#73 easy steps

[girlwithrituals]

101 ways to improve self esteem

1) Master a new skill.

2) List your accomplishments.

3) Do something creative.

4) Challenge your limiting beliefs.

5) Talk to a counselor.

6) Don't worry about what others think.

7) Read or watch something inspirational.

8) Stay true to your character.

9) Let go of negative people.

10) Set healthy boundaries with others.

11) Care about your appearance.

12) Welcome failure as part of growth.

13) Be a lifelong learner.

14) Face your fears.

15) Become a mentor.

16) Accept compliments.

17) Eliminate self-criticism.

18) Practice coping skills to manage stress and big emotions.

19) Notice negative thoughts and beliefs.

20) Challenge negative thinking.

21) Think about what you learned from negative experiences.

22) Practice gratitude.

23) Exercise.

24) Eat healthy and limit junk food.

25) Get good sleep.

26) Spend time with positive and supportive people.

27) Encourage yourself.

28) Write a list of your strengths.

29) Don't compare yourself to others.

30) Avoid perfectionism.

31) Do at least one positive, enjoyable activity every day.

32) Celebrate small victories.

33) Be helpful and considerate to others.

34) Be honest with yourself and others.

35) Accept your flaws.

36) Don't give up.

37) Practice self-care.

38) Go easy on yourself.

39) Practice being assertive.

40) Practice saying "No".

41) Practice relaxation techniques.

42) Take on challenges.

43) Volunteer to help others.

44) Forgive others and yourself.

45) Set goals and work toward them step by step.

46) Seek balance in all areas of your life.

47) Discover your passions and purpose

48) Groom yourself.

49) Dress nicely.

50) Be kind and generous to others.

51) Practice good posture.

52) Change a small habit.

53) Smile.

54) Don't procrastinate.

55) Don't take things personal.

56) Organize your personal space.

57) Challenge unkind thoughts about yourself.

58) Spend time outside.

59) Notice the good things.

60) Celebrate your successes

61) Write a list of things you like about yourself.

62) Don't take too much on.

63) Do something for yourself every day.

64) Develop daily habits.

65) Remind yourself it's okay if not everyone likes you.

66) Practice mindfulness.

67) Learn to tolerate discomfort.

68) Use problem-solving skills.

69) Take responsibility instead of blaming.

Tell Yourself Positive Affirmations Such As:

70) I am grateful for every day.

71) I am worthy of happiness and love.

72) I am in charge of my own happiness.

73) I love, respect, and believe in myself.

74) I deserve to be happy and successful.

75) I approve of myself, right here and now.

76) I am learning and changing for the better.

77) I accept 100% responsibility for my own life.

78) Every day in every way, I am getting better and better.

79) I can learn to accept the parts of myself that I don't like.

80) I am thankful for my challenges as they make me a stronger person.

81) Write down three positives about each day.

82) Make a collage with your talents, goals, and dreams.

83) Practice laughing.

84) Be proud of yourself.

85) Say mistakes are an opportunity to learn.

86) Show respect to yourself and others.

87) Resolve conflict peacefully.

88) Ask for help or support.

89) Complete a daily task list.

90) Have a growth mindset.

91) Be optimistic.

92) Treat yourself with kindness and compassion.

93) Focus on the things you have control over and can change.

94) Get started on tasks you have been putting off.

95) Practice good daily hygiene.

96) Focus on solutions not problems.

97) Talk about your feelings with someone you trust.

98) Drink plenty of water.

99) Start a new hobby or join a club/sport.

100) Do random acts of kindness.

101) Create a dreams list.

[sbcdh]

You know where the word cocaine comes from? Its Quechua. Just the name of the damn plant. I think it was 1971, maybe 72. I dunno- 

Could you start at the beginning?

Huh? Yeah, sure. Course. Uhh. Lets see…

Take your time. 

Woof. Lets see…I started in uhhh, 72. Some tiny little bottle-rocket firm sweatin for talent, head broker was this big red fatass named Ron Spade, hell of a guy, but the place got bought out by Bear Stearns in 73 when the shit really hit the fan. It was a rough time to be on a trade floor. IRS just put out the whole hypnoeconomics thing. Half the big firms were runnin’ around with their hair on fire, the other half felt invincible. Every day was a party. Party party party. 

Was that your first interaction with hypnostimulants? 

