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#prep stuff for my dad to help me move

kedreeva · 3 months

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Well, this weekend I took a hazardous trip to get my new car and bring Indie home.

Sunday, after totaling my jeep, I got home to find Indie in hypothermic shock. All of MY birds were fine, thankfully. I brought him in and warmed him up in increments overnight, but he couldn't go back out into the cold, and couldn't stay here if it was going to be cold, so I made the decision to bring him back to his home early. GRACIOUSLY, his actual owners said if I brought the hens I would have bred him to down, they'd do the breeding for me.

Thursday I rented a mid-size SUV. There was only one available whose trunk space laid flat, and when I went to leave with it, they sent me back and gave me a newly-arrived return, some Mazda that was an absolute NIGHTMARE of a car. I drove it home, packed for the weekend, and prepped the trunk space for Birds.

Friday morning, I was up at 5am taking care of some stuff and making sure I was awake enough to drive. I ousted Sark from bed around 7 and he helped me load Arcana, Eclipse, and Indie into the back of the car, and Aris and her two babies into the barn with Polaris. I set off for North Carolina, but with a MASSIVE snowstorm moving in over West Virginia, and snowstorms having plagued the north east, I would be taking an extended trip down- from Detroit area to Knoxville, TN, before going over to NC.

Almost 17 hours later, I got to Indie's home. We left the birds to sleep in the car since they were already cuddled up, and I went inside for a 5 hours nap.

Then it was up again, moving birds into their coop, and I was back on the road another hour to return my rental, an hour to get to my mom and dad's, a brief break there to hang out, and then!! an hour to the dealership to pick up my new Jeep. I had my previous one for 19 years, 300k miles on him, so this is... going to be an adjustment, but it seems like he will be fine. I have named him Sheet Cake. He is white outside, and tan inside, absolutely terrible colors, and smushed flat compared to my Liberty.

Went back to my parents' for the night, played Pokemon GO with the for a while (anyone wanna be my mom's friend? she needs more people for a quest), and zonked out around 9pm. And BACK UP around 7, so I could make the 12 hours drive back home yesterday. MUCH more pleasant ride, in the Jeep than it was in the Mazda. The lack of birds wasn't terrible, either.

Bug was ECSTATIC to see me, she got left behind with Sark. I snuck away like a thief in the night, so she woke up and I was just Gone. When I walked in the door she froze and stared at me for a long second and then lost her shit, throwing herself up on stuff and doing the excited flappy-wing duck down. I sat her up on her perch and she beeped and beeped and beeped as I gently scrubbed her face and neck. It's not like she has a hard life when I'm gone, Sark is here to hang out with, he gives her fresh food meals just like I do, he cuddles just like I do, but it's just not the Same.

Anyway, it's good to be home.

And now that I have a white Jeep... it's time to find some Jurassic Park decals for him.

#stories about ked's life #my car #indie #bug the peahen #arcana #aris #eclipse

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hyunsvngs · 8 months

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oh hmgodjdodb i’m just imagining high sex with channieee being all floaty together n the way it’d feel sooo much better and mm i’m drooling please entertain my ideas i’m too high to think. not too high to not be horny tho heheh..

umm this is 1k but like… n e way

the smooth haze of the potent joint hit you when you inhaled the smoke, almost immediately. after breathing it out, you blinked at chan, your established friend with benefits. he was sitting across from you in your bedroom, staring at your astonished eyes. “this is some good stuff, channie.”

“heh, i know right?” he perked up when you handed the joint to him, taking it from you with slim fingers. after an inhale from his end, he let the smoke fill your room. you were just glad you’d opened a window, because you were already feeling fuzzy after a mere few hits and you probably couldn’t be bothered to do it. “it’s some stuff jisung recommended, it helps him and bin with stress.”

“ah, should we invite sungie? i haven’t seen him in forever,” you gushed, watching chan take another hit. he scrunched up his face, shaking his head.

“nah, i think it’s better just us two, don’t’cha think? been so long since we’ve been alone like this, with schedules and all,” he handed the joint back to you. with a swift movement, he was ripping the beanie off of his head and moving from your desk chair to join you on the bed. when you took another toke of the joint, chan was smirking, a dark look in his eyes. “wanna smoke me out?”

instead of blowing the smoke out, you motioned him forward, to which he wiggled towards you. you leaned forward, pressing your lips to his in a familiar kiss, and then you were blowing the smoke into his mouth. you could see chan trying to surpress a giggle when he inhaled it, and the giggle actually came out when he exhaled it away from you.

when you’d finished the joint, the atmosphere settled into the room was nothing if not relaxed. chan was so funny high - giggling at everything and anything, and also trying to shift his boxers around so you didn’t notice his hard on. you obviously noticed. he always got hard when he smoked up, and you were more than willing to help him out.

“‘s so funny,” you mumbled, chest shaking with some stupid dad joke chan had made. chan nodded his head, agreeing, his cheeks flushed pink. from what you could see, the flush had actually gone down to his chest beneath the sleeveless tank he was wearing. the cheeks were a sign of him being high, but his chest? no, that was a sign of something else. “channie. y’wanna fuck?”

chan perked up at that, a smile still on his face. “yeah. course i do, i always want that pussy.”

you grinned when chan started moving, his hands pressing you flat to the bed and his hips settling between your legs - another familiar sensation. your head was feeling significantly fuzzy by now, and it was obvious chan was too, his smile not fading as he leaned down to kiss you chastely.

“y’need any prep, or…?” you shook your head, fingers hooking into the waistband of his shorts. you aren’t shocked to see he’d decided to go commando underneath the basketball shorts, his heavy length springing out instantly. “jesus. okay. we’re doin’ it now then, yeah?”

you nodded impatiently, wiggling your own shorts down your legs. the panties came with them. you were far too impatient to wait. you shifted against your sheets, pulling your legs back to your chest and smiling up at chan with a triumphant look. your pussy was exposed that way - folds slick with your wetness, clit just poking out and swollen from your arousal. you weren’t even sure when you’d gotten wet, but all you knew is that you were in that moment and you wanted his dick. chan’s smile fell, eyes locked in on the most vulnerable part of you.

“c’mon, daddy. you want this pussy?” you said, eyes glinting up at him. chan groaned, running a hand through his hair before he was moving the same hand down to grab his cock. he swiftly positioned it at your sopping hole, pushing in slowly and sighing when he met no resistance.

“always want this pussy, baby,” chan moaned, his hips moving against yours at a steady pace. you let your hands fall from your legs, moving to grip the sheets. you trusted that chan’s chest pressed against your body would keep your legs upright, would keep him hitting that delicious spot inside you. “‘s good like this? you want it faster?”

you whined, eyes fluttering shut. “shit, ‘s so good, channie. i’m so high.”

chan chuckled, shaking his head fondly. his hips smacked into yours just a bit quicker when you pulled your shirt up, fingers tugging on your own nipples harshly. he was quick to lean down and kiss you, moaning into the kiss.

“you’re so wet. so wet, baby, so wet around my cock,” chan mumbled, his eyes shutting. “jesus, ‘m not gonna last long. sorry, it feels so fucking good.”

you sigh, hips kicking up into his pelvis. “i’m not gonna last long either, channie. pressing that spot so good, i- ooh-“

“yeah? is daddy making you feel good? shit,” his hips faltered. his hand moved in a haste down to your clit, and you squealed out when he rubbed it at the same pace his hips were moving at.

“i’m g- gonna cum, oh my god! it feels so fucking good, aah- hnng, daddy,” you were babbling, you could hear yourself, but chan was too. he was mumbling praises as your pussy fluttered around his cock, your wetness forming a white ring around the base of his cock.

“cum. c’mon, cream for daddy and i’ll fill this pussy up good, yeah?” your toes curled as you let out a loud gasp. the orgasm was strong, biting at your spine as your pussy fluttered, gushing around him. chan groaned deeply, his hips stopping altogether as you felt him fill your pussy up with his cum.

when you both locked eyes, you laughed again. chan shook his head in disbelief, flopping back against the mattress.

nestled up on his chest a few minutes later, sufficiently clean for now, you heard chan sigh. “can i take you on a date? there is no way pussy should feel that good every time.”

you hit his chest playfully, before letting a soft smile form on your face. “took you long enough to ask.”

♡ juno

#juno’s asks ♡#bang chan smut #sweet baby anon #asks: channie

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mykneeshurt · 6 months

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Hi Sweet ,

could I request any length piece you're down to do with Alex Keller x plus size f!reader (if body description isn't something you do you can leave it out).

I was thinking in the older brother's best friend trope, reader is probably mid 20's with Alex being early 30's. Throw in a dash of them balls deep in tension and a sprinkle of jealousy to get the feelings & devils tango rolling if you would kindly please?

Like they meet when readers brother comes home from being stationed with a new friend in tow.

Hear me out please, this man Alex Keller is a munch, if you're down to add that (please).

If you write this, if doesn't have to be any time soon and please change it as much as you want or are inspired to 🖤 thank you!

Hellooooo! Thank you for your request ❤️

I’ve tried to allude to a plus size reader, but I’m awful as describing plus size even though I am myself lmao so I hope it’s ok!

I used so many prompts from @glitterypirateduck Alex Keller list lmao

Prompts used - don’t look at me like that

I don’t care what they say

Is this what you wanted

Leave it on

Alex Keller x F! Plus size reader

Summer BBQ

Alex Keller. Your brothers oldest friend. Pain in the ass ever since you met him all those years ago. It was your 26th birthday and of course your brother had to invite him to the BBQ. He was older than you by a few years but that absolutely did not stop him from winding you up every opportunity he got.

He’d come over to help set up, put up balloons, banners, buntings, help with the food prep and of course help your dad with the BBQ. You’d never understand mans fascination with fire. Simple creatures.

You were busy preparing cocktails to put in the drink dispenser, humming a song you’d heard on the radio. It was a beautiful day, birds chirped in the trees, there was a gentle breeze and most importantly the sun was shining.

That was until a shadow blocked it, causing you to flash them a disgruntled look. ‘Don’t look at me like that’ Alex laughed, ‘came in to see if you wanted help. Your dad and brother have gone to the store.’

‘Your stupid muscles are in the way of the sun. Move.’ Your relationship with Alex was a strange one, love hate almost. He was handsome, funny and definitely flirty with you, but he was bold and too forward for your liking.

‘I’m not moving’ he smirked, crossing his arms which made his muscles only bulge further. ‘You’re being annoying’ you stated, keeping your focus on slicing fruit. ‘And you’re being so cute right now’ he cooed.

‘Ew Alex!’ You laughed, finally losing your tough exterior. ‘If you wanna help get the ice out of the freezer and put it in there’ you pointed to the glass drink dispenser.

He nodded and did as he was told, you made light conversation as you both worked. Filling each other in on how’d you’d been, what you’d been doing and of course your dating life. ‘Well I am seeing someone, he’s coming today so you’ll get to meet him’ you said cheerfully. ‘Hmm, I’ll be the judge of that. Gotta make sure he’s good enough for you’ he said, voice suddenly quite tense.

‘Good enough for me? You’re not my dad’ you laughed. ‘Maybe not, but I gotta make sure they’re good enough for you.’

‘And if they’re not?’ You smirked.

‘I’ll have to set them straight.’

He looked serious, there was no smiling, no joking, his body was tense. ‘Alex Keller, are you flirting or starting a fight? You jealous?’ You teased smacking his arm.

He took a few steps towards you, closing you into the kitchen counter. ‘You wanna see how jealous I really I am?’ His eyes were dark, body towering over yours. ‘What are you doing? Get out the way, we’ve got stuff to do’ You said, losing your breath.

You felt half curious, half … turned on.

‘Mmm I’m not moving’ he muttered, eyes dropping from your eyes to your lips. Slowly he placed his lips on yours, they were soft and gentle. The kiss wasn’t demanding, it felt slow and tender. He pulled back, the darkness still present in his eyes. You stood for a second, trying to figure out what this meant. What would your brother say? Was this wrong?

In what felt like forever you finally cupped his face as you leant in ‘do that again.’ He snaked his hands around your waist pulling you in, pressing your voluptuous body into his. He deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against your teeth, your tongue, your lips. You wrapped your arms around his neck, arching your body into him further.

He lowered his lips to your neck, your collar bone, nipping the skin in intervals. You felt your panties becoming wetter and wetter. Returning to your lips the kiss was now desperate, sloppy, your saliva mixed together as your tongues danced over one another.

Pulling away he led you to the sofa, unable to keep his hands from exploring every part of your body. As you sat down you went to remove your summer dress but he quickly stopped you. ‘No leave it on’ he ordered. He guided you to sit down, spreading your thighs with his hands. An audible groan fell from his lips as his fingertips squeezed your thick thighs.

He kissed along your inner thigh whilst squeezing the other. You watched as he looked up at you with his baby blue eyes, pupils blown wide. His lips traced the apex of your thigh as he bit into the soft flesh. You hissed through your teeth as you embedded your fingers in his hair.

He smiled into your pussy, he placed a gentle kiss on your panties before removing them entirely. His breath fanned against your core which was now soaking with your arousal. With one long swipe of his tongue he parted your folds, groaning as he did so. ‘Fuck’ he muttered, ‘taste so much better than I imagined.’

Losing your breath almost instantly you gripped his scalp, ‘you’ve thought about this?’ He hummed into you, languid stokes of his tongue up and down your slit. ‘This what you wanted?’ You panted, losing yourself to him. He hummed again but this time sucking on your clit. Sliding his hands under your thighs he pulled you off the sofa slightly, so you were resting on his shoulders.

He ate your pussy like a man starved, savouring every morsel of you. Devouring your taste, your essence. He sucked, licked, and gently nipped at the sensitive skin. You rolled your hips into him, craving more contact, craving your release. ‘Fuck Alex!’ You whined, breath caught in your throat. ‘That’s right baby, sound so pretty moaning my name.’

You felt your arousal drip from you, this man could eat pussy. His breathed was heavy and laboured as he buried his face in your greedy little cunt. You kept moaning his name, like a mantra, something to focus on. Back arched on the sofa, toes pointed.

As you were coming close to your release you heard a car pull onto the drive. ‘Oh fuck! Fuck!’ You whined, he got to his feet laughing as he handed you your panties. ‘I knew this was a terrible idea’ you panted whilst trying not to laugh, ‘I was so fucking close too.’

Once you slid your panties back into place he placed a swift kiss on your lips. ‘Is this not what you wanted?’ He smirked as he grabbed your ass. ‘Fuck off, go wash your face, the fuck would they say if they caught us?’ you smiled.

‘I don’t care what they’d say’ he shrugged, a serious look on his face, ‘but I’ll tell you one thing.’

‘What?’

‘I will be fucking you later, need to finish what I started.’

#call of duty #alex keller smut #alex keller x reader #alex keller #alex keller x you #mw smut #call of duty 2019 #cod 2019 #cod smut #cod fanfiction #cod fanfic

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foreveralwaysanauthor · 13 days

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Same Trailer, Different Park (Prologue)

April 14, 2024

Notes - Last night, I went to my first-ever DND game with my oldest nephew, and it was incredible! It's supposed to be every other week, but we're doing it again this upcoming Saturday, and the storyline is giving me so many ideas that I could use for one-shots and stuff! Also, my sciatic pain is going away. It's moved from going all the way from my spine to my right knee to just my right hip, so that's an improvement! Anyway, this was just shy of 50 pages and would have been posted sooner if I had the moodboard and divider transferred to my computer, but I didn't, so here we are lmao! The divider I've used is just temporary until I can sit down and work on one I think suits the vibe, but until then, it is what it is. Also, I hope your finals go well! I believe in you!!

April 14th - the day RMS Titanic struck the iceberg.

Usually, on this day every year, I would be prepping for a Titanic watch party and making sure everyone was ready for it, but that’s just not how it’s going to go this time around. After I get out of school today, it’s officially spring break, and I couldn’t be more excited to finally get away from this endless rain despite the deviation from my annual Titanic anniversary get-together. Riven already offered to give me a ride to school this morning, but since Mom asked me to give Abby and Olly one, and Erica’s piece of shit truck can’t go over puddles without breaking down, he’s giving her and JJ a ride instead. I have to remember to pick up stuff for my battle bot before I leave school, so I’ll tell Abby to remind me - she’s good at that kind of thing. Maybe if I take my notebooks with me on my trip, Mickie and the guys can help me figure out some ideas for what I want to build. Then, I won’t have to come up with something when I get back! Yeah, maybe that’s what I’ll do!

Vivien snapped her journal shut and tugged her headphones off before turning them off and tossing them onto her desk alongside her journal. With a sigh, she found her gaze in the mirror that hung on the back of her closet door as she made her way toward it. Despite the hair sticking in every direction, the blanket marks lining the arm she had fallen asleep on, and the wrinkled pajamas she wasn’t quite ready to rid herself of, she looked ready to start her day. Although she highly doubted she would need a cup of coffee that morning as her excitement for the day was propelling her forward like a cup full of espresso shots, Vivien knew she needed to at least look like she was half as ready as she felt.

Her reflection smiled back as she pushed the door of her closet open, but as she pulled the clothes she had set aside the night before down from her hangers, she found herself wondering if she should have put more thought into the outfit she had chosen. Would her typical choice of jeans, a witty graphic tee, and a brightly colored long-sleeve be a good choice in the long run? She would stand out like a sore thumb in the sixties, but nobody at her school would, frankly, give a shit what she wore. Her dad’s signature triple knock on her bedroom door gave Vivien no chance to change her mind as she hollered back that she was almost ready to go. He left after letting her know that he had to leave for an early morning meeting, wishing her a good morning and telling her that he would see her at lunch before leaving to tell the twins the same.

Sighing as she stretched her tired limbs out, Vivien set her cell phone on her dresser, asking Siri to put on one of her playlists as she debated on what to do with her hair. Glancing at the clothes she had yet to pack for her vacation, Vivien cringed as she realized just how much work she’d forced on her after-school self. For once, she was tragically unprepared for a trip. There was a lot she would have to do in the small amount of time between her release from school and Mick’s family picking her up. Pulling her shirt over her head with a huff and freeing her hair from under the collar, Vivien found her phone screen illuminated as a text came in from the girl who had invited her on her family’s trip in the first place.

Mick’s text was simple - a picture of four plane tickets to the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. Then, as Vivien smiled at her phone, another message came in, asking her if she was ready. A flutter of eager anticipation flew through Vivien’s text as she replied, telling the older brunette how excited she was to finally be able to spend time with the people they both cared about. Once the message had been sent, Vivien found an ABBA song on her playlist, turned the volume back up, and sang softly to herself as she finished getting ready for the day.

After brushing her teeth and taking the time to detangle the hair she had forgotten to ask someone to braid the night before, Vivien gathered her things for school, shoving her overstuffed folder full of homework and project notes into her backpack before grabbing her permission slip for the regional battle bot tournament and shoving it into the back of her bag where it would be kept relatively safe until the end of the school day. Tucking her school laptop into her bag, zipping it shut, and throwing a strap over her shoulder, Vivien scurried out of her room, just barely remembering to turn off the light as Oliver mumbled out a good morning on his way to the stairs. Chuckling as she wished her brother a good morning, Vivien stepped back to allow Abby to parade by with her backpack on one shoulder, a book in her free hand, and her hair pulled back in a migraine-inducing high pony that Vivien was sure she would hear the girl complaining about later in the day.

Following her siblings downstairs as Abby muttered her oral report to herself, Vivien took in a slow breath and hoped her mother had already left for her meeting with some city council board as the smell of slightly charred bacon wafted through the air. Their mother had a habit of making perfect bacon and sausage for herself and everyone else but would sometimes forget Vivien’s and her ex-husband’s in the pan while she took the time to ensure her twins had everything exactly how they liked it. Vivien never bothered to bring up the issue; instead, she gave the charred bacon strips or sausage patties to Riven as he was practically a walking garbage disposal and seemed to enjoy the blackened breakfast meats. Her siblings had tried to bring it up before, and Vivien knew her father had tried as well, but to no avail. The woman wouldn’t argue much with her younger children and always denied anything being wrong, pointing out the fact that Vivien never brought it up herself, but even when Oliver argued that the disgust on Vivien’s face was obvious, nothing changed.

Entering the kitchen, Vivien smirked as Oliver turned back toward Abby and began spouting random historical facts to throw his twin off her train of thought. Abby was quick to fight back, whacking her brother with her book as she told him to shut up and let her focus. Their mother was quick to jump in and tell her only son to leave his sister alone before handing them both their lunch boxes and telling them to get going before they were late. Abby sent Vivien an apologetic look as the eldest of the O’Brian kids took the only remaining lunch box from the counter, and their mother ushered them toward the coat closet. After giving the twins a quick kiss on the forehead and telling Vivien to drive safely, the woman grabbed her jacket and left, heading out to her car and taking off while the kids were still pulling on their spring coats.

With a sigh, Vivien grabbed her keys from the hook by the door and held the door open for her siblings, but it wasn’t until they were in the pale blue Hyundai Vivien had received from their father after passing her license test that any of them chose to speak up. Oliver huffed as he slid into the back seat, buckling his seatbelt before stretching out across the bench seat and sighing, “I don’t get Mom’s issue.”

“Olly,” Vivien sighed, a soft reprimand that she hoped would keep her brother from ranting the whole way to their school.

“No, Viv,” Abby cut in before Oliver could speak, “we all see she treats you differently, and it isn’t right!”

“It isn’t,” Vivien agreed as she pushed the key into the ignition and started the car, turning the defroster on to keep the windows clear, “but it isn’t worth the effort of trying to change her. Besides, I’ve got you guys and Dad.”

“And Auntie Hayley and Aunt Charlie,” Oliver piped in.

“Exactly,” Vivien nodded, smiling at her younger brother as she backed out of the driveway.

Abby huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching in her seat as she complained, “Still. I wish we knew what her problem was.”

“I have a few theories,” Oliver claimed.

Abby grinned, “We know. You’ve shown us your corkboard of conspiracy theories.”

“Yeah,” Vivien snorted, putting the car into drive and taking off down their street. “I swear, introducing you to MatPat and Shane Dawson at a young age was a bad idea.”

“Seriously,” Abby agreed teasingly. “If I have to be subjected to another three-hour rant about the government brainwashing us through Justin Beiber’s music, I just might pitch myself off of the water tower.”

“First of all, that’s not what my theory was about,” Oliver chuckled, “and second, I meant about Mom treating Viv differently.”

Shifting so that she could see both Oliver and Vivien, Abby said, “Well, you’re the conspiracy theorist here. What do you think is the issue?”

Excited to finally have the chance to blather about the ideas he had been bouncing around in his head for a while, Oliver beamed as he began his spiel, “My first thought was that she’s jealous that Vivien has a better relationship with Auntie Hayley and is upset that she’s not Viv’s birth mom, but that wasn’t an issue when we were little, so why would it be now?”

“Yeah, makes sense,” Abby nodded thoughtfully, sparing a glance at Vivien, who nodded as she slowed to a stop at an intersection. Turning back to her twin, Abby pressed, “So, what else you got?”

Oliver sighed, “Sadly, I think the most likely reason is that she’s just pissy because she thinks Viv forced me into the ‘Alphabet Soup Community’ and is scared she’ll do the same to you, Abs.”

Abby’s expression shifted, a disgusted wince tugging her eyebrows together in frustration as she took in her brother’s theory. It made sense, but she didn’t want to admit it. Though Vivien had come out as bisexual years ago, their mother never truly seemed to accept it until Vivien began dating Royce a few months ago. When Oliver came out as gay, the woman had taken the news out on her eldest child, pulling her aside and blaming her for “poisoning her baby brother” with her “disgusting beliefs.” Abby had unintentionally overheard the conversation, listening proudly to her older sister as the brunette fought for her brother to be treated better than she had been. When Abby later told Oliver what she’d heard, the pair found themselves in Vivien’s room, showering their sister with kind words of gratitude and love that the older girl seemed to relish in.

Ready to rant about their mother’s blatant homophobia, Abby scoffed; however, it was Vivien who spoke before her sister could rage for the rest of the drive, “Sadly, that could be right.” Vivien placed a hand on top of the one Abby had placed on the center console, gently squeezing her hand as she continued, “Even though I hope that’s not the case, it could very well be. She’s always been a little… uptight about that sort of thing.”

“A little?” Oliver chortled, finding Vivien’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. “That’s the understatement of the year.”

Abby laughed, “You couldn’t pull a needle out of her ass with a tractor!”

“Abby!” Vivien reprimanded despite her laughing at the girl’s choice of words.

“It’s the truth!” Abby argued. “I’m sure she would’ve sent you guys to conversion therapy or something if Dad hadn’t said something.”

Vivien sighed as she turned onto School Street, “Still. She’s our mom, and until we move out, we have no choice but to put up with her bullshit.”

Oliver shifted in his seat, ready to crack a joke in order to lighten the situation, but Abby huffed, “I just don’t get why your sexualities matter so much to her. It’s not like it has anything to do with her in the first place.”

“Maybe she-”

“And why should she care if I’m straight or not?” Abby continued, cutting off Vivien’s statement with a scoff. “Is she just going to drop all of us if I someday decide to come out of the closet?”

Once he was sure his twin was done ranting, Oliver shrugged, “Maybe. Like Auntie Hayley said, Mom can’t stand that we aren’t her little dolls who do whatever she says now. I wouldn’t put it past her if she chooses to up and leave if this becomes a three-for-three situation.”

Taking in the wounded expression on her baby sister’s face as she pulled into an empty parking spot, Vivien smiled reassuringly and said, “I doubt you have much of anything to worry about anyway. Even if you came out as bi like I did, you and Malachi have been dating for, what, almost a year now?” When Abby nodded wordlessly, Vivien continued, “Well, Mom only chilled out when she found out I was dating Royce. Since you’re dating a boy already, I doubt there would be a problem.”

“Besides,” Oliver began as he pushed open his door and picked up his bag from the floor, “you’re straight - you have nothing to worry about.”

Plastering a smile on her face as she tugged her bag up from the floor, Abby nodded, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Patting Abby’s hand with a grin, Vivien opened her door and stepped outside, grabbing her backpack from the backseat and locking the car once the doors were closed. Once her keys were safely tucked into the front pocket of her backpack, Vivien followed her siblings to the front door of the school. Before she could step inside, however, a honk from a nearby car made Vivien jump, whirling around to see Riven’s red Miata pulling to a stop by the sidewalk. Telling her siblings she would see them later, Vivien headed over to the car as the passenger’s side door opened, and a head of emerald hair stepped out before pushing the seat forward.

“Hey, Viv,” Jade greeted with a smile as she tightened her ponytail.

As Erica tumbled out of the backseat, the seatbelt wrapped around the ankle of her Doc Martens, she peered up at the brunette and beamed, “Oh, good! I was hoping to catch you before first period.”

“Mission accomplished,” Vivien chuckled as Erica hobbled her way away from the car. As the car door closed and the window rolled down, she leaned over and teased, “That’s the only car full of ladies you’ll ever have, isn’t it?”

Riven sent his best friend a grin and gestured to his fellow bandmates as he spoke, “Blues Clues over there can hardly be considered a lady, and considering JJ is the only cheerleader who has ever given me the time of day, probably.”

Chuckling, Vivien rolled her eyes and said, “You’re an idiot.”

“Love you too.”

Before Vivien could return the sentiment, Erica placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Alright, dipshits, let’s go before the bell rings and we get told off.”

Jade chuckled as she tossed her Chapstick into her bag, “By who; Viv’s dad?”

Vivien snorted at the thought of her dad reprimanding them, but Erica beat her to the punch as she turned toward her girlfriend and said, “I was thinking Coach Boogeyman.”

Leaning over the passenger seat, Riven wondered, “I thought Bogman was forced to leave after the color guard claimed she was spying on them in the showers.”

