#my old school magnolia pictures | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lizzisimss · 9 months

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Sweet Country Home CC List:

CC used (list below) 3 Cobblebottom Street in Henford-on-Bagley 20 x 20 2 bed, 2 bath $146,100

Aira – https://www.patreon.com/airacc

Artist clock

Artist frame

Artist paint bucket

Artist tools

Bunny pot

Star pouffe

Vanilla flower candle

Wooden dog stand

Wooden framed pictures 2

Wood framed pictures 4

Wooden holder

Woodenland bear organizer

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Kitchenrack mitts

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Artsy paintings

Paulette rugs

September art

September rugs

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The trouble with plants

Whatever you want

Clean sweep

charly pancakes - https://www.patreon.com/charlypancakes

Maple & S Constructions part 3 merged

The Lighthouse Collection merged

Diaper days

Lavish Merged

Miscellanea Merged

Modish Merged

Smol merged

Soak merged

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Country living pattern add on pack pt 1

Vintage botanica framed flower carsd

William morris-ish prints

William morris-ish wallpaper

Sabina fenn canvas prints

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Fayun part 2

Gothic revival interior

Gladlypants - https://www.tumblr.com/gladlypants/tagged/my%20cc%20dl

Terrain paint collection

Cute sea frames prints white frame

Simple pattern rugs

house of harlix - https://www.houseofharlix.com

Orjanic

Baysic Bafroom Merged

Baysic Merged

Harluxe Merged

Jardane

Livin’Rum Merged

The Kichen

Tiny Twavellers Merged

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Coastal part 1, 2, 4 and 5 merged

Octave part 1 merged

Shop the look

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Simple Live

Summer Garden

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Floral wallpaper w trim 2

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Blockhouse

Piha

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Citrus Room

JOMO Laundry

My Heimish Hall

Retro Korea

leaf motif - https://leaf-motif.tumblr.com

2202 Magnolia Bathroom

Calliope Bathroom

Devon Kitchen

Eloise Living

Heirloom Kitchen

Ivy Hallway

Little Ceramics

Old Hat

Rory Bedroom

Starlight Crystals

Sunbeam Study

Sunny Corner

Vintage Crockery

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Folklore set off the grid

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Record Player

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Deligracy merged cottage living update

Lumen-Niveus –

Millennia Merged

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Oil paintings

Runner hallway table

Photo ladder

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SMEG Fridge

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Basic Luxe Add ons

Lucky Man Folded Shirts Override

Lucky Man Folded Shirts RC standalone

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Kei Plushie

Gothic Window (tall 2)

Nuri Rug

Numi backpack

max 20 - https://www.patreon.com/Max20

Master bedroom

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Back to School Calendar

Bathroom set

Essential Clutter

Mlys – https://mlyssimblr.tumblr.com/cc-catalog

Pufferhead

myshunosun - https://www.patreon.com/myshunosun

Garden stories

The art room

Zephyr office

Dawn living

Herbalist kitchen

Simmify part 2

Thrifted tv

Networksims - https://www.thesimsresource.com/members/networksims

Tragedy wooden floor

ONI – https://www.patreon.com/oni28

Artist’s old workroom

Cottage kitchen

peacemaker - https://peacemaker-ic.tumblr.com/TS4O...

Atwood Living

Essa kitchen

Hamptons retreat

Hudson bathroom

Kingston dining

Mid-century eclectic

Vara office

Violette seating

pierisim - https://www.patreon.com/pierisim

Calderone bedroom

MCM part 1, part 2, part 3, part 5 merged

Oakhouse part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 merged

The office mini kit

Tidying up

Auntie vera bathroom merged

Coldbrew coffeeshop

David apartment part 1, part 3 merged

Domaine du clos part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 merged

Teeny weeny merged

Winter garden part 2

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Pavement terrain 5

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GP05-REDUX-Xtreme-Shower-Tub-with-Customizable-Curtain

RVSN – https://ravasheen.com/downloads/

HayLawnDeco

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Nota living room merged

Simkoos – https://www.patreon.com/simkoos

Clutter dumo pt2

simplisticsims - http://simplisticsims4.com

Bedroom painting gold

Botanical framed art

RHckshelf

RHdhdblbed

Vintagecountryartllb

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Set 7 Wallpaper 4

sixamcc - https://imfromsixam.tumblr.com/

Breeze of Greece

Oak&Concrete Kit merged

Artz

Charming chalet

Luxbath

Small Spaces

Teen Room

SurelySims – https://www.patreon.com/surelysims

Fallout Baby

SYB – https://www.patreon.com/Syboubou

Bonbon

Cottage

Fabulous

Laundry

Life

Mosaic

Nathalie

Nothingtowear

Ohmygoth

Painter Studio

TaurusDesign – https://www.patreon.com/taurusdesign

Cassandra Bathroom

Eliza Walk In Closet

Clutter Cat - https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/thec...

222

Babybooparti

Busy bee 2

Busy bee

Dandy Diary Bathroom

Dandy Diary part ii

JapanJuice

KawaiiKidz

MellowMini

MellowMoods

PetitsPirates

Xfest22

TUDS -https://www.patreon.com/TudTuds

Beam Parte2 v01 merged

Cross merged

Wave merged

Awingedllama – https://www.patreon.com/awingedllama

Apartment therapy inspired stuff v2 merged

Tray files are available on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lizzisimss

Please consider supporting if you wish :)

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the-dendrophile-bookdragon · 1 month

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What's your favorite plant and why?😊

Oof, this is a hard question for me. I have too many.

But let's dive into some of them:

Flowering plants

Iris

Irises come in so many shapes and forms. Another reason is their German name Schwertlilie, Sword lily, because of their sword-like leaves. I don't know why I like the name so much, maybe because I like swords and knives so much, I don't know. They are native to my country, I already found two in the floodplains. I also like that they are named after the Greek goddess Iris for their colourfulness.

My favourite Iris species are Iris pumila (dark purple or lilac bloom, only 5-10 cm high, right picture) and Iris pallida 'Variegata' (pale blue with white and green leaves, left picture). Both are native to Europe and so beautiful.

Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)

They are simple but resilient. It's my birth flower and fits me so much better than my zodiac sign description. People should obsess more with their birth tree and plants than with zodiac signs. Because those descriptions are more accurate, or that's my perspective.

When I see them bloom, I know spring and my birthday aren't far away.

Camelia

I think she is one of my favourites because of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is the reason for my favourite hot beverage, black tea.

Camellia japonica has a mathematically perfect flower (I hate math, but I find that fact funny). So beautiful but I was not able to keep mine alive, sadly.

Trees

Magnolia

Also a messenger of spring. They look like clouds if they bloom.

Oak

A tree with so many purposes and deep-rooted lore. Steadfast, dark, mysterious. A majestic tree.

Beech

My all-time favourite tree. Smooth bark, so many unappreciated species. My favourite species is the copper beech. Deep red leaves that turn copper in fall.

House Plants

Monstera

Maybe some will think this is a basic plant, but I tell you, this plant is a little shit. But I love them all. Especially Monstera deliciosa 'Variegata' and Monstera adansonii.

Fiddleleaf Fig

I fell in love with this plant because of a huge tree in my old school's greenhouse. The shape of the leaves fascinates me so much.

Dragon Tree or Dracaena

The sheer size they can get is so fascinating. And the fact that their juice is called dragon blood because if you cut some species, red juice will ooze out from the wound.

Vegetables, I know this is a weird category to have favourite plants but I have been obsessed with cultivating vegetables since I was in kindergarten.

Paprika

I wrote my first school thesis about them and I think I will write about them again. The amount of varieties is astounding. Including chilis. I love the small flower with the lilac stamen.

Tomatoes

Fragrance, varieties, taste, bloom, do I need to say more? Yes, because they are pollinated by my favourite animal, the bumblebee!

Eggplant

Have you seen the flower? No wonder Europeans in the 19th century had them as houseplants.

#ask reply #sweet moots 💙#long rant about plants #I can't shut up about plants truly

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ledenews · 6 months

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Linsly’s Terry Depew: ‘I’m Thankful for All of It’

First name. Last name. Pretty simple. There were times when one of his players would hear Terry Depew refer to them by their first name or their last time. “C’mon, John, you’ve got this,” meant one thing, and “Here we go, Smith … get us going,” meant something else. First name. Last name. It was a signal of sorts because, whether it was the first name or it was the surname, the former coach was delivering a better chance. Depew was the head football coach for The Linsly School for 26 seasons, compiling a 156-96-1 record and four Ohio Valley Athletic Conference titles in three different divisions. He was the assistant varsity baseball coach for Gary Sprague, too, for 26 years as the duo captured 13 OVAC pennants, and he was inducted into the conference’s Hall of Fame in 2022 along with Magnolia legend Dave Cisar. B.J. (center with Michael Wetzel, Danny Buchwach, and Robby Plumby) was always one of the team managers for his father's teams before he reached high school. “Coaching to me was about giving your players an advantage,” Depew explained. “Being stronger is one thing, and being more intelligent on the field is another, and it’s debatable which is more valuable. I would guess it depends on the individual, but being able to take advantage of an opponent’s weaknesses isn’t an easy thing to do unless you’ve learned how to recognize those weaknesses. “Taking what an opponent gives you. That’s a lesson someone can learn and use throughout their lives,” the former head coach said with certainty. “In a lot of ways, in football and baseball, that’s what we did as often as we could.” So, okay, that’s the stuff that’s made for the handsome headlines and pretty pictures, but Depew also served as Linsly’s business manager and a math teacher for more than 30 years, and during a portion of his administrative career he even was the institution’s assistant headmaster. Those were his job titles of 40 years, anyway, but far from the job descriptions. “It was really all one job. At least I looked at it that way. I think everyone here did,” Depew rationalized. “There was no time clock, I know that.” Depew was Linsly's football coach for 26 seasons and compiled a 156-96-1 record. College Preparatory For more than a century, the word “Linsly” was synonymous for “military” to the people of Wheeling because the school enrolled only males to attend the “Air Force” orientated grade and high school from 1876 until 1979. That’s when the “Kiski Contingent” was hired by the Board of Trustees, and their mission, under the leadership of new headmaster Reno Diorio, was to transform a military institute into an all-male college preparatory academy. And Depew, 27 years old with a wife, Cathy, and their brand-new, three-year-old son, was to be the business manager, the football coach, and the “whatever else.” “Every time I look back at it, my time here at Linsly, I know I wouldn’t change any of it. I was fortunate to have the opportunity at that point in my life. I was only 27, and the timing was right in my life when we decided to come here to Linsly,” Depew rationalized. “I came here after graduating Bucknell (University) at 20 years old and spending one year as a graduate assistant there, and then there were five years at Kiski (School). I became the head football coach, too, but it wasn’t predetermined how long we would stay here. “But we knew pretty quickly that Linsly was going to be a very good thing for me and my family, and the fact my son has made his life here is something we could have never predicted,” he admitted. “But now, I know I owe Linsly everything because it provided us all such a wonderful life.” During his 26 years as the head football coach at Linsly, Depew had the chance to coach his own son, B.J. While he handed over the reins to the Linsly football program to his son, B.J., in 2005, he continued in his other roles up until 2018. So, yes, it’s been five years since he managed the books, five years since he met with mothers and fathers, and five years since he last strolled along the grey, lined lockers of Banes Hall. But that’s exactly what he did last week, and who knows what thoughts the walk brought to his mind. Maybe his undefeated seasons or his 26-game and 19-game winning streaks or the $10 million capital campaign that expanded Linsly’s primary education building. “I’m sure my existence here at Linsly didn’t matter to some students, but every time I come back to campus, I’m flooded with a lot of memories from all the years. I have to wonder how many times I walked down that first floor of Banes Hall during my Linsly career and how many conversations I had with students. One thing I know for sure is that it was a great place for me to be. “People say things like this sometimes and you always wonder if they really mean it, but when I say I feel like I’ve never really worked a day in my life, you can count on it being true. It’s just how I feel,” he said. “Of course, there were the difficult days. A lot of them. And there were losses on the field. But now, looking back, all of it were parts of the overall experience. And I’m thankful for all of it.” Terry Depew and his wife Cathy first arrived at Linsly's campus in Wheeling in 1979, and soon his grandchildren will be graduated from the college preparatory academy. Home Sweet Home Eleven different countries. Places like China, Italy, Spain, and Brazil. Those students help fill Linsly’s dormitories and they supply a level of diversity unmatched by any other high school in the Wheeling area. But the backbone of Linsly’s co-educational student population has been and remains the students from the tri-state region thanks to the Northern Panhandle’s par-5 proximity to western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Depew’s son, B.J., a member of Linsly’s Class of 1994, was, of course, raised along Leatherwood Lane, and to this point, the young man’s life, his teaching and coaching careers, and his family of four have been planted on campus ever since. Proudly, he’s followed in his father’s footsteps. B.J. is a math teacher, too, and he’s Linsly athletic director, and, yes, the head football coach. After 17 seasons, the younger Depew’s overall record – 109-71 – is the second-best only to his father, and he, his staff, and his team just finished a 5-5 season that, to many eyes, may appear disappointing. Dad disagrees. “I thought his coaching job this year was just as good – if not better – than last year when his team went 9-1 after beating all of the teams they’re not supposed to beat,” the former head coach said. “And let’s not forget, this year was with a different set of people than he had on his team during that 9-1 season. He did a phenomenal job, that’s for sure. The time arrived in 2006 for one Depew to pass the proverbial head coaching torch to the next Depew. “I couldn’t be prouder of him, and I couldn’t be happier my wife and I made the decision to come here to Linsly because of the man, the husband and father, and the coach he’s become. At that time in the late 1970s, we didn’t really know what else was out there for me professionally, but now, I couldn’t imagine a better situation,” Depew said. “And a lot of my former players have sent their sons and daughters here because of what the experience did for them in their lives, and that means a lot to all of us who were here teaching and coaching during those years. That was our goal, I can tell you that.” He says things like that because he believes what he says. He practiced, after all, what is still practiced. “I can still tell a parent who’s thinking of sending their child to Linsly that there are people here who will do whatever is necessary for the benefit of their child,” Depew insisted. “These people will make the right decisions that need to be made in the best interest of their students. That’s always been the case.” And Depew is confident in what he says, too, because those are the tales he’s been told. “That’s why I enjoy hearing from our graduates. Each of them has their own stories because Linsly was an individual experience for them. And, honestly, when I have had those conversations, most of the time it’s overwhelming for me because of what I was a part of and what it meant to our alumni. It makes me proud,” he added. “Very proud.” Read the full article