I guess. Its funny. First guy to give me quori was a cop. 

You mean an agent of the FDA? 

No no, like an old fashioned NYPD beat cop. Met him in the bathroom at Pink during a bender. Moron was so faded he thought I was his informant. Just gave me a phial. 

And you tried it?

Not right away no. To be honest I thought it was kinda faggy. Sorry. Its just what I thought at the time. The shit was sparkly, you know? What kinda drug comes in phials? Shoulda known something was up. 

Would you say hypnostimulants were popular at the time? 

At the time? Depends what you mean by popular. People didn’t know about that shit yet. You heard stories, dudes shooting up in the woods upstate, gettin found with their eyeballs exploded. It was early days, ya know? But like, that didn’t happen. That was urban legends. You know who was actually fucking around with the early stuff? Accountants. 

Accountants?

Yeah, you know, the bookkeepers. See,  I’m really just a plumber. I move money from one pipe to another pipe. But instead of wrenches and sprockets or whatever, I use charm. Its pretty easy if you ask me. Imagine if you could just tell water where it already wanted to go. You’re water’s best pal. Nah. It was those nerds in the basement, the spreadsheet guys that figured out how to expense shit so the IRS couldn’t get ya. Those were the fuckers who really dove in. 

What got you using regularly? 

Same shit as everyone else. Makes the job easier. 

How so?

You can feel the money in their pocket. Its like, I dunno how to describe it. Its like…Its like, a turd sitting in a hammock. You can feel how the money bends everything around it. You can see it, smell it. You can hear it over the phone. You can’t ignore it. Shit is nuts. You take enough, and its like you can’t see anything else. Or. No. Its like…You see that you don’t need to see anything else. Money is everything. You’re money. I’m money. Its all just rivers of money flowing through everything. 

By 1973 you were a regular user yes?

Regular makes it sound normal. But yeah I know what you mean. “Regular user.”  76 was the sweet spot. The drugs were good, but the regulators hadn’t stepped up yet. You and some buddies could set up in a club bathroom with nothing but a blindfold and a pile. You ever seen a stock floor with a headfull of that fancy government shit? 

Would you like to discuss the raid? 

No. Not really. 

I understand you were the only one in a sub-emmanation state when Hypnoregulators arrived on the scene. 

I don't want to talk about it. 

Very well then, my associate will be happy to take you to prison as per the agreement you signed. 

Alright alright, Christ. 

Please. In your own words. 

From what I understand, you pulled spade outta bed. Got a confession and everything that morning. 9 fuckin AM, and 200 IRS agents come busting in the doors. I was in the bathroom seeing shit. It's marble lined, lots gold filigree. All that jazz. Special made. Listen. I'm serious about the stock floor shit. Whatever you guys have, it's different than what we had back then. I mean, the shit was still cut with cocaine. A stock floor wasn't a stock floor, it was like…

The raid, please. 

I'm getting to it! You gotta know this shit okay? I need you to understand what you goons fuckin wrecked. It was perfect okay? A garden of Eden . Ripe fruit. Everything just works. You don't have to worry about shit. You're a hunter, a killer, the great fuckin god pan, and the floor is your field of delights. It's like being a beating heart, like being struck by lightning. You can feel the sun in your pocket, and how it's all flowing through everything. And then you fucks showed up. 

It was cold. I felt it first. Like I just threw the biggest party, and mom and dad were coming home early. But you know what I saw? You know those Chinese dragon dancers? Or, lions, or whatever they are? You know how there's two guys in the costume? I saw a dragon, a beast with eyes like the sun, teeth dripping gold, a bunch of IRS suits holding its pelt on their shoulders like you carry your baby home. 

Your statement alluded to some additional information. 

Yeah…there was something else… I dunno how to describe it. The fuckin…eyes, like the sun. Thats how you feel when you're on this shit. You're seein’ gold. I looked into the dragons eyes, and it's like, it's like I saw me. Like I was the dragon, and I was looking at me. Or…no. I was the sun. I was looking at myself. It was like, in that moment I knew something. I learned something. 

What exactly is that?

I dunno. It doesn't fit into words. But like. You aren't regulating shit. 

I'm sorry? 

Yeah. All this shit. The dragon. The field. The dancers. It's all just the sun.

