is star trek real?

list of trash aus i need immediately (send me “trash au” and i’ll use a random generator to decide which starter to write for you)

“hey we hooked up last night and it turns out you are my childs teacher” au

“we both play this stupid game online and you keep beating me every single goddamn time so i called you out and you are pretty cute but can you not” au

“im a bartender and you just came in here without shoes sat down and ordered a chocolate volcano and idk what the fuck that is and im scared to ask” au

“we are neighbours and every night at 3:14 am you start yodeling for no fucking reason??? why???? is that you yodeling??? its been 2 months???” au

“im a pizza delivery person and i just delivered a pizza to someone in the middle of a satanic ritual and they gave me their number???” au

“i woke up this morning to find you sitting in my living room with a goat in a poncho??? who are you??? why is the goat wearing a poncho??? how did you get the goat in here i live on the 12th floor???” au

“we work out at the same gym and you always look super legit but i know you sing hannah montana in the shower and you know i know” au

“im a cashier and i saw you stuffing you pants full of potatoes and i would stop you but you already have 27 and i want to see how many you can fit” au

“its 4 am and im drunk as fuck in a mcdonalds and you have been watching my trying to eat this burger for 30 minutes” au

    Oh. A weight was lifted as the other rejected Arin’s fear of being     seen as repulsive to him. He lightly smiled. His fear of being a disappointment     was not only wrong, but made Ross react almost immediately when told to     him. There was no time for Arin’s words to hang in the air before Ross     dismissed him. He had been so scared that Ross didn’t want him, but his     reaction made him realize that his fear was for nothing.

    Arin carefully listened to Ross’s words, hanging on to each one. The     mood of the conversation had changed from before. No more evasive     eye contact nor ambiguous expression. They were finally talking about     how scared they both really were; finally talking about how much this     terrified them. Arin knew that this made him happy, that no one would     make a better soulmate than his best fucking friend, but he also knew     that this wasn’t easy for either of them. Just because this is something     they both want doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll just live happily     ever after. The future was still so uncertain, but these things take time.     Baby steps. Right now the accomplishment was that they could finally     look each other in the eyes and be direct about how the felt.

       "You’re not making it worse.“

    His tone was much more relaxed now. He was nervous, he was sure     that the look on his face made that very obvious. But at least now he     knew he would be able to say what he wanted without fear of saying     the wrong thing. He held back the impulsive part of his personality,     trying his hardest to fully communicate the thoughts he actually     wanted Ross to hear.

       "Look dude, waiting until          you get back home is just          a bad plan. If we do that,          then we might now ever          talk about it at all, and          I don’t want that.”

    He let out a deep sigh. This was going to be hard, Ross was     right about that, but it was important. He looked down at his food, still     in the wrapper, and back up into the other’s deep, blue eyes.

       "Let’s just…          You know, this isn’t exactly          something I want to talk          about at a Del Taco. Do          you want to go somewhere          else? We can go to my          house, or I can should you          around LA. I’m sure it’s          completely different from          Perth. And when we’re          ready to talk about it, then          we’ll talk about it.“

    He knew that there was still so much more to talk about. Sure, they     could talk about hypotheticals forever, but that would be pointless.     Things were already changing for them so fast, he was sure their     relationship would never be the same and this was just the beginning     of such a drastic change in their dynamic.

    Maybe they could just get to know each other better. They talked     all the time online, and Ross was his best friend, but that wasn’t     exactly the same as seeing how someone acts in everyday life.     Their habits and the way they walk, it was going to be all new to     them. Before they could plan how often they were going to visit     each other or plan for the future, Arin felt they needed to just dick     around and be buddies for a bit. He wanted to experience Ross     through a new lense, to see him as a friend and a soulmate at the     same time. That was the only way he would know how he really     felt about this. After all, when Arin saw Ross at the airport he     feared that the other would take one look at him and think that     he wasn’t that great after all. He feared that Ross would think     that he wasn’t everything that he said he was. That fear was still     true deep down, and he needed time to tell if their relationship     would work at all while not talking through a screen.

    He reached out his hand, placing it on top of the other man’s,     hoping he could just play it off as friendly if the contact was     seen as too intimate.

       "Okay?”

