#hello thank u for looking here at my tags i hope ur day is going well!!!
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⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ falling out of love
fans think that you and tom are falling out of love after filming for ballad of songbirds and snakes and you don't post about each other much, so you show them that it's far from the truth.
[heres to 2024 coming soon. this is not part of my ongoing series but a little something else to hold you all over. never proofread, just vibing. btw just watched salt burn and I’m scared of barry now]
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
liked by… rachelzegler, joshandresrivera, hunterschafer & others
tomblyth: the vibes are green
893k likes 398k comments
user: he’s so happy!!!
user: um, where’s yourusername?
user: that’s definitely not yourusername
user: they don’t have to be around each other all the time
user: they haven’t been seen together in ages ☹️☹️
user: if they break up I’ll cry myself to sleep every night
user: my man looks so good
user: maybe she just didn’t want to hike (i wouldn’t)
user: 😍😍
user: he’s active again!!!!
user: I miss them
user: where’s yourusername
user: daddy 🔥🔥🔥🔥
user: just wanna know who the girl he’s with is, i just wanna know
user: is that the necklace yourusername gave him?
user: y’all are obsessed!!!
user: let my man live
liked by …. florence.pugh, austinbutler, jaimieflatters & others
yourusername: packing only the essentials
901k likes 650k comments
user: packing?
user: what do you mean packing, where you going?
user: hotmamma
user: I love u
user: where’s tom
user: where is she going? to tom
user: is she leaving tom?
user: I love her whole vibe
user: I hope she’s going to go see tom 😔😔
user: why is she always slaying, it must be so tiring to be her
user: tomblyth
user: tomblyth
user: tomblyth
user: I can’t lose my third set of parents plssss
user: hearts breaking rn
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
user: rip tomblyth and yourusername, I’ll miss you
user: cosying up??? they’re literally just talking
user: it was bound to happen
user: tom!!!! cone get ur gurl
user: crying in the club rn
user: not believing in anything until they confirm
user: I can’t believe it; i won’t
user: love is dead
user: as long as they’re happy
user: they were probably pr for the hunger games and it’s been over two years, who cares now
liked by… jaimieflaters, sadiesink_, zendaya & others
yourusername: that’s a rap on me and my Malibu dude!
871k likes 0comments
[comments restricted]
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
‘It’s so over,’
trending on twitter
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
liked by… tomblyth, rachelzegler, jamieflaters, tomholland2013 &others
yourusername: tom and I falling out of love, a compilation
1.1m likes 832k comments
user: oh it’s so back
user: she really said stop it!
user: parents!!!!
user: THANK GOD
user: taking the toaster out of the bath rn
user: goals
rachelzegler: you guys are so cute I’m gonna throw up
user: the fourth picture hello?!?!?!
user: damnnnnn
user: THANK GOD IM SO HAPPY
user: stfu enews
user: he’s such a gentleman in every picture but the fourth
user: I just knows he’s packing
zendaya: ❤️
user: planning the wedding
user: twitter lied!!
liked by … yourusername, rachelzegler, joshandresrivera & others
tomblyth: falling out of love? more like falling in love with every single day that passes. I love you
tagged: yourusername
1m likes 750k comments
user: AHHHHHHHH
user: the posts!!!! the posts!!!!!
user: I just know they picked out these photos together
user: I love them
user: they’re giggling and kicking their feet rn
user: this is the cutest damn couple ever
user: I know they’re so in love because look at like these pictures, so darn cute
user: two years going on forever!!!
user: they could never make me believe you guys were over
user: they were literally probably just laughing off the rumors
user: they had us in the first half, ngl
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
‘Oh it’s so back!’
trending on twitter
#coriolanus snow#the hunger games#tom blyth#tom blyth imagine#tom blyth x reader#tomblyth#tom blyth x you#x yn#social media#love#in love
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hiii can i get a smau percy x daughter of persephone who loves flowers and lives on a farm
FLOWER POWER!
✸ pairing: percy jackson x daughter of persephone!reader smau
✸ notes: tysm for requesting & im sorry this took a hot minute, but i hope you like it!! 🤍
…now playing: love grows (where my rosemary goes) — edison lighthouse
persea_: i’ve officially made friends with the ferns 🫡(thank you yn for not letting them eat me)
tagged: @flowersforyn
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g_man: are you…are you AWARE of how ferns work?
╰┈➤ persea_: yeah i am. 2 words: chomp chomp
chqsingannabeth: who’s…who’s truck did you steal?
╰┈➤ persea_: what’re you a cop?
flowersforyn: guys don’t be fooled by the second pic, this was the aftermath of him DROPPING me
╰┈➤ persea_: one, didn’t have to expose me like that & two, I SAID I WAS SORRY
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: SORRY ISNT ENOUGH, MY ASS STILL HURTS
╰┈➤ persea_: i bet it does 😗😉
╰┈➤ g_man: reminder that this is a PUBLIC app
ghostking: pls don’t break her
╰┈➤ persea_: did…did u just say PLEASE?
╰┈➤ ghostking: i take it back. break her and i break your neck.
team.leo: why she violating a tree like that
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: leo just bc you didn’t get hugged as a kid doesn’t mean nobody else did 😒
╰┈➤ notpipermclean: OH SHE ATE YOU TF UP WITH THAT ONE. GAGGED
tysonn: ask yn if ferns will be my friend too
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: they absolutely will tyson, we’ll have to bring you out to the farm next weekend <3
╰┈➤ tysonn: yay!
╰┈➤ persea_: me too, right?
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: …
╰┈➤ persea_: RIGHT??
notpipermclean: yn get this loser off our farm, the kids are asking questions
╰┈➤ persea_: PIPER STOP HITTING ON MY GF AND SPREADING FALSE INFORMATION
╰┈➤ notpipermclean: NO🤗 im gonna report you for hate speech
╰┈➤ persea_: mf YOU’RE hate speeching ME
╰┈➤ sp4rky: @ team.leo the girls are fighting 👀
╰┈➤ team.leo: 🍿🫢
…now playing: strawberries & cigarettes — troye sivan
flowersforyn: fav boy on the farm!! 🍓
tagged: persea_
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chqsingannabeth: your face being cut off of that first pic is CRIMINAL 😩 not percy’s tho, that was a gift from the gods
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: im srry babe, i looked goofy 😔
╰┈➤ chqsingannabeth: oh no ma’am, you could NEVER
╰┈➤ persea_: WE GONNA IFNORE THE COMMENT SBT ME HELLO?!
persea_: the best day with my absolute best girl 🩵
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: kicking my feet & giggling, ILY SEAWEED BRAIN 🤍
╰┈➤ persea_: ILY TOO FLOWER POWER
g_man: WHAT did you do to make those strawberries look so scrumdidliuptious?
╰┈➤ persea_: dyslexia just took me OUT with this one dude 😭
╰┈➤ g_man: nobody was talking to you brotha 🙏
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: grover bud i use my mommy’s magic, hope this helps 🫶
persea_: don’t let her lie to you, people. i thought my first fit was BOMB & then she made me put on that sweater cuz it was cold as hell outside
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: i want you to read that again…slowly
notpipermclean: save me yn the garden princess …save me
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: have no fear bae, im here 🫂
╰┈➤ persea_: yn, babydoll, i beg of you, PLEASE stop hitting on people that aren’t me
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: there’s enough of me to go around perce 😒
╰┈➤ notpipermclean: YEAH PERCY SHARE
sp4rky: why is bro carryin a whole bakery on that swing
╰┈➤ persea_: jason…🤭
╰┈➤ flowersforyn: NAW IF I CANT DO IT YOU CANT DO IT, JASON GET TF OUTTA MY COMMENT SECTION OR ELSE
╰┈➤ sp4rky: I PLEAD THE FIFTH
flowersforyn uploaded a story!
@ g_man replied:
why is bro so silly 😭
idk but he’s the silliest
@ sp4rky replied:
tell him to leave the flying to me
i’m not telling him SHIT from you
RAHH
@ persea_ replied:
idk what ur on about, i look terrifying here
oh yeah, i’m shaking in my boots
great, now can you pls come help me get down?
idk…
YN PLEASE
yknow, i can’t kiss you from up here
i’m otw 🏃♀️ 💨
#୨୧ love letters#pjo#percy jackson#percy jackson x reader#percy jackson x fem!reader#percy jackson x you#percy jackon and the olympians#pjo fandom#pjo smau#percy jackson imagine#percy jackson oneshot#percy jackson thoughts#pjo x reader#smau#pjo x you#daughter of persephone
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hey friend! tis me back again hahah
this is gonna sound so random but anyways i was thinking.. reader coming home to hear wilbur shouting away in his room (he’s streaming for once LMAO) and deciding to just chill in the living room/bedroom for a bit. and then when wilbur’s finished and he surprised to see reader and he’s so happy to them and just aah :,) 🫶 and i had the idea of smth like a cozy night in with wilbur?? and i was wondering if u had any thoughts on that or if u wanted to write about it maybe! no pressure at all to do any of that tho <3
i hope ur having a nice dayyy! 💕
💗 You're Back! 💗
a/n: stopppppp this is so cute!! also why did my writing get really good during this
summary: read the ask
contains: excited Wilbur, tired reader, tooth-rotting fluff, pet names, kissing, & silly Haunty shenanigans overall
words: 702
tags: @zuuriell @somebody-v @vibestillaxxx @ax-y10 @joviepog@themonsterunderurmom @ogelizasoot @wilburstan@smolsleepykitten@funnyreally2009@crows-death@dykepunz@aresriiots@0miamor0@defonotval@chipch0p@mazzistar16@unmellowyellowfellow@thosecolorfulsheets@vopix@aine-lasagna@merianakross@veeislost@urfav-sapphic-siren@shazbaz58-blog @wifiatthetrainstation@mcr-pr-fob@shd454@rqvii@idioticion@m0thza@artistphantom @lexx-the-gay-rubber-ducky @finleyforevermore @poraphia @radio-to-trenchcoat-demons @mysticalsoot @21-cats-in-a-trenchcoat @strangleetomz (let me know if u don't or do wanna be tagged)
At around 5pm, you finally got home after an exhausting day at work. You, of course, loved your job; it was your dream job, after all! Some days were more tiring than others.
You took your shoes off & put them near the door next to Wilbur's scuffed, untied Dr. Martens that had lost their shine years ago, unlike your darling boyfriend, who always seemed to have some sort of lively spark about him that nobody could quite have for themselves, which is rather peculiar, since he writes incredibly heart-wrenching songs nowadays. The shoes were massive compared to yours, almost like a clown's.
In the office, you heard shouting & laughter. You didn't think your boyfriend would be streaming, since he hadn't streamed since October, & he never mentioned any upcoming streams. Maybe he was treating the livestream like he treated Mammalian Sighing Reflex & did it unannounced to surprise people. Not wanting to interrupt him, you walked into the bedroom to take off your work clothes & change into sweatpants & Wilbur's brown hoodie that still had the smell of earthy, soothing cologne & petrichor lingering on the soft fabric. You checked yourself in the mirror. You looked okay, except for the fact that your eyes were drooping & you looked almost like you were going to collapse & fall asleep on the floor if you did any excessive movements. You yawned & stretched your arms above your head, hearing a few cracks & pops as you did such from not cracking anything all day. You then cracked your neck & knuckles, & both of them made loud pop & crack & crunch sounds. You finger-combed through your hair, tugging through the knots while wincing. You looked very dead. Abandoning the rule you made for yourself not to bother Wilbur during streams, you slowly opened the office door just a crack, making sure not to make any loud creaks.
"So, I think that'll be all today, chat!" Wilbur smiled. "Thank you all for coming. I'm so sorry I haven't been streaming as much, I've just got Lovejoy things to do. We're all very busy all the time. Here, let's have you all raid...Philza. Go raid him. Bye, chat!" He clicked the "Stop streaming" button on his PC & sighed. Since his spinny chair was still facing the PC setup, you were able to come around & hug him from behind.
"Hello," you mumbled sleepily. "I'm back."
"Angel! You're back!" Wilbur sprang up from his seat & picked you up & spun you around, causing you to laugh. When he stopped, he sat down on the chair with you in his lap. "How was work, love? Everything go okay at work?"
You shrugged. "It wasn't bad, per se, but it was just exasperating. Nobody was rude or crass to me, but I'm just really tired." Wilbur made a small "ah" sound & nodded.
"Do you want to go cuddle in bed & drink some tea?" Wilbur asked, playing with your fingers. "Do you want to do that? Or we could do something else."
"Tea & cuddles sound nice," you said. Wilbur nodded & picked you up & walked you to the kitchen. He still kept you in his arms while he made tea, softly asking you which tea flavor you preferred & which mug you wanted, or if you even wanted a mug or if you just wanted a glass. You two waited in the kitchen while the tea was being prepared, with Wilbur rocking you back & forth to a symphony only he could hear. When the whistling of the tea kettle echoed through the kitchen, he poured the two mugs of tea & handed you one as he grabbed the other & walked back to the bedroom. He cautiously placed you on the bed to make sure neither of you spilled the tea onto the soft white sheets. When he sat down on the bed, you immediately scooted over to him & cuddled up to him with his arm over your shoulders & your head buried in the crook of his neck. & you two just stayed like that for an uncountable amount of time.
Thank goodness you came back.
#wilbursoot#wilbur soot#wilbur#lovejoy wilbur#wilbur soot imagine#wilbur soot fluff#wilbur soot fanfiction#fanfic#wilbur soot fic#wilbur soot headcanons#wilbur soot x reader#wilbur soot x reader fluff#wilbur soot x you#wilbur soot x y/n#my writing#creative writing#fiction writing#original writing#story writing#writblr#write#writeblr#writer life#writer community#writer things#writerblr#writers#writers life#writers of tumblr#writers on tumblr
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when you know, you know
happy holidays, @luckynumber4 @ronald-speirs @lena-basilone idk which one to tag :3 i was ur secret santa, here to feed u sledgefu!!!!!! i hope u like it :D
word count: 13.4k
summary: Eugene, a burnt-out Ph.D. candidate, finds himself carpooling with Snafu, a complete stranger, on their way to Burgie's wedding.
The humid evening air of May had long since swept over Auburn as Eugene pages through countless notes, the sound of rustling paper permeating his apartment. It’s month three of researching for his Ph.D. dissertation, and although he knows this is only the beginning, that in a year he’ll most likely still be working on it, he’s already experiencing all the warning signs of burnout. He’s managed these past few months to follow the strict schedule he’d created, keeping himself fully on track with every scrap of discipline he possesses, but an itching restlessness had begun burrowing itself in the back of his brain last week, and his concentration has been off ever since. He needs to find a new angle, take a little break, and approach the daunting process with new eyes. He just needs to hold out for another week: Burgie’s wedding.
Burgie is a close friend from Eugene’s undergrad days, they had even shared an apartment for a few semesters. They meet up every few months for a drink and catch up, texting every other week or so. Eugene wishes they could meet more frequently, but he hardly has time to see his family, let alone friends. Burgie had gotten engaged about a year ago, and Eugene is looking forward to his upcoming wedding as a chance to wind down. He’s happy for Burgie too, of course; no one deserves happiness as much as him, the most kindhearted person Eugene knows.
Eugene closes his eyes and sighs. He can’t stay focused at all. He just needs to hang on to his last thread of motivation for a little longer, but every task seems impossible. He sits back in his chair and rubs a hand across his face, figuring he’d close his eyes for a moment before continuing. Maybe he’d take a break for a snack in a minute, drink some water, turn on a meditation…
Bzzz.
Eugene jolts awake 40 minutes later, curled up in his chair, back stiff. He silently thanks whoever is texting him. That was stupid, if he had kept sleeping he might not have woken up until his morning alarm. He almost drops his phone trying to unlock it and squints his tired eyes as he tries to read the screen. Weirdly, the text is from Burgie. It’s well past midnight and Eugene has never known him to stay up so late. If it was someone else, he might ignore the text, but he decides to open it.
Hey, call me when you see this.
Oh? Eugene’s skin prickles with worry and he immediately presses the call button.
Burgie spares Eugene’s nerves by picking up immediately. “Hello?”
“Hey, what did you need?” Eugene asks, hoping nothing has gone wrong with the wedding.
“Hey, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.” Burgie’s cadence is upbeat, melting away the icy worry that had frozen over Eugene’s chest.
