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 Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:55 pm
Quote: Prompt 8: It's important to take care of yourself in the winter months, especially with the dry, cold air Destiny City has been seeing. A warm bubble bath might be just what you need to stay warm and treat yourself; a local shop has a Seasonal Special--'Marshmallow Dreams' and they seem to be highly recommended and have become a hot item in Destiny City. Somehow, you've acquired one of these bath bombs, and it smells divine. Everything is going well; the bath bomb seems to be dissolving normally--and then all of a sudden, fluffy, plush bubbles seem to emerge and grow, and get denser--and all of a sudden, you are sitting in a bathtub full of what feels like warm marshmallows. It feels a bit heavy, like a weighted blanket, but it's warm and smooth and nice. Except, it's also a little restricting and is incredibly hard to move in. You wind up trapped in a tub full of smooth marshmallow fluff for nearly half an hour before it begins to completely dissolve and pop like bubbles--leaving your skin feeling magnificently smooth and fragrant. It's the perfect way to trap someone in the bath for half an hour, though arguably it's far less relaxing if you don't know what's going to happen before getting in.
And his phone, of course — partly so he could listen to music, and partly because he’d be bored in the bath without it. What else was he supposed to do while he was in there soaking? Read? No, thank you.
It had been precisely three days since a stranger asked him out for coffee, and said stranger had now asked him out again. Misha read over the text and considered how he might respond. Maybe he shouldn’t have given Ren his contact information after all? If Misha ignored the invitation, would Ren get pushy? Did Misha want to get coffee with him? It might be nice, but it could just as easily be awful.
Unable to make up his mind, Misha backed out of Ren’s message and pulled up his chat with Yuuri.Quote: Oh sorry does that sort of intro make u anxious???? Quote: Sorry sorry just wanted to know if u think it would be weird if i went out to coffee with a guy i randomly met after tripping over a rabbit hole Quote: He was kind of cute if that helps
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:31 pm
Yuuri had just pulled the blankets up over him in the small room he decided to keep as his own in that huge warehouse when he got the texts from Misha. It was too quiet to linger for long in places like the living area or kitchen, and there was still his stubborn refusal to let go. It had been over a year. They were all either safe and carrying out their lives elsewhere or… any number of horrible things that Yuuri really didn’t want to dwell on. Which was why he stubbornly held onto maybe one day…
He glanced over the texts that came one after another, grimacing at the idea of Misha going to some place with a random guy he’d just met. But maybe that was just Yuuri thinking it was a disaster waiting to happen, and Misha would be perfectly okay and have a good time.Quote: Give me a minute to think.
And Jonah happened to be his only other friend he was in contact with, anyway. It was a shame Yuuri was super awkward with texting as he was awkward in every other part of his life.Quote: Good evening. Would you think it strange to go out for coffee with someone you randomly met?
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 4:04 pm
Nervous as Yuuri seemed to be by nature, it wasn’t surprising to Misha that he would want some time to think the question over. Misha didn’t think it should require much thought, since it wasn’t like Yuuri was the one who’d be going out with some random stranger, but there also wasn’t any need to rush.
He didn’t have his read receipts on anyway, so Ren wouldn’t even know he’d read his message, and if he got impatient waiting for a response…
Well, then Misha would know he wasn’t worth the time.Quote: PS what do u think of a morning or night routine vid? -------------------- Jonah was at his favorite piano bar, which also happened to be the only piano bar he knew of in Destiny City. He sat in his usual corner, sipping his favorite drink, glancing around at the other patrons every once in a while to see what everyone was doing. There was a couple at a table nearby who were obviously on a date, and a group of girls in the opposite corner who were clearly part of a bachelorette party. The music was lively but not the sort of loud that gave him a headache, which meant he was in a relatively good mood despite the fact that he still felt pretty lame sitting there on his own.
His phone vibrated with a text message. Jonah read it with some confusion, squinting his eyes when the words seemed to wobble around a bit.
Maybe he’d had more to drink already than he’d previously thought.Quote: Was it strange for us to go out for coffee? Quote: Or do you mean someone asked you out?
To his sister, he wrote:Quote: Is it weird to go on a coffee date with someone you just met? -------------------- At this time of night, Haven was at home in bed reading a book, with a glass of milk and a small stack of oreos on her bedside table — her one indulgence of the evening. Since she lived on her own, her apartment was quiet, but that suited her fine. She was a solitary person for the most part.
