#keep rainbow keychains in your pocket or something

[thebluestbluewords]

Road trip!

Something I've been playing with, very much unfinished. Core four and friends, ~1500 words.

*

“You–oh, Eves.” Mal calls from the backseat, where she’s been stuffed along with Carlos and Jane. Little legs to the back, that’s the car rules. “Hey, Evie. Evieeeee.” 

Evie’s in the front seat, as is her right as the official partner of the owner of said car, a disgustingly practical and comfortable SUV in a supremely neutral shade of metallic gray. Evie wouldn’t even let Mal spray paint a crown emblem on the side, which is just rude. Mal’s great at spray painting things, and it would be cool as fuck to have a beast-and-crown on the side of Ben’s car. “What?” 

Right.

“Get your camera,” Mal hisses. “C’s asleep. I wanna see how much stuff I can balance on him before he wakes up.” 

Evie rolls her eyes. “Take my keys,” she sighs, holding out the little embroidered keychain. Her ID is attached to it, which is even funnier. Mal carefully positions the keys themselves on Carlos’s shoulder, with the ID tag dangling down over the chest pocket of his denim jacket. 

“You want my water bottle?” Lonnie asks, turning around with a wicked grin on her face. She’s been a sleeping victim on enough bus rides that she’s probably thrilled to have some revenge. “I’ve got a bunch of oranges too.” 

Oranges are hard to balance, but there’s a spot in the curve of Carlos’s arm that should fit at least two or three. “Perfect, thanks.” 

“I’ve got my milkshake cup,” Jane offers tentatively. “I think it’s empty enough to be okay.” 

Mal accepts the offering. Milkshakes are an occupational hazard now. Her own cup is too light and empty to stay balanced on the top of Carlos’s shoulder, but Jane’s has enough sweet sludge in the bottom that it can stay upright without her hand, so on it goes. “Sweet. Got anything else?” 

“Ben keeps his car clean,” Evie says, nearly pouting. “There’s not a lot of useful trash up here.” 

“Hey! Cleanliness is next to uh, goodness. And there’s wet wipes and some other stuff in the glovebox.” Ben says, gesturing. “Which you’ll need when that spills.” 

“Aww, but we’re just keeping the cleaning staff occupied.” Mal whines, but very softly, because she’s next to her sleeping victim, who she very much does not want to wake up. 

Ben just looks disappointed, which isn’t the look she was going for at all. “They have enough to do cleaning up after my father. We don’t need to be jerks to them too.” 

“Fine,” Mal agrees, sticking her hand out to receive the package of wet wipes that Evie will be passing back to her any moment. “We’ll torment them some other way. How d’you feel about leaving pennies under every soap dish in the castle and making it some sort of challenge for them to find them all? We could call it a tipping incentive, sort of a social experiment to see how people do when there’s a pressure to leave the coins behind for the cleaning staff to benefit from, as well as a pressure to leave things neat and tidy when they leave.” 

Ben’s hands twitch on the wheel, but he’s too responsible of a driver to lift them from their proper 10-and-2 position to scrub his hand through his bangs. “No–” 

“A measuring tape!” Evir squeals, straightening up from her rummage through the glovebox. “Score!” 

“I’m never getting that back, am I?” 

Evie beams at Ben. “Nope,” she says sweetly, passing the tape back into Mal’s greedily waiting hands. “Never, babe. Sorry about that.” 

Ben sighs again. You’d almost think that he’s tired of their shit, or something. Surely it’s that, and nothing to do with the fact that they’ve been on the road since early afternoon, and it’s now rapidly approaching twilight. “Stop sign coming up.” 

Mal drops the measuring tape into her lap and attends dutifly to the milkshake cup, which is by far the most precarious of her carefully placed objects, and also the messiest if it spills. Also because she’s definitely in the splash zone, and she doesn’t really feel like being covered in cold, sticky rainbow goop for the rest of the ride home. Not that it’s very nice to cover her partner in milkshake either, but little boys who fall asleep in the vicinity of evil fairy sorceresses should expect terrible things to happen to them. “Oh, oh–” Mal whispers, steading her cup oh-so-carefully as the car rocks to a stop. 

Success. 

Stop sign obeyed, the car jerks forward again. Carlos, deeply asleep, flops his head back slightly with the motion. It doesn’t dislodge any of the pencils shoved through his hair, although the new potion makes some of them stick up in a little halo of colored pencils and Mal’s own bad intentions. 

Fortunately, he remains asleep through the motion. 

Unfortunately, the new position is significantly more accessible for Mal to balance shit on his head, and one orange later, the laughter from the front seat reaches a critical volume, and he starts to stir before Mal can get the measuring tape tied in a bow around the milkshake cup. 

“Wasit,” Carlos mumbles, eyes fluttering. 

“Nothing.” Mal says immediately, removing her hand and the empty cup from Carlos’s shoulder. “Go back to sleep.” 

“Wher’e we?” he mumbles, instead of listening like he’s supposed to do when someone like Mal, who is clearly older and wiser and can be trusted, instructs him to do something. 

“Half an hour out,” Jay says quickly, leaning back so he’s clearly visible in the backseat. “Go back to sleep. Mal’s gonna wake you up when we get there. She’s very trustworthy.” 

Carlos blinks slowly. Jay grins unconvincingly, which is not helping their case. The pencil and orange nest is still holding strong despite a fair amount of movement from the car, which is basically the nicest SUV available on the market,  but still isn’t a perfectly smooth ride. 

Mal breathes in, and out, and inches the cup closer again. Carlos is still blinking into the faint evening light. The circles under his eyes are bad again. Not as bad as the bruises he used to have all the time, but still, not great. Purple is only a flattering under-eye color on a few people, and Mal’s smallest boyfriend is not one of them. 

“...Kay.” Carlos says finally. “M’gonna go back to sleep.” 

“You should,” Mal agrees. In the front seat, Evie is making a noise that sounds a bit like choking. If Mal were in the middle she’d kick the back of her seat, but as before, the short-legged got stuck in the back, where Mal is both squished tight between the other two unfortunate short people, and too short to stick her leg out and kick the back of Evie’s seat anyway. She’s going to institute a lottery system for car seats next time. It’ll be very fair and just, Ben likes that sort of thing. A lottery system designed to take the oppressed out of the backseat and integrate them with the taller folks in the rest of comfortable car seating society. Yeah. Maybe if Mal presents it really well Evie will want to help make a spreadsheet so that the lottery system can remain fair and it’s not just pure luck of the draw every time. They could have odds and everything, and a random coin toss to determine where they start pulling from the list of names. Maybe a special program designed for it. They could pull the front seat first, and then the middle, in a sort of tiered system, like those mobile games where you have to keep pulling from a lottery to get the items you need.  “Definitely. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

Carlos yawns, and without further encouragement, flops back against the window and closes his eyes again. “M–there…” 

“Go to sleep,” Mal coos, inching forward with the cup again. “Shut the fuck up and go to sleeeeeep.” 

The cup makes shoulder contact a moment later, with no discernable reaction from her sleeping victim. 

The car erupts into a very quiet cheer. 

Mal moves slowly and carefully. The cup is firmly balanced, and in no danger of slipping off so long as Carlos remains asleep. Based on how quickly he passed the fuck out, she’s got nothing to worry about there. Her phone is in her pants pocket, held tight against her thigh in an unyielding prison of denim. It’s a simple motion to shift her seat belt up, lever her ass out of the seat, and worm her fingers far enough into her pocket to scrape the phone up and out, and then thumb it open, and then–

Mal snaps the photo. Her phone is still a devilish creation that she’d rather not have her every waking second be beholden to, but it’s really nice to have around sometimes, like when her family is out in town and she needs to be able to find them in a hurry.  Phones are still awful, but they’re useful too, and Mal’s trying to grow as a person and learn to accept that the shit she thinks is terrible. It’s part of her four step life plan towards being a better person, along with eating more broccoli and trying to drink less paint water. 

Photo successfully acquired, Mal worms her phone back into her pocket. 

Lonnie is staring. 

Mal gestures at the oranges, in what is supposed to be a very clear ‘do you need these back?’ sort of way. 

Lonnie shakes her head, and points at Carlos instead, who is snoring slightly. “Is he sick?” she mouths. 

Huh. “Maybe.” Mal whispers back, leaning forward so far she’s practically in the middle row. “I think he’s gonna survive though, so don’t worry about him. I don’t.” 

Carlos grumbles, twitching slightly. “Mnmh.” 

“Shhh, go back to sleep,” Mal whispers soothingly, hand hovering with the cup again. “We’re not there yet.” 

“I think he is sick. Carlos never sleeps.” 

“Yeah, well. It had to happen sometime, right? At least this way we get some good pictures out of it.”

#my fic #not 100% happy with this one yet BUT it's writing and literally any words that I can get out on a page are progress!!

[queercutlureis]

queer culture is buying stuff with rainbows on it to be "low-key" about pride, but being too scared to wear/use it and having to force yourself to have an "to them I'm straight and so this isn't gay, it's just a rainbow," mentality.

#queercultureis #queer culture is #queer #closeted #vent #? #maybe start small #keep rainbow keychains in your pocket or something?

[fickleminder]

the years start coming and they don’t stop coming (part 2)

Special thanks to @elvishdork, @rsmrymnt-tea, @victoireshaven, @lunarscribbles, @leuxbraus, @yeet-to-yeet, @oksoweredointhis, and several anons for giving me a much-needed kick in the muse to get this thing done. Love you all 💚

Part 1 here

They find your grave first.

You’re buried next to your parents, the only thing left of you a simple tombstone in the old cemetery. The space isn’t very well cared for, especially since you never married or had children. Your worn marker is chipped in several places, and even your name has begun to fade from the elements over the years. All in all, there’s nothing special distinguishing your final resting place from that of countless other humans’.

Forgotten. Just as you had been in life.

Lilith is the only one bold enough to approach, at first. Murmuring a soft prayer, she gets to work cleaning up, wiping the dust from your tombstone and sweeping away dead leaves with her bare hands.

She is joined by Mammon, who takes halting steps towards your grave and falls to his knees. He pats down his pockets, cursing lowly before tearing off a strip from his shirt and rubbing at the marker, polishing it with so much fervor as though he’s determined to make it shine brighter than Goldie.

Once the space has been cleared, tiny offerings are placed and carefully rearranged: a black rose with petals as dark as the Devildom skies; a limited-edition TSL keychain; and a small cupcake with rainbow sprinkles, slightly smushed on one side but otherwise perfectly intact.

Asmo sobs openly without care for his smudging makeup or expensive clothes. Belphie looks like he just wants to curl up next to your grave and sleep for the next five years.

Satan stands at the edge of the group, not an ounce of sympathy for his mourning brothers. He’s the only one who knows: the coffin underneath is empty.

.

.

.

“Satan,” Solomon greets wryly. “Good afternoon. I was wondering if you’ve seen a certain errant apprentice of mine.”

The demon in question shoots a curious glance at the purring Calico in his lap. “I might have. Something wrong?”

“It’s a funny story actually,” Solomon replies, explaining how you had immediately run off upon successfully performing your first shapeshift. In hindsight, the sorcerer should have gone through the entire process before encouraging you to give it a shot, and now you’re stuck as a feline with no knowledge of how to turn back.

“I see…” Something in Satan’s tone makes the fur at the back of your neck stand up. You try to shake off the blissful dazed state his petting has put you in and jump away, but he’s quick to grab you by the scruff before you can escape. “Thanks Solomon, I’ll keep you updated.”

Satan hangs up and lifts you to the level of his face with a frown. “So eager to come see me that you ditched Solomon at the first opportunity? Normally I’d be flattered, but that was very irresponsible of you.”

Apparently returning to your beloved demon as soon as you could isn’t enough to excuse your impulsive actions, so you pull out the big guns: bringing your front paws together just below your chin and making your eyes go as wide as they can.

Satan forever regrets letting you make him watch that film series with the green ogre all those years ago. He sets you down gently, sighing in exasperation. “Silly human. What am I going to do with you?”

You meow innocently in response.

.

.

.

The front door is still broken.

Its hinges barely hold onto the wall, creaking threateningly whenever someone comes and goes. The rest of the house isn’t quite in shambles, but not much effort has been put into getting it back to its pristine state.

Lilith does her best to support her siblings, but they’ve been in a depressive mood for weeks now and there’s only so much she can do to get them through each day. She’s even approached Lord Diavolo and Barbatos for help, seeking their advice to rally the broken brothers together, asking if they knew how your life went, if only to take comfort in the fact that you lived happily and healthily to a ripe old age.

She steers clear of the angels and sorcerer who visit the Devildom occasionally. While Lilith knows you were close friends with them, she’s strictly forbidden from making contact with anybody who isn’t already aware of her presence. The how and why of her resurrection is still a mystery, but one thing is for certain: your ties to her must never come to light lest she brings another great war upon her grieving family. Although it’ll take time to recover from losing you, she’s determined to be there for them every step of the way.

(And if anyone is suspicious about a certain Avatar of Wrath’s lack of rage, they’re wallowing too deeply in their own misery to notice.)

.

.

.

Catching Satan playing with stray cats in the garden isn’t an uncommon occurrence, but nobody ever expected to hear —

“What… What did you just call it?”

Satan’s arms tighten protectively around you as he repeats your name, glaring at his brothers as though daring them to do something about it. You poke your head out of his jacket to peek at the others, trying to gauge their reactions.

“That name belongs to our human! Call it something else!”

“Shut up, Mammon! Satan, may I?”

You nuzzle Asmo’s outstretched fingers gently, your heart swelling at the familiar scent of his favorite hand lotion. Flashbulb memories of spa sessions and shopping sprees and gossiping late into school nights hit you all at once; if not for your feline body, you probably would have burst into tears.

Mammon sniggers at the disgruntled expression on Satan’s face when you practically climb into Asmo’s arms and paw at his chest. Satan looks about ready to commit fratricide when Asmo makes a dirty comment about how even animals can’t resist him, but Mammon’s jeers get stuck in his throat when you suddenly turn your attention to him.

“Oh hell no, I don’t want any part of this!” The second-born declares, backing away quickly before you can even think about pouncing on him. (Is it his imagination, or did your ears actually droop slightly at that?) He spins on his heel and stalks off with a parting shot: “Good luck getting Lucifer to let you keep that stupid cat!”

.

.

.

Word spreads fast in the House of Lamentation.

Lucifer’s first instinct to get rid of you is justified twice over. The last time Satan had been allowed one (1) pet resulted in utter catastrophe — no pun intended — and having another creature with your name running around would be a constant reminder of his failure. As it is, being the sole feline presence in the area for four days and counting is the only reason you’ve not been evicted yet.

What’s more unsettling is the fact that there’s been no sign of your soul in the Devildom despite it being many years since you passed. Lucifer had been certain that having pacts with all seven Avatars of Sin would have guaranteed you a place here, so where did you go? Were you avoiding them?

Perhaps you’d been granted eternal rest in the Celestial Realm. The notion is highly improbable, but not impossible. Lucifer knows he could always ask Simeon, or even Michael if he was really desperate, but pride aside, he just can’t bring himself to do it, can’t stomach the confirmation that you’d choose to go someplace he and his brothers cannot follow.

He’s hard-pressed to blame you though, nor Lord Diavolo and Barbatos for keeping their silence. The fault lies with him and his family, as much as it pains him to admit it.

One particular evening sees Lucifer practically dragging his feet into his study, prepared for another late night of report writing. He’s armed with coffee, cursed vinyl records, a new footrest he’s been wanting to try out —

And a mangy cat sprawled atop the files and folders on his desk, napping away without a care in the world.

Thoughts of you already fill the gaps between paperwork and wrangling his siblings and a thousand other things on his to-do list; the first-born doesn’t need another in the form of a pesky animal. He growls your name, fully intending to chase you off, but your immediate response gives him pause.

There’s a certain intelligence in your eyes, Lucifer observes as you blink warily at him. It’s not unlike that of Mammon’s crows, the birds being much smarter and more aware than others give them credit for. Satan’s magical prowess doesn’t warrant a familiar, but Lucifer wouldn’t put it past his brother to pass you off as one. Either way, he has no time for this.

“Out. Now.”

He sets his cup of Hell Coffee in front of you with a loud thud, clearly an intimidation tactic, but you don’t even twitch except to stretch out your neck and give the hot beverage a curious sniff.

Lucifer raises an eyebrow, his lips curling in amusement. “Try it. I dare you.”

While it’s spitefully tempting to knock that bitter monstrosity to the floor, you quite prefer to keep living. Holding your ground, you curl back up and close your eyes.

A frustrated growl, leather-clad hands lifting you upwards, and then you strike.

Your claws latch onto Lucifer’s waistcoat, digging deeply enough to secure a solid grip on his torso without tearing into the fabric. The surprise attack forces him into his chair, his arms instinctively curling around you to prevent your fall. Once you’re certain he’s seated and comfortable, you let out a deliberate yawn and snuggle into the demon’s chest.

There’s pressure on your back, firm and unyielding at first, then soft and contemplative. Lucifer’s heart beats strongly against your ears, his chest rumbling with a wistful murmur of your name as he strokes your fur.

“Very well. Since you insist, I’ll let you stay.” Shifting to accommodate the warm weight on his lap, he picks up his pen and gets to work.

Maybe just for tonight, he can pretend you’re still here with him.

.

.

.

Fortunately for Mammon, nobody was around to hear his high-pitched shriek when something furry smacked firmly onto his backside.

“Oi, what’s the big idea?” He whips around with a flustered glare, turning in circles as you weave between his legs. “You trying to steal my wallet or something?”

It takes a few more swipes at his hips before Mammon realizes you’re trying to get at the black and yellow feathered keychain hanging from his belt. He unclips it and holds it at a distance, watching curiously as you eye it like fish bait dangling from a hook.

Within the safety of his room, the Avatar of Greed is more than happy to indulge you as you chase after the trinket in a game of keep away. Unlike dogs (specifically three-headed ones who live in underground tombs), he has no qualms interacting with cats, especially when they don’t belong to nasty witches or turn out to be a younger brother who had accidentally cursed himself. Speaking of…

“I don’t care what Satan says. I’m gonna call you Cat, not — not —” Mammon can’t bring himself to say your name, not when he’d failed you so terribly. Just the thought alone is enough to sour his mood; he drops the keychain at your feet, no longer interested in fooling around.

They didn’t even see you off, he realizes belatedly. You had healed his family after centuries of discord, and they didn’t have the decency to say goodbye when you had to leave. Even his last memory of you is a nostalgic blur.

Were you angry? Did you resent them till the end? Maybe you eventually learned to live without them, while they took for granted that you’d always be there.

“Sorry Cat, playtime’s over. Let’s get you back to —” Mammon almost jumps when he spots you on his bed, staring intently at a black and white lump next to his pillow. “No no no, that’s not a chew toy! I swear, if there’s so much as a scratch on it, I’ll —”

Inches away from grabbing you by the scruff, his hand freezes when you nuzzle the stuffed panda fondly, curling around it with a soft purr. Your paws are gentle as they knead the handmade toy and pull it closer to you.

Mammon’s heart swells and breaks all over again. He kicks off his boots and lies down next to you, and you take the opportunity to burrow into his side, the panda squished lightly between your bodies.

Your first man doesn’t say a word, but it takes a long time for his shuddering breaths to even out.

.

.

.

Henry 2.0’s not technically a rubber duck, but he makes a pretty good listener. That said, Levi was not expecting a reply in the middle of another bug-induced rant.

“H-h-how did you get inside my room?!” Backed up against the edge of his desk and holding his keyboard out like a shield, the demon nearly has a heart attack at the thought that you’re here to devour his best friend as a snack. “Shoo! Shoo!”

In your defense, you don’t seem very interested in the goldfish swimming idly nearby. As a matter of fact, you hardly give the tank a second glance as you stalk towards your main target like a predator on the hunt. A distant part of Levi’s brain faintly notes the way you take care to sidestep the many wires strewn about.

“Oh nonononono! I’m just a yucky otaku, not very tasty at all —”

[That’s okay, Levi! I’m just happy to see you!]

Both of you freeze. Despite the electronic undertone, that was unmistakably your voice. The keyboard is lowered as Levi’s arms go limp, and you realize he must have accidentally pressed something in his panic. There’s also a little tune playing from the speakers; it takes a while, but you recognize it as an 8-bit rendition of the song the two of you had composed and sang to way back when.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Levi whines, his whole posture slumping as he sinks into his gaming chair. “I’m pathetic, I know. It’s not the same, but this AI is the closest I can get to…”

He gestures absently at his monitor, where a character sprite with your likeness is displayed on the screen. An open program at the side shows an array of different skins: the RAD uniform, your favorite casual wear, a yukata, the Henry costume for the TSL play, a bunny-themed uniform at the Fall, and a pink sheep onesie, among others.

Credit where it’s due, Levi’s attention to detail is impeccable. Snippets of memories play out behind your eyes as you drink in the individual outfits; Satan might call you masochistic for reliving those bittersweet moments, but he isn't around to tease you so you're free to indulge. Levi seems to have forgotten all about his apprehension by the time you come back to yourself, too busy rambling about the bugs in his code, insisting that even the smallest fragment of you artificially brought back to life had to be true to canon.

Meow-ing and nya-ing where appropriate, you settle down near a pile of snacks and make yourself comfortable. You’re no rubber duck either, but you’ve always been more than happy to lend your favorite otaku a listening ear.

.

.

.

“Still no luck?”

“I’ve been trying, but someone —” Satan gives your furry butt a light smack, earning a flick on the cheek with your tail “— doesn’t seem too keen on paying attention.”

Simeon laughs at the indignant look on your face. He pats his knees, prompting you to hop from Satan’s lap onto his. “Don’t be so stubborn, little lamb,” the angel chides, scratching the spot beneath your chin that makes you melt into his touch. “It takes a lot of energy to maintain another form. You’ve only just started learning how to control your magic, so don’t push it.”

“Food’s here!” Luke returns with tea and an assortment of baked treats, his bangs somewhat ruffled. No doubt the café staff have been fussing over the cute little boy who volunteered to pick up his table’s orders. “Are all humans like this?” He pouts, fixing his hair after setting down the tray. “These better be good or I’m not coming back!”

And so begins the next step in Simeon and Luke’s ambitious quest to sample all the desserts of the human world. Unfortunately, you low-key regret not being in your original body when they start withholding food.

“Sorry, no whipped cream for you.” Simeon lifts his plate away from your hungry paw. Next to him, Satan smirks into his cup. “That’ll make you sick, you know.”

Traitors! Both of them! You vacate Simeon’s lap with a rueful meow, curling up next to Luke’s feet instead.

The little angel is your only ally, you decide, and definitely not because he sneaks you blueberries under the table when the other two aren’t looking.

.

.

.

Stepping inside Asmo’s room is like venturing into the perfume section of a department store, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.

“You’re such a -hic- cute kitty!” Asmo giggles at the way you sneeze when he hugs you to his chest. The smell of demonus on his clothes is almost as strong as all the beauty products he usually applies on a daily basis.

The fifth-born has been alternating between partying non-stop for days, getting drunk off his ass, and holing himself up in his room where no one will know if he lets himself his appearance fall apart. By chance, you had managed to catch him somewhere in-between.

“It’s no fun without you here.” He sighs, one hand clumsily running through your fur, the other nursing a cup of hangover remedy. Courtesy of Satan, if you had to guess. You nudge Asmo's shaking arm with a paw, prompting him to down the rest of the drink before he spills it all over the sheets. “Uwaaaah~ This sucks! Don’t tell anyone, but my eyeliner game hasn’t been the same since you left. I’ve always -hic- preferred the way you drew them, you know?”

“Meow.”

