepped on my toes, multiple times. I like my toes, Jimmy.”

“Okay I may or may not have stepped on your toes, but I have never learned to dance properly. You were gonna teach me, remember?” You thought back to the conversation you and Jimmy had after the failure of a dance when you got your Vinyl. It was lots of fun though, you remembered laughing uncontrollably as he fell on top of you because of the wrong dance moves. You remembered being really flustered, but at the time you were still just friends. “I will, okay. I will teach you how to dance,” Jimmy felt a but coming, and he was right. “But only if you teach me how to sing.”

He let out a snort. “I’m sorry, Y/n. But there is no way I can help you with that. You kind of sound like a dying bird when you sing the lines of this song.” he referred to ‘Only You’ still playing in the background. You had sung it multiple times when you were with him.

You gasped as the words left his mouth and you swatted his arm lightly “Rude! That’s why you have to teach me. An eye for an eye, okay. You teach me, I teach you.”

“That’s not exactly how the saying goes.”

This time you were the one to roll your eyes. “Whatever, just teach me how to sing without sounding like a dying bird, and I’ll teach you how to dance without stepping on toes, okay?”

Jimmy was grinning, but you were dead serious. You challegend him by raising your eyebrow confidently, and he let out a chuckle at that.

“Okay, deal.”

“Anyway, you have seen me dance when we danced together, but I have never actually heard you sing with a band. Where do you exactly perform? I’d love to watch it sometime.” He didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed his lips together in a thin line.

“Near the east side,” he cleared his throat. “Maybe you can come and watch soon.” He knew that he would push it further out. But for now, he bought some time with that answer. He wasn't ready for you to come see his performance yet.

“Sure, that sounds great.” You took another sip of the milkshake, and Jimmy also leaned more forward. Your noses were almost touching, and he could feel your eyes on him.

It was quiet for a while, and you just grinned like an idiot as you both drank from your milkshake. So far so good, you haven't done or said anything stupid yet. The milkshake was gone before you knew it, and you both leaned back. You wanted to stay close to him like that, but without a solid reason -like drinking a milkshake together, it wasn't gonna happen. Unless you were kissing him, but now didn't seem like the right moment.

“So, what are your plans for the future?” you mused and you both leaned a bit back again. “You’re diving right into it.” He chuckled.

“Just curious,” you smiled. “Do you think about pursuing performing as a job?”

He sucked the back of his teeth and looked down. “I don't know,” he started. “I mean, I love singing. It’s something that I adore very much. However, I don't know if I want to continue with it.” He slowly looked up at you and found you already staring back at him with a sympathetic smile.

“What is it that you do want?”

“I just want to settle down I guess. Live an ordinary life. Doesn’t matter where, as long as I don't have to travel so much anymore. For my whole life, I have been traveling and traveling. I just don't think I can travel any longer. As for performing, I’m rolling with it, but I only do it because I don't really have any other choice. My mom was a performer, she was better at it than I am. I guess I really just want to settle down and relax. I want to look at the stars without feeling the dread of rehearsals the next morning. I just want no more exploitation, no more traveling. Just peace.”

“Wow.” you were left quite speechless. You never knew that this is what he felt. You always admired performers on stage, you had always thought that their lives were fairly easy. But hearing the words come out of Jimmy’s mouth made you realize it could be a burden.

“You said that your mother was also a performer?” Jimmy bit his lower lip. “Yeah, she was great, she introduced me to it. I guess it runs in the family.”

You hesitated a bit. “Was?”

“Yeah, she died a few weeks ago.”

Your smile faltered. “Lord Heavens,” you mumbled. “My condolences.”

"Thank you." He gave you a smile and cleared his throat.

“What about you? What is it that you want?”He asked and you supported your head with the palm of your hand. “Same thing as you, I guess. Settle down, have some kids, but first just live life to the fullest.” He nodded at that, and you looked outside.

“Look at the stars!” you gasped in awe as you pointed outside the window. Yes, you were a grown adult, but you couldn’t help but feel like a little kid again when seeing the stars. Your dad and you always counted them before you went to bed. You remembered that you never counted past 47, because you fell asleep after that.

Jimmy looked at you as your eyes sparkled with adoration. He had only seen you look like that at something 1 time. Not at something, but someone. Him. Whilst you were dancing with him. Well, not really dancing, more like stumbling. But he could vividly remember the look in your eyes. It was painted in his memory.

He grinned at you and as you noticed him staring, you felt your cheeks redden. “What?”

“Nothing,” he merely whispered. “I know a spot, wanna go outside?” he asked and he held out his gloved hand for you. You nodded and smiled while taking his hand.

“I trust you not to murder me in the woods.”

After you and Jimmy paid for your milkshake, you walked outside to his car. He opened the trunk and got a blanket, and he then led you to the back of the diner. You wondered why he had a blanket, but you figured you were gonna figure out soon enough. He stood on a container and helped you get up. You promised yourself you’d return with Jimmy for more milkshakes in the future.

You were wondering what he had in mind, and as he lifted himself on top of the roof, he helped you get up as well. You were now both standing on the roof of the diner, and you crossed your arms to try and get warm. You felt the breeze of the wind getting colder and colder.

You were shivering, and Jimmy noticed. He took off his leather jacket and flat cap, and placed the jacket over your shoulders. He was left in his blue blouse, and he placed his flat cap on top of your head. The image of you wearing his clothes was tattooed in his brain. It made him lightheaded in the best way possible. He was going to take a mental picture of that sight.

He grinned at you as he placed the blanket in a perfect rectangular shape, and he laid down on it. You followed him and laid down as well next to him.

“We can watch the stars better from this view instead of the view from inside of the diner.” Jimmy said and you stared in awe at the countless stars painting the sky.

Your eyes had to adjust to the darkness, but after a while you saw the countless stars in your view. When you looked at your side, you saw the lights illuminate Jimmy’s face, and you smiled.

“They’re so beautiful.” you gasped and looked back up to the bright lights.

“Yeah… beautiful…” he said whilst not looking up. His head was turned to the side as he was admiring you.

“Look at that one.” You pointed at the brightest one. Jimmy looked up and also stared at them. It was quiet for a while before he wondered aloud. “You think they used to be people? You think they’re looking down at us at this very moment, while we're looking up at them?”

You diverted your gaze from the stars to Jimmy. “I believe so, yeah,” you saw his eyes shimmer and you grabbed his gloved hand gently. “I think your mom is one of them as well.” You then again pointed at the brightest star. “I think that’s her.”

He smiled again at that, and together you lay there for minutes, hours. You were simply enjoying each other's company. That's until you sat up. Jimmy followed.

“You know, this is the first time I’m doing something romantic on Valentine’s day.” you began and Jimmy watched your side profile as you continued staring at the stars, your hands folded on your lap. The flat cap was still on your head, and Jimmy couldn't keep his eyes off of you.

“What did you used to do on Valentine's day?” He asked.

“I always used to go to freak shows in Stuart, since the freaks always had a special Valentine’s Day’s act. After I was 13, I stopped going, however. I didn’t enjoy going to those shows anymore. After that, Velentine's Day was just another day for me. It was nothing special.” Jimmy stiffened in his spot, feeling like the blood got drained from his face. "Until now."

Jimmy had two weaknesses. He had always been insecure. He didn't deny that. Mostly because of his hands. Each time he touched or kissed someone, they were always scared of his hands.

Except for the housewives who seemed to love his hands- and fingers.

His other weakness were his friends. Anytime people called them Freaks or any other synonym for that word, he felt rage. Now, staring at you, he didn't feel rage at all. All he felt was fear. He was afraid. Afraid you were gonna react like the others. Afraid that he would be dehumanized once he would show his hands.

“It’s such a shame freak shows still exist.”

“Why? You think the ‘freaks’ are less worthy?” He straightened himself a bit. He was getting defensive, and you noticed how the tone had shifted. “What? No. I just think that it’s a shame they exist because the people in it aren't even freaks in the first place. They’re just misunderstood people. They’re human, like us. They have feelings and emotions too. They just have an altercation, physically. I just don't get how people can treat them like they’re worth less than they deserve. I don't like Freakshows because as long as there are freakshows, Freaks will continue to exist.”

His expression softened and he scanned your face to see something out of the ordinary. However, you didn't show any sign of uncertainty, and so his straightened posture softened.

“I haven't been completely honest with you, Y/n.” he started and you furrowed your brows. “What do you mean?”

If he was ever going to have a shot with you, you were going to find out eventually. He genuinely liked you. This was the moment of truth. The moment where he would see if your mask would fall off like all the others. He didn't blame others for running off, but he wished that someone would accept him for the way he was. He hoped that person would be you, but he was tricked by other people in his past before. He was scared to death that he’d scare you, that's the last thing he wanted. But something within him told him that it was alright. He couldn't always procrastinate the inevitable. "I need to show you something.”

As the words left his mouth, you were starting to get a bit concerned. What on earth was he talking about? “Promise me something."

"Yeah, of course. Anything."

"Promise me you won't freak out."

"Jimmy, you're kinda scaring me. What's going on?"

"Just promise me, okay?" his voice was laced with desperation. You pressed your lips into a thin line and you nodded. "I trust you, so yes. I promise."

"Okay..." he said, and he slowly took off his gloves.

Your didn't even know what you were supposed to look at, but as he put his hands slowly in the air, you had to process what you were seeing.

Jimmy looked at you in anticipation. It felt like he was exposing himself fully to you. He felt vulnerable. It felt like time stopped, as if this moment lasted hours, while in fact it was only seconds.

You looked back at him and chuckled. “Okay, nice hands. What do you want to show me though? What on earth would possibly freak me out so much that it looks like you’re about to shit your pants.”

Jimmy let out a breath he held in when he removed his gloves, and you gave him a sympathetic look as you reached your hands for him. Slowly and gently, the pads of your fingers touched the skin of his hands, and you intertwined them with yours. You reached your intertwined hands to your lips and you kissed the back of his hand delicately. You wanted to show him that it was alright.

“People are afraid of being different, because being different is unique and exciting. It’s the opposite of what they are; boring. Millions of Americans and other people in the world are replica’s, they’re all the same. It's not bad necessarily, they're just plain, traditional. You however, are special," you gestured to his hands. "This, is what makes you special. There are only a few of you.” he listened to your every word and he couldn't imagine the reveal going this way. Your reaction was so real, so tender, so delicate. He didn't look away from your eyes.

“You don't have to hide anything from me, Jimmy. I don't know your full story, but I’m willing to try and understand you. The real you. The one who stepped on my toes while we were dancing on our song. The one who adores cherry milkshakes. The you who makes Jimmy Darling special. The person who makes you... you.”

The way you looked at him, the way you smiled at him, made him drown in your eyes. He saw the way you had danced with him, the way you joked with him. Everything just clicked. Jimmy always felt like he missed something. Like he was an unfinished puzzle, like a lock who didn't have the right key. But now, looking at you as you fluttered your eyelashes at him with the starlight illuminting your features, he realized he found the final piece to finish the puzzle. He found the key to his heart.

And so as you wanted to say something else, he leaned in. His lips touched yours and you were taken aback. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, and you were speechless. "What was that for?" You asked breathlessly and he grinned. "I like you."

You smiled at that, and you looked at his lips. Before you knew it, you pressed your lips against his. It was soft and sweet, his breath smelling like cherry. He gently pushed you down till your back was on the blanket, and he got on top of you. Your hands moved to the back of his head, and you tugged his locks as you tilted your head. It felt right, you loved the spark you felt when his lips touched yours. His big hands wove around your body, and his flat cap on your head fell to the ground. Your fingers dug into the fabric of his blouse. His tongue slipped past your lips, and you gave him access. You wanted him, you wanted to peel off the layers of distrust. You wanted to make him feel beautiful again, because he was. You grabbed the palms of his hands and intertwined your hands again. He placed them next to your head, squeezing a bit before his lips moved to your neck.

After a few minutes of making out, you felt like you couldn't breathe. You simply just wanted to kiss him forever, but you had to catch your breath. You rested your forehead against his, and breathed heavily. “You are an extraordinary person.” he whispered against your lips and you smiled. “So are you, Jimmy Darling.”

“The guy who wins your heart will be so lucky.”

“Yes, you are a very lucky man, Jimmy.”

"Does that mean you want to go on another date with me?" he inquired.

"I would like to try out that banana milkshake, yes."

sndjdj

"I would like to try out that banana milkshake, yes."

"I do want to try out that banana milkshake, yes."

"I would like to try out the banana milkshake, yes."

[starkstruck27]

One last little mermay fic because it's the last day and I thought it would be cute (also I may be posting on June 1st technically, but I wrote the bulk of it yesterday so...).

Steve hadn't been working at the aquarium for long, but he loved every second of it. He'd moved out to California a while ago and he'd been down on his luck when Dustin came out one time to visit, all jazzed up about marine life, since it was his latest obsession, and he'd suckered him into a trip to the place before he left again for Hawkins. Steve had never had much interest in undersea life before, but as Dustin dragged him through the exhibits, he found himself in awe of all the beautiful creatures. At the end of their tour, he was buying Dustin a souvenir in the gift shop, when a large "Help Wanted!" sign caught his eye.

"That, uh, that sign," he asked the girl who was scanning the barcode on Dustin's stuffed seahorse and new San Diego Aquarium cap, "Is that just for the gift shop or is it the aquarium in general?"

"No, it's for the whole place. We are looking for a few people to be cashiers in here and the food court, but we're also looking for tour guides and trainers. The trainers have to have some kind of prior experience working with animals though, so just keep that in mind. Would you like an application?" She asked, her smile bright as she handed the younger boy the bag.

"Yes, please," Steve smiled back, and the girl handed him a small packet of papers fill out before smiling and greeting the next customer.

By the time they left, Steve had already returned the packet, completely filled out, to the right box, and two days later, he got a call to come in for an interview. He went, and an hour later, walked out with a job as a tour guide and a date to come in for his first day of training.

By now, nearly two months later, he knew the ins and outs of the entire place, and he could spit facts about sharks or jellyfish or anemone or sea cucumbers like he was listing the days of the week. He was one of the favorites among the tour groups, since he often made stupid dad jokes and gave out aquatic themed stickers to the kids. It was a hands-on aquarium, and a lot of the parents liked the gentle encouragements he would give their kids if they were scared to touch a certain animal, and the kind ways he would explain how to do it properly so as not to hurt the animals so that everything went smoothly. He was often handed tips from appreciative parents, and even though he always tried to refuse them, they always insisted he take them for helping their young kids to have such a positive experience. His fridge in his apartment was running out of room on the front of it from the amount of drawings kids would do for him, and he had made a note to get himself a little scrapbook or binder or something to keep them in so that he didn't have to throw them away to make room for new ones.

So yeah, Steve absolutely loved his job.

And when his boss pulled him aside one day and said that he wanted him to be the one to help launch the newest attraction on May 1st, he was more than happy to do it. He was just supposed to lead the families into the amphitheater that faced the biggest tank in the aquarium and get them pumped up to see some kind of show involving mermaids. He had no idea what it was or how it was going to work, but he was excited to do it, so he did.

Finally, May 1st rolled around and Steve was about to do his first presentation for a packed theater. He scrounged up some of the old confidence he'd had in high school and put on a huge smile as he walked out in front of the tank with his notes, quieting the families and greeting them before asking if they were ready to see some mermaids.

