#;;my shower head is very impressed with me ( ricky )

[shh-nueklmn]

your acquaintance and first date with zb1

by the way, friends can go on dates too

a/n: I am writing for the first time and english is not my native language, but I hope you will like it

jiwoong

-you met on the set of a drama

-you were his makeup artist and complimented on his appearance

-as a result, you began to text and communicate more on the set

-i think jiwoong asked you out pretty quickly

-he was screaming inside, when you agreed, but didn’t show it

-you went to a restaurant after work

-he tried his best impression on you and acted a gentleman (maybe a little flirting)

-after a date, he took you by the hand and walked you home

- he might be a little shy at the next meeting, but then he became a typical jiwoong

zhang hao

-he saw you playing the guitar and made a compliment, but right away forgot about this situation

-but I guess it was a fate and the next time he asked for your number

-he rarely wrote first because he was busy, but always tried to answer quickly

-sometimes he called you after a hard day because your voice was soothing

-probably you were the first to ask out him somewhere

-he didn’t have much free time, so you just took a walk during your lunch break

-hao definitely called it a date and teased you a lot

-bought you a drink, even when you minded ("we have to go on another date so you can buy a drink back for me")

-told a lot of stories and sulked that you're so quiet

-at the end of the date, he gave you a peck the cheek and giggled at your reaction

-after that, he started flirting more in messages (“this wedding was so cool, but we have to do better”)

hanbin

-you met at a dance event

-you came up to tell him how amazing he danced and he showered with compliments in return

-"we should dance together" (as a result, you exchanged numbers and started seeing more often in the hall)

-once after practice, he offered to have lunch together (i don't think hanbin cares if it's a date or not, but if you ask, it will definitely become a date)

-you talked a lot and he often asked if you wanted to order something else

-he asked you to text when you are at home and you gave each other a high five goodbye

-in the evening he texted a big message where he said that you are an amazing person and he wants to get to know each other

-he became more tactile and softer through next meetings

matthew

-you were walking in the park with a dog, and he couldn't stand not to pet it

-he started asking a lot of questions and then told about his family's dog

-he offered you a walk with the pets together

-he was very active and your meetings were filled with laughter

-he asked you to call him oppa (when you did that, matthew was very shy)

-you were meeting with each other more and more often and you decided to ask him out

-at first he didn’t fully understand why you were without dogs, but happily walked with you

-when you mentioned that it was a date, he started thinking more about it (probably he was confused)

-on the next walk, he brought a small bouquet for you and he did his best (still trying to convince you to call him oppa)

taerae

-you met at your friend's birthday party

-you talked a lot in the kitchen and were surprised that you didn’t have a conversation before

-once taerae brought a guitar to a picnic

-during one of the songs, your eyes met and it felt like you were the only people in this world

-at the end of the picnic, you asked him out

-you went to the open air cinema for some old movie

-but you were more interested in talking and watching his dimples («sorry can I touch your dimple?»)

-insensibly you held hands and you put your head on his shoulder

-when you returned home you got a voice message in which he sang (taerae will do this almost every day)

ricky

-you met in a tattoo studio when he came to get a tattoo

-at first ricky flirted, but then he became too worried about the pain

-you noticed it and started to praise him and said that you would finish soon (oh no, I see how ricky is melting from the praise)

-it turned out you have a lot in common and finally he asked you out

-as a result, you went in modern cafe

-he tried to impress you and to be a cool guy, but then he relaxed and joked a lot

-ricky wanted to take your hand, but he was afraid it was too fast

-when the date came to an end, you stood awkwardly for a few minutes because no one wanted to leave first

-after that he often visited you in the studio and brought coffee

gyuvin

-you met in the game (I do not know anything about roblox, so there will be a genshin)

-he helped you once, but then began to constantly enter your world (teased that you can't do anything without him)

-once you called in discord and he just listened to your voice for a few minutes

-smiled broadly when you laughed at his stories

-offered to see with you, but he was too nervous (as a result, he came 10 minutes earlier and pouted that you were late)

-gyuvin was very shy and he was silent, but when you paid attention, he started joking more

-at the end of the date, he hugged you and didn't want to let you go

-when you left, he immediately started texting and wanted to see you as soon as possible

-he forced you to put paired statuses in genshin

gunwook

-you studied at the same school and you immediately noticed him (I mean, everyone said how kind and responsive he was), but you were too shy to take the first step

-finally, your friends told him that you wanted to get to know him and gunwook did it himself

-you met on break and he asked a lot about you

-it turned out to have a lot in common and you started having lunch together every day

-after a while, you dared to call him to the cinema after school

-in the end, all you thought about was gunwook sitting next to you and drawing circles on your palm

-after the movie he took you to a cafe and you ate a lot of french fries and laughed

-he walked you home and said he had a great time

-the next time you saw each other at school, he held your hand and whispered compliments

yujin

-you also met at school (I think it's too obvious)

-he asked your friends what you like and after a while chocolate milk began to appear on your table

-once you noticed how he did it, but yujin blushed and quickly left

-as a result, he started avoiding you until you texted him that want to hang out and talk more

-he denied calling your meeting a date (but really wanted it)

-you went to the arcade and every time he rejoiced his victory and stroked you on the shoulder when you lost (at first he worried about this, but then became more tactile)

-also he won a few toys for you

-you finished a meeting (date) in a cafe with bubble tee and argued about your favorite flavor

-after that, he started chatting with you more at school and chocolate milk appeared on your table again and again

#zb1 scenarios #zb1 reactions #zb1 #zb1 fluff #sung hanbin #kim jiwoong #zhang hao #seok matthew #kim taerae #shen ricky #kim gyuvin #park gunwook #han yujin

[kkusuka]

Third year songs <3

this is most of the thrid years- not all 

from my spotify liked playlist <3

comes with a side of slight character analysis 

These are my interpretations of HQ characters and these songs!!

Time-skip spoilers!! (very slight) 

---

Karasuno 

Daichi Sawamura

 Waiting for Superman- Daughtry

She's waiting for Superman

To lift her up

And take her anywhere

Show her love

And climbing through the air

Save her now

Before it's too late tonight

She's waiting for Superman

Daichi seems like he makes a  lot of promises, that he just can’t physically keep. He just has so many things going on that he just can’t pay attention to all of them at once. This leads to far too many forgotten dates and even more broken promises. You know its not his fault and he does too, he just can’t leave anyone hanging. 

Koushi Sugawara

 Island- Florida Georgia Line

We might as well be on an island

Like we're the last two on this Earth

Like we're frozen here in time

Like it's empty here tonight

I feel like suga likes to put himself back into happier times. And that he tries to hold into happy moments as they are happening. He says he is a man of the moment, but when he feels down, he tries to put himself back into the more joyous times. 

Asahi Azumane 

You say- Lauren Daigle 

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

And you say I am held when I am falling short

And when I don't belong, oh You say I am Yours

And I believe (I)

Oh, I believe (I)

What You say of me (I)

I believe

Asahi is clearly very attached to how people perceive him. So when people shower him with compliments, he attaches onto them. He likes what makes him comfortable and he wants to stay comfortable for as long as he can. Words are important to him, so when he hears something bad it can ruin him for a while. He really does believe what the people he loves say to him. 

Kiyoko Shimizu

 Mothers daughter- Miley Cyrus 

Oh my gosh, she got the power

Oh, look at her, she got the power

So, so, so

…

Must be something in the water

Or that I'm my mother's daughter

The power this woman carries. She’s built her confidence and she’s not letting anyone ruin it for her. I truly believe that her friends all become more confident because she wants everyone around her to feel confident too. Since she doesn't speak all that much she lets her body language do most of the expression. 

--

Nekoma 

Tetsurō Kuroo

 High school sweethearts- Melanie Martinez 

Could you hold me through the night?

Put your lips all over my mine

Salty face when I start cryin'

Could you be my first time?

Eat me up like apple pie

Kuroo definitely takes trust very seriously. I feel he’s also really scared of someone breaking this trust, so he does form it with a lot of people. That saying if he does, he wants it to last forever.

 (...Step twoThis is a waste if you can't walk me down the finish line…) 

He truly believes in the people he surrounds himself with. 

Nobuyuki Kai 

Kill the Lights- Set it Off

Now I am cutting ties clean off

And I can breathe at last

So we all stand enthralled by this bland curtain call

And the truth we pursue as we all, we all beg you to

 Kai seems like he wasn't really that invested in volleyball, so having all these passionate people around him was a shock.  But he really got into third year, and he wants people to feel that passion too. In the back of his mind he feels bad for not feeling it like the rest of the team, but since looking in the past means nothing now, he tries to move on. 

Morisuke Yaku

 Mama- Mcr

And when we go don't blame us, yeah

We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah

You made us oh so famous;

We'll never let you go

And when you go don't return to me my love

I mean, he is part of the mom squad. But it's ever so slightly more deep. I’m gonna say it's momma-bird syndrome. He doesn't want people to move on without him, seeing people achieve their dreams is great but he doesn't want you to do it if that means loving him. 

--

Seijoh

Tōru Oikawa

Prom Queen- Beach Bunny

Maybe I should try harder

You should lower your expectations

I'm no quick-curl barbie

I was never cut out for prom queen

I feel like oikawa is constantly feeling like he has to catch up to everyone around him. At some point in Argentina he came to the conclusion that he was good enough and didn't need to rise to anyone's standards of him, but when he got picked for the national team everything came back. He still has all of those feelings from high-school. Never making it to nationals, feeling like he failed his team. 

Issei Matsukawa

Bubblegum Bitch- Marina and the diamonds 

Got a figure like a pin-up, got a figure like a doll

Don't care if you think I'm dumb, I don't care at all

Candy bear, sweetie pie, wanna be adored

I'm the girl you'd die for

I feel like to earn Mattsun’s trust, he would put you through some ridiculous trial of sorts. I also feel that he is very comfortable with who he is, and he takes no shit about it. But that comes with the fact that he rarely takes fault in things, and that sparks arguments. He’ll use your love for him against you, he’ll be as cold as he can muster, until YOU take fault. 

Takahiro Hanamaki

 OUT THE ROOF- Chase Atlantic 

Yeah, we stay lit

We fuck bitches, pop on pillies, that is it, yeah

Holy moly, holy shit, yeah

Me and all my people are heaven sent, yeah, yup

9this is a strait vibe for Makki) 

I feel like Makki drowns his problems out with meaningless activities. Like smoking or one-night stands. He’d rather drown out his problems then have them in his  face. Or when he’s forced to face them, he’ll deflect until he has nothing else to deflect. Because when you’re high there nothing to worry about! Why stress about meaningless problems when he can be having fun!  

Hajime Iwaizumi

 Endlessly- The Cab

Yeah, your friends may think I'm crazy

Cause they can only see

I'm not perfect, but I swear, I'm perfect for you.

And there's no guarantee

That this will be easy.

It's not a miracle you need, believe me.

Yeah, I'm no angel, I'm just me

But I will love you endlessly.

Iwa knows that he can't be there for you all the time. Physically he tries his best, mentally he can help when he can. But you both know that you're perfect for one another. He just can't help but listen to the people around him sometimes. You deserve the world, but he doesn't know if he can give that to you. 

--

Fukurodani

Kōtarō Bokuto 

Prima Donna- Andrew Lloyd Webber 

Can you bow out when they're shouting your name?

Think of how they all adore you

We’ve all seen how Bokuto gets what he’s praised for literally anything remotely impressive. So that makes him a cannon prima donna! but that also means the lows and really bad mood swings. This song just fits him so well it’s scary.  

-- 

Shiratorizawa

Wakatoshi Ushijim

 More- Usher 

If you really want more, scream it out louder,

If you on the floor, bring out the fire,

And light it up, take it up higher,

Gotta push it to the limit, give it more.

This seems kinda obvious, but Ushijima never gives up. Ever since he was a kid, he set a goal for himself and he went beyond what he even set out for. And that comes with a lot of work and training for every new level of volleyball. He’s just going to get better and better until he retires, or is forced to retire. 

Eita Semi

 strawberries and cigarettes- troye sivan

Long nights, daydreams

Sugar and smoke rings, I've been a fool

But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

Headlights, on me

Racing to 60, I've been a fool

But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like

Blue eyes, black jeans

Lighters and candy, I've been a fool

But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

I feel like semi always thinks about how Shirabu replaced him on the starting line-up. But he’s mostly gotten over it, but certain things bring him back into that stage of his life. Then the cycle starts all over again. He constantly looks back on the game against Karasuno and thinks about wat would have happened if he was the setter instead. 

Reon Ōhira

 Remember when- Chris Wallace 

So can we push push push rewind,

Go go back in time,

When we were kids sneaking bottles of wine,

Take take take me back, I wanna go back,

Back to what we had! Do you remember when we started this mess,

My heart was beating out of my chest!,

Remember when we stole your dad's car,

Reon gives me the vibe that his days at Shiratorizawa were some of the best of his life. How can they not be? He made the greatest friends of his life there. And I also feel like he looks back on them a bit more than he wants to admit.

Satori Tendō

 This Side of Paradise- Coyote theory

Are you lonely?

Passion is crashing as we speak

You seem so lonely

You're the ground my feet won't reach

So if you're lonely

Darling you're glowing

If you're lonely come be lonely with me.

I get the vibe that Tendou attaches himself to whatever makes him feel wanted/safe. (ex. volleyball) he knows it isn't healthy, but he can't help it. This does lead to him completely distancing himself from you over and over because he thinks you’ll leave him. 

Hayato Yamagata- House of gold- Twenty one Pilots 

I will make you

Queen of everything you see

I'll put you on the map

I'll cure you of disease (Ooh)

And since we know that dreams are dead

And life turns plans up on their head

I will plan to be a bum

So I just might become someone

Even though we don't see a lot of him, I get the feeling he treats people really well. Like he cherishes people a lot more than some of them deserve. As you can see this leads to some unfair relationships and toxic people. He just wants to hold on until a good person comes along. 

--

Nohebi 

Suguru Daishō

Mr Loverman - Ricky Montgomery 

I'm Mr. Loverman

And I miss my lover, man

I'm Mr. Loverman

Oh, and I miss my lover

I feel like this was way too obvious, but it really is his song. It’s literally cannon, every lyric in this song is what happened with Mika. but in the end he got her back and made his promise  to be a better loverman <3. 

Kazuma Numai

 Nonstop- Drake 

Future took the business and ran it for me

I let Ollie take the owl, told him brand it for me

I get two million a pop and that's standard for me

Like I went blind dog, you gotta hand it to me

He looks and acts like a guy who listens to drake. He just seems like a guy who won't stop or give up even when things take a turn. He’ll just keep fighting until nothing’s left. 

Kōji Hiroo

 At the Wheel- Colorblind 

I need something to wake me up

It's never strong enough

I'm just getting colder and starting over

Going numb is just the way I run from

All my problems when I can't solve them

Need to break away

Escape the way I'm feeling

Hate to be fake, but I'm just dealing

This one doesn't really have a true reason, i really just felt like this was his song.  Sorry just the vibe. 

;)

Inarizaki

Shinsuke Kita

 Oh Ms Believer- twenty one pilots 

Oh, Ms. Believer, my pretty sleeper

Your twisted mind is like snow on the road

Your shaking shoulders prove that it's colder

Inside your head than the winter of dead

I will tell you I love you

But the muffs on your ears will cater your fears

My nose and feet are running as we start

To travel through snow

Together we go

I feel like kita is unintentionally cold towards the world, like he wants to open up but can't figure out how. But in turn if you can get him to feel “warmer” (get closer to him) he’ll share everything with you, almost oversharing. Just because he can't help it, he’s kept it all in for so long. Sometimes he just needs someone to hold him and make HIM feel better, because he does it for everyone. If you can manage all of this i feel like he’ll keep you with him forever. 

Ren Ōmimi

 Armor- Landon Austin

I'm not bullet proof when it comes to you

Don't know what to say when you made me the enemy

After the war is won

There's always the next one

I'm not bullet proof when it comes to you

I feel like not a lot of people approach ren because of how intimidating he looks. This has made him weary when people are really enthused to first meet him, because he thinks it’s a joke. After getting over that hurdle i feel like he just isn't an open person so it’ll take a long time to even get to a point where he trusts you. Hence the other wars after the first. 

Aran Ojiro-

 Never really over- Katy perry

Two years, and just like that, my head still takes me back

Thought it was done, but I guess it's never really over

Oh, we were such a mess, but wasn't it the best?

Thought it was done, but I guess it's never really over

Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over

And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again

And I'll have to get over you all over again

After all of these years, I really don't think Aran has truly gotten over losing at nationals in third year. And now on the national team he sees Hinata and Kageyama all the time and it takes him back. It makes him re-feel all the emotions he felt after the game. It hurt him to know that he gave his everything and still lost.  Like when he’s in bed he puts himself back into that self loathing phase of his life. 

Michinari Akagi

Try Hard - 5sos

It's obvious she’s so out of reach

And I'm finding it hard 'cause

She makes me feel, makes me feel

Like I try, like I try, like I'm trying too hard

'Cause I'm not being me

And it’s getting me down that

She makes me think, makes me think

That I try, that I try, that I'm trying too hard again

Akagi gives off boy best friend vibes.  But like to EVERYONE, so the person he liked just thought he was making fun of them and he didn't like them back. And i feel like that kinda traumatized him a bit, so when he got a new s/o he tried really really hard to make them special, but the same thing happened. 

i may do some with the second and first years, idk this took so long :)

#daichi sawamura #daichi x reader #sugawara kōshi #sugawara x reader #azumane asahi #asahi azumane #asahi x reader #kiyoko shimizu #kiyoko x reader #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x reader #kai nobuyuki #nobuyuki x reader #yaku morisuke #yaku x reader #oikawa #oikawa toru #oikawa tooru #oikawa x reader #issei matsukawa #matsukawa x reader #hanamaki takahiro #hanamaki x reader #iwaizumi hajime #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi haijime x reader #bokuto koutarou #bokuto x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima x reader

[cutiepisenpai]

Dear Stranger Series Ch. 5: Unicorn(Spencer Reid x Female OC)

Chapter 1 

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Warnings: Some suggestive sexual activities(nothing graphic), Fluff

Melinda and Spencer’s morning routine starts off normal, the alarm rings and one of them hits snooze, it rings again and the other turns it off, when it rings a third they finally start to get up. “Ugh, we need a vacation.” Melinda groans sitting up in the bed. Although it can be assumed that the good doctor was a morning person, he was in fact less enthusiastic about the early hours of the day. It took at least two cups of coffee before he gained any kind of pep although he can function if necessary.  But Melinda has a trick of her own to get him moving. “You know if we’re quick I can put on the coffee now and we can shower together.” It works like a charm he is up heading for the shower before she even has a chance to get up. 

Arriving at Quantico a few minutes late, their shower activities dragged on a little too long. Spencer has a thermos with coffee but he will need more soon. Spencer is walking behind Melinda arms wrapped around her,his head resting atop of her head, it makes for a rather weird walk but he’s ok with that. Walking through the doors of the BAU the strange site garners the attention of the team eliciting giggles from JJ, Penelope, and Emily. Morgan rounds the corner taking in the site laughing, “Long night?” Spencer, still not fully functional on the singal cup of coffee, just nods in response. This causes the others to erupt in laughter. “Attay Boy, but he looks like the one that has been worn out so maybe it should be an atta girl?” He says, quirking an eyebrow. Melinda thinks it's best to just ignore all of them and heads towards hers and Spencer's desks, stopping in front of Spencer’s. “This is your stop.” He kisses the top of her head before taking a seat at his desk as Melinda moves around to set her stuff down. 

Today has been an uneventful day for the BAU, they don’t have a current case so it is a catch up on paperwork day. Spencer is in his own personal heaven speeding through his paperwork much to the dismay of everyone. Melinda specifically cannot fathom his love of paperwork and as his complete opposite in this area she was in hell. Slowly reading through each file. Spencer has offered a few times to take a portion of her files but she refuses each offer she could move faster through it but was just unmotivated to do so. Since there isn't much need to hear everyone else they’re working semi-independently she decides to place an earbud in her ear humming along to the music as she works. 

