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sweetsbfreex · 3 years

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a styles snow day

Summary: In Boston, with your family. You and H have a snow day with your daughter. After a hectic morning that is

Warnings: none!

Pairing: Dad, Husband!Harry x reader

The shuffling of soft feet against the sheets had shaken you awake, causing you to open your eyes. You ignore it, but before sleep could take you away again. A sharp strike, from a very soft foot, landed between your shoulders

You open your eyes wide, emitting a raspy whine into the morning air. Reaching your hand back to stop the tiny foot from landing another strike. In result you hear cute giggles causing you to turn, her foot still in your clutch, to see your eighteen month old.

You closed eyes for a second, letting out a low sigh before you scooped her up. Both of you laying on your sides, facing each other, one of her legs laid against your hip.

You reached your hand out to fix the catastrophe that was her hair.

“Not nice Ava...Why is it always me hm...Why don’t you ever wake dad like this?” you ask.

She stared at you, smiling. Only elevator music playing in her morning mind right now. Her small body encased with one of Harry’s very old shirts at her knees. One that his mother had saved for when he had his first child.

“Go wake up dad” you whispered in her ear, your hand cupping the back of her tiny ear.

She looked up at you, her face now amused at your special request. Without any questions, she shuffled her bum to her dad. Who was on his side, his back away from the two of you. Draping her upper body over his torso, her teeny legs pointed out to stabilize herself. Taking an arn that wasn't holding herself up. She reached her chubby fingers to her father’s eye, pulling his eye lid up.

Giggling to herself when Harry’s eye began to move around, then upward at her face which was upside down to him. Then she laughed a bit more when both his eyes startled open in shock.

“Daddy!” she squealed.

Harry groaned, a light pout on his face before he pulled Ava’s finger from his eye. “Hi baby” he smiled, pulling his girl over so she became cocooned in his arms against his chest.

“Mum set you up to this right?” he asked, turning his head around to see a “sleeping” y/n.

“For someone who’s supposed to love me...you are such a menace”. He told his other girl. Watching as she laughed, blowing the cover she thought she had. “Caught ya’” he mumbled, turning back to his baby’s giggles.

You got up, reaching your body over your end of the bed to place a kiss on his shoulder. Making your way over to the three window walls beside your bed. When you rolled up the first blind. A small comical gasp got your attention, looking behind you to see her shocked gaze on the snow.

“Snow!” She gleamed, removing herself from Harry and sprinting to the window. Her nose and palms all up in the glass. Watching the thick layer of snow that buried your spacious backyard.

All three of you had landed in your home in Boston, coming back from visiting your parents, late last night. And with the moving around she had to do a long with the flight. she didn’t get a chance to see the snowfall in the middle of the night.

“I know” you told her, matching her energy. “You wanna play in it later?” You asked, bringing your hand down to pull her away from the glass.

She jumped up and down nodding her head in reply.

“Let’s eat first then we can later”

––––––

Now you were all in the kitchen/dining (since they shared the same space). After Harry took out Milo, the family’s Australian shepherd, from his cage to the front yard. Now he was chasing? Or Ava was chasing him?. The loud dog pants, the sound of feet/paws against the wood, Ava’s giggles, the music Harry decided to play, and your whines, were all mixed. Because Harry would. not. Let you go.

“Do you want to starve? I need to make breakfast” you lean your head back on his shoulder. Being currently enveloped by both his arms, closing you between his chest and the counter.

“You’re popping a couple of eggos in the toaster, chill out” he snickered.

You smiled at his teasing, kissing his cheek before turning your way back to the eggs you were mixing first. He stayed behind you placing kiss after kiss to your shoulder, then your neck, then to the cut of your jaw.

You giggled, reeling him in a bit as you brandished your butt against him. Eyes averting to Harry's fingers which were clenching the counter a bit.

And ever so quickly you tilted your head, so your mouth was to his ear whispering...

“Go fill Milo’s bowl” you tell him, turning your head to kiss one of his shoulders. Before they deflated and Harry sported a dejected look on his face.

“I’ll remember this the next time the roles reverse hm?” he tells you, pinching your butt and then strolling away to the pantry.

And it was peaceful for a little until frill cries interrupted it; and Harry’s voice cooing Ava was what you heard.

“What’s wrong?” you ask him, leaving the eggs and turning off the warming pan.

“Sad because Milo’s not playing anymore” he chuckles, rubbing his hand.

“You ready for your pancakes?” You ask her.

At that the instant crocodile tears ended, as expected, while she nodded her head yes. You and Harry shared a laugh before he brought to the table, sitting in her booster seat. While you popped some eggos in the toaster.

“Har! Are you eating pancakes too?” You yell out to him.

“No thank you, ‘m gonna eat the eggs” he replied to you, leaving Ava with her coloring sheet.

–––––

You were all roughly done. Milo finished his breakfast a while ago, now he laid next to Ava’s chair looking with hope at everyone eating.

And when her parents were no longer paying attention to her, instead to each other. Ava used her nimble fingers to break a piece of her bacon. Bringing it to her mouth before “accidentally” dropping it on the floor. Smiling down at her best friend who ate it with pleasure.

‘Poor mimi’ she thought

Taking a bit of her pancakes between her fingers, she tried it one more time. Instead a different method; as she hid the piece of her syrup-less pancake in her closed fist. Yawning slyly, bringing her arms above her hands after she looked down at the puppy eyes Milo gave her. And bringing them to lay against her side; dropping the pancake onto the mixed fur beneath her.

“Ey!” Harry voiced, catching her in the act.

You turned around confused, watching as she jumped in her seat, looking up at her father in a stunned manner.

“What were you doing Ava?” You asked.

She looked at both her parents, pushing her bottom lip out.

“Milo is hungry!” She defended

“Are we supposed to be feeding Milo anything that isn’t dog food?” He tests her.

“No” she murmurs. Eyebrows wrinkled together and lips pouted causing her cheeks to fill out more than usual. Her small face was in perfect view to get a glance of her expression. Then in a haste she tucked her chin into her body, so all you both saw was the top of her bed head.

The couple wasn’t against giving Milo “human food”, he’d get some from time to time, not too much. But with a child it was a bit different. Ava didn’t know what a dog could and couldn’t eat, so the two of them had to be stricter when it came to her giving Milo food. They’d also been training Milo to not accept food Ava get him, but the two of them were like peas in a pod.

You and Harry looked at each other. You raised your eyebrows to him, wondering how the pair of you should go about this. He shrugs backs at you, a smile etched on his face as he eyes his child again.

She sat still in her chair, keeping the heartbroken visage on her face. Ava decided to add a dash of spice into her act by crossing her arms over her chest . Without context you would think you told her she would never be able to watch Disney movies ever again!

You decided to take the reigns.

“Babe do you want Milo to have to go to the doctor?” You asked her.

“No.” She responded short.

“Talk appropriately, Ava” Harry told her.

“No, mommy” she repeated herself, looking up this time, her arms uncrossed and instead sat in her lap.

“If you keep giving her human food he’ll get sick, then he’ll have to go to the doctor...then you could be arrested” you pout at her pinching her cheeks.

“Y/N!” Harry hissed, his foot breezing past your shin.

“What? It worked on me”

“Okay Okay, you won’t go to jail, mommy’s fibbing. I’m

Sorry”

“You’re fibbing?” She murmurs, using her palm to clear her bangs from her forehead. Looking at Harry for confirmation as you both nod.

“But you can’t feed Milo human food, it’s not good for him” you remind her.

“Okay. I won’t feed Milo anymore. Promise!” she answers in a hushed tone, reaching her hands up so you could pull her into your lap.

You did so kissing the top of her head

“Mumma?” Tilting her head back.

“Yea?”

“You eat the pancakes, I don’t want them,” she remarked, tossing her head side-to-side and patting her plump stomach. Sticking her tongue out in an icky manner, meaning she was full.

You and Harry shared a quick laugh at her chaotic antics.

“Ready to go out and play?” Which resulted in a large hoot led by Harry.

–––––––

Everyone showered by two, the sun brighter than when you woke up, and the snow falling down softer, in a flurry.

Before you all left the London home, you had ordered the three of you matching garments and gloves for the pictures you knew you and Harry would take.

Currently, you and Harry were clad in thick turquoise jackets. Only struggling with the task of getting Ava dressed up.

She was like a wiggling worm, wouldn’t stay still, even when you and Harry offered her some candy. Her infectious belly laughs only grew as she thought this was some kind of funny game. But it wasn't and you made that clear when you told her she wouldn't be playing in the snow until she dressed up. Did she sit down like a good girl.

“Oh! Look at my baby!” you thrilled, holding her cheeks between your palms. Pulling her in for an eskimo kiss. Those have been her favorite for the longest. Ever since she got herself hooked on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. “You look so cute, beautiful” you tell her.

She smiles at the compliments, such a narcissist she was. Always asking you if she looked pretty in this or that at least once a day. Along with checking herself out in the mirror for an extended amount of time. Such a narcissist. Yet, you also loved the way she tilted her chin down, head lolled to the side bashfully.

Harry, like lightning, put her beanie over her braided pigtails while you put on her black snow boots. He picked her up once she finished dressing up,setting her on his blowing a raspberry on her chubby cheeks.

“Aren’t you guys the cutest” you hummed, pulling your phone out to take a picture. You chuckled when you watched the way her giggles disappeared at the sight of your phone. Instead a beaming smile, pressing her cheek to her father’s scruffy one. Snapping a few live photos of the two.

“I wanna see” her palm out towards you for the phone.

You shuffled yourself beside her, tilting the phone so they both could see the photos.

“Look so beautiful. Hm?” Harry marveled, placing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

She grinned at his acclaim, “Yes” she dragged out the s. Nodding her head in a gentle manner before placing a kiss on his cheek.

“You look so good too, H” you tell him. Your hand rubbing the cheek that wasn’t occupied by Ava.

He, without a doubt, did. He decided to stop shaving the last two weeks and gosh did he look good. The turquoise color brought out the green of his eyes. Instead of letting his hair down, he decided he’d clip it back with one of your clips.

He kissed you on the lips then on your cheek in result, Also exchanging a string of compliments your way, by whispering some not safe for kid ears into yours.. Your stomach did a bit of a flip at his husky voice, before you slapped his chest in a truce like manner.

“Milo! Let’s go outside!” Harry shouted out, clutching your hand as he led the three of you downstairs.

–––––

The four of you were outside in the white blanket. Milo was doing his zoomies, astounded with this new found discovery. Before his non-stop running. The first thing Milo did, when he came in contact with the snow, was freeze (ears up in curiosity), then he stuck his nose into the snow, ate some snow. Now he was running in circles.

Ava loved this, perched up on Harry’s shoulder as she giggled, her nimble finger following Milo’s body.

You had Harry’s phone pointed at the two of them, videoing the whole family.

And Harry was feeling gratified. His baby was on his shoulder happy as a lark. His other baby had a radiating smile on her beautiful face while recording these moments. as always. And his pup was having the time of his life

“Baby!” you lose it when Harry also looks away from Milo to face you in no time. “Ava...Can you catch a snowflake like this?”

Harry blows a huff. He hates when you do that (half the time on purpose). Watching you tilt your head back, eyes closed, and your tongue out as you catch snow in your mouth.

Ava catches on, her eyes go a bit crossed when she tries to see the snow landing on her tongue.

“Here, baby, hold her for a bit” he tells you, bringing her down into your open arms (so she’s now on your hip). He leans down a bit to gather a bit of snow in his hands to make a snowball. Then once he’s done, he has a mischievous smile when he targets it to your chest.

It startles you, “Harry!”

And you halt, again, when the kid on your hip starts to wail. Her head thrown back and her eyes closed, sealed tight.

"Aww. Don't cry baby. Look at what you did Harry" you reprimand him in a jest. His eyebrows raise in surprise, not expecting for this to end in her tears. "Daddy's mean right? Watch this" you shush her, watching her until she opens her eyes, only in small hiccups.

You crouch down carefully pulling some snow into your fist.

“Watch baby, gotta get revenge” you tell her smiling. Raising yourself up to then fling the snow into Harry’s chest. Ever the dramatic man. He clutched his heart over his jacket before falling back into the sea of snow groaning out. Opening one eye, when he hears the laugh of his precious girl.

“Here” you tell Ava, giving her own ball of snow. She eyes it for a little before she tries to shove the snow into her mouth like crazy. Very likely you shouldn’t have shown her how to catch the snowflakes beforehand. You roll your eyes at Harry when you hear his chuckles at the exchange.

When you tell her no and to throw it you watch her laugh as she flings it on top of her father. Who then groans again and lays with his tongue out and body spread out like the chalk outlines. You set her down to the ground and she zips to the “dead” body. She pokes his eye like earlier today because it always works, but when it doesn’t she relents to other forces.

“Mimi!” she calls the shepheard over, pointing down at Harry. Who is slowly breaking his facade (but she doesn’t notice). Milo bounded forward to his owner with zeal. Sniffing around Harry for a bit before licking his face, inducing Harry to shout. Jump scaring the three of you, especially poor Milo who dashed away and Ava who fell on her butt.

Ava didn’t appreciate it. Taking snow between her mittens and crushing it into H’s chest causing a laugh out of all you.

–––––

The sun was about to set and Harry and Ava were rolling up the last ball for the snowman’s head. You were smoothing the parts that were a bit rough. Milo was back in the house. Too tired from all the running he was doing, but you were able to get some family shots with him too.

“Be careful, babe” Ava tells Harry (unnecessarily loud), when his foot gets caught in an icy patch.

“Thank you babe” he tells her, leaning down to kiss her chin. “Wonder where she gets that from. Hm?” he teases you, winking at you and puckering his lips to blow you a kiss. As you smile shyly looking away from him.

They were on either side of you. Ava nestled into your side, her arms around one of yours. All while Harry begins to lift the final snowball onto the other two.

“There you go baby. Olaf!” he tells her one she’s finished.