“I'm always beautiful, but you're the only one who actually made me believe it.”

“Meow.”

“Exactly! Ooh wait, I’ve got an idea!” Setting you down at the edge of his bed, Asmo rummages through his room with drunken excitement and returns with a small pile of items. He lays them out separately in front of you: a hairbrush, a cluster of clips and colorful ribbons, and his D.D.D. “Let’s play a game~ Apparently this is a tradition for newborns in some human cultures. Shall I groom you? Doll you up? Post pictures of you on Devilgram? Hehe, I’ll let you choose whatever you want!”

You don’t even have to think about it.

Asmo lights up when you pad towards the accessories in the center, but his smile freezes when all you do is step over them and keep moving forward, making yourself at home in his lap instead. You nuzzle his chest affectionately and match his hitching breaths with purrs.

Soft hands wind around your body and pull you atop the demon as he flops backwards onto the pillows with a choked sob. “G-good kitty -hic- such a sweetheart, oh yes you are!” Asmo holds you tight and drops kisses onto your head, but even the demonus can’t completely mask the faint traces of salt mixed into his scent.

.

.

.

Frantic yowling summons Beel to the garden, where he finds you clinging to the side of a rattan basket in fright. One of the ropes tethering it to the tree branches had snapped while you were napping inside; you may have the body of a feline, but you don’t trust yourself to land safely on your feet if you jump.

“It’s okay, don’t be scared.” The demon is careful not to make any sudden movements as he reaches for you, coaxing you to let go. With his height, all he has to do is stretch out his arms and his hands are already mere inches away from you. “I’ll catch you, I promise.”

He does, of course. Beel is often reliable like that. And if you thought he was big before, he’s a giant compared to you now.

“You’re so tiny…” He marvels at the kitten nestled in his palms, rubbing your head with feather-light touches. “You hardly weigh anything. Has Satan been taking good care of you?”

You meow affirmatively and lick his fingers in gratitude, but Beel’s already on his way to the kitchen, determined to fill your belly (and his). He retrieves several containers marked with cat stickers and practically lays out a feast for you.

“Eat up. You’re still growing, you know.” Beel helps himself to a plate of cheeseburgers as he watches you munch on some cooked chicken. His free hand stays close to you, petting you absently. For a few blissful moments, you get to enjoy sharing a meal with him again, until —

“Were you happy? Did you have enough food?”

— the chicken suddenly tastes like ash in your mouth.

“Lilith said you did, but she wasn’t there. I wasn’t… None of us were.” Beel lowers a half-eaten burger and stares at you with such a forlorn expression that you just want to wipe it off of his face. He’s even stopped eating, which is a big red flag. Upon noticing that you’ve paused too, he forces a smile and scratches your chin. “Don’t worry about me, you can keep going.”

You don’t, of course. Instead, you paw at his other hand and make a show of snatching his food, prompting Beel to shove the rest of it into his mouth, more out of reflex than actual hunger. Something clicks in his brain when he sees you take a bite of your chicken immediately after.

“Oh, you want us to eat together?” He picks up another burger and swallows it whole; you dig into a piece of turkey with gusto. “…Okay. I’d like that.”

Obviously you don’t empty out the containers, but Beel polishes off everything on his plate.

.

.

.

It’s a given fact that the constellations in the Devildom’s skies differ from those in the human world, a fact you discovered the first time you had ventured into the planetarium in search of familiar stars to alleviate a bout of homesickness during the early days of the exchange program. It also wasn’t until Belphie’s release from the attic that you had any hope of identifying them.

Although the sky is obscured with heavy clouds tonight, the youngest brother already knows all the stars by heart. Little purple sparks twinkle against the clear glass of the planetarium’s dome, mimicking the placement of constellations normally scattered across the surface.

“And that’s it, I guess.” Belphie yawns into your fur, cuddling you closer. Satan definitely knew what he was doing when he adopted you as a therapy animal; you make an excellent nap buddy. “Pretty neat, huh?”

You seem more interested in the sparkling lights hovering above you than the actual meaning behind their formations, but that’s okay. So long as he gets to spend time with you.

“It’s not exactly common knowledge, but Diavolo created one constellation for each of the Avatars.” Belphie laughs at the way you visibly perk up at the information. He’s shared this tidbit with you before, but you never get tired of hearing it. “Heh, Lilith refuses to admit it, but I think she’s a little jealous. What do you say, shall we make something up for her?”

Belphie loosens his hold on you to conjure a ball of shimmering purple energy. You wriggle out of his grasp to bat at it, sending a spark into the air with every hit. Clearly he’s manipulating where they go, the three additional lights forming an ‘L’ amidst the rest.

Job done, you reclaim your spot on Belphie’s pillow, but the demon has a pensive look on his face. He flicks his wrist, and several more lights emerge to join the others in the shape of your initials.

You meow at him sadly. Belphie doesn’t respond except to let the energy ball dissipate and pull you back into his arms, staring miserably at the newest constellation. You can tell he’s getting sleepy again, his breaths beginning to slow, but he fights his drowsiness to keep his magic alive for as long as he can.

And even when he finally succumbs to his sin, your name is the last to fade.

.

.

.

“I told you so.”

“Mmrp.”

“Oi, watch the attitude or I won’t be so inclined to help you.”

An empty threat. You nip at Satan’s fingers half-heartedly, but the paws keeping his hand on your head betrays your need for his touch and comfort right now.

It was hard to believe him when he had first told you about his brothers mourning your death. After not hearing from them ever since Lilith showed up, you didn’t think they would remember or even miss you. The hurt from being abandoned all those decades ago never really faded away; you blamed the tiny piece of your heart that refused to let go, nursing the painful spark of hope that maybe tomorrow would be the day they finally thought of you, or maybe you just needed to give your silly boys more time to come around.

(They were happy without you, and yet when Simeon slid the Ring of Light onto your finger, all you could think about was the second chance to be a part of their lives again.)

You had resigned yourself to a one-sided reunion by the time you were able to return to the Devildom, prepared to love your second family from afar. The shapeshifting was supposed to be temporary; once you ascertained that everyone was doing well, you would turn back and… okay, you hadn’t thought that far yet, but you would have worked something out eventually.

“Hey.” Satan’s voice is uncharacteristically soft, his tone gentle as he scratches the base of your ears. “Everything will be alright. Trust me, you’ll always have a place with us.”

Even the Avatar of Wrath can only relish his brothers’ suffering for so long. You know Satan has your back no matter what, but the choice is clear: it’s time to come clean.

.

.

.

(Whispered words come to you in a dream.

“I never meant to replace you.” The silence of the night is steeped in guilt and remorse. “I am forever grateful for all my family has done for me, but my only regret is that it cost them you. You saved them, you made them whole again, and… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I hope you find peace, wherever you are. Goodnight, little one.”

A final, gentle stroke of your fur, and then all is still.)

.

.

.

Things, as usual, don’t go according to plan.

When it happens, you tumble roughly from Diavolo’s arms, landing on all fours with a hiss. He’s quick to apologize, thinking he might have been too eager in his petting. “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

But there’s no way for you to tell him about the burning sensation on your left paw, the echoes of wrath searing through your fur and making your blood boil. Getting to Satan is the only thing on your mind as you dart away from the demon prince’s hands, past a confused Barbatos, and towards the House of Lamentation.

.

.

.

It’s the calm in the middle of the storm.

You squeeze inside through a broken window to see Lilith standing between two groups: Satan and the twins in one, and Asmo with the older brothers in the other. The fourth-born looks more roughed up than the rest; you spy his D.D.D. in an equally dismal state where it lies discarded in a corner, littered with spider cracks and —

“I’m serious!” Satan laughs at your pout. “No wrinkles whatsoever. You’re as handsome as the day I first laid eyes on you, my dear.”

You swat his arm with reddening cheeks. The demon’s exaggeration knows no bounds, and yet his honeyed words easily make you blush as though you’re seventeen and not seventy.

“Come here, I’ll prove it.” He draws you close and fires up his D.D.D.’s camera. “Say cheese!”

The self-conscious smile on your face morphs into one of surprise when you feel warm lips on your temple, a split second before the flash goes off.

— a photo of the two of you on the flickering screen.

“We should be thanking him!” Lilith argues, gesturing fervently at the larger group. In the short time you’ve known your soft-spoken ancestor, you’ve never seen her so worked up before. “He was there when we weren’t! He took care of —”

“Then why the fuck didn’t he tell us?! He had no right keeping —”

“No right?” Satan is seething. “I was the only one who gave a damn! You — all of you chose to forget! I shouldn’t have to remind you that our human was still cohabitating with us when you lot decided to just abandon —”

“That’s not true! I bet you cursed us so that only you would remember!”

“Not to mention that glamor on the door was your doing, and all those times you snuck off on your own —”

“Everyone, stop it! Fighting about this now won’t change anything…”

“We’re to blame here.”

“No, I refuse to accept this!”

You can’t tell who lunges first, but then horns and wings and tails start coming out and everything quickly descends into chaos. A brawl between the brothers isn’t new to you, but this level of raw violence certainly is. No spells or hexes are used, just good old-fashioned fangs, claws, and brute force. All you can discern is Belphie tugging Lilith a safe distance away before joining the melee; the rest are moving too fast for your eyes to track.

Satan is wrath incarnate. He dishes out as much as he takes, but three vs. four aren’t the best odds even with Beel on his side, let alone against all his older siblings. His betrayal is unforgivable, and your horror must have bled through the pact because you sense a brief surge of panic from Satan’s end, an unspoken plea for you to stay out of the way.

But with that much blood, feathers and scales being shed, and infernal demonic snarls ringing in your ears, you have to step in before someone gets killed for real. Satan shouldn’t have to pay the price for your cowardice; this is all your fault and you need to fix things now.

You spot Lucifer flying high, preparing for a dive-bomb. A swift leap onto the couch and you’re in position to go for his wings — sorry not sorry — but Lilith grabs you in mid-air before you can throw yourself into the fray.

“Kitty, no! You’ll get hurt!” She pulls you back and out of harm’s way. You hiss at her angrily, but no matter how hard you struggle, how viciously you dare to claw at her arms, gouging bloody ribbons into her delicate skin, she refuses to let go.

“You. Utter. BASTARD!” A streak of white is all you can make out of Mammon, who easily weaves around Beel and Belphie and goes in for the kill. You feel a flash of genuine fear from Satan, and the last shred of your patience finally snaps.

The attack never lands.

What sends all movements screeching to a complete halt is not the sudden burst of light in the brothers’ peripheral vision or Lilith’s startled yelp, but the loose threads of magic under their skins abruptly yanked taut as faded pact marks flare to life, and:

“EVERYBODY SIT!!”

As though gravity had been increased tenfold, seven demons slam to the ground so quickly that all breath is knocked out of them in one sharp exhale. Even without the order pinning them to the floor, hearing your voice again after so many decades would have done the trick.

Everyone’s eyes are on you in a heartbeat, you in all your immortal glory, looking not a day older than at the start of the exchange program. It’s you, it has to be; appearances aside, the pacts you have with them are all the proof they need.

Lilith looks absolutely stunned at the cat-turned-person in her hold, her arms looped loosely around your waist. It’s just as well, given that your body’s starting to slump dangerously.

“See, I was paying attention.” One last jab at Satan, and then you’re toppling backwards in a dead faint.

.

.

.

You wake up in Lilith’s bed with a raging headache and your worried great-great-n-times-over grandmother hovering over you.

“Oh, thank goodness!” She helps you sit up, handing you a glass of water with a straw. The pounding in your skull gradually ebbs away as you take small sips. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I have a magically-induced hangover.” You went drinking with Solomon once. Never again. There’s also a fresh bruise on your shoulder, and you rub it with a wince. “Where’d this come from? And how long was I out?”

“Not too long, you slept for about an hour. And I, uh, might have accidentally knocked you into the doorframe. Twice.”

For some reason, an image of Lilith dragging you through the house by your feet pops into your head.

“Everybody was panicking when you collapsed, okay?” She whines, and you take a moment to appreciate just how frazzled she looks, the poor thing. “I didn’t think you’d want my brothers smothering you, so I carried you here. I told them to calm down and talk things through before bringing you back.”

“I’m honestly surprised they haven’t barged in by now.”

“Well, they’re still in the common room…”

“That’s unusually civil of them —”

“Stuck to the floor.”

“WHAT?!”

The tension in Lilith’s shoulders loosens as she giggles uncontrollably. “I think your pacts with them worked a little too well. If you’re up for it, shall we?”

You don’t fully register the exhaustion in your bones until you attempt to get out of bed. Although you stumble like a newborn calf at first, Lilith keeps a steady grip on your waist until you can more or less walk under your own power. An hour’s nap isn’t nearly enough to undo weeks of shapeshifting and activating seven dormant pacts at once, but it’s better than nothing.

(Lilith waves away your apologies when you notice the scratch marks on her arms. She assures you they’ll fade in time — one perk of her curious brand of immortality is that injuries never seem to stick — and says nothing when she in turn spies her eldest brother’s ring sitting snugly on your finger.)

.

.

.

Needless to say, some ground rules are in order first.

“No more fighting, got it?” You try your best to channel Lucifer during one of his infamous lectures, but if his unimpressed glare is anything to go by, you’re not doing a very good job of it. Really, it’s unfair how he can still assert his authority while looking so disheveled. “And no dogpiling on Satan either.”

“Darling, we’re hurt!” Asmo pouts, wriggling as suggestively as he can while his chest is pressed to the carpet. “First time we’re seeing you in forever and you’re just going to order us around?”

“I didn’t think…” you wanted me back, the words stick in your throat. You bite your lip, wilting slightly as whatever courage you managed to scrape together on the way down evaporates into thin air. They aren’t angry at you for deceiving them, right? The past few weeks have shown just how much they missed you, but better safe than sorry. “Just — let’s just settle this peacefully, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, now let us up already!” Mammon demands impatiently. You can’t help but stifle a weak laugh; his attitude has always been a familiar comfort.

(You also don’t notice the way Lilith starts inching away from you.)

The second the magic binding your demons is dispelled, everybody moves at once.

Mammon pounces first, clearing the distance in one great leap and tackling you to the ground with a tearful cry of your name.

Lucifer reaches you second, cushioning your fall with his wings while efficiently delivering a sharp smack to the back of Mammon’s head along the way. You make a mental note to scold him for that later.

Levi’s tail coils tightly around your thigh, the tip tracing the pulsing orange mark on your skin, eager for contact yet not quite wanting to be flattened by the rest of his brothers.

Asmo circles around and cradles your head from behind, planting relieved kisses all over your face.

Belphie clings to your free side like a koala and nuzzles into your chest, while Beel just wraps his arms around the whole group and scoops everybody into the air, leaving Levi dangling for dear life.

Lilith goes to help Satan off the floor amidst a chorus of “Beel I can’t breathe!” and “Put us down!” The beating he took has left him somewhat disgruntled, but hearing the laughter in your voice softens him enough to accept Lilith’s fussing without much complaint.

There’re still talks to be had, apologies to be made, and generally a long way to go before things can return to some semblance of normalcy, but the first step has been taken, and maybe it’s finally time for their family to start healing properly.

#writing #obey me #obey me fanfic #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me lilith #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me luke #obey me solomon #obey me replaced mc au

[shtern-and-art]

"Skeppy will probably cry" "Bad will probably cry". Bish, screw, that I am crying!!!

This whole thing was bloody gorgeous and I wasn't expecting that ending. I had no clue what ending to expect but that was definitely better than any I could have hoped for. Forest spirit to soulmate your honour!

I was terrified that you were gonna leave it at the point where he loses the spirit and becomes mortal again. If you had I would be actively sobbing!!!! And oh my god, the art!!! I still can't get over how wonderful your style is.

Imma ask fun things because if I don't I'll sit in a puddle of emotion all night:

What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it? Poor Skeppy trying to answer 101 questions about something he doesn't really use XD.

Is no one concerned that the odd couple from a town they never name has a pet wolf??

Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while. Find hidden creeks and befriend bears?

Does Bad still have a connection to nature and animals, like are creatures naturally more trusting of him?

Do they ever visit the og town again?

Does Skeppy still cause absolute chaos in other towns or has he learnt his lesson and only causes minor trouble now?

Does Bad ever try and study again? If he did what would he study and would Skeppy try to study as well?

Does Skeppy steal? I dunno, he just give off the vibe of a naughty lil trickster who'll pocket something if the owner refuses to sell it him.

Immediately after leaving the forest what the first 'argument' they have (not including the car one)?

Would they ever ride horse? If yes, how terrified would Skeppy be?

Skeppy falls outta tree. I don't know why but my mind keeps telling me that this man has great balance until he climbs trees. They are his mortal enemy and Bad finds this both hilarious and terrifying because he is going to hurt himself.

I had waaaaay more questions than I intended to have. My bad '^_^ but this story was way too much fun to read and you are entirely to blame for making it so engaging!

Make sure to take care of yourself and do stretches after and during drawing. You don't wanna hurt yourself <3

AaaaI’m so glad you liked it! :D And, dang, man, I cried while writing that part too :D

And I promised a nice ending for the main story, I did, and this one also makes the most sense narratively! For the story I wanted to tell, at least. Bad can’t really become human again, he’s changed to much. He can only move on, and do something with what he is, and has. And he did! :D That’s really nice and inspiring, this story will always have a place in my heart, heheh <3

Being a guardian spirit connected to a person and all, Bad may be not as strong as before, but he can’t die unless Skeppy dies first. And Skeppy can do that, but he’s pretty sturdy, and his lifespan operates on a whole other scale than human ones. And Bad knowing Skeppy’s real name balances it all out, makes them equal in the power and influence they have over each other.

So hellyeah, soulmates for the win :DDD

I’ll answer all questions under the cut, and this close up from one of the pages!

1) What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it?

Probably a pager! Because it’s a more feasible thing to get than a wholeass computer Bad actually wanted :D An it means Skeppy will have to get one too, and that Bad will be having the time of his life texting him and everyone he can get a number from, even if they’re still in the room with him.

Poor Skeppy indeed, he can learn to appreciate the pagers, and later phones, too, and computers, but he really has 0 idea on how it all works and why Bad is so fascinated by it all.

2) Rat and regular people

Oh, she can shapeshift, just like Bad! If they’re out with people around, she takes form of a puppy, and Bad can pass her off as a weird mix breed rescue doggo.

3) Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while?

Oh, since they have no end destination in mind, they can ride around for a bit, go visit some cool places and roadside attractions. Sadly, Skeppy is probably not spiritually or morally ready to full on befriend wild bears yet, and they do need money for gas and snacks. So, at some point they will have to stop somewhere and find work – at least for a bit, to save up. Life’s gonna be a bit complicated with all that, until Skeppy figures out his treasure-finding abilities :DD

4) Bad and nature and animals

He is definitely still in tune with all wildlife! Even more – Bad could become a proper guardian spirit for Skeppy in part because, in a way, Skeppy himself is part of the nature.

So yeah, Bad can understand animals (and plants) and communicate with them; they’re just more free to not take his shit, and Bad’s emotions do not “possess” them unless he makes an effort to do so.

He doesn’t like doing it, tho.

5) Do they ever visit the og town again?

Hm, I think they will completely forget about it for a while, until, like, 30+ years later they will be going somewhere, and find themselves around those parts. And they try to not appear too often in the areas they’ve spent a lot of time in already (they can be pretty recognizable, and also barely show signs of aging). But it’s been a long time, and the town’s really different now… So they make a stop, and spend a day there. They walk the unfamiliar streets between the new buildings, check out the popular hiking trail, the advertisements for hot springs and winter activities. The old cinema is still there, and is hosting an all-night marathon of classic horror movies of the last century.

Bad and Skeppy leave the town after sunset – the day was nice, but they have nothing more to do there. They ride through the forest on a well paved road, with radio playing something barely above the whisper. And in the dark of hot summer night, Bad can see the white stag running between the trees alongside their car. Shadows dance over the shimmering light of it’s fur.

Somewhere after the towns border, the stag disappears back in the forest. But the air in the car stays light and fresh, saving the smell of old pines and dry leaves all though the night.

6) Skeppy and chaos

Well, after the whole mess in the main story, Skeppy definitely learned some lessons, especially about not being a dick :D

But the thing is – he can’t really help the fact that things tend to stir up around him a lot. He naturally brings in chaos into everything, because he is, in part, a personification, or an outlet for it in the world. And so, to feel, well and good, and himself Skeppy gotta do stuff that disrupts balance, and creates some mayhem. And in gave him a lot of trouble in early life, but in the course of the main story he learned that he can chose were he lets that chaos to take hold, learned what can come of that chaos, apart from utter misery.

Like, where it can help dismantle something destructive, and where – bring in the more positive change, that was already brewing, possible, but is stagnant for some reason.

Soooo, I can’t say Skeppy causes only minor chaos in his life, but he sure learns even more about not being a dick :DDDD

7) The studying

I think Bad will want to get a higher education at some point, because he wanted to, and because it’s already new millennia and all that. Bet he’ll go for something very technical and/or literature. Maybe he’ll start by piking up some classes in small time colleges, when they stop in one place for a while, and later get into an online program, because why not.

Skeppy is not a college guy at all. He’ll listen to Bad talk about it, read textbooks if he wants to, can research stuff, buuut going to classes and doing homework is definitely not his thing.

8) Stealing

Well, you’re right, Skeppy can and will steal stuff out of spite! And will be scolded by Bad for it, and will not feel (that) sorry about it. But real stealer between them will be Bad himself :D

It’s just… he has the corvid tendencies, and a hoard (a box) of sentimental mementos from different people and events, and the thrill of stealing something small and harmless is very exciting. Bad is very proud of his little collection. Skeppy finds it very adorable, a bit hypocritical, and kinda creepy. Like, that pretty box he gifted Bad at some point is now full of stuff like:

- pressed flower from the clearing they had a picnic at on their anniversary

- the button the waitress lost that one day the storm caused a black out in the whole town

- some small animal bones

- couple pretty rocks Bad stole from Skeppy’s pockets

- penny that was once glued to the ground

- a handful of teeth people (and not people) lost in fights with Bad

- pen from some fancy hotel

- rainbow dash keychain that belonged to a child

- the list goes on

9) Argument

Oh, that same day they’ll fight over whether they should stay at the really crappy and suspicious looking motel, or go sleep in a perfectly fine forest near the road. Ironically, Bad wanted to try out the motel (because, yay, first time spending the night back in civilization), and Skeppy was the one insisting on sleeping in nature (because the motel looks like it could give you 10 diseases if you even stand near it, and sleeping in the forest is kind of nice, and means they can cuddle).

10) Horses

The guys will probably ride them at some point. Well, Bad will ride, and Skeppy will sit on his horse and hope it knows what to do and where to go, because trying to make this giant thing do something seems dangerous. If they’ll have to actually go somewhere fast, Skeppy will not survive that day, his butt (and legs) will be dead for days to come.

And riding with Bad on one horse may sound romantic and nice, but all romance dies when the gallop starts.

F.

11) Skeppy and climbing

Skeppy is more down to earth kind of guy, more of a “rocks and caves” kind of creature, real-life lizard person or something. Up on the trees and in the air – not really his element, yeah. But it doesn’t mean that Skeppy will accept this fact easy. The embarrassment of never managing to safely make it down a tree is too strong, he just has to do it all over again, and again. And again. Because, clearly, he was distracted this time. And the time before that Bad was teasing him, and it “disrupted his flow”. And, really, maybe these trees here just do not like Skeppy much, and make him slip a lot. Yeah.

