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#so excited that the Amtrak is adding
auckie · 2 months
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https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1765391777580912958?s=20
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PLEASE GD IF YOU LOVE AND WANT TRAINS
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aphroditesbaby1616 · 16 days
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Sunflower 🌻
Syd x Carmy one-shot
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♡ Summary: A/U where after graduating from the CIA at the top of her class, Syd goes on a food tour in NYC & ends up hooking up with the most talented CDC, at the best restaurant in the world.
♡ W/C: 3,434
♡ Posted Date: 04/12/2024
♡ A/N: This is pure filth I tried adding some plot- I hope it turned out the way I saw it in my head. As always requests are open - for SydCarmy, CarmyxReader as usual! I hope you enjoy :)
♡ Warnings for BTC: Smutsmutsmut nsfw 18+ - Oral (m receiving) , Barely edited bc we die like men.
➵ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 ♡
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Sydney Adamu had just graduated top of her class at the Culinary Institute of America. She’d been hunkering down with her dad, for a long four years, she was desperate to get out of there. She already had a plan all set up. 
She’d take the last bit of money her grandfather had given her for college, and make a catering business of her very own. It would be dedicated to her parents, (of course) Syd’s hopeless romanticism was thanks to their perfect, beautiful love story of course. She’d known since sophomore year of culinary school - Sheridan Road would be her baby. 
She’d settled on this idea - with any possible odd’s and ends money she’d made during her CIA training - she’d go out for as long as it would last her. She’d learn, study, and observe, then- create her catering business, with the confidence she’d gotten a taste of the very goal she had, a star. Well - three would be absolutely fucking insanity to her- but one? One she felt like if she had it? Her father would believe she was in a real line of work, instead of just happy she was perusing her own happiness. 
It was the perfect plan in her mind. She’d already set aside the amount of money, with extra safety net, for all of the licensures, and documentation she’d need- as well as her commercial kitchen rental she’d make the food out of. Then - with the extra 5k she had left over, she booked a full food tour of the most prestigious, luxurious restaurants in NYC. 
She’d planned the tour 6 months before she graduated, since the 3 restaurants wouldn’t even accept a reservation if it wasn’t made out any later then that, and when she walked the stage, 3 days later she was on the train into the city. 
She’d be staying at a decent hotel for 12 days. Each day, she’d be having one large meal including an app, two main courses, 2 cocktails, and 1 dessert from a Michelin starred restaurant. She would be staying 4 days for 1 star, 4 for 2 stars, and 4 for 3 stars. 
The schedule was as followed; 
Monday - Hirohisa *
Tuesday - Dirt Candy *
Wednesday - The Musket Room *
Thursday - The Red Paper Clip *
Friday - Atera **
Saturday - Jungsik **
Monday - Saga **
Tuesday - Daniel **
Wednesday - Per Se ***
Thursday - Le Bernadin ***
Friday - Masa ***
Saturday - 11 Madison Park ***
When she’d got off at Penn station- she was nearly vibrating with excitement - she quickly brushed passed people grabbing their obnoxious suitcases in the overhead compartments. 
“Sorry! ‘Scuse me! Fuck- shit sorry- exscuse me!!!- whoops! Sorry- scuse me- aah! Ugh- I Didn’t mean to- oop- oh- Jesus!! Excuse me!!” She rambled, frustration building in her chest. Getting off The L wasn’t this hard- why did Amtrak feel worse?!
She took a deep breath, her nose scrunching. 
Mm. So instead of cow shit - smog, I feel at home already. 
She’d thought to herself as she briskly walks with the crowd towards the exit she meant to take onto fifth. 
She slipped her wired headphones into her ears, texting her father 
‘made it!! Love you daddy!!’
Before opening her Spotify, hitting one of her comfort albums, Broken Clocks, as she walked briskly outside - the crisp city air hitting her like a ton of bricks. 
She leaned against the brick of the McDonald’s next door, avoiding the streams of people going down and up the sidewalk, taking a deep breath. She’d not been to New York before, she’d grown up in Chicago- been to the city more times then she can count, but the suburbs were her home. Being in the city- and let alone- a city like Manhattan versus Chicago- she was looking around, trying to gather her wits - and quickly.  She clicked the maps application on her iPhone 7, tugging her umbrella out of the water bottle pocket of her backpack and tucking it under her arm as she typed the address to her hotel and clicking for the walking directions.
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It honestly kind of pissed her off that each day’s food was better than the last. She’d wanted to not give a shit about stars and just focus on giving people an experience to remember - but it was cut & dry that now that she’d tasted this kind of food - she was going to do whatever she could to become as talented as the chefs that made it. 
But - she hadn’t even tried the best yet. 
The best, the best, THE best. 
She honestly couldn’t believe she was going to be trying the food from Eleven Madison Park - but she couldn’t help but be so nervous. Every other Michelin starred restaurant she’d been to - the dress code was Formal attire. But this one? THE best restaurant in the fucking world? Oh- they just say on their website ‘many of our guests dress up for the occasion, but we do not have a dress code’  
Her entire trip, She’d been cycling through 2 very different floor length gowns. One of which she wore to her graduation, and the other she’d found at Windsor on sale but it did the job. She didn’t wear luxury attire often, okay? She was too busy being Culinary school for Christ sakes! And tonight she couldn’t for the life of her choose which one she’d wear. 
This being because she was attending a main dining room tasting, which was ten courses. Easy, luxury dining courses were stupidly small. But- she was also trying their bar tasting menu which was an extra four courses. Sitting at a bar in that stupid fluffy dress for two hours would not be comfortable. But- again- best. restaurant. in. the. WORLD!!! 
She knew for a fact that she would be mad at herself if she got there and everyone around was dressed to the nines, but - for comfortability sake she went with the simple silken red gown. 
The front of house service was literally perfect. She was glad she’d brought a new notebook, because she’d never have had enough space to take all the notes she was taking tonight in the one she’d been using the majority of the trip. Their staff was very casually mannered, and they made it very easy to order. Everything was very calm and comfortable, the furniture felt very luxurious in the sense of comfortability. 
After she just had the best meal of her entire life, she knew she had to speak with the person who made it. Her mind was blown for lack of a better word. The food was fucking incredible. She had a rule to keep herself able to taste as much as possible: she was only allowed one bite of each dish, but here- she couldn’t just limit herself to one. Each dish she was taking 2 even 3 bites- but when she got to the sunflower dish? It was brilliant. She finished every bite, she couldn’t not. It would be sinful to waste it. And the only thing on her mind was that she had to talk to the chef who’d made it.
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Her waiter comes back to her table, giving her back her card and receipt. 
“Thank you for dining with us this evening, have a wonderful night” he told her 
“Thank you- Um- may I speak with the chef who made the sunflower plate please? I’d like to pay my compliments in person if possible.” She asked hopefully. 
“Of course, that would be Chef Carmen- give me just a moment I’ll go get him for you” he nodded and headed back to the kitchen. She looked over her notes, remembering the questions she’d wanted to ask about the dish. 
Carmen, she wondered if he’d been named after the saint. His talent was surely straight from the hands of the Mother of Christ. 
Shes interrupted from writing in her notebook by a husky, silvery voice 
“Excuse me- I was told you’d like to speak to me, I’m Chef Carmen, I made your sunflower dish this evening.” 
“Hey- I’m Sydney - that dish was- ” she stood up to face him- and when she realized who was in front of her, her heart began to race. Of course, she’d thought, of course - only a JBA contestant could come up with a dish so ingenious.
 “Oh- um…Hi.. Hello- you’re like -” she blinked a few times, in utter shock. “You’re Carmen Berzatto“ She swallowed thickly. 
Sydney was obsessed with this industry- she stalked the JBA website every year to see who would be nominated, dreaming that some day she’d be on that list. Being even nominated would allow her to die happily feeling as if she’d won a fucking Nobel Prize. That was how much she respected those damn awards. 
“I am” he said and cleared his throat nervously. 
“Well- firstly congratulations on your nomination- you like- if it was up to me you’d win because that sunflower dish was-” they’re interrupted by one of the food runners coming over 
“Chef Carmen- Chef Daemon requests you in back of house now.” she said urgently, the girl looked like she was on the brink of tears as she continued taking the tray of food over to the table it was meant for. 
“So sorry, i’d love to hear what you have to say but uh…” he trailed off. 
“Yeah- yeah- sorry, sorry I wont keep you-” she said and he shook his head a bit 
“No- no- um… I mean -” he wouldnt usually be so bold, but his ass was going to literally be kicked if he didnt get back there in the next 5 seconds. “I’m gonna go out for a smoke at 11:15. If you wanted to keep talkin’ ill be there” he said before heading back to the kitchen.
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Sydney was nearly shaking - there were so so many things she wanted to ask him. She also realized he was much - infinitely hotter in person - how that was even possible? She remained unsure. She had reapplied her lipgloss and her perfume, nervously pacing back and forth along the sidewalk. 
She hears the back door open and she looked over, out emerging the greek god incarnate she somehow got so lucky as to run in to tonight. “Hey!” she said with her famous warm smile. 
He didnt return it, actually- he looked pissed. She swallowed thickly, rubbing her lips together nervously “Hey - sorry again I uh- fuckin’ boss” he muttered, fishing his cigarettes out of his pocket. 
“No- don’t apologize please, I totally get it. I mean, you're the CDC at literally the best restaurant in the world. I wouldn’t have bugged you if I knew, I mean- my table, like- I’m not a critic..I guess I should have clarified cause of the notebook thing but they usually are more…low key? I thought? Do they usually just come and whip out a notebook? That would make it easier I think… But nonetheless I’m so so grateful to have been able to eat a meal that-“ she rambled on anxiously but he stops her.
“You talk when y’nervous” he said with a small smirk, lighting the cigarette between his lips and inhaling, leaning against the brick.
“Uh-” she stuttered, her face feeling hot suddenly. “Sorry- I’ve uh… i’ve been told” she chuckled a bit, taking a few steps towards him and leaning on the brick only 2 feet or so between them.
“It’s charming, y’smoke?” he offered her the pack with a red top, she looked down at it.
“I don’t- not- not yet anyways” she joked, crossing a slim arm over her waist. He couldn't help but realize how the action made her breasts more prominent. 
“You’re a chef?” he asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.
“Yes! Yes- well.. Just graduated, not working anywhere yet- I’m going home soon to try and start my own catering thing…” she explained and he nodded.
“Where’d y’graduate from?” he asked, exhaling the smoke away from her direction.
“CIA - 2 weeks ago, Valedictorian actually, y’not the only chef around here with street cred” she joked and he chuckled.
“Really? Word. Thats sick, good job. Y’said y’re headed home? Where’s that?” he asked, taking another drag of his cigarette.
“Chicago! Can’t wait to get back, Hudson life is… not for me- I forgot how convenient public transportation was” she said. 
He raised his brows in surprise, “Chicago huh? Thats my old home base.” he said 
“I know! You’re actually… really famous did you know that? Like- they talk all about you during lectures, you’re the new golden child of the culinary world” she teased and he rolled his eyes playfully.
They’d been inching closer and closer without realizing throughout the whole conversation, she was now so close that she could see the barely there scar on his cheek, her focus locked on it. His gaze was locked on her plump lips and he was imagining how they’d feel around his cock.
“I do unfortunately - you’ll learn soon enough that praise means being a target in this industry.” He said 
She bit her lip, meeting his striking blue eyes once again. “I really meant to tell you earlier was that sunflower dish was the best meal i’ve ever had. And i’m not just…sucking your dick because you’re you - I knew that before I knew you made it” she laughed a bit.
He followed suit, “Well if you want to- i’m not gonna say no.” he said and her eyes widened a bit, feeling her core pooling with heat at the idea. Of course he was half joking. It was so sudden and out there he would have never expected her to indulge him. 
“I mean- here? What if your boss comes out?” she asked, a bit quieter as if she was trying to assure they’d not be caught.
He nodded towards the row of 12-wheeler trucks parked 50 or so feet away. “Haven’t moved in 6 weeks” he shrugged casually  “Lead the way Chef”  she motioned with her hand, a frisky smirk on her lips.
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“Holy fuuuck” Carmy groaned, pushing his cock deeper into her tight hot mouth. “Y’like takin cock like this mmm? Y’like bein’ my little fuckin slut?” he muttered, thumbing away the warm tear that was gathering in the corner of her right eye. “So fuckin’ good f’me-” he growled, moaning at the wet gurgling noises emitting from her.
She swallowed around him, looking up at him with tear-filled dark lustful brown eyes, widening her jaw further and tonguing over the pulsing vein on the underside of his length, gently squeezing his thighs to urge him further. 
“Y’want me t’fuck y’throat? Mmm? Dirty fuckin girl” he gathered her braids into his fist, wrapping them around his palm and roughly tugging her off. 
She whined hotly, the sensation of his rough hand sending waves of pleasure through her being. “Please” she said wantingly, tonguing over his slit before wrapping her lips around the tip of his head in a sensual kiss.
He took his thumb, pulling her jaw open wide and thrusting into her mouth with a satisfied grunt. “Y’know-shhhit y’know what? I think this is the only way t’shut y’ass up? Mmm?” he inhales sharply as she pushed his foreskin back and spit on his exposed sensitive tip.
“Jesus fuckin-” he sharply inhaled through his teeth as she gently grazed her teeth over the sensitive head, his abs clenching in pleasure and hips quivering from the overstimulation “fuckin-h-aaaa-ahhh-mm-shhhhit-jesus fuckin christ” he whimpered, his head falling back against the metal with a sharp bang as she took the flesh into her mouth, flicking her tongue sharply over the weeping tip before smoothly sucking over the buzzing stimulation. He knew if she kept up the act he’d be filling her mouth with his seed within seconds.
“S-sooo fuckin filthy - y’want my cum in y’throat? Mmm? Little fuckin whore- h-holy-oh god- i-” he nearly suffocated her as he buried his cock further down her throat. He reached down, his fingers rubbing along his thick length buried in her warm tight throat. 
“F-fuuuuuck- ah- oh shhh- mmm- thats it- thaaaaaat’s it- good fuckin girl” he grumbled, roughly and sloppily guiding her head in such a way that the noises being made if it weren’t her he would think theyre overdramatic and disgusting. He also didn’t know where the hell all of this talking was coming from. 
Normally in the bedroom, he was quiet. Very quiet. The only way the women he was with knew he’d enjoyed himself was if he even came at all. Sex usually wasn’t about his own pleasure since in the presence of another he found it so hard to get off - it was more about giving him imagery that would help him later in regards to finishing. 
“You are so fuckin good at that huh? You take my cock so well such a good fuckin girl” his jaw goes slack as she put her hands on his hips to steady him and slowly sinks her mouth all the way down to the hilt, her eyes shut in focus. 
She gently rubbed her thumbs over his hips, swallowing around his length in a way that made whimpers fall past his lips he didn’t know he could make himself. “Holy shit y’fuckin- oh- ohhh fuck” he grunts as she takes one of her hands and begins massaging his balls and looking directly into his eyes, pulling off his length to breathe and gently pushing the foreskin back, kissing over the sensitive flesh with her plump lips. 
“You can fuck my face- but deepthroating after a meal like that is pretty hard, id love if I can keep it down” she said, even with spit running down her chin, teary eyes, and swollen lips - she still looked adorable to him. 
“Sorry- sorry” he muttered, loosening his grip on her hair “keep doin’ that fuck yesss” he breathed out as she swirled her tongue around his head. He thrust in and out of her mouth, gradually moving faster but being careful as to not slam into the back of her throat. 
She stroked the bottom half of his length with her other hand, eyes closing and doing her best to swallow around him all the excess saliva that was dripping down her throat. She hollowed out her cheeks, looking up at him as she slowly and carefully sunk down once again, keeping her eyes locked on his. 
“Mmm-shhhit-I’m fuckin-“ he groaned, his knees nearly going weak and head falling back with a thud. Blood roared in his ears, his hands shook slightly from the tension rolling off him in waves. 
She nearly choked at the amount rolling down her throat. She pulled off slightly, swallowing - more like gulping, assuring to hollow her cheeks and swirl her tongue as she pulled off with a pop as to not waste any of the sweet salty mess. 
“You- you- you are fuckin crazy” he breathed, looking down at her. 
She wiped off her mouth, chin, and neck with a tissue she’d kept in her purse before saying “I’d say you’re crazy, “ she got off her knees, picking up the chefs coat he had thrown down for her to kneel on, to which she insided it out before she did so it wouldn’t show any dirt. “If I had that coat? It would never touch the floor” she shook it off carefully. 
He quickly fixed his pants “he’s a friend it doesn’t matter I can always get a new one” he countered, putting the coat back on and buttoning it. 