     Arin was the farthest thing from a disappointment. After months upon      months of video chats, texts, and the odd phone call here and there,      Ross had easily come to the decision that Arin was fucking amazing.      By now, it was probably clear that neither one of them were very good      at voicing their feelings, hadn't stuck their necks out long enough for      their hopes to ever talk about their timers before, but Ross hoped that      at the very least, Arin knew his friendship was valued. It'd never once      crossed his mind that he'd see the other in a different light once they      were face-to-face for real, but he'd worried about communication. Ross      stressed that maybe their friendship was destined to have them both      stuck behind computer monitors and nothing more, and even now, he      still had inklings of those worries. It'd be unfair to destine two people      who were meant for each other to only understand one another when      they were separated by an ocean and thousands of miles.

     But Arin was right. Even if they were still lacking in the area of smooth      conversation, it wouldn't do them any good to wait until he was back in      Australia to talk about being soulmates. Ross nodded, because he      agreed and didn't want to waste this week worrying about what was      meant to inevitably become of their relationship. It was best to just… let      it happen. It would probably take time and maybe a better setting than      a fast food restaurant, but sooner or later, they'd have to force them-      selves to talk and state more than the obvious facts. Ross just really      hoped that he'd be able to be more honest with Arin than he was with      himself.

     The longer his best friend spoke, the more Ross relaxed. The furrow in      his brow smoothed out and he could feel some of the anxious tightness      that had been growing in his chest uncoil. (That was the magic of a      soulmate, too, wasn't it? Their ability to fill in the blanks and calm each      other down.) When Arin reached out to him, Ross looked down to the      space where their hands met, eyes lingering a little long. He sucked his      bottom lip into his mouth and nodded, taking the bit of contact a step      further when he turned his hand up enough to squeeze Arin's fingers in      his own. He looked back to his friend and offered a smile - possibly the      most real one he'd managed all day.

        "Okay.           That's probably the smartest thing           I've ever heard you say before."

     Ross teased, the corner of his mouth quirking up a little more to show it,      just in case they were just that out of sync. He started to ease his hand      out of Arin's, sneaking it away in a reluctant motion to reach for his pair      of burritos on their meal tray. They wouldn't get anywhere sitting around      in Del Taco holding hands - not that Ross would complain.

        "Do you want to eat           or should we take this stuff to go? I           don't think I have a whole lot of           sightseeing energy in me today, so           going to your place would be cool. If           that's alright with you? I could kick           your ass at Smash Bros. if you wanted."

    The lack of expression on Ross’s face made him absolutely livid.      I fucking care. Arin could hardly believe that. Ross was      holding back emotion, and that almost made Arin more angry. If      he really cared about him, than he could have said it by now. They      shared so many silent, awkward moments together today; surely      one of those moments could have been an opportunity to express      that he really cared. Arin’s nostrils flared at the words, his eyes      never leaving the other. It wasn’t until Ross’s expression changed      into something more annoyed that Arin was able to relax his      shoulders. He didn’t want Ross to be mad at him, but at least      anger was better than indifference.

    Arin thought about how unique their situation was to other soulmate      stories. Most people’s clocks countdown to zero as they look at a      complete stranger. Sure, that must be awkward too, having to walk      up to someone you don’t know anything about and knowing that one      day you’re likely to become best friends and get married. But Arin      and Ross had been best friends way before their clocks counted down.      Being given an out from not only your soulmate, but your best fucking      friend— it felt like a punch to the gut. He couldn’t put into words how      much he didn’t want that; how scared he was that their friendship was      never going to be the same again. So he stayed quiet, breathing out deep      sighs, trying to find the words to say.

    At the question, he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. He finally had to      look away, looking back down at his tray of untouched food. Honesty      was probably the best option, but lying was much easier. Being honest      meant being stared at and judged, when lying meant that he could act as      dickish as he wanted. Honest answer: of course he expected it. He hadn’t      ever heard of soulmates meeting after they already knew each other on      opposite sides of the planet. He wasn’t sure if that’s how it even worked.      But as soon as he knew Ross was staying with him for the week and exactly      which week it was, he knew deep down that fate was finally bringing them      together after years of waiting.

    But he wasn’t going to admit that out loud. Despite Ross admitting that      meeting for the first time was actually much more scary than either of them      had expected, Arin didn’t want to give himself up like that. It was too      embarrassing, too much information. He was too oblivious to realize      why Ross was asking the question.