She isn’t excited and looks at the figure confused for a minute. You look up at Harry, eye brows pinched, he looks at you the same way, his hands on his hip when he shrugs at you.

A little gasp makes you both turn your head to see her eyes light up and finger pointed upward, like in the movies.

“Forget his buttons, eyes, and nose” she tells you, trying to point at where each thing went.

“You’re so right, smart girl, let me go get them, find some sticks too.”

You shuffle through the backdoor. Gaining ompant when Milo decides to come out of the living room. Rubbing his head on the way there. Going into the fridge you get the shortest carrot in the bag before moving into the fireplace for some coal.

When you walk back out, Ava is sitting on Harry's shoulders again. Her arms wrapped around his forehead with an iron grip. You hand her the carrot.

“Thank you mommy” she cheered, the tip of her cheeks getting firmer with her grin.

You pinch her cheeks a little bit, in response. Turning around to place the coals in a shape of a smile, using the last five as his buttons and eyes. While doing this you notice the skinny branches as his arms.

“Okay Miss Styles time for you to do the honor. Go ahead and give him his nose”

Harry squats down until Ava's leveled with the snowman's head. She decides, among herself, to twirl the carrot around so the pointed part of the carrot gets buried in the snow. You truly don't have the heart to correct her when you see how proud of herself she is.

Once she finishes, Harry picks her up and off his shoulder so she's settled on his hip instead. He jostles her around, shouting an array of "Yay! Ava!" The three of you clapping your hands together to celebrate. All while Ava revels in the abundance of praise, yet she huddles her into the comforts of her dad's shoulder.

Her first snow day had gone way better than either of you would have imagined. You personally assumed that she would have hated it. Especially since it was a very cold substance. Or she would have cried the whole time, wanting to go back in instantly.

If anything, it was more perfect than anything. You loved your little family and there was quite possibly nothing that could replace the rush of emotions you felt when you were with them. Making these treasured moments. You think this all while Harry pulls you in for a kiss.

read a little continuation of this family here!

–––

if you enjoyed pls don’t forget to reblog or give feedback if ur up to it <3

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #dad!harry styles #dad! harry styles x reader #harry styles blurb #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #harry styles drabble #harry styles one shot #harry styles x fem!reader #dad harry styles x reader #harry styles reader insert #harry styles x you #husband!harry #dad!harry

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heirloomseedsolutions · 3 years

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Scarlet Nantes carrot seeds : Scarlet Nantes carrot seeds are widely adapted and good for storage, freezing and for juice. They are also extremely high in antioxidants.

slobolt lettuce : Slobolt Lettuce Has A Nice pleasant flavor, never bitter. A great cut and come again variety. - A great cut and come again variety.

cauliflower snowball seeds : Cauliflower Snowball Seeds - Reliable sure-heading strain. Large, solid, snowy white 6-7 inches diameter heads, well protected by the outer wrapper leaves.

stowell's evergreen sweet corn : Stowell's Evergreen Sweet Corn - First introduced to the seed trade in 1856 from a cross made by Nathaniel Newman Stowell in New Jersey

Straight Eight Cucumber : Straight Eight Cucumber was an All American Selections winner in 1935. A real superstar, most likely the most recognized cucumber variety...

strawberry watermelon seeds : Strawberry Watermelon Seeds Are Well-known old heirloom. Dark green with lighter green stripes. Long green fruits average 20 pounds

sweet genovese basil : Sweet Genovese Basil is the classic Italian sweet basil, prized for its large leaves, wonderful aroma and spicy flavor...

sugar snap peas : Sugar Snap Pea is an all American Selections winner in 1979. Vigorous 48-72, vines need support, but yield huge amounts of snap peas.

thyme herb plant : Thyme Herb Plant - Extremely versatile culinary herb used extensively for seasoning meats and vegetables. - (Thymus vulgaris)

Tiger Eye Beans : Tiger Eye beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are some of the most beautiful of all the dry beans, originally from either Chile or Argentina.

titan sunflower : One of the tallest, largest seeded and largest headed varieties. Sure to be a hit with children, great for roasting, expect heavy yields.

tommy toe tomato : Tommy Toe Tomato - This humble cherry tomato, Tommy Toe, has won many blue ribbons and taste tests around the world.

valerian seeds : Valerian seeds have been used as far back as the 2nd century A.D. to treat insomnia, anxiety, nervousness, seizures and epilepsy.

spaghetti squash vegetable : Spaghetti Squash Vegetable - Fruits range in color from ivory to yellow to orange. - (Cucurbita pepo) - (aka Noodle Squash)

waltham butternut squash : Waltham Butternut Squash - Developed and introduced by Bob Young of Waltham, Massachusetts. Most popular variety of butternut

yellow indian woman beans : Yellow Indian Woman Beans - Originally brought to Montana by European immigrants, a rare heirloom that is now found in Native America.

#All Sweet Watermelon spinach american seeds anaheim chili pepper arnica herb Baby Roma besweet soybean herb black cohosh Blacktail Mountain

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believingispowerfulmagic · 4 years

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OTPtober Day 1 - Affair of the Heart

Robin and Regina were two peas in a pod. Both were involved in the local government - she was the mayor, he was the director of parks and recreation. They were also very involved parents to sons who attended the same school. It was not uncommon for them to volunteer for the same events, from bake sales to school plays to the annual carnival. Both their sons were also involved in scouts, where Robin was the scout master and Regina was a den mother, and sports - they usually teamed up to supply after game snacks or help with fundraisers. One was not seen without the other and they were usually referred to as one unit - RobinandRegina.

It was very easy to assume they were married. And they were.

Just not to each other.

Both were always amused at the confused faces they got when they showed up with their respective spouses, always sharing a laugh when they were alone. It seemed people held fast to the belief that men and women couldn’t just be friends but it was true for them. Even Marian and Daniel, their spouses, thought it was amusing and agreed that it was silly. After all, all four of them were very close friends - it wasn’t just Robin and Regina. So they just dismissed it as silly gossip that didn’t affect them.

They were happy the way things were.

And then everything changed.

Daniel had been talking about finding a new job for a while. He had reached the very top of his organization and so had no opportunities to advance. While he made good money, Regina knew it still stung him a bit that she earned more as a lawyer. And she believed he deserved more pay than what he was currently getting. So she supported him as he sought a new job and knew he was looking outside Storybrooke. Yet she thought he was looking within commuting distance and so was surprised when he had to go to Boston for an interview. He asked her to wish him luck and she did - with her fingers crossed behind her back.

That night, she put Henry to bed and called Robin to discuss the whole situation. He tried to convince her that maybe it would be a good move for all of them but didn’t sound like he believed what he was saying either. She sighed, leaning against her bed as she sat on her bedroom floor. “Maybe he could stay in Boston during the week and come home for the weekends,” she said, feeling that was a good solution.

“Do you really want to be apart from Daniel for that long?” he asked. “And does Daniel want to be away from you and Henry, especially now?”

“We haven’t talked about it. But I don’t like how he just assumed I would be okay with moving from Storybrooke,” she replied. “He could’ve told me he was looking in another state.”

Robin paused before saying: “Okay. You got a point there. And that’s something you can talk about when he gets back. Just...take a step back. You’re probably upset about this. Let yourself cool down, talk it over with him and I’m sure you two will figure things out.”

“Thanks,” she said, feeling better. “You always know how to talk me off the ledge.”

Regina tried to do what he said and gave her some time to calm down. But every time she thought about leaving Storybrooke, she grew upset yet again. It got worse when Daniel called to tell her the interview went well and that he had started to scope out some neighborhoods where they could move to, including the schools there for Henry. She told him that they needed to discuss it more before he started picking out a new home for him but it seemed Daniel believed it was a done deal.

And the more she thought about it, the more she came to a surprising conclusion. She would be okay not seeing Daniel on a regular basis. But she would not be okay if she didn’t see Robin every day.

She would miss her best friend but not her husband.

That gave her pause and she realized with growing dread that the people of Storybrooke had picked up on something they had turned a blind eye to. While a man and a woman could be friends, she and Robin had long been more than that. He was her soulmate and the person she relied on even more than her husband. They were having an emotional affair and that could be more damaging than a physical one.

Which meant she had a decision to make. Did she choose Daniel and their marriage, move to Boston and put some distance between her and Robin so she could be more faithful to her husband? Or did she choose Robin even if it meant he never left Marian? Did she just spend the rest of her days in Storybrooke just being his friend with the hint of something more?

She realized that she needed to have a good heart-to-heart to Robin, even though it was likely to change everything between them. Regina needed to confess her feelings for him and hear what he had to say before she made any decision regarding her marriage with Daniel. With a deep breath, she picked up the phone and dialed his number. After a few rings, he picked up. “Robin? We need to talk...”

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

It ended up being no surprise to anyone in Storybrooke when both Regina and Robin ended up filing for divorce from their respective spouses. Daniel did turn down the job in Boston so he could stay close to Henry though he moved out of the house they had shared. Robin moved out from his house with Marian as well and though the next several months were awkward and tense between the four adults, they eventually found a new normal and things settled down as Robin and Regina made their relationship official.

Sometimes the heart wanted who the heart wanted, no matter how much the mind may want to deny it.

OTPtober

#once upon a time #otptober #outlaw queen #oq au #oq ff

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mskinkyafro · 4 years

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Until Then (RoD x OH Crossover)

A/N: I’ve been wanting to make a crossover fic for some time now and I’m excited to have written, planned, and created such backgrounds to interweave the two MC’s and their books together. This originally was only going to be a simple one-shot but over the last week and a half I spent writing, I’ve been inspired to make spin-off/continuation fics centered around these two MCs. I fell in love with their dynamics and I have to explore them more. Big thanks and shoutout to @jakemckenziesprincess for basically being my beta and making this a better, more concise, and great fic.

Summary: Aunt and niece, Dr. Katrina Michaels and Chelsea Michaels reunite after years and find themselves bonding over the struggles and pain of forbidden romances.

Side Note: This fic takes place after the finales of both RoD and OH 1, and prior to beginning of OH.

Implied Pairings: Logan x MC & Ethan x MC

A soft breeze rustles Chelsea Michaels’ brown, curly tresses, slowly pulling her out of her thoughts. She gazes out at the sight of a tranquil lake that typically is filled with people on a summer day, but today she finds herself alone sitting on the hood of her car. She thinks of how she left the dual lives she was leading behind and now embarking on a whole new adventure. Although adjusting to life in Connecticut and proud of how far she’s grown in the last few months, a part of her lingers elsewhere.

The sound of whimsical chiming interrupts her time of reflection and she looks down at her cell phone. She swipes on the screen and smiles as the image of a middle-aged man with dark brown skin and kind eyes just like hers appears.

“Hi, Dad!”

“Hi, Sweetheart!”

His eyes look tired, yet there’s still a smile that graces his face as he sees his daughter. Through the time she’s been gone, he’s evaluated his parenting and is learning from the mistakes. There’s still things he’d wouldn’t change but overall, he wished it all went differently. But he can’t change the past nor the pain his little girl went through. He can only be better moving forward.

“How’s the east coast treating you, Chels?

“It's been an adjustment, but good so far! The honor’s summer engineer program is amazing! It’s so much excitement, I’m still processing it all. I mean I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I left.”

“I can,” he interjects with a sad smile.

Chelsea pauses speaking and runs her hand through her hair as she looks away from her father’s misty eyes.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know things between us are slowly...well you know--and you’re an adult now. But what can I say? I’m still struggling to see my baby girl all grown up.”

“Oh, Dad. I know...I know things were hard. I didn’t make it easier and I know we have a long way to go but we’ll get there. Besides, I may be getting the hang of this new routine but...well I mean it’s--”

He watches his daughter stutter and can see the lack of spunk she usually has. He cuts her off.

“Something’s off though, isn’t it?”

“How’d you know?”

“You forget. I’m your dad. I know when something is bothering you.”

She cracks a light laugh.

“I guess some things don’t change.”

“Me knowing what upsets my baby girl? Not a chance. So is it making friends? Because your old man had trouble meeting others when I first went to school.”

“No, my roommates are cool. And the other students in the program are nice. I really can’t explain it...it’s just I miss-- well I just...” she trails off and looks down at her phone screen. Her hazel eyes connected with her father’s and at that moment he knew what was upsetting her.

“I see.” he murmurs. His tone was a little rougher than he anticipated.

Chelsea briskly turns away from the screen and clears her throat. Her voice is tight.

“Thanks for checking in Dad. I’ll text you later. Love you. Bye.”

Chelsea ends the call before he can say anything else. He sighs to himself and rubs his hand over his face, frustrated. It was moments like this that he wished Nia was alive. Every day he missed his wife and although he managed to raise Chelsea through a challenging time, a girl still needs her mother. Not happy with how things were left he decided to call his sister. At times he didn’t know what to do, and when those times came, he would call his sister. Without any hesitation, he scrolled through his recent call list until his finger hovered over her name and pressed down on the screen. The dial tone rang three times before he heard a familiar, tired voice say,

“Dr. Michaels speaking.”

“I get it, you went to medical school so you’re the favorite between Mama and Pops,” he says with feign annoyance.

“Keenan, I’ll have you know I’ve been Mama and Daddy’s favorite without even having to become a doctor, thank you very much.”

“Sure, Kat. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Oh, I will. So what do I owe the pleasure of this call? It's been a minute since you’ve called. All I got was measly texts here and there.” Katrina says.

“You could’ve called me if you were missing my voice, Kat.”

“You know how busy I am, saving lives and all. You know, no biggie.”

Keenan scoffs and retorts.

“And me being a decorated detective in L.A. leaves me with an ample amount of time?”

“Who’s bragging about accomplishments now?” she teases.

“You know what? You ain’t no good.”

They two siblings laugh together, drowning out the other by their bellows of chuckles.

“But in all seriousness, are things okay? Is my niece okay? I’m sorry again I couldn’t make it to her graduation. I didn’t go into detail at the moment because of how stressed I was on my end, but I…almost lost my medical license.”

Keenan fumbles with his phone at the news before returning to his ear.

