#and anyway I don’t like my mattress pad very much and need opinions other than Wirecutter

[aroguexenolith]

I am not fervent enough for fandom discords, but I do have strong opinions on cotton sheets and leather care and easy but really yummy meals to make. So, uh, is there a discord somewhere for millennials doing boring adult stuff where we can talk about 401k rollovers and if they have a specific brand of mattress pad they like?

#those are my people #wherever they may be #maybe someday we will find each other #I guess for a lot of people the obvious answer is ‘this is literally just your friend group’ #but I regret to inform you that if you turn to the index of my life #and go to the f section and look carefully until you find the entry for #friend group - members of #or friend group -year established #and other stuff of that ilk #you will find nothing there! #my friend groups were ephemeral at best! #and anyway I don’t like my mattress pad very much and need opinions other than Wirecutter

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

A Place To Call Home: Oh Baby

Summary: The reader and TJ decide to have their first baby together and the experience is anything but simple...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x foster daughter!reader

Word Count: 3,600ish

Warnings: language, pregnancy, pregnancy/delivery scare

A/N: Enjoy!

______

“Hey,” you said, rubbing TJ’s bare back in bed after he’d gotten Allie down for bed. He groaned happily as you gave him a massage, sinking further into the mattress. “You’re rocking this dad thing you know.”

“Back at ya mom,” he laughed. “You really think so? Cause I’m scared shitless half the time.”

“Same. But she’s happy and healthy and safe. We must be doing something right,” you said. He patted your leg and you slid off of him, TJ rolling to his side and wrapping his arm around your waist to pull you down. “What are you thinking, handsome?”

“I noticed you haven’t taken any birth control this week,” he said. 

“We said we’d talk tonight about it. I wanted to be prepared,” you said. He brushed his hand over your cheek and your whole body felt warm at the touch. “This is way off base of our plan for kids. We can totally wait if you want to.”

“We could. But we said way back when we talked about this that when we had kids, we wanted to keep them not too many years apart. Allie will be more than two by the time we have one. I know our plans got changed completely when she came into the picture.”

“Well, the original plan was two of our own and then when they were in their teens, we’d look at adoption for number three. What do you think?” you asked.

“I think it doesn’t matter what our plan is today. It’ll probably change in some way. It already did,” he said.

“Do you want to make a baby?” you asked. 

“Yeah,” he said softly, sliding his hand down to your stomach. “I can’t imagine how adorable of a child you would make. Let’s start trying. Allie deserves a brother or sister.”

“Are you sure? We could wait until your student loan is paid off,” you said.

“Did I not tell you?” he asked. You shook your head and he smirked. “Work pays off my loan for me as long as I stay there.”

“Where’s the money in the budget for your loan going then?” you asked.

“It’s still student loan but it’s for Allie or kids to use. We got plenty and you got your raise and-”

“Raise? I didn’t get a raise.”

“Jensen said just the other night…oh I wasn’t supposed to tell you that,” he said.

“I’m getting a raise?” you asked. 

“Yeah. Like a big one. For how you’ve been stepping up lately,” he said. “Don’t let it out that I said something.”

“I won’t. So we can afford another kid, we have the time, the energy, Allie’s a good age...sounds like we got our ducks in a row,” you said. 

“Wanna make a baby?” he smirked. “And then love it forever and ever?”

“Fuck yes I do,” you said. “Now get naked and let’s have some fun.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

Six Weeks Later

“Want me to write down anything else for the grocery store?” asked TJ as you sipped on some coffee while Allie ate part of a waffle at the breakfast table. “I haven’t bought pads or tampons in a while. You’re probably running low.”

“Yeah, you can…” you said, staring at him. “I haven’t had my period TJ. I’m two weeks late.”

“I’ll get a pregnancy test,” he said, a cautious smile on his face.

“Yeah. I’ll call the doctor, see if I can get an appointment in soon,” you said.

“I’ll be back as quick as I can,” he said. 

“Momma, waffle,” asked Allie from her high seat, opening her hand up, her plate wiped clean.

“Sure thing, honey,” you said, TJ flashing you a quick smile before he was gone.

“Hey babe,” you said half an hour later into the phone. “You still at the store?”

“Heading for checkout now. Want me to pick up-”

“I just got my period,” you said. “Just now.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” you said. “We can do the test to make sure, like triple make sure and I still have an appointment for the afternoon.”

“Okay,” he said, sounding a little off.

“We only tried that one night,” you said. “And we weren’t really even trying. We were having more fun with not using a condom for the first time than actively trying really.”

“True. We got a little carried away,” he said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck and his cheeks sporting a light blush if you had to guess. “Do you want to like, really try?”

You turned your head and saw Allie sticking some pads to herself where she sat on the bathroom floor and you smiled.

“For some crazy reason, yes, yes I do. Also, I need more pads. Allie’s playing with them,” you said.

“Alright. I’ll pick up something special for dinner,” he said. “Love you.”

“Love you too, babe.”

Three Months Later

“Another beer?” asked your dad as he stood up from your back patio. 

“I can get it,” you said, TJ handing you his empty, Allie passed out on his chest from where the three of you sat around the fire. “I want a snack anyways.”

You ruffled his head and wandered inside, your dad following you in to use the bathroom. You took out a beer and set it on the counter before you opened the freezer and pulled out a pint of ice cream.

“Someone’s got a sweet tooth lately,” he said. He took out a beer for himself and cracked it open, smiling at you. “Been awhile since I’ve seen you have a drink. Not that you did a lot but the empty calories line doesn’t seem so convincing at the moment considering the tub of cookie dough in your hand.”

“You think I’m pregnant?” you laughed. He shrugged and you shook your head. “No way. Just been trying to eat healthier. TJ ate most of this anyways.”

“You’re really not?” he asked.

“No. When’s mom and everybody come home again? Tomorrow? TJ and I wanted to have everybody over for dinner,” you said.

“Sounds good,” he said. You stuck your head around him, looking at TJ outside. “What’s up?”

“Okay I kinda want your opinion on something. I got a present for TJ’s birthday but I’m not sure if he’ll like it,” you said.

“What is it?” he asked. You left and ducked into your office, smiling to yourself but wiping it off your face by the time you returned. You held out a box to him, your dad opening it up. He looked confused as he held up a pair of blue sneakers. 

Very small blue sneakers.

It took him a second but soon he was staring at you, a funny look on his face you remembered seeing on your wedding day.

“Liar,” he grinned.

“I know,” you said, getting a big hug from him. 

“You’re gonna have a little boy,” he said, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“That’s what the sonogram said. You’re the first person we’ve told. We wanted to wait a few months to make sure everything was okay before we said something.”

“How far along are you?” he asked as he peeled away, staring at your stomach.

“About three months. We found out the sex earlier this week,” you said. “You can touch, it’s okay.”

“I didn’t realize you guys were trying,” he said. He put a careful hand on your stomach, smiling to himself. “You made a baby.”

“We wanted Allie’s sibling to be close in age. We only like actually tried once. We were kind of surprised it happened so fast,” you said.

“Does it feel any different than Allie? It’s not like you’re a parent for the first time again but I imagine it’s got to be a little different,” he said, pulling his hand away.

“Obviously this time I’m actually going to be the one having him but I don’t know, it doesn’t feel that different.”

“Good,” he said, smiling still. “These two are gonna grow up and not even think about who was adopted and who wasn’t.”

“TJ thinks he’s gonna have his black hair.”

“He could. Boys are a spitting image of their fathers sometimes,” he said. “A little boy. He’s gonna grow up just fine with you and TJ.”

“Do you have any advice for boys?” you asked.

“Love him the same as you love Allie. Teach him boys can love and cry and feel their feelings and to help others and he’ll turn out to be just as good a man as TJ.”

“You’re not half bad either,” you said with a smirk.

“I could have been better, especially when I was younger.”

“Dad, you were shy. Mom’s told me stories. You’ve always been good. I know you feel stuff, you just like to process it inside and on your own sometimes, like me. Look at Zepp. What other boy do you know that talks to his dad about stuff the way you guys do?”

“Oh I could name a few,” he said.

“You’re doing good is all I’m saying cause you’re good. We just hope he’s kind and good too,” you said.

“Love ‘em and the rest of it pretty much works out on its own,” he said. “Oh. Changing diapers? Cover them at all times. Like every single time. You’re gonna get pissed on a lot more with a boy, especially in the face.”

“Oh god, dad,” you said, rolling your eyes.

“Just being honest,” he chuckled. “Not much difference though.”

“As long as he’s happy, I’m good,” you said. “Are you...surprised? Happy? None of the above?”

“You are a kickass mom. I can’t quite describe it but yeah, let’s just say I’m happy,” he said. “I’m so happy for you both and to have another munchkin around. I’m proud of you, kiddo.”

“Thanks,” you said. “Second one should be easier, right?”

“Should. It’s your first time pregnant though. I’m sure we’re gonna run into some fun things for sure.”

Five Months Later

“Hey dad,” you said, giving him a wave in the parking lot. He smiled and you walked over before you headed off into the park with him. 

“How’s work going?” he asked. “All ready to go out next week?”

“You know most people don’t take the month off before their due date,” you said.

“Most people don’t work for mom and dad,” he chuckled. “You’re covered. I see you back at that brewery for anything more than a beer run and we’re gonna have problems.”

“I know, grumpy. I’m good. Well, I was until I was driving over here to walk and my stomach started killing me,” you said. He stopped and you walked ahead of him. “What? You forget your phone or something? We can-”

“Fucking shit,” he said. He grabbed you and you made a face as he walked you quickly back over to his car. 

“Dad, what-”

“There’s blood dripping down your leg,” he said, not even bothering with his seat belt before he was backing out and speeding away. You glanced down, a small thin streak drying on your skin. You reached under your shorts and felt more wetness, a pit forming in your stomach. “Y/N, are you listening to me?”

“What?” you said as he ran through a red light.

“I said you need to call TJ right now and tell him to meet us at County West. You’re having the baby right now.”

“S’not supposed to be bleeding,” you said quietly. 

“I know. On the bright side, it could just be a little tear and that’s what it is and you and the baby are perfectly fine.”

“When has my life ever been on the fucking bright side,” you said. “Something’s wrong isn’t it.”

Your dad hit a few buttons on the wheel before the sound of ringing filled the air.

“Sup, Jensen?” said TJ.

“County West. The baby is coming. Move your ass now,” said your dad before he hung up.

“Oh, I’m completely not worried now,” you said. You shut your eyes and by the time you opened them, you were parked and the drivers door was open. Your dad ran over to the entrance and said something, somebody coming out with a stretcher. You rolled your eyes but let a few nurses and a doctor you were guessing move you on top of it.

“How far along?” asked the doctor.

“I’m-” you said, throwing your head back when pain shot across your abdomen. You screamed, a bit surprised at yourself honestly and suddenly were inside, your dad talking a mile a minute to the people that were rushing you down the hall.

“Y/N, I’m Dr. Astle. Are you having contractions?” she asked.

“I don’t…” you said, shouting again when pain hit you. “Gah, it’s not supposed to hurt that bad, right?”

“No, it’s not,” she said. You kicked when you felt it happening again, your dad grabbing your hand and using his other to run over your head. 

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “The doctor’s are gonna fix you and the baby up like that.”

“We need to do an emergency C-section,” said Dr. Astle as you realized your shorts had been cut off.

“Dad don’t look that way,” you said.

“You and me right here,” he said with a smile. “You’ll be fine. You’ll be just fine. Just breathe.”

“TJ needs to be here,” you said. 

“Tall munchkin I don’t think they can wait,” he said.

“They’re gonna wait over my-” you said, a flop of sweaty black hair running past the room. “TJ!”

“Hey!” he said as he jogged back to the doorway. “Are-holy shit. That’s a lot of blood.”

“TJ, up here,” said your dad. 

“We need somebody from maternity, Dr. Astle,” said a nurse.

“Baby and mom do not have the time. You’re the husband?” asked the doctor, TJ nodding. “If mom passes out, you’re calling the shots.”

“Please don’t pass out,” said TJ.

“I’ll try…” you said, something tearing inside and you were out before you could even register the pain.

You woke up in a quiet room, your dad sitting in a chair and bouncing his leg like crazy. You tried to stretch and felt your abdomen was flatter, hand instantly shooting to it. You looked around but saw no sign of TJ or a baby and swallowed.

“Dad,” you said quietly. His head shot up and he was out of his chair like that. 

“Hey. How you feeling?” he asked.

“Is the baby…” you swallowed.

“He is a perfectly healthy boy. Big boy. Your due date was off by a couple weeks they think. You were over nine months. He got a little too big for ya. The placenta started to tear and he was kicking at it they think which is why you were in so much pain,” he said.

“Okay,” you said with a big smile. “As long as he’s good, I’m good.”

“He’s up in the nursery with TJ, just letting him get some rest while you got some. You had some pain but you’re okay. Perfectly capable of more kids. Maybe we use a different doctor next time is all,” he said.

“Can I go see him?” you asked, surprised to not feel a bandage across your stomach. “I thought they did a C-section?”

“Well, you passed out pushing him out in one go. Doc said you’d be sore for awhile,” he said. “Let me go see if I can find your boys.”

“Dad,” you said as he turned to go. “Did I do that?”

You nodded to his bruised hand and he shrugged.

“Let’s just say in labor you is kind of terrifying,” he said. 

“Dad,” you said and he sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you. I was freaking out before.”

“Little secret, I was freaking out more,” he said with a chuckle. “You, you were just thinking about the baby. Me, me I was thinking about the baby and you. Understand?”

“Yeah. Go get me my son, old timer,” you said, shutting your eyes again.

“Yes mam,” he said, rubbing your arm. “You did real good today, kiddo.”

“I’m getting a letter later, aren’t I,” you said. He laughed and felt him ruffle your hair.

“I’ll save it for when you guys head home. Nothing’s gonna top this,” he said. You heard the door open and opened your eyes, TJ walking inside with a bundle of blankets in his arms.

“You’re kind of a badass, you know that right?” he said.

“It’s why you married me, isn’t it?” you teased. “I want to meet him.”

“I told you I’d bring you back around to see mommy,” he said. Your dad slipped out as TJ sat on the edge of the bed and handed you over your son. You giggled when you saw the black head of hair under his blue cap. “Told you he’d have my hair.”

“It’s a good thing your daddy is pretty,” you said, booping his little nose. “How’d you get here so fast?”

“I was at work. I took the stairs and then sprinted over. The hospital’s only a few blocks away,” he said.

“Why are you in scrubs?” you laughed.

“May or may not have ripped my pants in the said sprinting. Your mom is gonna bring me some clothes when she comes up. Somebody had to go and be all dramatic with his entrance,” he said.

“Dad said the doctor got my due date wrong,” you said.

“Based on my math, you actually did get pregnant that first night we fooled around. Your period was super light when you had it and the doctor did say some people can have them during pregnancy, especially at the beginning if…”

“Dude. I know how it works,” you said. “He’s cute.”

“I know. There’s a couple of really ugly babies down the hall. We got lucky,” he said. You laughed and the baby looked up at you, quickly shutting his eyes. “Someone’s smitten.”

“He’s not the only one,” you said. “You ever decide on a boy’s name?”

“What do you think about Colin? I know it wasn’t on the list but-”

“It’s perfect,” you said, giving the baby a kiss. “Just like you, aren’t you Colin.”

One Week Later

“Dad,” you said when you caught him peeking over the back of the couch again. “He didn’t wake up in the span of the last three seconds you weren’t looking at him.”

“Your father’s in love,” laughed your mom as she set a bag of takeout down in front of you. “I got tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and brisket per your request.”

“Mmm,” you said, TJ reaching his hand into the bag. You stared up at him and he slowly backed away. “That’s what I thought.”

“TJ, yours is in with the other containers,” she said, setting a few containers down on the counter. Your siblings all grabbed one and took off to the movie room, JJ taking Allie up with them and your mom and TJ wandering into the kitchen and talking quietly. Your dad was still looking over the back of the couch and smiling down into the crib. 

“He awake?” you asked.

“No. Just adorable,” he said. 

“Well get dinner grandpa,” you said, reaching over to the end table for your drink and pausing. You shut your eyes and felt it pass, your dad suddenly right there and helping you to your feet. “Thanks.”

“Still sore?”

“Oh yeah,” you said. You sat up at the counter, grabbing a taco first and taking a big bite. “I’ve been dying for one of these for months.”

“Hopefully the spice doesn’t bother you too much,” he said, stealing a nacho from your bag. He looked over at the crib, Colin making a half-giggle sound. “Kiddo. Do me a favor.”

“What?” you asked.

“Enjoy it. They grow up faster than you think,” he said.

“I know,” you said. He nodded and you saw him look sad for a split second. “Dad?”

“Hm?”

“Just cause I made a baby doesn’t mean I’m not your kid anymore,” you said. “Based on how you are, I’ll never grow up so win-win for you.”

“Loser,” he said, ruffling your hair with a smile before he took your burrito. “Speaking of which, I was gonna prank the trio once they start watching scary movies later. You in?”

“Duh,” you said.

“That’s my girl.”

___________

A/N: Read the Jensen’s Day timestamp here!

#spn #supernatural #jensen x daughter!reader #rpf #au #spn reader insert #supernatural reader insert #reader insert #spn fanfiction #jensen x

[astralaffairs]

freedom of the press 06 | t. jefferson

title: freedom of the press 06

pairing: thomas jefferson x reader

words: 15k

warnings: implied sex, suggestive jokes & teasing, thomas has astoundingly shitty timing, lafayette is a huge fucking cockblock, hella fanservice, v v v tender quality time, and then some more implied sex

desc: the 2020 republican presidential frontrunner is an obnoxious, morally bankrupt people-pleaser, but what happens when you become the person he’s most eager to please?

tags: @stargazelaurens @ivory-haired-queens @exoticxchicken8 @assbuttstyles777 @superbarriobrothers @distinguishedpotsticker @fukaaaaaaaa @hereforthepsyche-assessment @ivetoldamillionlies @fangirl570 @thealaddinkid @lasciviouspeach @snazzydoesthings @shy-and-awkward-daveed @rachelhermionerose @soft-weeb-s @gryffinclxw @anamrnk @daveeddiggsit @ayayayayana @marinovakovich @cryinghazelnutt @thefandomgirl03 @a-hopeless-fan @cloudywlw @tinywhim @lolidunnoaboutnow  @siriusorionblackiii @fanfic-addict-98— hope i didnt miss anyone; lmk if you want to be added!!

By the time Y/N woke up, the sun was hardly up, the streets were plowed, and the bed was warm. She didn't try to leave it, instead curling further into Thomas's warm embrace when he pulled her close. Huddled alongside him, his skin against hers, she didn't bother to fight the fatigue that still ebbed at her mind, instead letting herself drift peacefully in and out of consciousness. She could feel Thomas's quiet laugh rumble in his chest when she made no move to get up. She didn't process it enough to react when his lips brushed against the crown of her head.

By the next time she woke up, the sun was high in the sky over Washington D.C., the streets were still plowed, but the bed was cold.

She frowned as she pushed herself to sit up, leaning back on a hand as she rubbed her bleary eyes. He'd left without saying a word.

She knew as she peeled the covers off herself, still damp in places with sweat from the previous night, that she shouldn't have expected him to stay.

Why would he have? He was a busy person; it was already... Shit, how had it already reached 2 PM?

She slouched into the bathroom, feeling like a wreck as she wiped the smeared mascara from her face, tied up her wreckage of sleep hair. She couldn't bring herself to take off his undershirt she'd donned the previous night, too cold to sleep in nothing but too exhausted to find some real clothing. (He'd laughed at her for it, but all the same, he didn't give much resistance before offering up his shirt.)

Regardless, they'd done nothing more than sleep together. He had no commitment to hang around any longer. If she were him, she probably wouldn't have stayed either. Still, it would've been nice for him to have said goodbye.

She tried to blink the sleep from her vision as she padded to her kitchen on bare feet; she would force herself to eat something before getting dressed and having to go down to another shift at the diner that evening.

Dry cereal might not have been the pinnacle of health for her just then, but it was easy, and she was in no mood to fight her cravings. When she pulled down a bowl, though, a flash of purple in the corner of her vision gave her pause.

She closed the cabinet absentmindedly as she turned, eyeing the post-it note dubiously from a distance, glancing around her apartment to confirm she was alone. (There hadn't been much question about the matter, but she couldn't be too careful.)

It was a moment later still when she approached it, stifling a yawn, and plucked it from where it'd been stuck onto the countertop.

Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, And yet a third of life is passed in sleep.

Y/N raised an exasperated eyebrow at the scrawled note despite the smile she fought back. The handwriting wasn't hard to recognize; not after she'd run her fingers over matching pen marks through a few hundred pages of Byron poetry -- not to mention the fact that there had only been two people in her apartment all night, and she certainly didn't remember writing that.