“She was supposed to,” Jade huffed, “but until they find enough evidence to take her to court, she has to finish out the year.”

“Sadly,” a voice sighed from behind the group. Turning toward the voice, Vivien smiled as her father spoke, “Until we have her on camera, there’s nothing we can do. Besides, she’s been pushing off retirement for years. With this accusation, we should be able to finalize everything at the end of the year.”

“Good,” Erica snipped as Vivien stepped around her. “She’s always given me the creeps.”

“Understandably so,” Damien chuckled softly, smiling as his daughter slotted herself under his arm. “Hey, babygirl.”

“Hey, Dad,” Vivien beamed. “Did you come to walk us to class?”

Damien shook his head, squeezing his daughter’s shoulder as he replied, “Not quite. I saw you four chatting and figured I would try to get you inside before anyone else came out and started yelling.” Leaning forward enough to see Riven, he asked, “Are you joining us, Riven, or are you just going to do virtual lessons today?”

“No, I’ll be in,” Riven quickly replied, glancing toward the parking lot with his signature grin. “Just have to find a place to park.”

“Make it quick, bud,” the man stated as he glanced at his smartwatch. “The bell rings in ten minutes.”

Riven nodded, checking to make sure his path was clear before pulling away from the curb, his Miata drifting toward the parking lot as Damien began leading his daughter and her friends inside. After handing her lunchbox off to her dad so he could put it into the staff fridge until lunch, Vivien waited until Riven came running up to the front door before stepping inside behind him, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her toward the stairwell across from the main office, waving goodbye to their friends and her father as they propelled up the stairs. Riven dragged her up to the next floor, where their lockers resided, before letting her go as he began twisting in his locker combination. Meanwhile, Vivien pulled her keys from her backpack, slipped a purple-painted one into her lock, and freed it, popping open the metal door with a sigh and placing her bag on the hook inside.

“You know,” Riven began, “it’s days like today that I wish my birthday wasn’t after the school cutoff.”

“Rough morning?” Vivien asked with a grin.

Riven scoffed as he tugged his social studies workbook down from the shelf he had shoved it onto the day before, “I slept through my alarm, and Dad was already at work, so he couldn’t help. Then, I woke up to Erica screeching about needing a ride, only to have my phone die mid-call. And, to top it all off, I’m about eighty-three percent sure these sweatpants are yours from the weekend.”

Vivien’s eyebrow lifted, but as she glanced down at the navy blue sweatpants Riven donned, her eyes widened. Sure enough, the stars and planets she had embroidered around the pockets and hemline of her sweatpants now stood as a glaring reminder of the clothes she had tossed into the wash at Riven’s house. They had been cooking stuffed shells, and she had dropped the jar of sauce, splattering chunky, red tomato sauce all over the floor and their legs. After putting the food in the oven, they got a majority of the stains out in the sink but threw their clothes into the laundry afterward to get rid of the smell. She had forgotten the pants in her rush to get out the door on Monday morning, having told Riven she would take them back when she went back to his house after spring break was over. Holding back her bark of laughter, Vivien grinned at the thought of Riven rushing around his room that morning, throwing on whatever he could find before leaving the house and somehow missing the colorful threads lining his legs.

“Yeah,” Riven breathed, rolling his eyes at Vivien’s not-so-discrete snort of laughter. “Erica thought it was hilarious.”

“It kind of is,” Vivien giggled softly. At Riven’s dismayed sigh, her grin faltered, and she glanced down at her pants as she offered, “Do you want to trade? I’m pretty sure I stole these from you over the summer.”

Riven spared a glance at the jeans Vivien had worn and grinned; the cuffs were rolled up toward her ankles to prevent them from being stepped on, and she had to wear a belt just to keep the waistband in place, something Riven had no issue with in the slightest. With a snort, he shook his head, “I think I’m good, Pip. You made these and, despite them being on the shorter side, I’m only here until lunch. I can run home and change before work after I’m done eating. Besides, they wouldn’t match your outfit.”

Vivien’s eyebrow lifted into her bangs as she asked, “Since when do you care if clothes match?”

“I don’t,” Riven shrugged as he closed his locker, “but I know you do. Now, come on, it’s almost time for the bell.”

Scrambling to grab her books for the next two classes so she wouldn’t have to run to her locker between bells, Vivien slammed her locker shut and walked alongside Riven until he reached his class. They wouldn’t see each other again until she was allowed to head to the cafeteria for lunch, but their mornings in the halls were something she had cherished for a while. Joining a few of her classmates on their way to their first period of the day, Vivien caught a glimpse of the oversized clock on the wall and sighed. She had four periods until lunch, and only two were on the same floor, but she had planned to use her study hall block to join her friend Emily in the drama wing of the main floor.

Emily - or Emmy, as she was often called by her relatively small friend group - had been begging her for the last two weeks to join her for the auditions in some musical the school was putting on. Originally, Vivien had no desire to audition as she hated the thought of having so many eyes on her, but when Emily pointed out that the auditorium was in close proximity to the cafeteria, she relented. If it meant she didn’t have to run from her study hall on the top floor all the way down to the main floor to eat, she was in.

Her first block was spent listening to Mrs. Adams - the only social studies teacher who actually seemed to enjoy teaching - ask everyone what their plans were for spring break. She loved to make the class hard as most of her students were either on the honor roll or enrolled in advanced placement classes, but Fridays were the one day a week when everyone got some reprieve from her constant stream of tests, exams, and droning lessons. By the time the bell rang, everyone had broken off into groups, writing out their plans for the week as their teacher sat at her desk with a smile, grading the last few papers on her computer. Vivien had made up a story on the fly, writing out her plans for the trip to California she told everyone she was going on, but as the bell rang, she closed her notebook and shoved it into her desk before grabbing her book for the next class and following her friend, Carter, down the hall toward the French class she had signed up for at the start of the semester.

Although she struggled a lot with the language - finding her old Spanish and German classes easier than French - the teacher commended her many times for at least trying. She wanted nothing more than to learn the language her boyfriend’s family knew, intending to surprise them on her trip. However, she knew her attempts were fairly futile. French just wasn’t her strong suit. Grateful her grade for the class wasn’t going to affect her final grades for the year, Vivien slumped into her chair in the middle of the room and hoped the class would go by faster than it usually did so that she could escape to the auditorium.

Thankfully, it seemed as though the teachers were of the same mindset as the students - eager to escape the concrete and stucco walls and leave for vacation. After answering a one-sided paper of questions in French about how their week had been, the teacher let them wander the halls, allowing Vivien to dump her books in her locker before making her way down to the auditorium. The auditorium was hardly ever used unless they had a guest speaker or a show being rehearsed, but the doors were almost always left unlocked, making it easy for Vivien to slip inside and make her way to the front row of chairs.

The auditorium would be empty for a while before the audition time came, but as Vivien had all the time in the world until her friend showed up, she didn’t mind the silence. Opening the notes app on her phone, she began typing out all of the things she would need to pack when she got home. Her list was already relatively short as she had put her essentials into her suitcase after using them that morning before school - her toiletries taking up the small pouch in the front of her luggage to leave room for the clothes she was still up in the air about. Although she knew that clothes weren’t really necessary as Mick had told her many times that she would be able to borrow period-typical clothes from them upon her arrival, she still needed to shove some summery clothing into her suitcase to make it seem as though her time had truly been spent in the California sun.

With a sigh, Vivien realized she also needed to leave room for the souvenirs she would be bringing back and any potential shopping she did in either world. By the time she had whittled down her list to just necessities, her journal, and some extra changes of, well, every article of clothing she owned, people had begun to fill the auditorium, ascending the stage and beginning vocal warm-ups that would have impressed Sharpay Evans. Vivien tucked her earbuds in as the noise in the room began to grow, only pulling them out when Emily appeared in the seat next to her, excitedly tugging Vivien out of her shell and onto the stage with her as she rambled about the show they were going to be performing for the end of the school year.

Checking her blood pressure on her watch, Vivien sighed as the drama teachers, Mrs. Kaisla and Mr. Doyle, began telling everyone where to stand before giving them the run-down of the show. “As you all know by the posters in the halls,” Mr. Doyle began, “this year’s final show will be Hairspray.”

“I really want to play Tracy or Penny,” Emily squealed in a whisper mere inches from Vivien’s ear. Grabbing Vivien’s shirt in a fist, she added, “Imagine if Colby gets picked for Link or Seaweed - it would be perfect!”

Chuckling at the girl’s obvious crush on the dark-skinned football player who had been in their friend circles since kindergarten, Vivien whispered back, “I admire your enthusiasm, but is he the only reason you’re auditioning? I mean, you hate being the center of attention as much as I do being on stage; why would you wish for the lead?”

Emily’s sparkling smile faltered as Vivien’s words sunk in but quickly reappeared as the teachers wrapped up their short spiel about the show, “That’s why you’re here.”

“To make sure you don’t look like the worst performer here?” Vivien questioned teasingly.

Emily scoffed, elbowing Vivien in the arm, “Shut up. You’re not that bad.”

“Says you,” Vivien replied as Mrs. Kaisla began ushering some students toward center stage. As soon as she was sure neither she nor Emily were part of the group selected, she added, “There’s a reason I only ever sing in the car or the shower.”

With a sigh, Emily nudged her friend closer to the front of the stage and said, “And there’s a reason I asked you to come with me instead of literally anybody else. You have a beautiful voice. Besides, I need someone here who makes it easier to be in the spotlight. Now, shush!”

Vivien rolled her eyes but smiled as Emily hushed her, urging her to watch the others as they were instructed on what to do. Minutes flew by as the group took turns singing popular songs played over a bluetooth speaker one of the boys had brought to the school. Before she knew it, Vivien felt her stomach clench anxiously as her name was called, and Emily practically dragged her to the center of the stage. Taking a deep breath as the others took turns singing, Vivien tried to think of a song - any song - she could sing at least fairly well, but any titles she knew seemed to flee her brain as her mouth dried up as she resorted to biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from fidgeting under the blazing lights.

As Emily’s choice - an 80s hit that had made an appearance in the last season of Stranger Things - began to play, Vivien realized just how doomed she was, and her mind flickered to the cell phone in her back pocket. Surely, her Spotify would have something she could work with, right? However, to her chagrin, as soon as the device was free of its jean prison, Vivien found the music had stopped playing, and she was forced to choose a song without any assistance. Had she really taken that long to decide? Clearing her throat, Vivien smiled tersely as she gave up the only song that had found its way to the front of her brain in time - ABBA’s Lay All Your Love On Me.

The teachers she hardly knew seemed to smile as they talked amongst themselves, and although a part of her was sure they were talking about how easy the song was to mess up, Emily’s encouraging smile from the side of the stage somewhat assured her that all was fine. Closing her eyes as the music began playing, Vivien attempted to force her fears down as she sucked in a deep breath. All she had to do was get through a section of the song, and she would be free to leave as everyone else was. Pretending she was just singing in the car with Riven, Vivien allowed her voice to carry over the music, her enjoyment of the song obvious as she began to sway to the beat, the lyrics flowing out of her like water.

Once the chorus had left her, the music began to fade, allowing the teachers to be heard as they scribbled something on their clipboards. Looking up at her, Mrs. Kaisla smiled and said, “Thank you, Vivien. You’re free to go.”

“Remember to check the cast list when we come back to school,” Mr. Doyle added before gesturing toward the side of the stage, where Emily received her with a hug and a squeal.

The two made their exit relatively quickly, Vivien practically pushing Emily through the double doors so that she could find a source of oxygen in the halls. Once the auditorium doors had closed with a click, Vivien sighed, checking her blood pressure as a wave of anxiety-fueled dizziness washed over her. After making up a quick excuse as to where she was going, Vivien told Emily she would see her after lunch before making her way to her locker, where she kept her water bottle. Sitting on the floor by her locker, Vivien sipped at her water until the bell rang, forcing herself to calm down as she scrolled through Pinterest.

Before long, Jade and Riven appeared, having left the same class Vivien would have to attend after lunch - World History. They hauled her off of the floor, and Riven tossed his books into his locker before draping an arm around Vivien's shoulders and guiding her toward the stairs while Jade rattled off about the teacher - Mr. Smith - being the most boring teacher in the school. After retrieving Vivien's lunch from her father, she joined her friends at their usual table by the windows on the far wall of the cafeteria, spending their lunch block playing a segment of their Dungeons and Dragons campaign on their phones while eating.

After a while of playing and eating, the bell rang, and they cleaned up their table before tossing Vivien's now empty lunch box into Erica's locker near the gym before saying goodbye to Riven and splitting off to their respective classes. For Vivien, the rest of her classes went by without a hitch, time flying by the way she had hoped all morning that it would. Once her final class of the day ended, Vivien sent a quick text to the group chat she and her siblings had created, telling them that she had to drop off her form for the battle bot tournament and would meet them at the car. Making her way from the top floor to her locker, Vivien gathered her belongings, shoving her water bottle and a small bag of Cheetos her Trigonometry teacher had given her into her backpack before slinging her backpack onto her shoulders.

Once she was back on the main floor, Vivien scurried across the hall, rounded the entrance to the office, and took the stairwell across from the vending machines down to the school's basement. As she descended the stairs, dampness and mildew filled her nostrils, making her nose wrinkle in disgust as she pushed the door to the bottom floor open. Hardly anyone visited the basement unless they had to, as there was little to see, but there were a select few who found comfort in the almost eerie silence and smell the basement offered. While the basement wasn't overly dark or dreary, it never quite felt warm enough to give off the same welcoming feeling the upper parts of the school gave.

Perhaps it was the piercing white light of the fluorescents or the steady beeping from the computer lab that sounded almost exactly like a hospital heart monitor that kept people away, but regardless, there were only a handful of students who enjoyed the ominous, cold, almost abandoned feeling the basement radiated. Vivien was one of those odd students. After years of exploring abandoned buildings with Riven for his photography blog and her Instagram, the smell and cold environment of the school's basement did little to drive her away. If anything, it was almost calming.

There weren't many reasons for most students to visit the basement, as there were only three labs and two committees that met there. The chemistry, robotics, and computer laboratories were in a triangle-like formation at the very end of the hall, while the photography and student politics groups met at the other end of the hall, their rooms across from each other and sharing a single wall that was thin enough to hear conversations happening in the other room. Vivien hummed to herself as she stepped around an old projector that had been wheeled into the hallway, grinning fondly at the memory of having to haul the old machine up the stairs to the top floor for one of the summer school teachers while helping her dad out in the office. Stepping into the Bermuda Triangle of classrooms at the end of the hall, Vivien scanned the names beside the doors before making her way toward the left-most room.

The door to the robotics lab had been kept open with a hunk of metal the teacher, Mr. Kevin Hill, had welded in his free time one summer. Mr. Hill was one of Vivien's favorite teachers of all time. Mr. Hill was a short Irishman with a fondness for taking things apart and rebuilding them, something Vivien could appreciate. There were a few other students in the room - Vivien's bandmate, Erica; Damon Perry, a vitiligo-skinned freshman who hardly spoke around upperclassmen unless he was spoken to first; and Preston Osborne, a senior who thought his shit didn't stink because he had more money than he knew what to do with.

Unlike the rest of the handful of rich kids at their school, Vivien had known Preston by extension for years. He had been something of a nightmare for the school system, using his daddy's reputation as a hotshot lawyer in the city to be a dick to anyone who dared push back against whatever he wanted. According to Erica and Jade, Preston wasn't horrible until middle school, when the older kids began picking on him. One threat of a lawsuit later, Preston officially became known as someone nobody wanted to trifle with. Over the years, Vivien had heard her father complain about the boy and had heard horror stories from teachers who'd had him, but Vivien hadn't known him personally until she became the youngest person from their school ever to win the regional battle bot championship.

In her first year fighting back in seventh grade, she had beaten Preston by a long shot, her little, ladybug-shaped robot tearing Preston's robot apart with its electrified saws. Preston, of course, seemed incapable of taking the news well, having argued with the competition's judges until he was forced to either accept defeat or be disqualified. Ever since that day, Vivien found herself with an upperclassman who thought of her as nothing more than his arch-nemesis. Though she found him obnoxious after a while, Vivien hardly played into his made-up game of tug-of-war unless provoked, something that seemed to piss Preston off more instead of making him see how ridiculous he was being.

Rolling her eyes at the imbecile's glare, Vivien signed her name on the clipboard on the teacher's desk, taking a glance at the competition as she allowed her backpack to slide down from her shoulders. The robotics teacher was supposed to supervise from his desk as Erica, Preston, and Damon scoured the materials the teacher had laid out for them to take, but Damon had somehow managed to ask a question that kept the old Irishman talking while Erica and Preston searched the scrap bins the teacher had left out for them to rifle through. The bins would be there until the day of the competition, giving Vivien plenty of time to come up with a model and a mock-up before she started digging through the bins of scrap metal that, hopefully, wouldn't be sending anyone to the hospital for a tetanus shot that year.

As Mr. Hill stepped away from his conversation with Damon, he found Vivien standing by his desk as she dug through her backpack for the paper she swore she had left in the front of the biggest pouch. "Ah," the teacher began, "Miss O'Brian. I was wondering when you would show."

Vivien peered over at the teacher and smiled before resuming her search, "Well, better late than never, right, Mr. H?"

The graying man smiled with a short nod as he sat in his chair once again, "So far, I have only received a couple of sign-ups, so your competition from our school is looking rather small. Do you have an idea for what your battle bot will look like this year?"

"You know I can't tell you, even if I do," Vivien stated as she tugged her permission slip out and handed it to the teacher. As Mr. Hill glanced over the paper with mild interest, Vivien stepped away from his desk and looked over some of the objects the teacher had prepared. She picked up a few metal pieces she could use for either a weapon or a protective shield and placed them in a plastic Walmart bag that Mr. Hill had left out for the students to use. "Besides, I wouldn't dare divulge my secrets to my enemies," Vivien claimed theatrically as she glanced around at the other students in the room.

Erica leaned forward just enough to stick her tongue out at Vivien, placing a couple of springs in a plastic bag the teacher had given her. Damon simply smiled but kept quiet as he signed out a workshop tool that he'd need to return in the next two weeks. Vivien returned his smile and chuckled; in the few years she had known him, Damon had always seemed to be a very quiet, reserved person, but he seemed to come a little bit out of his shell when it came time for battles such as this one. However, as opposed to his silent competitors, Preston Osborne scoffed at Vivien and rolled his eyes as he turned toward the brunette.

He used the wrench he was holding to point at Vivien, watching her with scrutiny as he spoke, "After last year's height requirement debacle, I doubt anybody would take your advice."

"What?" Vivien began sarcastically, her voice taking on an infantilizing tone. "Are you still upset that mine was bigger than yours?" Ignoring the snorted bark of shocked laughter from her blue-haired friend, the brunette, never one to back down from a fight with the arrogant male, moved so she could look Preston as straight in the eye as her shorter stature would allow. "At least you could see mine in the ring. Everyone needed a pair of binoculars to see yours; it was so small."

Preston stared down his nose at Vivien before chuckling condescendingly, "At least mine didn't need a judge to do a height check last minute."

"Yeah, and? Who won that battle again?" Vivien asked rhetorically. Gasping dramatically, she placed a hand over her chest and answered her own question, "Oh, right! Me."

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" Preston retorted with an arrogant scoff. Then, his voice lowered as he hissed, "My dad could sue the shit out of your family. I'd run you and your whole family out of town."

"I don't know who told you that, dipshit," Vivien laughed, "but your daddy's got no power here and neither do you. In fact, I bet your 'big city lawyer' father would love to hear all about how often you try to threaten people in this school. Threatening bodily harm is a potentially jailable offense, you know. I can see the headlines now!"

Vivien pretended to gag as Preston leaned closer, his breath polluting her face as he snarled, "That big mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble if you don't shut it."

"If you think my mouth is big, I feel bad for your girlfriend." Vivien paused, gave a mock gasp, then added, "Oh, wait, you don't have one. Do you, shrimp dick?"

"Look, you little bitch, I-"

"Mister Osborne, Miss O'Brian," Mr. Hill interrupted, rising from his seat before the argument could get any worse. "I believe this argument will get you nowhere. Mr. Osborne, as you have already gathered your things, I suggest you sign out any tools you may need and leave before this ends up as another after-school detention for you. Miss O'Brian, please continue looking around for any particular parts you may need."

Vivien nodded and waited for Preston to back down and storm off before she resumed her perusing, allowing the teacher to handle Preston as he approached the desk. Mr. Hill was one of the teachers who always formed his own opinions of the children who came into his class, regardless of their notoriety. The man didn't care about who the kids' parents were; he would treat him the same way he would treat any student. Vivien knew from Riven's occasional photography classes at the community college that Mr. Hill had taken opportunities to float around the different universities in the area, teaching robotics and photography when he wished; if he got fired from this school for not babying Preston or some other Karen's spawn, it probably wouldn't be a hard blow. Maybe that was why Vivien, Erica, and most of the other students who didn't like Preston liked Mr. Hill so much.

Soon, but not soon enough, Preston left and took his bags with him, and Erica flipped him off as he disappeared down the hallway. Turning toward the grinning Vivien, she beamed, "Bitch, you handled him so much better than I would have."

Vivien smiled as she tossed a handful of small springs into her wagon. "Thanks. I just- I can't stand him."

"Who can other than his parents?" Erica scoffed, "His head's so far up his own ass, I'm surprised he can walk straight."

"I have to agree with you," Mr. Hill piped in as he sat back in his seat. "Although Preston makes fair marks as far as I am aware, he rides on his father's reputation to keep himself above everyone else. Though, as a teacher, I must advise you change your approach, a couple of wounds to his pride will, hopefully, do him well over time."

"I doubt he'll change," Vivien said, shaking her head, as she examined a small shell-shaped piece that could be used as a cover for her robot.

The teacher returned to the book he had been reading, and Erica nodded in agreement before taking a battery holder and putting it inside her bag. She looked at Vivien's bag and shook her head at how much the younger girl had already stored away. "Well, I'm looking forward to being annihilated by you again this year, as always."

Vivien knew the other girl was only joking, as Erica had told her before that she only entered the battles for fun and found it interesting to see how far she could get. With a smile, Vivien chirped, "And I look forward to annihilating you, as always."

Erica laughed, giving Vivien a quick hug before leaving, claiming she and Jade were getting a ride to work from one of the girls on the cheer team who worked at the mall with them. Once her friend was gone, Vivien went back to picking out parts for her robot, picking out items she thought could be of use and tucking them into the bag that had begun to weigh her arm down. The brunette spent another handful of minutes in the classroom before deciding she had enough things. As she placed her heavy bag inside another, she tied the handles in a knot and said, "Well, Mr. Hill, I believe I'll be on my way."

"Actually, Miss O'Brian, I have to go over the rules for the battles before you leave," the teacher claimed, tucking a bookmark into the novel he was reading before pulling a paper from his desk drawer. "Normally, I would wait until I have you in class, but since we won't be back in school until after spring break, now is as good a time as any."

Vivien accepted the paper from the teacher, reading over the first couple of rules before nodding to herself. "Did they change them or something?"

"Not exactly." Mr. Hill stood and made his way around the desk, sitting on the other side of the surface as he pointed out some of the notes at the bottom of the page. "The officials are new this year. They've agreed to keep the three-foot height acceptance, but they've eliminated the use of robotic arms that can be used to puncture another robot from the maximum height - as you can see here."

"Let me guess, that rule was made because of my robot from last year?" Vivien pondered.

"That would be my guess as well," the teacher agreed with a grin. "While that robot of yours was quite impressive, you have to keep it short if that's your plan this year."

Vivien shook her head, knowing that wasn't her idea at all. She liked to change things up every year, never showcasing the same attack twice. Thinking for a moment, Vivien scanned over the jumbled nonsense on the page that she would probably hand off to Mick the moment she saw her and asked, "Are saws and shields still allowed?"

"Yes, of course," Mr Hill said, nodding insistently. "It would be very hard to take that ruling out. Just remember that you need to have your robot done by the first of June. The following week, the judges will go through the ruling process. Any final adjustments will have to be made before the end of the school day on Friday, the ninth. The first day of battles will be Saturday, and Sunday will be finals and awards, as per usual."

Vivien allowed herself a brief moment to process the information before nodding, a smile lighting her face as she spoke, "That sounds good to me." Picking up her backpack from the floor, Vivien folded and tucked the paper into the pocket of her jeans and headed out of the classroom. It wasn't until she was near the stairwell that she heard her name being called again. Turning toward the voice, she found Mr. Hill standing in the doorway of his classroom. "Yeah?" she called in return.

"Just something I meant to tell you before you left." The teacher held his book up a little, a gesture that made Vivien believe he was going to quote something from it, yet, without looking down, he began speaking once more. "Those who are willing to work hard - day in and day out - to achieve their goals are the true winners, regardless of the scores or the judges' opinions. I don't doubt that you are one of those hard-working people, Vivien; you know what you're doing. Your skills never cease to amaze me, and I hope you prove me right again this year."

With a raised brow, Vivien asked, "Prove you right, sir?"

"I've been an AP Robotics teacher here for twenty-three years," Mr Hill said. "It's not often that I have someone in my class throughout junior and senior high school. Other teachers said I should have booted you down to the regular class with Miss Denis, but since the day you first walked into my class, I knew you had potential. Since then, you've proved them wrong every step of the way. I commend you for that."

Vivien stood in place for a moment, stunned at her teacher's kind words. "Thanks, Mr Hill. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Miss O'Brian. You never do. Have a nice evening," he replied before turning back to his book and stepping back over to his desk, leaving Vivien standing alone in the hallway.

Vivien stared at the spot Mr. Hill had previously occupied, letting out an airy laugh as a brilliant smile found its way onto her face. Taking in a deep breath, she straightened her posture and turned toward the stairs, propelling herself up them with newfound confidence. Her bag of assorted metal bits jangled, clanking together in a symphony of scrapes and tings as she ascended the stairs. Once she had reached the main floor, Vivien retrieved her lunch box from Erica's locker. The girl's four-digit code - 8104, Erica's birthdate and year combined - was one of the many Vivien kept in her notes app in case her friends ever forgot them, and even though she was sure Erica couldn't possibly forget her locker combination, Vivien enjoyed knowing that, if her friends needed her to, she could help them.

After tugging the lunch box out from the chaos that was Erica's locker, Vivien rushed to the office, saying a quick goodbye to her dad before heading to the main entrance, pushing open the first set of doors before lifting the hood of her jacket over her head and hoping her siblings had gotten the spare key to her car from their father as rain poured from above. Shoving open the door to the outside world, Vivien watched as rain slammed down in sheets, taking a deep breath before bolting into the freezing rain, letting out a shrill screech as she scurried across the parking lot to her car. She threw the door open and jumped inside, grateful her siblings had already started the car's heater, as she slammed the door shut behind her.

Abby smirked at her sister's reflection in the rear-view mirror as Vivien shivered in her seat, and with a snort, she asked, "Bit chilly, sissy?"

Turning back toward her little sister, Vivien nodded and sighed, "You could say that." Hauling her backpack and Walmart bag of metal parts over the gap between her seat and Oliver's, Vivien asked, "Can you hold onto these for me, Abs?"

Peering back as Abby placed Vivien's belongings on the seat next to her, Oliver asked, "You're doing the championship again this year?"

"When doesn't she, Olly?" Abby asked rhetorically as Vivien backed out of her parking spot. "She fights every year, and every year, she wins."

"I know that; I'm not stupid," Oliver retorted.

"Debatable," Abby shrugged.

Ignoring his twin, Oliver said, "I just thought that, since she was going on vacation, she wouldn't be participating this year."

