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peace-coast-island · 7 years

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#ChoicesCreates: Travel

Title: Eshajōri (#LoveHacks) Summary: Eshajōri - “people meet, always part”; the concept that expresses the idea about the impermanence of all things, that every human relationship will end someday due to the transient nature of life. Julie Nagarkar (MC) writes an article for Typewriter Keys where she interviews various people she met during her travels. Featuring MCs from other Choices stories and HSS.

@angelschoices @hollyashton

Ever since coming to San Francisco, I’ve been thinking a lot about the people I’ve met, the friends I made, and the ones I left behind. Then one day while looking for inspiration I came across the word eshajōri. The word means “people meet, always part” and that stuck in my head for a while. Slowly I began to put the pieces together for this article over the course of a year, talking to people during my travels with that word in mind. I have to admit that it wasn’t an easy project to pull off, especially with the rough start Typewriter Keys had, but you know me, I love a good challenge.

Happy first anniversary to Typewriter Keys and thank you everyone for making this possible. Our team couldn’t have succeeded without your support.

And now on to the article. The prompt is:

Talk about someone who is special to you. But not just anyone, it has to be someone who isn’t really a part of your life anymore. Think about this person and why they left an impact on you.

Acacia Lim

About her: My name’s Acacia, I’m from Saltwater Creek and a sophomore at Hartfeld University. Designated Mom friend, works for the newspaper, trying to figure out adulthood, single and independent.

Her story: I grew up in a small town, the kind where everyone is sort of like a big family. It was always like that until a few years ago when a tornado caused a lot of destruction and then a blizzard that winter forced more people to leave. I think by now about half the town is gone, which is sad since I grew up with all these people. Senior year of high school was pretty hard as I had to say goodbye to many of my friends. There’s not many of us left and it’s kind of sad but it’s something we have to deal with.

One person that meant a lot to me was Miss Lyric, who was my piano teacher. She’s a cute old lady who everyone loves. She was like the town grandma, everyone always looks up to her for advice and I think she was one of the oldest residents there. Miss Lyric is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, from her powerful and angelic voice to the way she plays her heart out on the piano, she can pretty much do anything!

For years I’d go to the community center for piano lessons. Miss Lyric was the reason why I wanted to learn because I loved watching her play and it looked fun. Sadly the community center was damaged in the tornado but Miss Lyric, being the optimist, didn’t let that stop her from bringing music into the town. Her enthusiasm and ability to look at the bright side made the next several months a lot more bearable.

The day she moved away was one of the saddest days in my life, no exaggeration. A few months after the blizzard, Miss Lyric revealed that she was moving to Lake Celene to live with her son. It wasn’t an easy decision for her but the harsh weather had taken a toll on her health and it wasn’t easy taking care of a house that was falling apart. The night before she left, we threw a farewell concert for her, where I played one of her favorite songs and sang with the choir. Saltwater Creek just isn’t the same without Miss Lyric and her musical presence.

We keep in touch once in a while, which is great. She says that she misses Saltwater but she’s also happy at Lake Celene where she’s a music teacher at the elementary school. Miss Lyric, if you’re reading this, I just want to say thank you so much for bringing music into my life. Every time I play the piano, I think of you and how you pushed me to become an artist.

Finley Sayavong

About him: My name is Finley and I work for Prescott Industries. I was born and raised in the Tri-State area and I just live an ordinary life, not extraordinary really.

His story: During winter break when I was in college I went to visit one of my cousins in Entienne Falls. The way there was fine and the visit itself but coming home was an entirely different thing. From delays to last minute changes due to the weather, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it home on time. Just when things were going well after being stuck for three hours, icy roads forced us to stop in the middle of nowhere. Luckily the bus was well equipped to keep us alive for a couple days if things were to get worse. I was miserable for the whole day because of everything going wrong so by then I was just done.

While waiting for the weather to clear and the roads to be less dangerous, I met an old couple who sat behind me. Their names were Irma and Margaret and there was something about their personality and how they approach others that you can’t help but smile at. They tried talking to me earlier but I was zoning out at the time and they let me be. Now that we were stuck here, they approached me again knowing that unless I wanted to be bored out of my mind for the next several hours, I might as well strike a conversation with someone. So I did.

We spent the next three or four hours exchanging stories to keep our mind off the weather. Irma made us laugh when she told us how she met Margaret through a blind date that went terribly. Margaret decided to mix things up by telling horror stories that kept us on the edge of our seats. As for me, I didn’t have much to say so I sat and listened. Soon other passengers joined us and started telling stories too. Before we knew it, night had fallen and later we went to sleep and the next morning the roads were safe to travel. Throughout the whole ride we kept exchanging stories. The ride wasn’t the same when Irma and Margaret got off at Evergreen Oaks.