She shook her head lightly as she went to recycle it, but that time, it was the writing on the back of the paper that made her freeze.

For the next time you need some ancient literature, or for the next time you lock me out in the cold.

[phone]

Perhaps it wasn't such a gloomy afternoon after all.

------

Unknown Number: [Attachment: 1 image]

Unknown Number: nerd

Thomas grinned down at his phone where it was tucked halfway into his pocket. He'd been in meetings since noon, but after the night he'd had, he was struggling to focus on fundraising numbers and campaign strategy, most of it going in one ear and out the other as he waited restlessly for his phone to buzz. He'd begun to think by then that she wasn't going to reach out.

thomas 🙄: kinda harsh to say that abt someone who's been dead for 200 years

Y/N 🍑👀: ah yes because i was definitely referring to byron

Y/N 🍑👀: not the person who carries around purple sticky notes just to paste byron quotes in people's kitchens

thomas 🙄: you insulting my stationery?

Y/N 🍑👀: just your taste in literary quotes

thomas 🙄: don't be mad just cause i'm right

thomas 🙄: it didn't even wake you up when i left in the morning

thomas 🙄: at that rate you were gonna spend a lot more than a third of your life asleep

Y/N 🍑👀: wouldn't have still been asleep if you hadn't had me up past 4 am

thomas 🙄: is that really a complaint, now?

Y/N 🍑👀: uh??? yes, it is????? i have to deep clean my sheets and my mattress now smh

thomas 🙄: as though it wasn't worth it ;)

Y/N 🍑👀: wasn't worth the cost of the five gallons of bleach i'm gonna need to get the smell out

thomas 🙄: don't even pretend

thomas 🙄: you didn't seem to have any problem last night when i started ruining your sheets

thomas 🙄: you really gonna act like you don't want me to ruin them again?

Y/N could almost hear his voice in the messages, could picture his self-satisfied smile, and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she read and re-read the text.

Y/N 🍑👀: you're paying my laundry bill

thomas 🙄: worth it to me

Y/N 🍑👀: or maybe we'll just have to ruin your sheets next time

Thomas inhaled sharply; his eyebrows shot up. Next time. He wouldn't have thought that just two words could turn him on quite that much.

"Thomas?" His head snapped up, his eyes wide; he'd somehow managed to forget entirely where he was in the few minutes since Y/N had texted him. Thankfully, it was only James who seemed to have noticed.

"Hmm?" He blinked, staring up at James's expectant stare. His gaze flickered across the conference room, and while James was clearly on the border of annoyance, everyone else looked to him curiously. "'M sorry, James, I spaced out for a second thinking about... your proposal for the fundraiser?"

That was the last thing he remembered hearing, and James didn't look impressed. "Right," he said dryly. "Anyway, I was asking how you felt about doing another town hall in D.C."

"Yeah, alright." He nodded, hardly processing the words, and James cocked a brow.

"Really?" He folded his arms. "I'm surprised you're giving in that easily. Last I remembered, you wanted to move your next few town halls up further north."

Thomas shrugged. His palms were sweating as all eyes turned to him for an answer after he'd spent the past ten minutes thinking about something very different from his supporters. "You make a good case for it."

(The fact that he hadn't caught a minute of the advocacy was irrelevant.)

James hadn't bought a word of it, and Thomas could tell from a single glance at him. He made a mental note not to pick someone who could see right through him as a running mate next time.

However, he fabricated a smile, much to Thomas's relief, having no desire to confront him right there or then. "I'm glad. I had a couple venues scouted out, but I'm open to any more suggestions."

"I think we need a new type of place. The same locations again and again get monotonous." Thomas struggled to resist rolling his eyes; he had to remind himself he'd only hired Charles Lee because he was donating more than twice his salary to the campaign.

"So what do you suggest?" He met his eyes skeptically from the other end of the table.

"What about a café?"

"A café?" Another of his campaign staffers who he couldn't identify by name spoke up -- Noah? Nate? Nathaniel? Thomas couldn't help but agree with his incredulity.

"It would be good for you to actually get to know your voters instead of... preaching to them from on high." As Lee continued, his voice close to a sneer, Thomas had to force himself to control his expression. "It would be much more personal for you to finally sit down and meet them."

"I'm runnin' a campaign, not speed-datin' the voters." Out of the corner of his eye, Thomas saw James purse his lips to repress a laugh.

"It's actually an excellent idea." Really, now? He glanced disbelievingly at the woman to his left. "The most common criticism you receive is about thinking yourself above your voting base. It'd be a good chance to lose some of your aristocratic reputation."

Hurtful, but not inaccurate. Thomas nodded, though he knew the skepticism was still clear in his gaze.

"If we do go through with this, where in the city do you propose we hold it?" James didn't seem to appreciate his fundraising proposal being derailed into a meet-and-greet, and by Charles Lee of all people. Thomas was right there with him, his annoyance only compounding when Lee shrugged unhelpfully.

"It's the Jefferson campaign, not the Lee campaign." Charles did make a good point with that. Thomas only wished he'd have thought of it before he decided to wedge his opinion into James's plan like a Republican jigsaw puzzle.

The question gave him pause, however. Were he to be perfectly honest, he didn't know more than five restaurants in the city by name, four of which wouldn't exactly earn him any points as a 'man of the people.' The last, however...

It was probably a poor idea; he'd known that even before he considered it. But it did seem to fit what they were looking for. It was in a low-income neighborhood, run by a family of immigrants. It had a bright atmosphere and an abundance of seating. However, the most tempting part to him wasn't how it'd look to the voters, but being able to see one person's expression when she learned he'd rented the place out for an entire evening.

It might've been a poor idea, but he had to put his campaign first, and the benefits were more than defensible.

He grinned. "Think I got a place in mind."

------

Y/N spent the next few days overthinking the fact that Thomas had left her last text on read. God, why'd she have to go and put the idea of a 'next time' out there? She was sure he didn't want commitment any more than she did, so she must have scared him off.

She hated how tumultuous the past Friday night had left her emotions.

Thankfully, when she arrived at work the following Monday, it didn't take too long for the distractions to come pouring in.

"Y/N!" Her head snapped upwards, her eyes wide as she saw Ashley marching into her office. She wore a smile, but her eyes were narrowed, and Y/N couldn't help the sense of dread building in her stomach.

"Ashley." Her response was wary.

"So your article got a decent bit of attention last Thursday." The words were nice enough, but they were altogether devoid of energy.

"... Thanks?"

"No, that's definitely a good thing; take the compliment." As Ashley circled around to take a seat on the edge of Y/N's desk, however, she tensed in her office chair, trying not to noticeably grip the armrests. "But a lot of it was controversial attention."

"How?" she asked, taken aback. Her brow was furrowed; it was likely the most unbiased article she'd written about the election.

"A lot of our readers seem to think you're siding with the Jefferson campaign toward the end of it." So this was why Ashley had entered looking so skeptical, and Y/N was sure her disbelief was written plainly across her face.

"Seriously? Because I mentioned that they're turning away funding from super PACs, you mean?" Ashley nodded, and Y/N let out a huff of incredulous laughter.

"You don't need to hold back on your critiques, alright? You can go after whatever information you uncover." She either didn't notice the annoyance growing in Y/N's eyes, or she didn't seem to care. "Don't be afraid to use what you uncover."

"And if what I uncover is entirely unrelated to the election?"

"Nothing is unrelated to the election, Y/N. That's exactly what you don't get." Something akin to excitement flashed in Ashley's gaze as she leaned forward toward Y/N, but the hint of vindictiveness gave her pause. "For you, the people are readers, not voters. You're not the one in an election."

Though she shifted further away in her rolling chair, Y/N said, "I'll keep it in mind, but for the time being, it's all been pretty mundane. Haven't found any skeletons in his closet."

"Then make some."

A beat passed; Y/N could only stare up at her boss in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes when Y/N didn't seem to be on the same page, which only elicited more worry. "You, as a writer, have grown to national visibility. You have the power to sensationalize things if you want to keep people hanging onto your every word."

"I'll keep it in mind, thanks." Ashley narrowed her eyes further at the bite behind Y/N's words.

"I'm serious. If you want to go further as a reporter, you can't just state facts. You need a narrative. There's a reason no one watches C-SPAN."

"Pretty sure I can spin a narrative on the election without stooping to the level of a gossip column." With Y/N's hard stare, Ashley seemed to realize she wasn't getting any further with the conversation, and after eyeing Y/N for another moment, she sighed heavily.

"You'd better show me a good narrative." Y/N had begun to tune her out as she pushed herself off of her desk, instead turning back to the article she'd been drafting. "I trust your judgment as a writer, so I'll let you take this however you want it. But people want to know who they're reading about."

"I have a feeling everyone knows who Thomas Jefferson is by now," Y/N responded dryly.

"I mean know him, know him." That elicited a raised eyebrow. "He's a person, not just a candidate. That's what America wants to see."

Y/N couldn't help the strange sense of pride that curled in her chest, tried instead to suppress it alongside the inexplicably conceited mantra Ashley's words elicited: she knew Thomas Jefferson in a way America never would.

When Ashley raised her eyebrows, Y/N realized she'd let the silence stretch on a moment too long. She swallowed her thoughts. "So you want me to air his dirty laundry?"

Y/N's eyes widened at the grin that broke through Ashley's unimpressed demeanor.

"Finally, she gets it." With that, Ashley turned to go, ignoring how dumbfounded she'd left Y/N. She glanced back with a well-pleased smile.

"If you need dirt, never be afraid to dig up whatever it is he's left buried."

-----

Unfortunately for Y/N, the distraction that was her boss's scarily cutthroat mentality only weaved itself into her racing thoughts about her most recent encounter with everyone's favorite Republican frontrunner. The next few evenings at the diner were slow, which she couldn't necessarily complain about -- being rushed and nagged by half of downtown D.C. over the course of a week wasn't quite her paradise. However, it only gave her time to spiral under the weight of everything she'd learned.

To her conflicted relief, coming in earlier in the afternoon on Wednesday provided a welcome diversion. It would've been her afternoon to herself after leaving her office at the Post, but when one of their baristas called in sick, the money for an extra two hours was too tempting for Y/N to turn down.

Despite her early shift, it wasn't until around 7:30 that her evening hit a bump in the road.

"Prosciutto roll for Belle?" she called out as she reached the end of the counter, putting the tray with the finished order and the receipt on the end of the counter. She pulled a paper cup out of the stack by the divider for the drink that was ordered. She was about to dash back to the kitchen after checking over the food, when--

"Excuse me."

She was sick of overly-familiar voices interrupting her workday. She froze on the balls of her feet where she'd begun to retreat, before turning with forced positivity permeating her demeanor. Couldn't her two jobs stay separate, at least most of the time?

"James! Hey. Congrats on the Super Tuesday win." His surprised smile put her at ease as she reached where he stood.

"Oh... Y/N. Thank you," he said, tone hesitant, his eyebrows shooting toward his hairline. "I didn't know you worked here." She only shrugged.

"I just started two weeks ago. Not surprised you haven't noticed me around."

"No, I don't mean..." She raised an eyebrow when he trailed off, before he chucked to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is my first time coming here. You being an employee just... explains a few things, is all."

"Glad to provide some clarity... ?" With any context, his insinuation would've been painfully obvious; however, completely ignorant of the previous Saturday's meeting, Y/N was absolutely oblivious. She pursed her lips.

"You have my gratitude for it." James's knowing smile explained nothing for her, however.

"Right." She glanced at the growing line over at the cash register, anxious to keep the flow of customers going smoothly as the place filled up. "Anyway, what can I do for you? If you're here for dinner, line starts that way."

She nodded to the other end of the counter, but he shook his head.

"I'm not looking for food, actually."

Y/N cocked an eyebrow. "I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but I'm starting to think you're in the wrong place."

"No, no..." He plucked a takeout menu from the stand toward the end of the counter and nodded, eyeing the diner's logo. "I'm where I'm supposed to be."

"You're sure?" Her skepticism was still blatant.

"I'm sure." He glanced up from the menu with a smile. "May I speak to your manager, just briefly?"

That was when she paled. Eyeing his nonchalant expression, she prayed none of her assumptions about his motives could possibly be true, especially as they grew stranger and stranger. Her new spiraling was beginning to tie back to her previous spiraling -- could James have found out about the past Friday? Would Thomas have possibly told him? Why would that mean he showed up at her family's diner to talk to her manager about it? Could he have been trying to--

"Why do you look so nervous?" Her alarm only seemed to amuse James, and she huffed, leaning against the counter.

"James. You're a politician who showed up at my place of work, rejected food, and requested to speak to my manager." She looked up at him with a flat gaze, and he only chuckled, shrugging in acquiescence. "There isn't some new health code no one told us about, is there?"

"Not this time. Check back in a week, though." She rolled her eyes. "In all seriousness, may I speak to whoever's in charge? I assure you I'm not here to shut down your café."

Y/N allowed herself a small smile. "How generous of you. Give me a second."

He nodded as she turned away, laughing when she took only three steps before aggressively yelling "Orlando!" in the direction of the kitchen.

The man in question emerged with his brow furrowed, wiping his hands on a dishtowel with his brows furrowed. "What's wrong, mija?"

"Nothing yet." She glanced between him and James, her stare inquisitive. "Someone wants to speak to you about the diner real quick."

"You get us into trouble again?" Orlando raised a playful eyebrow, and Y/N couldn't help her wry smile as she rolled her eyes, batting at his arm.

"No, Orlando," she huffed.

Her contrived annoyance hardly buried her amusement before James decided to pipe up. "'Again'?"

She turned to James with a playful glare, and he grinned. "You stay outta this." She pointed a reprimanding finger at him, but he didn't appear at all fazed. "Gonna get me fired before you have a chance to shut us down, at this rate."

"You got us shut down?" Orlando gasped, but when Y/N saw the mirth behind his playful shock, she groaned.

"No, Orlando." James's and Orlando's grins mirrored one another as she looked between them, exhaustion settling into her tone. "I need you two to take each other off my hands, now. I have drinks to make."

"Of course, Y/N." James wasn't too hurt by the final glare she sent him before turning away.

As she fell back into her rhythm fulfilling orders, Y/N couldn't help but keep an eye on the two men, especially not when Orlando emerged from behind the counter to talk to James, trying to stay out of her way but also moving just out of her earshot. She knew the glances she kept sneaking toward them weren't as subtle as they should've been; she knew Orlando could see her watching them. As James continued on, Orlando's entire demeanor went from skeptical to welcoming, his body language opening up in turn. (Y/N tried briefly to read their lips, but something gave her the feeling that 'sent out the minors' wasn't quite true to their conversation.)

She had to force herself to turn her focus back to the customers as the unfinished drink orders began to pile up, her eyes widening when she caught sight of the mounting line of cups to her right with names and orders, but with a distinct lack of coffee. A few more minutes passed as she struggled to keep up, finally holding pace with the ever-growing demand when Orlando shook James's hand, passed off a business card before the two parted ways.

At the risk of making just a few customers lose their heads, Y/N followed Orlando into the kitchen, her curiosity overriding her work ethic.

"Hey, what was that about?" She caught him just as he was tying his apron back on. How pleased he looked had her skeptical.

"Oh, nothing very big. Don't worry." He withdrew his plastic gloves from the front pocket, pulling them on with a shrug. "He asked me about renting out the diner for a night for an event with Thomas Jefferson's campaign."

That stopped Y/N cold. "He did?"

"Mhm." He nodded, and he didn't seem to notice how stunned Y/N had suddenly begun to look. "I told him yes. I didn't think Mira would be thrilled if I turned it down. He offered us a lot of money for it."

"Oh, did he now?" She let out a shaky exhale, glancing back at the front of the diner to see James just exiting through the glass doors. "And did he say why he wanted to do it here, of all places?"

Orlando shrugged. "I didn't ask."

Why wouldn't that be your first question? Despite her moderate angst, Y/N tried not to let her frustration show. "Is Mira around? I need to talk to her."

"Aren't you in the middle of a shift?" He gave her a pointed look, and it elicited a dramatic, drawn-out groan from Y/N.

"Orlando," she whined, folding her arms. He gave her a mocking pout.

"Y/N." She rolled her eyes. "You're losing us valuable customers and valuable time as the line gets longer. Go back to making drinks."

Despite her scowl, she nodded. "After I close tonight, you're gonna get a piece of my mind."

------

As it turned out, it wasn't Orlando who was given a piece of her mind that evening.

2 New Messages, 10:38 PM

Thomas raised an eyebrow as his phone vibrated. He sat at his own dining room table, the sound coming from just inches to the left of where he was working on his laptop. Who would be contacting him that late?

Y/N 🍑👀: tell me it wasn't you who came up with the idea of renting out mira and orlando's diner on the only night when i work all evening

Y/N 🍑👀: please for your sake blame james

He grinned. The draft reports of the campaign's funding allocation he'd been typing up could wait just a few minutes.

thomas 🙄: i feel like you're just tryna get me to lie so you can slander me in the papers for it

Y/N 🍑👀: thomas i stg

Y/N 🍑👀: are you just planning your campaign around what's gonna annoy me most????

thomas 🙄: that's a heavy accusation, i would never

thomas 🙄: just wanna make sure you don't get too lonely without me

Y/N's scowl held no real anger as she read the texts.

Y/N 🍑👀: oh of course

Y/N 🍑👀: if this is your way of trying to get laid again, it's a flawed strategy

thomas 🙄: what happened to ruining my sheets "next time"? :)

Y/N 🍑👀: you still owe me for all the bleach i had to buy

thomas 🙄: don't avoid the question

Y/N 🍑👀: don't avoid the cleaning bill

thomas 🙄: if you're still tryna ruin MY sheets next time, it won't be your problem

Y/N 🍑👀 is typing...

Thomas rolled his eyes when the typing bubble disappeared and he didn't receive another text. Y/N, on the other hand, was biting her lip, her fingers hesitant on her keyboard as she read his text to herself. Her heart rate was picking up as flashes of the past Friday played in her mind.

thomas 🙄: did you really just stop typing on me??

Y/N 🍑👀: can we return to my actual question???? why the fuck did you decide to rent out the diner for your campaign?????

thomas 🙄: wasn't my idea to hold a meet and greet at a restaurant

Y/N 🍑👀: there are literally hundreds of restaurants in dc tho

thomas 🙄: and??

Y/N 🍑👀: and you just happened to rent out the diner i work at during the entirety of my shift???

thomas 🙄: pretty sure i mentioned a while back that i was gonna learn your schedule

Y/N 🍑👀: i'm not sure how good it's gonna look for your campaign when i file a restraining order against you

thomas 🙄: you mean you don't miss me? :(

Y/N 🍑👀: oh c'mon you're just asking for it now

Y/N 🍑👀: you almost make it too easy to mock you

thomas 🙄: i'm so hurt

Y/N 🍑👀: already?? i haven't even started mocking you yet

thomas 🙄: we'll see who's mocking who when you're stuck with my campaign for five hours this friday

Y/N 🍑👀: five hours??????

thomas 🙄: don't get too excited now

Y/N 🍑👀: fuck you

thomas 🙄: only after you get around to changing your sheets

✔ Read, 11:03 PM

------

Try as she might, Y/N failed to find a way out of her evening shift the following Saturday. She pleaded with her co-workers (no one else was available); she faked sick (Jac marched up to her apartment just to call her out); she was about ready to find a fake ID and leave the country when a better idea occurred to her.

Mailto: [email protected]

Hi Mr. Adams--

(No, too informal.)

Vice President Adams:

(.... Passable.)

I hope this email finds you well. This is Y/N L/N of the Washington Post, to whom you gave your email address a number of weeks ago at President Washington's gala.

(She prayed she was using 'whom' correctly.)

As you know, I've been assigned to cover the Jefferson campaign up until this November's election, and I'm reaching out for any timely information you would be willing to share on the current relationship between Secretary Jefferson and yourself, as the projected Democratic nominee. I was hoping to find out--

(What was she hoping to find out? Her mind was still attached to Ashley's most recent ominous wisdom -- don't be afraid to dig up what he's left buried. But how could she ask the vice president for dirt without erring on the wrong side of collusion?

Backspace just a little.)

I was hoping to give my readers a somewhat more personal perspective on Jefferson's time holding office as Secretary of State. Is there any chance you'd be available for an interview? Please let me know; I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

(Was regards too stiff? Backspace.)

Best regards,

Y/N L/N

She'd been hesitant to actually use the email address he'd given her; she bit her lip as she pressed send. She might not have been able to find a way out of five hours of the diner being full of nothing but Jefferson supporters, but if Ashley was looking for dirt, eavesdropping and an opposing perspective could go far for her. Despite her writing prospects, she spent the entirety of her Saturday dreading its end.

James was the first to show up. The diner was cleared of its usual patrons, but that night, it'd be operating at capacity.

"So should I assume your presence means this whole 'meet-and-greet' wasn't an elaborate hoax just to deepen my frown lines?" Y/N was looking up at him with somber resignation as he entered the diner wearing a wide smile.