Her eyes widened “friends?! How the hell did you run into him?!” She asked. 
“You- y’re into fashion ‘n shit?” He asked and she nodded enthusiastically 
“Are you fucking kidding me?! Thom Browne is insane all his shit Is absolute fire. I wish I could afford one of his jackets like- it’s totally a dream wishlist kinda thing” she took some gum out of her purse. 
“When do you uh…go back?” He asked. 
“Tomorrow. Headed to Chicago on Wednesday” she said and he nods. 
“Oh- yeah okay..It was uh…it was nice t’meet you” he said awkwardly “I should probably um..” he trailed off, clearing his throat nervously.
“Totally- yeah great to um…great to meet you too chef.” She nodded 
“Could I um…” he rubs the back of his neck anxiously “could I maybe get y’r…” he trails off, cheeks pink with embarrassment. 
“My number?” She asked, grabbing her phone out of her purse. 
He nodded, cheeks bright red with embarrassment “yeah sorry-“ he mumbled
“Yeah- if I can get yours” she teased, clicking open the blank contact screen
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livingmarvelous · 1 year
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the-firebird69 · 1 year
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Watch "Lifan kpr200 with exhaust/muffler upgrade, airbox delete/upgrade . Links to parts in bio. #lifan" on YouTube
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This bike is not for amateurs it's not a real starter bike but it's not for professionals either and her son could easily handle it it could easily ride it for real daily right now and he knows how to ride and he needs one with handles in this bike handles it stops good it starts good I need some power out there too this has enough power to push him along pretty good and he'll get up to 150 with it and we don't want him going that fast but he can go the speed limit on the highway easily. This person knows he's talking about but he's kind of missing a few things like top speed of the bike he was on is about 1:40 and the motor sounds a little slower than ours cuz it is and he added some horsepower and his top speed went up to about 170 and he's going 75 up a hill and he wasn't full throttle in 5th gear in full throttle up a hill with him on it and he's 200 pounds think about 120 and you do it and he didn't say it right those people won't believe other stuff but 75 up a hill and 5th gear is pretty good for these Chinese bikes and we're selling them now and we're shipping them out some of them and people are evacuating and we're sending them with them and we're telling them we're in Texas they have the leaflets and they have some website and it's starting to mushroom really fast and we did as our son and also myself suggested he said it's 20 and then I said a 30 then he said a 40 and we can make the frames there and we're pumped them out right now we have so much parts it's not even funny and we're assembling them very fast today we'll have seven hundred octillion probably by noon and by tonight it'll be like 20,000 octillion. We're towards the South we're in the south of the Midwest and we're towards it and we're building huge numbers and we're going to bring them down into the south of the Midwest and Texas all night long and all day it'll probably pump out a million octillion in the next couple days it's a giant number. And it's huge the salimander idea is huge because we never be able to do it. We're taking over a train companies and yeah there's John rebelord again and you can't handle it and you can't figure out what to do he doesn't want to fight for it so he's just sitting there watching them go away.
*Amtrak the calling him in today and we're taking the company, they were kicking him out and if he refuses who cares. And usually he sizes the paper and leaves and doesn't care about severance or anything so that's fine but really he's a pain in the ass and he wants out of the train and business there's too many people threatening him and too many people threatening the workers they can't do anything and they're now driving these trucks it have at least two trailers and they're very excited about it because there's a lot of them not just three they get support and they're having a lot of fun doing it and the like truck stops and they like to drive around and there for phillaners and all sorts of stuff, and we watch out for it. We are on the prowl too for that kind of thing and we have tons of them ourselves and we're moving stuff now huge numbers of things and a lot of them are Coleman is his as powerful his can pull like five loads of cars and her supposed 20 so he's making a bigger one dang it and he's going toe to the toe and she's really pushy. It's kind of a fight and they're having it now and it was shipping tons of his cars and we're using this idea of the truck train people call that and it's huge they see go by they can't believe it I didn't see tons of go by and their mouths are open and as soon as I'm down south and she says you can't open the stores so open the store at the truck plant I'm going to do that too, let me know this where you get them and that's what's going to happen and let's people already looking and they get upset the motorcycle too and all the cars and tons of people will go there probably today I'm going to load some in there too see how it goes we're shipping all the new model of car and we're not using the old chassis either it goes to the right company cuz they're not right and they don't work as well and it takes more time we are just assembling and reassembling the motors and we're using them as replaceable motors people want them and they redo the wiring harness themselves and take some time which is good I was sending them too as rebuilds huge numbers of them and it's going in their cars right now but really there's not enough of them and there now losing about 2 trillion cars a day and it's going to go up and that's in Florida alone till about two octillion a day tomorrow before you know it you're going to see them all over the place and they'll be telling them cuz we're getting them out of there and we're going to use them and the brush is going today a ton of it probably half of it it's not that much brush and it'll be cooking with it and using the fireplace it's going to get cold tonight and they're going to burn probably 3/4 of it today and tells them will say it will be using the logs and it's going to be a great day cuz it's still some massive hazards and then they want the trash out of here and they're taking to the plant already to incinerate it and the recycling it's really starting to move that brush getting out of the way is helping out and it just looks like the trash people it's a great day it's all started finally and the money thing is started and it's going to be a hell of a day
Thor Freya
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stagenurse52 · 2 years
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Cease Losing Time And start How Long Was Jfk President Before He Was Assassinated
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thran-duils · 3 years
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Use All of Me (P.13)
Title: Use All Of Me (Part Thirteen) Summary: Fem!Reader x Dark Mob!Steve Rogers. The Avengers are heroes saving the world but in this AU, they are also permitted by the powers in charge to have less than favorable business underneath their guise of mere superheroes. Steve and Tony are at the helm, keeping their empire’s wealth in check, both devious and perilous if crossed. Steve takes a liking to the reader at a party and it may be her undoing to her autonomy choosing to go home with him. Words: 3,575 Warnings: Dark AF, angst, emotional/mental abuse, smut, breeding, death
Part Twelve || Part Fourteen || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost
A branch snapped out in the woods and you turned quickly towards the noise. It was dark outside still, the sun just starting to rise. You had been unable to sleep since 3:30am and instead of tossing and turning that could wake Yua up, you had come out onto the upper balcony with a book and a blanket.
The only sound you heard now was your heart pounding in your ears, worried that you were going to see a shadow step out from behind the trees in the shape of Steve’s broad shoulders.
But the woods were quiet, no looming figures. Slowly, you relaxed, the tension leaving your muscles. You could not see anything, so you nestled back down, opening the book again. After a few minutes, the sound was forgotten, and you were immersed in your book.
When you finally came back inside, Yua was up by then. You walked quietly by Natalie’s still sleeping form and made your way down the stairs carefully. Yua was already at the sink making herself some coffee. She eyed you as you walked into the kitchen.
“God, look how big you are,” Yua said groggily, eyeing your stomach.
“Good morning to you too. And yes, I can feel it,” you jested. “26 weeks.”
She laughed, “I mean honestly. Since this all started out… it’s like you swallowed a volleyball. It just hits me sometimes, still catches me off guard.”
“Soon to be a basketball, I’m sure.”
“Or bigger.”
“Probably bigger,” you admitted, grabbing a glass to get yourself some water.
“Well, you’re not that size yet. So, where is my breakfast? Cause you look like you’ve been up for a while. Why isn’t it ready?” Yua joked.
Yawning, you said, “Well, ma’am, I was actually going to go back to bed after I got something to drink. I’ve been up since 3:30. I couldn’t sleep. And now it’s catching all up to me. But if you would like, I could make you eggs.”
She waved you off, “I was just kidding. Go back to sleep. It’s still early enough! Do you want me to put a plate of food in the fridge for you for whenever you do wake up?”
“That would be nice,” you said before taking a large gulp of the water. You placed the half empty water glass back on the counter and said, “I’ll have that later too. Don’t want to drink too much at one time. The babies have declared a competition on who can kick my bladder the hardest.”
<><><>
Back in New York, Clint looked way too proud of himself as he strode into the room, but it caught Steve’s attention because that could mean only one thing. And that thing was going to bode well for him.
He was halfway out of his seat as Clint approached, a wide grin tearing at the sides of his mouth.
“I think I got it,” he said, throwing the few pictures he had printed out upstairs on the desk in front of Steve. Steve sat back down, pulling the photos towards him eagerly. “I saw that one of Natalie’s cousins had some photos up in the woods. I couldn’t get a location on them because I wasn’t friends with him. So, I got Shuri to make up a hack for me to gain access to an account. I chose one of the aunts, disguising it as a money scheme – she fell for it, clicked on the link. I was able to gain access to her account and was able to access more of the photos on his page. He’s got a cabin in New Hampshire.”
Steve was looking at the photos of the family outside their cabin.
“If she isn’t on the trains,” Clint said, excitedly. “Where are we now with the cameras? The west coast? We should have seen her by now if she was on the Amtrak.” He pointed eagerly at the pictures and said, “This might be it. It wouldn’t cost them anything to stay in and it’s probably secluded. It’s not too far but it’s far enough out of state.”
<><><>
Wanda was leaning back on the couch, flipping through a magazine. She had been watching the cameras for most of the early morning, but Tony had arrived around 6:30am, wanting to try different locations so she got up and left, giving him the space he needed.
The phone on the desk rang nearby, drawing her attention instantly, and she sat up, craning her neck to look at it. The phone was the number they had given out on the ads to call if anyone had any information on Y/N’s whereabouts. Tony’s gaze was locked on it too and before he could react, she was there, picking it up.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I’m calling about the missing persons ad.”
Wanda’s breath caught for a moment before she breathed, “Yes?”
“For Y/N Y/L/N.”
“Yes,” Wanda said more impatiently.
“Saw a woman like the photo at one of the cabins up here as I was on a walk real early this morning, right as the sun was coming up. She was sitting on the porch, very pregnant. I didn’t get a great look at her, didn’t want to gawk, you know. Plus, I think I was on their property, so I was probably trespassing, but I was following a doe—”
“Where was it at?” Wanda asked, cutting him off in the politest voice she could muster.
<><><>
“Steve!” Wanda called, taking the stairs by two. Steve called from the community room and she walked briskly, practically breaking into a jog. When she entered the room, she saw Clint, Sam, and him were looking at some photos on the table. Tearing her attention away from that, she said in a rush, “We maybe got something. A man named Will called about it, saying he thinks he saw Y/N.”
“In New Hampshire?”
“Y-Yes?” Wanda said completely confused at how he knew that.
Clint looked beside himself and Steve demanded, “Where at? Did you get a location?”
Wanda told him the address and Steve pulled his phone out, typing it into the maps app. He slammed his hand down on the desk in triumph, standing quickly. He thrust the phone into Clint’s hands. Sam was trying to peer over Clint’s shoulders to get a look too.
“That’s the same damn cabin,” Steve exclaimed, hardly able to contain his excitement. Wanda took notice of the pictures now, leaning over the table to look at them herself.
“Are we going now?” Sam asked just as Steve breezed past him. His eyes swept to Clint and said, “I guess so then.”
“Ha, teamwork,” Clint smiled, squeezing Wanda on the shoulder encouragingly as he walked by, rushing to follow Steve.
<><><>
The team was quick in their assemble upon arrival, Bucky and Natasha having to travel to get there which set Steve on edge because he had been ready immediately in his black suit, anxiousness coursing through him. He was pacing in front of the facility, having a hard time containing the hope blooming. His eyes were set on the tree line, wanting to just get into the car and drive to the address, scoop Y/N up and bring her back home.
He was not going to make the same mistakes he had that had let her slip through his fingers. If he could help it, she would never step foot off that property without him again. He would make sure she learned that lesson as soon as he got her home.
Tony met him at the edge of the entrance patio, not suited up. He was staying behind to monitor from there and he surprised Steve with a small drone, holding it out to him.
“You should not go in there guns blazing before you get sights on her or something to be absolutely sure. Use this. You don’t need to be barging into some random pregnant person’s cabin. Not a good look, not good press. Especially since you’ve got it out there now that you are looking for her. This drone is quiet, but it’s not silent so don’t fly too close or they’ll hear it and it’ll blow your whole covert cover.”
“You mean hovering above the place in a plane isn’t going to do that?”
“You’re not taking a plane, jackass,” Tony retorted, and Steve smirked in response. “Park down the road. You can go in on foot.” Steve thanked him, taking the drone. Tony ran his eyes up and down Steve and asked, “Was it really necessary to get up in the suit?”
“Can’t exactly show up in slacks. Just in case things get squirrelly,” Steve responded.
“’Squirrelly’,” Tony chortled. “Y/N will hardly be able to run.” Steve’s only response to that with a slight smile of acknowledgement. Tony stepped closer and said, “I got something else too. Of course, they say it doesn’t exist because the general public already has an issue with frothing at the mouth with conspiracy theories of the government tracking them. People honestly suffer from grandiosity in this country.” He noticed the impatient look on Steve’s face and apologized, “Sorry. Soap box. How do you feel about a GPS chip?” Steve’s eyes widened in surprise and Tony back tracked quickly. “Right. We can talk about that when she gets back home, safe and sound. I’ve just wanted to try out the new model and she seems like the perfect candidate, perfect circumstance. We’ll chat when you’re back. Don’t forget.”
Tony clapped Steve on the shoulder before walking back towards the door to the elevator.
<><><>
The trip up north was taking longer than Steve wanted it to, his fingers drumming impatiently on his thigh as he watched the trees go by. The thought that Y/N would somehow get tipped off and bolt before he got there was eating away at him. He was watching his phone anxiously, seeing them get closer and closer to where the cabin should be.
When Clint pulled off on the highway at what should be the end of the road that would lead to the cabin, Steve threw the door open and stepped outside. He was ready to let the drone go, flying it towards the direction of where the cabin was in a matter of a few moments, the only pause in the effort being from the drone having to start up. Steve was watching the viewing screen of the drone with intensity as it hovered over the trees, keeping an eye peeled as he followed the gravel road. The rest of the team was waiting around the SUV. Bucky leaned against the side, tapping his foot, trying to expel some of the pent-up adrenaline that everyone was garnering, knowing this needed to be executed without injury or incident.
The cabin was there at the end and Steve leaned forward in anticipation seeing the car.
“That looks like the car model,” Tony said over his earpiece. He was able to access the drone’s camera was well back at the facility. “Zoom in a bit to the license plate.” Steve did as he asked and Tony breathed, “Bingo.”
“Alright,” Steve said far more calmly than he felt. “That’s good enough for me.” He walked back towards the open back door of the SUV, walking up and placing the screen just inside. “The cabin is about half a mile away. Clint, stay here with the car and be ready to come up when we are ready to go. I don’t want Y/N to have to walk back down the driveway. Nat, Sam… you’re with me at the front. Buck, take the back of the cabin. Don’t shoot anyone unless I tell you to.”
“Taking the fun out of things,” Bucky halfheartedly joked.
<><><>
Stretching out on the bed, your toes curled. A sigh of contentment left your lips as your eyes opened, blinking away your sleep. When your vision focused, you saw the clock said it was almost 11:00am. You had managed to fall back asleep around 7:00am and you felt better now that you had gotten some more sleep. You could barely detect Yua and Natalie speaking in low tones, more than likely trying to avoid waking you up.
The serenity was shattered at the loud bang from on the first floor and you heard Yua scream in alarm. You sat up with difficulty just as the door from the balcony burst open. You jolted to the side, holding your stomach protectively.
Your heart rate slowed only for a moment upon recognizing the man who burst in was Bucky. When his cerulean eyes landed on you, gun pointed in your direction, your heart rate blew past normal, your breath quick.
“Bucky?” you got out in a gasp.
He relaxed ever so slightly, his eyes softening at the sight of you. His gun was no longer pointed at you, hanging at his side now. You did not miss the uptick of his lips, satisfaction flooding his face. But he still stayed on alert, ready to raise his weapon again if needed.
You sat up straight slowly, despite the commotion downstairs, keeping eye contact with him. Getting to your feet you tried to drown out the sounds of shouting downstairs, focusing only on him. His eyes flicked to your stomach, causing your hands to clench tighter around it and he made eye contact with you again.
“You can let me leave,” you said to him, your voice shaking.
Bucky’s laugh was humorless. “Y/N. Sweetheart, c’mon.” He was chastising you for even suggesting it with that tone.
“Buck?”
The sound of his voice rolling up the stairs made you freeze to the spot.
“I’ve got your doll in my scope. She looks good, Steve,” Bucky called back down towards the ground floor.
The sound of his foot on the bottom stair made you flinch. His footfalls were heavy, each step putting another nail in the coffin of your freedom. Your eyes flicked towards the open door and Bucky gave you a disappointed look, taking a step back towards it. He shook his head and you tore your eyes away from him, eyes fixated on the stairs.