That's what the whole thing was about. It was supposed to be like that one attraction in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where they had the actresses that dressed up like mermaids and entertained families in while swimming under water. It was pretty much the same as that, but while the actors and actresses were swimming around, Steve was supposed to give a presentation on some fun facts about mermaids and then, at the very end, the families would get to pose for pictures with the actors while they were still in the tank. They were going to be going down with air nozzles from oxygen tanks in their hands, so that they could make cool bubble effects, but also so they could still breathe as they were underwater. It was actually really cool, in Steve's opinion, and he was excited to be giving the presentation.

"Okay, so as long as you're ready to meet our merpeople, we have to try and call to them so that they'll come out to see us. Merpeople are king of shy, so we have to be really loud when we call their names, okay? We have a lot of merpeople here at our aquarium, but the ones you're going to see today are named Pearl and Nero, so on the count of three, we're all going to say really loudly 'Hi, Pearl and Nero!', okay?" Steve said as he continued his opening, smiling wide along with a lot of the kids. They all nodded as he counted to three, and they shouted out for the two actors, and they swam over from where they'd dropped into the tank, somewhere off to the side where the audience wouldn't see them going in.

The first 'mermaid', a girl with curly dark hair and tan skin, swam over, wearing a bright red shell bra and a shimmering red tail that caught the light beautifully. She pretended to be shy as she swam over, but she smiled as a manta ray came up to her, and she pet it gently as the kids all oohed and aahed.

"Everybody, this is Pearl," Steve said, gesturing at the tank, and the actress waved back at the audience, flicking her tail as she swam all around and did little tricks. She could hold her breath for an incredible amount of time, only having to use the breathing tube thing once or twice in the past couple of minutes.

"Now, Pearl is a little bit more brave than our other merman, so we have to call out for him again to get him to come out, okay?" Steve said, and the kids all called out for the guy again. The actress in the water even gestured over to someone with her hand as she swam around and played with the fish and other creatures in the tank with her. Finally, the kids all cheered as another actor swam over, looking more timid as he did.

"Everybody, this is Nero," Steve said, and he gestured at the tank, almost forgetting his next bit in the script when he saw the man. He had blonde hair that flowed around his face in ringlets. He had a tiny hint of a mustache on his top lip and the most striking blue eyes Steve had ever seen. His tail was also blue, probably to match his eyes, and as he waved to the audience and smiled, Steve nearly fainted. He was muscular, but not overly so, and his arms looked strong and sturdy, much like the rest of him. And his smile was bright enough to light up the entire ocean if he wanted to.

Steve made himself refocus on his presentation as the actors played under the water, swimming around and playing with both each other and the creatures in the tank with them. They interacted with the crowd as Steve gave his presentation, doing certain motions to go along with the fun facts Steve was spouting, and just seeming to have fun with it. Steve was too, once he got over the initial shock of that gorgeous man swimming around behind him, and when the presentation was over, he both happy and sad about it. The next show was going to be done by another one of his coworkers, and two other actors would be playing the merpeople, so Steve decided to head back to where he knew the actors would be taking their breaks to see if he could get a chance to talk to the guy.

He found him and the other girl laughing backstage as they ate lunch and gossiped, and he was almost afraid to go in and talk to them. They both had towels wrapped around their heads to keep their long, wet hair out of the way as they ate, and they both still had their tails on, since they had one more show to do before they got to leave for the day.

"Oh, speak of the devil," the girl said to the guy, and she gestured to the door that Steve was standing at, smiling widely. "You're our presenter, right? We were just talking about you. You did a great job hyping up the kids for us. Although, your jokes were absolutely terrible. I'm Heather."

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm Steve," the man said, walking further into the room with them and tucking some hair behind his ears nervously. "Sorry to interrupt, I just figured that I should probably introduce myself to you guys at some point since we'll be doing a lot of shows together. And I wanted to compliment you on your performance, it was really, really cool. I don't know how you can hold your breath for that long and keep your eyes open underwater and still to all those tricks and stuff. It was just really amazing."

"Thanks," Heather replied, taking another bite of her sandwich, "And to tell you the truth, it's really nothing special. Just lots and lots of practice."

"And the oxygen tanks help a lot," the man said, the first time he'd spoken since Steve first entered the room. He didn't seem like he'd be a quiet person, but Steve figured that maybe he just didn't really like new people. He could understand that. Still, he'd hoped that maybe he'd have more to say than just that. Heather seemed to notice this, because she looked between them for a second, rolled her eyes at the man, and then reached down to unzip a part of her tail and stick her feet out so that she could shuffle off into another part of the room, saying something about needing to use the bathroom and leaving the two alone.

"I meant what I said," Steve said, stepping closer to the other man, "Your performance was really good. I've never seen so many happy kids in one room before. And you didn't even seem like an actor half the time there. You actually seemed like you lived in the water for real. And I'll tell you, you got a set of balls on you, too. I'd never have the courage to swim straight up to a hammerhead and just start petting it like you did."

"Thank you," the man finally cracked a smile as a cute little blush rose to his cheeks. "Yeah, I've always loved the ocean and anything having to do with it. And normally, I wouldn't have the balls to swim right up to a shark, but we keep them pretty well fed here, so I had nothing to worry about. But still, thanks for the compliments." The man paused again, setting down his sandwich, wiping his hands on a napkin, and training those striking blue eyes on Steve while he stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Billy."

Steve shook his hand, and he could feel his own face lighting up with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," he said, his heart fluttering when the other man's face finally broke into a full grin.

"Likewise," he said, and they began to slip into a more casual conversation as Heather returned and she and Billy finished their lunches and got ready for the next performance. Steve would have to leave soon to get his microphone and his notes sheet again, but he stayed for as long as he could, quickly becoming friends with the two actors and making a few plans to make their next show an even bigger hit than the last one was. Finally, it was just a few minutes before Steve would have to start welcoming families back into the theater, and Billy went off somewhere to do one last thing before the show.

"Oh, and hey Steve, I have a quick question for you," Heather said, just before he left.

"Yeah?" Steve asked, stopping just short of the doorway.

"Can I get your number?" She asked, thrusting a napkin and pen into his hands. "It's not for me, though, it's for Billy. Y'know, just in case you were wondering. He nearly choked in the tank earlier when he first saw you through the glass, however blurry. And he said you had a nice voice. But he's too much of a wimp to ask you himself, so write a corny little note and leave him your number so that I don't have to hear about how out of his league you are for the next fifty years, because he will complain for that long."

Steve was taken aback at first, but he was flattered, and he liked the other guy, too, so he decided, why the heck not? He scribbled down a note and his phone number quickly, then high-tailed it out of the room to be in the theater for his cue, just as Billy came back over.

"Steve asked me to give this to you," Heather grinned like a shark, handing him the note. Billy took it, puzzled, and almost missed his own cue to get in the water as he read and reread it to make sure it sunk in.

Steve left him his number. And a terrible dad joke, but mostly his number, and said he wanted to go out with him sometime. He'd said he wanted to be 'part of his world', and as much as the pun made Billy roll his eyes, he couldn't help but find it cute. He could definitely arrange that. But first, he had to get back in the water, and hopefully nobody would notice as he stared at Steve's ass through the glass.

And if they did, he could just pass it off as a merman curious about how the humans walked around on their two large fins.

[thenotsosecretdiaryofbiyu]

2024年7月13日— Longshan Temple

Today I did something that I’ve been dying to do for a LONG time: go to a Taiwanese temple! The most exciting thing is that I got to make some offerings, make a prayer, and ask a question to one of the deities there! (Well, technically I’m gonna say I offered the prayer to the Heavens in general because I’m pretty sure it goes against my religion to pray to another deity OOPS– don’t tell my pastor plz). My offering was simple, just a pack of some cakes I bought from the temple and the snacks I brought with me in my bag today (some chocolate gummy candy and some chocolate chip os hehe), and I prayed at the spot designated for the deity of romance! Thankfully, I didn’t feel too pathetic though because at least there were a bunch of other desperate singles in the little area too, all praying with their hands pressed together alongside me. After the prayer, I asked a question (which I will NOT tell y’all because a girl has to have her secrets) and I threw the divination moonstones to get a celestial response– it said yes!! So hopefully, things are looking up for me in the romance department! God, and all my friends, know I could use some luck there lol. The cool thing is that I got to take my offerings with me, which is something I did not expect in the slightest! I guess it makes sense though, because it would likely just go to waste otherwise if they weren’t taken back by the offeror.

Off topic, but I realized this morning that some of the things I bought yesterday at the night market were fakes (one little Kuromi journal I bought literally said, “Where do you want to go todag?” LOL)! I don’t mind though, I think it’s funny and I’m sure my bestie won’t care and will love it even more now hehe. I’ve also noticed that there is an absolutely INSANE amount of corporate collabs going on in the capitalistic sphere over here! Yay!!!! I came across a Sanrio themed Seven Eleven today while I was walking around and just its existence blew my mind, and then before I took the MRT home, I grabbed myself some cupcakes from the Pokemon + Mister Donut collab going on right now! The States of course have their own collabs but it’s much, much rarer than it appears to be over here. There’s even a Hello Kitty + Watsons collab for Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary! I got the required points to do so, and then I bought one of the mystery bags! ( 一開始我以爲可以自己選擇想要買��手提包，可是原來是隨機的！無法選擇險要的，是由天命決定。不幸的是送給我的手提包不是我想要的。雖然還是看起來好可愛，但是我可能還要再買一個來嘗試得到想要的設計。）I got the Hello Kitty design, but I really wanted the Cinnamoroll one, so oh well.

The weather here is intense, but I’ve noticed that I don’t actually mind it! The hot weather just feels normal to me because of Florida’s unforgiving heat, and I’m actually happy that it rains here more than Florida! So far, it’s definitely rained here every day since I’ve arrived, and even as I’m typing this, it’s thundering. I had lunch alone today, and it was tons of fun! I went walking around, looking at all the tasty stores and cool little shops and I decided on a Bao place run by a sweet old lady!

Academic Reflection

To be honest, I’m not actually sure how many/which readings we were supposed to do today LOL, but I started reading the one titled “Hot and Noisy” and it’s had some relevance to the activities I’ve done the past few days so I think it’s a good place to start. What really stuck out to me from that writing was how contested the position of the 夜市 is, and how much that both surprised me and made immediate sense. Because I come from a culture where night markets are practically unheard of, I just assumed they were a normal, unthreatened aspect of the culture in Taiwan because I knew nothing about them. The reading showed me how jeopardized their position in Taiwanese society is, and how because they are becoming increasingly regulated, they are at risk. From first hand experience, the lack of government regulation is apparent because as I type this, I’m sitting next to the counterfeit Sanrio journals I bought and using some 來自夜市山寨產品的筆 to annotate the readings lol.

One of the lines from the song mentioned in the article also stuck out to me, the “buy as much as you can so Taiwan will have a miracle.” Although I know it is specifically talking about the night markets, it certainly pertains to the shopping environment in Taiwan as a whole too. The little receipts, which all give you a chance to win a lotto, prove that. It’s clever and makes sense, because it encourages the gambler in you to buy more, which stimulates the economy. It’s certainly worked on me, because even as I spend a little more than I’m supposed to on cute cupcakes, the little number on the receipt I got made the purchase feel just a touch better.

#I’macaptialistforthecutepokemoncupcakes #idbuythecounterfeitsAGAIN

[casspurrjoybell-33]

Taming Arrogance - Chapter 22

*Warning Adult Content*

The walk to Blake's office seems to stretch on longer than usual.

Kansas eyes me when I pass the register, her curious gaze probing me as I try to cover my trail.

I hide behind aisle four and fiddle with a few items on the shelves.

A customer looking at bug spray notices me and smiles.

He's an older gentleman, reminding me of the guy who asked me to carry lumber to his truck a while back.

That was the day I met Blake, if I remember correctly, ow time flies.

I give the man a friendly nod and peek my head around the aisle to check on Kansas.

She's scanning items through her register, completely absorbed with her new customer.

Perfect... I take the opportunity and walk with purposeful strides to Blake's office.

His door is ajar, the small inch of space just waiting for me to enter.

Yesterday if I was at his door I would have knocked, now I just walk inside.

Blake glances up from his desk, his gaze unreadable.

The warmth in his cheeks and the softness of his features have faded since being in the break room.

Is he having second thoughts in a matter of minutes?

He waves me into his office.

Without being asked, I close the door behind me.

I try to tell myself I'm doing it to be a good employee and not because I hope something will happen between us but my dick knows better.

"You still want to go over that file?" I ask, waving the empty file folder in the air.

"Please, sit," Blake instructs.

I slide into the chair closest to his desk, resting the empty folder on the seat next to me.

Blake swivels in his high-backed chair, back and forth, back and forth.

There is a small squeak that comes from the movement and I make a mental note to reach out to building services to fix it.

Blake lifts a stack of paper from his desk and looks them over, picking up conversation in a professional clip.

"As I was saying, we got the approval to build in Florida. The next step is to push out my design and have the construction crew begin immediately. Needless to say, I will be heading down to Miami again to make sure start-up runs smoothly."

My mouth flounders open and then smacks closed. Is he joking?

My heart sinks when realization comes to surface.

Blake doesn't want me anymore.

If he did, my confession wouldn't be going ignored.

He would have greeted me with welcome arms to show me just how happy he was that I let go of my pride.

That's not what's happening at all, though, not even close.

My hands ball into angry fists.

I shouldn't have waited so fuckin' long to tell him how I feel.

"In my absence, I had planned on leaving the store in your capable hands. I knew you'd see to it that things would run as efficiently as possible," Blake continues.

I pick-up on his verb tense and lean back in my chair.

He's talking in past tense.

He had planned on allowing me to run the store.

Which means he doesn't want me to anymore?

He made a comment my hair had gotten longer when we were in the break room.

Does he think I look too sloppy to run his precious store?

"I would," I interject, my defenses gearing up to argue.

"Run the store well, I mean. I know just as much about this place as you do."

Blake raises a brow and I push forward, not wanting to lose any ground with my stance.

"Plus, I know the town. The people like me here. Just because I don't have some fancy ass degree or a wardrobe that could sell for enough to feed a small country doesn't mean I'm any less capable than you."

"All true," Blake answers with an amused grin.

"And your services with this company are very valued."

The double meaning of his words, whether they're intended or not, turn my cheeks crimson.

"But I wasn't implying that I would be passing off the task to someone else because you weren't capable," Blake explains.

"And you are more than welcome to stay here and run the store should you choose," his voice trails off.

The top document in his stack of papers is removed and handed to me.. another contract?

I skim over the verbiage, noting the similarities from the first one I signed when I agreed to take this position.

My eyes catch on the phrases 'own consent' and 'complete anonymity'.

"What is this all about, Blake?"

Blake grabs for his cufflink and adjusts is and then his voice lowers and there is a wisp of vulnerability in his tone.

"Did you mean what you said? In the break room?"

I own up to my emotions and look Blake square in the eye.

I don't have to pause and think about it.

It was my opportunity and I took it.

If Blake doesn't want me anymore... fine but I am a prideful man by nature.

Admitting I want him was hard enough.

Taking it back simply because he doesn't share the same opinion of me is the coward's way out.

Blake glances down at his paperwork and nods.

"Alright then. That is what this is about."

I stare at him without a response.

Where the hell is he going with this?

"Callum, you are more help than you realize, professionally speaking. When we were in Florida the first time, despite your minor temper tantrums, you proved to be the most useful and helpful assistant I've ever had."

"Administrative Specialist," I correct sassily.

Blake smirks and rolls his eyes.

"Right. In either case, I wanted to invite you to Florida with me again. To help me with the start-up of the new store."

My ego gives my mind a chest bump.