"Your input and documentation are valuable to this campaign, Y/N. We would never target you like that." She rolled her eyes as she pushed herself off the counter, despite how amused James appeared. "In other words, you have a long evening ahead of you."

"Y'know, I'm firmly convinced you're just trying to make my life Hell until I stop covering the election," she accused him, and he laughed.

"Have a little faith. I wasn't even made aware that you work here."

"Yeah, you weren't."

"What are you implying, exactly?"

"Take a shot in the dark." She glared at him, but it had no real anger in it. "Now, I'm not sure why Thomas is so fixated on antagonizing me, but you'd better tell him--"

"James, hey, you ready to get set up?" It was at that moment the front door of the diner flew open, and it was only a moment of silence that passed before Thomas looked up from whatever he was so absorbed in on his phone, and when he caught sight of Y/N's exasperated expression, a grin split his face. "Y/N? You workin' here, now?"

"Don't even start."

"Aw, c'mon, what d'you possibly mean by that?" His hands were stuffed in his pockets; he wore a shit-eating grin, and Y/N just scowled.

"I have too many hours left in my shift to deal with you two this early." She pointed an accusing finger between the two of them as she threw down her dishrag. "I'm getting Mira and Orlando."

"Some hospitality," Thomas pouted as Y/N began to turn, pausing to give him the stink eye, and he failed to mask his entertainment under his feigned offense.

From there, the evening went about as well as she could've hoped. Mira, as expected, was beyond overjoyed to see Thomas, didn't waste even a moment in helping him set up, and when the floodgates opened at 4:30 PM sharp, Y/N's feet were sore even thinking about scurrying back and forth for five hours on the tile floor she'd already spent her morning polishing. (So much for that polish, anyway. It was less than five minutes before layer after layer of bootprints wracked the shining ceramic with an avante-garde collage of brackish slush and sidewalk gunk.)

Demands were ringing in her ears. She struggled to distinguish between her rather lifelike migraine and the surrounding frenzy of voters and journalists alike -- the voices all sounded the same. A disembodied shout requested an extra tub of honey butter, and she tossed one onto the end of the counter without thinking twice. Two dozen hamburgers over the next thirty minutes seemed a small price to pay to no longer be working the cash register.

She'd begun to count how many viruses could fit on the surface of each dollar she collected in tips with a strained smile, retreating back to the kitchen to wash her hands every time she stuck one into the pocket of her apron. Considering the crowd, she considered herself lucky she was making tips at all.

The money was an undeniable result of the wandering eyes of a number of middle-aged men in the crowd, being to various degrees of seedy -- her skinny jeans seemed to be a hit. Though he wasn't one among the crowd stuffing wadded bills into her hand with a sleazy grin every time she came around to bus tables, there was one man whose wandering gaze she kept meeting. (He'd rather have provided a much different type of gratuity, and she suspected that went beyond subsidizing her trip to the laundromat to wash her bedsheets.)

She had to put it out of her mind every time she caught and subsequently broke his stare. The wolfish smile he watched her with had her feeling more vulnerable than she'd have liked; every time she noticed it, she couldn't help but pale and duck away like a mouse dodging a trap (no matter how tempting the bait might've been). Not to mention it was distracting her from her job. She shook the thought from where it weighed down on her shoulders, instead scurrying back to the register to deal with the line.

"Alright, what can I get you?" The words were breathless as she rushed to the counter, having just made seven lattes in the span of approximately five minutes and ferried forty kilograms of dirty dishes back to the kitchen -- she wasn't looking forward to washing them at the end of the night. Her tired eyes snapped open when she realized who stood before her. "Lafayette! How long have you been here?"

"Standing in line, or in ze restaurant?" His smile was just on the right side of jeering, and she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't take that long to get here; I don't wanna hear it."

"Of course not, chérie." He eyed the menu posted above her as he spoke. "I arrived 'ere nearly two hours ago, but I 'ave only just now come to get food."

"Been avoiding me?" she teased.

"Can you blame me?" Her scowl was all but involuntary at how self-satisfied he looked, choosing to avoid her annoyed gaze. "Any recommendations from ze menu?"

"Whatever's most expensive." He raised a skeptical eyebrow, and she shrugged, holding her hands up defensively. "What? Like you can't afford the New England stuffed lobster?"

He pursed his lips as he looked back down at her, but his eyes were all smug amusement. "Fine. I will 'ave zat and ze agave lemonade."

"My paycheck appreciates it," she said. "That all?"

"Zat will be all for me." The devious smile he wore as he leaned in a fraction of an inch had her on edge. "But with 'ow he 'as been ogling you all night, I daresay Thomas may want something more."

"Lafayette!" she scolded him, stepping back from the counter to glare. "Why has that become the first thing you bring up every time you see me, now? I am at work."

Her seething was in a hushed tone, and he only shrugged, leafing through his wallet with a smug smile. "Remind him of zat, not me."

____________

It was nearing eight o'clock, and Y/N refused to remind herself that she still had more than an hour and a half to go. She'd deigned to wash the dishes by that point, actively avoiding the crowds in the dining room between Thomas's wolfish gaze and Lafayette's knowing smile -- she wasn't sure when her family diner had become a lion's den.

The yellow latex gloves she'd been forced to sport were an occupational hazard, she supposed, as she reached up to return her latest stack of side plates to their rightful place in the cabinet above her. When she turned back to the sink--

"Thomas!" She jumped back, holding the edge of the counter behind her. She hadn't heard him come in.

He raised an entertained eyebrow as she pulled off her thick rubber gloves, throwing them down onto the counter with a thud before reaching over to turn off the water. "What are you doing back here?" she huffed, "You can't be here."

He shrugged, and she could feel her heart rate rising along with the blood to her cheeks. Him cornering her, alone in the kitchen at her part-time job after all the texts they'd exchanged over the past week, had her feeling increasingly vulnerable.

He plastered on a mock pout, folding his arms as he leaned against the side of the counter. "Oh, nice to see you, too, Y/N. I'm great, thanks so much for askin'."

Y/N scowled. "Don't pretend I'm the one out of line, here."

"You aren't happy to see me?" His brow creased as he held a hand to his heart, and though she rolled her eyes, the corners of her lips twitched upward. "You're hurtin' my feelings. Figured it'd be a welcome surprise."

"Oh, of course, based on how thrilled I was to hear you rented the place out for the night?"

He grinned. "Exactly."

She huffed at his audacity, shaking her head.

"Anyway, what d'you want?" she asked as she moved to go back to where she'd been at the sink, shooing him away. However, entirely undeterred, he took a step toward her, and she took one back, nearing the corner of the room. Her eyes were wide.

"Thomas," she said hesitantly, and he took another nonchalant step toward her, slowly backing her against the kitchen wall. Her voice was shaky, her heart pounding in her ears like a warning bell. "What are you doing?"

"Well, sweetheart," he began matter-of-factly, his gaze hawklike. Her breathing stopped for a moment as he closed in on her, one hand landing on the wall beside her head and the other on her waist. His grin broadened. "I seem to remember being promised a 'next time.'"

At that, she couldn't help but let out a surprised laugh, the sound breathy. "Seriously? And you think now is a good time to cash that in? I'm working."

"So am I."  He shrugged. "Makes it more fun, doesn't it?"

"No, it absolutely does not!" Her reprimanding was losing its bite, though; his smile was apparently more contagious than anything she was going to pick up from touching the used cutlery of his unsavory voters. He leaned in toward her with a mischievous eyebrow raised. "Thomas."

"Y/N," he echoed mockingly before he dipped down, lips finding the side of her cheekbone, trailing down toward her jaw.

"There's a window in here," she reminded him, despite tilting her head to give him access to her neck. "We're in plain sight."

"Not from this corner." She could feel his grin against the side of her face. "Really think I didn't think this through, sugar?"

She let out a skeptical hum when his mouth reached her collarbone, running her hands up his chest, arching up against him despite herself. "This is a bad ide-- Ah!" She squeaked when he nipped at her skin, and his grip on her hip tightened.

"Whatever you say," he murmured into her neck.

"We're going to get caught." She let out a soft gasp as his hand on her hip traveled south.

"By who? Mira?" He pulled back to look her in the eye, a playful shine to his gaze. "She gonna fire you for stealing the attention of her favorite customer?"

Y/N rolled her eyes, pursing her lips to push back the grin that threatened to break hef stony facade. "No, she's gonna fire me for whatever health code violation this constitutes." She shoved him lightly by the shoulder, but it only prompted him to anchor her to him by the waist.

"I won't tell." The hand that rested against the wall threaded itself into her hair, tipping her head back to look her in the eye. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for any sort of reaction in the affirmative. She bit her lip.

"My kitchen shift ends in less than half an hour." His expression visibly deflated, and she gave a small, sly smile. "So you'd better be quick."

Delighted surprised flashed in his eyes; she squealed when he hitched one of her legs up to his waist, tightening her hold on his shoulders. "Well, I can't turn down a challenge, now, can I?"

With that, he reached over and flicked the sink's faucet back on, the water drumming loudly on the underside of a saucepan. She furrowed her brow. "What are you doing?"

"Drownin' you out."

His lips returned to her neck with increased fervor, and he tugged aside the collar of her shirt, biting softly into her skin. "Fuck you," she moaned, and he laughed.

"Right here, in plain sight?"

She was about to rebuke him, eyes narrowed and mouth ajar, before he began sucking a hickey into the skin of her shoulder, and he felt her whole body relax in his grasp as she let out a groan. "You're unbelievable."

"I do my best." Her eyes began to flutter shut as she lost sight of her initial task, the small tsunami of dishes becoming hardly a wave in the distance. His hands trailed further downward, and she could feel her chest heaving as she dug her nails into the thick material of his suit. She bit down on her lip, trying to remain quiet, desperate not to draw any attention, when the door opposite them flew open.

Y/N squealed, shoving Thomas away from her, but the damage was done when she met the intruder's eye.

"Lafayette?" she asked breathlessly, "What are you doing back here?"

"So it is only a problem when I come into ze kitchen?" He gave Thomas a pointed look, who glanced to Y/N guiltily. She yanked her shirt back over the reddening mark halfway across her shoulder with a huff. "I was only coming to ask where ze bathroom was, but I fear ze two of you may need it more zan I do."

"Out. Both of you." Y/N glared at Lafayette, who looked spectacularly amused by the scene he'd walked in on. Thomas, however, looked nearly as put-out as Y/N. She walked over to pull her rubber gloves back on, turned the water off in the sink. "I need to get back to work."

"It seems you should do ze same," Lafayette commented to Thomas, who straightened his tie, scowling.

"Thanks for the reminder." He brushed past Lafayette on his way to the door before he turned to leave, casting Y/N one more burning gaze that left her palms sweating.

Y/N turned back to the sink and grabbed the next dish from the stack, expecting Lafayette to follow Thomas out, but he only raised his eyebrows, joining her near the sink as she picked up a sponge and returned to scrubbing a spot of yellowish crud from the edge of a plate, grimacing when she realized it was crusted over.

"So," he started, and she looked up at him warily, not abandoning her task. "I take it my hunch as to where you disappeared to at ze fundraiser last week was not misguided?"

She closed her eyes to take a deep breath, pausing for a moment, thoroughly displeased with the hubristic smile he wore. She didn't give him the satisfaction of meeting his eyes. "What d'you want, Lafayette?"

She glanced in his direction as he pulled his lips into a dramatic pout. "Is my company not good enough for you to 'ave here? You hurt me, chérie."

"Right. No agenda there," she said dryly, and he shrugged, unable to contain his self-satisfaction.

"So, 'ow long have you and Thomas been carrying on in secret?"

After the momentary pause the bluntness of his question gave her, she rolled her eyes. He came around to the drying rack on her other side, apparently ignoring her peeved sarcasm. "We aren't."

"Non? Then what, exactly, did I just walk in on?"

"Give it your wildest guess." As she turned to add a plate to the stack, she watched Lafayette hoist himself up onto the counter to her left. He gave her a sly look.

"Why did you not tell me about your little liaison? It is not like it was difficult to figure out."

"'Liaison'," she snorted. "Is there anything you don't know how to make sound pretentious?"

"Do not avoid the matter at hand."

She could feel her cheeks beginning to heat as she turned the faucet back on, and it wasn't just the steam coming from the scalding water. "It's not like that, Lafayette. Seriously."

"'Ow far 'ave you two gone?"

"Lafayette!" She turned with that to glare at him, his nonchalance about her embarrassment only compounding upon it.

"What? Do you really not want someone to confide in?" She paused at his words, though her scowl didn't relax, and he took that as an invitation to continue. "I can only assume you 'ave not been 'aving zis conversation with Alexander. I can picture quite clearly how 'e would react."

She let out a huff of bitter laughter as she returned to the dishes. "Can't argue with that one. He thinks the hickey I came back from Detroit with was from you."

"Non!" His eyes shone with mischief, despite his contrived incredulity. "I am your cover story?"

"It's his theory; I didn't even give him the idea." She added another plate to her pile. "Though, a lot of my friends seem to think you're a whore, now."

"Mm, and why should I not go and tell them ze reality of ze situation?"

"Don't you dare!" she said. "What do you stand to gain from that?"

"Protecting my reputation, apparently," he said mildly. "Or, you could simply tell me what 'as been going on."

"Are you blackmailing me for gossip?"

"Think of it as an exchange."

She scoffed, turning her head to look at him. "You really are shameless, huh?" He shrugged, folding his arms as he turned to look at her expectantly, his knee bumping her pile of silverware. She sighed. "Fine. We screwed. You happy?"

"Delighted." He wore a small smile as he shifted her dishes out of his way. "'Ow many times? Only once? When was zis?"

"Lafayette!"

"What?" he asked innocently, but the exhaustion written across her face made him laugh. "Come on, Y/N; we are friends, non?"

"Seems like I'm stuck with you, so sure."

"Zen why do you not feel like you can speak freely with me?"

When she met his eyes that time, the words seemed to be in earnest, not even mocking in the slightest. He wore a small smile, and he broke her gaze after a moment, eyeing the layout of the kitchen.

"Alright. If it'll get you off my back." She sighed, shooting him a dirty look, and he nodded, pursing his lips to suppress the grin that was bursting at the seams. "It was a week before Friday. Only once. And, to be honest, I have no idea where to go from here."

"Thomas seems to have some idea where he wants to go." When she gave him a dead stare, he laughed. "I am not making fun of you, zis time. Truly."

"This time," she repeated bitterly. "I'm just... not entirely sure what I want. The whole thing feels risky."

"It certainly is risky if you are trying to get lucky in public during his campaign event." He gave her a scandalized look, but her scowl was unwavering.

"Thanks for the advice."

Her sarcasm left him undeterred. He shrugged. "But if you are careful, what is ze harm? I assure you, even the papers zat care enough to cover Thomas's sex life do not 'ave the resources to find out who is ending up in his bed."

She hesitated a moment, considering his words.

"No, you're probably right." She sighed. "The thing is... I don't know. It feels like it could become a problem."

"Ah, is there... something more you want out of zis?" The sidelong look he gave her was more concerned than she expected it to be. She shook her head, giving a light laugh.

"No, no, nothing like that." He'd begun moving the dishes to his other side by then to maintain his spot on the counter. Y/N rolled her eyes when she noticed. "My career just complicates things, is all."

Before he could respond, she took a step back from the counter, peeling off her rubber gloves despite the looming load of dishwashing she'd still have to do before the end of the night. "And as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I need to get back to making sandwiches. Head back out to the dining room."

She jerked her chin toward the door while retying the strings on the back of her apron. Lafayette frowned.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Not trying to. Kicking you out." She gave him a flat stare as she turned toward where she stood. "Some of us have bills to pay. C'mon."

He scowled as he hopped off of the counter and she waved him away, following close behind to herd him out the door. He glanced back over his shoulder at her when she did, though, and his gaze looked once again as smug as it had when he first realized what he'd walked in on. "If you insist, chérie. I understand that you must do away with me before you can carry on with your little affair. Do not let me get in ze way."

Y/N rolled her eyes at how pleased he looked with himself as he strolled back into the seating area, not giving him the satisfaction of a response. However, when she returned to the kitchen counter, she couldn't help but scan the room through the front window; who she was looking for went without saying. She found him already looking at her, and she swallowed hard.

Nothing articulable was conveyed in his heavy stare, nor in the barely-there smile he wore, arms folded as he watched her shamelessly. She bit her lip. The three seconds she held his gaze felt like hours, and when he finally winked and broke eye contact to turn to someone who'd just approached his table, she felt her stomach turn. This wasn't over.

------

Thomas's rally ended at nine, but it wasn't until closer to nine-thirty that he'd persuaded the final member of his constituency to call it a night. Mira, Orlando, Jac, and all their miscellaneous employees had gone home when their shifts ended at the official end of the event, but Y/N was stuck on the clock for another hour or longer until she finished cleaning up the mess left behind from the evening. Unfortunately, his event running over time meant that he didn't start clearing out his campaign setup until around five minutes after the diner was empty, and that his posters, decorations, and gaudily-colored buttons weren't actually gone until closer to nine fifty.

Y/N was clearing the kitchen counters all the while, knowing she couldn't begin to mop up the grayish mess of liquified dirt and matted grass scattered across the floor until they were both gone. When they seemed to be on the last load of red streamers and campaign merchandise, she emerged back toward the front counter to lock up behind them. Thomas was still out in the back when James approached her, his final box of t-shirts resting on his hip.

"Is there anything else you need from us before we leave? I don't want to take up too much more of your time."

Y/N smiled at the concerned look he wore. "Depends; have you paid Mira in full for all our troubles?" Despite her exhaustion, her tone was light, and the tension in James's brow relaxed.

"I gave her the check before she left."

"Then you're good to go." She shrugged as she went to collect another basin of dirty dishes from under the side of the counter; her annoyance at it couldn't even rise, not after the mountain of plates she already had waiting for her next to the sink. "I've got everything else under control."

He nodded. "Thank you for letting us rent out the venue. All our attendees seemed more than happy with it."

"If it was up to me, you wouldn't be here, but I'll take the credit if you're offering it." She raised a playful eyebrow, and he wore a tired smile.

"The credit's all yours."

"My gratitude is beyond words." Though the words were mocking, he let out a light laugh, and she couldn't help her wry grin.

"I'm always glad to hear it." He took another glance around the place, checking for anything that might've been left behind, before turning toward the back exit Thomas had just re-emerged from.

"What else do we still have to box up?"

James paused on his way out. "You're welcome to do a final sweep, but I believe we have everything."

"Yeah?"

"I'm fairly certain." He looked back toward where Y/N stood behind the counter once more, leaning down on the bakery case. "Goodnight, Y/N."

"Bye, James." Her sleepy voice has a singsong lilt to it that made Thomas smile as he searched the dining room a final time. She'd started toward the kitchen once more to retrieve her broom, but Thomas's voice stopped her.

"Anything else I can do before I head out?"

She turned on her heel to face him, wore a soft smile when she saw how earnest he looked, eyebrows raised and his hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants. "So long as you’ve gotten everything you brought here, there’s nothing I need from you."

"You sure?" When she raised a questioning eyebrow, he shrugged casually. "Just hate to leave this place a mess from our campaign event. Don't wanna leave you with all the extra cleanup."

She pursed her lips when her smile threatened to broaden. "That's sweet, Thomas, but really, it's okay. I'm on the clock for a while longer anyway. I think I can stick it out, considering I'm the one employed here."

"Feel like I remember hearin' somewhere that your shift ends at ten." He furrowed his brow, walking toward the counter where she stood. She didn't quite get his point until she turned to the clock above the doorway: it was nine fifty-eight. "'S there really nothin' I can do to help out?"

She snorted, folded her arms. "Not unless mopping the dried coffee off of the floors is your idea of a good time." When his expectant expression was unwavering, her eyebrows shot up. "You're not seriously offering your services as a janitor, are you?"

The corners of his lips quirked. "Only if it's welcome, sweetheart."

"You're wearing a full suit." The disbelief in her eyes was rigid despite his conviction.

"Don't mind. Long as I can throw my jacket somewhere." He cracked a grin. "Unless, of course, you just wanna get rid of me."

She eyed him skeptically, but he didn't seem to be joking just then. "If you're serious, I'm not turning down free labor."

"Or an excuse to spend more time with me?"  His tone was playful, and she couldn't help her spiteful laugh as she re-entered the kitchen.

"So that's your ulterior motive? Hope you don't think you're getting any when it's eleven o'clock and I'm half asleep from my seven hours here tonight."

"As, c'mon now, why's there gotta be an accusation?" he called after her, and she could hear the teasing frown in his voice. "Can't I just wanna lend a hand?"

"I'll believe it when I see it." She emerged not a minute later with a broom and dustpan to see him having shaken off his jacket and undone his tie. She quirked a brow.