So, more often than not, if Skeppy climbs a tree, he will not stop climbing it until he falls, or the tree ends. Bad had to take him off high branches couple times, forcefully, because, of course, Skeppy was sitting there for 2 hours just to properly enjoy the sunset. He can climb down at any point, he just Choses not to. The view is amazing. The bark is literally part of his skin now, not because he holds on tight, no, he’s just Than Much one with the nature )<

---

Don’t apologize for the questions! It’s always so fun to answer them, and it makes me think more about stuff I may have skipped, or didn’t think about before. It’s really nice :3c

Again, thank you for the ask, and for being here for this story! <3

(And I’ll try setting timers for rest breaks while I draw, mb that will help)

---

In The Dark - masterpost

#mcyt #mcyt fanart #badboyhalo #skeppy #skephalo #In The Dark #it's so hot here #my laptop's keyboard is like a stove #=c= #shtern talks

[yukidragon]

Our Life Snippet - Pretzels and Pop

Been a while since I flashed a clip of my Our Life: Beginnings & Always novelization’s first draft, huh? This time let’s take a peek at part of the Step 1 moment Shopping.

As always, credit for the original wonderful visual novel that fuels so much inspiration in me goes to the game’s creators, @gb-patch.

...

The scent of baked and fried goods, both savory and sweet, wafted through the air, drawing the children’s attention away from the keychain. Cove turned further down the street where he quickly spotted numerous different food carts lined in a row. Most importantly, he saw an array of delicious goodies people were happily eating.

Cove frowned, placing his uninjured arm over his now grumbling tummy as the delicious smells almost seemed to tease him. A quiet rumbling from his side drew his eye to Jamie and he saw she was holding her stomach now as well. “Let’s go get some food.”

“Yeah,” Jamie said with an eager nod. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and she was more than ready for lunch after so much walking around.

The children hurried their footsteps to reach the food vendors quickly, then slowed to consider their options. An array of foods both salty and sweet lay before them, their enticing smells serving to make their stomachs growl louder than before. Everything looked delicious, but they couldn’t sample it all.

After a short discussion considering the merits between foods such as pizza and hot dogs versus snow cones and ice cream, the pair came to a decision and got in line for the pretzel vendor. Cove eagerly ordered a pretzel covered with cinnamon that came paired with a little cup of icing that was far too tempting for him to resist. Jamie almost gave in to that same temptation, but ultimately she chose the pretzel already coated in vanilla icing and adorned with a rainbow’s worth of sprinkles.

Jamie licked her lips as she accepted her colorful treat from the vendor, barely resisting the urge to take a bite before they found someplace to sit. Her moms didn’t want her to eat too much sugar, but it should be fine, she thought; this was a special day and a special outing with Cove after all.

Besides, if Jamie drank milk with it, which was good for her, it would balance out the sugar, right? That’s why she got a carton of milk instead of soda pop like Cove did. She made sure to be the one to carry their drinks for the both of them after tucking her precious keychain away in her pocket, as Cove’s hands were getting pretty full.

The children hurried along to find an empty table for them to sit and eat their tasty treats. Fortune smiled on them as they found one close to the beach, which gave them an unobstructed view of the ocean.

Unfortunately for Jamie, this also meant that it was close enough for sand to cover the ground, and she winced as the chairs made terrible scraping sounds when moved. If her hands weren’t full, she would have covered her sensitive ears, so all she could do was grit her teeth and bear with the pain until they sat down, letting out a sigh of relief when the awful noise stopped.

Cove had been too distracted by setting things down on the table and getting into his seat without letting go of the balloon to notice Jamie’s discomfort for more than a moment before she relaxed. He didn’t know what to make of it, and she brightened up right away, so he supposed it wasn’t anything important.

Besides, there was a bigger issue they had to deal with right now. “These balloons are gonna make it hard to eat,” he said as he looked between the balloon and his pretzel as he tried to puzzle out the problem. He had a difficult enough time carrying everything while trying to keep a hold on the balloon’s string, especially while wearing something as unwieldy as a cast. It was going to be harder when his fingers got sticky with cinnamon, sugar, and icing.

Jamie looked at their balloons and opened her mouth, ready to agree, when an idea suddenly hit her. “Oh!” she gasped. “I know.”

Without bothering to stop to explain, Jamie went into action. She placed the drinks on the table alongside her pretzel, careful to keep her tasty treat on its waxy paper wrapper so that it wouldn’t get sandy. With her hands now mostly free, she hopped out of her chair without moving it so she could round the table to join Cove at his side. Gently, she tugged at the string of his balloon, taking it from his hand. Before he could ask her any questions, she tied it in a delicate bow around the wrist of his uncasted arm.

“Oh,” Cove said, blinking at the balloon now tied to his wrist. He moved his arm up and down a little, testing the stability of the knot. After seeing his balloon bounce and jerk but remain attached to him, he gave Jamie a satisfied smile.

Jamie returned the smile with one of her own as she offered her balloon to Cove. “There, now can you do mine too?”

Cove was only too happy to repay the favor. Unfortunately, the cast got in his way again with the way it restricted his fingers on his left hand, making it difficult for him to move them the way he wanted. The string tied to his right wrist also proved an additional challenge, as he had to be careful not to accidentally tangle both strings together.

Jamie watched Cove work patiently, his fingers feeling ticklish as they kept touching her wrist. The sensation was strange. It made her feel… happy? She liked it, but it was different in a way that left her face feeling warm and unable to look her friend in the eyes.

Finally, Cove managed to overcome the challenge, letting out a satisfied hum as he finished the knot. “Got it,” he said happily.

The two children took a moment to admire their handiwork. It also helped Jamie calm down from the weird feelings. With everything now settled, she returned to her side of the table after placing Cove’s soda closer to him. She was careful not to move the chair again as she squirmed back into it.

Now, both friends were able to finally enjoy their sweet treats and drinks as they admired their ocean view. The sounds of the sea mingling with the crowd served as a pleasant backdrop of ambient noise that left conversation unnecessary as they focused all their attention on enjoying their meal.

Jamie was the first to finish her pretzel with a little bit of regret that there wasn’t more of it. She licked what remained of the icing off her fingers, trying to get every last bit of the sugary goodness until she was sure there was nothing left. As she wiped her sticky hands on a napkin, she looked over at Cove and saw that he was close to being finished, but not quite.

Jamie didn’t want to rudely interrupt Cove’s meal by talking, but without anything to do, she quickly found herself growing bored. She drained the last of her milk as she looked around for something to occupy her time when she spied her balloon bobbing back and forth from the movements of her arm.

Inspiration struck, and Jamie pulled the string down until she could bring the balloon down into her hands. She held it more delicately than any of her stuffed animals as she moved it in what she felt confident was a good imitation of a real dolphin. She twisted in her seat to face towards the beach and held the balloon a little out in front of her as she continued her play, smiling proudly at how it looked as though it was swimming through the waves like that pod of dolphins she saw.

Cove curiously watched Jamie mess around with her balloon as he continued to eat. From his angle, he was able to see what she was going for. A delighted laugh escaped him as he could imagine exactly what she was, and he wanted to join in.

Jamie glanced over at Cove and watched him place what little was left of his pretzel down onto its wrapper so that he could take a hold of his dolphin balloon like she did. She beamed, eager to start a game of pretend with her friend. “Mine’s name is Merriweather,” she said proudly. “He’s the prince of the dolphins. He wears a crown of seaweed and all his friends are merfolk!”

Jamie turned ‘Merriweather’ towards Cove and bobbed it in the most regal manner she could manage, which elicited a giggle from her friend. “Every now and then, he’ll make friends with a kid and let them ride on his back,” she said before letting out a wistful sigh. She wished she could meet a magical dolphin prince like Merriweather for real.

“What’s yours?” Jamie asked eagerly once she shook off the fanciful thought.

Cove took a moment to consider the question seriously. He placed the balloon on the table, laying his cast covered arm across it as his gaze grew distant with contemplation. It took him some thinking to come up with an idea. “It’s-”

A loud and terrible pop destroyed the fantasy Cove had conjured up as the poor dolphin balloon exploded into green ribbons.

The children reeled back from the explosion, both yelping in surprise. For a moment after, the two could only stare at the tattered remains of what had been Cove’s balloon, which now looked more like a pile of seaweed that washed ashore.

Jamie was the first to break the silence. “Oh no…”

When the shock melted away, what had just happened hit Cove hard. His balloon was gone, destroyed beyond hope of repair. It wasn’t fair. He barely had a chance to enjoy it and now it was gone… forever.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #My Writing

[pogaytosalad]

Heres a wip of a sequel.

Dmviolence, by jade

Hello, if youre hearing this, it probably means im dead. Either that, or im alive and just got tired of keeping this hidden. You might remember my voice from a previous recording about a takeover in sector ⬽:➻, in which id helped prevent total annihilation of the sector. At the time i was unnamed, however now you may call me Kalton. After the takeover i resigned and moved to a job at a dmv. This planet was, for some reason, in one of the most tactically advantageous locations in the galaxy. And for some reason the higher ups dedicated the whole damn planet to dmvs. Dont ask why. Now, onto the story.

I woke up, and i put on my emerald green contact lenses. Just like any other day. I put on a basic white t-shirt and a leather bomber jacket along with a pair of jean shorts. If you cant tell by now, im gay.

I live in a small apartment. By small apartment i mean a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen all crammed into 2 rooms. I hopped out the bedroom window onto my motorcycle. It was a diamond white motorcycle with deep red stripes along the sides and the handlebars. My pride and joy. I put on my jet black helmet and took off towards my job at the, you guessed it, dmv.

Chapter 2

I pulled up in the parking lot and took off my helmet, my blue hair a total rats nest. The doors were push doors, yet i somehow ALWAYS pulled first. I entered the dmv and went to my station. A few hours passed by and no one had come in yet, which was unusual. So naturally i decided to sit down on the floor, put in my earbuds, and enjoyed some heavy metal. A few more hours passed by, and usually by now i wouldve been yelled at by my boss. This struck me as odd so i stood up. I really wish i hadnt stood up. The place had been completely destroyed. There were drop pods crashed in through the roof and they all had the ERGON logo on them. Ergon was a multi trillion dollar pencil manufacturing company with its own military. They had previously tried to take over sector ⬽:➻ when i had been working there. I was not looking forwards to what was about to happen.

Quickly, i ducked back onto the floor before anyone saw me. There were 4 riot soldiers holding this building. This was gonna be fun. The riot soldiers are your stereotypical riot gear and police baton soldiers. But these guys had laser batons and the riot gear gave them heightened strength and speed. They also had some, dare I say, shitty energy pistols. I crawled over to one of the soldiers who wasnt being watched and broke their neck. Carefully I took the baton and the pistol. Slowly crawled my way back to my station and checked the shot count in the pistol. I had 6 shots, just enough to take care of the remaining three soldiers. I stood up quickly and shot each soldier twice in the head. First shot to open the riot helmet, second shot to kill. I vaulted over the counter and grabbed the three pistols. These things were so stupid. You couldnt even remove the clips. Once you ran out of shots, the pistol was useless. Nonetheless, i didnt have any choice. I had a laser baton and 18 total shots in 3 pistols.

Upon leaving the building, my motorcycle was one of the few things to survive. It had alot of scratches and damage, but it still worked. The helmet was shattered however. I mounted the motorcycle and took off towards the next closest dmv. Maybe id find some better gear there.

Chapter 3

Pulling up next to the second dmv i immediately noticed 3 things. 1: there was blood everywhere. 2: there were 25 soldiers here. And 3: they all had energy weapons. The reason these things are relevant is because energy weapons dont cause bloodshed. This was the result of something else. Something new i hadnt dealt with yet.

I drove up and ran over 5 of the soldiers. This was probably an incredibly bad idea, seeing as i had 18 shots, enough for 9 kills, and there were 20 soldiers left. Every single soldier turned to me and i, being the absolute genius that i am, welded the front of one of the pistols shut with the laser baton, shot it off, and threw it into thei crowd of soldiers. It exploded, releasing a shockwave of energy and disabling the soldiers. I then used the baton to cut through the riot gear and kill the soldiers. I felt like a badass. That is until a mechanical looking wolf jumped at me and started trying to rip my face off.

The wolf was a frostwolf, except it had been placed into a mechanical frame and its teeth and claws had been replaced with lasers. I tried to bash it off of me with the baton but it just bit it in two. This gave me just enough time to grab an energy pistol and shoot the wolf. It kept trying to kill me amd i wasted a whole clip on it until suddenly, the dog started to levitate in the air and got thrown aside into a wall. I got up and was instantly frozen in place. Thats when.. she walked up.

Chapter 4

The she i am reffering to is ebony. A goth/punk wannabe with light blue tear shaped eyes and black hair with purple streaks. Shes a bitch whos mind got too powerful and now she can move things without touching them. Shes been chasing me for months. Not in a murderous way. Shes just obsessed with me. Ive tried to tell her im gay but she wont listen. And now im at her mercy.

She walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek. I hated it. She looked as if she was contemplating whether or not to free me when a pod came down from the sky and crushed her. Thank god. But i honestly wouldve rathered suffered at her hand than deal with what i had to deal with next...

Out of the pod came the warden. The goddamn warden from sector ⬽:➻. Last id seen him hed been in the same situation as ebony. Crushed to death under a pod. But this time, instead of being on my side, he was here to kill me. He was huge. Like seriously huge. He was at least 8 feet tall and shaped like gaston. Whos gaston? Nobody knows these days. But its basically a way to say "extremely buff and wide". Back to the story. The warden wasnt looking very good, considering the rotten skin, obviously quickly patched together face, and muscles hanging loose out of his skin. His rotting ruined body was held together by an exoskeleton of chromium-tungsten alloy. Nothing i had was gonna cut through that. I was gonna have to get creative here..

The warden had 2 weapons, both of them were his fists. Huge gauntlets that were each about the size of a cow. Definitely bigger than his previous set. They were a golden green metal i couldnt identify. But i didnt want to get hit with one to try and find out. I ran. I ran as fast i could run into the dmv and hid. I could hear the wardens footsteps. It was as if a small earthquake happened each time he took a step.

I peeked over the desk i was hiding behind and saw him punch through the 2 desks opposite to me. It took no effort and i couldve sworn i saw him smile. Obviously i didnt. Cause he didnt have a mouth anymore. But if he did, he definitely wouldve smiled. I took a shot to get his attention and ran off towards the wall. The warden was definitely faster than i expected.

Luckily i managed to dodge the blow by a centimeter. The metal smelled of decaying flesh and popcorn. The wardens blow punched a huge hole in the wall. I hope you see where im going with this.

I ran off to another wall and we repeated this same process a number of times until the building was barely still up. I ran out the doors and threw the baton at the last of the supports, cutting through it and causing the building to collapse in on the warden. He wasnt getting out of that. I decided to search the rubble to see if i could find anything worth taking. I found a new baton, a flame rifle and a few more energy pistols.

The flame rifle was a very interesting design. The sides were painted jet black with flame decals scattered about. You could feel the heat on the inside and it made the gun warm to the touch. Comfortable to hold. Other than that though, it looked like an old fashioned 8.59mm sniper rifle. It had 4 shots remaining, so id have to use it sparingly.

I grabbed some scrap materials out of the rubble to make a holster for it and put it on my back.

The energy pistols just dangled from a keychain. The baton was simply turned off and placed through a hole in the back pockets of my shorts. I ran to my motorcycle and drove off, i needed to find out more. I had questions, and i had a sneaking suspicion that i knew where to find the answers.

I drove off again, i was dirty and there was blood on me and my bike. I probably looked like a serial killer. But i knew that if anyone was still alive, itd be jayden. They were.. well. They were a vampire. They lived in a swampland area and wore sparkly rainbow shirts and a huge sunhat. The sunhat allowed them to go outside in the sun, and they only drank coconut water. They also had a crazy amount of weaponry and used to work at ergon, before being fired for stealing weaponry. By the way, if you havent noticed by now, im using they/them to refer to jayden. Jayden doesnt have a gender. Jayden.. is kind of my crush. It probably has something to do with the fact that theyre the only person on this planet who talks to me. Other than ebony.. but ebony is... not my type i guess. Anyways, back to jayden. Jayden was on the roof of their swamp shack drinking coconut water out of a wine glass. I yelled up at them and they fell off the roof onto my back. I guess i cushioned their fall. Jayden immediately said "What do you need dear" without waiting for me to stand up, and shattered the wine glass. I informed them of the situation and asked the questions i had. Things like "what are the ergon soldiers defences like on their ships" and "how did they reanimate the warden" they had answers.

Jayden told me about the new security measures that had been put in place since id last been on an ergon ship. There was now a code for each teleportation pod and the gaurds had doubled. As for the warden, it turns out jayden was actually the first test run in reanimation sciences, and couldnt answer me because they had been unconcious in a lab when the warden was reanimated. That explained the vampire undead thing. Jayden invited me into the shack where they pulled a nail out of the floorboards and it turned into a ramp to the basement. Down in the basement? Thats where jayden kept their weapons they stole. And boy oh boy were there some interesting ones.

One that immediately caught my attention was the big rocket launcher. It had 3 barrels and each was a different colour, indicating a different effect. One was red, one was yellow, and one was green. The red barrel fired a normal explosive rocket, the yellow barrel fired an electromagnetic pulse rocket, and the green barrel fired an acidic explosive. And the launcher shrunk down to the size of an energy pistol when a button was pressed. It gathered up dirt and dust and garbage around it from the back to quickly convert into ammo but the only downside is that it would be difficult to use more than once in an area.

Jayden picked out an old shotgun. At first i didnt understand why, but then they loaded the clip. The clip was a huge drum that loaded in the bottom of the barrel. The drum was see through and inside you could see sawblades lined up side by side. When they pumped the shotgun a blade got lifted into a slot between the 2 shotgun barrels and started glowing red. When the trigger was pulled, the blade spun at high speeds and fired out of the slot, spinning along the ground like a wheel. It could cut through anything a baton could cut through and seemed to almost follow its target. The gun itself looked like an DP-12, except behind the pump, a large clear drum full of sawblades was in place. The blade sat between the barrels in place of the iron sights and got heated up by an electrical circut.

I also took a laser sword instead of my baton, it was just like the one that [3825968] had, except this one was about an inch longer. The final weapon i took was an acid thrower. It was basically just a watergun with acid in it. Ive always been partial to acidic weapons. If youve heard my other story, youd know why..

Jayden also took a submachine gun that fired freezing rounds. The rounds were essentially glorified waterballoons with liquid nitrogen in them. Though the rounds were bullet sized, enough shots from it would certainly freeze you in place. The freeze gun was about the size of the average human head, and was painted navy blue with blue saphire stripes placed along it. We both left the shack, me with my sword and jayden with a wine glass. We were ready to kick ass and put a stop to this.

We left and immediately both got flung into some trees. Guess who it was. It was ebony. Her body had been found and reanimated. I was starting to see a pattern. And now we had to fight the telekinetic who could kill us with a wave of her hand.

She was levitating. Her eyes were glowing red and her hair was floating in the air. She had a smile of someone about to rip your arms off and beat you with them. I tried to take a shot at her but my hand got knocked aside by an invisible force. So i tried the next best thing. Seduction. Fake seduction. Hopefully the whole dying and coming back from the dead thing didnt make her stop being weirdly obsessed with me.

While i faked surrender and complimented ebony and attempted to seduce her, jayden took aim of their ice gun and shot a burst at ebonys right arm. The arm froze in place and shattered. Hopefully that would lower the strength of her telekinetic abilities. It did. But only by about half. Which meant jayden got thrown into the air as i tried to discreetly unholster my acid gun. It wasnt discreet enough and the gun was knocked from my hand.

The gun flew forwards and the impact of hitting the ground set it off for a second, just enough to spray an acidic burn through her arm. Incapacitating her. Jayden ended up sneaking up behind her and impaling her through the skull with the shattered end of their wine glass. Finally ebony was dead for good.

The acid gun was busted, so we had to leave it behind. We got onto my motorcycle and took off towards my apartment building. We would need food if we were going to be traveling. An apartment complex would probably be full of foods, and alot of dead people who wouldnt care if we took some stuff.

#writing #scifi #fantasy violence

[web-of-fics]

"The friendly neighborhood includes everyone.”

Inspired by: Pride month 🙂

Starring: Peter Parker and the gays™

Fandom: whichever Peter Parker you want tbh

Warnings: only if you’re queerphobic!!! 

Summary: In case you and the citizens of New York didn’t know your very own Spider-Man was a queer ally, you do now. 

Words: 1179

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The subway was more crowded than usual. Crowds bothered you but it was June, and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself as a new group of teenagers boarded the train, clad head-to-toe in campy hats, glasses, face paint, boas, tutus, and tights of all colors. Those holding large flags draped them around their shoulders like capes. Superheroes for a day. 

Sweat beaded down their foreheads, dragging what remained of the rainbow stripes that had been finger-painted onto their cheeks and foreheads that very morning. Fortunately the rain had held off for the parade. 

You lowered the volume pumping through your earbuds so you could eavesdrop. You’d arrived too late--and alone--to your first pride parade, so you couldn’t see over the crowd and didn’t stay long, worried you would stand out too much. Now, maybe you could live vicariously through their enthusiastic play-by-play.

You toyed with the small pin you’d found in the street earlier. The pointy metal bar was bent at an odd angle. You struggled to straighten it and suddenly it stabbed you in the thumb. A bead of red appeared. You sucked it briefly and jammed the crooked pin into your t-shirt anyway. 

You looked back up at the group of teenagers. They were laughing and practically shouting their conversation for the entire train to hear. 

A few commuters shot them irritated looks, while other commuters seemingly accepted the craziness that comes with pride month. 

After a few stops, the group quieted down. You looked to them again, wishing desperately for a friend group like it. How did they all meet?

You cast your eyes downward and looked to your own mud-crusted pin, dangling sadly from your t-shirt. 

The train rattled to a stop and you found yourself following the crowd of teenagers onto the platform of your station. Your heart lifted. Were they from your neighborhood? 

When you reached the street below you couldn’t help but keep them in your peripheral vision as they decided where to go next. You debated how you might introduce yourself to them all without sounding super creepy or completely lame. 

A short-haired woman pushing a stroller passed by the group, pausing only to lean in and say something before jogging off again. If you hadn’t caught the sneer on her face as she turned away, you wouldn’t have had a clue as to what she might have said. Given their boisterous attire and the nature of your reserved neighborhood, you could make a fair guess. 

After she left, the energy from the group deflated as though they had arrived at a birthday party only to be told it was now a funeral. A few of them started peeling off their rainbow stickers, feathers, tulle, and anything else that screamed pride. Those with face paint scrubbed furiously at their faces with their palms. Flags and banners were carefully folded into the size of pocket squares and stuffed into back pockets or drawstring bags along with everything else. 

A trio of tall, broad-shouldered figures sauntered by as they made for the train and took the time to bark few unkind comments at the teenagers. One of them looked around to gauge whether they had an audience and made brief eye contact with you. Your skin crawled. 

You moved toward the group, automatically reaching for the pepper spray on your keychain. 

You heard the shout before you saw the flash of red swoop down from nowhere and land squarely between the teenagers and their harassers. As it stood you realized it was a person. As they fought off the ham-fisted bullies, you realized you were watching Spider-Man in action. 

You stopped walking, realizing you had arrived at the group now. No one looked at you, equally transfixed by the brief fight as it unfolded. 

After giving them a brief lecture and sending the bullies off with their tails between their legs, Spider-Man turned to the nearest teenager. Rainbow paint remained smeared across their cheeks, but their tears were running trails through it. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, none of that!” Spidey said without a hint of harshness to his voice. “Does someone have a tissue?” He looked around between the rest of you. 

He pointed to your hand as you dropped your pepper spray in your bag and searched for a tissue to offer instead. 

“Nice,” he commented, spying the mace.