He came into view quick, his height surpassing the staircase railing long before Yua or Natalie’s would. The same time elation flew through his features upon seeing you, you felt dread course through your veins. He was geared up, like he was going into a fight. Apparently, he did not underestimate the three of you.
Steve was a foot from you now, his gaze piercing and you were too afraid to take your eyes off him. There were a few moments of silence before he said quietly, “I admit, you have some loyal friends down there. They remind me of Buck.” You said nothing and he asked harshly now, “What did you think this was going to accomplish though, really, Y/N?”
You sucked in your bottom lip, unable to form a sentence in your frightened state about what he was there to do besides take you back.
“Answer me.”
Stammering, you said, “I… I just…” You were embarrassed he was shaking you up so bad. You had been in such a haze, hoping beyond reason that the three of you would eventually be able to settle down and it would blow over. The longer you had stayed away, the more the doubt it could work had been overshadowed by that terrible misleading feeling of hope.
Steve’s expression softened seeing you tripping over your words. He stepped closer and you instinctively stepped back. His lips formed into a thin line, stopping his advancement. “Y/N, doll, please. I want what is best for you. All I want is to take care of you. You worried me, doll. You worried me a lot. Do you know what it felt like to not know where you were? If you were safe? If the children were safe? Can you imagine how utterly upset you made me? How betrayed I felt when I realized you were gone? I leave to let you have a party with your friends, to give you space with them.” You almost flinched at the phrasing, like he had taken the words right out of your mouth. If he noticed, he did not show it. He continued on, “I leave a gift behind for you to find, something I built for you and the babies, and how do you repay me? You left. Without a word. Like I didn’t matter. Did you even see the gift?”
“No,” you whispered.
“Of course you didn’t. You didn’t care enough to look. You were only concerned with yourself. Out of everyone in the world, I didn’t think it would be you that would betray me like this. You told me you loved me.”
Heat rose to your cheeks as your eyes glistened with tears. He sounded deeply hurt, wounded. You could see it in his eyes.
“I can forgive you, Y/N. Trusting you is something else entirely. I don’t think that’s an option right now. But… I can forgive you. You just have to come back and be good.”
You averted your gaze, your chest tightening at his order.
Steve closed the space between you, and you did not move away this time. He hooked his fingers underneath your chin, tipping your head up. “It’s me…” Steve told you as his eyes hardened, and he warned gravely, “Or nobody.”
You did not have to imagine all the guns pointed at your friends downstairs. You either left with them both dead and back with Steve. Or left with them both alive and with Steve. Either way, he had you enveloped back to him. The degree of guilt is what you were choosing, that’s what he was giving you.
You were taking too long to answer.
Steve looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Bucky. Bucky started walking towards the staircase where he could look down on the living room.
“Steve, don’t—” you choked out.
“I want to hear you say it.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Good.”
You let out a strangled noise before you got out in between tears, “I won’t ever try to leave you again, I swear. I’ll stay home for you. I’ll take care of the twins. I’ll do what you ask, I’ll listen, like I promised. I’ll be happy.”
“Were you ever?” He asked coldly.
“I w-was,” you said shakily, nodding. Nodding to convince yourself, remind yourself that you had been. “I was, really.”
“And what changed that, hmm?”
“You… you locked me away in the house.”
His lips twitched at the accusation and you feared you had made a misstep, fearing for Yua and Natalie. He did not make a move though except to say, “And why did I do that?”
He wanted you to say what he believed. He wanted you to believe it too. The tears were fat rolling down your cheeks as you whispered, “Because… you wanted to keep me safe.”
“That’s right, doll,” Steve breathed easier, smiling. His fingers caressed your face. “That’s exactly what I was doing. And you pulling this little stunt proved my gut instinct was right, didn’t it? You need protection, especially from yourself. You are impulsive and don’t think about the long-term repercussions of your actions.” His hand came to rest on your abdomen, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me, doll. I want you to just come home and let me take care of you. That’s what’s going to happen. Right?”
“Yes,” a voice that sounded like yours said; it was like you were outside your body. “Yes, I want that.”
“That’s what I thought,” Steve said, leaning forward and giving you a long kiss on your forehead.
“My friends?” you choked out.
Steve pulled away from you and smirked at you. “Hmm, maybe you can be concerned with more than yourself. Maybe I was too harsh there for a moment… what about your friends?”
“Please don’t hurt them. Please let them leave and go back home unharmed.”
He exhaled heavily and asked seriously, “And why should I do that?”
“Bucky would help you if you asked.” Bucky turned his head towards the pair of you and you tried to pretend like you did not notice his gaze. “It’s not their fault. I asked for help. It’s my fault. They shouldn’t be punished for my mistake. Please don’t make them pay for my behavior.”
Steve looked contemplative and you waited with bated breath, hoping he would react positively to your display of holding yourself liable. He wanted you to beg and you were giving it to him.
Over his shoulder, he finally ordered, “Let the ladies grab their things and get out of here. They’re safe… as long as Y/N continues to behave.” You opened your mouth to protest but he cut you off by pressing a button on his earpiece. “Barton, we’re ready. Come on up.”
He grasped your arm and you tried to yank your arm away from him. He was far too strong and jolted you to him. “Don’t go messing this up now, Y/N. You were doing so well. Don’t make this harder for me than it has to be to get you in the damn car. You got what you wanted with your friends; you just need to uphold your side of the bargain.”
~~~
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Text
The Art of Inversion
Neil x Reader 
Chapter 5 - A Question of Trust 
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 
Summary: First day in New York brings new challenges and fears. But one thing is certain, your relationship with Neil is changing.
Warnings: Minor cursing.
Author’s Notes: So this is sort of an unplanned early update because I loved what I wrote and had to share it with you. Hope you enjoy this quieter chapter before things kick off very soon...
Also this has been severely inspired by ‘A Question of Lust’ by Depeche Mode so I’ll post the link in another post!
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Despite being severely jet-lagged, the next two days, you did not get much rest. You and Neil were thoroughly briefed by the TP on Saturday, and the plan seemed simple: arrive in New York; check into the hotel; research the target (a weapons dealer named Steiner); set up a meeting with Mr. Steiner; rehearse the cover; get intel; leave New York unscathed but with valuable information.
You have received a Glock (just in case), a burner phone with emergency contacts, and a dossier filled with the information about your cover. As far as you have managed to learn so far, you and Neil were supposed to pose as ‘partners in crime’ hoping to get your hands on the mysterious nuclear material. It did seem easy. But that did not help the stress you felt the closer you got to the departure.
Monday morning, you stepped onto the Amtrak train to New York Penn Station and followed Neil to the First-Class compartment. You had two seats with a large table and a window in a relatively quiet carriage. This time, sadly, you have not taken your notes with you and have been desperately looking for a distraction. Neither of you has mentioned the moment on the terrace, and you felt like it was a cause of mild tension. But instead of addressing it in any way, you decided to stare out of the window. After going through the same onboard magazine for the third time, you heard Neil clear his voice deliberately. You looked at him with a raised eyebrow:
“I’m bored” he shrugged and grinned at your eye roll “Want to talk?”
You searched his face for any signs of wicked intents. But he seemed genuinely interested.
“As long as you won’t make me drink again and embarrass myself” you turned towards him with a pointed look.
“I promise” he smiled and leaned onto the table separating your seats 
“However I must correct you and say that you haven’t embarrassed yourself on the plane” when you glared at him with disbelief, he added “At all”
“If you say so”
His piercing blue eyes were fixed on you with fondness that made you want to turn away. But you held his gaze until he grinned and asked:
“Excited to go on your first mission?”
“If by excited you mean scared then yeah” he laughed, and you beamed back “Though I suppose if my first outing is with you I should consider myself lucky”
“Oh you’re certainly lucky in that regard” he winked, grinning smugly “I’ll keep you entertained”
The smirk and look in his eyes were far from innocent and you felt your face heat up at the sight. But you did not want to let him win easily.
“I’ve no doubts about that” you stared back defiantly.
Your staring contest finished when he smiled and reached out for your hands that were folded on the table. He squeezed them.
“We’ll manage just fine together, I’m sure. It’s a simple mission” he reassured you softly.
“Can’t say I’m convinced” you looked back sceptically and frowned “I’m a bit surprised you’re willing to go into the field with a rookie”
“TP said it has to be us” he shrugged and leaned back into his seat.
Your hands felt cold without his touch.
“You do trust him enough to do anything he says?” you asked with curiosity.
All that you have learned during the meeting with the Protagonist was still fresh on your mind. You struggled to understand how on earth you could be important to the story. But it was made quite clear that you would have to wait for any answers.
“Yes” Neil’s tone was quite serious “I’ve learnt from past mistakes that he really does know how things will go”
You haven’t missed the distant look of sadness in his eyes. You made a mental note to one day learn the story. He must have noticed your scrutiny as he schooled his features and added:
“And it’s better to listen to him. No matter how difficult it might be” he looked at you with a faint smile.
You did wonder if he thought about the moment on the terrace in that instant. But before you could dare ask, he closed the subject with a definite statement:
“I know for a fact that you’ll be much better than a random rookie” he grinned, and despite feeling conflicted, you smiled back.
Then he quickly changed the topic to New York itself, and you rather enjoyed talking to him about your travels and experiences with other cities. While you were still stressed, when you arrived at Penn Station, you were much less tense. The conversation has distracted you enough to forget about the worries. You wondered if that was why Neil wanted to talk in the first place.
*** You took a taxi to the hotel, which was situated far off from the main city centre. It was a comfortable and stylish four-star establishment with a booking system that did not mind fake identities. Your rooms were on the sixth floor and were joined by a set of locked doors, as you were informed by the receptionist (with a wink). You were not sure what to do with this information but, as usual, Neil’s charm saved you.
“Thank you, miss” he smiled at the clerk and snatched your keys from the counter “It’s good to know” he smirked and walked away.
You followed him to the lift, where you could finally ask:
“What was that about?”
“I suppose she thought that we’re not here for…” he took a moment to think about the right word “Strictly business reasons” he enunciated every syllable “But rather for fun while keeping up the appearances”
Your eyes widened at the implication.
“Right” you didn’t dare think why she got that impression.
Neil chuckled as he led you to the rooms, pausing to hand you the key. Only once you saw him open the door to his room you sobered up:
“Wait, what do we do now?”
“Come to my room once you’re ready. I won’t lock the door” he winked and disappeared into his room.
You stared at the closing door before shaking your head and entering your own room.
He can be impossible sometimes, you thought with fondness and disbelief.
The room was quite big, with a queen-sized bed, a sofa with a coffee table, and a large bathroom. The view came out onto the maze of skyscrapers that you associated with New York. The barely visible sky was grey and threatening with rain. You decided to quickly shower, change into more comfortable clothes, and fix your make-up. All that took twenty minutes and you were quite proud of yourself. You opened the door leading to Neil’s room and hesitated at the second set. Trying the handle you found it unlocked and tentatively came in.
“Finally” he gave out a theatrical sigh from his place on the sofa.
He changed into yet another shirt and dress trousers. You did sometimes wonder how many sets of those he had.
The next thing you noticed was that while you were getting ready Neil has ordered quite a big selection of food from the room service. It has taken the whole space on the coffee table, along with water and teapot.
“Wow” you grinned at the sight, feeling your stomach rumble.
“Thought we might need it” he shrugged and motioned for you to join him on the sofa.
“I know I did” you quickly dove for the toasties before he could snatch them.
He laughed at your enthusiasm for food, but you could not care less at the moment. You felt his fond gaze for a little longer before he too started the feast. After you ate, Neil cleared the table and spread out the dossier along with any files you received.
“So…” you both looked down at the mess of papers and photos “Today we need to get to that bar” you squinted at the name “Benny’s and set up a meeting with Steiner?” you looked up at Neil for clarification.
“Yeah, that’s it” he nodded and picked up one of the documents “We’re a pair of weapon dealers who want to know a bit more about that mysterious piece of plutonium” he explained.
“That’s a manageable cover” you mused while trying to memorise your new identity.
“Well, I was hoping they’d make us fake married or something” Neil retorted innocently, and you glared at him sharply.
“What? Wouldn’t you want to be married to me?” the wounded look on his face made you laugh.
“Sounds horrible” you swatted his arm playfully and reached for another document.
But before you got that far, he grabbed your hand and squeezed it. You met his soft gaze and smiled back, admiring the sparks in his blue eyes. After a beat, he let go of your hand.
“I think we’d be a perfect match” he sent you one last smug smile and got up “We should get going if we want to catch Raul and establish contact” he added.
A perfect match? You observed as Neil put on the tie and suit jacket and considered his words with curiosity. You did like him, there was no denying that. And you felt like he enjoyed your company too. But before you could dwell on it too long, you felt his intense gaze. Caught in the act of staring, you felt yourself blush. But he only grinned and offered you a hand to get up from the sofa.
“C’mon, we need to get going” he ushered you towards your room.
Right, first mission. You took a deep breath and started to get ready. The time has come.
*** The first part of the plan went without any major fuck-ups. You and Neil met Raul at the bar, and he gave you all the information you could need about Steiner. It was clear that you both had to learn your roles perfectly as he tended to be suspicious. After that Neil went away to set up the meeting with the weapons dealer for tomorrow’s evening. All you could do was entertain Raul with random stories from your training which proved rather easy.
Once Neil came back, you both decided to go back to the hotel to get much-needed rest and prepare. The fact that so far everything seemed to go along the plan, made you feel a tiny bit more confident. But nerves were still there, and you could barely contain them when you made it back to the hotel. You lied to Neil that you were tired and shut the door before you could even look at him again.
But after showering, changing into sleeping clothes, and having a cup of herbal tea, nothing got better. You tried lying down in the darkened room only to quickly get up with a pain in your chest and shallow breath. After sitting in the dark and trying to calm down your racing thoughts for close to an hour, you gave up. You put on a cardigan and looked at the door leading to Neil’s room. It was past 1 AM but you had the feeling he was not sleeping. You knew there was no way you were able to rest now. Oh, why the hell…
You tried the handle of the connecting doors and found it unlocked. Of course. 
Neil’s room was covered in darkness, save for a bedside table lamp casting a warm glow. You were struck by how neat everything looked, with his suitcase in one corner and clothes folded on the chair. Only the bed was in disarray with papers thrown on it and Neil himself sat in the middle. He glanced up as you came in, surprised:
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I tried but…” you shrugged helplessly “Just couldn’t get my brain to shut up”
The worry in his gaze made you freeze. He was sat on the bed with ruffled hair and a wrinkled shirt. He was probably very tired. And you were weak and overreacting again. Suddenly you realised what a mistake it was to come here:
“Sorry, I shouldn’t… I’ll go now” you blurted and started to turn away.
You heard the rush of papers falling onto the floor and then Neil’s voice.
“No, stay” he sounded concerned.
Slowly you turned around to face him again, trying to put on a brave face. It was pointless though because he saw right through you. He got up from the bed, scattering all the documents onto the floor. Seeing you hesitate, he crossed the distance and took your hand in his, guiding you towards the bed. That only increased your panic.
“What are you doing?” you tried not to step on all the papers “Don’t we need those?”
He looked down at the pile with a surprised look, almost as though he forgot about them. Then he quickly made up his mind and looked up at you with determination.
“We do. But more so I need you to calm down so get in” he gestured towards the bed.
Your mind was blank. There was so much that could go wrong. But he noticed your uncertainty and unceremoniously pushed you onto the bed. You stared in shock before recovering enough to retort:
“You know I’m pretty sure there are better ways to make a lady sleep with you” You heard him laugh as he collected the pages.
“Certainly” finally he got up and dumped the pile onto the coffee table “But it worked” he shrugged.
Neil watched as you clumsily shifted to sit up with your back against the headboard and then joined you. After a few minutes of awkward silence, you asked:
“Sure you don’t want me to leave so you can go back to work?”
You felt extremely self-conscious in your sleeping clothes, with uncombed hair and tear-streaked cheeks. Neil’s intense gaze did not help it either but before you could even think about getting up, he replied:
“Perfectly sure” he smiled at you softly “Now tell me what’s wrong”
You sighed and let yourself relax slightly, leaning on the pillows. Staring straight ahead at the wall, you explained:
“I felt very anxious and hoped that maybe the shower and tea will help. Nothing changed so I tried to go to sleep but… my chest started aching and I couldn’t breathe” you finished while feeling the tears well up at the recollection.
You felt the bed shift as Neil moved closer and took one of your hands. You watched with curiosity as he traced the lines of your veins to the pulse point on the wrist and held his pointer finger there, checking your heart rate. You felt a nervous flutter at the gentle way he cradled your hand. You were pretty positive he will detect a pulse of 100bmp. After thirty seconds of intense focus, Neil released his hold on your hand and smiled:
“Apart from a very fast heart rate, you’ll be fine” he winked, and you looked down flustered.