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ramascreen · 2 years

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Official Trailer For MY OLD SCHOOL Starring Alan Cumming

Check out this official trailer for MY OLD SCHOOL movie. Magnolia Pictures will release MY OLD SCHOOL in theaters on July 22, 2022 Directed by Jono McLeod Starring Alan Cumming, Clare Grogan, and Lulu In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years would become the stuff of legend.…

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#My Old School

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lastoneout · 2 years

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I'm all for a big professor meet up, but first Laventon is gunna have to come to grips with the majority of the profs being right up on their Pokemon. I'm talkin Kukui wrestling them & test attacks on himself, Oak and pokemon constantly dog piling in him, Sycamore with hands on accident prone Poke-injuries (plus oh god he has a Garchomp), Birsch somehow always being chased down by pokemon but loving it, and that's not even touching on dealing with Rowan. I feel like Laventon would be oscillating between feeling inferior, comradery in the pursuit of knowledge, and questioning how half of them are still alive.

Also joy in finally get a true Galar cuppa with Magnolia and Sonia.

Laventon hanging out with ancient retired Magnolia because she's the only professor who isn't engaging in what he views as reckless endangerment of their own lives for funsies. Not to say that Magnolia never behaved like that, she's just too old for it now. And also ofc Galar profs gotta stick together.

I do feel like out of all the people in pla he would probably have the easiest time getting on board with the whole "not being 100% completely terrified of pokemon all of the time" thing, in part because of Dealing With The Protag, or he'd at least understand when the pursuit of knowledge leads one to disregard their own safety, but yeah being around Kukui for more than an hour or two would prove lethal. I mean Kukui seems like a nutjob even amongst the professors which is a HIGH BAR TO CLEAR so I'm sure he wouldn't be the only one going "dude why are you like this".

Ofc he would probably feel a bit inferior because their research and technology are miles ahead of his and they aren't Scared Of Pokemon like he is/had to be, BUT THEN everyone is like "oh my god it's him" and the fangirling begins they are talking over each other like "I read about you growing up, that's why I wanted to be a professor!" and "they named this amazing library after you hold on lemme pull up a picture" and "there's a STATUE of you at the university I went to" and "when I was getting my degree they actually let me hold one of your original pokedexes, I almost CRIED" and "every kid in Galar learns about you in school, not a single one doesn't know who you are!" and "your research was foundational to bridging the gap between humans and pokemon, the world is like this because of you!"

at which point ofc Laventon is a puddle of tears like fully has to be scraped off the floor BUT HE DESERVES IT!!! HE DESERVES THE LOVE!!! Like you can't convince me Laventon's research wasn't a Big Fucking Deal and didn't land him in the history books and I adore the idea of him in part being the inspiration for so many people to go on and study pokemon and like ofc they ALL know who he is, ESPECIALLY Magnolia, Sonia, and Hop like they are hype as hell to get to meet him. And NONE OF THEM are going to tolerate him thinking he's insignificant!! The only reason they're all so far ahead is because his research existed in the first place!! The whole standing on the shoulders of giants thing!

And he ofc still thinks they're all insane for being so chill with pokemon like the culture shock is Severe but they embrace him and he's so proud of them(and especially Hop!!) all for going out and continuing studying pokemon even if he wishes that maybe they would be a little bit safer about it lmao

#SORRY FOR TAKING THE FUNNY MEME IDEA AND SPILLING FEELS ALL OVER IT #I JUST LOVE LAVENTON SO MUCH #AND I THINK THE OTHER PROFESSORS WOULD LOVE HIM TOO #pla #pokemon #professor laventon

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s-brant · 3 years

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Baby Names

(gif: @mishellejones) (SERIES MASTERLIST)

Summary: Y/N gets frustrated while putting the crib for her and JJ’s baby together and finds herself missing her dead brother more than ever.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Fluff and minor angst.

A/N: Asks and ye shall receive, here’s a little blurb about what happens after Tokens! You don’t really have to read the other parts to enjoy this fic if you don’t want to, but I do recommend it for some backstory. This was slightly inspired by this fic by @cognacdelights, so go give her stuff a read! Let me know if you liked this. Have fun!

Y/N Routledge thought she got over her brother's death long ago.

Though you never truly "get over" losing a loved one, though there will always be a small part of you, however small, that aches for their presence again, she thought she moved past the tragedy to the best of her ability...until last week.

To say that the pregnancy was a surprise would be the understatement of the century. She and JJ were both on the same page about children when their relationship began, and that page was that neither of them wanted them yet. Sure, the idea of it in the future stirred their hearts with fond emotion, but considering that they had yet to graduate high school and barely scraped by on their own, they weren't jumping headfirst into that aspect of adulthood.

They were meticulous about safe sex. They couldn't afford another mouth to feed, she wasn't sure she could handle the emotional trauma of having an abortion, and, underneath it all, he had some reservations about being a father. It wasn't that he didn't envision a future with kids in their relationship, he did, but the topic of fatherhood always took him down a dark path within his mind.

So, she went on birth control once they started dating and they went along with no scares for the next six years as they graduated and started figuring out what the next step for their lives was going to be.

Y/N could get lost thinking about it, honestly, but she tries not to get too swept up in the minor mistake that led to this.

"You, my friend, need to stop moving around in there," she whispers down at her protruding belly with a hand cradling the heavy weight of it, "I'm trying to get your crib set up without JJ yelling at me for not asking for help, and if you don't stop kicking me, I'm not gonna get anything done."

She's sprawled out on the floor in the living room of the Chateau with her legs stretched comfortably in each direction while she hunches over to read the directions of the Ikea furniture. The sugarcoated description makes her want to hunt down the company CEO for sport, because for how "simple and easy!" the construction of it claims to be, she is at her wits end.

The last thing she needed after having her grief over John B's death reignited by their decision to name their kid after him last week was to stress herself out over something as stupid as this, but she won't quit. With how much JJ has been coddling her the further into the pregnancy she gets, she wanted to prove that she could do something for herself.

Whenever she brings in the groceries from the car and goes to lift the bag of dog kibble out of the trunk, he rushes up behind her back and scoops it out of the trunk before she dares to touch it. It always ends with her hollering after him that it's under twenty pounds, the upwards limit of the weight she's allowed to carry according to her doctor, but he refuses to hear any of it.

Inside of her, she feels a sharp sensation of something hitting her right in the ribs in response to her comment, and she groans in frustration. It's as if he did it because he knows she wants it to stop, the feisty little fucker.

"You're definitely your daddy's son, aren't you? It's already enough having one of him, the last thing I need is a JJ clone."

Their three-year-old Rottweiler rescue huffs a sigh from where he lays, frog-legging it, on the floor next to the unboxed crib pieces she can't put together to save her life. His drooping jowls produce a puddle of slobber on the her favorite carpet that is past the point of saving from his constant wear and tear. After a year of having him, she decided to stop trying to prevent him from ruining it. There’s no point.

She smiles at him as she leans forward to read through the directions for the billionth time, saying, "I actually think he'll be a lot like his uncle, but that's just me. If he isn't, I'll feel a little stupid over the name situation."

John Booker Routledge-Maybank.

Hell of a name if you ask her yourself, but for every internal struggle it reopened inside of her, she couldn't help but love it as soon as JJ casually proposed the idea on his way out of the door for work one morning.

Going on without John B has been a learning experience in every aspect. Any time she wanted to turn to him for advice or tell him something about the recent events in her life, she had to walk out back to their dying magnolia tree and sit under the shade to talk to the wind. Then, once the tree finally died and they were forced to cut it down, she took to sitting on its stump and doing it there.

It got easier as time went on, but she can't keep herself from wondering what it'd be like if he didn't die ever since she saw the results on the pregnancy test six months ago. Whenever she does something like going to her OBGYN appointments or, case in point, setting up the crib, she pictures him there.

She can see him here now, petting Bowie's shiny coat until he falls asleep with his head propped onto John B's outstretched legs. He'd be twenty-three years old by now with his life barely starting to blossom to its full potential, yet here they are. Correction, here she is, and he's off somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, already decomposed to the extent that not even his bones can be salvaged anymore.

Her chest sinks in another sigh, and she flips through page after page of the instructions with increasing aggression.

"This crib is so fucking—"

"What are you doing?"

The sound of her yelping in surprise at JJ's voice coming from the door is enough to make him laugh to himself, though his amusement is buried partway by what he's walking in on. He specifically asked her to wait for him to put the crib together, knowing damn well it wouldn't be the easy task she thought it was, but he should've known she'd do it anyway.

She looks over her shoulder with a mixture of guilt and frustration painting her features as she throws her hands up in the air and gestures vaguely to the unassembled crib. Her eyes are shining with the rapid onset of hormone-induced tears.

"I can't put this crib together 'cause the instructions aren't right, all the pieces are labeled wrong, your son won't stop kicking me, and I miss my brother so much right now," she spews the words with no pauses to breathe until the very end, when she stops short to suck down a breath as soon as she gets the last part out.

It leaves JJ standing at the entrance to the house with this stunned expression.

There's no amusement to be found anymore. Once she turned and flashed those wide, teary eyes that never fail to spark an ache in his heart at him, his tired smile vanished and his feet started moving before he could say anything to her.

The floorboards creak beneath his half-laced boots on his way across the room to her. It prompts Bowie to pop his head up from around the side of the coffee table to catch a peek of whoever it is that's approaching his emotionally distraught owner. Upon seeing JJ's familiar face, the dog relaxes back into his lounging position atop the carpet and tracks JJ’s movements until he's seated next to her.

"This is about John B?" he asks.