Did that bother her sometimes? Yes.
Did she do much to change it? No, not really.
So at least in this, she only had herself to blame.
Haven picked up her phone as soon as she heard it vibrate and blinked a few times at the text from her older brother, then quickly typed back.Quote: Did someone ask you out????? Quote: His name is Yuuri I helped him when he was hurt and we went for coffee Quote: And he’s asking you on another date? Quote: No someone’s asking him on a date but I guess they just met??? And he doesn’t know if it’s weird to accept
Not that Haven could judge. She knew nothing about dating.Quote: Hold on let me ask someone this is unfamiliar territory for me Quote: My brother wants to knows if it’s weird to go on a date with someone you just met Quote: He says he wants to know “for a friend” but I don’t know if I believe him
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:05 pm
Yuuri felt bad about making Misha wait, but he didn’t want to give bad advice to someone he considered a friend. What if he told him to go for it and Misha ended up kidnapped or something? Okay, maybe that was a little extreme, but still.
In the meantime, he quickly replied to Jonah, thinking it was a completely different situation. Quote: I didn’t think it was strange to get coffee with you. Quote: I was around you for several hours and you helped me. Quote: A friend of mine asked me. Quote: I wasn’t sure if I was being paranoid by thinking it would scare me, too. _______________________________________________ Peter was in his room, playing around with some online game he’d found when Haven texted him. Luckily he could pause the game, because it was easier to type out a response on his computer.Quote: Jonah should def go for it! If he doesn’t like them then he can just never see them again. It’s just coffee, right? Quote: Hey. He should tell us where he’s meeting this date and we can stake out a table nearby and if things go weird we can cause a commotion for him to escape.
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 10:42 pm
Haven actually thought Peter was onto something. Maybe he was joking, but it seemed like a good idea to her. If she ever went on a date with someone she barely knew, she’d definitely want a friend around to help her escape if need be.
Of course, that would require her to have friends. It would also require people being interested in her enough to ask her on a date.
Haven supposed she could always ask Peter.
To stake out and help her escape, that is. She definitely wouldn’t ask him on a date.
Would that be weird?
That would probably be really weird.
She was pretty sure he didn’t like her like that anyway.Quote: Lol I’m sure he’d appreciate that Quote: My sources say it wouldn’t be weird and if you end up not liking them it’s not like you have to see them again Quote: Ok then tell your friend it’s not weird just be careful Quote: Coffee would be good since it’d be a populated place right? -------------------- Haven had a point, even if she seemed to be misinterpreting the situation. Jonah typed out a quick “thank you” before reopening his text messages to Yuuri, smiling when he saw that Yuuri did not, in fact, think it was weird that they’d gone to coffee.
Good. Jonah rather liked the idea of having a friend.
They were friends, right?
Maybe???
Or maybe he was getting way ahead of himself. It wasn’t like they’d been hanging out much. They got coffee, then grabbed something to eat. Jonah had texted again after the fact, double checking that Yuuri was okay, but they didn’t communicate as often as he imagined friends were supposed to.
Should he have invited Yuuri out with him tonight? Would Yuuri even like the noise and crowded atmosphere of the piano bar? Jonah could only tolerate it because people tended to leave him alone in his corner.Quote: My sister says no it’s not weird Quote: I guess if your friend isn’t shy or anxious then it might not be a big deal Quote: Now that I think about it my sister doesn’t really date so maybe I should ask someone who does??? Quote: I don’t really know a lot of people tho… Quote: August might be better to ask Quote: He’s handsome and successful so he must go on a lot of dates Quote: Not that my sister isn’t pretty and successful Quote: Wait don’t tell August I said that
There had to be such a thing as texting too much.
Apparently he couldn’t help it when he was tipsy.-------------------- Misha had to wonder what was taking Yuuri so long. Was he really agonizing over the question? If so, it was kind of cute. Misha snickered to himself and sent another quick message.All of a sudden, something white and fluffy rose from the water. Misha paused to glance at it floating around near the other end of the tub, lifting a foot to nudge it with his toe. It was soft and quite plush, and certainly an odd sight in the middle of a bath. He was about to lean forward to examine it more closely when another one popped up near his elbow.
Misha blinked.
It was a marshmallow.
Hastily, Misha pulled up his phone camera to take a picture, then sent it off to Yuuri.Quote: I’m in the bath and this happens
“Destiny City is so weird!” he spoke to the camera. “There’s this new bath bomb I’m trying called Marshmallow Dreams. Hashtag not ad. But look! Marshmallows! How crazy is that?”