“Thanks,” the teen said as you offered them a small pack of tissues. They wiped their tears and began working at the remaining smudges of rainbow. 

Spider-Man looked as horrified as he could through a full-face mask. 

“Don’t wipe that off! It’s parade day isn’t it? Pride isn’t over yet.” 

“Pride is never over,” someone piped up.

Spidey pointed at the person as he produced a small white box from his spandex. 

“You’re absolutely right,” he said, opening it to reveal a small paint palette. He dipped his gloved fingers in and offered to replace the person’s colors.

They nodded and with a few swipes of his fingers their face beamed a rainbow. 

Others asked if he would do the same for them, and he gladly repainted their cheeks with squiggly, rounded pride flags. 

He turned to you. 

“Do you want me to paint your face?” he asked gently. 

“Uh,” you looked nervously to the rest of the group, hypersensitive to the fact they were all now aware of your presence. 

Your heart warmed when they smiled at you, their colorful faces beaming with the same pride that first attracted you to them when they hopped on the train. 

“Yes,” you croaked, enjoying the cool wet touch of paint as Spidey briskly stroked your cheeks. The touch lingered as the paint air-dried. In a way it felt like you were putting a mask on, but in another it felt like taking one off for the first time.

“Thank you,” you managed as he backed up to admire his paint job. 

“No, thank you,” he said. “People like you make my job a hundred times better.”

“Really?” someone gasped. 

“Yeah!” he said. “The friendly neighborhood includes everyone. Well, not jerks like those guys. You know what I mean.”  

“Hang on,” someone said, digging through their bag. They passed their phone to Spidey. “Can you take our picture?” 

Even though he remained fully masked, you could sense that his face lit up beneath it.

“Totally!” he said, grabbing the phone and squatting for the perfect angle as they all lined up with their arms around one another.

“Hey!” someone said, leaning their head back to meet your eyes. “Get in here! What’s your name?” 

“Y/n,” you said, obediently attaching yourself to the nearest person.

They all chorused variations of “Nice to meet you!” and gave their names and pronouns. You shared yours as well, realizing you’ve never done that before but very much enjoying the straightforwardness in doing so. 

“And I’m Spider-Man,” he chimed in with mock exasperation. “Now smile and say ‘pride!’” 

“Pride!” everyone--including proud mom, Spidey--cheered. You couldn’t be positive, but you were pretty sure you were the loudest.

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Just one more before bed? Click here for a masterlist of my fics! 

#Happy pride #pride 2019 #pride month #pride #lgbt #lgbtqai #queer #community #peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #peter parker fluff #spiderman #spider-man #spider-man x reader #spider-man x you #spider-man x y/n #marvel #marvel x reader #marvel x you #marvel x y/n #mcu #mcu x reader #mcu x you #mcu x y/n #avengers #ps4 #fic #fics

[shunkashuutou]

Fall Semester 2018-19 A lot of catching up to do!

Surprise!

I told you I hadn’t given up on blogging!

Wow, last semester was CRAZY. Like I honestly had never been so busy before; but I survived! And I’ve cut back to just 2 part time jobs this semester, both of which I’m used to now, so it should be a little less hectic than last semester and I’ll have more time to focus on school (and hopefully a little more free time too).

Obviously so much has happened that there’s no way I can catch you up on everything, but here are a few highlights from the last 6 months!

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October Machi Asobi!

Mabs and I went to Machi Asobi in Tokushima last October! (We always go to the Machi Asobi over Golden Week in May, but this was my first time going to the one that’s in October) We debuted our Little Witch Academia cosplays of Lotte and Sucy, and it was a lot of fun! These cosplays were a collaboration; Mabs made the dresses and I made the hats and wands. It was actually the first time we’ve worked together on a cosplay like that, and it was fun!

And we ended up in CosMode magazine! A dream come true!

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YuYuYu Only in Kanonji!

In November we went back to Kagawa Prefecture for the Yuki Yuna Wa Yuusha De Aru only event!

We cosplayed Yuna and Togo of course, but this time we tabled and sold a variety of handmade goods! Mabs and I used to table and sell Touken Ranbu stuff at the OdeRai event in Takamatsu, but I always felt a little intimidated because there was already so much awesome Touken Ranbu stuff there. But with YuYuYu, I felt like the expectations were lower since it’s a pretty small fandom, so I actually had a lot of fun making things and selling them! My keychains didn’t sell very well (I still have a bunch that need homes; I should look into selling them online or something) but my stickers of Gyuuki attempting to eat all of the other fairies sold amazingly well, and I actually ran out before the event was over! (Mabs made a ton of keychains and even a really cute button, but I couldn’t find photos at the moment.)

We each made enough to cover our travel expenses, so that was great!

We stayed in Kanonji that night (at our old apartment, since the teacher who works there now was kind enough to let us stay there. It was really weird to go back to it) and the next day we went hiking up to Takaya Jinja, which is a shrine on the very top of that mountain.

It was a really tough hike; definitely the most intense hiking I’ve ever done, and if it had been any more difficult, I don’t think I would have made it. But the weather was perfect and we got to the top! The view is beautiful up there! It was totally worth it! Another good Kanonji memory with Mabs.

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Kaiyukan Christmas Date!

For an early Christmas present, Mabs surprised me with tickets to the Kaiyukan aquarium!! I’d been wanting to go back ever since we first went a couple years ago, so it was the perfect present for me!

It was such a happy day!

They have not one but TWO whale sharks now!

And they were having a special illumination since it was winter! Kaiyukan looked so pretty with all of the lights and the giant light-up whale shark!

We rode the ferris wheel too of course!

Here’s my photo collage for the day! (They even had a diver dressed as Santa swim around the big tank and wave to everyone since it was around Christmas time)

It was really wonderful, I was so, so happy. ;U;

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Hawaii!

As soon as it was winter break, I went to Hawaii to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my family! (Mabs went back to visit her family too) It was so good to see everyone again, and it was actually the first time I’d ever spent Christmas in Hawaii. (My cousin’s new puppy is really cute!)

A few selfies with flowers

My mom took me to get my nails done as a Christmas present, and I had a lot of fun having my nails be all colorful.

My mom also did a kiwame Ookurikara photoshoot for me at the beach! We got some really cool pictures, and it was great to finally take kiwame Kara-chan out for a proper photoshoot. (Even though I’d made him like a year before, I had only taken him to events)

I finally got some kiwame sunglasses photos!

We saw this super cool art installation with hundreds of light-up flowers that changed colors to match the music that was playing. It was so pretty!

I could have stayed there and watched all night. I love big installations like this.

I’m so glad I got to spend time with the fam, and enjoy the warm Hawaii weather! (I went to the beach a lot too, but of course I don’t have photos from that because I was too busy playing around in the water)

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Matsumoto with Hala and Hana!

In January we went to Matsumoto to visit our friends Hala and Hana! They’re sisters from Australia, and we’ve been internet friends for years now. (thank you Sengoku Basara) Hala was doing an exchange program in Matsumoto and Hana came to visit her, and I’m so glad we finally got to hang out all together!

Also you may remember, but Matsumoto is where Mabs lived for a year right after we graduated from college, so I’d been there to visit several times before. It was great to go back again! Matsumoto Castle is so pretty with its big moat.

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Valentine’s Day!

For Valentine’s Day, Mabs and I got McDonalds and drew hearts with ketchup, since that’s what we did last year too, LOL. We’re going to make it a tradition. So romantic~ ahaha

I wanted to give Mabs one of those rainbow roses I kept seeing around last summer because they’re pretty and also kind of gay, but the only ones I could find in February were fake ones made out of soap and they were expensive, so I made one myself out of some cardstock, lol.

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My birthday!

I had a fun birthday! Of course I wanted to do something different than usual for birthday makeup, but I wasn’t sure what color to go with, so I just used all of them lol.

I liked how it turned out! I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Violet Voss Fruit Sorbet eyeshadow palette that I very spontaneously threw in my shopping basket when I was at Sephora in Hawaii, lol.

After I finished school that day, I went over to Mabs’ place for a birthday dinner. We made ratatouille and then she gave me the cutest cake ever...

A whale shark cheesecake!!

Look at how she decorated it! And the white chocolate fins and tail, and even the little waves on the plate! It was almost too cute to eat, but it was also really delicious cheesecake!

And she got me a whale shark blanket! it’s like a big pocket for your feet, and it’s been so great for keeping my feet warm on chilly winter days! So cute, and a great addition to my growing collection of whale shark stuff!

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Hanging out with Mabs!

Even though it was a super busy semester, Mabs and I hung out for at least a little while almost every weekend.

Because we have less money for adventures these days; we’ve been doing more walking and just exploring the areas we can get to on foot. These photos are from the day that we just happened to stumble upon the shrine to Sanada Yukimura that we went to three years ago! It was closer to her apartment than we thought!

We just have a lot of fun together. <3

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Aaaaaaaaaaa

And despite all of the craziness of last semester (I never want to have 4 part-time jobs at the same time ever again), I still managed to keep my grades up!

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New cosplay!

Over spring break I sewed a dog!

The little paw pads took forever but I’m so happy with how it all turned out!

It was for a new cosplay of course!

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Agi’s visit!

And a few weeks ago, our friend Agi came to visit us for a while, and we did a photoshoot all together! We finally got to check out the cosplay studio here in Osaka, and it’s so awesome! It has a ton of different sets, the tickets are fairly cheap, and it even has a cafe inside so you can order food! (cosplay takes energy so food is important!)

It was so much fun taking photos all together! Mabs and Agi were so perfect as their characters!

And of course, while Agi was here, we took him on the usual Osaka sightseeing tour (Osaka castle, anime shopping in Nipponbashi, Namba/Shinsaibashi, Amemura) plus Fushimi-Inari in Kyoto since Agi loves foxes.

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Nagoya!

And then right after Agi left, I went on a 3-day class trip to Nagoya! We worked together with students from a computer school in Nagoya in small groups (4 people per team, with a mix of students from the different schools) to come up with an idea based on a certain theme and make a website or app in just 3 days. Working with the Nagoya students was a little tough, but it was a good experience. Hanging out with my classmates was by far the best part of the trip though! I have some fun photos, but I would need to ask my classmates’ permission before posting them, so instead here’s a photo of Nagoya’s famous miso katsu. (Just what it sounds like; pork katsu with miso sauce)

One of Nagoya’s special omiyage are these frog manjyuu!

Their faces are so derpy and hilarious. Of course I had to bring some back for Mabs.

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Sakura Season!

And now its cherry blossom season here!

This is my last week of spring break, and I’ve finally had some totally free time! (after spring break started, we had a two-week special course at school, I learned how to pay my taxes in Japan, one of our college friends came to visit, I did an internship at another design company, Agi came to visit, and I went to Nagoya. After all of that I was feeling like I needed a spring break from spring break!) It’s been so good to get back to my hobbies again, and I’ve been going on walks every day and looking at the sakura!

This weekend Mabs and I are going to go on a hanami (flower viewing) date and check out the sakura somewhere here in Osaka. I’m really excited!

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And school starts on Monday! Going to do my best to make it another productive and fun school year!

I definitely want to keep updating this blog more regularly again, even if the posts have to be shorter than they used to be, so stay tuned for more from me, and I hope you all are having a nice spring! 🌸

#life in Japan #japan #cosplay #DMMd #YuYuYu #Little Witch Academia #2018 #2019 #April 2019 #kaiyukan

[seajellyfishie]

Closer *Naruto Fanfiction*

Chapter 2: Information Broker

~Shoko Utsunomiya's Pov~

I entered a dango shop around 8:30 in the morning before heading over and getting Takeshi. I walked the streets of Konoha heading towards Takeshi's house. I was going to make a pit stop before heading over to his place. I wanted dango and I figured that he'd want some as well. I stopped in front of the shop and looked at the different signs of each dango. The redhead that worked there skipped out of the back and placed a new batch of what I assumed of pink dango out in the front. She glanced over at me and brightened considerably.

"Hey Sho! What's up? You're here pretty early, you gotta job you're doing?" Hami asked walked over behind the cash register and grabbing a small bag for me.

"Yeah, I've become an assistant teacher so I'll be heading over to get Takeshi and then heading to the training grounds. You got any thermoses today?" I asked kneeling down to look at the bottles that she makes and fills with tea to sell.

"You know I do! I've also tried to make a grape dango, it's a lavender color, you wanna try." I sprang up, my eyes most likely sparkling.

"Of course!" The girl giggled and I watched as her grey body left my sight. Picking up one of the sticks of green tea dango and looked down at it. It was supposedly green like the trees, grass, and Gai's jumpsuit. Of course, I wouldn't know but I guess I just have to trust it. I was snapped out of my depressing thoughts when Hami came bounding out from the back and shoved a light grey dango in my face. I let out a short laugh before grabbing the stick and ate the first ball. I felt like falling to the ground from how amazing this tasted.

"This is freaking outstanding, Hami you are the goddess of dango." The girl giggled and smiled at me.

"Want it in the bag with your usual?" I frantically nodded. Laughing once more she placed three grape dango in the baggy that she'd been holding on to. The same number of green tea, vanilla, and strawberry dango. I dug through my bag and pulled out two thermoses. Setting the on the counter along with 50 Ryo, I grabbed the baggy from her as she took the thermoses.

"I'll take my regular Ginger Peach Tea in the white one and Earl Grey Tea in the black one," I said, nodding she dipped back into the back. Looking back up at the sun, I'd say it'd be about 8:50. She came back out and handed the two thermoses to me with a smile and grabbed the money. I was about to walk away when keychains caught my eye. I picked the two of them up and simply stared at them. Hami's hand came into my vision and pointed at each small mochi.

"The top one light pink, the second is light blue, the last is white, and the one that's dangling is purple. You can have them for free if you'd like." Her soft voice felt like it penetrated my soul. I wish I knew what colors looked like. I would love to understand the marvel of a sunrise or sunset. I couldn't marvel at a rainbow, or at Hami's supposedly bright red hair and honestly, I may never get that chance. Shaking my head, I clipped one of them to my bookbag and smiled at it.

"Thanks, I'm sure Takeshi will love it. I like myself, even though I can't see it." She gave me a soft smile and nodded.

"Of course, only for you Shoko. Now, get going before you're late!" I snorted slightly and shook my head.

"The teacher is Kakashi Hatake and he's probably not even there yet, so I think I'll be fine." She stared before running a hand down her face and waving me off. Laughing I walked away and headed to Takeshi's apartment which was on the way to the training grounds.

~At Takeshi's Apartment, The Back Room, 8:50 AM~

~Takeshi Uchiha's Pov~

I sat in my piano room, looking out the two windows that were in place instead of walls. I could see the whole forest past the city. When it rained Itachi and I would end up in here during the nights so we could sleep. Turning the mahogany instrument, I ran my fingers across the keys and smiled. Closing my eyes I started pressing the keys and turning them into an old song I used to play for my mother.

Whenever she felt like she was trapped she asked me to play this for her. It wasn't the best and I've perfected it since then, but even if there were wrong notes or I was off beat she said that it always reminded her of adventure. It reminded her of what traveling to different villages was like and how their culture was much more different than ours. She told me that I should never let anyone chain me down, whether village, family, or friends. Itachi would always agree to her logic but would say that I shouldn't completely sever my ties with those things. I should grow bonds between them and when out on adventures make new friends. Those two were the wisest people I knew. They had a true love for everyone and didn't let anyone contort their views or conform to society. I finished the song and watched as water droplets splashed onto my hand. Smiling, I allowed myself to cry a bit and let my heart soften for once.

I missed them so much. I miss Itachi, I miss mom, but I miss Sasuke the most. He's here with me and I can't even reach him. I can't reach my own twin. We were supposed to be there for each other no matter what and now he can't even look at me without hatred. Letting out a painful sob, I placed my hands on the piano to keep myself up from crumbling into a ball then and there. I shouldn't be this depressed so early in the morning, but then again my emotions never listen to me. I finally composed myself and wiped away the remaining tears on my face. I took in a deep breath and stood from my seat. Stepping back into my living room, I heard the door unlock and watched with caution. Shoko stepped through with his normal chakra signal and all.

I relaxed and smiled at the male who held up a small baggy. Chuckling I watched as he dumped his stuff on my kitchen table.

"So what's in the bag?" I asked about to grab the small baggy. He slapped my hand and gave me a stern look.

"Don't touch." He commanded. I whined a bit before yawning. I waddled back over to the couch and collapsed on it. Itachi walked out of my bedroom and trotted over to the living room to watch Shoko as usual.

The white-haired male grabbed two plates from my cabinet and set them on the table. He grabbed the baggy and pulled out some dango. He placed four on mine since I wasn't a huge fan of sweet things. He placed a black thermos next to my plate and unloaded everything else onto his.

"Alright, now you can eat." He stated. Rolling my eyes, I stood up and walked over letting my body drop into the seat. I watched as Shoko pulled out a white thermos and poured some of his tea into the cap.

"Shouldn't we be at the training grounds by now?" Shoko shook his head.

"There's no reason to be, Kakashi would be there until like ten." He said with a shake of his head. He grabbed on the dango sticks and managed to get all of the mochi in his mouth at once. I laughed and took the strawberry dango and at it first. Shoko let out some noise of remembrance that's honestly too hard to describe so I watched as he sifted through the small pocket on his bag before he pulled out a keychain and handed it to me. I looked at it and let out a snicker.

"This is so like you Shoko, thanks I love it." I looked up at the guy with a soft expression. He blushed and smiled at me.

"I'm glad you do!" For the rest of the time, we ate in silence, with Itachi meowing every once and a while for a piece. I finished my dango first and was sipping my Earl Grey tea in our comfortable silence. Shoko was on his last one and the tea he was drinking was basically finished. It was nice to sit here like an old married couple who didn't need to exchange words to make the atmosphere around them nice. Once he was finished, I grabbed my bag putting all of my leather-bound books in there along with a few scrolls before heading out with my best friend.

~At The Training Grounds, 9:10 AM~

We arrived at the training grounds and saw Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke sitting down all of them close to dozing off. Naruto and Sakura noticed Shoko and me and jumped up in anger.

"You're late!" Shoko shrugged and set his stuff on the ground next to the gate.

"Well, Kakashi won't be here until like ten so I would just suggest that you rest those pretty little eyes of yours!" Shoko said with a devious tone. The three didn't notice but complied with Shoko's wishes anyway. Takeshi sets his stuff down next to Sasuke and headed over to the open area with the three standing poles. I sat in front of the lake and smiled at it. I dipped my hands in it and swirled it around my hands. I thought for a bit before taking my hand out. Stretching I laid back and turned on my side resting my head on my hand. Closing my eyes I let my mind wander and my body relaxes as I slipped into a nice, light sleep. I was awoken by a tap on my shoulder, three screams, and laughing. I groaned in annoyance and glared up at a shinobi. Possibly chunin. I rose an eyebrow and sat up.

"I'm assuming you're here for info?" The shinobi nodded. I stood and dusted the sand off of my clothes. Walking over to where Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were, I saw that they were completely drenched and my bag sitting across them, completely dry. Shoko was laughing his butt off at the three of them. They looked like shivering chihuahuas. Rolling my eyes, I knelt down and dug past the multiple other leatherbound books and found a red one. This one had all of the places that I've researched. Like the Wind Country, the Key Country, the Tea Country and so on.

"Alright, where are you going?" I asked looking up at the Chunin.

"I'm delivering something to the Kazekage. I haven't heard the best things about him, so what do you got?" He asked placing a hand on his hip. I snorted and started flipping through the worn pages.

"Yeah, the Kazekage isn't a saint." Stopping on a page that is supposed to have the information, I realized I grabbed the wrong book.

"Ah, sorry, grabbed the wrong book. That's about the layout of the land, the people one is...here." Pulling out a brown leather notebook I flipped to the exact page and started reading the information of the Kazekage out loud.

"Alright, well, the Kazekage is named Rasa. When the daimyo took money away from Suna and started using Konoha's less expensive services, the Kage felt threatened. He wanted to strengthen the line of shinobi so he ordered a woman name Chiyo to seal Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, into his youngest son, Garra, so he'd be the ultimate weapon of Suna. His wife died in the process of giving birth. He taught the kid ninjutsu ordered someone to look after him and ostracized him from his siblings who name are Temari and Kankuro. Sadly Rasa realized too late how bad of an idea this was as Garra's powers started to manifest. With the village being at an all-time low and the council deeming Garra useless to them, Rasa wanted to assassinate his younger son. All six attempts failed." Snapping the book closed I looked up to the disgusted Chunin.

"That good enough?" I asked looking up at the guy. He nodded, seemingly deep in thought before looking me in the eyes.

"Ok, so what do you want?" He asked.

"I want information on the youngest son. Even though I have some of the events of his life because of Rasa, I need more, if you can't get that, then you can pay me by 5000 Ryo. Fair?" The chunin nodded.

"Fair, thanks, kid." Nodding the man disappeared from my sight. I felt five pairs on me. I looked up connecting with Sasuke who looked confused and angry, Naruto who looked interested, Sakura who looked wary, Shoko looked excited it's hard to read him sometimes, and turning around I looked at Kakashi who stared at me with a hardened stare. Letting out an annoyed sigh, I placed both books back in my bag and stood, turning to Kakashi.

"Morning, Kakashi-sensei." The three other genins on my team snapped their attention towards the silverette.

"Hey guys, good morning!" Kakashi-sensei greeted giving them a closed eye smile.

"YOU'RE LATE!!!!" Sakura and Naruto shouted. Kakashi waved the two off and walked over to the three logs. Gesturing us over he set a clock on a stump and set it for noon. I grabbed my bag and jogged over standing next to Sasuke. Shoko stood next to Kakashi and held up three bells just like the older male beside him.

"Here are three bells your task is to take them from either me or Shoko before time's up." He explained. I tilted my head and looked at the bells closer. Shoko is the same age as us and even though he's a Jonin it doesn't mean that he's the strongest out of all of us. There has to be some sort of catch to this.

"Those who don't have a bell by noon get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps I'll eat in front of you too." Kakashi said tying the bells back to his pants. I heard the stomachs of my teammates grumble and snickered slightly. Glad I ate before Shoko got there along with his dango treats.

"You only have to get one bell there are only three, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump! The person who doesn't take a bell will fail so one of you will definitely be heading back to the academy. If you want to you can use shuriken and kunai to come at us. You won't succeed unless you approach us with the intent to kill!" Shoko explained a large smile on his face. I gave him a skeptical look along with the bells that hung from his belt. There are six bells in all, but they kept saying the number three. If that's the case and there are only three true bells, then a set has to be a fake, and with the knowledge that Shoko is still technically on our level and that most of the team will go after him first then it would have to be Kakashi who has the real ones. I snapped out of my daze when Shoko disappeared from my site. Naruto was the only one left beside me and Kakashi was in front.

"Ah, right, we're taking a test," I muttered. Jumping away from the commencing battle, I settled in a tree and thought my plan over.

We're up against two Jonin, one genin could never take either one on alone even if the other is our age. This object of this is obviously teamwork. Now factoring in that one of the sets of bells is a fake then that means we can team up with Shoko to take Kakashi down, I'll need to find the others and try to convince them, but it'll most likely be a lost cause. Naruto will be more focused on working alone and trying to prove himself as he is right now, Sakura will only work if Sasuke is with me, and Sasuke hates me. Going to Shoko seems to be the only option I have right now. Jumping down from my tree, I searched the forest for my white-haired friend. Sensory isn't my forte but I've been with Shoko for so long that his chakra has become distinguishable. Coming into a clearing I saw Shoko lazing around in a tree branch.

"Sho-chan!" I called, the male jumped before looking down at me and smirked. He jumped down to the ground and got into a fighting stance. I waved my hand in dismissiveness.