[falesten-iw]

Urgent 🆘️ call: 🚨🍉 Please help..🥺😓🙏

My name is Falastin, and I am a mother of three small children, ages 5 years, 2 years, and 3 months. I am not very good with social media, but I am writing to seek your help to give my family in Gaza the chance to live their lives again.

Due to the ongoing genocide we in Gaza are experiencing, my family need your help to survive, leave Gaza, and find safety.

In november 2023 last year, i lost three of my cousins from my mother's family with their wifes and children's, some of them still under the rubble untill now. 

In mars 2024 this year i lost another 2 cousins in Alshifa hostpital, this shock after three months of the first lose was a big slap into our face, it was a harsh reminder that death didn’t stop, and that none of us is an exception in this genocide, not a woman nor a child, everyone of us is a target to the death machines above our heads.

My family has lost everything. Some of them have tragically passed away, and those who remain are without shelter, moving from one temporary place to another in a desperate attempt to stay alive. Currently "After more than 20 times of being displaced and having to leave our house escaping from rockets and death " they have fled south and are living in a makeshift tent made from plastic bags and torn clothes.

Each day is a battle for survival. Each day, my family wakes up not knowing if they will have food to eat, clean water to drink, or a safe place to rest. Their homes have been wiped, and their children sit sleepless waiting their death. In Gaza, there is no where to seek shelter, no bunkers, nowhere to hide. Gaza is no more than 40 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide with a population of just over two million. Gaza's border is completely surrounded by fences and barbed wire. The only way out of Gaza is to Egypt.

I used to introduce myself as the youngest in the family but in this GENOCIDE I’m a big sister who see her siblings’ future getting lost in front of her eyes, as i see my brothers kids who are still young and supposed to be in school, my mom who is 73 years old unable to find her medicine, as I see them, I made it a mission to myself to save my family or who’s left alive from it, to save their future from all of this and to escape Gaza.

Despite everything, I still have hope to save those who remain of my family. But I need all the help I can get from every person on earth. This challenge is not easy for me, especially since I am not good with social media and i dont have so many follower to reach and ask them for help. However, I am trying, and maybe with your support, the impossible can become possible.

Asking for your help is the only way I have to save my family’s life and future. Your help can be our hope when hope seems far away. Because of that, I appeal to your generosity and compassion, asking for help so that we can gather the necessary funds to help my family.

Photos of "Lina," who was born at the start of the war, and she is now 9 months old. Your donation could give her the chance to survive, leave Gaza, and find safety with her family.

I would like to thank everyone who has donated, shared and supported my campaign so far. Your generosity has given us hope in the darkest of times, and I am deeply grateful.

So far, we have raised 3,950 SEK of our 2,000,000 SEK goal - August 15th. While this is a small step, it is a crucial one, and it shows that together, we can make a difference. We still have a long way to go, and I urge you to continue sharing our story and contributing if you can.

Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to saving my family and giving them a chance at life. Please read and act as if it were your family, your mother, your siblings in these conditions. 🙏🙏🙏💔💔💔💔

Important note: Donation value:

** 1$ = 10.5 Swedish kr

** 10$ = 105 Swedish kr

** 100$ = 1050 Swedish kr

** 1000$ = 10500 Swedish kr

VETTED and shared by 90-ghost, also as no. 282 in The Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser Spreadsheet compiled by el-shab-hussein and nabulsi and shared in the masterpost.

We have also been verified by Al Jazeera News. Here is the video. I added this video today, august 15th. Its showing my cousin and aunt in the hospital, where she shares how the Israeli army airstruck them with their kids. Listen to my aunt Suad "Em Mhammed".

Best regards,

Falastin and her family.

[cryptotheism]

You know where the word cocaine comes from? Its Quechua. Just the name of the damn plant. I think it was 1971, maybe 72. I dunno- 

Could you start at the beginning?

Huh? Yeah, sure. Course. Uhh. Lets see…

Take your time. 

Woof. Lets see…I started in uhhh, 72. Some tiny little bottle-rocket firm sweatin for talent, head broker was this big red fatass named Ron Spade, hell of a guy, but the place got bought out by Bear Stearns in 73 when the shit really hit the fan. It was a rough time to be on a trade floor. IRS just put out the whole hypnoeconomics thing. Half the big firms were runnin’ around with their hair on fire, the other half felt invincible. Every day was a party. Party party party. 