“Sure, anything,”
“Okay, so, one of my best friends lives in New Orleans, and his car gave out on him a few days ago. I was wondering if you could pick him up on your way here. I assume you’re driving?”
Burgie’s right, he would be driving. Eugene has had an extreme phobia of airplanes ever since childhood, making the numerous family vacations he went on a humiliating ordeal. He would get sick or start hyperventilating a few minutes after take-off like clockwork. Logically, he knows he’s safe, but fear isn’t logical. The combination of heights and confined space is just too much for him to handle. Despite his phobia, his mother insists on going on trips that require a plane ride and is offended that he refuses to go on these vacations in adulthood.
“Yeah, I’ll be driving,” Eugene half chuckles before getting more serious. “So, who is he?”
“His name’s Snafu. Well, it’s Merriell Shelton, but we all called him Snafu, anyway,” Burgie says, a fondness so strong taking over his voice that Eugene can recognize it even over the phone. “He can’t really afford a plane ticket. I know it’s probably out of your way, but it would mean a lot to me if you could drive him.”
Eugene has to keep himself from sighing. He knows this detour will add about an hour or so to his drive, and he’ll have to drive over eight hours from New Orleans to Fort Worth with some guy he doesn’t even know. What will they talk about? Will it be awkward silence all the way? Will he have to drive him back too?
“Of course, Burgie. I’ll drive him for you,” Eugene ends up saying before thinking about it any further. The favor is simple, really, and he wouldn’t want Burgie to be missing one of his best friends at his own wedding. Plus, Burgie has been an amazing friend to Eugene, never giving up on him no matter how busy he is and never letting things become awkward between them.
“Thanks, Eugene! Really, thank you.” Burgie sounds elated, putting a soft smile on Eugene’s face. “I can’t wait to see you. We’ve barely talked since you started your dissertation research.”
“I’ve barely talked to my own mother since I started,” Eugene jokes. “And you know how she is about phone calls.”
Burgie laughs and Eugene is reminded of how much he misses just talking to him.
They chat for a few more minutes before Burgie decides he needs to get to bed. After hanging up the phone, Eugene stretches before standing up and pacing for a few minutes. That short nap and talking to Burgie rejuvenated him, and despite it being past one in the morning, he decides he has enough energy to continue working for another hour before going to sleep. He pours himself a glass of water and grabs a few crackers before sitting back down at his desk, resuming.
The next few days pass similarly: Eugene eats every meal at his desk as he researches and researches and researches, staying up late every night. He leaves his apartment every morning to meet with his professors or attend a class, but otherwise, he spends every waking moment on his research, his newfound motivation from the phone call sticking to him. He’s almost disappointed now that he’ll be leaving for the wedding soon as it will interrupt his productivity, but he reminds himself that upon his return he’ll probably be even more inspired.
Four days before the wedding, Eugene realizes he hasn’t bought gifts yet and spends six frantic hours online shopping. If there’s one thing he’ll be eternally bad at it’s picking out gifts; he spends hours overthinking every purchase only to feel the gift he chooses is shallow and impersonal. Of course, this time proves no different. He buys Burgie and his bride-to-be, Florence, a set of matching watches and a bottle of champagne. He knows people normally buy small kitchen appliances or home decor, but he eats TV dinners every night and the white walls of his apartment are blank, so he’s not very experienced in either of those departments. Plus, he has no idea what they already own or what they might need. As he plugs in his credit card information and confirms his purchase, he sighs and thanks God for two-day shipping. He lays awake in bed that night wondering if his gift properly conveys his love and appreciation for Burgie, and frets about it until the early hours of the morning before deciding to write a heartfelt card for good measure, drifting off to sleep.
The following night, Eugene finds himself increasingly curious about this Snafu character he’ll be driving with for eight hours. Merriell “Snafu” Shelton, huh? He bites his lip as he opens his computer, quickly googling the name. The only relevant result is from one of those sketchy phonebook websites, and he immediately feels stupid and guilty. But not guilty enough to stop him from stalking Burgie’s Facebook for any signs of the guy. Again he finds nothing, and the wave of shame hits him again. He should be working anyway, but his curiosity is slowly morphing into anxiety and he really wishes he had asked Burgie a few more questions. He calms himself by rationalizing: Burgie wouldn’t be friends with some insane weirdo. Everything will be fine. He closes the tabs he was using for stalking and continues his work.
Two days before the wedding is the day Eugene decides to depart. He knows his mother will be upset if she finds out that he drove right through Mobile without stopping by, so he’ll visit his parents first and spend the night there. Tomorrow he’ll leave Mobile, drive two hours to New Orleans, and then drive eight hours to Fort Worth, so he better be well rested. He spends his morning and early afternoon packing up a suitcase and waiting for his parcels to arrive in the mail, practically jumping the postman when he rounds the corner. He wraps them carefully in gold paper before placing them in a gift bag, then struggles to write a heartfelt card for about 40 minutes. He’s ready to leave the house at 3 PM and packs the gifts into his backseat, perhaps being overly cautious when he buckles the bag in with the seatbelt. As he sits down in the driver’s seat, he thinks he should probably call his mother to let her know he’s coming. He quickly shakes this thought out of his head, knowing that any phone conversation with her gets strung out for several hours and ends with him nearly tearing his hair out with stress and annoyance. Instead, he shoots his father a text as a warning and puts his phone on silent in case his mother ends up calling him in response before starting his car and taking off. He’s the type of driver others get angry being behind, the type people assume are old ladies and scream at angrily as they pass. He likes to say he’s meticulous and cautious, but any passenger he’s ever had groans at his slow pace. It occurs to him that Snafu will probably complain about it too, and the thought somehow embarrasses him even though he hasn’t even met Snafu yet.
He arrives in Mobile four hours later, mentally preparing himself to face his parents as he pulls into the driveway. The house of his childhood stands before him in all its grandeur. It’s an old manor house built in the 1800s, with the rest of Mobile slowly rising around it. It stands only one story high, but to Eugene, it’s always been an imposing structure that never quite felt like home. There’s no denying it’s a beautiful house; tall willow trees frame the wraparound porch and its accompanying Greek revival-style pillars, and large flowerbeds color the ground below. A large, freshly mowed yard stands between Eugene and the front door. He takes a deep, shaky breath before taking the first steps. He never likes visiting here, everything is so suffocating.
As he approaches the large, mahogany door he has the same debate with himself he always does when he comes here. Does he knock or just walk in? The further removed he becomes from living here the more the answer to that question becomes knock, but his mother always makes a comment about him knocking, about how this is his home. Regardless, he decides to knock and waits anxiously as he hears rushed footsteps approach the door. It swings open aggressively and there his mother is, a huge smile splitting her face in two, every tooth on display. Before he can even tell himself to smile back, she pulls him into a tight embrace. He drops his bag to the floor before awkwardly wrapping his arms around her and squeezing his eyes shut. It begins.
“I’m just so happy to see you, Eugene,” she gasps into his ear, and for a moment he’s scared she’s going to cry. She pulls away from him and brings her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks.
“I missed you too, Mom,” Eugene says sheepishly. It’s not that he doesn’t. She can just… be too much. Too hot and cold.
She rubs his arms a few times before taking his hand and leading him through the door. “Well, let’s get you inside. You look exhausted. I can tell you haven’t been eating properly, Eugene. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
He doesn’t reply and merely lets himself be dragged inside, resigning himself to his fate. She’d probably make him eat three meals worth of food now.
“You didn’t have to knock, Eugene. You’ve come home,” she says, clasping his hand a little tighter as she speaks, leading him through the hall.
Eugene suppresses an eye roll in response. Of course, that comment. It’s like clockwork.
She stops once they enter the dining room where his father is seated at the head, reading a newspaper as he waits for dinner. A genuine smile softens Eugene’s face when he sees him.
His father puts down the newspaper. “Hey, Fritz!” he says, standing and making his way up to Eugene to properly greet him. Fritz is an old nickname from when Eugene was a little boy. He’s not sure where it came from, or when it started, but his father has affectionately called him that for as long as he can remember.
“Hey, Dad,” Eugene says softly, pulling his father into a hug.
“It’s good to see you, son.”
They hold the hug for a good minute, just swaying back and forth with the occasional pat on the back. If this house isn’t home, his father’s embrace is. He’s filled with a sense of comfort and ends the hug with the strength he needs to get through the rest of the visit.
“Dinner’s just about ready, Eugene. Have a seat and I’ll be out with it in a minute,” Mary Frank says, rubbing his arm again before walking off toward the kitchen.
Eugene turns to his father, who holds out a hand toward the table. They both take a seat, Eugene to his father’s left, the same place he always sat as a boy. His mother will sit across from him to his father’s right. The table is already set and Eugene feels a little bad that he interrupted their dinner preparations, or that he didn’t arrive early enough to help.
“So, Fritz,” his father begins. “How’s the research?”
“It’s been… overwhelming,” Eugene replies earnestly. “I enjoy it and everything but… The fact that it’s been three months and I’ve barely even started…”
“I know, it’s a long road ahead of you. I remember those days myself.” His father reaches out and places a reassuring hand on Eugene’s own. “I know you’ll make it through. Just keep persevering.”
Eugene’s soft smile from earlier returns as his eyes almost glaze over with tears. He hadn’t realized, but he’d needed to hear those words. Especially from his father. To feel like someone was proud of him.
The moment is gone when his mother returns, placing a shepherd's pie in the middle of the table. “I wish I’d known you were coming earlier, I would’ve cooked more,” she says. “We need to fatten you back up. Remember when your brother first lived on his own? He didn’t eat right and almost landed himself in the hospital!” She’s exaggerating. Sure, Eddie hadn’t been eating properly, but he just felt lethargic and lightheaded. He hadn’t even gone to the doctor, let alone the hospital.
“Mom, I’ve lived on my own for the good part of a decade now,” Eugene deadpans, pushing his food around with his fork.
“Has it really been that long? And still no girlfriend?”
Oh. Now she’d struck a chord.
“Mom,” Eugene says firmly. “We talked about this.”
She doesn’t look up at him, merely takes a bite of her dinner as she answers, “Well, I haven’t accepted it.”
“Now, Mary Frank–” his father begins.
Eugene all but throws his fork down on his plate. “I’m gay,” he seethes out through gritted teeth.
“Oh, do you have to make an argument out of everything, Eugene?!” She slams a hand on the table, making her plate clatter in its place. “Am I not allowed to hope for your happiness?”
“But you’re not! And you started it!” Eugene can feel his face flushing as his hands clench painfully into fists. “I…” He makes brief eye contact with his father and wills himself to calm down, knowing this isn’t worth it. She’ll never understand. She doesn’t want to. “I can’t… I’m gonna go out to Deacon’s spot.”
Eugene wipes his mouth with a napkin and has to force himself not to throw it down on the table. As he stands, his mother calls out to him to finish eating, but he ignores her as he makes his way out the back door. He shuts the door behind him and takes a moment to close his eyes and enjoy the evening air. The sun is setting, painting the sky a beautiful pink, and he can smell the bay in the breeze. Even if he doesn’t miss this house, he does miss Mobile. The flatlands and plains of northern Alabama just don’t hold the same charm as the gulf. He turns his gaze from the sky to a group of willow trees across the expanse of the backyard and begins walking toward them. As he approaches, a small bench comes into view, along with a sizable rock that protrudes from the ground: Deacon’s grave.
Deacon was Eugene’s childhood dog, a birthday present from his father the day he turned nine. He was the best dog anyone could have asked for. He slept in Eugene’s bed, comforted him when he was sad, and followed along when he went on bike rides. Leaving him behind when he went to college was one of the hardest things Eugene’s ever had to do, no matter how silly that sounds. Deacon was hit by a car two months into that first semester and Eugene was devastated, not leaving his dorm for anything but class. Burgie spent weeks trying to cheer him up enough to go out and have fun again. Eugene went home a few weekends later, and by then his father had buried Deacon under the willow trees. He spent nearly the entire visit just sitting at the grave. The next time he visited, his father had placed a bench there. Eugene’s never thanked him for it, an unspoken favor with unspoken gratefulness.
“Hello, boy, it’s me,” Eugene whispers to the ground at his feet. He sits on his haunches for a moment, stroking the grass in front of the stone with a hesitant hand, before sitting on the bench. He lets silence overtake him and tries not to think of the argument at the table. He wishes he hadn’t risen to his mother’s comment. He wishes she hadn’t said anything at all. He wishes he never came. Guilt burns in his chest for admitting that thought, but he knows it’s true. Everything will be fine. He can go to bed early, and tomorrow he’ll be on his way. It’s fine.
Too soon, Eugene hears the back door swing open and footsteps approaching. When he looks up, he sees his father, and his shoulders drop a little. Small mercies.
“Fritz… Eugene, I’m sorry for what your mother said back there,” he says, sitting down beside his son. “I just spoke to her, and–”
“It’s okay, Dad,” mutters Eugene. “I know how she feels. It’s never going to change, no matter how many talks you have with her.”
“I’m not sure that’s fair, son. She’s making progress–”
“No,” he interrupts. “No, Dad. It’s been years. I don’t want any excuses anymore. All I want... All I want is for her to just love me. Love me without all these conditions.” Eugene’s voice cracks a bit on the last sentence, and his eyes lock on Deacon’s grave, not daring to look at his father in case the tears in his eyes are obvious.
They sit in silence. Eugene hears his father’s mouth open a few times as though to speak, but it closes again after a few seconds each time. Ultimately, he places a hand on Eugene’s shoulder in comfort, and they just sit in each other’s presence for a few moments. Eugene feels numb. The tears have gone from his eyes and an empty cavity opens in his chest like quicksand. His father couldn’t deny anything. A small part of him, an inch of his being, had hoped that he’d been wrong, that he’d just been misunderstanding his mother, that she loves him fully and has his best interest at heart, just with a funny way of showing it. But no, he was right all along, and this silence is all the proof he needs.
As the silence sinks into awkwardness, his father squeezes his shoulder and stands up from the bench. “Give me a minute, I’ll be back with a check for you.”
“Dad, that’s really not necessary. I–”
“Just let me do this.” His father turns away without another word, walking back toward the house.
If there’s one thing Eugene dislikes about his father, it’s his generosity. His parents are paying what scholarships and grants don’t cover for his education, and his father insists on paying half the rent for his apartment. Eugene has tried to tell them that between his stipend, tutoring, and being a teaching and research assistant, he can pay his own way now, but they refuse to listen, especially his father. He’s a grown man, and it makes it uncomfortable to think he’s still dependent on his parents.
His father returns in a few minutes, check in hand, and Eugene reluctantly accepts it but makes a mental note to shred it without depositing it later. He doesn’t want to take any more of his father’s money. Afterward, they say a tense goodnight, and Eugene finds himself staring up at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom. It’s early, only around 9 PM, and he feels restless, especially in this environment. The room is mostly barren, picked apart over the years. All the books on the shelf had been donated or taken to his apartment, all his old clothes given away, and some of his furniture sold in a yard sale. The room he used to spend all day in couldn’t make him more uncomfortable.
Eugene tries to concentrate on falling asleep, knowing he has a long day ahead of him. He tosses and turns for what seems like hours before his thoughts land on Snafu. Oh, yeah. He almost forgot he’s supposed to pick him up tomorrow. Will they get along? Being trapped in a confined space with someone you can’t stand for eight hours seems grim, so he hopes for the best. What does he look like? What did he get Burgie as a gift? Will it make Eugene’s gift look stupid? These thoughts carry him to sleep.
Eugene’s mother wakes him the next morning, opening the bedroom door and calling out his name. He sits up and rubs his eyes before making sleepy eye contact with her. She gives him a weak smile before walking away. He groggily pries himself out of bed before getting ready for the day. It’s early, just past 6 AM, meaning he’d slept for maybe eight hours after all of that tossing and turning. He can’t fathom how his mother wakes up this early every day. She’s always had this habit for as long as he can remember, waking up with the sun and making breakfast. He can smell it now, the savory scent of eggs frying as he dresses himself. The thought of sitting down to eat with his mother is daunting after the events of the previous night, but he figures if she’s dead set on pretending nothing is wrong, he can play along.