   Completely enveloped in the paperwork before her and the music flowing in her ear Melinda missing Penelope walking up behind her exclaiming, “Lucy, you got some splainin to do.” in her best Ricky Ricardo impression. Receiving no response from Melinda she taps her on the shoulder. “Hey girly, you got some splainin to do.” Melinda is confused, wondering if she forgot something. She may be just and smart as her other half but one of the many differences they share is she does not have an eidetic memory. “Yes my love, what did I do?” She decides to just ask. “You know how I always joke and call you a unicorn because like how does a person as perfect as you exist.” Penelope starts to explain. “I’ve told you a hundred times I am not perfect. I am actually rather strange, I thought you would have noticed by now.” “Shush it I’m making a point. You are very weird but your cute habits just add to your charm. You failed to mention you are an actual unicorn and that is not an exaggeration.” Penelope continues to rant. “Come on Pen seriously what the hell are you talking about?” Melinda asks, not following her Rant. From above them Rossi calls out, “Maybe she finally saw those devilish horns growing from your forehead and confused it with a unicorn.” He says with a laugh. “Alright everyone to the conference now.” She demands grabbing Melinda by the arm and heading off. Spencer who was getting his 5th cup of coffee for the day missing the conversation that had just happened is confused coming in to sit down. “Did we get a case?” He asks. “No but something much more important has come to my intention. You are all familiar with our resident Unicorn, well look at this.” On the screen appears Melinda’s face yet again but this photo is much older taken about 8 years prior. The biggest difference in her appearance other than her age is the rainbow dyed hair she is sporting. Oh that’s what she meant when she said Unicorn. “Where did you even find that I don't have social media for you to cipher through.” Melinda asks, genuinely intrigued by where the photo came from. “Oh I talked to your bff and she was more than happy to share about your rebellious stage.” Penelope says changing the screen to show other photos of Melinda in her teens sporting all different colors of hair. “I don’t know if I would call it rebellious more along the lines of I was already done with 3 degree at the time and wanted to have fun before I had to start working and having “natural” hair color.” Melinda looked at all the photos four different rainbow hair colors, two blue and one purple. She really didn’t see it as all that rebellious. She just wanted to have fun and with her dad constantly working being left with her stepmother (the wicked witch of the west as Melinda calls her) she felt the need to bring joy into her life and she used color to do so. Now that she thinks about it rubbing her ear feeling all the piercings she began adorning along with the dyed hair, she guesses she may have had a mild teenage rebellion. “Hey at least it's not as bad as Emily’s high school photos.” Spencer says coming to her defense. But not quite thinking of the consequences of throwing his co-worker under the bus, Emily makes an offended sound, “Really is that how it's gonna be? Why don’t we just pull up everyone's teen photos and compare?” Emily's comments cause a commotion, everyone disagreeing with taking things that far. Melinda turns to Spencer, “So would you still date me if I had rainbow hair?” He pauses for a moment before answering, “Yes but please don’t dye your hair.”  

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid #derek morgan #emily prentiss #Jennifer Jareau #Penelope Garcia #david rossi #bau x reader #bau team #Female reader #female oc #fluff #Dear Stranger Series

[justkimberley]

HSMTMTS Thoughts Episode 7

Episode 1   Episode 2    Episode 3   Episode 4   Episode 5  Episode 6

This one is also kinda long (~2200 words)

Nini and Ricky doing a fantastic job harmonizing in Start of Something New

the dance routine around them is absolutely crazy and all over the place

So it seems that Seb is just their resident piano player (side note, who ended up getting Kelsey??)

Big Red with the flashlight trying so hard to keep it on the disco ball

EJ interrupting because of the bell. Does anyone really love Thanksgiving that much??

Also I always forget that American Thanksgiving is like a month later than Canadian Thanksgiving and I was hella confused for a second.

Ricky is so surprised that Nini is complimenting him

Ashlyn as Robotics Team captain! (side note Big Red gives her an impressed look after he overhears that she’s the captain)

Also: debate team, baking club, high priestess of the Renaissance Faire

We love a multifaceted lady

Miss Jenn/Mr. Mazzarra trying to have a ‘my horse is bigger than your horse’ banter except neither of them have the horses they claim to have

“With whoever could possibly love you,” lol ok Miss Jenn went for the head

“Late night party” - party starts at 8 that’s adorable

“Small group or…” “PARTY AT ASHLYN’S HOUSE!”

It’s really interesting learning about Nini’s Lola (? I think that’s how it’s spelled, which is what I believe Filipino people call their grandmother’s), and her story

I’m just really proud of Ricky’s Dad. Like he was in such a bad place 2-3 episodes ago and now he’s taking care of himself and Ricky (even if it isn’t a grandiose Thanksgiving) he’s trying and I think he’s doing great

“We roll hard” I just really love this line

“I suppose if you’re lonely, you could always just… randomly text my drama teacher,” “Too soon… RIck,” “... yeah okay”

That was pretty funny. Also, it seems like Ricky’s okay with his dad dating?

Ricky’s mom waiting for him to call

I don’t know how I feel about this to be honest. I feel like maybe she should have tried to call him first and then if he didn’t answer or want to talk to her, that she should wait for him to make the next move then.

EJ’s truth arc is very funny to me

Big Red and Ashlyn

“I promise not to steal your phone if you promise not to throw a basketball at my face,” “No, the only thing I’d ever throw at your face is a brighter spotlight cause, I like the way you sing

Oof they’re so cute, we love little crushes

Also this might be an unpopular opinion but y’all need to calm down about the whole ‘Ashlyn and Big Red are GAY and they only THINK theyy like each other’ thing. #1 It was never confirmed for them to be gay. #2 You can still have wlw and mlm head-cannons for them! Bi, Pan, and other multiple gender attraction oriented people exist, even if you forget about us sometimes.

They are a cute little pairing of people who are always looking out and taking care of other people. It’s okay for them to do things for themselves.

Ricky debating calling his mom, it took a lot of courage and then Todd picks up.

Hangs up immediately, it almost looked like he was going to have a panic attack. That would be so hard, such an extreme shift

I guess the reason he was more okay with his Dad dating was that his Dad was open and honest with him about it. Calling your Mom only to find out that she has a boyfriend that a. She never told you about b. He knows about you and c. is trusted enough to be left alone with her phone while she showers? Is a lot, and probably means that she started dating him before the split was official.

Ricky going to call Nini and then deciding against it. Why doesn’t he feel like he can talk to Big Red about this kind of stuff? Why does he always go to Nini first?

Gina shows up, those are good looking cupcakes

She made him a hat!

She looks so hesitant before she gives it to him!

Gina’s like ‘look dude, I know something’s wrong, spill the beans’

Ignore it and push through - I understand where she’s coming from but you really shouldn’t ignore your problems, it usually just makes them worse

“Do what makes you happy,” “... Give me that hat,”

Adorable, also do what makes you happy is good advice so we’re a little all over the map here

“That’s too big,” “I’ll grow into it,” (adorable)

Miss Jenn and Mr. Mazzarra’s whole interaction is hilarious.

Don’t burn down my shop! - holy shit, foreshadowing buddies

Ashlyn is so cute! She’s so happy when people compliment her

“I highly recommend not telling someone you love them for the first time on instagram” - yup! That’s what I said in the first one of these I did.

Carlos - “The party may begin!” - I totally thought he said “The party made me gay,” the first time I watched it so uhh yeah

Big Red is lactose intolerant

Carlos’ board game is amazing

“High School Musical the Choosical,” - fantastic name

Everyone is so accepting

Ashlyn and Big Red choosing to be on the same team

“South Side Knights -” “It’s the West High Nights,” “the West High Knights”

Ej is like a compulsive truther now. And it’s kind of hilarious

His face when he says “She laughed!” is hilarious and kind of adorable

“I gotta go join the party, and admit some terrible things, you ladies, catch up!” - I wish we got to see what he was admitting to, I find this whole thing quite funny

I’m glad that Emily and Nini got some reconciliation, I know Nini felt guilty even though it wasn’t her fault

That is not a good cockney accent

Why did Ricky enter alone when him and Gina walked together?

And he left her to open the door on her own with all those cupcakes?

“Buddies,” “We,”

Ricky and Gina both laughing about YouTube, cuties

Look, feelings are feelings and you can’t help what you feel, but pushing someone away and insisting to remain only friends means that you shouldn’t be upset when he makes a new friend

Mr. Mazzara and Miss Jenn

The plug socket is in the frame, more foreshadowing

“He won’t.. Not… fall” this show loves it’s double negatives huh? I don’t not love you, he won’t not fall etc.

“Ok but the center of gravity is off,” YES to different kinds of intelligence being helpful in fields other than the main one people associate them with

Carlos thinking people are going to keep judging him and the theater people being as accepting as possible

EJ is a gleek

What I’ve Been Looking For to the rhythm of Get Your Head in the Game is hard! (Catch me on the piano later trying to figure it out lol)

It just turns into a terrible rap

EJ - “That was terrible,” Seb -  “I’m so happy”

EJ vs. Ricky - “without laughing… or killing each other,”

This is a good parallel to the basketball scene, once again they get kind of aggressive, but this time they also joke around and no one gets hurt

Also I would love to see them become friends, I mean they both need to grow a little before that happens, but I have hopes

They missed the ‘neeee howww’ part of it, I really wanted to hear them do the high voices

EJ’s little “mehh” that sounds like a duck kills me everytime

Gina and Nini awkwarddd

“I do have high hopes for a junior year at East High” oof babey :(

“It must be nice sometimes though, right?” - nini does not understand

This actually gives us an insight as to why they don’t understand each other. Nini would love nothing more than to start a new life with no drama and Gina would love nothing more than to have a life that lasts longer than a couple months before being restarted.

Gina/Nini apology very exciting, hopefully they can actually become friends

“It’s all good,” from Nini seemed disingenuous, I don’t know if it’s because of the Wonderstudy thing or the Ricky thing. 

The sleepover thing I was so worried that it would be a mean spirited thing but I’m so glad it wasn’t

Nini sits on Ricky’s lap when she goes back to the game room and I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but it’s kind of like she’s trying to lay her claim back on Ricky.

Gina looks so happy when a. Carlos calls her in and b. the happy dance about the sleepover! (why’d they have to ruin the happiness??)

Mr. Mazarra returning the favour

“It’s beautiful,” “Math often is,” dudde I feel you I fucking love math

“I cannot stress to you enough how uncomfortable that would make me feel,”

“You know what we should do?” “Break off eye contact sometime soon?”

I’m dying

“It’s about a robot!” this is… pretty adorable. She just wants to make a genuine connection with him

Also are they going to do a romance route with these two? Because I can see them setting it up but also imagine if they just become like… best friends? I feel like they’d be unstoppable.

Musical Choosical Handbook of Rulesicals

“I thought you had never actually played this with people-” “Honey not today of all days,”

Carlos and Seb are the only couple with no bad drama and I’m living for it (please let them just stay happy)

Oops! I knew that jersey question… also it’s definitely the answer Big Red would now because he’s only watched the movie with no words (at his allergists office)

“And do people usually talk like that?” “No they do not.” - gold

EJ the compulsive cheater and also compulsive truther makes a comeback (I seriously find this so funny I don’t know why)

“I love to pop and lock and jam and break,” oh GIna

She’s so happy about winning

Not realistic, you know that the second she called her mom at least someone would be like “pass the weed,” (you know because friends are awesome and also terrible)

“Can you take me off speaker”

Some people are like ‘oh no is she in trouble?’

I kind of hate that it looks like Nini looks sort of happy about Gina’s mom asking her to take her off speaker - I really don’t want Nini to turn into a catty person.

Ricky is concerned

Why did her mom tell her this right now? She should have waited until the next morning, like that wouldn’t have hurt anyone and it would have let them form stronger bonds. And Gina would have had her first sleepover and also they might form strong enough bonds to try and stay in contact with her

Ricky is worried for her, he’s like, ‘You made me feel better, so I’ll go make you feel better’

Nini’s looking upset that Ricky’s being emotionally aware for once? Like dude, he’s grown up a lot since BEFORE summer break? That’s like six months ago I think at this point?

Ricky just wants to help Gina feel better because she made him feel better

She doesn’t understand that they can stay friends even if she leaves and I just :(

“Please don’t do that” he’s so overwhelmed

“My mom moved out two weeks ago and she’s already got a new boyfriend, sound familiar?” Oooh low blow Ricky bud.

“Really don’t need advice from a .. buddy right now,”

Ok but then who does Ricky want advice from? I’m so confused. This boy needs to get a better support system and learn how to use it. Romantic relationships should not be your only outlet for your problems.

Red and Ashlyn

“I hope Gina’s gonna be okay,” - Big Red is so sweet!

They’re so cute

“Hey Big Red? Don’t forget your dip,” - oh she was so going to ask him out and then lost the nerve

Write something for yourself.

It’s a hard thing to do, dude. It’s also hard to let yourself feel so vulnerable, even if it’s only you that’s going to hear it

Gina packing, I feel so sad for her, she’s finally made some good friends and now she has to leave again. She kept the badge! :( 

EJ losing followers and being cancelled, at least we know why now

It seems like a lot of EJ’s self worth comes from how others think of him. So losing followers is probably a pretty big hit. I wonder if he’ll keep going with his whole truth thing when it has these consequences or if he’ll just go back to what he was doing before. I hope that he has a positive arc but, will it go downhill from here? I hope not.

Ricky about to apologise to Nini (why did he erase it, he probably should have sent that) - side note: their conversation before was them asking each other if they were going to the party

It’s interesting that Nini had pictures of EJ and Ricky up still

Gina’s crying face is making me cry

“Hey mom, it’s me, I miss you so much,” tears

Nini hanging up pictures of her grandma and the musical. She’s really trying to move forward from boys huh?

Is nini going to apply to the theater school??

Electrical fire???????? WHy??

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts spoilers #episode 7 #kimberleysthoughts #mypost #kimberleyreacts #feel free to come yell into the void with me about this show #the void is always open #(the void is the name of my askbox lol)

[nat-roman0ff]

iii. halloween (prelude to a canadian winter)

 series of blurbs // a certain time and place

iii. halloween (prelude to a canadian winter)

the one where they finally meet.

wc: 3,130

warnings: naughty words, the weedypuff, really bad puns & starbucks lovers.

---

Halloween. The one time of year it’s socially acceptable to be an adult and dress up in a costume without someone thinking you have some sort of weird fetish. 

 In the city of Toronto, Canada, the air is crisp, the leaves change their colors, and Shawn is on the hunt. 

 He’s maneuvering the last piece of his costume onto his body with the help of his best friend, Brian. He’s dressed as Julius Caesar; wearing a homemade cardboard cutout of a salad dressing bottle and a wreath crown.

 “I still don’t get it, man,” Brian scratches his head as Shawn stretches, figuring out how well he can move in the restrictive piece. 

 He sighs, “dressed as Julius Caesar, get it?” 

 Brian scrunches his face, “it truly is a mystery as to why you’re still single.” 

Shawn rolls his eyes, “well I’m sorry but dressing up as Ron Weasley for the sixth year in a row isn’t very creative. At least I have some originality.” 

 “There aren’t many options for gingers, alright? And you’ve dressed up as every version of Harry Potter in existence; steampunk Harry, goth Harry, there was even that one year you did Rainbow Bright Harry-” 

 “I get it,” Shawn cuts off, “I just want tonight to be different.” 

 Now it’s Brian’s turn to roll his eyes, “is it that girl? God, I can never remember her name. The one who used to date Jonah? Joe’s cousin? She’s Allie’s best friend or something-” 

 “She has a name.” 

 “Well I’d certainly hope she does,” Brian deadpans, “you’ve never even spoken to her, what’s got you so twisted up over her?” 

 “Don’t know, man,” Shawn gives himself a once over in the mirror and shakes out the nerves, “just have a feeling, you know?” 

 ---

 The party is really fucking loud. 

 She’s never been a fan of house parties. Too many people crammed into too small of a place with shitty music being played off of someone’s home grown Spotify playlist, the alcohol is always lukewarm and the weed sucks. 

 Normally, she doesn’t attend such events, but her sort of - kind of - not really boyfriend had broken up with her four months ago and her best friend decided it was goddamn time she showered and get out of her apartment.

 “What’re you supposed to be?” Someone hiccups from beside her. 

 He’s glassy eyes, clearly drunk or stoned or some type of combination of both. He stands leaning just a little too close to her, his drink nearly tipping out of his red solo cup. 

 “A Cereal Killer,” she pips, taking a sip of her Diet Coke, not making eye contact. 

 “That’s really fucking weird,” he shouts above the music. 

 She shrugs, “well I guess I’m really fucking weird then,” and steps away. 

 She wanders for a bit, bopping her head to the (shitty) music and catches up with a few people here and there. Her best friend is no doubt flirting with the dude she’s been trying to get with for like, ever. She doesn’t mind being left alone, she prefers it, in fact.

 On the other side of the house, Shawns’ nearly chewed through the side of his plastic cup. He’s not sure why the Hell he’s so nervous. They’ve met before in passing, but she was always with her boyfriend and Shawn never wanted to be that guy. So he let it go. 

 That is, until two weeks ago, when Allie told her friend Stella that Jonah and his girl were ‘like totally for sure over for good this time’. Everyone knows Stella can’t keep a secret, so it eventually got to Jake who told Matt who told Brian who eventually told Shawn. He felt his heart get a little lighter that day. 

 Maybe it was the poet in him, that idolizes the idea of a person instead of who they really are because in reality, he didn’t really know her. Sure, he knew that she was beautiful but not in that obvious way that had a dozen cargo shorts, fake Yeezy, tube sock wearing dudes drooling around her, it was in her own different way. He noticed the way her face lit up when someone said something funny; she’d let out a giant thundering laugh and then immediately cover her mouth, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of pink that reminded him of the roses in his mum’s garden. She walked like there wasn’t a weight on her shoulders, like she wasn’t holding a secret, she reminded him of a warm spring day just as the seasons changed. 

 Yeah, it was definitely the poet in him.

 “Yoooo, Earth to Mendes,” Brian says, waving a hand in front of Shawn’s face.

 Shawn blinks. 

 “Last I saw her she was in the living room talking to Ricky Hurley,” Brian says sipping his drink, “fuck that guy” 

 “He really is an asshole, isn’t he?” Shawn groans, “I’ll be back.” 

 “Go get ‘em Julius!” Brian yells as Shawn shoves his way through the crowd.

 He finds her in the living room, nursing her red solo cup and leaning against a bookcase. She’s casing the room, looking for anything mildly interesting to eavesdrop on. There isn’t much; a couple making out on the couch, a fight about to break out, beer pong games. She rolls her eyes and scans again once before seeing Shawn. She chokes on her soda when she sees that ridiculous costume.

 She’s actually kind of impressed when Shawn finally does approach her, he leans so casually beside her but she can tell by the crimson shade that rests high in his cheeks that he’s far from calm. 

 “So what’s your costume?” Shawn asks. 

 She tugs on her shirt to show off the various individual sized boxes of cereal taped to her, “I’m a Cereal Killer. We’ve got Honey Nut Bundy-O’s,” she points as she goes along, “Rice Krispie Dahmers, Honey Bunches of Gacy, Shredded Zodiacs and my personal favorite Cinnamon Toast Manson.” 

 Shawn chuckles, “that’s great. But Charles Manson never actually killed anyone.” 

 She rolls her eyes, “close enough.” 

 He shrugs it off and a silence falls between the two of them. Shawn takes two more sips of his water before he has the guts to talk again. 

 “Fun party, I guess?” 

 She gives him the side eye, “if you have to say ‘I guess’, that probably means it’s a shitty party.” 

 He grins, “yeah, I suppose you’re right. What are you still doing here then if it’s so shitty?” 

 “Socializing, I guess?” She replies. 

 Shawn leans closer, “if you have to say ‘I guess’, you’re probably doing a shitty job at socializing.” 

 She smiles for the first time and he feels goddamn honored to have put that on her face, “touche. Do I know you from somewhere?” 

 Shawn always hates this question; he never wants to come off arrogant and assume everyone knows his superstar status, but he also doesn’t want to lie or play dumb to anyone. It’s a double edged sword, so he treads lightly. 

 “I think so. We always seem to be at the same parties but I’ve never worked up the nerve to actually talk to you,” he replies. 

 “Oh the nerve?” She teases, “that implies I’m something to be feared.” 

 “Maybe you are.” 

 “But you don’t know me,” she winks, “so what do you do...Julius Caesar?” 

 “I, uhm, play music.” 

 “Oh that’s cute,” she replies, “are you in like a band or something?” 

 Shawn starts to fumble with his words. 

 “I’m fucking with you,” she says lowly and holds his arm, “I know who you are and what you do. I’m just really bad at small talk.” 

 Shawn lets out a relieved breath, “yeah, me too.” 