Her cheeks are flushed in embarrassment at her sudden outburst, and she can't bear to meet his gaze right now. Despite him being her closest friend and husband, she feels as small and vulnerable as she did six years ago when she first learned of her brother's death from Shoupe. Time might as well be shaped in the form of a never-ending circle for them, directing them back to their seventeen-year-old state of mind every time things turn sour.

Y/N finally lifts her hanging head to look over at him after another few seconds and thinks she might crumble at the look on his face. He hates watching her cry.

"I guess," she says through a sniffle, "It's about the crib too, but I've been thinking about it a lot more since we picked the name. Our baby’s gonna grow up never knowing who his uncle was..."

With that, JJ takes it as his cue to pull her closer.

He scoots up behind her and lets his chin rest on the curve bridging her neck and shoulder together as he twines his arms around her body. It's a closeness that's as natural as breathing for him, so natural that he can hardly remember the years before it became normal for them to take part in little moments of intimacy like this. The warmth of their bodies cohabitates in the blurred line distinguishing where she ends and he begins, and he feels her relax, sagging in his embrace in appreciation of his miraculous ability to make her feel better no matter how worked up she is.

One of his hands rests on the swell of her bump in an absentminded effort to calm him too. Even though he isn't consciously thinking of it, he knows that her distress must upset the baby too. The contact steadies her, keeps her grounded to the moment rather than allowing her to slip away into the current of her negative thoughts, and she clings to every word he has to say.

He says, "You and I both know that isn’t true. He's gonna grow up seeing all the pictures you have of John B and ask about him all the time. And we'll tell him all the stories"—there's a pause of contemplation as he recalls a few particularly non-PG memories of his best friend—"Well, maybe not all of them, but you know what I mean."

This draws a soft bout of laughter from deep within her chest that he feels with how her body shakes ever so slightly with it. It seems so wrong to laugh with tears in her eyes but she can't help it. Her emotions have been scattered in every direction since the pregnancy began, and it has only gotten worse the further along she gets.

"If you ever tell him about the kief incident, I'm never giving you a bl—"

His free hand smushes over her mouth before she can say the rest.

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence.”

It's said so frantically, it makes her erupt in laughter hard enough to tickle her abdomen muscles with the aching sensation of it. The vibration of it under his palm makes him drop his hand a second later with the need to hear the beautiful sound. After seeing her cry, it's a welcome shift in mood, even if it's at his expense.

Her head is thrown back on his shoulder, mouth parted into a smile with the gleeful giggling filling the room. His stomach churns with butterflies at the sight of her. Even after all these years, he has the same reaction to her laughter every time. It makes him smile to himself and watch her in quiet reverence. It makes him ache with the same inklings of longing he felt for the first time when he was much younger.

Her laughter begins to die down by the time she can draw enough breath in to murmur a soft, "Sorry, angel," to him and reach down to hold the hand he rests on her belly as consolation for her joke.

They remain this way for another few minutes, tangled up in each other's arms on the floor of the living room with Bowie snoring a few feet away, before he manages to convince her to let him be the one to set up the crib instead. It takes a good five minutes of playful back and forth before she concedes under the condition that he'll let her paint the nursery by herself when the time comes, and that's all it takes for her to abandon the task in favor of finding something to snack on in the fridge.

In her defense, the crib is actually quite difficult to put together.

JJ doesn't consider himself an expert handyman by any means, at least not with anything outside of his area of expertise as an electrician, but he likes to think he knows enough to put together a "no assembly required" Ikea crib without wanting to bang his face against the wall.

In the end, it gets finished by the two of them in the middle of the night over a box of cold leftover pizza from the previous day. It takes them two hours of struggling before they get it fully assembled and placed where they want it in the room that'll soon belong to their son.

He pretends not to notice her sneaking back in to tie John B's old bandana around the wooden railing before they go to bed.

Tag List: @gabiatthedisco, @fangirlvoice, @black-syren, @apparrio, @particularcth, @planetdemon, @idk-ijustworkhere, @krisphann, @astrydis, @k-k0129, @zarahsloves, and @stilesflannels.

#jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank smut #outer banks #obx #fanfiction #obx s2 #okay but ive been doing some thinking and i can formally declare that i think their song is call it what you want (by taylor swift)#it fits tbh

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mirrorsblogs · 2 years

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𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧��𝐞𝐫, 𝐓. 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐨

warnings: mentions of alcohol

Tokyo was sunny during this time of year, flowers were blooming and the sun beamed down on the city folk. Kuroo’s shoes were light on the pavement as he walked down the street. He was planning on getting some food for the get together between some of his old high school friends. However at the last minute that plan fell through and he was frantically searching for a housewarming gift.

‘LA FLEUR’ was a small shop across from Kuroo. It looked quaint and the glass windows caused lots of sunlight to flood into the already open building. The place looked like a little oasis considering the shops surrounding it, all looked to be made of monotone colors.

He looked left and right and dashed across the street, old habits die hard right? When he entered the building he observed the various flowers and little placards that showed interesting facts about each flower.

“Magnolias are a very popular flower, originated from Japan, they symbolize strength and dignity in character.”

Kuroo continued to observe the many different kinds of flowers and read each of their placards. He still could not decide on anything for this house warming! He had also failed to realize the other presence now in the shop with him.

“Hello, looking for anything in particular,” a voice behind him spoke. Kuroo jumped up and his eyes widened before he tried to regain his cool.

“Oh um, I’m looking for flowers for a housewarming,” Kuroo said, rubbing the back of his head. His hands became clammy and he was suddenly self-conscious of his appearance.

“I have the perfect bouquet for that! Let me put it together!” The flower shop employee said excitedly. She started picking up flowers left and right while Kuroo stood still in amazement and watched her work.

When she finished, Kuroo brought out his wallet and paid for the bouquet. He debated whether or not to leave his number but ultimately decided against it. Though she wished he had, I mean who wouldn’t? Kuroo was hot and in the summer heat he somehow became hotter.

“Come back next time!” She called out towards him as he left. At this Kuroo smiled and he made his way to the house warming.

A couple hours later, the house warming was long over and now Kuroo wandered the streets of Tokyo. His mind remembered the route to the little flower shop which is how he found himself standing in front of the great ‘La Fleur’ again.

It was closing time and the same employee made her way outside only to meet Kuroo’s gaze. He quickly looked away and blushed heavily after he was caught. She smiled at him.

“You following me?”

“No, just wandering, but it seems my mind took me to the sweetest place in all of Japan”

At this she smiled,

“Are you trying to smooth talk me?”

“Maybe, what if I was?”

“I would tell you to give me your number”

Kuroo smirked and walked towards her and pulled out his phone. She smiled down at the phone and quickly took a picture of herself for the profile picture. When Kuroo got his phone back he saw the contact name,

“Flowershop girl”

He looked back up at her and saw that she was already looking at him.

“Wanna get drinks together?”

“You buyin?”

“Maybe”

They both laughed and she grabbed onto Kuroo’s arm.

“Lead the way,” she exclaimed.

Just like that, a chance encounter led to two young people falling in love.

#Kuroo Tetsurō #kuroo x reader #kuroo x you #kuroo x yn #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x yn #kuroo fluff #kuroo x flowershop owner #kuroo deserves the world #hq x reader #hq x you #hq x yn #kuroo drabble

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sunnetrolls · 2 years

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HEY EVERYONE I SPENT LIKE 2 AND A HALF HOURS REORGANIZING ALL THE PINS I OWN PLEASE LOOK AT THEM

Hehe :)

I've been collecting enamel pins, keychains, and brooches for over 6 years now!!! And I have!!! A lot!!! Which I decided to completely reorganize like 2 hours ago. :D

Below readmore is what each one is/where it's from, mostly for me but also fun to read probably

1. Main (Disney Tsum Tsum) lanyard- what I keep with me at school bc it has my student ID, room key, etc.

Alolan vulpix from Animecon like 3 years ago

Cosmog from ^

Solgaleo from ^

@.hoppip pin

I <3 brunch from NOLA

Ralsei, Susie, & Kris pins

Antifa Nyanbinary Division pin from @.normal-horoscopes maybe??? It's been a while but I remember them promoting it and having a part in its creation

Gay pin from Hot Topic: one of the oldest ones I own 😳

Covid vaxxed ✔ pin

Sea Fairy Cookie pin

Cookie Run Ovenbreak pin from the soundtrack CD release

Cookie Run Kingdom pin from the artbook release

OwOloo pin from that same Animecon

Dog and bird icecream pin from a local icecream shop here

Dream & Sapnap keychains

Purpled keychain

2. Decorative (Norwegian cruise line) lanyard- stays on my shelf, but is frequently admired & what I pull from when I want to change up what's on my usual lanyard

Positively ancient Twenty One Pilots button

Jaguar/cheetah (?) brooch from a NOLA antique shop

I don't remember what college the eagle pin is from but I sure did visit it on a school trip,

Lizard brooch also from NOLA antique shop

UofA pin (I don't go there but I've visited a handful of times)

Handmade fleur de lis pin from a nice old lady in NOLA

Cat pin from ??? maybe my grandma? I don't know? I just have it. Some family member gave it to me

Emory college pin

Butterfly brooch I got by the same mystery method as the cat

Turks and Caicos pin I got last summer on that vacation

City Museum pin from one of the Many Many Times I've been to St. Louis

Hollywood Studios pin from Disney obv (fun fact! I started collecting pins during this trip to Disney!)

👌 Gottem pin from Hot Topic sometime in mid-high school

Vegas keychain (I have not been there. I don't know how I got this)

Keychain from Gulf Shores Alabama (I also don't know how I got it)

Tootsie roll keychain from a bowling alley here

3. Old highschool lanyard- for pins that are broken, missing backs, or I just don't have anywhere else for them to go

Fleur de lis from the first time I went to NOLA, back fell off

Growlithe button from Animecon

Hard Rock Cafe pin from some St. Louis trip years and years ago that just takes up so much room

Pidgeot pin from Animecon

2015 Destination Imagination competition pin (ok that's actually the oldest one I own but I wasn't collecting at that point)

Minnie Mouse shoe pin

Disney soccer pin??? I don't know why I bought this

Lucario button from Animecon

Horse fan pin from Disney- one of the backs is bent

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! I also have pins on my backpack and the mask I usually wear around at school!!!!!!

4. Mask: I scribbled out the logo for my college so I don't yknow, doxx myself!

Pronoun button so nobody can say they didn't know

Vaxxed pin.......2!!!!

Jevil keychain :D

5. Backpack: WHERE EVERYTHING ELSE GOES!

Crab keychain from either Hawaii or the Turks (unsure)

Coke pin keychain from Atlanta

Magnolia keychain from Atlanta also

Not one, not two, but THREE Beanie Baby keychains: the dragon, owl, and the little stripey cat :)

Glaive keychain (banger music, check him out)

Lucky voodoo doll from NOLA

Anchor keychain from antique shop in NOLA (can you guys tell I really like New Orleans yet)

LMAO emoji keychain I've had for fucking ages idk

Dumpling keychain some of my stepfamily in Taiwan sent a couple years ago

The rest of the other two Deltarune pin sets, EXCEPT Jevil which I gave to my roommate since I have a Jevil keychain (pictured on the mask)

Crying cat button from Animecon

Whale shark pin from the Atlanta aquarium

Elvis Stitch pin from Disney

Krabby rainbow pin from Animecon

Black kitty pin from Disney (?) (It has a Disney back..??)

Timekeeper Cookie pin from same set as Moonlight and Sea Fairy

Millennial Tree, Dark Enchantress, & Wind Archer Cookie(s) pin ^

Melanistic moth pin from a run @.pangur-and-grim did vaguely recently

Noodle dragon pin from Animecon

Pusheen pin from I actually have no idea. Somewhere

NOT PICTURED: the keychains I keep (interchangeably) on my phone (I have a little sticky keychain ring on my phone case)

Banana cat keychain from Atlanta (?)

Light-up and annoying noise making ghost keychain a friend got me in like 10th grade

Knit onigiri plush keychain I bought on Etsy I think?

AND THATS FUCKING ALL...... jesus christ!