Eugene greets his mother as he sits down for a breakfast of over-easy eggs and cheesy grits. It’s one of his favorites, and he figures maybe this is her way of apologizing. He’s grateful for the food, of course, but he has no appetite. Regardless, he takes a bite, determined to avoid giving the impression that he’s still upset. The two eat in silence until his father enters the room, sitting down at the table and pouring himself a mug of coffee.
“Good morning,” his father greets, and the two murmur replies between bites of food. “Eugene, you mentioned in your text you’re headed to a wedding today?”
“Yeah, my friend Burgie’s wedding. From college,” says Eugene, staring down at his food. “He lives in Fort Worth, so it’s quite a ways.”
“Why didn’t you fly? It would’ve saved you some trouble,” his mother chimes in. She’s entirely serious and Eugene once again has to battle an eye roll.
“I’m terrified of flying, Mom,” he says flatly, taking a brief moment to close his eyes and quell the rising anger in his chest.
“You need to get over that childish fear, Eugene,” she almost snorts. “It’s a plane ride, not skydiving.”
“I felt like a drive,” asserts Eugene loudly. He bites back the argument that’s attempting to claw its way out of his throat and goes back to eating.
“Alright,” is all his mother says in reply, and the three of them lapse back into a silence that continues for the rest of the meal.
When 7 AM rolls around, Eugene decides it’s time for him to leave and is filled with relief. He can’t stand the stuffy atmosphere of this house for much longer. Even the idea of being in a car with a total stranger is more appealing than spending even one more minute in his mother’s company. He gathers his things and meets his parents at the door, bag in hand.
“Well, I’ll be off,” he says, discomfort clear in his voice.
His father hugs him first. “I love you, son. See you soon.”
Eugene leans into the hug, calmed slightly by the embrace. “I love you too, Dad.”
Eventually, they separate, and Eugene is forced to face his mother, whose eyes appear to be filling with tears. She hugs him abruptly, sobbing into his shoulder, and he’s left frozen in place.
“Come visit more often, Eugene. Please,” she whispers, a fist full of Eugene’s shirt, squeezing him so hard it hurts. “I love you.”
He’s not sure how to react and merely rubs her back, forcing out a numb, “I love you too.”
They say their final goodbyes, Eugene’s mother still sobbing, now in his father’s arms. He gives them a wave and steps outside, quickly shutting the door behind him. His stress is immediately alleviated after leaving his mother’s presence, and he is left with a bittersweet longing for human connection. For someone who will understand. He finds solace, however, in the bright morning sky as he steps back across that large yard, toward his car. Time to get this shit done.
Eugene opens his texts from Burgie and plugs Snafu’s address into the GPS on his phone. Once he begins, he can fully concentrate on driving, still at his cautious snail’s pace. Focusing on the road and the directions keeps him from thinking about the visit with his parents, his mother’s crying face, and how the two of them will never understand each other. Well, maybe he thinks about it a little and has to shake the thought from his head, but he mostly focuses on driving.
The drive goes smoothly, except for when Eugene struggles to stave off a panic attack crossing over Lake Ponchartrain. He hates driving over any body of water, let alone on the five-and-a-half-mile-long, 30-foot-high Twin Span Bridge. He pants for air as he inches forward toward the high-rise section, cars beeping behind him. His sweaty palms clench the steering wheel tightly as the road elevates beneath him, gritting his teeth. Once he’s over the hump, he breathes a sigh of relief and feels a bit better about the remainder of the bridge. He drives on smoothly but wishes the water would stop reflecting the sun into his eyes. At least he wasn’t forced to go over the Causeway. He considers that bridge a deathtrap and has always avoided taking any route that includes the nearly 24-mile-long monstrosity.
Once Eugene is past the bridge, he continues down I-10. He’s officially in New Orleans East. Slowly, the area around the road transforms from unkempt trees and shrubs to a neighborhood. Duplexes with chainlink fences roll by, some surrounded by empty lots. The area had clearly never fully recovered from Katrina all those years ago, as Eugene remembers taking a day trip to an amusement park that was in the area as a child. The GPS announces that he’s arriving at his destination on the right, and he pulls into the driveway. The house is identical to many others he’s passed by, with white panels that could use cleaning and a porch covered in chipping paint. A lump of anxiety rises in his throat, which he swallows with guilt. How childish to judge someone he doesn’t know based on where they live. He double-checks his text message from Burgie to confirm that this is indeed the correct house and to find out which apartment in the duplex is Snafu’s. Knocking on the wrong door would embarrass Eugene so thoroughly that he might never recover, so it’s worth it to be sure.
After quelling his anxiety with a few deep breaths, Eugene steps out of his car and heads up the stairs of the porch, cringing as the steps creak loudly under his feet. He stands in front of Snafu’s door motionless for a second, gathering courage, before knocking. He waits and waits, ninety seconds passing with no response. He battles with himself internally on whether or not it’s too soon to knock again before deciding he has to as there’s been no noise from inside. He thumps the door louder and longer the second time around, hoping that doesn’t come off as rude. There’s no response again and Eugene begins to doubt himself. Maybe he had read the address wrong or the apartment number, or maybe he hadn’t been loud enough. Just as he raises a fist to knock again the door flies open and he jumps back, heart racing.
The man at the door is approximately Eugene’s age, a few inches shorter with dark, curly hair. His eyes are squinted and his face is puffy, and his tan skin is on full display as he’s shirtless. Eugene’s knocking must have woken him from a deep sleep. He blinks slowly a few times before grumbling out, “Who the fuck are you?”
Eugene shuts his mouth, which had been left agape, and straightens himself out. “Um, I’m Eugene Sledge, Burgie’s friend. You’re Snafu, right? I’m here to pick you up.” He reaches out to shake hands but avoids eye contact. In fact, he avoids looking at the shirtless man altogether and feels his cheeks burning a dusty pink. He hopes he doesn’t seem like an idiot. God, why does he always have to make a fool of himself around attractive people?
Snafu looks down at Eugene’s outstretched hand for a moment but ignores it, instead replying, “Yeah, that’s me.”
Eugene stands in silence for a moment, shoving his hands into his pockets clumsily when he realizes his handshake has been rejected. Still staring at a spot behind Snafu, he waits for him to continue speaking. He doesn’t, and Eugene's skin crawls with discomfort. He clears his throat and makes accidental eye contact with Snafu, whose eyes are now wide, gazing directly at Eugene’s face with a smirk. Eugene’s mouth goes dry under that gaze, those piercing blue eyes making him feel small. He’s not sure whether Snafu’s smirk is playful or cruel, but either way, he’s sure the intention is to make him uncomfortable.
“Um, did Burgie not tell you I was coming?” Eugene finally says, licking his dry lips, not looking away from Snafu’s eyes. He feels trapped in the eye contact, almost hypnotized.
“He did, I’m jus’ surprised you’re here so early,” Snafu replies. His smirk dissipates as he lets out a catlike yawn, fully exposing his angular jaw.
Eugene swallows hard, finally looking away from Snafu’s face. “Well, um, long drive ahead of us,” he says. “Burgie wants to get together for dinner tonight anyway, so we should get going.”
“Okay.”
Before Eugene can even contemplate a reply, Snafu slams the door in his face. Not sure what to do, he reaches for the doorknob before realizing that’s probably a bad idea; he can’t just walk into the guy’s house. He hears a faint rummaging from inside and slowly presses an ear to the door, curiosity getting the better of him. Snafu must be packing up, and by the sound of it, he’s in a hurry, smashing things about. After a minute or two, the noise dissipates, and hasty footsteps take its place. Eugene jerks away from the door, nearly taking one too many steps backward and falling down the stairs behind him. As he regains his footing, the front door swings open, and he pretends to be examining one of the porch columns intently.
Snafu emerges, fully clothed now with a duffle bag over his shoulder, and raises an eyebrow as though Eugene is the crazy one. “Let’s fuckin’ go. I thought you were in a hurry or whatever,” he says, pushing past Eugene toward the car.
Eugene stares at his back, confounded at Snafu’s audacity. As he follows behind, he realizes this drive might be even worse than he realized. Out of every possibility he had considered, he never imagined Snafu being this rude. Or attractive, but mostly the rude part.
“Where should I put my stuff?” Snafu asks once Eugene reaches the car, waving his duffle bag in front of him.
“Just a second,” Eugene says. “Let me pop the trunk.” He feels Snafu’s gaze on the back of his neck as he unlocks the door. He feels awkward like a kid having to read aloud in class. Can’t this guy look at anything else?
Snafu snorts. “You were standin’ a few yards away from your car the whole time an’ you still locked the door?”
Eugene just lets out a shaky fake laugh, not sure what to say. He’s an anxious person who locks his car when he pumps gas. He presses a button and hears the trunk pop before getting up out of the car.
“Typical,” says Snafu under his breath, and Eugene can hear the smirk on his lips. It’s like Snafu’s provoking him, but Eugene has no idea why. Maybe just to be an asshole.
Eugene helps him find a spot in the trunk for the duffle bag, having to shove aside his own giant suitcase. Once they finish, they get settled in the car, Eugene in the driver’s seat and Snafu sitting shotgun. As Eugene buckles in, he realizes Snafu didn’t seem to have a gift with him, unless it was in the duffle bag. Maybe he just got them a gift card. What if Burgie asked for no gifts and Eugene just forgot? The anxiety surrounding gift-giving consumes him for a second, and he even considers asking Snafu about it before reconsidering. He discreetly turns to look at Snafu, who’s staring blankly ahead as he bites his thumbnail. Eugene shakes his head with a sigh, starting the car and the GPS route. Forget that notion he had about Burgie not being friends with any insane weirdos, there’s one in the seat right next to him.
Eugene backs out of the driveway and they begin the long drive to Fort Worth, the car filled with an awkward silence. After Snafu’s behavior at the house, Eugene hadn’t anticipated him keeping his mouth shut like this. The silence is crushing and unbearable and Eugene is almost tempted to start some small talk, but then figures that it might be for the best that they stay quiet. Snafu is off-putting and Eugene can’t read him at all, has no idea how to respond to him. Yeah, silence is best.
Around ten minutes into the drive, Eugene sees Snafu move in his peripheral vision, and the car radio begins playing. Snafu flips through the stations before landing on 90.7 and turning it up. The smooth beats of an RnB song fill the air and Snafu slumps in his seat.
“Hey,” snaps Eugene, glancing repeatedly from the road to Snafu. “I don’t like listening to the radio when I drive. It’s distracting.”
“I’ll turn it down real quiet,” Snafu says, hand already reaching for the dial.
“No, this is my car.” Eugene reaches over and turns the radio off himself, bumping Snafu’s hand out of the way. He can take some rudeness and maintain cordiality, but distracting him while driving is where Eugene draws the line.
“Jesus, then, okay.”
They lapse into silence again, and, if he didn’t know any better, Eugene would say Snafu is pouting. He pulls his legs on the seat with him, hugging them with one arm, the other propping his head up as he stares intently out the window. As Eugene peeks at him, he realizes in horror that Snafu has taken off his shoes, but decides not to say anything. As long as he’s not being distracting, it doesn’t matter. Eugene just needs to get through this drive, then he can come up with some excuse later as to why he can’t drive Snafu back. Maybe he’ll say his mother is seriously ill or something.
“Listen,” Snafu starts, and Eugene almost jumps in his seat. “I can’t handle sittin’ here for eight hours in silence other than that damn GPS, so…”
Eugene groans internally as he realizes Snafu is about to make conversation. Great. “So, what?” he grunts in response.
Snafu snickers, puzzling Eugene. “How d’you know Burgie? Let’s start there.” Eugene doesn’t have to look to know that smirk is back.
Eugene sighs, resigning himself to his fate. There’s no way he can avoid talking now. “Um, we went to college together. What about you?”
“We served together when he was on active duty. Both got stationed in Australia,” Snafu says. Eugene should’ve guessed this. He’s been wondering how Burgie would’ve been such good friends with someone from a different state, especially someone this weird. The Marine Corps makes perfect sense. Burgie had attended Auburn on an ROTC scholarship and paid it back with four years of active duty service, meeting Florence along the way during his time in Australia. And Snafu, apparently.
“Wait, have you met Florence, then?” Eugene asks with genuine curiosity, the dread that had previously been present in his voice gone. “The timing was never right for me. I’ve gone to visit him and vice versa, but I didn’t get to meet her yet.”
“Oh yeah,” says Snafu. “I was there when they met. She’s real sweet, her and Burgie are perfect for each other.”
Eugene glances at him again and sees a soft, pure smile gracing Snafu’s face. The earnestness of it is startling, starkly contrasting with the grouchiness and arrogance of before. He’s beautiful.
Realizing he’s been staring, Eugene clears his throat and looks away. “I’m really glad Burgie met his person. He deserves it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Snafu says, and Eugene can feel his eyes again, but different this time. No smirk.
Silence returns, this time with a different flavor of awkwardness. Snafu is just staring at him, his body fully turned to face Eugene, and Eugene has no idea what to do. Snafu had been leading the conversation before, perhaps he’s now expecting Eugene to continue it?
Eventually, Eugene can’t take it anymore and caves. “So, um, what do you do?”
“I’m a truck driver,” Snafu answers. “Y’know, I just got home from four days on the road this morning. Y’woke me out of a dead sleep.”
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Eugene mumbles, cringing internally. “You can sleep now if you want…”
“Naw,” says Snafu, leaning closer to Eugene over the center console. “Then I wouldn’t get to find out more ‘bout you, would I? What d’you do?”
Eugene blushes, not sure where this change in attitude is coming from, why Snafu is suddenly so interested. Also, he knows he’s about to sound like a rich kid, which he is, but still. He tries his best to edge away from Snafu without obstructing his driving, saying, “I’m working toward a Ph.D. in botany. I’m going to be a professor.”
“Oh, so you’re smart, okay,” says Snafu.
Eugene clenches his hand on the steering wheel, wanting to change the subject.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Snafu continues. “I could barely finish high school, I hated it so much.”
“Oh, well, I just really love botany,” says Eugene, trying to relax. “Once I started learning more I didn’t wanna stop.”
“So you’re gonna be a doctor, huh? Doctor Eugene?”
“Sledge, Doctor Eugene Sledge.”
Snafu merely hums in response, and Eugene feels strange. He really can’t tell what Snafu’s thinking, his asshole façade is impenetrable. Eugene can sense something underneath, but it’s well hidden. “Snafu.” Not Merriell. What does Snafu mean anyway? Eugene wants to ask where the hell that nickname comes from, but doesn’t want to come off as offensive. Maybe he’ll ask Burgie later.
“Can I smoke in here?” Snafu asks nonchalantly, jolting Eugene from his thoughts.
He glances over, making brief eye contact, and Snafu shakes a pack of cigarettes and a lighter at him. “Um, sure,” Eugene responds without really thinking, taken aback by the sudden question.
Snafu rolls his window down and lights a cigarette, taking a long drag. Eugene has to stop himself from wincing at the smell, instantly regretting his quick decision. He tries his best to ignore it and focus on the road, but it’s ten times more distracting than the radio. At least maybe this will make Snafu like him. Not that he gives a shit. He glances at Snafu only to find the other man staring back, smoke spilling from his nostrils.
“You smoke?” he asks, holding up the cigarette box again.
“No,” says Eugene. There’s a beat of silence before he decides to attempt humor, “I would be a bad almost-doctor if I did.”
Snafu snorts. “That’s bullshit; you’re gonna be a fuckin’ plant doctor.”
“Hey, a doctor’s a doctor,” Eugene says, smiling without even realizing.
“Ain’t smoke like plant food anyway? And ashes fertilizer?”
“Not if your cigarette butt catches plants on fire.”
“Who the fuck’s doing that shit? I never burned no plants down.”
Eugene gives him a look, a grin still on his face, and they both laugh, and Snafu doesn’t seem like such an asshole. It’s like when he was talking about Burgie; his smile lights up the whole car. Eugene has to remind himself to look away, eyes back on the road. The banter feels good.
Silence returns, but this time more comfortable. Well, aside from the suffocating cigarette smell. Snafu continues chainsmoking and Eugene is all but retching. The smell has always been something that easily bothered him, even passing a smoker on the street sometimes makes him nauseous. His temples pulse with a fierce migraine, which worsens with each passing minute, not aided by the fatigue of his early start this morning. When it becomes too much to bear, Eugene suggests pulling off the highway to eat at a rest stop and fill up the tank. Snafu agrees, and they drive another few miles to the next exit.