 “Yeah,” she starts, “it’s like I just go from zero to one-eighty. I’ll take a conversation about the weather and turn it into a therapy session about my deep rooted male abandonment issues. Do you happen to have a close relationship with your mother?” 

 Shawn stares blankly and she cracks, her face spreading into a wide smile, “I’m still fucking with you, Shawn.”

 He covers his face with his hands, “you’re gonna give me a run for my money, aren’t you?” 

 She shrugs and something comes over her. It takes Shawn about four seconds to realize her hand is in his and another three to realize she’s pulling him towards the bathroom. He doesn’t question it, and insteads mutters “sorry” and “excuse me” every time he bumps someone with his costume. He’s counted six spilled drinks by the time they reach the bathroom. 

 Once the door closes behind them Shawn’s being shoved against it and her lips are on his in a mad fury. However, she keeps getting hit in the chin with his stupid fucking costume. 

 “Ow, ow, ow,” she mutters in between frantic kisses. 

 She isn’t sure what’s come over her. She’s not usually the type of girl to pull a stranger into the bathroom and mouth harass him. Helen Keller could see that Shawn was definitely at least interested in her, so why not? She was single for the first time in two years and -

 Okay, maybe she was a little desperate.

 “Wait - this isn’t working. Sit on the counter!” Shawn suggests and she follows order, hopping up on the counter top. 

 It doesn’t work, that’s apparent when Shawn struggles to fit himself and his bulky costume between her legs. She pulls away and holds his face between her palms, “such a pretty face for such a big head.” 

 She taps his cheek and hops down, “I don’t think this is going to work out.” 

 “I mean I can take off the costume -” 

 “No, don’t bother. Remember when I said I was bad at small talk?” She rubs her temples. 

 “Yeah that was like ten minutes ago -” 

 “Are you always so literal?” She snips, “sorry.” 

 “Okay, so, bad at small talk, go on,” Shawn instructs. 

 She catches her breath for a moment, “right, right. So like, I saw this guy on and off for probably like, two years? And he just never really gave me the time of day. So I was always chasing after him. I think he got off on it, in a sense, how I would always come to him. It was so gross and desperate so when I saw that you were flirting with me. I don’t know - it was just nice. Different than what I’m used to.” 

 She picks at a hangnail on her right ring finger. 

 “People don’t flirt with you?” Shawn asks. 

 She shakes her head, “I’m wearing fucking cereal boxes taped to my body while every other girl is out there wearing a corset and fishnets. I’m a pariah.” 

 “That’s stupid. You’re great, people are just -” 

 “Horny?” 

 They both laugh. 

 “Yeah, horny,” Shawn agrees.

 He links his arm through hers, “c’mon, let’s get back out there and I’ll try and forget your terrible kissing.” 

 She punches the cardboard. 

 “Hey! Don’t dent my dressing.” 

 She reaches for the knob but it doesn’t turn. She gives it a jiggle but it still doesn’t budge.

 “I think the door is stuck.” 

 Shawn raises an eyebrow, “let me in there.” 

 She puts her hands up, “alright big strong man.” 

 He struggles with the knob and she watches with her hands on her hips as he pulls and wiggles the door, “okay we’re locked in.” He finally gives up. 

 She takes her spot back on the counter, “we’ll just have to wait for the next person who has to use the bathroom.” 

 “I could think of worse people to be stuck in a room with.” 

 “Justin Bieber?” 

 Shawn grins and nods, “definitely.”

 He carefully starts to pull off his costume, and takes a deep breath when it’s finally off, placing it gingerly on the floor. 

 “That is a really great costume, by the way. A girl loves a good pun.” 

 Shawn grins, “thanks, my mum helped me make it...which I’m now realizing is probably something I shouldn’t be admitting out loud.” 

 “I think it’s sweet, she did a Hell of a job.” 

 He looks proud, “thanks,” he replies with a grin, “so what do we do now?” 

 She fishes in her back pocket and pulls out an orange lighter and a joint, “brought this for Plan B if tonight really sucked. Do you smoke?” 

 Shawn sighs a breath of relief, “yes, yes I do.” 

 ---

 Shawn reckons he can see the sky on the ceiling of the bathroom, the clouds swirling above his head as they move through the atmosphere all white and puffy. He tries his best to remember the feeling of her warm body pressed against him and breathes in the scent of her (lavender?) shampoo. He can feel every hair on his body vibrate, and when he waves his own hand in front of his face, it moves in slow motion.

 They’ve managed to finish almost all of the joint, squished next to each other in the bathtub, their limbs hanging out over the side of the tub. It’s been easily an hour at this point and no one had come to their rescue.

 “Drake is the best Canadian artist to ever exist, point blank,” he says, lulling his head over to look at her. 

 “Are you high?” She replies.

 Shawn sorts, “actually, yeah.” 

 She rolls her eyes, “It’s all about Alanis Morissette, dude. Jagged Little Pill defined my entire middle school persona. You Outta Know was my breakup song for all my imaginary boyfriends” 

 “Honestly? After meeting you that makes so much sense.” 

 She slaps his chest, “shut up.” 

 Shawn rests his head on her shoulder, “is this alright? I’m a little dizzy.” 

 She replies by putting her hand on his thigh, “yeah,” she mutters and closes her eyes.

 She can hear his heart beating along with the music from the party. It’s a harmonious mix and she’s sure it’s because shes stoned out of her mind but it’s the most fucking beautiful sound she’s ever heard. She tries to place the beat, to follow along with it but it changes; crescendos then relaxes again. Shawn’s hand is rubbing the small of her back and it’s then that she realizes they’ve somehow ended up cuddled into each other. 

 Shawn certainly doesn’t mind it. He listens for her soft breaths and tries to decide if she smells like a rainy summer day or a lavender field. Eventually his lips find her bare neck and he barely even touches her and her skin prickles wherever he makes contact. Just existing beside her is the most fun he’s had all week. She’s everything he expected her to be, and more.

 Finally, when they’re face to face, he presses his forehead against hers, “do you believe in soul mates?” 

 She cackles, and pushes him away, “alright I think you’ve hit your max for tonight.” 

 Shawn leans back and away from her and sighs, “yeah, guess so,” he grumbles. 

 She follows suit, propping her hands behind her head and listening to the music reverberate against the tiled walls of the bathroom, “it’s almost kind of peaceful, isn’t it?” 

 “I hate to be the bearer of bad news...but I have to pee,” Shawn states, clamoring out of the tub, “close the shower curtain.” 

 “What? Don’t want me to see your pasty white ass?” 

 He glares.

 “Fine, fine,” she agrees and pulls the curtain shut in front of her.

 The familiar first notes of one of her favorite songs starts to play, “are you playing Blank Space right now?” She questions.

 “I didn’t want you to hear me peeing!” 

 She can’t contain her laughter anymore, and it’s coming out in snorts and gasps and she doesn’t care how much like a dying cow she sounds like. It’s the most carefree she’s felt in too long and she’s going to embrace it while she can; before the walls start to cement themselves up again and she’s back in her fortress of blah. 

 She’s still in the midst of her laugh attack when Shawn rips open the curtain, folding his arms across his broad chest. He looked extra tall from where she was sitting and she’s pretty sure a bead of drool slips out from the side of her mouth when she looks up at him. She licks her lips once, he speaks before she does.

 “I’m hungry. Want to get out of here?” He offers a hand.

 “I cordially accept your offer, but only under the pretense that we go to McDonalds. I’m seriously craving some chicken nuggets right now.” 

 Shawn smiles, “it’s a deal.”

 He pulls a little to hard and catapults her into him. Neither mind, and Shawn makes a mental note of how perfectly she fits against him, all their nooks and crannies lining up. He fights all his urges to kiss her until it physically pains him to hold her so close and not be able to do anything about it. Shawn takes a half step (whole step for her) back and lets go.

 She’s the first one to the door he catches her look and they both groan in unison, “fuck, the door.”

 Someone bangs on the other side now, though, “oy fuck man I gotta take a leak!” They yell. 

 There’s pushing and pulling until finally, something breaks and the door crashes open, leaving her and Shawn to fall on their asses. It takes her a second to shake off the stinging feeling in her ass and lower back. 

 “Oh my GOD! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Her best friend passes through the doorway, pushing past the dude now whizzing in the toilet nonchalantly. 

 “Been kind of stuck,” she replies, getting up. 

 Shawn helps, and rubs the small of her back for her. 

 “With him?” Her friend questions, “really?” She mutters a bit lower and out of Shawn’s earshot.

 She nods, “I had a great time actually.” 

 “That’s fantastic and I’m very happy for you, but we have to go -” 

 Before she can turn back to Shawn, she’s being pulled out of the bathroom and towards the front door of the house. She gives her friend credit, she can hustle in those five inch heels. Shawn can barely keep up through the crowds of people as he chases after them. He’s desperate for anything, desperate for her. He has to see her again, get her number, something that proves tonight wasn’t all in his head. 

 By the time he’s reached the front walkway he sees the car pulling away. He thinks about chasing after her but stops himself, his feet glued to the ground below him. Shawn stands on the cobblestone pathway for what seems like forever, watching until the taillights blur into the distance, 

 just as the first snowflake hits his shoulder.

---

hellooooo! here is part 3. i really love this one, i think it’s really getting into their characters and the banter and all that fun stuff. i’m truly considering making this into a full fledged series with an oc once the last part (5) is posted. 

please let me know what you think! :)

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes imagine #actap

[becuzpurple]

Chapter 24:  All the Strawberries, Pt.  4 - Maybe It’s You

This is a reposting of Ch 24, now split into 5 parts.

Here be part 4!

(part 3)

Friday 12 February

The next morning I did wake up sore in all of the predictable places.  It was nothing terrible, but it was definitely noticeable.  A long, hot shower helped a bit, but I thought maybe a day off from any shenanigans might not be a bad idea, much to my and Ed’s disappointment.

Luckily, there are other things to do in and around Valle de Guadalupe.  The region is renowned for its vineyards, and there is a plethora of wine tours and tastings to choose from.  There are horseback riding stables, museums, picturesque hiking trails, and artists’ communities.  I made the decision for both of us that horseback riding would NOT be an option, though, because ouch! We decided that we wanted to learn about and sample more of the local wine, and we also wanted to do some hiking and enjoy the scenery, and whatever else this beautiful, secluded stretch of Baja California had to offer.

We were out the door by 10:30 am, loading our backpacks into the Jeep we’d rented back in San Diego.  Our hosts had told us about a nearby campground called El Salto, where there is a scenic waterfall trail.  We were told it’s suitable for any age or skill level, and there is an idyllic picnic area at the end of the 1.5 mile trail.  So, we dressed accordingly, packed sandwiches, water, grapes, cheese, some wine, and a large blanket for a picnic lunch, along with everything we’d need for safety/first aid, just in case the need arose, and we headed out.

The entrance to El Salto Campground is around a hairpin turn along a canyon road just off the highway, but it’s marked with a very large sign.  We made the turn, and in a very short time found ourselves passing through the nearly empty campsites along not much more than a 2-lane dirt path.  It led us through the back of the campground, and we finally spotted a marked trailhead leading to the El Salto waterfall.  We parked  and began our little trek over the dirt trail.

Our hosts were correct - it is a simple trail, with very a gradual decline in elevation.  There are no crumbling rocks or slippery stones.  Our visibility was 100%, and the temperature was perfect - we were fine in our hoodies.  There is one main path with a few forks from start to finish, but there are clear sign pointing the way to the waterfall at each branch.

What should have been a 20-30 minute hike took us almost 50 minutes, though, because I kept stopping to take pictures.  It’s a hobby that I fall into and out of a few times a year - photography.  I sometimes go to the forest preserves near our house and take pictures there...I used to go at least a few times a year, during different seasons.  I love capturing the lushness of summer, the vivid colors of fall, the starkness of winter, spring rebirth… But I sort of fell away from it in the last few years.  Being there on that trail and seeing the unique, arid, desert landscape reminded me of the beauty in nature that I used to seek out so often, and the bug hit me again.

Ed didn’t seem to mind my constant stops at all.  In fact, he was really curious about the things I chose to photograph, and wondered out loud more than once how I knew what to capture.

“What do you look for?  How do you know it will make a good photograph?”

“Umm, I don’t really look for anything in particular - just whatever strikes my fancy, I guess.  It might be the shape of a leaf, or how the sunlight peeks through tree branches, or something that seems slightly out-of-place, like a paved path through the woods, or a brightly painted tree stump.  Or something that’s pretty.”

“I didn’t know you like photography.”

“Yeah…it’s just a casual hobby, I guess.  I haven’t done it in a while.  I’ve never taken any classes, or bought any actual equipment.  I just use my phone, and then I, um, have a few different editing apps for fixing them up afterwards.  It’s nothing fancy.”

Just then I stopped again, spying some interesting junipers against the canyon wall.  I walked around them a few times, trying to find a good shot.

“Nah, not going to work,” I mumbled to myself.

We continued along the trail at a leisurely pace, and soon could hear the muted clamor of water hitting rocks.  As we got closer, the echo of the falls grew louder.  Finally, we saw it.  The falls were separated from us by a very wide ravine, and were falling from a pretty impressive height - at least 100 feet.  We were atop a very large ledge - about 15 feet wide and the same depth.  A low, wooden fence kept hikers from getting too close to the ledge, but didn’t interfere with the gorgeous view.  There were wildflowers sprouting all over along the cracks and fissures of the ground beneath our feet, and too many pine trees to count stretched up from the various ledges near the bottom of the canyon.  The waterfall emptied into what looked more like a collecting pool than a stream.  I couldn’t see where it led.

We stopped in our tracks when the falls came into view, and just stood still, silently admiring the sight for a few minutes.  Eventually, Ed took my hand and led me a little closer, where we slipped off our packs and laid out our blanket and our picnic lunch.  I put out the food while Ed opened and poured the wine.  He used the lids of the Tupperware™ containers as small trays to set our plastic wine glasses on so they wouldn’t topple over.

I took a sip, smiled at Ed, and then looked up at our breathtaking view for a moment before I spoke, still smiling.  “I love this.  All of it - the hike, the picnic, the view...the company…”

He gave me a small grin and a nod, and held up his wine in a toast.  

I raised mine up to his.  “This...is perfect,” he said with a small sigh and a relaxed smile.

We bumped our plastic glasses together.

“Slainte!”

“Salud!”

It wasn’t a large meal, but once finished we were both pleasantly full, and feeling lazy - which was fine, since we weren’t in a hurry to do anything or go anywhere.  Using our backpacks as pillows (with our jackets strategically placed inside as cushions), we laid back on our blanket in the grass and drank in the loveliness of it all.  We didn’t speak much - just a few occasional observations here and there.  It was a comfortable kind of quiet.  Relaxed.  Tranquil.  

Ed kept his eyes closed for a good, long time.  I wondered if he might have fallen asleep.  He looked rested and content.  

I decided that I wanted to take a few more pictures of the area, so I quietly sat up and grabbed my phone, intending to sneak off while he snoozed.

“Where you off to?”

I looked over, and he was still laying down, but was peering at me through curious eyes.

“Oh, I thought you were asleep.  I was just going to take some more pictures.  I won’t go far.”

“OK.  Have fun.” He grinned and puckered his lips for a quick kiss, which I happily delivered before wandering off in search of a different kind of pretty.

There were a lot of different paths and trails around the falls, allowing me to take some really nice shots from various vantage points.  There wasn’t really a lot of wildlife that I could see, unfortunately.  There were birds, but I’m bad at being quiet enough so as to not frighten them away.  So, I focused on the falls, the canyon, and the plant life.  

I didn’t want to go too far or be away too long, so after about 30 minutes I made my way back to our picnic spot.  I could see right away that Ed wasn’t on our blanket. After quickly scanning the immediate area I spotted him close to the ravine, watching the waterfall.  He was absolutely still.  The only sound was the crashing of the water on the rocks below.  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and took a series of stills of him in profile, admiring the stunning view. He had no idea I was there.

I pocketed my phone and just watched him for a few seconds before seeking his attention.

“Hey!” I called out, approaching him at his vantage point.

He turned toward my voice and smiled, waving me over.  When I arrived next to him I wrapped an arm around his waist as he draped his over my shoulders.  We stood appreciating the view silently for a minute or so before either of us spoke.

“Did you get anything good?”

“Yeah, I think so.  I won’t know for sure until I can transfer them to my laptop.  I can see them much better there.  But I think so.”

“Do you ever do anything with the photos you take?  Like sell or display them?”

“Oh, no, I’ve never even tried to sell any of them.  But I do have some framed and up in the house.  I’ll show you next time you’re over.”

“Cool.  I’m curious about your arty side.” He gave me a thoughtful look, and then smiled.  “Should we head back do you think?”

I checked the time on my phone - almost 1:30.  “Yeahhhh...our wine-tasting is at 3.”

“Oh, yeah!  Don’t wanna miss that...it might put us in bed passed out by 8 o’clock tonight, though…”  

“Well worth the risk, I think,” I added.

“Indeed.”  His eyes were twinkling as he took my hand.  “C’mon, let’s go, love.”

--

It turned out that we did imbibe quite a bit during our wine tasting and vineyard tour that afternoon, and not even a decent dinner in the vineyard cafe afterward was entirely successful in properly soaking it all up.  We were tipsy and giggly throughout dinner, and for a while afterwards, as well.

Back at our rooms we foolishly thought we’d be able to watch a movie - because that’s happened before, right?  Ha.  Luckily, both of us had already seen Talladega Nights:  The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - a selection that could only have been influenced by our excessive alcohol consumption.  We passed out napped for a few hours together on the sofa, instead.  It’s what we do.

I woke to find my face squashed into the back of the sofa with Ed’s arm around me, and his hand under my shirt, cupping my boob.  We were sort of in a spooning position, but I was half on my stomach and he was completely on top of one of my legs, softly snoring into the back of my neck.  To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement.  

I tried to move, but was trapped between him and the back of the sofa and couldn’t get any leverage at all.

“Hey, hon?”

No response from Sleeping Beauty.

“Ed?”

Just soft snores.

I took a breath and took stock of the situation.  I was mostly laying on my side, on top of one of my arms, and couldn’t move it.  The other one was bent and held in place by Ed’s arm that was wrapped around me.  But that hand could move a little bit, so I used it to tap on the top of his hand...which was covering my boob.  

He definitely did notice me awkwardly patting his hand.  I know this because once I stopped, he began fondling me through my bra.

“Umm, heyyy…”

He stopped as soon as he heard my voice.  Then I heard and felt a muffled laugh at the back of my neck.  And then the boob-fondling started up again.

“Hey...umm, can you move?  You’re on-”

“Mm-mmm.  Busy.”

“Haha, funny.  But really.  You’re on top of me.  I can’t move.”

Instead of answering, he slid his fingers underneath my bra cup and started rubbing circles over my nipple.  So then he was simultaneously turning me on and being extremely annoying.  

“Hon, c’mon.  I’m not...opposed to this, but you’re on top of my leg and I’m squished in the sofa.  Will you please get off me?”

“I dunno.  What’s in it for me?”

“Umm...I won’t kill you??!!”

“Nah.  You can’t kill me, anyway.  You can’t even move.  And I’m finding this enjoyable.”  He punctuated his little announcement by squeezing my nipple between his thumb and forefinger and then carefully pulling it taut, straight out, before letting it go.  Then, with his thumb, he began flicking it left and right, and damn it, it felt really good.

Fuck.

The bastard was right, of course.  But I had a plan.

Sighing only slightly exaggeratedly, I answered, “Yeah.  I guess you’re right.  Too bad, though, ‘cause I can’t go down on you if I’m trapped like this.”

His hand went completely still (although it did remain in place on my boob). “What was that?”

“You know, it’s fine.  You’re enjoying yourself, and I’m not that uncomfortable. Carry on.”

I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck again as he laughed. “You’re so mean...ya say you’ll suck my cock, and then take it back?  SO mean…”

“Oh, you want me to do it?  That’s cool, too.  But, I can’t like this…”

I didn’t even get all of my words out, and I was suddenly being rolled onto my back.  Ed then sat himself up at the edge of the sofa, smiling as if he just won some sort of prize.

I sat up next to him, nodding my head, grinning back at him.  “OK.”  

Without breaking eye contact, I arranged myself in his lap, astride his hips.  He took my face in both hands and pulled me down to him for a kiss.  He caught my lower lip and lightly swept the tip of his tongue across it.  I promptly parted my lips, welcoming him in.