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:27 pm
Yuuri frowned as he suddenly started receiving multiple texts at once. Some from Misha, whom he intended to text back as soon as possible, and a string of texts from Jonah. And then a photo from Misha, to which he quickly replied because that was the most concerning. Quote: Are you taking a bath in hot chocolate? Quote: Public spaces should be safe if you are nervous Quote: I usually have bad luck meeting people in cafes Quote: Might have spilled coffee on one or two people before Quote: I still think you should be careful around him
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 12:56 pm
By the time Yuuri’s sixth text came through, the bathtub was full of marshmallows and Misha was finding it difficult to move.
“This is… not ideal…” he said, somewhat concerned, turning off his camera momentarily so he could respond to his messages.Quote: I didn’t know it would do this Quote: Do you think people who don’t live in Destiny City will believe me when I say this was the bath bomb and I’m not actually taking a bath in hot chocolate Quote: NEW SKIN CARE ROUTINE (MUST TRY) - my next video Quote: Should I ask Lev for help? Quote: Ugh he’s going to freak out
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:47 pm
A bath bomb caused the tub to get like that? Yuuri stared with concern at the picture that came through from Misha, showing that the tub was now completely filled with marshmallow, if that was even what it was. Quote: Please tell me you’re trying to get out and not filming _____________________________________ “What?” Lev grunted from the living room, not immediately getting up, but he did at least put his phone into his pocket so he could try and hoist himself out of the couch that was too low to the ground for his tastes. It was the curse of being tall. Everything was too short or too low.
Since he didn’t have another photoshoot until the next week, Lev really had nothing to do other than indulge his little brother.
Which he had been doing already.
And enjoyed doing, even if he complained about Misha’s antics or acted as though he didn’t enjoy helping him with his videos. Usually.
Once he was off the couch, he shuffled his way to the bathroom, and opened the door to poke his head inside. They were brothers after all, and Misha did tell him to go there.
“What the <********> are you doing?” he immediately sputtered in surprise to see white fluff filling the bathtub. Of course, everything he said was in Russian, mostly because it was more comfortable that way, and because while he was fluent in English, it didn’t quite express how he felt.
“Is this for another one of your videos?” he continued, again in Russian, expression one of exasperated distress as he leaned heavily against the doorframe. And then his brows furrowed in growing concern. “Are you hurt?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:13 pm
Misha didn’t have the chance to text Yuuri back right away. Lev was… a lot to deal with.
Okay, so that wasn’t true. But he was moody, and it was easier to deal with his moodiness head on instead of splitting his attention between Lev and his phone.
“I’m taking a bath, obviously,” Misha said — with as much attitude as he’d ever show anyone, which wasn’t saying much at all. At least he rolled his eyes before his usual bright smile returned. “I used a bath bomb and this is what it did. Don’t you know how much weird stuff happens around here?”
Gosh, Lev had to go and act like he did this on purpose.
But… well… in Lev’s defense, if Misha had known what the bath bomb would do, he probably still would have tried it out.
“You don’t have to freak out,” Misha continued. “I just… can’t get out. Right now…”
Setting his phone aside temporarily, Misha planted a hand on either side of the tub and tried to use the leverage to hoist himself up through the marshmallows. He managed to shift around an inch or two, but other than that, he was completely stuck in place.
“I’m sure it’ll be okay!” he said, though his optimism probably wasn’t very reassuring to someone as pessimistic as Lev. “It’ll probably dissolve at some point, right?”-------------------- Back at the piano bar, Jonah was staring at his blank phone screen, sipping his drink through a straw.
Should he keep the conversation with Yuuri going? He didn’t want to seem like a bother. Not that he thought Yuuri would think that, but one could never be too sure, especially if Yuuri was busy with another friend.
Then Jonah felt sad that Yuuri apparently had another friend. Not that he didn’t want Yuuri hanging out with other people! That would be a little extreme; Jonah wasn’t the possessive type at all. But it reinforced the knowledge that Jonah really didn’t have anyone else. Just his sister, who was a whole seven years younger and way more successful than he would ever be, and who also had friends.
Everyone had friends except him.
Well… August didn’t. Not really. He’d more or less said as much, hadn’t he?