Was that your first interaction with hypnostimulants? 

I guess. Its funny. First guy to give me quori was a cop. 

You mean an agent of the FDA? 

No no, like an old fashioned NYPD beat cop. Met him in the bathroom at Pink during a bender. Moron was so faded he thought I was his informant. Just gave me a phial. 

And you tried it?

Not right away no. To be honest I thought it was kinda faggy. Sorry. Its just what I thought at the time. The shit was sparkly, you know? What kinda drug comes in phials? Shoulda known something was up. 

Would you say hypnostimulants were popular at the time? 

At the time? Depends what you mean by popular. People didn’t know about that shit yet. You heard stories, dudes shooting up in the woods upstate, gettin found with their eyeballs exploded. It was early days, ya know? But like, that didn’t happen. That was urban legends. You know who was actually fucking around with the early stuff? Accountants. 

Accountants?

Yeah, you know, the bookkeepers. See,  I’m really just a plumber. I move money from one pipe to another pipe. But instead of wrenches and sprockets or whatever, I use charm. Its pretty easy if you ask me. Imagine if you could just tell water where it already wanted to go. You’re water’s best pal. Nah. It was those nerds in the basement, the spreadsheet guys that figured out how to expense shit so the IRS couldn’t get ya. Those were the fuckers who really dove in. 

What got you using regularly? 

Same shit as everyone else. Makes the job easier. 

How so?

You can feel the money in their pocket. Its like, I dunno how to describe it. Its like…Its like, a turd sitting in a hammock. You can feel how the money bends everything around it. You can see it, smell it. You can hear it over the phone. You can’t ignore it. Shit is nuts. You take enough, and its like you can’t see anything else. Or. No. Its like…You see that you don’t need to see anything else. Money is everything. You’re money. I’m money. Its all just rivers of money flowing through everything. 

By 1973 you were a regular user yes?

Regular makes it sound normal. But yeah I know what you mean. “Regular user.”  76 was the sweet spot. The drugs were good, but the regulators hadn’t stepped up yet. You and some buddies could set up in a club bathroom with nothing but a blindfold and a pile. You ever seen a stock floor with a headfull of that fancy government shit? 

Would you like to discuss the raid? 

No. Not really. 

I understand you were the only one in a sub-emmanation state when Hypnoregulators arrived on the scene. 

I don't want to talk about it. 

Very well then, my associate will be happy to take you to prison as per the agreement you signed. 

Alright alright, Christ. 

Please. In your own words. 

From what I understand, you pulled spade outta bed. Got a confession and everything that morning. 9 fuckin AM, and 200 IRS agents come busting in the doors. I was in the bathroom seeing shit. It's marble lined, lots gold filigree. All that jazz. Special made. Listen. I'm serious about the stock floor shit. Whatever you guys have, it's different than what we had back then. I mean, the shit was still cut with cocaine. A stock floor wasn't a stock floor, it was like…

The raid, please. 

I'm getting to it! You gotta know this shit okay? I need you to understand what you goons fuckin wrecked. It was perfect okay? A garden of Eden . Ripe fruit. Everything just works. You don't have to worry about shit. You're a hunter, a killer, the great fuckin god pan, and the floor is your field of delights. It's like being a beating heart, like being struck by lightning. You can feel the sun in your pocket, and how it's all flowing through everything. And then you fucks showed up. 

It was cold. I felt it first. Like I just threw the biggest party, and mom and dad were coming home early. But you know what I saw? You know those Chinese dragon dancers? Or, lions, or whatever they are? You know how there's two guys in the costume? I saw a dragon, a beast with eyes like the sun, teeth dripping gold, a bunch of IRS suits holding its pelt on their shoulders like you carry your baby home. 

Your statement alluded to some additional information. 

Yeah…there was something else… I dunno how to describe it. The fuckin…eyes, like the sun. Thats how you feel when you're on this shit. You're seein’ gold. I looked into the dragons eyes, and it's like, it's like I saw me. Like I was the dragon, and I was looking at me. Or…no. I was the sun. I was looking at myself. It was like, in that moment I knew something. I learned something. 

What exactly is that?

I dunno. It doesn't fit into words. But like. You aren't regulating shit. 

I'm sorry? 