Our tongues stroked and tasted and teased, and our lips nipped and skimmed and smiled.  We sometimes pulled away to breathe and smile some more, and then came back to do it again.  And again.

I touched my forehead to his during one of these small pauses.  My hands had been resting on his shoulders while we kissed, but I couldn’t keep them still anymore.  I ran my fingers over the front of his shirt, down his chest, lightly scratching him through the fabric of his shirt.

“Mmm…” he sighed.

I climbed off of him and lowered myself to the floor, kneeling between his legs.  He was already looking at me with such focused anticipation.  I leaned in and skimmed my fingers under his shirt, ready to lift it up so I could give some love and attention to his abs and his belly before I traveled lower.  

“Hey,” I began, looking up at him just before I brought my lips near his belly button.  “Just going to focus on you tonight.  I still need to give my, uh, parts...a rest.  ‘K?”

“Yeah?  You don’t mind?”

“No, I love this.” I grinned as I brought my mouth to his belly.  “Definitely don’t mind.”

I kissed him all over his abs and his stomach, making sure to brush my lips and trace my tongue all over him, slowly making my way down to his waist.  I didn’t stop when I undid his belt, or when I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans.  I just moved my mouth lower as more of him became exposed.

He lifted up his bottom, and we both together pulled down his jeans and underwear.  My eyes shifted back-and-forth between his face and the emerging proof of his arousal.  His eyes were glued to my face - my mouth.  He watched steadily as my mouth and tongue traced a gentle path down the slope of his belly, leaving soft kisses under his belly button, over the planes of his hip and then to the crease between his thigh and groin.  As I got closer to my intended target, it was all I could look at.  

I brushed my fingers over his cock as I continued working my mouth downward.  He was already so hard, it almost made my mouth water as my fingers stroked his length.  I could hear him breathing - I loved the way it caught with my every movement.

I started spreading more kisses - full, wet kisses - all around the base.  I looked up at him as I slowly inched my mouth up his shaft, rolling my tongue around all sides.  He stared back at me, completely engrossed in my actions.

My hands rested on his thighs, tracing tiny, light waves over his fair skin, as I placed a tender, wet kiss on the tip of his cock.  I slowly took a little bit at a time in my mouth, moving downwards over every ridge and vein. I intentionally made every touch, every kiss and lick, wet and messy - sloppy - almost as though I wanted to devour him.  My mouth slid up and down him, slippery with saliva as I licked and sucked and kissed his hard, yet velvety-smooth shaft. I caught his gaze, and it was such a turn-on seeing the heat in his eyes as he stared back, riveted at what my mouth was doing.

I worked my mouth back to the tip of his cock, placing a hand at the base and moving it in sync with the bobbing of my head so that his entire length was covered, wet, and being squeezed or engulfed by me.  I swirled my tongue around him, kissed him, and I sucked on him, all while keeping everything wet and sloppy and noisy, and he was moaning softly and was gently rocking his hips up as I slid my lips and my hand down and up, again and again.

I wanted more of him.  I anchored both hands at his thighs, and I slid my lips along his shaft, going deeper each time.  Once he nudged the back of my throat, I gradually increased my pace, fully taking him in.

He let out a low moan, closed his eyes and leaned his head back.  I saw his hands tense and then he laid them down flat on the seat cushion, fingers spread out wide.

“Mmmmmm…” I hummed, watching him.  

God, I love this…

Sucking and kissing all over his dick and seeing how he reacted to it was making me more than a little bit turned on.  I could feel wetness pooling in my panties as I took him down my throat over and over.

“God...feel so good on me...yeah…” His voice was quiet, yet sounded strained, like it took effort to speak.

He put one hand on my head, soon followed by the other, and after a brief pause, began applying very light pressure, seeking more.  It was so hot I couldn’t help moaning over him, and setting a new, messy, hasty pace.

His stomach tensed and his hips trembled as I continued going deep.  

In a last effort to take him in even further, I grabbed his ass and pulled him all the way into my face.  He groaned - perhaps in surprise just as much as in pleasure.

He was down my throat and I held him to my face even though my eyes were watering and I had to put effort into breathing.  I gagged, but still worked my lips to suck him, still fluttered my tongue over him, and I kept moaning, making him feel even more quivers and shakes.

“Gonna come…”  His breath caught as I began to slowly pull my lips up over him.  He exhaled loudly.  His eyes were closed tight.

I brought a hand down to cup his balls, lightly massaging them.  I reached one finger back to stroke his perineum, and then without even giving it any forethought, I reached back a little bit further and lightly traced the line between both cheeks.

“Oh, fuck…!”  If a whisper can be emphatic, his was.

His whole body tensed, his hips began to stutter, and he groaned - really, really loudly.  I quickly slid my mouth up to cover just his head.  And I pulled in and swallowed every bit of the slightly salty, tangy fluid as it hit my tongue.

Once he was done I still kept him in my mouth for a minute.  I just like having him there, and I know he loves the soft, warm feel of my wet mouth around him.  After a minute I looked up at him.  He was slumped back against the sofa, completely relaxed.  We exchanged soft looks as I slowly pulled my mouth off of him.  I left a gentle kiss on the tip of his mostly-soft penis before sitting up straight.  I licked my lips and smiled at him a little shyly.

I helped him pull his pants up, then he helped me back onto the sofa.  

“I promise I won’t crush you this time,” he joked.

He was so mellow, affectionate, sleepy, adorable.  He wrapped his arms securely around me, kissed my temple, and traced a line of soft kisses to my mouth.  I turned a little bit to face him squarely, and we kissed.  It was slow and attentive, full of love and affirmation rather than passion and intensity.  He pulled away first, just far enough to take in my face.  I'm sure I looked a mess.

“You OK?” he asked.

I nodded.  “Yeah.  You?”

He smiled and huffed out a small laugh through his nose.  “Um, yeah.  I’m awesome right now.”

“That’s good.”

“You like doing that.”  He phrased it as a statement, but I heard the question behind it.

I nodded.  “Yeah...well, with you.”  I’m not sure what made me add that last bit of information.  

His brows furrowed a bit at that little confession.  “What about before me?”

“Hmmm.  Not as much,” I shrugged.  “I don’t know why it’s different now.”  I  gave a half smile.  “Maybe it’s you.”

I thought he might reply with something funny or self-congratulatory, but instead he gave me a thoughtful look followed by another very sweet kiss.

We were leaned into each other so naturally and intimately, and it felt right.  Perfect.  Complete.  For the second time since we arrived in Mexico I considered the idea that maybe we were headed toward something more permanent.  

Holy shit.

--

(part 5)

#becausepurple #becuzpurple #ch. 24 All the Strawberries #repost #part 4 Maybe It's You #ed sheeran #ed sheeran fan fic #ed sheeran mature fanfic #ed sheeran smut #Ed & Kate #Ed & Kate love story #CODE GINGER #CODEFUCKINGGINGER #the Mexico chapter

[nhlhoser]

On The Rocks - 16

Part 15   Masterlist

Word Count: 3328

minor swearing as usual

    Driving through Toronto is frustrating, traffic sucks - especially if you're exhausted and your annoying little brother keeps flipping through radio stations and singing along horribly when he finds something but changing it right after.

Speaking of changing stations as he's hand inches towards the knob again I swat his hand away with force, he gets the message and silently sits in his seat.

"Party girls don't get hurt..."

I don't have to see Ricky's face to know he's smirking, slowly he reaches the hand to the knob to turn up the SIA song but I beat him to it with volume control on the stirring wheel.

"IM GONNA SWIIING FROM THE CHANDELIER!!!!!!!!" I belt out the familiar lyrics with a huge grin despite the exhaustion weighing on my shoulders, at this moment I am carefree singing horribly as I drive my brother to his lacrosse practice, He's lucky the Arena is 5 minutes away from my apartment or he'd be shit out of luck.

I am way out of breath by the time the song finishes. I am in fits of laughter and so it Ricky, my core just gets more and more sore with every laugh.

"Oh, my....My abs....they hurt" I wheezed leaning my head on the wheel as I stop in front of the lacrosse arena, Ricky's still incomplete fits his head leaning against the window, tears rolling down his cheeks as he tries to catch his breath but going into fresh hysterics every time.

"Okay...get out of my car before you make me suffocate because I can-I can't breathe," I laugh out some more before finally getting some control, resting my hands on my clenched belly, taking deep calming breaths.

"Okay, okay I am going but I have a question," He's tone gets serious at the end making my brows furrow, slightly worried at what is next to come out of his mouth.

"So... My birthday is coming up and I was hoping I could have a party........at your place?" Ricky's puppy dog eyes have always been a weakness those big baby blues can make anyone weak. Right now that is what I am facing, the infamous begging face that Ricky only pulls when he really wants something.

"Did you ask Dad or your mom already?" I quizzed not really want my place to be overrun by Rick and his buddies. Ricky's shoulder slump and he don't look me in the eye, I raised my brow at him.

"..no..."

We lock in a staring contest, my face 'are you kidding me' Ricky's eyes are pleading. My eyes narrow at him.

"Why my place?" I whined pouting.

"Uhm Have you see the view? also, your place is fucking amazing!" He grins sensing he's winning the battle but I am not giving up that hard.

"I hate you" I started as his face morphs into sheer happiness making my heart swell, happy people are the best.

"You clean everything whether it's you personally or someone else, as long I am not doing it. Something goes missing you're replacing it, same goes for if anything breaks. The last call is 3 am everyone out by 4 and we'll discuss a date when I am not this exhausted and if I say it's over you bet your little ass IT IS OVER," I raised a brow challenging him to disagree with anything i just said. Ricky instantly jerked up and hit his head on the roof in excitement before literally tumbling out my car and onto the sidewalk before getting up and jumping up.

"AH! Yes, okay we'll talk when you're no longer a zombie," Ricky was all smiles as we said our goodbyes as he got his gear from my truck and into the facilities where some of his teammates met and him. By the cheers, I am guessing he told them that I said Yes- with conditions. I honk and wave before leaving for my apartment where I have food to make and a bed to sleep in.

Pissed is an understatement.

I was livid.

Mitchell Marner the little shit that he is is eating the food that he watched me meal prep last Sunday, and he is well aware that the food he is eating is the last of my prep for this week.

He sat at the barstool at the counter looking like a deer caught in headlights, a guilty look in his eyes as the empty container lay on the surface before him before he pushes it towards an unsuspecting William who is eating a salad.

"Nope, this is your problem," the words slightly muffled by the salad he's shoveling into his mouth as he pushes the container back to him shaking his head.

Taking a deep- a very deep breathe, I lock my eyes with Mitchells scared ones. Emotionless I approach the man-child.

"I am going to shower because I have had a long day, I would love to of been able to eat relaxed for the rest of the night. Having worked out this morning, gone to work and more training after. Thinking 'Oh I have food ready at home' otherwise I wouldn't have gone to training but now here's how we're gonna do this, so I don't murder you. The only reason you're still breathing is that I have burned all the energy in my body and I can't replenish unless I have the specific amount of protein, calories, and carbs." My face and voice level and calm, making Mitch squirm as William watches with wide eyes.

"You are going to go get me food, and it's going to match my nutation plan, reasonable if I say so myself," I held back a smile as Mitch's shoulder slump in relief when he learns that he gets to live for another day, only because all of Toronto would kill me.

After giving Mitch earful of the exact grams and ml of what needs to be in my food and what food I do or do not like. Like a little puppy with, his tail between his legs he retreats out of the apartment collect his jacket and keys.

"Thanks for not killing my boyfriend! I would of if I was you, No one touches my food," Steph said coming down the stairs, by her still wet hair she just out of the shower.

"Will, Honey you know you don't live here right?" Stephanie approached her fellow blonde with a teasing smile as she throws her arm around his shoulders giving him a side hug. A red tint started to spread across his cheeks as he's still eating. He takes moment to swollen the contents in his mouth before responding.

"That I am aware, but that brings up what I was meaning to ask Amelia this morning," He pauses and his face looking shyer than I have ever seen it. My brows furrow with concern, Steph face mirroring mine.

"Uhm.... well Can I stay in the guest room tonight?" His eyes big and sad.

I responded the same time as Steph.

"Of course,"

"Why?"

Steph's face morphs into one of confusion and suspicion as she steps away from the poor boy, as if William burned her, making William frown and making my heart ache.

Sad William is the worst and most terrible thing I have ever witnessed and if there's a way for him to not be sad, I'd most likely do. I am a pushover, especially when I am this tired.

"Awe Steph don't be mean to him," I whined as I brought Will into a hug squish him, resting my chin on his head. "How can you be mean to this face?" I squish his cheeks as he narrowed his eyes at me not impressed.

"Nylander you broke my roommate," Steph giggled as I rolled my eyes and playfully push him away but he in return almost fell off the stool.

"I am starting to think I should have just asked Marty," Will huffed regaining his position on the stool.

"Don't worry, William. Amelia is just in delirium right now from a lack of multiple things." Stephanie teased bringing me into an awkward side hug and it's my turn to glare. Gently pushing her off towards the couch where she dramatically threw herself over to watch TV.

"Whatever, Where you want to stay if up to you. I am going to have that shower now. Will, the room should be made already if not just bugged Steph," I smirked as Steph huffed from the couch but didn't protest.

  Collecting my gear that I dropped at the front door when I caught the food thief, I toss my nasty gym clothes into the wash and then poured some baby powder into my box gloves and my gym shoes to absorb the sweat and the odor. Empty the bag I take with me to the rink, my collection of oils, creams, and physio tapes tumble out onto the folding table before I rearrange the bottle back into place in my medicine cabinet where I keep all my first aid gear and massage oils.

 Grabbing my massage chair I bring it out of the laundry room and lay it against the wall before grabbing sanitizer spray to spray it down for tomorrow because Morgan will be over for his pre-game shoulder massage which has become a vital part of his routine or that's what he says at least.

Finally having everything set for the morning, I'm gassed. I yawn leaning against the door frame of the room watching Steph click through the movies on Netflix and William disagreeing with anything she suggests before she smacks him and chooses the notebook much to Williams dismay and whining.

"Have you even watched the Notebook?" Steph snapped at the hockey player who silently shook his head and both of us girls groaned.

Grabbing the box of tissues from the cabinet to myself I push myself off the doorframe and hand the box to Will who passes it to Steph but Steph hands them back before smirking.

"There for you, big boy," I clapped him on the back before head to my awaiting shower.

  I'm practically sleepwalking by the time my shower is done, the hot water relaxed me to the core. Mindlessly drying myself off, brushing my hair and going into my closet, I throw on a soft loose shirt and black shorts before yawning extra hard and walking to my bed throwing myself over to another side to Check my phone on the side table.

Somewhere between reading a text message from Ricky and my dad, I must have fallen asleep because I'm slowly blinking open my eyes when there's a soft knocking on my bedroom door.

"M'come in" I sit up in time to realize I never actually put on my shirt, quickly tossing the white fabric over my head as a blonde I head pokes in followed by the rest of his body, a shaker bottle in hand.

"I thought you might want a protein shake to tide you over until Mitch returns," William offers the bottle, shyly standing in the doorway. I wave him over eyeing the shake with heart eyes, I practically snatch it from him when he gets closer. Drinking about half in the first go earning a chuckle from Will.

"Mmm so goood, thank you Will," I tiredly beam at the blonde.

"It's no problem, I got bored with the movie and Steph was really into," Will casually shrugs his shoulders before flopping in my bed face first with a groan and a giggle from me.

"You good?" I poke his tense shoulder as he lets out a sigh and turns his head to face me exposing a frown.

"I'm scared," He confesses making my heart ache for him.

"Of tomorrow?" slightly shocked

"Yeah, just its scary if we don't win tomorrow we're so screwed, it's just some much easier for us tomorrow than have to win on Sunday and hope Tampa loses. The what if we don't win tomorrow or the next and Tampa wins. We're so potentially screwed but not it hurts my head," Will groans in the pillows before his shoulders slump and facing me again still sad.

My head hurts for him and all the leafs but the rookie's success brings this added pressure for them. Now that they've done big things, that's all people expect is great.

"Well, Willy you have to remember you're only human just like everyone else on the team and on the ice. You're also not alone out there, you guys have already proved yourself all you can do is play your damn heart out and if that's not enough- well fuck them. As long as you played your hardest screw everyone else," My voice firm and soft like I was with Auston earlier.

"You're also not the only one freaking the fuck out, Auston was hiding in a private therapy room and told him almost the same thing," I chuckle at the memory from earlier. William flips on his back staring up at the light gray ceiling before looking back at me with a soft smile making his feature look much younger.

"Amelia you're really good at this making people feel relax thing, Auston told me about his little meditation session but didn't tell me about his freak out," Will's lips quirk up into a smirk at the end earning him a glare.

"If you think you can chirp him for being a human being with emotions, I'll personally let the team know about your freak out, William Nylander." I threaten the smirk right off his face making him pout.

Before anything else could be said the door of my apartment is slammed open then closed with a yell from Mitch about my food and probably a grumble that only could be heard by Steph because of an auditable slap and a yelp from Mitch.

"He's whipped," William laughs.

"And you wouldn't be?" I tease giggling at Williams grumpy face.

"You know you're just as good at making people feel bad as you can good," William whines getting up from my bed before dragging me up too, grabbing the almost empty bottle of shake and finishing it off much to my protests.

"Hey!"

"Shouldn't have been mean," William taunted pushing me out of the room.

I near attacked Mitch for my food when I get to the living room, leaving the poor boy wide-eyed as I attack my steak, broccoli and salad the smell assaulting my nose and making my stomach roar in hunger so loud I was now the one left Wide-eyed as everyone laughed.

"Down girl," I muttered rubbing my tummy as I set my food on the dining table and plopping down into a chair ready to devour the delicious contents but stopping in my greedy quest id chew to thank Mitch even though he is his own reason for going out.

"Thank chew," My words muffled.

"No problem," Mitch smiles as he plops between the empty space between William and Steph throw his arm around his girlfriend.

"Better not be a problem YOU ate her food," Steph poked his chest with gusto before cuddling into it. shaking my head now over the little episode from earlier now that I am eating.

Food and showers work wonders.

Halfway through my food the familiar sound of hockey starts coming from the Tv meaning Mitch probably is watching gameplay, Williams confession earlier makes me stop mid-chew to look over to Will practically hiding in the couch now looking at the screen, making my heart ache. Looking at food then back at Will, I sigh before finishing my salad and closing the container before sticking it in the fridge with a longing stare.

"Hey, Uhm Amelia my shoulder is stiff do you have any of the shoulder cream?" Williams' voice breaks me from my staring contest with my food, startling me. Turning around and almost knocked into him he's so close.

"Jesus William, Yeah it's either in the cabinet or upstairs," I know it's down here but I think he just wants to not be watching hockey. Heading to the laundry room with William in tow, I pull him in and open the cabinet door open blocking off the view into the room.

"Actually need this," Holding the A535 in my hand "Or just don't wanna be here?" I said ridiculously gesturing around the apartment. Will's shoulders drop relief.

"Just don't wanna hockey, you know?" His expression pained and sad.

"Well, let's go upstairs and 'work on the shoulder' leave these love sickos alone," I teased closing the cabinet, nudging Will with wink pushing him towards the stairs. Wishing Mitch and Steph a good night.

William gets to my bed before I do and lays starfish taking up the entire queen sized bed.

"Better move your ass over boy,"

"or what?" William challenged like a child wagging his brows getting more comfortable on the bed. Rolling my eyes at the man-child that is William Nylander. Turning my back to him to set up my laptop to my tv and turn on netlix and queueing up Pirates of the Caribbean, turning back to bed where William is still taking up the bed eyes closed. Turning the lights off, I jump on the unprepared blonde.

"ah," He groaned.

I laid on my stomach across his giggling as his arms surround me and flip me over to his side and adjusts us so my head lays on his chest his arms still around me. He's incredibly warm making a chill run down my spine.

A good chill.

I reach down the bed to pull my fuzzy blanket that I keep folded at the end, pulling it over us. Making me snuggle closer to William because of the heat his producing and the fabric of the blanket still cold from the air.

"Thank you for letting me stay over," William whispered halfway through the movie slightly starling me, forgetting my personal heater is, in fact, a person. Tilting my head up lazily, my blue eyes connect with him, full of emotions that I can't pinpoint.

"It's not a problem," I smiled softly up at him as he smiles down, his large surprisingly soft hand (not that surprising knowing Will) brushes the hair from my eyes to behind my ear before his handsets under my jaw. My cheeks are on fire due to my blush, I am not used to-to this type of intimate-IS THIS INTIMATE?- contact. Williams thumb faintly brushes over my lip before leaning his head down brushing his lips against mine softly.

