baby blues, storage

autumn aus

•‘i got caught staring at my adult neighbour raking up a bunch of leaves in their backyard and jumping into them and now have to awkwardly pretend i saw nothing’ au

•met at a pumpkin patch fighting over the same perfectly round and picturesque pumpkin au

•‘me and my roommate decided to decorate our house for halloween but got really into it, and ended up re-enacting several scenes from nightmare on elm street so loud the neighbours called the police to investigate screams’ au

•'i ordered a pumpkin spice latte at starbucks and you made a heart with the foam and i decided to drink it here so i can smile at you some more’ au

•'this stranger on the street corner looks like they’re severely unprepared for this cold weather, here, take my scarf, i was planning on donating it to goodwill anyways’ au

•'i was unaware that there was an organized zombie crawl going on and i didn’t realize you were in a costume and i screamed in your face because i truly thought i was facing a zombie invasion’ au

it's really cold outside aus

•you walked here in a blizzard to get your hot chocolate but you forgot your wallet at home, here, let me buy your drink for you

•my friends want to skate / ski / snowboard but i don’t know how, can you help me?

•i always thought you were weird for carrying an umbrella in the snow, but now it’s snowing REALLY hard and we’re going the same way

•it’s so cold my mouth is numb, you should kiss me before we get frostbite

•it’s so cold and the only reason we’re outside at all is because we need to walk our dogs

•so you’re the kindly neighbour that shovelled my front walk this morning? you should come round for dinner, i owe you one

•so we’re stuck on a ski lift together

•i forgot my toboggan in the park only to come back and find you using it

•when i wake up and look out the window, there’s a message for me in the snow in my front yard

•we’re playing truth or dare in our friend’s hot tub and you make me get out and stand in the snow in my bare feet, i’m gonna get you back

•the classic huddling together for warmth trope

•you’re an ice dancer and i’m your coach and when you twirl your partner around i wish i was them instead

•we’re both out snowmobiling but yours breaks down, i can give you a lift

•we’re at the mall when there’s a severe weather warning over the loudspeakers, guess we’re spending the night here

•i meant for that snowball to hit my friend but you came around the corner at the last second and now we’re having a snowball fight

hot mess aus

•‘i met you last night when you were drunkenly patting my dog in my backyard at 3 in the morning and when i asked you what the hell you were doing you slurred something about dogs being great and then you threw up on my feet and then fifteen minutes later you were passed out on my couch so that’s why you’re here right now also what the fuck is your name and why were you patting a dog in a stranger’s backyard in the middle of the night’ au

•'i’m an ikea employee and every day for the last week i’ve had to ask you to leave the store bc you keep coming in and sleeping in the beds seriously are you homeless or something i can call a shelter’ au

•'i don’t know who you are but we keep running into each other on the street and getting into screaming arguments over the stupidest things and i’m actually looking forward to our next meeting bc you’re annoying as hell but gdi you’re hot as fuck and its kind of fun to argue with you’ au

•'i’m in my underpants in a laundromat waiting for my clothes to get washed and your clothes are in the machine next to mine and i noticed that when you put your clothes in they were all covered in blood what the fuck’ au

•'last night was a haze for both of us and somehow we woke up hungover in a bed that isn’t either of ours and also neither of us recognize this apartment we should probably get out of here before someone calls the cops on us’ au

•'last night was supposed to be a one night stand but we drunkenly got each other’s names tattooed on each other’s ass cheeks so now its kind of hard to forget you’ au

•'you found me hanging by my fingertips from your window and i don’t want to tell you i was trying to rob you but idk how else to explain this and i don’t want to go to jail and also you’re kind of cute we should make out when i’m not clinging onto your window ledge for my life’ au

•‘you’re lying on the floor of the movie theater crying and i’m the employee who has to tell you another movie starts in five minutes so you have to leave and i’m really sorry but im also confused as to why a documentary on lightningbugs affected you so much’ au

•'i found you sleeping on my balcony when i went out to water my plants why are you here and more importantly how did you get here we’re eighteen floors up’ au

•'i’m having a minor breakdown in the middle of bed bath and beyond and you’re a bewildered shopper who wants to buy plates but also to make sure i’m okay bc im wailing a little bit in the kitchenware section’ au

•'i asked a staff member and they said you’ve been coming to the pound every day to play with the dog i’m taking home today and that’s why you’re getting weirdly emotional’ au

•'why are you dancing in your underwear to kelly clarkson in a public bathroom while brushing your teeth’ au

•‘i called the wrong number and started talking about my life and you only interrupted me after a few a few minutes of me revealing some pretty personal stuff and now youre invested in my life troubles’ au

•‘you’re a vet and i’m pleading with you to save my goldfish and you’re the first vet i’ve visited to not ask me if i’m sure i don’t want to go and buy another goldfish for three dollars’ au

•'it’s my turn to open up the cafe today and you were sleeping under one of the tables when i came in and i don’t know what to say so i’m just sweeping awkwardly around you’ au

•'i’m drunk on public transport and you’re high and we both keep looking at each other knowingly’ au