       "No. Of course not. I didn’t even           know that— that soulmates could           even be on different continents.“

    He finally looked up again to see the pained expression of the other man’s      face. He regretted lying immediately. He wondered if the other could tell,      if their connection meant that Ross would be able to call him out on his      bullshit and know exactly what he was thinking. But it wasn’t fair to play      a game. This conversation was happening whether he liked it or not now.      This was the story they were going to tell people in the future,      their soulmate story. Of course, that was assuming this week      was going to go well.

       "I mean, I wanted it to happen.           When my clock counted down           and it was actually you…           I couldn’t be happier. I just—”

    He closed his eyes and brushed hair out of his face with his hand, thinking      of how to phrase it correctly this time.

       "I don’t want to just give up.           I know that we live far away           and it’s not ideal. But giving me           an out… does the fact that it’s           me as your soulmate           really repulse you that much?“

     As far as soulmates went, their situation was different. Lucky was      probably what most people would call it. They had the chance to be      friends before soulmates and that wasn't something people did. They      went through the motions of a normal friendship developing before      knowing what the universe had already predetermined for them and      man, if that wasn't a plot to some awful rom-com Ross would've gladly      laughed at. Unfortunately, this wasn't a movie. This wasn't some story      he was hearing secondhand with the details washed down. This was      his life and it was far more terrifying that he'd expected.

     Ross wanted to feel lucky. He did before. He'd felt uncharacteristically      hopeful when he played with the idea of Arin being his soulmate, but in      the harsh light of day, he kept thinking of words like 'mistake' and 'wrong'      and maybe even worst of all 'platonic'. It's what set him on edge. Made      him default to a neutral expression and now, listening to Arin more,      Ross's shoulders were drooping and he was forcing himself to hold      back quite possibly the heaviest eye roll in history.

     If Arin was going to play dumb, then Ross could, too. Of course that      hadn't been what he was asking. He was tentatively trying to gauge      Arin's reaction to all of this, to figure out if maybe there was some tiny,      microscopic chance that he'd been hopeful, too, at some point. Ross      sighed, eyes cast downwards as he reached for his face again. This time,      he started to press the heel of his hands against his closed eyes. He      attempted to stave off the increasing chance of a migraine and stop      himself from saying anything else more damaging.            (For Example: I want to go home.)

     But then - then Arin was saying maybe the best thing ever. He wanted it      to happen. He wanted his soulmate to be Ross. Within seconds, he      looked back up, elbows still heavy on the Del Taco booth table and      shoulders hunched, but Ross was stared at Arin. Focused and listening.

        "You --"

     Ross stopped himself and let Arin continue, but as soon as the heavy      question dropped, he wished he'd just kept on talking. He shook his      his head, quick and urgent, because no. No fucking way.

        "Arin, no. That's not -           That's not what I'm trying to say at           all. Why would you even…"

     No, no, no. They needed to stop with the hypotheticals or else they'd be      be here all day and Ross would probably start crying out of frustration      within the hour. He sighed, a heavy breath in and then out, before      leaning further forward against the table.

        "I'm happy that it's you.           I'm not repulsed. You're my best           friend, dude, and I love y -- I love           having someone I can tell anything.           But all I'm trying to say is that this is           going to be hard. Like, when are you           going to be in Perth next, Arin, really?           And even without the distance, I'm           here for a week. We're together, in           person, for only a week, and I don't           to ruin this by going over endless           hypotheticals and bullshit that might           not matter in six months, y'know?"

     Was he making any sense? Ross had no clue. His blue eyes were      wide as he stared at Arin, doing his best to stop stumbling over his      words and speak with conviction and the sincerity that he felt.

Holly: and now i'm hungry but also very tired

Holly: Jessica left me alone like the WORST FRIEND EVER

Holly: orph is very concerned

Ross: Do you need an adult babysitter now?

Ross: Don't squeeze any of the cats too hard.

     His heart stopped as their hands touched, the other’s cup being      pushed into his hand. He forced himself to look up at him. Arin      knew he had fucked up, and Ross’s concerned look didn’t make      him feel much better. He hated that his impulsive nature got the best      of him, forcing thoughts that should just be kept quiet out into thin      air. Part of him appreciated Ross ignoring everything he had just      said, but another part of him wished that this wasn’t so hard for      them to just talk about.