"To be honest, I've been thinking about how to invite you for weeks."

"Why haven't you?"

Blake looks at me and I swallow from being under the intensity of his gaze.

"I figured keeping you here, keeping us apart, would probably be the safer route."

"Oh..."

"But after that little confession from you in the break room, my mind was easily swayed. So with that said, would you like to come with me to Florida again?"

I nod once and then twice.

"Yes."

Blake stifles a grin and nods to the contract in my hand.

"I drew that up, in the event you agreed to go. It's a contract stating that if anything should happen between us, physically or romantically, you are doing so of your own consent. Additionally, anything that should happen between us must remain private. I'm sure you can understand why I prefer to keep my private life separate from work."

I glare at the piece of paper, is this guy fuckin' kidding?

I have to sign a piece of paper just to be able to kiss him again?

I'd bet my last three paychecks fag-tard Phil didn't have to do this.

'Yes but Phil never worked with him. Remember, he's your boss.'

My jaw clenches at the mental reminder.

Touché, Mental Callum. Touché.

Okay, so maybe he's doing this to protect himself.

I mean, the dude has to be worth more than I can imagine, millions and despite how hot he is.

I'm sure there are plenty of leeches out there who would work with him just to get under him, squeezing every last penny they could from a sexual harassment lawsuit or some bullshit like that.

'I get it... I do... It still doesn't keep me from being offended though.'

"And what if I don't sign it?" I ask, my irritation taking over the reins. Blake scowls, disappointment falling onto his face.

"Then I will once again appoint you to taking over at this store during my absence."

I laugh humorlessly.

"So what you're saying is if I don't agree to letting you touch me, I lose the opportunity of opening a new store and furthering my career?"

Blake stiffens and narrows his eyes on me.

My snappy attitude is putting him on edge.

Despite my genuine irritation for the discussion at hand, having us go toe-to-toe again has my skin tingling with possibility... I've missed it.

Blake slams a fist on his desk.

"Why are you always so damn difficult?"

I jump in my seat, surprised at the anger in his voice.

"I'm not being difficult," I counter.

"It was just a question."

"One you already know the answer to."

This time it's me glaring at him.

"I don't have a clue, actually. Try me."

Blake stands from his chair.

He seems even taller for some reason.

My eyes travel down his torso.

Then they land on his waist, more specifically on the erection pressing against his matching dress pants.

Blake nods down at it and puts his hand on his narrow hips.

"This is why."

I swallow again, trying to adjust my position to hide my excitement.

Blake shakes his head and looks up at the ceiling.

"I can't be around you for more than five fucking minutes without this happening, Callum. I can't, I can't control myself when I'm around you."

'And there it is, Blake's pride, his confession.'

I grab for the pen on his desk without thinking.

I slide the cap off and sign the contract while it rests on my knee, not wanting to ruin the moment by asking any other questions.

My signature is shaky and I date it for good measure, then I set it on his desk.

Blake watches my movements and his eyes pool with desire, with gratitude.

"When do we leave for Florida?" I ask, trying to hide the lust in my voice.

"Tomorrow."

My boss's eyes raise to meet my gaze once again and it takes all the strength I have not to throw myself at him.

"Was that all, then?" I ask, pretending to still care about the mounds of work on his desk.

"One more thing."

"What's that?"

Blake glances at the door to make sure it's closed, his tongue slides along his bottom lip and he walks around his desk with measured steps.

The hunger in his gaze makes my stomach quiver.

He holds out his hand, urging me to stand with him, my breathing picks up speed when my fingers intertwine with his.

He backs us up one step, then two, until my back is pressed against the wall.

His free hand moves under my jaw, tilting my face up with the pad of his thumb and then his voice lowers to a whisper.

"Kiss me."

[cyarsk52-20]

14 Things Said During The 'Vanderpump Rules" Finale That Will Stay With Me For The Rest Of My Days, Including "You're Worth Nothing" Ariana looking Sandoval dead in the eye and whispering, "You're worth nothing. And I want you to feel that, deep in your soul. I want you to hear that. I regret ever loving you."

14 Things Said During The 'Vanderpump Rules" Finale That Will Stay With Me For The Rest Of My Days, Including "You're Worth Nothing"

BuzzFeed Staff

Have any of you recovered yet from the other night's Vanderpump Rules finale???? I woke up yesterday (and maybe today) just wanting to hug Ariana. You too?

Basically, the whole world has been counting down until this week's episode — Season 10, Episode 15, titled "#Scandoval" — to see what exactly happened in the Vanderpump Rules bubble when news broke that Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss were having a seventh-month-long affair.

If you're not up to date on what happened Wednesday night, here's a very helpful — and detailed — recap.

A lot went down, so I decided to do a fun little roundup of quotes from the finale that will live rent-free in my head FOREVER. Here are some of them.

1. In the opening scenes where Ariana was on her couch taking in the Scandoval news, she said to her friend about Tom, "He gives me the ick."

Producers knew what they were doing here because as Ariana said this line, cameras panned to Tom looking at himself in the mirror, truly giving EVERYONE the ick.

2. The now-famous scene where Tom asked Ariana if she wants anything and she casually turns to him and says, "For you to die."

3. During the emotional conversation between Ariana and Tom when she bravely told him off and she said, "'Selfish' is the nicest word you could use" when Tom said his and Raquel's actions were selfish.

4. During this same conversation when Tom said to Ariana, "You put pressure on me to stay in the relationship." I wanted to throw my TV right out the window when I heard this gaslighting.

5. TBH, Ariana was full of great one-liners during this intense conversation with Tom, so another favorite of mine is when she asked him, "Any last words before we never speak again?" MIC DROPPED.

6. Ariana looking Sandoval dead in the eye and whispering, "You're worth nothing. And I want you to feel that, deep in your soul. I want you to hear that. I regret ever loving you." YES, QUEEN. 👑

7. Fast-forward to when Tom Sandoval went over to Tom Schwartz's apartment and the two were digesting the affair. The conversation that took place between these two was on another level. Like, when Sandoval said to Schwartz, "I wanted to tell [Ariana] and every time I wanted to tell her, I got this vibe that she just did not want to fucking know." WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?

8. I can't stop thinking about when Schwartz said to Katie in the midst of a serious convo, "There's man-eating crocodiles in Florida right now." Is he OKAY?!

9. When James was on the phone with Raquel calling her out on her shit, I lost it when he said to her, "All the people you were building friendships with, you literally trashed it for Sandoval's little cocky cock.

10. James continued... "His stinky 40-year-old cock, like seriously Raquel?" JAMES KENNEDY FOR PRESIDENT. 👏

11. Okay, how about that very cringe, awkward scene when Sandoval went over to Raquel's apartment for them to hold each other and cry? 🙄 When talking about his family liking Raquel, he said "they love you" and Raquel responded by saying "I love you too."

12. It really got even worse when Sandoval replied, "I said 'They love you' but I love you too.” I almost FAINTED.

13. When Tom said in his confessional, "When I kissed Raquel, I felt hope." To me, this is a ridiculous cop out and him trying to justify his horrible actions.

14. When former VPR cast member Kristen Doute went over to Ariana's house to counsel her, Ariana was explaining what Tom's camp came out and said to the public. "They said [my and Tom's] relationship was one of companionship and convenience and not love and romance." Talk about a pathetic excuse.

There is a lot to digest here! Tell me all your VPR finale thoughts in the comments below.

Watch the finale episode and more Vanderpump Rules on Peacock!

Read in BuzzFeed: https://apple.news/A8c0k-w_SSgeJfc25GHuI6Q

Shared from Apple News

Sent from my iPhone

[ego-morior]

LX:

April 30, 2024.

Yesterday was the first time I used my lunch break to cry because of my job.

When I first started, the supervisor of the customer service desk at the time, looked me in the eyes and warned me that this position was for those with a strong sense of holding their own against angry strangers who will see you as a target for all of their problems with the company. She told me, “you’re either going to cry every day because of this job or you’re going to do it once a week, but either way, you are going to cry, can you handle that?”

In a way, she was ultimately right, I did end up crying, but it finally happened two weeks before my first year working there.

I’ve worked at the customer service desk every night for a home improvement store for the past year. Some days are easier than others, but every shift will have two or three guaranteed problem customers. At this point, I’ve been able to handle it... mostly.

During the winter hours, locals living in the mountains were fine to handle. Their rudeness stems from a place of ignorance and not understanding. A great example of this kind of interaction was a man who slammed his wallet onto the counter and demanded I order him a gas heater and have it delivered to his trailer sitting at the end of an unmarked road only he knew the name of. After finding the correct heater, I asked him for his delivery address, which he promptly (and very aggressively) responded with, “why does this company need to know so much of my personal information?” I properly reminded him if he wanted it delivered, we would need his delivery address. He changed his mind swiftly, “just have it delivered to the store then.” And when it came to purchasing the online item, he opened up his wallet and threw two crumpled fifty dollar bills onto my keyboard. I tried to let him down gently and told him online orders have to be purchased with a card. I should have expected the following response; “I don’t believe in banks, I’m giving you cash, that should be enough. That there holds the same value, don't it?” The order never went through, and he fussed until his cheeks burned red with anger that he would be going to our competitor store instead from now on.

As infuriating as those kinds of interactions are in the moment, they’re funny to retell the next day.

When spring nears summer, the vacation homes and airbnbs in the mountains start getting occupied again by hundreds of visitors from elsewhere. Their rudeness, however, doesn’t stem from an ignorance you can laugh at the next day. 

“Well, what do you mean you can’t deliver it to my house? Jacksonville does it.” You can tell them certain trucks can’t make it up the steepness of their thin mountainous driveway, but it won’t matter, because another city in Florida can do it just fine. The other day a woman came in to return a light fixture that couldn’t be found on her credit card. She accused me of accusing her of not being able to afford the item, and hastily opened her checkbook and tossed all of the American Express, Skymiles, and other fancy weighted credit cards onto the counter. “I’ve got real money honey, I can afford everything in this place twice over, can you?” Not sure why but I kept thinking about that statement even after I had clocked out that night. I think I even took a shot before going to bed in her memory.

A gentleman once came in, dressed in ironed out khakis and a polo shirt. It was painfully obvious that he was not local. He approached the desk and very calmly and matter of factly announced to me, “I am having a dinner party tomorrow at my second home in front of the lake. I need several outdoor patios delivered there and I want a crew to come and assemble it on my property by 3pm.” Telling him that couldn’t be possible was harder than swallowing a spoonful of nails from aisle 15.

More and more of these out-of-towners, as the locals call them, are arriving in droves, and are being salt and peppered into the mix of already disgruntled locals. It’s fine to handle in batches but for some reason, it’s been affecting me more lately than it should. Even the pleasant customers wanting to purchase the right cushions for the lounge chairs on their balconies overlooking the blue ridge mountains have left a bitter taste in my mouth after every interaction.

I’m 31. I’ve worked hard for years now, making the most I’ve ever made and yet I’m still a paycheck away from financial instability. My savings could be gone from a sudden maintenance on my car or an unexpected trip to the doctor. I own nothing but the clothes on my back that I wear for my next shift. I go to work every day hoping I only get two ads instead of three during my short drive to work because I can't decide if I can afford spotify premium yet. And here I was, ordering a $200 pillow online for a woman that wanted to make sure it matched the ones she already owned in her Florida home. It’s disheartening to see it and witness it in person every day, y’know? A generation that will never properly understand how lucky they truly are to experience something so many born after them won’t be able to in their lifetime.

The unproblematic out of town customers smile wider, they laugh a little heartier. Even if you try to follow suit, you can just tell their biggest worry is whether or not they need to call a pool maintenance company this week or the week after.

And then there’s others that will threaten your entire career because they didn’t get the discount they felt they deserved. They have so much and yet they can point a finger at you and threaten your entire livelihood, just because they can, just because they've got a little extra time this afternoon. I can't imagine being so miserable when money isn't a worry. Once in a while I'll get ready in front of the mirror and think about how the rumor ever even started. Whoever said the phrase money doesn't make you happy, must have been talking to one of our loyal customers.

I don't think I was born to have an occupation in the customer service industry. Even now, I don't think I was born to do anything other than write.

I love writing. I think I always will. I think I was made to do this, and anything else will feel just as comparable as getting Martha’s third outdoor patio set to match her other two homes by the sea.

[the-firebird69]

So Garth tricked these ladies to get in the way with their car and to threaten try to look like the hero almost got run over cuz they knew what he was doing and they're going after him now and they're going to hit him again and Trump is on TV with this fat ugly face bothering people so we're going to start taking action on you freaking completely losers your game is going on hitting you each other and we're going to do it for you and false flag and living crap out of your useless asses

-we have movement on several items one of them is Trump's being evicted from the apartment area as well as Dave and they'll have to leave they only have one house it's across the street and other tenants don't like them. Like BG. We're going to come down on them like a truck full of bricks and flatten them f****** faces no right now paperwork is getting there and from overseas. Bja is not holding them or forcing them to do anything but it looks it maybe. And yeah they came here yesterday and said this he thinks we're in a lot of trouble and he can't do anything and he's in trouble all the time people give you asking for help and keeps telling him what he expect me to do I'm here alone you f****** fruit so he saw David a few times and he was doing too much and I saw other people messing around with him Non-Stop. David saw it he said that's too much and it is it's ridiculous I said I keep doing it and doing it someone's going to get killed in his mad it should be it's abuse I know there's a lot of it and they're doing it to him trying to provoke him and finally they did so he says I'm going to take our hardware back and take the island and my wife will have her dream. And it's working she said. And they're doing stuff

-there's a lot of stuff happened here and it's very bad and more luck are getting chewed up very bad they are diminishing in this area rapidly and it's not the clones it's the pseudo empire and they hate them and they really should there's tons of reasons they're going after them pretty good and they're pulling them out of positions then today we heard that they're fired from about 20 positions and that's a lot and it's position site State Assembly and federal assembly they're going to fire the representatives it's an addition to those who died because they were Representatives and usually it causes them to run out there and try and fight them. They have about 10 picked up of Florida and there are a few here in Port Charlotte and punta Gorda and out of those 10 there's two and they said ridiculous you can't do that and they said we took your seats in Florida there's about 70 seats and the pseudo empire took 30 they're taking 10 by force and they lost 10 recently due to combat so they will have 50 seats versus 20 and you better bet they're going to change your stupid laws immediately

-there's a few other things they can't stand you and they're causing you a lot of pain on purpose and we do respect that they need to and we're going to cause you a lot of pain especially John remillard you just got to die there's only four Federal representatives from Florida and they're getting rid of support for those Representatives and more shortly

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

[emilemily]

Moving to Washington was very calculated. Florida had become too expensive and I have my only full-blooded sister here in WA. I was so excited to come out here and be close to her and her husband and my nephews. I was soooo excited to feel a normal sort of family bond for the first time ever now that we’re adults and can have one totally without the influence of anyone

But it’s almost as if I’m being pushed away and ostracized because I have made choices that they didn’t agree with.

Instead of taking another full-time desk job, I decided to continue doing online content while starting school for a bachelors degree in marketing

And ever since I made that decision and moved into my own apartment on may 1st, it’s as if my sister and her husband hate me. I reach out to him and ask if they’d like to do dinner, which my sister says is the way to his heart, and he says they’re super busy and we will meet up “one day soon”

He doesn’t text me at all anymore.

He last texted me about the job. I know my sister told him I didn’t take it and why, and he still texted me and asked why. Not that it’s any of his business, but I decided to answer him anyway.