Creeping closer to the line between tipsy and drunk, Jonah pulled up his conversation with August.Quote: Hi I know it’s late but I don’t have anything to do and it makes me sad that you have no friends so idk do you want coffee or something? Quote: If you’re working I could bring it to you Quote: But there’s probably coffee at the hospital Quote: Is hospital coffee any good? -------------------- In another part of town, Haven chewed some loose skin off of her bottom lip while she, like Jonah, stared at her blank phone screen.
As much as her older brother liked to think she was somehow superior to him, she had as much trouble making friends as he did. Kids picked on her at school when she was younger for being smart and enthusiastic about her studies, and though the bullying eased up a bit as she got older, her training schedule meant she didn’t have a lot of time to socialize outside of the rink. Peter was really the only person she could consider a friend, but they’d known one another since they were toddlers, so it often seemed like they were friends of circumstance rather than two people who actually worked to develop a friendship. It just happened due to proximity.
She texted him again, a bit lonely in her apartment.Quote: Did you want to go youma hunting tomorrow night? I’ll be free. Quote: Or we can look for Sasquatch again.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:56 am
Lev happened to think it was not his fault for being moody. He had a lot to deal with, so Misha having to deal with it was Misha’s own decision to move to Destiny City with him, knowing full well of his moodiness and everything that caused it.
But right now, his moodiness was this nonsense Destiny City and its nonsense magic, for lack of a better word. No, he should probably be referring to everything that happened in that city as a curse.
“What do you mean you can’t get out?” he glowered and stepped further into the bathroom, watching as Misha attempted to push himself out of the tub but to no avail. Lev mumbled a string of Russian curses under his breath as he leaned down to hold his arms out for his brother to take hold.
“I will pull you out,” he insisted, not about to let his little brother be stuck in a bathtub of mush if he could help it. _____________________________________ Being on the clock at the hospital in Destiny City meant there would be a lot of work to do, or nothing to do. It was pretty obvious (at least to him) when something was going on with the war. People would come in mysteriously injured, unable to explain exactly what happened to them. Some had wounds consistent with a bladed weapon, others from unknown animal bites, or just bruises and internal damage.
Then there were those who came in and were already in a coma. They made those patients comfortable since eventually someone would come to claim them. Usually. But in August’s opinion it was just a waste of resources. They’d obviously had their starseed removed and were taking up space that others could use.
Tonight was one of the nights where nothing happened. Or rather, almost nothing. The surprise text from Jonah was something, even if it was a little rude.
True, but rude. If Jonah was going to offer to get him decent coffee, then he wasn’t going to refuse. The coffee at the hospital was horrible, but it got him through the night.
The rudeness clearly didn’t bother him. He was used to people being rude to him and he wasn’t exactly a ball of sunshine in return. It was easier when people didn’t try to suck up to him, though. He liked knowing what they thought about him, since they were usually distracted by his mean expression. _____________________________________ Peter had thought Haven was done texting him, so when another notification pinged on his phone, he immediately picked it up to read and respond. Quote: Hell yes! Sasquatch might be a youma, so either works. Quote: Anyway, I need to tell you about this deer Chris and Paris had on their roof on Christmas night. It’ll be easier to do that in person.
He hesitated before typing out his next text. The idea was of course in his head from her questions to him, but… it couldn’t hurt to try, right?Quote: You want to get some coffee before heading out tomorrow night? In case it takes longer than we expect. _____________________________________
Meanwhile, Yuuri with growing concern, texted Misha again.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:58 pm
Misha was pretty sure Lev didn’t believe him. Insisting wasn’t going to make him believe, so Misha grabbed Lev’s arms and allowed his brother to attempt pulling him up.
Nothing happened.
“See!” Misha said, though he wasn’t worried yet and continued to smile.
His phone vibrated with a text message on the side of the tub. Misha had just enough time to catch it before the vibrations sent it slipping off the side and into the water. That would have been tragic. And Lev would have scolded him for it, too, probably.
“I guess I’ll just… sit here,” he said, pulling up his texts again so he could send a response to Yuuri.Quote: Yeah I’m just stuck in the bath lol Quote: Lev is freaking out but I’m pretty sure it’ll be okay Quote: I mean, they wouldn’t sell these things if they were permanent, right? Quote: I think I’m going to buy another one and do a proper video for it -------------------- Jonah smiled at August’s reply even if it instantly made him nervous.