But you were not allowed to get lost in shame for too long as he scooted even closer, leaving no space between you, and gingerly placed his arm around your shoulders.
“Is this okay?” he asked, looking at you with genuine concern.
Your breath hitched at the closeness of him, but you quickly suppressed the feeling and nodded. After a few more tense breaths, you relaxed into the embrace, feeling him trace circles on your shoulder.
“What made you so scared?” his voice broke the comfortable silence.
“Think it’s just the idea of the first mission” you admitted “And ever since you and TP told me about the plan and the algorithm, I felt this tension rise and I guess it just hit the fan” sighing helplessly, you let your head rest on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, I probably would have been more concerned if you took all this without questions”
“I guess I reacted that way because I never expected to be important… Definitely not in something of that scale” once you started talking the honesty did not seem to stop “I’ve spent so much time looking for my place in the world and now when I think I’ve found it, I’m not sure I’m good enough” 
After your admission, you felt Neil’s embrace tighten. You propped your head on his shoulder, so it was resting in the crook of his neck again, enjoying the warmth and safety.
“You are more than good enough” when he finally spoke you were almost surprised “And I’m not only saying that because I believe in what TP says”
You looked up at Neil and met his earnest gaze.
“Since the day we met and I showed you how inversion works, I knew that you will be amazing at it” he smiled at you softly.
“Even though I nearly passed out in the training zone?”
“Yeah” he grinned at the memory fondly “I just had the feeling that you’re supposed to work with us, with me”
You would swear that his eyes briefly glanced at your lips. But as quickly as the thought entered your mind, he reached out to brush away a stray hair from your forehead and you lost the ability to think entirely. He tucked the strand with care and brushed your jawline with his thumb.
“TP was right, you know” he was looking at you with a tenderness that made your heart ache.
“About?”
“Me taking care of you” he smiled and admired your dazed expression. You could only stare, too overwhelmed with feelings to say anything. And you probably would have kept on staring if it was not for the extreme tiredness that begun to catch up. Before you could say anything, a wide yawn made you cover your face with your hands. The spell was broken.
“Think you’re tiny bit tired” Neil grinned at your sheepish expression.
“No shit” you mumbled and moved to get up, but he kept his grip steady.
“You can stay here” he answered your surprised glance.
You quickly considered the options, admitting that it was tempting. You felt safe with Neil and his presence definitely made you calmer. But it did feel like crossing some lines.
He was still looking at you with that hopeful eyes and that sealed the deal.
“Thanks… for everything” you smiled at him, hoping to convey even a quarter of what you felt through it.
“Always” he grinned back.
You both quietly shifted so that you were lying down with a small gap between you, both staring at the ceiling. After a few quiet moments, he turned off the bedside lamp and turned to face you.
“Good night” you heard him whisper and turned to look at him too.
“Sweet dreams, Neil” you replied while trying to make out his features in the darkness of the room.
“Oh I know they will be sweet” you could picture the sly grin.
And with that, he turned onto the other side. No longer than five minutes later you heard his breath level off and make way for quiet snores. You could not help but smile at the adorable sound. Maybe this night wasn’t so bad in the end.
*** You have not slept so soundly in days. When you woke up, the first thought that came to your mind was that you were being cuddled. An arm was thrown over your waist and you felt warm breath near your ear. Then as the morning fog slowly ascended, you remembered it all clearly. Neil. As though he was reading your mind, a second later you felt him stir and mumble:
“Morning sunshine” he sounded cheery.
Before you could react you felt him brush his lips over your temple. You froze, feeling the flutters in your stomach return with tripled force. Taking a deep breath to calm down you slowly squeezed the hand that was draped over your waist and sat up.
“Hi” you glanced at him only to be astounded by how unkempt and yet adorable he looked.
His hair was completely ruffled, with strands sticking out in every direction. And the shirt and trousers were crumpled to the point of needing starch treatment to ever be wearable again. And yet he still looked good. Especially with that boyish smile and sparkling eyes. One could suppose that you were not immune to him. At all.
“Do you always sleep in that?” you gestured towards his outfit, trying to divert your thoughts.
“No, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you last night” it was that shit-eating grin again “Did you sleep well?” he sat up now too but kept his distance.
“Very well” you admitted with a blush “But it’s late and we should probably prepare” you used the most sensible excuse to get up.
Before you could do that, Neil reached out and took your hand in his, intertwining your fingers.
“Just don’t you dare feel sorry for this” you knew he was serious from the look in his eyes.
“I’ll try” you smiled slightly and used this chance to leave his room in haste.
While you did indeed try not to feel embarrassed about what happened, it was difficult. You were not used to people seeing you as vulnerable as you were last night. But at the same time, he did not seem to mind and that took you by surprise. His kindness and thoughtfulness were certainly not helping in trying to be more objective about him.
You managed to get changed and prepare yourself for the day relatively fast, considering what a mess your thoughts were. Once you were done you grabbed the needed documents from the coffee table and made beeline for Neil’s room without thinking too much. As usual, the door was unlocked.
The moment you stepped into his room you knew you have fucked up. He was there, just in front of where you entered, in a new pair of trousers and no shirt. Your eyes widened when you registered that last detail.
“Shit, sorry! I shouldn’t just come in…”
“No worries, darling” Neil drawled out the nickname expressively.
He looked at you with a grin, clearly enjoying it more than you were. It seemed as though he slowed down the process of putting on a new shirt just to tease you. It worked. You stared at his rather fit body and felt your cheeks grow warmer. He caught your wandering gaze with a wink and held it with an expression that was far from innocent. The knowing smirk told you that he was aware of what he was doing. But still, you held your ground, letting yourself openly look at his toned arms and chest. If he didn’t mind then there was no harm in looking, right?
Finally, he finished the process of buttoning up the shirt, while still keeping his gaze fixed on you. He assessed your expression with one last look and grinned:
“Let’s get to work, sunshine”
You wanted to punch him in that perfect jaw.
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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Hold Me Tighter (Even Closer), Chapter 9 (Branjie, Jankie) - Joley
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Chapter Summary: We pick back up a few months after Jackie and Jan make their relationship official and Brooke Lynn and Vanessa set their sights on their future daughter. Everything finally falls into place.
Three Months Later
It was nearing the middle of January, in the midst of winter break. Katya, Jan, and Jackie were in Brooke Lynn and Vanessa’s apartment, busily decorating and making sure every little thing was in place according to the couple’s specific instructions. This was the day they had been anticipating for quite some time, after all.
The three of them were setting up for a welcome home party, as while they were doing so, Brooke and Vanessa were on their way home with their daughter. The papers were signed, the documents were made official, they were finally going to officially welcome Ana Sofia into their family.
Although it did feel like they already had her – the moms-to-be had talked about her at length, read them every detail of her biography until they could recite it from memory. She was three years old, half-White and half-Puerto Rican – when the two of them read that on her file, they thought it had to be fate. The story of the girl’s parents wasn’t uncommon, but it was a situation they could feel sympathy towards – a nineteen-year-old girl had been in a relationship with a man nearly twice her age, who left once he found out about her pregnancy, only for the young mother to find out the father was leaving the country. With his wife.
Brooke Lynn and Vanessa had been contacted by the woman while they were in the midst of the adoption process. She was kind and soft-spoken and it was clear she had only wanted the best for her biological child. They had agreed to visit the idea of allowing a relationship between her and Ana Sofia when she was old enough.
“God, she looked so young,” Brooke Lynn had said once they had left the meeting. “Like, shit, she was Jan’s age when she had her… that’s how old you were when we met.”
“Can you imagine if I was pregnant when we met?” Vanessa asked, shaking her head.
“With the number of men you’ve threatened to castrate? No, not really.”
But even though they had gone through all of the preparation, had meticulously completed every step, the day of their new daughter’s arrival felt unreal. After the bedroom had been painted and carpeted, after all sorts of toys and stuffed animals had been purchased, after every inch of the apartment was childproofed, wrapping their heads around finally bringing their little girl home felt hard to do.
It wasn’t the first time they had met her, of course. They’d been having supervised visits for nearly two months. They had bonded with Ana Sofia, they loved her. She’d met the people in their lives – Jan, Jackie, Katya, she even got to meet Brooke’s mother when she visited for Christmas and Vanessa’s when they went there for New Year’s Eve.
“You ready to go inside?” Brooke gently asked the little girl, though she was the most nervous out of the three of them.
Ana Sofia looked up with her big, brown eyes and nodded, one hand holding Brooke’s and the other carrying the bright pink teddy bear they had bought for her. “Yeah!”
Vanessa opened the door to a cheerful greeting of ‘welcome home!’ and looked at the way her new daughter’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. She carried Ana Sofia’s suitcases into her bedroom, letting the young girl run around and greet everyone. “Go on and make yourself comfy, Sofie,” she encouraged.
It didn’t take long for Sofie to get acclimated to the apartment she had already started to get used to, winding up on the couch with their cat on her lap.
“How are you guys feeling?” Katya asked the new mothers. She was calm in a way that would otherwise be unnerving, but without the normal ulterior motives, it was a welcome change.
“I haven’t been this excited since our wedding day,” Brooke replied with a broad grin, her arm looping around Vanessa’s waist. “It feels like this is what everything was leading up to. Like we’re finally whole.”
Vanessa nodded in agreement. “You shoulda seen her when we picked her up and told her she was coming home for good. You’d think we live in Disneyland or something,” she chuckled.
Katya grinned. “I can’t begin to tell you two how proud I am. You’ve come such a long way from two kids struggling to confront how they felt about each other, I don’t think I’d have ever predicted this.”
“We wouldn’t have been able to without your flagrant disregard for our personal boundaries, so thank you for that,” Brooke teased. “Though I guess we did learn from the best as far as that goes,” she added, cocking her head towards Jan and Jackie.
“They were worse than us, you gotta admit,” Vanessa chimed in.
“Yes,” she conceded, “which isn’t an easy task with what a nightmare you guys were. But I think they’re in it for the long haul too.”
Jan and Jackie were sitting with Ana Sofia on the couch, talking animatedly about all of the fun things they would be able to do, how much they were looking forward to babysitting her.
“We have to take her to a show at some point,” Jan mused, “maybe f-r-o-z-e-n,” she spelled it out, knowing better than to say it in front of a child and set her off in excitement.
Jackie chuckled softly in amusement. “Yeah, maybe for her birthday,” she mused, then looked down, clearing her throat. “Baby… can I talk to you privately for a moment?”
Jan’s brows knitted in concern, but she nodded and got up, following her girlfriend into the guest room. “What’s up?”
“I was gonna wait until later, but I can’t wait any longer,” she replied, rocking back and forth on her feet. She was always so careful with her words, especially with Jan. But she’d also learned from Jan that sometimes it was best to be direct. “I want you to move in with me.”
There was a beat of silence, a surprised Jan needed a moment to process what’s been said. But then a broad grin spread across her lips and she nodded brightly. “Okay,” she threw her arms around Jackie, “I’d love to.”
Jackie’s entire body relaxed as a wave of relief washed over her. “Great. Amazing. Perfect. We can go back to your parents’ place to pack up your things whenever you’re ready. I mean, I don’t wanna rush you or anything, but I think it’d make sense before the semester–”
Jan cut her off by kissing her deeply. “Baby, I love you, but you talk way too fucking much when you’re overthinking,” she chuckled. “My parents will be thrilled to not have to pay for room and board, they’ll happily cover my share of the rent. We can go tomorrow or over the weekend, whatever,” she assured and kissed her again. “Just relax, we’re doing this. Everything is fine.”
“You’re right,” she exhaled, hugging her tightly. “I love you so much.”
Their tender moment was interrupted by a loud banging on the door. “Y’all better not be behaving inappropriately during my baby’s party!” Vanessa yelled.
Jan giggled and opened the door. “We’re not,” she promised, even though Jackie was blushing. “Actually… Jackie just asked me to move in with her.”
Vanessa’s scowl was instantly replaced by a bright grin. “For real? Congrats!” She turned to yell into the main room, “Brooke Lynn! Jan and Jackie are moving in together!” She then dragged the couple back out, holding each of them by the wrist, not that either of them were putting up any resistance. They both knew better than that.
Brooke looked up, chuckling warmly at the enthusiasm her wife had for the couple. “You guys are moving in together? Congrats. We’d offer to help but, you know, very busy with the new child.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll coerce Gigi and Crystal to help us. They can be bribed with weed and snacks,” Jan replied with a shrug and a light laugh.
“Oh, are we finally getting proof that Crystal exists?” Brooke asked with a light laugh. It had become something of an ongoing joke – Gigi talked about her all the time, often relentlessly, but none of them, other than Jan, had ever met Crystal. And even though Jan had, she liked to play along for the sole purpose of annoying her friend.
Jan laughed and nodded. “I promise we’ll FaceTime you when we have her here in the flesh.”
——
Jackie caught her breath as she came back upstairs after taking a pile of boxes to load up in the back of Jan’s father’s van. “I still can’t get over how nice your parents’ house is,” she remarked as the two of them sat on the floor of Jan’s bedroom, folding her clothes to pack into boxes. “I know you said your family was well off, but damn.”
Jan shrugged and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s not something I try to make a big deal about,” she explained, then looked up when the door opened and let out a soft laugh. “There you are. We were starting to worry you two got lost.”
“In our defense,” Gigi said as she and Crystal walked in, “we’ve never made this commute before. And we warned you neither of us have any sense of direction.”
“The Amtrak and I are enemies now. But at least we got Krispy Kreme while we waited,” Crystal added cheerily.
Jackie chuckled lightly. “And you didn’t bring any? Rude,” she clicked her tongue then looked to Jan. “Don’t forget, we promised Brooke and Vanjie we’d call to let Gigi prove Crystal isn’t a figment of her imagination.”
“Can you really prove I’m not?”
Jan and Jackie giggled while Gigi rolled her eyes and waited for Jan to get her phone out, calling up Brooke Lynn on FaceTime.
“Hey hun,” Brooke greeted. She was sitting with Vanessa and Ana Sofia, the sound of cartoons playing in the background. “How’s the big move going?”
Jan pushed herself to her feet. “Can’t complain, we’re not making ourselves crazy considering it’s not too bad of a commute. For us, anyway,” she pointedly looked at Crystal and Gigi at the last part.
“Show us the imaginary girlfriend!” Vanessa interrupted, leaning further into frame. “Katya thinks it’s gonna be Jackie with a wig on.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Gigi muttered under her breath, taking the phone from Jan and holding it up so she and Crystal were in the frame. “Vanjie, Brooke, tiny child, this is my girlfriend, Crystal. Who does exist.”
Crystal laughed softly. “Wow, this really bothered you,” she observed. “Why didn’t you just FaceTime me sooner?”
“Because we woulda called you a hologram,” Vanessa retorted before Gigi could answer, eliciting laughter from Brooke as well as Jan and Jackie.
Gigi pouted and crossed her arms. “I hate all of you,” she muttered, then added, “except for the kid, she’s cool.” And with that, she hung up and handed the phone back to Jan.
Jan chuckled and put her phone away. “You’re so cranky,” she cooed, getting up and grabbing her purse. “Here, let me smoke you out now. It’s the least I could do,” she offered, placing a joint between Gigi’s pouting lips and lighting it, watching her friend relax and smoke in spite of herself.
Jackie watched in mild amusement before glancing down as her phone went off. “Aw, Jaida just got back from Milwaukee and Nicky was waiting for her at the airport,” she read off her phone, then held it up to show the selfie Jaida had taken of the two of them.
“Wonder whatever happened to Nicky’s ‘no dating until graduation’ rule,” Jan mused with a laugh as she went back to folding shirts and packing them away. “Or are they still ‘not putting a label on it’?”
“The latter,” she confirmed. “But I know Jaida, she’s not gonna put up with that forever. She called me out on my bullshit plenty and she’s not the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type.”
“I just love that Nicky’s role in your life is essentially the girl that fucks the women closest to you. It feels like a metaphor or something. Frankly, I think you need to have sex with her just to bring it all full circle,” Gigi mused, to which Jackie responded by throwing a pair of jeans at her.
“Fuck off,” Jackie laughed. “I’d much rather her fuck my best friend than my girlfriend any day.”
Jan offered her a reassuring smile and nod. “There’s no plans on that happening again, don’t you worry… unless you want a threesome,” she joked.
“Hey Jan,” Crystal interrupted, “when do you hear back from that thing you auditioned for? What was it again?”
