067 – Shirt

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The Mickey Mouse shirt held memories—too complicated to admit, yet too special to let go.

Pierre never intended on wearing it again.

But after Gwen accidentally poured coffee on his suit while on the way to meet her probation officer, Mickey was all he had left to dress up his dad-bod flabs.

Why he kept it in his car all this time, he had no idea—

“Mr. Bautista,” Ted, the probation officer says, a familiar glint in his eyes. “I see you’ve kept my shirt.”

Who knew being a dad to a teenage daughter could be this messed up?

———-
*Inspired by the prompt third rate romance  from The Daily Post.

058 – Young at Heart (Collide, #10)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part | Fourth Part
Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part | Eighth Part
Ninth Part | Tenth Part

The idiot sees colors in darkness, rainbows in every storm. His heart is probably made of high-grade pixie-dust, his blood bright like liquid stars—

“Aleks, you’re the worst!” Koko screams, almost blowing her boyish cover.

“Hey, yo? It’s just a fart!”

Lustro blinks out of his Aleks-induced reverie to see Koko dashing out of the tent and the actual Aleks laughing and fanning out his peasant skirt.

Then it hits him, “Dammit, Aleks!” A smell that could launch a thousand ships the same way he is now launching for the exit.

“What?!” Aleks cries.

‘Young-at-heart’ really does go both ways.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt young at heart  from The Daily Post.

057 – Steps (Circuits, #10)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part
Fourth Part | Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part
Eighth Part | Ninth Part | Tenth Part

It’s the first time in decades that the thought even dares to cross Last Man’s mind. He should never have told Feebz about it.

“Just one step at a time, Boss,” she says, the line in her one eye rising and falling in gentle waves that do little to calm his nerves.

But he takes his first step anyway. And a few more brave ones away from home. Stubborn mind focused on seeing that one bud—Earth’s first in a century.

The bud shone in the sunlight, a breath of life in a barren land.

It is worth every sweltering step.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt fearless fantasies  from The Daily Post.

054 – Clueless (Collide, #9)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part | Fourth Part
Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part
Eighth Part | Ninth Part | Tenth Part

Sen hardly sleeps. She suspects her guest behind the sycamore is the same. Pulling her shawl tighter, she notes the distance between herself and the ax. She steps out, closes the backdoor. This one’s not here to see the doctor.

“’Evening, Grandma…” says a voice in the darkness, realizing he’s been found out

“It’s Miss Sen,” she quips, amused but cautious. “And I’ll forgive you just this once.”

Snorting, the guy slips out. Eyes sharp and daring, brown and familiar—

Sen barely stops herself from blurting the name. Her estranged brother looks clueless, jealous—

“Grandma,” Lustro dares, then walks away.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt stroke of midnight  from The Daily Post.

051 – Yes (Glasses, #6)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part | Fourth Part
Fifth Part | Sixth Part

“Marry you?” Sam laughs like he’s just said a joke. “Glasses, are you out of your mind?”

“But aren’t we—I mean, what are we…?” He flinches at the desperation in his voice, the frown that replaces her laughter.

“We’re dating.”

“And then..?”

“We’re going home.”

He sighs into his Coke.

Sam chews thoughtfully on a toothpick. Eyes narrowing, testing.

Later on the way home, he finds himself wrapped up in her arms. Her warm breath like feather teasing his ears—

“I’d love to grow old together…”

He mispedals. She giggles. Bike somehow rights itself.

A simple “yes” would’ve sufficed.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt happy endings  from The Daily Post.

047 – Eyes (Collide, #8)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part | Fourth Part
Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part | Eighth Part | Ninth Part

“Where have you been?”

Aleks reels back, slapping a hand to his chest like he’s just seen a two-headed ghost. Lustro coughs back a groan, frown held in place.

“Yeah, Aleks?” Koko chimes in. “Mama Lustro’s been looking for you all day.”

Lustro reaches out, growling. The giggling teenager bounces out of his way. Over and over until laughter fills the whole tent.

From seven childish boys.

And Aleks—

Bright blue eyes dancing with glee…

Narrowed like the green ones on some Poncho guy this morning, glaring daggers into his soul—

Lustro trips on a shoe.

The laughter spills over.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt modern families  from The Daily Post.

046 – Bud (Circuits, #9)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part
Fourth Part | Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part
Eighth Part | Ninth Part | Tenth Part

He remembers her eyes most. Empty as the darkest night. Blank like his heart.

Her pale skin was striking against the black of her hair, the blood on her face. Cold to the touch. Like the ring he still wears in his one good hand.

He rubs his thumb to it. Platinum, size nine. Fancy little thing he suspects will outlive him for yet another century—

The front door swings open to Feebz’s excited chatter, allowing him the briefest glimpse of the arid Earth outside.

“I saw a bud today!” Feebz chants.

Last Man rubs his ring again and smiles.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt if i could turn back time  from The Daily Post.

045 – Bump (Collide, #7)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part | Fourth Part
Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part | Eighth Part

“Hey!” Lustro calls out. “Hooded Poncho! Stop!”

Amidst the marketplace crowd, Vin freezes and gropes for his dagger. Appalled to find it gone, he wheels around and spots it in the other guy’s hand.

“You dropped this.” Lustro’s eyes are sharp, suspicious. He’s clearly upset over more than just the shoulder-bump.

Vin approaches with caution, half of his face hidden behind his black hood. “Thanks,” he grunts, snatching his dagger.

“Nice blade. First-rate craftsmanship.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, thief,” Vin quips.

Because he’s sure he couldn’t have dropped the dagger.

And the naughty smirk on Lustro’s face says enough.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt now you see me  from The Daily Post.

044 – Connected (Collide, #6)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part | Fourth Part
Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part

She remembers him.

Not only by that scar on his cheek, but by some other deeper connection she can’t describe.

She can feel it stirring inside her, as though their very heartbeats have been entwined since that night, fifteen years ago, when she left that cut on the boy’s face.

His breath has since returned. His consciousness faltering back now–

“W-What happened…?” he gasps, bright blue eyes flashing with confusion, near-blinding against the gray of her sheets.

“Your heart stopped,” she says. “The doctor says you’re fine now.”

Her heart had stopped, too.
But she does not tell him this.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt ripped into the headline  from The Daily Post.

043 – Kiss (Circuits, #8)

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First Part | Second Part | Third Part
Fourth Part | Fifth Part | Sixth Part | Seventh Part
Eighth Part | Ninth Part

“Boss?”

“Hm?

“What’s a kiss?”

Last Man puts his coffee down, muttering. “You watch movies. You should know.”

“But movies are only for seeing! Not for feeling!” Feebz drops with a clattering sigh on the couch. “How does it feel…?”

“Forget about it.”

“But, why?!”

“Because you’re…” Last Man stops. He swears his companion’s football head looks expectant. “…a kid. You’re too young to kiss.”

Feebz crosses her arms with a whirring huff. “Well then, upgrade me already, so I can grow up and kiss you!”

Warmth fills Last Man’s chest.

He frowns at the fly floating in his coffee.

———-
*Inspired by the prompt learning style  from The Daily Post.