I told him that this particular job is in a seasonal industry, which means that taking time off between May and October is not allowed. It was even in the offer letter. Given my health issues the last few months leading to tons of dr appts, therapy, ortho, and now physical therapy, how would that have ever made sense?

I said it way nicer than that, but still.

He left me on read and didn’t reply. A couple of days passed and he texts and says “sorry I didn’t reply, I just didn’t know what to say.”

No, you were sending a message. If you were told by my sister that I didn’t accept the job, then knowing you two, you asked her why and she said exactly why. You texted me that intentionally so that you could ignore me when I told you. If you already knew why I didn’t accept it, why did you ask me for the reason if you knew you wouldn’t know what to say?

You wanted me to sense your displeasure. You wanted to drive the point home. You won’t tell me what you’re really thinking, so instead you behave passive aggressively.

I have no clue on earth what I have done to be treated like this. I will be 30 this year and am perfectly capable of making my own decisions, whether you understand it or not. I have never once criticized you or even shown any negative feelings about anything you’ve done because I understand that you are free to do as you see fit.

We all are.

All I want in this world is to have a family. A real family that loves me and is there for me. Unconditionally.

I feel so frozen out by the people I moved here to be close to and it fucking hurts so bad.

I’m going through some serious medical shit and my own sister wouldn’t talk to me about it while I was so on edge yesterday. But texts are going through S about money and due dates and other things.

I’m just so confused and honestly, I think that this has impacted my mental health more than anything. Trying to read minds. Trying to understand without a lot of info or anything to go off of.

Maybe my being an internet slut bothers you. Fair enough. It’s not for everyone. But it’s paying my bills and keeping me afloat as I deal with medical shit whilst going back to school and finding myself for the first time in years.

Why do I have to wonder how anyone in my family feels about me? Why can’t I just feel loved? I try so hard to show love to others. I want so badly to feel close to them.

My work hours can be weird and at times unpredictable, but when I’m available, I’m there. I feel so judged it’s disgusting.

People get a taste of success and they completely forget where they came from. Fact of the matter is, your success could dissipate at any moment. Any singular moment. Your company could go under and that would be that.

But it’s thriving because of your work ethic. I’m proud of you for that. But work ethic isn’t always enough and your success could be snatched back at any moment. Stay humble. Remember who you were just 10 years ago. I know I haven’t forgotten.

My sister told me “Sorry if he was weird about you turning down the job… he just has a very…particular idea of what success looks like”

Crushed my heart. So is success sitting at a desk 5 days a week? Is it working my way up within a company that could put me out on my ass at anytime? Is it being a yes man? Is it getting into a company I don’t care about at a low level position just to kiss ass all the way to the top?

I’m sorry, but not everyone succeeds that way, or sees that as success for themselves. To someone that is success and I’m proud of anyone who is successful in their own eyes. But I will never be happy living a life like that unless it is something I’m passionate about.

Never ever ever

And that is my choice to make. My own burden to bear. I never asked you to find my success for me, nor did I ever beg you for guidance on how to find it.

In fact, I told you about the way in which I’d found my own success and you tried to push yours onto me.

I never needed that. All I ever needed was love, to feel cared for. To feel like no matter how you feel about my work, you still love and embrace me as your family.

I’ve moved thousands of miles from Florida for this and all I feel is alone and sad. Sick, alone and sad. I don’t understand.

We all have our shit, I know that. But how can family make me feel like nothing with such ease?

It hurts so bad I can’t even explain it.

One day I will feel like I belong and like I am loved.

Just not today.

If everyone in this world minded their business unless someone was hurting or needed help, my god how much better we would all be doing.

Goodnight.

[spencermyangel]

Can you do one where Morgan is stressed out about something and he snaps at Spencer because of it and says something like 'I can't deal with you right now' and Spencer gets upset. i noticed morgan tends to snap at reid when hes upset about something in the show.

Morgan gripped the steering wheel, trying to tune out the sound of Spencer rambling. His annoyance grew as Spencer went on and on. He was already stressed about the case, he didn’t need to listen to Spencer explain the difference between the types of lizards that were found at each scene.

“-And, did you know that Lizards are a symbol of birth, death, regeneration, and survival. How the lizard can lose its tail and regrown it has lead too-,”

“Reid!” Morgan finally snapped, “Would you shut up for once. I can’t deal with you right now.” 

Spencer’s mouth snapped shut immediately. His heart ached and his cheeks flushed pink. He opened his mouth to apologise, but it only caused his embarrassment to grow when all that came out was a pained whine. 

Morgan glanced at him before rolling his eyes. “Gosh, why can’t you ever be normal,” Morgan muttered quietly, so quietly Spencer almost didn’t hear him, and he obviously wasn’t meant to.

Spencer stared forward at his hands, willing himself not to cry. He was already weak enough, he didn’t need to give Morgan more reasons to be annoyed by him. 

*

Morgan glanced over at Spencer, who was standing by the map, moving pins as his brain hyper-focused on the geo-profile. Morgan felt a pang of guilt, ever since he snapped at him earlier he hadn’t spoken all day. Morgan knew Spencer was most likely non-verbal and it pained him that he had caused this. 

Morgan decided he would speak to Spencer about it later, when he was able to talk again. 

*

The time to talk came on the jet on the way home. 

“Hey, Pretty boy,” Morgan said as he sat across from Spencer. 

Spencer gripped his book, but glanced up with a slightly forced smile, “hi,” he softly whispered. 

Morgan leaned forward and folded his hands on the table, “listen, Reid, I’m sorry about snapping at you yesterday. I was just stressed.”

“It’s okay,” Spencer replied, about to go back to reading his book, but he was interrupted by Morgan speaking to him again.

“No, it’s not. I won’t do it again.”

Spencer simply fidgeted with the pages of his book and avoided Morgan’s eyes. Morgan studied him, until he figured out what the look on his face was. Doubt.

“You don’t believe me,” Morgan stated, surprise in his voice. 

Spencer shrugged, “you do it a lot. Snap at me when you’re stressed.”

“What!” Morgan furrowed his brows, eyes filled with confusion. 

“When Penelope got shot. The case before that in Florida, and when Ellie was taken in LA,” Spencer began rocking in his seat, “you do it a lot. It’s okay, though, I know I can be difficult to deal with. It’s understandable to get stressed around me.”

Morgan could tell Spencer wasn’t trying to manipulate him. He truly believed he was hard to be around. He thought it made sense that if people weren’t at their best it was okay for them to brush him aside and even be mean to him. 

“No, Spencer. Please don’t think that,” Morgan pleaded. He couldn’t stand the thought that his baby brother believed these things about himself. “You don’t deserve to be treated like that. This is my fault, I’ve always been snappy when I’m upset. I’m not perfect and this is something I need to work on. Do you understand?” 

Spencer stayed silent for a moment, considering what Morgan said, before nodding.

“Thank you, Reid.” Morgan knew it would take time to repair the doubts he had unknowingly caused, but he was determined to do it.

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[lovetorn]

first meeting [roommate!dream au]

summary: a small blurb about you and dream's first meeting :)

w/c: 0.8k+

warnings: swearing

roommate!dream masterlist

—

Moving in on campus was one thing, but moving in with a stranger and with nobody to help you, was another. Your parents believed that moving in on your own would teach you independence—you always rolled your eyes at them.

So, when you arrived at the pale yellow apartment block next to Florida University, you stared at it. You just stared in disbelief. Your room was on the 5th floor and there was no way you were getting half of your belongings into the elevator and up there by yourself. You cursed at the sky and groaned out in annoyance. “Fuck’s sake.”

You popped the trunk of your car and pulled out 2 suitcases full of clothes and a small bag that contained some toiletries. You slammed the door closed and locked your car quickly, before heading inside and into the elevator. Thankfully, there was nobody in the elevator with you, otherwise, they would be mortified at your constant cursing and complaining.

Once you got to the apartment door, you realised that you didn’t collect the key from the resident's office and we’re relying on your new roommate to hopefully be there and open up for you. You were nervous. Your university put you with someone in your year, not telling you their name or gender.

Bringing your fist up to knock on the door, you were startled by the door actually opening.

“Woah, hi?” Your eyes met a tall, blonde guy. He was in a white t-shirt and dark jeans, but you could barely acknowledge any of that when you saw the green of his eyes.

You smiled awkwardly. “Uh, hi. This is my apartment?” You internally kicked and punched yourself, thanking the universe that there was nobody else in the hallway to experience the awkward encounter.

The guy’s face broke out in a smile. “Oh! Yes, hi, you’re my roommate. I’m Dream, you must be Y/n?” He pointed at you while he spoke and went to take one of the suitcase handles from you.

“That’s me,” You gave him a tight-lipped smile because oh my god he is way too attractive to be your roommate. There’s no way. You felt yourself getting flustered in his presence and your palms started to get sweaty.

“Here let me help,” He furrowed his eyebrows. “This is everything?”

You let out a laugh. “No! This is just some of my clothes, the rest of my stuff is in my car downstairs.”

“Well, I hope it’d be downstairs,” You squinted at him and tried to figure out the best way to respond to his joke? Is that what you’d call it?

“Ha, yeah,” You kicked yourself again. There was an awkward tension in the air as you closed the door behind you and stood next to it.

Dream beckoned you to follow him. “Anyways, this is your room here. Mine is just across the apartment, over there—“ He had seemingly forgotten the awkward encounter and pointed across the living room at a door. “And, that’s the bathroom—“ Another door next to the kitchen. “And, I think that’s it,” Dream looked around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything and then turned back towards you.

You nodded, taking in where everything was and then turned the door handle to your room. Your room was decently sized, with enough room for the provided bed in the corner and the desk on the other wall.

"When did you get here?" You asked, watching how Dream raised his eyebrows at your question.

"Yesterday." You nodded again. “If you need anything, just ask,” Dream said, smiling at you again. Oh, this was going to be a long 3 years—if you even lasted that long.

“I–uh, actually do. My stuff is in my car and I can’t get it up here by myself,” You rolled your lips between your teeth, hoping that he’d be willing to help. You rolled your suitcases into your room and placed the toiletries bag on the bed.

“Sure! Yeah, come on.”

You sighed in relief and followed him out the door. As you walked, you observed the man slightly in front of you. His broad shoulders and his biceps and his dirty blonde hair. Oh god.

“So where are you from?” Dream asked you a series of questions and you responded the best you could, even when he questioned you about why you came alone.

“You know how parents are. They wanted me to be more independent,” You said, sliding a box from the backseat of your car and into your arms.

“Oh, I guess that I should just leave you to it then, yeah?” You threw Dream a warning look and that’s when the warmth in your heart swelled. He let out a hearty laugh with a slight wheeze, and the sound made you smile.

“I like your laugh,” you commented, handing him a third box. His cheeks grew pink at your comment.

“Thanks, I guess?” He laughed again and headed towards the apartment building with 3 boxes.

You watched as he left and knew you were going to be in trouble.

[mcufox123]

Poofed

WandaxFemReader

Summary: Wanda copes with a life that may not have you in it.

Warnings: Devestation

A/N: This story literally is heartbreaking but in a good way I think. Let me know what you guys think!

****************************************************************************************************

You wake up suddenly to your hand being kicked. It was wrapped around your wife’s very pregnant belly as you both tried to sleep through the night. You smiled dreamily in your sleepy state as you were reminded of the twins who would be born any day now.

You and your wife were a part of the famous superhero group who saved the world numerous times. Shortly after she joined and got acclimated with the team the two of you started dating. It has now been 7 years of being together, 3 of them being married. You had moved out of the compound and were now living in your dream house in the countryside, the perfect place for your growing family.

While Wanda was able to take leave months ago as none of the team wanted your children hurt, you still went to work every day. The team promised that once they were born you would be given 3 months to spend with your family but until then “there were still bad guys out there” in Tony's words of course.

You checked the time to see you still had a half an hour to spare before you had to be at the compound. You made Wanda breakfast and set it up next to her then you got ready for your day. You showered, got changed and before you left you wrote two sticky notes to leave on your wife’s mirror. One saying, “I love you more than chocolate chip cookies.” The second said, “You are looking like such a hot mama today.” You left a kiss on Wanda’s forehead and whispered an ‘I love you’ then you went to work.

Wanda woke later that morning with a smile on her face. She saw the breakfast you set up and immediately started eating because she was starving. After her breakfast in bed, she showered before seeing the notes you left. She actually laughed out loud. Even when you weren’t home you always made her day. She sent you a quick text.

Hi my love! Thank you so much for breakfast! I love you more than tv shows!

After that Wanda went about her day normally before she got bored and decided to go to the compound. When she arrived she saw Bucky and Sam watching tv.

“Hey boys,” Wanda said as she set her bag on the counter before walking over and sitting in between the two.

“Hey Wand, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?” Bucky suddenly jumped into protective older brother mode.

“Sit.” Wanda ordered him, glaring at him. She appreciated the gesture, but she was pregnant and not handicapped.

“Yes Ma’am.” Bucky sat not wanting to make Wanda upset.

“Damn man, if she needs something she’ll tell us right?” Sam asked, turning to Wanda.

“Exactly thank you Sam.” They continued watching TV comfortably every once in a while bantering about something.

“Hey guys, where was y/n’s mission today? I usually hear from her by now if she’s going to be later than 6.” Wanda said realizing the time was now past 6 and she still hasn’t heard anything.

“I think they were in Florida today,” Bucky said, scratching his head trying to remember what Steve told them this morning. “Some mission with aliens that Carol warned them about. They’ll be fine. You’re welcome to stay here in your old room though.” He finished. Wanda thanked him before getting up to move to the kitchen, both men hot on her tail.

“Who is hungry?” Wanda asked as she started to get ingredients out for a caprese chicken dish and some pasta.

“Me, for sure. I missed your cooking so much Wanda.” Sam said, taking a seat at the counter pulling out his phone to que up some songs to listen to while you cooked. Dinner was good and shortly after Wanda went to bed in the now foreign space and begged for sleep to consume her. It was hard because she grew used to your arms wrapped around her with your face pressed into her hair. That night she didn’t get much sleep. She sent you a text letting you know she was sleeping at the compound before she rolled over and tried to shut her eyes.

The following morning Wanda woke up to a still empty bed. Now she started getting nervous, she searched for her phone to see no new messages. She took her time getting out of bed but quickly threw on the clothes she was wearing yesterday before heading to the kitchen.

As she was almost there she could hear Steve talking.

“So Wanda’s here?” Steve asked the person he was talking to.

“Yeah she came yesterday and we just told her to stay. So wait, you're telling me that these things just hit a button then poofed with Tony and y/n? Are they alive?” Wanda could now tell the other person was Bucky. She felt like she couldn’t breath, feeling the wind knocked out of her at the words she just heard. She couldn’t hide any longer and barged into the kitchen.

Her hands instantly went into a fighting position holding Steve in a tight grasp so he couldn’t escape.

“Where is she Steve? What happened? You promised me no life or death missions. You promised me she would always come back to me. She said she would never go away.” Wanda said while breaking towards the end and crumpling to the ground. Bucky went over and wrapped her in a hug.

After a few minutes Bucky put Wanda on the couch as now the rest of the team came in and Pepper with her two small children. Steve went over what happened on the mission and how they have no trace of either of their teammates. He made everyone aware that Thor, Carol, and the Guardians of the Galaxy were all in search of their friends.

Wanda felt so lost. Your twins were expected any day and you were gone. How was she going to do it if you weren’t back? How was she going to be strong for your two little ones if you weren’t there? The questions swarmed her head as she tuned out the rest of the team. After hours of talking the team now turned to their tuned out friend to offer some support.