“Woah! Hold up?! What?!”

“Calm down, Keenan. The keyword is almost.”

“Kat, when I used to say ‘don’t kill anyone’, I was just teasing but now I’m starting to think I should’ve been serious.”

“Ha-Ha very funny. It's a long story but in the end, I won my case. Also, I got a promotion.”

“Well, that’s a complete 180. What a first year, I’m glad to hear you worked it out. And congratulations sis! I’m proud of you. So, Ms. Big-Shot what’s your new position?”

Katrina clears her throat before she mumbles.

“I, erm, got a spot as Junior fellow on the Diagnostic team. You know, the team that the Dr. Ramsey--”

“The team Dr. Ramsey is a part of. I know of it well. You forget how much you used to go on and on about how great this Ethan Ramsey was throughout your time in med school. You lived up to the annoying little sister in those moments more than when we were kids and you used to follow me around trying to measure my vitamin intake.”

“I was that bad, was I?”

“You were. But forget that, you’re working with your idol. Are you excited?”

“Well...having him as a mentor and other things has been quite the um-- experience. I can only imagine working with him on a new scale will be just as interesting.”

Keenan noticed a hesitation but didn’t press it.

“I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“And to answer your previous questions, Chelsea’s doing great. She’s settled in Connecticut. In a town called Manchester, not too far from you I believe. And if I’m honest the last few months between me and her haven’t been the best. They were the worst.”

“What the hell? You two are like peas in a pod. What happened?”

Kennan sighs, “I rather let Chelsea tell you the details. It's mainly her story to tell. Speaking of, she’s why I called. I was hoping you can invite her up to visit you in Boston for a few weeks. I know her program is having a month-long break and from our last conversation, I think she could use some woman to woman time.”

“Of course. Anything for my niece. Does she need a lift? Manchester is about two hours and with my student debt, a car is not a luxury I’ve invested in but one of my friends has--”

“Chelsea has one.”

“What?! No way. You finally taught that girl to drive? Much less bought her a car?!

Katrina couldn’t hide the disbelief in her voice. She knew after the passing of her sister in law her brother struggled with letting Chelsea onto the busy roads.

“You know after all that happened, I was worried that you might never--”

Keenan interrupts her again.

“No. I didn’t.”

“Oh? From a friend then?”

Katrina hears her brother suck in the air.

“You could say that.”

She doesn’t mention the way he sounded as he answered her.

“Well, in that case, tell her that I’d love for her to come visit. My roommates and I have an extra room she can stay in too. Tell her to meet me at Edenbrook in a few days whenever she gets her things together for a stay.”

“Thanks, Katrina. I think her spending time with you will help.”

“Her and me both.”

The two stay on the phone for a few more minutes before ending the call.

Before long a week passes and Chelsea finds herself five minutes away from one of Boston’s greatest hospitals, Edenbrook. She hadn’t seen her aunt in so long. Her being in medical school in the past years had cut down the amount of time she could visit. Chelsea parked her car in the visitor's parking lot and got out. Once out of the car, she brushes lint off her dark wash denim jeans, adjusts her red tube top and ties the laces on her white converse. As she pulls her hair up into a messy bun she looks in her sideview mirror. Approving what she sees she heads to the entrance of the hospital.

Once inside she’s taken aback by how large and modern the hospital is. After taking it all in she looks around the semi-quiet place in search of someone to help her find her aunt. And as if someone was reading her mind, an older man with a friendly smile noticed her uncertain expression and approached her.

“Do you need help, miss?”

Chelsea smiles gratefully.“Hi! I do. I’m here to see my aunt--”

“Oh is she a patient? If you go to the front desk a few feet in front of us--”

“Oh no. She’s a doctor here. Do you know her? Her name is Katrina Mich--”

“Ahh! Dr. Michaels! Of course, I do my dear. I’d be a terrible man if I didn’t remember the woman who saved my life. She’s made quite the name for herself here at Edenbrook.”

Chelsea was surprised to hear such news from this man but it made her happy nonetheless.

“Wow! I had no idea. It's been a while since I’ve seen her but I’m supposed to meet her right now.”

The man extends his hand and introduces himself.

“First, my dear. Hello, I’m Dr. Banerji.”

“Chelsea. Chelsea Michaels. Nice to meet you, doctor.” she says as she shakes his hand.

“Now that I have a better look at you, I can see the resemblance.”

“I get that from time to time. So, did you have any idea where she could be?”

“Well it's 6:00 pm now and her shift ended a little earlier so she’s probably at Donahues. It's that little Pub across the way.”

“Thanks!”

“My pleasure.”

Chelsea waves at the kind doctor as she walks back outside. As she walks closer to the bar, a man calls out, stopping her in her tracks.

“Hey there, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing all by herself?” he asks, his speech slurred.

Chelsea crinkles her nose in disgust and ignores the intoxicated man as she keeps walking forward. As she reaches for the handle to open the door, the man puts his hand on top of hers, and inches forward. The alcohol on his breath assaults her nose as he continues to speak.

“Hey, don’t be so cold. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

“Well, I don’t want to.”

Chelsea yanks her hand free and takes a few steps back to distance herself from the man.

“Come on, a beautiful girl like--”

“Exactly, A girl. I’m eighteen, creep.”

“Last time I checked, eighteen is legal, sweetie.” he attempts to reach out to grab Chelseas’s arm but is interrupted by a gruff voice.

“Is there a problem here?”

Chelsea turns around and behind her is a tall man in a gray sweater, possibly in his thirties, with piercing blue eyes and a stern expression on his face as he stares down the other man.

“Nope. Just having a friendly conversation.” the man replied, his speech slurred even more than before.

“Why don’t you stop making an ass of yourself and leave this young woman alone who is not interested in partaking in any conversation with you.” the man says as he takes a commanding step towards the drunk.

The drunk man steps away from Chelsea and begins to walk off, muttering under his breath. Once he’s a distance away from the pub, Chelsea turns to the stranger.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to get involved. If he got any closer, he would’ve ended up across the street. ” she says as she lifts her balled fist.

The man’s eyebrow lifted slightly, an amusement flash from his eyes as soon as it was there.

“That’s exactly why I intervened. We don’t need any more PITA patients. ”

“Pita? Erm, never mind, so you’re a doctor at Edenbrook?”

“ Yes. And you should run along. You’re a bit young, aren’t you Bambi?”

“Bambi?”

Right as she was going to question the man, he started to head inside, ignoring her confusion.

Inside, it's decently filled with patrons but not overly crowded. The biggest gathering is a group of doctors sitting in the center talking and sipping their drinks casually.

As they stand by the entrance, Chelsea squints as she searches through the dim-lighted space. The man was beginning to question her but she spoke before he could get a word out.

“I’m here to find my aunt. I was told she’d be in here and I was supposed to meet her right now.”

She walks forward toward the group, with the stranger lingering behind.

“Who is your aunt--”

He’s cut off by Chelsea’s excited squeal.

“Auntie Kitty!”

Katrina startled by the almost forgotten name, looks up and smiles widely and gets up quickly from the table as her eyes land on her teenage niece.

“Seashell! How are you? Is it six already? I hope you had no trouble finding me.”

She says excitedly as she pulls her into a big hug.

“I’m great! And it’s no biggie, auntie. I got here in one piece. There was a slight hiccup outside this place, but I had it handle--”

“You called that handled, Bambi?”

Chelsea breaks away from Katrina and turns around to gesture to the man behind her who is hidden from Katrina’s view.

“I did. But your assistance was appreciated, Mr...I didn’t get your name.”

Before he could answer, Katrina speaks as she moves closer to the two.

“Dr. Ramsey.”

“Rookie.”

His eyes bore into Katrina’s and the two stare at each other for a while, almost for too long. As Chelsea stood between the two, she noticed a spark between her aunt and Dr. Ramsey. It was so visible she felt as if she was intruding on something intimate, something only for the two of them. She clears her throat, bringing the two back into reality.

“I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” Chelsea says, her eyebrow quirked at the two.

“Rookie here has been a colossal pain in my ass this past year.”

Chelsea could hear the touch of fondness in his voice despite the words he used.

“What happened to being Edenbrook’s brightest, Ethan?”

He rolls his eyes and barely hides a smile. He turns to Chelsea.

“Please tell me big egos don’t run in your family, Bambi or is it strictly exclusive to her.”

“Wait--Bambi? How’d you give my niece a nickname already?”

He shrugs as a man in a wheelchair rolls up toward the three. He faces Chelsea and extends his hand out. Ethan takes this time to excuse himself from the two women.

“Bambi, Rookie.”

Katrina watches him retreat to the bar as Elijah introduces himself to Chelsea, waving the others to come do the same.

“Hey, I’m Elijah Greene. One of your aunt’s roommates, best friends, co-workers, and partners in crime. You know, the entire package.”

“Chelsea Michaels. You all, partners in crime?” she asks with a laugh.

“Oh, Elijah is just exaggerating. I’m Sienna Trinh, nice to meet you.”

A petite Asian woman steps up next to greet Chelsea. Soon, a Black woman, a Polynesian man, an Indian woman, and a Porteguese man follow suit. Kat points at each one and introduces everyone to her niece.

“Aurora Emery.”

“Bryce Lahela”

“Jackie Varma.”

“Rafael Aveiro”

Jackie then turns to Sienna and says, “Elijah has a point. I mean we’ve done some questionably legal things.” Her eyes land on Katrina.

Brye chimes in, “Are you a criminal mastermind like Hotshot over here, Chelsea?”

Chelsea rubs her arms shyly. She stammers a bit before Rafael interjects.

“I wouldn't be surprised if she was.”

“Enough teasing, you two,” Katrina says.

The group laughs as Katrina’s eyes her niece skeptical as she notices her sudden quiet and skittish behavior. Looking her over she finally notices the colorful pattern of pink flowers surrounded by tendrils of blues on Chelsea’s right arm. Staring the teen down, Kat’s voice interrupts all of the side conversations.

“What the hell is on your arm, Chelsea?! Don’t tell me what I think that is!”

Immediately the rest of the friends look toward her arm and look back towards Katrina. Curious to see her in such a parental role.

“In that case, it’s definitely not a tattoo.” Jackie murmurs sarcastically.

“Not helping, Jackie.” Sienna says as she elbows the woman.

Chelsea nervously looks at her tattoo and rubs it absentmindedly.

“So, this is one of the new things that’s happening with me.”

“It has to be fake. One of those semi-permanent tattoos that last a month, right?” her aunt asks insistently.

Her niece avoids eye contact and looks to one of the others, hoping to get a little help.

Elijah chimes in, “You know, I think it looks really badass. Not everyone can rock a whole sleeve tat.”

Katrina glares at the man and he raises his hands in mock defeat. Before she can lay more into her niece Aurora speaks up.

“I was pegging you as a goody-two shoes like your aunt here. You both have the miss congeniality vibe but clearly there’s more to you.”

“I don’t mean to pry but we heard something about this past year has been crazy for you, but I’m thinking that it's crazier than imagined.” Rafael says.

Chelsea shrugs her shoulders and grabs a nearby chair to sit in.

“That’s one way of putting it. This tattoo is nothing compared to the other things that happened. I can’t talk about much because well-- to answer your question, they for sure dance on the line of legality.”

Katrina crosses her arms over her chest.

“Oh boy, how illegal are we talking?.”

Everyone shuffles a little closer to Chelsea, wondering what’s about to come out of her mouth.

She coughs out “Like...I don’t know, I may have been a part of a crew that may have stolen approximately in total ten million dollars worth of cars.”

There was silence before everyone started talking over the other, however not much longer Katrina’s voice overwhelmed the others.

“What the fuck?! You did, what?!”

Chelsea leans forward and points her finger at her aunt.

“Allegedly.”

“Allegedly my ass! How did you…” her aunt tried to ask but Bryce cut in.

“Woah! Okay so that’s some next level, Fast & the Furious shit. The lives of teenagers nowadays. When I was in high school, the craziest experience was on prom night.”

“Prom. Now that was quite the time. I can tell you must have had some wild ones, Meathead.” Jackie teases.

The others get caught up in reminiscing about their prom days that it gave the two Michaels women time to chat briefly.

“Okay, so now that I’ve digested all of this. All I can say is wow. I’m going to need details later on though.”

“So how mad are you?”

“I’m not mad, I’m concerned. Plus, I can’t have you be the one to freak your dad out,, that’s my job.” she jokes.

The two chuckle and are back to the main conversation when Sienna asks.

“What about you, Katrina? How was your prom? I bet you were Queen.”

“Is it that obvious? I was, but it wasn’t a glorious reign. After the crowning, during the royal first dance, the King got too handsy so I stepped on his foot and caused him to crash into the snack table which split hawaiian punch all over the DJ booth.”

Everyone laughs and Kat’s retelling and Elijah then asks Chelsea,

“So how was your prom, Chelsea? Was it more on the normal side? Handsome date, tux, corsage the usual set up.”

Hearing Elijah’s question sends flashes to Chelsea’s head of that night with Logan. How surprised she was to see him at Riya’s door. From the magical way it was being so intimate with him to the dangers that were awaiting them after. She shakes her head and gives a simple answer.

“It was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Her aunt raises an eyebrow at her niece but the expression is lost due the growls that roared over the conversation. With a blush on her cheeks, Chelsea speaks.

“I guess it’s time for dinner.”

“My stomach seemed to agree as well.”

Katrina holds out her arm and Chelsea gets up from her chair, links her own arm into Kat’s and smiles at her.

“McDermots?”

“You know me so well.”

The two say their goodbyes to everyone as they made their exit, Chelsea looked back to make sure Katrina followed and she caught once again her aunt exchanging heated glances with Ethan. She noted to herself to ask more about the two.

“Auntie Kitty, you good?”

With a nod, the Michaels women left Donahues and headed toward Chelsea’s car.

As they approached the bright neon pink 2015 Stuttgart 999 Widow, Katrina’s gait slowed down.

“You’re kidding? This is your car?! There’s no way my brother cosigned on this baby, even though she’s gorgeous.”