"Hey, anywhere I can throw these?" His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms as he slid his tie out of his collar, popping open the first few buttons on his dress shirt, and Y/N bit her lip. The suits he wore didn't quite do justice to his physique; his jackets may have fit tighter around his upper arms, but his shirts were practically molded around his biceps just above where the veins bulging in his forearms disappeared into his sleeves. She was sure the few extra inches of visible skin below his collar were meant to draw her wandering eyes, only hinting at the toned chest she knew lay beneath the starched fabric.

When she looked back up and caught his eye, he looked predictably cocky. He wore a wide, smug grin, and she rolled her eyes before he even spoke. "You're starin', sweetheart."

Y/N shrugged, wearing the smallest of smiles. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

"Anything you wanna see again?" He raised a suggestive eyebrow, and she laughed.

"Tempting," she said, and when surprise flashed in his eyes, his interest piqued as he started toward her. However, she stopped him at arm's length, a hand on his chest. "But you know what would be really sexy?"

His delight in the turn of events was obvious. "What's that?"

She leaned her broom against the counter and took a step forward, pushing herself onto her toes until her lips brushed against the skin just below his ear, and his hands ghosted down to her hips. Her voice was just above a whisper. "Watching you disinfect all the dining room's high-touch surfaces."

She pulled back with a broad grin when he let out a disappointed groan. "Seriously?"

His frustration was obvious, his brow furrowed as he looked down at her, deadpan, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, yeah. Free labor really gets me going."

"Tease," he grumbled, and Y/N gave him a skeptical stare.

"Don't you gimme that; I'm not the one here under false pretenses," she reminded him, and he folded his arms.

"Now I dunno what you could be refferin' to." She raised a dubious eyebrow when a grin split his phony discontent. "But there's nothin' wrong with mixin' business and pleasure."

"Don't you dare try to derail me after taking up six hours of my time, Jefferson." She prodded his chest with a scowl. "If you're sticking around, I'm putting you to work."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." When he did grab the broom, he glanced back toward the kitchen, wearing an inquisitive frown. "I'm gonna go stick my jacket in a cupboard; is that alright? I'll only be a minute."

"Oh, yeah; do you want me to take it? We have a coat closet in the back."

"Nah, 's alright. I can find it."

Though she gave him a skeptical once-over, Y/N nodded. "Have at it."

When he wasn't back a few minutes later, her train of thoughts managed to run a full 5k -- what could he possibly be spending that much time in the back for? Was he really still trying to find a coat hanger, by then? How hard was it to find a closet in exactly two rooms? Or, really, was he just hiding out until she'd already gotten the worst of the grime off of the tile?

She eliminated her final guess when early-2000s pop music began blaring through the diner's sound system. Though she groaned loudly enough for him to hear it from where he'd located the aux input, she couldn't say this was really a downgrade from Orlando's dusk-till-dawn smooth jazz. When he emerged from behind the kitchen's swinging door and caught sight of her dead stare, he laughed.

"Hanging up your jacket, huh?" Her annoyance was contrived; the way the corners of her lips twitched up gave her away.

"Hey, I can multitask." He bit his smile back, giving her a serious look, brow furrowed. "I said I'm here to help, didn't I?"

"How is this possibly helping?"

"'Cause you need to liven up a little bit," he said matter-of-factly, and Y/N rolled her eyes. "Cleanin's only boring if you make it boring."

"You'll be singing a different tune when you start wiping down the bathroom."

"Hey, how'd I end up on bathroom duty?" he pouted, and she shrugged, turning to the shelves at the back to hide her growing smile.

"As the only one of us who actually works here, I've elected myself the de-facto CEO." She hung her dishrag up on the rack next to the sink before looking back at him over her shoulder, shrugging. "Hate to break it to you, but you're on my turf."

"But I'm a volunteer!" he protested, and she grinned.

"My point exactly."

"Now, what if I refuse to do it?" Though she was busy restocking all the cups that she'd finished washing earlier in the day, she could hear Thomas's footsteps approaching where she stood behind the counter.

"Then you don't, and you finally leave so that I can be productive."

"Sounds like I'm really the one with the power, here."

"Not when I have something I know you want." She looked up with a suggestive smile when he hoisted himself onto the counter beside her, and he raised his eyebrows, folding his arms across his chest.

"And now what's that?"

"Three guesses, Thomas." She had a feeling he'd only need one of them when his gaze began to wander down the length of her body, eyes shining.

"I dunno how unpaid this labor is, sweetheart."

"Well, you won't quite be making minimum wage," she said, turning back to face him as she leaned against the counter opposite where he sat. "But I think the employment benefits will make it worth your time."

"That so?" He pushed himself off the counter's edge, hardly having to take a step forward before his arms landed on either side of her on the counter's edge, caging her in, and she inhaled sharply. His grin was wide; his hips pressed into hers as he leaned in, and she swallowed roughly, leaning back on her hands which rested on the linoleum countertop.

"I'd like to think so," she breathed, as he dipped down, wasting no time as his lips met the tender skin below her jaw.

"Mm, I think I'm gonna need to decide that one for myself," he murmured against her neck, and despite how tempting it was when his hands gravitated to her waist, falling slowly further as he bit down softly on her earlobe, she pushed him away the minute she found her last shred of willpower.

"Uh-uh." Thomas scowled as he pulled back, hands planted on the counter at her sides. She folded her arms. "I'm not gonna make even more of a mess of this place that I'll have to clean up. When the diner's shining, I'd be happy to revisit."

One of his hands rose to her jawline, lifting her chin up ever so slightly to look him in the eye, and she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "After the place is spotless," he murmured, his voice hard and his gaze fixed on her lips, "Hope you know how much you're gonna regret leadin' me on like this. You won't be tryin' it again."

Despite her effort to remain unaffected, Y/N's breath caught, and she bit down on her bottom lip as she struggled to fight the heat rising in her cheeks. Her eyes were wider than she knew, and he seemed to be reveling in her reaction, wearing a wolfish grin.

After a moment, she swallowed, took a deep breath, her voice shaky. "Last I checked, I'm still at work."

"And I wouldn't dream of hinderin' your career." Thomas winked as he took a step back, going for the broom where she'd discarded it before, acting as though nothing at all had happened. Y/N was left reeling.

Thus began the next ninety minutes of her life. Though, to Y/N's surprise, Thomas did end up cleaning the bathrooms, putting up little resistance, he'd also managed to convince Y/N to help him. Despite there having been two of them, every subsequent task took twice as long as it otherwise would've. She'd have denied it, but Thomas's presence was a more-than-welcome distraction.

About half an hour later, he'd managed to drag her away from her Lysol bleach and her old rags in favor of taking a break to dance with him (apparently, she was underappreciating the wonder that was Outkast's greatest hit). She rolled her eyes at the suggestion but grudgingly obliged, and Thomas couldn't help but call out the small, growing smile that broke her grumpy facade. He'd seemingly done the impossible by getting her to let herself go for an evening. Neither of them was quite sure how the floor had gradually become spotless between their distracted banter, nor when exactly they'd managed to wipe down every surface in the kitchen as his playlist seamlessly ventured through every one of Britney Spears's wildest phases.

She'd just about forgotten about her fatigue as Thomas repeatedly soaked the ankles of her jeans with his mop, claiming that her being in his line of sight was just too much of a distraction for him to do his job properly. She scoffed every time, but the fact that her cheeks had grown sore from smiling made her annoyance marginally less convincing.

He eventually took off his shiny black oxfords after having spent the evening trying to hide his concern over some of the chemicals in her soaps ruining the varnish; she didn't bother to argue with his insistence that it absolutely marked a milestone in their progress that he wasn't afraid to step in any greenish gunk or black mold -- if they hadn't missed any, what was the harm? However, she did reprimand him for ransacking their fridge when she left for three minutes to put the mop away. She didn't stay mad long.

Wiping down the glass of the bakery display case took too long for her liking. As it turned out, it was difficult to focus after teasing him for the expected mediocrity of the John Mayer impression he claimed to be impeccable, as he immediately decided it needed to be proven. However, she didn't regret provoking him when the result had her sides beginning to hurt from laughing. She was just glad that they'd nearly finished cleaning.

Much to his dismay, Thomas had to cut the music after the sweet old lady who lived above the dry-cleaners next door came down, banging on the back door to chew them out. The fire behind her threats to file a noise complaint with the cops died down pretty quickly when Thomas offered her a beignet and a cup of tea, sending her on her way with a winning smile, a to-go box, and a Jefferson campaign button. (Y/N proceeded almost immediately to scold him for just giving away the fruits of her hours of labor behind a deep-fryer.)

But as the music was revoked, their animated evening of slacking off began to wind down. The only thing left for them to do was to finish the dishes, and Thomas proved to be much more helpful with this than Lafayette had been earlier in the day.

All was quiet as he washed the dishes and she proceeded to dry them, silence split only by his sporadically humming the best of the Black Eyed Peas. It was comfortable, just being together as the warm air wafted from the cooling oven not too far behind, as their hands brushed every time he passed her another plate. Her lips were pursed in a feeble effort to hide how endeared she was every time she glanced to him, his sleeves soaked past the elbow while he remained unbothered. If he noticed, he didn't mention. Finally--

"How are you so good with people?"

"Hm?" He turned his head toward her with a raised eyebrow, and she had to ignore the flecks of foamed soap that clung to his curls and his shirt. Y/N shrugged.

"I just mean..." Her smile was shy; she didn't meet his eyes. "I don't get how you do it. Mira absolutely dotes on you; you've befriended half of our staff after one night here. You just talked to my crankiest neighbor for literally all of five minutes, and suddenly, she's part of your voting bloc."

He just watched her for a moment. His stare was soft. "Can't help it if people find me irresistible."

Her loud, disbelieving scoff made him grin, but she looked far from annoyed. "That's your secret? You were just born with it? It isn't Maybelline?"

Though he laughed quietly, when she turned to him with her eyebrows raised, he shrugged. Her question seemed to be in earnest. "I dunno, sweetheart. Don't think it's anything special. People seem just as drawn to you, anyway."

"Sure, 'cause I have a nice ass, and I'm wearing tight jeans. Not the same thing." How frankly she spoke made him grin, and he shot her a wink, passing off another bowl to her.

"Can't argue with that." She rolled her eyes as she began drying the next dish. He bumped his elbow lightly against hers, gaze teasing yet soft. "But you know that's not what I meant."

She sighed. "Alright, fine, but I'm not forty-points-ahead-in-the-polls charismatic. I just... can't figure out what it is about you that people seem so drawn to."

As she concluded moments later, the uninvited smile she wore when he flashed her a warm grin could've contributed to the reason. She turned back to the plates before her, feeling her skin warm under his heavy gaze. "So you're tellin' me people don't follow me strictly 'cause of my political framework and field experience?"

"Oh, I'm sure every one of your supporters has invested hours into reading the 174-page pdf of fiscal policy your campaign published." Another stack of cups went into the cupboard below her.

"People really don't care about how taxin' it was for me to write all that? And here I was, thinkin' every American voter was out there doin' their homework." He looked with disappointment down at the salad plate he was scrubbing at present, but Y/N wasn't buying it.

"Thomas," she groaned as she turned to meet his phony pout, her stare flat. Her mild annoyance only served to amuse him further, and though she scowled when he laughed, he leaned over to gently kiss the crown of her head. She could feel herself flush despite how chaste it was; the casual affection left her more thrown than if he'd tried to rail her in the middle of the kitchen.

"'M only kiddin'," he defended, voice heavy with mirth, making her roll her eyes.

"Aren't you always?" she asked, wiping off the inside of a cup.

"'Course not." He frowned, and she deadpanned as she turned to him, arms folded.

"I'm not sure we've had a serious conversation since I met you."

"Now, that's just not true."

"Isn't it?" He put down the saucepan he was rinsing out to turn to her, matching her demeanor.

"It isn't. I know I tease, but I've never been anythin' but one-hundred percent authentic with you, Y/N."

A moment passed where neither said anything. The corners of Y/N's lips quirked at how sincere he sounded as he waited for her to react. Finally, she turned back to the dishes before her with a tight-lipped smile.

"Maybe this is what it is."

"Hm?"

"Why people like you. This whole endearingly earnest act you've got going on. I could see that being pretty appealing to voters."

"Hey, what d'you mean act?" He bumped his shoulders into hers, offense written across his face, and she laughed.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I mean. Traipsing around from state to state like some type of charismatic golden boy. Making everyone feel all special and appreciated. It's a good tactic; don't get me wrong." She shrugged as she shelved the last stack of bowls. Just a few more things to wash, and they could officially consider the diner spotless. She didn't think much of her own words, but he hung onto them. It was inexplicable as to why he took so much pride in her all but admitting he made her feel special.

"My bein' all kind-hearted and charmin' isn't some scheme," he said after a moment, plastering on a scowl, and she raised an eyebrow as he passed her a fork. For a brief moment, she was worried she'd crossed a line, but when his eyes met hers, his gaze was playful. "'M just a nice person. Maybe you should try it sometime."

Her mouth fell open in surprise, indignant but hardly disguising her smile, and she let out a huff. "I was joking, you asshole!" When he only snickered, she pursed her lips, shoving him away from her with the little comparative strength she had.

"Hey, now!" His reprimanding had very little bite to it with the laugh carried in his voice as he stumbled a step to his right, tugging the faucet head along with him. He scowled at Y/N's self-pleased smile, flicking his wrist to turn the spray of water from the sink onto her.

She yelped, jumped back from it, but he'd already managed to drench the front of her shirt. She wore an expression of disbelief as she paused a moment, watching him return to the dishes as if nothing had happened despite his entertained grin. It was then that she struck back, lunging toward the sink to retaliate, and he wasn't quite quick enough to stop her.

He could only do damage control once she'd already managed to spray a line of water across his chest, and she gasped when he pushed her back to her part of the counter.

"You're more trouble than I was expectin'," he laughed, and she folded her arms.

"You're no walk in the park yourself."

"But you're the one who decided to let me stick around, sweetheart," he retorted, giving her a pointed look, and she shrugged good-naturedly.

"You might be a handful, but you're worth having around once in a while."

He laughed at how matter-of-factly she spoke, and for once, she wore an unabashed grin. "Now you're just flatterin' me," he teased.

"Oh, of course, such high praise; you aren't always awful."

"Hey, that means somethin', comin' from you," he defended, prodding her in the side, and she squealed, jumping away.

"Hands off, Jefferson. I'm at work."

"Aw, 'm sorry. Didn't mean to disrespect your professional boundaries."

"Check yourself next time," Y/N scowled, but there was no heat to it. The pair caught one another's eyes, both wearing the same, gentle smile, and it seemed too soon when he broke her gaze, returning to the last couple pieces of silverware. She watched him another moment until he turned to pass her a ladle. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed her gaze hadn't strayed.

She only turned back to the counter when she took the ladle from him, drying it off and sliding it back into its place in the drawer. All was quiet, and though they could both feel the chilled air of the spring night drifting in through the poorly-sealed back door, where they stood, it felt perfectly warm.

He glanced at her. "'S nice to see you like this."

The comment was offhanded; he didn't wait for a response, only returned to washing the spoons, but Y/N furrowed her brow.

"Like what?"

He turned back to her with a raised brow, mildly surprised at the curious frown she wore, and he shrugged, still wearing his faint smile. "I dunno." She didn't fill the silence, and he continued, "With your guard down. Always feels like you've got some kinda walls up."

She swallowed; for a split second, her gaze was absent. Ultimately, she sighed. "I guess I'm just cautious," she said quietly, and Thomas frowned at the defensive lilt that had returned to her tone.

"I get it." He reached over to finally turn off the water, and she put away the final fork he handed her. "'S not always worth lettin' people in."

His smile was tiny, barely there, but understanding, and when she met his eyes, it felt like he was seeing right through her. "It just makes it too easy to get hurt."

He nodded, eyes kind. "'M glad I make you feel like you can relax."

She hardly shrugged as he turned to her, leaning on his hand on the countertop. "Yeah." A small smile graced her lips as she eyed his expression, and she bit her lip. "I guess there are worse things, huh?"

His laugh made her nervous gaze soften. "Aw, sugar, you're too kind," he said, the mocking sarcasm in his voice balanced out by how gentle his grin was. She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she said softly, and he plastered on a mock pout. "I'm not building up your ego any more, alright? I'm not sure it has any room to grow."

"I wouldn't mind you makin' me just a little bit more conceited, now."

She finally turned all the way to him, putting down the dishcloth she'd been using for drying, and despite herself, the affection in the way he was looking back down at her made her heart flutter. "If you're looking for blind adoration, you should've figured out by now that I'm not the girl for that."

"No, you really aren't, are you?" Though her words had been pointed, had come with the intention to knock him back down a peg, his low voice was far, far from contemptuous. Her eyebrows jumped when he took a step toward her, taking her chin in his hand to lift her face to his before bending down to meet her where she stood, his confident lips gentle against hers. "You're so much more than that," he murmured, not pulling away enough to even look her in the eye, their noses brushing together.

Though she hesitated, it was a moment later that Y/N took a step forward to meet him halfway, her tentative touch rising up the stiff material of his shirt and to the back of his neck. He wrapped an arm around her waist. She pushed herself up onto her toes, and their lips met once again.

The patience in his every move was new to her, inconsistent with the raw desire that usually governed his actions. When he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth, her mouth parted in a soft moan, and he took the opportunity for what it was, wasting little time in pressing his tongue teasingly against hers. He was holding her close, but she was arched fully up against him regardless of it, wanting to feel the movement of his body against hers. Both her arms looped around the back of his neck, pulling him down to her.

The kiss was deep, intimate, but not harsh, and when his mouth moved to the skin of her neck, she tipped her head back, eyes closed with her silent sigh as his hands moved down to grip the backs of her thighs. She couldn't help her surprise at how effortless it was for him to pick her up, to lift her onto the counter she'd been standing in front of. She groaned when his lips found a particularly sensitive patch of skin, all but going limp in his grasp.

"Thomas," she whined, wrapping her legs more tightly around him to anchor his hips against hers, grinding against his hard body.

"Come home with me," he muttered into her neck, and though she gasped at the feeling of his teeth scraping against her, she pulled back to look him in the eye, raising his head to hers with a hand in his curls.

"What?" she whispered, chest heaving, and he pressed another soft, chaste kiss to her lips.

"Come home with me," he repeated, looking into her wide eyes.

"Why?" He raised his eyebrows at her hesitance, and she took a deep breath. "Thomas, I live upstairs; if you wanna stay, I... I definitely wouldn't mind that, but--"

She cut herself off at his skeptical hum, and he said, "Listen, I almost got caught tryin' to sneak outta here in the morning last Saturday, and I'm not tryna have a repeat of that, alright? Just come back to my place." One of his hands lifted from her thigh to weave itself into her hair, holding her head by her nape as he kissed her, more intently that time. "Promise I'll make it worth your while."

She swallowed. "Pull your car around the back."

---------

It was hours later that Y/N found herself lying exhausted on satin sheets, slumped in a penthouse just across the river and high above the city. Thomas hadn't been lying about making the most of her time; his hands had seldom left her skin from the moment she entered his passenger seat, dragging her quickly past the doorman on the first floor of his building, pinning her against the wall of the elevator for a heated, fleeting moment before he'd finally tugged her the rest of the way to his apartment.

She was wrapped in his covers up to her chest, feeling just on the wrong end of self-conscious, but her clothes were rumpled and sprawled across every corner of the rooms they had to pass to reach his bed. They hadn't been overly concerned with where the outfit ended up, just that it wasn't on her skin. Every joint in her body was already sore, and she groaned as she tried to sit up, leaning against his headboard as Thomas returned to her with a glass of water.

"Thanks," she said, and he couldn't help but grin at how hoarse she sounded as he handed her the cup.

"'Course, sweetheart." He came to sit beside her as he pressed a kiss to her temple, and she took a long sip of the water, nearly draining all of it in one gulp. "You alright? Everything still feeling okay?"

"I'm exhausted, and my ass hurts like a bitch," she griped, but when he raised an eyebrow, she nodded. "But I'm all good. Might have to bill you for the truckload of concealer I'll need to cover up all these fucking marks, but I'm fine."

"Good." He squeezed her thigh lightly when she leaned against his side, her legs bent and knees pulled in toward her chest. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her against himself with a small smile.

"Can't believe I didn't know you live in the same building as Lafayette, though," she mumbled, and he looked down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, he actually lives just across the hall. When he came back from France lookin' for a place to live, I thought it'd be fun if we were neighbors, and he took me up on it pretty easily."

She hummed her acknowledgment. "So that means, when Lafayette showed up half an hour late to your lunch date and I was there instead, that it would've taken you all of five seconds just to go home?"

He laughed. "Now, what exactly are you accusin' me of?"

"Being a pain in my ass two weeks ago," she grumbled, and he shrugged, wearing a small, self-contented smile and not bothering to argue with her.