#sunne speaks #and i will not stop buying them Ever. so this collection ever grows #Honorable mention to the buttons I had on a scarf that was mysteriously disappeared over last winter break in my flooded dorm room....#A phantump & a typhlosion + 2 soul eater pins from animecon #</3 you will be missed my dear buttons

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cantripcattrip · 2 years

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Fanfic Idea 1 (mostly Zexal)

Eldritch Astral: or where the whole Astral race is like the Cthulhu of YGO. Mostly told through Kotori's perspective as she deals with the fact that her best friend is partner with an incomprehensible monster. Also the fact that Yuma cares more that Astral is interrupting his sleep than the fact Astral have golden veins outside of his body.

Angel Zexal au: Zexal is created by the Numeron Dragon and looks like those eldritch angel picture where they are vaguely humanoid with multiple set of wings and too many eyes. Also they are stupidly OP. Some how they got separate into Yuma and Astral. Yuma was found by the Tsukumo when they went on an archelogical dig and spent up until middle school inside the house until he could maintain the illusion that he looks normal (He kinda looks like a ghost with too many eyes and teeth)but had a hard time interacting with people outside of the Tsukumo because people always feel like there're something 'wrong' with him. Astral on the other was found by Eliphas and was use as a weapon for the Astral world until Kazuma send him to earth. Neither of them knew that they were Zexal.

Fairy Tail! Astral: au where the Numeron Code required a life to activate so Astral sacrifice himself and got transport to Magnolia as a human. Some time later he found Fairy Tail, the guild reminds him of Yuma and the Number Club so after awhile he joins. (Which is a few months before Lucy does).

reincarnated as a villai(ness??) au! Yuma: Getting reborn into his sister's old dating sim, Yuma could care less about romance and card game. (That was a lie, he did care about the card game). What Yuma cared about is finding a way to get a good night sleep without prophetic nightmares. And perhaps figured out what’s wrong with two of the love interests also what’s with The Vagabond? Ft. YumaxYuyaxAstral, Past!YumaxKotori And Past!SharkxYumaxRio, MC Vagabond as the suffering wingman.

Is it incest if I have a crush on my brother counterpart?: There was a lots of thing Yusei had expected when received a call at midnight. Yuma asking about the validity of his crush on Yuya was not one of them.

Ray’s bargaining/dad Au: where Ray want for Zarc, or at least his counterparts, to have a happy life coupled with her fear that her father would remember the original timeline and seek revenge ask for the previous YGO protagonists to look after the four boys. The story follows Yuma and Astral as they take a break from their job of guarding the Numeron Code And live their second human life while raising Yuto.

Hello fellow human: Astral wasn't a human and neither is Yuma. Unfortunately, Yuma wants to play Duel Monster and Astral need to collect the Number cards. Together they enter the WDC while trying hard to pass Yuma off as a humanTM.

Restaurant in a different world au!: Or Yuma and Astral run a restaurant between dimension ( Yuma does the cooking while Astral is the waiter). Yuya looked forward for that one day of the week where he could see them

Shield Hero Astral: Astral And Raphtalia, the differences between being a weapon and protecting someone

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gruviafan-forever · 3 years

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A/N: Hello everyone, Happy Gruvia Week to you. I didn't expect that I would be writing contents for this year's event too. But I'm really happy to be writing stories about my favourite anime couples.

Hopefully, everyone likes it. This year the prompts were very similar to previous years. It had me in fix how to write content without making it a repetitive fashion.

Finally got an idea and tried to merge all those 7 prompts into a storyline. Hopefully, it convinces you all.

Thank you for reading and spending your time here.

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

Main Pairing: GRUVIA

Summary:- Celebrity Gray x General Public Juvia, Modern AU

Words:- 2K

Currently, Fairy Tail Agency has arranged for a press meet to officially declare the facts of the new movie in which two of their most famous actors are going to be a part.

Gray Fullbuster, 25 years, tv artist turned actor and Lucy Heartfilia, 24 years, model turned actress, has signed up for this movie which is under the production of Straussl Inc.

As the reporters who out various questions regarding the details of this upcoming venture and some related to their personal life.

"So, Mr Fullbuster, tell us about how you feel knowing that you have been nominated for 3 categories of awards this year?"

One of the reporters asked and was ready to note Gray's response.

"I'm sure that I will receive the awards for best actor and handsome face. Also, my last movie 'Icy Days' has been nominated for the best movie of the year. But not sure about the 'Gem of the decade' award."

Gray confidently answered and smiled which made the female reporters squeal.

Lucy interrupted, "Not to ruin Gray's fantasy but my movie 'Starry Night At Stella' was a blockbuster hit. Myself and my co-actor Natsu Dragneel were praised by critics for our performance. So, Gray, don't forget that even we are on the race too." Lucy smiled which made everyone chuckle after hearing her opinions.

"Sure Lucy... All the best to you and Natsu" Gray told and looked at his manager, Erza Scarlet, who also happens to be Natsu's manager, to know when this press meet is going to end.

"Another 10 minutes" Erza gestured by hand signals.

Suddenly, one of the reporters from Magnolia Times shot down a question that took Gray off guard.

"Recently, there was a photo of Mr Fullbuster with a child in his arms. Who does that child happen to be? And is it true that you are having an illicit affair with someone, Mr Fullbuster?" That reporter smirked.

Gray remained indifferent and calmly answered him while his team members and staff panicked.

"Everyone in Fiore knows that it was a piece of fake news. In today's era of modern technology, it is easy to photoshop one's picture with anything and anyone, Mr Invel.

Even my agency owner, Mr Makarov Dreyer and my manager, Ms Scarlet have clarified about it. So, don't go digging the old hoax rumours."

Gray stood up and thanked everyone for their time and presence before dashing off to the exit where Lucy followed him back.

It was Erza and the production team who bid a farewell to the reporters before joining the actors in their cabin.

Once Erza reached Gray's cabin, she saw him tossing his coat and tie around the room while Lucy stood silently.

"Gray, I think you should disclose your relationship before it gets exposed in a bad way," Erza said calmly and patted his back.

"That's what I was thinking, Erza. I can't continue to hide this big news about my life for a long time from my fans. I will reveal this during the awards function." Gray looked determined and hoped that his fans would take it on a positive note.

"They will surely accept your relationship status just like how they received mine and Natsu's." Lucy encouraged him and patted his arms which seemed to make him calm down.

"Gray, tomorrow you have your day off then, on Wednesday, we will be going to Phoenix Mall for a fan meet up event where other actors of our agency will join us." Erza informed him and handed the invitation.

From the invitation, it was clear that this mall was quite near to his apartment complex. Moreover, it was arranged by Mr Makarov himself so there was no way of turning it down.

"Fine, I will get ready for this. Just send the car near the children's park no need to come in front of the complex." He informed Erza and thanked them both for their words of motive before he left them.

After half an hour, Gray reached the children's park and put on his disguise, cooling glass, mask and a cap to conceal his identity while he was dressed up in a simple t-shirt and jeans.

"Max, tomorrow's your day off. Pick me up here at 9 am on Wednesday. Bye."

"Yes, Mr Fullbuster. Bye, and Good night" The driver left him while Gray made his way towards his home.

The apartment complex in which he lived was one of the expensive housing in Magnolia. The higher the floor level, the higher is the cost and the higher is the security.

Till the 11th floor, the general public who did high order jobs lived while the next 10 floors were occupied by celebrities of various fields.

One of the perks of this housing agency was that their identity remains secret, not even their neighbours know about them until and unless the involved party discloses it.

Once Gray reached the 17th floor, which had two apartments where one was still vacant.

As he hit the doorbell of his apartment, Gray could hear voices coming from inside which brought a smile on his face.

The door opened and his eyes met the gorgeous lady who welcomed him with a beautiful smile that captivated him.

"Welcome home, Gray-sama"

"I'm home, Juvia," Gray said and got inside.

Soon, he removed the disguise and leaned forward to kiss her lips which she reciprocated back.

Once they broke off the kiss, Juvia hugged him and whispered, "I missed you, Gray-sama."

"Even, I missed you, Juvia. It's been a week since I last saw you and…." Before he could finish, both of them felt someone hugging their legs.

And it was none their 3-year-old daughter, Yuki Fullbuster, who resembled her mother but had father's hair and eye colour and his sharp nose.

"Papa"

Seeing his daughter's smile was enough for him to get distracted from his wife, then, have his undivided attention on his little munchkin.

Gray raised Yuki in his arms and kissed her cheeks and forehead who did the same to her papa.

"Yuki missed you, papa."

"Even, papa missed you, darling. Were you a good girl during papa's absence?" Gray asked her as they moved towards the living room.

Gray let her down who ran up to a table and tried to fetch her drawing notebook.

Juvia made her husband sit down and inquired him about his work as he looked tired and kinda depressed.

Gray convinced her everything was fine and told her about the press meet excluding the details of the rumours.

It had been 4 years since Gray started his acting career starting as an ad shoot model to tv artists then to movie star.

Gray, Natsu and Erza were childhood friends who did their schooling from the same institution till college.

It was during the 3rd year, Gray and Natsu got scouted to act as models for a tv commercial which they accepted readily as of then they needed some kind of part-time jobs to meet their ends.

Even, Erza thought that it was a good opportunity for them to succeed as the agency, Fairy Tail, was well known throughout Fiore and persuaded them to take up the offer.

Once, their commercials began to reach people mainly because of their handsome features and physique especially Gray got popular among the female fans.

It was during this time that Gray and Natsu had to move out of the college dorm so that they could work freely without time restrictions.

That's when Gray meets Juvia for the first time in his life. She was his neighbour whom he thought lived her boyfriend but it turned out to be her best friend, Gajeel Redfox, vocalist of Phantom Bands, an upcoming band.

Gray rarely started any kind of conversation with anyone. It was with the help of Natsu that they befriended Juvia and to date, Gray was thankful to his friend.

Until the moment he met Juvia, Gray was never keen on love or relationships.

But to him, Juvia was way different from the girls he had met in his college. She was modest and shy but a kind person with a large helping tendency.

Gray knew her personality and beauty had beguiled his attention and wanting to know more about her made him fall for her head over heels.

Of course, they would exchange greetings whenever they met while leaving the house together. Slowly they deepened their connection and exchanged numbers.

Due to her friendly nature, Juvia would invite Gray and Natsu over to her place for small weekend parties which she would arrange for Gajeel to relieve his stress.

At first, he was reluctant to invade a party meant for Gajeel but the latter happily welcomed them.

That way, they got acquainted exchanged their work details and stress with each other.

It was after a few months of that weekend party that Gray had offered Juvia a dinner date which she accepted after a week of thinking.

By this time, Gray gained quite a lot of recognition. The reason he called her out on a dinner date was to reveal that he has signed up as the main lead for a tv drama which was produced by a well-known production house.

Juvia was elated and congratulated and wished him luck. It was during that time Gray confessed his love for her and waited for her answer.

To his surprise, Juvia readily accepted him. He still remembers her words from that time,

"Gray-sama, even I feel the same for you. I was afraid to convey my feelings to you as each day our world was getting apart. I was determined to tell you today after dinner.

But to my surprise, I never expected even you would feel the same. I love you, Gray-sama."

After hearing her say those golden words, Gray got hold of her hand and kissed it lightly and asked Juvia to be his girlfriend which she agreed.

Once they reached their respective place, Gray kissed her lips and shared a hug before calling off that night.

The next day, both of them informed their friends about their relationship. Erza and Natsu were supportive.

But Gajeel was reluctant he wanted to tell Juvia how difficult it would be for her to date a celebrity.

She has to remain under the shadows. Moreover, if words go out then obsessive fans might harm her and she would be constantly under paparazzi's scrutiny if Gray's facing bad times.

But Juvia was ready to face any difficulties and wanted to support her boyfriend in his career.

Once the family had their dinner together, Gray tugged his daughter in her bed before planting a kiss on her forehead and wished her good night.

Juvia was washing the dishes when Gray snaked his arms around her waist and kissed her neck which made Juvia squeak.

Gray turned off the tap and turned his wife so that she could face him.

"Juvia, tomorrow's my day off. Even the night is still young. Moreover, I missed my wife…" He leaned forward and kissed her lips which made her moan against his lips.

"Gray-sama…."

"Juvia…." Both of their eyes were clouded with lust and decided to continue their passionate night inside their bedroom.