The rest stop isn’t very big, just a Popeye’s, a McDonald’s, and a local chain gas station Eugene doesn’t recognize.
“Where d’you wanna eat?” Snafu asks as Eugene pulls into a parking space.
“I don’t eat McDonald’s,” says Eugene.
“What d’ya mean you don’t eat McDonald’s?” Snafu sounds almost offended.
Eugene looks over at him in confusion as he shifts the gear to park and turns the car off. “I’ve never eaten there. Ever. I just want to keep my streak.”
“Somethin’ about that jus’ feels classist,” Snafu says. “I don’t know if I can trust someone who thinks they're above McDonald’s.”
Eugene has no idea if he’s being serious. “If you really want to eat there it’s okay, I’ll just get a pretzel from the gas station or something.”
Snafu snickers. “Naw, I’m jus’ playin’. I don’t even want McDonald’s anyway.”
“Then.. What?” Eugene shakes his head in confusion before sighing. Why bother? He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to understand this guy’s sense of humor. “Anyway, so, Popeye’s then?”
“Sure.”
They cross the parking lot and enter the fast food joint. Eugene’s legs feel stiff and weak after all that sitting, and he tries to shake the pins and needles off without making it obvious. He fails, and Snafu stops to ask if he’s alright, causing him to flush in embarrassment. At the counter, they order their food. Eugene glances at Snafu out of the corner of his eye. He really is attractive. With the proximity, he can smell the lingering scent of cigarette smoke, but now, really looking at him, it doesn’t smell so bad. Suddenly, Snafu looks back at him with those startling eyes, and Eugene realizes it’s his turn to order. He sputters for a second, tripping over his words as he tells the employee what he wants.
“Somethin’ on my face?” questions Snafu as they walk to the pickup counter.
“No,” Eugene answers, face beet red. He doesn’t turn to look at Snafu, he doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction. And he knows that smirk is back on Snafu’s face anyway, he could hear it in his voice.
Once their order is ready, they pick up their trays, Eugene letting Snafu lead him to a table. They take the first few bites of their food in silence. Eugene feels strangely shy about sitting face-to-face with Snafu now; they haven’t been properly face-to-face since they spoke at the door, and that seems like ages ago.
Snafu takes a loud slurp of his soda before asking, “So, where are you from? Burgie mentioned you drove out from Alabama.”
Eugene immediately swallows the food in his mouth, despite having not properly chewed it. He narrowly avoids choking, but his voice is still weak when he replies, “Oh, I’m from Mobile. I live in Auburn, though. Drove from there to Mobile yesterday, then down to New Orleans this morning.”
Snafu raises an eyebrow at his strained voice, but nods, continuing to eat.
Realizing it’s once again on him to continue the conversation, Eugene returns the question. “What about you?”
“I’m from New Orleans East. Lived in Baton Rouge for a while, y’know, after the storm, but… That city has a way of calling people back.” There’s something bittersweet and melancholic about the way Snafu speaks about his hometown, captivating Eugene. He doesn’t think he’s ever felt that strongly about Mobile.
“I haven’t spent much time in New Orleans,” says Eugene. “I’ve only been on a few day trips as a kid, to museums and stuff.”
“I love it,” Snafu says without a pause, shrugging. “Shitty place, but… Yeah, I love it.” That glimmer is back on his face, the serene expression reserved for Burgie, banter, and now New Orleans. Eugene wonders how many other things can make him smile like that, and a part of him wants to try to find out.
“You must have missed it when you were in the Marines,” says Eugene.
Snafu laughs, “Let’s not get dramatic now.”
Eugene feels immediately embarrassed for asking, turning to look at the food on his tray and picking at it. He wishes he could throw a chicken tender at Snafu for being so annoying. Or that the booth would swallow him whole. Either one.
“Yeah, I did.”
Eugene looks up. “Huh?”
“I did actually miss New Orleans, though. Me and Burgie used to jus’ sit around on base and talk ‘bout home. Used to go to the grocery store and look for hot pockets, y’know. Somehow, they made us feel less homesick.” Snafu has a far-off look for a moment, then catches Eugene’s eye and they share a laugh.
“Burgie and I used to have similar conversations in college,” Eugene says, smiling again. “Neither of us left the South, and I wasn’t even that far from home, but everything was still unfamiliar. Now I haven’t properly lived in Mobile ever since, and Burgie’s been all over the world...”
“Time flies, huh?” Snafu sighs.
“Yeah,” Eugene says. “Feels like yesterday and forever ago at the same time. And now he’s getting married!”
Snafu hums again, the same hum he gave in the car, and Eugene’s chest feels light for a reason he can’t place. They continue eating in silence. Eugene feels Snafu’s eyes on him repeatedly but decides not to return the eye contact. He wishes Snafu would at least stare less blatantly. He’s been doing it all day, just looking at Eugene. He’s not even trying to hide it; he doesn’t care that Eugene knows, it’s almost like he wants him to. Any normal person just looks away when they’re caught staring, but not him. Snafu’s just odd, and his behavior keeps Eugene on his toes.
Once they’re done eating, Snafu reaches into Eugene's space and transfers the garbage onto his own tray. Eugene is puzzled by the unexpected favor but doesn’t dwell on it. They stop by the trash cans and make their way out to the car. The tank still needs to be filled, so Eugene backs out of the parking space and drives up to the gas station.
Before he steps out of the car, Snafu stops him. “Hey, why don’t I drive the rest of the way? You look like shit, you could use some sleep.”
Eugene’s heart drops. Does he look like shit? Is that why Snafu was staring at him this whole time? Does he have huge, ugly eyebags, is that all it was? He comes back to reality. He can’t let Snafu drive his car. “Uh, no. I’m fine,” he replies.
“C’mon, I don’t mind. Go ahead and sleep,” Snafu insists.
“No, uh, my car can be um. It can just act a bit weird, it’s best if I drive.”
Snafu raises an eyebrow and Eugene can tell his words are less than convincing.
“Do y’think I’m a bad driver or somethin’?”
Okay, maybe Eugene does, but it’s only because of Snafu’s off-putting demeanor. He just seems like the type of person to tailgate someone and flash his high beams at them.
He opens his mouth to reply, but Snafu cuts him off, saying, “I drive for a living. I’m a truck driver, remember?”
Oh, yeah. Eugene had forgotten that detail. He can tell by Snafu’s tone of voice that he’s offended, and Eugene doesn’t blame him. He feels bad for assuming but is still apprehensive. “I don’t like other people driving my car,” he says.
Snafu rolls his eyes obnoxiously. “Whatever, just don’t fall asleep at the wheel or some shit.” He sinks into his seat, pouting again. “You drive like my grandma, by the way.”
Eugene glares at him before finally stepping out of the car to fill the tank. He thought Snafu was going to spare him the grandma quip but he should’ve expected otherwise. As he stands at the meter, his eyes ache with fatigue and he feels a little woozy. The food has done nothing to help his tiredness, and all he wants is to curl up in the passenger seat and wake up in Fort Worth. Snafu’s offer almost seems tempting, but he only met the guy a few hours ago. It’s out of the question to trust him to drive Eugene’s car, even if he’s Burgie’s best friend. He jumps at a noise behind him, realizing he’d been closing his eyes and dozing off at the pump, with the tank already full. Snafu has stepped out of the car and is standing next to him now.
“Oh, alright,” Eugene gives in. “You drive the rest of the way.”
Snafu has an insufferable smug look on his face and immediately sits down in the driver's seat. Eugene returns the nozzle to the pump and makes his way to the passenger’s seat. Once he’s seated, he takes his keys out of his pocket and waves the one to his car at Snafu menacingly.
“If you have even the slightest bit of road rage, I’m taking over,” he says, making direct eye contact.
Snafu snatches the keys from Eugene’s hand and rolls his eyes again. “Oh, please,” he grumbles under his breath. “I’m gonna get us there a lot faster than you would.”
To Snafu’s credit, he actually is a good driver. He’s completely focused on the road, finally using those big eyes of his for a good cause instead of just harassing Eugene. Snafu clicks on the radio again, still playing 90.7. The voice of a female soul vocalist floats through the car and Eugene’s eyelids grow heavy. He doesn’t want to leave Snafu’s driving unsupervised, so he attempts to fight sleep by repeatedly blinking, but it’s useless, he’s too tired. He’s had a long past two days. Weirdly, he feels more comfortable falling asleep in a car being driven by a stranger than in his childhood bedroom. Through heavy-lidded eyes, he gazes at Snafu, all jaw and tan skin. From this angle, Eugene can see the firm muscles of his arm as it rests on the steering wheel, his other lying on his thigh. He could feel Snafu’s eyes earlier; can Snafu feel his now? Does Snafu know that he looks back? His thoughts become foggy and he’s sleeping soundly within minutes.
He wakes around five hours later, 5 PM, with a severely dry mouth. He licks and smacks his lips as his eyes begin to focus. He tries sitting up and groans at his stiff neck, turning to the backseat to reach for a water bottle.
“Hey, sleepin’ beauty,” Snafu laughs, turning and grinning at him. “We’re in Texas now. Gettin’ real close to the finish line. Only ‘bout an hour left.”
Eugene ignores him in favor of chugging the water, pausing every few seconds to swish it around and wet his lips with it. His mouth tastes terrible and he hopes his breath doesn’t stink.
“Y’know, I was thinkin’ while you were asleep,” Snafu prattles on. “Why d’ya have a gas car? Ain’t you all obsessed with nature? Shouldn’t you have an electric car or some shit? Lovin’ the Earth an’ stuff?”
Eugene scoffs internally but keeps ignoring him, choking as he downs the rest of his water. He hacks out a cough as his throat burns. Snafu keeps talking, not even taking notice. Tears fill Eugene’s eyes as he attempts to breathe normally. He clears his throat loudly in a final attempt to get his lungs working again.
“Are you okay?” Snafu finally stops ranting.
“Oh, I’m just great,” Eugene says shakily, rubbing at his watering eyes.
“I got super fuckin’ bored while you were asleep,” Snafu says. “Once we got to Texas I turned off the radio ‘cause none of the stations were playin’ soul no more.” He turns to Eugene and fully looks at him for the first time since he woke up. “You got a red mark on ya face from the seatbelt.”
Eugene is too groggy to be embarrassed and feels around his face for the indent, massaging it when he finds it. “You crash into anything while I was asleep?”
“No,” Snafu deadpans, not taking the bait. Clearly, he doesn’t like this line of humor.
“Shocking,” Eugene returns in the same flat tone. “Do you want some water?”
“Sure,” Snafu says.
Eugene tries to hand him a bottle, but he waves it away with his free hand.
“Open it for me.” Snafu’s not asking, it’s a command.
Eugene looks from the water bottle to Snafu a few times before complying. He tries to hand it to Snafu again, but instead of grabbing it he puts his free hand on the steering wheel and opens his mouth.
“No,” Eugene says with a sigh, not even bothering to be shocked at this point.
“Was worth a try.” Snafu turns to him with a smirk, reaching for the water bottle. Their fingers graze as Eugene hands it to him and Eugene is forced to consider if he’s doing this on purpose. Is all this weird behavior Snafu’s way of flirting? The staring, the smirking, the teasing? Snafu takes a long gulp of the water and Eugene watches as a droplet rolls down his chin and onto his throat. It wouldn’t be so bad if that was the case.
The remainder of the drive to Fort Worth is uneventful, just some casual banter here and there as Snafu follows the directions of the GPS. As they close in on their destination, Eugene realizes that he has no idea where Snafu is staying.
“Wait, the GPS is set to my hotel,” Eugene says.
“Okay,” Snafu replies blankly.
Eugene rolls his eyes. “Well, where are you staying?”
“With Burgie.”
“Let me change the destination, then.” Eugene hopes with every fiber of his being that they don’t have to backtrack too much. He doesn’t know how much more of this he can take. Yeah, Snafu’s hot, and he… doesn’t mind him, but being trapped in a tin box with anyone for this long would drive him insane. He needs to be alone. Luckily, the change of course only adds about twenty minutes to their ETA, and Eugene pats himself on the back for having the foresight to book a hotel close to Burgie’s apartment. He shoots Burgie a text to let him know they’ll be arriving soon.
As they approach Burgie’s apartment, Eugene wonders about Snafu. He must be closer to Burgie than Eugene himself. He’s staying with him, it seems like he didn’t get a wedding gift, and Burgie went to all this trouble to ensure Snafu was able to come. Some part of Eugene is sure that Burgie might have driven out to New Orleans East himself to pick up Snafu if Eugene wasn’t able to. It’s not jealousy, but there’s a hollow feeling in his chest. He’s disappointed, filled with the dismay that comes with realizing the person you feel closest to feels closer to someone else. It’s silly, the kind of thing a kid gets upset about, but he can’t help it.
When they arrive, Eugene quickly exits the car and walks to the driver’s side, ready to switch places with Snafu.
Snafu’s laughing as he opens the door. “You look like some kinda butler tryna help me out of a carriage standin’ there like that.”
Eugene snorts, then feels awkward as they now stand face to face. He’s not sure what to say or if they should shake hands. “Uh, see you for dinner later, then,” he ends up saying.
Snafu grins a real smile, the one reserved for Burgie, banter, New Orleans, and now, Eugene. “‘Course,” he beams and gives Eugene a pat on the shoulder before walking away.
Eugene stands, frozen, and watches him be buzzed into the apartment building. If he feels Eugene’s eyes, he doesn’t react. Once the door closes, Eugene snaps out of it and sits down in front of the wheel. He plugs his hotel into the GPS and hazily drives his way there. Once he’s safely inside his room, he smacks himself down on the bed and lets out a sigh. It feels good to properly lay down after all that sitting. Alone and staring up at the ceiling, he still can only think of Snafu. If he was flirting, was Eugene doing it back without realizing it? I mean, he was immediately attracted to him, so maybe subconsciously… He wonders if it’s wise to entertain this flirtation. It might be a good distraction from all the pressure of his dissertation. It’s just flirting, it’s noncommittal. He wonders if he made the whole thing up in his head. He tries to clear his thoughts but instead starts imagining his mother meeting Snafu. He snickers at the thought. They would hate each other.
He feels himself getting drowsy again and bolts upright. He’s supposed to meet Burgie at the restaurant in only about an hour, he can’t let himself drift off. He checks his breath and his suspicions from earlier are confirmed. He definitely needs to brush his teeth before he leaves. He hopes Snafu didn’t notice. He checks himself in the mirror to make sure his clothes don’t look too wrinkled. He decides to change from a t-shirt into a button-down to look a little more proper before freshening up in the bathroom. He’s ready a little too early, so he kills the rest of his time by rummaging through his suitcase and reorganizing it.
He confirms the address of the restaurant with Burgie, picking out a route on the GPS, and stands, ready to leave. Of course, as soon as opens the door, Eugene’s anxiety decides that he must pee before getting in the car. Luckily, he decided to leave early, so it doesn’t make much of a difference. He’s on his way in a minute or two, stepping out of the hotel into the humid, late spring air. The sun isn’t setting yet, but it’s circling its way around the horizon, getting ready to descend.
The restaurant is only thirteen minutes from the Comfort Inn Eugene is staying in, and he arrives 10 minutes before the agreed time. He looks around the parking lot, searching for Burgie’s car, but he can’t remember what it looks like for the life of him. Does Burgie have a truck? That would seem in character. But maybe it was a hatchback? Or a sedan? Maybe he should go inside and say Burgie’s name as the reservation. But he can’t get there first and be alone at the table, that’s weird. Two figures crossing the threshold interrupt his thoughts: a sturdy frame he immediately recognizes as Burgie and a curly head that can only be Snafu. They seem to be laughing about something, and Eugene’s chest feels light. He’s so happy to see Burgie after so long, he’d missed him so much. And Snafu’s face… If he’d smiled when talking about Burgie, he was beaming now. The look on his face is infectious, and Eugene finds himself smiling despite being alone in his car.
Eugene waits a few minutes for the pair to get settled inside before getting out of his car and following behind. The restaurant is a typical steakhouse with a bar and TVs playing various sports on every wall. He searches the tables until he finds Burgie, who makes eye contact and starts waving. He tells the hostess that his friends are waiting before walking toward them, trying to maintain a normal pace despite his excitement. Burgie stands, grinning, and gives him a warm hug, patting Eugene’s back firmly a few times.