Although I never saw them again after that, I never really forgot about them. It’s funny how an event like a storm can bring people together in unexpected ways. Their stories and how they lifted everyone’s spirits up always stuck with me for reasons I don’t really know how to explain. I guess in a way I learned something from them about how to take something bad and turn it into something good, which is something that I’ve been doing a lot lately.

Delanie Buchanan

About her: Hi, I’m Delanie, I’m from Spectrum Falls and I’m a student at Peace Coast Academy. Youngest of six, family owns a restaurant called the Stargazer, loves food, somehow created a school from a plot of land, some of my best buds are Autumn, Payton, Julian, Nishan, Wes, Sakura, Mia, Katherine, Koh, and Ace.

Her story: When I was young, my siblings and I used to play with the Eagle siblings Jess, Abbey, Dave, and Robbie. I remember running around the neighborhood and driving our parents crazy, especially during the summer. Baseball games were a blast with them and I was always on the winning team!

We’ve sort of drifted away as we got older. It just happened. Jess was the oldest, a few months older than my oldest sister Lana. When they started high school, Jess got involved in a lot of extracurricular activities so we didn’t see her as much. Abbey and Dave followed in her footsteps too so that changed too. Out of all of them I was closest to Robbie since we’re the same age plus we both tend to get away with a lot of things because we’re the youngest. But it isn’t like the days of the Buchanan and Eagle siblings were entirely over, we still hang out once in a while but not all together, which probably made some neighbors happy since we can get pretty wild sometimes.

Now with most of the gang in college or living on their own, it’s a bit tricky to get us all together. While my siblings are still in the city, Jess, Abbey, and Dave are all over the country. Jess lives in Boston and attending grad school. Abbey is at Rhode Island School of Design as a graphic arts major. Dave is studying at CalArts and hopes to make it big someday. As for Robbie, he’s at Light Bulb Tech, a magnet school known for its focus on science and technology.

And I’m here on the island running my own school and doing my own thing. I guess you can say that things have changed a lot between us. Sometimes I miss the days when we would run around the city and play sports at the park but just because we’re getting older doesn’t mean that those days are gone for good. As I learned growing up, you make the most out of the time you have with your friends and although those times won’t last, I still have these good memories to remember them by.

Kieran Akiyama

About him: I’m Kieran, I’m a junior at Hartfeld University. I live with my grandmother in New Haven, was born in Sapporo, moved around quite a bit after that. I don’t really know what else to say.

His story: Growing up, I was primarily raised by my grandmother. My mother died when I was four and my father over a year later. I don’t have too many memories of them but at least I have family members who can fill in the gaps about them.

Other than my grandmother, another family member I was close to was my grandfather. Grandpa Skip, as he was called, was my dad’s father. He grew up in San Francisco and moved to Boston after retiring. My grandmother and I lived with him and Grandma Daisy for a few years before settling in New Haven. Up until then I didn’t know too much about my dad’s family except that they would call sometimes and send lots of pictures. Grandpa Skip and Grandma Daisy visited Sapporo a few times after Mom and Dad married. The last time they came was shortly after I was born. Dad always wanted to take me and Nana to Boston but he never found the time. One of the biggest reasons why Nana decided to move to the States was so I could be closer to Dad’s family.

Grandpa Skip was always into mysteries and he considered himself a detective in training. When there was something mysterious going on, like unusual noises in the middle of the night, or something gone missing, everyone always called on Grandpa Skip. He would take me along as his partner in crime, teaching me how to take in my surroundings and how to look for clues. While the “cases” were simple things like misplaced keys or an appliance in need of repairs, it was fun playing detective with him.

Another thing about Grandpa Skip is how he saw life as an adventure. He saw every day as a new start instead of focusing on the mundane. He was the type of person who believed in living life to the fullest. I guess that’s why he got along well with my mom since she saw life the same way too. Grandpa Skip had this ability to make seemingly ordinary things look exciting. He always said “life is an adventure and you are the explorer so make a story worth telling, kiddo!” and that has always stuck with me. Even after several years I can still hear him saying that loud and clear in my head.

Rose Emmerdale

About her: My name is Rose Emmerdale and I am a freelance writer and novelist who is currently on vacation. I have one older brother and two younger sisters, and I love traveling and learning new things.

Her story: During my travels I’ve met many people with memorable stories. This encounter happened recently during a trip to Corentine where I met a young aspiring writer named Rika.

From first impressions, you can see that Rika and her cousin Elowyn are quite curious and inquisitive. It’s not every day that a town like Corentine gets visitors from the outside so naturally attention was drawn towards me. I spent the summer there helping out at the local paper and hoping that a new setting would give me some inspiration. At the Corentine Gazette, I met one of the editors, Bice, who is Rika and Elowyn’s aunt.