After an hour, both was them were under the blankets, Gray had his arm around his wife and hummed in her ears as she talked about her day with Yuki.

Juvia could sense her husband's hold around her waist getting tight. He did only when he felt insecure or paranoid.

Juvia turned around to face him who kept looking at her. She cupped his face with both of her hands which startled him.

"Gray-sama, what's on your mind? Spill it out. Don't go huddling up those stressful thoughts within you. Share it with your wife. I will help you lessen those burdens." Juvia conveyed her thoughts and smiled at him.

"This is what I'm beguiled about you, Juvia. You can easily find out my conflicting thoughts just by sensing my actions. I'm really lucky to have you as my soulmate, dear." Gray said earnestly and kissed her forehead which made Juvia feel special.

Then slowly Gray disclosed his fears about how the world will perceive his relationship and worried that this shouldn't cause any harm to either Juvia and Yuki especially.

After hearing his fears, Juvia cradled her husband and patted his back just like how she does it for her daughter whenever she has nightmares.

Gray seemed to relax from this action. Juvia assured him that nothing terrible is going to happen and just hope everything turns out well.

Suddenly Gray raised his head and questioned her, "What if things repeat? And this time to our Yuki."

Juvia's eyes grew wide, but she can't show her fear, at least, not in front of her husband for now, who himself was feeling paranoid.

"I'm sure nothing will happen. Let's have faith in ourselves and your fans, Gray-sama.

I'm just worried that your fan number might get reduced once you reveal your married status." Juvia voiced her concern.

This time it was Gray's turn to convince her, "Nah! Just like you said let's hope for the best. I love you and Yuki. Remember that, okay"

Gray smiled and kissed her lips, "Juvia, you are still warm. Wanna continue from where we left?" He teased her.

It seemed her Gray-sama was back to normal for now.

A/N: Sorry for posting it bit late. Hope I will be able to update for the rest of the event.

#gruvia #gruvia week #gruvia family #gruvia week 2021

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p1x1e-sims · 2 years

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Historical Simblr Tag Game

thank u for tagging me my queen @cassimopeia

1. What has been your favorite time period to play in or which one are you most excited for?

I adore Edwardian era fashions, so I had a lot of fun playing the early 1900s and 1910s! I’m also really excited to play the 40′s, bc again, more fashion. Also some story drama with the war...😋

2. Do you have a favorite piece of historical cc? (CAS or BB)

I loooove the stuff from @linzlu and @happylifesims

3. Who is your favorite sim currently?

Right now, I’d say it’s Theodore bc that's my goofy son, but I also think Irene is moving up in the ranks (might make her my heir)

4. What is your favorite world?

Brindleton Bay all the way! I have a soft spot for rustic seaside towns. I just think it’s so gorgeous there all the time, and Seasons definitely adds to it.

5. Are you more gameplay or story focused?

The writer in me instinctively leads toward a story focus, as I can’t help but have a penchant for causing drama with my characters. I do love just playing with my sims sometimes for fun without posting them though as I feel like posting gameplay is a little stale sometimes

6. Do you like to play with pets in your historical saves?

Yes! I think I care about Pockets the cat more than any Townsend child

7. What's your biggest immersion breaking pet peeve with the game?

Texts and calls on their cell phones 🙄 also when I don’t have room for too many cc items, a lot of the furniture can seem kinda modern, which is annoying at times (which is why I don’t take many pictures in their house)

8. What's your favorite in-game historical item? (CAS or BB)

Laundry day comes in clutch for those old methods of laundry! It’s nice to see my sims laboring over a wash bin instead of just throwing them in the washer and dryer. I also love a lot of the furniture from Cats and Dogs, as they have an old rustic vibe that’s perfect for my game.

9. What would you like to see as a new pack or asset to the game?

More old school appliances! Typewriters and rotary phones etc etc. Since we have the off the grid lot trait and now cottage living, it would be nice to have some more vintage items to buy

10. What pack do you think is invaluable as a historical simmer?

If I had Cottage Living, it would be Cottage living…but sadly there is no way I could download it without my laptop blowing up 💔 So Cats and Dogs is a close second! Very rustic vibes in the world and the build and buy

11. Do you have a favorite mod to enhance historical gameplay?

I don’t have much room for mods, but I know that the Timeless mod and mods that disable electronics are really good for immersion! Hopefully I can download those soon

12. What's your ideal family size for playing?

About 4-6! (Pets included) 1-2 sims families are soooo boring I’ve found, but having a couple children and a pet or two really adds to the fun!

13. Do you use poses?

@ts4-poses is my new best friend. I can never find a good angle for gameplay actions, and pose makers are awesome at what they do, so I’m always on the lookout!

14. Do you use any overrides in your game?

Just a skin and eye overlay to make the sims faces look softer/more realistic

15. Do you, or did you, play off-the-grid during your game?

Yep! During the 1890s and 1900s I used it, and it was actually really challenging. But since Paul married rich, he had electricity and lighting by the 1910s

16. What lifespan do you play on?

Normal! I think it’s a sweet spot as Long makes everything boring and Short makes everything rushed

17. What inspired you to start playing historically?

I originally wanted to have a legacy story because of @softpine story. And when I found the queen who is @pixelnrd I wanted to start a historical story, because I’ve always been a big history buff

Tagging @sister-magnolia and @antiquatedplumbobs if y’all haven’t done it already!

#sims #sims 4 #ts4 #simblr #decades challenge #simblog #sims challenge #sims tag

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stories-by-rie · 3 years

Text

Chapter 1 - Heart of Silver

Evelyn turns to the infamous curse-broker Ariel for help, after she got cursed by a dead granny’s fork.

words: 3763 || masterlist

Despite the late summer, the air had grown cold with the night’s storm. The wind was blowing the rain drops harshly against Evelyn’s coat and the persistent noise of its dripping onto her hood mixed with the ringing sound in her ears. With the anxiety that threatened to overflow, she shivered. Even if her hood saved her from the worst, she had to hold it in place with one hand so the wind wouldn’t blow it off. Now, that hand was wet, cold and shook even more than the rest of her body. Tripping from one foot to the other did nothing to bring her warmth or to disperse the gnawing threat of doom inside her chest.

Once again, she pulled out her phone. The fourth of September, 22:34, a Thursday, no new notifications, battery at eleven percent. Raindrops landed on the bright screen and distorted the picture of a flower field in irregular splashes. From the upper right corner, lines like spider legs drew through them.

Frustration settled in her, taking coin-sized bites. Her eyes flicked over to the doorbell again -- she had rung two times already -- maybe a third time would be all right? She knew that Ariel was home, so if they hadn’t opened the door after two times, a third ring wouldn't make them either.

Still.

Just as Evelyn was about to press the bell again, the door opened slightly, barely enough for her to make contact with one eye.

“Why didn’t you text me that you’d come?”

“I did. You haven’t read it yet.”

Ariel pulled out their old flip phone, dipping their glasses into bright white reflections, and skimmed through what had to be a real handful of messages.

“Ah. Oh. Hm.” They stared at a message for a while before they looked up to Evelyn again, opened the door a bit wider. “There will be a sale for winter tyres down in the old factory on the main road next week.”

Evelyn was too stunned to answer anything but, “Ariel, you don’t drive. You don’t have a car.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s summer.”

“Are you sure?” Ariel looked at the rainy night sky, and squinted their eyes.

“Listen, Ariel. I wrote in my message-”

“Yeah, I read your message. So what?” They looked up at Evelyn again, closed the door a bit more to shelter from the rain.

“I didn’t know who else to ask.” Her voice sounded a bit thin to her own ears then, the uncertainty growing with each passing minute. But she had held on for hours now, and it didn’t feel like she had it in herself to hold on for much longer.

Ariel scoffed. “Yeah. Obviously, asking anyone but me would be foolish, but I am really busy, you know? A curse is a curse, you should just let it run its course. I am not some sort of all-purpose antidote.”

Evelyn managed to put her foot in the door before Ariel shut it.

“Please? Listen, no one knows curses as well as you do. I am afraid I don’t have that long and I absolutely can’t do this by myself.”

With both hands against the door, the wind had enough freedom to rob her of her hood, so it drenched her within seconds, stung on her skin like a hundred little needle pricks.

“There’s just a handful of curses that more or less kill. You want me to believe that you got one of those? Do you know how hard that is? What would be in it for me?” Ariel eyed her suspiciously. All Evelyn did was to pull up her sleeves as far as possible. Where the skin was thinner and fairer, the black veins stood in sharp contrast to her body, shimmering in a dark grey. Ariel’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

“A Heart of Silver? How far has it spread?” They grabbed her wrist.

“It’s in my whole blood-stream,” Evelyn replied and pushed her hair from her temples where her veins were just as black. Ariel looked up with an ‘ah’ on their lips and then let go of her wrist again.

“So, I’d get the reaping?”

“It’s all I could offer.”

“Say, if we fail and you’ll be a silver statue, can I keep you then? Put you in the corner of my kitchen?”

“This is not funny, Ariel.”

“That’s a yes then. Fine. Come in.” They opened the door enough for Evelyn to step through. Instantly, they were caught in this different world of theirs. She was quite certain that Ariel had put a curse on their own apartment somehow that captured the people who walked in, but so far she did not have evidence to support that theory.

Books towered against the walls everywhere. There was a pot with an enormous fern right in the middle of the hallway. Not a single lamp was lit, and Evelyn could not shake the feeling that it was to hide the shadows of some ghosts living there as well. Perhaps it was the people the not-yet-proven-curse trapped inside of it.

“You must tell me everything,” Ariel mumbled while pulling out a few books out of their stacks, seemingly randomly.

“So, I got an unexpected call from a granny in the morning. She asked me to help with a haunting. I thought I could just handle a simple ghost. You know that I am good with ghosts.” Evelyn tried to follow them, focusing more on not tripping over most likely enchanted vases, gemstones, and one array that hopefully was not used to curse the apartment.

“I am quite aware, that’s why I don’t like you coming over.”

Or maybe the array was drawn to specifically keep her out, who knew.

“So, I drove over in the afternoon. Just one old granny and a ghost. There is a nice magnolia tree in the garden. It’s next to the old school that’s half covered in ivy and the neighbours complain about it all the time because they think it’s weed, although ivy is very useful with old houses for climatic purposes-” Distinctly, she noticed how she started to ramble, her tongue too fast for her mind to catch up on.

“Please, for the love of the currently absent blood in your veins, cut yourself short,” Ariel thankfully interrupted and pushed the door to the kitchen open. Evelyn tried very hard to calm herself down with a few measured and calculated breaths, focused on the red lava lamp on the windowsill instead. Multiple candles were lit on the table and next to them slept her black cat whose name Evelyn had never learnt. She only knew her as a beast, my evil gremlin, an annoying menace, YOU!, and the apple of my eye. Currently, the proximity to the candles was once again anxiety inducing.

Ariel pointed at one of the chairs, so Evelyn sat down and forced herself to keep talking, wiped some of the rain out of her face, along with her sticky bangs that hung in her eyes.

“The granny didn’t have money to pay, which is fine, you know I like to help where I can, right? And she had this very evil looking set of silverware in her kitchen drawer, so I started to work on it and she kept rambling about how I had a heart of silver -- which was already a bit weird, I guess, since usually it’s a heart of gold, right? -- but at that moment, I thought she was just old and confused because I was working for free, right? Well, until I poked my finger on a fork and that’s when it happened.”

“Was that the short version?”

“I left out a lot of detail.”

The coffee machine beeped and Ariel filled the matching cups. They slid one with big bold yellow letters over to Evelyn that read Best Curse Victim, and kept the one with Best Curse Broker In The Whole Wide World.

“Did you custom-make these?” Evelyn asked and Ariel set down the two cups with a grin. They knew that Evelyn preferred tea, but, Tea is for curses and rituals, you can’t make me drink hot water with leaves, they liked to argue.

Ariel raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. “I assume the granny then turned out to be a ghost?”

“She apparently had died over three months ago, yes.”

There was a deep sigh coming from Ariel as they put up their feet onto the table, dangerously close to the candles.