“I missed you!” Burgie coos into his ear.
“I missed you too,” Eugene says as they part, face glowing.
Burgie turns and holds out an arm toward the booth. “You’ve already met Snafu.”
Snafu gives a mocking wave and smirks. “Oh, yeah. We know each other very well now.”
Eugene blushes. What’s with this guy? Why’s he making it sound weird? All they did was talk! Burgie gives Eugene a look as they sit down and he has to stop himself from explaining that nothing happened, it wasn’t like that.
“So, uh, who else is coming?” he says instead, clearing his throat.
“Just a few more guys, friends of mine from work,” Burgie replies. “They should be here soon. Anyway, I didn’t get to properly talk to you on the phone last week, how have you been?”
“Well, nothing much. Just my dissertation,” he shrugs. It seems evasive, but it’s the truth. Eugene’s life is boring, all he does is research these days.
“Nothing new?”
“Honestly, no.” He gives an empty chuckle before continuing, “It’s exhausting. It’s like I’m working on something impossible to finish. I’ve been really burnt out lately…”
Burgie reaches across the table and gives his arm a quick pat. “I know you’ll succeed,” he says. “Just remember that you love botany. Return to that passion, the reason you wanted to do this in the first place, then you’ll have the strength to persevere.”
Eugene smiles. “You sound just like my dad, he said something similar.”
“Well, he’s a doctor, he must be right,” says Burgie with a laugh.
There’s a lull in the conversation and Eugene becomes aware of those eyes boring into him yet again. He’d almost forgotten Snafu was there, which is odd. In Eugene’s experience, he’s not usually such a silent person. Eugene glances at him. He’s just sitting there, curled up in his corner of the booth, observing with those wide, blue eyes. His expression is blank, but he slowly grins as they make eye contact. Eugene looks away, back down at the table, but he knows Snafu hasn’t and is continuing to stare.
Burgie’s friends arrive within the next fifteen minutes, and they have to get a waiter to push another table up to the booth. There are three of them, all working at the same contracting company as Burgie. They’re loud and rowdy, watching and reacting to the sports on the TVs. Eugene only meets each of them briefly to shake hands, but he can immediately tell that his nature doesn’t mesh well with theirs. The three steal away Burgie’s attention throughout their meal, leaving Snafu and Eugene alone together on their end of the booth.
“You don’t like them,” Snafu states as he eats his steak.
“It’s not really that I just… I don’t know how to talk to them,” Eugene says between bites. “They’re not my type of people.”
“D’you know how to talk to me?” Snafu says, not looking at Eugene but instead focusing on his steak. He’s attempting to hold the entire thing up with his fork and rip the meat off with his teeth instead of cutting it.
Eugene watches him play with his food with slight disgust but ignores it. “No, I don’t. You’re weird.”
Snafu snorts at this. “Am I not your ‘type of people’ then?”
Eugene’s face splits into a playful grin. “Hm, I don’t know. Maybe if you stopped playing music in the car.”
They both laugh but are interrupted by louder laughter next to them. Burgie and his work friends have all ordered shots. They offer some to Eugene and Snafu, but both decline.
“Designated driver?” Eugene asks.
“Somethin’ like that,” Snafu replies vaguely, avoiding eye contact. He’s abandoned his plate by now and is leaning over the table with his chin in his palm.
Eugene can tell that he’s approaching a sore spot, so he changes the subject. “So,” he starts. “Did you get all settled at Burgie’s apartment?”
“Yeah, it’s like my home away from home or whatever.”
Eugene nods, unsure of what to say next. He doesn’t know why Snafu does this, letting the conversation die. It’s like he wants to put Eugene on the spot.
“I’m goin’ out for a smoke,” Snafu says, interrupting Eugene’s thoughts. He stands slowly, then asks, “Wanna come?”
“Sure,” Eugene says, looking up at him. In the dim light of the restaurant, his features are even more harsh and pronounced.
They maneuver their way out of the booth, trying not to bump into Burgie and his friends at the adjoined table. The others don’t even notice they’re leaving, too invested in a drinking game. Outside, the sun has fully set. None of the stars are visible in the sky, and there’s no grass for fireflies to blink in. Eugene doesn’t like heavily urbanized areas like this, where nothing lives but people. He needs the plants and the birds and the stars to be happy.
Snafu reaches into his pocket, retrieving a box of cigarettes and a lighter. He offers them to Eugene, who again refuses, before lighting one up and taking a long drag. His eyes close for a moment, seemingly in some sort of bliss, as he holds in the smoke, before exhaling away from Eugene. The odor hits Eugene’s nostrils and he has to keep himself from making a face. He distracts himself by watching Snafu take another drag, sucking on the cigarette, cheeks hallowing slightly. At least he looks pretty, even if it smells.
At this moment, Eugene feels oddly close and familiar with Snafu. Maybe it’s their proximity throughout the day, or how attractive Snafu is, or the smoke messing with Eugene’s thoughts, or maybe just the moonlight. He thinks about his antics in the car and how they seem almost charming in retrospect, despite being annoying at the time. Maybe they were charming then too, but Eugene was too obsessed with feeling awkward to realize.
“I have a heart condition,” Eugene says out of the blue.
“Huh?” Snafu says, eyebrows raised. In a few seconds, a look of understanding washes over him, and he drops his cigarette, stomping it out. “Why didn’t you tell me before? I don’t wanna kill you or somethin’.”
“No, no!” Eugene’s cheeks are flushed red in embarrassment. What is he doing? “I meant, that’s why I’m not drinking. Not just because I have to drive. I don’t drink. Sorry, I don’t really know why I’m telling you this.”
Snafu laughs again with that earnest smile, and Eugene almost doesn’t mind embarrassing himself if he gets to see that face. “What the hell are you talkin’ about, boo?”
Eugene’s chest warms at the pet name. He normally hates when people call him things like that, but somehow Snafu is an exception. “Sorry, I guess I was just thinking about it because of earlier.”
“You’re funny, Eugene,” Snafu says, looking serene in the moonlight.
They’ve inched closer toward each other throughout their conversation, shoulders almost touching as they stand side by side. Eugene, slightly taller than him, can look down at his face from this angle, and he looks perfect. Suddenly, Eugene knows that if he doesn’t reach out to Snafu now, he’ll regret it later. He can’t let his anxiety or apprehension get in the way of his own happiness. He bumps his hand against Snafu, knuckles grazing, who turns to look at him. Their faces are only two shoulder widths apart, and Eugene can see every eyelash, every freckle on his face. He takes Snafu’s hand fully, entwining their fingers.
Snafu smirks and turns so they face each other.
“Why do you keep smirking at me?” Eugene whispers. “All day, that smirk.”
“For an almost doctor, you’re so stupid,” Snafu says with a roll of his eyes.
Eugene is about to respond but is interrupted by Snafu cupping his neck with his free hand and kissing him. His eyes flutter shut, hand drifting to Snafu’s jaw. The kiss is sweet and warm, and when they part they leave their faces close for a second, just breathing in each other’s air, before returning to their shoulder-to-shoulder position.
“I’ve been flirtin’ with you all day,” Snafu says, and now the smirk in his voice doesn’t seem so evil.
“I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe you were just being an asshole.”
“To me, that’s flirtin’.”
Eugene snorts.
They stay out there for a few more minutes, just chatting and basking in the moonlight and each other’s presence. The barrier Eugene had set up, that fear of awkwardness, had melted away. He’s not sure where this thing with Snafu is going, or if it will go anywhere, he just knows that right now, it feels good, and that’s what matters. He spends too much time worrying about his past with his parents and his future with his dissertation; the two press against each other until the present is all but gone, a sliver of its former self. It’s time to finally live. They kiss again before reentering the restaurant, this time more lingering, parting with a smile. When they sit down again it’s like they share a secret, something only for them to know, and they can’t help but knowingly grin at each other from across the table.
By 10:30, Burgie and his work friends are all at varying levels of intoxication. Burgie is the least drunk, mostly just buzzed, to avoid a hangover on his wedding day. The three others are properly drunk and talking about continuing at a bar down the road. Eugene frowns at them, finding it difficult to hide his disdain. Aren’t they going to the wedding tomorrow? He makes eye contact with Snafu who looks as disgusted as he is.
They say their goodbyes to the three, which for Eugene is just a curt nod of the head. Burgie pays the bill, which Eugene protests but Burgie insists the host should pay. Snafu keeps entirely out of the conversation, but looks off to the side guiltily when Eugene glances at him. He’s able to convince Burgie to let him leave the tip, placing a fifty-dollar bill down on the table. The poor waitress had a lot to deal with, a huge order and three annoying, rowdy drunks. They make their way out to the parking lot, Snafu now walking with Burgie, and Eugene trailing behind.
“It was so good just to hang out,” Burgie says to him, pulling him into another hug. “Sorry I wasn’t able to talk much, those three can be overwhelming.”
“It’s okay, we’ll talk tomorrow.” Eugene gives him a tight squeeze before letting go. “I can’t wait to meet Florence.”
“Speaking of which, I should go call her and warn her I’m coming home,” says Burgie, smiling softly. “I’m sleeping in the living room with Snafu tonight. Don’t want any bad luck.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Eugene pats Burgie’s arm, nodding him off. “Don’t keep Florence waiting.”
Burgie walks off, phone in hand, leaving Snafu and Eugene alone again. Their previous goodbye had been uncomfortable at best, but all of that was gone now.
“Guess you’ll see me tomorrow too, huh?” Snafu drawls, each word glazing over Eugene like honey, hand reaching out to palm Eugene’s shoulder.
“Guess so,” he replies, mirroring Snafu’s movement before pulling him into a hug. “I’m glad I decided to pick you up today. Even if you were a little insane at first.” He brings a hand up to Snafu's hair, petting it softly and running his fingers through the curls.
“Sorry about that,” Snafu chuckles, leaning into the touch slightly.
They part and say their goodbyes, Eugene turning and walking toward his car, this time Snafu watching his back disappear. Once alone in his hotel room, Eugene can hardly believe himself. He doesn’t regret anything, but normally in social situations, he feels overwhelmed, especially by people like Snafu who are hard to read. He finds it difficult to act in such situations, to do anything. Today he acted, and he was happy with the result. He goes to sleep thinking of Snafu and what the next day may bring. He won’t need to lie about his mother suddenly becoming ill now; he’ll gladly drive another eight hours with Snafu being annoying in the passenger seat as long as it means they get to kiss again.
When the morning comes, Eugene is buzzing with excitement. He feels slightly ashamed that this is mostly because of Snafu and not his friend’s wedding, but he can’t help it. He arrives early, sitting alone in one of the church pews behind those reserved for family and the procession. Only a few others are here so early, and he sits in contemplation, the excitement from earlier suddenly washed away. Churches will always remind him of his mother. Maybe he should feel bad for his outbursts two days before, but he can’t force himself to. She chooses to never understand. She wants him on that altar with a woman one day, saying his own vows. She’ll never get that. He’s filled with a melancholic feeling as he stares at the cross.
He sits there, unaware, for an hour as the church fills around him. His wallowing is interrupted by the sound of the pianist playing a precursory song. Within a few minutes, the procession starts. First Florence’s mother, then Burgie, who looks nervous. He takes his place at the altar, and Eugene tries to find his eyes, to give him a consolidating look, but Burgie’s gaze is fixed on the aisle. Next, the bridesmaids and groomsmen, Burgie’s three brothers, walking arm in arm, with the maid of honor and… Snafu at the end. For some reason, Eugene didn’t expect him to be the best man and almost feels offended that he wasn’t offered a spot as at least a groomsman. This is all quickly forgotten when he gets a proper look at Snafu in a suit. His hair is neat and gelled back, a grin on his face. He meets Eugene’s eyes with a smirk as he walks by. Florence is next in the procession, and she looks beautiful. Eugene has seen pictures of her before, but they couldn’t do her justice. She is radiant in her gown, and he sees Burgie’s face light up as soon as she begins her walk down the aisle.
The ceremony proceeds without a hitch, Burgie picking up Florence and spinning her around once the pastor tells him to kiss the bride. Everyone makes their way to the reception hall, with what would normally be a ten-minute drive turning into a twenty-five-minute drive with all the traffic. Eugene puts his anxiety-inducing gift down on the table designated for presents then finds himself a table in the corner, waiting for the wedding procession to be introduced and the party to start.
When they arrive, the dancing begins, and the food is set out. Eugene grabs himself a plate and is moving down the buffet when someone touches his shoulder, He nearly jumps, but turns and sees Burgie, giving him a half-hug with his free hand.
“Congratulations, Burgie,” he says. “I wish you all the happiness in the world.”
Burgie beams at him, then steps to the side, revealing Florence, who leans in to give Eugene a half-hug as well.
“It’s so good to finally meet you!” she squeals. “Burgie just loves you! Thank you so much for coming!”
“Nice to meet you, too!” Eugene says. “Congratulations, Florence!”
“I have to go greet the others, but I’ll talk to you later, Eugene. Bye!” She turns and walks off, a bounce in her step.
“She's lovely. I’m so happy for you, Burgie.” Eugene actually feels like he might cry. In a strange way, he feels like he’s saying goodbye to Burgie today. With him married and Eugene getting his Ph.D., they’ll have even less time to see each other. But Burgie means the world to him, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep their bond from fading.
“So, how did you feel about Snafu?”
“Huh?” If there was anything Eugene was expecting Burgie to say, it wasn’t that.
Burgie looks at him knowingly. “I just thought you might like to know that he’s playing for your team, that’s all.”
Eugene sputters, “Did you plan this? Is that why you called me in particular?”
“I just thought you two might click,” laughs Burgie. “And by your reaction, I’m guessing you did?”
“Well… maybe a little,” says Eugene, unable to stop his cheeks from dusting themselves pink.
“He’s right over there watching us, by the way. I think he’s waiting for you,” Burgie says, motioning his head behind him to where Snafu is standing in a corner. “I won’t hold you up.” He begins walking away but then turns back. “Oh yeah, don’t worry, I sneaked a look at your gift and I love it. I know you’ve probably been letting that torture you the whole time.”
Eugene snorts and Burgie gives him a clap on the back before going to join his wife. With him gone, Eugene can clearly see Snafu across the room. He shakes his head, smiling as walks over.
Snafu – no, Merriell greets him with the usual grin. “Wanna dance?”
fin.
p.s. i also made this playlist of songs i think snafu would listen to in the car :)
#girl omfg i hope u like it cuz my heart is racing rn#did not end up changing it to take place during christmas my bad!#winter weddings just aren't common so that why it takes place in may#hbowarsanta23#hbo war#sledgefu#the pacific#eugene sledge#merriell shelton#snafu shelton#mutuals#hbowardaily#Spotify#my fic
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Hi! Do you have any romcom (movie) recs? I feel like i hypothetically like the genre, but have a lot of trouble finding ones i enjoy. So many romcoms feel so formulaic (in a dead way) and misogynistic and stale to me. I think they’re a lot easier to do well in the context of a series because there’s actually time to build. Recently i thought rye lane and fire island were fun. I like kdramas when i have the time for all the episodes because i appreciate the build. I need chemistry— people who both convincingly like each other and seem like actual human beings. I thought you might have some good ideas! Thanks <3
HELLO LARGE VOICED ANON <3
I hope you weren't waiting on my recs all day haha i have been. hm. hungover af <3 (i'm going to leave kdramas off this list for now but if you would like specific recs for kdrama romcoms send me another ask and i can try to do them justice!)
I think this is a genre with underrated range! So one thing that I find very interesting about the genre of romcoms is that I think there tends to be a split between romcoms whose goal is, like, to be a fun lighthearted movie with a central romance, vs romcoms whose goal is to Say Something About Love in the vehicle of a funny movie. Both of these categories are represented on this list but for giggles i will not be saying which i think are which <3
anyway recs under the cut <3 i will link my tags for these movies if you want to take a look but be warned for spoilers ofc
I think for your purposes my primary rec would be Lovesick (aka Scrotal Recall). It's a (short) tv show so it would likely give you the chance to get to know the characters and see a slower build. In contrast to the frustration you've had with some more "formulaic" romcoms the writing in this show is very deliberately in conversation with romcoms of the past. Also it's just one of my favorite romcoms ever made so I rec it to everyone. The premise is that a young man, Dylan, is diagnosed with chlamydia and instructed to tell his past partners. Being a hopeless romantic (emphasis on hopeless), he decides to try to turn this into an opportunity to revisit relationships that didn't work out, and try to figure out where he's been going wrong. Two simultaneous storylines play out in each episode, the flashbacks to the exes (and breakups) and the present, where Dylan's best friend is getting married.