"I'll have plenty of time," Vivien claimed, putting the car into drive and steering it toward the parking lot's exit. "Besides, I'll be with Mickie for a whole week. If my battle bot isn't at least halfway done by the time I get back, then one of us either got sick, somehow got pregnant, or died."

Oliver let out a snort, "I mean, fair enough, but aren't you going to do anything fun while you're in California?"

"Building things is fun," Vivien retorted, flicking on her turn signal and glancing both ways before pulling out of the parking lot, "but yeah, we're going to the beach, checking out some museums, and we might visit Disneyland if we have the time."

Leaning forward between the front seats, Abby asked, "How is it possible that Oliver and I might have a more entertaining spring break than you?"

Sparing a glance at her siblings, Vivien asked, "What do you mean?"

With a smile bright enough to put the sun to shame, Oliver announced, "I'm going with Markus' family to New Jersey so we can check out that American Dream place with the indoor water park and ski slope."

"Really?" Vivien asked. Muttering more to herself than anything, she added, "I'm surprised Mom allowed that after you broke your ankle the last time you went on a trip with them."

Abby hummed in agreement before speaking, "And I'm going with Brynna's family to Great Wolf Lodge for her birthday."

"Those sound fun and all," Vivien admitted, "but how is that more fun than literally going across the country?"

"Because you're going to be doing nerd shit while on vacation while we're having actual fun," Oliver stated blandly.

As the car slowed to a stop at a red light, Vivien turned toward her brother with a knowing look, "You say that like you won't be spending hours upon hours researching some cryptid or something with Markus in the hotel room." Peering in the rear-view mirror, Vivien found Abby's gaze and said, "And, Abby, we all know that you and Brynna will spend your time playing with her little siblings instead of just hanging out."

Abby opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it again as she let out a soft sigh, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Just because it's spring break doesn't mean we somehow magically turn into party animals once we're on vacation," Vivien claimed with a shrug as the light turned green, and she continued onward. "We've been ingrained to be responsible regardless of where we are, but I'm sure we'll all still have fun being boring with our friends."

Although they constantly joked about going to big house parties at their friends' houses and getting absolutely trashed on whatever alcohol they could find, none of the O'Brian siblings had actually ever gone to a big house party or willingly gotten drunk. Most of the people at their school weren't interested in big parties either as it would be increasingly difficult to get all of their friends in one town. Since their school was regional, kids from towns almost an hour away would be shuttled in on the handful of school-choice buses, making it hard for big parties to really be a thing. Besides, many, if not all, of the friends the O'Brians had made at the school were relatively introverted kids who cared more about their studies than getting wasted, making their running joke of getting drunk with their friends even more preposterous.

Abby peered out the window at the rain as Oliver said, "You know, I kind of like that we're boring."

"Oh, yeah?" Vivien asked, glancing at her brother as she checked whether or not she could cross through the intersection.

"Mhm," Abby nodded in agreement.

"It means our parents let us hang out with pretty much anyone without really caring," Oliver claimed. "Even if our plans were to go out and do dumb stuff at a friend's house, they wouldn't think anything of us going over there."

Abby thought for a moment before saying, "That's true, but we also would feel pretty bad if we took their trust in us for granted."

This time, it was Vivien's turn to hum in agreement, "Yeah."

For the first time since her parents gave her permission to join their neighbors in their house in California, Vivien felt wary about her decision. Although she knew that they had no qualms about her going to California as they had known the Birch family longer than Vivien had been alive, they had no idea about the other universe they would be taking her to. She had no plans of telling them about it as she had promised to keep it a secret from literally everyone she knew, but the thought that she was, for the first time in her life, taking advantage of her parents' trust to go off galavanting in a world they had no idea about. Even though she had no plans of doing anything wrong or illegal while there, a knot began to form in her stomach at the idea of letting her parents down for keeping such a large secret from them.

Taking a deep breath as she pulled onto their street, Vivien pushed her thoughts aside, allowing her excitement to fill her once more. She could worry about it later when she had Mick to talk her through every insignificant problem her mind could sprout up. For now, she had to get ready for the trip, and with a limited amount of time to get all of her clothes folded, she needed to focus on that. As Vivien's blue Kona pulled into the driveway, their mother stepped outside with a few umbrellas, making her way to the end of the walkway and waiting for Viviebn's car to stop. As soon as the car was in park, Chelsea held her umbrella over the passenger's door and opened it, handing her son an umbrella as he stepped out with his backpack.

Wrapping her cardigan tightly around herself, Abby tapped Vivien's arm and said, "I'll take your metal stuff in so it doesn't get wet."

"Are you sure?" Vivien asked in return as Abby handed her the purple backpack she had kept an eye on during the trip home. "I can take it."

"That's okay," she replied. Once the front passenger's door closed, she quickly took hold of the Walmart bag's handles and added, "I don't think Mom bothered to bring out your umbrella, and I don't want them to get wet."

Hoping to save her sister from having to lug the heavy bag inside, Vivien tried to gently argue, "I'm parking in the garage, Abs, it's not a long walk to the door."

"That's okay," Abby shrugged. "I've already got it. I'll bring it up to your room for you."

Before Vivien could say anything to the contrary, Abby grinned, pushed open her door, and slid out, taking and opening the umbrella her mom handed her before slamming the door and rushing to the house with their mother not far behind. Left with her mouth still open, Vivien breathed, "Thanks," before shaking her head fondly and pressing the button to open the garage. Once her car was parked in the spot furthest from the door, Vivien slid out of her seat, pulling her backpack with her. Glancing out at the pouring rain, the brunette sighed, hauling her backpack onto one shoulder and gripping her keys in her free hand as she rushed into the downpour with a squeal, closing the overhead door with a single click as she raced toward the front door of the house.

Once inside, she closed the door, grateful for the warmth of the house, as she trudged her way to the coat closet and began taking off her now-soaked sneakers. Loki soon joined her on the floor, licking the water from her cheeks as she tossed her sneakers onto the drying rack alongside her siblings' shoes. Running her hands through the dog's fur, Vivien felt herself calm as she thanked the dog for his warm welcome. Pushing herself from the floor, Vivien ascended the stairs with her backpack and her Saint Bernard, grateful her bedroom was near the landing, as Loki shoved his way into her room and onto her bed. With a sigh, Vivien rolled her eyes at the oversized puppy and dropped her backpack onto the floor at the end of her bed, plopping herself onto her mattress as she debated how much time she had to pack.

Not even a minute into her procrastination party, Abby stepped into the room without so much as a knock, snickering at her older sister's dawdling as she passed by. "You know, lying there like a limp spaghetti noodle isn't going to help your bags get packed."

"Okay, Mom," Vivien huffed with a smirk, missing the way Abby visibly winced at being compared to their mother. Taking in a heavy breath, Vivien pushed herself from the bed and sighed, "Is it weird that I'm not ready for this now that I'm leaving?"

"Not really," Abby shrugged as her sister entered the closet and pulled her suitcase down from the top shelf. "You get this way before out-of-state competitions too."

"This is different from comps," Vivien said as she placed her suitcase on the end of her bed and opened the shell. "I don't usually go far without you guys."

Stepping up behind her sister, Abby placed a hand on the older girl's back and smiled once she had Vivien's attention, "You'll have tons of fun and you know it. I'm sure you'll forget all about us once you land."

"That's impossible, Abs," Vivien breathed, pulling the lighter-haired brunette into a hug. "I love you guys too much to not miss you."

Lifting her head enough to see her sister's face, Abby replied, "Trust me, you'll be sick of us by the end of the week. Dad will keep you updated with pictures of Loki every morning like he does when we go to camp, I'll send you pictures of the lodge and everything interesting I see, and I'm sure Olly will send you paragraphs of random facts he and Markus found online while they're away. By the end of vacation, you'll be so sick of us that you'll want to get away the minute you come home."

Vivien laughed, "Probably, yeah."

Stepping out of her sister's hold, Abby grinned and said, "Now, come on, we have packing to do."

Allowing her sister to take the reins, Vivien headed into her closet to figure out what clothes she wanted to bring, hauling her plastic bins of summer clothes down from the top shelf as Abby headed into her en-suite bathroom to pack up the essentials Vivien had typed out on her phone. Once Vivien had fished out a handful of clothes she wanted to bring, she brought them to her desk and dropped them in a heap in her chair. By the time Abby finished getting stuff out of the bathroom and into the suitcase, Vivien was halfway done folding her clothes, something Abby had helped finish in record time. After reassuring her sister that she would be borrowing swimwear from Mick's closet upon her arrival, Vivien threw a couple of pairs of shoes into the mesh pouch on the lid alongside her journal and the astronaut-shaped galaxy projector she kept on her bedside table as a nightlight.

With her packing done quicker than she had anticipated, Vivien sent a text to Mick that she was all set before grabbing a dry hoodie from her closet and hauling the suitcase to the main floor of the house, leaving it near the coat closet so that she could slip on some shoes and get out the door as quickly as possible. Once everything was in place, she and Loki joined her siblings in the living room, where Oliver had begun setting up Mario Kart on the Switch. Sitting in the space the twins had left for her, Vivien took the purple joy-con from the coffee table and slouched into the comfort of the couch cushions as Loki took his place on the floor by her feet.

As she chose her usual character, Yoshi, Vivien's phone dinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket, giving her siblings the chance to argue over who got Baby Bowser. Unlocking her phone, she opened her dad's text and smiled. Peering over Abby's head to where their mother was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping at her freshly-made smoothie while she presumably scrolled through her Facebook, Vivien rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation, thanking their dad for his offer of dinner and asking if he could pick them up their usual McDonald's orders before tucking her phone between her thigh and the couch and picking up her joy-con once again. Breaking up her siblings' argument with ease, Vivien started the game. Once they figured out who got which character, the three of them quickly got immersed in their battle for the first place.

As Oliver overtook Vivien for second place in Coconut Mall, leading the oldest of the siblings to cuss him out and jab him with her elbow, the front door slammed shut, alerting the whole house to the new visitor. Loki let out a bark as he rose from the floor, abandoning his post as the protector in favor of following the smell of french fries and cheeseburgers to the front door. The kids called out greetings to their father as they entered the final lap of their race, getting a chuckled response as Damien made his way through the entryway to the kitchen. Damien set the flimsy drink tray and paper bags plastered with golden arches on the kitchen counters, ignoring the look his ex-wife sent him as he began pulling fries and boxes from the bags and setting them out according to which family member had ordered what.

By the time the kids had finished their race, Chelsea had begun arguing with Damien about the quality of the food he had brought home, but the man seemed unbothered by her attitude, pushing aside her frustrations as the children approached. Stepping aside to allow them access to their meals, Damien accepted quick hugs from each of his children and asked them how their school days had been before following them to the living room. As Abby began to explain how her usually strict English teacher had them watch a movie as he had a migraine, Vivien sat cross-legged in her usual space on the far end of the couch and put one of the throw pillows over her lap so that the plate she put her food onto wouldn't fall.

After her siblings had rambled about their days, Damien turned to Vivien and asked, "What about you, babygirl? Anything fun happen today?"

Vivien shrugged, swallowing her mouthful of french fries before replying, "Not really. I signed up for the battle bot tournament after class."

Before her father could say anything, Abby butted in, "Alix said they saw you at the first round of auditions for the musical. I told them there was no way 'cause you hate being on stage, but they said it was true."

"It was," Vivien admitted before taking a bite of her burger.

Oliver choked on his chicken nugget, coughing a few times before swallowing thickly and asking, "Wait, seriously?"

Nodding, Vivien dipped her sandwich in a pile of ketchup and said, "Yeah. Emily wanted to audition, but didn't want to go alone, so I stepped in. It's not that big of a deal."

"It's a huge deal!" Abby squawked, twisting so that she could see her sister better. "Alix said the drama teachers were thinking of cancelling the other auditions because of you."

"Bull," Vivien scoffed, carefully avoiding the rest of her accusatory cuss as she felt the growing heat of her mother's gaze. "It wasn't even a meaningful audition. I sang some ABBA and ran for the hills; there's nothing impressive about that."

"But Alix said-"

"Alix could have heard wrong," Vivien argued, cutting off her sister's statement before it could spiral out of control. "Besides, even if they do choose me - which they won't - I'll just step down and let the understudy take whatever role I get."

"That would be for the best," Chelsea stated as she stabbed her fork into the grilled chicken salad her ex-husband had bought for her. "We've all seen how you get on stage at your grandparent's camp; putting you in any leading role in front all those people would be so much worse."

Ignoring their mother's statement with a roll of his eyes, Oliver turned to Vivien and said, "You can't back down."

Vivien grinned, sending her brother a curious look as she asked, "Why not?"

"Because!"

"That's not a reason, Olly."

"But it is," Oliver claimed. "We've all heard you sing in the car and you love theatre. This is your chance to see what it's like on Boadway."

"Who says I want to be on Broadway?" Vivien asked with a laugh.

Oliver thought for a moment before saying, "Well, nobody, but-"

"But the school is petitioning to get the Titanic Musical for the April show next year," Damien piped up, eyeing his eldest daughter out of his peripheral vision as she froze, her handful of ketchup-soaked french fries hanging in midair as she processed his claim. Smirking, he added, "If you have at least one show under your belt, they might consider you for one of the primary roles when the time comes."

Excitedly watching the wheels turn in Vivien's head, Abby grabbed her sister's free wrist and wiggled it as she said, "See! If you back down now, you'll never get to be in Titanic next year."

Vivien sighed, green eyes shifting from mild annoyance to fondness as she turned to her younger sister and slipped her fingers between Abby's, "As much as I would love that, there's no chance of me getting the lead."

"Would you at least try out for Titanic next year?" Oliver asked. "That would be right up your alley."

With a snort, Chelsea chortled, "She would probably spend all her time critiquing the accuracy of everything."

"Actually," Vivien began, finding a sliver of courage to meet her mother's gaze, "the show is fairly accurate when it comes to representing the people aboard the ship that night. The historical details are only slightly manipulated to add more drama, and-"

"See," Chelsea began, glancing between her children and ex-husband, "she's already at it."

Abby opened her mouth to argue, but Vivien's grip on her hand tightened, telling her to back down before things could get worse. Abby's bluish-brown eyes found Vivien's emerald gaze, and with a shake of her head, Abby resigned, returning to her food with a barely audible sigh. Refusing to let their last family dinner before spring break be soured by the cutthroat words of his ex-wife, Damien took the remote from the coffee table and switched the input back to the Roku before letting the kids decide between two of the movies on their watchlist - The Outsiders and The Truman Show.

With the rather unanimous vote of The Truman Show, the family settled in once more and relaxed as they watched Jim Carrey's character come to life. Not long into the movie, Abby shifted between Vivien and their father, and it wasn't long before she was sprawled out over the two with her head on Vivien's lap and her legs on their dad's. Once Abby had settled into a comfortable position, Vivien began absentmindedly running her fingers through the girl's lighter hair, calming both of them at once as Truman watched his dad get shoved into a bus and taken away. However, further into the movie, as Truman began drawing a spacesuit around his reflection, Vivien's phone began to ring, and she quickly stood, shoving a somewhat disgruntled Abby off her lap and taking her trash with her to the kitchen before answering the phone.

After checking the caller ID, she smiled, tossed her trash into the bin next to the refrigerator, and quietly said, "Please tell me you're on your way."

A snort came from the other end as Mick replied, "Hello to you, too. I mean, damn, child, are you that willing to run away from home?"

Vivien glanced at her family and chuckled, "Maybe a little."

"Well, good," Mick replied. "We're pulling into the driveway now, so come out when you're ready."

Snickering to herself, Vivien said, "I thought you already knew I was bi, Mickie."

"Look, rugrat," Mick snipped, though Vivien could clearly hear the humor in her tone. "We're parked by the garage, but bring a rain coat or something; it's pouring."

"Still?"

"Yup."

Vivien sighed, "Alright, I'll be out in a few." She sucked in a deep breath and smiled to herself as Mick hung up her end of the call. Vivien headed back to the living room and grinned as she noticed Oliver holding the remote, keeping the movie paused until her return. Ruffluing her brother's hair, she cooed, "Aww, Olly-bear! Did you pause the movie just for me?"

Shoving her hand away, Oliver ran his hand through his hair and scoffed, "No, I just didn't want to have to rewind it for you."

"Yeah, sure," Abby drawled sarcastically as she punched her twin's thigh.

Chuckling as the twins began arguing over Oliver's ability - or lack thereof - to show kindness, Damien twisted in his seat, found Vivien's gaze, and asked, "Was that Mick and her parents?"

"Yeah, they just pulled up," Vivien nodded, glancing toward the front door.

With a smile, he asked, "Are you ready to go, babygirl?"

Vivien excitedly nodded, but her excitement seemed to dim as Chelsea asked, "Go where, exactly?"

"To California," Vivien explained. "You know, for spring break?"

"I never said you could go," Chelsea stated, finally looking up from her phone with steely eyes. "A trip like that requires planning, and I highly doubt you, of all people, are prepared to fly three thousand miles across the country for a week in some random city you've never been to."

Before Vivien could argue, Damien turned to his ex and said, "She asked both of us months ago, and, actually, she's had everything planned out since I gave her permission. Vivien's a smart girl; she wouldn't jump into something without proper planning."

"She even helped Abs and I plan our trips with our friends," Oliver piped up.

Placing a hand on her dad's shoulder and glancing toward her brother, Vivien thanked him with a smile before turning toward their mom and saying, "And, since Dad gave me permission, I can go, right, Mom?"

Chelsea took in a deep breath, glancing between Damien and Vivien with a stare that would end wars, but finally, she picked up her phone and huffed, "Fine. Go."

Hoping to get out the door before her mother could change her mind again, Vivien began making her way to the door, only to hear footsteps rushing up behind her. Turning, Vivien smiled as Abby and Oliver jogged up to her, Abby wrapping her in a hug as Oliver stood to the side with a grin. Squeezing her older sister, Abby pleaded, "Take lots of pictures for me, sissy."

Letting out a breath of a laugh, Vivien waited until Abby stepped back before taking her keys from the hook by the door and pushing them into the palm of her sister's hand. At Abby's confused look, she said, "Can you put them in your lockbox for me? I don't want Mom to use my car while I'm gone just 'cause it has lower mileage than hers."

Nodding in understanding, Abby softly asked, "Do you want your diary in there too?"

Vivien shook her head, "I'm taking it with me, but thank you."

Oliver shuffled closer, hinting at his desire for a final hug before his oldest sister's departure as he asked, "What about your fancy rocks?"

Wrapping her arms around Oliver's shoulders, she replied, "I took a few with me, but I doubt Mom will do anything with them because most of the ones I left are big and would be obvious if they went missing."

"If you're sure," Oliver mumbled into Vivien's shoulder before patting her back and slipping out of her grasp.

Once she took a step back, Vivien reached into her pocket and pulled out two colorful crystals, holding one out to either of her siblings, "For Abby, some charoite. It's good for keeping away negativity and helping you see a new side of yourself. Hopefully, it'll help you relax while you're away."

Abby smiled at the purple rock, shifting it in the light to see the different hues before thanking her sister and pocketing the crystal. Then, with a roll of his eyes and a smirk, Oliver accepted the smooth green lump and said, "Let me guess, this is some hard-to-pronounce rock too."

"Actually, no," Vivien snickered. "It's green aventureine and it's good for creativity, luck, and opportunities. I figured, with all the activities you'll be doing, and the theories you'll be picking apart, it would be nice to take with you."

Rolling the crystal around in his palm, Oliver allowed his smirk to spread into a smile as he handed Vivien her raincoat and said, "Have fun in Cali, Vivi."

Vivien smiled but didn't have the chance to respond as her father entered the room and said, "She will. Brady and Mack reassured me that they had a fun week planned."

Finding her dad's tired eyes, Vivien slotted herself in his arms and asked, "Will you be alright here without us for a week?"

"I'll be fine," Damien claimed as he ran a soothing hand over Vivien's hair. "Your mother is going on one of her work trips on Monday, so I'll be alone most of the time you kids are away."

Peering up at her father, Vivien smiled, "A week of empty-nesting, huh? That'll be interesting for you."

Damien pressed a kiss to Vivien's forehead and smiled, "It'll be over before I know it. Now, do you have everything?" Vivien nodded. "Are you sure? You've got your toothbrush, hairbrush?"

"I'm sure, Dad," Vivien chuckled. "And, before you ask, yes, I have the taser pen Riven's dad gave me. I took the batteries out and everything, just like he taught me."

Nodding, Damien sighed, "Good. I know I'm overthinking this, but I don't want you to be in a strange city without protection."

"I know," Vivien said with a knowing smirk. "And I don't blame you. It would be stupid of me to go without anything."

Damien hummed before smiling at his oldest girl, "I had your sister sneak something into your bag from the three of us, but promise me you won't open it until you get where you're going and have the chance to settle in."

Glancing at her sister, wondering when she could have slipped something into her luggage, Vivien smiled and said, "I won't, I promise."

"Good," he said, more for himself than his daughter. Then, patting her arm, Damien told Vivien, "Alright, well, get going before I chicken out."

"Alright, alright," Vivien snickered as she rolled her eyes up at her dad. "I'm going."

Allowing his daughter to step away and pull the zipper of her raincoat up as far as it would go, Damien pulled up her suitcase handle and held it out for her to take as he breathed, "Have fun, sweetheart."

"I'll try."

Placing a hand over Vivien's, he smiled, "You will." Once Vivien nodded in agreement, he requested, "Let us know when you land, okay?"

"Of course," Vivien beamed, anticipation bubbling up in her chest as she nodded excitedly. "I'll let you know when we get to their house too."

As Oliver opened the door and Vivien stepped out, Abby said, "I'll let Mom know you said goodbye."

Vivien crossed the threshold of the house and dragged her luggage with her, waving to the Birches and saying, "Thanks. I'll see you guys in ten days."

"Have fun!" Abby called as Vivien rushed through the rain to the Birch family's minivan.

"Enjoy the sun!" Damien said as Brady helped Vivien haul her suitcase into the trunk before closing it.

"Don't get wasted on the beach!" Oliver added, earning him a middle finger from his oldest sister and a tap on the back of the head from their dad. "What?" he asked rhetorically as Vivien hopped into the van and rolled the window down. "I'm just saying."

As the vehicle began to roll down the driveway, Vivien leaned out as far as the seatbelt would allow and yelled, "Love you!"

As her family called back in kind, Vivien rolled up the window and relaxed in her seat, earning a chuckle from Mick as the older brunette greeted her, "You look like a wet dog."

Laughing breathlessly, Vivien pushed her stringy, wet bangs away from her forehead and sighed, "I probably smell like one too, to be honest with you."

Mick pretended to sniff the air before grinning, "Only a little bit."

Vivien smiled and tipped her head to the side, finding Mick's gaze as she sighed, "I hope I don't look like a drowned rat when Royce sees me."

Mack laughed from the passenger's seat, leaning over the center console to see Vivien as she reassured her, "You won't, sweetheart. We'll make sure of it."

"I mean," Brady drawled as he pulled out onto the main roads, seemingly weighing his options until Mack slapped his arm with the back of her hand.

"Brady!"

"Kidding!" the man chuckled, somewhat proud of his playful jibe as the girls in the backseat snickered.

Vivien sighed contentedly as she relaxed into the van's faded, somewhat worn fabric seats, "I've missed this."

"You won't be saying that for long," Mack claimed. "By the end of the first week, you'll be begging us to send you home."

"Doubtful," Vivien replied with a smile. The idea of spending any length of time in the world Mick had been talking her ear off about since the day she discovered it back in December had been like something of a fantasy for Vivien. Now that she actually had the chance to see the places in her friends' pictures, the thought of cutting her stay short for anything other than the most dire circumstances was bizarre. "I'm pretty sure you'll have to drag me away kicking and screaming."

"Well, we certainly won't be doing that," Brady laughed.

"Yeah," Mick agreed, taking Vivien's hand with a brilliant smile. "You can stay there with us for as long as you want."

"And time here won't change, right?" Vivien recounted.

"Right," Mack agreed. "That machine will allow you to stay as long as you like without anything changing."

Mick nodded, watching Vivien's thoughtful eyes flicker behind her circular frames as she explained, "We turn the time control mechanism off while we're in this world so that they can enjoy life normally there, but we freeze time here so that we can enjoy things without having to go back and forth to pay bills and stuff like that."

Vivien grinned, "Like taking random teenagers into different dimensions without their parents feeling the need to call everypolice department in the tate to see if they can send out search parties?"

"I guess you could say that," Brady snorted as he pulled onto the turnpike and pressed the gas pedal further toward the floor.

The conversation seemed to split from there as Mack pulled up the directions to the airport on her phone, telling Brady to slow down before they reached a particular spot the state troopers liked to park in order to catch people speeding on the turnpike. Watching trees and distant buildings fly by as the car sped up, Vivien pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked the Discord chat she had with her bandmates, sending them a selfie of herself and Mick before hastily typing a message about them finally being on the road.

Erica was the first to respond - her text of "bitch, you bettr not become a fuckign valley girl!" appearing just before Riven's "Have fun, Pip! Don't get eaten by a shark; I need you for comp" and followed soon after by Jade's ever-calm message of, "ignore their bs. we love you. stay safe. xoxo." Vivien snickered as the trio began blowing up her phone; Erica starting an argument with Riven about sharks being harmless while also telling Jade to fuck off for being the responsible one.

"You good over there?" Mick asked, her humor evident as Vivien glanced up from her phone.

Holding out the device and leaning over so that they could both watch the drama unfold, Vivien explained, "Erica's being a bitch, Riven is a sarcastic shit, and Jade's acting like a mother hen, so Erica picked a fight with both of them."

Mick watched as Erica sent a wall of text that only consisted of the middle finger emoji, snickering, "So, a normal day, then?"

"Pretty much," Vivien agreed. As they watched conversation bubbles appear and Erica's rant spiral into nonsense, her smile faltered. She would miss them while she was away. Even when her family went on vacations, Riven would go with them, and she could text the girls anytime she wanted. This time, her ability to message them and ask them for advice on things would be revoked the minute she entered the other world. With a heavy sigh, she admitted, "I'm going to miss them."

Taking in the girl's expression, Mick reached up and placed a hand on Vivien's back, rubbing circles into her plastic raincoat as she said, "It'll suck for a few days, but after a while, you sort of get used to it."

Peering up at the older girl, Vivien allowed herself to smile, "You're talking from experience, aren't you?"

"Sadly," Mick confirmed. "My instincts were to take pictures of everything to show my friends when I got back, but then I realized I couldn't. It took a while to adjust and my phone is still full of pictures nobody else has seen, but after a while, I got used to just saving the memories for myself."

Nodding in understanding, Vivien breathed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I can send them some pictures when I get back, but until then, I can keep them to myself."

Pivoting in her seat, Mick turned toward Vivien and asked, "So, what are your plans for Royce? Are we doing a casual surprise where you just walk in and say hi or are we doing something grand in front of everyone?"

"I don't know," Vivien shrugged. "I haven't really given it a lot of thought. I was more concerned about my mom keeping me from going."

"Well, now we've got time to think it through!" Mick exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

“Not much time,” Mack explained. “We’ll be at the airport in about five, maybe ten minutes, and since we have a private flight, we’ll be in the air within the hour.”

“You guys never told me you have a private jet,” Vivien stated. “Like, I knew you guys had money, but damn.”

“It’s not ours,” Mick shrugged.

“One of my friends from school became a pilot,” Brady explained. “He’s offered us free trips whenever we need it since he knows how often we travel to the East coast and it gives him the opportunity to visit some family of his in Vermont.”

Vivien hummed, more to herself than to anyone in the vehicle, “That’s nice of him.”

After a moment of relative silence, Mick patted Vivien’s hand and told her, “Anyway, regardless of what you decide to do, Royce will be surprised.”

“You think?” Vivien asked. “I thought someone would have told him by now.”