“And never once while working on silverware and getting praised for your silver heart did you consider the option that perhaps you were getting cursed?”

“Ghosts get better at hiding themselves each day, Ariel,” Evelyn replied with multiple glances to the shadows. Ariel only offered a weak smile and nodded while they pushed the books into the middle of the table, tapped on it with their sparkly painted fingernails.

“I have fourteen books on the Heart of Silver, all very rare collections from back when curse-brokers still thought that this classy beast was curable. I also have read all of these fourteen books.” Ariel took a sip from their coffee and grabbed another pair of glasses that were tucked into a pot of parsley on the windowsill next to the lava lamp. They pushed their former golden glasses up into their soft pink dyed hair.

Last time they had met, it had been deep purple. They had tried to make her believe once that it was tied to their moods, like those 90s mood rings of which they wore three. “Obviously, I read all the books you can find in this apartment, I wouldn’t keep anything that just took up space.” They opened the right page on the first try and slid the book over to Evelyn. The pages were blank.

“The pages are blank.”

“Ah, right. I put a curse on them. No one steals books you can’t read, am I right? Here,” they slid over the glasses to Evelyn, and once she put them on, black letters appeared on the blank pages. Just none she could read.

“I don’t speak that language, Ariel.”

“Ah, it’s just encrypted.”

Evelyn sighed deeply and put the glasses down again. She warmed her icy fingers on the coffee cup in front of her, the bitter smell of it made her jittery enough.

“Please, can you just tell me what you know about it? I am certain that you know your curses, you don’t have to prove anything by showing me book excerpts I can’t read anyway.”

Ariel smirked openly then, their eyes clearly tracing the black lines on her skin where the liquid silver was running through her veins.

“The Heart of Silver is a curse that dates back all the way to the sixteenth century. That ultimately makes it a curse of the black night level, because we don’t know its origin anymore, so understanding it has become as good as impossible. Legends say that it was just another love story, though. Why it is a heart of silver and not of gold is equally unclear. Perhaps they didn’t know any better. Then again, a Heart of Gold curse already exists, so. Anyway, the story says that one woman, got jealous of her maid. The maid, being kind-hearted, was just too lovely to her husband, you see. So when that woman died she cursed her maid on her deathbed and said something along the lines of With your heart made of silver, you still won’t be worth enough to appeal to him. Maybe you could feed his greed by turning into actual silver instead.” They took another sip of coffee, taking out another book from the stack on the table and flipping a page open. “How the curse is passed on is totally unclear as well, although, as you might have noticed, contact with silver seems to be one determinant, as well as someone actually cursing you, also known as a ghost. But why and how? No one knows.”

“Not even you?” Evelyn asked, feeling punched out. She pulled the new book closer, putting on the glasses again, and there they were. The photos with the evidence that this curse existed. That it was more than just a rumour, a scary story told to teach children not to steal. Proof that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her; that she had understood the situation of her own doom correctly.

A silver statue of a man, the face too realistic to be art, distorted in a scream. His arms were outstretched, all around him scrolls of parchment. 1982, Vienna.

A silver statue of an old woman, sleeping in her bed. She looked much more peaceful, but her brows were drawn together, giving her discomfort away. 1864, Kuressaare.

A teenage boy, locked inside a dark room with handcuffs tied to the walls, screams on his silver lips. 2003, Hildesheim.

Evelyn didn’t need to look at more of them. It just made her picture herself as one more of these photos. A corpulent young woman, the face silver but clearly pleading for her life-

“Does it hurt? Do you know?”

“Not sure, sorry. Would it help if you knew?” Ariel looked directly at her then, the soft pink hair glimmering red from the lamp, the candles’ lights dancing on her glasses.

“Probably not.”

“Then let’s try to make it so that you don’t have to find out. But just to be clear, I will take notes on the curse’s progress, for scientific purposes.” They pulled a notebook out from under their coffee cup.

“Sure.”

Ariel grinned and drummed with their golden painted nails onto the table.

“Soon I will be the first curse-broker to have dealt with the Heart of Silver. Everyone will know my name. Maybe someone will finally publish my book. My google reviews will skyrocket!”

“You always say a truly good curse-broker gets only bad reviews. And that book doesn’t get published because you describe for three hundred pages how to create various curses. ”

“That’s because if you want to deal with curses, you need to understand them from the inside out first. Also, creating curses can be fun, I promise.”

With a glimpse to the shadows, Evelyn nodded in slight agreement. Unease found its way back to her, like an intrusive thought stuck to her skin. The more she listened to her body, the more she felt like it had changed. She was sure to feel the silver in her veins, believed that her body had gotten heavier – was silver heavier than blood? She was sure that her skin had gotten harder where it ran through her.

“You still there?” Ariel waved before her eyes, nearly poked her, but Evelyn flinched back before they got to. She finally took a sip of her own coffee. The bitterness made her squirm but at least she was able to still taste it.

“So, if the books are all useless, as you say, then where do we start?”

“Well, as I said, if you want to deal with curses, you have to know them from the inside out. Only if I know how you got it in the first place, I will have a chance at extracting it and exchanging it for a different one. A curse is a near-living thing, after all. If I just rip it out, it might do more damage than aid. I need to know why you fit in its scheme, how it develops inside of you. So I would say we should start with the ghost who put that curse on you, since that granny might be able to answer those questions, but I assume you hunted the shit out of that ghost, didn’t you?”

Evelyn froze as she remembered the exchange, the prospect of a new curse. She gave her best not to tremble too much as she asked, “The new curse-”

“I can’t tell you what it will be yet.”

“But how-”

“Okay, I’ll give you the short explanation. Any curse corrupts its host. Your body lets it nest inside of it, and usually you will let the curse run its course until it’s fulfilled or withered and the space will grow back. More or less. If I have to extract the curse, the space will be hollow and harm your body and mind. It leaves room for possessions, diseases and much more. So instead I extract the awful curse and give you a new one that is slightly less awful. But in order to do that, the new curse needs to fill out the same space. I need to understand both curses to the T, so that this procedure works. That’s also why I can’t tell you anything about the new curse yet, because I need to understand the Heart of Silver first. Got it?”

Evelyn nodded, a little as if in a daze.

“So, the granny?”

“Gone, yes.” Evelyn sighed deeply. “I didn’t think that she would be of help. I just saw her as a ghost and sent her off.”

“The mark?”

“Just the silver veins, they started in the hand with which I touched the fork.”

“Mn. It looks like it has spread completely since then. That doesn’t need to mean anything, though.” Ariel wrote down notes in a book, the pen’s ink invisible to Evelyn’s eyes.

“When exactly was this?”

“Somewhen between five and six, this evening.”

Ariel wrote down more notes, far more than Evelyn had said, so she could only assume that those were some curse related conclusions. After a few minutes, Ariel had emptied their second cup of coffee. At this point, they looked up again and pressed their lips together.

“I would like to see the curse medium then. You don’t happen to still have that fork?”

Evelyn shook her head, “I assume it’s still in the house, though. I saw the police wrapping everything up as well, so we should be alone there.” She forced the rest of her coffee down her throat, ignoring how it upset her stomach just a moment later. Ariel nodded and got up, carrying the two cups over to the sink.

“Well, then. Let’s get going, shall we?” They nodded towards the door and Evelyn went to follow them. Before Ariel closed the kitchen door, she looked back. “Shouldn’t you blow out your candles? Your cat is so close and-”

“Oh, I cursed the candles, don’t worry. They don’t burn anything. I feel a little bad for doing it, though. Imagine being a fire and then the only thing you can burn is candle wax. So sad.”

They reached the door and Evelyn stopped once more in her tracks.

“Do you really want to leave like that?” she asked and looked down Ariel’s onesie with ghost-print.

“Oh, right, shoes,” they answered, fetching a pair of run down converse, not bothering to tie the laces. They tucked them in and pointed to the door. “Now?”

But Evelyn still felt like they had forgotten something important. Something they needed to consider before they left. Maybe it was just her fear of entering that house again where she had gotten cursed in the first place, the fear of not finding what they needed to. The fear that she would so utterly fail in the quest of saving her life, of destroying the curse. It was too close to past memories, perhaps. The image of the old lady dissipating into thin air as she sent her off still lingered in her mind, and she couldn’t help but see herself in that place.

“Ah, of course,” Ariel mumbled, pulled out a single hair from Evelyn and burnt it in the candle standing next to the door. “My mistake.” They waved to the outside, and finally Evelyn found the strength to walk again.

“So you did curse your own apartment!”

“Nonsense, I never said that,” Ariel replied with a grin and the rain poured down on them once more. Like needles, it pricked on her skin. If she turned into a silver statue, she would never feel it again. They ran to her old Corolla, parked so very badly in line.

“You know, those winter tires are really cheap now. You should get them as long as they are affordable. I bet they will be much pricier once it’s winter.”

“Gotta make it to winter first,” Evelyn muttered and turned on the motor. The radio gave white noise – a side effect of getting cursed, or maybe just a coincidental break-down.

“So pessimistic. Really, you’re insufferable.” Ariel started to play snake on their phone.

The way to the old house was quiet except for the occasional white noise when the radio came to life unasked. The road was mostly deserted at the late hour, some street lights only blinked yellow already. It was not until she turned on the road to leave the small city that Ariel shifted in the front seat.

“Where were you the whole last year, Evelyn?” Their voice was softer now. The phone tucked inside their pocket. With a quick glance, she could see that they looked outside. Of course, they would ask. Evelyn had known that. Despite this, she still didn’t know what to answer. How to say the words to Ariel that she could hardly think to herself.

“I just… I was not so well.” A kind euphemism for lying in bed all day, ignoring her calls and living off of pizza and instant noodles.

“We could have really used you then. There was that Undine in the sink of that favourite restaurant of yours. Took three of us to get her out of there. You could have probably managed her yourself.” A harsh way to say that she had been missed. A nice way to say that Ariel was hurt.

“I’m sorry.” Lousy words. They would not make up for letting her friends down. Not really.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.” She had to, though. She really had to.

Evelyn pulled into the street, the utmost street of the small-town. One could see the forest behind it from here. At the end of the street stood an old house, next to the old school that was covered in ivy.

“I just wanted you to know that you’re needed, even if you think you aren’t. Or I don’t know… Ah, you know.” Words were hard for Ariel, too. But Evelyn thought she understood them, and nodded with a slight smile. It had been like that between them from the beginning, somehow.

----

WIP intro || masterlist || next chapter

#writeblr #novella #my writing #original fiction #fantasy #urban fantasy #ghosts #curses #wip; heart of silver #heart of silver chapter 1 #tw body horror #tw depression #tw death mention #not really body horror but also not not body horror but no spooky if that clears it up x)

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virginiagreene · 3 years

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My parents took us to all kinds of natural wonders when we were kids. One park, Callaway Gardens, was a frequent stop in my Georgia childhood. They had magnolia trees to scale, squirrels to chase, a lake to swim in, and--best of all--a giant butterfly garden. A huge glass room filled to the brim with monarch butterflies, eating sweet bananas and fluttering overhead like magic. I have patchy memories of interpretive signage and guides telling us about these sharply bedecked orange-and-black creatures: I learned about aposematic signaling from their bright colors, as well as Batesian mimicry--they tasted so bad to birds, that other butterflies mimicked them in appearance to gain the defense. Once when one landed on my hand to "lick" off some errant soda I'd spilled earlier, it was like a kiss from a wild thing--and I resolved to repeat the spill whenever I came back.⠀ ⠀ Their erratic orange magic continued outside the glass building--at home, at school, wandering through meadows at church, fluttering through my mother's garden. Monarchs, everywhere, all over the place, common as clouds. They were a constant presence in my Southern childhood. ⠀ ⠀ When I see one now, it is with the nostalgic delight of meeting an old friend--tempered by a sorrow I can't quite put into words. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, monarchs have declined in my part of the world by more than 80% in the last two decades. This tracks with my anecdotal observations of seeing them less and less often over the years, even though I spend much of my time outside--alignment between the big and small pictures. A once everyday sight, increasingly rare. ⠀ ⠀ Since I struggle with capturing the sorrow in my own words, I will borrow those of William Beebe:⠀ ⠀ "...when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again."⠀ ⠀ #monarchbutterfly #acrylic #painting #art #illustration #monarch #habitatloss #climatechange #reflection #fiveyearsold #30years #30paintings #catchingup #butterfly #butterflybushes #flowers #gardens #colors #biodiversity #hopeforbetter https://www.instagram.com/p/CRlfOy5jjon/?utm_medium=tumblr

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benji-writes · 3 years

Text

Sammy, and I, and the Soda Pop Shop

Pairing: Sam Wilson x f!reader

Word count: 5.2k

Summary: Best friends since childhood, you and Sammy need to fall a part before you can come back together again.