The calm smile on Jan’s lips shifted into a nervous one. She stopped folding, instead fiddling with the fabric in her hands. “It’s an official shadow cast production for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a solid five week stint. The website is posting callbacks on Thursday morning, then they post who made the final cut I think… four days after that.”
Jackie scoffed playfully. “Right, ‘if’. Baby, you know you have that on lock, just like you got Veronica without breaking a sweat.”
“I broke many sweats, but I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
——
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jan did receive a callback and, four days later, was incessantly refreshing the company’s website waiting for the cast list to be posted. The list was set to go up at nine in the morning, but she had been checking since a quarter to, just in case. “God, what’s taking so fucking long?”
Jackie watched, trying her hardest not to laugh. “Honey, it’s five after. Take a breath before you pop a blood vess–”
“It’s up!”
She rushed to her girlfriend’s side, hand gripping onto the back of the desk chair tight enough to turn her knuckles white. “Well?”
“I got Janet!”
The two of them jumped up in tandem, hugging and squealing in pure elation. “Oh my god!” Jan beamed, “this is so exciting!”
Jackie pressed kisses over Jan’s face, culminating with a tender kiss to the lips. “I knew you would get it. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank god I’m living with you now,” she mused out loud, “juggling this with classes, as excited as I am, I just know I’d let myself get way too overwhelmed and no one keeps me grounded like you do.” They had learned about this in the last few weeks before Heathers. Jan had been on the brink of a nervous breakdown and only Jackie had been able to talk her down.
“I’m happy to be that anchor for you,” Jackie smiled. “And if this ends up being like Heathers and you need help rehearsing the ‘sexy’ song…”
Jan giggled, hiding her face against the crook of Jackie’s neck. “Yeah? You’re gonna be my Rocky while I work on ‘Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me’? It’s a very different sexual energy than ‘Dead Girl Walking’.”
She tilted her head. “I don’t think they’re that different, but the end goal of using it as foreplay remains the same.”
“I can’t argue with that,” she conceded, sitting down on the bed. “Did you ever think this would be where we would end up after that night? When we thought we’d broken down a big wall by giving in to our unavoidable lust?”
“Not for a second,” Jackie admitted with a laugh, sitting beside her. “I hoped it was the start of something, but falling in love with you was never in the cards.”
Jan smiled and rested her head on Jackie’s shoulder. “Me neither. But I wouldn’t change a thing. The rollercoaster we were on brought us right to where we needed to be.”
“It did,” Jackie took Jan’s hand in her own and squeezed it. “It really did.” She looked up and out the window. “Do you think history will repeat itself again? That a few years down the line we’ll find our own pair of useless lesbians to play dysfunctional cupid with?”
She chuckled softly and shrugged. “I dunno. I remember Vanjie told me how once you’re in love, it’s easier to see it happen to other people. I guess anything is possible.”
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missjanjie · 3 years
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Hold Me Tighter (Even Closer) | (9/9)
Title: Hold Me Tighter (Even Closer) Summary: A sequel to Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dancer. Brooke Lynn and Vanessa are back at NYU, but with new and improved positions. Brooke’s ready to start her career as a professor when, as fate would have it, she realizes her TA, Jackie, might have the hots for a student named Jan. The couple just might see it as a sign to give two new girls the love story they found in the same place. Word Count: ~2.7k (this chapter) / 26,700 (total) Relationship(s): Branjie (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo), Jankie (Jan Sport/Jackie Cox) Rating: E
read on ao3 | ko-fi
Chapter Summary: We pick back up a few months after Jackie and Jan make their relationship official and Brooke Lynn and Vanessa set their sights on their future daughter. Everything finally falls into place.
-
Three Months Later
It was nearing the middle of January, in the midst of winter break. Katya, Jan, and Jackie were in Brooke Lynn and Vanessa’s apartment, busily decorating and making sure every little thing was in place according to the couple’s specific instructions. This was the day they had been anticipating for quite some time, after all.
The three of them were setting up for a welcome home party, as while they were doing so, Brooke and Vanessa were on their way home with their daughter. The papers were signed, the documents were made official, they were finally going to officially welcome Ana Sofia into their family.
Although it did feel like they already had her – the moms-to-be had talked about her at length, read them every detail of her biography until they could recite it from memory. She was three years old, half-White and half-Puerto Rican – when the two of them read that on her file, they thought it had to be fate. The story of the girl’s parents wasn’t uncommon, but it was a situation they could feel sympathy towards – a nineteen-year-old girl had been in a relationship with a man nearly twice her age, who left once he found out about her pregnancy, only for the young mother to find out the father was leaving the country. With his wife.
Brooke Lynn and Vanessa had been contacted by the woman while they were in the midst of the adoption process. She was kind and soft-spoken and it was clear she had only wanted the best for her biological child. They had agreed to visit the idea of allowing a relationship between her and Ana Sofia when she was old enough.
“God, she looked so young,” Brooke Lynn had said once they had left the meeting. “Like, shit, she was Jan’s age when she had her… that’s how old you were when we met.”
“Can you imagine if I was pregnant when we met?” Vanessa asked, shaking her head.
“With the number of men you’ve threatened to castrate? No, not really.”
But even though they had gone through all of the preparation, had meticulously completed every step, the day of their new daughter’s arrival felt unreal. After the bedroom had been painted and carpeted, after all sorts of toys and stuffed animals had been purchased, after every inch of the apartment was childproofed, wrapping their heads around finally bringing their little girl home felt hard to do.
It wasn’t the first time they had met her, of course. They’d been having supervised visits for nearly two months. They had bonded with Ana Sofia, they loved her. She’d met the people in their lives – Jan, Jackie, Katya, she even got to meet Brooke’s mother when she visited for Christmas and Vanessa’s when they went there for New Year’s Eve.
“You ready to go inside?” Brooke gently asked the little girl, though she was the most nervous out of the three of them.
Ana Sofia looked up with her big, brown eyes and nodded, one hand holding Brooke’s and the other carrying the bright pink teddy bear they had bought for her. “Yeah!”
Vanessa opened the door to a cheerful greeting of ‘welcome home!’ and looked at the way her new daughter’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. She carried Ana Sofia’s suitcases into her bedroom, letting the young girl run around and greet everyone. “Go on and make yourself comfy, Sofie,” she encouraged.
It didn’t take long for Sofie to get acclimated to the apartment she had already started to get used to, winding up on the couch with their cat on her lap.
“How are you guys feeling?” Katya asked the new mothers. She was calm in a way that would otherwise be unnerving, but without the normal ulterior motives, it was a welcome change.
“I haven’t been this excited since our wedding day,” Brooke replied with a broad grin, her arm looping around Vanessa’s waist. “It feels like this is what everything was leading up to. Like we’re finally whole.”
Vanessa nodded in agreement. “You shoulda seen her when we picked her up and told her she was coming home for good. You’d think we live in Disneyland or something,” she chuckled.
Katya grinned. “I can’t begin to tell you two how proud I am. You’ve come such a long way from two kids struggling to confront how they felt about each other, I don’t think I’d have ever predicted this.”
“We wouldn’t have been able to without your flagrant disregard for our personal boundaries, so thank you for that,” Brooke teased. “Though I guess we did learn from the best as far as that goes,” she added, cocking her head towards Jan and Jackie.
“They were worse than us, you gotta admit,” Vanessa chimed in.
“Yes,” she conceded, “which isn’t an easy task with what a nightmare you guys were. But I think they’re in it for the long haul too.”
Jan and Jackie were sitting with Ana Sofia on the couch, talking animatedly about all of the fun things they would be able to do, how much they were looking forward to babysitting her.
“We have to take her to a show at some point,” Jan mused, “maybe f-r-o-z-e-n,” she spelled it out, knowing better than to say it in front of a child and set her off in excitement.
Jackie chuckled softly in amusement. “Yeah, maybe for her birthday,” she mused, then looked down, clearing her throat. “Baby… can I talk to you privately for a moment?”
Jan’s brows knitted in concern, but she nodded and got up, following her girlfriend into the guest room. “What’s up?”
“I was gonna wait until later, but I can’t wait any longer,” she replied, rocking back and forth on her feet. She was always so careful with her words, especially with Jan. But she’d also learned from Jan that sometimes it was best to be direct. “I want you to move in with me.”
There was a beat of silence, a surprised Jan needed a moment to process what's been said. But then a broad grin spread across her lips and she nodded brightly. “Okay,” she threw her arms around Jackie, “I’d love to.”
Jackie’s entire body relaxed as a wave of relief washed over her. “Great. Amazing. Perfect. We can go back to your parents’ place to pack up your things whenever you’re ready. I mean, I don’t wanna rush you or anything, but I think it’d make sense before the semester–”
Jan cut her off by kissing her deeply. “Baby, I love you, but you talk way too fucking much when you’re overthinking,” she chuckled. “My parents will be thrilled to not have to pay for room and board, they’ll happily cover my share of the rent. We can go tomorrow or over the weekend, whatever,” she assured and kissed her again. “Just relax, we’re doing this. Everything is fine.”
“You’re right,” she exhaled, hugging her tightly. “I love you so much.”
Their tender moment was interrupted by a loud banging on the door. “Y’all better not be behaving inappropriately during my baby’s party!” Vanessa yelled.
Jan giggled and opened the door. “We’re not,” she promised, even though Jackie was blushing. “Actually… Jackie just asked me to move in with her.”
Vanessa’s scowl was instantly replaced by a bright grin. “For real? Congrats!” She turned to yell into the main room, “Brooke Lynn! Jan and Jackie are moving in together!” She then dragged the couple back out, holding each of them by the wrist, not that either of them were putting up any resistance. They both knew better than that.
Brooke looked up, chuckling warmly at the enthusiasm her wife had for the couple. “You guys are moving in together? Congrats. We’d offer to help but, you know, very busy with the new child.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll coerce Gigi and Crystal to help us. They can be bribed with weed and snacks,” Jan replied with a shrug and a light laugh.
“Oh, are we finally getting proof that Crystal exists?” Brooke asked with a light laugh. It had become something of an ongoing joke – Gigi talked about her all the time, often relentlessly, but none of them, other than Jan, had ever met Crystal. And even though Jan had, she liked to play along for the sole purpose of annoying her friend.
Jan laughed and nodded. “I promise we’ll FaceTime you when we have her here in the flesh.”
------
Jackie caught her breath as she came back upstairs after taking a pile of boxes to load up in the back of Jan’s father’s van. “I still can’t get over how nice your parents’ house is,” she remarked as the two of them sat on the floor of Jan’s bedroom, folding her clothes to pack into boxes. “I know you said your family was well off, but damn.”
Jan shrugged and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s not something I try to make a big deal about,” she explained, then looked up when the door opened and let out a soft laugh. “There you are. We were starting to worry you two got lost.”
“In our defense,” Gigi said as she and Crystal walked in, “we’ve never made this commute before. And we warned you neither of us have any sense of direction.”
“The Amtrak and I are enemies now. But at least we got Krispy Kreme while we waited,” Crystal added cheerily.
Jackie chuckled lightly. “And you didn’t bring any? Rude,” she clicked her tongue then looked to Jan. “Don’t forget, we promised Brooke and Vanjie we’d call to let Gigi prove Crystal isn’t a figment of her imagination.”
“Can you really prove I’m not?”
Jan and Jackie giggled while Gigi rolled her eyes and waited for Jan to get her phone out, calling up Brooke Lynn on FaceTime.
“Hey hun,” Brooke greeted. She was sitting with Vanessa and Ana Sofia, the sound of cartoons playing in the background. “How’s the big move going?”
Jan pushed herself to her feet. “Can’t complain, we’re not making ourselves crazy considering it’s not too bad of a commute. For us, anyway,” she pointedly looked at Crystal and Gigi at the last part.
“Show us the imaginary girlfriend!” Vanessa interrupted, leaning further into frame. “Katya thinks it’s gonna be Jackie with a wig on.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Gigi muttered under her breath, taking the phone from Jan and holding it up so she and Crystal were in the frame. “Vanjie, Brooke, tiny child, this is my girlfriend, Crystal. Who does exist.”
Crystal laughed softly. “Wow, this really bothered you,” she observed. “Why didn’t you just FaceTime me sooner?”
“Because we woulda called you a hologram,” Vanessa retorted before Gigi could answer, eliciting laughter from Brooke as well as Jan and Jackie.
Gigi pouted and crossed her arms. “I hate all of you,” she muttered, then added, “except for the kid, she’s cool.” And with that, she hung up and handed the phone back to Jan.
Jan chuckled and put her phone away. “You’re so cranky,” she cooed, getting up and grabbing her purse. “Here, let me smoke you out now. It’s the least I could do,” she offered, placing a joint between Gigi’s pouting lips and lighting it, watching her friend relax and smoke in spite of herself.
Jackie watched in mild amusement before glancing down as her phone went off. “Aw, Jaida just got back from Milwaukee and Nicky was waiting for her at the airport,” she read off her phone, then held it up to show the selfie Jaida had taken of the two of them.
“Wonder whatever happened to Nicky’s ‘no dating until graduation’ rule,” Jan mused with a laugh as she went back to folding shirts and packing them away. “Or are they still ‘not putting a label on it’?”
“The latter,” she confirmed. “But I know Jaida, she’s not gonna put up with that forever. She called me out on my bullshit plenty and she’s not the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type.”
“I just love that Nicky’s role in your life is essentially the girl that fucks the women closest to you. It feels like a metaphor or something. Frankly, I think you need to have sex with her just to bring it all full circle,” Gigi mused, to which Jackie responded by throwing a pair of jeans at her.
“Fuck off,” Jackie laughed. “I’d much rather her fuck my best friend than my girlfriend any day.”
Jan offered her a reassuring smile and nod. “There’s no plans on that happening again, don’t you worry… unless you want a threesome,” she joked.
“Hey Jan,” Crystal interrupted, “when do you hear back from that thing you auditioned for? What was it again?”
The calm smile on Jan’s lips shifted into a nervous one. She stopped folding, instead fiddling with the fabric in her hands. “It’s an official shadow cast production for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a solid five week stint. The website is posting callbacks on Thursday morning, then they post who made the final cut I think… four days after that.”
Jackie scoffed playfully. “Right, ‘if’. Baby, you know you have that on lock, just like you got Veronica without breaking a sweat.”
“I broke many sweats, but I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
------
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jan did receive a callback and, four days later, was incessantly refreshing the company’s website waiting for the cast list to be posted. The list was set to go up at nine in the morning, but she had been checking since a quarter to, just in case. “God, what’s taking so fucking long?”
Jackie watched, trying her hardest not to laugh. “Honey, it’s five after. Take a breath before you pop a blood vess–”
“It’s up!”
She rushed to her girlfriend’s side, hand gripping onto the back of the desk chair tight enough to turn her knuckles white. “Well?”
“I got Janet!”
The two of them jumped up in tandem, hugging and squealing in pure elation. “Oh my god!” Jan beamed, “this is so exciting!”
Jackie pressed kisses over Jan’s face, culminating with a tender kiss to the lips. “I knew you would get it. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank god I’m living with you now,” she mused out loud, “juggling this with classes, as excited as I am, I just know I’d let myself get way too overwhelmed and no one keeps me grounded like you do.” They had learned about this in the last few weeks before Heathers. Jan had been on the brink of a nervous breakdown and only Jackie had been able to talk her down.
“I’m happy to be that anchor for you,” Jackie smiled. “And if this ends up being like Heathers and you need help rehearsing the ‘sexy’ song…”
Jan giggled, hiding her face against the crook of Jackie’s neck. “Yeah? You’re gonna be my Rocky while I work on ‘Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me’? It’s a very different sexual energy than ‘Dead Girl Walking’.”
She tilted her head. “I don’t think they’re that different, but the end goal of using it as foreplay remains the same.”
“I can’t argue with that,” she conceded, sitting down on the bed. “Did you ever think this would be where we would end up after that night? When we thought we’d broken down a big wall by giving in to our unavoidable lust?”
“Not for a second,” Jackie admitted with a laugh, sitting beside her. “I hoped it was the start of something, but falling in love with you was never in the cards.”
Jan smiled and rested her head on Jackie’s shoulder. “Me neither. But I wouldn’t change a thing. The rollercoaster we were on brought us right to where we needed to be.”
“It did,” Jackie took Jan’s hand in her own and squeezed it. “It really did.” She looked up and out the window. “Do you think history will repeat itself again? That a few years down the line we’ll find our own pair of useless lesbians to play dysfunctional cupid with?”
She chuckled softly and shrugged. “I dunno. I remember Vanjie told me how once you’re in love, it’s easier to see it happen to other people. I guess anything is possible.”
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Many Years Back, Many Years Forward
When I was a kid, I was designated the family’s official Polaroid photographer, because it was so dang exciting for me to take a picture and see it develop before my eyes. Back then, a pack of Polaroid was cheap so my parents didn’t mind my “experiments” in exposure.