Mick shook her head emphatically, beaming proudly as she explained, “Actually, I haven’t told anybody that you’re coming.”

Vivien’s eyes glittered with excitement as she asked, “Seriously?”

Mick nodded, her wavy hair bouncing with the movement, “The only person who knows is Butchy, and he’s not one to spill things like that.”

“That’s insane!” Vivien exclaimed, a laugh tumbling from her lips at the thought of surprising her friends with her sudden appearance in their world.

“I know, right!” Mick giggled. “But that means we have endless possibilities for surprising people. It all depends on where they are at the time.”

“When we land, it will be about one in the morning, Pacific Time,” Mack explained. “On a commercial flight, we usually stop a few times along the way to swap planes or pick up new passengers, but since this is private, we’re going to stop in New Jersey for a few minutes due to busy airways, and then get back in the air.”

“That will give us plenty of time to think about it,” Mick said cheerfully.

“And give both of you the chance to sleep,” Brady reminded his daughter, peering at her in the rearview mirror before he pulled onto the street that led them to the airport. “We don’t need both of you to be zombies when we touch down.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mick brushed off with a wave of her hand, her excitement over the whole situation outweighing the concept of sleep. “Anyway, I’ve got ideas for both options, and we can talk about them on the plane, if you want.”

Sending the older girl a smile and a nod, Vivien watched Mick smile and relax in her seat; pulling out her phone as Vivien took in a slow breath and glanced out the window. As they passed the Mall of New Hampshire, Vivien snapped a quick picture of the building and sent it to the group chart that had begun to quiet without her presence there to encourage the chaos, sending a cheeky message teasing the two girls who worked within the large, stucco and concrete building. Jade was the first to respond, her video message of her waving to the camera, arriving on Vivien’s phone as they pulled up to a gated parking lot. As Brady began speaking to the guard, listing the passengers and which flight they were on, Vivien sent a private message to Riven, telling him how nervous she was about being on a private plane.

‘You have nothing to worry about, Pip,’ was his reply. ‘The Birches know what they’re doing and wouldn’t put you in danger like that. Just breathe. You’ve got this.’

Sucking in a deep breath through gritted teeth, Vivien sent back a reply of gratitude and tried to relax as the car lurched forward and moved past the gate. Mack popped open the console between herself and Brady, pulling out a trio of passports before turning toward Vivien and asking, “Do you have your passport ready?”

Reaching under her rain coat and into the pocket of her hoodie, Vivien pulled the navy blue booklet out and handed it up to Mack, who added it to the stack in her hands. As they rolled down the tarmac, Vivien watched through the windows, trying to guess which aircraft they would be in. Narrowing it down the further they got, Vivien let out a noise of surprise as Brady turned to the side, lurching her toward the door as he pulled to a stop in a parking space. Looking around in confusion, Vivien followed the others out of the car, following Mack to the back of the vehicle, where they pulled their luggage from the trunk.

Mick grabbed Vivien’s free hand, pulling her toward a jet that had the door open and a set of stairs waiting. Pushing the handles of their suitcases down and picking them up by the straps on top, the girls boarded the plane, pushing their suitcases to the side to be scanned before finding seats to collapse into. Nudging Vivien into a window seat, Mick took the seat across from her and relaxed, waiting for her parents to board before instructing the younger girl to buckle up.

After the pilot came to greet them, telling them all the basics he needed to go over before the flight, he returned to the cockpit and announced that they would be leaving as soon as he had permission from the traffic control tower. With much reassurance from the others, Vivien began to relax, snapping pictures of the plane and the setting sun to send to her friends and family. After another announcement came over the speakers about taking off, they were in the air, and Vivien’s phone returned to her pocket as the seatbelt lights turned off. Peeling off her rain coat and shoving it into the seat next to her, Vivien huffed a sigh of relief as she realized the part she had worried about the most was now over.

Watching as the ground below grew smaller and harder to see, Vivien turned her attention to Mick, who had folded her arms on top of the table between them, leaning closer with a smile that told Vivien she didn’t want to know what the girl was going to get her into. “Do I want to know?” she asked the older brunette.

Vivien could hear the girl’s feet thumping against the base of her chair as she swung her legs back and forth, but Mick’s smile refused to dissipate as she explained, “I’ve been cooking up ideas for you.”

Nodding to herself, Vivien rolled her eyes, “Yup, didn’t want to know.”

Ignoring the girl’s statement, Mick said, “I was thinking-”

“That’s dangerous,” Brady chuckled from his seat on the opposite side of the plane.

“Dad,” Mick sighed dramatically. When the older man snickered and struck up a conversation with his wife, Mick turned her attention back to Vivien with a roll of her caramel eyes. “I figured that, once we land, we can-”

“Go to sleep?” Vivien interrupted.

“Ha!” Mick laughed. “No.”

“Yes,” Mack said, her motherly tone giving Mick little to no wiggle room as she deflated slightly.

“Okay, yeah, that too,” Mick relented. “But we can pick out some cute outfits from my closet and make sure you feel beautiful before we go.” Pointedly turning toward her mom, Micxk asked, “Right, Momma?”

“So long as you two aren’t up all night, yes,” Mack replied before taking a sip of the water bottle she had taken from the cabin’s mini fridge. “Now, Vivien, did you have anything to eat, sweetheart? They have sandwiches and things in the fridge, if you’d like.”

“That’s alright,” Vivien brushed off graciously. “Dad brought home some Mickey D’s on his way home from work.”

“I’m surprised he made it through the warden with that,” Brady said in a scoff.

Vivien smirked as the other two women gave their own forms of agreement, simply glad she wasn’t the only one who found her mother’s strict food control to be something of a nightmare. “Yeah, well, he didn’t exactly give her a choice. He came in, gave her a salad to shut her up, and let us get our meals without letting her anger break him down.”

“Good for him,” Mick grinned.

“Glad to know he’s finally growing bigger balls than hers,” Mack added. “I think we’ve all been placing bets to see how long that would take.”

With a hum of agreement, Vivien allowed the conversation to flow between topics, absentmindedly bringing up the subject of the battle bot project she wanted to work on when they got the chance, something that made Mick practically vibrate with excitement. Brady brought up the idea of using his tools if need be, which inspired Mick to go off on a spiel about possibly going to either Butchy’s or Miles’ place of work to utilize their welding kits and use some of the metal scraps they had tossed aside. By the time Mack had managed to pull them away from the topic at hand, they were starting to make their descent at an airport in Newark, New Jersey.

Before the plane took off again, Vivien sent a few relatively dark images and some quick messages to the people who knew she was leaving before stepping into the bathroom of the jet to call her aunts before they went to bed. They discussed the trip and spoke for a while about all of the activities Vivien was looking forward to before they wished each other a good night. Vivien promised to let them know when they landed before ending the call and scurrying back to her seat as the captain announced their approaching departure. Once they were back in the air and allowed to roam about, Mick showed Vivien how to recline her seat and find a comfortable position to sleep in before offering the girl a blanket and promptly passing out in her chair.

One by one, Vivien watched as the Birch family succumbed to the land of dreams, but despite her growing exhaustion and yawns tumbling from her mouth every other minute, she couldn’t find it in herself to actually sleep. She could have easily chalked up her inability to sleep to her nerves, but that wasn’t quite right. Somewhere deep inside her, she knew that there was nothing to worry about. Royce and Bentley would love to drag her around, Carrie had promised to take her to the lot they were filming on if she ever found herself in their world, and even Butchy and Miles had discussed dragging her to their respective jobs to show her knowledge of old vehicles off to their respective coworkers. There was nothing for her to be worked up over.

Forcing herself to take in a deep breath and push her unfounded fears aside, Vivien allowed another yawn to overtake her as she stretched. Reclining her seat and tugging her blanket around her shoulders, Vivien slouched into a more comfortable position, tucked her cell phone into her pocket, set her glasses on the table between herself and Mick’s slumbering form, and waited until the soft humming of the plane’s machinery lulled her to sleep. To her dismay, what felt like only a few minutes passed before Vivien found herself being gently shaken awake, grumbling at the interruption as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

A chuckle came from a blurry form as Vivien searched blearily for her glasses, listening to the person apologize in a soft voice before handing her the glasses she was searching for. Finally peering up at the person, Vivien found Brady smiling back at her, offering her a hand as he told her, “We just landed, kiddo. Time to go home.”

Chuckling exhaustedly as she stretched herself out like a cat rising from a comfortable position in the summer sun, Vivien muttered, “Am I too old to ask for someone to carry me?”

Brady let out another soft laugh, “Never, but I haven’t carried anybody in years, and I’d rather not drop you down the stairs of a plane.”

Vivien snorted and pushed herself from her seat, “Yeah, let’s not do that, then.”

“Smart girl,” Mack advised, patting the teenager on the back as she passed her on her way back from the bathroom.

As Brady worked on waking Mick from her slumber, Vivien folded up the blanket she had used, made sure she had everything she brought with her, and followed Mack to the front of the plane, where they received their belongings. Yawning as she followed Mack down the stairs, Vivien welcomed the warm California air with a tired grin. “It’s nice out,” she muttered as Mack led her toward a pale blue Jeep that had been brought onto the tarmac for them.

Accepting her car keys from the driver who brought the car over, Mack chuckled, “My phone says it’s fifty-something right now.”

More than content with the idea of the summer-like weather, Vivien sighed happily as she hauled her suitcase into the trunk of the car alongside Mack’s, “Like I said, I think you guys will have to drag me kicking and screaming from this place.”

Bringing an arm around Vivien’s shoulders, Mack smiled, “Just wait until you see how close we are to the beach.”

Vivien’s eyes glittered as the woman brought her to the side of the car, encouraging her to climb inside as Mack slid into the driver’s seat. However, before she climbed inside the vehicle, Vivien pulled out her phone and took a picture of the plane they landed in, sending it to the group chat with her bandmates before sending a message to her family members, letting everyone know they had landed safely in Santa Ana and were on their way to the Birch family’s home. Once she was sure the messages had been sent, Vivien slid into the backseat behind Mack and pulled the seatbelt across her body. Once the others had found their way to the car, Mack started the engine and pulled away from the plane, heading through a series of gates before making her way to the street and pulling away from the John Wayne Airport.

Unable to fall back asleep as they pulled onto the San Diego Freeway, Vivien watched with wide eyes as she took in the glow of the city. Throughout the half-hour drive, Vivien took a myriad of pictures. Glowing palm trees, buildings in the distance that appeared to touch the sky, and, as the freeway pulled them through San Juan Capistrano toward the beach, pictures of a seemingly endless night sky over the water. Smiling as he watched the girl take another picture, Brady encouraged his wife to take the long way home without saying a word, and Mack took the next exit, pulling onto Pacific Coast Highway and following it until the first set of lights she could turn at. At the next intersection, she turned onto Park Lantern and followed the street toward the water until it merged with Coast Highway.

The couple suppressed their laughter as Vivien gasped, leaning over their daughter to take pictures of the water that was still covered by a blanket of stars in the nighttime sky. Once houses began to block her view, Vivien relaxed, but her excitement was still very much palpable as the car glided down the highway. Turning toward the backseat, Brady kept his voice hushed as they slowed to a stop at a red light, “If you want a good shot, our street sign is right up here.”

“Really?” Vivien whispered.

Brady hummed in confirmation, “It’s on the light post up here on your side.”

Sure enough, as Vivien leaned closer to her window and squinted up at the post, she found a green sign with the words “Camino Capistrano” in thick, white writing. Although her cell phone refused to see the sign in the dark, Vivien smiled and kept her eyes on it until they had turned onto the aforementioned street and could no longer see the sign. Smiling more to herself than anything, Vivien watched with bated breath as Mack drove further up the street, past a traffic light, and through a curve. When they finally pulled to a stop in front of a fancy black gate with a Mediterranean-style roof and a few doors on either side, Vivien felt her jaw hit the floor.

Contrary to popular opinion, Vivien’s family had money. For a while in her childhood, her family had lived in an apartment that barely gave them enough room to live, but they had enough money to put food on the table and buy new things here and there. After her grandparents offered them the opportunity to move into their old house and take over the winery while they moved closer to their beloved summer camp, Vivien felt as though she was the luckiest person on the planet. While they weren’t exactly Elon Musk-level rich, the winery her parents operated and her grandparent’s summer camp made them more than financially secure. Knowing she had the chance to take on their jobs in the future, Vivien thought she would become richer than she had ever previously thought possible. However, as she got her first look at the Birch’s house, she realized she didn’t know shit about rich people.

Being well off on the East Coast meant having a home you owned, a car or two, and potentially a pet if you felt like it. Most people back home enjoyed taking up residence in old, colonial-style homes that would set them back a good hundred thousand dollars at least and were originally built for families with eleven or twelve children. East Coast wealth was classy, clean, and, well, antique. West Coast wealth, on the other hand, was a new kind of expensive. Stepping out of the car once they rolled to a stop in the four-car garage, Vivien couldn’t help but feel poor in every sense of the word.

Although Vivien had seen bits and pieces of the house over FaceTime with Mick, the sheer size of the house was astonishing. Following closely behind her friend, Vivien’s eyes scanned from the large, orange roof to the various balconies, to the swimming pool that seemed to wrap around the side of the house, and the various water guns and toys strewn about in the yard that were evidence that her friends from another world had visited before the Birches had come to collect her. Entering the house, Vivien waited for the lights to turn on before looking around at the pristine entryway. A large glass chandelier hung above the entrance, glimmering rays of light throughout the hall and part of the living room.

Although Vivien felt more than awake and ready to explore the luxurious home, Mack and Brady urged her to follow Mick upstairs once she had taken her shoes off by the door. Relenting despite her excitement, Vivien followed Mick up the hardwood stairs, grinning at the various childhood photographs of Mick and her friends along the wall as they climbed. Coming to the landing, Vivien found herself taken aback once more by the view. Across from the top of the stairs was a panoramic view of the beach across the street, a comfortable lounge area settled facing the floor-to-ceiling windows with a television mounted on the right wall - the only one without windows.

Before she could take a moment to process the kitchenette on one side of the staircase or the gaming area on the other, Vivien found herself taken by the wrist around the banister to a short hallway with three doors. They passed a room with Mick’s initial painted on the door, but Mick didn’t so much as glance toward her bedroom before opening the door to another room at the end of the hall and stepping aside for Vivien to enter.

With a yawn, the short brunette explained, “This used to be one of our guest rooms, but the boys usually take it when they stay with us, so a lot of Bentley art supplies and Royce’s books stay here.”

Looking up at the coffered, waffle-esque design on the ceiling and the various signs of life in the room, Vivien let out a disbelieving laugh, “This is insane.”

Mick took a look around and sighed at how poorly she had cleaned the room before leaving the week before, “Yeah, I know it’s not the cleanest right now, but we can pick everything up in the morning if you-”

“No, no, no!” Vivien said with a quick shake of her head, turning back toward her friend with a smile as she stood her suitcase by the end of the queen-sized bed. “Mick, you don’t understand.”

Confused in part by the conversation and part by her lack of sleep, Mick’s head tipped slightly to the side as she asked, “What do you mean?”

“I thought my house was big and that we were well off,” Vivien began, twirling around as she examined the room before finding Mick’s gaze again, “but I think yours just bitch-slapped my whole family onto the poverty line!”

Mick let out a snort, shaking her head fondly, “Well, don’t start comparing dick sizes just yet, gremlin. Save that for a time when I can actually think straight.”

“I hardly ever think straight,” Vivien smirked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed she had been given.

With a roll of her eyes and a fond smile, Mick teased, “Believe me, I know. Now, try to get some sleep. You don’t want jet lag to knock you out on your ass later.”

Raising her hand to her forehead in a mock salute, Vivien said, “Sir, yes, sir.”

Chuckling, Mick wished the younger girl a good night before disappearing into the hall, leaving the girl’s door open so that she could see the dimly lit lights in the hallway. Taking in a deep breath in the silence of her new room, Vivien hefted her suitcase onto the bed beside her and unzipped it, pulling out her astronaut lamp and setting it aside before tugging a pair of celestial pajama shorts and a matching tank top from one side of her suitcase. Picking up the luggage, she carried it over to a chair and left it open in the seat, changed into her pajamas, plugged in her lamp, and slipped under the covers with her headphones in one hand and phone in the other.

Putting on her headphones and listening to one of her favorite ASMR channels while watching the stars dance across the ceiling, Vivien finally found herself able to fall asleep relatively quickly. Dreams of surfing cerulean waves with her friends filled her night, and by the time the sun had begun poking through the curtains on either side of her bed, Vivien felt well-rested and ready to start her day. After hastily getting dressed in something appropriate for the eighty-three-degree weather her phone forecasted, Vivien took her time examining the house as she made her way down to the kitchen. Mick’s bedroom had already been vacated, and if the voices floating up the stairs were anything to go by, she was with her parents.

Making her way through the house to the kitchen, Vivien smiled as she listened to her friend’s family converse. The energy in the Birch’s house was always somewhat calming to Vivien, an environment where she could relax and feel at home regardless of what they were up to that day, but the feeling of belonging never wavered, no matter how far apart they truly were. Watching Mick dance around with her mother to the music on the radio, Vivien smiled as she leaned against the island counter. Brady nudged her arm as the song changed, beaming at the new addition to their household before offering her his hand.

Without much hesitation, Vivien placed her hand in Brady’s and allowed him to lead her in a bouncy dance that twirled them around the kitchen as Vivien giggled. Mack and her daughter stopped after a while to watch the pair, listening to Vivien half-sing, half-shriek her way through the lyrics as Brady spun her around the kitchen with ease. As the song came to an end, he twirled Vivien away, grinning as she laughed over the voice of the radio host.

Once her vision had stopped spinning, Vivien giggled, “Good morning, America!”

Brady chuckled, “Good way to get the blood pumping early in the morning, right, kiddo?”

Vivien nodded, but it was Mack who spoke, “We find it’s nice to do something fun before you start your day.”

“Speaking of starting your day,” Mick began as Vivien climbed onto one of the stools on the side of the island, “are you feeling up to leaving yet?”

“Makana,” Mack scolded lightly, “let the poor girl wake up first.”

Vivien smiled as Mick sighed dramatically, but she shook her head as she turned to the older woman. “It’s alright, Mrs B. I think I’m too excited to be tired.”

Sighing as he opened the fridge, Brady said, “Well, that’s good because I think we’re going to have to have breakfast at Butchy and Lela’s house this morning.”

Mack appeared confused for a moment before realization dawned on her face, “We forgot to pick up food last night.”

Mick shrugged, “It was two in the morning.”

With a shake of his head, Brady turned to his daughter and asked, “Do you mind us using your kitchen?”

Before Mick could reply, Vivien asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier to go to Big Momma’s for breakfast since we have to go there anyway?”

“It would be,” Mick replied with a nod, “but by the time we pry Lela off of you, it’ll be time for lunch.” Turning back to her parents as Vivien nodded in understanding, she said, “Butchy and I can make up something while everyone gets settled in.”

Mack nodded and turned her attention back to Vivien before asking, “Would you like to go now, then? Do you have anything you would like to bring with you?”

Vivien thought for a moment before nodding, “I brought some stuff with me that I wanted to show everyone. Can I run up and grab it?”

“You don’t have to ask, Vivien,” Brady insisted. Nodding toward the stairs, he said, “Just go; we’ll still be here when you come back.”

As Vivien slid out of her seat, Mick patted her arm excitedly and said, “Just put your clothes on the bed and take your whole suitcase. I’m, like, ninety-three percent sure you’ll leave with more clothes than you came with.”

Her excitement surging at the idea, Vivien nodded and hurried for the stairs, bounding up them two at a time and pushing aside her desire to explore the large home as she headed for her room. Moving her suitcase from the chair she left it on to the end of her bed, Vivien began pulling out a majority of her daily clothes, leaving her essentials, headphones, charger cords, astronaut lamp, the envelope with her name on it that her siblings and father had given her before she left home, and a few items of clothing Carrie and Lela had let her “borrow” and never got back. Once she was certain she had everything she wanted to bring with her for however long she would be away, Vivien zipped up her bag and took in a deep breath. Glancing out the window at San Clemente, Vivien smiled at the knowledge that, within mere minutes, she would be transported into a world she had only ever heard in stories and seen in a movie.

Grabbing her suitcase by the handle, Vivien left her bedroom and headed for the stairs, lifting her bag before her descent and taking the handle once she’d reached the landing. Practically skipping to the kitchen, Vivien beamed at the Birches as she cheered, “Ready for liftoff!”

Happy to show off his work to a new person, Brady clapped his hands and gestured toward the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard, “After you, kiddo.”

Vivien took the lead, opening one side of the door and sucking in a sharp breath as she was hit full-force with the heat of Southern California. Mick snickered, wrapping an arm around Vivien and guiding her toward the shed at the back of their property as she chuckled, “Welcome to California.”

‘Ugh,” Vivien groaned, “is it always like this?”

“Not always, no,” Mick claimed, “but believe me, summers are much worse in Florida.”

Hoping the older girl was simply joking, Vivien remained quiet until Mick ushered her into the shed, and she was made to carefully toe her way around scrapped projects and stray tools until she reached the yellow, tube-shaped behemoth pressed securely against the back wall. A large flower Vivien recalled seeing on a surfboard hanging on the wall in the Birch’s home was engraved into metal at the very top of the machine, wires and metal bars sticking out behind it in a haphazard yet efficient way. Pulling the handle on the right side of the machine, Vivien stepped back as the rounded glass panel at the front slid back into the left side of the machine.

With a gentle nudge from Mack, Vivien stepped into the machine, followed soon after by the family who had brought her there. As the glass door slid closed again, Mick took her friend's free hand and told her to hang on to her belongings before instructing her to watch out the window to see things change around them. Somewhat cautious of the machine as it whirred to life, Vivien watched as a vibrant glow from above seemed to illuminate the otherwise dark mechanic's shed. A soft hum filled the air as colors began to swirl outside the machine, a kaleidoscope of hues coming to life in a vibrant array that faintly reminded Vivien of a show she had seen as a child. The colors grew brighter and more vibrant, rivaling the LED lights Vivien knew Oliver had lining his ceiling before slowly dimming and allowing Vivien to see her first glimpse of another world.

Although she didn't want to appear let down by the view she was given, Vivien couldn't help her quirked brow and immediate response of, "It's an old pickup in a dark garage. Cool."

Nudging her friend with her elbow, Mick stepped around her to open the door and snorted, "It's Butchy's. Now, come on."

Taken by the hand. Vivien was dragged into the house and pulled toward the kitchen, where running water could be heard just over the sound of Chubby Checker's song The Twist that played over the radio. As she came to a stop, Vivien felt a smile split her face as she took in the striped wallpaper and yellow cabinets, the vibrant colors of the room making it feel even more inviting than she thought it would. Tilting so she could see around Mick, Vivien held in a laugh with a hand over her mouth as Butchy turned off the faucet, and Lela's voice could be heard as she danced to the music beside him. It wasn't until the music came to an end and the radio host began speaking about the next song that the raven-haired girl noticed the new figures in her house.

Lela jumped and pressed a hand to her chest, her instinctive reaction to cuss out her sister-in-law cut short as she spotted the taller brunette standing behind Mick. Letting out a screech so shrill Butchy flinched behind her, Lela rocketed forward, all but shoving Mick out of the way in order to wrap her arms around her younger friend. Rocking Vivien from one side to the other, Lela excitedly asked, "What are you doing here?!"

"It's spring break back home," Vivien explained as Lela moved back just enough to squish her cheeks in her hands. With her lips resembling that of a goldfish, Vivien continued, "I wanted to surprise everyone."

Prying his sister's hands away from the sixteen-year-old's face, Butchy smiled, "If this is anything to go by, I think Royce might end up having a heart attack when he sees you."

"Let's hope not," Vivien chuckled somewhat nervously. "I don't particularly feel like killing him."

"Sure," Butchy chortled sarcastically. "You know, I've seen some of those crime shows you love so much, piccola. You'd be arrested in an instant if you tried to kill anyone."

Smirking, Vivien said, "First of all, I watch those enough to know how to not get caught at this point. And, second, one of these days, I'm going to figure out what you're calling me, big guy."

"I'm sure you will," Butchy grinned, allowing the girl to step forward and bring her arms around him as he ruffled her hair. "It's good to see you again, Viv."

Staring accusatorily at the man as she took a step back, Vivien asked, "Is the swear jar still in place here?"

Confused as to what that had to do with him being glad to see her, Butchy slowly nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"In that case," Vivien huffed, "I'd say it's nice to see you too, but maybe I shouldn't just yet."

"Oh yeah?" Butchy questioned. "Just because of the swear jar?"

"Mhm," Vivien nodded. "You keep that thing in place and I'll be broke by the end of my first week here."

Butchy chuckled, but before he could formulate a response to Vivien's jab, Lela spoke up, "You're staying for more than a week?"

Turning to the shorter girl, Vivien shrugged, "I was hoping to, if that's alright."

Mick chuckled as she began pulling things from the refrigerator, "She is. I don't think her staying is the problem."

"What do you mean?" Lela wondered.

Butchy stepped up to the counter to help Mick make breakfast before answering, "After letting the boys know she's here, it'll be nearly impossible for them to let her return home."

Lela breathed a noise of understanding before taking Vivien's hands and saying, "We need you to look as normal as possible before you go see the boys. How do you feel about borrowing something of mine?"

Smiling, Vivien nodded, "You're the boss."

As Lela let out a noise of excitement and began pulling her away, Butchy called out, "See you in three hours."

Vivien barely got the chance to look around on her way up to Lela's room, pulled up the stairs faster than she thought humanly possible as Lela began babbling about all the things she wanted to do with the younger girl. Although the girl's excitement was evident, Vivien couldn't help but feel astonished at how fast Lela could talk when she was happy. As Lela pulled her into her bedroom, Vivien couldn't help but look around in wonder at how different it was from the movie. Despite everything looking fairly similar, there were touches of modernity that stood out against the mid-century style of the room - pictures from modern times that had made it back in the girl's luggage, an old iPod Vivien was sure Mick had given her, and some items strewn about that Vivien recalled seeing the older girl buy in her world.

Before Vivien could ask her about anything she saw, Lela pulled her over to the closet, where she revealed a room that had Vivien convinced she had somehow ended up transported to Mia Thermopolis's closet from the second Princess Diaries movie. Two plush chairs sat against the far wall, racks of clothes illuminated by little dome lights lined the walls, and shelves of shoes and accessories filled the empty space. Lela scanned the racks of clothing as Vivien looked around in wonder, picking up a pair of oversized sunglasses with a smile before setting them down and moving on to the shoes.

Moving with practice ease through her color-coordinated clothing, Lela pulled clothes down by their hangers and began stacking them on her chair. Once she felt satisfied by the selection she had laid out, Lela turned to Vivien and smiled as the girl looked at herself in the mirror with a pair of elbow-length gloves, cat-eye sunglasses, and a large sunhat that flopped in front of her face. Stepping up behind the girl, Lela said, "Time to play dress-up."

Vivien giggled, pulling the sunhat off of her head and lowering the sunglasses as she said, "I think I already am."

"And you look fabulous," Lela claimed with a smile before stepping aside and gesturing to the clothes on one of her chairs. "However, I put aside some clothes for you to try on."

"Ooh," Vivien sang as she turned around, setting her accessories aside in favor of the large pile. As Lela began setting things in their rightful places, Vivien picked through the clothing and quickly found herself lost in the myriad of colors, fabrics, and styles. "You want me try on all of this?"

Lela glanced at the dainty watch on her wrist that her uncle had gifted her for her birthday before answering, "Well, I think we'll only have time for a few before they bring us something to eat, but yeah."

Shifting a pair of shorts onto the arm of the chair, Vivien mused, "I'm surprised you didn't want me in a dress today."