From there, I saw a lot of myself in young Rika. She grew up in a non-conventional family, raised primarily by her aunt after her mother died along with her cousins who lost their parents too. She wanted to make a name for herself and not be defined by the tragedies in her life. I was surprised when she said that she was a fan of my books, which isn’t something a self-published author would hear every day. She was a sweet person with her angelic smile and enthusiastic personality. But in her eyes I can see that she’s been through a lot in her life but despite that she maintains her sunny disposition. In a way, I wanted to be like her because she was idealistic and carefree.

As I got to know her, Rika looked up to me for writing advice. She showed me some of her work and I have to say, I was impressed. I won’t go into too much detail in case it becomes published someday but it’s rare to find someone with her talent and skill. Her writing is raw, to put simply, but also poetic, dark but with some mischievous playfulness weaved into it. For a rough draft, she shows a lot of potential. And believe me, I do not hand out compliments like that easily. So when I wasn’t working, we’d go over her story and I’d give her suggestions and tips, and not just about writing but about life in general too. Now that I think about it, Rika is kind of like a mix of my sisters, which probably explains why giving advice to her came naturally.

I still keep in touch with Rika from time to time to see how she’s doing. Once in a while she’ll send me a draft of an article she’s writing for the Gazette and ask me to help her edit it. Now she’s attending a university in Peace Coast Island with her cousins, which happens to be where I’ll be staying for the next several months after the cruise is over so I’m looking forward to seeing her again.

Louie Zhou

About him: I’m Louie and I’m new here. I just moved in from Chester Faversham, I’m in the band and junior at Berry High, and so far I’m liking it here.

His story: There was this one person I used to be close with, he was my mom’s half-brother, Uncle Abner. You may know him as Abner Kinnaird, aka one of the richest people in the world. I know, hard to believe that I’m related to someone like him. Well, I am and honestly, he’s actually a pretty cool guy.

Anyway we used to be close until about four months ago. I’d rather not go into detail about what happened so let’s just say that there were a lot of things we said that we wished we could take back. Uncle Abner may be rough around the edges but he does care, a lot, sometimes more than he cares to admit. He’s stubborn and set in his ways so sometimes it’s hard trying to get your point across to him. But he is also a great listener if you can get past his sarcasm and he’s true to his word so when he says something, he means it. I appreciate someone who is honest and upfront about everything though it wouldn’t hurt to be more careful about certain things.

Despite our disagreements, we made a pretty good team. Uncle Abner always talked about keeping family close since I’m the only one he has left. I heard that he had a similar relationship with my mom, always butting heads but at the same time they care for each other a lot. Even she was estranged from him for a while but they worked things out in the end. The same will probably happen to us, hopefully in less than a year. I have to admit, I miss him nagging at me and then getting annoyed at him for being so worried over nothing.

At least now we text each other once in a while. He wasn’t there to say goodbye when me and my dad left Chester Faversham, which bugged me a lot. I can’t remember the last time we hung out together before the big argument but I guess that doesn’t really matter anymore. I didn’t believe him when he warned me how easily family can fall apart and now I know. We still have a long way to go but at least we’re making an effort to avoid repeating history and fixing our relationship. I can’t forgive him completely yet but it’ll take a lot more than a dispute to break our family ties. Funny, that sounds like something he’d say. Or am I quoting him on something he said in the past? Am I beginning to sound like him?!

Well, if you happen to come across this article Uncle Abner, I hope we can speed up this reconciliation thing so you can drop by and hang out with us again.

#ChoicesCreates #choicescreates26 #playchoices #choices stories you play #LoveHacks #Julie Nagarkar #headcanon ramble #well that was just barely met the deadline #so yeah school still trying to get used to the routine kinda low key for now #this was actually kind of tricky to write i was planning on something else #and it turned into this at the last minute #i had to cut enid and jamie out because of time and i did incorporate my original idea into it which had to do with louie and his uncle #also rika in rose's story has to do with my hwu oc who's part of the sala family which is kinda messed up #she and her cousins and her aunt are the only normal ones in the family which is why they're alive hah #to clarify who's who julie is from lovehacks #acacia from freshman/sophomore #finley from hero #delanie is my hss mc original hss game #kieran from endless summer #rose from rules of engagement #louie from hss choices #might have to do an every other week thing for these events which sucks but irl comes first #Acacia Lim #Delanie Buchanan #Finley Sayavong #Rose Emmerdale #Kieran Akiyama #Louie Zhou #Rika Sala

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planetkookie · 5 years

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And They All Fall Down

Summary- Patton just wants to be free of this disease. Wants to stop falling in love. Wants to not wake up hating flowers. There really isn't much he can do except wait it out.

