saturdays at my place.

now more than ever he was glad that the other's phone was in his hands before he tossed it back over to them and leaned back with arms crossed. "there are too many things that i question daily and you've only managed to add to the list. i think i liked it better when i didn't know what the hell a tiktok was," he joked sarcastically.

"that's a little dramatic, don't you think?" their head tilted with the question, a smirk playing at their lips. "besides, tik tok will become your best friend and before you know it you'll be up doom scrolling at four am like the rest of us." stuffing two fries into their mouth, they thought for only a split second before asking what they'd really been wondering. "what have you been up to all this time anyways? how long has it been since you got out?"

"shots first, then we sign up," she confirms with a nod, relaying their order to the bartender. "i need a little more liquid courage before going up there." with a laugh, they hand the second shot to allegra, raising it in a cheers. "salud! again!"

Starlight Oaks wasn't the type of place where she had to worry about who walked through her front door — more often than not, they were friend rather than foe. And honestly, if somebody did rock up unannounced and unwelcome, Amara figured she could take 'em. Matching Ximena's pose, her own hip resting against the counter, she clicked her tongue in fond admonishment, "Or maybe you need to learn to knock." Having them in her kitchen, with a home-cooked meal from their abuela was quite possibly one of Amara's favorite things in the world, so despite her commentary, she loved when Ximena showed up like this. Especially with a big pot of food. "Please — feel free to rummage through my shit, you know where it all is," she teased, despite her hand immediately shooting out to her kitchen drawer to lightly press at the swing door. "I'll set up the guest bedroom, but if you pass out on my couch, I'll be sure to tuck you right in," that familiar tone set in her voice.

mocking amara playfully, ximena opened and closed their palm, ending it with a wave off. "yeah, yeah, yeah, learn to knock, whatever," she chuckled, making her way toward the drawer to take a bowl from amara. as much as her words said differently, ximena knew that her presence was welcome, whether they'd knocked or not. if not, they were sure they would've been out in the hall eating a huge pot of food by their lonesome. instinctively they began dishing out the caldo, wasting no time before digging right in. "i love it when you tuck me in at night," they tease through a bite of food, making their way to the couch and trying haphazardly to keep their soup from dripping. "makes me feel snug as a bug in a rug, maybe i'll fall asleep out here on purpose." keeping the bowl on her lap, she makes herself comfortable, a small smile settling on her features. there were few things they enjoyed more than spending time with their family, chosen included. "do you have a towel or something you want me to put under my bowl? a little bowl coozy or whatever fancy people use."

LOCATION: something on a stick day @ town square STATUS: closed / ximena @soximena

"do you think there's a rule against dipping our kebabs in the chocolate fondue...?" they ask tentatively, brows raising nearly to their hairline. "because i'm definitely thinking that's the move right now. chocolate covered strawberries and pineapples are my biggest weakness."

"i'm sure the dj is always down for karaoke," she smiled, flagging the bartender down once more with one finger in the air. taking a glance around the bar, it seemed to be filling up more, and ximena darted their eyes to the stage where it seemed like people were signing up for something. "yeah, looks like there's probably a sign up sheet over there. we'll head there after one more shot?"

Joe looked at her with a soft smile, his eyes understanding. He did appreciate Ximena's attention and effort, even if they did it because they'd been asked to. "...Thanks. I appreciate your effort, Ximena." He told her, his words sincere, a weird moment between the two of them who were so used to playful ribbing and sarcasm. Joe turned away.

a brief smile crossed ximena's features before a playful grimace took over, hand reaching out to push his shoulder. "gross," they chuckled, eyes softening briefly. "seriously though, you're welcome. it can't be healthy for any human to spend that much time out of the sunlight." even if her abuela had originally been the one asking ximena to spend time with joe, the more they met up the more she grew fond of his grumpy presence. "two weeks sounds fair to me. especially since i have band practice every week, gives me some time for my social battery to recharge, which i know you understand."

"i would believe that if i didn't know you. or the fact that you'd have to come up with the quiz in the first place," he point out with a shrug even as he moved enough to take the phone and watch the video the other had pulled up. it was something that went over his head, for a variety of reasons, and couldn't think of anything other than being glad he didn't know what this was supposed to mean. "plus then you would lose out on all the enjoyment of being able to tell me everything pop culture whether i want to hear it or not."

the look on his face as he watched the video was enough enjoyment to last until the next time he needed a pop culture refresher. "if only you could see the look on your face right now," if he hadn't had their phone, she might've had to snap a picture to show him. "wasn't that a masterpiece though? it's amazing what the internet can make viral. next time we'll cover other popular tiktoks."