"Normally," Lela began as she made up the distance between herself and the brunette, "I would have, but where most of my dresses would be far too short on you, I figured we could make up for that at the shops later. For now, I figured pedal pushers, tees, and some shorts would be more comfortable for you."

"You're definitely not wrong," Vivien smiled. Turning to the older girl, she asked, "Where should I try these on?"

"Right here," Lela beamed, unhooking a curtain from the wall and letting it fall between herself and Vivien. "If you find anything you feel suits you for the day, let me know and I'll come help you look for accessories. In the meantime, I'll be doing my morning skincare."

Excitement flowed through her like an ice-cold drink on a hot summer day, and Vivien thanked Lela before turning toward her pile of clothing and sorting through everything. Setting aside bottoms she could put together with various tops, Vivien began picking out options and trying them on, examining her reflection before trying on something new. After trying on different outfits for a while, Vivien finally settled on one - a pair of striped, white and lavender shorts with a matching purple tank top that covered far more skin than that of the tank tops back home. Lela was quick to offer assistance with the rest of the outfit, deeming Vivien's classic, black and white, doodle-covered Converse acceptable before selecting a handful of necklaces and bracelets for the brunette to choose between.

Once they had taken a break to eat breakfast, Lela began working her magic on Vivien's hair. After making sure her bangs were separated from the rest of her hair by a curler, Lela brushed out Vivien's hip-length locks before pulling them up into a ponytail and securing them with not only an elastic but also a ribbon. Lela curled the very ends of Vivien's ponytail so that it all ended in a uniform ring before spraying it down with enough hairspray to poke a hole in the ozone layer and pulling the curler out from under Vivien's bangs.

Grinning in disbelief at her reflection in Lela's vanity, Vivien thanked Lela for putting in more effort than she ever did back home, "I could never do anything like this."

"You could," Lela argued as she placed the cover back on her canister of hairspray and set it on the corner of her vanity. "It just takes practice, that's all."

"And far more patience than I could ever manage," Vivien chuckled, rising slowly from the bench Lela had practically shoved her onto. "Seriously, though, Lela, thank you."

"Anytime," Lela beamed. Checking her watch once again, she clapped her hands and said, "Now, I believe it's time we show you off to everyone at Big Momma's."

"What about Royce?" Vivien asked hesitantly as Lela began to leave the room. "Shouldn't we go see him first?"

Turning back to Vivien as she opened her bedroom door, Lela smirked knowingly, "His shift starts early on weekends."

"His shift?"

But Lela was already on her way out of the room, a wink being the only response Vivien could pry from the girl as she followed Lela out of the room and down to the living room where everyone else was waiting. With everyone else decked out in their finest sixties regalia, Vivien didn't feel half as out of place as she assumed she would be as she followed them outside, where a blue Volkswagen bus waited. As Mick climbed into the driver's seat, Vivien was allowed the seat beside her, and once everyone was inside, they took off down the road. Taking in the sights of the beach town as they rolled down the street, Vivien found it impossible to wipe the smile from her face.

The look of everything in the area was so different than what she was used to back home - mid-century houses with slanted roofs and fun doorways lined one side of the street while small businesses with typically fifties and sixties fonts in their windows lined the other. Turning toward Mick, she said, "I think I'm already in love."

With a laugh, Mick's gaze flitted toward the brunette before settling on the road again as she turned into a small parking lot where a few cars and motorcycles had parked, the expansive beach and a large building with a thatched roof within walking distance of the lot. Confused, Vivien followed the others as they climbed out of the car, but as everyone headed around the building, Vivien found herself dragged by the wrist toward the back entrance. Mick held the door for her younger friend and guided her through the kitchen before depositing her by the refrigerator and telling her to stay low until she came to get her.

Resigning to her fate of being stuck between the fridge and the trash can, Vivien crouched low to the floor, observing the people in the kitchen as they moved around, seemingly without noticing her presence. The smell of freshly cooked fish and baked potatoes filled the air, contrasting the stench of the food scraps piling up in the trash next to Vivien as she inched as close to the fridge as possible. However, as a blonde waitress entered the kitchen through the swinging door Mick had left through, Vivien found herself caught. With a hesitant smile and an awkward wave, the blonde neared the fridge with a tray and gathered colorful bottles of soda from it before placing it on a stainless steel counter and glancing over her shoulder at Vivien.

"Are you supposed to be back here?" the girl asked, a thick, southern twang accenting her voice.

Vivien swallowed thickly, offering a shrug as she explained, "My friend pushed me back here."

"Why?" the blonde questioned as she began popping off the lids of the sodas.

"I'm trying to surprise my boyfriend," Vivien explained. "I'm from New Hampshire and he doesn't know I'm here."

The blonde glanced around the kitchen, seemingly looking for someone, before settling her hazel eyes back on the girl crouched on the floor. Lowering her voice, she said, "Be grateful Big Momma isn't back here. This place is supposed to be staff-only after the soda geyser incident that happened a few weeks ago."

"Soda geyser?" Vivien repeated, mildly curious as to whether or not that had anything to do with the Mentos experiment she had shown the boys over Facetime not long ago.

"It was a huge mess," the blonde said before waving it off. Kneeling down to the brunette's height, the girl held out a hand and asked, "What's your name?"

Latching hands with the girl, Vivien smiled and said, "I'm-"

"Vivien, it's time!" Mick whisper-yelled as she pushed open the swinging door. Finding the girl on the floor and the blonde in front of her, Mick stalled, the gears in her brain turning for a moment as she processed the scene before a smile appeared on her face. "Oh, hey, Juliet."

"Hey, Mick," Juliet greeted. Turning back to the girl before her, she asked, "I presume that makes you Vivien?"

Vivien nodded, "And you Juliet?"

"Guilty as charged," Juliet smiled, her teeth a blinding white in comparison to her peachy lip gloss. Pulling the younger girl to her feet, Juliet asked, "So, what's the plan? How're we surprising this lucky mystery boy?"

"Well, I was thinking Viv could go out and pretend to be a waitress to surprise him," Mick claimed.

Glancing through the serving window, Juliet asked, "What table are they?"

"It's Miles' little brother, Royce," Mick explained. "He should be on his lunch break with his brothers now, right?"

Juliet's wide-eyed gasp shocked Vivien as the blonde whirled around, "Wait, for real? You're with Royce?" When Vivien slowly nodded in confirmation, Juliet let out a soft chuckle, "Everyone thought he was pulling our legs when he said he had a girlfriend. Especially 'cause he said she lived in a different state."

"Well, he was telling the truth," Vivien smiled nervously.

"I guess so," Juliet beamed. Turning to Mick, she said, "Anyway, I just got all their drinks together. If you want to head out now, I'll take Vivien here with me and say she's a new trainee."

Mick thought for a moment, but it didn't take her long to decide, "Honestly, that's a better plan than mine. I'll go back to my seat, and I'll see you out there in a few!"

As Mick hurried back through the door, Juliet turned to Vivien and asked, "So, newbie, are you ready for your first day at work?"

"I guess so," Vivien said, sucking in a deep breath.

With a smile, Juliet took a spare waist apron from the hangers on the wall and tied it around the younger girl before picking up her tray of sodas and asking, "Think you can carry this to their booth?"

"I can certainly try," Vivien offered, eyeing the collection of colored liquids.

Once Juliet was sure Vivien had a good hold on the tray, she said, "Just stay behind me and don't say a word until I introduce you. The less chance he has of seeing you, the better chances you have of surprising him."

Vivien nodded, and without another word, Juliet began to lead the way out, holding the door open behind her for Vivien before leading her through the busy restaurant. Vivien didn't get the chance to look around much as they walked, more focused on not spilling any drinks than exploring. However, as Juliet stopped at a booth along the far wall, Vivien looked around, hoping to see some familiar faces among the crowds.

Clearing her throat, Juliet spoke, "Hope y'all don't mind, but we've got a new girl with us this noontime and I figured I'd show her the ropes while Royce here takes his break."

"That's fine, Jules," Vivien heard Miles say. "What's her name?"

"I figured I'd let her introduce herself when she's ready," Juliet said, glancing over her shoulder at Vivien before stepping aside.

Finally able to see the group in the booth, Vivien took in the look of surprise on Miles' face first. Miles quickly got Carrie's attention by squeezing her hand, getting her to look up from the menu in her hands. Cerulean eyes glittered like fireworks as Carrie saw the girl standing at the end of the table, and she hurriedly tapped Bentley's shin under the table with the toe of her shoe, making him lift his head from the crayon drawings he had begun on the back of one of the disposable, paper placemats. Somewhat annoyed at the interruption, Bentley lifted his gaze with a question on his lips, but as Carrie pointed to the end of the table, his question died, and his mouth dropped open, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

Before anyone could signal Royce to lift his head from his arms as he yawned tiredly toward the table, Vivien smiled at his tangled curls and said, "Hey, handsome."

Without bothering to look up, Royce decided that, since nobody else cared to speak, he would, and mumbled, "Believe it or not, Miles has a girlfriend."

Vivien fought down a laugh and said, "Believe it or not, I wasn't talking to him."

The first to pull himself out of his shocked stupor, Miles grinned and said, "Royce has one too."

"I don't see her anywhere," Vivien said, placing the tray of drinks on the end of the table. "Maybe I need a mirror."

Royce rolled his eyes, lifting his head from his arms enough to take his soda from the tray as he said, "Not interested."

"Royce," Bentley began warningly but was quickly stopped by Miles as the oldest of the brothers placed a finger to his lips and gestured for the boy to stay silent.

"Damn," Vivien sighed as Royce's forehead rested against his arms once more. "And here I thought we would have lasted at least half a year before you decided to break up with me, Rolls."

Startled by the choice of nickname, Royce's eyes peeled open, and through the corner of his eyes, he found himself looking at a pair of Converse with faded doodles on the white of the toe, but it wasn't until he saw the tiny ship charm dangling from her laces that he began putting pieces together. As he slowly lifted his head, Royce found himself frozen with shock. Sure enough, standing before him was his girlfriend, but she looked as though she had stepped out of a magazine. Her typical jeans and T-shirt were replaced with clothing he was used to seeing on some of his friends at school, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail he knew she would normally complain about at the end of the day, but she didn't seem upset by it in the slightest. Her round glasses caught the light above their table perfectly, glinting magically as the light above another nearby table casted a golden halo around her from behind. For a while, Royce was convinced he was seeing things - Vivien couldn't be in his world; it was impossible! She would have told him she was coming! - but then she smiled down at him and said something he couldn't hear over the thoughts running rampant in his head.

Swallowing as he blinked up at her, Royce softly asked, "Vivien?"

The girl before him laughed, and while that beautiful symphony was all he needed to hear, her nod dispelled any further doubts he could have had. Rocketing up from his seat, Royce lunged forward, bringing his arms around her as far as they would reach, nearly lifting her from the floor as she giggled by his ear. They stood like that for what felt like an eternity before Royce backed away enough to take her face in his hands, examining her as though it was the first time.

"Hey," she breathed, as eloquent as ever.

"You-" Royce cut himself off with a laugh, "You're real. You're real and you're here. How are you here?"

Vivien shrugged, "Magic."

Scoffing a laugh, Royce shook his head and brought her back into an embrace that she quickly returned. Looking over her boyfriend's shoulder at the group, who had now pulled themselves out of the booth to greet her, Vivien smiled and gestured for Bentley to join them. Needing no further encouragement, Bentley was quick to attach himself to the pair, ducking under Royce's arm as it came around his shoulders and smiling as Vivien's snuck around his back. The trio refused to separate until Miles asked for his hug, making Vivien pry herself away from her boys for long enough to give Miles and Carrie a greeting as well. Then, just like magnets, the trio fell back together again. This time, however, they separated after a minute, and with Vivien's hands locked firmly in theirs, the boys began showing her around to anyone and everyone who would give them the time of day.

Vivien couldn't help but smile as she was dragged through the restaurant, her face burning like a neon firetruck. As much as she hated being the center of attention, she tried to swallow back her growing anxiety at being surrounded by strangers in favor of allowing the boys to introduce her to the people they cared about. She was sure her growing nerves and embarrassment at being shown off like a prize horse would wear off over time once the boys began to settle, and she wasn't about to complain to either of them until they were calmed down a bit. After all, they had waited long enough for this. Besides, what was the harm of a little embarrassment? If it meant the boys' gleaming smiles never left their faces, she would deal with it a thousand times over. Catching Royce watching her fondly as Bentley introduced her to some of their and their brother's friends, Vivien smiled.

Maybe - just maybe - she could get used to this.

#Same Trailer Different Park #STDP #and so it begins

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arielhopepeace · 1 year

Text

Hiii. This is my first time posting on here but this is gonna be a Joel Miller and y/n story. I do have a Javier Peña story too, so lmk if you want me to post that!!

Please 18+ and I’ll add the appropriate tags for future uploads but this one is just part one for now! Only fluff (for now).

Part two is here

Part three is here

Part four is here

Part five is here

Part six is here

Part seven is here

Final part is here

6,000+ words

PART ONE

There’s a sense of calm in the stifling Texas air today. All of the kids are off of school for the summer, and people are enjoying the crisp sun rays on their dewy, hot skin. You notice that the excitement for the state fair is palpable, easily picking up on the feeling from the young teens who pass you by on the sidewalk.

It wasn’t too long ago that you yourself were in high school, ecstatic for summer vacation, and a well-earned break from the misery of the education system. School was never for you. It wasn’t that you were inept or lazy, but that the other students were insufferable. It was hell going through school, and it was all because of who your dad is.

Not only is your dad the mayor of Austin, Texas, but he’s also one of the wealthiest people in the state. Your parents always wanted you to go to public school so that you could have a normal education and have a ton of friends, but the second everyone made the connection with your last name, you were doomed.

Luckily, they never forced you to go to college. You were able to secure your spot as your dad’s secretary, and making decent money doing it, too. Truthfully, it frustrates you to be in such close proximity with him all day. It’s not that you don’t love your dad, you do. You just wish you had an actual relationship with him.

The two of you never did normal father-daughter stuff, or even spent much time together growing up. It was always helping him prep for a campaign, or him just talking about his job. It��s always seemed like he cares way more about his job than you, and your relationship suffered because of it.

You’ve never brought this to your dad’s attention, and part of the reason is because you’re scared he won’t even care if he knew. You’re just happy to have a relationship with your mom. She’s like your best friend. And since you didn’t have many growing up, it was nice to be close to her.

As you’re leaving the office to head to your car that is parked a bit out of the way, you notice a few ambulances passing by, the blaring sirens and blinding red lights startling you to the point where you hop back off of the sidewalk. The trucks are nowhere near you, but the sudden burst of noise gave you an unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach.

You can’t help but watch them as they travel to their destination, praying that they’re not turning towards anybody that you know or love. It alleviates some anxiety as you watch them continue down the long road, knowing that the few people you do care about, live closer than to where they’re going.

You’ve just recently moved out of your parent’s house into your own, and it’s been freeing, yet terrifying. The stillness of the house at night, along with the random creaks and pops that you haven’t familiarized yourself with, leave you so uneasy, that it’s hard to sleep sometimes.

It’s only been a week at this new house, and while it’s beautiful and lovely, it feels painfully empty. You haven’t gotten around to going to a local shelter to adopt a cat or dog, simply due to the fact that you work five days a week from nine to five. An animal deserves to have someone around more often than that, in your opinion, and you don’t want them to go from being at a shelter and alone, to being in your home, alone.

There is a perk to this new house, though, and while you know it’s demented of you, you can’t help but feel giddy every time you see the black pickup truck in the driveway next to yours. Next door to you is your dad’s best friend, Joel Miller, and his daughter, Sarah. It was completely coincidental that this was the house that was the most fit for you, and just so happened to have your childhood crush living next door.

You know it’s wrong of you to have a thing for your dad’s best friend who is at least fifteen years older than you, but you know it’ll never amount to anything. He’s a kind man who loves his daughter more than anything in the world, and the fact that he’s extremely hot is just an added bonus.

He has a luscious head of black hair that is just starting to show a few sprinklings of gray in it. His body is fit, yet still thick and not at all lean. It’s his naturally tanned skin that always gets you, and the fact that it looks like the sun personally kissed him when he was born. Tie that all together with a handsome hooked nose, reminding you of a Greek god statue every time you see him. And that nose rests above an always groomed mustache and beard that has its own dash of subtle gray hairs in them.

If you were older and a different person entirely, you wouldn’t hesitate to go after this man. He’s been single for god knows how long, and you haven’t seen him with a woman since his wife died just after Sarah was born, when you were twelve.

Sarah herself is now twelve, going on thirteen in a few months. It’s strange how long ago being thirteen seems to you, but also how it’s like it was yesterday. In truth, you don’t miss your teen years in the slightest. All the awkward growth, hormones, and the question of sexuality was just plain stressful. But now it’s eleven years later, you’re twenty-four, and you’re living in your own house, with your own car, and pretty content with your life for the most part.

Pulling in to the driveway at home, you see Joel outside washing his truck. White streaks of soap cover the vehicle and your eyes are on Joel’s dampened gray shirt and dark blue jeans that he’s wearing beautifully on his perfect body.

It’s ridiculous how hard-up this man has you. He has no idea the sinful ideas you have in your filthy mind about him, or the fact that he could snap his fingers and you’d do whatever he commanded. You’re practically panting as you watch him stretch over the hood of his truck, the gray fabric of his shirt riding up, allowing you a glimpse at his side.

You shake your head, feeling like a creep just watching him do a completely innocent task. You step out of the car, the smell of soap instantly filling your nose as you walk up to your front door.

Joel takes notice of you and waves, putting his massive sponge down on the hood as he walks over.

You’re instantly nervous, feeling your blood pumping faster in time with his steps toward you.

“Hey,” you say smoothly, not at all sounding as nervous as you feel.

“Hi,” he grins, flashing that goddamn adorable smile that melts you every time. “I actually wanted to ask you about that barbecue your dad is having next week. Your dad said to be there at five, and I know how anal he is about that shit, but I have to bring Sarah to a friend’s house that night. Would he care if I was late? I’ve tried calling, but he hasn’t answered, as usual.”

“Oh,” you scoff, “yeah he never answers. I doubt he’d care, but I could always take Sarah if you wanted me to. I didn’t plan on going to the barbecue anyway.”

His straight black brows push together. “Why?”

Laughing a bit sheepishly, you briefly look down to your feet. “I’m just not feeling it. Those events are never fun for me. I’m always just sitting by myself in the corner while my parents schmooze with the town.” You frown, “And now my only buddy Sarah won’t even be there, so I’m definitely not going. She’s the only one who talks to me, when she goes.”

Joel chuckles, bringing a hand to your shoulder. His touch electrifies you. “Come on, I’ll talk to you. It’ll be weird if the mayor’s daughter isn’t there, right?”

You shrug. “I’d rather stay in bed, eat snacks, and watch a scary movie by myself.”

“Well, hey, if you still end up going after you take Sarah for me, I’ll be happy to see you.”

It warms your heart to hear him say that, and you can’t help the heat that’s made its way to your cheeks. “Thanks.”

“And thank you for taking her. It means a lot.”

“Of course. I love her. She’s the best.”

Joel looks back to his house, smiling fondly. “She is.”

You put your key into the lock, turning it before stepping in. “Just text me next week about what time and where the house is, okay?”

He nods. “Thank you again, y/n. You’re amazing.”

Smiling, you step inside, reluctantly closing the door on the face of the sexiest DILF you’ve had ever had the pleasure of knowing. There’s always that thrill when he’s near you, like you’re in high school again talking to your crush against the lockers while you do your best to be as feminine and alluring as possible.

Your phone buzzes from your purse and you pull it out, smiling when you see a text from Joel.

Joel

5:45pm

Taking Sarah to the fair tonight. Would you like to join us?

You’re not sure why, but your heart skips a beat at him asking you. Obviously it’s not a date, and he’s only asking because you’ll be home alone otherwise. But you know that you’d be an idiot to say no at an opportunity to spend time with him.

5:46pm

Sure. What time?

Joel

5:47pm

Gonna finish up dinner then be on our way. Probably 7.

5:48pm

Okay, I’ll see you there.

Joel

5:49pm

Would you like to just ride with me? You know, save the environment from carbon emissions and whatnot.

You audibly giggle.

5:50pm

Lol, sure. I’ll be ready.

You practically twirl around your living room like you’re the main character in a rom-com. There’s even a slight squeal that passes your eager lips at the scenarios running through your mind. Wouldn’t it be lovely to go on the Farris wheel with Joel; to be so close that your legs are pressed together? Maybe he’ll lean in and kiss you, and fireworks will pop above your heads, adding to the romance of the moment.

There’s nothing you wouldn’t give to have Joel return the feelings you’ve had for him since you were going through puberty, but you know that he’s not interested in someone so young. And the fact that his best friend is your dad would also definitely play a part in his lack of interest. He’s a powerful man, and there’s no doubt he’d be furious if anything were to ever happen.

Shaking your head, you push all of the mushy thoughts away, knowing that all they are are silly fantasies that can never be fulfilled no matter how hard you try to manifest them to reality.

It’s nearing seven o’clock, and you’ve fitted yourself into blue jeans, your black Keds, and a t-shirt with your favorite singer on the front. You obviously want to feel pretty around Joel, so you reapplied the makeup that was already on your face for work, touching it up and making it look cleaner. Your hair hangs loosely, even adding the extra effort to straighten it. You know it’ll frizz up because of the heat, but as long as it’s silky for a little bit, that’s all that matters.

Your stomach growls loudly. Because you were so focused on getting ready to see Joel, you didn’t leave yourself enough time to eat dinner. Of course you could always eat something at the fair, but deciding on what is the biggest issue. There’s always so many delicious choices, and you’re not sure which you’ll land on.

There’s a knock on your front door and you swing it open, seeing Joel in his same jeans as before, but with a different shirt on than the one he was cleaning his truck in. This one is nicer. It’s a red plaid shirt that has the sleeves rolled up above the elbows, and you can’t help but notice the fresh smell of his cologne.

“Hey,” you finally say with a smile. “Let me just grab my purse.”

You stretch behind the door to the coat rack where your tan purse hangs by its long strap. You toss it over your shoulder, turning and locking the front door behind you.

“I’m glad you decided to come with. Sarah is supposed to meet some friends there, so I’d just be the stray dad holding all the tickets and prizes,” Joel smiles down at you.

You can’t help but giggle beneath his intense brown-eyed gaze. “I’m glad you invited me. Would’ve been alone all night.”

He nods. “I know. Figured we could both use the company.”

Joel opens your door for you, and your inner imaginary version of you is doing cartwheels, confirming to herself that this is in fact a date. You brush her off, knowing she’s still over-thinking everything.

“Hi, y/n!” Sarah squeaks excitedly from the back seat. “I’m so glad you came.”

You turn, meeting the soft, wide hazel eyes of Joel’s beautiful daughter. “Me, too! I was telling your dad how bummed I am you won’t be my barbecue buddy next week.”

She giggles, flipping her curly hair behind her shoulder. “I’m sorry! My best friend is having a big sleepover and I didn’t wanna miss it.”

“Aw, no, I don’t want you missing out on that to hang out with me at some lame barbecue! That sounds like a blast.”

“I’m so excited,” she beams. “The first sleepover of the summer.”

Joel gets in with a slight grunt, looking to Sarah in the rear view mirror. “And I know not the last.”

“Nope.”

Joel and I both chuckle, the truck pulling away from my driveway as we head through the crowded streets towards the fair.

To no surprise, the place is jam packed with people of all ages, making it nearly impossible to find a parking spot. Joel manages to find one across the street at a baseball stadium, where a lot of other people are parked for the fair as well.

The three of you walk across the street, waiting for a safe clearing before you head towards the ticket booth at the entrance of the fair. Joel easily pays for the three of you, despite your wallet and cash being ready and in-hand.

“Joel,” you say gently, “you didn’t have to pay for me.”

He smiles, shrugging his shoulders. “Please, it’s not a big deal.”

Sarah looks up to her dad, her lit-up iPhone in her hand as she puts on her best puppy dog eyes. “Can I please go meet Stacy and Lilly now?”

Joel sighs. “Fine, but you keep me updated on your whereabouts, okay?”

She nods fervently. “I promise!”

He gives her a small kiss on the forehead before she’s on her way, scurrying off to be with her friends.

“Guess she doesn’t want me around this year,” he says with a small laugh, but it doesn’t hide the pain in his voice.

“Aw, Joel, don’t say that. Sarah loves you, and you’re an amazing dad. She’s just getting to that age where she’s not a kid anymore. She’ll be thirteen soon, right?”

He looks to you as he nods. “Jesus, yeah.”

“She’s lucky to have you, and she knows it. When I was thirteen, I barely saw my dad.”

His brows fix together with sorrow in his twinkling brown eyes. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. He was so focused on running for mayor and his campaigns,” you sigh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to darken the mood,” your laugh lightens the air a bit.

“No, not at all. I just had no idea. I thought you two were inseparable, since you work for him and all.”

Your eyes shift to the dirt path in front of you, watching it as you continue to walk along it with Joel beside you. “We haven’t been close in a long time. He’s a bit self-absorbed.”

Joel snorts with laughter. “Well, I could’ve told you that.”

You both chuckle, and you decide to change the subject.

“So, how was your day? I was surprised to see you home so early.”

It’s clear that he gets your signal to switch the conversation, and he does it without a single fret to his words.

“Yeah, I was, too. It was slow today, actually. Normally, I’m not home until after the sun sets, but they didn’t need us as long today.”

“That’s good,” you grin wide. “I’m sure Sarah was happy to see you.”

His eyes soften as he nods. “She was.”

Joel works in construction, and that only adds to the rugged handsomeness that is this man. There’s callouses at the tops of his palms, as well as various small scars and scrapes on his hands and arms. You’re not sure if there’s anything about him that isn’t a complete turn on.

“See? She adores you. It’s okay if she wants to hang out with her friends. Don’t take it personally,” you nudge him gently.

He chuckles, nodding. “You seem to be very knowledgeable for someone who doesn’t have any kids.”

“Only telling you what I personally experienced as a female teen.”

Joel smiles, his eyes turning to look at the different food booths around. “Do you want something to eat? I can’t imagine I gave you enough of a warning to have dinner.”

Your stomach screams in response, pleading for the relief of food. “Oh, it’s not your fault. I was too busy winding down from work to eat. I’d actually love to get something, I’m just so indecisive.”

“Hmm,” he stops in the middle of the wide dirt path, tapping a long, tanned finger to his blackened beard. “Would you like a turkey leg?”

You shake your head as you laugh. “That sounds—messy.”

“So, what? I’m not judging you,” he smiles warmly.

“Maybe something simpler, like a pretzel.”

He gives you a disapproving look, his hands on his hips. “A pretzel for dinner?”

You roll your eyes as you smirk, not being able to help how hot you think it is when he gazes at you in that way. It’s probably your massive-sized daddy issues that have you squirming beneath his line of sight, but you don’t care. You’ll forever find this man to be as sexy as can be.

“Fine,” you quirk up a brow. “How about I’ll have a pretzel and we can share a funnel cake. Deal?”

Joel pats his stomach. “God, with this body? I really shouldn’t.”

“I promise that there’s nothing wrong with your body.” You say it before thinking, and you instantly advert your eyes away from him, continuing over your odd compliment. “Uh—the pretzel stand is over there,” you point, gesturing to it down the path with your head.

You both walk towards the stand, the smell of fresh, soft, buttery pretzels filling your nose and making your mouth practically water. There’s also a cinnamon-sugar pretzel near the window on display that has your stomach rolling over itself in almost agony.

Joel steps up to the window, pushing a five dollar bill towards the older gentleman in the stand. “Two salted pretzels, please.” He holds up his fingers in a peace sign.