She slowly rubs her hand over the hood of the car.

“He didn’t. It was a gift from a friend.” Chelsea says quickly as she unlocks the doors and gets into the driver’s seat and starts the ignition.

The hum of the engine shook Katrina from her inspections and she entered the passenger seat, failing to keep her shock off her face. As Chelsea pulls out of the parking lot and cruises down the road, Katrina’s eyes lock on a picture strip that hangs on the visor. In it, she saw different poses of the same couple. Chelsea and some young man with chocolate brown skin, dark hair with a matching beard. In each photo, the two were pressed together smiling or laughing and in the last still, the two had their foreheads pressed against the other as their lips were inches apart.

“Who’s that?”

Chelsea looks up to what her aunt points at and mentally curses for not hiding the photo.

“He’s...he’s no one.”

Concerned at a cold response, she pressed further.

“I doubt it. He looks like someone important. And you look important to him too,”

Chelsea presses on the gas pedal and Katrina holds her door handle as the car begins to accelerate faster and faster.

“ Looked. E-d as in past tense. Either way, it doesn’t matter.” she replied sharply.

“One, watch the attitude and two, slow down. And clearly, it does.” Katrina chides.

With her patience running thin and out of frustration, Chelsea veers off to park in an empty spot on the side of the road with a harsh brake. The two jolt forward and then back into their seats.

“Drop it!” She squeezes the steering wheel tightly, ignoring the crazy look her aunt was giving her. In a small voice, she continues.

“...Please.”

A tense silence fills the air as they sit momentarily. After a few minutes, she pulls back into traffic and sighs.

“It all started with my clumsiness and not watching where I was going.”

An hour passed as the two found themselves out on the balcony of Katrina’s apartment looking over the city. Katrina sips slowly on a glass of wine as she leans onto the rail next to her niece. The lights below them dazzle into the night. Chelsea breaks the silence.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Now I forget you’re grown up now so I really can’t pull the ‘I’m the adult’ card but just don’t get used to raising your voice at me.”

“Of course, but--”

Katrina waves her hand dismissively.

“I shouldn’t have pushed too far. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Chelsea shoots her small smile and she shakes her head in disagreement.

“I appreciate it, but it still isn’t an excuse for me to lash out.”

She then pulls her scrunchie out her bun and runs her fingers through her curls as she continues.

“Talking about Logan, just thinking about him at times is hard. Many would brush it off as a whirlwind romance or young stupid love, but I know they’re wrong. Deep down-- deep down what we had is real. Well, it was.”

She wanders from the railing and sits down, her back against the windowpane.

“I know I have my whole future to look to. I know there will be other guys but then again I don’t want there to be anyone else. And I don’t want my future to not have Logan in it. What can I say? I love him. I love him so much.” she admits, her eyes glisten at the weight being lifted off her heart.

Katrina sets down her glass as she crouches closer to her niece and holds her close, rubbing soothing circles on her back. A quiet cry flows out as she sits in the arms of Katrina. She whispers into the crying teen’s ear.

“It’s okay. Love is beautiful and at times, a painful thing. Especially when it’s your first love. I know it seems like--”

Through sobs, Chelsea chokes out.

“That’s the issue though! This wasn’t some typical boy meets girl. This was special! Right now he’s out there-- somewhere and I’m missing him so much, wondering if he’s safe. Secretly hoping he didn’ forget me. This hollowness that’s settled is suffocating me. I feel so incomplete. In my mind, only one person can make me whole again. No one seems to understand that. Do you know what it’s like to want someone so bad but can’t be with them? Because if you can’t then I don’t want to hear some patronizing--”

Katrina lets go of her niece so that she’s looking directly in her eyes. As she cuts her off.

“You’re not the only one.”

Chelsea wipes her eyes as her aunt turns away to look out to the city skylight.

“You feel like you’ll drown under these intense emotions. No matter how hard you try, every thought leads back to him. When the wind lightly caresses your skin, you remember the way he’d kiss you softly. And it takes everything in your power not to run to them, risk it all just to have their love even though everything points to why you can’t be together. So yes, I know exactly how you feel.”

She turns back to find Chelsea’s eyes glue onto her.

“It’s him, isn’t it. Dr. Ramsey.” Chelsea whimpers.

Her aunt scoots closer to the teen and rests her head on top of hers.

“Yeah. Ethan and I...well it’s complicated.”

“I could tell. You both stop when around the other, you forget anyone else is even near.”

“I never thought the man I looked up to would become my colleague, much less someone I’d care so deeply for.”

Chelsea traces small patterns on her jeans as she asks.

“Are you sure you two can’t work something out?

“At the moment, no. There are too many variables. Politics of the hospital, gossip, my reputation, the list goes on.” she sighs.

“So there’s two Michaels women shit out of luck in the romance department?”

“Misery loves company. You see, we’re victims of circumstances and fate’s misfortune. We were dealt a shitty hand and this part of life folded.”

The two sit in small silence, letting the hums of street life surround them. Not too long Chelsea speaks.

“Will it ever get better? How do we cope?”

Katrina reaches to grasp her niece’s hand and squeezes.

“ With time, it will. To cope is another battle within itself. I think for that, we have to do something slightly dangerous.”

Chelsea lifts her head, forcing Katrina to lift her own and look down at the teen.

“What’s that?”

“Hope. Hope that one day that our loves still have a chance. To believe that in time, they’ll come back to us.”

Chelsea takes in what her aunt says and with no hesitation latches herself onto the older woman, hugging her tight.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. It's nice to have someone who understands.”

“It is.”

The two sat there in their embrace, filled with a new kindle of optimism that only lingered before.

Tagged: @silverlitskies

End Note: If anyone else reads this and enjoys and like to be tagged in any future crossover fics, just let me know!

#choices fanfiction #choices stories you play #RoD x OH crossover fic #choices ride or die #choices open heart #logan x mc #ethan x mc #long fic #rod #open heart #ethan ramsey #oh mc #rod mc #Logan rod #logan

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derryhawkins · 4 years

Text

Life is a Highway [2/49]

summary: The seven of them made a plan in middle school: use the months between high school and college, and take a road trip through all of the states. Their twelve year old minds didn’t think it would actually happen, but six years later with enough saved up money, they’re going on an extremely long trip together in a large van. pairings: reddie; benverly; hanbrough; stanpat word count: 7.51k a/n: yes i had stenbranlon as one of the pairings but then i fell in love with stanpat so that changed pls don’t be mad lmao (but yes stan still has a crush on mike right now, but i mean who wouldn’t have a crush on mike??)

AO3 Link | First Chap

chapter two: massachusetts

The three hour car ride is filled with blasting music, singing along to said music, and talking nonstop from everyone over said music. Bill does a decent job of driving; he unnecessarily speeds, cutting down time immensely, and Stan keeps on telling him, "You're going twenty over the speed limit, slow the fuck down!"

But with Richie proclaiming that everyone speeds on the interstate, Bev urging Bill to pass anyone who's going "too slow" in the dark of the night, and Mike standing through the opened sunroof to act as if he's flying, Stan's urges for Bill to slow down goes unheard. Even Eddie tries to talk some sense into Bill. It isn't until Ben says something about cops that Bill finally does so. Only a little bit, though; not much at all, but enough to make a difference that makes Stan relax the littlest bit.

They make it to Boston, Massachusetts just ten minutes before one in the morning, and pull up to a cheap Holiday Inn fifteen minutes later. Bill, Stan and Mike are the ones to go in and ask the front desk person for the cheapest room possible for seven wired on excitement eighteen year olds; meanwhile the remaining four stay in the parked van as they finish the game of “I’m going on a trip” without the others.

“I’m going on a trip to Canada and I’m bringing a cat, a map, Eddie’s mom, a blanket, cigarettes, a walkman, Mr. Chips, Georgie, coffee, a lighter, a winter coat, board games, a tiger, Mike’s Grandma’s homemade chocolate pie, shoes, Stan’s pillow, condoms, a first aid kit, and uh... Binoculars!” Bev grins, proud of herself for remembering everyone else’s items and turns to Ben. “You’re turn.”

Ben sucks in a breath of air and let’s it out. “I feel so pressured, oh my god,” he whispers before speaking louder, smiling almost shyly as the others laugh. “Alright, uh, I’m going on a trip to Canada and I’m bringing a cat, a map, Eddie’s mom, a blanket, cigarettes, a walkman, Mr. Chips... Shit. Georgie! And coffee, and a tiger-.”

“You skipped two!” Eddie shouts. He’s pointing at Ben with a large smile, and is obviously too happy that someone has messed up.

Bev playfully whacks Eddie’s shoulder as Richie laughs. “Hey, be nice to Ben,” she defends him. “He did his best. Besides, it’s a miracle any of us made it as far as we did in the game.”

Eddie pouts and rubs his shoulder, acting as if Bev genuinely hit him. “Meanie.”

Bev snorts out a laugh. Richie leans to the side and gets close to Eddie, pinching the shorter boy’s cheek. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, Eds! What, are we gonna have to swaddle and rock you so you don’t cry?”

His expression quickly pinches into annoyance and Eddie swats Richie’s hands away, and shoves him – not too hard, but hard enough to get Richie out of his personal space bubble. “Fuck off!” Eddie yells. “I’m not a baby!” His cheeks are tinged pink, and while Richie just chalks it up to be Eddie’s anger, Bev knows full and well it’s not.

She covers her mouth with one hand to hide her smile, and she leans her elbow against the back of her seat. Her blue eyes quickly move from the two boys in the row of seats with her to the one sitting behind her. She’s acutely surprised to see him already looking at her, eyebrows moving up the slightest bit. Ben’s eyes widen and he looks away, and he clears his throat quietly as his face reddens. Bev removes her hand and rests her chin on top of the headrest, smiling, ignoring Richie and Eddie who are both now play fighting.

The thought of Ben liking her back worms it’s way into her brain. She quickly shoves the thought away, though, and sadly remembers how he used to like her. As in, not anymore. She then pushes that thought away, and decides to just talk with Ben.

“How’re you liking the trip so far?” She moves to get into a more comfortable position. Her chin stays on the top of the headrest, and she undoes her seatbelt so she can turn fully around, arms wrapping around the bottom of the headrest as she sits on her knees.

Ben looks back at her, eyes still wide. “Hm? Oh, uh.” He shrugs and smiles. “I’m really liking it, yeah. It’s nice – fun, too.”

“That’s good. Same here.” She stops. Eddie’s body leans against hers for a moment before he gets pulled away by Richie, the lanky teen trapping the other in a koala-like hug.

“Take back what you said about Bowie! Do it, or you’re dying via the Tozier’s bone crushing hug!”

Eddie laughs and wiggles. He’s barely trying to get away from Richie, not at all doing is best. Because he can get away if he wants to – all of them know that. “Suck a dick, Richie! I just said he wasn’t my favorite! I’d pick Elton John over him any day!”

“That’s it! Prepare to die, Kaspbrak!”

“Not until you drop dead first, Tozier!”

Bev moves her eyes away from them as she rolls them, and they land back on Ben who’s shaking his head at their friend’s antics. “They’re something else, aren’t they?” She asks, keeping her voice low.

Ben meets her eyes again. “If they’re not dating by the end of this,” he whispers, “I’m locking them in the clubhouse back in Derry and not letting them out.”

She snickers. “I’ll help.”

“I’d like that.”

“Really?”

He smiles, looking a bit shy now, but hums in confirmation and nods. “Of course I would.”

Her own smile grows into a wide grin that showcases her teeth. There’s a faint blush on her cheeks, and she hopes that it’s unnoticeable in the dim light. “Good. Great.”

One of the side doors to the van is suddenly pulled open, startling Bev and Ben, yanking the two from their little bubble. They turn their heads to the now opened door and peer around Richie and Eddie to see Mike standing there with a happy smile.

“We’ve got a room! C’mon, guys.”

The four eighteen year olds are then piling out of the car, and they grab everything they need for the night, along with Stan's and Bill's things so they don't have to come back out to the van.

The room isn't the biggest. It's small and with all of their suitcases on the ground, there is barely any room to walk; the room becomes a maze of sorts, and the Losers have to jump over their friends and the luggage to get to the one bathroom they have to share. Then there are two double sized beds and a chair that pulls out into a small twin mattress. It's not the best, and it's certainly not ideal, but they make it work.

Bill absolutely refuses to pick a place to sleep until everyone else has a place, meaning he ends up with the space between the two beds on a makeshift pallet that Eddie makes for him with whatever extra hotel blankets they can find. Bev and Stan end up sharing the bed closest to the bathroom, and then Ben and Mike share the bed near the AC, and finally Richie and Eddie get the small pull out.

None of it is awkward. It's something they're used to, something they've always done. There's even a time when they were fifteen when they all got into a dog pile to cuddle one night, and they all fell asleep like that. So, sharing beds is the norm. It's almost expected at this point and they're so used to it, which is why at some point during the night Bill sluggishly makes his way into the bed with Mike and Ben, neither boy disturbed or frustrated that another body has joined them.

+++

Stan isn't a morning person. It's not that he doesn't like the mornings - because he does, a lot - but it's more of the fact that it takes a while for him to wake up, and if people don't give him his time and space, the person will most likely get either a death glare or harshly snapped at. He knows the same thing goes for Eddie - the spitfire is always harsh and snippy until he's downed some coffee, and he just doesn't like waking up early - and so they're two peas in a pod when morning comes.

Bev can arguably not be a morning person as well, but she, like Stan, just takes a while to wake up. She's just not verbal. So, during the early morning hours of breakfast and checking out and getting their things together for the day, the three of them stay by each other, knowing neither of the two beside them will mess with them too much.

Stan leans against the van beside the opened door with crossed arms and a blank, tired look. It's currently early in the morning, because apparently beforehand he had thought that getting up earlier to have more daylight during their day was a fantastic idea.