•'you found me in a mall crying over a bowl of noodles i dropped and i s2g im not usually like this im just having a really weird week’ au

•'you thought i was someone else and started making out with me at a club and you’re really hot so i just went with it and now we’re heading back to your place and idk how to break it to you’ au

•‘we keep getting arrested at the same protests and at this point i think i’m only starting fights with policemen so i can sit next to you in holding’ au

•‘you’re the on-call doctor on saturday nights and i’m purposely injuring myself so i can attempt to chat you up while you give me stitches but i s2g the first four times were accidents i just got too attached’ au

•‘you climbed into the taxi next to me and passed out and the taxi driver made me haul you out of his taxi so he can get more customers and now i’m on the side of the road holding you up by your armpits and hoping you don’t vomit on me’ au

•‘we started going home together but i was convinced i knew a faster way to your apartment so we took a wrong turn and now we’re lost and drunk and a little cold’ au

•‘we’re two thirds of the threesome we had last night and we’re walking awkwardly out of the last persons’s apartment together’ au

•‘i’ve had a really awful day so i started kicking a car out of frustration and it turned out to be your car i’m so sorry’ au

high school aus

•Cramming until 3 in the morning and having to sleep over at each others house AU

•The classic Lab Partner AU

•“I don’t like dressing out in front of people in the locker room can you cover me from now on” AU

•“We’re the only ones in detention” AU

•“I’m stuck in my locker and you’re the only one in the hall” AU

•“None of my friends are good at math and I need a tutor but you are very intimidating” AU

•“Someone wrote I’m cute in the bathroom stall and your notes match the handwriting” AU

•“I twisted my ankle and you’re the only one here strong enough to carry me to the nurse’s office but we’re both really awkward” AU

•“We were both left out when everyone was picking partners and now we always choose each other when we have classes together” AU

•“I lent you my cool pencil months ago and you still use it” AU

•“We were both skipping class at the same time in the bathroom but someone passed by and now were hiding in a cramped stall” AU

•“I accidentally took your notebook thinking it was mine and you have really nice handwriting and cute doodles” AU

•“You started sitting by me at lunch because I’m alone at my table but we never talk to each other” AU

•“I was really hungry but had no money and you bought me lunch even though I don’t know you” AU

•“You make two lunches every morning and give one of them to me every day” AU

•“I found someone's graduation ring and I’m trying to figure out who's it is” AU

•“I left my phone number on the bathroom stall wall and you text me about your day and your frustrations for a month & it’s really nice and cute but I still don’t know who you are” AU

•“Our friends grouped up for prom but we’re the only two without a date lets hang out” AU

•“I fell asleep on your couch after a party but you didn’t complain and made breakfast for the both of us” AU

established relationship aus

•Our AC is out and it’s the middle of the summer AU

•We decided it would be fun to go camping and now it’s raining and we can’t figure out how to set up the tent AU

•We’ve been celebrating our wedding anniversary on the wrong day for the past nine years AU

•You had a business trip and I missed you so much that I kind of tore up the house in your absence like a dog with separation anxiety… sorry? AU

•It’s 2 am but you’re craving cake and we’re both up anyway so let’s bake in our underwear AU

•I know you haven’t had the best experience with cats in the past but look at its face please please can we keep it? AU

•I beat you at Mario Kart and now I’ve been banished to the couch for the night AU

•You found me crying on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night surrounded by a shattered jelly jar AU

•I surprised you with tickets to see our favorite band… WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SURPRISED ME WITH TICKETS TO SEE THEM TOO? AU

•What do you mean you dropped my signed copy of Harry Potter in the bathtub AU

•Our families came over for Thanksgiving and we decided to watch Lord of the Rings but you and I kept quoting it and everyone else got so fed up that they left AU

•IF YOU USE UP ALL THE HOT WATER ONE MORE TIME IM GOING TO BAN YOU TO THE COUCH FOR A MONTH AU

•We spent all our money for the week on one of those inflatable bounce houses and now we can’t afford to eat AU

•We’re moving in together… Now what are we going to do with all of these duplicate copies of books, movies, video games, etc. that we have AU

•We’re watching Toy Story 3 and we can’t stop crying AU

•We’re arguing over who shot first (it was definitely Han) AU

•I came home to a Nerf gun on the front porch and a note that says ‘Here is your weapon. I have one too. Good luck. xo’ AU

apartment aus

•“I’m trying to make macaroni but I’ve burnt 3 pans and set off the fire alarm and I heard the lady above us say you were a chef please help” AU

•“I know we just met yesterday but the landlord is coming over and I have 2 cats please hang out with them for a few hours” AU

•“I bought too many popsicles at the store do you want some?” AU

•“We both got kicked out because our roommates are having sex so now we’re playing poker and talking about gardening” AU

•“I’ve been in love with you since you first moved in and I finally built up the courage to knock on your door but when you answered you had just woken up and didn’t have a shirt on so I ran away” AU

•“I locked myself out of my apartment so I have to climb out your window and onto my balcony” AU