"You didn't seem to mind me bein' a pain in your ass last night." He raised a smug eyebrow, and she scowled, turning her head to break the eye contact. She disregarded the heat she could feel rising in her cheeks.

"You say 'last night' as though we didn't get back here less than four hours ago."

"Don't pretend you don't get the picture."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips quirked when he kissed the top of her hair. She looked down at the cup she held against her chest. "Is it cool if I stay over?"

"'Course. I don't want you gettin' in an Uber with some creep in the middle of the city at this time of night."

"Mm, but you had no problem with me getting in a Bentley with some creep in the middle of the city four hours ago?"

Despite the teasing bite to her words, he grinned. "Hey, now, I'm just sayin' you gotta be selective about which creeps you're lettin' drive you around at all hours."

"I mean, you haven't killed me yet, so I'd call that a point in your favor." She yawned, reaching over to put the glass he'd given her on his bedside table. "We should get some sleep. It's late, and I'm sure you have somewhere to be tomorrow."

"Alright, sweetheart." She pushed herself forward from the headboard, laying back onto the pillow she'd been leaning on, holding it close to her head as he reached over to turn off the lamplight before joining her under the covers. "G'night."

"Night, T."

They fell asleep almost immediately in one another's arms.

------------

5:17 AM

From: [email protected]

Y/N--

I’m glad you reached out. Your writing’s excellent as always, but if there’s information you want, you’ve very much come to the right place. I’ve worked with Thomas for years, and though they left me dismayed, I’ve become quite familiar with the not-so-shining moments in his background.

I’d rather not put anything in writing should someone find this communication. Let’s find a somewhat private place to meet. Be sure to bring a recorder and a notepad. Believe me when I say you’re going to want to hear what I have to say.

John Adams

#hamilton #hamilton fanfic #hamilton x reader #hamilton x reader imagines #hamilton x reader imagine #hamilton oneshot #hamilton oneshots #hamilton scenarios #hamilton imagine #hamilton imagines #hamilton on disney+ #thomas jefferson #thomas jefferson fanfic #thomas jefferson imagines #thomas jefferson fanfiction #thomas jefferson fic #thomas jefferson x reader #thomas jefferson x reader drabble #thomas jefferson x reader smut #thomas jefferson scenario #thomas jefferson scenarios #lafayette x reader #daveed diggs x reader #daveed x reader #hamilton smut #lafayette #lafayette imagines #daveed diggs imagines #lafayette x reader smut #freedom of the press

[ofgentleresolve-a]

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 .

1. What does your muse smell like?

you know the regular head & shoulders dandruff shampoo one might normally buy? yeah most times that’s what lam smells like. pretty boring, but he makes a point to shower before going to work. now outside of the classroom is a more interesting story. since he lives with raphael, it’s not unusual for him to come out with a pungent smell as the result of some weird food combo ray made him try  that he tried. the other alternative is that he smells like mulch and on a more metaphorical sense, sunlight?? dunno how that’s supposed to smell actually, but despite being a video game enthusiast, lam’s kinda like a plant in that sense. thriving in the sunlight actually.

2. What do your muse’s hands feel like?

warm and dry! they might seem a bit more on the bony side just because he hasn’t quite mastered the art of self-care yet, BUT they’re nice and soft to hold for the most part. i’d say that there are a healthy amount of calluses on both hands just because long periods of holding writing utensils for grading and button smashing from video games and from gardening.

3. What does your muse usually eat in a day?

eeeeep, so you see, lam has this terrible habit of like forgetting to nourish himself simply because he got too invested in a. grading papers, b. whatever video game/plant that had his attention, or c. just some weird tangent he got himself into. it doesn’t help that he doesn’t know how to cook either. before becoming roommates with raphael, he had a lot of takeout- fries were a must, burgers, fried rice with broccoli and chicken. he went a lot to the nearby thai restaurant to get tom yam, pad thai, son yam, curry, and more of the thai variant. after he becomes roomies with raphael, his palate unintentionally gets a lot more varied as he and ray quickly come to an agreement- if lam is willing to do both of their laundry, then raphael will cook for both him and lam. and raphael has a wide palate, one day cooking risotto to the next day making nasi lemak or hainanese chicken rice. needless to say, lam’s been eating a lot better with raphael around, as the other also makes it a point to make food smell enticing enough to grab lam’s attention.

4. Does your muse have a good singing voice?

i guess he does?? he doesn’t really sing much but he might hum a tune or two. he’s never really asked for anyone’s opinion...i’d say his voice is more on the higher end of scale BUT he’s usually on softer side as well. he can probably hold a decent tune but don’t expect him to be getting any applause or special attention for it.

5. Does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks?

lmao there’s a lot. first there’s the fact that he hasn’t quite mastered the art of self-care so there are periods of time where he might forget to eat...and sleep due to his work or whatever tangent has his mind occupied. if he hasn’t slept enough you usually tell by the number of cups of coffee he’s downed and also by the fact he’ll be able to fall asleep just about anywhere (standing up, sitting at a desk). he also get overwhelmed quite easily actually? like he might not look like it, but when he does get overwhelmed or stressed out, he’ll zone out even if he’s in convo with someone. 

not sure if this counts as a bad habit, but he also really likes enclosed spaces. if he gets especially stressed out, he might just sit in closet to calm down. might even take a nap in there too.

6. What does your muse usually look like / wear?

it swings between college student look and business casual. as a teacher, he makes it a point to look at least somewhat put together- think button downs, blazers, with khaki pants. he wears a lot of turtlenecks too. 

outside of work though, he’s a lot more casual. he likes his sweats and hoodies, he likes just a plain ol’ t-shirt/shirt. more athletic clothing one might say. the important part in both cases though is that he usually prefers long-sleeves to short-sleeves, largely due to the surgery scar he got from his accident. it’s not that he’s self-conscious about it, but more of that he doesn’t want it to draw attention from his students and acquaintances. that and he gets cold easily, even in the summer.

hair though, it’s pretty simple. shampoo everyday and comb it.

7. Is your muse affectionate?  How much?  How so?

with most people no. he keeps a physical distance especially with his students ( bc a teacher has to anyways ). he wasn’t raised in an especially physically affectionate household so he keeps decorum as his standby mode.

now with friends on the other hand, you wouldn’t think it of him, but he can be surprisingly very forward with it? like he has to be comfy with u which can be a process in and of itself, but once you have his trust, he’s the kind of person who will take a seat next to you and without any warning invade ur personal space ( if you tell him you’re uncomfy tho, he’ll keep that in mind ). very clingy as well- lots of tugging on shirts to stay. he doesn’t like being alone with strangers so if u take him to a party, he’s more than likely to cling to the one person he knows.

romantic ( platonic ) partners on the other hand, now he’s like super touchy and affectionate there. lots of cuddling and ‘no stay here, i need a furnace warmer pls’ if there ever comes a time where lam gets a ship, pls know he is a koala bear. 

8. What position does your muse sleep in?

definitely on his side/fetal position! to be more specific, he always sleeps on his right side so that his bad arm is resting against the mattress. that’s both for practicality reasons and safety reasons-  wouldn’t want that bad arm in the line of fire after all. i will say though, if he’s sleeping next to a romantic (or platonic) partner, he will curl in against them, fit into any space next to them. when possible he likes falling asleep in small spaces.

9. Could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room?

good question. is he playing video games? no? then probably not. i’d say even though he’s more on the quiet side, he has no problems with speaking up especially in academic settings. volume wise, he tends to fall more on the softer side so occasionally, he’ll be asked to repeat himself. he’ll often use this to his advantage when it comes to troublesome students/people in general. now if he’s playing video games, that’s a different ball park- he can very into them...that’s when you might be able to hear him from another room :D

Tagged by:  @astralglam ( THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving me an excuse to talk about my hot mess dummy son!! )

Tagging: @shamsgoddess @wraithsea @bethelbound @bloodxhound​ @phantombs​ @kwatregats ( for teo! )  @risinglegacy ( for dion! ) and uh, anyone who feels like getting into the physical deets about their muses today!!

#( dash games: lamon. ) #( headcanons: lamon. ) #this was fun to think about!!

[searchingwardrobes]

Start of Time: 3/?

In this chapter, Emma (going by Wendy) meets another character in a surprising way. I really hope Emma’s amnesia and her going by “Wendy” isn’t too confusing. I keep writing “Emma” by accident, then having to change it!

Summary: Killian and his son are driving through a bad snow storm when they find a disoriented woman walking down the road. The question is, how can they help her get home when she has no idea who she is? Written for @teamhook​​ on her birthday.

Rating: T

Words: About 2,000 in this chapter

Also on Ao3

Tagging: @snowbellewells​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @kmomof4​ @thislassishooked​​ @teamhook​​ @bethacaciakay​​ @xhookswenchx​​ @let-it-raines​​ @shireness-says​​ @spartanguard​​ @scientificapricot​​ @sherlockianwhovian​​ @superchocovian​​ @ekr032-blog-blog​​ @kday426​​ @tiganasummertree​​ @jennjenn615​​ @welllpthisishappening​​ @wellhellotragic​​ @optomisticgirl​​ @distant-rose​ @stahlop​​ @resident-of-storybrooke​​ @nikkiemms​​ @vvbooklady1256​​ @profdanglaisstuff​​ @branlovestowrite​​ @hollyethecurious​​ @ultraluckycatnd​​ @snidgetsafan​​ @delirious-latenight-laughs​​  @winterbaby89​​

Come tomorrow I’ll be in the ocean, I’ll be rising with the morning tide

Wendy awoke the next morning when the sun was just beginning to tinge the edges of the darkness. She felt warm and comfortable in her bed, her bumps and bruises slight aches now instead of sharp pains. Even her headache had finally subsided. She lay there in Alice’s narrow twin bed, however, staring at the ceiling. It was painted a dark blue, and glow in the dark stickers of planets and stars dotted its surface. She squinted as she studied them. She didn’t know her constellations very well, but even she could identify the big dipper. Whoever had decorated the ceiling, it wasn’t Alice. Her father perhaps?

She ran her fingers through her still damp hair. She probably shouldn’t have gone to bed with it still wet, but the shower had sapped her energy, and she had been unable to resist the call of the soft pillow and mattress. It had felt absolutely luxurious to slip beneath the sheets clean and fresh. Wendy continued to stare at the simulated night sky above her, trying to remember something other than this house and endless snow, but it was useless.

Wendy knew she wasn’t going to be able to get back to sleep, so she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She gathered the fleece lined leggings and the purple sweater one of the kids had dropped off in her room the night before. At least, she assumed it was one of the kids, judging how they had been tossed haphazardly on the bed while she was in the shower. Wendy slipped into them, the sharp scent of cedar filling her nostrils. These had obviously been in storage for a while. Had they belonged to the children’s mother? Where was she?

Since her hair was a tangled mess of wild curls from sleeping on it wet, Wendy grabbed a hair elastic from one of the drawers in the bathroom. It was small, and clearly belonged to Alice, so it would only go around her hair twice. Wendy twisted her hair in a messy bun instead, and it held. It would have to do.

She slipped into a pair of thick socks that had also been left for her, then padded softly out of her room, down the hall, and down the stairs. The house was quiet except for the hum of the central heating. It looked like she was the only one up. She crossed the living room and sat down at a desk that sat against the far wall. A laptop sat on its surface. Killian said it was the kids’, and that they were only allowed to use it here in the living room (to which Henry had groused which defeats the purpose of having a laptop). He also said Wendy was welcome to it as soon as the wifi was back on. The laptop’s password and the wifi password were both scrawled on a sticky note affixed to the screen with the message “In case you need it - Killian.” She smiled as she peeled it off.

As she booted up the laptop, she thought about the man himself. He seemed like a wonderful father, even in the short time Wendy had observed him. He was affectionate with the children, and he spoke to them with respect and seemed to value their opinions, yet he was also clearly protective as evidenced by his rules with the laptop. Not that she was judging him for that - the internet could be a scary place, especially for kids. She typed in the password and leaned back in her chair. Alice also had a menagerie of pets, and both children were obviously well read. Wendy smiled. Yes, they clearly had a good father.

Wendy clicked on the wifi and entered the password, but frowned when the words “no connection” blinked on the screen. She let out a breath of frustration as she closed out of the computer and rose from the desk. She paused in front of the fireplace, staring into the cold hearth as she chewed on her lower lip. She had calmed her fears last night by telling herself she could search the internet for missing persons in Maine. Now what?

She knew what Killian and Mary Margaret would both say - “be patient, the snow will get cleared soon.” It was easy for them to say, though! She wondered how Mary Margaret could be so calm being snowed in away from her husband and young son. Of course, she’d called them on her cell multiple times, and Mary Margaret had explained that she could get back to the farm on her snowmobile long before the roads cleared up. Killian said the sheriff and the doctor could get out here the same way. How far north was she? Even though she couldn’t remember her life, she got the distinct impression that she wasn’t a small town girl. Remote cabins, horse farms, and snowmobiles all felt foreign to her.

Of course, that wasn’t saying much. A lot felt foreign right now.

Wendy let out a sigh and headed for the kitchen. If she couldn’t search for her identity, she had to occupy herself some other way. Killian had cooked three amazing meals yesterday, and she felt maybe she could return the favor. She did remember one thing about herself - she couldn’t cook anything but breakfast. She didn’t know her real name, but she knew she could make some awesome pancakes. Bizarre.

She opened the pantry and smiled to find a box of pancake mix. (Hey, she never said her awesome pancakes were homemade.) She set the box next to the stove, then went to pull milk and eggs out of the fridge. It took her a few tries to find the right cabinet, but eventually she located the frying pan and bent down to pull it out.

“Who the bloody hell are you?”

Wendy screamed and dropped the frying pan when she saw a strange man in the middle of the Jones family kitchen. The sound of metal hitting the tile floor was painfully loud in the still house. Above her, she heard feet pound and a door slam. The man before her was tall and broad, with curly, light brown hair. His arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at her.

“Who the hell are you?” she yelled back, coming to her senses enough to snatch up the frying pan and hold it up like a weapon.

“Me? You’re the one standing in the middle of my brother’s kitchen wearing his dead wife’s clothes.”

“Liam!” Killian’s sharp voice came from over Wendy’s shoulder.

She relaxed slightly and lowered the frying pan. “Brother?”

“Aye, brother,” the man - Liam, apparently - moved his hands to his hips, his scowl just as intense despite Killian’s sudden presence. “I live in the apartment over the barn. Where the hell did you come from?”

“Liam, for the love of God, would you stop yelling at her? How’d you get over here anyway?”

“The snow’s melted just enough for me to shovel out a little. Then I walked over here on my snowshoes. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, little brother, who is this woman?”

“Younger brother, and Henry and I came across her on our way home when the storm hit. She’d been in an accident -”

“She is standing right here and can speak for herself!” Wendy snapped.

“Okay,” said Liam smugly, “fill me in. What happened? Who are you?”

“Don’t grill her like that!”

“I’m asking her a simple question!”

“Stop!” Wendy shouted, dropping the frying pan again and pressing her hands to her head. Her headache was back, and it felt as if it were splitting her skull in two. She couldn’t keep back a groan of pain.

“Wendy!” Killian cried as he rushed to her side. “Is it your head?”

“Uh huh,” she bit out. She couldn’t even open her eyes. The lights in the kitchen were too bright. Killian put his arm around her and made to help her out of the room. When she stumbled, he scooped her up into his arms. It was only then she realized he was shirtless. His skin was warm, and when she rested her hand on his chest she found it covered in thick, soft hair. Her temple rested against a strong collar bone, and the arm around her waist flexed with muscle. If not for the splitting pain in her head, it would have been . . . nice.

Okay, nice was an understatement, but she was currently trying not to puke all over the man. She could daydream about his strong arms, solid chest, and masculine scent later.

He deposited her gently onto Alice’s bed, then went to fetch her a cool rag. She murmured her thanks when he pressed it to her throbbing temple.

“I’m so sorry about my brother,” he apologized. “He can be a bit overprotective, even more so since my Milah passed.”

“Was she your wife?” she managed to choke out.

“Aye.”

“So I am wearing her clothes.”

“Don’t worry about that right now. Stress can aggravate your head injury. Just rest, okay?”

“I was trying . . . “

“Shhh,” he admonished gently, brushing her hair back. It had somehow fallen out of Alice’s hair elastic.

“I was trying,” she continued stubbornly, “to make pancakes. For you. All of you.”

Her eyes were still shut tight, but she felt him take her hand and squeeze it. “That was a lovely thought.” He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “But let us take care of you. We don’t mind. I promise.”

Something about his voice was soothing, and Wendy felt sleep pulling her under.

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

Killian stopped in his bedroom to grab a tshirt, and chuckled to find Alice flung across his bed, still fast asleep despite all the noise downstairs. He hadn’t heard Henry stirring either when he’d fetched the cloth for Wendy, so he hurried downstairs to confront his brother before the children woke. He knew this wasn’t going to be pretty.

When he saw his brother still standing in his kitchen, his hand in a box of Cap’ n Crunch, his anger returned in full force.

“What is your bloody problem!” Killian roared, bending to pick up the frying pan.

Liam’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “I think the proper question is what the bloody hell are you thinking?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You brought home a strange woman? With your kids here?”

“She was wandering around without a proper coat with a gash on her head! What was I supposed to do? Leave her out there to freeze to death?”

“So you thought dressing her up in Milah’s clothes and giving her free range of the house was a good idea? What will the kids think?”

Killian rolled his eyes. “They think exactly the same thing I do - that she’s in trouble and we’re helping her. And as for Milah’s clothes, they were the only women’s things I had. They’re not doing anyone any good sitting in a chest in the back of the closet.”

“Do you even know anything about here?”

“No, actually,” Killian mumbled running a hand through his hair. “She has amnesia.”

“Oh, that’s convenient.”

“It’s true!”

“You need to call the cops!”

“Of course I’ve done that,” Killian snapped. God, sometimes Liam acted like he was still a boy. “They’re just as paralyzed by the storm as everyone else. Graham said he’d get out here to talk to her as soon as a snowmobile could make it through. Vincent will do the same and check her injuries. In the meantime, we’re just trying to make her as comfortable as we can.”

Liam deflated somewhat and tossed another handful of cereal into his mouth. “Well, I guess all that makes sense,” he conceded after chewing and swallowing.

“I don’t need your approval,” Killian ground out.

Liam sighed and set the cereal box down on the counter. “I’m sorry if I freaked out. I just worry about you, that’s all. I’ll never forget the shell of a person you were after you lost Milah.”

“You never approved of her.”

“I didn’t approve of how it began, but once you adopted the kids . . . “ Liam shook his head. “She loved you, that was always clear, and I never would have wished cancer on her. Surely you know that.”

Killian ran a hand wearily over his face. They had talked this subject to death, and he was sick of it. “Look, can we just leave Milah out of this?”

“Okay, but be careful.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Liam tilted his head. “The way you carried her up the stairs? I’ve seen that look on your face before.”

“I just met her!”

Liam stepped closer and put a hand gently on Killian’s shoulder. “You’ve been alone for a long time. So like I said, be careful.”

Henry burst into the room then, excited to see his uncle and pestering Killian about possibly going outside. Killian was glad for the reprieve as he turned to the stove to get breakfast started. Liam was off the mark on everything, clearly.

I’ve seen that look on your face before.

Killian massaged his brow and suppressed a groan. Yes, his brother was clearly off the mark.

#cs ff #cs modern au #snowed in trope #memory loss #daddy killian #alice #knightrook #past positive millian #henry is killian's son

[midnightmarev]

Once Upon A Time... Not

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Find it on AO3 at dahliadragonheart

Relationships: Might be Prinxiety, might be LAMP. I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes. Eventual Logicality. Eventual Demus. Remile. Original Female Characters.

Summary: Virgil Blake moves to Gainesville, Florida, at the age of 17 with his father and twin sister after his mother’s death. He doesn’t believe in a ‘happily, ever after’. At least not for himself. Virgil thinks it is stupid because he’s seen for himself that not even his parents got to have one, even though they always told him they would while he was a child. He moves to Florida with the opinion that fairy-tales are stupid - that or he fears them - and that he will never have a ‘happily, ever after’. But how wrong he is proven when he bumps into Roman Garcia, Patton Maine, and Logan Connors. He gets whirled up in his very own - down to earth - fairy-tale.

Notes: Salutations. I was inspired by something my teacher said in class one day. Well, he mentioned 'Once Upon A Time' and I was like: Once Upon A Time is dead. No maybe, Once Upon A Time doesn't exist. Not. AAHHHH! Long story short, I started writing, and all of a sudden, I had planned out future chapters and written character sheets.

It didn’t start out like it, but it ended up basically being a twin AU, meaning everyone has a twin. At least the gang. They’re called the twin-squad in school because they are all friends and often hang out together. TS for short. You know? Like Thomas Sanders? Alright, I’ll shut up now. Enjoy!