Warnings- Panic attack mention, death mention, blood

Words- 4215

Notes- Hanahaki fics have always been one of my favorites so I decided to write one! The title isn't based on anything, I just thought it was better than the original title (Which was Petals). It's basically talking about the flower petals and how they fall? And how Patton falls for all of these people? Idk, anyways, enjoy! Also, quick thing. If you would like me to tag you whenever I post a fic, please let me know! Thanks!

Link to ao3- https://archiveofourown.org/works/17425838

This had happened to him one too many times. Six times too many, in fact. Patton was sat at the toilet, his head near the bowl as he hacked his lungs out. Small petals fluttered out of his mouth with the occasional full flower, speckled in small flecks of blood. Tears joined the flowers in the toilet bowl, his head in his hands as he cried.

He remembers the first time it had happened. It was during freshman year, at his very first homecoming dance. Patton had jokingly taken his friend Joan’s hand and pulled them onto the dance floor and danced with them until both of their feet hurt and they were unable to stop smiling. Afterward, he had excused himself to the bathroom where he coughed until the ache in his chest felt a little lighter and a few petals littered the stall floor. Purple lilac petals, he found out later after looking up his condition. They meant first love. In his research he found that his condition was called Hanahaki disease, where the infected person grows flowers in their lungs when they fall in love, and the three ways to get rid of them included telling said person their feelings, wait it out and hope it goes away, or to get the flowers surgically removed but forget that person in the process. Without thought, he chose to wait it out. Thankfully, the flowers went away quickly. Quick enough that he had brushed it off as a one-time thing.

After the coughing had stopped, Patton flushed the toilet and wiped his eyes, watching the small flowers swirl and swirl until they finally disappeared into the watery abyss. He washed his hands, and dried them, before cleaning the blood on his lips and around his mouth. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, taking it all in. His blue eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under them, his lips were chapped and red, and his hair was a blond bush, unlike its usual curly self. He rubbed his face with his hands and yawned. The iron-y blood was all he could taste, so he made his way to the kitchen to grab a tub of ice cream and a spoon and went to his room. The dull ache never left his chest.

The second time it happened had passed just as quickly as the first. Senior year of high school, Patton had watched as his close friend Talyn got into their first relationship. They were so happy, and it made him happy too, of course it did. Their bright smile made him so happy for them, he didn’t want to ruin their relationship, and so once again he chose to wait the flowers out. It wasn’t Talyn’s fault that whenever they hung out together he would excuse himself to the bathroom and have a coughing fit, his lungs burning. This time the petals were daffodils. Unrequited love. When he found out the meaning of the flowers he had winced and had another coughing fit. These lasted for a month or so, but whenever he saw Talyn, images of his bloody mouth in the mirror while petals littered the floor was all he could think of.

A ceramic bowl that was gifted to him by his mother sat beside him as he ate his ice cream, swaddled in blankets. Flowers were carved into it, which made it fitting for its purpose. The bowl was halfway filled with the flower petals and flower buds that he had been coughing up throughout the movies he was watching, all just as bloody as the next. Of course, his mother didn’t understand the irony of the bowl, he didn’t think he was ever going to tell her. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew he was getting worse. He didn’t understand why the flowers weren’t going away this time. It had almost been a year since the flowers had started. All he could do was hope that the feelings wouldn’t continue. All he wanted was to be free from this curse.

The third time it happened was the most painful. Not painful as in physically, though the flowers coming up weren’t pleasant either. It was painful in the emotional sense. The flowers were Acacia this time. Concealed love. Patton knew exactly who these petals were for. He had met a freshman at his college who was taking the same class as he was. He was a sophomore this year and so he took the kid under his wing, helping him get to his classes, and they became fast friends. His name was Virgil Reed, an anxiety-ridden boy who liked to joke about him being Virgil’s paternal figure because of how many dad jokes were made. It made him so happy to hear that, so he prayed to whatever god was out there to help these feelings go away so he wouldn’t hurt his new friend. The petals lasted until the beginning of his junior year. These were the longest lasting flowers.

“Hey Pat, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m alright, Virge. It’s nothing to worry about.” Patton let out a half-hearted cough and cleared his throat painfully to try and make his sickness convincing. The flowers that had bloomed in his chest made that easy. He was still curled up on his bed, and it was late in the day. Tears stained his freckled cheeks, his eyes were puffy and red from crying as well. His circular glasses were sat on the side table, and the TV was off. There was the ice cream tub that laid on his bed, long forgotten and empty, and the bowl of flowers was almost full. Virgil had called him to get some help on a recipe that he was making for the bakery they had opened together, and he had picked up on how his friend was feeling at the moment.

“Pat, you know you can tell me anything, right?” The worry seeped into his friend’s voice, and he gave a strangled smile to nobody, holding the cellphone to his ear.