The man nods, taking his money as Joel looks down to you with a victorious smirk.

“You’re annoying,” you laugh, shoving him with your elbow. “Why won’t you let me pay for anything?”

“Because I invited you. Just let me treat you and quit complaining about it.”

God. Even his playful assertiveness is sexy. He could do anything at this point and it would leave you weak in the knees. It’s not just what he says, it’s the sultry allure of his deep voice. It’s a soothing, gentle voice, but also powerful and manly. You’ve never heard him yell, but you know that it would knock you off your feet if you did. Just that thought alone tempts you to make him angry, just to experience firm, enraged Joel for your own wicked pleasure.

He hands you your pretzel, clicking his to yours as he bows his head slightly. “Cheers.”

You laugh, biting into the soft, fluffy flesh of the browned bread. The flaky salt hits your tastebuds with a delicious sting, making you salivate as you chew.

“Mmm,” you groan, “thank you, Joel. I’m starving.”

Joel’s eyes meet yours, giving you a small smile as his jaw flexes from his chewing. “You’re welcome. Now, to that funnel cake stand.”

You nod, walking down the path a bit to be instantly drawn in by the smell of decadent, fried batter. Joel bites at his pretzel again, briefly mesmerizing you with his mouth before you look to the funnel cake menu.

“Are you a chocolate or fruit woman?” he asks, pulling his bifold out again.

“Definitely chocolate, but there’s nothing wrong with both. What about you?”

Joel looks to you with a smirk, licking his lips free of salt. “Chocolate. But I was wondering if maybe we did one with chocolate sauce and strawberries on it.”

“God, you’re amazing,” you practically groan. “Yes. That sounds perfect.”

He chuckles as he nods, both of you waiting in line as you finish your pretzels. Joel takes your paper sleeve from you, smushing it with his as he bunches them together, tossing them in the nearest trash can.

You watch as he orders the funnel cake, enjoying how he’s taken charge of the evening. The thought that he might be doing this because he thinks of you like a daughter makes you suddenly feel sick, and you’re praying that he doesn’t. The fact that he said ‘woman’ and not ‘girl’ when asking if you prefer chocolate or fruit was comforting. It made you hope that he saw you as a exactly that; a woman.

His hand slips into his bifold to pull out another five dollar bill, stopping to gaze up at the menu again.

“Sorry, could you actually add a large lemonade to that, too, please?” he hands the guy a ten. “Thanks.”

“I love lemonade,” you smile wide at him, feeling how hot your cheeks have become.

“Me, too. I just know that I need something to drink after that pretzel, and I figured you did, too.”

You both move to the side so other people can order as you wait for your funnel cake to be finished.

“Thank you. You’re so nice to me, Joel.”

He chuckles. “And you’re nice to me. And Sarah, which means more than how you act towards me. You could hate my guts, but as long as you’re nice to my girl, that’s all I care about.”

His girl. God, what you wouldn’t give to be called that by him.

Joel stretches up to grab the funnel cake and lemonade from the woman who hands it to him, and the both of you find the nearest table to sit down at. He hands you a fork once you’re settled down into an old plastic folding chair at a splinter-inducing wooden table.

His fork crunches into the plastic plate as he stabs the dessert, his mouth stretching out in an ‘oops’ expression.

You can’t help but laugh. “It’s okay, these plates are cheap. If stuff gets everywhere, it gets everywhere,” you shrug.

Joel chuckles, pushing a pierced bit of the cake into his mouth. “God,” he chews, “yes, yes, yes.”

You take your own bite, savoring the sweetness of the chocolate, the strawberries, and powdered sugar. They all combine into a beautiful explosion of delectable sugar in your mouth, making you nod in approval.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” you say, taking a bit more.

“Oh, I agree.” He gives you a half smile. “And thanks to you, I actually allowed myself to eat it. I never eat stuff like this anymore.”

You ruffle your brows. “Why?”

“Well, I’m about to be forty, and my metabolism isn’t the same as it used to be,” he chuckles. “I’ve already got the dad bod.”

“Dad bods are hot!” you blurt, watching as his eyes widen in surprise, and his eyebrows raise. “I just mean that—like—all dad bods are hot. Having a six pack isn’t the rage like it used to be. It’s dad bods.”

Joel laughs, his head turning down to the funnel cake as he continues to eat. He quickly drops his fork as he chews, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Sarah just texted me to tell me she’s going on one of the big rides. She sent me a picture, look.” Joel flips his phone around, and it’s a picture of a wide-eyed, over-exaggerated with fear, looking Sarah and a large ride behind her.

“She’s adorable,” you giggle. “I never rode those things as a kid.”

“Why not?” Joel asks, locking his phone and tucking it into his jeans again.

“I’m a pussy.”

He lets out a loud laugh, contagious enough to have you giggling along with him.

“Why don’t we go on some? We’ve got the bracelets,” he shimmies his wrist at you.

“Oh, god, Joel. I don’t know.”

“Come onnnn,” he drags out. “It’ll be fun. What’s the point of going to the fair if you aren’t gonna ride the rides?”

Rolling your eyes, you sigh, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Fine, but if I throw up, you’re not allowed to judge me.”

His eyes soften as he stands. “I already told you I’d never judge you.”

Joel gestures the rest of the funnel cake to you, but you turn it down, resulting in it being tossed into the trash. You’re both walking quicker than before, your feet carrying you to the ride where you lay against the side and it spins you in a fast circle.

“I will definitely throw up on that one!” you protest, anxiety clawing its way into your chest.

Joel hops in the very short line. “Are you really going to let my money for your bracelet go to waste?”

You glare at him as you cross your arms with a smirk on your lips. “Didn’t think you’d hold it over my head.”

“Well, now I am,” he teases.

The carney signals you guys forward, and you’re both running onto the ride, strapping yourselves against the padded wall directly beside each other. You can feel your heartbeat in your neck, and Joel looks to you as he guffaws.

“If you’re too scared, we can get off, y/n. It’s really okay.”

“No!” you say firmly, finding your courage. “This ride is my bitch.”

Joel cackles with you joining him.

Your hands are gripping the bars near your shoulders as the ride finishes being loaded up. You can hear it being geared up, the slow spin beginning. It’s nerve wracking waiting for it to get to full speed, but it only happens within a matter of seconds.

You’re spinning so quickly you feel like you’re going to fling through the open ceiling of the ride that you don’t dare to look up into. You know that if you turn your head anywhere other than up, you’ll be vomiting funnel cake and pretzel all over everybody in this ride.

The music in the ride is deafening, as are the mechanics and the wind whipping in your ears. Joel screams out beside you, and you decide to scream with him. Slowly, you turn your head, watching through your whipping strands of hair, his own hair being roughly pushed around by the wind.

The ride comes to a stop after what feels like forever, and Joel stumbles out of his space, tumbling to the ground and falling flat on his back.

“Oh, my god!” you cackle, releasing yourself from your seatbelt confines to stumble carefully over to Joel. You see about three different Joel’s from how completely dizzy you are.

“Ah, fuck. I’m too old for this, y/n,” Joel laughs hysterically, his eyes closed.

“Oh, shut up. You’re not old. Now, get up.” You hook your arm under his, slowly pulling him to his feet.

Your arms stay hooked as you both wobble out of the ride, Joel clutching the railings out of the ride for dear life.

“Give me a minute, I still feel like I’m spinning.” His laughter hasn’t stopped since you set foot on that ride.

Your equilibrium has mostly replenished, and you can’t help but laugh at Joel’s lack of steadiness.

He leans back off the railing after a few minutes, brushing his hair down with his palms. “Ah, I’m a mess.”

“You look fine, Joel,” you giggle, fixing your own hair as you wonder how fucked up it looks. “You still want to ride more rides?”

“Maybe just not as spinny,” he chuckles, finally starting to walk towards you. “Something easy.”

“What about the carousel?”

Joel nods. “Perfect. Let me catch my breath a little on those.”

You walk over to the ride filled with shiny, lavish horses all having a pole going through them. There’s only a few people ahead of you, mostly everybody waiting for the bigger, scarier rides.

Joel and you walk the steps, the ride wobbling a bit as everyone gets to their horse. You pick the one that’s your favorite color, and Joel is seated on a sparkly white one beside you.

“Beautiful,” you giggle.

Joel beams wide at you. “I happen to like my glittery horse, thank you very much.”

The funniest part about it all, is how a man so burly and masculine is giggling like a school girl on the back of a wonderfully feminine horse. You’re both laughing your heads off as the ride starts up, going in big, decently slow circles with your horses sliding up and back down easily.

There’s a bit of a jerk in yours, making you move suddenly forward towards the pole. Joel grips your pole, your head hitting the softness of his hand.

You’re amazed at his reflexes, and also his ability to detect you were going to fly forward.

“Wow, thanks, Superman,” you smile with a slight laugh.

“As soon as we started going, I could see that one was a bit wonky. Unlike my pretty glittery queen beneath me.” He uses his other hand to pat the ass of his horse.

Your horse juts forward again, making your forehead knock against Joel’s hand.

“God, I’m moving. This one is gonna kill me,” you say, quickly hopping off to go to the one on the other side of Joel.

His head turns as it follows you, his eyes examining the horse closely. “It seems good, I think.”

“Oh, yeah. This one is a lot smoother.” You quickly pull your phone out, pointing it to the mirror directly beside you. “Smile, Joel!”

Joel closes his eyes as he presents you with a big, toothy grin, and you giggle as you snap your picture in the reflection.

You examine the photo, laughing at the both of you. You turn your phone to show him and Joel belly-laughs.

“You’ve gotta send that to me,” he giggles. “It’ll embarrass the shit out of Sarah.”

Later, you’re both sitting down at the same table where you had your funnel cake, Joel having purchased another lemonade for you two to share. It brings you a slight thrill to know his lips were wrapped around the same plastic straw that you are currently sucking lemonade through.

You’ve had such a good night with him, that the inner imaginary you is actually starting to believe that you may still end up kissing on the Ferris wheel.

Joel pulls out his phone, standing up. “Okay, Sarah said one more ride and then she’s ready to leave. Let’s go win a stuffed animal.”

“Okay,” you beam, carrying the lemonade with.

He lands on a shooting game, and you have to shoot one hundred pellets into a target to break the bullseye out of the paper. If you do it, you get to pick any prize you want and take it home.

Joel holds the stationary rifle steady, leaning down a bit to keep his eye on the sights. The bullets shoot out quickly with a sharp whistling sound as they crash against the paper. Before he’s even finished with his full round of pellets, the middle of the paper falls down, Joel backing up and triumphantly holding his hands in the air.

“I’m the pellet god!” he cries, making you giggle like an idiot.

“Okay, you can pick your prize,” the younger-looking man says to him.

Joel gestures to you, looking to all the prizes.

Your eyes immediately land on the giant purple ape, pointing with a wide grin. The man climbs up and gets it down, the damn thing being as long as you. Joel takes it and hands it to you, your arms enveloping it into a huge hug.

You turn. “Thank you. I’m gonna name him Joel.”

“Oh, yeah? Do I look like an ape?”

You giggle, shaking your head. “Nope. It’s just because I like him so much.”

Joel smiles softly at you, his brown eyes gazing into yours. You feel weak in the knees by the way he’s looking at you, and you know that you’re reading too much into his gaze.

“Daddy!” you hear, the both of you turning to see Sarah. “Did you win me a stuffed animal?”

Joel looks to you, then back to Sarah. “Actually—”

“Yes, he did!” you beam, handing the gorilla to the little girl who can barely carry it. “But he said you have to name him Joel.”

Sarah hugs the stuffed animal tightly, smiling wide as she nods. “Thank you so much.” She puts the animal down briefly to give her dad a huge hug, his arms falling to wrap her up.

Your eyes are a bit bleary as you watch their moment, wishing that your dad would’ve given a damn enough about you to even take you to a fair.

Back at home, you say good night to Sarah as Joel pulls into his driveway. Sarah gives you a hug, then runs inside with her big stuffed animal clung to her side. Joel walks you to your door, peering down at you as you unlock it.

“That was sweet of you to give that to Sarah,” he says sweetly. “Thank you, y/n.”

“Oh, please. I’m sure it means more to her than to me.” Your body faces his. “Thank you for tonight. I had such a good time.”

“I did, too. I’m happy you came with.”

“Me, too.”

It’s quiet for a moment, and all you hear is the chirping of crickets and the buzzing of the cicadas.

“Anyway, good night, Joel.”

“Good night, y/n.”

You walk into your house, closing the door behind you as your back presses against it. Of course you wanted that gorilla, knowing that Joel won it for you, but you wanted Sarah to have it more.

Their relationship is so special and rare. You would kill to have your dad give you more than a passing glance in the last ten plus years. It makes you happy knowing that they will have a good relationship forever, and Joel will make sure of it because he loves her more than anything in the world.

***

#pedropascal #joel miller #tlou #the last of us #pedro pascal fic #joel miller fic #pedro pascal smut #joel miller smut #y/n fics #the last of us fic #smut #javier pena #javier pena smut

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tsunadadudi · 1 year

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Hi, I need to move by the end of April or I’m gonna be homeless

Remaking because my older one is outdated, messy, and a lot happened very fast.

Fund count -250/1750

My trans ndn ass is so tired. So, many of my longtime followers and mutuals know that I recently moved in September out of an abusive household. This was a massive boon to my mental health and freedom, but unfortunately my current rental cannot hold me any longer.

I have to move by the end of April or I will have nowhere to go.

Thankfully, my best friend has a room open for me back in NC, but I have to get back to NC.

And right as I was prepping to do this, I ran into a slew of car troubles.

I had a parking lot accident and was down $775, and then someone hit me and knocked off my driver side mirror. Thankfully, they paid for the repairs, but during those repairs I was told about issues that will be at least $500 at a normal mechanic because the dealership is a nightmare.

My original plan was to get a hitch installed on my car, but right now I've decided to just shove everything I possibly can inside Saint Pepsi and hope most of my stuff fits.

Before I can do that, she needs maintenance work done. I'm going to do a full fluid flush, take care of her loose spark plug, and try to see if the coolant leak is an easy fix. I have an appointment at my local mechanic on the 8th.

My dad gave me $500 to help with parking lot accident costs, but now with the addition of other troubles that has been swiftly devoured. My goal is the same, just with his contribution nixed because life is a nightmare.

My p@ypal is [email protected]/chromacrow (just take the @ out)

My venm0 is @Chromacrow

Anything sent in is a help, as I have my meds to refill and expensive allergy friendly cat food to get for my old lady who lives on the floor.

Here is my soft girl Shasta as a reward for reading this.

#NEW PINNED because the old one is so bad and was written in the midst of an anxiety meltdown

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livwritesstuff · 7 months

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2002, established relationship, dads!steddie living in boston with their 1yo daughter, another excerpt of this bc i think it's my actual fav part

“I’m done with this goddamn city,” Ed yelled up the stairs, “So fuckin’ serious, Steve. I’m out.”

Steve sighed, well-acquainted with this one of Ed’s many tirades.

Just as he was standing up from where he’d been sitting at his desk looking over some notes and prepping for a counseling session later that afternoon, he heard the door shut loudly (though not a full slam, he noted, because Ed had Moe with him). He headed out into the hallway in time to see Ed coming up the stairs, Moe balanced in one arm.

“What happened now?” Steve asked.

“An idiot BU kid driving Daddy’s Lexus almost T-boned me with Moe in the backseat because — apparently — red lights are just a fucking suggestion here.”

“I mean…I’m pretty sure you ran every red light in Hawkins when you were nineteen.”

It wasn’t a helpful comment, per se, and Steve knew that, but when Ed was riled up like this, there really weren’t any helpful comments available.

“That’s entirely different,” Ed countered, passing Moe over to him so he could pull off his own jacket, “There’s, like, six people on the road at any given moment in Hawkins, and two traffic lights.”

“Okay, well, we can move, love,” Steve said tiredly, steadily approaching his limit for how many times he could listen to Eddie rant about this particular issue without taking any sort of real action to solve it, “Nobody said we had to stay in Boston. Also — we can actually afford to buy a house now, so…”

“Wha— we can?”

“A down payment, yeah.”

“The fuck is a downpayment?”

“Uh…” Steve paused. He’d long since become comfortable with his role in his and Ed’s finances — being that he’s almost entirely in charge of them. He knew that Ed had grown up worrying about money in a way that Steve never had to so he actually liked being able to take over that part of their life together. He liked being able to let Ed not think about it (even though sometimes it meant that his thirty-five-year-old life partner asked him what a goddamn down payment was), “It’s kind of like putting a security deposit down on an apartment, except instead of for securing a lease, it’s for securing a loan — sort of. That’s…there’s better ways of explaining it, and there’s a lot more to it, but it’s sort of like we’re paying a certain amount of the mortgage upfront to prove that we’re committed to paying it off month-to-month.”

“How much is it?”

“Depends,” Steve shrugged, running a hand over Moe’s hair as she started to doze off, her head drooping down to rest on his shoulder, “Pretty sure twenty percent is considered, like, ideal, or something, so it all comes down to what our budget is.”

“What’s our budget?”

Steve leveled an eyebrow at him.

“What?” Ed asked.

“Do you actually wanna know? Because when I tried to show you our electric bill last week you pretended to be asleep.”

“Uh — buying a fuckin’ house together is totally different from you reprimanding me about leaving the heat on too long.”

“I don’t think I’d have to reprimand you anymore if you saw the electric bill.”

“Okay — yes, Stevie, I actually would like to be involved in our finances just this once because I care very, very deeply about us buying a house. I really do.”

“Alright,” he replied, knowing he still sounded a tad skeptical, “I mean, if you actually wanna know about this stuff, I’ve got some spreadsheets I’ve been using to keep track of that kind of thing, and we can—”

“Baby, if you wanted to talk about spreading sheets, all you had to do was ask,” Ed grinned wickedly, an expression that slowly began to fade as his eyes slid off of Steve’s and onto the opposite wall, probably as he considered how wise a comment that had been to make.

Steve stared at him for a long while.

“Okay,” he finally said, “I’m gonna go put our child down for a nap. If in that time you decide you can be a grownup while we talk about spending a fuck-load of money on property we’ll own and be entirely responsible for, let me know.”

“You got it, man.”

#steddie #steddie dads #steve harrington #eddie munson #the satellite and the sky #in case it wasn't clear i am fed up with bos traffic #eventually eddie convinces steve to show him the spreadsheets and he understands like .001% of them #also steve manages to pin eddie down long enough to show him the electric bill and he does indeed start remembering to turn down the heat

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rose-pearls · 2 years

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Baby Nick and his niece

Summary: the Dagger squad gets ready to leave San Diego to enjoy the snow during the holidays with your four year old son. While you are pregnant with Bob and Hangman's baby girl

Christmas had always been your favorite season, being reunited with your family and friends, baking and cooking through the final days of the year and enjoying the festivities. This year the Dagger Squad had decided to go on a trip to the mountains, hoping to find snow and enjoy the festive atmosphere all around.

Rooster had been prepping everything with the help of your four-year-old son, who looked like the spitting image of his dad. The car was packed to go to the airport, and you were quickly joined by the rest of the squad with Ice and Maverick coming last with all the tickets because as Ice says, they are still a bunch of kids that can’t be trusted with the tickets.

Passing security wasn’t one of your favorite activities, particularly with a four-year-old and the chaos of the airport nearly full due to the Christmas holydays but it had to be done.

“Mom.”, Nick looked at you with his soft brown eyes full of questions waiting to be answered and you felt your stress melt away.

“Yes sweetheart.”, he lifted his tiny hands to go on your now round stomach and frowned.

“How is baby niece going to pass through security.”, he had a serious look in his eyes like he was really wondering how the baby was going to go through security.

“She is going to go with your mom, while she stays safely in her belly.”, Nick squealed as his father picked him up and started kissing him everywhere and you couldn’t help the bright grin that appeared on your lips.

“Alright people let’s go, we have a flight to catch, move it or lose it.”, Hangman was looking at all of them with a smirk while Bob looked absolutely done with his boyfriend’s behavior.

“Do you need help with anything?”, you smiled at Bob, and he started helping you take your stuff from security while Bradley was helping Nick.

“I’m pregnant Bob, not dying.”, he rolled his eyes playfully and asked me quietly if he could put his hands on my stomach, where the baby was. After receiving a firm nod, he started caressing the stomach with a bright smile.

“She moves a lot, isn’t that too tiring for you?”, god bless Bob, always the sweetheart. If you hadn’t fallen in love with Bradley the moment you met him you would’ve surely married Bob, but then you would have had a problem with Hangman.

“She moves less then Nick so don’t worry about it.”, Hangman quickly arrived joining them and giving Bob his stuff before smiling at her stomach.

“So, how is our sweet girl?”, you let out a laugh at Bob’s fond look as he looked at Hangman and you let the blond pilot talk to the stomach.

“You are a verry active baby, aren’t you? Probably take that from me.”, Bob scoffed, and you couldn’t help but laugh at Bob’s unimpressed look.

“Says the one who stays in bed until eleven.”, Hangman looked at Bob scandalized, and Rooster quickly joines you with Nick in his arms to lead us to the food court while Nick was babbling about how happy he was that the baby made it safely to his uncle Bob.

You knew that Bob and Hangman would make great parents the moment they helped you with your pregnancy of Nick, they had been there when Bradley couldn’t and had even sometimes taken the little guy with them on day trips to give us some time alone. They started talking about looking for adoption or a surrogate, wanting to settle down and have a family but it was a tiring process. One day you talked about it with Bradley who had a bright smile at the idea and the next thing you know you are telling them that you would gladly be their surrogate.

Bob had cried that day in joy and nearly always asked you if you were sure and even Hangman had tears of joy in his eyes, you knew that they would make the best parents. Here you were six months pregnant and ready to give this baby girl to her dad’s. The appointment where they learned that it was a girl was an emotional one with Bob whispering multiple times how he couldn’t ever thank you enough while Hangman was crying in joy at the sight of the ultrasound and the sound of the baby’s heart.

This was your last vacation with only one child, and you were ready to enjoy it while it lasted, the flight was seemingly short as Nick was trying to tell his dad that one day, he was going to fly planes just like him. Every time Nick said that you could see that Rooster would get emotional at the thought of his son following his footsteps.

The drive to the chalet was chaotic and the distribution of the rooms even more as everyone wanted the biggest room.

“I don’t care about the room, I only want to be the furthest room away from Hangman and Bob because they get far too loud.”, Phoenix shook her head in distress as she seemingly seems to relive a terrible memory and the groups laugh while Bob turns as red as a tomato and Hangman simply smirks.

“What can I say, I like them loud.”, Bob looked even redder and the whole group snickered as Bob punches him in the stomach.

“No sex for you, I’m going to room with Phoenix.”, the brunette had a bright smile at the thought of being with her WSO and Hangman looked at him scandalized.

“That is not fair, plus you wouldn’t be able to resist me Bobby dearest.”, the WSO scoffed at his boyfriend’s words before a smirk appeared on his lips.

“Please, you are the one who can’t resist me, Jakey.”, the blond had a pout on his lips before kissing Bob quickly.

“Can’t help myself when you always look so good.” Bob was blushing as Hangman looked at him with hungry eyes and the group groaned.

“There are children here.”, Nick nodded seriously at his dad’s words even though he didn’t understand why.

“The pregnant lady should get the biggest room and the rest of us will just pick a number.”, they all whined at Ice’s words, even Maverick who was pouting.

“We will let you settle this; we’re going to our room then.”, Bradley takes their stuff while Nick holds my hand to go up the railing carefully.

The four-year-old boy seems to get tired of watching us unpack so he decides to go see what his grandfathers are doing.

“Have I told you how beautiful you looked today?”, you hum as your husband takes you into his arms smiling down towards you.

“I don’t recall it.”, that was a lie, but Bradley nodded seriously before kissing you soflty on the lips and trailing his hands over your body.

“You are so goddamn beautiful sweetheart.”, you feel a blush on your cheeks before dragging him into a passionate kiss.

“When you aren’t pregnant anymore, we could start to work on a little project of ours.”, he has a seductive smirk on his lips, and you can’t help but want to climb this man like a tree.

“We need to practice, don’t we.”, we are both smirking at each other before Nick comes barreling into the room telling us to come down.

“We’ll practice later.”, he sends a wink before following Nick downstairs and you feel the happiest you have been in a long time.

You had your whole family around you, and you couldn’t wait to make it bigger than it already was. The calmness of the moment is broken by Nick calling you downstairs where the rest of the group is enjoying the warmth of the fire and you can’t wait for the next years that are coming as Nick settles down sleepily against you.

I've written more angst than happy things for Rooster so here is some fluff. Hangman and Bob are just to cute not to write about them!

#top gun imagine #top gun x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #rooster fanfic #rooster fanfiction #rooster x y/n #rooster x you #bob top gun #jake hangman seresin #floydsin

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hannahssimblr · 1 month

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Epilogue (Part 2)

I wake at six with some noises and banging in the hallway. Groggily I climb to my feet and hobble to the door to see what all the fuss is about. It’s the makeup girl. The wheels of her cart of palettes seem to have gotten stuck on the high pile carpet and she’s careened the whole thing into the wall. “Sorry! I’m so sorry,” she whispers as I emerge, “I was looking for the bride’s room.”

Another door in the hallway opens and Shane pokes his head out. He’s fully dressed already in his suit, meaning that sleep didn’t come in the end. “You’re at the wrong end,” he hisses, “Bridal suite is down in room six, Evie, would you help her?”

She looks at me pleadingly, “Oh, would you mind? I’m doing a bad job of pushing this yoke in a straight line.”

I do, I go with her to the room, and when I knock Claire throws the door open looking perfectly serene in a silk dressing gown and matching slippers. “Evie!”

“And the makeup girl!” I say, “I was helping her with her stuff.”

She throws her arms around me and kisses both my cheeks, “I’m so happy to see you! I can’t believe you made it.”

“Oh God, come on, I’d hardly miss it.”

“Come in, come in, both of you, it’s so early.”

Inside the room her bridesmaids have already gathered and are lolling around a little fireplace, half asleep in their satin robes. The only one I know is Jaz from college. The others are close cousins from Tullamore who I’ve never met before.

“Everyone, this is Evie,” she says to them, “My should-have-been-bridesmaid.”

“Who has been a terrible friend,” I add, “I’ve just been working too much to commit to this, I’m so sorry.”

“No!” She says as she cups my face, “You’ve been doing amazingly, Shane and I followed the articles about you all across the world for the last six months, you’ve been a busy lady.”

“A tired lady.”

“Oh well maybe you can relax this weekend, do you think?” She climbs into a seat as the makeup artist begins to prep her face.

“You look amazing,” I tell her, “Your skin- What is that? What’ve you been using?”

“I’ll tell you a secret if you swear not to tell anyone else,” her lips curl into a smile, “it’s botox.”

I gasp and come closer to inspect her skin. I want to reach out and touch it but it’s already being wiped with a cotton round, “that’s amazing, you look twenty.”

“I wish, look,” she raises her eyebrows and her forehead is completely frozen, “No lines, isn’t that really weird?”

“Wow, keep doing that and you’ll make me want it too.”

And she rolls her eyes, “Oh come on, no, you don’t need to. You have those amazing genetics from your mam. How is it that she’s sixty four and doesn’t have a single wrinkle while my mam started getting lines at forty? Botox is something the O’Gorman women will have to invest in, the Kilbrides do not need botox.”

“News to me that your mam gets botox.”

“Oh Lord, yes, of course she does. It’s a lot of pressure to be the most glamorous woman in Tullamore, don’t you know? Now that it’s going to be me I need to step up my game,” She fists her hands with determination, “No slacking.”