"I already know the ones you have are fake, now, do you want to team up?" I asked. He blinked before laughing and walking over. He tossed an arm around my shoulder.

"You really are amazing Take-chan, alright, let's team up!" Nodding I gestured him to follow. Trotting after me we walked through the forest until Shoko stopped. I turned and looked at him questionably. Hearing the rustling of the leaves I quickly got out my kunai. A female chunin dropped from the trees and waved at the two of us. Raising an eyebrow and tilted my head.

"What do you want?" Shoko hissed out. The female raised her hands in surrender.

"Just here for some info on the Land of Tea." I sat down and dug through my bag and pulled out the red book from earlier.

"Well, it's a country south to the Land of Fire and consists of two islands. It is home to the Wasabi family and the Wagarashi family and is unknown if there are any shinobi. It is called the Tea Country or Land of Tea because of all the tea-houses that are there. Now, I do want to inform you to go as far southeast as you can without leaving the Fire Country because there is an Akatsuki hideout to the southwest near the Land of Rivers border." She nodded and let out a sigh.

"Thanks, kid, so what's your fee?" I thought for a bit before smirking and putting the book away.

"You good at using Fire Jutsu?" The girl looked at me in confusion before nodding.

"Yeah, I am, it's my affinity. Why?"

"You wanna help me pass my test?" The chunin blinked and then laughed. She placed a hand on her hip and smiled at me.

"Sure kid, what's the plan?"

~Later on, The Main Clearing, 11:50 PM~

~Author's Pov~

Kakashi was sitting in the middle of the clearing disappointed in his students. He was most disappointed in Takeshi cause he hadn't seen the kid the entire time and it was only 40 minutes until the test was complete. He shook his head and sighed pulling out his Icha Icha Paradise.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon God Blast!" A masculine voice shouted. Kakashi's eyes widened as the ground rumbles. A large, bronze dragon head peeks out of the ground and roars to reveal its lengthy stone body. Then it dives back under, traveling to Kakashi through the ground. When it finally reaches him it shoots up in full dragon form and smashes into him with an enormous force, exploding on contact. The explosion causes the dragon's bronze body to move outward with immense force. Kakashi lets out a labored breath and looks around frantically. He feels a liquid on his foot and looks down in panic. It was an oily substance that had covered the ground

"Fire Release: Bed of Fire Technique!!" A feminine voice exclaimed. Infusing his feet with chakra he jumped off just as the flames ignited. Stumbling as he landed he looked around in confused panic. Shoko stepped out and smirked at the jonin.

"Earth Release: Sudden Earth Strike!" He shouted sending a finger gun Kakashi's way. The ground that was covered in fire rises in the form of a hand and rushes forward. The hand attacks Kakashi and the male dodges narrowly each time. Deciding that going back to the water would be the best idea to extinguish the flame and soften the ground. The hand soon crumbled as it entered the water. He watches with wide eyes, as an unknown female step out from the forest.

"Fire Release: Incinerating Hail Technique!" By focusing her chakra into her hands, she lifts them skyward and creates a salvo of small fireballs that will rain down all around them, incinerating anything they touch. Since the fireballs have no solid state, they can only do damage by burning things. These fireballs are about half the size of her closed fist. Kakashi dodged the fireballs landing on the water and rushed towards land seeing that not many of them were falling around Shoko and the unknown female.

"Water Chains Technique!!" Takeshi finally made himself known as he stepped out of the shrubbery as Kakashi placed his first foot on the sand. The chains launched from the water and wrapped themselves around his wrist neck and ankles. He fell to his knees as the chains pulled down on him harshly. He was barely able to roll over but managed to do so and looked up at the sky. Takeshi came over and stood over him, legs on each side of his waist. The young Uchiha settled himself on Kakashi's waist. Grabbing the silverette’s wrists he placed them over his head and when they were set in place the chains tightened once again. Taking the bells from Kakashi's belt he smirked down at him as he placed them in his pocket. Kakashi blushed as Takeshi leaned down towards his face.

"Ne, ne, Kakashi, why don't we reenact one of the scenes from your book yeah?" He questioned in a sultry voice his lips just a hair away from Kakashi's. The timer rang and Takeshi smirked. He got off of Kakashi and walked over to Shoko and thanked the girl for her help. The girl vanished and the two boys walked over to the stumps as Shoko handed Takeshi his bag. Kakashi looked over at the two and let out an amused sound before getting up and following. Takeshi took his seat in between Naruto and Sasuke. Shoko took his between Sakura and Naruto even though he wasn't a student.

"I see you're a bit tied up, huh, Naruto?" Shoko asked giving the blonde a Cheshire grin. Naruto started kicking his legs in anger.

"You're the one who put me here!!!!" Takeshi leaned closer to his brother to avoid the thrashing legs. When Sasuke scooted farther away from him it chipped away at his heart. Kakashi stopped in front of the KIA Stone and crossed his arms looking down at all of us.

"You guys look really hungry, oh, and by the way something about the training. Well, there's no need for you guys to go back to the academy. Takeshi had a smile on his face and hi-fived Shoko who gave him a reassuring thumbs-up. The other three were also celebrating at the news.

"Yup, all three of you...should quit as shinobi!!" Takeshi froze before realizing something and sending the older male a questioning look.

"Wait, 'three?'" He asked. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, Takeshi you were the only one to pass. It may not have been with your actual team but you understood the lesson and proved to have an amazing mind for coming up with a plan." The older Uchiha a blushed and turned away from everyone to avoid any more embarrassment.

"Quit as ninjas what does that mean?! Also, why was Takeshi the only one to pass?!? We couldn't get the bells but why do we have to quit?!" Naruto shouted almost busting my eardrums. Kakashi gave them a blank look.

"Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be ninjas."

~Takeshi Uchiha's Pov~

My eyes widened as Sasuke lunged forward. I moved quickly and wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him back. He looked back at me in fury and swiped his kunai at my face to get away from me. I was lucky to dodge and only get a small scratch on my cheek. I snatched his wrist and turned his body around. He was straddling my waist and that allowed me to pin him to the ground and hold his hands above his head. I was putting all my focus into keeping him down since I'm not the strongest but it wasn't that hard since his legs were pinned around my waist as well. I grunted as he thrashed against me.

"Get off of me you waste of space!" Ok, that hurt. I glared down at him and held him tighter to the ground lowering my head next to his.

"No," I growled. Kakashi stepped forward and scoffed. Our attention was turned back to him. I lifted my head from the ground and felt the blood drip off my cheek.

"That's why you're a punk." He said looking down at Sasuke.

"Get off of Sasuke-kun!!" Sakura shouted at me. I closed my eyes and blocked her out. I know Kakashi was one to send kids back to the academy in a heartbeat and that's what terrified me. My eyes snapped open in shock Sasuke's glare being brought back to me. I launched myself off of him and stood my ground in front of the silverette. Kakashi looked down at me with a questioning look. I shoved the three bells into his chest and glared up at him.

"There!! Now they can't go back to the academy! There's a bell for each one! You already passed me so we're going together as a team!!" I demanded, Kakashi glared down at me.

"It's too late they already failed." My gaze turned stone cold and my face neutral.

"You said that if they had a bell then they would pass. It didn't matter if it was through teamwork or not, you said so. Teamwork may have been the goal of the test but those three have bells and you already said I passed. Are you going back on your word and being a lier then? Because I won't let your stupid test get in the way of them achieving their dreams." I growled out. Kakashi looked at me wide-eyed before narrowing them down at me.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because if I don't no one else will," I stated. I clenched my hands as my gaze got fiercer as they stared into Kakashi's confused orbs.

"The village doesn't care about these kids. Sakura is a nobody amongst the crowd, Naruto is seen as a monster, and Sasuke is the prodigious Uchiha that everyone loves you really think they give a damn about these kids dreams and feelings!? I don't care if anyone remembers my dream, but I'll be damned if there's are forgotten. So you either let them pass or you stay a manipulative bastard." Kakashi stared at me in shock. I turned away and walked towards the stunned trio. Shoko looked at me with a sympathetic smile as he stood to his feet. Taking out a kunai, I cut Naruto's ropes. The blonde stumbled but regained his balance and looked back at me.

"Takeshi, your dream won't be forgotten."

"Huh?"

"I'll protect your dream and make sure you achieve it!" Naruto shouted beaming up at me. I looked down at him in shock but let a bittersweet smile spread across my face. I ruffled his hair.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun." From behind Naruto, Sakura shuffled up and glanced up at me every now and again.

"Um, I will too Takeshi-kun. I'll protect and help you achieve your dream." I smiled and she sent one back. Naruto looked down past me and glared at my younger brother.

"What about you Sasuke? He is your brother after all." Sasuke glanced up at me before looking back down at his lap.

"Hmph, fine." I felt like crying then and there. Sasuke probably didn't mean it but those words meant a lot to me. I heard Kakashi let out a soft laugh.

"You kids really are amazing. You all pass." Naruto shouted in joy wrapping his arms around my neck. I laughed a bit and twirled him around before setting him on the ground.

"You guys are the first ones to pass, but then again I've never seen such passion come from one boy that the entire team would band together. There was this saying that a friend of mine told me, 'Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash, but those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash.'" He stated before ruffling my hair.

"And I feel like you four will be the ones to break the rules, but you'll always take care of your comrades. Now come on let's go get some lunch at Ichiraku's." Naruto cheered again and sprinted forward leaving the rest of us behind. Shoko laughed and followed after him. Sasuke and I glanced at each other before we smirked and took off sprinting after the two.

~At Ichiraku's, Sitting at the Bar, 7:30 PM~

I had finished my bowl a while ago and now was simply conversing with everyone. Sasuke seemed to remember as we arrived that he hated me and sat on the other side of everyone up against the wall so I couldn't sit next to him. I laughed at a joke made at Naruto's expense and then taken away from the conversation by a tap on my shoulder it was a male jonin this time and he asked about the Blood Country. I sifted through my back and opened the red book that I used earlier giving him all the information I had on the Land of Blood. He thanked me and gave me 6500 Ryo. Placing the money in my wallet I realized that the conversation between my team stopped. I turned and jumped slightly when they were all just staring at me like that.

"Um, do you need something?" I asked. Kakashi narrowed his eyes once again.

"Takeshi how do you have all of this information?" He questioned. I scratched my cheek and let out a hum.

"Well, I can't tell you where I get it all from, but I can tell you that I'm an Information Broker." Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke all choked on the food they were eating and I honestly think that Naruto was ignoring the conversation.

"A kid your age!?" Kakashi exclaimed.

"How is that even possible!?" Sakura followed. I shrugged my shoulders and asked for another bowl of Miso Pork Ramen to get out of the conversation quickly. As the night dragged on Sakura was the first to leave saying that she may worry her parents if she stays out too late. Naruto followed soon after saying that he wanted to train before going to bed. Shoko went simply because he was tired and Kakashi followed paying the bill since Sasuke and myself weren't going to eat anymore. Sitting in the heavy silence that surrounded my brother and me, I decided to head home myself. Pushing the soft flaps back, I made my way to my apartment.

"Takeshi!" Sasuke's voice shouted after me. I was shocked at first, but composed myself well enough and turned around. Sasuke jogged up to me and stopped about a yard away.

"What's up, Sasuke?" I replied turning around fully to face him.

"Why?" He muttered. I rose an eyebrow, my grip loosening on my satchel.

"'Why' what?" He glared at me.

"Why are you protecting my dream when it so obviously clashes with yours?" He asked harshly. I gave him a soft smile and let out a breath.

"Because everyone deserves a dream Sasuke, even if yours does clash with mine, I refuse to let that get in my way of keeping it safe. It's the reason I became an info broker." He looked at me questionably.

"I became an info broker shortly after you tossed me to the curb because I didn't share the hate you had for Itachi. I knew our big brother wouldn't do something like that, and being the determined little monster that I am I got to work. My dream was realized then. I wanted to bring Itachi back home so we could be a family again, and I knew that it rightfully clashed with yours but I wasn't going to force my dream onto you. Because even after you started hating me Sasuke, my love only grew for you." I sent him one last smile and turned on my heel heading back home. The night sky was sparkling and I felt light that evening. When I walked through the door Itachi, my cat was waiting for me. Smiling at him I headed back to my room with him following. I changed and climbed into bed with the Siberian cat jumping on at the end.

"Don't worry big brother, we will be a family again."

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

September Song (2/3)

I’m sorry @kitten-wrath that this took so long, but I do hope you like it. @hoodoo12 @xerxezra thanks for brainstorming with me. Also, Ice Cream Rick belongs @porkchop-ao3. References to the flowers can be found here (The Language Of Flowers) and pizza rolls here (Sick Day)

Also, special thanks go to @her-victori for reading a majority of my fics in a short span of time. You Rock! As well to random anons who leave me sweet words in my ask box.

If you haven't read the first part of this fic then here's the link. (Read Part1 Here)

In this fic the reader tries to be more reserved and mature for Rick, but what will he think?

______

Chapter 2: These Precious Days

The mom and pop ice cream parlor which could be found at the edge of town offered over twenty flavors and twice as many topping options. Rick thought you'd prefer this quiet atmosphere over the crowd that would've surrounded Ice Cream Ricks truck in the Citadel; he was right. Though it really was a shame since Ice Cream Rick was actually pretty nice. After ordering, you two sat by the window with the best view of a lonely backroad and a white GMC truck.

“I-I-I like that you went for the rainbow jimmies.” Rick commented as he popped a mini gummy bear into his mouth.

“Hmm? Yeah, I like the texture.”

Which was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. You loved sprinkles on just about any dessert they could be placed on. They were fun, colorful, and your dad's favorite topping. They reminded you of good times. You continued. “And they're a classic. Wouldn't you agree?”

“I-I do. Would you say that y-your favorite flavor?”

Savoring the flavor of your chocolate ice cream, you nodded. “Yeah.”

Smiling softly, he seemed to be ruminating on this information, before storing it away and eating a spoonful of his pistachio ice cream. After a little while, he managed to get a bit of it on the side of his mouth, which made you giggle. And because old habits die hard, you picked up a napkin and wiped his face clean. Under your fingertips, his skin had that masculine roughness that came from constant shaving. Of course, you were familiar with it, but these slight reminders that came about by chance never failed to amaze you.

However, you were quick to pull your hand back because he wasn't a fan of public displays of affection, though it seemed to have the opposite effect, with him reaching out and placing your hand back on his cheek, and leaning into it. “I'm glad y-you were able to come with me today.”

Seeing as the shop owner was in the back room, you relaxed a little. “I am too.”

Rick was always a little funny when he got sentimental, which was why it didn't surprise you too much when his eyes bore through you as he said. “Me encanta estar c-contigo.”

“Rick,” you began, wanting to let this facade go and declare every single word of affection your heart felt inclined to say, but just as soon as you thought you were going to crack, you restrained yourself, and simply said. “your ice cream is going to melt.”

Several beats of silence passed, and he acknowledged what you had said, but he went on. “You - I-I sometimes wish I could carry you in my pocket, and have you look after me all the time, but th-that's silly isn't it? It's not realistic, and that w-would be selfish.”

“If it's you, then I don't think it is. While it wouldn't necessarily be practical to miniaturize me and carry me around, isn't the beauty of a relationship knowing that you're always on someone's mind and that they are out there somewhere caring and thinking about you?”

“Certainly, but what I-I meant to say is that it'd be nice if this was our life. If I could keep y-you and if you and me ugh - all th-the time…we - if we….” he faltered, fixing his eyes on something else in the room.

“You don't mean eating ice cream do you?”

With a sigh, he relinquished the hold he had on your hand, “N-no.” and continued to eat his ice cream; resigned, and slightly embarrassed. You couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment. It's not like he wanted to say the magic words. Right?

________

After ice cream, you two visited the bookstore on the corner of Kinder St and Lavue Ave; which had not only a coffee shop but a toy store connected to it. As soon as one entered into it, you were met with the latest best sellers, books on travel and wellness, as well as souvenirs; it was one of few places that didn't bother you if it was cramped. To your left next to the window were those mint boxes which said Adventure Awaits, and it filled you with gladness as picked one up; thinking of little things you'd put in it after all the mints were gone. For his part, Zeta-7 seemed to know exactly what he was going for, disappearing in the back where all the used books were. Not knowing whether to follow or look around, you just did as you pleased.

Past the Keychain holder, above the box of mini hands, you found a Mister Rogers mug. You loved that wholesome old man who used to teach lessons and play with puppets on PBS; Rick reminded you of him too. On the label, it said that when you added hot water to the mug, Mister Rogers would change from a suit jacket into his cardigan. Seeing as Zeta-7 hadn't returned yet, you decided to buy it and continued to look around until he soon returned with an older book in hand. “I-I-I hope I hadn't kept you waiting long.”

Facing the bookshelf, pulling out books that you were mildly interested in, you answered. “I knew you would show up eventually.”

Noticing the stack of books you had, he asked sweetly. “M-m-mi corazón, do you want me t-to hold those books for you? They look a-a little heavy.”

You weren't sure how long you could keep up this facade of being mature and not melting into a puddle everytime he said things like that, with him being as darling as he was. Nonetheless, you nodded and he lightened the burden on your arms.

“Wow,” he brightened. “I-I didn't know you liked Alexandre Dumas.” And picking out another book, he wondered. “Have y-you ever read this?”

“The Man In the Iron Mask? No,” you admitted sadly. “but when I was in high school I did read about a third of The Count of Monte Cristo. I even have a postcard that my old English teacher sent me from Europe that had a picture of one of the buildings that was used in the movie.”

“That's s-s-so cool. Do - do you enjoy classic literature?”

Wholeheartedly, you replied. “Isn't it the best kind?”

“I-I-I don't know,” he softened. “but I don't know what I'd do without them.”

You thought of his home library then, with its eclectic mixture of languages, colors, and topics, and it made you feel warm in your soul. “If your home library tells me anything, it's that you have a healthy appetite for books.”

He glanced at your lips after you said this, but made no attempt to follow whatever thought which might've come to mind. Instead, you two carried on a lengthy discussion on books, how many were a social commentary of the time period, and how they influenced the world you lived in. For once you didn't have to pretend you knew something you didn't, cause you did know. Quite intimately in fact. And within the small spaces between shelves and bodies, where you'd normally feel claustrophobic, you were safe amongst all the friends you had yet to meet amongst the pages, and with Zeta-7 whose warm words and tall body shielded you from the curious eyes of the cashier.

_______________

A stack of books sat quietly in the back seat of his car. Crickets chirped, and there were random feral cats here and there, but there was only you and him as far as you were concerned. September Song by Willie Nelson played on the car radio as he led you into a natural waltz next to the town lake, and moonlight reflected in his eyes. If you hadn't been so afraid of drowning, maybe you would've preferred to dance on the dock, but like this, it felt right.

Oh, it's a long long while

From May to December

But the days grow short

When you reach September

When the autumn weather

Turns leaves to flame

One hasn't got time

For the waiting game

With your head resting on his chest, he hummed along to the melody. More than once you heard a sniffle but assumed it was just Zeta-7 caught up in the moment again.

Oh the days dwindle down

To a precious few. ..

September, November. ..

And these few precious days

I'll spend with you.

These precious days

I'll spend with you.

You thought every day spent with him was precious, and you had to admit that you weren't sure at the beginning of your relationship if it would've worked out, but you were glad that the both of you took a chance, and had been pleasantly surprised ever since. And after all this time, now that it was the fall again, you wondered what the next year and the year after that would be like; the possibilities are endless. However, your train of thought was broken when Zeta-7 stopped dancing and stood there; covering his face, wanting to disappear.

“Rick?”

“I'm - I'm sorry, but I-I-I-I can't do this.”

“Can't do what?”

“I-I-I can't pretend that everything's o-okay. Something's th-the matter isn't it?”

“No there isn't.” you denied.

“Then why are y-y-you so quiet? Are w-we breaking up? Are you - are you leaving me?”

You literally wanted to smack yourself for being such an idiot. “No! Why would you think that?”

Using his phone, he paused the music and passed a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself. “Y-y-you haven't been yourself all evening. I thought for a moment that maybe th-things were alright back in the bookstore, but you - I know y-you were holding back. I know how much you love books, and writing is y-y-y-your passion, but you were hesitant in sharing your opinions on either subject. M-mi corazón,” he pleaded, the lines about his forehead and mouth deepening. “please b-be honest with me. Is this it?”

“No, it's not.”

Your plan, which you thought has been working went horribly wrong. So much for trying to act like an adult for once. Man, you only wanted to entice him, which you somewhat succeeded, but because of your stupid games, you'd led him to believe that you were unsatisfied with your relationship. If anything, you were unsatisfied with how you handled this. “Believe me Ricky, you haven't done anything wrong. In fact,” you sighed, your chest aching from the bloom of anxiety. “you've only been sweet and charming. But I….oh, I was only trying to impress you.”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

“Exactly. Whatever I thought I'd accomplish, it…..I only managed to mess it up. Again. You probably wouldn't get it,” Or maybe he would, but you weren't feeling like yourself. “but sometimes I feel like all you did was pull me out of my little bubble so I could wreak havoc. I'm not any different from hundreds of other versions of me, am I? Cause, if I'm like them, then how did I end up with you? How did I get so lucky to be with someone so wonderful? I hope they are happy because I am with you.”

With a hand pressed over his heart, a single tear made its way down his cheek. “M-me too. I'm so happy with you.”

“Somehow, despite all my inadequacies, you want me. I mean, is it stupid to believe that I just wanted to be different from all those other copies? That I just wanted you to think I was mature?”

Zeta-7 looked at you with a wistful hope in his eyes.“No, it's - it's not stupid. You - you did that f-for me?”

“Who else dear honey man of mine? Maybe it can't be helped and I'll just be what I am,” you confessed. “but for a moment I wanted to be different. So I gave myself the look and didn't overreact. And most of all, kept my mouth shut so you wouldn't get bored of my rambling. I know I talk too much.”

“N-no, that's not - have I led you t-to believe you weren't good enough?”

“Not on purpose, but I can't help but feel that way sometimes. We both know I'm not that special. I mean, the only impressive thing I've ever done is eat 37 pizza rolls, and not kill the flowers you gave me. I'm so sorry,” you cried, “I'm sorry you got stuck with an idiot.”

He pulled you in for a tight embrace, smoothing out your hair. “D-don't ever say that.” he cooed. “You're - you're clever, lovely, and always give me something t-t-to smile about.”

“Anyone can do that.”

Pulling back a little, he gave your shoulder a squeeze and softened. “N-no, not at all. Y-you give away dreams, smiles, and kindness. You're reliable, and I-I can trust you. And there is no one in the universe th-that could compare t-to you when it comes to being the perfect woman. If anything, I'm th-the defect here.”

“No, you're perfect Ricky.”

Placing a lock of hair behind your ear, he continued. “I'm glad y-you think so, but this isn't a-about me. You - you dressed up today, in a-a elegant dress that I'd n-never seen before,” and pressing a kiss behind your ear, he whispered with a little gleam of pride in his eyes.. “wearing the perfume I-I-I made you. Smelling like a-a dream.”

Again, how anyone considered this charmer a doofus you'd never know. “I had been saving it for a special occasion.”

“Everyday with you is - is special.”

“Oh Rick. That's…thank you.”

Pointing at your feet, “And I noticed that you're closer t-t-to my height today, but your feet must be hurting by now. Would y-you like to take them off?”

Oh, your feet were screaming. And now that you weren't pretending, you slipped out of your shoes which made you lose about four inches. Picking up your shoes and shoes and dusting them off, he continued. “That must feel better. I-I-I had to wear heels for a case once. It ugh - it's not practical when y-y-you have to run.”

