A fell asleep on public transport. B is sitting right next to them, and as they see the next stop coming up, they wake A up to ask if it’s their stop. (bonus points if Bcaught glimpses of them while they slept, adoring how peaceful they looked!)
A lost something in public and is freaking out. that is, until Bfound whatAwas looking for, and asks if it’s theirs.
it’s raining/snowing and BnoticedAis without proper clothing/equipment, like an umbrella or a jacket. so what does B do? they ask if A wants their only jacket/asks A if they want to share an umbrella.
AandB get paired up for a boring project, but together they make it fun!
the classic “the parents dragged AandB to a boring party and they become friends.”
B gets something tasty looking from a restaurant/cafe/etc. and, despite A being shy or nervous, they ask what it is.
A wants the last of something (ex. a donut or bag) but they and B grab it simultaneously. now they stare at each other for a little too long before B frantically says, “you can have it!” and then they go back and forth insisting the other can have it. (bonus points if their hands touch!)
AandB are sitting next to each other on a long flight. despite them going to the same place, it’s for completely different reasons. A is going for a funeral, and B is going for a friend’s wedding. out of nowhere, A starts crying, and though it’s hardly audible, B notices and starts comforting Aimmediately.by the end of the flight, they both have each other’s numbers!
no one said these had to be realistic, right? perfect. A is out in public and sees a familiar figure. the thing is, A is mistaking B, a stranger A has never saw until now, for their best friend. A quickens their walking to catch up with their “best friend.” when they eventually do, they scare them from the back, but when B turns around, A’s smile falls. AexpectsB to get reasonably upset, but instead, B laughs. a strong friendship (maybe even a romantic relationship?) ensues.
again, might be unrealistic yet adorable! A finds a cat/dog on the street, but they don’t have a collar, so A starts treating them as their own. that is until B starts knocking on people’s doors, describing the pet and asking if anyone has seen them. when B gets to A’sdoor,A immediately knows they have that exact pet. depending on who you portray A to be, they may consider lying and saying they don’t have it, but in the end, they end up giving the pet back. the pet, however, is very attached to A, and tries to stay. B notices this and tells A that they can keep the pet, just as long as they stay in contact so B can visit it whenever! a strong relationship between AandB ensues :)
It’s been awhile! I’m waiting for the entire season to be complete, so I’m making this mini comic based on my Wandavision inspired story idea!
It’s been nagging to be written because when you think of Miraculous – a French kids cartoon about two magical superheroes crushing on each other – don’t we just automatically think of witches and trauma?
Guess my perpetual frustration about the lack of wlw romcoms materialized into this silly 2-page meet cute.
I’ve been away for a bit, life is busy. But I’m here for your periodic reminder that this post blossomed into a webcomic on Tapas and you can get the 1st PDF here.
“Fireworks, Weiss. I found fireworks.” Yang shook the box excitedly to emphasize her point.
Weiss stared worriedly at her firebug of a friend. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Yang. It was the fact that the last time Yang had fireworks, she had to smother a field with the brand-new jacket her mother had gotten her. She was lucky her mother never found out. “And you plan to set them off…?”
“Here!” Yang pulled a lighter from her jacket.
“Of course,” Weiss sighed. “Because that sounds perfectly safe.” Pointedly, she looked around. It was a small place. Grass came up in tufts, though it was mostly weeds. There was an old swing set and seesaw. Just behind them were woods. A creek ran between the two. “Doing this. In a public park.”
“No one comes here.” Yang waved her concern away. “Plus, there’s the creak in case of any emergencies.”
Weiss raised an eyebrow. Yang lifted a bucket. Before she could stop it, Weiss’ lip curved into a smile. As always, Yang had learned. Maybe not what Weiss would consider sane. It would have been easier to just not create the possible problem rather than dealing with the symptoms. But that was the difference between Yang and her. It was one she appreciated. There were so many fun things she had done since Yang befriended her. Things she never would’ve done. “Fine.”
Yang lit up like the fires she started. She whooped.
“Bucket first!” Weiss reminded her as Yang opened one.
“Right.” Yang finger gunned, before running to fill the bucket. “Making sure you’re paying attention!”
“Sure.” Weiss rolled her eyes.