•“I made too much food wanna come in and help me out oh who set up a table with candles and wine thats weird” AU

•“You’re drunk and walked into the wrong apartment and fell asleep on my couch oh god you’re going to be so confused in the morning” AU

•“I’m at work and my son needs to be picked up from school do you mind?” AU

•“Okay well it turns out you’re really good with kids and my son has started calling you daddy and insists we move in so ‘we can be a real family’” AU

•“We met at a cafe and started flirting but when I left you started following me and I got creeped out and called you a stalker but it turns out you just live in the same building this is so awkward” AU

•“Your laundry got mixed up with mine somehow and now we’re sitting in silence sorting underwear” AU

•“I barely know you but my boyfriend just broke up with me and you heard me crying so you brought over ice cream and movies” AU

•“Our dogs whine whenever they’re apart so we spend pretty much every day together” AU

•“I walked in on your ex yelling at you so you grabbed me and kissed me so she’d go away and I’m kind of freaked out I literally just met you last week” AU

the first time you hug them properly, you're seeking comfort, and it's selfish. you grab them and pull them close, push your face into their chest and sob, because you know you can do that with them, now. they don't question you, dont ask why, but instead fold themself around you silently, carding their paws through your fur and holding you close. two fingers press at the nape of your neck briefly, then up to just behind your ear, and the other palm splays against your lower back, holding you steady but away from their pulse points. its like this every time, them keeping you away from where you can be viewed as vulnerable, tapping secret messages against your skin that you'll never remember nor understand, pressing their face into your fur and letting you ride it out. they've always been warm, achingly so, but with cool fingertips that soothe the pain, drawing agony out where your skin touches theirs, and you're no longer afraid of pushing your hands up against their neck and flattening them against the flowers that grow there, as if the extra contact will quicken your recovery. the first time, they stiffened, flinched back, drew into themself with scared eyes and a startled expression, but now they dont pull away. their breath merely hitches, a small stutter in an otherwise steady process, and they curl their paws just so, exhaling in a quiet and accepting sigh.

frisks hugs are always like that. warm, comforting, encircling, cutting off the world and somehow making themself the only thing that matters. there could be a war raging on around you and you wouldn't notice, because they can do that. moments in and someone could ask you what you were worried about and you'd no longer be able to remember; eventually, though, you pull back— and it's always you, never them, they'd wait for centuries if you needed them to, and they dont have to say it for you to know— and you smile down at them gently, eyes dried and hopeful. they smile back, but every time, you notice that their expression is worn, haggard for a child so young. they always brush it off, though, leaning up on their tiptoes and pushing their nose into your cheek. "i'm okay as long as you are. everything is okay." and you leave it at that. you always leave it at that, and you always regret it, because you know there's more to it, you know they're hiding something, but you're selfish, so you let it be.

just the once, though, you catch them slipping. they're slumped against the seat of the ferris wheel, head turned to the sky as if they're stargazing but they're not really looking at anything, just staring ahead, and they look broken, so close to cracking completely, so you step forwards and you hug them again, but this time, you're the one sliding your hand into their fur and setting the other at the small of their back, rocking them like the tiny child that they appear to be, and it's them who stumbles, trips over their own mask and sags against you. they're silent, always silent, but their shoulders tremble and their paws are clenching and unclenching against your sides, and they're physically fighting back the tears until they can't any more, and this hurts more than any of your other problems, to the point where old pains seem significant. you're the adult, but you want to turn the tables, want them to tell you that everything's okay, but there's selfish, and then there's spiteful, and you're not crossing that line. their hugs are usually slightly needy but tight, protective and selfless, but now, they are limp, unable or unwilling to reciprocate and just hanging there, as if they're only held upright by you, even if there weight is next to nothing. you wonder if it's because they are, in fact, supporting themself, or if it's because of something else you don't know about. you decide not to press, repeatedly telling them that it's okay and hoping that it's enough.

eventually, they calm again, and you, the idiot that you are, pull away first again, and they stagger slightly before catching themself. they briefly stare down at their paws, and the way their body is postured (hunched, small, the embodiment of insecurity, someone who carries too many burdens to bare) convinces you that they still recquire comfort but when you move towards them again they step back. glance up with that same worn look in their eyes, "im okay. just caught in an episode, but im better now. everything is okay." it's oddly reminiscent of other times, with them smiling and comforting you in that soft, easygoing tone of theirs, but this time, they dont push their nose into your cheek or lean on their tiptoes, and even if they dont mean to convey it, you hear the unspoken message: you won't see me like this again. and suddenly, you want to, and it's on the tip of your tongue, a promise that they can trust you, but you can't spit it out, so you swallow your friendship instead and you nod at their tired, smiling face.

the next time you hug them, it's colder but it's tighter, bittersweet, and their breath no longer hitches when you press your palms against their neck, into the flowers. i'm sorry, you think almost desperately, trying to convey a thousand words in one touch.

"'s'kay." they mumble back, words whispered into your fur, but their tone is flat, and your hope fails because you know its not okay. but you dont say so. you're not brave enough to.