Older romcoms: When Harry Met Sally (ive heard this is divisive? but idc its SO funny and so well made), Moonstruck (a romantic-comedy in the operatic sense. also cher <3), The Philadelphia Story (katharine hepburn the woman u r. tw for a classic 1940s gag about punching ur wife in the face), Bringing Up Baby (screwball comedy my beloved), Roman Holiday (audrey hepburn is lethally charming in this movie), Dirty Dancing (someday ill write something this good and then You Will Realize), Much Ado About Nothing (i tend to enjoy either the danielle brooks shakespeare in the park version or the classic tennant/tate combo)
Teen romcoms: 10 things I hate about you (young heath ledger and young julia stiles ur welcome), to all the boys i;ve loved before (lana condor is ADORABLE), The Half of It (my other favorite sort-of romcom of the decade)
More recent-ish: Speed (like its keanu and sandra what more do you want), Strictly Ballroom (i used to watch this literally weekly as a child and I WAS RIGHT TO), Miss Congeniality (sandra bullock what u did for us all <3), Fire Island (thank u 4 my LYFE), The sandra bullock/channing tatum movie that came out last year (i forget what its called but he's so funny in it), Mamma Mia AND Mamma Mia Here We Go Again (beautiful greek islands, abba, cher, what more can you ask for?)
Indian/bollywood: Jab We Met (after dramatically quitting his job, Local Man somehow ends up escorting a woman he meets on the train while she attempts to elope with her boyfriend. aka classic screwball comedy heroine and Guy She Dragged Along For The Ride), khabie khushi khabi gham (multiple generations of romance and family drama featuring Kajol, the Most Beautiful Woman In the World), Band Baaja Baaraat (two wedding planners fall in love--great choice if you want to watch idiots ambushed by their feelings)
Other tv recs: Selfie (john cho and karen gillian in a show canceled far too soon)
#hi anon thanks for the ask! there is a wide range on this list but im sure other people have their own recs too <#I absolutely second fire island as being excellent its one of my fave romcoms of the last decade for sure!#Haven't watched rye lane yet but it looks fun too#also the fast and the furious. who said that?#also this is a depressingly white list sorry about that. maybe i should have put kdramas on here but i didn't do a lot of tv?#oh well its too late now#feel free to ask me about kdramas if you want! happy to talk about them too!
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hey queen!! happy to see u back (ur writings really good) *ahem* do you think you could write one-sided pining from far away with iida annnnd maybee shinso? like idk theyve been pining for y/n without them noticing for a long while and theyre tired damnit! maybe theyre a little bit of jelly bellies?? maybe? tsym!!!! feel free to ignore, btw :D
Hello!! Thank you so much for your feedback, i cant tell you how glad i am that my writing is being recieved this way 😩🛐
Theres a little bit of angst and you can see it if you squint really hard but theres a happy ending !!!! :,)
Also- i would a hundred percent do this for shinsou- but im thinking i might save that for a later post so i can fit all the tags i want in and keep them seperate, y know? I hope thats okay <3 <3 <3
Masterlist<3
Iida x Reader
When you had transferred to class 1-A via reccommendation, even if it was a little late, Iida welcomed you with open arms and words of support.
It really didnt take long for him to fall absolutely head over heels for you, however, as he grew to learn more about you.
You were so kind and accepting, and whenever Mina or Denki asked you for help with their studies you would comply with a compassionate smile.
He wanted to talk to you.
He wanted an excuse to speak to you more, and become closer to you. You were perfect for him, and you respected and validated everything he said and felt. He had never felt so seen in his whole life.
So he never realised the growing bud of jealousy hiding away in his heart. Every guy that spoke to you were met with suspicious glances and a possessive, protective Iida. He was like an overbearing puppy.
You found it absolutely adorable how he would blush very faintly as you spoke to him, but you never realised that it was because the gullible idiot was in love with you.
He was serious about you as well. He imagined a future with you. So, the next time he would catch you walking out of the classroom last, or wandering around on your own, he planned to confess to you.
He was obsessed with that you would tie up your hair in a cute little ponytail, or cover your mouth when you were eating, or tilt your head when you were confused about something. The navy haired boy couldnt help but study your mannerisms like you were an art piece on display.
So when he saw you talking to Todoroki the next day, giggling and blushing and standing awefully clise to him, naturally he was distraught.
You didnt even realise that he had seen you, so when Iida suddenly becomes much more distant it actually kind of worries you. Had you offended him? Was it something you said?
The next time you find yourself face to face with Iida, he looks at you in shock and you notice how his eyes dart about awkwardly, almost as if he was looking for an escape. It was definately something you said, you decided.
"Iida, i was- uh-... i wanted to ask you... why have you been avoiding me?"
You were genuinely worried that you'd lost a friend, because what friend suddenly starts acting like you don't exist? And suddenly you're tearing up, big, bright eyes suddenly going glassy and overflowing with salty tears.
The poor boy almost has a heart attack.
He was only trying to put some distance between you so that his feelings wouldn't affect the relationship that you had going on with Todoroki.
But now, you were ceying in front of him and he realises now, that his actions had driven a bigger rift between the two of you than he had thought.
"Y-you won't talk to me anymore! And i'm- i'm so worried that i've lost you as a friend! Please-! Was it something I said? Just- just tell me where i went wrong- please-! Iida i'm so very sorry-"
In his head he berates himself, because in his selfish act of pushing you away, he jeopardised your friendship and trust and became the cause of emotional turmoil. He was absolutely in the wrong here! This behavour is not becoming of a future hero- what kind of saviour makes a woman cry? As a representative of class 1-A and some of the most promising young heroes, he should be ashamed, and he owes you an apology!
But more important than that, is the sting in his heart and the lump in his throat that tell him no matter who he is- hero or not- he has hurt his friend as a result of his stupidity. And it's frustrating. It feels bad. Genuinely bad.
It's a crushing guilt that weighs down his shoulders as he sees you breaking down and furiously wiping your tears away. The dejected feeling of having upset and caused distress to someone so dear to him.
He feels absolutely gutted, and his heart drops to his stomach.
In silence he pulls you closer, giving you a gentle embrace to let you know that everything is okay, before pulling back and bowing about as low as the gravel at his feet will allow him to.
"Please, (-), allow my to offer you my most sincere apology! Even I know that it is not enough to right my wrong, but it is all i can offer you, along with the explanation that you deserve!
You see, I had distanced myself from you because I had unknowingly fallen in love with you, however I did not wish to put any strain on your relationship with Todoroki. To do so would be incredibly unbecoming of a friend and future hero representing our class 1-A.
However, I did not realise that this would jeopardise our friendship the way it has, or bring you such emotional turmoil. To not think about the consequences of my actions was childish and immature of me! Please allow me your forgiveness!"
By now your tears had stopped and you were dizzy with the unexpected embrace and detailed, sincere apology, only one thought really striking you.
"My-... my relationship? With... Todoroki??..."
You have always been, and remain to be single.
As single as the lost sock down the side of the bed.
As single as a thirty-five year old man called graham.
As single as the third wheel on a tricycle.
Oops.
It's then when it dawns upon Iida just how stupid, and head- over- engines in love he was. He had just assumed you were both in a relationship. How absolutely silly of him.
"I see now... This was all a misunderstanding, then, i presume?
Well, i must say this is a touch embarrassing. I will do better to not assume such things in the future! To not learn from such an elementary mistake would be-"
You quickly cut off that bullshit with a kiss, unable to keep yourself from giggling at his antics. He's a genuinely stand- up guy, and you would love to get to know him more, after all, he actually knows how and when to apologise unlike most men.
#iida x reader#iida tenya#tenya iida imagine#boku no hero academia tenya#tenya headcanons#tenya x reader#mha x reader#bnha x reader
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𝔣𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯 𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔢𝔟𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 ! - this celebration is closed!
hello my beloveds, i recently hit a bonkers milestone so ofc, i would love to celebrate with u all !! whether you’re new here or a long time follower, i’m so v glad to have u here in my corner of the internet :’) mucho thank u’s and too many mwah’s to count, just know i’m giving u all a big sloppy kiss <3
now, without further ado, i humbly invite you along for 6 days (from the 16th - 22nd of jan) of ruby’s very own tour of hawkins, indiana :)
you’re new in town, you say? hmm, you might like to head to STARCOURT MALL; it’s best and brightest in the town! seriously, it’s filled w some very fancy stuff, there’s something for everyone, believe me
alongside a🍦emoji, send in your favourite fics, favourite authors, really anyone you want to shout out and think deserves sum appreciation ! this is just to spread some love :’) and hey, if u send ur own fic on anon, i ain’t gone be none the wiser hehe
or maybeee, you’re more of a hopeless romantic like me and would prefer a trip to LOVER’S LAKE: whether for first time dates or late night make-outs — looking at you, harrington 👀 — all good romance blooms lakeside
alongside a ❤️🔥 emoji, send in some blurb requests! [one] [two] [three] [four] [five] <- these are some prompt lists but they’re not required :) remember to tell me what list u got ur prompt from!
okay, neither of those pique your interest? well, FAMILY VIDEO is great for curing boredom! and the staff are easy on the eyes as well, which totally helps
alongside a 📽 emoji, send in thoughts and concepts hehehe - any genre, any length. you can even go behind the beaded curtain to the 18+ stuff if u want (sfw or nsfw allowed)
oh, there’s also the RADIO SHACK, though it’s a bit run down. probably only go in there if you’re a mutual i reckon, just to be safe
mutuals, send in a 🎧 and i’ll assign u a song from my music + some lovely words from me
oh dude, i forgot to say! i got us invited to a legendary STEVE HARRINGTON PARTY🕺🏻we’re gonna play all the classic party games it’s gonna be totally tubular
you guys know these ones :D fmk, this or that, cast your mutuals, any ask game ur pretty lil head can come up with + if you’d like, tell me what 80s song you love the most and wish would play at parties (i’m always lookin for more hehe)
i sincerely hope you enjoy your stay in hawkins! MWAH, ruby x
(some do’s and don’t’s for requests are below the read more if you’re on the fence about an idea !)
i’m pretty vanilla in all senses: no non-con/dubcon, no pregnancy, no hard kinks, no x reader for anyone besides steve, no steddie x reader, that’s about it :)
as this is a follower celebration, it is intended to be for followers of the blog <3 i ask that if you’d like me to put the time & effort into writing something for u, mayhaps u shud follow if you don’t already :D idk i’m not a cop and technically nothin bad will happen if u don’t but u shouldn’t :) ok
if i don’t respond to your ask, i’m probably working away at it but also hey, it just might not scratch my brain. i’ll do my best to get them all written but absolutely no promises.
tagging sum mutuals <3
@hawkinsindiana @spideystevie @harringtonbf @familyvideostevie @sanguineterrain @katsu28 @stvharrngton @sunshinesteviee @plainemmanem @teenbiology @stevestummy @augustslippedavvay @husbandharrington @joellkeeny @keeryshouse @sparklingsin
#DIS STARTS TONITE BTW!!!#i haven't done one of these since i hit 1.2k in fuckin 2017 or smth#dear god i know i have forgotten something#but im doing my best#and hoping this will suffice#follower celebration 2023#that's gonna be the tag for this me thinks#MMMM I AM NERVOUS#this will be the next challenge for me#ruby.txt
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hii! can i request a jealous!gekko x gn!reader where he does a bunch of physical touch in front of the person who's a littleee bit too close to the reader as a way for him to show that the reader is his??
thanks if you take the request!! your gekko writing has been an amazing gift to feed my gekko brainrot <3
a/n: hello!! thank u for requesting i saw this at like 2am around my time last night and quickly just finished it just now- hope u like it!! ( sorry there might not be that much touching from him in there ;_; ) but i'm glad i've been able to feed ur brainrot <3
gekko/mateo x gn!reader
wc: 1k
you were invited to one of your friend’s parties and the invitation let you have someone of your choice tag along with you. of course you asked your boyfriend come along with you, since the two of you were inseparable.
[ y/n ]
hey mateo!! wanna come with me to my friend’s party today?
[ mateo ]
yeah sure bebé!! what time?
[ y/n ]
i think it starts around 8 does that sound good?
[ mateo ]
yep it does! just let me know the address later, i’ll ttyl my break just ended, te amo <3
[ y/n ]
love u too!! <3
so later that day after you both got off work, you both went home since you decided to meet up there first. after you took a quick hot shower to ease yourself, you changed into worthy party attire after searching deep into your closet. when it was time to leave, you got into mateo’s car and he drove you two to the party. on the drive there he was complimenting on how nice you looked.
“mi amor, you look amazing.”
“aww.. thank you teo you’re too sweet.”
when you both arrived at the given location your friend gave you, you could already see the vibrant lights through the window. as you were about to ring the doorbell, your friend opens the door on coincidence.
“oh hey y/n!”
“wow.. that timing, I was just about to ring the doorbell.”
“there’s a delivery that’s supposed to be here any minute so i’m going to wait outside, feel free to go on in.”
your friend scoots over to the side, and you hold onto mateo’s hand as he guides you both through the door. once you stepped foot in your friend’s household, you were greeted with blasting music. you could basically hear it everywhere throughout the house and it made it feel like the walls were made of paper.
“god, it’s so loud in here.” you complained, but you looked at mateo, but he had the opposite reaction to yours. he was full on grooving with the music, which was kinda cute to you.
“yeah it’s kinda loud, but I dig it.”
your friend came back with the food delivery she mentioned earlier and set it out on the long countertop near the kitchen. she offered you and mateo to help yourselves, but you turned down the offer since you weren’t hungry yet. mateo on the other hand, was slightly hungry but since you weren’t eating he didn’t either. so he just offered to grab a drink for the both of you and nodded.
“i’ll go grab some drinks for us, you stay right here, okay cariño?” he says, patting your head.
“don’t worry I’m not going anywhere,” you gave him a thumbs up, as he slipped through the crowd of people, and before you knew it his vibrant green hair was no longer visible.
you decided to sit by a nearby couch and scanned around the room, you had a tad bit of social anxiety. you sometimes attended parties, but have never been to one this packed. you suddenly hear someone sit beside you, and you turn thinking it is mateo.
“welcome back- oh.” the smile on your face quickly fades away.
“hey there,” the unfamiliar individual greets you.
you glanced at the man, breaking eye contact instantly not knowing what to say.
“what’cha doing all by yourself?” he questions as he slowly checks you out.
“oh i came with someone, they’re just away for a bit.. he’ll be back soon.”
“doesn’t matter ‘cause he’s not here so..” he coos, as he leans towards you.
you scoot all the way to the end of the couch to get away from the creep. but he still proceeded to inch closer to you, too close. mateo witnesses the whole ordeal and his grip firmed on the cups in frustration; nearly crushing them.
why the fuck was this guy that close to you? he thought to himself.
he immediately barges in before anything too serious happened. he aggressively set the drinks down on the side table to free his hands. then he places his hand on your shoulder, and you turn around from the sudden touch; relieved to know it was your boyfriend. mateo glares at the man, unhappy that he was trying to make a move on you.
“hm? and who must you be?” the stranger asks as he notices mateo's appearance.
mateo stays silent, and took the opportunity to sit right in between you and the guy with the space that was left on the couch. his eyes still locked onto the man, mateo’s arm slowly finds its way around your shoulder. he tugged you towards him, and you could see one of the man’s eyebrows arch in confusion on what he was trying to prove.
“does this not say enough?”
“doesn’t excuse you leaving ‘em all alone like that.”
mateo gets tired of his bullshit, so he gently touches your chin so he doesn’t hurt you, and pulls you in for a kiss. it surprised you a bit since it was so sudden, barely got to process what was happening. you just went with the flow though, it ends up lasting for a few minutes with the guy staring with a blank face. as you both pull away, mateo emphasizes his feelings towards you to grab his attention.