Chapter Summary: Virgil and his twin are moving with their father to America three months after their mother's death. Virgil finds a mysterious box under his bed that seemingly belongs to her. Does he open it? And what could it hold?

Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, self-deprecating thoughts, mentions of minor character death, panic attack, unintentional child neglect, a dad joke or two (they are bad). Let me know if I missed any.

Word count: 2628

Next Chapter

Chapter 1: Prologue

‘Once upon a time’ is not real. ‘Happily, ever after’ doesn’t exist. I once believed it did, but so did everyone else. I was just a kid. Like everyone else.

At least, ‘happily, ever after’ doesn’t exist to people like me. I will never have it, no matter how much I might want it. So, ‘once upon a time’ is dead. So is ‘happily, ever after’.

These kinds of thoughts are not an uncommon occurrence for me. Though usually, they are worse. I would’ve thought they would have been worse, seeing as Father, my sister, and I are moving to a completely different country, away from my mother’s grave. The only positive I can see is the fact that I don’t have to wear school uniform anymore.

A knock on my door. “Are you done packing the rest of your stuff?” my father asks. He doesn’t open it. Probably too scared that he would find me collapsed on the floor like he did my mother.

I don’t answer. At least not verbally. I send him a text. A text saying I had been done for quite some time. I have been laying in my bed for a long time now, stuck in my thoughts. As much as I didn’t want to move, I didn’t want to stay, either. Too many memories. Memories of her.

“That’s good. That’s good. Uh, yeah. I’ve made some dinner. It’s not much but, yeah. I would like the three of us to eat dinner one last time before we move. You don’t have to, but I would like it, and I think it would be good for the three of us,” Father says tentatively like I’m gonna bolt out the window if he speaks too loudly or something.

I consider it. I _have _been closing myself off for some time now. School was a no-go. Father thought so, too, so he had made an arrangement with the school. They sent everything to me digitally so I would still be able to keep up with school. And I don’t like being behind, but school just became too much after Mother…

I shook my head. I really didn’t wanna think about her right now. That would only open up too many wounds. I open up my phone again to answer Father yes, I will be down in a few minutes. I then hear footsteps leaving my door.

I sigh. Might as well get it over with. It’s been three months, but it’s still really awkward at the dinner table when I actually on rare occasions venture downstairs. And it’s the last day we’re staying here anyway. What better way to say goodbye than having one last ‘family-dinner’?

Another knock on my door. This one lighter, almost ghost-like. “Hey, it’s me. Can I come in?” It’s my twin sister’s voice. I knock on my wall once for yes. She enters and slowly walks over to me and tentatively sits down on the edge of my bed. “You know you don’t have to come down if you’re not feeling up to it, right? Father won’t hold it against you.”

I sit up. _“I know,” _I sign before hanging my head, looking down at the mattress. I feel a hand on my knee and look up to meet her eyes with a soft smile on her lips. I hesitate before continuing. “I just feel like I owe it to her, you know?”

“I know Vee, I know,” she says softly. She takes my hand and gives it what I’m assuming is meant to be a comforting squeeze. She’s the only one I’ve allowed to touch me since we buried Mother. She’s the only one whose touch doesn’t feel like it can send me into a panic attack.

I give her a small smile in return. She releases my hand, and I start signing. “Should we head downstairs then?” At that, she smiles and nods to me before standing up. I frown when she doesn’t head to the door, but to one of the moving boxes. She’s picking something up, but I can’t see it from my angle.

“Here,” she says softly and turns around. She’s standing with my hoodie. The one I worked on with Mother. My patchwork hoodie. Black with stitched on purple plaid patches. “It’s a bit cold downstairs, might wanna wear this,” she smiles.

I just stare at her. Is she serious? There was a reason why I packed it down in the first place. After a few moments, I slowly reach out for it. It feels weird to hold it again. I look to her with a questioning look, but she just nods to me. Then I notice that she is wearing the jacket she made with Mother.

A tear falls from my eye with no accompanying sound. I open up my mouth to speak, but no sound came. I close it and try again. It takes a few more tries, but eventually, I’m able to croak out “Thank you,” before winching. I hadn’t used my voice in days, it sounded awful.

But she just smiles at me. I then put on the hoodie, sips it up and looks at her. She has her hand outstretched to me. “Shall we, brother dear?” she smiles at me. I nod and take her hand.

When we come downstairs, the table is set for the three of us with what looks like some improvised veggie stew on the table.

“Hey you two, I made veggie stew.” Oh no, Father just tried to make a rhyme. We’re in for it. He’s gonna make us sit through a lot of super bad dad jokes and puns, all in the name of trying to cheer us up. And worst of all? That tactic always works!

My sister giggles a bit. “Nice. Though it looks like you just raided the fridge,” she winks at Father. Ah, because we’re moving and need to have the fridge cleared out. I roll my eyes and sign, good-naturedly, to her to shut up.

My Father minutely sags. Maybe he had hoped I would talk, but I haven’t actually had a verbal conversation since Mother died. Don’t know why he would get his hopes up.

“Well, Virgil, Anastacia, I present to you: some veggie stew. And yes, it’s basically what was left in the fridge, so anything we don’t eat everything tonight, we’ll bring with us at our travels to America.” He sighs. “I know you still miss your mother dearly, trust me, I know, but we will have to move on eventually. Who knows? Maybe this new start in America is precisely what we need,” he tries, smiling a bit. He was hoping for us to make friends. For me to make friends since Ann didn’t have a problem with that. But I have her, don’t need other people in my life that I will lose eventually. I lost Mother, I’ve almost lost Father, and with the move to America, I might lose my twin, for the most part, to her future-to-be friends. Bottom line, if I get attached to someone, I will lose them. Either they die, or they abandon me. Simple as that.

Ann gives my hand another squeeze, pulling me out of my thoughts, and we sit down at the table. The stew is actually pretty good, considering Father can’t really cook all that well.

After we ate, I went back to my room. The moving truck will be coming later in the evening, so I have to get what I need for the trip and get the boxes ready for pick-up. I hate that we are leaving. It’s doing nothing good for my anxiety. I hate change.

Moving to a new school means all new people. New bullies. Just hope they won't discover my binder as fast. They will eventually though. And that only adds to the things that are wrong with me; the things bullies can use against me.

I rummage through the last box to get my sketch pad and pencils. I put my fidget cube on the lid of the box, but with me moving it, I accidentally knock it under my bed. My bed which we will be leaving behind. The bed Mother always would sit so tentatively on and card her fingers through my hair and guide me through my panic attack. How she would lay down on it and sign me lullabies and point out constellations and the stories behind them and NO! Stop thinking about that!

I sigh. It’s gonna be a long night. I bend down to pick up the cube and notice a glint. It’s a wooden box. It’s gathered a lot of dust. I don’t even remember putting it down there, so it must have been sitting there for a long time. The glint came from the sun shining on the lock. A combination lock. Hmm, I wonder. Mother and I always used the same number-combination for these kinds of things, so if it were Mother’s, I would still be able to open it. The question now is, do I open it?

Fidget cube and art supplies forgotten at the moment, I slowly put in the right combination of numbers and open it. What? I might be an anxious mess, but sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me, okay?

The first thing I notice is the engraving on the inside of the lid. It’s beautiful, artistic, looks incredibly complicated, and, most importantly, something my mother used to make! I flinch back at the sudden realisation. Nonononono! This is bad! Very bad! I don’t want painful memories of her flooding my mind!

I start doing my breathing exercises. In for four seconds. Hold for seven. And out for eight. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Repeat until I have my breathing under control and I’m sure I won't have a flashback.

It’s pitch black. Is it night already? Oh, my eyes are closed. That’s why. When did I close my eyes? I slowly open them. And look straight into Ann’s eyes. She looks distraught. That’s when I notice a tapping on my knee. Tap tap tap tap. Pause. Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap. Pause. Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap. Repeat. 4-7-8. Oh.

She’s speaking, but I can’t hear her. Instead, I read her lips. ‘you hear me, Virgil? There you are. Can you hear me? Tap once for yes and twice for no. Please?’ I tap twice. She nods. Then she disappeared from my view. She returned after what felt like an eternity. With something in her hand. My fidget cube. I wonder why… oh nevermind. This is nice. I look up at her again. She’s signing something to me. I don’t catch it, so I just stare at her. She smiles softly. At me. Why would she smile to me? I’m not worth it. She looks down now. I follow her eyes and my eyes land on a piece of paper.

‘You’re doing great. Keep going, Vee. I’m proud of you. Please keep focusing on your breathing.’

I look to her again. I watch as she slowly leans towards me. I don’t flinch. I never do when it’s her. She brushes my cheek. Her hand comes away wet, I notice. Wet from my tears. When did I start crying? She opens her mouth again.

“How you feeling now, Vee? Is there anything else I can do?” I can hear her again. I don’t know how to answer, though. My hands are shaking too much to sign. She moves her hand again, slowly, as to let me know what she wants to do. I follow her hand with my eyes. She’s reaching for the paper. Scribbles something on it.

‘Water, blanket, fidget cube, paper and pencil, stuffed animal, other.’

“Could you point to one of these? Very good, you’re doing amazing,” she says after I point to the blanket and stuffed animal. “I’ll be right back, Vee.”

She doesn’t return. It’s been a long time. Where is she? It feels like she left hours ago. My breathing picks up again, and so does my anxiety. Suddenly I feel something on my shoulders. I jolt. Oh, it’s just a blanket. Ann didn’t leave me after all. I can see her again. I can feel she is tapping my knee again. I try to match my breathing to it. It is hard, but after I don’t know how long, I can breathe normally again. Finally. She is handing me something. A stuffed animal. Why is she giving me that? I furrow my eyebrows to try to remember. I look down and spot the paper. Oh yeah, I pointed to what I would like to have at that moment.

I accept the stuffed animal. It’s a lynx. She has big, like really big, eyes and they look like they change colour when the light hits them from different angles. The colours of the rainbow. She’s my only stuffed animal. I haven’t ever really been a fan of stuffed animals, but something about Linx just made me love her the moment I laid my eyes on her. Yes, I named her Linx. Deal with it. Creativity is not my department. At least not creativity involving names.

“How you feeling now? Think you can sign?” I look at my hands. They’re not shaking badly anymore, so I try to sign a single ‘yes’. I then nod to her, giving her a hint of a smile. And she returns it tenfold. “Awesome. Do you want me to stay with you tonight? And before you ask; no. You wouldn’t be bothering me at all. I would do anything for you Vee. You know that!” she says, sounding stern, but stern in a soft way.

I chuckle soundlessly, feeling my anxiety ebb away. ‘I don’t think I’m going to have another panic attack at the moment, so I’m feeling better. Not good or great, but better.’ I have to stop after that. Signing that much after an attack can take the strength out of you. When I catch my breath again, I continue to sign. ‘And I would like it if you would stay with me.’

She nods, still smiling, though it’s softened. “I think it would be best for us to go to your bed and not staying here on the floor. Can you stand, or would you like me to pick you up and carry you to bed? 1 or 2?” she asks. I think about it for a bit. My legs feel like boiled spaghetti, so I think it would be a bad idea for me to try and walk; even with Anastacia’s help. I hold up two fingers. She nods.

Before she moves to pick me up, she closes the box and pushes it aside. Making sure it’s out of my sight so that I won’t even be able to see it even in my peripheral view. Pretty sure she knows that’s what caused the attack in the first place.

Before I know it, Ann and I are cuddled up on my bed at midnight. Wait, midnight? It’s already midnight? Wait, ‘already’? I mean ‘only’. I don’t know, my inner clock is broken from my many late nights. Insomnia’s a bitch.

“Goodnight, Vee. I love you more than you will ever believe. It’s always gonna be the two of us, no matter what. I’ll never leave you,” she whispers in my ear. Don’t make promises you can’t keep sis. Sooner or later, you’ll leave me too. It’s only a matter of time. You’ll get tired of having to put up with my shit and having to pull me out of panic attacks over stupid things. Just wait and see. You will.

Endnotes: If you have any notes on the panic attack Virgil has, and think it was totally wrongly written, then please let me know. It's my first time writing a panic attack. I have never had one myself, but I tried to research the best I could about them, how they felt, and how to help a person through them.

What was in the box, you ask? Well, stay tuned to find out. It might be a while, but Virgil will get the courage to open it up. Eventually.

I've never written a person with anxiety, so I might get a lot of things wrong. If you want to correct me, if I'm doing something completely wrong, please let me know.

Also, I've never written a trans person before, so if I'm writing their troubles wrong, or you just want to add something that might be useful, don't be afraid to comment and let me know.

Until next time. Take it easy guys, gal, and non-binary pals. See ya.

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #original characters #Once Upon A Time... Not #OUAT...N #trans virgil #tw: anxiety #self-deprecation #self-deprecating thoughts #mentions of minor character death #panic attack #unintentional child neglect #a dad joke or two (they are bad) #Let me know if I missed any trigger warnings

[chuckling-chemist]

Seventh Fall

((One of two pieces I wrote for the @fantrollszine! if you like what you read here, consider buying me a coffee or checking out my AO3!))

It’s your seventh sweep. Moonlight seeps from your window and onto your mattress pad, illuminating your respiteblock and casting dark shadows of the bright red, fragrant flowers sitting on the window sill. An early present from your pirate patron, a thank you for helping him. You’re not sure how he found out your wiggling day, nor are you especially sure you want to know how, but the thought he actually decided to celebrate it is nice. It isn’t common you meet trolls so eager to celebrate a holiday like yourself or Sekier.

You groan as you roll out of your mattress pad, mindful of the tall horns affixed to your head. Normally, you’d celebrate your wiggling day. And of all days, the day of your seventh sweep should be a big one. The day you can get off this godforsaken planet to hopefully get paid to research without the fear that a subjuggalator arbitrarily deciding your research was heretical.

But you made the mistake of pissing off the Heiress. And while she didn’t cull you on the spot, you’d rather be dead than stuck here to eventually starve, as melodramatic as that sounds.

Look on the bright side. You don’t have to be anywhere tonight.

It’s not exactly a comfort, but it keeps the rage at the whole situation from boiling over well enough you stumble over to your clothes chest and mirror to your halfmoon glasses.

You blink harshly as your glasses slide up your nose as you adjust to the sudden clarity, and despite yourself you can’t help but glance in the mirror. If you don't have anywhere to be today, you may as well take advantage of an opportunity to use yourself as a test subject and determine if you were adhering to the usual growth patterns of trolls. They always told you - and still do, if you think about it - how the ordeals work because they are the last step a troll takes towards maturation. Everything else - emotionally, mentally and physically - you should be the physically mature adult, ready to take on the stars.

Yet, as you stared in the mirror, you look no different. Your oculars are a splotchy teal around the pupil, but they’ve looked like that for weeks. Your horns still disproportionately tall to your skinny frame and small body. And while you’ve grown, even Aisral’s taller than you. There’s a semblance of a bust - at least if your last fitting with Aisral indicated anything - but you certainly can’t see it now. Your gray skin is no darker. And feeling different? You felt the same way you did yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. Unless being an adult is supposed to feel identical to being a kid, even though you’ve been led it’s a completely different experience. Despite the day, you were just...you. Judgmental, inquisitive, and more stubborn than trolls preferred but still you.

Maybe you were an anomaly? Some runt of the grub litter who got lucky and escaped before the jades or drones could nab you? You were destined to look and feel like you did at 6.9 sweeps for the rest of your life?

But then again, you don’t remember Mayola going through any sudden drastic change. She didn’t just walk in one day with pink eyes and a mature outlook on life to both literally and metaphorically hold over you with her sudden height. She was just...Mayola. Brash, impulsive, energetic...Mayola. You don’t remember any sort of dramatic change between the 6th and 7th sweep with her.

The longer you think, the more you realize just how, within your small circle of acquaintances, you don’t remember any drastic changes. No sudden growth. No darker skin. No more amount of wisdom and experience than they ever had any other day in their life on Alternia. (Well, maybe Glacin experienced drastic change, but with every inch of his body covered, you weren’t going to ever know).

We’ve been lied to.

A sigh, far more irritated than you anticipate, leaves your throat. It’s not the nice answer, but as you ponder how horribly wrong everything they’ve said is, it’s the only answer you can come to. Hell, it hasn’t even been the first time you’ve come to that answer. Every time you perform a reportedly popular experiment that “confirmed” long-time held suspicions, you always find the experiment wildly inaccurate at best and actively biased and malicious at worst. You simply don’t like how it managed to stain the already horribly tarnished reputation of the Empire, worsening an already low opinion each time you came to such a conclusion.

You should study this. If not with yourself, you still have a couple more friends who haven’t turned seven yet. Maybe study them? But the study itself may be biased, if you work only with people you know. As your thoughts race, you scramble over to your cluttered desk to grab at your teal notebook, flipping open to a random page to jot them down before they scatter away at your newest idea: all the possible forms of study, the questions to ask, the castes available for investigation, who you’ll need to ask for help, how much money it could cost, the most effective way to obtain participants, the pros and cons of just using corpses again--

Creak.

Your mental train crashes right there in mid sentence and you scowl for a brief second. It’s easy to forgot how loud your door gets when you’re focusing on better things. You give a quick turn on your bare heel towards the sound and find a distinctly familiar looking purpleblood with long hair that partially obscures the horns that curl around his ears and even longer black coat, standing awkwardly in your doorway. Your vision does a quick once-over to ensure he doesn’t look particularly injured - this specific purpleblood has that problem.

“Pallia,” he starts pleasantly, “happy wiggling day.”

“Not much of a wiggling day if I can’t actually do anything about it,” you mutter darkly. “But thanks anyway.”

He grins. “Ah yes, I heard about your little run-in with the Heiress.” You open your mouth to retort, but he’s already continuing. “Don’t worry, it’s not spread in the cove. Much.”

You cross your arms. Memories of what Careen did come rushing back, and the familiar pain stings your gut. “You say that like it’s supposed to be comforting.”

“It is.” He snatches something out of his pocket and tosses it, letting it fall on the floor near your feet. You pick it up and run it between your fingers. It’s just a wooden coin, engraved with some odd symbol that looks vaguely like a neuron on one side and what looks like a crescent moon on the other. “It’s spread just enough that convincing the council to let you be the new lawkeeper was easy.”

Lawkeeper. Just like every other teal. You grimace, pushing the anger down. “Uh...thanks Vodnik. But I’m not sure you want me to be some kind of keeper of something that important.”

“Your display of telling the Heiress to fuck off indicates you’re exactly the troll we need,” he says, voice unusually serious for once in his life. “We need someone who can stick to their ideas and keep the murder hobos away from the port while bringing some semblance of order to a bunch of anarchists. Not some wishy-washy legislacerator who bends the knee at the nearest seadweller.”

“You’re forcing me to skimp my research,” you point out.

“We’re pirates,” Vodnik drawls. “We’re not going to force you to do dick if you’re helping us.”

“I have been helping you. It’s only pirates that come here, you know. Pirates and anyone Mayola knows.”

“Help us more frequently then.” He shrugs and starts to pace the length of your respiteblock, what little there is to truly pace. “Just once a perigee and when we have emergencies. And of course, you’ll get paid. It’s just another cove job. Think of it as... funding your research?”

You nod, letting the coin pass between your slim fingers. It’s not what you want, but at the same time, you don’t really want to research for the Empress any more than you want to do law work. You just hoped for the opportunity to go off planet. But now, you could continue your research - away from the Empress, or her bitch of an Heiress. You just might have to occasionally dip away for “official” business.

Eventually, you’re not sure how long you stand there, you look up to him with a smirk. “It’s a deal,” you say.

Your name is Pallia Alkali. It’s your seventh sweep. And despite Careen’s best intentions, you’re still here to spite the very lying, sack of shit Empire she represents.

#homestuck #fantroll #fantrolls #hiveswap #fanfiction #my writing #pallia

[surveysonfleek]

1251.

My phone has a touch screen. So does my iPod. I don’t even have a phone. Or an iPod. I’m really thirsty in the morning. I can’t stand it when dirt gets under my nails. I’m happy that Obama is our president. I’m not! I don’t really care. What’s with preps dying their hair black? I hate Crocs. I don’t, they are so comfortable. I’ve got in a fight with my boyfriend/girlfriend in the past week. We worked it out though. I wish we could have, but we broke up. I love Jolly Ranchers.