In the three years since she and Shane have come back from Sydney, Claire has been busy too. She works at her dad’s office during the day – doing what I’m not exactly sure – and at night she takes classes in the local college so that she can get her degree in childcare, which might be useful seeing as she’s planning on having four of her own. Shane works in the lab at the pharmaceuticals company, his chemistry knowledge being put to good use, and he swears he really doesn’t mind it. It pays well, it doesn’t require him to travel and he leaves at five on the dot every evening to make his way over to the site of their new house across the lane from his childhood home and supervise the work. They should be moved in by Christmas, all going well. He hasn’t hung up his football boots yet, even since being dropped by the Swans. He coaches the girls’ under 10s and 12s football team two evenings a week at the local club.

I hang out with Claire and the sleepy bridesmaids for a while before deciding that I should probably get myself ready, or eat something, so I do. I throw on something to cover up my pyjamas and go down for breakfast on my own.

The snow is deep now, completely covering the landscape in a thick blanket and as I gaze out at it and eat my eggs and toast I wonder what would happen if it all got so bad that the roads closed down. What if it stopped us all from leaving? Maybe then, I think, I won’t have to think about work for a while, and I can take a holiday away from it all. “Sincerest apologies” I’ll write to my agent, “I’m trapped in a snowstorm away from my computer at the moment and there’s nothing I can do. I’ll send on the illustrations as soon as I can but really, I can’t make any estimation as to when that might be,” I smirk with delight and take a sip of my tea, thrilled by the idea of getting to do nothing.

The hotel is quiet now but I know that frantic preparation is happening behind closed doors, and within an hour it spills out into the hallway. I can hear it as I do my makeup at the dressing table; the disorder of that crucial hour before Claire walks down the aisle and it all suddenly comes together. Caroline’s voice, directing someone somewhere, she’s straightening Shane’s jacket and ordering him downstairs. There is someone else, Will O’Connor, pacing back and forth rehearsing the lines of his best man speech. A woman is talking about the temperature of the room, the tuning of her violin, or something like that, and I swear that somewhere among the chaos of it all I hear a voice, deep, smooth, American, and as he passes by my door I freeze, knowing I should open it, stop him and say hello but I can’t because I’ve smudged my lipstick now. I grab a tissue and wipe it away, and then it’s too late.

I head down to the reception room just a few minutes before the ceremony begins, feeling nervous, though I know I shouldn’t because it’s not my wedding day. Shane is at the altar already, fidgeting, and Will is beside him looking spaced out, hands in his pockets and looking at the Christmas tree at the back of the room. I smile at Shane, and he smiles at me. Ivy is there too, with her violin playing friend from the music academy, they’re playing a gentle tune as the guests come in. And there’s Kelly and her parents, and Claire’s mother… and there’s Jude, and it’s like he can recognize my footsteps because he turns around to look at me the moment my feet hit the floorboards, and just like that we’ve just made eye contact for the first time in nine years. And I haven’t died because of it. I breathe. I’m fine.

Choosing a seat somewhere near the front seems like a wise idea. That way I can’t stare at the back of his head and that cute, short haircut for any length of time and I can think about other things, like how Claire’s mothers dress is just a little bit too close to white, but really, I don’t have much of a chance to think about it anyway, because the musicians begin to play Pachibel’s Canon and the door opens and we all turn around as Kelly’s daughter comes bounding down the aisle chucking fistfuls of white petals onto the ground. Everyone coos at her and whispers about how cute she is, and then the moment that she throws the basket onto the floor and sends it rolling under somebody’s seat I spy Caroline pursing her lips.

“Fiadh,” she hisses, “Pick that up!”

Fiadh does not pick it up. She runs back down the aisle again and then Kelly is scrambling from her seat trying to grab her, now shrieking and weaving in and out of the seats. Someone captures her and holds her up, her fat little limbs squirming in mid air. I don’t know why I have an urge to look at Jude at this moment, as though I know him at all well enough to make a face and laugh privately about what’s just happened, so I try very hard not to, and anyway, I can’t. The bridesmaids are coming next.

Beginning // Prev // Next

#lucky girl part 3

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brokenjere · 2 years

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seventeen going (j.f) (ch. 12)

seventeen going under (j.f)

Synopsis: its fourth of july in cousins

catch up here

My mom stirred together the potato salad as I sat on the counter. I swung my feet back and forth, hitting the back of my heel against the bottom cabinet. Susannah always went all out for the Fourth of July and it was no different this year. She had an entire party planned down to the banner hanging from the patio roof. I bet she’d even dictate the weather if she could.

It was also a tradition that I help my mom prep the food she always brought - a potato salad, a small Bundt cake (not to be confused with Susannah’s infamous angel food cake, one also served), and mimosas. This year, however, I was antsy to go see Jeremiah.

My mom told me that she did know that Susannah was sick. I guess she told her when it happened. Laurel knew, too, and I guess just me and Conrad. She wasn’t shocked Conrad found out on his own. He was extremely smart and resourceful and observant. Of course, he noticed. “Did you tell Jeremiah?” My mom asked me as she held my hand over the table. I shook my head. “Are you going to?” Not why didn’t you already or keep it that?

“I don’t know. Conrad made me promise.” I shrugged and she squeezed my hand. “I don’t think I should.”

Dad shrugged and sighed at the same time. He had a different opinion. “Why not?” He asked. Dad always questioned me. Not in a way that made me feel stupid or confused, but in a way that made me second guess everything I usually thought.

“I promised Connie. And shouldn’t his mom tell him? It’s her illness, not mine. He’s her son.”

“You’re his best friend,” Dad reminded me. I looked at Mom, who always told me with her face whether she agreed or not. She did. “If you know life-altering information, he deserves to know. Wouldn’t you want that same courtesy?”

I sighed and decided that I would tell him.

“Would you stop with the kicking?” Mom asked in a hushed, forced tone. I stopped moving my feet immediately but smiled at her with all my teeth. “Just go. I know you want to.” Of course, I wanted to but I would never ask to get out of traditions and Mom knew that. I jumped off the counter, hugging her quickly before bouncing out to the backyard.

Jeremiah, Belly, and Conrad were already at the pool. Belly and Jeremiah were swimming and because Conrad is too cool for that stuff, he’s sitting on the edge with his feet in.

This time, I was ready to swim so I took off the light weight button up I was wearing and the shorts and jumped in close enough to splash Jere in the face. When I came up from under the blanket of water, he splashed me in the face. “What was that for?” He asked, laughing.

I shrugged and swam close enough to him that our legs brushed when we kicked them out. Belly called out a hello to me from where she was swimming by Conrad and I waved back to her, ignoring the fact that Jeremiah was staring at me. I avoided looking at him for as long as I could until eventually, I couldn’t any longer.

“What?” I asked. He shrugged, mimicking me from earlier. “You’re a dork.”

“And you’re not?”

“Only because I surround myself with one.” Jeremiah laughed then, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and dunking me in the pool with him. Under the water, I kicked so hard trying to get back to the top but he was weighing me down. I pushed at his chest, feeling the warmth of it despite being enveloped by water. He smiled and grabbed my hands, pulling me back to him. He played a gentle game of tug of war, seeing who would cave first.

I gave in and he pulled me to his chest and when we came up for air, my arms were wrapped around his shoulders and I pretended that this was normal. That this was us in love and happy and I pretended that we could have it. And at that moment, we did.

“Where are you going?” Belly called. Not to us, but to Conrad, who was storming off and into the house. The door slammed shut behind him and Belly looked at us flustered and confused. “He was literally just fine.”

“He’s being such an ass lately,” Jeremiah grumbled, swimming toward Belly. “Just ignore him. I don’t get what his issue is.” I swallowed. Hard. The words were at my throat and I was ready to spill them.

“Jere-“ I spoke. When he looked at me - big blue eyes, hopeful and full of wonder - I froze.

“What? Do you disagree?” He asked. Belly watched me intently, wondering what I would say. I could see how hurt she was that he walked away. Regardless of the reason, Belly still loved him and probably took it personally. I felt like I owed them both an explanation but suddenly I could not even breathe.

“No. You’re right.” I told him. He nodded just as the girls walked in through the front gate. Shayla with Steven at her side, Gigi, and Nicole. Shayla threw her hands up, fisting two bottles of alcohol.

“Put that away before my mom sees!” Steven gently scolded her, pushing her arms down at her side. She giggled and hid the bottles behind her back as they reached the patio.

“Now we’re freaking talking!” Jeremiah exclaimed, jumping out of the pool, leaving a big, wet blob in his wake.

“Yn!” Nicole called, walking over to the edge of the pool. She squatted down so I could hear her better and i slowly floated toward her. I couldn’t imagine what she wanted to say to me but I bet I would be annoyed by it. She was just an annoying person. “Do you have a date yet for the ball?”

I glanced at Belly. I hadn’t officially turned in any escort papers yet. Belly turned hers in a while ago, marking Cameron as her official escort. He had since been coming to all the rehearsals and stupid events that I had been trying to avoid.

“No,” I said, slightly embarrassed. I was determined at the beginning of this to find one but it was looking more like Conrad was going to be my pity date just as he was Nicole’s. Which she had suggested, by the way.

“I’m taking her,” Jeremiah said from behind Nicole. I looked beyond her, at Steven and Jeremiah pouring cups of whatever alcohol Shayla had brought. He only glanced at us, more focused on the task at hand, but he was still engaged. “We just forgot to turn it in. We will Monday.”

“You’re taking YN?” Gigi asked. She was standing next to him, their biceps touching and I wanted to scream.

“Yup.” Jeremiah looked at me when he answered, not Gigi. He smiled at me, all teeth and lips and curls. “Wouldn’t want anyone else to.”

“That settles it then,” Nicole said. She stood up, wiping invisible dirt off her shorts. “Just bring it with you to dance rehearsals Monday.” I nodded as she walked away, but I was really watching Jeremiah. He was watching me, too, and he winked at me. I felt my entire body heat up and I dunked myself under the water.

When we were younger, Jeremiah, Conrad, and I loved making slushies and smoothies. There was something about a blender, mixing up every single ingredient we threw in there, which was fascinating to us. Or at least me. No matter what I put in there, it blended it together with everything else and made a perfect consistency. I think Conrad could have explained it if I ever asked because he also insisted we ‘add a liquid’ which made me believe he knew what he was doing.

Now, it’s mostly real smoothies. Fruits and yogurt and oats and greens. The boys liked them during sports season and I liked them for breakfast so it was no longer a fun experiment that we did behind our parents’ backs. Until now.

I stood behind the island counter, plugging in the blender when Jeremiah walked in with the tequila that Shayla brought. It was still half full, the girls and Steven drinking out of red solo cups as if the parents weren’t outside. They were all too busy with their own thing now. Susannah was flying around like a little bee, refilling drinks, and making sure there was enough ice and food on the table. Mom was talking with Laurel under the canopy that Conrad set up earlier today and we were about to make margaritas.

It was basically like a slushie. I added the cut-up fruit from the table outside. Susannah hardly noticed the strawberries were missing and Conrad said we needed ice so he added a few handfuls of that from the freezer and then Jeremiah slid over the bottle of tequila to me.

I grabbed it and poured some in. Conrad cleared his throat from beside me and I looked over at him. “What?” I asked, stopping the pour.

“Are you sure you wanna add that much? You’re gonna get fucked off one.”

Jeremiah laughed, thinking Conrad was making a joke. Maybe it was a joke but I didn’t take it that way. “So?”

Conrad raised his eyebrows saying ‘so, remember last time?’. We stared at each other and then I poured more. Jeremiah laughed harder, leaning over to give me a high-five. I gave him one and he clamped our hands together, setting them down on the counter. “Mix it up, brother!”

Conrad always mixed it. It was tradition. He pressed the blend button and the blender came to life, mixing all the ingredients together to make the perfect margarita. At least I think. Jeremiah got up, grabbing margarita glasses from the cabinet above the fridge where Susannah kept all her wine glasses and stuff. When he set them down, a voice from behind us boomed: “what are those for?”

We all turned around. Adam Fisher stood in the doorway. Conrad tensed up next to me but Jeremiah’s face broke out into a huge grin. “Dad! Mom said you weren’t coming!” Jeremiah crossed the kitchen and hugged his dad, who he had not seen since early June.

Adam always came for the Fourth, but this year, Susannah said he wasn’t coming. Or so she thought. Conrad focused on the blender, taking off the lid, and pouring the drinks, ignoring Adam. I put my hand on his wrist, making him stop.

“Conrad,” Adam said, “are you going to say hello to your father?” I glanced over my shoulder at Adam. He was holding out his arms like he expected Conrad to offer him a hug, but Conrad grabbed a drink and walked out of the kitchen without speaking.

“Sorry Dad, he’s just been an ass lately,” Jeremiah said. “I’m so glad you’re here, I got really crazy fireworks!” Jeremiah spent hours shopping for fireworks in town last week. He dragged me with him, kicking and screaming, and then he offered me weird little compliments to keep me happy while I waited and he browsed.

I was left alone in the kitchen now. I watched out the window as Susannah saw her husband and how there was a wave of anger flashed on her face. Jeremiah was grabbing at the fireworks, showing his dad and then Susannah stormed off with Laurel. It was like watching a movie on silent and I filled in the words. An oblivious son. A sick mother. A battered best friend.

And then there was the tormented son. The one that tried to keep the entire universe together. He was sitting on a lounge chair, on the other side of the pool, opppite of everyone. He caught my eye across the backyard and lifted up his drink. I glanced down at mine before grabbing it and walking out toward him. “The party is over there,” I said when I reached him.

Everyone was under the canopy, eating food and laughing. Shayla was talking with Laurel as if they have known each other their entire lives. Gigi sat with Jeremiah, Belly, and Cam in the grass and she flirted with him, putting her hand on his bicep and throwing her head back in laughter.

“I don’t want to hang out with them. I’m not in the mood,” he said.

“I can go,” I offered and started to turn away. Conrad reached out and grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to hang iut with you,” he clarified.

“Then what was that quip about the tequila earlier?”

“Just seeing if you remember.”

“Of course I remember.”

He looked at me as vulnerably as I had ever seen him look. More vulnerable than that night, the next morning, and every night since. How could he think I didn’t remember? I remembered every single fucking detail from the way that his hands felt on my skin to the way his breathing felt on my neck.

“My dad cheated on my mom. Before when she was sick the first time,” he told me. I think I gasped but I know I sat down next to him in the other lounge chair. “She forgave him because she got better but now, now she wants him gone. He was supposed to be out of the house by the time we got home.”

“They’re getting divorced?” I asked. Conrad nodded and chugged the rest of his drink. “No wonder you’re so pissed. I thought he was just an ass to you.”

“Yeah well, he’s an ass to everyone.”

I knew that. Despite how much Jeremiah looked up to him, Adam always made him feel like he wasn’t worthy and that made me hate him. “You should tell Jere. About everything.” I wasn’t going to tell Conrad that I had almost spilled the beans already once today but I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t do it eventually. Conrad had to tell him.

“I can’t,” he said. “Not until the summer is over.”

“He has to know,” I begged. Conrad stood up and instinctively, I stood up too. “Con.”

He spun around, his body crashing into mine. He was close. Really close. If he wanted to, he could bend down and kiss me and I don’t know, maybe I’d let him. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and shook his head. “I can’t, yn. Please drop it.” I caught my breath and Conrad rubbed his thumb against my cheek and I pulled away.

“If you don’t tell him,” I said, anger laced in my voice that I didn’t know was there. “I will.” I stormed past him, our shoulders hitting, and I walked toward the group. Jeremiah lit up when he saw me, waving me over and engulfing me in his arms when I reach him. It was safe and right and exactly where I was meant to be.

"Want to go to the beach?" He asked, smiling down at me. I nodded eagerly and he sent Belly inside to get the blended pitcher with the rest of our drink in it and we all walked down to the beach. The boys carried corn-hole and a cooler and the girls carried the chairs down and while Conrad sat and moped up at the house, the rest of us forgot about him.

taglist: @things-that-make-sa-happy@marajillana@calpurnia2002 @revemixer@harrysswhore

#jeremiah fisher #jeremiah fisher fan fic #tsitp #conrad fisher #the summer i turned pretty #conrad fisher x reader #jeremiah fisher imagine #tsitp imagine #conrad fisher imagine #jeremiah fisher x reader #jeremiah x reader #belly conklin #tsitp one shot #the summer i turned pretty imagine #jenny han

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yourimagines · 2 months

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Nate x reader. One of their children is sick and Nate is hanging out in vegas with his friends. the reader is alone with the kids at home and it’s becoming a little bit to much for her

Sad/angst and fluff?

Too much

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Gif is not mine

* Triggers: Swearing, Angst, Sadness and Fluff

NJ is 12, Nikayla is 7 and Lando is 5

Y/n POV

Nate was out with the guys in Vegas, NJ is bored, Nikyala wants her dad and Lando the youngest of them is lying in bed with a high fever. “Mom? Can I use the PlayStation?” Junior asks me as I was prepping some light heated food for Lando. “Sure, but no longer than a hour Jay.” I said without looking up at him as I filled a bowl with soup. “Okay, thank you!” I heard him running away to the tv. “Mommy…when is daddy coming home.” I placed everything on the tray, the soup, some water and some medicine “He just got there honey, he will be back in a few days. We can FaceTime him if you want.” I looked up and she was nodding happily at me. I took out my phone, I clicked on Nate’s name and FaceTimed him. “Here. When you’re done, give it to Jay…okay sweetie?” She nods as she happily smiles at the phone. I grabbed the tray and walked upstairs to Lando.

I was helping Lando with his food as I heard some yelling downstairs from the living room. “Is that Jay?” Lando hoarsely asked. I quietly sighed and tried to ignore it. “Two more and the soup is finished.” Lando whines but eats the rest of the soup. “Good job, you want some water?” He shook his head and lay back down. “I’m sleepy now.” I smiled and kissed his forehead. “Okay, I’ll be back soon to check on you. It’s that okay?” He tiredly nods at me. “Okay, just try to get some sleep. Mommy will be back soon.” I stood up and grabbed the dishes and the tray and walked downstairs.

I walked in with my hands full. The were screaming, jumping and laughing. Junior was still behind that thing and Kay was standing on the sofa, holding my phone in her small hand. “Junior, what did I say. One hour, turn that thing off.” He groans and shook his head. I lay down the things that I was carrying in my hands. “Nikayla, get down.” She jumps off the sofa and runs around, holding my phone. “Nikayla what did I say about my phone?” She shrugs and runs off. “Junior what did I say, turn it off.” I felt getting frustrated as he ignored me. Nikayla comes back and looks down as she gave my phone back. “it fell.” My screen was broken and junior screamed in the back. I slowly nodded and walked away from them as my emotions started to flow through. ‘I need some space….’

Nate POV

I came back home after an amazing weekend away with my friends to Vegas. The lights were still on and as I entered the house, I still heard the kids, screaming, laughing everything what they shouldn’t do at this time of the day. “What’s going on in here?” I said sternly as I saw Jay standing in front of the tv, playing videos games and Kay jumping on the sofa. The coffee table was filled with candy and soda, the kitchen was trashed and the whole room was filled with legos, dolls and other kids stuff. “Hey! I’m talking.” They both stopped and looked at me, a bit scared and worried. “Daddy!” Kay says and immediately hugs my leg. “No, what is going on in here? Where is your mother?” I looked at them, Kay looked down at her feet. I raised my eyebrows at Jay. “Upstairs” he quietly says. I nodded and pointed around. “You both clean this up and go to bed right after.” “Yes dad.” “Okay daddy.” They both said. “Unbelievable.” I mumbled as I walked upstairs, trying to find my wife.

She wasn’t in our bedroom so I went to Lando’s room. I opened the door and she was lying in his bed, a book was lying on her chest as they both were sleeping. ‘What happened to you…’ she looked tired, exhausted. Lando looked even worse, red cheeks, pale skin, darkened skin around his eyes, lips are red and dried out. I carefully walked over and went over Lando’s head. ‘He’s heating up.’ He slowly moved and opens one of his eyes. “Daddy?” His small hoarse voice said. “Yeah it’s me buddy.” He tiredly smiles and reaches out to me. I picked him up and held him close. “Are you sick buddy.” He tiredly nods and lays his head on my shoulder. “What’s with mommy?” I softly asks as I wiped some hair from her face. “Tired.” He says as he closes his eyes. “Tired?” He hums and nuzzles his head against me. “Let’s mommy sleep then.”

I was up early and went to check on Lando and y/n as I didn’t want to wake her up last night. She was awake as she stood with her back facing to me in the room. “Mommy will be back okay?” “Okay.” She turned around and jumped a bit as she saw me. “Nate…” I smiled at her and she immediately hugged me. “Hi baby.” “I’m so happy you’re back, I- I missed you so much…” I rubbed her back and walked us out of Lando’s room. “I know baby, it was a chaos when I came home last night.” I slowly tilted her head up to meet my eyes. She looked so sad, so fed up with everything. “Hey…it’s okay baby, I’m here now.” Her lips trembled and I pulled her face back to my shoulder. “It’s okay baby, I know.” Her shoulders started to shake and she cried softly into my chest. “I’m sorry…” she softly cries out. “No baby, don’t apologise for this.” I rubbed her back and kissed her head. “I’m here now, it’s all good.”

Y/n POV

Nate was making breakfast for all of us and I was helping him. “Mom, can I play on the PlayStation before breakfast is ready?” Jay asks super quiet to me. “No.” Nate says sternly to him. He sits back down in his seat and Lando laughs a bit. “Not funny.” Jay says to him. I gave Jay a look and he threw his hands up. “He started it.” He says and points at him. “Jay, stop it.” He groans and kicks Lando’s chair. Nikayla starts to play with her plate and Lando starts to cry. “Jay please stop kicking his chair, Kay please lay down your plate.” I reached over to Lando to calm him down but neither of them stopped. “Junior and Nikayla!” Nate says and they both stopped, I took Lando out of his chair and rocked him in my arms. They looked at him with big eyes as Nate was looking at them. “listen to your mother when she asks you something, I don’t ever want to see you disrespecting her ever again.” They slowly nodded. “Is that clear?” “Yes dad, yes daddy” they both answered back. He nods at them and goes back to making the pancakes.

Nate and I were sitting outside, he was smoking and I was reading my book as I lay against him. “Mom?” Jay walks out, Kay right behind him. “Yes honey?” I lay my book down on my lap and looked at him. “I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry too mommy.” I smiled at them and patted on my lap. “Come here.” They both crawled over and hugged me. “We are sorry for not listening to you.” “Apologies accepted.” I kissed their heads and Nikayla crawled over to Nate. “Huggies?” She asks him, he nods and she immediately wraps her arms around him. “Sorry daddy.” She says softly and he kisses her head. “It’s okay sweetheart, I’m not angry at you or at your brother.” Jay smiles at him and joins his sister. “Ouch…careful you two.” They both started to giggle as Nate was trying to tickle them back.

I just checked on Lando and went to the bathroom to make myself ready for bed, Nate joined me and hugging me from behind. “I love you.” He says softly and placed a kiss on my neck. I looked at him and smiled. “I love you.” He slightly squeezed me and I placed a peck on his chin. “I always have your back baby, I even fight for you against those little monsters.” I giggled and shook my head. “Well thank you for your assistance mr Diaz.” He chuckles. “No problem mrs Diaz.” I smiled at him through the mirror, he smiles back at me and showered me with kisses. ‘He’s the best.’

#nate diaz x reader #nate diaz imagine #nate x reader #ufc x reader #ufc imagine #ufc imagines #ufc fanfic #mma imagine #mma x reader #mma fanfic #sad fanfiction #fluff and angst #fluff imagine #imagines #imagine #fanfiction

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monty-glasses-roxy · 4 months

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So... so far my thoughts on Help Wanted 2 are that yeah probably playing as Cassie's dad or the conspiracy guy from SB. I'm weirdly not too interested honestly? We seem to have maybe given Vanny some revenge in allowing her to kill Glitchtrap with Princess Quest 4, which is interesting. Interesting to know that's where the fourth game is too.

Moon and Mystic Hippo saying "what makes you so special?" is interesting too like??? Honestly? This feels like the player is the one that got away. Like we survived something, when no one else did, or we just chose this path despite no logical reason and no logical connection to anything at all. Maybe we're Luis here to save Vanessa? Maybe we're Cassie's dad trying to save her, and in doing so, leave nothing to prevent Cassie from joining us in the dark? Or conspiracy guy from SB that just knows something is wrong and has figured out that someone is trapped by the games, with this being their final attempts to do something about it?

Or perhaps, we're one of Mimic's (or Vanny's?) victims, the only one to get away in a massacre and have returned for one reason or another? That does happen twice in the books, so maybe that's applicable here too and we're the one that got away and sealed it away? Such as one of the construction workers for the Raceway that went down there and never came back? Maybe we're there, now trapped underground (since you can't go into the pizzeria in Ruin) hoping Cassie will save us or stop the Mimic?

Mystic Hippo also tells you to really look at our hands which is interesting. Maybe to remind us we're in VR or something? I dunno. Interesting though. There's all those little things like Roxy's plushie being in the dark in the bowling alley, Mystic Hippo asking when we are, all the Glitchtrap stuff happening, the lack of anything Mimic related, the Maskbot having rabbit ears and whatever else... It's all really interesting I guess. Maybe we're the spirits that possess Tangle, or Vanessa or someone, I dunno, maybe Jeremy? Beats me. This is thinking for another day.

Anyway

I fucking LOVE the DJ levels and the carousel. DJ's animations are gorgeously done, he looks amazing and so full of life and character, and the music is fun, he's just so cool. The carousel?? Fucking opens with Sunny complaining that if he was programmed to fix it, it'd be fixed by now lmao and then Moon is just coming at you while you get the three rows of characters moving again. Then suddenly it's on fire. And they added another fucking daycare attendant called Jack-O-Moon that looks dope as hell but I'd bet is making the tags even more inhospitable than before, so thanks for that Steel Wool lmao

I love that Chica is such a nuisance too. Like, they say they're looking into DJ's bugs but not Chica's. Nah you can handle her! She's just going to eat everything ever! Honestly, I'm convinced your job is less preparing food for customers and more preparing food as a Chica Distraction lmao. She's got a massive presence in the game. She's in every food prep stage, the last Fizzy Faz stage, the wild west Fazerblast game and the log flume ride, and she's a really big part of all of those too. This is Chica's game I guess??? Or perhaps this is to show us that Chica is an absolute menace to every staff member ever lmao good for her honestly

Roxy's game is eh. You need to keep watching her or she kills you and if you make too many mistakes she will also kill you which yeah that's fair. Why is her model so dirty though that's what I wanna know. Honestly, her intro speech, like a few others, all feel hugely reheresed like she's sick of saying it over and over which is neat. Foxy has the same thing going on and so does the carnival nurse (who I adore oh my god that happy "I QUIT MY JOB!" thrown in the middle I love it sfdsfsd) but what's interesting about it is the comparison. After the first introduction, Roxy loses that stilted way of talking. She sounds genuinely annoyed that you aren't paying attention to her, and of course in the Ruined version, she sounds in genuine distress the whole time. I dunno, I just think that's neat!

The fact you're using the parts of everyone else on her is interesting too. That's what Gregory did with Freddy, and now someone is doing it with her and she doesn't accept it at all. It just makes her more frustrated with us until she demands a mask. I suppose the thing here is that of course nothing is working for her. She can't see what she looks like and thus, has to go off of how these things are making her feel, and none of them are making her feel better, only worse. Cause of course it would! The other animatronic parts being stuck onto her face obviously aren't going to make her feel better. Her own snout isn't making her feel better because she just wants her god damn eyes back off that thieving kid and everything will be okay again... Hence why she gives up on this and goes back to trying to figure out where he's gone again. Interesting stuff on that one

And sddfsdd Freddy freezing himself in place in cold storage like a dumb. And the fact Circus Baby gives you ice cream and plays games with you like you're a friend and not killable? Interesting! Cool! Sunny being so bossy and stuck up about artwork and the carousel? Hilarious. I love it. Why's the carousel on fire though...