“Of course, kiddo. I promise I’m fine.”

After he had hung up the phone, he coughed up another flower.

Junior year of college it happened a fourth time. This was about the time that Patton had started to get sick to his stomach if he ever was given flowers, though thankfully that happened rarely. No matter how much he hated the flowers, the feelings he didn’t mind. It felt so nice to be in love, though knowing every single time that they weren’t reciprocated broke him. And yet, he refused to get them removed. He never wanted to forget the people that he loved, both platonically and romantically. The flowers were Hyssop, pretty purple things, and they meant sacrifice. These belonged to Roman Prince, though he guessed that the reason the petals were Hyssop weren’t just because of Roman. Roman was introduced to him through Virgil, and he was one of the biggest flirts that Patton had ever met. Not only did Roman already have a nickname for him as soon as the two met, but he had such a charm that it wasn’t a surprise that feelings had appeared so quickly after meeting the actor. Patton watched as Roman and Virgil got closer, growing a new and beautiful relationship, one of the healthiest relationships he had ever seen. He understood then why the petals were Hyssop. It made it hurt all that much worse. It did make him happy to see Virgil with someone who made him feel loved, so he gave up trying, letting the flowers run their course.

It was a wonderful Wednesday morning as Patton got ready for work. He had decided that he was well enough to come to work today, as he hadn’t coughed up much during the night and not at all that morning. He pet Spot, her tail wagging so hard he liked to joke sometimes that it might fall off. He tied his cardigan around his neck and made his way to the bakery.

A smile came to his face as his bakery came into view. The place was his and Virgil’s pride and joy. It was painted white, and the large glass windows in the front let him get a good look of the inside. The interior was painted pastel versions of blue and purple, the two boys’ favorite colors, and the tables were white and covered in rainbow polka-dots. He could see the counter as he approached the doors, seeing Virgil standing behind the counter and talking to Roman who was sitting on it. They shut their mouths and both turned to him with a worried expression as he walked inside, the little bell jingling to announce his arrival.

“Hey kiddos, what’s with the long faces?”

Virgil took a deep breath, looking a little pained as he looked at him. “Pat, are you okay?”

Patton’s blood ran cold. He plastered a confused expression on himself as he looked at his friend. “Of course, Virgil. I told you that yesterday.”

Roman opened his mouth to start talking but a sharp look from Virgil shut his mouth. Virgil looked back at him and sighed. “Patton, if you’re fine, then why have you been out sick at least five days in the past month? And if you’re fine, then how do you explain this?”

Patton gaped as Virgil pulled out a bloodstained petal from his pocket, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. He didn’t understand. He had been so careful, so very careful, to never get any petals where anyone might find them. They couldn’t know. So how did one slip out of his grasp?

“Virgil,” he started, hoping the tears were covered by his glasses and not evident in his voice. “How do you know that flower even came from me?”

The younger deflected his question with one of his own. “How long, Patton?”

He shut his mouth as he watched his friend’s eyes well up with tears as well. Virgil’s expression, a hurt sort of pain, broke Patton’s heart. He swore to himself that no one would ever get hurt because of his condition and yet here he was, having hurt two of his closest friends.

Virgil’s pained expression broke. The words came out, quiet and sad, the tears spilling from Virgil’s eyes, making his black eyeshadow and eyeliner run as well. “How long?”

“Since I was in my freshman year of high school.”

The second to last time happened right after he had graduated. Patton bought a house in a nice neighborhood after he started his bakery business with Virgil, and the occasional help from Roman as well, when he wasn’t busy. The business had boomed, and he had finally been able to move out of his apartment and get a dog as he had always dreamed. He had made friends with one of the new neighbors as he was walking his new border collie, Spot, and it evolved from there. Thomas was his name, and he was a Gloxinia. Love at first sight. Their friendship bloomed just like the flowers in his chest, and he finally was able to accept that this cycle was never going to end. Patton was thankful that like all of the others, these flowers passed quickly.

By the time he finished with his explanation, they were all crying to varying degrees. Roman was sobbing loudly into Virgil’s jacket, leaving dark tearstains in the purple areas, Virgil’s breath was shaky when he breathed in and tears drip drip dripped down his face in a steady stream, and Patton was silently crying, the droplets of water dripping off of his chin and onto the ground. As soon as he had stopped talking, Roman draped himself onto Patton in a large hug. He was so tall that he basically engulfed Patton, and the words of apology gushed out of him like a waterfall.

“Roman, please. You really didn’t know. There’s no need for you to be sorry.” he smiled down at his friend who was clutching the gray cardigan that was tied around his neck.

Virgil walked over and joined the hug too after wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeve. “Pat, I really hope you know how much we love you to death. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t... I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I made sure to conceal the flowers, to wave off the questions by saying I had a cold. It wasn’t hard.”