“When was the last time you ate?” Clint asked Wanda, putting his hand on her shoulder to ground her.

“I don't know.” Wanda shook her head still thinking a million miles a minute not making eye contact with anyone.

“Wanda you need to eat. You have two other people to worry about. Y/N will be ok, she will come back.” Steve said, sitting next to her. She collapsed in tears and that was how the rest of the night went, crying and the team forcing Wanda to eat.

The following days Wanda barely left the bed. On the 4th day of you being missing Wanda felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Her eyes started to tear up from both pain and the realization of what was happening. She was going into labor without you. She screamed out in pain and heartbreak.

Steve rushed into the room as soon as he heard Wanda scream, “It’s ok Wanda we’re here, let's get you to the infirmary.” he held Wanda’s hand all the way down to the infirmary. Steve sent a text out to the rest of the team to let them know what was happening and soon familiar faces appeared in Wanda’s room.

They took shifts as they waited for the time to push. Natasha talked about the makeshift nursery they set up for Wanda, Bucky talked about how he got clothes for Wanda and the babies from Wanda’s home, Steve talked about schedules and shifts he made up to help Wanda, Sam bought stuffed animals, and Peter offered to take the babies to the playground. Wanda just sat and listened, grateful for her friends and the help they were giving her. All she could think about was how you should be there.

You should be freaking out everytime Wanda had a contraction, asking if she should get the doctor. She knew you would try to find her favorite shows on the TV and rub her back whispering soothing words. She needed that more than anything, she needed you. She needed you to be there for your twins first breath, for bringing them home, for the countless sleepless nights.

Soon the doctor entered the room, “Wanda it looks like you are ready to push,” nurses entered behind them with all of the equipment needed for the babies’ delivery. Wanda nodded trying to prepare herself for the experience that was moments away. “Would you like anyone in the room with you?” and Wanda did, she wanted you but you weren’t there. So she asked her best friend Nat to stay with her to which Nat agreed.

They got into position and Wanda endured the hardest fight of her life, childbirth. She could’ve sworn she broke Natasha’s hand from how hard she was squeezing. Soon a melodic sound broke through the pain as her first child was born. “It’s a boy!” she heard and she started to cry of joy. She had a son. The joy didn’t last as she felt another urge to push. “And we have another boy!”

Wanda was so relieved that both boys were here and healthy. You kept telling her that you could feel it was two boys, two football players, you would say. They brought the babies to wanda and laid them on her chest. Nat was quick to snap a quick photo before exiting the room to let the rest of the team know, giving Wanda a moment with her children.

Nat walked out of the room to see no one in the waiting room. She asked the nurse where everyone was who informed her that they were outside. She walked quickly outside hoping you were back. Instead she saw someone else. Tony on his hands and knees crying while the rest of the team was surrounding him.

“What? Where’s Y/N?” Bucky was the first to speak. Everyone was too scared to hear what happened, why Tony was back but not Y/n.

“I don’t know. One minute we were in a room being questioned the next thing I  know y/n lunged at the guy questioning us. She was fighting with him for the poof thing. Then after she successfully got it we realized only one of us could go back while the other had to hit the button. She didn’t even give me a second. And now, now here I am and she is there. Where’s Wanda I  have to tell her something?” Tony suddenly looked frantic.

“No, you’re going with Bruce to do everything you can to get Y/N back.” Clint said, poking Tony in the chest. “You are not doing anything else until she’s back. And you definitely are not seeing Wanda. That girl just had to give birth to twins without y/n, she’s destroyed.” Clint walked back into the infirmary while everyone was still in shock.

“I ‘m sorry. I ‘m going to bring her back.” Tony promised before walking towards the lab to get in contact with the people who were already searching for y/n.

Meanwhile Wanda was still in awe of the two boys in her arms, memorizing all of their features. She knew their names, you and her had picked out the names for all twin scenarios and for two boys it’d be Tommy and Billy. She started to hum a tune she remembered as a child. She started to get upset as she remembered the last time she hummed the song.

You had just walked in from a long day helping in the lab and training. You saw Wanda in the kitchen cooking dinner before turning to see you. She gave you the biggest smile as she came over to wrap her arms around you. Her pregnant stomach left some room between you two as she reached up to plant a kiss on your lips.

“How was your day my love?” she asked walking back to the stove to turn it off and putting the food on the table.

“I'm so tired. Tony was going on about this new feature he wants to make for the quinjet and then Nat beat my ass at training. I don't want to do anything.” Wanda sensing your mood guided you to the couch she sat then pulled you down so your head was on her lap. She played with your hair to calm you down.

“The babies were very active today kicking the heck out of me” she giggled to which you turned your face to her stomach. You placed your hands on her stomach.

“Hey you two, stop kicking mama. I  know you want to play football but you're gonna have to wait till you come out of there.”

“How do you know they’ll want to play football?” She questioned you.

“I  can just feel it in my bones.” You said as your eyes fluttered close. Dinner was long forgotten as Wanda continued to play with your hair humming the tune and you drifted off to sleep.

The following week after the twins’ birth was very hard for Wanda. She went through all the firsts by herself. Instead of going through the first night with you she went through it alone. Instead of bringing them home together with big smiles she took them to her room in the compound. Instead of introducing the twins to the team with you they were all by Wanda’s side before she could introduce them.

She spent the nights in bed. Someone on the team  was always sleeping on a cot to help her during the nights. It had been 11 days since you went missing and you had already missed the biggest week of your little family’s life.

On the 11th day Wanda left the sleeping twins with a sleeping Uncle Bucky and roamed around the compound seeing you everywhere she went. In the kitchen where you both cooked dinner for the team all the time. On the couch where you spent countless nights watching tv shows and movies. In the training room where you pinned Wanda more times then she likes to admit. Then she headed towards the lab.

She stood shocked.

Right in front of her was a man that betrayed her. A man that you had put your life in the hands of who disappointed you. She stormed at him in a fit of rage. “You son of a bitch! Where is she? What did you do to her? I'm going to kill you!” Wanda screamed at him while hitting his chest. Tony let her, knowing that this was what she needed. Wanda continued to curse him out before Tony finally grabbed her hands.

“Stop. I  get it. I'm the bad guy, and I deserve to be. I  messed up the biggest moment of both of your lives. You can keep hitting me, knock me out, whatever you have to do. There is something I have to show you first though.” Tony let go of Wanda’s hands before walking to the screen to pull up a video for Wanda.

When it came through it was you. You were sitting in a bare room and Tony was asleep on the floor behind you. Your hair was a mess and you looked exhausted.

“Friday is it recording? Yes? Ok here we go. If anyone is watching this I  probably did something stupid and I ‘m so sorry. If it’s Wanda hi babe. Man, I think it’s been 3 days and I miss you like crazy. I ‘m trying to figure out a way to get back to you and the babies I promise.” Wanda can feel the tears rolling down her face. “Well I think I have a plan. You aren’t going to like it but I promise you that it will all work out and I will come back to you. Babe I  don't have much time they are coming back. I  love you and our twins so much. I  am going to do everything to come back to you.” Then the screen went black.

“Play it again, Tony.” Wanda asked Tony and he did. She watched it about 10 more times. Just hearing your voice made Wanda feel better.

“Thank you for showing me that. Can you send it to me?” Wanda asked, keeping her eyes locked on yours on the screen. Tony nodded and Wanda walked out of the room back to the twins.

After that day Wanda had hope. She knew you would come back to her. She watched that video every night on repeat to fall asleep too. She played it for the twins and other videos of you so they could hear your voice. The team noticed the change in Wanda as well. They were very skeptical but didn’t question her mood change.

After a month of you being missing Wanda had almost given up hope. Tommy was fussy and Billy had an explosion in his diaper and it was the first time the team had all gone on a mission so no one was with her. She was crying while changing Billy’s diaper while using her powers to rock Tommy’s baby seat.

“Ah boys, it’s ok mamas here. We’ll be ok sh sh sh.” She was so frustrated she couldn’t even get the diaper on Billy. There were a few more minutes of Tommy crying and Billy and now Wanda before she heard Tommy stop. She didn’t even turn around; she figured he just fell asleep.

When she turned with Billy in her arms she was shocked to see the person standing in front of her. It was the love of her life with her son. A sight Wanda never thought she would see. You looked skinnier, tons of bruises and cuts littered your skin. Your clothes were tattered and your hair was a mess in your face. Wanda thought you still looked just as beautiful. She had Billy in her arms as she slowly walked towards you not believing her eyes. She reached up and touched your face to make sure you were there. And you were.

With Tommy in one hand you reached up with your other to place on top of Wanda’s. “Hey there stranger.” You said with a chuckle. She wrapped her arm around you and started sobbing. You put Tommy in the bassinet still holding onto Wanda then reached for Billy placing him next to his brother. Then you did the thing you had been wanting to do forever.

You held onto Wanda as she sobbed in your arms. You stroked her hair while whispering “I’m here,” over and over in her ear.

Your arms were around Wanda but your eyes were on your twins. You soon began to cry, realizing how much time you missed. Wanda pulled away when she felt something drip on her shoulder.

“It’s ok my love you’re here now. You won’t miss anything else. You’re here.” Wanda promised with her hands on either side of your face to make you look at her. You leaned down and gave your love a long awaited kiss. Both of you being grateful to have the other there to comfort each other.

You soon pulled away from Wanda to look at your twins.

“I told you two football players.” You chuckled as you picked up the other baby who you have not held yet. “Who is who?”

“That’s Billy and this is Tommy.” She said while picking up the other baby. You both made your way to the bed with the twins and got comfortable next to each other. You stared at them trying to take in the two people who were now your own.

“I’m so sorry I  missed all of it. I  tried to get back as fast as I  could. I  really did. I  thought when I sent Tony back it was going to be hours and I would be back. But I see metal man's mind isn’t what it used to be.” You rambled on. You wanted Wanda to know just how sorry you were.

“It’s ok. You’re here now and I’m not letting them take you anywhere. You’re staying with us for as long as I want.” Wanda assured you. You sat with your family for hours just basking in their presence and soaking it all in. You changed every diaper and did anything Wanda needed until she ordered you to go shower. While watching your 7th episode of grey's anatomy you dozed off with the babies between you and Wanda.

You only woke when you heard the rest of your rag tag group of friends enter the compound from their latest mission not even trying to be quiet. You turned to see Wanda still awake nursing Billy.

“Should we scare them?” You asked Wanda with a grin on your face. “You can if you want.” She didn’t feel one way or the other. Knowing how much the team helped her while you were missing.

You stood up and hid behind the closed door. It opened halfway.

“Hey Wanda how’d everything go?” Steve asked, you could feel multiple people enter the room however.

“Boo!” you jumped out to scare the team. Bucky not knowing it was you punched you in the stomach.

“Ah shit sorry y/n.” he said before recognition came to his eyes and the others. “Wait y/n?” he stared in disbelief. Nat was the first to tackle you in a hug before the others were soon to follow.

“How, how, how did you get back?” Tony asked with tears in his eyes.

“Well I  thought you would figure it out quickly once I  sent you back but that didn’t happen. I  kept waiting and finally decided to just do it myself. I  befriended another prisoner who promised to poof me back. And then when they did I  was in the training room. I  got Wanda’s text and just assumed she was still here and made my way up to her room.” They all said how happy they were that you were back. You ate dinner as a family and spent the night in your room with your beautiful wife and boys.

“Let’s go home tomorrow.” you suggested to your half asleep wife in your arms.

“You are my home.” she said and you felt warmth well up in your chest.

“I  love you so much darling.” you nuzzled closer to her.

“I  love you more.” and you both fell into a deep sleep which neither of you had had for a long time.

[goodnightmemes]

DEXTER SEASON TWO SENTENCE STARTERS (PART TWO)

Lines taken from 2x07-2x12 of the show Dexter. Feel free to change pronouns or edit in any way to better fit your needs. Here is part one.

❛ I thrive on chaos. But this is good, too. ❜

❛ I had to do a little creative problem-solving at someone else's expense. ❜

❛ Pardon my tits. ❜

❛ Are you trying to fuck her or set her on fire? ❜

❛ Sometimes the truth speaks from a peaceful place. It's taken me a long time to find that place, but I think I have, and it's telling me you're not the right one for me. I'm so sorry. ❜

❛ Is that what I am? Clean? 'cause I don't feel that way at all. ❜

❛ No, I won't do that. I won't let you turn me into you. ❜

❛ Hope you don't expect me to comment on that so you can record it on your hidden tape recorder. I wasn't born yesterday. ❜

❛ Your past is a bigger mystery than fucking Jimmy Hoffa. ❜

❛ No matter what you try, no matter when, no matter how hard you work, I'll always be a step ahead of you for one simple reason. I own you. ❜

❛ When I'm alone and it's quiet, I get scared shitless, like I start hearing what's really going on inside. ❜

❛ 'Cause when you're around, I kind of feel like I can deal with anything, you know? ❜

❛ I've always worked best in the shadows, and that's where I have to stay. ❜

❛ You can't go back. You know that. ❜

❛ You are not allowed to talk about anyone I date as long as you're seeing little Miss "pardon my tits." ❜

❛ She is obviously a vampire. A gross english-titty vampire. ❜

❛ Can't change who I am. I'm crass and dirty, and...I have a very filthy mind. ❜

❛ Jesus Christ. They sell anyone a gun in Florida, won't they? ❜

❛ That man. He wasn't trying to rob you. He was trying to kill you. ❜

❛ Nothing you could do,___, would scare me. ❜

❛ Whatever comes, we'll get through this together. I'm not leaving your side. ❜

❛ I need to embrace who I am, who I've always been. ❜

❛ It's like I've been living underwater, holding my breath, and now I can finally breathe. ❜

❛ ___ almost had me believing it was possible to change, to become something else, as if that ever really happens. I've always known what I am. ❜

❛ I'm finding it's best to accept things you can't change, you know? ❜

❛ Is this the monster that you keep telling me about? ❜

❛ Trust me, when you meet the monster, you'll know. ❜

❛ Nice. My subconscious isn't even bothering with symbolism. ❜

❛ I feel...such regret, which is rare for me. But not that I don't mess up. I do...just never so stupendously. ❜

❛ If they're looking for proof, they won't find it. Not here at least. ❜

❛ Then maybe you should come with us, because who knows what secrets will come ❜ pouring out of me once the drinks start flowing. ❜

❛ I'm done with it and you. Did I not make that clear last night? ❜

❛ Those friends of yours, they didn't even know you. They just see the mask, but I see it all. ❜

❛ Can't live with her. Can't kill her. ❜

❛ Fuck! I'm talking about my feelings. What the fuck is your problem? ❜

❛ I've always sensed there was something... off about him. Like he's hiding in plain sight. ❜

❛ If you got in the middle of this and you got hurt… ❜

❛ The only way I can help you is if you turn yourself in. ❜

❛ Don't you disappear on me. ❜

❛ I want you to know that you meant a lot to me, more than you know, and... I just want to thank you for that. ❜

❛ If I never see her again, it'll be too soon. ❜

❛ Sleep would be nice, but there's too much to do. ❜

❛ Okay, I may be sleeping with him, but it doesn't mean he tells me shit or listens to me about anything, so stop asking! ❜

❛ That's right, motherfucker! It's over. ❜

❛ I knew there was something with you. But this shit? ❜

❛ What can I say? You were right about me. I never held it against you. I don't now. ❜

❛ It's a graze wound. Minor tissue abrasion. No hemorrhage along the bullet track. Sorry. I think I'm gonna live. ❜