At age 11, I received my first Kodak camera, a 110 Winner. Now, keep in mind that 110 negatives are about the size of a thumb nail, so you’re not getting much detail. I was quite happy to shoot away though for the next several years until I discovered disposable 35mm cameras, all blurry blobs welcomed.
At 19, I got my second real job in the big city at Fox Photo, in Richmond, Virginia. I was the weirdo behind the processing machine feeding rolls of 35mm into one end and making sure they came out developed on the other. My favorite part of that job was taking those negatives and working with them in the printing machine. Again, magic moments abound when seeing the finished product. Yes, I have seen many lovely vacation photos, and yes, I wished I was there.
Age 22 rolled around and I figured, I know some stuff about photography, why not apply at a local commercial photography studio? Well I did, and I got the job. For nearly four years, I had the pleasure of working with two partners who were quite successful. I experienced printing the photos for Vitamix ads, assisting on Capital One and Amtrak photo shoots and in general the insanely good will of two people whom I admire to this day. They really helped me realize that success is possible in photography.
NYC called my name when I was 26 and I took the plunge and moved to the real big city. I had no contacts in photography here so I decided, okay time to go into fashion! Hmmm. Well, even though I was in fashion for 13 years, I managed to keep my foot in the door of photography by working on set at any opportunity, doing anything I could. Wardrobe, styling assistant, photo assistant, PA - pretty much anything to get back into the environment I think of as my second home.
Pretty burned out on fashion, in 2019 I decided I should finally propose to photography and engage it by entering the Commercial Photography degree program at LaGuardia. Best decision. I’ve been exploring new forms of photography since.
After LaGuardia, I would like to continue on to a four year program to complete my Bachelor’s. There are a number of interesting programs out there so right now I’m in the phase of narrowing things down. I eventually would like to get my Master’s degree so that maybe I can teach one day.
By the year 2025, I would like to found a photography collective. With myself taking fashion, portrait and product photography. The other photographers would have different or overlapping specialties in a different style. Possibly having workshops. Letting photography take me traveling. This is what I would like to focus on after retaining my Master’s degree.
In my fifties, I’d like to be working away in my own photography practice and towards expanding into publishing. I would like to start a small publishing company to give emerging photo-based artists a platform through which to express themselves in printed form. I also would like to publish books of my own photographic and writing work on the same platform.
During my sixties, I would like to focus on education and expanding the collective to new members in other countries. It would be wonderful to start a scholarship and internship program for photographers - specifically for photographers older than 35 just getting their start. Most all scholarships out there are for the young’uns. This is the time when I would like to reflect back on my work and try to get a museum show.
My seventies will not bring retirement, but rather full enjoyment of what I have managed to build with others in the community over the years. I don’t ever see myself retiring. Maybe just photographing in different places and writing about different things. Living my dream in whatever form it morphs into by that time.
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ivadeshin · 5 years
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Pasadena Iced Coffee (2/?)
(Sequel to Five Soda Maximum. Catch up on previous chapters on Ao3.)
Don’t freak out on a freaking Amtrak train, Molly chides himself.
He starts a new text to Caleb.
Me: Apparently ahead of schedule? 10min
Caleb often doesn’t check his phone for long periods, but sooner than expected, his phone beeps back:
Caleb Widogast (orange heart emoji): I am at the station under the big  yoga elf
The what?
Me: The what?
It’s a few moments before an image text comes in - a slightly blurry phone picture, taken from below, of an enormous poster for a gym. In the foreground is a slim elf woman in immaculate makeup, sitting peacefully on a mat with her legs crossed. Molly giggles.
Me: how big is she
Caleb Widogast (orange heart emoji): I think like six feet. and she is sitting
Me: move!! she could reach down and eat you up!!
Caleb Widogast (orange heart emoji): no i am not vegan-friendly
The train is starting to slow down. Molly can feel his heart beating a little faster, flush on his cheeks - it hasn’t been that long, he chides himself, but he can already feel his tail curling ornately around the strap of his bag, a dumb figure-eight of excitement.
He puts his phone in his pocket, tugging his t-shirt down, finger combing his hair, and stuffing all his snack wrappers into the shopping bag before stuffing that into the gym bag. Across the aisle, the little girl is gathering up all the small collectible plastic toys while her mother coaches her to tidy up faster.
Out the window, Molly can only see rusty metal tracks and barriers, some scaffolding. The train is crawling along now, with several passengers starting to get impatiently to their feet... and then it’s a crowded train platform, colorful and animated with several people moving around and hauling luggage in all directions. Molly scans the far wall, looking for the yoga elf, but it’s nowhere. Just soda ads. 
Did I give the wrong platform number? Am I at the wrong platform? He leans as close as he can to the window, trying to peer further ahead without actually letting his cheek touch the glass. That one might be it. It’s some giant poster of an interior something-or-other, that could be it.
The train has finally stopped. The conductor is saying something over the speaker again, but the noise of the passengers and the people outside is drowning it out. Molly hauls his gym bag over his shoulder, double checking that his phone is in his pocket, turning twice and making sure there’s no wrappers or anything else left be-
“It’s a snake,” the little girl says as she passes him, pointing to his arm while her mother makes an embarrassed face.
Okay. Nothing. He’s good. Molly takes a breath, waiting for an older human man with rolling luggage to scoot along to the stairs before he hops into the line to file out of the train car. It smells industrial outside, and the air already feels balmy and warmer - it feels like where he got picked up years and years ago. He remembers air like this.
“S’cuse me,” the old human man mutters, struggling to push the handle on his luggage down before he can take it down the stairs.
“Oh, I can get it.” Molly gestures to it.
The man looks a little suspicious. “You’re sure?”
“No problem.” Molly jerks his chin for the man to go ahead without it, and the man hesitates before the pressure of the line presses him on, and he takes the steep metal stairs alone, down to the concrete platform where he immediately turns and waits to see if Molly’s going to try to get away with his valuable enormous case.
As if I could run anywhere with this thing, Molly thinks to himself, but stifles the expression that wants to creep up onto his face. He presses the handle button in and pushes it down, grabbing the strap and lifting it with his free arm to carry down. It’s not so bad, and the man seems to be a little shy now that Molly’s made good on his offer. “Thank you, young man.”
“No problem.” Molly gives a little wave, already thinking of Caleb again. Up ahead, where he couldn’t see from his train car toward the back, there’s a huge poster for a gym, and that’s - he just has to get there. It seems like the crowd is going in way too many fucking directions for a space where there’s only people disembarking, but Molly only has to shoulder past a couple people before he’s close enough to start looking around. Orange hair. Orange hair. Caleb. Caleb.
“Mollymauk!”
Molly’s heart leaps up. He looks to the left, where he heard it - an enormous half orc woman passes in front of him, blocking his view, but then he’s there, Caleb’s there. He’s standing and waving, wearing a loose t-shirt, skin already lightly tanned and more freckled than Molly has ever seen it. His hair is in messy waves framing his face, looking a very familiar mix of anxious and shyly happy.
Molly launches forward and leaps toward Caleb, making the human take a step back as he holds him under his legs. “H-hey,” Caleb laughs, gently setting Molly down as Molly keeps his arms wrapped around Caleb’s shoulders. He smells the same.
“I missed you,” Molly says into the warmth of his neck, voice cracking a little. Making himself let go, he smiles wider to see Caleb’s tearing up as well. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Caleb says back, ears red. He’s wearing a backpack, Molly notices, and one strap is pulling the collar of his t-shirt to the side. Molly can see some of the new freckles along his collarbones. He’s so in love. “Was your, um, was your trip okay?”
“Mow,” something says indignantly.
“Oh!” Caleb says, and straightens up and turns a little, looking over his shoulder. “Did he hear you?”
“Mow,” Frumpkin repeats from the transparent carrier backpack, getting on his hind legs and pressing his paws as close to Molly as they can get. Molly coos as he sees the collar with the bow tie. “Mowww.”
“I think he’s yelling at me,” Molly says fondly.
“He missed you too!”
“Mowwwwww.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Molly says. Seeing Frumpkin out with Caleb has reminded him that Caleb often brings his cat with him to keep him calmer in busier areas, and maybe Frumpkin didn’t come to the train station today just to say hi to Molly as early as possible.
“Okay. Are. Are you hungry?” Caleb turns back around and reaches for Molly’s hand, smiling wider when he takes it.
“Let’s just get to your place, I want to set Frumpkin free, I wanna see your place, I,” Molly laughs. “I wanna hug you more...”
Caleb leads him through the interior of the station, to the closest exit, and to the relative quiet of the street outside. The sun is bright and keeping the air almost heady with humid warmth - there are already palm trees dotted here and there, and Molly smiles at them as they walk past.
“Do you like, um, being here again?” Caleb looks a little unsure, and Molly can understand why.
“It feels fine,” he assures. “It feels like a nice sort of familiar, even though I wasn’t here for long. That I can remember, anyway.”
“There is a lot of food here that I did not know about,” Caleb says, tilting his head toward a street lined with restaurants and outdoor seating. “More Asian food, but also, lots of... science food, and...” He trails off, and when Molly waits patiently for him to find the right word in English, Caleb blushes and laughs. “I missed you.”
Molly squeezes his hand and uses his tail to smack the back of Caleb’s leg affectionately.
“Ach!” Caleb jumps but laughs immediately. “I even missed that.”
“It’s Tiefling for ‘I missed you too’.”
“I have learned a little Infernal, and that is not-”
“No no, Tiefling. It’s like sign language but it’s all tail swats.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Yes, please be respectful of my culture.”
“Are you sure Tiefling does not have moving ears also? Because your ears are-” Caleb grins delightedly and lets go of Molly’s hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Molly’s ear. “They are all the way up, like, ‘hello, I am happy’.”
Molly fakes a scowl and tries to flatten his ears down a little. He’s not sure if it works, but Caleb laughs.  The apples of Caleb's cheeks are slightly tanned from the sun. Molly only has so much self-control. "Hold on."
"Hm?" Caleb stops when Molly does, and lets himself be guided to the edge of the sidewalk. When Molly tucks in close and hugs him, one publicp-appropriate kiss to his cheek, Caleb laughs softly and kisses him back. "I missed you so much," he confesses softly.
"I missed everything. I missed your accent." Molly laughs, and perks up when Caleb gently takes Molly's right hand and pulls it up fro inspection. "Oh! You' haven't seen it in person yet."
Caleb's admiring the snake design with wide, fascinated eyes. "Driving to the convention was worth it," he says, "it is so beautiful."
"Yeah. I'm just glad it's not itching much anymore." Molly watches Caleb examine him, laughing when Caleb pulls his arm up higher to look at it carefully, looking for any scarring. "I told you, he did a good job!"
"I just want to see for myself!" Caleb protests stubbornly, causing Molly to give a fond roll of his eyes. "It is your first one, and if you want many more, we need to make sure we get someone who can treat your skin properly."
"He's normally based out of New Orleans, I don't think I'll get an opportunity to see that guy again."
"But if he is the... the master class guy at tattoo conventions... and you really like his style..." Caleb finally lets him go, turning to get them moving again. "Then we book a long way in advance, and then fly there? Or take a train?"
"All for a tattoo?" Molly asks, already guessing the answer.
"For you, yes." Caleb shrugs. "Plus, New Orleans is nice, ja?"
"It's supposed to be great." Molly looks down at Caleb's hand that's fallen hopefully between them, and gives his tail instead. Caleb laughs.
Caleb's dorm building is more of an apartment complex, with a modern exterior and a sign-in lobby right inside the door. The walls are lined with fliers for various events and competitions, several stapled over each other. An exhausted looking human with fluffy black hair and glasses is on a laptop in the corner.
"ہیلو," Caleb says across the room to the other human, suprising Molly.
"Hallo," the man says back, not looking up from the screen but raising his hand a little from where it's hovering over the keyboard.
As they go up the first flight of stairs, Caleb shrugs at Molly's questioning glance. "We all learn one or two words of the other's language," he explains. "A bunch of students here are from places in Asia, but other places also."
"That's so cool," Molly enthuses. It sounds like the international, multi-cultural experience everyone wants to get out of going to college.
"There is a biochemistry major who is from Yemen, and a tiefling," Caleb says as they reach a hallway and turn right. "He says my Infernal is better than my Arabic, so I have just been using that..."
They both laugh. "I'm good for something!" Molly says with a joking toss of his hair.
Caleb looks mildly offended. "You are …" He seems to be struggling for the way to say it. "You are very good," he says finally, as they reach the end of the hall. "I may have a bit of a complex," Molly confesses, only fractionally joking. "You're at, like, a top ten school here, and I'm..."
"'The best Rosencrantz I have seen in a community theater setting,'" Caleb quotes, suddenly and with unexpected conviction, "'showing an innate understanding of comedic timing that Stoppard would be proud to see.'"
Molly stops and stares at Caleb as the human fiddles with the key to the apartment door. "I mean. I knew you must've read those, but."
"Of course I read it, I read all of zem." Caleb looks at him stubbornly. "And I was heartbroken when you were the understudy for Puck, and he never got sick. You would have been incredible."
"Don't make me cry in a hallway," Molly mumbles to his feet.
Caleb mutters something under his breath in Sylvan, and the key finally unlocks the door and lets them inside. Molly has seen several pictures of this apartment, but those static images are one thing compared to the panoramic view of it all. Sunlight is shining in through the two windows, warming up the kitchenette and small dining space. The bookshelf is mostly filled with coils of power supplies, miscellaneous extra hardware, and some pantry items. It's small and very simple, but it's Caleb's, and Molly can tell how much that means to the other man as his shoulders relax.
"Home sweet home," Caleb says, easing the backpack off his shoulders and unzipping the top so Frumpkin can get out at his leisure. (Frumpkin, who is curled up and possibly napping at the bottom of the bag, does not take them up on that option just this second.) "The bathroom is that door, the bedroom is that door."
"Is there anything else you have to do today?" Molly asks immediately.
"No," Caleb confirms. "No classes until morning lab tomorrow at half one."
Molly steps into his space and puts his hands at Caleb’s waist. “Can we...?”
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hippiemikelove-blog · 2 years
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How Cannabis Oil Changed Our Lives - Celebrating Recovery, Celebrating Life
Nearly 4 years ago we met with both of us on similar paths of destruction - cannabis extracts and love paved the way to our today:
As people in the world of Cannabis celebrate the annual holiday 4/20 - we're celebrating our lives together and what it means to live in a whole new world. Not only did cannabis oils and the plant's medicine create our family as many have read in the Cannabis Love Story - but it also refined us and defined us. Anne Mari and I came together and created a family all based on compassion - but both of us had skeletons in our closets. The dreaded word addiction wasn't brought up too much as it's how Genevieve's biological father passed away tragically. When we first met we avoided talk of alcoholism and dependency on pharmaceuticals almost as if it was taboo - we both carried on with our individual 'problems' while also consuming plant medicine. But soon we had influence over each other that couldn't be overcome. The plant ended up winning as with us it truly represents love and compassion. Six months into our relationship, as Genevieve began to truly flourish with the use of Cannabis oils it was Anne Mari who was bold. She started our move into the world of addiction and recovery as a person has to first admit they have a problem. While she joined AA to stop drinking, which she's now nearing a 3-year sober date, I continued to deny the fact that I was addicted to pharmaceutical pain killers - opioids. The same drugs that had caused Genevieve to lose a Daddy in the past I embraced as a tool to cope way more often than a tool for pain. I have to look back and admit that as hard as it is to do, for some reason when we have a bottle given to us by a doctor we believe we're 'in the good' and the junkie on the street is the bad person - when truly we're both hooked and easily both of us could die due to our addictions. When I quit over a year ago - I had to admit I was equal to the person on the street with an IV addiction.Anne Mari seemed to fair better off than I did at first - although it's hard to compare and nobody actually should. Every recovery battle is unique and individual - our coping methods under this roof are individual and we've learned to work together to allow each other to feel our emotions and do what we need to. "It's not you" became our signal to each other to say "I'm having a problem coping with life straight/sober today - it's not you causing this mood, it's my struggle". And this is where cannabinoids seriously come into play. We both utilize CBD and CBG in the morning especially to combat depression and the anxiety that can come simply by waking up - many should know what I'm describing. As I move into the day ingestion of THC with CBN along with terpenes is added and I feel smooth. The pain I have to require high dosing of plant medicines - which include more than Cannabis. Both of us have individualized protocols that assist us in our recovery.