The bucket had barely hit the ground before Yang shot back to the fireworks. There was a grin on her face as she lit off the first one. It spun into the air a short distance before popping off, bright colours starbursting from it. Weiss watched each one pop off in turn. About halfway through Yang’s stash, she heard a new voice give an awed ‘ooh’.
Weiss turned toward it at the same time Yang did. The next few seconds appeared in slow motion.
A new firework had been set off. It traveled over their heads. Toward the girl who’d walked up. The firework went off. Sparks flew. In seconds her brown hair was washed partly in orange.
“Shit!” Yang shouted. Weiss watched as realization slowly formed on the girl’s features, brown eyes going wide. She dropped her camera as she reached to pat it out. Suddenly, the fire was gone. Replaced by dripping wet hair. The girl’s chest heaved. Her hands were still by her ears. Stuck uselessly in the air.
“What the fuck?” The girl spoke breathlessly, with what had to be a british accent. Finally Weiss blinked out of her trance.
“I am so sorry,” Yang said worriedly.
“Are you okay?” Weiss asked at the same time.
The girl blinked, seemingly still in her own trance. A tendril of smoke snaked from her hair. “You set me on fire.” At first she looked at the ground. Then her eyes went to Yang. Weiss held her breath. Sure Yang was gonna be chewed out by a stranger. Then the girl let out a disbelieving laugh. It was something that crescendoed to border on the edge of ‘hysterical’ but miraculously never fell off.
Weiss exchanged a worried look with Yang. “Um…”
“I can’t believe-” the girl gasped, “I only thought my brother’d ever do tha-” Another wave of laughter struck. Weiss shared another look with Yang. Because clearlythere was something off with this girl. Maybe she was in shock. Or just crazy since there was no way a sane person would just laugh about something so dangerous happening to them. Except perhaps Yang, but Weiss has known Yang long enough that she’s stopped putting Yang in the ‘sane’ category.
“Are you okay?” Weiss asked once more.
“Great.” The girl gave up double thumbs ups. Suddenly Weiss felt like her and Yang would make a great match. They could be totally insane together.
The thought made Weiss shudder. Two of them. ‘There was nothing to fear but fear itself’. That was fear itself. She didn’t think she could ever prepare for the possibility of them dating if they managed to get any further words out of the girl. Which, okay, maybe the fear was unfounded. It wasn’t guaranteed on first contact that they’d date.
“You sure know how to light up someone’s life.” The girl smiled at Yang.
Dammit. Nevermind.
“What can I say,” Yang grinned back. Brothers, it was like her flirting was instinctual at this point. What had Blake ever seen in her? (Weiss knew what it was. It was exactly what everyone saw- a good friend, a smile that could put people at ease. Except Weiss had seen the twin of that smile throughout their friendship. She’d seen it just an hour ago, when Yang first ran up to her with the fireworks. That smile could put the fear of Oum into anybody. Or, she assumed it could. It definitely put it in her. Of course, she always ended up going along. Someonehad to make sure Yang didn’t end up hurt, afterall!
And… it was fun. What could she say, her friend was fun, sue her.)
“I’m just talented like that,” Yang finished with a wink.
(Fun and stupid.)
“Well, I probably should’ve asked earlier, but do you think I could continue takin’ pictures of your fireworks?” The girl reached down to pick her camera back up and held it with a smile. Yang flipped her lighter.
“Of course,” Yang said.
“Thanks, these are some pretty great shots,” the girl said.
Yang raised an eyebrow and Weiss knew what to expect to come out of her best friend’s mouth next. “I thought you said you were taking pictures of the fireworks, not me.”
“I was actually talking about the short one.” The girl gestured to Weiss with a teasing grin and she gasped in offense despite the heat at her cheeks. It was obviously a joke, but it didn’t make it any less rude. It wasn’t her fault both these girls were giants . (Seriously, Yang was tall . 6’2 tall. And this girl came up to Yang’s nose while she was stuck at chest level. Clearly, height was an unfair metric in life.) “Though if you’re offering to pose for me, I know a great coffeeshop. We could meet there another day and talk about it.”
“It’s a date,” Yang agreed.
“Good,” the girl said. “My name is Velvet, by the way. And what’s the name of my future girlfriend?”