"te amo mucho y/n," he boldly blurts out in front of him.
“get the memo now dickhead? they’re mine. vete de aquí.” mateo says in assertively which ends up making the man scurry off. i mean, mateo was never the type of person to get mad, so it was a bit scary to see him this way.
mateo’s face slowly grows a grin, as he watches the man run off into the sea of people in defeat.
“thank you.. that guy was a total creep.” you sighed slumping onto his shoulder.
“anytime bebé, i wasn’t about to let his hands on you. only mine can.”
“someone’s jealous! but, i think we both knew that already.”
“maybe a tad bit.. oh and the drinks are to the side, sorry the cups are kinda crumbly.. i mayhaps nearly crushed them.” he points to the cups on the table to your left.
“it’s okay, don’t worry about it teo.”
“let’s just never go to a party again.. don’t want any more men near you.” he mumbles as he holds you close to his chest.
you giggle, agreeing with him as you weren’t that fond of attending parties too. you just made an exception since your friend was the hostess.
“you wanna just go home and maybe.. watch a movie and cuddle?” you suggest as the party wasn’t too enticing to you.
“sounds like a great idea, that way no more men can pry on my y/n.” he jokes, eliciting an eye roll from your end.
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Hello, Megan! How are you doing? I was wondering if you have any tips for someone wanting to start a 90s/2000s collection like yours.
Where do you shop? How long did it take to accumulate your collection?
Last question might be weird but do you sleep in the room in the photos? The reason I ask is because I want to make my room look like that but I'm a little worried about what people will think...
Hi! This is a great questions and literally anyone can do it and affordable! So I’ve been collecting my whole life but I started going super into it in 2009. Not only do I collect nostalgia, I collect about anything I would see and like, antiques, records vintage clothes, toys, ex. What started my interest is I just saw something a couple antiques i wanted at goodwill and passed it up and I would never live it down. I will forever remember is and kick myself in the ass for it. I said that’s it, I’m not regretting leaving something so cool behind in fear of being judged.
Even though I started in 2009, I will admit, no one has to break bank to start collecting. The best place to start is goodwill, local thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales. I don’t pay much for anything I own in my collection. One time I thrifted an entire huge box full of vintage McDonald’s toys for $2! It’s very simple to do. Some garage sales, people were so tired of selling, they would tell me to have things for free! Like I’m doing them a favor getting rid of the items. lol u really don’t need to spend much.
I started collecting by going to my local goodwill every week and I’d find a cart FULL of 90’s -2000’s finds and I’d spend like max, $50 for my entire cart and I’d find the coolest stuff, toys, clothes, books, ex.
I leave no stones unturned. Some people hid things at goodwill and wait for the color tag to go on sale so look everywhere! I would go by myself and look for a few hours and pick out everything old, and decide at the end what I LOVE and put back things that I just don’t. I’d find cool 2000’s clothes hidden in the kids clothes! I found a vintage adult sized Powerpuff girls sweater in the kids! People hide stuff everywhere and workers also put things in wrong spots just cause it’s got cartoons on them. lol
So the photos of my room is right before I moved into my own house but YES. I slept in that room for years and everyone that walked in thought it was cool! Now I have childhood friends sending me photos of it and asking why my room is all over the internet! lol 😂 I had 2 beds so I could have my best friends over and have cool sleep overs, all my friends, guys and girls loved it and even my boyfriend loved it when we first started dating. My mom loved it cause it reminded her of when me and my sister were kids. She would come up and hang out with me and we would watch Britney and Backstreet Boys videos. I say, do things FOR YOU. If people aren’t supportive, then that’s there problem. As long as ur responsible and not harming anyone or anything, then there is nothing wrong with u doing what makes u happy! ❤️ If u have anything ur really into, the fashion or toys, ask any questions u want, fill free to ask. Something I always do with everything, is pick something up, look for a year. Sometimes older stuff didn’t always have a year on it. Now they always have years.
Also I don’t make YouTube videos anymore but I do have one thrift haul on my YouTube channel Nostalgic Studioz. Can kinda see what I found going to one goodwill! One store is all it takes. lol
Thanks so much for the ask! I love talking about my hobbies and I hope this helps u too! ❤️❤️
Here is one flea market haul and there is that box I spent 2 dollars on to the right. lol I bought all of this in one place, one day at the local flea market. Ohio’s biggest flea market is like 30 mins away and it’s my FAVORITE place in the world. It’s opened all year around and it’s like a giant garage sale.
#me#personal#y2k#2000s#2000s nostalgia#2000s kids#2000s style#y2k nostalgia#00s#y2k aesthetic#y2k style#2000s kid#thrifting#thrift#00s kid#y2kcore#00’s#00score#00s core#2000#00s aesthetic#90s#1990s#2000s fashion#thrift haul
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Hello friend, welcome to the Spencer brain rot club wherein you cannot help but be enamoured by this pretty and overtly silly guy 🫶 your Spencer art is now glued in my brain. It’s so insanely cool the vibe you captured in it! And the style of it, the words around the head, etc all of it so stylistically cool!
This is the art - enjoy looking at it again hehe (it’s also in my arrow valentine art tag and pinned to the top of my feed rn)
The Spencer brain rot club has turned into a full blown out obsession cause this man is in my thoughts and I cant stop writing fics with him involving him with x reader and with other people in smosh ! I also drew him multiple times again,. Let me know if I should post (it’s messy but I love it)
We love this pretty and silly guy, maybe even enough to want to kiss him maybe ? WHO SAID THAT (Can I say that?) but also want to like shake his shoulders and scream. Affectionately.
I’m happy to hear that it is glued to ur brain and that it made that much of an impact on you! I genuinely almost didn’t post it cuz I was embarrassed about how much this lil freak was on my mind and I didn’t want the drawing to prove it you know? But I gave into the temptation of oversharing which is always fun! And that didn’t go as badly as I thought so! He also liked it on twitter like both posts I made on my backup and art account idk,,, idk what to do about it tbh,, I’ve been running on the anxiety and the huge confidence boost that gave me for days now.. I’m serious I haven’t been sleeping cuz I’ve been thinking abt the fact he saw my art and that maybe he saw the rest of my art and my page and…. Wtf
And I love that part the most! I was just thinking about Spencer and what would look cool for him and drew what vibes he gave off to me! I was also just having fun w the drawing l was trying to be looser and less perfectionistic and more expressive in my art so hopefully that shows here. The words are also song lyrics of songs that I was listening to while drawing it!!
This art is my style that I’m both proud of and kind of embarrassed about how messy it is but maybe that’s apart of the charm??? Who knows
(I don’t get notifications at all so I just had to manually find this through making a custom setting of asks, so I hope I’m not too late to reply to u ! I am genuinely so thankful for the love on my art, it feels like it must have been washed away by all of the other content on social media so for it to have made an impact I’m genuinely so happy and overjoyed and overwhelmed )
(also for my anxieties sake I want to mention that I understand Spencer is a real person and I’m not trying to sound parasocial when I write this, I kinda view him as a little guy that I want to put in my pocket but in the way that he was not actually himself, like a different person? Like how people write about real people so they are characters in a fanfiction - like that)
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I just read ur alistair x reader piece where hes worried about the reader not eating breakfast and like bro im honest to god fucking swooning. The way u wrote him was SO cute and endearing but it also felt so real. A lot of x reader stuff can be a bit ooc or extreme vibes imo but it just felt so laidback and like just realistic and nice to read. Ty for writing and sharing it! Id be so interested to read more alistair pieces if u have anymore u plan on writing and sharing!
hello my dear! 💖
I literally cannot thank you enough for sending this ask!!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰 this is such a huge huge huge compliment and I'm and literally truly so happy and thrilled that you enjoyed it so much!!!!! ☺️💕☺️💕
I also get very in my head about whether or not I'm portraying characters accurately (esp. ones that don't have a lot of book/screen time) so this was super reassuring to hear and def makes me feel more confident about continuing to write for him!! ☺️🥰
in terms of future alistair plans, I have a lot lol 😅😅 right now I'm working on a long-form project for him called "king of all birds" that follows his story from learning his brother is going to be executed up through his transformation and probably a little after that too. that one doesn't have a pairing though; I'm using it more as a character study and also because I've always wanted to explore his backstory. the twilight guide gave us so much about him, and yet so little at the same time, since we never see that story actually explored. so now I guess I'm just doing it myself lmao 😅
but I also have ideas for 2-3 more one-shots that would exist in the same universe/timeline as "like real people do," and those would be alistair x reader. they aren't written yet, but I do have at least one of the plots fully fleshed-out, so now I just need to actually sit down and write lmao
I'm also super open to taking requests for him if you have something specific you'd like to see! I'm happy to do headcanon lists and other more miscellaneous stuff as well, since I can often get through those faster than things where I need to construct a plot lmao, but they can also serve as nice ways to explore a character further before I write a longer piece 💕💕
I also want to shout-out @frodoshaggins (I hope it's okay if I tag you here, if not, just let me know and I'll remove it! ☺️☺️) because it's their incredible work that inspired me to start writing for alistair myself!! I would highly recommend their stuff if you're looking for more alistair content!! 🥰🥰
anyway, I just want to say such a sincere thank you again for this ask!! I'm genuinely so flattered and touched that you liked my writing and I'm always excited to meet other alistair fans!! 🥰💕🥰💕 I hope your day is absolutely fantastic!! ☺️💖☺️💖
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cinnamon girl.
FAKE INSTA AU.
FC: rosé of blackpink
kpop idol fem!reader x timothée chalamet
hi lovies! i hope u guys are having a wonderful day I missed y'all and had a great time on vacay. had a bit of a writers block with soc med aus and felt they were getting repetitive esp with how often id upload sometimes so I hope you guys like this. pls cont messaging me and saying hi requests or not. I always love hearing from u all. 💗
yourusername
liked by kaiagerber, willowsmith, madisonbeer and 22.3m others
dog mama
user12 ok jump scare thought that was a real baby
fan9 NO SAME I was horrified I was like when did she have time to be pregnant
lalalalisa_m kisses to hank pls 😘
yourusername 🥰 hank loves u back
tchalamet hank my best buddy
yourusername hank misses his papa
tchalamet and I miss my son and his mama
tchalzfans OMGG they're so cute love my pawrents and hank
hallebailey glad you liked the baby sling boo 💓
yourusername yes tysm he loves it and it's so comfy so he's always hanging around me now don't have to carry him as much
peta animal lovers 💗💗
petsmart love our pawrents. check ur dms for collab info?
bpfans osndkdkd yn getting all the brand endorsements even for her doggie hank
deuxmoi
liked by ynfans, timothegoat and 500.8k others
we spotted timothee chalamet and y/n l/n in downtown la filming some super secret project. guesses on what it's about? both have been hush hush on what this is about and everyone on set is super tight lipped.
user7 it's clearly from a closed shoot so what are you doing there hello
timo5ever he looks so cute love u timo
ynclan yn has the best legs that go on foreverrr
user11 I heard they've been working with scott or abel I wonder which one now
user09 tru yn featured on a kid cudi song just recently so wouldn't be surprised if they kept collaborating
theweeknd
liked by jennaortega,fkatwigs,dualipa and 55.9m others
literally could have not had the perfect casting for this dream project of mine. even more so to have two of my dearest friends feature on the music video for moth to a flame 🔥
music video out NOW
tagged swedishhousemafia, yourusername,tchalamet
swedishhousemafia 🖤❤️🔥
madelyncline been waiting for this one!
taylorswift ▶️▶️▶️🎶
evanmock can't stop watching such a good music video
user67 THE CINEMATOGRAPHY THE CHEMISTRY THE SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN TIMO AND YN
stephanebak killed it always guys!
ssavannahssmithh you never miss don't you god
kidcudi geniuses in the lab 🔥
tchalamet
liked by calumhood, oliviarodrigo, sadiesink and 60.0m others
exploring NYC.
user18 reminds me of doyoungs billie cover in the same subway stop
liked by billieeillish
nctfans DOIE GOT NOTICED BY BILLIE?
user89 oh she's becoming a new yorker now cute
yourusername wouldn't want to wander around with anyone else even if you get us lost didn't you live here from birth? 🙄
tchalamet we took the scenic route so you can see more places only locals know
user65 excuses timo kskdd good thing he's whipped
yourusername
liked by milliebobbiebrown, champagnepapi, daisyedgarjones and 45.2m others
snippets.
tagged tchalamet
voguefrance 💗
user7 they're so cute oh my god I'm going to cry
yntimo5ever my parents
bellahadid missed you two lovebirds 🦋
yourusername meet you soon bells 🫂
ethanhawke have fun kiddos
tchalamet thanks man
officialrebeccaferguson 💗💗
yourusername miss you rebecca ❤️
#timothee chalamet imagines#timothee chalamet x reader#timothee chalamet scenarios#timothee chalamet#timothee x reader#timothee chalamet x you#timothee chalamet social media aus#timothee chalamet soc med aus#timothee chalamet fake insta#timothee#chalamet#timothee chalamet smau#timothee blurb#timothee chalamet fake instagram#timothee fluff#timothee smut#timothee icons#timothee chalamet one shot#celebrity imagines#celebrity fake insta#celebrity smut#celebrity fanfic#celebrity instagram au#celebs#timothee chalamet fanfic
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Hello, hope ur having a great day. I came here with a request that I really wanna read it from u especially lol can I ask for Smoker react to their lover's death in results of sacrifice herself for him? Be as evil as this one I want ✨DETAILS ✨ 😭 feel free ignoring this and wish you a wonderful day ❤️
Hehehehehe 😈 was very evil with this, and there's plenty of detail (over a thousand words), I hope you like it! Thank you for requesting, hope you're having a wonderful day too :)
The Death of You — Smoker x Reader
Tags: angst and maybe a tiny bit of comfort.
Format: Scenario
Trigger warnings: death and grief; blood is talked about a couple times. Lmk if I missed any!
It was supposed to be an easy mission, but somehow you and Smoker got separated from the rest of the group. Now here you were, fighting off wave after wave of foes all by yourselves. You’ve taken down dozens and finally, finally, things start to let up.
That is, until you notice someone you previously hadn’t. A man, armament haki fully engaged, about to deliver a killing blow to your beloved. In the split second it takes you to notice it, your body reacts accordingly. Before anyone can even blink, you’re in front of Smoker intending to deliver a killing blow yourself. It works, but it costs your life.
The final foe has been taken care of, and in the field of bodies a grieving Smoker holds you close as you experience your final moments- not caring about how your blood is slowly soaking his clothes. It shouldn’t have been so easy to kill you, yet here he was, watching the life literally bleed out of you. All of it- his rank, his proficiency in battle, his devil fruit power- all of it was worthless when it couldn’t keep you alive. Later on, when he gets back and removes his clothes in the privacy of his personal quarters, he stares at the blood- your blood- on his coat and cries and cries and cries.
If only he had noticed that attack sooner.
“It hurts.” You’re looking at him with an unfocused gaze. He’s done all he can to stop the bleeding, but it’s too late. All he can do is ease your passing.
“I don’t want to die.” You tell him with tears in your eyes. He tries with everything he has to keep his own tears at bay and holds you closer.
“I know.” Regardless of his efforts, you feel tears plink your face, the sensation giving you brief clarity.
“Baby…” Your trembling hand softly meets his cheek and you force a smile. “I can’t make it this time. Promise me you won’t die here with me.”
“How can I?!” His voice cracks as he slumps over your form. Your tears fall freely; you know it’s going to be hell for him to try and recover from this.
“I don’t know. But you have to promise me, or I swear I’ll haunt you.” You try to joke.
He can’t sum up any laughter and begins settling down, well aware that these are your last moments. He wipes his tears.
“I love you (Y/n).” His lip trembles, “I will never forget what you mean to me, what you did for me. I…I promise.”
"Good. I'll be waiting for you, wherever I go next, but keep your promise okay?" You kiss him one last time, your grief mingling into each other's. "You're my everything. I love you too." You close your eyes, and that's it. You're gone.
You're gone and it's all his fault. If you hadn't taken that blow for him, you'd still be here. The coming weeks that follow are the worst of his life.
He throws himself into work and pretends he's okay. Everyone can tell something is wrong but few address it. Tashigi tries her best to help but she can't do much when he won't let her.