Warnings: hurt/comfort, mentions of death

Sammy and I always made time for the Soda Pop Shop. On the corner of Smock and Singleton, the Soda Pop Shop was a local institution. Across from Colby Cook Memorial Park, locals would pop in for a soda, a Pop Pop Burger, and a bag of Hot Hot fries. The Pop Hot Combo was not to be missed out on, and Sammy and I would get 2 orders of Pop Hots every Friday night, and head across the street to eat them at the picnic table by Magnolia Trees. They were a treat, and a sacred ritual from the time we were kids till the time he left.

Wednesday nights we’d sit at our favored booth in the Soda Shop and order Slush Puppies – Green Apple and Grape. Sometimes we’d sit at the counter stools and talk to Mama Nell, who had owned the shop and worked behind the counter as long as anyone could remember. Nobody had a lot of money where we came from, but Sammy always took care of me. He’d buy our slushees and our Pop Hots. He’d do extra chores around the house when we were kids, hoping to get a few extra dollars to spend. When we were older, I’d see him mowing lawns or running errands for the neighbors. I could never understand why he did it. I had an allowance when we were little, and as a teenager I babysat the younger kids in the neighborhood. I could easily have bought my own food, but that was just who Sammy was.

I tried everything I could to show Sam how much he meant to me. I’d bring him breakfast to school in the morning, even when he told me not to. His favorite was always the blueberry bagels. I’d leave him notes in sidewalk chalk on the pavement outside his house. I cut the strings off the community center yo-yos and braided them together to make us matching friendship bracelets. Sammy and I never took them off. Not ever.

For birthdays and Christmas’s, I’d save up everything I could. I’ll never forget the look on his face when I gave him tickets to what would become our first concert. Or the Christmas after his sixteenth birthday, when I bought him a video camera.

The best gift I ever gave Sammy though was the day before he left for the Air Force. It was years of photographs, mementos, flowers. All those special things that I’d saved over the years. I had never been so nervous.

We’d gone out that night to the Soda Pop Shop. Everyone came by to see him: to say goodbye, to reminisce, to laugh and laugh, and to cry.

Mama Nell told wistful stories about Sammy. She lived in the house next door, and had watched me and Sammy play in the streets, and run around the park since we were practically in diapers. She had watched us grow up, always made time to ask us how school was going, and what our plans for the weekend were. Gave us free slushees whenever she could sneak us one without the other customers noticing.

When the night wound down, and even Sam’s family had made their way home, Sammy and I were still sat in our booth by the window. Just sitting there. Quiet. Unwilling to go home. It was then, with the tables up on the chairs, and all the stores on the block closed for the night, that Mama Nell came over and sat down with us. She placed two orders of Pop Hots down, alongside a Green Apple and a Grape Slush Puppie. We’d hardly eaten a thing all night, too caught up in everything to even think about it. Just grabbing a handful of fries, or an onion ring off of somebody else’s plate.

The food was still steaming. We hadn’t ordered anything, but somehow Mama Nell knew we were hungry. Not just for food, but for more time. For this moment together. For one last Pop Hot before everything changed.

She sat for a second, all of us just there in the still of the moment, food in front of us waiting to be eaten when she said, “Kids. I’ve never seen anything quite like the two of you,” She took a deep breath, and shook her head. “Won’t be the same round here.”

With that, she dropped the keys on the table and stood. She was walking towards the door, not even looking at us, “Lock up when you kids are ready. Just drop the key in the mailbox.”

And then she was gone. Just me and Sammy, alone for the first time all night. On the precipice of a brave new world. One we would have to face alone.

I was the first to reach for my food. We ate quietly, but together. Sammy would be gone in only a few hours, uncertain as to when we would get to see each other again.

When I was done eating, Sammy was still making his way through the last of his fries. Eating slow, trying to make it all last. It was then that I finally spoke.

“Hey, Sammy?” It came out quieter than I wanted it to. He didn’t look up. Just kept eating.

“Sammy?” I said louder this time, and he shoved another fry in his mouth.

“Sam.” That got his attention. I never called him that.

“Don’t call me that, baby.” He whispered so softly. The way he called me baby made my heart fold in on itself.

“Then look at me,” I ordered. And he did. A moment went by where we just looked at each other. “I have something for you. I want you to have it.” He wiped his hands off with a napkin and pushed the food wrappers aside while I reached into my bag to pull his present out. It was wrapped delicately in glittery tissue paper. I placed it in front of him, and he looked at it so seriously. And with such care, and the gentlest of hands, he undid the tissue paper.

A black scrapbook. Nothing on the cover to indicate what would be on the inside. Ever so carefully, he flipped open the cover to see a picture of us two as kids, hugging and smiling for the camera. Underneath, in my handwriting, read the words “ The Adventures of Sammy and I.”

I saw his jaw clench tight. As he flipped from page to page. Picture strewn across each of them, little notes along side.

“Wishing well we found. Two pennies thrown in. I know what I wished for...”

“Sittin’ on the dock of the bay. Watchin’ the tide roll away.”

“Taken after Sammy saw his first pair of tits at Mardi Gras.”

“Biker wannabe. Sammy during his leather jacket phase, leaning against the Soda Shop, trying to catch the babes.”

“Prom. Sammy couldn’t get a date, so I figured I might as well take pity...”

“Under the stars. Slush puppies in the summer time. Biggie on the radio. Nights were never better than this.”

He ran his fingers across the pages. His eyes watered, but no tears would fall. He laughed at some of my descriptions. Let out a long sigh as he ran his hand down cream soda bottle tops, movie stubs, old sticky notes left for one another. The sun-wearing-sunglasses magnet from my school locker that he always made fun of. Magnolia petals that would fall from the tree and onto our picnic table. The fortune from a cookie he gave me that said “Believe it can be done.”

Precious artifacts that wove together the story of our friendship. Of our everything.

“Y/N... baby, I-“ the words caught in his throat.

“I know, Sammy. I know” I grabbed his hand from across the table.

He looked up at me. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I had a feeling it was about all the things we’d left unsaid. All the things that would stay unsaid.

“You’ll stay safe out there, won’t you Sammy?” The words came out like a prayer.

“I’ll always come back to you.”

We sat in the park that night. Stayed out till he had to leave for basic training in the morning. We walked to the bus together. His mom and sister were already waiting there with his bag. He hugged them so tight. His mom wept. His sister pretended not to. He took a deep breath, and refused to let his chin wobble. That was my Sammy, alright. Brave face. Always trying to take care of everyone but himself. He hugged me last, shoved his head right into the crook my neck. He breathed in deep, as if he wanted to savor every piece of this last moment. As if he knew things would never be the same. He kissed my forehead, “I love you.”

I so badly wanted him to mean it the way I meant it, “I love you too, Sammy.”

He got on that bus, and as it pulled away a feeling settled. It was uneasy. It was empty. Something greater than loss, something more profound than grief. It was a feeling took root in the very fabric of my body. And I just knew I would never see Sammy again.

And I didn’t.

Not for many years.

Not until today...

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

Mama Nell didn’t have any kids of her own. No husband to speak of. Just a handful of scrappy kids that came in and out of her shop over the years. She’d helped us out when we needed it. There were months where we spent more time with Mama Nell than with our own families. She was special to us. Family.

After Sammy left, I spent more time with Mama Nell than I did with anyone – more than my family, more than Sammy’s family. I would help do chores around her house, stuff she “couldn’t” do anymore: wiping baseboards, washing the woodwork, replacing sheets and blankets, scrubbing the tub, vacuuming, dusting, and so on goes the list. Really Mama Nell was just giving me a reason, a guise, to be over at her house all the time. I was helping out. And she enjoyed having the company. We’d play hours of scrabble, and I’d usually lose. I’d show her new movies (anything with Denzel was her favorite). According to Mama, “Men had no right lookin’ that good.” We’d gossip and chop onions, and tomatoes for the Shop.

I would spend hours with Mama at her house. But I couldn’t bring myself to actually walk into the Pop Shop. Not alone. Not without Sammy. Not for a long time.

It was probably six months after Sammy had left before I even considered going into the shop. It was eight months before Mama Nell convinced me to help her bring over some containers of vegetables.

Nine months had gone by, without so much as a phone call from Sammy. Not a single letter of mine replied too. Even his mom had only talked to him on the phone a few times. Said there was a lot going on he couldn’t talk about. But I didn’t care if he couldn’t talk about what he was doing in the military. I just wanted to hear his voice, hear him say my name, or crack a joke. I wanted to tell him about how me and Mama Nell had gotten even closer, and that I missed him. I wanted to see his chicken scratch handwriting, where you needed context clues to tell if he was trying to write a “g” or an “s.” I just wanted him. Something. Anything. I felt like a dog, begging for even the smallest of scraps. But nothing ever came. Any updates I got were passed on by his mom. He was supposed to come home after a couple of months, but he never did. And that feeling I had felt in my stomach the day he’d left, from the moment he stepped on that bus, only grew deeper and deeper. It became more. I was sick to my stomach with the knowledge that my Sammy was gone.

It was his birthday – just over nine months after Sammy had left – that I really went back to the Soda Pop Shop. I sat down. Alone at our booth. Everything felt too still. Too quiet. The place was closed, but Mama Nell had long since given me a key, not that I’d ever really needed it before. Part of me still wonders if she knew this day would come. Where I’d need to finally have this moment.

I sat in our booth, like we normally would. I made myself a Pop Hot, just the way Mama had taught me. I poured a Green Slush Puppie. I fiddled with the bracelet on my wrist.

I ate alone.

The next day, I started working behind the counter with Mama.

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

“How was school today, Andy?” I asked from behind the counter, handing him a chocolate shake.

“Stupid.” It came out all mumbled, and huffy, the way it always does when kids are asked about school.

“You’re not getting picked on are you, honey?” I couldn’t help but worry about him. It was hard not to worry about the kids that came in and out of here.

He took a long deep breath, “No... it’s just stupid, and I hate math, and it’s almost summer. So it’s just stupid.”

He took a sip of his milkshake, and shrugged his shoulders. I nodded, because I remember what that was like. Me and Sammy would sit in this very spot after school, and complain to Mama Nell about how dumb school was. And she’d nod along sagely. And then, if it was one of those rare quiet days, a day like today when no one was around, she’d give us both Pop Hots – on the house.

“Well kiddo, how’s a Pop Hot sound?” I said smiling at him.

“Amazing! But can you wrap it up for me? I gotta be home before Ma gets mad.” He put his elbow on the table, and rested his cheek on his hand, still sipping on the straw of his milkshake.

“Sure thing bud, I’m getting ready to close up shop anyway.”

A few minutes later, I was wrapping up his burger in foil, and throwing his fries in a baggie. Dr. Pepper was his favorite, so I pulled one out of the fridge and stuck that in there too.

I handed him his bag, and he pushed the empty shake glass towards me, “Be good, alright. Stay safe on the walk home, and I’ll see you soon. Flip the sign ‘closed’ on the way out.”

He thanked me and was almost out the door when I shouted, “Tell your mother I said hello!”

“OKAY!” I heard him yell back, muffled as the door began to close in his way out.

He was a good kid. They all were. All the little ones that came running in and out of the shop. It was easy to see why Mama Nell always took to the little rugrats that came in and out of this place.

I grabbed his glass off the counter and turned around to start washing. The dishwasher was already running for the night, so I turned the faucet on and waited for the water to warm. That’s when the door opened, the bell above it giving a little ring.

“Sorry pal, we’re closed for the night.” I kept washing, but whoever it was didn’t say anything, and the bell hadn’t rung again so I knew they were still there.