Virgil shook his head. “You wouldn’t have hurt us, you doof. That’s what friends are for.” He stopped for a second, something crossing his mind. “Wait, why didn’t you tell anyone? The feelings, I mean.” “I knew that none of them were reciprocated. I looked up the meanings of the flowers every single time. And I was okay with that, it isn’t their fault that I’m sick. it’s easier to keep it to myself than to burden other people’s relationships with my medical issues.” He laughed half-heartedly.

“Nobody knows, then? Just us two?”

Patton nodded in confirmation and started to walk behind the counter to set up displays and start baking before Roman stopped him.

“Woah woah woah, Padre. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Um, I’m going to set up, silly.” He turned back around to face Roman.

“Well, aren’t you going to tell us who the lucky person is that stole your heart this time? What do the petals of this flower mean?”

Virgil smacked Roman’s arm. “Roman! He’s already going through plenty, you don’t need to get him to talk about that! It probably causes him pain.”

“No, no Virgil, it’s okay, honestly.” He smiled softly, beginning the last story.

A few years after he had moved into his new neighborhood, someone bought the house next door. As a welcome gift, Patton had baked the person cookies, a variety because he didn’t know what his new neighbor liked. With a skip in his step and a twinkle in his eye, he knocked on the door of his new neighbor’s house, cookie plate in hand.

The door opened to reveal a professional looking man, his dark hair slicked back, rectangular frames adorning his face, and a necktie around his neck. Patton smiled brightly at him, and the man gave an uncomfortable smile back.

“Um, hello there. May I ask, who are you?” The man adjusted his necktie as he looked down at Patton with confusion.

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Patton, Patton Foster, your next door neighbor! I brought you a plate of cookies to welcome you to the neighborhood, but I didn’t know what kind you liked so I just baked a bunch.”

“Well,” the man cleared his throat, a blush lightly coating his cheeks. He was clearly not used to kindness like this. “That is very kind of you. It is adequate to meet you, Patton Foster. I am Logan Taylor.”

Patton’s smile widened more, if possible. “Logan! That’s such a cool name. Well, don’t you want your cookies?” He held them out for Logan to take.

“Um, yes. Thank you again, Patton. I believe I will see you around.”

“Yup! Bye, Logan!” He turned around and skipped back home.

Virgil looked up as the bell jingled, announcing that someone had entered the bakery. He listened as Patton continued his story, the cardigan-clad man was unaware anybody had entered. Roman was just about to open his mouth to say something to Patton when Virgil put his hand up slightly, stopping him in his tracks.

Behind Patton stood the same man that Patton had described in his story. Virgil knew him from coming into the bakery somewhat often, so the two were familiar. Logan opened his mouth to say something as well when Virgil made a shushing motion with his hand and inclined his head towards Patton.

Their next meeting was at the bakery. Patton was working the counter, Virgil was in the back baking, and Roman had a gig out of town so he wasn’t able to be there. The ring of the bell made Patton’s head pop up from the register, and his eyes widened to see Logan. It seemed Logan was surprised to see Patton as well.

“Logan! Hey! Nice to see ya!” He smiled brightly at his neighbor, clasping his hands together. “So, what did you come in here for?” Logan scratched the back of his head, scanning their chalkboard menu, which was written in Patton’s loopy handwriting. “Hello Patton, it is adequate to see you as well. Could I please have a coffee and a chocolate chip cookie?"

“Absolutely. Coming right up!” As he busied himself with getting Logan’s coffee, he asked, “So, on your way to work?” Logan shrugged with a slight smile. “Not yet, though I most likely will be coming here often before work. I am a new teacher at the school this year and I needed to find a good place to get coffee before the year started.”

Patton nodded his head knowingly. “I bet, kids are pretty wild.”

He gave Logan his coffee and cookie, ringing him up and waving him goodbye as he left. It was then that Patton noticed the heaviness inside his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flowers started coming a week after that. He was out walking his dog and chatting with Thomas when he saw Logan sitting on his porch in pajama pants and a t-shirt, reading a book with a cup of what looked to be tea sitting next to him. Having only seen Logan in formal wear, he just about tripped over his own feet.

“I’m gonna go say hi to Logan, I’ll be right back!”

Thomas chuckled and shook his head. “No, go talk as long as you’d like. I’m going out for lunch with my brother so I have to go anyways.” “Well, thanks for walking with me anyways!” They hugged and Patton watched as Thomas walked off before making his way over to Logan.

“Well, you look comfy!”

Logan jumped, his eyes going wide behind the frames of his glasses. “Goodness, you scared me. And yes, I am comfortable, though I didn’t expect to interact with anybody looking like this.” Patton smiled and winked cheekily. “Well, you look very nice either way, so don’t worry too much about it.”