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One of the first photos... I had just come home from a trip on Amtrak The plant has helped us in so many different ways. Many know I've beat multiple cancers with it and have tamed severe Epilepsy among other things but most don't know Anne Mari's story as she's not so public. From Depression and Anxiety to beating Alcoholism - the plant has done the trick for her. I'm currently working on R&D for multiple products and products lines including some for daily activities including bathing - and have developed one that allows her relief from severe endometriosis pain and abdominal scarring. We both have extensive scarring - mine is from the racing wreck and hers is from bearing children. In fighting issues like the cytokine storm or what's known medically as the Cytokine Release Syndrome which happens in countless illnesses and not just the current pandemic - the creations involve multiple plants emphasizing cannabis - and this is where both of us are gaining incredible relief. It's exciting to see this happen and more exciting to see it working with other cancer survivors quitting their medicine. We're hoping to get funding to get that product line on the market for everyone - it's needed right now badly. As we both reflect on what Cannabis has done for us today - the list is too long to even make as far as the positive impact on our lives. When you look at the history of prohibition and the distasteful reefer madness propaganda, our family proves that all to be so far from the truth and such a lie to the world it's just incredible. THC makes us happy and makes us productive. Cannabinoids in general keep us healthy. PMS, PMDD, Pain, Cancer, Epilepsy, Autism, Endometriosis, Depression, Addiction, Alcoholism, Lyme's, Paralysis, Stroke, OCD, RLS, and RA are just a few of the conditions we use cannabinoid medicine for. I could add to that baldness as I've got a formulation in progress for that, scarring and point of metastasis pain treatment as I made a formulation for that if we had breast cancer the same would work well on a stage zero patient and even better for someone with skin cancer.
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Genevieve keeps the smiles flowing in our house... But, we live in a world where it's illegal for me to create a product from cannabis and make any statement that it does anything. It's rather odd when we see the claims made on things like laundry detergent in commercials - there doesn't seem to be much care about that. What we focus on is what's right - what we can do that will change things as the plant's medicine has changed our lives and allowed us one thing that many can't gain when they can't get access to plant medicine. It's given us FREEDOM. It's given us LOVE. It's given us PEACE.50,000 people per year seize to death and both Genevieve and I have severe Epilepsy. Having plant medicine like this flowing through both of us allows Anne Mari to rest and not worry. That's a big number and it fuels that depression and anxiety - can you imagine being the one to tuck both of us in at night? That's her job and as mommy reminding me to take my oils, what little medicine I still take, and all other aspects of keeping healthy is something she takes seriously and rightfully so. In our community, in the world of cannabis, we've suffered a tragic loss that we'll instead call a victory and celebrate today. I don't look at 4/20 as a day to get happy about getting high as for me it's a type of Independence day so everyone will enjoy it a bit differently. This article, and everything I do today, is in memory of the legend Charlotte Figi. Rest in peace Angel. For those that don't know about her - read here.
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This 420 is dedicated to the little girl that changed the world - Charlotte Figi https://www.mikesmedicines.com/medical-marijuana/the-cannabis-love-story/-Mike Robinson, Cannabis Patient and Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Center. But, most of all, Genevieve’s Daddy Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin Mail-bulk Pinterest 'There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not? ' Cannabis Love Story Join Our Mailing List Sign up to receive informative and exciting email updates from Mike's Medicines! You can sign up for our mail list here: Let's Go!
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Traveling in the United States
I love traveling internationally and would do it every year if I could, but I also enjoy traveling in the United States just as much! Not only does this usually save money, but each state offers its own unique culture and scenery! The varying cultures from state to state can be so drastic which is exciting for someone like me who loves to learn about different cultures. There are of course the popular spots to travel in the United States like New York City, Florida, Texas, and Chicago, as much fun as these places are I encourage people to find places that are a little less well known. This way it will be less crowded and usually cheaper than the typical vacation spots. Click here to learn more about some lesser-known spots in the US that would be perfect for an upcoming trip!
I have been to 38 states so far and am hoping to visit the rest within the next couple of years. Traveling in the United States can be relatively inexpensive if you plan ahead and use the right resources to save money. Keep reading to learn about three of my favorite places to visit in the United States and some additional resources so you can visit them as well!
Montana
One of my favorite places to visit in the United States is Montana. Most people just think of Montana as a state with not much to do besides hiking. While hiking is a huge part of Montana, there is a ton of other things to do as well! Half of my family lives out in Montana so I have been visiting there my entire life. I have grown to appreciate the state and all it has to offer. I love Colorado but Montana has just as good scenery and mountains and with way fewer people. My favorite town in Montana is Bozeman which is located in the middle of Southern Montana right off of I-90. The population is about 45,600 which isn’t huge but it still has a bigger city vibe to it. Bozeman has 42 parks and 52 miles of trails just within the city limits alone.
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                                               Bozeman, MT
There are numerous places to hike or bike in near Bozeman. Drinking Horse Mountain is a newer hiking venue with two trails (one easier and the other harder) that both lead to the 5,522 summit. At the top, you’ll have amazing views of the Absaroka and Gallatin ranges. Click here to read about some other great hiking spots in the Bozeman area! In the winter, check out Bridger Bowl or Big Sky Resort for some downhill skiing and snowboarding. Both of these places are great and have some amazing ski trails and views. Big Sky is a little more popular but is also more crowded and expensive. I personally enjoy Bridger Bowl since it is less crowded, which allows you more time on the mountain and less time waiting to get up the mountain. Big Sky does offer summer activities like golfing, mountain biking, and zip line tours.
Glacier National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains in the northwestern part of Montana. This park has some of the most amazing views in the United States and should be added to an avid hiker’s list. The park has over 700 miles of trails all ranging in difficulty so everyone will find the right trail for them. Glacier has multiple lakes for swimming, boating, and fishing as well. I would highly recommend checking out this park! Montana of course also is home to part of Yellowstone. Yellowstone is a great trip that everyone should try to do at least once. Yellowstone has fantastic hiking trails and areas to boat and fish. If hiking really isn’t your thing then it is just as fun to drive around the park and view the scenery and animals. You can either go camping or stay in a lodge in the park.
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                                           Glacier National Park
Outer Banks, North Carolina
Another favorite state of mine is North Carolina and more specifically the Outer Banks. The Out Banks is a group of barrier islands right off the mainland of North Carolina. If a relaxing vacation is more of your thing then this is the spot for you. I personally think that the Outer Banks is a better vacation spot than popular spots like Florida or New Jersey. The beaches are cleaner and less crowded. The island also offers golf courses and cute coastal shops. Many people ride ATV’s in the sand dunes to go sightseeing and view the wild horses that can be found farther down the island. If you are still looking to get some activity in during this trip, the Outer Banks has three Coastal Maritime forests that are perfect for hiking and sightseeing. The Outer Banks is also home to the Jockey’s Ridge State Park, which is a 426-acre park that features the largest living sand dune on the East Coast. I love the Outer Banks and am looking forward to planning a future trip there!
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                                               Outer Banks, NC
San Diego, California
One last place in the United States that I love is San Diego. This is obviously a well-known place to visit but I feel that it is worth mentioning. My family and I went there on my brother’s Make-A-Wish and it was one of the best trips I have been on. Just like the Outer Banks, San Diego has some of the best beaches I have been to in the United States. It surprisingly was never that busy at the beaches and the beaches were kept relatively clean. The San Diego Zoo was the highlight of the trip. The zoo is so large that most people opt to take a bus tour. This was a great way to see the entire zoo in just one day. It made stops at the large attractions which allowed people the opportunity to hop off and actually explore the exhibit. There are multiple different communities in San Diego each with a completely different feel from one another; it is really fun to shop and explore each community. I have not personally been here, but the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a large feature of the area. This park is the largest state park in California with 600,000 acres. Visitors can hike the 110 miles of trails or explore the 12 wilderness areas.
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                                              San Diego, CA
Amtrak
One thing about traveling the United States is that flying can often time be very expensive. This often causes people to shorten their trip or not even consider flying somewhere. I have just recently started looking into the Amtrak for my future trips in the United States. This summer I was hoping to go back to Montana with a friend but the airfare was too expensive for me. So I instead looked into taking a train ride out west instead. The Amtrak offers vacation deals and is relatively inexpensive if you plan it the right way. For my trip, I will either take the train from Chicago all the way to San Diego or I will take the train from Chicago to Seattle. Both of these trips take about 2 ½ days and is about $250 round-trip.
This is a great way to see a large part of the country for a pretty cheap price. The Chicago to San Diego train makes stops in Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and ends in California. The other option travels from Chicago to Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and ends in Oregon. The Amtrak also offers great trips out east or down south all starting in Chicago. If you are looking for a fun road-trip vacation without having to worry about gas or driving long hours, I would highly recommend looking into taking the Amtrak! Not only is it cheap, but you are able to see large parts of the country in just a short couple of days.
I love traveling in the United States just as much as I do internationally! The US has so much to offer and has many hidden spots, like the Outer Banks, that are just waiting for more people to discover! I talked about just three of my favorite spots in the US that I like to visit but each state has its own unique attractions to visit! Check below for some links to resources! Happy traveling!
Montana links:
Bozeman
Glacier National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Bridger Bowl
Big Sky Resort
Outer Banks, North Carolina links:
Outer Banks
Jockey's Ridge State Park
San Diego links:
San Diego
San Diego Zoo
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Amtrak links:
Amtrak
Vacation & Rail Tours
California Zephyr is the train ride from Chicago to San Francisco
Empire Builder is the train ride from Chicago to Portland/Seattle
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eatfoodmoreoften · 3 years
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Cross Washington Mountain bike race 2021 (XWA)
My first bikepacking race, really seeing Washington for the first time.
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Day 1
The grand depart was at 7am on May 23rd, from the Rialto beach on the coast of Washington.
We woke up at the cabin that I'd booked, about 7 miles from the start. The night before we'd struggled to find a place to park. My friend Jackson Lester and I wanted to take the train to Seattle and had public transport all planned out - but Amtrak was sold out of bike spots when we tried to buy the tickets - so we rented a van and drove. I was confident we'd be able to convince the cabin to let us park the van there for the week we'd be riding, so I insisted we wait to figure it out. Turns out they wouldn't let us park there. After a few more failed attempts to convince hotels/friends/random people to let us park the van on their property, Jackson found a place for us to to leave the van named Cycle Camp. I strongly recommend Cycle Camp, it's run by an old biker hippie, full of character and stories. If I ever do XWA again I'll stay there.
Having solved our parking issue I promptly went to sleep, Jackson didn't get to bed until even later. Both of us woke up a little groggy at 5:30am, but by the time we got to the beach we were in great spirits. It was misting, the trees were dripping, everything was lush, the view was stunning.
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We walked to the ocean, dipped our rear wheels, snapped photos and everyone took off. I was peeing, since I thought there would be a group roll out and I felt like I was being dropped - so I rode hard. It was a nice way to start, since I ended up seeing the majority of the racers. I passed Jackson, who was in conversation with a group of riders. After a few more people it seemed like I was nearing the front and someone I passed told me there were only 2 people in front.
The route switched from pavement to gravel, started up a hill and I heard someone approaching from behind - it turned out to be Jackson. We were really excited, since from looking at Trackleaders it seemed like we were at the very front of the race. The two of us rode together for a while until I stopped to pee.
A few hours and steep climbs later, some pushing my bike through the snow, I caught up to Jackson and rode with him again, taking some wrong turns together, marveling at the beauty of the Olympic peninsula.
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After descending from the mountains, Jackson put on a strong pace and I dropped back. I'd drank the 3 liters I'd started with, we were 80 miles in, so I filled up water at Lake Crescent (with water purification), got back on the bike, ate a breakfast burrito, and was passed by 2 or three more people.
Going through Port Angeles, around mile 110, I didn't see any food I was excited about directly in my path, so I filled up water from a fountain and pushed on.
By the time I was climbing Mount Zion later that evening, in the dark, I was hungry and out of water (amusingly, I made this same mistake again and again).
Adam Hale caught up to me in the dusk while we were climbing the mountains. Adam is an awesome bike weirdo and I'm excited to see his new mountain bike (and the framebag with carry straps) when it's finished! He said everything on the route except the Olympics and the Cascades was lame, and recommended the Olympic 420 for a better Washington MTB experience.
Adam was also out of water so we were on the lookout for a convenient stream. I was angry that I didn't have food and was tired. I also didn't want to get up too high, because I wasn't prepared for sleeping in temperatures much below 40f.
So at the first stream we found, I filled up, put in water purification tabs and pulled out my bivy. Adam drank directly from the mountain stream and kept on going.
I slept right off the edge of the trail and was woken up by a few more riders passing by in the night.
Worth noting: there was precipitation ranging from a very light mist to a slight drizzle 100% of this day and night.
Strava day 1
Day 2
I woke up at 5:45 and got moving. I pooped in a conveniently located pit toilet which I later found out Jackson had slept in the night before. He insists sleeping in pit toilets is a good idea, but everything about it seems suspect to me (how is getting your bivy/tent wet worse then not being able to stretch out the whole way to sleep?).
The singletrack after the toilet was beautiful and exciting and some of the more technical riding of the trip. I was really hungry, but the breakfast burrito and coffee I got in Quilcene improved my happiness dramatically.
Later that morning, the Hood Canal Floating bridge on 104 was the worst bike section of the trip. At the moment of this photo was the only time I felt safe on the bridge, the rest of the time it was full of trucks and trailers moving very quickly very close by.
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The ride from Port Gamble to Kingston across the Kitsap Peninsula was pleasant. I was out of food by the time I got to the ferry but it was leaving, so I ended up eating a selection of snacks from the vending machines onboard.
I was looking at the wrong map and missed the majority of the food right after the ferry, but ended up with two very satisfactory burritos a little bit later.
I stopped at Bothell Ski and Bike in Kenmore, because one of my Xpedo M-Force pedals had broken for the second time. They were repairable but I was unwilling to spend the time to do it again and my repair hadn't lasted that long. I bought good old Shimano SPDs and some Cliff energy chews. This was the first time I'd had gummies or gels on the trip, I'd forgotten how effective they are. Note to self: make sure you have enough food, some of it energy food.
Bothell told me there was a big group of riders ahead of me, so I set out to catch them. At the top of a hill in Blyth Park (site of one of the many frisbee golf courses I saw before crossing the Cascades), there was a cooler marked for XWA with a bunch of drinks in it, the first instance of trail angels I'd experienced. It was amazing - it really made me feel like I was a part of something and I deeply enjoyed the chocolate milk.
A few miles later I ran into the big group of riders. Chad (I think?) rode with me for a little while and I learned they were doing XWA as a casual ride, they'd started 2 days before the mass depart so they got to chat with the racers as they passed by. Seems like a really fun way of experiencing the race and of having a bike vacation.
The route went through amazing paths in Redmond, weaving in and out of more lush green wet forest, full of banana slugs. It blew my expectations out of the water for what I'd imagined was a boring suburban park with Microsoft in it.
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The next section was on bike paths. There were some majestic bike only bridges and more lush green forests. Jackson called to tell me he was dropping out of the race because of knee pain. He was a bit ahead of me and had booked a hotel room. I was hungry and running out of food and water (because I'm an idiot and don't learn). I decided I wanted to crash with him for the night, so I let him know, stopped at a pizza shop near his hotel, picked up 2 large pizzas and rolled over. He said he wasn't hungry, but I figured he would want some anyway and obviously he did.
The shower felt nice. It had been drizzling most of the day and I hung all of my stuff up. It got sort of dry.
Worth noting: there was precipitation ranging from a very light mist to a slight drizzle 80% of this day and night.
Strava day 2
Day 3
I woke up and ate the two remaining slices of pizza for breakfast. Having breakfast when I woke up was a novelty on this trip, which I didn't appreciate in the moment. There was a gas station that was open at 5:30 when I left our hotel, so I even got a coffee.
The first 25 miles were a slow, gradual climb on a soggy rails-to-trails path. It had mostly stopped drizzling but everything was still wet. I said hi to Fabien Le Gallo as he passed me.
Going through Iron Horse Tunnel was awesome - it's a long tunnel, by far the biggest bike/pedestrian only tunnel I've been through. When I was in the middle, I couldn't see light on either side. I was out of water and so I was very pleased to find a full service bathroom for hikers on the other side, but there wasn't any food.
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I was very hungry when I got into Cle Elum but inexplicably, didn't buy very much food. I picked up a mailing envelope from a post office and I ate a subway sandwich.
The trail branched into two routes - the high route and the low route. In the parking lot at the start, most people had indicated they were planning on taking the high route, but looking on Trackleaders, Adam was the only person ahead of me to take it. I figured that meant it would be fun.
When the going got cold and snowy, I cut the postal envelope to wrap around my feet inside my shoes (Tyvek is miraculous). There were some amazing views in the Cascades, they seem to go on forever.