Of course, when that idea came to him, he hadn't thought about how grumpy both he and Eddie are in the mornings, and how nonverbal Beverly gets. Or how annoying Mike and Ben are, because they're both very much morning people, talking and laughing and being their usual selves, but somehow it's incredibly annoying. Meanwhile, there's Richie and Bill; neither morning people nor not morning people. Just...two teen boys functioning like zombies until they are awake enough who won't snap your head off if you confront them.

Stan casts his eyes to the side as Ben laughs at something Mike says to him as they put the suitcases back into the trunk. He frowns, crosses his arms tighter over his chest, and rolls his eyes. He tries to tell himself that the feeling in his chest is just his usual morning mood, not him becoming jealous at the simple fact that Mike is laughing with someone else. He sighs and half heartedly rolls his eyes at himself, tuning most of everyone out.

Currently, Richie and Bill are back on top of the van, just laying there until further notice. Eddie is sitting on the edge of the seat in front of the opened van door, staring - correction: glaring - at nothing in particular with a cup of shitty hotel coffee clenched in both hands. Bev is behind him, eyes closed, a half eaten cinnamon muffin on her stomach as she just lays in the row of seats. No one is quite lively at the moment, with the exception of the two morning people. For now, the excitement of everything has dwindled down. Though, Richie is talking Bill's ear off. His words are just slow and lazily spoken as if he's high. Stan knows that's about to change, both because as time passes by everyone is waking up more and more and also because he can hear Richie's words get livelier.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Mike asks suddenly.

It takes a moment, but Stan is quickly realizing that Mike is talking to him. Not Bill or Ben, or even Richie. But him. Stan turns his head to look at Mike, who has the kindest smile on his face despite the early hour, and his dark eyes are directly looking into his own. Stan hopes that he isn't blushing, and shrugs before speaking. "I know there's a few parks and museums. Maybe even a zoo or an aquarium, but I don't know how expensive everything is."

"We should go to Salem!" Richie suddenly yells out, sitting up from his position on the van and peers down at Stan and Mike before the latter can even respond. He sends a subtle wink the Jew's way as Mike looks to Stan to see his reaction.

From inside, Beverly starts to groan in annoyance but cuts herself off. Suddenly she's behind Eddie and poking her head out, the boy looking way more than annoyed at the close proximity as she leans on him for support. "Salem Witches!" She yells, suddenly lively and awake and verbal. "Fuck yes, can we go Stan?"

"Is that Salem even in Massive Two Shits?" Bill asks, still waking up and obviously not caring about pronouncing Massachusetts correctly.

Richie giggles. "Massive Two Shits," he repeats.

"Fucking grow up, Rich," Eds grumbles.

"Oh, like you don't find Massive Two Shits funny."

"It's not."

"Kinda is," Bev butts in, earning a glare from Eddie and a loud thank you from Richie, accompanied by Bill's agreement.

Stan rolls his eyes fondly. "The Witch Trials did, in fact, happen in Salem, Massachusetts," he tells them.

"So can we go? It'll be fun! Oooh, what if we get to see the exact spot where they hung the thirteen witches?"

"They're not real witches, Rich."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Well fuck that, man."

"I will fucking fight y-."

"Okay!" Bill shouts over Eddie's threat and sits up. He quickly moves to lean over the edge of the top of the van like Richie. "Keep the b-b-bickering to a minimum, pluh-please, until we're all a little more awake. Please."

When Eddie opens his mouth to talk back, Bill just looks at him and Eddie shuts his mouth, eyes going to Stan who gives him a Look. One that he gets told is a lot like a parent getting onto their kid. So, of course the curly haired boy uses it when he needs to, because it always works in whatever situation. Eddie licks his lips and stays quiet, and hands Bev the rest of the coffee. Behind Stan, Mike is motioning to Richie to zip his lips for the time being. At noticing some movement, Stan looks up and watches Richie do the action back and toss the invisible key to Mike. He can't help but smile softly at the interaction after Mike 'catches' it.

"I say we go to Salem," Ben speaks up for the first time, sharing his opinion on the matter. "We might not ever get a chance again."

"But we're in Boston," Eddie presses.

Stan frowns. "But things are also really fucking expensive here."

"If it were up to me, I'd skip Boston and go to Salem," Mike says. "Save the big city stuff for New York or something else. Besides, we can't spend all of our money in one place. We have a limited amount, so we gotta be smart about spending it. We only have one shot at this road trip."

"I'm w-with Mike. Do a few things there, it won't be too exp-p-pensive most likely, and just chill out."

Beverly, who is now sitting on the floorboard of the van by Eddie's feet, shitty cup of coffee between her thighs, asks, "Does going to Salem mess up with the route you made, Stan?"

The route. Stan certainly hasn't forgotten about it. It took months to get it right, to find roads that hit one major fun place in each state but to also find ways that wouldn't make them have to go through one state too many times. Eventually he got it right. It's the main reason he's in charge of the map, if anyone is being honest. He smiles, pleased that Beverly actually remembers it. "Depending on how far away Salem is, it shouldn't."

"I saw a sign on our way here for an exit for Salem. Think it's about..." Ben trails off and thinks for a moment. He then lights up some and nods. "fifteen-ish miles out of the city."

"Works for me," Bill says with a tiny shrug. "Work for y-you, Stan?"

Stan nods, appreciating how his friends are taking the route and all he made into consideration. He doesn't know why it's so surprising or so uplifting, but it is. "It does, yeah."

"G-Great! Everyone hop in, we can't waste away our day!"

+++

Beverly stays sitting up during the car ride, too excited to do much else. She's sitting in the same spot as the night before but instead of Richie and Eddie in the row of seats with her, it's actually Ben and Mike, the aforementioned boys sitting behind them while Bill drives once again, Stanley in the passenger's seat with the map. During the thirty minute ride, Beverly tries her best to not lean on Ben too much. At the same time though, she makes sure to not lean too far away on the sharper turns Bill takes that push her away from Ben. All the while, she's also trying to act as if sitting beside her crush isn't the main root of her excitement. It's hard, she'll admit, but it's also worth it.

“What d’you think there is to do in Salem?”

She shrugs at Ben’s question. Then, she’s looking at him and smiling. “What if there are actually witches and they teach some magic?” Her brows lift some. Obviously, that’s not going to happen. But a girl can dream, right?

Eddie scoffs from behind them. Mike, who’s talking to Stan and Bill about lunch plans, glanced behind him briefly to look at the other boy before focusing his attention back on the two up front. Bev turns some in her seat to look at Eddie properly, Ben doing the same; both are relatively surprised to see Richie fast asleep and sprawled out, head in Eddie’s lap. Beverly makes eye contact with Eddie and grins teasingly. The grin merely spreads as his cheeks turn a dark shade of pink.

She isn’t surprised when he ignores the look the best he can and says, “Witches aren’t real, Bev.”

“Okay, obviously,” she says. “But it’d be cool if they were! Right, Ben?”

Ben looks taken back but he recuperates quickly. He’s then nodding and smiling, agreeing with the redhead beside him. “Uh, yeah! It would be pretty neat.”

“C’mon, Eddie, you can't deny the truth! If they were real, think of all the cool magic you would be able to see them do! Or, better yet, if you were a witch.”

“You would be able to have a cat – or another animal,” Ben tells him, knowing that will win him over in an instant. Eddie has always wanted a pet – more specifically a cat – his entire life. Unfortunately for him, his mom never let him get one.

And it works. Bev watches as Eddie’s eyes brighten and how his expression shifts from slightly bored to excited. “Okay, it’s official, I’d much rather be a witch than see one.”

“Good. Because I think you already have a cat.”

At his questioning look, Bev simply points to his lap where Richie’s head is resting with his lanky arms around Eddie’s waist and face close to his stomach. Eddie blushes deeply, unable to get a proper sentence out. He crosses his arms and averts his eyes away from his two friends just as Mike turns around to look as well.

“Shut up,” Eddie mumbles the same time Mike lets out an aw at the sight. Though, he’s clearly fighting back a smile, face hot and pink with blush.

“It’s cute, Eddie,” Ben tells him.

Bev nods and smiles some more. “Adorable, actually.”

“Where’s Bill’s camera? We need a picture of this,” Mike says.

Eddie’s jaw drops. “No! No we don’t!”

“Don’t wake Richie up!” Bev whisper-shouts.

“Too late.”

Beverly covers her mouth with one hand as Eddie freezes up, but before anyone can say anything else the van is coming to a stop at a red light, and everyone’s attention is diverted to the windows. As she turns to look out of the window beside her, she catches Richie sit up from the corner of her eye. She’s tempted to look back just to see how much he’s blushing, but doesn’t. So, she keeps her eyes on the window. Even when Ben leans closer to her to look in the same direction, she doesn’t move. One of his arms go over the head rest and he sits up to look over her.

“Massive Two Shits is actually really pretty,” Bev says, eyeing the scenery before them. The vehicle finally starts to move again, causing them to pass by trees and plants and a few other cars in a blur.

“It’s not when you call it ‘Massive Two Shits’,” Stan mumbles from the front seat.

“But,” Richie starts, and Bev can hear his grin, “it is funny!”

“Massachusetts. Massive Two Shits. Whatever, same fucking thing here. Either way you say it, the state is still beautiful!” She exclaims with a smile, and motions outside.

“I have to agree,” Mike says.

“Me too,” Ben mutters.

She turns her head to look at him. At realizing how close the two of them are, she only inches back a little bit and gives him a warm smile, not thinking into too much detail about how he’s already looking at her. “Glad you agree, Ben.”

Mike sputters from his spot on the other side of Ben. “Hey!”

Bev laughs and leans to the side to look at him. “The same goes for you, Mikey.”

“Thank you.”

Not too long later, the Losers Club are officially in Salem, Massachusetts. Bill drives around for a few moments until he finds a café parking lot to park in. For a bit of time, the seven of them just sit and talk about what they can do in Salem - Mike got a brochure about the town from the front desk at the hotel they slept at the night before. Eventually, they settle on going their own ways for the first little bit of the trip. Eddie has to call his mom, Stan and Bill want to find something breakfast-like, and Bev, Ben, and Mike are content with just walking around for the time being.

So, that’s what they do.

“Remember to meet up at the Derby Drawf Light Station in an hour!” Stan calls out to everyone as they part ways.

Bev happily links her arms with Ben’s and Mike’s, turning her head over to smile at him. “Don’t worry your corkscrew curls off, Stanny! We’ll be there.”

“You better be!”

+++

“That was the longest twenty minutes of my life,” Richie complains as he and Eddie finally walk away from the payphone.

“Well, you didn’t have to come along, y’know,” Eddie tells him.

Richie shrugs, smiles, and bumps his shoulder with Eddie’s. The smile just grows as the familiar warmth from just touching his crush went through him. “Wanted to,” he says simply. Then, “Besides, who knows what would’ve happened if I let you go alone. Talking to Mrs. K never turns out as good as it just did! She would’ve dragged you back home through the phone, but I would have stopped her! What’s the look for? I so would’ve saved you! Who needs Big Bill or Mikey? You’ve got Trashmouth Tozier, ready to keep you from her suffocating clutches at a moment’s notice!”

Eddie laughs and shakes his head, rolling his eyes after. “My knight in shining armor,” he says sarcastically. “You’re so dramatic.”

Richie can only stare down at him for a moment. The midmorning’s sun rays are hitting Eddie just right, causing his usual dark brown eyes to look a bit lighter - more golden, if anything - and his freckles stick a bit more already. Short brown hair is styled neatly but looks soft to the touch. To put it simply, Eddie Kaspbrak looks absolutely stunning - which, hey, isn’t that big of a difference from any other day in Richie’s eyes, but still - and it’s taking everything in Richie to not reach over and kiss him.

So, he holds himself back. He forces himself to look in front of him instead of at his crush. He stuffs his hands in his cargo shorts’ pockets and says, “You’re the one who just mentioned a knight in shining armor, Eds, I merely said I can save you.”

“It’s the fucking same thing, dickhead! And seriously? ‘Eds’? We’ve talked about this, it’s not my name!”

“And it ain’t goin’ away, sweetcheeks, it’s been fourteen goddamn years,” he responds with in the best country accent he can muster up. It’s better than it has been, he knows, but it’s still not perfect.

It’s silent for a moment. And then, “Has it really been fourteen years?”

Richie nearly stops in his tracks. Actually, he does. He blinks, thinking about it, and then his brows raise. “Huh. It has, yeah.” It’s mind boggling, to be honest, to think about how long he’s been friends with Eddie, and even with Stan and Bill. Fourteen years. Nearly their entire lives.

“Never really… It doesn’t seem like it,” Eddie says and faces Richie. “Well, I mean, it does, in a sense, but. Like. I dunno.”

Richie chuckles. “Eloquent as ever, Spaghetti.”

“Fuck off. I mean, I… It just feels like I’ve known everyone else the same amount of time, when reality we’ve only known Bev, Ben, and Mike for six years. Not fourteen. It’s weird.”

“Yeah. I get it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.” A beat of silence. “I feel like you should be telling me to fuck off by now.”

Eddie rolls his eyes with a fond smile and turns on his heels to walk away, giving Richie the bird as he did so. Richie starts walking as well, merely watching Eddie with what he knows Stan would describe as ‘heart eyes’ if he were there with them. So, when Eddie starts to speed up and start to jog, Richie notices instantly. He doesn’t have time to question Eddie, because suddenly the shorter boy is dashing away, Richie barely catching his words.

“Race ya to the light station!”

Richie sputters and quickly starts to run. “Th- what?! This isn’t fair, Eds, you were on the track team! Plus, you’re cheating - didn’t even count to three! Get fucking back here, asshole, we’re starting over!”

They don’t start over.

Richie doesn’t care, though. He is just happy to be able to spend some time with Eddie, to see the other laugh and have fun and be actually carefree. And he’s happy the he feels the same way. No school projects or assignments are looming over them, no deadlines for anything, no bullies, no suffocating Sonia Kaspbrak who hates every single one of Eddie’s friends except for maybe Bill – because, weirdly, a lot of adults love Bill – and they just aren’t in Derry anymore.