The tips of Logan’s ears went red as he tapped his fingers methodically against the book. “Why thank you, though I much prefer to look nice when I have company.”

Patton nodded. “Of course, that’s understandable.”

The two chatted for a while and Logan pet Spot (she had taken a liking to him) before he excused himself to go home. They exchanged numbers as well, and he was quite excited to hang out with Logan more and get to know him. As soon as he walked into his house and shut the door, he had a coughing fit, and a single petal sat in the entryway to his home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The petals got worse the more they hung out, though it’s nothing that he regretted. At the end of the day, he knew the flowers would eventually leave, and that he would be left with a new friend. He hadn’t even bothered to look up the meaning of the petals because of this. The two had grown quite comfortable with each other, and Patton was never afraid to ask the questions on his mind so it made it easy to get to know the other. So far he had learned that Logan was a math and science teacher, he had a pet beta fish named Sherlock, he adored reading, and his favorite color was blue. He just ignored the fluttering of his stomach and the blush that coated his cheeks and the ache of his chest when he was with Logan.

As the months passed, the flowers gave way to small flower buds, which scared Patton a little bit. This had happened before with Virgil, so he shrugged it off as well. The situation with Virgil never got any worse. It wasn’t until he coughed up a fully bloomed flower that he started to get worried. The flower that came up was beautiful, just like the petals it bore, although as he coughed up more and more of the beautiful flowers, he noticed his voice had started to get scratchy. He continued to hang out with his friends, praying they wouldn’t notice anything, and when someone finally mentioned something, he brushed it off as a small cough he had. Nobody could know, especially not Logan.

It was around this time that he started taking sick days if the flowers were too abundant or if they hurt too bad. It was usually only once or twice a month, but they added up and continued to happen. He realized that the flowers weren’t going to go away, that they were going to continue to get worse until he died. Patton had a full-on panic attack that day. Thankfully he had practice dealing with them because of Virgil but it took him a long time to come to terms with the fact that he was going to die. He continued to refuse to tell anyone about his situation though. He had to keep them safe.

“And now I’m here with you guys. The flowers had gotten so bad this month and I took five sick days and Virgil noticed, which lead him to call me. And apparently, you guys had found one of the petals from I don’t know where and you confronted me. That’s about it.” Patton shrugged, finishing up his story.

Virgil had his hands over his mouth, shock evident in his expression. Roman was rubbing Virgil’s back comfortingly, though he was biting his lip to the extent it looked painful. Logan was crying behind Patton’s back, his fingers digging into the palms of his hands to keep him from making a sound so Patton didn’t know he was there. It’s then that Patton realized he had just told his friends that he was dying. That he had come to terms with the fact that he was going to die.

“Guys I’m sorry I didn’t mean to freak you ou-” his sentence was cut off as he coughed painfully, convulsing. Virgil panicked and he rushed to his friend’s side, but Patton brushed him away. Through his coughing fit, he explained that this was normal. He was going to be fine. Eventually, a flower ripped its way out of Patton’s throat and onto the floor. They all stared at it except for Patton, who was rubbing his throat. A soft whisper came from behind him and he whipped around, eyes wide.

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough.”

“What were you saying before?”

“Ambrosia. That is the flower that is sitting on the ground in front of us all. Would you care to know what it means?”

Patton shook his head. He looked at the flower then back to Logan sadly. “No, I’d rather not know. I don’t want to be disappointed again.”

“I think you will like this one.” The taller gave a small smile, taking a step towards Patton. “It means requited love.” Patton gasped, clasping his hands over his mouth. He felt lighter, and not just in the emotional way, but the physical way as well. Virgil and Roman made their way to the kitchen to actually begin getting ready for the workday but also to give the two some time alone.

“How long?”

Logan chewed on his lip, his cheeks flooding with color. “Since the day I became acquainted with your dog.”

A fond smile adorned Patton’s face as he ran up to Logan, embracing him. “My dog, huh?”

Logan rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Yes, I only reciprocate these feelings because of your dog. Of course. What logical sense.”

“Hmm, I totally can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic!” They laughed, and Patton laid his head on Logan’s chest. His heart felt like it was about to burst, though it was because he was happy. He didn’t remember the last time he was this happy.

Logan drew back from the hug a little, placing his hand on Patton’s cheek, the latter of whom leaned into the touch with a smile. Logan leaned down, placing a soft kiss atop Patton’s head. Patton looked up to Logan, eyes wide.

Logan pulled his hand away quickly. “I apologize. Was that too much?” “Not at all.” Patton then grabbed Logan’s tie, pulling him down into a kiss. It was soft and filled with emotion, and the two pulled back with the same adoring expression. It was clear they loved each other.