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I'd been very confident I would make it over the mountains by the morning. By 10:30pm it was clear that wasn't going to happen. I was out of food and mostly out of water. Pushing my bike up a snowy hill, I ran into the second XWA cooler, which was definitively the high point of the trip.
Adam had told me Rainier was the best cheap pacific northwest beer - surprise to me, since I'd only had Olympia before this and he had an Olympia patch on his fanny pack - he'd explained that Olympia was bought by Pabst and has maybe been discontinued. True to his word, the only thing consumed in the cooler was a Rainier beer, so I drank one too.
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I made it a few more miles, but I was tired and hungry so I stopped in a spot protected by some deadfall, pulled out my bivy, put on all my clothes and went to sleep.
Strava day 3
Day 4
It was a chilly night. I didn't sleep that well, my feet were too cold. I wasn't willing to get out of my bivy until after 7 because it was so cold outside. But it was clear and the sun was out (for the first time on the trip), so the day was warming up.
When I started biking I ran into more deadfall, more soggy gravel, more snow and many more amazing views.
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This was close to the actual high point of the route, right around 6,000 feet.
The ride down to Wenatchee had an amazing flowy section that went on for miles and could be ridden just pumping through the banked turns and rollers. Then there were a series of climbs that were too steep for me to ride. Walking up them, I followed a solitary trail in the dust from a bike and noticed that Adam was walking too and that he was doing the race in flat pedals.
I ran into two dot watchers in Wenatchee who suggested places to stop for food and told me Shiggy Don Person was at Fred Meyer. I bought some food from the hot food section at a small grocery store and I think this did me in. I caught up to Adam waiting at a train crossing but ran off to get chain lube and new brake pads at Full Circle Cycle Shop (I also picked up some gels, because energy food is fantastic).
I caught up to Adam again at Fred Meyer, where Shiggy was indeed waiting at the bike racks. I’m very thankful he was, because I desperately needed to go to the bathroom. By the time I finished, Adam had left.
I changed my brake pads in a park by the river and bought some barbecue from a small store right before the climb up Rock Island Grade. While I was eating, Adam passed me, having stopped to chat with people. I caught up to him at the start of the climb, when he was rearranging clothes. I waited for him and asked why he had put on a buff, even though it was incredibly hot. He explained that his nose dries out in the hot desert air. Next time I go to the high desert I will bring a buff, I also get bloody noses from the dry climate (it took until after I finished the ride before I got one this trip).
We started riding up Rock Island together. He recommended listening to the Colombia River Collection by Woodie Guthrie, because we were by a dam on the Colombia River and Bonneville power (and the Department of the Interior) paid Woodie Guthrie to tour dams in Oregon and Washington and write songs about them. Adam also admitted that the entire route had been pretty great so far and he'd been a sourpuss about it earlier.
I couldn't manage to keep pedaling up the steep gravel and my stomach hurt, so I said goodbye to Adam and started walking. At the top of the climb, I struggled to find a sheltered area to poo, but when I did the view was majestic.
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The view was also majestic in the next few places I stopped for my diarrhea. I contemplated just camping in a field after one of my stops, but I was running low on water, didn't have much food and was feeling pretty drained (figuratively and literally). So instead, I rode a sandy descent in the twilight and walked through a bunch of streams in Douglas Creek in the dark.
I picked up some water from one of the streams that I hoped wasn't pure farm runoff and camped in an impacted campsite right next to the route, near the outside of the park.
Strava day 4
Day 5
I woke up feeling slightly better and didn't need to immediately need to take a shit after eating a bar - so things were looking up! I didn't have enough food though, so I moved pretty slowly on my way to Ephrata. When I got there I ordered two burritos from a Mexican restaurant and received two burrito suizo plates.
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I ate one, and unsure about the best way to deal with a wet burrito, chopped the other up and put it in a ziplock bag to take with me. A few miles later, after eating a few spoonfuls, I threw it away because I was worried about my stomach. By that point, I was outside of the main part of town, so once again I was short on food.
The next section of ride was loose pebbles with an incredibly strong side headwind, which blew the dust from the farm fields into my eyes and made them burn. My first time riding in a dust storm! I made a little duct tape side protector for my glasses.
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I made it to a gas station right as it closed, and it turned out to have the best tasting pop-tarts in the world. They had an exterior outlet where I charged my devices while I ate my gas station bounty.
I started riding on the Palouse to Cascases State Park Trail and it was unbelievably rutted by horses. There was no smooth track. It was still incredibly windy and while the wind had died down a little bit, there were multiple blockades of tumbleweeds in the trail.
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After it got dark I decided I was tired of everything, crept off the edge of the trail and camped.
Strava day 5
Day 6
It was surprisingly cold in the morning, so cold I stayed in my bivy with all my clothes on until almost 7, when the sun had warmed things enough that I was comfortable venturing out. The trail continued to be incredibly bumpy until I passed about 40 horses, at which point it went back to being loose pebbles.
There was also a burned out bridge that I definitely didn't cross.
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In the evening, I was hoping to find some food and water in Malden, but the town had burned down and there were no businesses open. Looking ahead at the map, Rosalia was 8 miles of pebbles ahead - and had Whole in the Wall pizza shop which was closing in 50 minutes. I called and ordered a large pizza, said I would be there in 30 minutes and laid down my hardest effort of the trip. I got there 5 minutes before they closed but they generously let me eat in the restaurant as they cleaned up.
Aharon Elston was at Whole in the Wall when I got there and he waited for me to finish eating. We road the last miles to Idaho together, which was a really great way to close out the race. It sounds like there is a really strong community of riders in the Seattle area and like XWA has served as a focus point and recruitment event. I'm incredibly grateful to Aharon for accompanying me on the last leg of the trip, it made finishing the ride much more fun. Also, he gave me a ride back to Seattle, which was amazing.
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Strava day 6
See also the XWA website, and the route on bikepacking.com.
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freewalkerstudio · 3 years
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Many Years Back, Many Years Forward
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When I was a kid, I was designated the family’s official Polaroid photographer, because it was so dang exciting for me to take a picture and see it develop before my eyes. Back then, a pack of Polaroid was cheap so my parents didn’t mind my “experiments” in exposure.
At age 11, I received my first Kodak camera, a 110 Winner. Now, keep in mind that 110 negatives are about the size of a thumb nail, so you’re not getting much detail. I was quite happy to shoot away though for the next several years until I discovered disposable 35mm cameras, all blurry blobs welcomed.
At 19, I got my second real job in the big city at Fox Photo, in Richmond, Virginia. For years I was the weirdo behind the processing machine feeding rolls of 35mm into one end and making sure they came out developed on the other. My favorite part of that job was taking those negatives and working with them in the printing machine. Again, magic moments abound when seeing the finished product. Yes, I have seen many lovely vacation photos, and yes, I wished I was there.
Age 22 rolled around and I figured, I know some stuff about photography, why not apply at a local commercial photography studio? Well I did, and I got the job. For nearly four years, I had the pleasure of working with two partners who were quite successful. Among many responsibilities, I experienced printing the photos for Vitamix ads, assisting on Capital One and Amtrak photo shoots and in general the insanely good will of two people whom I admire to this day. They really helped me realize that success is possible in photography.
NYC called my name when I was 26 and I took the plunge and moved to the real big city. I had no contacts in photography here so I decided, okay time to go into fashion! Hmmm. Well, even though I was in fashion for 13 years, I managed to keep my foot in the door of photography by working on set at any opportunity, doing anything I could. Wardrobe, styling assistant, photo assistant, PA - pretty much anything to get back into the environment I think of as my second home.
Pretty burned out on fashion, in 2019 I decided I should finally propose to photography and engage it by entering the Commercial Photography degree program at LaGuardia. Best decision. I’ve been exploring new forms of photography since.
After LaGuardia, I would like to continue on to a four year program to complete my Bachelor’s. There are a number of interesting programs out there so right now I’m in the phase of narrowing things down. I eventually would like to get my Master’s degree so that maybe I can teach one day.
By the year 2025, I would like to found a photography collective. With myself taking fashion, portrait and product photography. The other photographers would have different or overlapping specialties in a different style. Possibly having workshops. Letting photography take me traveling. This is what I would like to focus on after retaining my Master’s degree.
In my fifties, I’d like to be working away in my own photography practice and towards expanding into publishing. I would like to start a small publishing company to give emerging photo-based artists a platform through which to express themselves in printed form. I also would like to publish books of my own photographic and writing work on the same platform.
During my sixties, I would like to focus on education and expanding the collective to new members in other countries. It would be wonderful to start a scholarship and internship program for photographers - specifically for photographers older than 35 just getting their start. Most all scholarships out there are for the young’uns.
My seventies will not bring retirement, but rather full enjoyment of what I have managed to build with others in the community over the years. I don’t ever see myself retiring. This is the time when I would like to reflect back on my work and try to get a museum show. Maybe I’ll find myself photographing in different places and writing about different things. Living my dream in whatever form it morphs into by that time.
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shirlleycoyle · 4 years
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The Post Office’s Relationship With Dogs Is No Joke
This article was sent on Tuesday to subscribers of The Mail, Motherboard’s pop-up newsletter about the USPS, election security, and democracy. Subscribe to get the next edition before it is published here, as well as exclusive articles and the paid zine.
Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the long weekend. We’ve had two pretty long editions of The Mail to start, so I figured this was a good week to keep things on the shorter side. This also gave me more time to report on something more substantial for next week which I’m excited about.
Speaking of things I’m excited about, we’re hard at work wrapping up the first edition of the zine. It’s going to be great. Subscribe now to make sure you get it.
And if you’ve been liking The Mail, please share it with others who might like it, too.
The first time I was introduced to the dog-chasing-mailman comedy gag was in a Seinfeld episode that aired in 1995. I didn't see it for the first time in 1995. To be honest, I have no idea when I first saw it. Probably sometime in the early 2000s when I realized I could watch three consecutive hours of Simpsons and Seinfeld reruns every weekday between the hours of 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., something I did far more often that I care to admit. 
In any event, in the Seinfeld episode in question, Kramer is mad at Newman for eating the last of the delicious Mackinaw peaches. In retaliation, he releases the local English bulldog Buford, who we are led to assume has long wanted to chase the mailman and will now finally get his chance. 
"Look, Buford, it's the mailman," Kramer says as he undoes his leash. "You remember the mailman, don't you?" And off Buford goes.
One of the things I was most surprised to learn when I started to report on the post office is the dog attacking the mail carrier issue is no joke. According to the USPS, 5,803 postal workers were attacked by dogs last year, down 400 from 2017. Every June, the USPS has Dog Bite Awareness Week, although I must admit I wasn't aware of it until I started reporting on the post office.
Motherboard's official position is that there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. The USPS seems to agree, calling dog bite attacks entirely preventable. 
"Training, socializing and taking safety precautions with your dog can help ensure dog bites and attacks do not occur," the USPS stated last Dog Bite Awareness Week. Basically, if owners did a better job training their dogs and didn't put them in positions where they could charge at mail carriers, this wouldn't be a problem. But, we do not live in a perfect world.
You were probably told as a kid not to pet strange dogs. The USPS has a similar policy, in that it instructs mail carriers to "consider all dogs as potentially hazardous," according to rural letter carrier training materials I obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. If there is a neighborhood dog "known to interfere with delivery of mail," postal workers are to place this postcard just ahead of the dog's home in case someone other than the usual carrier is delivering mail that day.
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Screenshot from USPS training document via Freedom of Information Act request
At the bottom, you'll see the instruction for postmasters and station managers to "immediately forward this form under separate cover to the receiving office postmaster" if the customer moves "to alert carrier of new dog on route." So these warning cards are, in theory, supposed to follow the dog its entire life. 
Many letter carriers also carry dog repellent, which as far as I can tell is just pepper spray. The USPS has a manual for letter carriers on when and how to use this dog repellent. If a dog attacks, "Spray the repellent directly at the eyes, nose, and mouth of the attacking dog by pressing the control on top of the container," the manual states. "Direct application must be made. The effective range is up to 10 feet. Effectiveness against trained attack dogs is not established." 
Like with pepper spray used on humans, the effect fades after 10 or 15 minutes. The manual also notes the USPS consulted with The American Kennel Club, the American Humane Association, the Popular Dogs Publishing Company, and the Humane Society of the United States to make sure there were no objections to using the repellent to ward off attacks.
The training materials include another piece of helpful advice: "When delivering to a mail slot, refrain from sticking your fingers through the slot. A dog may be located on the other side waiting for an opportunity to bite." 
That sounds like an absurd scenario to me—as the USPS itself acknowledges, dogs tend to bite for protective reasons, so it's hard to see how it would feel threatened by a finger coming through a mail slot—but the underlying advice seems sound. Never stick your fingers in strange slots.
All that being said, many mail carriers have wonderful relationships with families they get to know over the decades they deliver mail to them, and that includes their dogs. Here's a story my mom told me after the first newsletter edition went out:
“Speaking of superhero mail carriers, when I was a kid, our mail carrier, Mr. Wren, walked his route with a big leather bag. He was usually accompanied by Rex, a lovely Belgian Shepherd dog and, on occasion, by Pushkin, a German Shepherd, as well. The two dogs, in those days when dogs ran loose, followed him on his route just for the hell of it. So for all those carriers who have had to deal with mean and aggressive dogs, I'd like them to know about Mr. Wren, Rex, and Pushkin.”
Do you have any good pet and letter carrier stories? I'd love to hear them. Maybe we'll include some in future newsletters. Email me at [email protected] or write me a letter (address below).
The Week In Mail
Last week, Trump encouraged his supporters in North Carolina to commit a felony. He told them to vote by mail and then go vote in person on election day, too. Knowingly voting twice in an election is a felony. His framing was very clear: if they don't let you vote twice the system works, if they do let you vote twice that's two votes for Trump which is good for Trump. He later tried to claim this wasn't what he meant but it absolutely was. Aside from the fact that the president just told his supporters to go try and commit a crime and see if they get caught, I've said from the beginning that one of the vexing things about the vote-by-mail/USPS issue is Trump now has the power to claim an agency or process is illegitimate and then make it so even if it wasn't true when he first started saying it. Plus, the very perception that he has that power and influence can, in itself, delegitimize our institutions even if he doesn't actually do anything, because many people will stop trusting it, and trust is the cornerstone of robust public institutions. The fact that documented cases of attempted voter fraud by mail are astronomically low might change if Trump encourages his supporters to commit mass voter fraud. What would that mean for future elections?
Louis DeJoy used his company to reimburse employees’ donations to Republican candidates, a violation of state and federal campaign laws, according to the Washington Post. This is the kind of thing people go to prison for, in theory.
I vehemently disagree with the assertion in this other Washington Post story that politics is akin to logistics, but otherwise there is some useful background here about Louis DeJoy as a boss. Basically, he's exactly the kind of boss you suspect he is.
More DeJoy news: his former company made $286 million from USPS contracts since 2013.
The USPS Office of Inspector General came out with a report about the USPS's readiness for the upcoming election. Although some of the findings may sound alarming, they're remarkably similar to ones from previous years' audits and mostly have to do with getting local election officials to use trackable barcodes and earlier deadlines for mailing ballots back. 
I have started to notice a trend of articles pointing out that America has fucked up some other core infrastructure service in the same way it's fucked up the USPS. This week's edition is Amtrak.
My colleagues at VICE reported on how the USPS has been a lifeline for independent music artists, although that doesn't include the band Postal Service. However, The Mail officially extends an open invitation to Ben Gibbard to talk about the USPS.
Trump's campaign has taken out $200,000 in Facebook ads telling people (incorrectly) voting by mail is fraudulent and also has taken out $650,000 in Facebook ads encouraging his supporters to vote by mail.
Two contrasting takes on how vote-by-mail went in last week's primaries: thousands of Georgia voters say they never got their absentee ballots (although it's not clear whose fault this was) and a Boston Globe columnist said vote-by-mail in Massachusetts was "how an election should be."
Among the many things that rely on the USPS to function: immigration proceedings.
Postcards
A big THANK YOU to everyone who sent in postcards! I picked up a nice stack of them on Friday. They were such a treat to hold and read. Keep 'em coming! 
Also, we have plans to do a mailbag Q&A somewhere down the line, but obviously we will only be taking questions via letter. We’ll do a more prominent request for questions later, but if you have any, feel free to start sending them in. Our address is:
VICE Media c/o Aaron Gordon 49 S 2nd St. Brooklyn, NY 11211
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Look at these good dogs.
Obviously, given today's newsletter theme, I had to include the dog one. Also please note the five stamps adding up to 36-cent postage. Love it!
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I also really liked this one of the post office in Albany. Thanks, Peter!
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The Post Office’s Relationship With Dogs Is No Joke syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/
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