“Future?” Yang repeated.
“If it goes well like I’m hoping. Didn’t you say it was a date?” Velvet asked, causing Yang’s cheeks to flame and Weiss is pretty sure she just saw the impossible. Someone had actually managed to outflirt Yang.
“Y-” Wow. That was an actualstutter from Yang Xiao Long. Yang swallowed. “Yang.”
“Yang,” Velvet repeated with a smile and clapped once. “Now, fireworks?”
This is what happens when you’re crossing all of life’s t’s and dotting its i’s and then everything you thought was put together falls apart. Allison has everything, a well paying job that she’s good at, a fiance, a few best friends doubling as her bridesmaids in the upcoming wedding- and everything is toppled over in one day.
Charming Falls Apart’s best quality? These are real characters. They are built on personality, insecurities, faults, and growth. I am blown away by the characters jumping off of the pages through their personalities, actions, and realistic lives. Every time Allison made a mature decision, reacted to a completely human emotion, or even stopped herself from jumping right into something without thought, it was a win for the real-life woman reading this novel after reading countless characters that don’t feel down on Earth.
Allison’s entire life falls apart in one fell swoop and this story has a natural rhythm as she regains her confidence, both professionally and socially. While she reads self-help books you bear witness to self-reflection and growth, and the changes a person can make to better their life at any age.
The romantic progression was another great thing to read. She meets Eric by chance in a coffee shop that he owns and she can’t help but keep coming back. While at first she’s too freshly burned to even consider it, she gains back a piece of herself in her conversations with Eric- along with a reoccurring blush across her cheeks. The romance didn’t feel forced, which was probably the best part. There were times where I found myself smiling while reading because Eric comes across as charming while he makes jokes and teases Allison.
This was a breath of fresh air as far as romance novels, I really enjoyed the maturity of it and the characters. People who enjoyed Evvie Drake Starts Over would also enjoy this novel. Thank you to Edelweiss, Angela Terry, and SparkPress for the pleasure of reading this review copy.
Merlin making a little life on a farm with Will. They’re “confirmed bachelors” except Merlin is just gay and Will is ace/aro. One day Merlin is just minding his own business out in the forest, foraging wild berries like one does, and he’s attacked by a monster. Thankfully, he can use his magic to save himself. Not so thankfully, someone sees. It’s a new someone. Someone Merlin has never seen before, which might be good and it might be bad.
The man has a sword which he immediately lowers and puts up his free hand. “That was very impressive.” He said, and Merlin looks between the man’s face, his empty hand, and the sword. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I mean you no harm. I have been tracking that beast for three days. I’m just relieved to be done with it.”
Merlin is very wary, but he’s also vulnerable to the man’s very good looks and fluffy hair. “Magic is illegal. You can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
Merlin brings him home and Will makes like 50 inappropriate jokes over dinner about the two of them. Merlin learns the stranger’s name is Lancelot, and it’s just as pretty as his face. Merlin scolds will for his jokes, but full intends on keeping Lancelot.
Summary:So there was this jar, and it had so much peanut butter still in it, and when his fox nose scented it and didn’t catch any poison or spoilage, what was he supposed to do? Not avail himself of this gift? No. He shoved his delicate little snout right in there and got to licking, but, you know… Elegantly. Definitely not snarfing and making horrible little fox sounds and rolling around on the ground while he went ham on the jar. Sure, he had to work a little bit to get at the last of it, but anything good is worth working for, right? So finally, triumphant, no longer starving, and maybe a little thirsty now from eating half a cup of peanut butter in about two minutes, he’d tried to remove his head from the jar.
Operative word tried.
Or: Wei Ying gets stuck. Lan Zhan helps.
My comments: Well, now, this was a hoot and a ride, due to being inside wwx’s head for the whole story (along with his colony of over-caffeinated squirrels and the eighteen trains of thought he has going in and out of his brain depot). He’s a feral cuddle-monster as a fox and an insecure and anxious human if he thinks too much, and there’s zero filter at all, so he often uses mouth words when no mouth words should have been used, and it’s hilarious.
Luckily, Lan Zhan is really *really* into that.