"You're crazy if you think these vans are high tech enough to have BlueTooth. I could plug in the aux, but I'd have to keep unplugging it when I go round the neighbourhood." She shrugs, gasping at the mention of childhood radios. "Gosh, I wish I had that radio now, that sounds so cute! Pretty sure I had my brother's hand-me-down radio as a kid, so it probably had old stickers all over it." As a child, she'd — thankfully for her parents' wallets — always loved getting the things she'd watched her brother enjoy for years once he grew out of them. "Your favourite?" She grins, sparkle in her eye. "Has she come by yet?"

"don't want any of these hoa assholes calling the post office about the mail girl blasting music through the neighborhoods, i get it," they tease, a smirk playing on their features. she gives a small nod, taking a sip of their coffee while reminiscing in her head. "yeah, it was super cute. i'd come home and play my favorite cds while i did my homework. probably how i ended up a drummer. the best, most loved radios had stickers on them. i bet it looked even cooler with them too!" they were a firm believer that if there was room for a sticker, one should go there. things were meant to be personalized. "my absolute favorite," she layered it on thick, holding back a laugh. "not quite, she's a little late today but i'm willing to stay out here and wait for her all day." they sealed the joke with a wink, nodding toward their steps. "do you have ten minutes to spare and eat that croissant?"

"you speak my language," they beam, turning to the bartender and ordering two doubles with lime. if that wasn't a great start to the night, ximena didn't know what would be. "how long have you been here? i hope you're not planning on leaving any time soon." she chuckles, taking the shots from the bartender and passing one to allegra. "salud !"

There's few things that brighten Cassie's mornings quite like seeing a friend on her route for the day. Truthfully, she's sometimes guilty of going the long way just to pass by a friend's home to pop in and say hello, but until they AirTag her, what her bosses don't know won't hurt them. Equally, she's gone a different way to avoid someone, so in her mind, it all balances out.

"honestly, cass, i can't even remember the last time i listened to the radio," they laughed, holding out the croissant with one hand and sipping their coffee with the other. "i used to have this red hello kitty radio i'd listen to every day after school, no idea what happened to it though." a habit of their was going off on tangents that no one asked for, but not one that she planned on ending any time soon. "my morning is great, by the way. i've been sitting out here relaxing and maybe waiting for my favorite mail girl to come by."

"and they're free?" they question, focusing on the pages on the table and struggling to choose. pulling the woodstock valentine toward themself, their grin widens, holding it up to winnie and shaking it for effect. "this one, cause most mornings i look just like this guy. it's a deal, but only if you promise to write a 'to', and 'from', on the back, like a real valentine."

"What about those annoying people who can paint and write? I think they should take a day off... quit making the rest of us feel incompetent." Joe said. He was doing his best to try and capture the light, but he had no skill or technical knowledge, and their instructor slash guide was busy being monopolised by someone far needier than the two of them.

a slight pang of guilt hit ximena's chest at joe's remark. this feeling was quickly pushed under, their tough facade taking over and a scoff leaving their lips. "please, you know i have to do everything she says or i'm out on my ass," it was a joke, of course. ximena would move mountains for their grandma for nothing in return, but they had to layer it on thick. "still, it's nice to get out sometimes so we'll have to turn this into a weekly thing. or monthly, if that's more manageable for the likes of you." she jabs, a smirk playing at her features and leaning over to jab his side with her elbow.

"i swear you keep saying shit to me that you're making up to see if i know what you're talking about or not," he spoke over the second round of margaritas between the two of them. not the best idea, but it was hard for him to say no to the other. "cause i have no idea who the fuck you're talking about it this time or if they even exist."

the look on their face could best be described as incredulous, brows furrowing as they pulled out their phone instinctively, scrolling to find the original video and the remix for after. "no, i can't have this," they shook their head, straw between their lipped as they sipped and scrolled simultaneously. "you should really do your pop culture homework before coming to see me, okay?" they slide the phone over the table, motioning for him to play it with a smirk on their face. "there's gonna be a quiz next time, i'm serious."