This would have been great if I didn't squeak causing him to jerk his head smashing his head down against my nose spring instant tears and another squeak. My hands fly to my face instinctively protecting my nose from more damage.

"Oh my- are you okay? are you bleeding?" Came Williams frantic words helping me sit up straight, my hand's still over my face as I stare wide-eyed into Williams equally wide eyes. Embarrassed being an understanding.

"I am so sorry, just I thought there was a moment, I, I just went for it. Oh, man, that's one way to say you don't wanna kiss," Will ramble trailing off at the end look dejected.

"No, it's not that its - I-" I paused taking my hands from my face a tiny bit of blood on my hands, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand to my left cleaning up a little, stopping the bleeding before going on.  "You're hot, believe me- but I don't like you like that,"  My face was scolding hot with a blush.

"Thank god," William huffed falling back in the pillows. "I thought there was a moment then nothing- I felt nothing it was like kissing a relative,"  a chuckle and a snort turns into a fit of laughter only stop by my aching my nose.

NEXT

#auston matthews imagine #auston matthews #william nylander #482754 #on the rocks

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Barrio Slums and More Ch.2

Click Here for Chapter 1

Let me know if you need translations! -- Feedback appreciated!!! -- edits and fanart too!!!

Watching everyone rushing to make food and set the table couldn’t be more painful. Lance felt like he was falling apart and he couldn’t show it. He couldn’t bring himself to disappoint them.

He’d rehearsed so many times. As he worked on his mom’s car, as he showered, as he got dressed, and as he watched. But it never made it easier. Not once, did it feel like he could tell them without bile rising up in his throat.

His little cousins were running around the adults, being ushered out to the front yard, but they were too hyped to listen. Suddenly, his cousin Lily shrieked and began bawling. “Guys, give her back her doll,” Lance scolded the two twins that were her older brothers. “You know how she gets, and unless you want me to tell Tia Carla what you did-”

“Ugh, Lance you’re the same as before you went to college,” Jose grumbled, tossing back the doll.

“Just go back to college,” Jesus, the other, muttered, sticking his tongue out. They ran out, screaming after their other cousins.

Lance sighed and mumbled, “Wish I could, buddy.” He went to be sure the kids weren’t fighting. The boys were running, and the girls were playing with dolls. Until Lance’s brother, Miguel, decided to pull their cousin Rosa’s pigtail and began a gender war of tag. He shook his head and turned back to look at the house. His tios were drinking, claiming to toast to them. His tias and his mom were cooking, gossiping in Spanish. His Papo was asleep on the couch with a cup of soda in his hand. His buela was cleaning, setting out a new mantel for the table.

It was too much. It was way too much. Despite the humid heat, Lance left the house and went to the back where the dogs were. At his Papo’s house, they had a chicken coop. Lance hated those chickens. He could still hear the shrieks of laughter and anger from the kids in the front, but from where he stood, Lance could close his eyes and pretend that it was a normal day. That he wasn’t about to drop the worst news in months to his family. That he wasn’t about to explain what a failure he was, and how he didn’t deserve anything they were doing for him.

He could pretend he had never gone to college, that it was last summer and he was filled with hope to envision all the possibilities the future would bring. He was still Lance, the jokester, the fun cousin, the fun brother, the troublemaking son, the smart one.

“Lance!” one of his tias called. “Your friend is here!” Lance frowned and went inside, surprised to see Keith at his front door with his tios and tias and mother and buela surrounding him, inviting him, offering things, asking him questions.

“Oh God,” he muttered. He interceded and made his family back off. “Come on. I’ll introduce you, but you don’t have to remember.” He gestured to his uncles. “That’s my tio Angel, my tio Selso, and my tio Ramon. Tio Angel is my mom’s brother. Tios, this is… my friend, Keith.” Keith waved and shook each of their hands, refusing the beer they offered. “That’s my Papo, you met him.”

“Won’t that glass fall?” he questioned.

“No. He always falls asleep with a cup of something in his hand.” He pointed. “That’s Buela Prudencia. I call her Buela.” He took Keith to the kitchen and pointed. “Mom at the stove. Tia Carla’s dicing, she’s the restaurant owner. Tia Lourdes. They’re Mom’s sisters.” He coughed and gestured to Keith. “This is my friend Keith. Please don’t smother him.”

“Cabron,” his tia Lourdes said with a swat of his arm. “Hi Keith, it’s so nice to meet you.” Keith smiled nervously and nodded. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Very,” he said.

Lance hurried him out and pointed to the kids. “My sisters, Emily, Jackie, and Alexia. My brother Jorge. I call him Bobo. The twins, Jose and Jesus belong to tia Carla with my cousin Lily in the pigtails. The other kids are tia Lourdes’ kids. Rosa, Diana, the girls. Ricky and Victor, the boys. And the other little boy there is my tio Angel’s kid, Saulo.”

“That’s… a lot of kids.”

“And it’s just the little ones. I have older cousins, but I pretend they don’t exist.” He shrugged and gestured him back inside. “Dogs are in the back. Quique and Luna.” He sat down on the bench outside. “So… why are you here?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…. You don’t remember me from high school. You don’t know me at all, but you agreed to have dinner with my family. All I did was wait your table and fix your car. Why are you here, what do you want?”

Keith frowned and crossed his arms as he looked out at the road. “Food, I guess. Look, I got invited, so I came. You want me to go?” He almost said yes. But he wasn’t sure how to explain that to his family either. Besides, if Keith stayed, then maybe Lance wouldn’t have to tell his family he dropped out. “Do you?” he asked.

Lance looked at him and felt his cheeks warm. “No. Not really.” Keith took a breath and nodded as he slumped in his seat and kicked at the ground. “I’m just… dealing with stuff right now.”

“It’s cool,” he said. “You want to talk about it?”

Before he could answer, his tia Carla came barging out and screaming. “Ya esta la comida! Vengan a comer!” Keith and Lance had both cringed as she went back in.

Keith looked over at him. “I take it dinner’s ready?” Lance nodded and nudged him before standing. They walked in and Lance found himself sitting across from Keith. The kids were on one end of the table and his aunts and uncles sat around him. At the head of the table were Papo and Buela.

Everyone began serving themselves from the food available in large dishes along the center of the table. Before they could all really dig in, Lance’s mother stopped them. “Wait, wait! No toquen esa comida, werquitos!” The kids stopped midbite. “We can’t forget who this is for.” Lance gulped and felt his chest constrict. “Mijo,” she said proudly. “My little boy, all grown up. Back from college. The first of all of us to go. You’re leading a better life, mijo, which is all I could’ve ever wanted for you. You’re the best role model for your siblings and your cousins. And I love you so, so much.” Her voice broke and Lance already felt his tears spilling over. And she wrapped him into a hug and smoothed down his hair. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I know you hate when I get like this, but I’m just so proud of you.” She hugged him tightly and Lance was grateful because if she hadn’t, everyone would’ve seen how hard he was shaking. “Don’t cry. We don’t want your friend to get uncomfortable.” She kissed his forehead and sat back down. “Okay, eat!” she said with a teary smile.

Everyone lunged for the food except for Lance. He was trying to stop the guilt from eating him. It took a swift kick from Keith under the table for him to start piling food onto his plate. He picked at his food and ate as everyone around him started their questions.

“So what are you studying? Will it get you a good paying job?”

“When do you graduate? When can we get tickets?”

“Is it true that the parties are crazy?”

“Remember, you have to stay focused on school, no girls.” His tia Carla nudged him and winked on the other side of him, as did his mother. The women in the family were far more understanding.

“I just knew you’d get this far, mijo,” Buela said. She didn’t talk much, but when she did, everyone listened. “You’re going to be somebody, Lance,” she said certainly, breaking Lance’s heart further. “Dime, were your teachers impressed? You were number three in school here. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were number one when you graduate.”

“And speaking of graduating, we need to start saving if everyone’s going to go.”

“What about after graduation? What are you gonna do? Tell me you’re not just gonna live here again. You got out for a reason,” one of his uncles said.

Lance kept his mouth full of food he couldn’t eat just to keep from answering. “What about you, Keith? Do you go to college?” his mother asked, finally removing the focus from him.

“Uh, yeah- yes, ma’am. I go to the community college. I want to transfer to a university for my junior year. Community college is just cheaper right now, which is what I need.”

“Lance here is at a private college,” his papo bragged. “He got scholarships.”

“That’s really good,” Keith said with a sincere smile.

“Una porra pa’ el futuro licenciado!” A cheer for the future graduate.

“Stop,” Lance choked.

“A la vio, a la vao!”

“Stop,” he said a little louder. But he couldn’t compete with his family’s roar.

“A la bim-bom- ba! Lance! Lance!”

“I got kicked out!” he shouted, standing, silencing them. He stared at his plate, unable to breathe. “I’m not in college,” he croaked. “I messed up. I’m just another drop out.” He swallowed and felt his tears slide down his face. “I’m sorry.”

He turned away before he could break completely, before the shouting could start, before his mother’s or his buela’s crying could start. He couldn’t look at any of them. He left the house and prayed that no one followed him. He sat on the steps and felt sobs rack his body.

He hadn’t even heard when someone walked out behind him, until they were sitting beside him. “Want to go somewhere?” Keith asked.

Lance wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Why are you here?” he hissed. “Just go.”

It was quiet for a moment. Then, “I remember you. From school. You were the guy that pantsed Coach Reyes.” Lance shut his eyes and scowled. “And then you cried for a half hour outside of Principal Miller’s office. But when you got called in, you stopped, and you took a breath and you went in. You were in there almost all period. Then you came out, eyes red, smiling. I’d have thought you were high if your nose hadn’t been running.” Lance looked over at him and furrowed his eyebrows. Keith looked at him. “I was in the office that day. I was an office aide and… I guess you hadn’t seen me. But I’d heard of you, and you’d never been in the office before so….” Keith scooted closer. “I’d always wanted to talk to you, but… you were so smart I didn’t think I could without sounding stupid. You just… you had your life made. Teachers respected you. I was the kid teachers glared at because they thought the phone ringing was mine. It was theirs.”

Lance scoffed and shook his head. “Why would you want to talk to me?” he muttered.

“It seemed like you were the only one who wasn’t trying to get laid or high. You were one of the few nice enough with actual goals in your life.”

They heard the increase of shouting inside and muffled arguing. “Where should we go?” Lance asked, unable to sit there and listen to his family fall apart because of him. Keith twirled his keys and nudged him as he stood and walked to his car.

Lance followed without looking back and slid into the passenger seat.

**

Keith drove with ease. One hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the door as he chewed on his nails. He leaned back, his head against the window. “So, this is a stupid question, but… why didn’t you tell them?” he asked once they’d driven nowhere for a while.

Lance hugged himself and rubbed his head. “You heard them. I was the one who got to leave, first-generation student, I…. I was the role model. And then I went and fucked it up.”

“How did that happen?” he asked. There was no judgement in his voice, no pity. Just curiosity.

“I couldn’t keep up. Aside from scholarships, I had to work for the money. I kept missing work, which was fine at first… but after a month, my professors weren’t so sure I was being honest. So I started slipping. And then I lost my scholarships and… I couldn’t keep going without offering the devil my soul.” He leaned against the window. “I dropped out in March. And I’ve been crashing with different friends, working to pay them back for letting me stay, and pretending I was still in college. I wanted to tell them, but… I was so fucking scared. I don’t want to disappoint them. I didn’t want them to know that all my dreams were for nothing.”

“Dude,” Keith interrupted. “You talk like… like you can’t try again. Get more scholarships and get in another if not the same college. Write a killer essay about why you fucked up before and get back in. Online classes. You’re not a deadbeat or a failure for messing up. You’re only a failure if you don’t bother trying again.” Lance stared at him and sighed. “You can’t give up on all your dreams just because it got shitty. That’s when you fight most, and prove you deserve to get what you want. It’s not gonna get handed to you all wrapped in a nice bow.”

“Oh what you think that’s how life is? You think I’m making excuses?” he shouted at him. “You think I haven’t had to fight all my life for people to take me seriously? Everyone expected me to join a gang or knock some chick up- thank God I like boys too, it kept my mom from freaking anytime I dated- or to just inherit the stupid shop or the fucking restaurant, okay. Everyone just expects my life to be this, to be here, in this shitty part of Houston no one gives a shit about and where people show up dead in a ditch for Univision to broadcast on!” He ran a hand through his hair and felt the anger make his limbs shake. “I had to fight to stay in advanced classes in each shitty low-grade public school I went to, I had to fight to be in enough extracurriculars while still getting home in time to watch all those kids, help them with homework, feed them, and still get my own done. I didn’t whine and bitch when I had three hours of sleep before a final. I didn’t care that my dad ran off when I was starting high school and left my mom with all those kids on her own, because I knew I could step up. I’m not excusing my fuck ups with my life, okay? So don’t you dare make me seem like I’m playing the victim, Keith. Don’t you dare.”

It was quiet for a while and then Keith started laughing. Lance stared at him incredulously, but Keith just kept laughing and shaking his head. They’d parked at a What-A-Burger and the lights reflected of his violet eyes as he laughed. “I’m sorry,” he finally said through a chuckle. “It’s just…. I didn’t realize I’d wake this ferocious beast just by telling you to fight for what you want.” Lance scowled and looked away. “Hey.” He felt Keith’s hand on his arm. “I wasn’t painting you as the victim. I just… you sounded defeated. And I wanted to show you that you still had fight left in you. And you obviously do.” Lance furrowed his eyebrows and Keith smiled at him. “You messed up. Fine. So try again. This was your first try. Not every kid works a bunch while going to college their first year.”

Lance took a breath and nodded. He let his head fall back against the seat and shook his head. “I just… I can’t go back, knowing that they’ll look at me like….” He couldn’t even put it into words. But it made him want to cry nonetheless. “I disappointed them, Keith. I let them down. And I hid it for a long time, how are they going to forgive me?”

Keith bit his lip and shrugged. “It’ll be rough for a bit, yeah. But… based on what I saw? They love you so fucking much, it’s crazy. They’ll forgive you. They’ll help you. They’ll understand. They’ll be hurt you didn’t tell them, but… they won’t shut you out. They won’t hate you.” Keith let him mull over that for a while until Lance was ready to go back.

Instead, Lance looked over and asked, “Why’d you pretend you didn’t know me if you did?”

Keith seemed shocked by the question. His eyebrows went up and he looked over at Lance with his mouth half-open. He grimaced and scratched his neck. “It took me a moment to place you. You were usually really loud and… obnoxious if I’m honest.” Lance scoffed. “You’re quieter. I know why now, but…. I didn’t realize it was you until I brought back the tip. And then… I just didn’t bring it up.”

“So you remember me as the guy that pantsed the coach then cried about it in the principal’s office,” Lance said with a scoff.

“No,” he answered, sounding shocked. “No, I…. I remember you as the guy who knew how to get what he wanted. You were crying, but… you managed to convince the principal not to give you a punishment for that. And you apologized to Coach too. Lance… I remember you as the guy with the determined blue eyes and easygoing smile that never took no for an answer and owned up to his actions.” Lance gulped and stared at Keith, feeling the familiar flutter in his stomach he used to get back in high school around him.

“Oh,” he said weakly. They both looked out at the diner and seemed to grow smaller in the silence. Lance’s heart was beating fast, and he suddenly never wanted Keith to go away. He knew what to say, and how to make him see things differently. And Lance hadn’t met someone like that in a long time.

“Do you… want to get food?” Keith asked softly.

Lance shook his head, suddenly self-conscious and nervous. “No…. I think I should go home. I can’t run forever.” Keith nodded and started driving back.

When they reached his house, he parked and asked, “Want me to get out with you?”

“No. It’s fine. They’re my family, so I should… deal with them. Besides, half of it might be Spanish and then I’d lose you.” Keith laughed and shrugged.

“Maybe you can teach me, then.” Lance bit back a smile at the idea of seeing Keith again if only to teach him Spanish.

“Sounds like a plan, Mullet,” he said. “Thanks.” Keith nodded and Lance took a deep breath before he walked into the house again.

“Where have you been, carajo!” his tia Lourdes hissed, pinching his shoulder as soon as he walked in. Lance yelped, and rubbed his arm as everyone else came in.

“There he is, the non-college boy,” one of his cousins teased.

“Too good to be a worker like the rest of us, or what?” his tio Selso said. “Running out the door como una marica.” Lance winced and was grateful when his tia Lourdes yanked his ear and scolded him.

“Lance,” his mother said tiredly, shutting everyone up. “What happened?”

Gathering strength, he began to explain how he ended up getting kicked out of school. He explained it all with no excuses, solely facts and kept talking even when his mother’s tears began.

“So you just stayed at your friend’s like some kind of beggar?” she cried. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because I didn’t want to let you down!”

“Oh, that worked out great, didn’t it?” his brother muttered. Lance couldn’t even bring himself to punch him.

“So you have us making you this big dinner, celebrating you, and you weren’t going to say anything?”

“I wanted to,” he began. But the look on her face, and on his grandparents’ faces silenced him. “I’m sorry. I messed up. But I can try again. Apply again, get scholarships again, explain what happened.”

“You think they’ll give you anything? With the grades you finished with and the way you dropped out? You had your high school grades and rank going for you before. Now, you have nothing!” Lance tried not to show how much his mother’s words hurt him.

“Ma, I’m not giving up,” he whispered. She clenched her jaw and stared him with watery blue eyes.

“Oye, pues no somos una familia?” Tia Carla said. “We’re Mexicans. We don’t give up. We don’t just sit back. And as a family, we support each other.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “We have the restaurant. We have the shop. Lance can make the money he needs. And we can help him. I have Beto’s college fund that he never used.”

“Tia, you want to open your salon-”

“Callate, chingado,” she hissed at him. Lance promptly shut up. She looked at the others with a ferocity he’d always admired in her. “We’re not letting him deal with this alone. Not after all these years. He wants to fight. God knows Beto didn’t. Did Carlos? Did Benny or Esmeralda or Vanessa?” His aunts and uncles looked down in shame at the mention of their older kids.

Beto was always drunk, never where he should be. Carlos had died in a gang fight in high school. Benny was quiet and never called, and he worked at the gas station the next county over. Esmeralda had gotten pregnant in high school and Vanessa never wanted to go to college. She married her boyfriend and moved out, and they only heard from her on the holidays.

“Lance is here. He’s fighting. And he needs help even if el pendejo doesn’t ask for it.” Lance sighed and shook his head at his tia. “So we’re gonna help him. I don’t want any of you talking down to him because at least he’s trying! Me oyeron?” They did. They had no choice but to hear her.

“Do the dishes, Lance. We’ll sort everything out tomorrow,” his mother said. “Kids, get ready for bed.” His aunts and uncles left with their kids and his Buela and Papo stayed behind while his mom got the kids settled.

They walked over to him and Lance began shaking his head before the money was put in his hands. “Take it,” Buela insisted, pressing the crisp hundred dollar bill into his hand.

“Buela,” he moaned. “No. I don’t deserve it.”

“You’re fighting. You deserve it more than anyone,” she said firmly. “You use this, and you open a savings account, and you work hard and keep putting money in it. You’re going to be somebody, mijo. I know it.” Lance couldn’t speak so he just nodded and pocketed his money.

“I love you,” he said, pulling her into a hug. “And Papo, I’ll be at the shop after the restaurant every day. I’ll help you. Forget Beto.”

“I know you will,” he said. “Be patient with your mother.” He patted his shoulders and they left. Since they lived down the street, they always walked.

Lance did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and the table. By the time his siblings were asleep, and he’d finished cleaning, his mom was sitting at the couch with a rosary and a tissue. He walked over to her and kneeled in front of her, cupping her hands and the crisp, quick prayer slipped through her thin, pursed lips.

“Ma,” he murmured. “Ma, look at me.” She did. “I know I messed up. I know I disappointed you. But I won’t let you down again. I’m gonna fight. Like I always do.” She blinked and nodded, pulling him into a hug. The rosary beads dug into his back, but he didn’t mind. Not when his mother was holding him, making him feel like he was five years old again.