Excerpt 1: He thinks, briefly, about shifting into his human form. Would he just sort of… explode out of the jar? Or would he end up with his human-sized head stuck inside this fox-sized peanut butter jar? That is genuinely the most horrifying thought he’s ever had in his life. No fucking way. Shifting is right out! Not today Satan, not today!
Excerpt 2: He reaches one gloved hand in and murmurs, “Don’t worry, Xiao-gua, I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
Wei Ying dies a little inside and doesn’t think he can be blamed for it. Anyone would feel the same way after hearing that voice coming out of that face calling an angry possum “Little Melon” in Chinese. The possum apparently agrees, because it stops hissing and goes docile, settling into a corner of the box and blinking up at Hot Animal Hero with sleepy eyes. “Good job,” Hot Animal Hero tells the possum. “You’re doing very well.”
Wei Ying is going to fucking marry this man. Tall, hot, smells good, good with animals? He’s gone. He’s done. The crush he develops is instant and all-consuming.
fox wei wuxian, modern au, modern with magic, poverty, humor, chaotic wei wuxian, adhd wei wuxian, wildlife animal rescuer lan wangji, human/fox disaster wei wuxian, shananigans & hijinks, flirting, crushes, hurt wei wuxian, in that his head is stuck in a jar for a long time, caretaking, huli jing, shapeshifting, POV wei wuxian, THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY, insecure wei wuxian, protective lan wangji, thirsty lan wangji, empath lan wangji, touch telepathy, getting to know each other, getting together, meet cute, cuddling, first kiss, first time, scenting, scent kink, enthusiastic consent, hurt/comfort, communication, favorite
(You may wish to REBLOG as a signal boost for this author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)
[ID: Two iterations of the same image showing Vin and Elend on the balcony below the ceiling of the Venture’s ballroom. We see Vin from being standing in the front. She is wearing a blue dress with puffy short sleeves and looks towards Elend, who stands in the background next to a lamp set with blue and white glass panels. He leans into the corner of a giant grey stone pillar reading a book. To the right of the picture the warm orange and pink lights of the ballroom shine from below. In the second version Vin’s face is in profile gazing down into the hall. Elend is looking at her smiling a rather cheeky smile.]
I finished the next chapter of PH last night, but I need to step back before editing - so I’m aiming for posting Wednesday instead of today. It’s…uh…it’s turned into another little beast. These meet cute/akuma chapters were supposed to be short, dang it.
“Yeah,” Bri snickered, smirking at her. “You’re not even using the mat in front of us. Last week, Troy had Brussel sprouts before class. Bent over and ripped a big one right in poor Luka’s face.”
Blue Hair’s face scrunched at the memory, but Marinette was suddenly too gripped with a whole new sense of terror to realize Blue Hair’s name was Luka.
“That…thathappens?” she squeaked. Blue Hair gave her an encouraging, if pained, smile and shrugged.
“People fart,” he said. “I survived.”
…oh my God I’m going to fart in his face, Marinette thought in a blind panic. Blue Hair smiled and squeezed her knee.
“Breathe,” he said, patting her knee before turning back to the front of the class, where Adrienne looked like she was meditating. “You’ll do great.”
“…I’m going to fart in your face and I won’t even have to worry about breaking my neck because I’ll have already died of embarrassment,” she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and hanging her head.
Notes: I thought I was being so clever with the last chapter. “They’re gonna think I uploaded the wrong chapter,” I thought. “This is gonna be such fun!” And not even twenty minutes later Quick’s like “so how long is it gonna take Ver to realize she’s tricked herself back into the Loops?” Y’all’ve got my number.
(Itried doing this as a sprint fic, bc I was using the “You’ve Got Mail AU” prompt from a few challenges ago, but around 5-6 sprints in I gave up and just wrote the damn thing. Also desperately trying to convince myself this doesn’t need to be a full-fledged AU – at least not before the three other AUs that came first get done. )
I took notes on the play party soon after it happened, but never wrote it up. I blame Reaction Junkie, since once I met him, my social life really picked up. But I decided to write it up now, months later, since I think a lot of you would be interested to see how our first date went and get a peek at the beginnings of our relationship.