He wasn’t entirely sure how to get to DC Gen from here and would have to take an uber. More than likely, the hospital grounds would be confusing, with signage that was barely helpful. Two texts weren’t enough for him to judge August’s mood, but what if he ended up being annoyed that Jonah was interrupting him at work?
Stop, Jonah told himself. He wouldn’t have agreed to coffee if he was annoyed about being interrupted.
It was much easier to tell himself that than it was to actually believe it.
Jonah finished the rest of his drink in a few large sips, then stood up to make his way out of the piano bar, swaying slightly when he got up too fast. He waited for his surroundings to stabilize before sending a response. There was a late night diner nearby that had surprisingly good coffee. He’d get some for each of them.
Hopefully he didn’t make a fool of himself when he made the delivery.-------------------- Haven couldn’t help but wonder if Peter asking her for coffee meant more than it usually would, considering they’d only just been discussing coffee dates. After a few moments of thought, she told herself she was reading too far into it. It might have given Peter the idea, but it probably wasn’t that big of a deal. They got food or drinks before or after youma hunting all the time.Quote: I’ll meet you at your place around 7?
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:53 pm
It wasn’t that Lev didn’t believe his little brother, it was just that Misha tended to be a bit overdramatic. So when Lev wasn’t able to pull him out, he decided that muttering curses under his breath was the only logical progression. He pulled away, frowning at his now marshmallow goopy arms and the fact that his brother was stuck in the bathtub. At least Misha seemed to have a good attitude about it.
Lev pulled one of the towels from the rack to mop himself up, still muttering to himself when Misha assured him he would be fine. Somehow Lev wasn’t convinced the plumbing would be fine if the goop finally started to dissolve.
“Whatever,” he grumbled and stormed out of the bathroom. Maybe there was information on the internet about how to deal with these clearly defective bath bombs. _____________________________________ Not that anyone could really tell that August was amused by the persistently sour expression on his face, but even with being reminded that he had no friends by the guy who never tried to contact him after he’d left his number, Jonah was… interesting wasn’t necessarily the right word. He was different. He was too helpful to others and would probably get himself into more trouble than it was worth at some point. And he was sure Celeste would disapprove of this meek, mousey young man from hanging out with him.
Not because there was anything wrong with Jonah, but because Celeste would probably scold August about taking advantage of someone like Jonah.
Not that August thought he was taking advantage of him. Jonah had been the one to offer to bring him coffee, so why not? Why shouldn’t he agree to an offer like that? Maybe he was a little too demanding about things, but Jonah wanted to help, right? That was why he stayed to make sure August was healing from his injuries, and then when he brought that other young man over.
He still needed to figure out whose starseed he pulled, but there were no reports made on him yet, so that must mean the other guy didn’t know who he was either. Quote: Let me know when you arrive _____________________________________ Peter wondered if he should have been more clear about his intentions. It wasn’t like he was trying to ask Haven on a date! That would be weird. They’d known each other since they were in diapers.
In the end, he responded with something pretty lame. In his defense, he wasn’t really good with more than youma hunting. _____________________________________ Yuuri sighed as he looked at his texts. At least Misha had his brother there so he wasn’t as concerned. He wasn’t trying to be overly obnoxious, or obnoxious at all, so he could only hope that Lev would take care of him and he wouldn’t be stuck in the tub forever.
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:33 pm
As Lev stomped out of the bathroom, Misha huffed so hard his bangs rustled around. If he wasn’t so sure Lev wouldn’t have found out somehow, he wouldn’t have bothered to show him the predicament he was in. Lev was so overprotective sometimes. It was endearing, but also occasionally kind of annoying.
Honestly, it was a good thing that Misha had such a good attitude about everything, otherwise he probably wouldn’t get along with his own brother.
Misha sat in the bath for a while longer, taking pictures and video as time passed, trying to climb out of the tub every once in a while but having very little success. Nearly half an hour passed before the marshmallows began to pop like bubbles. He made sure to get them on camera; he’d have to buy another bath bomb so he could do this again, but this way he could ensure he and Yuuri had plenty of footage to choose from.
Finally, enough of the marshmallows had popped that Misha could move, then hoist himself out. As he toweled off, he noticed his skin was softer than he’d ever felt. Was it because of the marshmallows? He’d definitely have to invest in a few more of the bath bombs at this rate.
As he began to slide into his clothes, Misha sent another message to Yuuri in order to reassure him.Quote: They popped and I got out finally Quote: I guess I should text that guy back
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