Click Here for Ch. 3

#klance #lance mcclain #keith kogane #keith and lance #lance and keith #au #voltron #in the heights

[kaidyhawke]

Kat's Log: Day 4

Free day! ...or not. One of our instructors, Ron, hurt his neck quite badly and asked if any students would be willing to help him out in the morning. I agreed. 08:30 - Had a nice slow morning. When you don't have much lighting, it's easy to go to bed early/not long after dark. Which means it's also easy to get up early, with the sun. Ate my breakfast outside and chatted with the neighbour (and his adorable dog, Nike). 10:30 - met with Ron and an impressive portion of my classmates at the tire dump area, a five minute walk from "home". For the next three hours, we all sorted tires. Some went to the job site for group 1, Monday. Others went into the bin, as they were unusable. Smaller or bigger tires were set into neat rows according to size for possible other uses in the future. If you look at the pictures I posted earlier, imagine that field COMPLETELY full of tires. 14:00 - head home to use the shower. There are plants growing in it. It was very refreshing! 14:30 - worked on prepping some pasta salad for lunch this week. It's going to be a working week, so I was advised that light meals would be best. 15:30 - wander the area and realize everyone is gone. To the hot springs or the river, presumably. I can't find either of the two I'd made plans with to see a movie and go do laundry with. Chat with Fred for a while, instead. 16:30 - neighbours return from the hot springs, starving. They kindly agree to take me to town to do laundry. 17:30 - For convenience, we decide to eat at a restaurant around the corner. It's a little mom & pop Mexican place called Ricky's; the food is delicious and plentiful, and the staff friendly and attentive. 19:30 - Back at base, in the Architect's Office dorm for some gezelligheid! Tomorrow we'll be working in the field; it's going to be a long, hard, hot day! An early night is likely called for.

[veronicatheslayer]

Dust to Dust || Olivia and Veronica

Veronica and Olivia meet in the very best way, with vampires.

Veronica waltzed slowly down the dark streets of Ashkent Creek, her heels clicking gently against the pavement. Her vampire sense was pinging, leading her on as she prepared herself for what was inevitably going to be a really ​good​ fight. She guessed that there were five, maybe six type II vampires lurking down a street. They shouldn't prove to be too much of a trouble, especially because after being snowed into the church with Ricky and being left with no weapons for almost a week, she had decided to never be left in that circumstance ever again. So she had come well armed. Holy water, stakes, a few crucifix. The usual slayer equipment was strapped to different parts of her body. Over the years she'd altered her clothes that she wore for patrols to include hidden pockets for her to hide her weapons in. But there was no hiding the sword that she carried with her. But then again, this was Ashkent Creek. She'd once seen someone walking around with a battle axe that made a sledge hammer look like a children's toy. As she snuck towards the area that she could feel the vampires in, she heard a loud clang, as if there was a fight going on and Veronica sped up, heading towards an alleyway.

Olivia thought that a quick stroll through an alley to get home would be fine. It wasn't like supernatural entities liked to hang in alleyways. It was too much of a cliche. Olivia also thought that taking on two vampires at a time would be fine. Unfortunately, Olivia soon found out that the alley held the whopping total of six type II vampires. At first, she attempted to run, realizing she had bit off more than she could chew. Quickly the nest of vampires began their pursuit and her stake fell to the ground as did she. Olivia clamored to pounce back up into the fight, yelling obscenities at the fanged monsters surrounding her. Throwing a few punches and performing the bare minimum to keep the monsters at bay. Upon hearing heels clicking rapidly against the pavement Olivia grunted out while throwing another swing, "Hey wanna give me some help over here?"

The attitude that she got for saving someone's life was something that never ceased to amaze ​Veronica​. So many times she had cut down vampires who were about to kill humans and she had been met by something along the lines of ​"Why do you have a sword?"​ It was infuriating and honestly Veronica was almost pleasantly surprised by the request for help. Although she would've preferred a please in there. "Don't worry," she said, leaping into the fray and immediately beheading a vampire with a strong swing of the blade. The metal bit into the vampires pale neck and sent it spiraling through the air before it dissolved into a shower of dust. For a moment she had managed to take the vampires by surprise and she was able to knock another one to its knees with a vicious back hand before having to duck out of the fight for a moment. She bobbed, weaved and dodged, trading blows left and right as she did her best to test her opponents. "Why did you try and take on six vampires at once?" she asked, noticing the stake and quickly putting two and two together. Not all slayers were capable of fighting that many vampires, especially if they were new to the game.

Not many things surprised Olivia. However, meeting other slayers was always took her for a surprise. After taking a moment to gape at her savior she scrambled to grab her discarded stake, barely managing to slide between the grip of two vampires. Swirling around, she shoved the stake through the back of the vampire and watched him turn to dust before being met with another blow to her stomach. Olivia let out a grunt, ducked and finally managed to respond, "It looked like two. It felt like two!" Needless to say, Olivia was defensive. It wasn't like she was inept at slaying. She just didn't have the training that everyone and their mother seemed to have access to.

Swinging her sword in a tight arc of steel, ​Veronica​ effortlessly hacked off the hands of a vampire that had tried to grab her, before bringing the steel through his face and hacking him down too. Reaching into her leather jacket she grasped a stake and drove it into a second vampire watching them both dissolve into a pile of dust and ash. This night was turning out to be a lot more fun than she had anticipated. It had been a long time since she had worked alongside any other slayer and she was always keen to get to know someone who was like her. "Of course it look like two!" she exclaimed, knowing that vampires weren't above using numbers and underhand tricks to get the better of a slayer or even humans. "You'll learn that if you spend enough time dealing with them. They're devious these blood suckers." She smirked as she watched her kill a vampire before back pedaling away and drawing one of the last vampires with her.

Olivia watched as Veronica almost effortlessly worked her way through the small nest that had attacked her. One, dust. Two, dust. She was almost transfixed with the elegance the other slayer moved with. Sure Olivia was strong, but she didn't have the technique. Her technique could be dumbed down into run, punch, stake, and hope for the best in the situation. Forcing herself to snap out of it she squared up to face the other remaining vampire. "Okay, yeah, and how am I supposed to know it's more?" The brunette demanded as she dodged a punch directed for her face by dropping to the ground and sweeping the feet out from under the undead.

Veronica slid her sword into its sheath as slipped further into the alley, this far in the walls were too close together for her to effectively use it and she didn't want to damage her weapon if there was no need to. Effortlessly parrying a strike that the mean brute of a vampire sent towards her face, she sprung forward and kneed him in the crotch, a move that many wouldn't have bothered trying, but you never know, some people left their most vulnerable areas unprotected. A mistake that he wouldn't be able to learn from. As he doubled over with the pain of her strike, she sprung towards the vampire, leaping onto his back and driving her heels into his back. He stumbled forward, before crashing into a large puddle. A second later, Veronica drove a stake through his heart and dissolved him into ash. "You learn to notice the signs of a trap," she replied, straightening up and brushing a few bits of dust off of her jacket, "and you learn to differentiate with your slayer sense. I'm assuming that you are indeed a slayer."

Olivia climbed on top of the final vampire, pummeling him before driving her stake through his heart. Half-collapsing she let out a relieved sigh and a short laugh before forcing herself up onto her feet. Olivia began to dust herself off as she never quite enjoyed being coated in the cascades of dust that came with a fresh slay. Defensively the younger slayer crossed her arms and spoke her face contorting into a indignant pout, "I'm a slayer - okay just wondering - how do you learn how to do that?" She paused gathering her thoughts and running a hand through her hair, "I mean I've been doing this for seven years and I still don't know what the hell is going on ninety percent of the time, ya know?"

Dusting the rest of the vampire off of her, ​Veronica​ brushed a lock of hair out of her eye and shrugged gently. She looked the other slayer up and down, she guessed she was seven years younger than her, maybe eight or nine at a stretch. If she had grown up with parents who hadn't been aware of her heritage that would explain the fact that she had only been able to have seven years of training. Not to mention the fact that she had been training since she was eight and she had been trained by slayers who had had the best training themselves. In the slayer word she knew that she was privileged. She sighed gently. "I'm a trained martial artist and personal trainer, and I've been slaying since I was eight years old. Besides, my entire family are slayers so I've got that going for me. I'm Veronica by the way."

Olivia felt intimidated. It wasn't often that people could genuinely scare her like this, but god, meeting another slayer? She hadn't met one before and here was this older woman who had been training since she was eight! Eight! Olivia ran her lip through her teeth and considered what to say carefully. What came out of her mouth next, of course, was nothing elegant as she never coined herself on being the most insightful speaker. "I - um - Oh - cool. It's a club" Olivia managed to stammer out. Sighing she walked closer to Veronica and extended a hand, trying to better the other slayer's first impression of her, "I'm Olivia."

Veronica snorted gently at Olivia's reaction. "I don't know if I would call my family a club," she said, feeling somewhat exasperated with the situation. Her family situation was one of the most complicated that she could imagine. She only really talked to her sister and her brother now, having completely cut her parents off and that wasn't even the worst of it. Adrien wouldn't talk to Esme, her parents were trying and failing to apologise for having been cut off and things were just messy. "But it is a pleasure to meet you Olivia," she said with a genuine smile. Once upon a time she had had many slayer allies. They weren't friends but they still fought together. But one by one they had died, and though a few of them were now left it was much less than there had once been.

Olivia hadn't met another slayer before; sure she had heard of them. She had also heard of the fate of slayers. She knew what became of other slayers. They were just people like her and - and well they just died. Meeting one was a momentous occasion for her. All Olivia wanted to do was ask questions rather than act like a normal human being. She wasn't normal though was she? She was a slayer. One of the girls in all the world who had the power to fight. So, why did she feel like such an idiot talking to Veronica? "Likewise," Olivia said flashing a quick smile to the other woman. "I - wow so you're slayer?"

Raising an eyebrow, ​Veronica​ slid the stake that she was still holding back into its place within her jacket. Once it was safely tucked away within the folds of leather, she adjusted it once before looking back up to Olivia. "Yes I'm a slayer," Veronica said with a smile, "I'm surprised that you haven't run into any other slayers before -- I mean, I'm assuming you haven't from your reaction -- but there are a number of us in this town." She frowned gently and then kept speaking. "Have you ever heard of the Silver Bullet, it was a bar that slayers and hunters and wardens went to before it got burnt down by the liberation." She had lost friends in that fire. "If you've never met any slayers how do you know how to slay?"

Olivia nodded sagely, understanding that being a slayer came at a price. It was easy to lose people as a slayer. "I just keep to myself. I - I'm not exactly the best slayer there is," She explained, tucking the stake up her sleeve. Olivia ran her lip through her teeth, her path to slaying had been a rocky one, hell she didn't have a name for it up until three years ago - it was just something she did. Slaying for her became more a way of self-defense than that of 'protection of humanity'. "I found out by accident," She stated, rather embarrassed, "Some creep was following me home one night when I first moved here. I - I, uh, tripped into a mailbox and broke it. It was made of wood - he was already running at me and so he just kinda went." She explained gesturing a cloud of dust with her hands.

Raising an eyebrow, ​Veronica​ had to admit that part of her was almost envious of Olivia's story. She wished that she had been able to have a similar story. Veronica's was a much much darker story. She had been thrown into a dark room at the age of eight, with nothing else but a broken chair leg and a vampire that had been starved of blood for weeks and weeks. "I get it," she said finally, crossing back over to the puddle and looking down into the moonlight that was reflecting off of its calm surface. "I'm surprised that you've managed to survive," she said eventually, "don't take that as an insult, I don't mean it as one, I just simply mean that this is a dark and dangerous world, and without proper training and proper preparation then you'll eventually die." She shrugged gently, thinking that she could see something in the surface of the puddle, but she was sure that it was nothing.

Olivia stepped a little closer to the other woman and offered a simple shrug as her sole explanation. She knew she needed proper training, but she wasn't about to devote her entire life to being a slayer. She had plans, those of which did not include Ashkent Creek for the rest of her life. Clearing her throat she voiced her reasoning, "I'm learning more every day. Plus, I'm not - well I'm not usually actively slaying" Olivia shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and glanced at the puddle, seeing a small ripple in it after noticing the other slayer glancing at it. "You saw that right? Like somebody else in it?" She asked, her brow furrowing in utter confusion.

Pausing for a moment, ​Veronica​ frowned as she heard Olivia's words. "Being a slayer isn't a choice," she said finally, "you're born a slayer and that means that you've got a solemn duty to defend those who don't have the strength which you were born with." She paused once more, trying to think. "I know this life isn't for everyone, but I believe that there is a reason that you were given your powers and there are people who are going to depend on you to protect them, food for thought, if nothing else." Shifting gently, she looked down into the surface of the water and frowned gently. "Yeah, I saw that," she said, before a figure reached out of the puddle and swiped at her. "Shit!" she muttered as she took a step backwards and pushed Olivia out of the way. "What the hell is that?"

Rolling her eyes ​Olivia​ began to protest, "Blah, blah, blah. Great power great responsibility. Every person with the power to fight will fight." She wrapped her arms around herself and grumbled, "I've heard the speech, I get it." Upon being pushed out of the way Olivia threw Veronica an indignant look. However, upon noticing the arm sticking out of the puddle she let out a soft gasp and murmured to herself, "What the fuck?" Taking a second to fully process what was unfolding in front of her she scrambled back to her feet and tugged on Veronica's arm, "Maybe we should get outta here?"

Raising an eyebrow gently, ​Veronica​ shook her head at Olivia. "Some how I doubt that you really do get it," she said quietly, before shrugging and taking another step away from the puddle, "you may think that you do get it, but the truth is that if you got it then you'd act differently." She stepped away from the puddle and made her way back down the alleyway. "Lets get out of here," she agreed with a nod. "My car is just down the block, I'll give you a lift home and we can talk later." She said stepping towards the street where she had parked her car.

Olivia scrunched up her face, not exactly adoring being lectured to about her supposed fate of being a slayer. "Listen, I understand that it is important, but aren't there like a ton of other slayers all over the world. It's not like I'm some special snowflake." She mused, beginning to follow Veronica with a sense of urgency, wanting to get as far away from the puddle as fast as possible. "It's not like there's just me. If it was just me ure, like whatever, I'll be the people's slayer. I know there's at least a handful of slayers here, so there has to be more everywhere" Olivia insisted, finally falling in step with the other slayer. Sighing she calmed down a tiny bit and clearned her throat again, "Um, thanks for the lift too, by the way."

#touchofpotw #touchofchatzy #para #p: olivia #dust to dust

[amillixnvoicesarch]

Share at least 5 songs that you associate with or remind you of your muse!

1.New York State Of Mind - Billy Joel

"I don't have any reasons. I've left them all behind. I'm in a New York state of mind,"

2.Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold

"Like your body's in the room but you're not really there? Like you have empathy inside but you don't really care?"

3.Gold - Loi

"I can feel the sunshine in my life, I'm just a little happier by your side- Hold my hand when I need you the most. It's your love that's weighed in gold."

4.I Won't Say I'm In Love - Hercules OST

"You're way off base, I won't say it. Get off my case, I won't say it..."

5.Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

"Well, I've been afraid of changin' 'cause I've built my life around you- But time makes you bolder even children get older. and I'm getting older too,"

tagged by: @unitcd

tagging: @waehles @hercesofourtime @sheldoney @leschanceux

#;;my shower head is very impressed with me ( ricky )

[tenroseforeverandever]

The Cupid’s Arrow (Revised Edition): Chapter 1

Characters:  Nine x rose; Original Character

Rated: Teen-Adult

Tags: Fluff; Angst; Humour; Aphrodisiac

Summary: Rose convinces the Doctor to take her to "Planet Valentine" for a lark.

Notes: For @caedmonfaith, who has told me this one of her favourite stories of mine. ((((hugs)))) darling.

I have been meaning to tidy this story up for a while now! What better occasion than this year's Valentine's Day. (No major revisions; just housekeeping.) The original will stand as it is, as part of my Domestic Bliss series.

Second half to be posted tomorrow!.(This revised edition will only be posted here, on AO3 and on Tumblr.)

Also read at: AO3

The Cupid’s Arrow (Revised Edition): Chapter 1

“Honestly, Rose! The things I do for you! Your Nan’s birthday!” the Doctor whinged.

“Well, you could just drop me off, and come back for me later…,” Rose nervously fingered her cheek, “but I wouldn’t mind the company. ‘S not exactly gonna be a wild party.” She rolled her eyes. “And it would be better with two.” She coyly bumped her shoulder against his leather-clad arm, and flashed him her Rose Tyler-patented tongue-touched smile.  

“I suppose…” he began, and Rose’s grin widened significantly. She had him: hook, line, and sinker. “But I’m not going to sit there and listen to some old biddies prattling on about their knitting patterns or what happened on EastEnders yesterday.”

“Nah, don’t worry, Doctor. We’ll lay low, yeah. And we can play that game.  You know, the one we played at that booooring convention on Mugwarf:  “Guess the Alien”. I’m sure loads of Nan’s friends could easily be mistaken for aliens. Very dangerous, old ladies are… There’s one – oh my God! – I swear she’s a Raxicori… um Racico… Slitheen! I’ll be lookin’ for the zipper, I will!”

“Hmmph,” he grumbled grudgingly. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Rose Tyler,” he performed his dance around the TARDIS console flipping switches in a seemingly random sequence as she watched, bemused, “I will never quite understand the human proclivity to commemorate certain dates! You lot and your need to compartmentalize everything into neat, little categories!  A lot of fuss over nothing, if you ask me!”

“Yeah, well we like it,” she proclaimed.  “Gives order to things. This travellin’s excitin’ and all (I love it, Doctor!) but it gets so… timeless sometimes, yeah. Now and then I feel like I need somethin’, you know… real to hold onto… to keep me from goin’ spare.”

He responded by grabbing her hand, entwining their fingers. “You have me.”

“Yeah, I do,” she beamed up at him, stunned by his rather significant little statement, and pressed her cheek gently against the cool leather of his sleeve, breathing in the comforting scent of him.

“Hold on tight, Rose,” he warned as, still gripping her hand, he flipped the final lever that sent the TARDIS spinning wildly through the vortex.

--oOo--

Several hours later, hands swinging, linked between them, they walked back to the TARDIS from the Tyler flat, chattering cheerfully to one another. “Blimey, Doctor! I nearly weed myself when old Tessie pinched your cheek and told you what a handsome young man you were!” Rose burst into gales of laughter. “If she only knew!”

“Oh, laugh all you want, little ape.” His expression suddenly sobered. “I’m just relieved Jackie didn’t have a go at me.” He subconsciously lifted his hand to his cheek.

Rose just laughed the louder, taking advantage of his insecurity. “I swear Tessie fancies you! And it’s nearly Valentine’s Day, Doctor,” she sing-songed. “Maybe she wants you to be her Vaaaalentine, yeah? What d’ya think, Doctor? She’s nearly your age and all!”

“You can shut up now, you!” he reproved with a growl, dropping her hand.

Rose felt her heart sink at the loss of the strong, reassuring grip, an enduring symbol of their friendship since the first day they had met. She was silent for a long moment, her mood turning sullen. When she finally spoke, it was in a sour tone: “Now there’s a rubbish celebration…” The disagreeable subject fit rather well with her change in mood.

“What’s that?”

“Valentine’s Day! One human date we could very well do without commemorating!” she huffed, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

“Why’s that, then? Ricky forget to bring you chocolates and flowers?” he taunted, a possessive smirk curling his lips. He reached for her hand again, and gave a disgruntled snort when he found it absent. Rose kept it pointedly tucked in her jacket.  

“It’s jus’, ya know, it sets people up with a lot of false expectations. It’s forced.  It’s fake. And all the pressure: what to give; how much to give; and who really wants chocolate and roses and dumb poetry anyway? And, then, when you don’t have someone to celebrate with… it’s so lonely, yeah.”  She pulled her hand out and linked her arm through his, her lips twitching up a little when she heard him release a self-satisfied sigh.

“And to think, your lot created a planet entirely dedicated to Saint Valentine and his day.”

“No way! You’re takin’ the mick! Really?”

“Oh yes, Rose. You intrepid little humans, you forge your way out across the galaxy, bringing all of your traditions and customs with you. There must a special planet for every Old Earth holiday, and then some! Species from all around come to partake in human traditions! It’s a huge tourist industry. Just imagine!” He pulled out his key to open the TARDIS door, and let Rose step in ahead of him.

“You’re serious?”

“Yup!”

“Prove it.”

“What? Now?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Nope. You?”

“Of course not, Rose. Time Lord, remember?”

“Well then, Time Lord… take me to this Valentine’s planet.”

“Thought you hated Valentine’s Day.”

“I do. But this might be good for a lark.  Could be fun: people watching. Guessing what their relationships are, yeah.  Married; first date; newly-weds. Like that!”  