     Arin bit his bottom lip and stepped back as their shoulders brushed.      He watched Ross walk to pick up their food; he could have stood      there forever. All of their interactions today had already been so      awkward; the airport, the car ride, standing in line… Arin didn’t want      to think about sitting across from the other face to face. But as another      group of people came up to fill up their cups too, Arin knew that he      just needed to man up and act like an adult. He filled the other’s      cup with Mountain Dew, quietly apologized for making people wait      behind him, and carried the two cups in each of his hands over to the      booth Ross had been sitting at.

     The air was different. Before it was fake smiles, and attempting to make      the other as comfortable as possible without bringing up the whole      soulmates thing. But neither of them was smiling now. Arin pushed      Ross’s drink towards him, and sat across from him, mirroring his body      image. He couldn’t tell how distressed the other felt, his face just reading      as uninterested and detached. Finally: no more bullshit. No more dancing      around the one thing that was really on both of their minds. At least that’s      what Arin thought before Ross said the most disheartening thing Arin      could hear right now. Perhaps it was the most disheartening thing      Ross had ever said to him in their entire friendship.

       "What? Why in the hell would           you think I’d want that?“

    His expression dropped. His eyebrows lowered and fingers trembled     against the edge of the table. All the confusion and nervousness he had     felt before began translating into anger.

       "Look, I don’t know what our           friendship means to you. But           before today I thought we could           talk about anything. And I don’t           know why this should be any           different.”

     He stared into Ross’s eyes, trying to read what he was thinking. He was      so frustrated that he couldn’t bother to care if he was raising his voice      too loud or if he was drawing attention to them.

       "Of course I want to fucking talk           about it. I care about you, man.“

     Arin snapped. Arin snapped and it was the last thing that Ross had      expected to come from his suggestion. There was the ghost of surprise      and brief concern coming across his features before Ross schooled his      face back into the neutral expression he'd been holding. This wasn't      what he wanted, though, not at all. He didn't want to be sitting in a fuck-      ing Del Taco, arguing about his future with Arin - with his soulmate. He      could hear the slight raise in Arin's tone and feel the few glances that      were directed their way from other customers, but Ross didn't shrink      back or attempt to give reassuring smiles to the people around them. He      didn't let himself look away from Arin yet because he was stubborn. He      was stubborn and an asshole.

        "I -- I fucking care."

     Ross was stubborn and an asshole and he felt that Arin's words were      too sharp, too accusing to be left unaddressed. He knew that he could      have tried to be the bigger person, tried to be calmer and more rational,      but that wasn't him. That wasn't Ross's way when he was getting into an      argument (and Arin better learn that now, right?). Finally, his expression      changed into something a little more volatile, a look that showed emotion      instead of flat-lining, because: fuck Arin if he doesn't think I care.

        "You're my best friend,           Arin. What the fuck ?? I'm just -           I'm trying to give you an out, okay?           If you don't - if you didn't - ugh."

     For as much as Ross was trying to win this frustrated staring contest, he      had to blink away, head tilting up as he squeezed his eyes shut tight      and fought to find the right words. He wished they were alone. Wished      they had some sort of privacy. Even sitting in Arin's car and overheating      would be better than this, but he didn't want to be the one to suggest it.      It felt like something shameful to say, especially when he was already      the one to try to ignore the subject of soulmates altogether.

        "Did you expect this to happen?"      Ross dropped his hand from pinching the bridge of his nose, took a few      more seconds to stare at the ceiling before he blinked back to Arin with      an expression far more pained than before.         "Did you think our timers would           zero out when we saw each other?           Because honestly? It's scary. It's           scary as hell, dude, and it doesn't           make this any easier that I'm only           here for the week. I live on a whole           different continent, Arin. It's not - this           isn't ideal."

Holly: can u get dinner

Holly: i don't trust myself to not fall asleep with food in the oven right now tbh

Ross: yeah, sure. I can pick something up on the way home.

                  “    sssto – puT IT AWAY !”

   Suzy smiled softly, her muscles feeling    tired and unused to the movement.

        “Thanks, Ross. I appreciate it.”

        "Well, y'know - -"      He shrugged his shoulders, an almost hopeless      gesture as he looked back to Suzy again. Ross      offered up the same kind of minimal smile.         "You deserve better, and I know           that you'll get better, too.           Eventually. It'll happen for you."

Slowly, he began to get herself a little closer to her husband and bury her face into the crook of his neck. He was one of the only consistencies in her life, and Holly couldn’t be any more happy about it. “I love you,” She sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist loosely.