“Right? I don't see how other women do it, cause I can't. I'm not even sure why I own them. I should just burn those things.”

You'd say it was half relief, half joy that made him laugh wholeheartedly at this, and you didn't see how it could be so funny. You poked him and pouted, and he delighted in this. “See?” he chuckled, looking at you in that funny way he did from time to time.

“See what?”

“This. This is th-the girl I fell in love with,” he stated matter of factly. “the one who likes t-to be comfortable, speaks her mind and prefers those jeans with th-the rip on the side. Not to mention those graphic t-shirts. Or cute pj's.”

Your breath caught a little at this confession. How could the smartest man in the universe adore an impertinent person like you? Maybe the same way you could love the smartest man; you just do. In your girlish voice, you said. “I only wanted you to be proud of me.”

Holding you a fraction tighter, he pressed a light kiss to your temple and chuckled sweetly. “Y-you already do princess. Today y-you made an effort for me, and that's impressive, but honestly, I want you t-t-to be comfortable and dress up how y-you like. You as yourself is what impresses me, because you have s-s-so much spirit, and I - that's what makes y-you gorgeous.”

This time you didn't even try to hide your blush.

“Oh Rick, hearing you say that really does make me feel silly. Why did I do this to myself? What was I thinking?”

“I believe y-you're still trying to figure it all out like the rest of us, and I can't get mad at you for th-that because you're wonderfully human. You had good intentions, and th-that's what counts.”

“Can you forgive me?”

“I al-already have.”

TBC

#doofus rick #doofus rick x reader #rick sanchez x reader #j19z7 #rick j19z7 #rnm fanfic #my writing #my works

[plastic--hearts]

I Loved You

day eleven of ‘one day, one fic - september’

prompt: not rly a prompt, just heavily based on the “I Loved You” M/V by Day6

pairing: socky

word count: ~2708

note: they’re all in the same grade bc I’m too tired to worry about age differences. also, big thank you to Chels (@lee-dongminhyuk) for letting me work this out with her, and for always being down to scream abt Day6

“I still can't believe Jiyu and Bin broke up,” Sanha whispered, turning to face Minhyuk. “To be honest, I didn't think they were a good match.”

“Of course,” Minhyuk muttered, writing down the problem their teacher had just left on the board.

“She's just too sweet for him.”

Minhyuk had to make a conscious effort not to roll his eyes. Sanha had been pining over Jiyu since their first year of high school. Now, they were in their final year, and Minhyuk couldn't believe it was still going strong. “Okay.”

“I’m surprised, you know. She's so close with Myungjun, I expected something to happen there.”

Minhyuk shrugged, not answering this time. He didn't know what else he could say to his blond friend. The more he answered, the more Sanha would talk.

Don’t get him wrong: he would much rather listen to Sanha speak than their teacher. He could listen to Sanha speak for ages. However, Jiyu wasn’t exactly his favourite conversation topic. She was nice, sure, and pretty, but every time her name fell from Sanha’s lips, Minhyuk felt his chest tighten. He said her name with such fondness, a fondness that Minhyuk wanted to feel.

And so, he didn’t say a word, choosing to focus on the class instead.

--

The next day went similarly. Sanha and Minhyuk were sitting with their friends in the classroom, waiting for their teacher to arrive. Out of the corner of his eye, however, Minhyuk noticed Sanha’s gaze trailed on him. He turned his head to look at his friend, but Sanha’s attention wasn’t actually on Minhyuk. Rather, it was on something to Minhyuk’s left, and when he turned to look, he wished he hadn’t. Jiyu was sitting at the table beside theirs, laughing softly as Myungjun made a funny face. Along with Jinwoo, the three of them were rarely ever seen apart, which Minhyuk found somewhat sweet. Not that he’d ever admit it.

Minhyuk sighed softly, directing his attention back to the conversation. If he had had the energy, maybe he would’ve said something to Sanha for being so obvious. Right then, though, he just wanted class to start.

“Minhyuk,” Sanha whispered, 20 minutes into the class. “Do you want to hang out today? Go get ice-cream?”

Minhyuk chuckled softly. “Since when do you ask so early? Of course.”

Sanha grinned, braces glinting, and Minhyuk let his own lips turn up into a smile.

“You’re paying?” Minhyuk asked Sanha as they exited their school building at the end of the day.

Sanha, of course, just made a cute face, knowing fully well that Minhyuk would crack.

“Okay, fine,” Minhyuk sighed. “Let’s go.” He truly was a sucker.

Sanha skipped alongside Minhyuk as they made their way to the ice-cream parlor, and Minhyuk’s soft smile never left his face. Sanha had a way of making him smile with everything he did, and yet he was blissfully unaware. Blissfully unaware of the way he made Minhyuk feel as light as a feather, and Minhyuk intended to keep it that way.

When they got there, Sanha immediately got two scoops of strawberry ice-cream, smiling widely when the old lady behind the counter handed the cone to him.

“No sprinkles?” Minhyuk asked, eyeing the pink scoops. “That’s unlike you.”

“I didn’t want to charge you extra.”

Minhyuk smiled at the sentiment, shaking his head. “Go ahead, get your sprinkles.”

Sanha grinned, eyes alight with both disbelief and excitement, and turned back to the counter. Minhyuk watched as he eagerly pointed to the rainbow sprinkles. He would basically be broke after this purchase, but to see Sanha smile like that was worth all the money in the world.

And when Sanha asked why Minhyuk only got one scoop of chocolate ice-cream in a cup, he just shrugged and said he didn’t want anything else.

They sat at a table by the front window, Sanha immediately attacking his cone. Minhyuk laughed at his friend’s eagerness and pulled out his phone, snapping a couple pictures of the sight.

“Minhyuk!” Sanha whined, but couldn’t help his laughter. “Stop!”

“Nope.” Minhyuk smiled before leaning across the table and licking Sanha’s ice-cream.

“Hey!” The blond protested and moved his cone out of reach.

“I paid for it!” Minhyuk laughed, wiping a trace of pink ice-cream off his nose.

Sanha huffed, causing him to laugh again.

He couldn’t help but wonder what they looked like to onlookers. Did they simply look like best friends, enjoying ice-cream on a hot day? Minhyuk wondered whether this was what it would be like to go on a date with Sanha. After they’d finish, Minhyuk would hold his hand and take him to see the ducks in the park just a block over. They would sit by the pond and skip stones, and maybe Minhyuk would be brave enough to kiss his cheek at the end of the day.

But of course, that was just a daydream. Sanha in front of him wasn’t his date; they were simply the best of friends, nothing less but also nothing more. And when they walked to the duck pond, they didn’t hold hands, nor did Minhyuk try to kiss him.

He did, however, let Sanha make him happy, even if he had to keep it a secret. He would rather take the secret to his grave than lose his best friend.

--

When Minhyuk saw the keychain, he knew he needed it.

It didn’t matter that it was in the middle of a grocery store. The keychain was cute and he would be damned if he didn’t get it for Sanha. He took it off the hook gently and placed it in the shopping cart, ignoring his mum’s questioning gaze.

“That doesn’t look like something you’d like.”

“It’s for Sanha,” Minhyuk offered, busying himself with looking at the different types of tea.

Minhyuk’s mum opened her mouth to say something but seemed to decide against it. Minhyuk was thankful for that. He had managed to keep his feelings under wraps for this long and had no intention of letting his facade slip. Of course, it helped if he wasn’t asked about it,

When he got home and had finished putting away the groceries, he texted Sanha.

minhyuk [5:13pm] park in 10?

sanha [5:13pm] sure :-)

Every weekend they would go to the park, even if just for a little while. It started when they first met, back in middle school, and carried on as more of a tradition than a fun outing.

Pocketing the keychain, he stepped out of his house and began walking. Once he got to the park, he made a beeline for the pull-up bars and, within seconds, was hanging upside down from the highest one. He always waited for Sanha like this, since it always roused a smile from the blond boy.

He pulled the keychain out of his pocket to contemplate it. It was a little patchwork creature, maybe a bunny of sorts, with yellow buttons for eyes. On the cheeks were sewn little red hearts, which was what initially made Minhyuk think of Sanha.

He looked up from the little bunny to see Sanha approaching and closed his hand around the small gift to hide it.

“Minhyuk,” Sanha greeted as he walked up to his friend, an amused smile on his face. “I’m always worried that you’re going to fall.”

“Ah, don’t worry your cute self over me,” Minhyuk teased. He pushed himself up, and after some maneuvering, jumped down in front of Sanha. He slipped the keychain back into his pocket, deciding he’d give it to Sanha at the perfect moment.

“You know what I heard?” Sanha said as they started walking. Minhyuk shook his head. “You know that guy Dongmin?”

Minhyuk then nodded, kicking a stray rock on the pathway. “Yeah, with all the girls chasing after him all the time.”

“Yeah. He and Bin are now friends.”

“What?” Minhyuk raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t he, like, super studious, as opposed to Bin?”

“Yup.” Sanha nodded. “Bin apparently got into a fight over him.”

“I doubt that’s true.”

“Myungjun told me!”

“When did you speak to Myungjun?”

“I was texting him last night,” Sanha explained, cheeks reddening. Oh no. “He told me.”

“What else did he tell you?” Minhyuk mumbled, eyes on the ground. His fingers curled around the keychain in his pocket.

“We, uh, talked about Jiyu,” Sanha explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “He gave me some tips.”

“Tips?” Minhyuk repeated, eyes widening. “Are you actually going to do something?”

“I’m thinking of confessing.”

Minhyuk stopped dead in his tracks, wide eyes on Sanha. The blond kept walking for a few steps before noticing his friend’s absence and turning around. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“About?”

“Confessing.”

“I- I’m telling you now.” Sanha took a few steps closer to Minhyuk. “You’re never interested when I talk about her.”

“This isn’t about her,” Minhyuk stated. “This is about you.”

“I just- I thought he would know better how to-”

Minhyuk scoffed, running a hand through his hair. His chest was tight and heart was heavy as he spoke, interrupting Sanha. “So what? You’re- We’re supposedly best friends. You really told him before me?”

“You would’ve discouraged me.”

Minhyuk’s breath hitched. “What?”

“You heard me.” Sanha frowned.

“That’s not true and you know it.” His surprise was beginning to turn into anger. “When have I ever discouraged you from doing something you wanted to?”

When Sanha didn’t reply, Minhyuk shook his head. “I’ve always supported you, no matter how stupid or ridiculous your ideas were. Remember your first guitar, Sanha?”

“Me wanting to confess to her isn’t stupid or ridiculous.”

“Oh my god, I didn’t say that!”

Sanha huffed, looking away from Minhyuk into the distance. “You never really liked her. I would’ve known.”

“She’s nice, Sanha,” Minhyuk hissed through gritted teeth. “She’s nice and she’s pretty and- and she’s probably smart. That really doesn’t change the fact that you went to Kim Myungjun, out of all people, before me.”

“He can definitely help me more than you can!”

“So what? Have you been friends with him for 6 years? You don’t even talk to him in school!” Minhyuk argued. He didn’t know why he was getting so worked up over such an insignificant thing. He knew, he knew that he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop himself. “You didn’t think it would be important for me to know this?!”

“It doesn’t matter, Minhyuk!” Sanha almost yelled. “It doesn’t matter who I tell or when I tell them! I told you now, didn’t I? What’s 24 hours, in the grand scheme of things?”

Minhyuk shook his head, taking a couple steps back. “I’m going home.”

--

He didn’t speak to Sanha for two days after that. He still sat next to him in class like he did every day, but he ignored his presence. He knew it was petty, but Sanha was doing the same thing, and he wasn’t going to be the first person to crack. It was all Sanha’s fault, anyways - why couldn’t he have just told him?

Sitting on the bus alone were the hardest parts of those two days. The lack of Sanha meant that he was alone with his music - and his thoughts. Obviously, the one thing his brain chose to zero in on was Sanha’s potential confession. He didn’t know when - or even if - it was happening, and as much as he didn’t want to know, he had to. He wanted to be there for Sanha, even if it meant willingly shattering his heart in the process. Picking between having a broken heart or a Sanha-sized hole in his life was easy - it wasn’t like he ever put his own well-being before Sanha, anyway.

Why couldn’t he just move on, when he so clearly knew Sanha wasn’t interested? Why did these feelings have to blossom deep within his rib cage, and instead of wilting away, why did they choose to grow and grow until it felt like they were suffocating him? Minhyuk almost felt like hating Sanha would be easier than loving him, but he would never want that. However, he did wish that he could understand, or better yet, control his feelings. He could always control the way he dealt with them, sure, but that was exhausting. He would rather not have them altogether.

He was certain that the feelings would fade eventually, but if there was a way to speed up the process, Minhyuk would try anything.

--

On the third day, when Sanha plopped down into the chair beside him, Minhyuk was ready to ignore him again. However, Sanha seemed to have other plans. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling him as close as the chairs allowed him to.

Minhyuk was surprised, but didn’t pull away from the touch. Instead, he freed an arm from beside him and wrapped it around Sanha’s shoulders, reciprocating the hug. He smiled softly as he rested his cheek on top of Sanha’s head, eyes fluttering shut as he enjoyed the affection. In that moment, nothing else mattered: not their fight, not Jiyu, not anyone in the world. Just Sanha.

He knew the bliss was only temporary.

He didn’t realise just how temporary.

On the bus home that evening, Sanha was chattering excitedly about the new song that a group he likes had just released, but Minhyuk couldn’t pay attention. His gaze was trailed on the girl that had just stepped onto the bus and taken the seat a couple rows in front of them; rather, his eyes were trailed on Jiyu. Sanha had yet to notice her, and Minhyuk intended to keep it that way.

He waited for Sanha to stop talking before nudging him with his shoulder. “I have something for you.”

Sanha watched curiously as he reached into his bag, searching a bit before pulling out the keychain. “I saw this and thought it was cute,” Minhyuk explained, giving it to Sanha who took it carefully out of his friend’s hand. “It reminded me of you.”

Sanha then grinned, tearing his gaze away from the little bunny to meet Minhyuk’s unsure gaze. “It’s so cute, thank you!” With that, he threw his arms around Minhyuk and squeezed him tightly.

Minhyuk laughed when they pulled away. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.” Sanha nodded, picking up his own bag from the floor of the bus and placing it on his lap. Struggling for a moment, he managed to get the keychain on the zip. “Look! Now I’ll be reminded of you wherever I go.”

“You never go anywhere other than school with that,” Minhyuk pointed out. “I’m there in school anyways.”

“Oof, fine, I won’t say nice things then.” Sanha pouted comically, crossing his arms and turning to face forward.

Minhyuk was going to keep teasing him when he noticed Sanha’s expression rapidly change. Before he could even process it, Sanha’s hand was wrapped around his upper arm, shaking him slightly. “That’s Jiyu!” Sanha whispered.

“Mhm. Have you talked to her?”

“No.” Sanha’s wide eyes then turned to Minhyuk. “Should I do it now?”

Concealing his feelings, Minhyuk shrugged. “Why not?”

Just then, though, the bus began slowing down, and Jiyu stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder. Once the bus halted, she stepped off.

The next moment was a blur for Minhyuk. One second, Sanha was sitting beside him, grasping his arm, and the next he was up on his feet, nearly tearing behind Jiyu with a shouted, “I’ll text you!”

Minhyuk watched with wide eyes as his best friend ran behind the black haired girl, and let his gaze stay on them even after the bus had begun driving away.

And then it hit him. His best friend had left him with nothing more than an “I’ll text you!” in order to chase after a girl. His best friend, the one person whose love he wanted all to himself, was off sharing that love with someone Minhyuk could never be.

As he lowered his eyes, he noticed something white lying on the floor of the bus, close to the door.

He never would’ve thought that the sight of a mere keychain could hurt him so badly.

#1day1fic sept #astro #socky #park minhyuk #rocky #yoon sanha #i can't write angst #day6 #i loved you #fanfiction #maya writes

[scarletjedi]

What is real, and what is a mirage?

for the Gothic Prompt

Somehow, I knew I would end up talking about Philadelphia.

Growing up in New Jersey, there was a friendly(ish) rivalry between North Jersey and South Jersey. North Jersey was the meadowlands, the Yankees and New York City. South Jersey was Atlantic City and Wildwood, the Phillies, and Philadelphia. 

I grew up pretty much in the middle, so there was a fair mix, but for me and my family, “The City” was always New York. 

New York makes sense to me. It feels like a City, thriving is bruised and battered, weathered and thumbing it’s nose, but also dressed up in rainbows downtown and lights uptown, with a history of culture that runs deeper than the subway. 

Being used to New York, I thought Philly would be a breeze. It’s not a “Real” City, the way New York is. The Skyscrapers and finance towers take up the span of only a few city blocks, and it’s amoeba sprawl over the surrounding boroughs feels like malignant spread rather than growth. (Growth, for me, will always have connotations of *up*). 

I lived in Philly for three years while going to Grad School (two years for a degree and one year of work), and only after could I see what that City had been doing to me. I could walk confidently across town when I had someplace to be, traveling miles by foot, bar-hopping with hipsters drinking either craft or crap beer, but I was terrified leaving my apartment, especially at night. 

But in that first year, I’m distracted by the work load and impressed by my transition from Suburban College Graduate to Hip (ahem) Urban Graduate Student, and I feel confident. I have my leather jacket with the just barely legal pocket knife, clothes I can move in, and shoes that will stand up to serious abuse. I am *badass.*

And I learn about the Terror Behind the Walls Haunted House at Eastern State Penitentiary, which happens to be only three blocks up my street. 

ESP is an...interesting location. It was designed to resemble a medieval castle, to act a a deterrent for criminals--if a prospective thief sees something that looks like it has a dungeon, they might think twice about stealing. 

It didn’t work, and as Philly spread, the population increased both inside and out until the City had enveloped the Castle on the Hill and the Penitentiary was overflowing. Over the course of it’s history there were deaths and violent crimes and riots, not to mention the fact that this place practiced isolation--this experiment in criminal justice reform is where they learned of the dangers and horrors of solitary confinement. 

It is, to be blunt, ripe for all sorts of nasty hauntings. Perfect for one of the top-rated Haunted Houses in the country. 

Then, in my third year, when I’m mostly a homebody who has learned to walk very fast, my wife (then girlfriend--it would only be a month until she became my fiancee) suggests that we go to the TBtW--it’s Halloween and we LOVE Halloween and she’d been looking for a Haunted House that wasn’t just cheap jump scares. 

I say sure! lets go!

The waiver you sign on the way in didn’t phase me. The fact that the waiver forbade children under 7 and people with pacemakers didn’t phase me. 

It was the photographer who looked at us and said “Only two of you? You’re brave!” that gave me pause. I, at the time, chalked it up to atmosphere. (The haunted house is semi-permanent and they bring in theatre professionals to do makeup and effects). 

I was wrong. 

The event, and I think it qualifies, is an hour long trip through the various sub-stations of the Haunted House. The year we went, it was based around the 70s riots, and the theme took us through the typical life of an inmate. (They are, mostly, an educational museum after all). So, while the sun was still up, we went through intake, weaving through a maze constructed in the yard, and we learn that the actors will get up in your face. They won’t touch you, but they will come from all sides. (you see, it’s best to go in a group of three, so you can rotate in and out of the safe space in the middle. We did not know this). 

The first part ends at a yellow schoolbus/prison bus that we have to walk through. I am convinced there’s someone on the bus, and I really do NOT want to go through, but I can see the turnstile for the next section and the line of people and I brace myself, say “It’s okay, I’m okay” and go. 

There was nobody on the bus, but damn if it wasn’t effective. 

The next few sections blur together. We went through a regular ward (the beginning of the breakout/riot) with zombie prisoners and guards reaching through bars that are made of rubber. We went through the medical wing, and I don’t think I need to tell you what we saw in there. There was a new 3-D experience, where we were given prism glasses and sent through a black-lit maze where the walls were pushed out by workers standing in various places. 

Then, we hit Night Watch. 

The Night Watch was the final segment. The sun had set, leaving the place lit only by the spotlights above. The path was through a wing of the building that had been left partially overrun. 

It was pitch black. We were given only a keychain flashlight (the kind you squeeze not the mini-maglight) and sent in with the warning “don’t flash that in anybody’s eyes.”

I should mention that I startle easily, and by this point was on the verge of an anxiety attack. I didn’t realize it at the time, having never had one before, but I was waiting in line chanting “I’m okay,” under my breath. (Later, my wife would tell me that I had been saying it while going through the parts, but I don’t remember it). 

Then it’s our turn. 

My wife was working night security at the time, so she took the flashlight like the professional she was, and in we went. 

There were actors lying in wait, ready to jump at you. I wanted the flashlight because I couldn’t see where I was putting my feet. I turned to look at her to ask for the flashlight--or maybe I had it, and I turned to make sure she was keeping up. 

and I saw it coming up behind her, low to the ground and ghastly white, with arms far too long for it’s body and lopsided gait and I--

If you’ve never had your fight or flight instinct kick in, and had the instinct be flight, then you’re not going to truly understand what I mean when I say, I saw it, and then I wasn’t there anymore--because I ran. I literally Noped out of there, leaving my wife to it’s tender mercies. 

All I really remember is getting to the end and catching up to the (slow moving, why are they ALWAYS slow moving) group ahead of us, and not being able to get past because we bottle necked, and I was convinced I was going to be grabbed from behind, or it was going to take my feet because I coudn’t see them, and then the guy at the end (who was maybe painted like a skeleton carnival barker) yelled “Flashlight!” in my face, and it threw it at him and turned to continue my flight--

and stopped, because I saw a sign that said “Fried Oreos” and I realized that--none of that had been real. I was in a freakin’ Haunted House and there had been no ghoul coming for me. 

My wife appeared a moment later as I burst into tears because, for the span of a few minutes, I had lost all grip on reality. (She also glared down one of the roving actors who came up behind me to spook me, with a look like “back off fuckstick, she’s crying” and he apparently had a look like “for realz?” but he did back off). 

My wife, later, told me that the actor, who had been wearing an undone straight jacket, stood from his crouch and broke character to ask her if I had really just left her there. My darling, wonderful wife, stayed only long enough to shrug before taking off after me. She then bought me Fried Oreos and sat me down next to an old, black lesbian couple who were complaining that it hadn’t been scary--and I remember thinking that if that wasn’t scary, what the fuck had she lived through in her life--but I calmed down enough to look through the gift shop before we left.

We lived across town, and I was looking over my shoulder until we were well on the other side of Market St. 

To date, while not being the scariest night of my life, it remains the only the terror has ever taken my grasp of reality from me. Then again--as I said, that building is hella haunted. It was night, close to Halloween, and filled with people deliberately scaring themselves. 

Maybe, I wasn’t imagining things after all. 

#gothic meme #not quite a fic #true tales of philadelphia

[tatooedlaura-blog]

Twenty-second Christmas

the series is as follows so far:

First … Second … Third … Fourth … Fifth … Fifth Christmas, Part 2 … Sixth … Seventh … Eighth … Ninth … Tenth … Eleventh … Twelfth … Thirteenth … Fourteenth … Fifteenth … Sixteenth … Seventeenth … Eighteenth … Nineteenth … Twentieth … Twenty-first … Twenty-second … Twenty-third

———————–

I have to mess with the timeline again but I need another Christmas in here before Maggie dies so I’m putting one in and shifting the rest of the timeline … sue me … 8^)

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Maggie had lay down the law with his previous year’s Christmas gift. It was a smartphone, a simple one, one without a camera on it, one attached to her cell plan, one that she insisted he keep on now because she was getting old and if she fell, he would be the first one she’d call and he needed to be reachable at all times.