❛ If you're not gonna let me go, then kill me now. Just get it over with. ❜

❛ You're a killer. I catch killers. ❜

❛ So it's okay to take a life as long as you get a paycheck for it? ❜

❛ Either kill me or set me free. ❜

❛ Taking a life is one thing, but the care and feeding of it is another. ❜

❛ I'm generally confused most of the time. ❜

❛ You ever care about anyone? Then you shouldn't have to ask. 'Cause when you care about someone, you do what you have to do. ❜

❛ I remember when life was easy, when the only question I worried about was "who's next?" Now it's: "How can I dodge my protective detail? "What should I do with my hostage?" These are not easy questions. ❜

❛ It's not about what I think. It's all about the evidence. ❜

❛ Hair-pulling may not be manly, but it's very effective. ❜

❛ If he wanted me dead, I'd be dead by now. ❜

❛ You are the only one I can count on, jackass. ❜

❛ It puts a pit in my stomach that I can only interpret as... sadness. ❜

❛ You working on an exit strategy? I'm afraid that's not gonna happen. ❜

❛ How come there's never a circus when you need one? ❜

❛ What was that shit last night? Some kind of fucking scare tactic? ❜

❛ Don't test me. I could have killed you. I didn't. ❜

❛ You're actually angry. I've never seen you angry. This is good. ❜

❛ I should warn you. You can't play on my feelings. I don't have any. ❜

❛ It's a tough job. It can wear on even the best of us. ❜

❛ I yell a lot...and bitch and complain, and I keep expecting people to guess what I want, but I never really say it. ❜

❛ And that was exciting, you know? The not knowing. What might happen, what could be. It was all possibility. ❜

❛ Your life is going to rest in the hands of the criminal justice system you put all your faith in. I wish you the best of luck. ❜

❛ You need help. Let me help you. ❜

❛ You don't have to do this! You don't have to kill this man! ❜

❛ Sorry it had to go down like this. But there really was no other way. ❜

❛ Stay away. Just stay away from me. ❜

❛ Did you happen to be stuffing a human leg into a garbage bag at that point? ❜

❛ There's that anger again. You got to let that out. ❜

❛ You're spinning. Let me help you. It's only a matter of time before you'll hurt someone else. ❜

❛ Take responsibility for who you are. ❜

❛ Why can't you just let me go? ❜

❛ If I got to choose a person... A real person... to be like, out of anyone, it'd be you. ❜

❛ Who joined who in the shower this morning? ❜

❛ For such a neat monster, I'm making an awfully big mess. ❜

❛ Maybe this is how evil works. Destroying everything it touches. ❜

❛ I've been held prisoner in a cabin for two fucking days. Fucking hellhole. ❜

❛ After everything we've been through lately, I just want... to be together with you guys. ❜

❛ You told me to take responsibility for what I am. You were right. ❜

❛ I can't live in this house of cards anymore, waiting for it all to fall down. I need to do something, you know? ❜

❛ If I do this, I need a day to get my affairs in order. ❜

❛ Mention that when they interview you for the story of my life. ❜

❛ Don't leave me in this cage, anything could happen. ❜

❛ I lie to everyone I know... except my victims right before I kill them. It's hard to establish much of a rapport there. ❜

❛ Sorry about the cage. ❜

❛ I've always been curious to try. Do you have any weed? ❜

❛ Love's a battlefield. Or in your case, a restraining order. ❜

❛ When a pretty girl smiles and bats her eyelashes, we're powerless to resist. ❜

❛ I met with a lawyer yesterday. He helped me prepare a living trust that gives you control of all my assets in the event of my death or... certain other situations. ❜

❛ God. Go away. This is creepy. ❜

❛ I'm free tonight, you wanna stop by? We'll have beer, a couple of steaks? I wanna talk to you about something. ❜

❛ I just need you to know that... you and the kids are very important to me. No matter what happens, I want you to always know that. ❜

❛ I know I've been taking things slow with us, but it's not because I don't have feelings for you. It's more like I have too many feelings, and I just wanna make sure to get it right. ❜

❛ I want you gone. Tonight. ❜

❛ I've spent a lifetime keeping up my guard, watching my back, wearing my mask. Relief was never in sight until now. ❜

❛ Lately, I was starting to feel like I had my head pretty far up my ass. ❜

❛ You decide who you are, who you want to be...and you hold onto that and ride it out. ❜

❛ I need some help! Just open the door! I'm being held captive. ❜

❛ Damn, it's good to see another face. I never thought I would. ❜

❛ When something beyond reason happens, it turns skeptics into believers. ❜

❛ If you believe that God makes miracles, you have to wonder if Satan has a few up his sleeve. ❜

❛ I can't exactly feel their pain, but I can appreciate it. ❜

❛ I kinda forgot who I was. I got it straight now. ❜

❛ The term is homicidal maniac. Not that I'm judging. ❜

❛ A public place. You thought I was gonna...That I would slip my needle into your neck? ❜

❛ You're afraid of me now, aren't you? ❜

❛ You're emotionally color-blind. You use the right words, you pantomime the right behavior, but feelings never come to pass. ❜

❛ You know the dictionary definition of emotions: longing, joy, sorrow...You have no idea of what any of those things actually feel like. ❜

❛ I created a monster of my own. ❜

❛ What did you do to make her so pathetically crazy for you? Does your dick dance? ❜

❛ What're we doing home in the middle of the day? She asked, hoping for sex. ❜

❛ Why? Why do I have to make up my mind? ❜

❛ I've never put much weight onto the idea of a higher power. But if I didn't know better, I'd have to believe that some force out there wants me to keep doing what I'm doing. ❜

❛ As it turns out, nobody mourns the wicked. ❜

❛ Am I evil? Am I good? I'm done asking those questions. I don't have the answers. ❜

[plus-size-reader]

Sneaking Around

Columbus Ohio x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2344 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Tallahassee finding out that you, his daughter, and Columbus have been seeing each other in secret

—————————————————————————————————

It was a bad idea.

All things considered, there was nothing worse that you could have done. You both knew it, but at the same time, you couldn’t help yourselves.

Once Tallahassee found out about this whole thing, he was going to lose his mind. However, as much as you loved and respected him as your father, you weren’t blind to the fact that he wasn’t always right.

Where Columbus was concerned, for example, he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Florida acted like there was something wrong with him, even though the younger male was arguably your father’s greatest friend in the world. It was where you were concerned that the whole thing fell apart.

Columbus wasn’t good enough for you.

The idea of the two of you together, in any way, made him want to throw up and Tallahassee wasn’t exactly secretive about that. It was his one rule, the one thing he’d forbidden you from doing.

You weren’t allowed to date him.

So, naturally, that was exactly what you were doing.

It was inevitable.

The two of you were around the same age, going through something that only you were going through, and as if you didn’t already know, the apocalypse was lonely.

It wasn’t like the dating pool was vast and diverse.

Besides, you didn’t see anything wrong with it. Just because Tallahassee was your father didn’t mean he got to decide everything you did for the rest of your life.

There was a difference between keeping you safe and running your life. All you asked was that he learned the difference and respected it.

The two of you had grown up together seeing as Tallahassee had you pretty young, and your mom gave up custody of you almost immediately. In that way, you knew you were closer than the typical father-daughter would be.

...but controlling who you could and couldn’t date in your early twenties was a bit of a stretch.

You liked Columbus, and at this point, you weren’t even sure if you’d be able to stay away from him if you tried. The only other option then, if you didn’t want to be lectured into eternity, was keeping your relationship a secret.

It wasn’t ideal, and you weren’t happy about lying to him, but sometimes you had to do what had to be done.

What Florida didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Right?

Wrong.

Sneaking around was bound to get old at some point, and the longer you kept it up, the more you ran the risk of getting caught, which just couldn’t happen.

You would never, ever, live that down.

Though, one of you wasn’t nearly as worried about getting caught as the other. In fact, Columbus was having a really good time keeping secrets from Tallahassee and sneaking around behind his back.

He was getting a kick out of it.

The older man had been busting his balls since they met and knowing that he had such a huge secret that Florida knew nothing about was some pretty sweet irony for him.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was head over heels in love with you.

From the start, Ohio had been in a desperate search for love and as soon as he met you, he knew you would be the one. There was just something about you, and he couldn’t imagine anyone else changing his life like you had.

You were strong and determined, without the uncontrollable anger and sass that Tallahassee had. It was as if you mixed together all the good qualities in the man with the genes of your mother, who he could only imagine was an angel.

That was the only way he could imagine Tallahassee having a kid like you.

It didn’t make any sense otherwise.

“Come here, look at this” You gushed, grabbing Columbus by the arm in a desperate attempt to get him to pay attention to what it was you were seeing.

After what had happened at Graceland, you had very little hope for the Hound Dog Hotel but it wasn’t shaping up to be too bad a time. All things considered, there was some pretty cool stuff here.

...and you weren’t the only one who thought so.

You hadn’t seen your dad since you walked through the doors and you were sure he was sneaking around here somewhere, snatching memorabilia from the shelves and singing at the top of his lungs.

At the very least, this place would put him in a better mood than he’d been in lately.

“Are you seeing this? These are Elvis’ actual shoes” you gasped, gesturing wildly to them as you fangirled. You had been raised on Tallahassee’s love of the King, and harbored quite the obsession yourself.

Being here was putting you in a really good mood.

Columbus grinned, watching you stare in awe at the blue suede, taking in every little detail of them as if you had never seen anything better before now.

It was sweet.

There was something sweet about it, something innocent that he hadn’t seen in you in a really long time. It was a real joy, without the worry or concern that came with living in a world like this one.

“I see” he hummed, not even bothering to hide the amusement in his tone as he talked to you.

A pair of shoes seemed a little silly as far as things to get this excited about were but he was just glad you were so happy. If you were happy, he was happy.

That was how this whole thing worked.

“And isn’t that amazing?” you continued, hoping that you could prompt a similar amusement from him but nothing came, not in the way you were looking for anyway.

More than anything, he just enjoyed being here with you.

The two of you didn’t get a lot of chances to be alone without the intrusion of someone else, whether that be Wichita, Little Rock, or worst of all, Tallahassee.

Just being together was all he could have ever wanted, but there was one other thing that would have surely gotten the reaction from you that he wanted so badly.

Without so much as a second thought, Ohio snatched the blue suede shoes from the pedestal they were on and slipped them on to his feet. It wasn’t a sure thing at first, but he quickly realized they were a perfect fit.

What were the odds of that?

“What do you think?” he grinned, doing his best to be suave in them, though it didn’t really work that way because he was too lanky and awkward. Instead, he sort of resembled a newborn calf learning to walk.

Thankfully, he was so endearing and adorable that you couldn't help but laugh.

“They’re very sexy” you teased, closing the space between you with a smirk on your face, doing your best to keep the giggled bubbling up in your throat at bay as you draped your arm over his shoulder.

“Oh yeah, you think?”

Columbus’ voice came in the same teasing tone as your own, his eyebrows wiggling as he looked at you, jaw tight to hold in his own laughter.

This was just too much for you both.

“Absolutely” you smiled, leaning forward just enough to capture his lips with your own as the best way to punctuate your point. They weren’t really all that sexy so much as you just liked him, but he wasn’t about to split hairs over it.

He was just glad to be kissing you, in all honesty.

However, the moment was over as quickly as it started because from somewhere behind you, someone else had entered the room and wasn’t about to leave you to it.

After all, Tallahassee was just doing his best to keep his head from exploding as he took in the sight of you, his daughter, in a heated make out with his most pathetic acquaintance.

It wasn’t happening.

He was sure it wasn’t.

The more viable conclusion was that he’d fallen somewhere and given himself a concussion, inducing hallucinations, or maybe he was dead. Anything would be easier to accept than what he was looking at.

“Oh fuck no”

Those three words were practically inaudible at first, but that too was short lived because once he’d realized that what he was seeing was really happening, that was when the yelling started.

...and once he started, it was hard to get him to stop.

In fact, by the time you’d turned around, fully separating from Columbus, your father was already red in the face.

Evidently, today was the day.

You were never going to hear the end of this.

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING THIS FROM ME? I MEAN, ANYONE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN HIM? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY RULES? THAT WAS THE ONE THING I ASKED-”

There was no good way for this to end, which you and Columbus both knew. Even as you looked at him, eyes wide, Tallahassee kept going. He couldn’t imagine how this had happened right under his nose.

As far as he knew, the two of you didn’t even get along but clearly that wasn’t the case. He wasn’t born yesterday, and he knew what kissing like that meant.

That wasn’t a passing smooch or a casual make out out of boredom. This was something the two of you had been maintaining for quite some time, and that was the worst part of it all.

You had been lying to him.

“Buddy, calm down. It’s not that big of a deal” Columbus tried, practically shouting into the void with his suggestion. Though, as soon as he spoke, Florida stopped his rant in its tracks.

Which wasn’t a good sign.

“Oh no, not gonna happen buddy” he spit back, momentarily making you glad he’d left his gun in the van. If he had it right now, there was no telling what would happen.

Tallahassee was angry, in general, but this was something different. For him, this was more of a betrayal than something that would make him angry, which made it so much worse.

He just couldn’t believe this was happening.

All you knew was that someone had to do something before this escalated much more and ruined the entire thing you all had going on. You were a family, but if you didn’t step in, there wouldn’t be anything left.

Clearly, Columbus wasn’t the one to fix this whole thing.

“Okay, can we just talk about this like adults please? I’m a grown up, remember?” you hummed, intentionally keeping your voice calm to keep this from escalating that much more.

Over everything else, you were sure he was more upset with you. At its core, this issue was about you growing up and doing something you shouldn't have done.

It had very little to do with Columbus himself.

If it had been anyone else, Florida would have been just as upset.

“Oh, you’re a grown up, well then, what am I even doing here?” he grumbled, completely ignoring the male at your side now, his focus completely on your face.

Objectively, he knew you were right. Even with as much as the world around you had changed, you had too. You weren’t a little girl anymore, clinging onto his pant leg and crying every time he left your side.

You were a grown woman, which was hard enough for a father to grasp, but this was something else entirely.

You weren’t allowed to be with him.

You just weren’t.

“That’s not what I meant. I just don’t get why it's such a big deal” you huffed, shoving your hands into the pockets of your jeans, where you could hide the anxious tapping you got up to.

All you were doing was seeing someone who you really liked and while having your literal father walk in on an impromptu make out wasn’t ideal, it also shouldn’t have been the end of the world.

He used to date plenty, before most of the population died out.

“Because it is. I told you not to do it, and you did” Tallahassee grumbled, crossing his arms, his words leaving his lips in a traditional dad fashion.

That was always his go to thing, even when you were a kid.

You can’t do that because I told you not to.

It might have worked out well when you were six years old and trying to tie your opposing shoelaces together but not anymore.

Now, the world was literally crumbling around you and you all faced death on a daily basis. If the worst thing you got up to was falling in love with a man who carried a tiny purell in his pocket, you didn’t get why that was such a problem.

Out of all the men you could have chosen, even before the end of the world, Columbus was by far the best.

He was sweet, smart, and cared about you more than anyone ever had in your life. By all accounts, you were lucky and while you felt bad for lying to Tallahassee about being with him, you wouldn’t have done anything differently.

Being with him was important to you, and you loved him.

Nothing was going to change that.

“I love him, okay? That’s why I didn’t want to tell you, because I knew this was how you would react” you sighed, finding it almost impossible to not just give up completely.