I let out a little sigh, shut off the faucet, and grabbed a rag to dry my hands.

“I’m sorry but we’re –“ I turned around, but the words caught in my throat. My rag fell to the floor, and I lifted a hand to my face.

There was no one I expected to see less. But there he was. Taller, more angular. He’d lost his baby face, and before me stood a man. He looked sharp, like he’d just been to the barber, and for all I knew, he had. He had on a button down, and a pair of jeans. Nice leather shoes. He was even more handsome than I remembered.

But those eyes. Those eyes that had always been so soft and hopeful. They looked so tired. Worn. Aged.

Aged... because we had aged... it had been years. It had been fucking years since I saw him last. I long since made peace with the fact that I would never see him again. Not a word from him after he left. Not a letter replied to, not a question answered, not a sight to be seen. He never came home. He never wrote. He never called. Never passed a message along to his mother, never wanted to listen to the messages I asked his mother to pass along. None of it. He promised. He was my best friend – half of my whole, all I had ever wanted, and needed, and begged for from the universe in the late of the evening.

When we had sleepovers, he would hold me so close. We’d wake up and eat cereal in bed and watch Looney Tunes, or Family Matters, or MTV. After our lucky charms, we’d share orange slices, and grapes, and hang out for hours. I’d go home that night, and pray. I was never religious, but something about Sammy always drove me towards the unknown. I didn’t know who I was praying too, who I was begging. But I was desperate for it to work. All I’d ever wanted was my Sammy. It was always just Sammy and I, falling together in the Soda Pop Shop.

But now...

Now. I was angry.

“Get out.” He looked down and nodded, but made no effort to move, “When my mom said I’d find you here, I didn’t really believe her. But when I dropped by your moms house, and she pointed me here, I figured it must’ve been true.”

“Get. Out.” The words came out through clenched teeth.

But he just started taking steps toward me, “Listen... I know... I know what I did, okay? I know. But, baby-“ I

cut him off, shaking my head, “Samuel.”

That got his attention. His eyes shot straight up to mine. He looked at me for a minute. Then he nodded, real solemn, and stopped. “

I’m staying at my mom’s for a while.”

I didn’t say anything.

“I just... I wanted to see you.”

My breath was shallow, “Well, you’ve seen me.”

He shook his head, and said “Can you at least tell me where I can find Mama Nell? I figured she’d be here too.”

I looked down, unable to believe my own ears. It was too much, it took everything in me not to break down as I said, “Luling Cemetery. Row 46, 18 down from the Oak tree.”

He didn’t say anything, just looked at me for a long while. Then he sniffled, looked down, shook his head, and shook it some more, before he turned around and kicked a chair.

“What the fuck, Sam!” I walked out from behind the counter, and picked up the chair he’d kicked over, but he just kept walking. Walked right to our old booth. Sat in his old seat. Covered his mouth and cried. Sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed. And I stood by the chair, I’d just picked up before I took a real deep breath.

I was mad at Sammy. Mad didn’t even begin to describe it. Heartbroken, and infuriated, and in so much pain. But somehow he hadn’t known about Mama Nell. How hadn’t he known?

I had written him letters after she died. Pleaded with him, please come home. I had never known such depths of emptiness. I had lost my Sammy, and I had lost the woman who had taken me under her wing, and showed me how to live for myself. I felt like I had nothing left to give. At first I just asked him to write me back.

“Just write me back, Sammy. That’s all. Just this once.”

Then I asked him to call.

“Just let me hear your voice, Sammy. I just need to hear your voice, Sammy. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Then I asked him to come to the funeral.

“Sammy, we have to bury her. Sammy, please. Please, Sammy. I need you here for this. I can’t do this on my own. I love you, and I need you now. I need you, Sammy. Please. Please, Sammy. Please come home.”

Then I broke down.

“Sammy... Please Sammy... We read the will today.

She gave me the Shop Sammy... I own the Shop.”

He never replied. Didn’t attend the funeral. Why didn’t he come? Why wasn’t he there? How didn’t he know?

I let him cry for a while. Figured he needed it. Just finished cleaning up, and put all the chairs up on the tables. I walked back around the counter, and filled a glass with water, grabbed a box of tissues from underneath the back counter, and headed over to sit. For the first time in so many years, I sat across from Sammy at our old booth. It didn’t feel real.

I pushed the water towards him, placed the box of tissues next to it, and let him cry it out.

I’d never seen Sammy like this, not in all our years. I’d seen him shed tears, I’d even seen him cry a little. But sob? Never in my life had I seen him just weep. He looked like a little kid. But more than that, he looked like a broken man.

When he started to breathe a little more evenly, and had wiped his face dry, I finally spoke.

“Oh, Sammy,” I whispered. “How could you not know?”

He shook his head. Closed his eyes, “No one ever... No ever told me. My mom she didn’t... Why didn’t you write me?”

He sounded crushed, a devastation in his voice that felt so foreign coming from his mouth.

“Sammy,” I was absolutely reeling, “I wrote you so many times. Sammy I wrote you for years before I stopped, and when Mama Nell died, I wrote you over and over and over. I... I begged you to come home, Sammy.” It all came out like such a broken whisper.

He looked at me real hard, “No.”

“Yes, Sammy. I did.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No,” He was running his hands through his hair. “No you didn’t. I got three letters from you, right in the begging. And yeah, I was an ass for not replying, but I already felt so guilty for leaving, I just didn’t know what to say. But then they stopped. Hard stopped. So don’t tell me you wrote me for years, because it was radio silence from you.”

I couldn’t believe my own ears, “Sammy, I wrote you hundreds of letters. Hundreds, Sammy.”

He shook his head, “I don’t... I don’t understand.”

“Sammy, are you telling me you didn’t get my letters?”

“Just three. I...” He shook his head, having a hard time trying to process everything. “Pretty early on they pulled me. They were starting a new program, and I was one of the guys they wanted to train for it. I was always asking them if I got any mail. Only thing they ever gave me came from Mom. Eventually I just stopped asking. I never thought...”

We were quiet a while. Neither of us really knowing how to handle this information.

“I promised you I’d write...” I finally got out.

“ I know,” He said. “I know.”

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

Sammy stuck around after that, just like he said he would. He stayed with his mom, and started going to meetings at the VA, trying to process what had happened to him. To us. To Riley, and Mama Nell.

He told me not long after he came back. He was helping me clean up one night. He’d been helping out around the shop whenever he could. It was so strange to turn around and see him again.

He walked behind the counter, everyone gone, and only sweeping left to do, and poured himself a big grape Slush Puppie.

He took a loud sip, “Oh man.”

Then another “Mmm mmm mmm. I forgot how good these were.”

I couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah, it’s been a while since I had one myself.”

As soon as the words were out my mouth his cup was left to sit on the counter, and he was turning around to pour me one. A green apple Slush Puppie just waiting for me. He held it out to me like a present. Like a peace offering.

“Come on baby, you’ve done enough sweeping. Get on back here and sip.” He was so confident it made me roll my eyes.

But I listened. Walked over, hopped up onto a stool, and let Sammy serve me. He watched as I took the first sip, and as soon as that cool icy slush hit my tongue, I closed my eyes in sweet bliss. It was so much sweeter than I remembered. The kinda sweet only a kid could like. But it tasted like good memories, and I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for that.

After a minute or two he said, “I got in contact with my colonel, y’know.”

I took another sip, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Told him that I was looking for some letters... Since I’m out now, he said he might as well tell me. Since it was such an experimental program. Something kept under wraps, no one got letters from anyone but immediate family. They have boxes for each of us. So he sent over mine.”

I didn’t know what to say, “Sammy...”

He just continued on, “So I finally got your letters,” He took a long shaky breath. “Baby... baby I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Sammy.”

“You promised you’d write. I should’ve fought them harder on it.”

“It’s not your fault, Sammy. You hear me? It’s not your fault. None of it Sam.” I hoped he could hear what I was telling him. He’d told me about Riley that first night. He’d just lost him, and then to find out about Mama Nell like that. It was all too much.

And I’m a reasonable person. Logical, and understanding. I understood that what happened between Sammy and I wasn’t entirely either of our faults, and that most of it was out of our hands. I spent so many years, with so much anger inside of me. So much grief. And don’t get me wrong, I was still angry. Just not at Sammy anymore.

“Baby...” he said, shaking his head.

“Sammy. It’s not your fault.”

He reached for my hand across the counter, and I let him take it.

“I got your letters. So,” he said reaching into his back pocket. “I wrote you a reply.”

He sat the envelope carefully down in front of me, one hand still clutched to mine. I stared at it. A letter I’d waited for for so long. A letter that finally arrived.

But when I looked up at Sammy, who sat watching me with anxious, awaiting eyes, I found myself asking him something, “Will you read it to me, Sammy?”

His face froze up. I saw him swallow, “Read it to you?”

And somehow his nervousness made me more confident, more desperate to hear the words come from his mouth, “Yeah, Sammy. Will you? Will you read me your letter?”

He looked very uncertain.

“Please, Sammy?” I whispered.

He closed his eyes, “Okay.”

He was being brave, and I knew it. Loved him for it. He ran his thumb across my knuckles. Then all at once, that warmth was gone and he was reaching for the envelope.

He took a moment to himself. Just slight shook his had, as if to ask himself what am I doing? And then, ever so softly, he began to read.

“Dear baby...

I got your letters today. Reading them made me homesick. Made me miss Mama Nell and the Shop. But really it made me miss you.”

He paused, and took a deep breath. The words were sincere, but they sound unnatural coming out of his mouth. They were words he never dreamed he’d say aloud.

“I wonder where the time has gone. Reading all your letters, it makes me feel like no time has passed at all, but there’s been so much lost between now and then.

I’m sure it sounds dumb. God knows most of the things that come outta my mouth are. But I’d do anything to never be a part from you again. And I know, I know, that so much has happened. Things have gone wrong, and I’ve changed, and you’ve changed. I know we’ve grown up, but I think about tomorrow and it hurts to imagine you not being there...”

He cleared his throat, “I want you to know that I never stopped loving you. I’ve always loved you, and not a thing that comes between us could ever change that.

All I know is that I want to learn you all over again. Learn who’ve you grown into. I miss talking to you, and holding you. I miss sneaking kisses on your cheek, and tucking you in when we’d fall asleep watching Good Times.

I want to earn those times back. I mean it when I say I love you. I’ve always loved you, and no matter how many times I’d try to pick up chicks at the mall, I always belonged to you.

I never knew if you could see how much I loved you. Or if you, like me, couldn’t see past your insecurities. I think I know now. I wish I could find more words to tell you. But I hope you feel it, baby. I need you to.

I love you. I miss you. Write back soon. Your Sammy.”

He was quiet for a long while after that, and so was I. We sat together, in the silence, sorry for ourselves and all the time we’d lost. I’ve never been more grateful for anything than all the newfound time we’d have together.

And all at once, I was out of my seat and holding on to, Sam, his arms wrapped around me, and he picked me up to place me on the counter. He stepped between my legs, and just held me, trying to get closer, as if we didn’t become one entity in that very second, we would be torn a part forever.

It felt good. But more than that it felt right. And now that I had this again, I would never let go. Not ever. No. From now on, it was just gonna be me and Sammy. I loved him so much. And I could feel it in my very bones, just how much he loved me. We had a long road ahead of us, but with him by my side, I knew we’d make it. Just me and Sammy. Just Sammy, and I, and the Soda Pop Shop.

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

A/N:

Hey guys!

Been gone a super long time, probably a little over a year now. But I’ve been reading some fanfiction recently, I’m in a super positive and loving relationship, and overall, just got inspired and wanted to write again! Wrote this for myself really, just to get some creative juices out, and I’ve been sititng on it for a while. I have a feeling I’ll be writing more soon, and I’ll be sure to share.

Also thanks to everyone who continued to read my work, even during my very lengthy absence, and like/reblog/comment. I promise I’ve seen them, and they have warmed my heart like nobody’s business. I love you all so much, and am so grateful.

#sam wilson #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x you #tfatws fanfiction #falcon x reader #marvel #marvel fanfiction

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