He tried to argue but she shut him down, good-naturedly and with mother’s love abounding but still, she told him to be quiet and do as he was told. He’d fought her but she was more stubborn than her daughter had ever been and much scarier so he relented, taking her at her word that she’d be calling him at random times just to check that it was on.

It didn’t annoy him.

It made his heart beat a little faster, however, at the prospect of something on in his house at all times that wasn’t ‘firewall-paranoid-Frohike would be proud, technologically protected from everyone in the world who was not him or Scully or Maggie’. He did, once he got home, stare at it for a long while, power it down, felt the crushing guilt of having turned it off, turned it back on, plugged it in in his office, shut the door, went to bed, returned five minutes later to retrieve it because he had sudden visions of Maggie falling down the stairs, Maggie burning the house down, Maggie getting in an accident, Maggie showing up to read him the riot act for having turned it off in the first place.

It took until the next morning for him to use it to call her with one simple response to the whole situation, “why wouldn’t you just call Scully? She’s closer and can sign forms and stuff and won’t need to wait for a cab to get to you.”

Maggie honestly had no idea it would take him this long to figure that out and she laughed, “just leave it on, Fox, for me.”

He did.

Now he called her like a normal human being, she called him and somehow, Scully began calling him … not often but at least once or twice a week, sometimes just to see if she had any mail there or if he was doing okay or if he needed anything …

Scully’s standard mode of caring when she wasn’t sure if she could handle admitting she cared.

He accepted the erratic thud of his heart when he saw her name flash on the caller ID and the second thud as he hit the accept button. It returned to its normal beat two minutes later when she deemed the conversation over, having satisfied some nameless need buried deep inside for another few days.

He accepted this, too.

&&&&&&&&&&&

They hadn’t eaten a meal together in nearly two years but Maggie had called about a dripping pipe and Mulder had come, even though it was a Wednesday and Scully had dropped by unannounced because it was Wednesday and not Tuesday and the moment she saw him, soaking shirt with a wrench in his hand and he saw her in a messy ponytail, keys dangling from the Apollo keychain held precariously in her teeth while she tried not to drop her purse and what looked like Maggie’s mail, her mother/his adopted mother felt a spark in the air, a flutter in the ozone, a blip on the radar and breathed a sigh of relief because, regardless of what may have happened between them in the last 24 months, the magic was still there, sleeping but stirring awake once again and palpable in her freezing living room.

“Dear, would you shut the door, please? Fox is going to freeze solid and I don’t think he’ll enjoy that.”

Scully quickly gathered her senses, dropping keys and mail, shutting door, opening door again to retrieve dropped keys before finally standing up, blowing stray hair from her eyes with a sudden puff upwards, “sorry. I just … wasn’t … sorry.”

Maggie nearly giggled but managed to contain her glee at her two people finally in a room once again, “it’s fine. Come on in. We were just about to have some dinner. Fox came over to fix a pipe that was dripping.” Twisting her hands gently, “old things don’t grip quite as well as they used to.”

Mulder scrambled out of the way, “yeah, sorry. Come on in. I’ll head out in a minute, just need to find a dry shirt.”

“Fox, I promised you dinner and you are staying. I’ve made your favorite so you don’t have much of a choice in the matter.”

Shrugging but smiling, he looked at Scully, “she really enjoys ordering me around.”

Returning the smile before quickly looking away, “she does it out of love.”

“She must adore me something fierce then.”

Tentatively touching his arm as she passed, “she does.”

Dinner itself wasn’t as awkward as it could have been but there were definitely moments, moments of dead air that pressed down, compressing the spine and shoulders, back hunching involuntarily under the weight of the silence. Scully excused herself to the bathroom in one moment … Mulder to blow his nose in another … both stood in unison for the third to bolt then both smiled shyly for a moment before turning their looks to a Maggie simply shaking her head, “we need some dessert and music. Dana, go find a decent station on the radio for me, please.”

All in all, it was a happy night, all three parties going to bed at ease with the world.

&&&&&&&&&&

Maggie had her normal, raucous Christmas with the family, sans Charlie and Bill but with enough grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews to fill her house to cacophonous capacity. She had invited Mulder but he was nowhere near ready for that and politely declined, telling Maggie he’d be around on the 27th with her gift and to help her clean behind the oven and refrigerator. Instead, he settled with an orange cat on his lap, a bag of Cheezits so if some got on the animal, he’d never know and six bottles of ice tea and root beer.

Nearly asleep, with the cat ninja-like attempting to steal snacks from the open box, he startled awake at the sound of a quiet knock on the front door. Jerking upwards, the cat, the crackers and two empties clattered to the floor, the yowling cat jumping immediately to the coffee table to give Mulder a piece of her mind at the disturbance.

He ignored the cat, optioning to panic at the midnight rapping at his entryway. Peering cautiously through the front curtain, he saw Scully’s car and pulled the door open immediately, “what’s wrong? What happened? Is Maggie okay?”

His intruding presence, inches from her, panic look on his face made her smile, arms automatically going to his chest, pushing him back slightly into the house and out of the freezing wind, “we’re all fine, Mulder, I promise.”

Next he pulled her further in, shutting the door, softest touch of coiled steel to her forearms, “are you sure?”

“Yes, honest, I swear to you. She’s fine. I’m fine. Everyone’s fine. I left there about a half-hour ago and everybody was just going to bed.” Still bundled in her coat and knit rainbow stocking cap with the tassles on top, her pink cheeks peeking through her matching rainbow scarf, “I just wanted to come wish you a Merry Christmas.”

Studying her for another second, he deemed her honest and let out a sigh, “you scared me.”

“I’m sorry. Truly. I didn’t think. I should have called to warn you.” He saw the doubt at her side excursion creeping into her eyes, which began darting around the room, then angling towards her escape, “I can go though. Sorry … sorry again.”

Finally smiling in her direction, “get in here. I need help drinking my root beer.”

Raised eyebrow met crinkling forehead, “root beer?”

“No liquor for me anymore. Interferes with the meds.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he nodded over his shoulder, “me and Flab share us some of that fine New England root beer every so often. Keeps us young.”

Hearing her name, the cat jumped from table to couch to end table to chair back to Mulder shoulder in silence, perching as if she were queen of the kingdom and Mulder was her throne. Scully laughed, “Flab?”

He scratched the cat’s chin, “Flab.” Finally remembering the rest of his manners, “shit, sorry. Would you like to stay?”

Great debates raced through her mind, even as she was shrugging out of her coat, stuffing scarf and hat into her sleeve, “for a little bit.”

&&&&&&&&&&

Twenty minutes later, they were settled on the couch, Scully on one end, Mulder on the other, Flab stretched to maximum capacity in the middle, head pressed against his thigh and feet pushed against hers. The TV was on but mute and making the darkened room glow blue, “so, don’t hit me for this but I can’t ask your mom and I’ve been wondering for awhile now … what the hell happened with Charlie?”

Scully could only shrug, picking at the label of the bottle in her hand, “nobody really knows. Mom won’t tell me, Bill talks to him occasionally and can’t get anything out of him, Sarah, while she loves us and is around all the time, we’ve stopped asking because it just makes her cry and that bothers the kids and so … we just … ignore it, I guess. The kids bring him up sometimes and we all are fine with that but usually it’s just to say what they used to do with him or something he would have liked.” Turning her head and resting it on the couch, “I hate to say it but it’s like he’s died and we’ve moved on but he’s still alive and we don’t know how to move on.”

Moving his hand to touch her automatically, he discovered his reality a moment too late and instead of hanging there like an idiot, he nonchalantly dropped his hand to pet Flab instead.

Scully was not an idiot and knew what his hand movement had been about though she couldn’t fault him since her body anticipated the touch, craved it and standing up, she turned, then sat on the table, knees touching his, bottle still in hand, although not for long. Setting it down beside her, she let her fingers float over his denim, loose fitting cotton over hard thigh. She didn’t move any further up than just past his knee but it felt warm and comfortable and right.

“Scully?”

“Nothing’s going to happen, Mulder. I know it can’t but I haven’t touched you in centuries.”

His hand drifted to cover hers, digits between digits slipping in divots and dips. Fingerprints circle knuckles, palms against backs as his thumbs finally settle softly against wrists, “I miss you everyday, Scully. Every hour, every minute, every second, every millisecond and whatever the hell comes after that.”

She couldn’t begin to echo the sentiment, even come close to how much she missed him. Needing to break eye contact with him before she came apart completely, she looked around the room, letting the emotions settle, “not decorating this year, I take it?”

Beginning small circles on the softest skin known to man, he felt the delicate tendons under her skin, the underside of her wrist his sole dream in that moment, “I haven’t decorated since you left. I didn’t see any point to it. Have you decorated?”

Truth bubbled up, threatened to pour forth in a torrent of painful, hurtful words but a quick intake of air shored up the dam, “no. Haven’t been in a Christmas mood the last few years. I do well at Mom’s but I go home and I don’t want that there.”

“You don’t want what there?”

Shit, she couldn’t stop it now, “I don’t want that sense of permanence, the notion that I’m going to be there long enough to have to go out and get more decorations, pack things up and put them within easy reach for the next year. I’m not ready for that. I want a place that is mine but I’m not ready to call it my home yet. Decorations are for a home, Mulder, not a stale apartment in the city.” Tears pricked her eyes but always the expert at pushing through them, she blinked rapidly, although not fast enough to hide them completely, “I will someday but not yet.”

Checking the clock and seeing they still had about a half-hour, he squeezed her wrists lightly, “what do you think about decorating now? We could put up all our regular stuff and make this place look like it used to.”

Suddenly, she missed him so much her chest ached, a stabbing pain across her breastbone reminding her she did indeed have a heart, still broken but very much there. Fighting the logic racing through her brain, she nodded, “I’d like that.”

&&&&&&&&

Slipping into old habits instinctively, Scully set up the tree while Mulder hung stockings and garland. Both quietly placed ornaments until Scully came across the one her mother had made him. With a smile, “I knew she made you one, too! She didn’t answer me when I asked but she had that ‘I’ve got a secret’ look on her face.”

“What color is yours?”

“Red, white lettering.”

He scooted just a little closer, brushing shoulders with her, “you should have bought yours with you. We could have added it to the collection.”

“Maybe next time I come by.”

Mulder wanted to smile at the prospect of her coming by again but he couldn’t look forward to it, knowing disappointment would set him on edge so he chose to continue staring at the tree, feeling her warmth, her energy, the life he had once and would give almost anything to have again.

Scully felt it, too and nudging his hand with hers, no commitment, no expectation, just touch, “you got any hot chocolate around this place?”

“I think I got some on my last shopping trip. Flab likes to drink it with me on our Saturday dates.”

Following him to the kitchen, “you have a standing date with your cat on Saturday nights?”

He knew she wasn’t judging so he told her over his shoulder as he rummaged through cupboards, “yeah. We have tuna salad, carrots, biscuits and hot chocolate or steak, baked potatoes, spinach and hot chocolate. We eat on the couch and she gets to share and then she gets to lick my mug when I’m finished. After that comes brushing and then she falls asleep while I watch bad sci-fi.”

Deciding the past wasn’t as forbidden as she thought it was when she knocked on the door, “that sounds surprisingly like our Saturday date nights used to be as well.”

With a glance at her hair, “speaking of brushing, what happened to your hair? I mean, it looks good but it’s not the right color suddenly. I noticed earlier but forgot to ask.”

Self-consciously touching the strands against her shoulder, “yeah, so I was at the hospital and Methylene blue sprayed on me and dyed my hair a lovely shade of splatter-pattern Cobalt and it wouldn’t wash out so I had to bleach my whole head and then the woman who went to dye it back to my regular color did something and it came out like this. It’s paler than it used to be but I’m getting used to it.”

Reaching out to feel it, “are we mentioning the straw feeling?”

With a smile, she batted his hand away, “we are not and I was also informed that if I try to color it again in the next six months, it’ll all fall out of my head so I’m living uncomfortably with it until further notice.”

“Good to know.” As he pulled the hot mugs from the microwave, he handed her one, “I’m liking it, if that’s any consolation but I gotta say, I would have liked to have seen you as a blonde again. It’s been awhile.”

“Well, next time someone tries to turn me into a Smurf and I have to bleach, I’ll be sure to call you.”

Grinning, he nodded, “I’ll be waiting.”

Mugs in hand, they headed back to the couch, where they proceeded to sit until well after 3am, when half-asleep on his end of the couch, he suddenly remembered, “shit! Aren’t you due back at Maggie’s in two hours?”

Scully, more than half asleep on the other end, grunted quietly, “then I’ve got an hour and a half to sleep. Be quiet.”

Flab, happy to snuggle on the lap of the strange lady invading her home for the evening, stretched, kneaded, wiggled and purred her way to sleep, notifying the stranger, in no uncertain terms, she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“I don’t think the cat was going to let you leave anyways.”

“My kind of cat. G’night, Mulder.”

“G’night, Scully.”

&&&&&&&&&&&

Baffled as to how she got out of the house without disturbing him, he awoke to Flab on his lap, the Christmas tree lights still on and a new ornament on the tree.

Well, new to the tree but matching the one Maggie gave him the previous year. She’d smuggled hers over, sneaking it onto the tree before disappearing to her Christmas morning chaos. Picking up his puddle of cat, he held her, showing her Scully’s ornament, “that’s your mom’s. She’ll be back someday I hope but for now, I think we should decide to have truly enjoyed last night then move on to breakfast. What do you say … eggs? Pancakes? Tuna?”

The cat simply purred, licking his hand for a moment before going back to sleep.

He kissed the top of her head, “Merry Christmas, animal.”

“Mmmrrrorr.”

#msr #saturday nights dates with the cat #dropping by #christmas series #my writing #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic

[saltandsilverstories]

Gargoyle

A blob of hand cream, pale pink and scented more like FreBreeze than the cherry blossoms on its packaging, rolls onto my palm. I cap the tube with my teeth, rubbing the cream into my skin. February’s chill had seeped through my gloves, drying out my hands. The cream seemed to coat my fingers more than repair the damage the cold had done.

My legs vibrate against the seat, the keychains on my purse jingling just louder than the rumbling of the subway car.

Most people were sitting, while one or two people stood up, swaying in place as the subway turned down a tunnel. Someone’s music was turned up too loud, the faint screeching of electropop prominent over the shuffling of shoes and crinkling of jackets. Someone down the car coughs, the sound overlapping the voice of the PA system.            

“Arriving at: Museum. Museum station is this stop. Doors will open on the left.”

I drop the hand cream back into my purse, swapping it for my phone. The train jolts as it stops, the doors chiming as they slide open. Bodies change places beyond the threshold of the doors, a biting breeze slipping in between them.

My phone lays in my hand, face down. I flip it over, my finger tapping the screen twice. We flood its blackness. 10:24 in bright white rests on our heads. Me and you, the “One Year Sober” chip between your teeth, the stick of a lollipop between mine. Your hair’s parted in the middle, mine a bit to the right. Our outlines are fuzzy, blurring us into blobs of grey sweatshirt and blue jeans.

---

You had a few of the same sweatshirt, keeping them on-site for convenience, you said. You wore one at the graduation party, its sleeves and chest all dotted with stickers of stars and moons.

They didn’t have a lot of food at the clinic, so I left ten minutes after I got there to pick up a cake from Fortino’s. They were still setting up decorations -- sad, droopy things -- when I got back. Staff placed the cake between the cups and plates, the bubblegum pink and canary yellow of the streamers making the room look a little more like it was meant to house a celebration.

“Jackie!” You held a celery stick in your fingers like a cigarette, bouncing on the balls of your feet.

Your hair smelled like dad’s shampoo when we hugged. “Hey.”

With how often I visited, you didn’t bother with a tour, but instead brought me to your dorm.

“No cards today.” You were rooting around in a drawer where the deck usually was.

“Why not?” I shifted where I sat, trying to see over your shoulder. “Hey, wait.”

“What?” A pair of socks landed on the tiles.

“You’re making a mess.” My arm reached for the socks.

“Stop it,” you swatted me away, “It’s fine.”

“Okay, okay.” My legs crossed themselves.

“Here. Look.” You held a package, wrapped in napkins from the cafeteria, held together with tape and elastic bands.

In my palms it seemed so tiny. “What is this?” My voice was tinier still.

“A lil’ something.” You hooked some of your hair behind your ear. “A thank-you.”

The elastics came off easy, and the tape didn’t resist my tugging at all. The bare box seemed like it used to house earrings, or maybe it still did. I popped off the lid.

An envelope lay inside, folded, bent in place with two bobby pins. They clattered inside the empty box as I fished open the envelope.

“Dear Miss Evelyn Santos, we are pleased to inform you…” My voice tapered off so my brain could process the meaning of each word. “Do mom and dad know?”

You nodded, your smile warping your tone. “Called them when it came in the mail. I wanted to tell you in person, though.”

“Evelyn, holy shit.”

“I’m back in action, baby!” Your arms went up in a cheer.

A giggle, mine. The first of the day. It built beneath my tongue until laughter broke free. I embraced you, tighter this time.

“U of T, huh? You’re really cleaning up.” You let go of me. I hoped you could hear how proud I was.

Your left cheek dimple peeked out as your smile deepened. “Wouldn’t have tried if not for you, so thank you.”

“You know I’ll always look out for you.” I handed you back the envelope. The letter had details you needed for registration, or I would’ve kept it in a frame.

“I know, and I hope this, uh, shows you that I’ll be okay. You’ve done a lot for me, and I’m gonna be fine now. It’s time you get back to focusing on you, Jackie.” You placed your hand over mine.

In the main room an hour later, you stood on a fake stage, behind a podium, and a mic on a crooked stand. Your sponsor was right beside you, hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt.

You tapped the mic. “I just wanna say something real quick, if that’s okay?” There was four of your voice, all in different pitches, all muddled by the prehistoric speakers they’d dug up.

Your sponsor nodded.

“Uh, so, heh. I guess, one year ago, this isn’t where I thought I’d be. I was supposed to have graduated by now. From school, not here. There was a point where I, like, wasn’t really myself at all, not even just because of the morphine. It came after, and I don’t remember a lot of it, but I do remember my sister, who’s here with me today--” You pointed me out like I was the one graduating. The warmth that blossomed somewhere under my ribs… If I could’ve bottled it I would have. “--just about dragged me out of our house and got me here. I’m on this stage because of her, and I promise you, Tony and Jackie, and everyone else I’ve come to support here, that once I leave here tonight, I’m never gonna be back.”

Someone else beat me to starting the standing ovation. It died down too quick, just as your sponsor handed you your chip.

You brought an extra lollipop with you when you came back to your seat. Yours was gone by the time the last of the graduates had finished up on stage. I saved mine for after, when you hooked your arm through mine and pulled me over to the windows. The sun wasn’t out anymore, but the streetlamps were, dropping spotlights every few feet along the sidewalk.

“Here,” I handed her my phone, putting the lollipop in my mouth. Rainbow didn’t really have a flavour more complex than just ‘sugar.’ “Take a photo of us.”

Your eyes got really wide as you took the phone, holding it out in front of us. You held the chip between your teeth, maybe trying to match me and my lollipop stick.

“Don’t do that.”

You turned your head before I could grab the chip. “Shh! Just smile.”

We did smile, yours wrinkling by your eyes. You tapped a few things when you were done, holding up the screen for me to see after.

“It’s your lockscreen now.” The chip was in your pocket.

“It’s perfect.”

---

Our selfie vanishes, the screen tired of waiting for my input. My reflection blinks up at me from within the confines of my phone screen. I tap the screen again, opening up WhatsApp. Nothing new greets me in our chat. There’s no service anyway.

“im out w friends”

                                                                                                        “Do they use?”

“it doesn’t matter m’m not like that anymore”

                                                                  “Yeah, but what if you get hurt? You’re 

                                                                                    almost done your master’s. 

                                                                     Don’t let all our  hard work slip away.”

“relax if i was gonna relapse i woudlve already”

                                                                                     “I just want you to be safe.”

“i am safe i am more than safe u gotta let me live a little”

“Now arriving at: St. Patrick. St. Patrick Station is this stop. Doors will open on the left.”

I blink, glancing at the blinking lights of the line map. Just two more until Union. I lock the phone, shoving into my coat pocket.

Laughter trickles down the car until it’s beside me. I follow it to its source: two girls, one in pink earmuffs, the other in a black toque, hunched over a phone in earmuff’s hands.

My gut folds itself in half, sharp edges digging into the inside of my abdomen.

---

I was in the bathroom. Listerine sloshed around inside my mouth, my study sheet taped up on the mirror. Still had to get to my skincare, and floss before going back to review the rest of the review notes I’d left lying in my room.

The exhaust fan was on, and it clunked every few seconds. The squeak of the knob on my bedroom door was only just louder than the fan.

I spat the mouthwash out, wiping my mouth with one hand, the other unlocking the bathroom door.

The light was on in my room. A shadow flitted around inside. Papers rasped, drawers groaned open and shut.

You were in jeans and a shirt I didn’t recognize. Your hair was up in a bun on top of your head, off-centre. You knelt by my bed, one of your arms lost beneath the space between it and the floor.

My lips pressed together, leaning against the doorframe. I faced the hallway.

The box scraped along the hardwood as you unearthed it.

Maybe you’d leave the change in there. Maybe you’d only take the change. Maybe you’d only take what you needed. Maybe you were adding to my savings. Maybe you’d pulled out a normal shoebox instead.

Coins jingled, and any other maybes dissipated.

           The photo of us, of me, you, mom, and dad, hanging by the stairs was obscured. The glass caught the light leaking from my room, blotting out the four of us.

The box replaced itself, your footsteps dampened by your socks.

The light switch clicked. The door shut.

Your eyes were on me, and mine were searching for you in a photograph.

---

“Now arriving at: Union. Union Station is this stop. Doors will open on the left.”

My legs wobble as I cross the car, the motion of the train working against my heels.

The walk to the Tim’s is short, or maybe it’s long and I’m fast-forwarding the in-between. My phone buzzes in my coat pocket. Once, twice, again.

I forget to check the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Hey. You close?” The inside of the store spills out with your voice.

“Yeah, I’m coming in now,” I huff, my breath blooming in front of my face. I pass through the cloud, pulling open the door.

“Jackie!”

I turn towards the call and see you in a booth for two, one arm waving me over, the other placing your phone into the pocket of your scrub shirt.

I drape my coat over the back of my seat. A French Vanilla sits on my side of the table, mirroring yours.

“Cold out there, huh?” You start, pulling your drink towards you.

I nod, taking my seat.

Your scrubs are clean and without wrinkles. You iron them. Your hair is smooth and curled at the ends. You style your hair. Your eyes are lined with thin wings, your skin airbrushed. You do your makeup now.

My jeans were bought two years ago. My hair is in a bun. I’m bareface and in a sweater I wore two times this week.

Chatter and a grainy remix of Bad Romance fills the space between our words.

“How’ve you been?” I ask right away. It’s all I really need to know.

You sip from your drink, nodding. “Good, good. Work’s good, I’m good.”

Are you using? “That’s good, yeah.”

“What about you? You guys working on anything new?” You sound curious. Genuine.

“Uh, not yet. We’re between projects right now.” I rotate my cup with my fingertips. “The last game didn’t do very well, so we’re just brainstorming.”

“Ah, okay. I’m sure you’ll figure out something.” A smile.

I return with my own smile. It ends at my cheeks.

We take a sip from our drinks.

“Okay, I’m just gonna say it before I can’t.” You exhale sharply.

“Say what?” I hear myself ask.

You look down at your drink, then at me. “I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?” I regret drinking anything at all.