But not as much as Skittles. I know how to change a tire. Paramore is one of my favorite bands. So is Forever The Sickest Kids. If you don’t like either of them, you’re crazy! My computer is a HP. So is my printer. I have someone I worry about a lot. I never wear necklaces. Spaghetti is one of my favorite foods. But I hate lasagna. It’s dark out right now. And really cold. I’m going to watch the Superbowl. I think people who laugh at the number 69 are somewhat immature. The Breakfast Club is one of my favorite movies. So is 16 Candles. I wish they still made good movies like that. Those movies suck! There’s a drum set in my house. An electric guitar too. I’ve seen the movie Pineapple Express. I haven’t yet, but I want to. I’m texting someone right now. I’m actually texting more than one person. I’ve kissed a person with more than 2 piercings. Stewie is awesome. I have pj pants with him on. I’ve been suspended before. I haven’t, that’s really bad! I’m easily annoyed. Neon green is better than hot pink. I live alone. I wish I did. Bolding surveys are my favorite. I have a step or half sibling. I have velvet pants. I have a t-shirt from a museum exhibit. I’ve been to Dunkin’ Donuts before. I’ve been on the subway. I usually get movies from the library. I’m scared of heights. I should be asleep right now. I have something that smells like mint. I have spare batteries. My speakers are off right now. My computer is in my bedroom. I only have one blanket on my bed. I own or have owned a teddy bear. I’ve memorized bohemian rhapsody. I’ve played Runescape. I like to make lists. I’ve listened to the Beach Boys. I am very flexible. In bookstores, I walk around with my head tilted sideways. I’m wearing a hoodie. I know a lot of weird facts. I’ve watched Nightmare on Elm Street before. I know what pappillon means in English. Sufjan Stevens makes me happy. I wish my nose was smaller. Who lives in North Dakota, anyway? I like to eat goldfish. I get at least three e-mails per day. I smile a lot. I use “however” instead of “but” when writing an essay. I’ve seen The Breakfast Club. I’ve had a burping contest with someone. And I won the contest. I like sharing books with my friends. I usually recognize the poets my English teacher talks about. A stranger has given me a high five for no reason. I’ve been to a Harry Potter book release party. I usually need to be reminded to eat. I have tiny hands. I like to look for shapes in the plaster on my ceiling. I prefer pencils to pens. I write on my hands when I need to remember something. I’ve been to a roller skating rink. I own a piece of clothing that is rainbow patterned. I own a piece of clothing with skulls on it. I am extremely patient. I wish I could dance well. I’ve been to an ice skating rink. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night. I’ve been on the high honor roll. I have a purse with flowers on it. I love to people watch. I’ve written an acrostic poem. I have bad posture. I’ve fallen asleep in class. I am very easily embarrassed. I liked to make up stories when I was a kid. Whenever I ride my bike, I’m tempted to start singing bicycle race. I take prescription creams/face washes/pills for acne. I drink milk daily. I’ve been told I act like I’m on drugs. I’ve been told I look like I’m on drugs. I have my hair up in a bun. I own something Beatles-related. I have very strong opinions. I love to eat grinders. I don’t call long sandwiches grinders. Teachers have asked me if I’m depressed. More than once. I don’t care what you think of me. I have a toothache. Wonderwall is my “I like someone” song. There’s a book beside or on my bed. I hate innuendo. I really admire improvisational comedians. I don’t like gym class. I am going to do better this school year. I don’t use the word fag. Ever. I’ve been told I have a beautiful singing voice. I can read Shakespeare without translations. I adore English class. I know what the kisney scale is. I read more than one book at a time. I love places that sell dollar-a-cup coffee. The Magic School bus taught me a lot. I liked to dance on the kitchen table as a kid. I’ve lived with a relative for more than a year. I hate sharing a bed. I cried a lot as a kid. My friends have excellent taste in music. Antidisestablishmentarianism! I like to drink coke zero. I watched Labyrinth only because David Bowie was in it. I bite my nails a lot. I’ve been to a music festival. I’ve gotten sunburn before. And it bled. Ew. I hate the noise vacuums make. I prefer showers to baths. Jeffree Starr is way overrated. I don’t like my mouse pad. I love people who look classy. My nail polish is chipped. I’m going to read a book today. My mattress is on the floor. I am an insomniac. Cabaret punk is love. I have a DVD I want to watch. I’m a really picky eater. I take ibuprofen a lot. I tan very easily. The sun is shining right now. I love yellow Jell-O. I’ve made Popsicles with an ice cube tray, juice and toothpicks. And I called them ghetto pops. I’ve never met my neighbors. I’ve drawn on the street with chalk. I’ve been in a tree house. Tire swings are really fun. I love abandoned places. I have a plastic bag near me. I only watch TV when I’m really bored. I can’t wait to graduate. I’ve pulled an all-nighter so I would be really tired the next night. I really hate needles. I get along with my parents. My font on aim is tiny. I don’t use aim. I fall in love with songs that have beautiful lyrics. I listen to anti-folk. I have no idea what anti-folk is. I like to blow bubbles. I’ve won a hula hooping contest before. I’ve almost drowned. I’ve choked on something. I’ve taken a first aid course. One of my friends is in a different state right now. I’ve been to Chicago. I really like mohawks, but I would never get one. I am always warm. I have some weird eating habits. I like to spin in desk chairs. I have a beta fish. I have big lips. Tape is way better than glue. I like stickers. I’ve worn black jelly bracelets before. There is a type of music that I think is awful. My favorite girl from The Hills is Audrina. No, I prefer LC. I don’t have texting on my phone. I prefer New York to California. I’ve read all the Harry Potter books. Lord of the Rings too. My cell has a cover on it. I want to get a tattoo that has to do with a band. My family doesn’t eat dinner together. I’m worried that I won’t get into any college. I’m already in college! I own more than one flannel shirt. School is very important to me. I’d live on the beach if I could. Avocado is sooooo good. I can speak five languages fluently. One of my friends already has a kid. I drive everywhere. I hate when people say things aren’t art. I’m currently texting more than 3 people. My best friend wears the same size clothes as I do. I’ve only been in one serious relationship. One of my parents is gay. I rescued my pet from the animal shelter. I want to live in many different states when I’m older. I hardly ever go to the movies. I’ve liked one of my favorite bands for many years. I’m looking for a serious relationship right now. A lot of Starbucks are closing by my house. We don’t have H&M in my state. That’s my favorite store. I never order things online. I’m constantly listening to music. US History fascinates me. Oranges are the best fruit. I have lactose intolerance. I always watch the National Spelling Bee on TV. I’m on a family plan. Parties aren’t my scene. I’ve lost many friends in my life. There are some friends I still wish I had. Fake nails look gross. I own an oyster card. My birthday is in the fall. 2008 was a horrible year for me. Actually, it was the best. I’ve been on a cruise before. I like chemistry more than biology. I like taking surveys more than making them. I don’t have a significant other. I get all four seasons where I live. I only shop when I absolutely have the need to. I have an older brother. I have my driver’s license. I don’t want to have kids someday. I wear more jeans than skirts. I’d rather wear sneakers than high heels. I don’t go to church. I don’t like having my fringe in my face. I own like, a hundred hoodies. I couldn’t draw to save my life. I’m a very good cook. I always have to look at the keyboard when I type. I’ve had surgery before. I don’t mind getting shots all that much. I’m not afraid of bugs. I have huge eyes and long lashes. I’m naturally very pale. I’m usually not very picky at all when it comes to food. My parents are divorced. I don’t like doing surveys, but I find myself doing them anyway. I’m addicted to MySpace. I don’t have a Facebook account. I have perfect vision and don’t need glasses or contacts. I don’t wear makeup when I go out. I hate stores like Forever 21. I’m very much into sports. I don’t see what the big deal about photography is. Or fashion design. I don’t really appreciate art that much. Horror movies are my favorite. I don’t care if people cut in line in front of me. I don’t even remember the last time I put on a piece of jewelry. My hair is naturally straight. I support gay marriage. I have more friends online than I do in real life. My siblings are all older than I am. My significant other is younger than I am. I curse in almost every sentence I speak. I always get straight A’s in exams. I don’t know how to play any instrument. I only know how to speak one language. I don’t have my own personal blog. I’m allergic to something. I’ve been stung by a bee at least once in my life. This is the last survey I’m doing today. I have seen someone propose in public before. And they got rejected, poor bloke. I wonder if I will ever get proposed in public. Heck I don’t even know if I’ll ever get married. I know what a sake bomb is. I’ve tried it before. I’ve watched ‘Paris Hilton’s My New BFF’. I think Paris Hilton is a brainless bitch. I celebrate Chinese New Year. I’m not Chinese or a tiny bit Asian at all. I have a step-sibling. I have a weak tolerance of alcohol. Are you kidding me? I can drink all night long! I want a new cell phone. I have my own bathroom. I sleep on a single bed. Nah, I have a King/Queen size bed! I think one night stands are no biggie. I’ve been on a helicopter before. I’m actually afraid of heights. My date rented a limo to take me to prom. Pfft, I wish I had a date. I haven’t had my prom yet. I like clicking on advertisements. Pop-up ads are so old school. I recently took a bath. I never bother, I just take showers. My Christmas holidays were the bomb! Ugh, mine sucked like hell. I’d love to go to Japan one day. I’ve seen a ghost before. I can write lyrics! I can, but I’m not very good at it. I would like to become a musician one day. I love finding things in sofa cracks. Black people can sing really well. So can Filipinos! Really, anyone with talent can do that. I know someone that’s trying very hard to fit in a stereotype. Every cup of water I drink equals to a trip to the toilet. I recently received my exam results. They were quite good! Nope, failed it all. It’s my boyfriend’s birthday today. He never gives me gifts. He buries me with them. I wish I had a boyfriend that actually spends money on me! I love my boyfriend very much. The Beatles rock my world. Actually, a lot of classic rock bands rock my world. It takes me a really long while to get to sleep. I’m a personality quiz fiend. I am and have always been a night owl. I love reading Sarah Dessen books. My earphones are in my ears practically 24/7. I am an only child and that’s not because of any death. I hate school and everything else connected to it. I’ve never been in any romantic relationship. I have a lot of favorite names. And I plan to use those names on my kids. I’m reading a comic book right now. I’m listening to music right now. I memorize lyrics really easily. But memorizing stuff for school isn’t easy at all. Math is my worst enemy. I love bolding surveys. Nice and easy. I pick Guitar Hero over Rock Band. I’m afraid of heights. And spiders. Actually any disgusting insect. I really don’t mind being all alone. I talk to myself. My favorite animal: zebras. I know that there’s such a thing as a Supersaurus. Dinosaurs fascinate me. English class is love. I know how to make layouts.

#survey #surveys #quiz #bored #questions

[surveys-r-us]

“run away with me”

I have a step or half-sibling. I have velvet pants.  I have a t-shirt from a museum exhibit. I’ve been to Dunkin’ Donuts before. I’ve been on the subway.  I usually get movies from the library. I’m scared of heights. I should be asleep right now. I have something that smells like mint. I have spare batteries. My speakers are off right now. My computer is in my bedroom. I only have one blanket on my bed. I own or have owned a teddy bear. I’ve memorized bohemian rhapsody. I’ve played Runescape. I like to make lists. I’ve listened to the Beach Boys.

I am very flexible. In bookstores, I walk around with my head tilted sideways. I’m wearing a hoodie. I know a lot of weird facts. I’ve watched Nightmare on Elm Street before. I know what pappillon means in English. Sufjan Stevens makes me happy. (lol his music depresses me. who possibly gets happy listening to him?) I wish my nose was smaller. I like to eat goldfish. I smile a lot. I use “however” instead of “but” when writing an essay. I’ve seen The Breakfast Club. I’ve had a burping contest with someone. And I won the contest. I like sharing books with my friends. I usually recognize the poets my English teacher talks about. (don’t have an English teacher anymore) A stranger has given me a high five for no reason. I’ve been to a Harry Potter book release party. I usually need to be reminded to eat. I have tiny hands. I like to look for shapes in the plaster on my ceiling. I prefer pencils to pens. I write on my hands when I need to remember something. 

I’ve been to a roller skating rink. I own a piece of clothing that is rainbow patterned. I own a piece of clothing with skulls on it. I am extremely patient. I wish I could dance well. I’ve been to an ice skating rink. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night. I have a purse with flowers on it. I love to people watch. I’ve written an acrostic poem. I have bad posture. I’ve fallen asleep in class. I am very easily embarrassed. I liked to make up stories when I was a kid. Whenever I ride my bike, I’m tempted to start singing bicycle race. I take prescription creams/face washes/pills for acne. I drink milk daily. I’ve been told I act like I’m on drugs. I’ve been told I look like I’m on drugs. I have my hair up in a bun. I own something Beatles-related. I don’t use the caps lock key often. I have very strong opinions. I love to eat grinders. I don’t call long sandwiches grinders. Teachers have asked me if I’m depressed. More than once. I don’t care what you think of me. I have a toothache. Wonderwall is my “I like someone” song. There’s a book beside or on my bed. I hate innuendo. I really admire improvisational comedians. I don’t like gym class. I am going to do better this school year. I don’t use the word fag. Ever. I’ve been told I have a beautiful singing voice. I can read Shakespeare without translations. I adore English class. I know what the Kinsey scale is. I read more than one book at a time.  I love places that sell dollar-a-cup coffee. The Magic School bus taught me a lot. I liked to dance on the kitchen table as a kid. I’ve lived with a relative for more than a year. I hate sharing a bed. I cried a lot as a kid. My friends have excellent taste in music. I know what I want to be when I grow up. Antidisestablishmentarianism! I like to drink coke zero. I watched Labyrinth only because David Bowie was in it. I bite my nails a lot. I’ve been to a music festival. I’ve gotten sunburn before. And it bled.  I hate the noise vacuums make. I prefer showers to baths. Jeffree Starr is way overrated  I don’t like my mouse pad. I love people who look classy. My nail polish is chipped. I’m going to read a book today. My mattress is on the floor. I am an insomniac. Cabaret punk is love. I have a DVD I want to watch. I’m a really picky eater. I take ibuprofen a lot. I tan very easily. The sun is shining right now. I love yellow Jell-O. I’ve made Popsicles with an ice cube tray, juice and toothpicks. And I called them ghetto pops. I’ve never met my neighbors. I’ve drawn on the street with chalk. I’ve been in a tree house. Tire swings are really fun. I love abandoned places. I have a plastic bag near me. I only watch TV when I’m really bored. I can’t wait to graduate. I’ve pulled an all-nighter so I would be really tired the next night. I really hate needles. I get along with my parents. I fall in love with songs that have beautiful lyrics. I listen to anti-folk. I have no idea what anti-folk is. I like to blow bubbles. I’ve won a hula hooping contest before. I’ve almost drowned. I’ve choked on something. I’ve taken a first aid course. One of my friends is in a different state right now. I’ve been to Chicago. I really like mohawks, but I would never get one. I am always warm. I have some weird eating habits. I like to spin in desk chairs. I have a beta fish. I have big lips. Tape is way better than glue. I like stickers. I’ve worn black jelly bracelets before. There is a type of music that I think is awful. My favorite girl from The Hills is Audrina. No, I prefer LC. I don’t have texting on my phone. I prefer New York to California. I’ve read all the Harry Potter books. Lord of the Rings too. I want to get a tattoo that has to do with a band. My family doesn’t eat dinner together. I’m worried that I won’t get into any college. I’m already in college! I own more than one flannel shirt. School is very important to me. I’d live on the beach if I could. Avocado is sooooo good. I can speak five languages fluently. One of my friends already has a kid. I drive everywhere. I hate when people say things aren’t art. I’m currently texting more than 3 people. My best friend wears the same size clothes as I do. I’ve only been in one serious relationship. One of my parents is gay. I rescued my pet from the animal shelter. I want to live in many different states when I’m older. I hardly ever go to the movies. I’ve liked one of my favorite bands for many years. I’m looking for a serious relationship right now. A lot of Starbucks are closing by my house. We don’t have H&M in my state. That’s my favorite store. I never order things online. I’m constantly listening to music. US History fascinates me Oranges are the best fruit. I have lactose intolerance. I always watch the National Spelling Bee on TV. I’m on a family plan. Parties aren’t my scene. I’ve lost many friends in my life and I’m okay with that. There are some friends I still wish I had. Fake nails look gross. I own an oyster card. (I don’t even live in the UK lmao) My birthday is in the fall. 2008 was a horrible year for me. Actually, it was the best. I’ve been on a cruise before. I like chemistry more than biology. I like taking surveys more than making them. I absolutely despise the color pink. I don’t have a significant other. I get all four seasons where I live. I only shop when I absolutely have the need to. I have an older brother. I have my driver’s license. I don’t want to have kids someday. I wear more jeans than skirts. I’d rather wear sneakers than high heels. I don’t go to church. I don’t like having my fringe in my face. I’m very much into heavy metal music. I own like, a hundred hoodies. I couldn’t draw to save my life. I’m a very good cook. I always have to look at the keyboard when I type. I’ve had surgery before. I don’t mind getting shots all that much. I’m not afraid of bugs. I love hot, hot weather! I have huge eyes and long lashes. I’m naturally very pale. I’m usually not very picky at all when it comes to food. My parents are divorced. I don’t like doing surveys, but I find myself doing them anyway. I’m addicted to Tumblr. I don’t have a Facebook account. I have perfect vision and don’t need glasses or contacts. I don’t wear makeup when I go out. I hate stores like Forever 21 I’m very much into sports. I don’t see what the big deal about photography is. Or fashion design. I don’t really appreciate art that much. Horror movies are my favorite. I don’t care if people cut in line in front of me. I don’t even remember the last time I put on a piece of jewelry. My hair is naturally straight. I support gay marriage. I have more friends online than I do in real life. My siblings are all older than I am. My significant other is younger than I am. I curse in almost every sentence I speak. I always get straight A’s in exams. I don’t know how to play any instrument. I only know how to speak one language. I don’t have my own personal blog. I’m allergic to something. I’ve been stung by a bee at least once in my life. This is the last survey I’m doing today. I have seen someone propose in public before. And they got rejected, poor bloke. I wonder if I will ever get proposed in public. Heck I don’t even know if I’ll ever get married. I know what a sake bomb is. I’ve tried it before. I’ve watched ‘Paris Hilton’s My New BFF’. ^ Ew, sad much? I think Paris Hilton is a brainless bitch. I celebrate Chinese New Year. I’m not Chinese or a tiny bit Asian at all. I have a step-sibling. I have a weak tolerance of alcohol. Are you kidding me? I can drink all night long! I want a new cell phone. I have my own bathroom. I sleep on a single bed. Nah, I have a King/Queen size bed! I think one night stands are no biggie. ^ Slut ^Prude I’ve been on a helicopter before. I’m actually afraid of heights. My date rented a limo to take me to prom. Pfft, I wish I had a date. I haven’t had my prom yet. I like clicking on advertisements. Pop-up ads are so old school. I recently took a bath. I never bother, I just take showers. My Christmas holidays were the bomb! Ugh, mine sucked like hell. I’d love to go to Japan one day. I’ve seen a ghost before. ^ I’d pee in my pants if I did. ^ No, I’d run and scream. I can write lyrics! I can, but I’m not very good at it. I would like to become a musician one day. I love finding things in sofa cracks. Black people can sing really well. So can Filipinos! Really, anyone with talent can do that. I know someone that’s trying very hard to fit in a stereotype. Every cup of water I drink equals to a trip to the toilet. I recently received my exam results. They were quite good! Nope, failed it all. It’s my boyfriend’s birthday today. He never gives me gifts. He buries me with them. I wish I had a boyfriend that actually spends money on me! I love him very much. The Beatles rock my world. Actually, a lot of classic rock bands rock my world. It takes me a really long while to get to sleep. I’m a personality quiz fiend. I am and have always been a night owl. I love reading Sarah Dessen books. My earphones are in my ears practically 24/7. I am an only child and that’s not because of any death. I hate school and everything else connected to it. I’ve never been in any romantic relationship. I have a lot of favorite names. And I plan to use those names on my kids. I’m reading a comic book right now. I’m listening to music right now. I memorize lyrics really easily. But memorizing stuff for school isn’t easy at all. Math is my worst enemy. I love bolding surveys. Nice and easy. I pick Guitar Hero over Rock Band. I’m afraid of heights. And spiders. Actually any disgusting insect. I really don’t mind being all alone. I talk to myself. My favorite animal: zebras. I know that there’s such a thing as a Supersaurus. Dinosaurs fascinate me. English class is love. I know how to make layouts. But I’m way too lazy.

#this is the most 2009 survey i've ever taken lmao

[fluffydragon85]

Bold What Applies To You: My phone has a touch screen. So does my iPod. I don't even have a phone. Or an iPod. I'm really thirsty in the morning.