“Rose Tyler, you and your games! Alright, then, you asked for it.” He strode to the console and began to set the coordinates. “But I’m warning you. Stay away from love potions and aphrodisiacs of any kind. Let me taste anything you plan to eat. My sensitive taste buds can detect any of them, and,” he grinned cheekily at her, “my superior physiology can neutralize them in record time!”

“You really think you’re so impressive, don’t you?”

“I am!  And most importantly, no wandering off. All I need is a lovesick Rose Tyler on my hands. Bad enough as it is, sullying the TARDIS with all your domestics: trips home to see Mummy; grocery shopping; laundry…”

“Oi, you invited me! Twice!”

“All I’m saying is that I want you to be safe, Rose.”

She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. “I know, Doctor. Let’s go, yeah?  I’ll be careful, promise.”

--oOo--

Rose poked her head out the TARDIS doors. “Doctor, this is soooo cheesy! Raining rose petals? Really?”

“Not too late to turn back…” The Doctor peered out distastefully at the red, pink, and white glitter that was Planet Valentine.

“No chance! This is brilliant!” She grabbed his hand and dragged him out into the shower of drifting petals. Letting go of him, she twirled around ecstatically in wonder. “Doctor, this may just be enough to make me see Valentine’s day in a whole new light!” She stopped spinning to face him, and found him with an incongruous grin brightening his face. She swore his eyes actually twinkled at her. “W’at? W’at is it Doctor?”

“Oh, c’mon, you.” He switched rapidly to a more surly expression, as was customary when he had been caught looking at her. “Let’s get this over with.” He took her hand again and directed her to what looked like the main street, filled with throngs of creatures representing species from all across the galaxy, although the majority appeared to be human… or human-ish.

Rose observed most of the planet’s visitors walked around in pairs, although a few individuals strolled about, either procuring gifts for a significant other or perhaps seeking companionship.  Then she saw something remarkable: “Doctor? Those blue, glowing people over there… do you see them?”

“Those are Trinitarians, Rose. Their skin begins to glow like that at the peak of their reproductive cycle. Truly beautiful species.”

“Yeah, they are,” Rose sighed in awe at the tall, slender, willowy forms whose skins seemed to dance with shimmering blue radiance. “But there are three of them? Do they need three to reproduce?”

“Blimey! Aren’t you perceptive? Clever!”

“No need to sound so surprised.” Rose couldn’t help but feel miffed by the Doctor’s double-edged compliment, and let it show in the tone of her voice.  

She was aware of the Doctor glancing warily down at her as he forged ahead on the topic of the Trinitarians: “There aren’t many species that need three participants for procreation, but they do. There are a handful of others, too. Mind you, it’s not the most complicated mating system out there. Now, take the Spredifriat-mwooguds from the Delta-Frimori Sector! They–”

“Blimey, that must be a difficult relationship, yeah? Imagine how hard it is, even for us humans. I’ve been searching for ages just to find one decent bloke out there. I can’t imagine how complicated it would be if I needed to find two!” She nestled into his arm again, suddenly needing the comfort of his presence.

“C’mon. How about some hot chocolate?”

“You buyin’? ‘Cause I don’t have any credits.”

“Yeah, ‘course. Still owe you for those chips, don’t I?  If I remember correctly, there’s a little shop just down the street that makes the best hot chocolate in the galaxy. They even put heart-shaped marshmallows in it!”

“So, you come here often, then? To the Valentine planet… the planet of loooove,” she ribbed him.

“Very funny.” He crossed his arms defensively over his chest, and glowered at her. “It just so happens that I’ve had a sweet tooth… in the past. And if you want a chocolate fix, ‘The Cupid’s Arrow’ is the place! They specialize in exotic chocolates from around the universe. Bon-bons and fudge and… ah, but, you mentioned earlier that you didn’t really care for chocolate. I’m probably just wasting your time taking you there.”

“I never said I didn’t like chocolate!” Rose blurted. “Just think they’re a rubbish Valentine gift, s’all.” She flushed at the sight of the smug grin that spread across his face. “Oh shut up and get me some of that hot chocolate. And just for givin’ me that cheek, you can spring for a nice, big piece of fudge, too.”

“Done!”

--oOo--

Hand in hand, they walked into the shop. The décor was flamboyantly tacky: walls, ceiling, and floor painted in a trompe-l’oeil chocolate bar motif. Tables for two hovered on micro-gravity platforms, showers of heart-shaped confetti sprinkling down in a twinkling column over each red and white laced tablecloth. Ultra-high definition holographic cherubs darted around the tables, shooting little holographic arrows at seated customers. Against one wall was an enormous display cabinet with the largest assortment of chocolate sweets Rose had ever seen. Several customers were buying the confections to take away in shiny heart-shaped boxes wrapped in extravagant glittering tulle ribbon.

Rose fought to supress the giggle that threatened to erupt from her throat. “Oh, this place is just so… you!” She broke into howls of laughter, unable to hold in her mirth any longer.

“Just you wait, Rose Tyler,” the Doctor responded with his see-how-clever-I-am smile. “When you taste that hot chocolate for the first time, you’ll understand why I am able to put up with all this. I’ll be waiting for the apology.”

“You’ll be waitin’ a–” Her tart remark was cut off when a tall, wispy alien with purple skin, and a towering, domed head approached them.

“Table for two?” He spoke in a high-pitched, reedy voice, accompanied by a distinct roll of his emerald-green eyes. “As if it would be anything else around here,” he remarked disdainfully.

“Yes, please!” the Doctor chirped, seemingly oblivious to the Maître-d’s acerbic comment.

Rose goggled as the Maître-d’ punched some codes into a touch screen device and led them to a table that descended, confetti stream disengaged, ready for them to board. He pulled a chair out for Rose, and then one beside her for the Doctor. “Please place your order from the menu on the touch screen in the centre of the table. When you wish to disembark, just notify me by tapping the red heart at the top of the screen. Enjoy your stay at ‘The Cupid’s Arrow’. Please leave smitten.”

“Oh, we’re not together… not like that,” Rose announced, sitting down. “Just mates, yeah.”

“Pffffft,” the Maître-d’ hissed, “of course you are. Just look at the two of you! Just like every other couple that comes in here. Sickening really,” he added under his breath.

“Excuse me?” Rose bristled at him. She felt the Doctor tense up in the chair next to her.

The Maître-d’ gave a thin, squeaky gasp, “My sincere, apologies, Miss!”

“’S all right, mate.”  She forced herself to relax and smiled warmly at him. “Sounds like you need a vacation. What’s your name, then? I’m Rose, and this is the Doctor.”

“Hello!” The Doctor waved cheerily.

“I am called Zoorgraps. Please enjoy your refreshment. In just a moment, your table will ascend, and you may place your orders.” His expression, Rose noted, still seemed perturbed and angry, but maybe that was just the way his species was. “If you’ll excuse me…” he whiffled, and drifted off to greet another couple at the door.

Rose opened her mouth to comment on Zoorgraps’ attitude to the Doctor, when she suddenly found herself gripping the sides of her chair in momentary shock as the table began to rise up off the floor. She glanced at the Doctor, a little peeved at his nonchalance, and quickly schooled her features to one of casual indifference. The confetti curtain (holographic also, she noted) resumed its descent around the table. She tried to pass her hands through it and was startled when a mild buzzing resistance impeded her.

“Forcefield,” the Doctor smirked at her, “to prevent us from tumbling to our doom.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense.” She flushed at her naïvety and quickly changed the topic. “So, what are you having?”

“Oh, I’m not hungry.”

“What? You’re going to watch me stuff my face? I don’t think so! Please, Doctor? Anyway, I thought you said you had a sweet tooth.”

“Yeah, not so much this time ‘round.” Rose was perplexed by his choice of words, but immediately dismissed it to a place at the back of her mind as he continued to speak. “But, I suppose a banana hot chocolate with whipped cream would provide a nice boost of energy.”

--oOo--

While the Doctor placed the orders, Rose became engrossed in observing the customers at surrounding tables. “Look at those two, Doctor! What ya think? They’re way beyond first date. I bet they just got engaged! Oh, my God! They’re feeding each other!” She began to laugh, wrapping an arm around her stomach in a hopeless effort to control herself. “Definitely.  Engaged! Or about to be…”

“I dunno, Rose,” the Doctor looked up, having finished placing their order, “I think they might be beyond engaged.”

“Why’s that then?”

“Because Rose,” he gestured with a nod of his head at the couple in question, “while he’s feeding her with one hand, the other hand is occupied in a much more entertaining activity.”

“You’re havin’ me on! Oh – my – God!” Rose felt the heat of a blush redden her cheeks as she glanced under the couples’ table. “Well that explains why she looks so dreamy and flushed, then. I am officially upgradin’ their status to newly-wed!”

“That seems more appropriate, I’d say,” he agreed, infuriatingly unflustered by the activities at the next table.

“’Course, could be anything… they’re probably just randy, or this could be... normal behaviour for the, what was it? 47th Century…?” Rose’s attention was (thankfully) soon diverted by the arrival of a tiny flying droid. Its body was a sparkly fuchsia, and its heavily lashed eyes were bright red, heart-shaped deely-boppers. Rose sputtered in shock as it delivered their food, confirming their order in a sultry voice.

The Doctor chortled at Rose’s bemused reaction. “It’s all jus’ a lot to take in, ya know,” she stammered, “what with Mr. Happy Hands and the wife sittin’ next door, and Lou-Lou the Love-Bot delivering the–” She was interrupted by a muffled, impassioned cry from the woman at the next table, causing Rose to roll her eyes in an attempt to affect disdain and indifference.

The Doctor simply chuckled harder. “Keep up, Rose! I thought you’d be over the culture shock, by now,” he teased mercilessly.  

“Shut up. ‘S not like that stuff didn’t go on ‘round the Estate, but it wasn’t done out there for everyone to see: usually down some dark alley… or on the dance floor at one of those seedy clubs. And the robot’s just daft! Besides, you’ve had nine hundred years to get used to all this. I haven’t even had nine months!”

“Still, Rose…” He gulped down his mug of hot chocolate in one swig. “Oi, what’s goin’ on down there?” he asked, responding to the noise of shouting rising from below.

Rose craned her neck to give her the best view of the floor of the restaurant through the confetti forcefield. “Looks like our friend, Zoorgraps, has gone completely bonkers, he has! Right cheesed off about somethin’. He’s natterin’ on about how unfair life is, havin’ to work here. Doctor, he’s getting really worked up… Doctor?”

Rose looked across at the Doctor. He was leaning on his elbow, chin in his palm, gazing at her dreamily. “Doctor?” her voice rose in alarm. “Earth to Doctor…” She waved her hand in front of his face.

“Right here, Rose. Don’t worry, love, I’ll never leave you.”

“Right comforting, that is! Not quite relevant, though, Doctor.  Wait… did you just call me ‘love’?” She felt a strong prickle of concern rush over her. “Doctor, could you answer me a question, then?”

“For you, my Rose, I would do anything.”

“Yeah, ‘bout that… Did you happen to detect an aphrodisiac in that hot chocolate of yours? Just guessin’… on the off chance… that you did, yeah?”

“Oh, yes! There was enough potion in there to make a Geruhundian Greehog fall in love with an Ooktee.”

“Thought so.” She wrinkled her nose in trepidation. “And your superior physiology…?

“Still superior, but that was a rather large dose... You know, that’s what I love about you, Rose! So observant! So beautiful… and not just for a human.” He snatched her hand from where it lay across the table, pressing his lips to the back of it.  

Rose shivered, and quickly turned away from his piercing stare. She was about to suggest that they get back to the TARDIS post-haste, when she became aware of an enormous commotion, not just from Zoorgraps at floor level, but also taking place in the air all around her: it seemed the holographic cherubs were continuing to fly about, shooting arrows at customers, but the arrows were no longer holographic recreations. They were very real and very dangerous.

#valentine's day #nine x rose #ficandchips #angst #fluff #aphrodisiac #humour #caedmon #the cupid's arrow #tenroseforeverandever's fic

[fvfvxcvxcv]

Tag Tag Tag

I was tagged by the wonderful @knights-of-221b-privet-drive ! Thanks :D

Rules: Complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. When you are finished tag 5 people to do this survey. Have fun and enjoy!!!

1: Are you named after someone?

I’m not sure

2: When is the last time you cried?

I can’t remember, which is good because I used to cry like every other day not too long ago :p

3: Do you like your handwriting?

It is sooo messy! But that’s because I write really fast, especially in lectures :D I have another style of handwriting which is completely different; it looks like a neat font, but I haven’t used it in years because it’s really really slow to write with

4: What is your favourite lunch meat?

Meat! I don’t know? If it was meant to be ‘meal’, I also don’t know? I don't have lunch too often, but when I do it’s normally a meal deal from boots

5: Do you have kids?

Nope. And I don’t think I want kids? it sounds okay, but then the reality of having kids doesn't sound as nice haha

6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

I doubt it, I don’t talk too much :s

7: Do you use sarcasm?

I dont’ know? I definitely used to a lot, but I don’t think I do as much now

8: Do you still have your tonsils?

I sure hope so... last time I checked I did

9: Would you bungee jump?

damn, I can’t compete with that pun :p but yeah, I’d love to

10: What is your favourite kind of cereal?

Weetabix Minis, but on their own without milk! But like in the evening, I don’t normally have breakfast. But if I did have to have cereal for breakfast, probably something like coco pops

11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Yes most of the time, but if I’m in a hurry I might not:p For example, the other day I didn’t because I got really really sick on the tube and wanted to shower asap

12: Do you think you’re a strong person?

I’m okay strong, but with every push up I get stronger !!!

13: What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

Coffee or chocolate I think

14: What is the first thing you notice about people?

Maybe hair also? :p

15: Red or pink?

Pink!

16: What is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself?

Maybe my hands, the skin

17: What colour pants and shoes are you wearing now?

Christ, I’m sure I’ve answered this lots of times and assumed it mean underpants, I realised now it means pants as in trousers lol

I’m wearing athletic jeans! They’re like normal blue jeans, but they’re quite stretchy! I can high kick in them! :D And I’m not wearing any shoes.

18: What was the last thing you ate?

A boots meal deal haha

19: What are you listening to right now?

Some 80s song on Come Dine with Me on the telly in the background! I’m not watching it but my mum is

20: If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?

Ah, the question I think about every day. It keeps me awake at night. I’d be the Blue Crayon™

21: Favourite smell?

I’ve answered this so many times... and now they’re playing Lovecats by the cure on CDWM so I can’t think anymore! it’s going to be stucj in my head all day!!!

22: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

My dad like an hour ago! I phoned home to see if my nan was there (if not, I was going to visit her before going home)

23: Favourite sport to watch?

I don’t watch sports, but the ones the person who tagged me put here sound like they’d be fun to watch! Like, I won’t be as quick to change over if those ones are on now^^ 

24: Hair colour?

Dark brown (not black!!)

25: Eye colour?

Dark brown

26: Do you wear contacts?

Nope

27: Favourite food to eat?

I don’t know, maybe curry or fish and chips (takeaway) 

28: Scary movies or comedy?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horror film? Well I saw paranormal activity, but I wasn’t really watching it... so comedies

29: Last movie you watched?

I don’t know, it’s been so long :p Actually monsters vs aliens was just on in the background, but I don’t think that counts. 

I want to watch the french film The Intouchables because I only saw it once during an RE lesson at college and I really enjoyed it! I don’t remember too much of it, but I feel like it’ll be one of my most favourite films of all time when I see it again

30: What colour of shirt are you wearing?

Blimey, it’s a tshirt, but I think it’s salmony reddy pink? the sleeves are a nice blue colour

31: Summer or winter?

Summer!!! 

32: Hugs or kisses?

I don’ tknow and I probably never will

33: What book are you currently reading?

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods! I’ve been reading it for ages (uni eyy), but omg I’ve almost finished it!

I looked at how much I had left and thought “nicee, there’s still plenty left : )”...... and then it randomly opened and I saw that the page numbers stop halfway through how much was left... so there’re like 200 more pages, but only half of it is the story! So there’s so little left :o

34: Who do you miss right now?

Well there’s someone I can think of, but it’s more regret than miss.. I won’t say who but I’m sure they’ll see this haha 

35: What is on your mouse pad?

I’m using a laptop! But my computer has a circular mouse mat with one of those spongy bits

36: What is the last TV program you watched?

I don’t know? I really wanted to watch Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway last week, but my brother didn’t, so I don’ tknow

37: What is the best sound?

FLEXATONE! It just sounds so unnatural and unnerving, I love it! 

38: Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

I only really know 1 Rolling Stone song, and I don’t really like it anymore... so beatles (I know too many of their songs haha)

(the 1 rolling stones song is ‘paint it black’ btw, I’ve heard it too many times)

39: What is the furthest you have ever travelled?

The furthest I’ve ever gone is Sicily, never out of Europe, I just realised :(

40: Do you have a special talent?

Yep, I’m very good at voice impressions!

‘Hello hello, hi how are you? I sound different don’t I?’ - That was my Ricky Gervais impression

‘Hello, welcome to celebraty squares! wingardium leviosa’ - That was my Warwick Davis impression

41: Where were you born?

It was a room with beige walls... but that’s all I remember 

42: People you expect to participate in this survey?

Ahaha, the way that’s worded! Like it’s an official government survey or something!

But yeah, I’m only going to tag 1 person because laziness: @bucketofkay (you don’t have to do it if you don’t want)

Thanks again for the tag :D

#me #asks #knights-of-221b-privet-drive #bucketofkay

[nicoladoeschina]

Beijing Business Trip aka Mini Holiday :) Oct 27-31

Beijing isn’t really known for its sunsets, or sunrises for that matter.

So when I saw some amazing skies this weekend, I knew it was special.

Marveling the beautiful Beijing skies was like pressing pause.

Especially after a whirlwind of a week starting my new job at Yili.

But lucky me, I got to take a “business trip” back to Beijing for a long weekend.

On Saturday morning, October 27, I got off the overnight train at Beijing Railway Station. 

I slept for nearly the entirety of the nine and a half hours, and was ready to load my Saturday with friends and fun.  

I made my way through the throngs of people outside the station, and onto to the subway headed to my hostel in Sanlitun. Beijing was considerably warmer than Hohhot – so walking the final 1000m stretch in all my layers with my bloated backpack was a tiring! Yoga House, Beijing was where I stayed. It is absolutely STUNNING. The owners converted their two-story corner apartment in Yongli Plaza to a yoga hostel! The views over the Workers stadium, of GuoMao business strict, and along Gongtibei Lu towards the mountains west of Beijing was to die for. I definitely made the right choice.

I took a truly lovely, much needed shower, and was back on the road. This time, headed to Dennis’ rugby match out by the airport. I biked to the airport express, shot over to the airport, then took a taxi to the pitch at Dulwich International School.

It was the perfect day for rugby – blue skies and crisp autumn sunshine.

Dennis’ team, the Beijing Devils, pummeled the opposing side. No surprise. They’re the best team in Beijing. This was the third time I saw them play. The first time was in Beijing October 2016 when I came up from Nanjing to visit, then in Shanghai December 2016 when I popped over from Nanjing to join their tour (SO MUCH FUN – I’m talking lots of rugby, lots of beer, lots of players accepting awards with a make-out, lots of tour virgins in drag, lots of superhero costumes, and ME). You could say I’m a pretty committed fan.

Anyway, after the match we took the team bus back to the city, and went to Dennis’ apartment to freshen up before going to the team’s bar, Schillers, for their pub quiz that night. 

Coincidently, the joker cards during the quiz were from the Shanghai 2016 tour – and our card was Frazier, whose virgin-drag outfit I helped fix that night. He was Beautiful, and I remember so clearly at the rugby match awards dinner him singing Can You Feel the Love Tonight from the Lion King – winning the praise of the ladies and NOT having to strip naked.

So trivia was great! But as midnight came around, I was insanely exhausted. I walked like a zombie the wrong direction home for 20 mins before realizing it, then had to walk all the way back home. It should’ve been a 15-minute affair. My eyes were about to fall out of my face.  I made it home and crashed HARD.

Sunday I decided to sleep in and rest. After all, it was my first real break day after getting back to China, period!

For lunch, my friend from uni, Yasser, picked me up and we went for Turkish doner and coffee in Sanlitun. YUMM!

After we parted, I went on a nice walk around Sanlitun. Lots of fun things to see.

I went back to Yoga House and was treated to a beautiful panorama sunset. The clouds !!!! Amazing.