You nip your lower lip, pushing some of your hair behind your ear. You match the tiny photo of yourself on the ID pinned to your shirt. “I can’t… If… I don’t want us to not talk, you know? And if you’re gonna freak out and try and micromanage me again…”

My head bobs. “I get it, Evelyn. I… I will always look out for you, but I get it, and I’m trying. I’m trying to give you what you want. Youve gotta know why I worry, though.”

You hold your drink with both of your hands. “I know, I know, but sis, it’s been like six years. I’m around the stuff every day and I don’t have urges. I don’t wanna be where I was before. I’m okay now, and I need you to know that, like, really know that if I’m gonna let you back in again.”

What if you get hurt? What if I could stop you but I don’t? A long exhale escapes through my nose. “Okay. Yeah, okay. I, uh. You’re right. I backed off for this long. I trusted you, I do trust you, and yeah. I get it. You’re okay now.”

You don’t need me anymore.

“Thank you.” You take my hand across the table, squeezing for a second before letting go. Your smile is large, pushing even your eyebrows up higher. Those used to be untrimmed, bushy things, but now they were slim, framing your eyes. You’re okay.

I smile back. It goes a little farther this time.

#from the same portfolio as memento mori #this one is called gargoyle bc #what do gargoyles do #they guard things #but this is guardianship to an extreme #it was a lot more surreal in its earliest drafts #mywriting

[additionallysad]

Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone On Your List (With Stuff under $20 – And Even $5!) https://ift.tt/2PrVYOI

As is the tradition, I’m a little late with this. Ha! But here it is! (I’m also late with my actual gift buying, so I better get cracking). We like to put all of our gift guides in one place, so below you’ll find the one we made for grown-ups, another one for kids, and (my personal favorite) one full of stuff that’s under $15. 

Gifts For Grown-Ups

Here’s what we’re loving, either firsthand stuff we bought for ourselves and have really enjoyed – or things we’re getting for friends & family (or hoping to find under the tree). 

1 / Adulting Award Ribbons (4/$25): It would be so much fun to have an “award ceremony” at a family gathering, complete with victory laps & acceptance speeches.

2 / Black Robe with Pockets ($78-98): I bought this robe to wear around the house & I’m OBSESSED. So soft, there’s a tie inside so it doesn’t flap open, and IT HAS POCKETS! I’m living my best life. 

3 / Personalized Address Stamper ($28): Always love a personalized gift that makes things easier for people. No more writing out return addresses & they’ll think of you every time they use it. 

4 / Customized Road Trip Ornament ($25): Another sweet personalized ornament that you can give to someone who went on an epic trip (also works for someone who moved). 

5 / Zodiac Sign Constellation Necklace ($28+): I can’t get over how dainty and pretty these are. All you need to know is someone’s birthday and it feels totally unusual and sweet. 

6 / Ugg Slippers ($63-104): I bought these & can’t get over how much I love them. Incredibly soft & well made – plus you can buy $15 inserts to keep them fluffy forever (I’ve heard from people who’ve had ’em 8 years!). 

7 / Cheeky Mug ($18): A hilarious mug filled with candy, hot cocoa mix, or an adult beverage is always fun. Plus pants are super overrated.  

8 / Cozy Plaid Pillow Covers ($20 w/ code CHEER): Love that these are colorful & interesting enough not to feel basic, but they’d work with practically any sofa, armchair, or bed. 

9 / Faux Leather Tote with Matching Pouch ($49): I’m so into this cool metallic finish & that it’s two bags in one. Also comes in black, cognac, and a cool blue-gray. 

10 / Men’s Puffer Vest ($30): John loves this vest he got for himself this year and we even found a matching long-sleeve jacket ($14 today!) for our son. Fun fact: when they wear ’em together my heart explodes. 

11 / Wood Apple Watch Charging Stand ($42): When I asked John what he thought I should add to this gift guide, this is the first thing he sent me. Think it’s a hint? 

12 / Dainty Name Ring ($22 – 30% off today): Yet another totally personalized gift idea, and it comes in rose gold, white gold, sterling silver, etc. 

13 / Personalized Leather Keychain ($19): These stamped leather keychains come in tons of colors, and you can put someone’s nickname or even a place on it (like “Pink House” or “Smith Manor”)

14 / Bucket Tool Organizer ($29): Such a great gift for anyone with a home, pretty much. Suddenly you can carry 20 tools that would take 10 trips. 

15 / Wubby Fleece Pullover ($50 – 35% off today): I don’t think I need to explain why this cozy fleece pullover would be everyone’s favorite, but I’ll just say this: it’s like wearing a cloud (with pockets!). 

16 / Faux Leather Circle Clutch ($28): This is one of those items in your closet that pulls together tons of outfits and looks pricier than it is. That wood ring! Real leather! I’m smitten.

17 / Pocket Bluetooth Speaker ($20): I’d love a bluetooth speaker like this on the bathroom sink for blasting hiphop while I shower (comes in blue & gray). 

18 / Coffee Table Dominoes Game ($21 – 40% off w/ code CHEER): These are so beautiful and actually functional! I’d put ’em in a pretty wood bowl on the coffee table for impromptu games. 

Gifts For Kids

Once again we put things we actually own and love in here, along with stuff we’re buying our kids this year, or considering for other little cousins & friends. 

1 / Sailing Ship Kit ($42): Words can’t express how much fun this would be to hang in kid’s room – and it’s an actual kite, so it can come down and fly.

2 / Personalized Crayon Set ($13): It’s so much fun to open a box and see your name in crayons – especially if you have a name that isn’t always found on those premade signs and keychains! 

3 / Coloring Book Dress ($38): Who doesn’t want to color all over a coloring book dress and make it completely your own?! LOVE this!

4 / Instant Camera ($56): Such a fun way to get kids into photography, and see the world through their eyes! 

5 / DIY Ukelele Kit ($39): Our daughter’s actually learning the ukelele in school (no more recorder concerts! They switched!!!). She’d LOVE THIS. 

6 / Classic Lego Set ($28): Our kids have only ever had John’s hand-me-down Lego blocks from his childhood, so we love that they now sell these huge basic block sets (without the price markup for licensed characters!) 

7 / Ada Twist, Scientist ($15): We’ve already got Iggy Peck, Architect in our library and it’s GREAT. Next I want this one. 

8 / My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook ($14): We bought this book and our daughter filled it up with the coolest sketches & inventions – so great for imaginations & I’m keeping it forever. 

9 / Wreck This Journal ($12): We recently found a YouTuber who documented her entries in this interactive (and destructive!) journal. It’s full of fun prompts and such a cool concept. 

10 / Wooden Cash Register ($31): Pretend play is big at our house, so a cash register is one of those things that would get so much use. Love that it’s wood and has a scanner & a credit card you can slide. 

11 / Unicorn Robe ($30): My robe lovin’ self has rubbed off on our daughter and she’s asked for a robe for herself! I LOVE IT. 

12 / Dragon Slippers ($21): Not to be outdone in coziness, our son has dinosaur slippers that he wears nonstop. So as weird as it sounds, fun plush slippers can make a great gift! 

13 / Felt Donut Play Food ($9): So cute and under $10! Everyone loves a donut… and you’d be amazed how many of these their stuffed animals will “eat” ;)

14 / Bear Body Pillow ($15): A big cuddly pillow that doubles as an animal friend is always a good idea. 

15 / Unstable Unicorns Game ($20): This game says 14+ on box, but reviewers say 8 year olds enjoy it, so we think it’s a great option for our Exploding Kittens-loving 3rd grader.

16 / Metro Wooden Blocks ($90 now – it used to be $150!): Ok, this is just about the coolest block set I’ve ever seen! And I love that it’s 40% off right now. 

17 / Custom Kid’s Letter Jacket ($26): How cute is this custom kids letter jacket?! Ours love anything with their names on them – and a jacket is so useful along with being fun. 

18 / Girls’ Charm Bracelet Set ($5):  Nostalgia forever!!! Our daughter has and loves her charm bracelet. And at $5 this one isn’t too precious.

Gifts Under $15

Here’s my favorite list to make each year, just because I’m always amazed at how many budget-friendly things are out there that’ll make so many people smile BIG. 

1 / Hex Tile Monogram Mug ($10): These are basically the beach house master bathroom in mug form! Fill ’em with candy or cocoa mix & marshmallows and they’re great gifts!

2 / Lumps of Coal Dog Treats ($5.50): Can’t forget our favorite four-leggers and these dog treats shaped like lumps of coal made me snicker. 

3 / Gold Palm Picture Frame ($10.49): Giving someone you love a personal photo (of their kids, you guys together, etc) in a lovely frame is always a hit. I’m also loving this scalloped bone frame ($10.49). 

4 / Plaid Frame Ornaments ($3.99!!!): Such a great grandparent gift with a photo of you or your kids or even some art they’ve drawn. We give them to both of our parents every year. 

5 / Mini Kitchen Tool Ornaments ($12.99): So cute for the chef or the baker in your life! The little wisk kills me. 

6 / Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix ($9): These make such great neighbor gifts. Just wrap a ribbon around the lid and you’re done!

7 / Beard Oil ($14.99): John’s a die-hard beard oil enthusiast. So if you know and love someone with a beard, give ’em some and watch their face light up with joy. 

8 / Pink Resin Hoop Earrings ($12.99): I love the cool shape of these & they come in other colors (also love the white & the tortoise ones!)

9 / Question-A-Day Five Year Journal ($11.55): If you wish you journaled more, this makes it easy and shows you how much can change over 5 years. It’s lots of fun to go back and read it. 

10 / Faux Leather Crossbody Bag ($12 – down from $25): I have a camel colored crossbody bag this size and it’s still going strong! Goes with everything and I love the little latch hardware on this one. 

11 / Faux Fur Pom Pom Beanie ($9 down from $22): I love a little knitted winter hat with a pompom (surprise I have one just like this in black). 

12 / Sprinkle Ice Cream Cups (4 for $4.97!!!!): I love gifts that you pair with something fun – so these cups all nested with a little container of sprinkles inside would be so sweet. And you can’t beat the price!

13 / Rainbow Catnip Seed Bombs ($14.95): I love the idea of planting these outside (or inside in a pot) to show your cat a good time. They also sell sets to grow wildflowers or herbs which also make good gifts.

14 / Nesting Heart Tray Trio (3 for $4.99!!!): Such a sweet gift for someone to put near the kitchen or bathroom sink for their rings. They also work for tea bags if you serve tea a lot.

15 / What Do You Meme? Expansion Packs ($12.99): We have and love the original game ($29.99), so we’ve been considering adding packs like this Housewives themed one ($12.99) or this Mean Girls version ($12.99).

16 / Plaid Pet Leash ($10.49): Another gift for a four legged friend in your life, and I love the design of this one. Fancy pup. 

17 / Slim Wallet ($12.99): John bought this a few months ago and LOVES it. Keeps his pockets from getting too bulky, and it’s incredibly well reviewed. 

18 / Ugg Sheepskin Shoe Inserts ($14.95): I mentioned these when I linked to my Ugg slippers, but even if you don’t have them… YOU CAN PUT THESE IN ANY SHOES TO MAKE ‘EM COZY! Rain boots. Flat old slippers. Winter boots. Etc. It’s a lifehack for real. 

19 / Pocket Notebook (2 for $10): I love pretty little notebooks! Always useful for keeping in your purse or the car or by the bed. 

20 / Gold Turtle Paperclip Holder ($14.99): So I have this thing with animal desk accessories…

21 / Tortoise Hoop Earrings ($12.99): I ADORE these so much I’m about to put them in my cart so they don’t sell out. Treat yo self!

And since there are some pretty great sales going on right now, here’s what I’ve found so far:

Pottery Barn – 25% off sitewide & free shipping – use the code JINGLE here

Crate & Barrel – Up to 70% off here

West Elm – 20% off furniture, 25% off rugs, and 20-50% off bedding, see it all here

CB2 – Up to 40% off furniture and holiday decor here

Target – Today only, 30% off home here

Urban Outfitters – Up to 50% off gift items here

Anthropologie – Up to 50% off ready-to-ship furniture here

Overstock – Up to 70% off & free shipping here

Rejuvenation – 20% off your order & free shipping here

World Market – Save an extra 30% with code REWARDFORYOU  here

Serena & Lily – Up to 30% off here

Old Navy – Gifts from $4 and up to 60% the entire store here

Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase here

Gap – 40% off your purchase with the code WINTERFUN here

J Crew – 50% off your entire purchase with code MONDAY here

Psst – To see last year’s lists, a lot of which is still linked and for sale, click here

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone On Your List (With Stuff under $20 – And Even $5!) appeared first on Young House Love.

#additionally sad home renovations

[vincentbnaughton]

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST (WITH STUFF UNDER $20 – AND EVEN $5!)

As is the tradition, I’m a little late with this. Ha! But here it is! (I’m also late with my actual gift buying, so I better get cracking). We like to put all of our gift guides in one place, so below you’ll find the one we made for grown-ups, another one for kids, and (my personal favorite) one full of stuff that’s under $15. 

Gifts For Grown-Ups

Here’s what we’re loving, either firsthand stuff we bought for ourselves and have really enjoyed – or things we’re getting for friends & family (or hoping to find under the tree). 

1 / Adulting Award Ribbons (4/$25): It would be so much fun to have an “award ceremony” at a family gathering, complete with victory laps & acceptance speeches.

2 / Black Robe with Pockets ($78-98): I bought this robe to wear around the house & I’m OBSESSED. So soft, there’s a tie inside so it doesn’t flap open, and IT HAS POCKETS! I’m living my best life. 

3 / Personalized Address Stamper ($28): Always love a personalized gift that makes things easier for people. No more writing out return addresses & they’ll think of you every time they use it. 

4 / Customized Road Trip Ornament ($25): Another sweet personalized ornament that you can give to someone who went on an epic trip (also works for someone who moved). 

5 / Zodiac Sign Constellation Necklace ($28+): I can’t get over how dainty and pretty these are. All you need to know is someone’s birthday and it feels totally unusual and sweet. 

6 / Ugg Slippers ($63-104): I bought these & can’t get over how much I love them. Incredibly soft & well made – plus you can buy $15 inserts to keep them fluffy forever (I’ve heard from people who’ve had ’em 8 years!). 

7 / Cheeky Mug ($18): A hilarious mug filled with candy, hot cocoa mix, or an adult beverage is always fun. Plus pants are super overrated.  

8 / Cozy Plaid Pillow Covers ($20 w/ code CHEER): Love that these are colorful & interesting enough not to feel basic, but they’d work with practically any sofa, armchair, or bed. 

9 / Faux Leather Tote with Matching Pouch ($49): I’m so into this cool metallic finish & that it’s two bags in one. Also comes in black, cognac, and a cool blue-gray. 

10 / Men’s Puffer Vest ($30): John loves this vest he got for himself this year and we even found a matching long-sleeve jacket ($14 today!) for our son. Fun fact: when they wear ’em together my heart explodes. 

11 / Wood Apple Watch Charging Stand ($42): When I asked John what he thought I should add to this gift guide, this is the first thing he sent me. Think it’s a hint? 

12 / Dainty Name Ring ($22 – 30% off today): Yet another totally personalized gift idea, and it comes in rose gold, white gold, sterling silver, etc. 

13 / Personalized Leather Keychain ($19): These stamped leather keychains come in tons of colors, and you can put someone’s nickname or even a place on it (like “Pink House” or “Smith Manor”)

14 / Bucket Tool Organizer ($29): Such a great gift for anyone with a home, pretty much. Suddenly you can carry 20 tools that would take 10 trips. 

15 / Wubby Fleece Pullover ($50 – 35% off today): I don’t think I need to explain why this cozy fleece pullover would be everyone’s favorite, but I’ll just say this: it’s like wearing a cloud (with pockets!). 

16 / Faux Leather Circle Clutch ($28): This is one of those items in your closet that pulls together tons of outfits and looks pricier than it is. That wood ring! Real leather! I’m smitten.

17 / Pocket Bluetooth Speaker ($20): I’d love a bluetooth speaker like this on the bathroom sink for blasting hiphop while I shower (comes in blue & gray). 

18 / Coffee Table Dominoes Game ($21 – 40% off w/ code CHEER): These are so beautiful and actually functional! I’d put ’em in a pretty wood bowl on the coffee table for impromptu games. 

Gifts For Kids

Once again we put things we actually own and love in here, along with stuff we’re buying our kids this year, or considering for other little cousins & friends. 

1 / Sailing Ship Kit ($42): Words can’t express how much fun this would be to hang in kid’s room – and it’s an actual kite, so it can come down and fly.

2 / Personalized Crayon Set ($13): It’s so much fun to open a box and see your name in crayons – especially if you have a name that isn’t always found on those premade signs and keychains! 

3 / Coloring Book Dress ($38): Who doesn’t want to color all over a coloring book dress and make it completely your own?! LOVE this!

4 / Instant Camera ($56): Such a fun way to get kids into photography, and see the world through their eyes! 

5 / DIY Ukelele Kit ($39): Our daughter’s actually learning the ukelele in school (no more recorder concerts! They switched!!!). She’d LOVE THIS. 

6 / Classic Lego Set ($28): Our kids have only ever had John’s hand-me-down Lego blocks from his childhood, so we love that they now sell these huge basic block sets (without the price markup for licensed characters!) 

7 / Ada Twist, Scientist ($15): We’ve already got Iggy Peck, Architect in our library and it’s GREAT. Next I want this one. 

8 / My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook ($14): We bought this book and our daughter filled it up with the coolest sketches & inventions – so great for imaginations & I’m keeping it forever. 

9 / Wreck This Journal ($12): We recently found a YouTuber who documented her entries in this interactive (and destructive!) journal. It’s full of fun prompts and such a cool concept. 

10 / Wooden Cash Register ($31): Pretend play is big at our house, so a cash register is one of those things that would get so much use. Love that it’s wood and has a scanner & a credit card you can slide. 

11 / Unicorn Robe ($30): My robe lovin’ self has rubbed off on our daughter and she’s asked for a robe for herself! I LOVE IT. 

12 / Dragon Slippers ($21): Not to be outdone in coziness, our son has dinosaur slippers that he wears nonstop. So as weird as it sounds, fun plush slippers can make a great gift! 

13 / Felt Donut Play Food ($9): So cute and under $10! Everyone loves a donut… and you’d be amazed how many of these their stuffed animals will “eat” ;)

14 / Bear Body Pillow ($15): A big cuddly pillow that doubles as an animal friend is always a good idea. 

15 / Unstable Unicorns Game ($20): This game says 14+ on box, but reviewers say 8 year olds enjoy it, so we think it’s a great option for our Exploding Kittens-loving 3rd grader.

16 / Metro Wooden Blocks ($90 now – it used to be $150!): Ok, this is just about the coolest block set I’ve ever seen! And I love that it’s 40% off right now. 

17 / Custom Kid’s Letter Jacket ($26): How cute is this custom kids letter jacket?! Ours love anything with their names on them – and a jacket is so useful along with being fun. 

18 / Girls’ Charm Bracelet Set ($5):  Nostalgia forever!!! Our daughter has and loves her charm bracelet. And at $5 this one isn’t too precious.

Gifts Under $15

Here’s my favorite list to make each year, just because I’m always amazed at how many budget-friendly things are out there that’ll make so many people smile BIG. 

1 / Hex Tile Monogram Mug ($10): These are basically the beach house master bathroom in mug form! Fill ’em with candy or cocoa mix & marshmallows and they’re great gifts!

2 / Lumps of Coal Dog Treats ($5.50): Can’t forget our favorite four-leggers and these dog treats shaped like lumps of coal made me snicker. 

3 / Gold Palm Picture Frame ($10.49): Giving someone you love a personal photo (of their kids, you guys together, etc) in a lovely frame is always a hit. I’m also loving this scalloped bone frame ($10.49). 

4 / Plaid Frame Ornaments ($3.99!!!): Such a great grandparent gift with a photo of you or your kids or even some art they’ve drawn. We give them to both of our parents every year. 

5 / Mini Kitchen Tool Ornaments ($12.99): So cute for the chef or the baker in your life! The little wisk kills me. 

6 / Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix ($9): These make such great neighbor gifts. Just wrap a ribbon around the lid and you’re done!

7 / Beard Oil ($14.99): John’s a die-hard beard oil enthusiast. So if you know and love someone with a beard, give ’em some and watch their face light up with joy. 

8 / Pink Resin Hoop Earrings ($12.99): I love the cool shape of these & they come in other colors (also love the white & the tortoise ones!)

9 / Question-A-Day Five Year Journal ($11.55): If you wish you journaled more, this makes it easy and shows you how much can change over 5 years. It’s lots of fun to go back and read it. 

10 / Faux Leather Crossbody Bag ($12 – down from $25): I have a camel colored crossbody bag this size and it’s still going strong! Goes with everything and I love the little latch hardware on this one. 

11 / Faux Fur Pom Pom Beanie ($9 down from $22): I love a little knitted winter hat with a pompom (surprise I have one just like this in black). 

12 / Sprinkle Ice Cream Cups (4 for $4.97!!!!): I love gifts that you pair with something fun – so these cups all nested with a little container of sprinkles inside would be so sweet. And you can’t beat the price!

13 / Rainbow Catnip Seed Bombs ($14.95): I love the idea of planting these outside (or inside in a pot) to show your cat a good time. They also sell sets to grow wildflowers or herbs which also make good gifts.

14 / Nesting Heart Tray Trio (3 for $4.99!!!): Such a sweet gift for someone to put near the kitchen or bathroom sink for their rings. They also work for tea bags if you serve tea a lot.

15 / What Do You Meme? Expansion Packs ($12.99): We have and love the original game ($29.99), so we’ve been considering adding packs like this Housewives themed one ($12.99) or this Mean Girls version ($12.99).

16 / Plaid Pet Leash ($10.49): Another gift for a four legged friend in your life, and I love the design of this one. Fancy pup. 

17 / Slim Wallet ($12.99): John bought this a few months ago and LOVES it. Keeps his pockets from getting too bulky, and it’s incredibly well reviewed. 

18 / Ugg Sheepskin Shoe Inserts ($14.95): I mentioned these when I linked to my Ugg slippers, but even if you don’t have them… YOU CAN PUT THESE IN ANY SHOES TO MAKE ‘EM COZY! Rain boots. Flat old slippers. Winter boots. Etc. It’s a lifehack for real. 

19 / Pocket Notebook (2 for $10): I love pretty little notebooks! Always useful for keeping in your purse or the car or by the bed. 

20 / Gold Turtle Paperclip Holder ($14.99): So I have this thing with animal desk accessories…

21 / Tortoise Hoop Earrings ($12.99): I ADORE these so much I’m about to put them in my cart so they don’t sell out. Treat yo self!

And since there are some pretty great sales going on right now, here’s what I’ve found so far:

Pottery Barn – 25% off sitewide & free shipping – use the code JINGLE here

Crate & Barrel – Up to 70% off here

West Elm – 20% off furniture, 25% off rugs, and 20-50% off bedding, see it all here

CB2 – Up to 40% off furniture and holiday decor here

Target – Today only, 30% off home here

Urban Outfitters – Up to 50% off gift items here

Anthropologie – Up to 50% off ready-to-ship furniture here

Overstock – Up to 70% off & free shipping here

Rejuvenation – 20% off your order & free shipping here

World Market – Save an extra 30% with code REWARDFORYOU  here

Serena & Lily – Up to 30% off here

Old Navy – Gifts from $4 and up to 60% the entire store here

Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase here

Gap – 40% off your purchase with the code WINTERFUN here

J Crew – 50% off your entire purchase with code MONDAY here

Psst – To see last year’s lists, a lot of which is still linked and for sale, click here

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The post HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST (WITH STUFF UNDER $20 – AND EVEN $5!) appeared first on Young House Love.