It’s nice. Fun. Freeing. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Richie tries to catch up with Eddie. The fucker was on the track team with Ben, and unfortunately for Richie, his long legs can’t exactly keep up; he isn’t athletic in the slightest. He was a stupid band kid during high school. And he really wants to catch up. He just can’t. So, he slows to a jog, letting out a quiet groan and some unkind words about how stupid the amount of energy running takes, and eventually just settles for a fast paced walk. The heat of the summer sun doesn’t help anything.

A few people are looking at him, and Eddie, oddly. But it’s not the bad odd – more confused, if anything, about two old teens running around as the curse one another out jokingly. They aren’t in Derry anymore. People aren’t so blatant about how weird and possibly stupid it is to see two friends genuinely have some fun.

Richie shrugs the looks off and continues his fast walking. “Eddie! C’mon, man, I’m not a runner like you!” He huffs and stops walking to lean against one of the buildings to catch his breath better. Not too long later, Eddie is standing in front of him with a cocky smirk. Richie chuckles and gently pushes his face away, causing Eddie to stumble backwards a step. “You’re a little bitch.”

Pushing him away is more for his own benefit, if anything. Because Eddie has gone from absolutely stunning to really fucking hot within moments. His hair is a slight mess, some of it pushed back at the front and a few strands sticking in different directions thanks to the wind from how fast he ran, and he’s a bit sweaty but not much. His skin is flushed and he’s breathing heavily, too. It takes all of Richie’s willpower to not do anything. To push that inter turmoil of “I want to jump my best friend’s bones but I can’t for obvious reasons and it sucks” away.

Eddie laughs and shoves Richie’s hand off of him. “And you’re a lazy bitch,” he retaliates with.

At first, for a split second, Richie’s confused. But then—

Right, Richie reminds himself, I called him a little bitch.

He grins. “You betcha!”

“Alright, c’mon, let's cool off. Wanna go in this store for a few minutes?”

“You think we have time?”

“You are worried about time?”

“Eds, I love you, but I don’t wanna face Stan’s wrath already just one day into the road trip.”

“Just five minutes? Please? It’ll be fun!” And then Eddie is doing the puppy dog eyes. For the full effect, he even sticks out his bottom lip a little bit.

Richie groans. “Okay! Sheesh, fine, no need to bring out the puppy eyes.”

Richie doesn’t have time to feel bad, to even think about how late they might actually be, because right then and there, Eddie is grinning from ear to ear and dragging him by the wrist into the little shop they are standing by.

+++

Mike holds the Polaroid camera safely in his hands. Before they all left the van, he had asked Bill if he can use it and take a few pictures. Bill had agreed, so long as Mike didn’t break it or ruin anything. He’s only taken one picture so far, and it’s of Bev and Ben standing together by the tiny, white square building of a lighthouse near some water. The two didn’t notice he took the picture, both too engrossed non whatever they were talking about to notice but they also had looked relaxed. Happy, wide grins and fond eyes paired with the scenery of the Light Station makes for a good picture.

Now, Mike is just wondering when in the hell his two friends are going to get their sit together and date, because he knows Ben’s statement of being over Bev had been a lie those months ago whether he realized it or not. And Bev clearly feels the same way. Mike just doesn’t know for sure how long that’s been a thing, but it’s a thing nonetheless. Everyone already has to deal with Richie and Eddie, they don’t need another oblivious blooming relationship. Or else, Stan might just rip his hair out from how stupid their friends are being, and Mike, despite loving his friends, can certainly relate to that feeling.

He smiles to himself, content. So, maybe four out of the seven of them need to figure out some things before they make Stan lose his mind, but he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re all together. Happy. Currently having a grand time on a road trip that just started. The nerves that he had felt just the day before are gone for the most part. He doesn’t have a worry, right now.

He lifts the camera to take a picture of the horizon, but stops himself right as he’s about to as two familiar voices meet his ears.

“—and, like, it’s gonna take the entire day but I think I’ve figured out what to do. We can walk to these spots, which takes from five to ten minutes if I did the math right, and I think we’ll have more fun as a group.”

“SSS-Sounds really fun, man. The others are gonna be excited.”

Mike turns and spots Stan and Bill right away, walking close together as the former holds a pamphlet. Bill has a large coffee in one hand, and with the other he’s pointing to something. Mike just stared at them both for a moment. Then, he lifts his camera and takes a picture. The film slides out and he grabs it before it can fall just as both Stan and Bill look at him from hearing the shutter of the camera. Stan’s ears turn the slightest bit pink, and Bill grins wide.

“What w-was that f-for?” Bill asks.

Mike smiles and shrugs. “I just wanted to take a picture of you two. Also got one of Ben and Bev earlier,” he tells him. Then, he’s handing one picture to Bill and the other to Stan. “Here.”

The honest truth is that Mike just wanted to take a picture of Bill – don’t get him wrong, he loves Stan to pieces – because he looks great. Not only in the sense of attractiveness but also in the way where he seems relaxed. Calm, even. Nothing’s bothering him. He’s just having fun with his friends, something Mike hadn’t truly seen since they were kids.

The stress of senior year had all eaten them up. Not one of them had been put together well during those horrendous months of their last high school year. Each of them had to calm Eddie down from a panic attack at least twice because the poor boy was so worried about not passing, not being able to get away from his mom. Stan shut down a few times, causing the Losers to then help him time and time again. Bev had a mental break down after Christmas break and chopped her hair again and even dyed it blue until the school made her dye it back to a ‘normal’ color.

Out of the seven of them, Ben, Mike, and Richie seemed like the better collected of them all, which is far from the truth. Richie had been tempted to drop out, and Mike had given a good ‘you made this far, you can make another few months’ speech to him; Mike is pretty sure the others said something similar to him at some point. Ben had started to go to parties pretty often just to find something to help him relax in between major assignments – alcohol, generally. And between football at the beginning of the school year and school in general, Mike was pretty keyed up as well.

Then there’s Bill. He couldn’t relax once, too stressed and worried about anything and everything, and he probably slept the least out of all of them. Mike’s surprised he didn’t turn out being 72% coffee. It was honestly a crazy experience for all of them. One they don’t want to relive, but one they will because, yes, college is a thing that they’re going to do.

But right now, Bill isn’t stressed. Sure, Mike knows that he misses Georgie a shit ton, who Bill is also bound to worry about, no doubt, but he’s not on his third cup of coffee already from lack of sleep. He’s not scowling from stress, or even showing an ounce of any negativity. Mike smiles more at noticing that, and glances at Stan as he leaves the two for Ben and Beverly who are starting to walk over.

Bill smiles fondly at the picture Mike took. “This is a g-good photo, Mike.” His blue eyes then lift and lock with Mike’s brown ones. But he quickly diverges his stare, cheeks tingeing pink.

Mike chuckles softly. “Thanks, Bill.”

And, alright, Mike isn’t dumb. He can read people. He knows himself. He has a crush on Bill, who likes him back - if the blushing and nervous laughs and that kiss from New Year’s are anything to go by - and you may be wondering: why aren’t you dating, then? Simple answer: Mike also can tell Stan likes him - if the blushing and tiny nervous smiles and lingering stares are anything to go by - which puts him in a predicament. Because Mike only likes Stan as a friend; he likes Bill. So, naturally, Mike doesn’t want to hurt Stan in anyway. If Stan didn’t like Mike, though…

Mike would have asked Bill out by now.

But also there’s this thing called homophobia (or, well, biphobia), so maybe that’s a lie.

So scratch what was said earlier, all seven of them need to figure out some things before someone loses their mind.

Beverly suddenly jumping on his back pulls Mike out of his thoughts. He catches her and stays balanced easily, and once Bill takes the camera from him, he securely puts his hands under her thighs to keep her up. The auburn haired boy is quick to snap a picture as Bev smacks a wet kiss onto Mike’s cheek. A grin spreads across his face.

“Aw, Bev, love you too,” he says laughing. Then, he turns his head and kisses her cheek, less went and more gentle.

She tightens her hold on him as a way to give him a hug. “You’re a sweetheart, Mikey.”

“Where’s Dumb and Dumber?” Stan asks. It’s not directed to anyone in particular, but because Bill and Ben are looking at the picture of Mike and Bev, Mike is the one to answer.

“No clue.”

Bev rolls her eyes. “They probably got distracted by something, knowing them,” she says.

“It probably wasn’t a good idea to let them walk alone,” Mike thinks aloud.

“Wait, who’s Dumb and Dumber in this situation?” Ben asks, looking between his friends. “I mean, they’re both pretty smart - Richie made straight A’s with ease.”

“The fucker was stressed for nothing,” Bev mumbles, and everyone nods in agreement.

“Eddie has more c-c-common sense, s-sometimes,” Bill speaks up.

“Sometimes,” Stan repeats, stressing the word to make a point. “But they need to hurry up. I said an hour, and it’s been an hour.”

“Give ‘em a few more minutes,” Mike says. “They’ll be here in no time.”

Richie and Eddie are not, in fact, there in no time.

Twenty minutes later the two remaining Losers walk up. The look Stan gives them – and Mike, too – makes everyone laugh, and even Stan gives the tiniest of smiles so nothing is really taken too seriously. After Eddie shows them a crystal rock he bought, explaining in detail with fast words and very little breaths of air how ‘Witches’ use crystals for magic and different energies, they set off to go on with their day.

+++

The plan Stan – “Give it up for Stan the Man with the Plan, folks!” – came up with while he was with Bill had them going to seven different spots in Salem, all within walking distance, which doesn’t include the Derby Wharf Light Station.

They walk to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. It isn’t a long walk at all, maybe ten minutes at most, but they spent about an hour at the 9-acre park. They don’t think that they’ll spend much time there – 30 minutes at most – but then they explore a few buildings and a ship or two and whatever a wharve is, and suddenly an hour has gone by. They go the Salem Witch Museum next, which is another ten minute walk, and all of them groan with relief at seeing it was inside a building. The group spends an even longer time in there.

Upon arriving, they got a very dramatic re-telling and history lesson of what happened in 1692 with life-size props and such. Richie wants to complain for the sole reason he wasn’t expecting to learn anything, but he can’t because he’s too interested and invested along with his friends (Mike and Ben especially) as they figured out that the “witches” had been no different that the blacklisted Communists in the ‘50s and the Japanese-Americans in WWII who had been encamped. Then they learn some stuff about witches today, and witchcraft as well, and then they’re off to the Peabody Essex Museum (Richie makes a lot of crude jokes simply because of the word Essex). By the time they get through the museum – it doesn’t take too long, especially with how fast they all walk and they don’t take too much time looking at the different things – they’re all starving.

The rest of the day is like that. Going to and from different popular sights in the town. After getting a cheap lunch, they do the Hocus Pocus Tour, visit a Witch House, go to the memorial for the Witch Trials and end everything with a wax museum because apparently Stan likes museums. They have fun the entire time. Bev buys a witch’s hat from a gift shop, which not so surprisingly suits her, and they got to see where the thirteen women were hung. There’s a continuous debate on whether or not witches are actually real the entire day - nothing serious, obviously.

By the time they are finished, the sun is starting to lower in the sky. Not drastically so, given that it’s only close to five, and everyone is tired from walking around everywhere. Ben and Stan lead the way, the two talking about something or another, and Mike is right behind them with Beverly on his back once again, the witch hat on her head. Eddie is walking beside them, and as he goes on about the various cool things in Salem, the other to listen carefully. Richie and Bill are taking up the end.

“Did you realize it’s been fourteen years since we first started being friends?” Richie asks suddenly, eyes on Eddie for a moment before moving to Stan, and then finally he looked to Bill.

Bill blinks for a moment. It takes a second for him to comprehend what Richie just said to him, but when it finally clicks, his mouth parts slightly. “Really?” That can’t be right. Can it?

“Not the Losers, just… Us, and Stan and Eddie.”

Oh, that makes more sense. “That’s…” Bill can’t think of anything, so he just whistles lowly and mutters a, “Wow.” Then, “What the hell, that’s almost our enti-tire lives!”

“I know!” Richie exclaims back. “And like, what- who gets to say they’ve stayed friends with someone from elementary school? Or even middle school? It’s fucking crazy, man.”

“Dad told me a m-m-month or so ago that what we have is s-something sp-special,” Bill tells Richie. Briefly, he thinks to that day and how Zach Denbrough was even prompted to say that.

At first Bill doesn’t remember, but then it all comes back to him in an instant. It had been after one of those rare occasions during the school year where they did an impromptu sleepover at the Denbrough household, all cooped up in Bill’s bedroom despite the size. Nothing dramatic happened. They laughed most of the time and played games, and everyone was reluctant to leave the next morning despite the fact they made plans to go to the clubhouse that afternoon. Once everyone was gone, Zack Denbrough stopped Bill, explained that not many people stayed best friends with one person from their younger years - let alone six - and then went on to say that the seven of them had - have - something special.

“Why did he have to word it as if we’re all dating?”

Bill rolls his eyes. “Who knows, maybe we are and w-w-we’re just too stu-stupid to realize it,” he jokes.

Richie laughs. “Wouldn’t that be something.” He pauses, dramatically of course. He then reaches over and Bill grins as Richie winks at him just as Richie puts his hand in one of Bill’s pockets. “Babe.” Then, he’s pulling out the keys and dashing to the van. “I’m driving! Everyone get in the fucking car, we’re going to McDonald’s!”

Bill’s jaw drops for a second and then he’s laughing. “You f-f-f-fucker!”

“Oh, hell no!” Stan is then racing after their friend. “You’re not driving, Richie! I love you, but I do not trust your driving skills!”

“I’ve been driving longer than any of you shits!”

“Doesn’t equate to safe driving!” Eddie shouts, cupping his mouth.

“Says the one with the road rage,” Mike comments, earning a laugh from Ben and Bev, and the finger from Eddie.

Bill chuckles and steps beside Eddie while they walk the rest of the short distance. “It’s true, Eddie. Y-You have some b-b-b-bad road rage.”