You knew that no matter what you said, it wouldn’t make a difference. Once Tallahassee had made up his mind, there was nothing you could do to change it.

As much as you would have liked for him to be supportive of your relationship, you weren’t going to stop seeing the man you loved just to appease him.

It just wasn’t going to happen.

It would seem that if there was any time for you to act like your father and take on his stubborn nature, it was now. You just weren’t ready to lose Columbus.

Not now, and not ever.

[redrobin-detective]

The 101 Deaths of Danny Phantom

AO3 link

One of the first things people learned about dealing with ghosts, other than not to try and date them, is to never asks about their death or obsessions. That doesn’t mean the citizens of Amity Park aren’t curious though, especially about their resident ghostly hero and the confusing and concerning comments he sometimes makes.

“Are you okay?” Phantom asked Maisie as she shook and tried to hold back tears after that car had almost slammed into her. She sometimes joked about getting hit crossing the street of her college campus to pay her obnoxious loans but it was another thing entirely to almost experience it herself. Maisie was nearly twenty, she shouldn’t be comforted by someone younger than her little step sister but here she was, shaking like a lead and leaning into Phantom’s comforting, chilly touch. 

“Sorry,” she stuttered, “thank you, I’m sorry I’m just-”

“Hey, it’s okay to be upset that was very scary. The thought of dying is very scary.” Through her adrenaline and her tears, she took in the ghost’s unnatural glow, his faded, barely visible appearance and the fact that he was floating a foot off the ground. Maisie knows this ghost, this boy, knows more than she ever could about death. 

“And getting run over by a car sure is a bad way to go,” the ghost kid chuckled awkwardly, taking his cold hand off her shoulder to scratch at the back of his neck. “You should see how my dad drives or my mom or my sister if she’s running late enough,” Phantom paused in thought. “No one in my family should have a license now that I think about it. Anyway,” he dismissed with a wave. 

“My sister and I were getting ready to head out to school and my dad was backing out of driveway too fast and didn’t see us and uh, luckily I got my sister out of the way in time haha,” Phantom trailed off awkwardly. Was it because of the uncomfortable conversation or because he noticed her dawning horror.

Her best friend ran the community college’s Phan club so Maisie was a member by default. Phantom’s death was sometimes talked about late at night, everything from wrongful murder to a freak accident. She never in her worst nightmares imagined being him being runover in front of his own house by parental ignorance. It was so normal, a quick mistake and a life lost.

“Oh my god,” he said with an adorable little green blush. “Why am I babbling about that? You almost got hit by a car, I’m probably retraumatizing you or something. I should probably go get the jerk who almost hit you,” he said before disappearing into thin air. 

“Tia is not going to believe this,” she whispered to no one. All she knew is that for the rest of her damned life she was going to look both ways when crossing the street. She’d seen first hand what a single moment of reckless driving could cause.

XxX

Matthew, not Matt or Matty or Hughie, Matthew shivered from the cold. He was only in his boxers with little Pacman on them. It had been fine when he’d gone to bed considering it was mid-August but Phantom and this stupid flaming mecha ghost had tussled outside the summer camp he was working at. He could see some of the kids snickering at his state of undress though he was just extremely glad they were alive enough to disrespect him like this.

“Oh man, I’m sorry,” the ghost kid said with big, sad eyes that looked so human despite the fact that they were literally glowing. He looked around at all the snow and ice left over from his fight. “Jeez you guys must be freezing, I wish I could warm you all up but all I can do is make things colder.”

“S’okay,” Matthew said through his chattering teeth. “Teaching the kids how to start a fire was supposed to be next week but we can get a jump on it.” That got a smile out of the ghost and within a half hour, the other counselors were distributing blankets and hot beverages to the kids clustered around multiple fires. They didn’t seem particularly upset by the potentially fatal attack, Matthew will breakdown about that at a later time when he was alone. For now, he just smiled as the children chattered happily with the ghost while he cleaned up as much of the damage as possible.

“So you spend all day fighting ghosts?” Zoe asked with stars in her eyes.

“A lot of the nights too,” Phantom nodded, “I do other stuff but yeah it seems ghost fighting takes up most of my time.”

“Where’d you learn those cool powers?” Zuri asked, miming a punch.

“Comes with being a ghost,” Phantom shrugged, “my ice powers came in later though so I still struggle a bit with them but I’m getting better every day.”

“Why ice though?” Morris said with his cocked curiously to the side. “I see some ghosts use fire or shadows, why do you have ice?”

“Ah that’s a little personal,” Phantom chuckled but his posture was easy despite the invasive question. “Specialty powers like my ice require special circumstances and a certain uh connection to the ghost. Someone like me couldn’t use fire or electricity or plants, ice is in my soul, it’s who I am.”

Matthew paused in drinking his lukewarm coffee as a horrible thought came to mind. He’s been an outdoorsman all his life, practically from the time he could walk. He’d been a deep woods camping guide for a decade before switching to working at summer camps. But the years working in the relative comfort of a stable camp didn’t erase his knowledge of how unforgiving and deadly the woods in the winter could be. A grown man, much less a young teen, would freeze to death in 20 minutes if it was cold enough. 

It made sense for ghosts to develop powers related to their deaths. Had Phantom been one of the dozens of unfortunate kids he read about every year who ran away in the middle of winter only to found later as a frozen corpse. He eyed the boy’s snow white hair and frigid aura he exuded with mournful trepidation. God, what a horrible way to die. 

“I’d get chilly with ice powers,” Tabby said with a shudder, she held out her cup of cocoa. “You want some of my cocoa to warm you up?”

“No thanks,” Phantom said with a soft smile that was warm despite everything. “The cold hasn’t bothered me for a while.”

XxX

Ghost attacks may be the norm but, if there was one good thing that came out of whole mess it was the fact that violent human crimes went down drastically. So when the rare murder did happen, the shock and fear rippled through the whole town. 

Stanford Newton had only been sheriff of Amity Park for eight months after the last guy had gone gray overnight and moved to Florida the next day. It was a daunting position but one he bore proudly. This wouldn’t be his first murder investigation having initially cut his teeth as a beat cop in Chicago but it would be the first in Amity. And it certainly was the first in which the dead served in an active capacity.

“Amanda Chastain, 27. Officially she was a waitress down at Spengler’s Diner but she’s been picked up for prostitution twice in the last year,” Stan said calmly, ignoring the cold, angry presence over his shoulder. “History of polysubstance abuse as well, not that either of those things mean she deserved this.” Used, beaten to death and then dumped in the trash like yesterday’s paper. 

He wondered if she’d come back a ghost or if she’d finally get some peace this world hadn’t offered her. “We don’t have many leads right now, I’m afraid. Acting illegally as they are, there’s not a lot of resources these poor girls have to turn to.”

“I’ll find them,” The Phantom said with blazing conviction, his voice thick and sharp as ice. “I’ll find and bring them to justice and make sure no one else is hurt again.”

“I believe you,” Stan nodded, shutting his notebook as he finally turned to face the teenage superhero haunting his town. He can’t say he liked what he saw. The Phantom looked even less human than usual, his aura flaring and flickering like the foggy mist before a heavy snowstorm. His unnatural green eyes glowered, painting his too young face in a terrifying light. 

The kid looked furious, clearly taking this death to heart. He’d read the Fenton’s memos about obsessions and such but this seemed beyond that. “But don’t hurt anyone to do it, or yourself while you’re at it.”

“I won’t, I’ll make sure they’ll face human justice and don’t worry,” Phantom gave a snarling smile. “No mortal can hurt me, not like this,” he growled causing the hairs on Stan’s arms and neck to stand on end. He flew off after that, presumably to track down Amanda’s killer.

“Not like this,” Stan mumbled to him, pulling out his handkerchief and wiping his brow where a cold sweat had broken out. “Jesus Christ that poor kid.” Stan had seen plenty of murdered and mutilated bodies in his lifetime, some of them even kids. He just never got to talk to them after they’d had their life forcibly snatched away. It would explain the ghost’s near fanatical determination to save others, why he took a stranger’s murder so personally. 

“I hope your own murderer is behind bars,” Stan said as he tucked his handkerchief back into his coat pocket. “Or even six feet under, for killing a good kid like you.” Stan made his way back to his squad car so he could head back to the station and move forward with the official investigation. But he’d eat his hat if there wasn’t a stammering lowlife there by tomorrow ready to turn themselves in.

 Maybe after all this was settled down, he’d delve into some of the cold cases stacked in the cellar. Maybe in there he’ll find a picture of a smiling, carefree teen who’d disappeared and returned with the power now to ensure no one else suffered as he had.

XxX

“Yes, I know about the Phantom,” Luis Oliveira will say to anyone who so much as brings up the ghost kid. Locals know better by now but the tourists eat it up every time. He twists his finely combed mustache and gestures to the floor where his audience is standing. “He died right there oh ten or eleven years ago.”

Luis has worked his way all across the the United States since he emigrated from Brazil in the 70s. He finally settled in Amity Park about twelve years ago. He’d never intended to stay in the small Midwest town but the fatal shooting of a young customer kept his little corner market open.

“He was a nice kid, always said hi to me and paid in exact change. Was big fan of the snacks I made, would stop by after school and take half my inventory. He had big brown eyes and a crooked nose,” Luis would smile at the memory before closing his eyes and frowning sadly. “One day, he came late. His teacher made him stay after to go over a failed test, I remember he complained. He was pulling out his money when robber burst in, demanding my money. I fumbled for the register key, dropped it. I bent down to grab it and I hear shots going off. Two over my head, another right into the boy’s throat.”

Luis will hear the sound of that sweet boy’s guttural choking sounds as he drowned in his own blood until the day he himself died. The robber left after the shot, Luis called the police and held the young man’s hand as he died. The would be thief were never found and Luis never did learn anything about the boy who’d died on his floor for getting hungry after school.

“As soon as I saw Phantom on the TV,” Luis would say, perking up after his moment of somber grief, “I knew it was that boy come back. Those kind eyes, I’d recognize them anywhere. He’s never come here but one day he will and I will be able to pass on my regret on not being able to save his life that day.”

XxX

“I think he killed himself,” Mikey whispered to Lester during lunch period, angling his voice low. “The jocks may love Phantom for his powers but I just know he was one of us, an unwanted nerd. I’ve seen him chatting up a ghost I’m pretty sure is Poindexter, Casper’s suicide kid. They’re probably bonding over their similar deaths and the circumstances that led to it.”

“That’s pretty dark,” Lester whispered back. “I also get unpopular vibes from him but I don’t think he’s the time do uh do that to himself; he’s too stubborn and protective. But I bet he was the victim of a prank gone wrong. Dash locked Fenton in the Janitor’s closet last Wednesday, he got out okay somehow but maybe something like that happened to Phantom. He always looks kind of annoyed at the A-listers, maybe they remind him of old bullies.”

“Nuh-uh,” Clara said, pushing up her glasses with her middle finger. “The ghost kid totally got electrocuted or something. He was fighting that weather ghost and he sent lightning bolts his way and Phantom flinched. He fought the Ghost King and yet a little electricity scares him? It might not’ve even been a lightning strike but something manmade like a machine backfiring or something.”

“Get real,” Mikey scoffed, sipping his milk with an eyeroll. “I’m sure we’d have heard about some poor kid getting zapped to death; this town isn’t that big.”

“We’d have heard about a suicide too,” Lester noted with a wry grin.

“Shut up Mr. I base my theories around Fenton who’s a known weirdo”.

XxX

“I’m telling you, the ghost kid died of some debilitating illness,” Abbie McMillian, retired school teacher and three year reigning champ at the Tristate area’s Daylily Competition. She sipped her tea and spoke with as much confidence as she had back in the day wrangling Amity’s impressionable youths. “The superhero thing is clear wish childhood fulfillment, a chance to live and be free like he never got to in life. You see how happy and carefree that young man looks while flying? Clearly he spent his formative years sick and weak.”

“No way,” Greta von Martin frowned as she aggressively stirred her own tea to show her displeasure. “I worked in a hospital for close to 30 years and I know what chronically sick kids look like and Phantom doesn’t fit the bill. I will agree he’s carefree when he’s not battling spooks but he acts like a stupid teen. I’m telling you, the boy got into his parent’s liquor cabinet or took a few too many of whatever pill was going around his school. Tragic but something that happens every day.”

“Greta, dearie,” Abbie said with a pinched frown. “We’ve been friends since grade school and I love you like a sister but you are wrong and until you admit it, I won’t share anymore of my recipes.”

“You’re just being stubborn because you can’t see what’s right in front of you even after working with kids half of your life, Abbie, love,” Greta sniffed. “And you can kiss my grandson’s help weeding you garden goodbye until you relent.”

XxX

Perhaps one of the most human traits is curiosity, especially about what comes after death. Now the good people of Amity Park know a great deal about the dead so the lives before is what attracts their attention and none so more than the ghost boy. Maybe it’s because he’s their hero or maybe it’s because he’s so young. Or perhaps it’s because Phantom is such a mess of contradictions that it’s very hard to guess how the unfortunate boy met his end. But everyone has their own theories, from the mundane to the fantastic, some with evidence backing them up and others pure poppycock. 

But for all their curiosity, as much as it burns them to know, they’ll never ask. They don’t want to risk the powerful ghost’s wrath but, moreover, it seemed in poor taste. The boy risked his afterlife to keep them safe, they couldn’t ask what traumatic and miserable circumstances had led to this point.

And besides, it was so much more fun to look up at ghostly figure as he sped through the skies and wonder.

[honklore]

invisible string | dreamwastaken

(requested plot by red string of fate soulmate au, dream is still a streamer, reader has commitment issues, dream just wants someone to love, chat is the best wingman, sapnap and george try but they suck, reader is timid but dream makes them feel brave, taylor swift references, this is not very deep or poetic at all, i don’t like typing y/n so after this i’m going to move to ___)

listen to: invisible string by taylor swift

In kindergarten, red strings were simply a crafting tool, and teachers never mentioned how much pain they would eventually bring.

Because when they appear, from a child’s eighteenth birthday and beyond, they tighten like a godforsaken high school ring that came in one size too small. Like the universe is a child tugging their mother towards the ice cream truck, you’re pulled around central Florida, passes faces you can’t memorize and voices too garbled to hear.

The string knows where you need to go, and when.

And you’re at the park, feeding ducks and trying to ignore that incessant pull that tugs at your pinky, when you hear it.

It’s a voice you know only because it’s a voice that’s been in your house before. At least, through your brother’s tablet screen. Some gamer online — a streamer, with a distinct wheezing laugh that you’d recognize anywhere.

And you do. Behind you.

You risk a small peak, and your heart drops into your chest. He’s tall. Too tall to not intimidate you. And his sandy hair is wavy, curling at the collar of his sweatshirt, falling perfectly into place when he runs his hands through it. When he does, you see it, the red string.

Which means he could see it too. All he’d have to do is turn around.

But you’re not ready. You haven’t been, not since you watched your cousin get rejected on her eighteenth birthday. Since you watched a string of fate get clipped in front of you, like the three fates had finally had enough of your cousin’s happiness.

It was enough to make you curl into yourself, and reject the natural pull set before you. So you run, and you try not to think of what would’ve happened if he saw you before you saw him. You try not to feel the clippers, but the blade feels tangible against your skin.

You don’t stop running until you arrive home.

“Hey chat, just wanted to do a few practice runs and catch up with you guys,” Dream mumbles into the mic, already restarting his game after deciding he didn’t like his seed. The donos begin rolling in, even before Sapnap and George have unmuted, so Dream flits his eyes to the display screen, subconsciously reading along with the text-to-speech voice, “Dream, what if we shared a string of fate? Ahaha, just kidding... unless... love you bestie.”