Yeah. All this shit. The dragon. The field. The dancers. It's all just the sun. 

[pbaz7]

AGAINST THE TIDE: PART FIVE

paige x azzi

word count: 8k

A/N: Alrighttyy here’s the next chapter as promised. I am so sorry in advance for the beginning it was needed for the plot and I’ve kinda been following the accuracy of their season 😔. I swear I make up for it by the end of the chapter so you guys won’t hate me. They’re taking steps that’s all I’ll say 🙂‍↕️

—————————————————————————

December 2021 - Connecticut

The next two weeks were a noticeable shift for both Paige and Azzi. With Azzi sidelined by her foot injury, Paige took it as an opportunity to grow closer to her outside of basketball, though it often came with a bit of dramatic flair. Paige would still FaceTime Azzi at all hours of the night, her voice playful but a little over the top as she begged, "Please come to the gym, it’s so boring without you." Each call, Paige would act like the gym now felt empty without Azzi as she showed her on the camera, exaggerating how she couldn’t get anything done without her presence.

Azzi, pretending to be annoyed, would respond with something like, “You’re dramatic, Paige,” but there was always a smile hidden behind her words. She’d act like she wasn’t going to answer, rolling her eyes at the screen, but it never took long before she found herself grabbing her shoes and dragging herself over to keep Paige company.

Sometimes, she’d help her shoot around or go through drills, other times they would just sit, talking about everything and nothing at all. Paige loved to come up with silly games to pass the time, and Azzi would play along, even if her foot wasn't fully healed. It wasn’t that Azzi didn’t mind taking it easy for a while; in fact, being with Paige made it a lot easier to forget the frustration of sitting out. There was something about Paige’s energy that kept her entertained, and it made the quiet moments in between practice feel a lot less lonely.

The rest of the team noticed Paige’s shift too, though they didn’t mention it directly not wanting to mess anything up. While Paige had always been intense and all about basketball, now there was a certain lightness in her. She was taking care of herself more—spending time with Azzi, relaxing instead of overworking. She had found a balance she hadn’t had before, and it didn’t go unnoticed by everyone.

…

The clock was ticking down, and UConn was firmly in control of the game against Notre Dame, leading 73-54. The tension in the air had long lifted as the final seconds of the game wound down. Paige was dribbling the ball up the court, her focus on running out the clock. But suddenly, as her left foot hit the floor, there was a sharp stumble, and her knee buckled in a way that sent a jolt of concern through the entire arena.

Pain flashed across Paige’s face, and despite her obvious discomfort, she kept dribbling, fighting to push through it. She passed the ball to Caroline, her right leg taking the brunt of the movement as she hopped on it, trying to stay upright. With every move, her limp grew more pronounced before Paige fell just in front of the UConn bench, clutching her left leg as she hit the hardwood floor hiding her face from view.

Azzi’s stomach dropped at the sight, her eyes widening in shock. It felt like the world around her paused, the entire arena quitting as her focus narrowed only to Paige. The gym’s noise fading as she heard nothing but her heart racing.

Geno immediately called a timeout, signaling for the trainers to rush over. Azzi’s breath hitched, her legs frozen in place as her gaze remained locked on Paige, the moment causing her chest to tighten slightly. Her mind was racing, wondering what had happened, how bad it was. She was on her feet in an instant, but the trainers were already around Paige, and Azzi hesitated, not wanting to crowd them. Why did she feel like this? She had seen plenty of teammates get injured before and she was fine but right now she felt sick to her stomach.

The trainers were around Paige, speaking to her softly, trying to calm her down as her breathing was uneven. But Paige’s face was twisted in clear discomfort as she kept repeating, "My knee," her voice shaky and urgent. Azzi's gaze didn’t leave her, watching even as Evina and Amari gently lifted Paige, one on each side, helping her off the court and to the end of the bench where the trainers could work on her.

Azzi stayed back, knowing she couldn’t talk to her yet. She had to wait until the game was officially over. Her mind kept replaying the moment Paige fell, and the worry was gnawing at her. Her stomach was in knots, but she knew better than to add to the chaos.

The final buzzer sounded, and the team went through the usual handshakes with Notre Dame, but everyone’s mind was far from the celebrations. Azzi’s eyes constantly flicked over to the bench, still keeping an eye on Paige as the trainers helped her up.