After taking in the views, I biked over to Guomao to have beers with Ricky at BeerSmith. It was definitely more upscale, but not as good as Slow or Great Leap. 

It’s in the China World Mall, across from the CTV Tower, aka Pants building.

It was nice seeing Ricky! He’s a traveler like me so we can talk forever, but we were smart and didn't stay out too late.

Monday morning I literally rose with the sun. When I walked downstairs the sunrise before me was absolutely incredible. And I had all the views to myself. So SO so so SO beautiful.

Once the sky reached a uniform calm blue hue, I curled up with my book for some morning reading.

At 11am I was scheduled to go to Slow Boat Brewery, where I interned the year before, to hang out with my former boss, Chandler, and the master brewer, Daniel. What I thought would be a few hours – I planned to go to the tea market after – turned into the WHOLE day! Daniel and I had such a great time chatting about so much random stuff. Around 1pm, we did a tour of the brewery with the Chengdu brewers that were in town – so that’s when the beers started flowing. After that, Daniel had me sample a lot of their new beers, and we eventually made our way to the roof to bask in the sunshine. It wasn’t until 4pm that we decided it was time to go home. Some take-aways: baby cows are like puppies, terroir, darker teas actually have MORE caffeine than the lighter colored ones, and Daniel needs to run a pub quiz. #Knowledge.

Afterwards, I went to LingErJiu for my very favorite youpomian – super fat noodles topped with pork, bean sprouts, bok choy, carrots, and of course hot chillies – and roujiamo – a shredded pork sandwich. YUM! It was delicious, but I also remember why eating it once a week last spring made me fat. Truth.

That evening, I had arranged for Dennis and Doc to meet. Dennis will assume teaching the Doc while I’m in Hohhot. At 6pm we met at Beijing Union Medical College for our lesson together. The Doc was delayed by an emergency surgery, so Dennis and I hung out with his assistant, who likes to go by the nickname Little Shrimp. She’s adorable.

The Doc finally joined us. He and Dennis really hit it off! Dennis actually knows a lot of anatomy owing to his rugby life. We chatted about the Doc’s upcoming conference and made great progress!

Around 8:30pm we left the hospital with Little Shrimp, and two of the doctors colleagues for some beers and light snacks nearby. It was a fun time!

Afterwards, Dennis and I hopped on some OFO bikes, which were all broken by the way, F U OFO! But we finally found properly working ones. Dennis and I were headed the same direction and had a great chat biking home! Love him!

It was late when I got back, and I hit the pillow hard in anticipation for a working day.

Tuesday morning I woke early to prepare to head down to Yili’s office in the southern-eastern quarter of Beijing proper. The morning was packed with presentations given by group that was just finishing up their training period.

The 60 trainees were divided into 8 teams that had to come up with ideas about new marketing and sales strategies for given Yili products. The groups all did great jobs, and really got to showcase their creativity. One group wanted to pitch a new yogurt product as a cure for spicy and oily hotpot. Another group wanted to link soybean milk to beauty of traditional Chinese small towns. I was impressed!

For lunch, we went to the basement cafeteria. It’s very interesting how basically every office building in China has a food court. I think on one hand it’s convenient, but on the other hand, it’s too closely integrating work/the work place into break time. There’s not a great division between work and private life here in China.

After lunch we went back upstairs for the afternoon program. We watched a video about Yili’s culture.... which is part comical and part infuriating.

Basically, the video was a compilation of professional speakers talking about “Yili Spirit.” One Yili delivery man left his family behind in Shanxi province, to travel 4000km to deliver Yili’s milk to families in need. He persevered despite wind and rain and cold – to get that milk to its destination! Yili Spirit!!!!! They even played “You Raise Me Up” during the presentation...

Then there was another speaker who literally showed a picture of a rainbow and discussed how there’s beauty after a storm, just like how if you work hard, you will create beautiful things!!!!!! Omggggggggggggg!!!!!!! I laughed a LOT. But also WTF.

When the onslaught of ridiculousness finally stopped, we had some free time before the dinner party in the evening.

ZhenZhen and I headed over to the Panjiayuan Antique Market. It was way cooler than expected! There was a whole slew of traditional Chinese products, ranging from meditation walnuts, to porcelain, to paintings, to polished jade in every color you could imagine. 

I LOVED it! I now know where to go to furnish my apartment in Beijing when I finally move there in mid-January.

At 6pm we joined the festivities. It was an evening of good food and good company. Each of the small groups had made up some song or dance. SO CUTE! Then there were some people that sang or danced individually. All in all, everyone was SO talented!!! I was really really impressed and humbled. 

I love this aspect of Chinese culture where everyone is so supportive and ready to showcase their abilities. It’s very common at dinner parties to celebrate with their talents, good food, and many many toasts where everyone stands to chink glasses and even move around to different tables to toast with everyone. Why don’t we do that at dinner parties in Western culture? It’s great! I’m going to make it happen.

When the festivities ended, everyone said their teary, semi-drunken goodbyes – the training program was over for that group and some were headed down to the Shanghai branch.

Around 9pm I hopped onto a bike to make my way up to Beixinqiao to meet Berit for some beers. It took FOREVER on the 3rdring road. Ugh. But finally I made it.

She took me on her scooter over to Side Street, formerly known as Ron Mexico. Who did we see outside, but Ian! My former classmated from UIBE, and Tom’s best bud besides yours truly. What a coincidence!

Then two of Berit’s friends also met us, and we grabbed a table. There was a pub quiz in progress, and we joined the last round – music! Sexual Healing and Biggie Smalls made an appearance. Good times! I did a lot of heckling.

Then the four of us went over to Great Outdoors. It’s a hiking/outdoorsy themed hutong bar nearby. Very very cool vibes! By midnight, I was falling asleep so Berit drove me home on her scootie! WEEEEEE!! Riding with friends on scooters in Beijing is one of my favorite things. I absolutely love biking, but you can’t go two or three people on one bicycle. Scootin in Beijing is love.

When I arrived back at Yoga House, I promptly hit the pillow.

The next morning, Halloween!, I rose early-ish because at 9:00am I had to make my way over to Beijing West Railway station for my 11am train back to Hohhot. First I walked around to pick up snacks for the nine and a half hour train ride, then I headed out. First I biked to Chaoyangmen, then hopped on the subway. Beijing West is quite far away with a transfer in the middle, but I made good time.

On the train I alternated between reading, sleeping, and snacking. The time passed in a cinch. One complaint about the slow trains in China, however, is that everyone smokes in-between the cars. The smoke stays trapped inside. I hate being smoked-out on the train. Otherwise it’s quite comfortable even in the hard-sleepers, where they give ample blankets and pillows.

SO, that was my first business trip that was 90% mini holiday with friends, and 10% business. I am so grateful !!!!!!!! I love Beijing, I love all of my amazing friends, and I love everything I’ve worked so hard to build during my time there that brought me HERE. To this crazy roller coaster ride of my first job. 

Love all around!

[justkimberley]

HSMTMTS Thoughts Episode 9

Episode 1   Episode 2  Episode 3 Episode 4   Episode 5  Episode 6  Episode 7  Episode 8

  (~1200 words)

Oh my gosh I can’t believe there’s only one episode left!

I’m a big fan of the peek into the future, flash back 8 hours

I saw someone make a post about how the song Ricky plays makes them think about “I fell in love with the pizza girl” from Jonas and now that’s all I can hear too

Joshua Basset’s voice is beautiful.

Big Red won’t let Rikcy finish his song and I’m sad about it.

So Gina moved the day after Tech Rehearsal

What did those boys talk about in the car if Ricky  didn’t tell Big Red about the kiss??

Or did Big Red just forget?

What does the necklace say???????

Why didn’t they just think of the gym first??

“This is the first time I’ve been cast as the lead on purpose,” “But it won’t be the last,” Yes supportive Miss Jen

Break-A-Leg-O-Grams are being advertised on the bulletin board behind Ricky and Nini talking and I think that’s amazing

Ricky is reading all of Nini’s signals wrong, spit it out Nini!

The whole time Ricky’s talking he’s searching Nini’s face to see if he’s reading the situation right. Newsflash! He’s not.

“We’ve got mystery flowers people!” “Not from me! Sorry,” “It’s okay,”

That was cute

“Just be you Ashlyn, you’re enough,” Aww she was going for the hug and he high fived her. Big Red’s really not good at picking up signals (but then again is anybody? Especially anybody in high school?)

All of the lines they pick are so good! 

“You’re my guys, and this is our team,” - Red. I’m glad he’s happy as part of the gang.

“What if you want to try something really new and it’s a total disaster and all your friends laugh at you,” - Ricky this gives us insight into how he’s feeling and it makes his mess-up in “Getcha Head in the Game” (which was totally reasonable) even more heartbreaking

“Do you ever feel like there’s this whole other person inside of you just looking for a way to come out,” - Nini. I mean, we been knew that Nini felt like that.

“Do the Romp, and strut your stuff,” - Carlos. Fantastic he’s the choreographer 

“My shower head is very impressed with me,” - Kourtney. She feels like she’s just got a good voice, and nothing else

“I’m proud to call you my sister” - EJ. Ok, this part actually was so sweet. EJ really loves Ashlyn, and is really happy to have her as a support. Not to mention contrast that with how exasperated he looked in the beginning of the series when Ashlyn said “Actually, EJ’s my cousin,”

“My nail beds are history” - Ashlyn. Ok I don’t really know why she picked this line. Ashlyn’s usually the sensitive one. I guess maybe she wanted to just have fun for once.

“Sharpay’s kinda cute too,” - Seb. Yes self-confidence

“Yeah so is a mountain lion, but you don’t pet it,” fun little group dynamic here

“We’re all in this together” Miss Jen. What a sweet finishing line.

Ricky going over choreography with Carlos right before the show starts! He’s adorable and I love my baby boy.

THis harmony in the song is great (For a Moment? I think it’s called?)

Classic staring when you’re not looking trope

Also that stage makeup on Ricky is great, Joshua Bassett in eyeliner is *chef’s kiss*

Ricky’s dad is so excited to be there and then Lynne comes up and he just loses all his confidence and excitement. I have a feeling that she wasn’t a great wife to him. I mean yeah it would be kind of awkward to introduce your ex-wife to a lady that you flirted with but Lynne brought her whole boyfriend so there’s nothing to be awkward about. Also the “Jennifer, Miss Jen, this is my wif- Ricky’s mom, Lynne” I just want to give him a hug.

Also Lynne, what high school drama production has assigned seats??

Ricky peeking out from backstage to see his parents, he’s so happy and excited :( it makes what’s going to happen even sadder

“Dim the lights,” **american national anthem plays (or some kind of patriotic song, I don’t know, I’m Canadian)**

We’ve been robbed, start of something new is playing in the background as Mazarra and Jen haggle for tech support/robotics stickers

“Never touch me” - the way he said that was amazing and I loved it.

I like that they present the joke lines directly to the audience, it’s funny.

Who is EJ on the phone with? Is it Gina

“Need a hand?” How many have you got?”

The little slap of Big Red’s hand when he goes to touch the soundboard

“Yeahhh… that was two counts of 8, but keep drilling it though,”

EJ winking at the crowd

“A friend bought me a last minute flight back,” was it EJ???

Gina’s dance, fantastic!

SEBBBB!!!!THat death drop spin thing, amazing!!!!! GUitar riff!

Ricky needs to figure himself out a little better.

“Ehh, I guess I kind of invited her?”

Why is “Getcha Head in the Game” after “Stick to the Status Quo”??

Why did his mom invite Todd?

I mean everyone on tumblr’s already kind of ripped her a new one but seriously?? Why would you bring your boyfriend who your son’s never met before to his musical which he was so excited about (and not tell him on top of that). Ricky’s first performance is not the time he wants to meet his mom’s boyfriend for the first time. Also she should know that Ricky’s having a hard time with the divorce right? Like that was a terrible move.

Ricky’s not okay. I’m thinking he’s having some sort of anxiety attack or something along those lines. I’m very annoyed with his mom for doing that to him.

“It’s a long story, has anyone seen Nini? I could really use a pep talk right now. My mom’s new boyfriend decided to show up and I want to punch a wall, I feel like I need a miracle to face act two”

“Nini’s in a quick change booth right now, she seems a little nervous,” “Wait, why, what happened?”

Ricky cares about Nini so much. He’s in the middle of what I think is an anxiety attack and his concern is why Nini’s “a little nervous”

“Uhh, I thought I was doing a good thing but I think it backfired. You see that lady with the clipboard out there? That’s the dean from the performing arts school she was looking at,” “You invited her?” “Ricky, you look like you’re shaking, do you need to sit down?” “Actually I do, excuse me,”

“HEy!” ** aggressively takes shirt off ** (not going to lie for a moment I thought they were going to fight and I was like woah! Since when do we fight?) “I can’t blow this for Nini,”

EJ is so hesitant to take the Troy jersey from Ricky. I wonder what is stopping EJ from doing it?

“Has anyone seen my glasses?” On her head! Amazing! Although I must admit in all my years of having glasses I’ve never lost them on my head.

Troy your on, EJ stands up “Let’s do this,”

The drama of it all!

#hsmtmts spoilers #hsmtmts #episode 9 #kimberleysthoughts #mypost #kimberleyreacts #feel free to come yell into the void with me about this show #(the void is the name of my askbox lol) #the void is always open

[hottytoddynews]

For 15 plus years, Matt McGraw has built a reputation in the Oxford real estate community. The Kessinger realtor has a knowledge of the market here rivaled by few. HottyToddy.com spoke with Matt recently between his many closings.

HottyToddy.com: Matt, what year did you enter the real estate profession here in Oxford?

Matt McGraw: I started in 2003, which was my senior year at Ole Miss. So I got my license and began in the business before I graduated.

HottyToddy.com: If you had to estimate how many properties you’ve closed here, what are we talking about?

Matt McGraw: I’m really not sure. I appreciate the confidence and loyalty that so many clients have given me over the years.

HottyToddy.com: Is the Oxford market completely saturated or is there still room for growth? And if so, where is it headed?

Matt McGraw: There is definitely still room for growth and it looks to be headed in every direction. Walker & Walker contractors are about to start a new development off Highway 6 East called Old Oaks. Then you have Lifestyle Homes building Fieldstone Farms to the North of town. Construction is about to wrap up a 114-unit development on the West side of town, called West End. There are new developments going on both North and South Lamar.

HottyToddy.com: What advice would you give to an out-of-town investor who is seeking a good return over the next five to 10 years?

Matt McGraw: A lot of that depends on how much money they want to invest. If they can spend in the low $200s, then I would suggest buying something new. Students gravitate toward the new properties, and those will typically get the most rent and be the easiest to keep rented.

HottyToddy.com: Driving around Oxford recently, you have an exciting new development featuring townhomes on Ricky Britt Drive (West side of Oxford). Care to give us the particulars?

Matt McGraw: Yes, this is called West End and it has sold extremely fast. It is the only development in Oxford that has four bedrooms, each having their own bathroom for less than $200,000. With rents exceeding $1,900 month, investors have gobbled these up. Plus it makes for an affordable weekend getaway or a place for someone to buy for their student child. This product really fits all three molds. It’s conveniently located just off Highway 6 West, less than five minutes from campus. West End will have 114 total units, and we are down to our final phase of 15 units for summer of 2018. Check out the website at http://ift.tt/2zxCIY8;

HottyToddy.com: And then there’s Fieldstone Farms to the North and West?

Matt McGraw: This is another new development that we are extremely excited to be selling. Fieldstone is the only conservation development in Oxford, which means the developer, Brian Hill, isn’t taking down the beautiful trees. From the time you turn into the development, you will realize this subdivision has a different feel from anything else in Oxford. Fieldstone features three distinct sections: The Cottages, The Villages and The Preserve. Each section is geared toward a different buyer. The Cottages are all stand alone and come standard with unparalleled finishes. Some of the features include: cabinets to the ceiling, high-end appliance package, marble tops, wet bar with ice maker/wine cooler, exposed wood ceiling, free standing tub, frameless shower door and a huge screened porch looking into the woods. The Villages section are quad plex buildings featuring three bedrooms with three full baths and one-and-a-half bath. With a price of just $224,900, these appeal to weekenders, investors or people buying for their student child. Then we have The Preserve section, which is geared more for families, retirees and weekenders that need more space. Each Preseve home will have a two car garage and a nice size backyard. For more information on Fieldstone Farms please visit our website at http://ift.tt/2BSRmPx. 

HottyToddy.com: The year you graduated from Ole Miss, did you ever forsee this level of growth in Lafayette County?

Matt McGraw: I graduated in 2003 and received my Real Estate sales license the semester before I graduated. I can’t say I expected Oxford to grow as fast as it has, but looking back it is easy to see why so many others love Oxford as much as I do. With everything Oxford has to offer, it really makes sense. People love it here and not just Southerners. We have people from everywhere moving to Oxford who have no previous connections to the area. We have been fortunate in that Oxford continues to get very positive reviews from the national press, and it is well deserved. It is very hard to find a resident of Oxford who doesn’t love living here.

HottyToddy.com: Do you see the growth now leveling off or “have we only just begun?”

Matt McGraw: The condo market might level off a little, but people have been predicting that for years and the development hasn’t slowed. As long as the University continues its impressive growth, the condo market will grow. Oxford itself continues to be highly rated as a top retirement community. Folks are coming here from all over the country, and they find that it is an easy place to fit into. I believe the town has its own momentum and will continue to grow at a rapid pace. Hopefully the infrastructure can stay ahead of the growth, but that is becoming a challenge.

HottyToddy.com: In years past, there appeared to be a direct correlation between the football success and the local real estate market. Is this still the case or have we gone beyond this now?

Matt McGraw: I believe football excitement affects the condo market more than the single family market, but it doesn’t affect it as much as it did during the Eli days. Our condo market boomed in 2003 when Eli was here, and it slowed dramatically when he graduated and our football team struggled. It definitely helps the condo market to have excitement around the football team, but its not as important as it was in the past. Obviously we have struggled in football for the last couple of years, but you wouldn’t know it by the amount of people buying second homes or condos for the kids – so I would say that we have gone beyond so much dependence on the success of the football team.

HottyToddy.com: Are the realtors concerned at all about the degree of infrastructure that may have its limiting restrictions on future growth?

Matt McGraw: Yes, I think everyone that keeps up with the growth sees this as a potential problem. I know the city is working very hard on this issue and has some new roads planned, so hopefully those plans will be underway very soon.

HottyToddy.com: Your success here is legendary. What do you attribute this to?

Matt McGraw: I have been very blessed in so many different ways. I’m fortunate to have two awesome parents that taught me so much about life and how people want to be treated. Selling real estate is like a lot of other jobs – you deal with people and you try to foresee problems before they happen – and that takes a lot of the potential stress out of the job. I certainly make mistakes and always try to learn from them. I love my job, and I think that plays a big part in success no matter the vocation. There are a lot of really good realtors in Oxford, which makes my job much easier – and keeps me hustling!

HottyToddy.com: How does someone with so much going on balance everything while keeping so many different buyers and sellers satisfied all at the same time?

Matt McGraw: Work gets hectic in the sales season. I enjoy being busy and feel like I’m more productive when things get crazy. Its definitely a challenge at times, but I have some really good people that work with me, and they try to keep me organized.

HottyToddy.com: What is the best advice you could provide to someone contemplating becoming a realtor here with almost 400 already in place?

Matt McGraw: Don’t expect immediate success. Real estate is a great profession, but its one built on referrals so it takes some time to get that pipe line going. Obviously you have to do a good job to get those referrals, so its important to work for a company that offers some start up training courses.

HottyToddy.com: Looking in the rear view mirror, what has now been established as being one of the best real estate investments?

Matt McGraw: I would say property around the Square. Who would have ever thought that prices would be in the $400s per square foot in Oxford?

HottyToddy.com: How has the national reputation of Ole Miss and Oxford complemented the growth in real estate?

Matt McGraw: No doubt about it. This is especially true with our of state students that might not have otherwise considered Ole Miss. We have a lot of great students from Texas and their parents play a major role in our condo market. It is said that Ole Miss sells itself, and that is really true. We get so many new people from word of mouth, and Oxford has attained a sterling reputation nationally as a great town to live in.

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at [email protected] or call him at 985-852-7745.

For questions or comments, email [email protected]. 

The post Q&A: Realtor Matt McGraw Says Oxford’s Condo Market Will Keep Growing appeared first on HottyToddy.com.

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