I met Reaction Junkie at a Tuesday happy hour. He’d seen me around before, and I’m sure I’d seen him, but we hadn’t actually met. If I recall correctly, the night we finally met, I hit him and said some things to him. I think I was going through my phase where I was experimenting with consensual misandry. (I feel like I used to talk more while I was playing. It seems like I’ve gotten more self-conscious about what I say during play, especially from the d-side, but from the subby side, as well.) So, our interaction actually began with me being toppy/dommy towards him. It wasn’t even switchy. Things sure have changed.
The day after that, I sent him my customary “Thank you. I had a great time!” text that I try to send to people after spending time with them. When he responded, he said that if I wasn’t going out to a party that Friday, “I’m free that night as well and would love to see you.” I asked if he wasn’t planning to go to the party. He responded, “If given the option between going to [the party] or spending the night with you, I choose the latter.” When I read that, I thought to myself, “Duuude. This guy sounds like he’s already pretty into me. [LFB], you’re awesome.”
We made plans for me to pick him up and drive to the party. As I was driving to his place that Friday, I was thinking about what I wanted to do that night. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play with him or how I wanted to play with him, but I figured I’d probably figure it out when I got there. I picked him off and we headed off to the party. I don’t remember the car ride in much detail, but I do recall having a conversation with him about what I wanted out of relationships. I’d been talking about that with Marxman. Through those conversations I had realized that, while I was enjoying my busy schedule, hanging out with different partners in different cities every other day or so, that’s not what I wanted. What I wanted, to quote Marxman, was “someone to come home to.”
At the time, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but the general sentiment rang true. So, when I was talking to Reaction Junkie in the car, I told him that I wanted to find someone with whom I would have a “shared emotional investment.” I had several partners, people I liked and enjoyed spending time with, but none of those relationships felt like they were moving in that direction. In fact, my main relationship would never move in that direction. I’d only spent (at most) a couple hours with Reaction Junkie before that night, but I felt comfortable opening up to him, and was already hoping that he might become a recurring partner. I never imagined that he would become my “someone to come home to.”
Steve looks at the four foot tree in the middle of the street. It’s the only one yet to be decorated for Christmas. The school’s name is on a sign next to it, proudly proclaiming Kaiser Middle School, but the tree is dressed worse than a Charlie Brown tree. He supposes that it’s his fault no one volunteered to decorate it for the contest, seeing as it was a last minute decision to try to win the five hundred dollar prize for the best decorated tree.
He puts his hands on his hips and sighs. He’s an art teacher, not a decorator. He looks down at the meagre box of ornaments he was able to scrape together from the dollar store, and picking up the one that looks the least broken, places it on the tree. It’s a start. He’s about halfway done with the box when someone startles him.
“Are you Steve?” the voice asks. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Steve turns to find a man with a box of decorations in his hand. Gooddecorations. Not the cheap ones Steve has.
“Yeah, I’m Steve.” It’s then that he takes a look at the man. Dark hair tucked behind his ear, blue eyes, and a hint of stubble with the prettiest pink lips Steve has ever seen. “What uh…what can I do for you?” He takes notice when the man huffs at the unintended innuendo.
“My sister sent me. Becca Barnes? Her kids are at Kaiser and she couldn’t make it to help decorate the tree. I’m Bucky.” He holds out a hand which Steve takes.
“Oh, yeah. The Barnes twins. Good kids.”
Bucky barks out a laugh. “Goodisn’t exactly the word for those two.” Steve nods, but doesn’t say anything. “Anyway. I’ve got a box, and I’m here to help.”
“That’s actually really great,” Steve says. “These cheap ornaments aren’t really going to get us to win the contest.”
“Have no fear,” Bucky says, putting the box on the ground. “You and I are going to have the best tree on the block.”
They work in relative silence, making minimal small talk. True to his word, Bucky manages to make the tree look beautiful. He even makes a large, puffy bow for the top of it. Steve has never seen such a sight. By the time they’re done, the tree is covered in ornaments from both of their boxes, and it manages to stand out from the trees directly next to it.
Steve takes notice that Bucky’s cheeks have pinked up in the chilly air, and he figures, what the hell? “Thank you for your help. The tree looks great!”
“My pleasure. I like decorating.”
“So, um. If you’re not busy right now, would you like to go get a cup of coffee?”