Paige limped toward the locker room with the help of the trainers, frustration and pain evident on her face. She was clearly trying to fight it, to stay composed, but her limping gait told the story. Azzi could feel her chest tightening again as she followed her into the locker room.

Once inside, Paige reached for her jersey, pulling it off roughly in frustration, and tossed it across the room not caring where it landed. Azzi could see the discomfort written all over Paige’s face, her frustration clear to everyone as she threw the piece of clothing away.

Evina, not knowing what else to do but be the leader she always has, stepped in with a scolding tone. "Paige, you know that’s not how we do things here," she said sternly, her voice filled with authority though there was a hint of uncertainty this time.

Azzi, however, knew that wouldn’t make anything better. So she moved closer, stepping in between Paige and Evina, her voice softer but firm. "She has to get it out, E. You gotta let her.”

Evina paused, glancing between Azzi and Paige. She looked like she wanted to argue but finally sighed, understanding. She nodded and stepped back, giving Paige the space she needed to process everything that just happened. Azzi knelt beside her, her voice low but filled with concern. "You okay?" she asked, her hand gently resting on Paige’s knee, though she wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do. But she couldn’t stand seeing Paige like this—frustrated, in pain, and clearly overwhelmed.

Paige didn’t respond immediately, but her shoulders slumped slightly as if the weight of the situation had finally caught up with her. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her body trembled as she whispered, "I think it’s broken, Azzi." Her voice was small, barely audible, but the fear in it was unmistakable. "I heard it crack... pop... I don’t know... it hurts like hell."

As the words left her mouth, the tears started to fall, and her shoulders shook. Azzi immediately moved closer, her arms wrapping around Paige, pulling her into a comforting embrace. The hug was a little stiff at first, the two of them never being this close in this kind of situation. But eventually Paige sunk into Azzi’ chest trying to let the younger girl soothe her as she continued to cry. Azzi didn’t say anything at first—she didn’t need to. The team, watching silently from a distance, could only stand by, understanding the gravity of the moment. Everyone knew how much this game and the season meant to Paige. To see her like this, in pain, and terrified was something none of them had even thought to prepare for.

Azzi kept her hold on Paige, gently rubbing her back, whispering soft words of reassurance. "You’re gonna be okay, Paige," she murmured, her voice steady and calming. "We’ll figure this out. It’s going to be okay."

The sound of the door opening cut through the tension, Geno entered, his presence commanding the room. He didn’t waste any time on post-game talk, his focus solely on Paige. "No talk just get changed, everyone," he ordered, his voice curt but concerned. His eyes flicked to Paige, the worry clear in his eyes.

Before anyone could move, the trainers entered with a wheelchair, approaching Paige with gentle but firm insistence. Paige, still in tears, looked up at them, her stubbornness flaring despite her pain. She shook her head violently, her voice hoarse as she snapped, "I’m not using that shit."

Azzi, who had been holding Paige, leaned back slightly and looked at her with a mix of concern and understanding. "Paige..." she began softly, trying to coax her to let the trainers help without saying it directly. But Paige, her face contorted with frustration and fear, shook her head again, this time more vehemently.

"I’m fine. I can walk," she said, but the words were more defensive than convincing. Azzi stayed quiet, knowing Paige’s stubbornness well at this point, but she wasn’t sure how to get through to her at this moment. The last thing Azzi wanted was to push Paige further into herself, but she also knew they couldn’t let her walk out on her knee.

"Paige, let them help," Azzi said quietly, her voice full of empathy but still firm. "You’re not going to get miraculously better by fighting it." She gently but firmly squeezed Paige’s shoulder, hoping to make her understand.

The rest of the team remained silent, a heavy tension hanging in the air as everyone waited for Paige’s response, not knowing how she was going to react. Finally, after a long, drawn-out moment, Paige let out a frustrated sigh, her defiance still burning but her body sagging in defeat. She didn’t speak but slowly, reluctantly, she allowed the trainers to assist her into the wheelchair.

As one of the trainers began to push the wheelchair forward, Paige’s hand hesitated at her side before reaching out. Her fingers brushed against Azzi’s, almost tentative, as if she was unsure whether she should ask for that comfort or if this was even ok to do. Azzi didn’t hesitate when she saw it. She immediately took Paige’s hand causing the blonde to let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

The subtle exchange didn’t go unnoticed. The rest of the team exchanged glances but said nothing, the weight of the moment pressing them into silence when they would usually make a joke.