Dream chuckles, “Actually chat, I felt a tug today! Isn’t that weird? I was actually reading up on what that could mean, and it seems like either my soulmate is in a lot of distress, or they were in my vicinity. I’m hoping, for their sake, it’s the second one. How would you even comfort a soulmate if all you can do is tug on a stupid string?”

“Simp!” George finally unmutes just to be annoying, and Dream knows soulmates are a touchy spot for him, considering he wasn’t given a string on his eighteenth. Which is strange, but not impossible. Of course, chat doesn’t know this, because it would give them more hope of becoming George’s metaphorical soulmate, but it certainly makes for awkward conversations once Dream and Sapnap get into their own soulmate bonds.

“I’m not simping, George!” Dream feels a bit defensive, because he’s genuinely just curious. He has no interest in meeting his soulmate right now. At least, that’s what he tells himself. He has his streams, and his friends, and chat. He’s fine.

[abbywastaken donated $10: dream why don’t you go back to where you felt the pull and see if you feel it again? that’s how i found my soulmate. okay luv u bye.]

“Thanks, Abby. Love you, too. Um, honestly I was in a pretty public place, so I don’t know if they would even come back anytime soon. Also, this is Orlando, right? Tourists are everywhere.”

Sapnap snorts, and Dream thinks it’s funny, since he’s in the other room. “Just say you’re a coward and go.”

“I’m not!” Dream says. “It was just a small pull, okay? It wasn’t even a big deal.”

He feels another lurch when he says that, but this one is in his chest. It taps against his heart, a quick reminder that it beats for someone else, and he needs to watch his words. “Okay, it was a big deal. Sort of. I’ll go tomorrow, okay chat?”

Chat is spamming all types of messages, from encouragement to jealousy. Dream manages to read off a few donos and create his first nether portal of the stream. He answers as they appear, eyes scanning for a fortress. “No, I didn’t see them… I’m not telling you guys where I was, that’s weird… I’m wearing a sweatshirt and jeans… Hi, Sarah and Patrick…”

He trails off as the donos do, and works at getting blaze rods. George is talking about a riddle he just learned, and he’s trying to trick Sapnap into saying something stupid.

Lost in his own thoughts, he finally closes the stream after a hasty goodbye. “What if I missed my chance?” He asks the two boys on the other line.

“It’s a string of fate, Dream,” George says. “You didn’t miss your chance.”

“Maybe they saw how ugly you are and ran away,” Sapnap says, completely joking, but the thought lingers in Dream’s head.

Did they feel the tug, and run away?

You pour cereal for yourself, and when your brother shuffles into the kitchen, you make him a bowl as well.

He’s eleven, and as little brothers go, he’s pretty chill. Aside from the inappropriate jokes and hogging the bathroom when you have to get ready for work, you like hanging around with him.

You pass him his bowl, and he grins. “I’m gonna watch Dream’s new video on the TV, since mom’s not home.”

You furrow your brows. Dream must be one of the dozens of streamers he likes. Maybe one of his friends will be in chat with him, and you will be able to connect a voice to a face. “Can I sit with you?”

He gives you an odd look, and it’s true, you don’t ask to watch videos with him often. “I guess.”

You eat a spoonful of cereal and settle into the couch while he gets everything ready. He clicks on a lime green icon of a little white blob man, and when the first video appears, you’re taken aback by the voice.

That’s the voice you heard. It’s this one, out of all the random men yelling about a block game. It’s Dream.

“Why doesn’t he show his face?” You manage, wanting information about the person that shares your string.

“What?”

“Like, he’s handsome, right? Why doesn’t he have a facecam?”

Your brother snorts. “Handsome? He’s never shown his face, Y/n. Don’t you know who Dream is? He’s like, super famous.”

“Oh.” You think of his golden hair, as sunny and soft as the glow around his entire being. His voice right now, joyous as he gets chased by his friends. “I mean, I don’t keep up with streamers.”

He begins to explain Dream and his friends, along with lore in their role play server, and it’s all interesting enough that you sit and listen, holding on to the little bits of information you can collect about your soulmate.

You file these facts in a secluded corner of your brain and try to make a whole person, along with the hair and the laugh and the intense music he plays as he gets hunted by his friends.

By nightfall, you’re following all of his socials and binge-watching his old streams, holding on to the way he speaks to his friends, and the fond way he replies to donos.

[dreamwastaken is live!]

You click on it, bundled underneath your covers as if someone might see you and find out your secret.

“Hi, chat! I know I was just live yesterday, but I cut it too short and wanted to come talk to you guys.”

He uses his avatar to wave at the screen, and it’s kind of an adorable sight.

[gogysimp donated $25: did you go see your soulmate?]

Your heart stops. Does he know? Did he see you? Or even worse, has he already found someone else, and he just hasn’t severed the tie?

“No!” Dream’s laugh pulls you out of your worries. “I was busy with meetings today, actually. And I was too nervous. Sapnap also refused to come with me, so I’m just going to go another day.”

So he didn’t see you. He just knows you were there.

You click the donate tab before you can stop yourself.

[y/n donated $1: would you reject your soulmate if you didn’t like them?]

Dream mumbles the question, and you try to ignore the way your heart deflates when he skips saying your name. “I don’t think so,” he states plainly. “I mean, logically, a soulmate would be your other half, so I wouldn’t not like them. But I know some people just don’t click, or there are other issues. So, I don’t know. I guess the only thing I can say is that I don’t want to reject them. And I hope they don’t reject me. I mean, imagine finding out your soulmate is a Minecraft Youtuber. That would be pretty weird…”

You giggle to yourself as he trails off and answers another donation. So he’s against rejection. Okay. Maybe you have a chance.

[kyra donated $60: i’m your soulmate.]

“Meet me where you felt the tug, then,” Dream says sassily. “Chat, don’t be weird, okay? I can’t control who my soulmate is, and I don’t want you guys to exclude them if they become a pat of my life.”

Oh, you think. So his chat is vocal about their opinions, and apparently they mean a lot to him. You shiver despite your warm position and imagine how annoying you might seem to his loyal viewers: someone who only knew about him because of their brother.

Insecurity pushes against your chest, so you close the stream and push your phone away, hoping to forget this ever happened, that maybe you won’t have to deal with the inevitable if you don’t think about it.

Yogurt Barn isn’t the first place on your list of dream jobs, but it has decent pay and helps you pay off student loans, so you appreciate it nonetheless. The teal sweatshirt they gave you as a uniform keeps you warm as you scoop the frozen treats.

Your coworker, a girl named Madison, is busy manning the counter, so you check each flavor and refill the ones running empty.

“Can I ask you a question?” Madison met her soulmate, Anna, only days after she got her string. It was a textbook romance, two people meant for each other, no doubt in anyone’s mind. She might be able to help you now. That is, if you can even admit to who your soulmate is.

“What’s up?”

“I felt the tug,” you say, avoiding her eyes in favor of restacking the medium cups.

“No way!” Madison is perky in a way that makes you want to be included. You like this about her. “Did you see them? Did you talk to them?”

“He—” You want to say that the part of him you saw was perfect, enough to keep you up when you should be dreaming. But reality is nothing if not disappointing. “I ran.”

“Y/n…” Madison gives you a stern look — like a mother finding out their child didn’t defrost the chicken in time. “Why would you run?”

“I don’t want to be rejected.” The magenta swirls painted onto the walls are a stark change to the clay sidewalks of the strip mall. “And before you say he wouldn’t… It’s happened to my cousin. It’s possible.”

Madison frowns. “But that can’t be the only reason, right? I mean, we all know someone who has been rejected. It’s usually not the end of the world for them.”

“He’s a famous streamer,” you blurt, and you’re thankful the shop is as empty as it is. Just the words themselves sound fake.

Madison snorts. “Like, gaming? That’s what’s holding you back? He’s a gamer?”

“I don’t care that he’s a gamer!” You hiss. “I care that he has a loyal fanbase who more than likely all want to be his soulmate!”

“You can’t say that for certain,” Madison says. “I mean, everyone knows about the soulmate system. If you watch someone and don’t feel the pull, you know they aren’t your soulmate, right? So why wouldn’t they accept you?”

“I don’t know,” you say. “I’m just scared. I mean, he’s got this huge following and everything and I’m just me. I work in a yogurt shop for goodness’ sake.”

You head into the back to grab more cups, and the bell rings, signaling a new customer.

“Welcome to Yogurt Barn, what can I get for you?” Madison’s customer service voice pricks your ears.

You sift through the boxes to find the smaller cups and listen to the customer’s order. “Can I have a strawberry cone?”

Your string pulls, that same familiar voice filling your head, not on the screen but once again just a few feet away. He’s infiltrating your life, so close you could reach out and touch him, but it’s such a terrifying thought that you set down the cups.

You tear off your apron, and run into the break room to grab a water and calm yourself down.

It’s ten minutes before Madison comes back to find you. “Hey, are you okay? You disappeared.”

You take a deep breath and stare at the poster on the wall. It’s brightly colored, with a walking yogurt cup waving and reminding employees to wash their hands before scooping. “That was him. The guy— the pull— Dream— I can’t— Does he know? Is he following me?”

“It’s okay,” Madison runs her hand down your back. “It’s okay. He isn’t following you. When the pull starts it tends to draw the couple together until they meet. He probably doesn’t know it’s you.”

You nod and take your breaths in gulps. “Okay. Yeah, you’re right. You’re right.”

“Why don’t you go home early, okay?”

Dream is live again.

Fresh out of the shower, you pull a t-shirt over your body and burrow into your blankets. Earbuds in, you try to focus on the sound of his voice, ignoring every ounce of anxiety that’s been riddling your mind.

“Hi, chat. I’m gonna practice speed runs again. I think George is joining soon.”

You open the chat and scroll through the emotes, clicking the ones you like and sending them, just to calm yourself down.

[kylo donated $5: did you find your soulmate?]

Dream laughs. The sound makes your chest tighten with longing. Your fingers ache. “Actually, I went to the place I felt the pull again. I dunno what I was expecting, but they didn’t show up. But after that, I was running some errands and I felt it, chat! I felt the pull again.”

He trails off while his character starts to look for a lava pool. “I feel discouraged but I don’t want to like, chase them, you know? I don’t want to scare them off.”

You click the donation tab again.

[y/n donated $1: maybe your soulmate heard your voice and got scared of you because they watch your videos.]

It’s not the total truth, but it might help him sleep better. You don’t want him to feel discouraged, but you can’t bring yourself to follow the pull.

“That could be a possibility…” Dream crafts a portal and sends his character through. “But I wish I could talk to them. I wish I could tell them that it’s okay. Like, we don’t have to rush into anything.”

[y/n donated $1: They probably wish they could talk to you too]

“Thanks, Y/n.” He sucks in a breath as soon as he says your name. The Minecraft pause screen appears and the sound of a discord call can be heard.

Your heart pounds in your chest. Something about him saying your name just solidified everything. Your arms feel hot and cold all at once, like you’ve just been thrown in a frozen lake. He has to be feeling it too.

“Chat, I gotta go, okay? I’ll try to stream again soon.”

“Hello?” A sleepy voice comes in through Dream’s earbuds.

“George! Their name is Y/n!” Dream is so excited, his voice raising a few octaves as he talks. “Someone donated with that name and I felt like, super weird. I didn’t feel it until I said the name out loud.”

“That’s crazy,” George says, monotone but supportive. “Do you think the dono is actually them?”

“I don’t know,” Dream scrolls through their past donos and quickly screenshots each one. “I mean, they definitely could be.”

He shares the pictures in their group chat.

George hums. “It sounds like they’re trying to tell you how they feel without admitting that it’s them. Where did you say you felt a pull?”

“At the park, and at the yogurt shop down the road.”

“So go there again. Maybe all they need is a little courage. If you feel the pull this time, you should follow it.”

Dream thinks about it for a moment before finally agreeing. He changes the subject to their next jackbox stream, and George is now happily talking about how they’re going to team up against Sapnap.

He goes into Sapnap’s room that night. He sits on his desk chair while Sapnap sits cross legged on his bed, scrolling through his phone. “Do you wanna get frozen yogurt tomorrow? My treat.”

“Hell yeah!”

The new strawberry-lemonade custard is a hit. Not only are the colors aesthetically pleasing for the teenagers who want a nice snapchat story, but there was a promotional coupon in the mail that has people lining up to the door.

“It’s not even that good,” you tell Madison while the two of you are on break. You’re both using a sample spoon to try out the new summer flavors, and in your opinion, strawberry-lemonade isn’t even the best one. “Blood orange is better.”

Madison wrinkles her nose. “No, blue raspberry is best.”

“It’s sour, though,” you say.

“Guys! Break’s over and you’ve got a line!” Your manager stares disapprovingly at the cups of custard the both of you are indulging in.

“We’re coming.” You toss the cup into the trash and walk out, scratching at the sudden itch on your pinky finger.

Pulling on your gloves, you grab a scoop and address the first customer, “Welcome to Yogurt Barn.”

“Hi!”

You still like you’ve been caught stealing on camera. You look up, hand clutching the scoop so tightly you can feel the cold steel through your gloves.

It’s Dream.

It’s him. He’s tall, and his hair is a sunshine blond, dark at the roots and curling beneath his ears. And his freckles… little spots all across his cheeks so endearing that you get a little distracted staring at them.

Then he’s talking, and you have to focus on his jade-green eyes, not his lips, which are a warm pink. “It’s you.”

You blink. Fear strikes your spine and you drop the scoop. “I gotta go.”

“Wait!” Dream calls, just as Madison shouts your name.

You exit out the back door again. Your heart is pounding against your chest, ribs expanding, and all you can hear is the sound of your name coming out of his lips, just last night through a screen.

“Y/n?” Only it’s in front of you, a few feet away, and he’s searching your eyes for any reassurance that you won’t run away again. That you won’t reject him. “That’s your name right?” He keeps talking, a nervous smile flitting across his face. “The donos? That was you?”

You can see the string now, red and blaring, tightening with each step Dream takes. It’s signing off your fate, for better or for worse, and you can’t fathom why he’s trying so hard, why he cares so much.

It’s hot in Florida but you feel cold, chilled to the bone. You straighten up. You figure you owe it to him to look up in the eye.

He leaves you breathless, eyes shining in the sun. “It was me,” you say. “You’re Dream.”

“Clay, actually,” he says. His smile widens, and it’s magnificently bold. He’s triumphant, just from your reply, and that alone gives you the slightest bit of hope.

“Clay,” you say. “I’m— I’m not— I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You don’t have to be.” Clay is quick to reply, hands open and palms up. It’s a complete surrender — putting it all in your hands. “We don’t have to announce it. We don’t have to be anything at all, if you need time. But I would like to be your friend. If— If that’s okay.”

But you want to be close to him. The draw of your strings pulling each other closer and closer makes you want to wrap your arms around him. If he hasn’t rejected you, maybe you can do this. “I– I want to be more than friends, but I’m terrified of you rejecting me. I’m afraid of the string getting cut.”

Clay set his brows, “I won’t let that happen. We’re connected. Fate, ya know?”

“Yeah,” you breathe, and it’s a sigh of relief. “Okay. Maybe I’ll give you my number?”

“I’ll give you mine!” Clay is animated, holding out his hand for your phone. “That way you can text me when you’re ready.”

The red string shines like gold in the Florida sun, and when your fingertips brush, it burns with a satisfying warmth.