“Whatever,” he mumbles.

None of them manage to talk Richie out of driving - and poor Stan tries so hard to get someone else to drive - so they all get into their respective seats, but Ben takes Richie’s old spot and Bill takes Ben’s (not so he can sit beside Mike. That’d be absurd!).

(...Okay, fine, it’s so he can sit beside Mike but the others don’t need to know that).

Then finally, they’re off to McDonald’s. They chant the fast food’s name for a solid thirty seconds until they realize they don’t know where a McDonald’s is.

And that’s how they spend forty minutes driving around searching for one.

TAGLIST: @samanthador1205 @snapmyneckandcallmeloki @eddiekazier

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s0bers0ngs-blog · 5 years

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Hazed & Confused

My first summer in Savannah continued to be one giant haze. The cycle of sleeping all day, waking up hungover, going to work, and heading to the bar or the party with cash in my pocket became my new normal. I even started throwing my own parties when Lola was out of town on business, and they became increasingly popular each time. I made sure to pay attention when it came to what my friends drank, which drinking games they loved to play, and who they hung around with to avoid drama and become the prime entertainer amongst all of my co-workers. I lived on the third floor of a brand new luxury apartment complex within walking distance from Logan's, and often used that as leverage. "There's absolutely no excuse for you to miss out. I'm right down the street!" I took great care to make sure nobody went into Lola's bedroom or touched her baby grand piano, though, because she had no idea that our home was turning into party central every time she was away. There wasn't much peace left between us after our breakup, but I needed to preserve what was left of it as much as possible if we were to continue living together. Even so, I lied to and manipulated her as much as I could to make sure she never found out, because cancelling one of my parties would have been a calamity. In active addiction, I always wanted to have my cake and eat it too.

One night at work, I served a man and a woman at a small two-top table. For most of the night, I thought they were dating, because they were bickering like they were married; but I noticed the female wasn't wearing any rings, and had my eyes optimistically set on her. I made sure she knew it as professionally as possible by engaging in deep eye contact and making her laugh. She was lofty, tan, brunette, and covered in tattoos - Right up my alley. She sported tight clothing and spoke with a thick Boston accent, and eventually told me that she was bisexual, single, and active duty military. She and her friend were stationed in a town about fifty miles away called Hinesville, at an Army base named Fort Stewart. She came to Savannah almost every weekend to party with her other battle buddies, and asked if I'd like to join sometime. Naturally, I obliged, and gave her my phone number. "Hit me up, gorgeous. Let's fucking party."

My relationship with Karissa never developed past friendship, some cuddling, and a few kisses. She was over a decade older than me and wasn't in the business for anything serious, but I'm not sure that I was, either. As our friendship grew, so did my friendships with the rest of her crew, and I eventually became close with a man named Rowan. He never had the intention of being romantic with me and immediately saw me as one of the guys, and we quickly began referring to each other as brother and sister. Every weekend, he was coming to drink with me in Savannah, even if Karissa decided to stay behind. I would usually offer him the couch in my apartment to crash on, but he always chose to drive back to Hinesville when I went to bed, even after drinking more than anyone else around us and being seemingly unperturbed. Because of this, he became the designated driver of his unit, so his car would be consistently packed full of soldiers who knew they could get a free ticket to inebriation in Savannah. None of us could ever tell that Rowan was intoxicated, and we never understood how he could function so well after consuming so much alcohol, but we constantly sang his praises for being the "best drinker" in comparison to the rest of us. Karissa was known to destroy everything in her path when she got too wasted, and eventually received the nickname "Hurricane" after a deadly storm that swept through the South years prior. Lou was an angry blackout drunk who would hurt your feelings in a skinny minute, and often had to be physically held back from giving a stranger a black eye if he looked at him wrong. Curt was "the tall one" and the renowned beer pong champion who never lost a game, but I remember teaming up against him with another female at his house one night and dominating. There were others, too, but none of us were as close as Rowan and I. We were two peas in a pod.

One night, he suggested picking me up so I could come out to Hinesville and party for a change. Even though I insisted that it was too much time and gas to make four lengthy trips just to have me there, he insisted that it would be worth the amount of fun we'd have, and he was right. The first night I got drunk on Fort Stewart was the same night I participated in a foam sword fight as a sort of initiation, and passed with flying colors. I followed it up by illegally staying the night in Karissa's barracks room. From that day forward, I became the epitome of a "weekend warrior" and my presence was demanded by my new friends every Friday and Saturday. "It isn't a party without you!" There were times when Karissa was working or chose to drink alone in her room, so I'd go out with the boys to the local Mexican restaurant and consume twenty-four ounce beers the size of my head. I still didn't have my own vehicle, and it was impossible to save up for another one with my expensive new habit. I was content being the hot, young lesbian up the street from Logan's who didn't have a car, liked to drink, and lived with her ex-girlfriend. I could barely pay my phone bill each month and never gave her a single dime towards rent, and I would often wonder why I was so broke all the time and she was being - For lack of a better word - A total bitch. Even after business slowed down at Logan's, my drinking didn't. But when I didn't have the money to party, someone else always did. I eventually saw less of my co-workers and more of my Army friends because I thought they were more fun, and I knew I'd never have to pay for any of my alcohol around them. Most of them were single and didn't have any bills to pay. They also began teaching me how to drink more successfully and be less of a lightweight, and I soaked up their techniques like a sponge. After all, I wanted to be a champion drinker just like the rest of them.

Once I learned to pop a few Ibuprofen and chug a full bottle of Gatorade before going to sleep at night, I stopped getting hangovers. It was just like any other skill; the more you practice, the better you are. Drinking and partying became my new hobbies, along with some pretty mean games of beer pong and flip cup. But what I failed to realize was that the game of alcoholism was shifting dramatically and dangerously in my life, and I was unknowingly playing for keeps. Soon, I would add more toxicity into the mix in the form of a female, and spend my next few years spiraling down like water into a drain. It was the beginning of an end that I never saw coming.

#recovery #mystory #onedayatatime #recoveryblog

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bird-inacage · 8 months

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Only Friends: Episode 3 Preview (aka Boston's Reign of Madness)

So this week's upcoming instalment is where this train to hot-mess-ville is well and truly about to kick off. Boston is really gunning for first prize in the chaotic red flag olympics for fuckery and shit-stirring. We get a brief but loaded glimpse into the many possible showdowns and throwdowns.

Boston VS Mew (Competition)

In Episode 2, Boston pointedly stares at a photo he took of Mew and Ray. From what we see, he chooses to incriminate his two best friends purely in a bid to drive a wedge between Mew and Top.

I really can't decipher what Boston's end goal is here. Is this purely, 100% egotistical, petty jealousy due to Mew 'one-upping' him for once, when he's usually the person who gets all the action? I don't necessarily think Boston wants a boyfriend in Top, so this is a lot of chaos to cause for very little, especially as Top seems rather indifferent about Boston other than sexually. I think Boston's absolutely right in that he and Top are two peas in a pod - they love being at the 'top' of their game, and they hate being bested. If he thinks this is going to get him exclusivity rights to Top junior, he's insane. He's clearly not bothered that his two best friends may end up as collateral in the process.

Top VS Ray (Rivalry)

This is a classic case of we both hate each other but we're trying to keep it on the downlow for Mew's sake. Ray's jealousy is more valid, because it's partly fuelled by genuine concern around Top's motives. Whereas Top's jealousy feels possessive. The way he interacts with Ray is a clear indication to 'back off, you're stepping on my property'. With Boston's false intel, he's only going to feel more justified to be combative with Ray.

Top also makes a comment about Sand's band which sounded derogatory. Either a snide little dig at Ray (already knowing he invited Sand), or just a plain dig nonetheless. If so, I'd highly welcome Ray to defend his boyfriend's honour. This is an altercation I would truly love to see. I want Ray to go full feral on this man. Because I swear to god Top, if you try to hurt my son, I will yeet you into the goddamn sun. (Force is doing a stellar job of plastering that incredibly punchable smug-ass expression across his face. My hands are itching to smack him one).

Sand & Ray (Friends or Boyfriends?)

The preview is cut to look like Nick finds Ray and Sand kissing in the car. But the shot of Nick is at the hostel. Whereas Ray and Sand are kissing in the garage outside Sand's apartment. It's unlikely anyone is watching them at that location.

Ray drives Sand home after being slighted by Top, and tries to seduce him (and unsurprisingly succeeds). This is also the scene where Sand says "I'll never take someone like you as my boyfriend". (Pretty presumptuous of you to assume Ray would want to take you as a boyfriend, unless he's the one to suggest it? Unlikely). If Ray's proposition breaks his personal rule of "I've never slept with anyone who's not my lover more than once", then in Sand's head he's going to start thinking of them that way, even if he agrees to just 'one more time'. This conversation is potentially where the two really muddy the waters on what on earth this is.

It's also going to get more interesting when someone from the group finds out about their relationship. Worst case scenario would be Boston finding out. Because the last thing we need is for him to have more leverage to pull strings in this tangled web.

Boston & Top (Lust)

Notoriously, we're going to get our two resident red flags committing adultery together. This happens the same night as the pool party. Something happens between Top leading Mew away from Ray, to Top vouching for some rigorous car seat action with Boston. Mew is seen taking a call in the preview, and it wouldn't surprise me if Boston has something to do with this. He sees Top lead Mew away, and potentially intercedes with a ploy.

Can we talk about how Boston is acting all sweet with Nick and kisses him on the cheek (in the same car) earlier in the day and then proceeds to bounce the living daylights out of Top that same night (in the SAME car)?? This boy doesn't give a shit.

Nick VS Top ('The Favourite')

Nick finds the photobooth strip of Boston and Top. Now if I was Nick, this does speak volumes. Boston comes across as very blasé about his sexual partnerships. He takes a lot of photos of other people (including Nick), but from what we've seen, he's always the one behind the camera. Which also maintains this unconscious power dynamic he exerts over most of his lovers. Whereas the photobooth shots feature Boston with someone else. He's not the observer, he's the subject. The fact that he's kept this memento, with the caption 'hot night' means it was so memorable that he held onto it. This is pretty clear proof that no, Nick is not 'his favourite' as he was led to believe. And yes, Nick is slightly naïve to believe that in the first place, but he's seeing through rose-tinted glasses.

Nick's jealousy is tricky, because he's backed himself into a corner by trying to play it cool and going along with being just a 'fuck buddy' and nothing else. He knows he'll risk affronting Boston almost immediately if he starts demanding for more.

#only friends #only friends the series #ofts #only friends ep3 preview #ray x sand #sand x ray #top x mew #mew x top #nick x boston #boston x nick #khaotung thanawat #force jiratchapong #first kanaphan #neo trai #book kasidet #mark pakin

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ethercals · 5 years

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[ MUSE 40 ] ●● is that JOE KEERY? no, that’s just JACOB LIVELY, the TWENTY-TWO year old CISMALE who is a BAKER/GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT. some say they’re SELF-ABSORBED AND IRRITABLE, but their family and friends will swear they’re LOVING AND LOYAL. when i think of them, i think of flour sprinkled all over his apron, nimble fingers tapping against keys, bruises under eyes, eating grated cheese out of the bag at 3am. i wonder if HIS family knows that HE DRUNKENLY GOT MARRIED IN VEGAS AND HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET AN ANNULMENT ●●

so i’m trash and couldn’t resist taking up another character hjdsfhdgff.

my boy generally goes by jake, tho he doesn’t mind if his family calls him jacob!

he’s a huge ass mess.

grew up a part of a very unconventional family. when he was a kid, he didn’t think anything of it. he loved his siblings and his parents and didn’t give a shit about what people had to say about it.

that didn’t really change when he got to high school either. he learned quickly that if he didn’t want to have shit put on him, he had to stand up for himself.

needless to say, he ended up in a LOT of fights. if anyone so much as whispered a word about his family around them, they were bound to end up with a broken nose and jake with bloody knuckles.

he wasn’t insanely popular at school, but he was still fairly well known. he was on the football team and he spent most of his weekends out at parties.

tbh as he got older, he started looking for any excuse to get out of the house. he loves him fam, would happily die for them in a heartbeat, but living in a family as big as their’s often meant jake felt suffocated.

they were always on top of each other and it was easy at times to feel forgotten within the family.

as a result, he pulled away from them quite a bit. he’d spend afternoons playing football, hanging out in diners with his friends and girlfriend of the month, sneaking out to the school field to drink or parties to smoke weed.

when he started going to college in boston, he spent even more time away from home and kind of went through a life crisis.

while he may have gotten into college on a football scholarship, he quickly discovered that wasn’t where he wanted his life to go.

he’d done tonnes of computer classes on the dl in high school and always held a passion for graphic design. he ended up giving up his scholarship to pursue that instead and he’s honestly much happier doing that.

his head has kind of returned from the clouds now and he’s talking to his family mor than he used to, as well as spending time with them. likely due to the fact that he’s a fkn baby and they’re like a security blanket.

he works in the local bakery as well, and he’s now having ANOTHER life crisis bc the idea of just baking shit all day over a career he may not even get a job in is very appealing.

instead of dealing with his internal crisis, he ended up going to vegas to blow off some steam with some friends andddd that whole night is a blur. all he knows is he woke up the next morning, naked in bed with a wedding ring on his finger.

he’s lowkey freaking out bc in his words “I’M TOO YOUNG TO GET MARRIED!!!” and he regrets it a lot. he hasn’t told anyone about it yet and is just trying to get an annulment quietly.

overall, he’s always eternally sighing in a corner somewhere. he’s the type to not really start drama, but he’ll sit there with popcorn if there’s drama going on in front of him. he’s always rolling his eyes and teasing his friends like the shit he is.

he’s a pretty chill guy, tries not to make a big deal out of shit, even when he should. honestly just wants to bake his pastries and smoke weed, leave him alone

wanted connections:

best friend: probs the person who was the witness at his wedding lmao. they get on like peas in a pod and they’re one of the people that jake trusts most.

wife: lmao so this connection could really go anywhere. i think it would be great if they knew each other before they got married and now they’re both like oHHHH SHIT OKAY WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS?? and now neither of them really know how to act around each other bc they’ve now also seen each other naked lmao.

coworkers: ppl he works with at the bakery!

college friends: self explanatory really.

ex-gfs: he was...so not chill when it came to dating in high school tbh, he had a new girlfriend every other month.

ppl he went to school with: either people he didn’t really get along with, friends that drifted apart, an unlikely friendship now, you name it!