I can't stand it when dirt gets under my nails. I'm happy that Obama is our president. I'm not! I don't really care. What's with preps dying their hair black? I hate Crocs. I don't, they are so comfortable. I've got in a fight with my boyfriend/girlfriend in the past week. We worked it out though. I wish we could have, but we broke up. I love Jolly Ranchers. But not as much as Skittles. I know how to change a tire. Paramore is one of my favorite bands. So is Forever The Sickest Kids. If you don't like either of them, you're crazy! My computer is a HP. So is my printer. I have someone I worry about a lot. I never wear necklaces. Spaghetti is one of my favorite foods. But I hate lasagna. It's dark out right now. And really cold. I'm going to watch the Superbowl. I think people who laugh at the number 69 are somewhat immature. The Breakfast Club is one of my favorite movies. So is 16 Candles. I wish they still made good movies like that. Those movies suck! There's a drum set in my house. An electric guitar too. I've seen the movie Pineapple Express. I haven't yet, but I want to. I'm texting someone right now. I'm actually texting more than one person. I've kissed a person with more than 2 piercings. Stewie is awesome. I have pj pants with him on. I've been suspended before. I haven't, that's really bad! I'm easily annoyed. Neon green is better than hot pink. I live alone. I wish I did. Bolding surveys are my favorite. I have a step or half sibling. I have velvet pants. I have a t-shirt from a museum exhibit. I’ve been to Dunkin' Donuts before. I’ve been on the subway. I usually get movies from the library. I’m scared of heights. I should be asleep right now. I have something that smells like mint. I have spare batteries. My speakers are off right now. My computer is in my bedroom. I only have one blanket on my bed. I own or have owned a teddy bear. I’ve memorized bohemian rhapsody. I’ve played Runescape. I like to make lists. I’ve listened to the Beach Boys. I am very flexible. In bookstores, I walk around with my head tilted sideways.  I’m wearing a hoodie. I know a lot of weird facts. I’ve watched Nightmare on Elm Street before. I know what pappillon means in English. Sufjan Stevens makes me happy. I wish my nose was smaller. Who lives in North Dakota, anyway? I like to eat goldfish.  I get at least three e-mails per day. I smile a lot. I use "however" instead of "but" when writing an essay. I’ve seen The Breakfast Club. I’ve had a burping contest with someone. And I won the contest. I like sharing books with my friends. I usually recognize the poets my English teacher talks about. A stranger has given me a high five for no reason. I’ve been to a Harry Potter book release party. I usually need to be reminded to eat. I have tiny hands. I like to look for shapes in the plaster on my ceiling. I prefer pencils to pens. I write on my hands when I need to remember something. I’ve been to a roller skating rink. I own a piece of clothing that is rainbow patterned. I own a piece of clothing with skulls on it. I am extremely patient. I wish I could dance well. I’ve been to an ice skating rink. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night. I’ve been on the high honor roll. I have a purse with flowers on it. I love to people watch. I’ve written an acrostic poem. I have bad posture. I’ve fallen asleep in class. I am very easily embarrassed. I liked to make up stories when I was a kid. Whenever I ride my bike, I’m tempted to start singing bicycle race. I take prescription creams/face washes/pills for acne. I drink milk daily. I’ve been told I act like I’m on drugs. I’ve been told I look like I’m on drugs. I have my hair up in a bun. I own something Beatles-related. I have very strong opinions. I love to eat grinders. I don't call long sandwiches grinders. Teachers have asked me if I’m depressed. More than once. I don't care what you think of me. I have a toothache. Wonderwall is my "I like someone" song. There's a book beside or on my bed. I hate innuendo. I really admire improvisational comedians. I don't like gym class. I am going to do better this school year. I don't use the word fag. Ever. I’ve been told I have a beautiful singing voice. I can read Shakespeare without translations. I adore English class. I know what the kisney scale is. I read more than one book at a time. I love places that sell dollar-a-cup coffee. The Magic School bus taught me a lot. I liked to dance on the kitchen table as a kid. I’ve lived with a relative for more than a year. I hate sharing a bed. I cried a lot as a kid. My friends have excellent taste in music. Antidisestablishmentarianism! I like to drink coke zero. I watched Labyrinth only because David Bowie was in it. I bite my nails a lot. I’ve been to a music festival. I’ve gotten sunburn before. And it bled. Ew. I hate the noise vacuums make. I prefer showers to baths. Jeffree Starr is way overrated. I don't like my mouse pad. I love people who look classy. My nail polish is chipped. I’m going to read a book today. My mattress is on the floor. I am an insomniac. Cabaret punk is love. I have a DVD I want to watch. I’m a really picky eater. I take ibuprofen a lot. I tan very easily. The sun is shining right now. I love yellow Jell-O. I’ve made Popsicles with an ice cube tray, juice and toothpicks. And I called them ghetto pops. I’ve never met my neighbors.  I’ve drawn on the street with chalk. I’ve been in a tree house. Tire swings are really fun. I love abandoned places. I have a plastic bag near me. I only watch TV when I’m really bored. I can't wait to graduate. I’ve pulled an all-nighter so I would be really tired the next night. I really hate needles. I get along with my parents. My font on aim is tiny. I don't use aim. I fall in love with songs that have beautiful lyrics. I listen to anti-folk. I have no idea what anti-folk is. I like to blow bubbles. I’ve won a hula hooping contest before. I’ve almost drowned. I’ve choked on something. I’ve taken a first aid course. One of my friends is in a different state right now. I’ve been to Chicago. I really like mohawks, but I would never get one. I am always warm. I have some weird eating habits. I like to spin in desk chairs. I have a beta fish. I have big lips. Tape is way better than glue. I like stickers. I’ve worn black jelly bracelets before. There is a type of music that I think is awful. My favorite girl from The Hills is Audrina. No, I prefer LC. I don't have texting on my phone. I prefer New York to California. I've read all the Harry Potter books. Lord of the Rings too. My cell has a cover on it. I want to get a tattoo that has to do with a band. My family doesn't eat dinner together. I'm worried that I won't get into any college. I'm already in college! I own more than one flannel shirt. School is very important to me. I'd live on the beach if I could. Avocado is sooooo good. I can speak five languages fluently. One of my friends already has a kid.  I drive everywhere. I hate when people say things aren't art. I'm currently texting more than 3 people. My best friend wears the same size clothes as I do. I've only been in one serious relationship. One of my parents is gay. I rescued my pet from the animal shelter.  I want to live in many different states when I'm older. I hardly ever go to the movies. I've liked one of my favorite bands for many years. I'm looking for a serious relationship right now. A lot of Starbucks are closing by my house. We don't have H&M in my state. That's my favorite store. I never order things online. I'm constantly listening to music. US History fascinates me. Oranges are the best fruit. I have lactose intolerance. I always watch the National Spelling Bee on TV. I'm on a family plan. Parties aren't my scene. I've lost many friends in my life. There are some friends I still wish I had. Fake nails look gross. I own an oyster card. My birthday is in the fall. 2008 was a horrible year for me. Actually, it was the best. I've been on a cruise before. I like chemistry more than biology. I like taking surveys more than making them. I don't have a significant other. I get all four seasons where I live. I only shop when I absolutely have the need to. I have an older brother. I have my driver's license. I don't want to have kids someday. I wear more jeans than skirts. I'd rather wear sneakers than high heels. I don't go to church. I don't like having my fringe in my face. I own like, a hundred hoodies. I couldn't draw to save my life. I'm a very good cook. I always have to look at the keyboard when I type. I've had surgery before. I don't mind getting shots all that much. I'm not afraid of bugs. I have huge eyes and long lashes. I'm naturally very pale. I'm usually not very picky at all when it comes to food. My parents are divorced. I don't like doing surveys, but I find myself doing them anyway. I'm addicted to MySpace. I don't have a Facebook account. I have perfect vision and don't need glasses or contacts. I don't wear makeup when I go out. I hate stores like Forever 21. I'm very much into sports. I don't see what the big deal about photography is. Or fashion design. I don't really appreciate art that much. Horror movies are my favorite. I don't care if people cut in line in front of me. I don't even remember the last time I put on a piece of jewelry. My hair is naturally straight. I support gay marriage. I have more friends online than I do in real life. My siblings are all older than I am. My significant other is younger than I am. I curse in almost every sentence I speak. I always get straight A's in exams. I don't know how to play any instrument. I only know how to speak one language. I don't have my own personal blog. I'm allergic to something. I've been stung by a bee at least once in my life. This is the last survey I'm doing today. I have seen someone propose in public before. And they got rejected, poor bloke. I wonder if I will ever get proposed in public. Heck I don't even know if I'll ever get married. I know what a sake bomb is. I've tried it before. I've watched 'Paris Hilton's My New BFF'. I think Paris Hilton is a brainless bitch. I celebrate Chinese New Year. I'm not Chinese or a tiny bit Asian at all. I have a step-sibling. I have a weak tolerance of alcohol. Are you kidding me? I can drink all night long! I want a new cell phone. I have my own bathroom. I sleep on a single bed. Nah, I have a King/Queen size bed! I think one night stands are no biggie. I've been on a helicopter before. I'm actually afraid of heights. My date rented a limo to take me to prom.  Pfft, I wish I had a date. I haven't had my prom yet. I like clicking on advertisements. Pop-up ads are so old school.  I recently took a bath. I never bother, I just take showers. My Christmas holidays were the bomb! Ugh, mine sucked like hell. I'd love to go to Japan one day. I've seen a ghost before. I can write lyrics! I can, but I'm not very good at it. I would like to become a musician one day. I love finding things in sofa cracks. Black people can sing really well. So can Filipinos!  Really, anyone with talent can do that. I know someone that's trying very hard to fit in a stereotype. Every cup of water I drink equals to a trip to the toilet. I recently received my exam results. They were quite good! Nope, failed it all. It's my boyfriend's birthday today. He never gives me gifts. He buries me with them. I wish I had a boyfriend that actually spends money on me! I love my boyfriend very much. The Beatles rock my world. Actually, a lot of classic rock bands rock my world. It takes me a really long while to get to sleep. I'm a personality quiz fiend. I am and have always been a night owl. I love reading Sarah Dessen books. My earphones are in my ears practically 24/7. I am an only child and that's not because of any death. I hate school and everything else connected to it. I've never been in any romantic relationship. I have a lot of favorite names. And I plan to use those names on my kids. I'm reading a comic book right now. I'm listening to music right now. I memorize lyrics really easily. But memorizing stuff for school isn't easy at all. Math is my worst enemy. I love bolding surveys. Nice and easy. I pick Guitar Hero over Rock Band. I'm afraid of heights. And spiders. Actually any disgusting insect. I really don't mind being all alone. I talk to myself. My favorite animal: zebras. I know that there's such a thing as a Supersaurus. Dinosaurs fascinate me. English class is love. I know how to make layouts.

[zolganif]

My phone has a touch screen. So does my iPod. I don't even have a phone. Or an iPod. I'm really thirsty in the morning. I can't stand it when dirt gets under my nails. I'm happy that Obama is our president. I'm not! I don't really care. What's with preps dying their hair black? I hate Crocs. I don't, they are so comfortable. I've got in a fight with my significant other in the past week. We worked it out though. I wish we could have, but we broke up. I love Jolly Ranchers. But not as much as Skittles. I know how to change a tire. Paramore is one of my favorite bands. So is Forever The Sickest Kids. If you don't like either of them, you're crazy! My computer is a HP. So is my printer. I have someone I worry about a lot. I never wear necklaces. Spaghetti is one of my favorite foods. But I hate lasagna. It's dark out right now. And really cold. I'm going to watch the Superbowl. I think people who laugh at the number 69 are somewhat immature. The Breakfast Club is one of my favorite movies. So is 16 Candles. I wish they still made good movies like that. Those movies suck! There's a drum set in my house. An electric guitar too. I've seen the movie Pineapple Express. I haven't yet, but I want to. I'm texting someone right now. I'm actually texting more than one person. I've kissed a person with more than 2 piercings. Stewie is awesome. I have pj pants with him on. I've been suspended before. I haven't, that's really bad! I'm easily annoyed. Neon green is better than hot pink. I live alone. I wish I did. Bolding surveys are my favorite. I have a step or half sibling. I have velvet pants. I have a t-shirt from a museum exhibit. I’ve been to Dunkin' Donuts before. I’ve been on the subway. I usually get movies from the library. I’m scared of heights. I should be asleep right now. I have something that smells like mint. I have spare batteries. My speakers are off right now. My computer is in my bedroom. I only have one blanket on my bed. I own or have owned a teddy bear. I’ve memorized Bohemian Rhapsody. I’ve played Runescape. I like to make lists. I’ve listened to the Beach Boys. I am very flexible. In bookstores, I walk around with my head tilted sideways. I’m wearing a hoodie. I know a lot of weird facts. I’ve watched Nightmare on Elm Street before. I know what pappillon means in English. Sufjan Stevens makes me happy. I wish my nose was smaller. Who lives in North Dakota, anyway? I like to eat goldfish.  I get at least three e-mails per day. I smile a lot. I use "however" instead of "but" when writing an essay. I’ve seen The Breakfast Club. I’ve had a burping contest with someone. And I won the contest. I like sharing books with my friends. I usually recognize the poets my English teacher talks about. A stranger has given me a high five for no reason. I’ve been to a Harry Potter book release party. I usually need to be reminded to eat. I have tiny hands. I like to look for shapes in the plaster on my ceiling. I prefer pencils to pens. I write on my hands when I need to remember something. I’ve been to a roller skating rink. I own a piece of clothing that is rainbow patterned. I own a piece of clothing with skulls on it. I am extremely patient. I wish I could dance well. I’ve been to an ice skating rink. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night. I’ve been on the high honor roll. I have a purse with flowers on it. I love to people watch. I’ve written an acrostic poem. I have bad posture. I’ve fallen asleep in class. I am very easily embarrassed. I liked to make up stories when I was a kid. Whenever I ride my bike, I’m tempted to start singing Bicycle Race. I take prescription creams / face washes / pills for acne. I drink milk daily. I’ve been told I act like I’m on drugs. I’ve been told I look like I’m on drugs. I have my hair up in a bun. I own something Beatles-related. I have very strong opinions. I love to eat grinders. I don't call long sandwiches grinders. Teachers have asked me if I’m depressed. More than once. I don't care what you think of me. I have a toothache. Wonderwall is my "I like someone" song. There's a book beside or on my bed. I hate innuendo. I really admire improvisational comedians. I don't like gym class. I am going to do better this school year. I don't use the word fag. Ever. I’ve been told I have a beautiful singing voice. I can read Shakespeare without translations. I adore English class. I know what the kisney scale is. I read more than one book at a time. I love places that sell dollar-a-cup coffee. The Magic School bus taught me a lot. I liked to dance on the kitchen table as a kid. I’ve lived with a relative for more than a year. I hate sharing a bed. I cried a lot as a kid. My friends have excellent taste in music. Antidisestablishmentarianism! I like to drink coke zero. I watched Labyrinth only because David Bowie was in it. I bite my nails a lot. I’ve been to a music festival. I’ve gotten sunburn before. And it bled. Ew. I hate the noise vacuums make. I prefer showers to baths. Jeffree Starr is way overrated.  I don't like my mouse pad. I love people who look classy. My nail polish is chipped. I’m going to read a book today. My mattress is on the floor. I am an insomniac. Cabaret punk is love. I have a DVD I want to watch. I’m a really picky eater. I take ibuprofen a lot. I tan very easily. The sun is shining right now. I love yellow Jell-O. I’ve made Popsicles with an ice cube tray, juice and toothpicks. And I called them ghetto pops. I’ve never met my neighbors. I’ve drawn on the street with chalk. I’ve been in a tree house. Tire swings are really fun. I love abandoned places. I have a plastic bag near me. I only watch TV when I’m really bored. I can't wait to graduate. I’ve pulled an all-nighter so I would be really tired the next night. I really hate needles. I get along with my parents. My font on aim is tiny. I don't use aim.<------I actually miss that now, and MSN. :(

I fall in love with songs that have beautiful lyrics. I listen to anti-folk. I have no idea what anti-folk is. I like to blow bubbles. I’ve won a hula hooping contest before. I’ve almost drowned. I’ve choked on something. I’ve taken a first aid course. One of my friends is in a different state right now. I’ve been to Chicago. I really like mohawks, but I would never get one. I am always warm. I have some weird eating habits. I like to spin in desk chairs. I have a betta fish.  I have big lips. Tape is way better than glue. I like stickers. I’ve worn black jelly bracelets before. There is a type of music that I think is awful. My favorite girl from The Hills is Audrina. No, I prefer LC. I don't have texting on my phone. I prefer New York to California. I've read all the Harry Potter books. Lord of the Rings too. My cell has a cover on it. I want to get a tattoo that has to do with a band. My family doesn't eat dinner together. I'm worried that I won't get into any college. I'm already in college! I own more than one flannel shirt. School is very important to me. I'd live on the beach if I could. Avocado is sooooo good. I can speak five languages fluently. One of my friends already has a kid. I drive everywhere. I hate when people say things aren't art. I'm currently texting more than 3 people. My best friend wears the same size clothes as I do. I've only been in one serious relationship. One of my parents is gay.<-------Actually, both of them are.  I rescued my pet from the animal shelter. I want to live in many different states when I'm older. I hardly ever go to the movies. I've liked one of my favorite bands for many years. I'm looking for a serious relationship right now. A lot of Starbucks are closing by my house. We don't have H&M in my state. That's my favorite store. I never order things online. I'm constantly listening to music. US History fascinates me. Oranges are the best fruit. I am lactose intolerant. I always watch the National Spelling Bee on TV. I'm on a family plan. Parties aren't my scene. I've lost many friends in my life. There are some friends I still wish I had. Fake nails look gross. I own an oyster card. My birthday is in the fall. 2008 was a horrible year for me. Actually, it was the best. I've been on a cruise before. I like chemistry more than biology. I like taking surveys more than making them. I don't have a significant other. I get all four seasons where I live. I only shop when I absolutely have the need to. I have an older brother. I have my driver's license. I don't want to have kids someday. I wear more jeans than skirts. I'd rather wear sneakers than high heels I don't go to church. I don't like having my fringe in my face. I own like, a hundred hoodies. I couldn't draw to save my life. I'm a very good cook. I always have to look at the keyboard when I type. I've had surgery before. I don't mind getting shots all that much. I'm not afraid of bugs. I have huge eyes and long lashes. I'm naturally very pale. I'm usually not very picky at all when it comes to food. My parents are divorced. I don't like doing surveys, but I find myself doing them anyway. I'm addicted to MySpace.<-----Miss that site too. haha.  I don't have a Facebook account. I have perfect vision and don't need glasses or contacts. I don't wear makeup when I go out. I hate stores like Forever 21. I'm very much into sports. I don't see what the big deal about photography is. Or fashion design. I don't really appreciate art that much. Horror movies are my favorite. I don't care if people cut in line in front of me. I don't even remember the last time I put on a piece of jewelry. My hair is naturally straight. I support gay marriage. I have more friends online than I do in real life. My siblings are all older than I am. My significant other is younger than I am. I curse in almost every sentence I speak. I always get straight A's in exams. I don't know how to play any instrument. I only know how to speak one language. I don't have my own personal blog. I'm allergic to something. I've been stung by a bee at least once in my life. This is the last survey I'm doing today.  I have seen someone propose in public before. And they got rejected, poor bloke. I wonder if I will ever get proposed in public. Heck I don't even know if I'll ever get married. I know what a sake bomb is. I've tried it before. I've watched 'Paris Hilton's My New BFF'. I think Paris Hilton is a brainless bitch. I celebrate Chinese New Year. I'm not Chinese or a tiny bit Asian at all. I have a step-sibling. I have a weak tolerance of alcohol. Are you kidding me? I can drink all night long! I want a new cell phone. I have my own bathroom. I sleep on a single bed. Nah, I have a King / Queen size bed! I think one night stands are no biggie. I've been on a helicopter before. I'm actually afraid of heights. My date rented a limo to take me to prom. Pfft, I wish I had a date. I haven't had my prom yet. I like clicking on advertisements. Pop-up ads are so old school. I recently took a bath. I never bother, I just take showers. My Christmas holidays were the bomb! Ugh, mine sucked like hell. I'd love to go to Japan one day. I've seen a ghost before. I can write lyrics! I can, but I'm not very good at it. I would like to become a musician one day. I love finding things in sofa cracks. Black people can sing really well. So can Filipinos! Really, anyone with talent can do that.  I know someone that's trying very hard to fit in a stereotype. Every cup of water I drink equals to a trip to the toilet. I recently received my exam results. They were quite good! Nope, failed it all. It's my significant other's birthday today. He never gives me gifts. He buries me with them. I wish I had a significant other that actually spends money on me! I love my significant other very much. The Beatles rock my world. Actually, a lot of classic rock bands rock my world. It takes me a really long while to get to sleep. I'm a personality quiz fiend. I am and have always been a night owl. I love reading Sarah Dessen books. My earphones are in my ears practically 24 / 7. I am an only child and that's not because of any death. I hate school and everything else connected to it. I've never been in any romantic relationship. I have a lot of favorite names. And I plan to use those names on my kids. I'm reading a comic book right now. I'm listening to music right now. I memorize lyrics really easily. But memorizing stuff for school isn't easy at all. Math is my worst enemy. I love bolding surveys. Nice and easy. I pick Guitar Hero over Rock Band. I really don't mind being all alone. I talk to myself. My favorite animal: zebras. I know that there's such a thing as a Supersaurus. Dinosaurs fascinate me. English class is love. I know how to make layouts.