I believe there are still some gamemodes we don't have access to yet, so that's probably where Monty's at. Shame we don't see him at all here but I'm sure we'll see more of him soon.

WE GOT TO SEE MORE OF THE MINIS THOUGH!!!! I love them oh my god. Their model is all YIPPEEEE!!! and I love that for them. They just wanna make music with DJ too! It's so unfair!

And those are my current thoughts on the game. Would love to hear how other people are finding it!

#fnaf help wanted 2 #roxanne wolf #tagging for minigame analysis of her behaviour #fnaf help wanted 2 spoilers #fnaf spoilers

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spaceratprodigy · 9 months

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✏ WIP Wednesday ✏

Thank you for the tag @the-lastcall @captastra 💖💫

I haven't got any new drawings to share just yet! I'm taking a lil break to let my body and my brain rest. But I have been excitedly planning out the things I want to work on next and I genuinely can't wait! Not putting pressure on myself, but I've been super excited to work on some smaller oc stuff, some au stuff, and hopefully I'll have the energy to make some fun things for Halloween this year! :3

I haaaave been messing around with some quick ideas in my notes app tho, so I can share those today at least. Hope y'all like reading! 👇

🔍 — Detective au

"Maximillian, could you hand me that?" she asked, a soft teasing in her voice.

Max reached for the seasoning his companion pointed at, their fingers brushing against each other during the hand-off. Losing himself only for a moment thinking about the way his name sounded on her lips.

"I've never cooked anything like this on my own" he said, holding his head over the pot to take in the aroma.

"It's never too late to learn" Faith practically sang. "Thank you, again. For helping, I mean."

Max's eyes softened looking at her, the smile on her face was genuine. One she had hardly shown during their time together on this case. He wanted to spend every day in this kitchen with her, seeing her glow like this.

"Salami soup is an interesting choice, I've never heard of it before tonight. I'm sure yours is quite the delicacy." He meant it sincerely, but couldn't resist trying to get another playful smile out of her with flattery.

He began cleaning up the mess they had made while prepping. Carefully moving the knives and cutting boards to the sink, wiping up any straggling ingredients that didn't quite make it to the pot, turning down the volume of her little kitchen radio. The way she couldn't resist dancing along to the tunes she liked filled Max's heart with a feeling he still didn't quite understand yet. One he was afraid to acknowledge.

Faith looked at him with a comfort she'd never felt before. She ladled up some broth, offering him a taste. Her smile only growing when he winced from the heat, but agreeing it was quite delicious. She didn't expect to become so fond of her new partner, even less did she think the man she met her first day on this case would enjoy the quality time as much as she did. She heard the whispers about him, the warnings, but that clearly wasn't the man that stood before her.

Faith looked back at her pot with a tired expression.

"Funnily enough, there were quite a few of us in the same crowd who had grandparents or parents that came from Puerto Rico. It was a dish we all knew well, we loved talking about the differences in our family recipes" she stirred slowly, the sounds of the kitchen becoming drowned out by her thoughts.

"But weirdly, we all knew it as Spanish Soup! What a coincidence our parents all had the same name for it" she let out a short, quiet laugh. The corners of her mouth perking up, but her eyes unchanged, fixed on the simmering.

"Not quite the right name for it, though, but a weirdly consistent one. I'm not sure if it was a language barrier translation or what..."

Faith began trailing off and mumbling, not necessarily talking to Max anymore so much as she was reminiscing to herself about mundane moments from her past.

"Sopa de salchichon" she breathed, her voice almost inaudible.

"Is it a favorite of yours?" Max asked, trying to bring her back to reality. A slight bit concerned by her sudden change in tone.

Faith blinked.

"One of them, yes. But not my absolute favorite by any means" Faith began thinking about when she should make Max cook potato soup with her next. "It brings me some comfort, though."

"Does it, now?"

"Unfortunately, yes. My dad used to make it all the time" her voice had no enthusiasm in it anymore. She inspected her brightly colored concoction carefully. "He never did figure out how to cook the potatoes all the way through."

She attempted to ladle up a little bit of everything, admiring how warm it looked. Salami. Potatoes. Pasta. Onions. They radiated in their bath of popping reds, oranges, and yellows. She looked as if she was going to give it a taste, herself, but dropped it gently back into the pot.

The shift in her attitude worried Max, who was unsure of the direction this topic was heading.

"Were you close with your father?" he finally asked.

Faith was silent for a moment.

And another moment.

And another.

Max had realized too late the weight of his question when he heard Faith start sniffling.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't.. I didn't mean to overstep-" his own voice coming out and wavering before he had time to think.

He took a step towards her, immediately wanting to make it better, wanting to go back just a few minutes ago when she was smiling and dancing around the kitchen. Not knowing how to fix it, how to comfort her, not knowing her boundaries and not wanting to cross them.

Faith wouldn't look at him, the hot tears broke through and were running down her cheeks. Her eyes stung. She was desperately trying to dry her face.

"N-no, you're fine.. you didn't.." she was trying to speak, but her cracking voice wouldn't cooperate "M-max.." she wanted to reassure him he didn't do anything wrong.

Finally, she looked at him. Max had never seen her like that before. It made his heart sink in his chest. Instinctively reaching his arms towards her before he realized what he was doing. His hand so close to cradling her cheek when–

"Fuck!" — "Jesus Christ!" they exclaimed in unison.

The intrusive ringing of her home phone made them jump. Stunning the partners in place, left staring at each other and wondering what was about to happen between them.

📿 — Midnight Mass au [previous tidbit]

The light of the morning sun kissed her skin with a comforting warmth. The scent of honeysuckle on the faint breeze. It was peaceful. Normally she would have considered this the perfect start to her day.

Today, however, was far from perfect.

The gentleness of it all, it mocked her. How can the sky be so clear, the gardens blooming so beautifully, the children laughing so innocently. How can it go on when a storm was about to blow through. A storm no one else was going to feel, to even know was happening.

Faith felt her heart cracking and crumbling. She didn't know how she was supposed to do this.

Trying to keep her breaths calm, she continued pacing around the road she knew like the back of her hand. The one she often walked with a confident stride. Today, it was a walk of shame. Guilt. Her choices finally catching up with her.

Faith plucked a small flower from a neighbor's garden, hoping they weren't around to notice. She began pulling off the petals one by one, trying to keep her shaky, fidgeting hands occupied. It was so delicate between her fingers, so pretty.

It frustrated her.

Not because it had done anything in particular to upset her. She just wanted somewhere to direct her own internal conflict, and the little flower in her hands was the closest casualty.

Faith's heart began beating hard when the church began peeking into view. She swallowed hard, not realizing how dry her throat had become.

How do I tell him?

It was her one place of solace. She was kind, caring, reserved, but never cold. Faith tried her best to be an active member in her community, but it was still a bit out of her comfort zone at times to put such a strain on her social battery. Even more so when her Hiram had left for war.

She enjoyed the solitude of the church. She enjoyed even more what she never expected to find in it.

The last thing Faith thought she'd ever learn about herself, was that she didn't actually marry the love of her life. That becoming more involved in her local church would lead her down a blasphemous path.

An adulterous one.

Finally standing before the building in question, Faith took a moment to admire the architecture. It was a stunning building, a real work of art.

She began her trek up the stairs. The weight growing on her feet with every step. It was agonizing.

With the town's vicar, no less.

Faith felt light headed when she reached the top. Her ears were ringing, darkness was peering in from her peripheral vision.

What greater sin could we have committed?

The doors were open, the morning air saving the church from its usual stuffiness. The sun rays beaming in through the stained glass windows, illuminating the space with colors and dust particles alike. Faith had eyes for only one thing that stood in that room.

Vicar Maximillian DeSoto, very carefully tending to the appearance within his church's walls.

Faith's cheeks were hot, no doubt turning red just at the sight of him. Her heart fluttered in a way no one, not even her Hiram, ever made her feel. She never quite believed in soul mates, until she met Max, and they realized they were meant to be together. Unable to bear being apart from each other's side for too long.

Faith felt the tears welling up in her eyes, not knowing how she's supposed to have this conversation with him. Not knowing what news she was supposed to tell him first.

That she was carrying his child.

Or that her husband just returned home.

🚀 — Canon (summary; not the actual wip)

Faith has an emotional moment (more like an existential crisis) in Phin's lab regarding having been spontaneously dropped into Halcyon to fend for herself + an identity crisis about who she was and who she now has to be. Finding unexpected comfort in him being the only person who believes and understands her complicated existence.

They have a proper heart to heart and Phineas apologizes for the mess he's thrown Faith into without warning or preparation, finally filling her in on what the hell is going on.

Phin confesses that during the unthawing process he saw some things that gave him a clue about Faith's past. Being concerned for her wellbeing, he brings up the uncomfortable information he discovered. His new friend, quite unhappy with him, was hoping to put as much distance as possible between her past on Earth and her newfound identity.

#anywayssss 🤭#hehehehe #faith and max #my writing #shout out to the couple of y'all that let me ramble like a madman abt my ideas lmao

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thyme-in-a-bubble · 6 months

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having a few slow/down/tough days at the moment. maybe it's from overexerting myself, maybe it's my body already prepping for the usual reaction that always happens at the end of this month + december (because ptsd, and so far my body still remembers the exact date every year) but overall i'm okay (on the scale of how it can be, i'm alright)

just had two days where my mom was in here and helped me with some things that had gotten hard (ed was playing up and stuff, a classic warning sign for me) and just kept me company a bit because i needed to not be alone. AND! AND AND AND! i don't usually have a tv at my place (because it's tiny and i don't have the space for it all the time) but the colder months always makes me wanna game and we just got to talking yesterday about some of the good old comforting ones i used to play on ps4 and then my mom was just like "okay, hold on, i'll just text your dad and tell him to come over with our tv and the box of your gaming stuff" (because it's a super duper light tv that's easy to move, like that's the whole catch about that one) and so now i'm sitting here, curled under blankets and a cat, updating my playstation and about to dissapear into all of that for a few days till things start to get easier :)

anyways, i hope you all are doing okay, that you're also taking time if your body is asking for it (before it screams for it and snaps your legs to force you to take a break)

#think maybe i'll play a bit of dragon age....#or skyrim!#lea speaks #sending you all lots and lots of hugs rn <3

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coeurdastronaute · 1 year

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Nerd 21

Previously on Nerd

The light flipped on in the kitchen and Lexa’s head shot up as it drifted toward her bowl of cereal. She blinked a few times and twirled her spoon around absently. She was too tired for anything else, too tired to eat. Too tired to think about making it up to her room just yet.

So she half-slept through her cereal and fought to make lists in her head for the coming days.

“You look like shit, darling,” Beth chuckled as she went about making coffee.

“I’m fine.”

“There’s no business like show business,” she sang, taunting her daughter who just rolled her eyes at the tap routine. “And I tell you it’s so.”

“Har, har,” Lexa grunted before drinking some of her milk.

“Seriously, how’s it going? Having fun?”

“It’s honestly great. Just a few more night shoots and then I’ll be back on a normal schedule.”

“Are you actually learning a lot?”

“I really am. The process and stuff. It’s kind of cool. Not a huge budget, but definitely bigger than whatever I can do.”

“Speaking of…. When is the next Lexa Woods production gearing up? I looked at the film school requirements, and you have to really narrow down a lot of things and submit a few samples. But it’s really the MFA that develops the technical side. You know we still require you to get a boring back up plan degree.”

Beth moved around the kitchen in a familiar dance, one that she’d perfected. She poured herself a mug of coffee and took out the chicken for dinner. She prepped her husband’s travel mug just as he liked it. Lexa liked the tiny moments of love that she’d never thought to look at before, but now kept seeing everywhere.

“It’s the Aden documentary. So I’m already working on it… just need a little more outlining and then interviewing. It feels nice to work on something on my own. Cos is helping-- she wants to make documentaries and I never have, but I can’t get it out of my head. It’s weird to work on something on my own-- like not bossing people around and planning shoots.”

Lexa was careful to watch her mothers movements as she spoke, careful to see if there was anything she was pressing too hard on, anything she should avoid. But they’d reached a form of honesty that she was happy to experience. She didn’t want to go backwards. She didn’t want anything to change because she was sick of swallowing her words. She wasn’t ready to start again.

“I’m really excited to see how that turns out. Let me know when it’s my turn to contribute.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“And you’re getting your summer work done?”

There was the look, the pointed, humorous look that Lexa knew to smile at because her mother was firm but fair, now more than ever.

“We’re two weeks into summer vacation. I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, but you have a girlfriend now, and two jobs, and you’re making a movie. Plus, your dad was mentioning something about a list you’re putting together? And working on the Chevelle?”

“Idle hands, and such.”

“There’s volunteering at the senior center-- don’t forget. You made a commitment.”

Beth took the bowl from across the island and placed it in the sink as Lexa sank a little lower into the counter, her cheek in the crook of her elbow.

“You’ll be sure to rest at some point this summer, right?”

“It’s been scheduled.”

Her mother smiled and rolled her eyes.

“I’m heading into the office.” She poured the coffee for herself and her husband, carefully placing the lid on his and setting it on the edge near the pot so he’d see it. “Are you going to be home for dinner?”

“No, I’m going to set around four. I’ll pack something.”

“Okay.” She moved around the edge of the island and kissed her daughter’s forehead, smoothing the hair there. “Go to bed. I’m really proud of how dedicated you are, and how grown you’ve been, accommodating your responsibilities with your passions. You’re amazing. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Lexa mumbled but still didn’t move. She was comfy where she was for a few more minutes.

She smiled to herself, a delicious kind of tired burrowing into her muscles.

XXXXXXXXXX

It wasn’t that Bellemy hadn’t been a focused person. Clarke figured she must have been attracted to people’s passion or passionate people-- driven maybe, though sometimes Lexa joked that it was probably an obsession. But there was a stark difference between the amount of work he was willing to put in, and the amount that Lexa did, and for that matter, how much help he asked for while Lexa was suffering in silence, afraid to ask for any help, of any type. Clarke was hoping to find more of a middle ground between the two.

Bellamy asked for everything, to the point of exhausting Clarke in the process. Babe, help me study, I need to go to the gym, can you grab me food. On the flipside, Lexa had to schedule things out for at least a week, and even then, rarely did she know how to relax. She enjoyed her internship, she worked, she spent time with her parents, she trained with her team, she did the summer homework, and she never asked for anything. It was an upgrade, of that Clarke was certain.

Begrudgingly, she had to admit that a busy girlfriend doing night shoots meant that she was spending more time with friends, which was fine, except Clarke felt this weird kind of absence she hadn’t experienced when she dated Bellamy and he was busy. She liked spending time with Lexa and her friends, but the absolute driven powerhouse that little nerd was though, just pushed Clarke to feel similarly in her own life as well. It was motivating, to date Lexa Woods. But her schedule also meant finding more reasons to be out of the house as much as possible. Lexa was incredibly motivating though, and even with her mother being over the moon excited about it, Clarke enrolled in two summer science classes at the community college.

It made it easier for her mother to not complain too much about spending time with Lexa, though she still frequently did. But summer was new, and Lexa was working hard, and Clarke was finally figuring out how to do what she wanted, and she was going to find some way to get the balance she wanted. There was a list, after all.

Here, she texted when she reached the designated spot. Half of Main Street had turned into a winter wonderland in the middle of the summer, and it was oddly adorable.

Clarke took a seat on the bench near the corner, well behind the cordoned off part of her own hometown. There was a lot of activity for being eleven at night. She didn’t mind the filming though, because the crew tipped well enough at the diner.

Before she could get too comfortable, a familiar baseball cap approached, weaving through the crowd. There was this thing Clarke could never quite articulate, but she felt a little happier when she saw Lexa. There was this kind of breath that came when the universe allowed her to fully inhale and exhale. Maybe it was just that Lexa was incredibly cute, with her shorts and long legs, and messy ponytail sticking out of her favorite hockey team’s cap that had been her father’s. She was focused and passionate, and when she saw Clarke, she grinned and smiled and took a breath as well. Clarke liked that part. There weren’t enough words to really describe how happy she felt to steal this time.

“Oh my God, I love you,” Lexa tossed back her head and accepted the bag of food offered to her.

Clarke bit her lip and watched her girlfriend dig into the bag, pulling out a few fries and eating them quickly. Realization dawned on her a second later, cheeks full of food, her eyes growing wider as she stared at Clarke and tried to swallow.

With an unheard of effort, Lexa swallowed and coughed, earning a chuckle Clarke couldn’t help or hide.

“I probably, uh, shouldn’t have said that… you know.. Here,” she waved at the holiday-themed town square behind her. “Or with this. Fuck, did I mess it up? I’m so sorry-- I never-- I didn’t mean that--”

“So you don’t love me?” Clarke cocked her head.

“No no no-- I just didn’t mean-- It should have been somewhere better, with candles probably, and not said with fries in my mouth, and I--” Lexa furrowed and kicked the ground, her shoulders moving as she tried to take a deep breath.

“Did you mean it?”

“Yeah, and not just because of the fries. I was really afraid I was going to say it during sex. Anya said that was a very inappropriate time to say it. She also said that I should be very sure before I said it-- and that--”

“Lexa, stop,” Clarke smiled, her heart fluttering because this girl-- THIS girl-- this girl loved her.

There was no one else she wanted to bring fries to in the middle of the night. There was no one else who she memorized how they like their burgers. There was no one else she wanted to make nervous like she made Lexa nervous.

“Sit and eat, please.”

Like a very obedient puppy, Lexa took her seat on the bench. It certainly wasn’t how Clarke expected her night to go, but her girlfriend tilted the bag and offered some of her fries and Clarke took a few while she unwrapped the burger. Light onion, lettuce, one tomato, extra pickles, ketchup, mayo, and just a little mustard.

“Last night's shoot, right?”

“Yeah, I can’t believe we wrap in two weeks. Like, I read all about,” she took a big bite and chewed a bit before speaking again, “about how Casablanca was filmed in two months, or like how Birdman allegedly only took 23 days. But seeing it all happen blows my mind.”

“You film stuff in like a few weeks, just spread out over a few months.”

“That downtime makes a difference.”

“Did you get to show the director your stuff?”

“I am next week.”

“That’s so exciting. She’s going to love it.”

Lexa blushed at the praise but nodded.

“Thanks for this. I was dying and I haven’t gotten time to stop in while you’ve been working.”

“I aim to please. Can’t have my girlfriend withering away to nothing. We have a camping trip coming up and all.”

“I’m so excited,” Lexa grinned as she ate.

Just like that, they settled into an easy conversation about their upcoming plans. Clarke had a test and work, while Lexa had work and the internship. It was a good balance and for the moment, Clarke savored it.

“So tomorrow I swapped for the early shift,” Clarke began as Lexa crumpled up her trash. “And you don’t work at the pool until Thursday, and you’re not back here until Friday. There is a double feature at Twin Pines drive-in.”

“Oh yeah? Which ones?” Lexa’s ears perked up.

“Hard Eight and Rounders.”

“A gambling double feature with lesser PTA and a Matt Damon, Ed Norton gem? It’s like my birthday.”

“You are, and I say this with all of the affection I have for you, so weird and I don’t know how I’m attracted to you sometimes.”

Lexa laughed at her girlfriend’s words and leaned forward, earning a kiss.

“I’ll take the top off the Bronco. Chinese, okay?”

“It’s a date. Make sure you get extra egg rolls. Pick me up at seven?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

Lexa tossed her trash and tucked her hands in her pockets as Clarke jingled her keys around and checked the time, realizing how late it was getting.

“Hey, earlier, you said you loved me,” Clarke cleared her throat as Lexa stood a bit closer to her. The blush came back as Clarke adjusted the bill of her hat. “Did you mean it?”

Only when Clarke put her hands on her girlfriend’s hips did Lexa melt slightly. She nodded, slowly at first and then with purpose. She had the curse of not being able to lie, and eyes that could tell Clarke about all of the words that got stuck.

“So would you say that you’re in love with me?”

“Yeah. I’d say that.”

“I kind of like that you said it with a mouth full of fries,” Clarke grinned. Lexa smiled slightly. “I kind of like that it popped out because you couldn’t hold it in.”

Clarke tugged her girlfriend’s neck and kissed her because her heart was too light and her soul was too happy to do anything else.

“I love you, too,” Clarke whispered as Lexa’s hands slid around her waist. “I don’t want candles and whatever silly things you think because you’ve seen them on a screen. Just you, being you, and me, being me.”

“You do?” Lexa breathed, her smile growing wider than allowed.

Clarke rolled her eyes and nodded, but was kissed quiet before she could answer.

XXXXXXXXX

By mid-June, there’d been a wonderful kind of routine that developed between the laziness of summer and the need to fill it up with fun and responsibilities. Lexa was nearly done with her short internship, and still buzzing with the feeling of it. Tirelessly, she made herself work for at least an hour every day on her summer project, the Aiden Documentary. She made plans and did normal summer things she’d often dreamt of. She watched her girlfriend in a bikini at the pool.

Most importantly, she perfected the list.

The Ultimate Summer List: 1. Road trip to the beach. 2. Drive-in movie 3. Concert 4. After-hours skinny dipping 5. Camping 6. Big party finale 7. Summer love 8. Something big

“This is a pretty good list,” Clarke nodded with approval as she looked it over. She stuck out her tongue as Lexa recorded her.

“I think so, yeah. We did extensive research. Now tell me, Clarke Griffin, what should we do first on the list?”

“You’ve already done the drive-in. We have a few of these already planned–”

“I mean what’s on your summer list?”

“You.”

Lexa gave her a look over her camera and rolled her eyes. It was new, the constant camera carrying, but Costia had given Lexa the advice as a documentarian to actually, you know, document. It was much different than her attempts at screenwriting and planning and storyboarding with Luna. This was very purposeful and natural, all at the same time.

“This might sound weird, but for the first time, I kind of just want to enjoy whatever the summer throws my way. Next year is colleges and planning and waiting and studying. This summer, I feel like I have my own little life. I’ve never really had that before. So I want to help you on this list. And I want to spend time reading by the pool and going to bonfires. I’m a simple girl.”

“That was a good answer.”

“I don’t think you’re allowed to say that to your subjects.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not much of a documentarian, I’m learning.”

Lexa closed the screen and put her camera down on Clarke’s desk. Her room was much different than the rest of the house. Lived in, refreshed. Bikinis dried in the bathroom sink after they spent the afternoon washing their cars in the driveway. Lunch was left on paper plates stacked on the nightstand. An effort of at least pulling out the summer homework from its place in her bag was made.

The routine that developed was really nice, Lexa realized, as she crawled over and sat beside her girlfriend. Dr. Griffin was usually at the hospital for long stretches, so Clarke’s became a default stop for Lexa. They’d play a few rounds of cards with her father sometimes before lunch, if he was feeling up to it. They’d spend the warmer part of the day hanging out, making plans. When her internship was done, Lexa would have a bit more time and be less tired, but for now, Clarke was happy enough to support her by just being chill together.

“Do you know what you should add to the list?”

“What’s that?” she asked, leaning her chin on Clarke’s shoulder.

“Girlfriend’s parent’s bbq.”

“That is a good one. It was really nice of your mom to invite my parents.”

“She’s just sizing you up is all.”

“Still not my biggest fan?” Clarke shook her head and chuckled. “I don’t understand why. I do everything right. Curfew is observed. No sneaking around. I’m polite when she’s around.”

“You have been a good influence on me.”

“I changed the oil in your truck!”

“You’re never going to win her over,” Clarke promised. “And that’s okay by me. My dad likes you a lot.”

Clarke ran her hand along Lexa’s thigh, and Lexa forgot what she should be concerned about. She was really hoping that never went away. She couldn’t imagine it. They had plans for a run after Clarke’s shift at the diner. They had plans to go swimming on Saturday. There was a date coming up, too. Lexa thought it’d be hard to have someone else be in her life, but Clarke didn’t impose. She didn’t withhold. She was just… she felt like a limb, sometimes.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” Clarke asked.

“What do you think of me?”

“Oh, I agree with my mother. You’re terrible. I should focus on my studies. You’ll–” Clarke erupted in a shriek as Lexa tickled her side, Clarke curling into herself as she slid toward the ground, trying to escape her fingers.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Yeah, well. It’s part of my charm,” Clarke managed between catching her breath.

But Clarke didn’t let Lexa sit up. In fact, she pulled her closer. Their skin was cool and shivering in the air conditioned house, fresh from the heat outside. Lexa shivered as her girlfriend’s hand ran up her side. She kissed Clarke’s neck, because when she did that, she got this noise that made her insides turn to lava. She liked the noises. Clarke made very, very good noises.

“I thought summer would have a lot more opportunities for hooking up,” Clarke murmured as she slid her hand into Lexa’s pants.

“Me too.”

It had been a week. A full week since they went camping with a dozen or so people from Clarke and Lexa’s groups, ranging from the soccer team to student government to diner coworkers. Luna declined, and Lexa accepted it well enough. Half the group hiked, most spent time on the lakefront. Everyone drank and played games, late into the night. Lexa and Clarke escaped into their tent before they got tipsy. Lexa came with Clarke’s hand over her mouth and her tongue inside of her, and that was the best camping experience she’d ever had.

“You did?”

“I mean, once I got a girlfriend and we started hooking up, it’s kind of on my mind a lot.”

Clarke smiled and kissed Lexa again. Lexa appreciated that she didn’t have to explain anything else. Or that Clarke didn’t say anything about her assumptions. Instead, Lexa pushed her hips forward, settling between Clarke’s legs and enjoying the feeling. The summer had been busy, but she was nearly back to a normal schedule. And she hoped normal meant more of this. More of–

“Clarke?”

Before they could separate, the door to her bedroom opened, and her mother was standing there, dumbfounded and looking at them. Lexa wanted to move, but she was still stunned. She knew that Clarke’s hand was in her pants, in her underwear, actually, grabbing her ass and tugging her closer. Her own right hand was under Clarke’s bra, a place it perpetually seemed to gravitate.

For what felt like an hour, they all remained stoic before Dr. Griffin turned around, eyes full of fire in the last instant Lexa saw them. The two bodies on the floor pulled apart, and Lexa tucked in her shirt for some reason, despite never doing it any other time.

“This is what you do while you’re home for summer break?” Dr. Griffin asked, back to them both still.

“Make out with my girlfriend?” Clarke tried, and Lexa shot her a look. Her cheeks had to be burning at atomic temperatures.

“I think I should head out–”

“That’s a good idea,” the mother decided, finally turning around.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Clarke offered, grabbing her bag for work. “I have to head over to work anyway soon.”

“You don’t have–”

Helplessly, Lexa tried to contribute the right things to the conversation.

“I think my daughter and I will need to have a conversation. Have a nice day, Lexa.”

“Just wait, Lex,” Clarke tried. “I can’t now, Mom. I’ll be late. I’ll talk to you later.”

“I really–”

“Clarke, I swear to God, sit down on that bed, right now.”

“I have to go,” Clarke challenged back and Lexa looked helplessly around for another exit. The windows didn’t look too bad. She’d done it before. It wasn’t a bad fall. “Let’s go, Lex.”

Seething. That was the word Lexa could think of when she looked at Dr. Griffin, though she found herself unable to do that for more than an instant. Boiling over. There might have been steam coming from her ears, and her jaw was surely going to crack under the pressure. But she moved aside and didn’t say anything else.

Clarke grabbed Lexa’s hand when they made it to the steps, and Lexa realized, unfortunately, in that moment, it might be a lot longer between hook ups yet again.

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