#rip

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haventee · 4 years

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Zillion Beers Keg shirt

Whoever is reading this, I understand how rough things are right now. I just want to Zillion Beers Keg shirt let you know that things will get better, I promise. Keep holding on just a little bit longer. I know you feel like nobody really cares. You’re wrong, stop denying it. I care, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this. You’re not alone, we may be miles away but we’re all going through the same things. Please keep holding on.

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teesunflowerus · 4 years

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Mermaid Security Swimming Lessons T-Shirt

I got bullied daily, mostly verbally, a couple times teachers too but I don’t remember it bothering me since my homelife was such a nightmare, it made the school stuff seem so minor. I loved school, it was an escape. So homelife made daily bullying easy to put in it’s place in my mind of Mermaid Security Swimming Lessons T-Shirt. And the things they’d say, I remember thinking, but “I like that about me, then, thank God they don’t know how I live; then, they’d really have something. I guess we all have our childhood trauma. Here’s to better days!

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Buy it Now: https://teesunflower.com/product/mermaid-security-swimming-lessons-t-shirt/

Home page: https://teesunflower.com/

tag: #babyyoda #yoda #starwars #memes #cute #starwarsmemes #babyyodamemes #yodamemes #lukas #lukasfilms #disney #star #wars #movie #mandalorian #series #themandalorian #disneyplus

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travelswithmyart · 5 years

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What do Hualamphong Train Station in Bangkok, Thessaloniki bus station and Luton airport all have in common?

Give up – I’m not surprised as it is a rather tenuous link. The answer is that they are all places where I have had to spend the night because there was no connecting transport for a few hours and I was too stingy to pay for a hotel.

Although I am always on the look out for bargain travel options, the days of true budget travel are behind me. Now, at least, I can afford a place to stay if I need to.

Recently I was due to take a very early flight from London Heathrow back to Stockholm Arlanda. I needed to find a place to stay where I could get to the airport early. While researching places to stay, I found these quirky little rooms at a place called Yotel. I was also lured in by the Yotel tagline:

“For independent, tech-savvy travellers who value time and efficiency”.

The rooms at YotelAir hotels are more like cabins on an overnight train or cruise ship. The compact rooms, also known as pods, are the epitome of cutting edge design. Unlike a normal hotel room, you can rent pods for just a few hours, so you if you have a long layover, you can have a rest, a shower or just some privacy.

Me in my pod at Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

My pod at Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

Sleeping in my pod at Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

The pods also have en-suite bathrooms, wi-fi, free coffee and tea, a tv and some very bonkers pink lighting. In fact I felt a bit like a pea in a pink pod.

Sleeping in my pod at Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

Like a pea in a pink pod in Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

My pink pod in Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

Like a pea in a pink pod in Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

The pink hue started to make me feel a bit trippy after a while. Which, if I am honest, was a feeling I rather enjoyed – after two and a half years of being tee-total the closest I have been to narcotics is a strong cup of tea.

But it was sleep I needed so I switched off the pink lighting and turned on the television. Here I found another unexpected treat – a Duran Duran special on Top of the Pops 2.

Soon after I fell asleep. I was checked in for six hours, and set my alarm for 4am.

Watching a Duran Duran special in my pod at Yotelair Hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London

The first Yotel was opened in 2007 at London Gatwick, closely followed by the one at Heathrow. You can also stay in Yotelair at Singapore Changi Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Istanbul Airport. If you just want the kooky Yotel experience then you can stay in pods in New York, Boston, Singapore, San Francisco and Edinburgh.

Like a pea in a pink pod – staying at Yotelair London Heathrow What do Hualamphong Train Station in Bangkok, Thessaloniki bus station and Luton airport all have in common?

#accommodation #airports #design #Duran Duran #England #hotel #London #pink #travel #Yotel

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josephkitchen0 · 5 years

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Hybrid vs. Heirloom Seeds

By Jean Smith – I am a diehard for plants grown from heirloom seeds, and I save most of my own seeds for our farm. I thought now would be a good time to give a lesson on the basic differences between hybrid and heirloom seeds. We’ll look at specific definitions of hybrid and heirloom seeds and then I will give my own personal feelings on the two, as well as some of my favorite varieties along with some resources!

Heirloom Seeds

The definition and use of the word “heirloom” to describe plants is fiercely debated. One school of thought places an age or date point on the cultivars. For instance, one school says that for heirloom seeds, the cultivar must be more than 100 years old, but others say 50 years, and others prefer the date of 1945, which marks the end of World War II and roughly the beginning of widespread use of hybrid seeds by growers and seed companies. Many gardeners consider 1951 to be the latest year a plant can have originated and still be called heirloom seeds, since that year marked the widespread introduction of hybrid varieties. It was in the 1970s that hybrid seeds began to proliferate in the commercial seed trade through the top seed companies. Some heirloom plants are much older, some being apparently pre-historic.

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Another way of defining heirloom seeds is to use the definition of the word “heirloom” in its truest sense. Under this interpretation, a true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations.

Additionally, there is another category of cultivars that could be classified as “commercial heirloom seeds,” cultivars that were introduced many generations ago and were of such merit that they have been saved, maintained, and handed down — even if the seed company has gone out of business or otherwise dropped the line. Additionally, many old commercial releases have actually been family heirlooms that a seed company obtained and introduced.

Regardless of a person’s specific interpretation, most authorities agree that heirloom seeds, by definition, must be open-pollinated. They may also be open-pollinated varieties that were bred and stabilized using classic breeding practices. While there are no genetically modified tomatoes available for commercial or home use, it is generally agreed that no genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be considered heirloom seeds. Another important point of discussion is that without the ongoing growing of heirloom plants and storage of heirloom seeds, the seed companies and the government will control all seed distribution. Most, if not all, hybrid plants, if regrown, will not be the same as the original hybrid plant, thus ensuring the dependency on seed distributors for future crops.

Hybrid Seeds

Overview: A hybrid plant is a cross between two or more unrelated inbred plants. Hybridization has brought huge improvements, including more vigorous plants, improved disease resistance, earlier maturity, more uniform growth and increased yield. There are several different types of hybrid seeds and plants to be aware of:

F1 Hybrids Seed saved from the first cross-pollination of two unrelated open-pollinated plants is called F1 hybrid seed. (F1 stands for Familial 1.) Each of the parents contributes attributes that, when combined, produce an improved type of plant.

Hybrid Vigor A frequent characteristic of F1 hybrids is much-increased vigor. This can take the form of faster growth to maturity, larger root and top growth, and increased productivity. The gains from what is called heterosis greatly exceed the sum of what the parent plants might be expected to produce. Despite recent advances in the understanding of plant genetics, there is still no agreement among scientists about what causes heterosis.

Disease Resistance Like other living things, plants are vulnerable to a range of diseases that can cause disappointment in a home garden and huge financial losses in agriculture. One trait that is constantly sought in plant hybridization is resistance—or at least tolerance—of diseases that can affect productivity. In seed catalogs, resistance is noted in an abbreviation after the plant variety name. For example, “Arbason F1 Hybrid, FW (races 0, 1), VW, TMV” means that this tomato has resistance to fusarium wilt races 0 and 1, verticillium wilt and tomato mosaic virus.

Uniform Growth While the taste and appearance of open-pollinated and heirloom plants are highly valued, the size and growth rate of fruit and leafy= parts can vary widely. Hybridization can stabilize growth factors, so the grower can harvest much more uniform produce.

Maturity and Yield In agriculture, the ability to produce a crop early in the season has considerable marketing advantages across all planting zones. The first corn, the first tomatoes, and the first strawberries always command higher prices. Hybrids can be created to achieve this, as well as higher yield, although it is often true that this extra-early produce does not have the full taste of later varieties.

Later Generations The seed of open-pollinated or heirloom plants can be saved, and when sown will produce plants that are essentially identical to the parent plant. The seed from F1 hybrid plants, called F2 hybrids, will not produce a copy of the parent. Instead, the F2 plant will exhibit “break-up” in the form of random characteristics from either parent or possibly an even earlier trait. What this means is that F1 hybrid seed has to be created from scratch every year by laboriously hand-crossing the parent plants. This helps to explain why hybrid seed can be so expensive.

Read more: Definition of Hybrid Plants: Garden Guides.

Well, that is all the “formal” stuff. Now on to the basics. Heirloom seeds, in my opinion, and I believe most who grow them, will testify to overwhelmingly better flavor. Honestly, it’s not even just better, most of you who have eaten a grocery store tomato and then a fresh tomato know the difference. What most consumers don’t know is that those perfectly shaped tomatoes in the grocery store were picked rock hard green, packed and put in the back of a semi and then gassed to ripen on “the road.” That is why they are flavorless! Think about it … why do you think they intentionally say “Vine Ripened” on the little tomatoes on “the vine?” They have to tell you because they know the others weren’t.

Hybridization has been utilized for making veggies travel-worthy. For example, Brandywine tomatoes have extremely thin skins, therefore making them terrible “travelers.” As a market grower, I do not grow Brandywines for market because they will crack and split before they get to market, thereby making them unsellable, although I love them for my home garden and canning.

Uniformity in shape and size is also a must for grocery stores, not so for market tables. I love to put several different sized and colored heirloom tomatoes in a quart container — it is simply beautiful.

What some people also don’t realize is that there is a big difference between a hybrid and a GMO seed. This is where scientists have actually inserted a gene from another species into a vegetable. For example, putting a fish gene in a tomato … yes, they really do, and they say they have really good reasons for it. GMOs are not what I am going to get into here, though, because that is a really lengthy topic in its own right. You can do your own research, but please understand; most vegetable seeds are not GMO. GMO crops are focused on crops such as corn, soy and alfalfa.

Here are some of my personal favorite heirloom seed varieties for home gardening:

Tomatoes:

Beefsteak: Pineapple, Brandywine- all colors, Paul Robeson, Dr. Whyche’s, Hillbilly

Romas: Super Italian Paste, Plum Lemon, Roman Candle, all the Icicles, Striped Roman

Salad types: Green and Red Zebra, Woodle Orange, Rose De Berne, Stupice, White Tomesol

Cherry and grapes: Reisentraube, Violet Jasper, Blondkopchen, Red & White Current, Chocolate Cherry, Sungold, Yellow Pear

Lettuces: Rein’s De Glace, Merriville de Four Seasons, Grandpa’s, Red Oak Leaf, Jericho, Forellenschulus, Rubin’s Romaine, Butter Crunch, Lolla Rossa, May Queen, Paris Island Cos, Rouge D’Hiver

Radishes: White Icicle, Purple Plum, French Breakfast, Cherry Belle, Black Spanish, Pink Beauty

Winter Squash Varieties: Walthams Butternut, acorn, Sweet Dumpling, Delicata, spaghetti, Green or Orange Buttercup

Summer Squash: Round De Nice, Fordhook Zucchini, Prolific Straightneck, Patty Pan, Starburst

Carrots: Cosmic Purple, Lunar White, Amarillo, Atomic Red, Chantenay Red Core, Danvers Long

Cucumbers: Lemon, Marketmore 76, Boston Pickling

Eggplant: Rosa Bianca, Black Beauty, Purple Long, Thai Long

Sweet Corn: For most home gardeners, it is hard to move away from the hybrids because of the Super Sweet genes that have been introduced in them, but if you want to try an heirloom, Golden Bantam is a very good one.

Peppers: Sweet: Jimmy Nardello—my personal favorite—long, sweet frying pepper, Red & Golden Marconi, Purple Beauty, Sweet Chocolate,

Hot: Early Jalapeno, Anaheim, Hungarian Hot Wax

Peas: Mammoth Melting Sugar, Sugar Snap, Lincoln

Chard: Rainbow, Fordhook, Golden

Spinach: Bloomsdale Longstanding, New Zealand, Merlo Nero

Beets: Detroit Dark Red, Early Wonder, Chioggia, Golden Detroit, Crosby’s Egyptian, Cylindra, Bulls Blood

Beans: String: Blue Lake Bush, Contender

Wax: Golden Wax

Roma: *Roma, Dragon Tongue, Purple Podded Pole

Cabbage: Late Flat Dutch, Early Jersey Wakefield, Henderson’s Charleston Wakefield, Perfection Drumhead Savoy, Mammoth Red Rock

Broccoli: Calabrese, Waltham 29, Green Sprouting

Cauliflower: Purple of Sicily, Giant of Naples, Snowball Self Blanching

RESOURCES Here are a few of my favorite seed catalogs to order from:

• Baker Creek Heirloom Seed • Fedco Seeds • Johnny’s Selected Seeds • Seed Savers Exchange

Here are a couple recipes — enjoy!

Roasted Carrot Soup

6-8 medium carrots, cleaned and scrubbed, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup coarsely chopped onion 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon lemon juice Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss carrots and onion with oil to coat. Spread veggies in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.

In a large saucepan combine roasted vegetables, broth, and paprika. Bring to boiling. Cool slightly.

Transfer half the vegetable mixture at a time to a blender or food processor. Blend or process until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan. Add lemon juice. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Poached Beets

3/4 cup apple juice 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 2-1/2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into bite size pieces Salt and pepper Honey 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

In a large saucepan combine 1/2 cup of the apple juice, the water, and brown sugar. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add beets. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 45 minutes or until beets are tender and can be pierced with a fork, stirring occasionally. Drain.

2. Transfer beets to serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining juice over beets. Season to taste with salt & pepper. If desired, drizzle with honey.

Originally published in the March/April 2013 issue of Countryside & Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.

Hybrid vs. Heirloom Seeds was originally posted by All About Chickens

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