Bucky stares at him for a long moment and for a second, Steve thinks he’s going to get punched for even asking, but then Bucky breaks into a wide smile and says, “Make it a hot chocolate, and you’ve got a date.”
The next entry in the Short Fic Challenge uses these prompts: someone having the worst luck, the meet part of a meet-cute, and the situation and setting, a coffee shop human AU was suggested by @sunniebelle. Tagging @doctorroseprompts.
John Smith found himself looking at his phone calendar to confirm the date wasn’t actually Friday the thirteenth. Not that he was a triskaidekaphobe. Not at all. He wasn’t superstitious in the least, because he was a scientist with a doctorate and that was not how he rolled.
But, mornings like this certainly tested his resolve. He had awakened to discover that his car had been towed in the night, most likely due to a parking complaint from his annoying neighbor in the next building. John had known he was tempting fate by taking the space right in front of her building, but it had been the only one open. He’d spent a good hour tracking the vehicle down, making him miss his first class. He’d had to call in his TA to teach his first lab of the day, and he wasn’t sure he’d make it to the second.
The second debacle of the day had occurred shortly after he’d burst out of his flat door. He’d tripped over the errant black cat that had taken up residence in the stairwell. John had nearly gone head first down a flight of steps, but had managed to grab the rail just in time. The swearing and clatter had been loud enough for Craig and Sophie, the ground floor neighbors, to poke their heads out their door. Sophie once again disavowed the cat. John had no idea who owned it. He sensed a tone of derision in its meowing at him.
So, no, it’s not Friday the thirteenth, but yes, the cat was black. Managed to avoid walking under that ladder, though. John thought as he walked, shoulders slumped, down the sidewalk towards the newspaper stand and the small cafe next to it. Noticing the white splatter of paint on his black chucks, he groaned. Missed the ladder but not the paint, he mused as he looked back at the workers painting the trim on the building next to his. His neighbor’s building. He told himself it was ridiculous to imagine she paid the painters to mess up his shoes.
Wilfred Mott, who ran the newsstand, greeted him with his usual cheeriness. “Well, hello, Doctor! Everything okay? You look a bit deflated.”
“That’s a good word for it. It’s not been a great morning,” John confirmed.
“Was that your little blue car I saw…”
“Yep,” he said, popping the p.
“Blimey,” Wilfred said, shaking his head. “Wish I’d said something.”
“It wasn’t your problem, Wilf,” John assured him. “Nothing you could do about it. Then to make matters even better, I tripped over the cat in my building. Nearly cracked my head open.”
Wilfred winced. “Ah, I see. Gonna get your car now, I suppose?”
John rolled his eyes. “Soon. Impound yard doesn’t open for another half-hour. I guess I’m going to work after lunch. Hopefully.”
“I’d give you a free newspaper for your troubles…” Wilfred began.
John raised his hand and interjected, “No, I’ll pay for it. I have to keep my favorite newsstand in business, and besides, Donna would kill me.”
Wilfred continued, “…But I’m all out.”
“Ah,” John said. No leisurely crossword puzzle today.
“I think things will look better after coffee and a muffin,” Wilfred suggested.
John nodded. “Excellent idea. Particularly if it’s one of Donna’s banana nut muffins.” He stepped towards the cafe door.
“Have a better day, Doctor. I’m rootin’ for ya.”
With a salute and a smile in Wilfred’s direction, John entered Noble Pastimes, his favorite cafe. He noted that it was rather crowded, even for the end of the morning rush. His friend Donna was behind the counter, as was the barista, Bill Potts, and there were four customers ahead of him.
John realized there was something familiar about the woman approaching the counter. She was blonde, wearing a bright pink hoodie with Punky Fish scrawled on the back like graffiti. Suddenly, it occurred to him why she was familiar, and his heart sped up a bit with the revelation. Oh! The shopgirl from Henrik’s! The one who sold me Aunt Sarah’s scarf. Yes, that’s definitely her. She was lovely. Picked out the perfect gift. Gorgeous eyes, too. Honey… no, whiskey colored. That was the best way to describe them. Why don’t I go to Henrik’s more often? Well, other than hating shopping. She made it a pleasant experience, though. That’s it, all shopping is to be done at Henrik’s from this point forward. I will come up with a list of things I have to buy. Oh, but what if she doesn’t work there any…
“Gonna order, Spaceman?” The dulcet tones of Donna Noble jolted him from his recollections. They’d been friends for years, more like brother and sister, so he often got the unfiltered version of Donna’s customer service charm. Apparently the line, and he, had been moving while he’d been dreaming of blond shopgirls. Well, of a specific blonde shopgirl. He didn’t just wake up with a craving. “You’re late.”