He wants to keep his promise but he honestly can't at first. The pain is so immense that it's all he feels, all he thinks about. Nothing he does comes without the reminder of you and it's agonizing. He takes unnecessary risks, smokes more than ever, and takes little care of himself. He doesn't sleep, barely eats, and spends all his time working or training himself to the point of collapse. Smoker is no stranger to the loss of a comrade, a brother, but you were more than that and something irreplaceable.
He still dreams of you every night.
The grief reaches its peak after a reckless move almost results in his death. One second he's in the heat of the battle, the next moment he's hit and knocked out. He's rushed to the hospital and fixed up physically, but he still hasn't woken.
And then there's you. Beautiful, beautiful (Y/n). In the foggiest depths of his mind, he finds you sitting on a riverbank under a willow tree; sun dapples your skin, highlighting your best features as the wind softly ruffles the grass.
He breaks into a sprint and reaches you in seconds with a sob of your name. You hold him, trembling, and cry too.
"What did you do? Why are you here?!" You exclaim.
He's shaking like a leaf, tears pouring.
"I'm so sorry!" He sobs. "I couldn't keep my promise! Nothing is worth it without you!"
"Smoker..." You push him back to look him in the eyes, face wet with tears and with the most pained expression. "I know. I could see you. My heart hurts that I can't be with you right now. But now is not your time. Your men still need you, and Tashigi does too. And what about all the good you can do in your position?"
He knows you're right, choosing to remain silent and continue holding you.
"It's not your fault."
There it is, the words he needed to hear the most. He breaks down, shoulders shaking with the force of his crying. You hold him and cry with him for several minutes.
Then his body starts fading, and he panics.
"Where am I going?"
"You're going back." You hold a brave face for him. "Be strong for me. You're loved. You're needed. Listen to Tashigi. It's not your fault."
"No no no no no," he holds you tighter even as he fades, "please, I'm not ready, please not again!"
"Me neither, but we have to be." Your tears start falling through his form. "I love you."
"(Y/n)—" is the last thing you hear before he leaves. You hold your arms in the air where he was for a second before dropping them. You heave with sobs, and move over to the river to watch him.
From your point of view, you watch him come-to in the empty hospital room. After a few moments, he slowly moves and writes something on a little notepad that was on the table next to him.
He positions the pad in a place he hope you can see:
"I love you too. I'll try my best."
Fun facts:
-You and Tashigi were close friends while you were alive.
-Tashigi took care of your burial while Smoker grieved.
-She's the one who got grief counseling for him and herself, and Smoker agrees to the counseling after some convincing.
© yourlocalweirdo-3000
finished and posted: Jul. 8, 2022
#one piece fanfiction#one piece x reader#one piece fanfic#one piece x you#one piece x y/n#smoker x reader#smoker x you#smoker x y/n#smoker one piece#one piece#one piece anime
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hello dr grey <3 feel free to ignore/not publish but i was wondering if it’s possible to get a snippet of ‘tight ends’ with james and sirius? 🙈 i was super excited to read the fic (me! for wolfstar!! can u believe it?) but i totally understand shelving stuff ur unhappy w it so i was hoping to get a lil peek into my fav boys instead lol. u already know i love how u write them.
oh for you, miss padfootastic? anything. (also i went to post this and realized i....don't use dialogue tags for them, so have fun).
“Mom’s making dinner for us. It’s Sunday.”
“You can go without me.”
“She will drive herself here and drag to the table by your ear if you don’t come, Sirius.” James said, “And as much as I would love to see that, we skipped last week, two weeks in a row might be….”
“I know, I know…” Remus heard Sirius mumble softly from his spot in the hall, “I just would rather--”
“Stay here with Lupin in your bed?”
“No.”
“Stay here and wait for him to wake up and then drive him home?”
“I do one nice thing and--”
“It was very nice, I was going to offer my bed if you didn’t. Though, impressed he can hold his liquor against Longbottom.”
“Not a bad shot either….”
“You were watching?”
“If you’re trying to make a point, wrap it up.”
“You’re going to drive him home, aren’t you?”
“No, I’ll him sit in the basket of your bike, and you can take him.”
“Good workout,” James said and Remus could hear that teasing smile in his voice, “It’s okay to say that you don’t actually hate him…”
“I never said I did hate him.”
“It also wouldn’t kill you to, I don’t know, answer a few of his questions, since you obviously care enough about him to let him have your bed…”
“Anything else, Dr. Potter?”
“Please, that’s my mother.”
Sirius rolled his eyes, “I just didn’t want him in a lyft, okay? He was drunk off his ass, I did a nice thing….”
“Mhmm. I know.”
“Wipe that fucking grin off your face, I swear.”
“Oooooh, so scary.”
“What time do we need to be at Mom’s?”
“Leave at four.”
“Alright.”
“And if she asks we absolutely did not work out this morning after the game when Coach Hooch told us both to take it easy.”
“I’ve never worked out a day in my life, babe.” Sirius finished and Remus waited a few moments, listening to the opening and closing of drawers and clattering of silverware before entering.
“Sleeping beauty!” James exclaimed when he saw Remus, Remus immediately wincing at the volume of the other boys voice, smiling weakly, “Oh, sorry, I should whisper--sleeping beauty. You live!”
“Barely,” Remus mumbled, walking further into the kitchen of the apartment that looked much different in the morning light when it was just Sirius and James and…” Eggs?”
“Good for hangovers,” Sirius shrugged.
“No, I know that…bit. I…didn’t think either of you would cook,” Remus said, pulling up a seat at the counter next to James who looked far too well-rested and happy to be awake, and far too fit to be in Remus’s eyeline when felt like he had just been run over by a truck. Both of them had clearly just finished some sort of workout, by their conversation Remus had overheard and by their appearance, James sitting in the kitchen in only a pair of compression shorts, a light sheen of sweat over his stomach muscles. Sirius had at least bothered to put a shirt and exercise shorts on…..
“Mom taught us both, but I’m much better at other house duties,” James told Remus.
“Ah, and what are those, exactly?”
“Taking out the trash….talking with our land lady when the sink clogs again, reminding you to call home, that kind of stuff.”
“Hm,” Sirius said, half smile on his face as he set two plates on the counter. Eggs with some toast, and half an avocado, “Eat, you’ll feel better.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” James said, picking up his fork eagerly
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Mayoi in PriPara Outfits Part 3
This is the last suuuuper long post of me wondering what pripara outfits mayoi might wanna wear ! If you're somehow here without coming from part 1 or 2 (since again, i wont be tagging this....) here should be a link to part 1 and also part 2 (sorry again foosybit followers for triple posting)
Please congratulate mr placeholder for coming this far, he's really putting the best work out there im so thankful he's here with us. also there'll be more brands other than holic trick now (even if it's still the main brand) so i'll be naming the brand in all of them
Gaarmageddon Red Dia from Love Devi !! a card theme was present in an outfit i would die if i didnt draw it. no original masc version cuz it's literally a card wonderland theme so say hi to pathetic pushed over vermilion mayoi. also at this point i was admittedly getting quite pooped from all the drawing so unless i really wanted to see something i just didnt do it lol
Hello ninja association again, no brand for this one cuz it's actually from a merch line so idk if it even exists outside the merch line ?? Which. Lets slow down a bit lemme tell u my shock when i find out that not only is there boypara but theres a ninja idol boy with partially yellow hair ???!?!!?!???! shinobu come pick up ur little bro he's out here performing in a wrestling ring !!!!!! so of course i listen to all the grand total of 2 songs he has and try to find all the images i can of ushimitsu (name of the ninja boy) and find this silly merch line where he gets to work at the ninja monja (which i believe is established as a thing he actually does if the wiki trivia section is to be trusted cuz as i said im nowhere near learning about him thru the show or stage play or whatever)
what the hell look at this dam ninja i am literally nowhere near learning anything about him considering im not even at episode 100 yet meanwhile the episode featuring ushimitsu just barely came out recently on the pripara yt but hes so my fav and hes also the blue one in a duo that works at ninja monja which is just like dorothy west i love dorothy west i love dressing pafe someone any pripara enstars fans out here do u get me do u feel me do u understand that by me saying this u can already guess i like 2wink and souma do u understand how it all connects AAHHHRG i might explode if i keep talking so lemme stop here while i can
back to the drawing, shinobus having the time of his life spinning that omelette good 4 him and mayois been delegated to rice ball duty lol loser
Lady Pirate from Holic Trick !! say hi to origin of mr placeholder !!!! hiiiiii !!!! uve been working so hard how does it feel to be home u better cherish it cuz ur coming back later, luv u mr placeholder. but ya self explanatory why i chose this outfit
Gothic Lace from Holic Trick !! hes such a pretty boy thats all i have to say for this
Adult Jumper from Pretty Rhythm (the brand in pripara) !! such a sweet and simple coord i dont think it needs a second version :]
Aromat Card Aroma from Love Devi !! it looks like the original has tarot cards but a card's a card in my book so they got the symbols. honestly it's mostly just me vaguely tasking inspiration from the original to create my own outfit but whateva im near the end and im having fun and i really liked this one so woohoo !!!! also that dress length is supposed to go to the ankle, it's just scrunched up rn hehe
Moonlight Purple from Baby Monster !! Last one !!!! I think the pripara characters deserve to have bigger hats dam !!! I think this is a very pretty outfit hehehe he's bound to get little shorts like these some day (me hoping and praying) !!!!
not one that i did cuz im too exhausted from all the drawing but i thought u needed to see this and imagine ninja association, kitty kitty meow meow ninja mayoi is so real in my head
wahoo thanks for going thru the whole thing !!! I feel like u can reeaallly obviously tell which of mayoi's aesthetics are the ones i like the most lol are any of us surprised that my favorite 5star of his is his feature scout ^_^ BTW!! if any of u want me to draw any enstars character in any pripara outfit I WILL SO DO IT !!!!!! or even aikatsu outfit hehe cuz i'm also quite attached to that :] altho i may take a while cuz college is about 2 start orz rip my free time !!
one last thing b4 y'all leave !! ya as i just implied, i actually watched a bit of aikatsu (enough to get to the second protag is all i remember) i just ended up with a greater attachment to pripara cuz it was my very very first anime, but yea yurika's eternally flickering flame go listen to it and imagine it's mayoi maybe even wearing his fs trust me on this one u have to experience it please please please please heres the full version too (no shade to the vers w ozora i just think yurika fits mayois voice more), anyway im on my knees begging for this to be what his solo ends up like just cover the song it'll be fine no one will notice trust me mayoi u gotta sing this
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if you've sent in an ask lately that i didn't respond to, it may be answered under the cut! i'll be dividing these posts up by general subject matter so no one has to scroll for too long to find any asks they may have sent. feel free to block the tag #liv got mail if you don't like seeing posts like this. i'm sorry to have kept you waiting, and p.s. i love you very much <3
part four: fic stuff, etc. ✉
✉ Anonymous asked: liv no one writes suna like you how am i supposed to go on when you hate him (affectionately)
u should try hating on him too it's very liberating and he's an easy target <3
✉ Anonymous asked: not a day goes by when I don't think about pollute I deeply thank you for making it 🩷😔🙏
ahhhh yes... polluted.... my gang-num opus.... thank u for enjoying one of the nastiest things i have ever written we are in this together now!!
✉ @just-jordie-things asked: hello here like everyone else to make sure you get so much love for your mini series with megumi 🤗🤭 (and also i just binged the rest of your work too 😭 😂) i love your writing style it’s so addicting i feel so involved in your stories. and i just loooove how you write megumi !! excellent work i hope you had fun with it!! have a great day/night 🫶
HI JORDIE!! u are SO KIND!! i am so happy you enjoyed the series (and hopefully whatever else you read!!) and i really really really REALLLLY appreciate you taking a moment to share these sweet words w me. sending u love and endless gratitude!! <3
✉ Anonymous asked: Hey Liv, just wanted to reach out to you
Hopefully you don't feel overwhelmed or something like that regarding your last series and everything that came along with it (also your last asks were... Let's say bizarre), so I just wanted to remind you that while I think you're an amazing writer and love what you post, I do not simply follow you for the content you put out: in fact I've become more an more interested in your persona, I think you're hilarious and witty and kind and I find myself looking forward to even you reblogging art and your keysmashes in the tags
Thank you for being so special Liv!!♥️🤩
this really ought to have gone in the love letter section because it's so incredibly sweet of you to say. u might have questionable taste in girlbloggers but omg your heart is so beautiful and kind :') thank YOU for making me FEEL so special, and for taking the time out of your life to do so. i adore u more than i could ever say and i am sending u roughly 92 MILLION kisses. love u so big.
✉ Anonymous asked: hi liv! whenever u see this i just wanted to say that im sorry u felt like u couldnt continue posting smth u created and had fun making onto ur little corner of the internet that we all have the privilege of sharing w u 🖤 it rlly does hurt when smth we make and are excited to share with others isnt met w the same kind of enthusiasm. even tho it's understandable why some ppl weren't huge fans of ur mini megumi series, im sure it was still a bit hurtful. i just wanted to say that everything you create, no matter who likes or dislikes it, is beautiful and deserving of love and recognition for the effort, time and emotions you put into making it. i hope ur break is relaxing and lovely, and i cant wait to continue supporting u and ur creativity when u get back 🖤🖤🖤
thank u little guy. i appreciate you and these words very very much <3
✉ Anonymous asked: just read the Megumi drabble series and saw your prev asks answering the continuation of it, and let me just say that (a) i LOVED the series it's absolutely adorable and also angsty and (b) i completely understand if you decide not to continue!!!! i just wanted to show some support ❤️❤️ your writing's incredible ❤️❤️ regardless of if it'll continue or not, it was an amazing read!
thank you for reading and enjoying it!! you are so sweet!! sending u a big tight squeeze
✉ Anonymous asked: LOVE YOUR LATEST MEGUMI FIC!!! I know it’s easier said than done but I hope you become more comfortable with posting whatever you want in you little corner of the internet!!!
ahhhhhh i hope so too!! and i am so grateful you enjoyed it!! thank you friend <3
✉ Anonymous asked: I loved the recent series of veterinarian Megumi and his son so much, I loved your writing. I understand you're not going to continue, but I appreciate you writing it anyway.💓
and i appreciate u reading it!!!! and enjoying it!! it means so much to me!! blowing u a big kiss rn
✉ Anonymous asked: hi hi Liv ❤️ I just wanted to say I respect your choice to not post more of your oopsy baby series to prevent others from becoming uncomfortable, and I just hope it doesn’t diminish your own joy for writing and creating.
I think it’s totally fair to acknowledge that you hadn’t included a warning or anything about the kid (almost definitely) being Megumi and reader’s, cuz that happens sometimes! Things slip through! But at the same time people don’t have to keep reading if they get to a point they’re not enjoying it.
I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I just want you to be happy in your space, so whatever way you choose to achieve that is of course the best choice for you ❤️❤️
hi hi FRIEND!! thank you for such sweet words and for being so understanding and kind. LOVE UUUUUU
✉ Anonymous asked: just wanna compliment you cause its honestly so impressive that you managed to write and outline multiple stories in the past two weeks. you never fail to amaze me with your creativity keep up with the amazing stuff and take care of yourself :)
i feel so SO lucky to have an outlet to dump all my silly little ideas into when they strike, and to have people (like you!!) who are there to enjoy them along with me!! hope you're well sweet thing!!
✉ Anonymous asked: PLEASE GOD YOUR WRITING IS IMMACULATE. LIKE DOWNRIGHT SWEEPING ME OFF MY FEET IN HAPPINESS WHEN I SEE YOU POST IMMACULATE.
write whatever makes you comfortable, parenthood or not because after all, YOU are the one who is writing it and everyone has their own responsibility to scroll if they dont like your comment. anyway, sending lots of love, YOU DESERVE IT ALL!!
WAHHH u are so kind!! sending u a big squish and so much love right back <3 and thank you for such a lovely bit of reassurance i appreciate u!!
[one last note: there were some other asks about the mini megumi series that i wasn't sure if i should include. i never want to post or share anything that someone might interpret as targeted, or alienating, or sensitizing in any way—and i'm ready to move on and not rehash any old wounds. i know they all came from a very kind place, and i am so truly and sincerely appreciative of anyone who reached out to check on me, or support me, or tell me that they enjoyed the series. love u always and tremendously, liv. xx]
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