Logan cleared his throat, chewing on his lip again. “Um, Patton, now that we have feelings out of the way, I was wondering if you would care to accompany me on a romantic outing?” He scratched the back of his neck with his hand, averting his eyes. “I feel that instead of rushing into things, we should take it slow. If that’s okay with you.” “Of course it is, Lo! When?” Logan flushed at the nickname. “How does this Saturday sound? I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-TAG LIST-

@literally-logicality-trash

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peace-coast-island · 7 years

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5 Random Facts - Acacia Lim (The Freshman/Sophomore)

1. She was born and raised in the small town of Saltwater Creek. Her family has lived there for generations and are one of the small handful of residents still there. The town had been on the decline for the past thirty years but then a few years ago a destructive storm, known as the Saltwater Tornado, destroyed most of the town, causing many residents to be homeless. Acacia’s family was lucky that their house was still standing. Acacia was in her room when it happened and was showered by glass pieces when a branch shattered the window. Aside from a slight concussion and several small cuts on her arms, Acacia survived. Despite several tornado warnings a few days earlier, no one anticipated the wide scale damage it left not only in Saltwater but several neighboring towns as well. In the months that followed most residents had no choice but to leave and as a result several businesses shut down, causing even more to leave. Then that winter heavy snows and a massive blizzard served as a final blow for the suffering town. More families were left without a home and by the end of the year only a little less than half the residents were still there. Based on the way things are looking, Saltwater Creek may become a ghost town in a few decades and like many remaining residents, Acacia doesn’t really know how she feels about that.

2. Acacia likes to play the piano and guitar. After school on Fridays she would walk to the community center for piano lessons, which she paid for herself by selling water bottles at the local supermarket. She attended every class for eleven and a half years, would have been twelve if the tornado hadn’t destroyed the community center. As for the guitar, Acacia became interested in learning how to play it through her friend, who then surprised her with her own guitar for her tenth birthday. Acacia was in the music club at school, playing piano and guitar at recitals as well as singing in the choir. However she isn’t as confident in her singing abilities like she is with instruments but she has a light, melodic mezzo-soprano that shines in harmonies.

3. One of her favorite hobbies used to be ice skating. During the winter she and her friends would go to the big pond that freezes over into a solid block of ice that’s perfect for skating. Acacia liked to pretend she was a figure skater and do cool tricks on the ice. If there’s a lot of people there, they would organize a hockey game, which was a lot of fun. Eventually more people would join in so it became like a town-wide thing and in the end everyone was treated to a not chocolate and tea served at the schoolhouse. Acacia hasn’t skated on that pond since the big blizzard and she misses it a lot. She missed out the year after, when she came home from college, mainly because she knew it wouldn’t be the same now that almost everyone’s gone. Acacia ended up regretting not going to the hockey games so next winter she plans to make a comeback on the ice.

4. After her father lost his job, things have been rocky for Acacia’s parents. By then it was clear that they were drifting away and eventually it was hard to deny that they were having problems with their marriage. The problem with her family is that when something’s wrong, they keep it to themselves. Her father isn’t the type of person who speaks his mind so it’s hard to tell what’s really going on. On the other hand her mother grew in a family that allowed her to express herself and speak up. As a result that resulted in communication issues that eventually worsened over the years. And because of that Acacia was often left in the dark about her parents. So while she wasn’t completely surprised about the separation, she can’t help but wonder what went wrong. She’s still getting used to the fact that her father lives on the other side of town but she can see why her parents made that decision. At this point she doesn’t know what lies ahead but Acacia will do her best to support them.

5. Acacia is not a fan of snowstorms. Unfortunately living in Saltwater Creek means having to deal with heavy snowfall as well as harsh weather. One bad incident landed her in the hospital for a week and a half, which is why being stuck in the middle of a blizzard is one of her worst fears. The incident at Hartfeld was nothing compared to the car accident she was in a few years back. The weather tends to change quickly so what seemed like a snowfall turned into a blizzard in seconds. Acacia was on her way home from the grocery store in a nearby town since Saltwater was anticipating a storm and the local stores didn’t have enough to stock up for everyone. She had just gotten into town when the blizzard hit, causing her to lose control before landing in a snow bank. While she wasn’t injured, Acacia was stuck so she called for help and had to with until the worst was over. Three hours later Acacia was saved but she developed pneumonia and was pretty much out of it for several days. After getting out of the hospital it took another week for her to fully recover but she had a bad cough that lingered for about a month. Since then she made extra sure to be even more prepared the next time a blizzard strikes, which ended up working in her favor when the snowstorm hit Hartfeld.

#playchoices #choices #The Freshman #The Sophomore #Acacia Lim #headcanon ramble

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