“Been a bit of a morning. Don’t wanna get into it,” John told her. Donna nodded. He assumed she knew she’d get the full story later. “Banana nut muffin, please, and a coffee.” He quickly scanned the display case. Then he looked at it again, and finally on the third pass, he stammered, “There’s none? None at all? You’re out?”
“Yes, yes, and yes,” Donna stated flatly. He assumed the “Dumbo” went unsaid, but understood, because she was in her place of business and not their Wednesday night Uno game.
“There’s no banana nut muffin,” he repeated stupidly.
“Then would you take a blueberry? Because there’s customers behind you,” Donna sing-songed.
“Fine,” John sighed, his shoulders sagging. There was no point in being angry. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shopgirl giving them both the side-eye as she collected her coffee from Bill. Donna bagged up a blueberry muffin and thrust it at him, then he stepped over to where Bill was handing out another coffee. He noticed the shopgirl was stuffing her change in her purse.
Bill gave him a sympathetic smile.“Sorry about the muffin.”
“I’m not surprised, honestly. It’s been the morning from hell. My car got towed. Made the fatal error of parking it in front of the building next door.”
“The crazy neighbor called the towing company on you?” Donna interrupted. He nodded, not wanting to get into it.
“M’ sorry to hear that,” Bill said sympathetically, seeming to understand his need to refrain from elaborating.
“Had to call Martha in to teach for me, and she’ll probably have to do the afternoon lab too. Then some random cat tried to murder me, I got paint on my trainers… then no newspaper, and no banana nut muffin. I don’t mean to be a knob. I know it’s ridiculous to be so disappointed over something so small…”
“Small things have a way of pilin’ up, though. Sounds like your morning has been rubbish. S’cuse me for interruptin’,” a woman spoke behind him. He startled, then turned to see the shopgirl, holding a bag and a travel mug. “Not my business, I know, but… M’name’s Rose Tyler, by the way. You came into Henrik’s a couple of weeks ago. I remember you.”
Faced with the object of his musings actually speaking to him, John stammered eloquently, “Oh.” Then his brain relayed the information that not only did she remember him, she’d just introduced herself and he was standing there like a lump. “I’m John Smith. Yes, that was me. Aunt Sarah loved her scarf.”
Rose grinned broadly. “That’s great. Erm… sorry about the banana nut muffin. I must’ve bought the last one.”
He found that in the presence of a Rose Tyler smile, he could forgive quite a bit. “If it had to go with someone, I’m glad it went with you.” Internally, he winced. He was no Casanova, but that was awkward even for him.
Then Rose did something with her tongue, poking it out of the corner of her mouth as she smiled, and it made him forget the whole morning’s ordeal. It even made him stop thinking of banana nut muffins.
“I have an idea, if you have some time. Wanna share?”
“Share what?”
Rose chuckled, holding up the bag. “I bought two. Want one?”
“I wouldn’t want to take away your breakfast,” he demurred.
“S’okay. I’ll survive until lunch.”
John blurted, “I’ll buy you lunch, Rose Tyler.”
With that tip of the tongue smile, Rose told him, “Let’s see how breakfast goes.” She turned and headed towards an empty table by the window. John started to follow.
“Your coffee, Dr. Smith,” Bill grinned. Was that a knowing smirk she was giving him? John imagined it was. As he grinned and stuffed some cash in the tip jar, he noticed Bill elbowing Donna. Not caring that they’d probably contributed to the neighborhood gossip today, John joined Rose at the table.
He did bring her lunch later at Henrik’s, after picking the car up at the impound yard.
Eventually, they shared many more breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (and midnight snacks.) John Smith always called Rose Tyler his fair Fortuna, because meeting her was the moment his luck changed for the better.