Azzi remained close, walking beside her as they left the locker room, her heart aching as she watched Paige, trying her best to hide her tears. Azzi stayed silent, squeezing Paige’s hand, knowing it wasn’t the right time for empty words that wouldn’t change anything.

…

A few days later they were sitting together in Paige’s room, the tension of Paige’s injury still hanging slightly in the air, though there was a quiet calm between the two of them. Paige had her knee elevated, a heating pad resting on it, her face a mix of frustration and exhaustion. The injury was worse than she’d expected. It wasn’t just a sprain or a twist like she hoped—it was a fracture and a torn meniscus. She’d need surgery and would be out for at least two months. The weight of it all had hit her hard when she found out, and while she didn’t mind being surrounded by her teammates, right now, she only really wanted to be around one person. This thought process only added more to her confusion and frustration.

Azzi, understanding the gravity of the situation from when she tore her ACL, had been quietly sitting with her everyday, offering her presence without pressing for details. But now, as Paige spoke about her surgery, Azzi could see the hurt in her eyes.

"I’m scheduled for surgery next week,” Paige was saying, her voice quieter than usual. "They said I’ll be out for a minimum of two months. I know it’s not that long and I’m kinda lucky but it still feels like forever."

Azzi, trying to lighten the mood a little, cracked a joke. "Well, perfect timing then. You’ll be back just in time for March Madness. Look at that, you can’t even make a dent in our run!" She grinned, trying to ease the tension that was in the air.

Paige’s lips curled into a small smile, the tiniest spark of humor returning to her face. She kicked Azzi with her right leg—her healthy leg—and laughed a little, shaking her head. "Yeah, perfect timing," she muttered, her tone still tinged with sarcasm but a little lighter than before.

Azzi held her hands up in mock surrender, exaggerating her defensive stance at Paige kicking her. "Careful there, I’m mobile," she teased, easing back against the headboard of the bed. "This would be a losing game for you. You’re stuck on the bed."

Paige’s grin widened slightly, her eyes glinting with the playful defiance Azzi had grown to know so well. "You think so, huh?" she challenged, though it was clear that the teasing had pulled her out of the heavy space she’d been in for the last couple of days.

"Oh, I know so," Azzi replied, her voice playful and teasing, her smile matching Paige's as she leaned back against the headboard without a worry in the world.

Without warning, Paige’s hand shot out and she tickled Azzi’s side. Azzi squealed in surprise, instantly breaking into laughter and hopping off the bed, trying to get away from Paige’s relentless fingers.

"Hey, that’s no fair!" Paige muttered, her face lighting up with amusement as she tried to push herself up, wincing slightly at the discomfort in her knee. "I can’t get over there that fast."

Azzi pouted exaggeratedly, her laughter still bubbling out as she stood just out of reach. "Tough luck," she teased, grinning widely. "You’ve got a bum leg, so I’ll win the next few rounds."

Paige huffed, settling back into her spot on the bed, though she couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You’re lucky I can’t chase you," she muttered, looking at Azzi like she was plotting her next move.

Azzi stuck out her tongue in mock defiance, still standing just out of range. "I’ll take my win. But don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you next time," she teased as she sat back on the bed, crossing her arms with a satisfied grin.

Paige muttered something under her breath, her eyes downcast as she crossed her arms, her mood shifting slightly.

Azzi smirked, leaning in closer with a playful glint in her eyes. "What was that?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity.

Paige shot back, pouting slightly, her voice almost a whisper, "Nothing, leave me alone."

Azzi couldn't resist teasing her further, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Aww, did I make the big baby sad?" she cooed, her voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness.

Paige rolled her eyes, trying to hide the small smile threatening to break through. "Stop," she muttered, though the lighthearted teasing was clearly exactly what she needed.

Azzi grinned, enjoying the little back-and-forth, and leaned back into the bed, her eyes softening as she watched Paige. "Okay, okay. I'll stop for now," she said, giving Paige a break from the teasing, though she was clearly pleased to see the faint smile tugging at the older girl's lips.

A while later, the two of them had settled into a comfortable silence. Paige, however, found herself looking at Azzi once again, unable to stop the way her thoughts seemed to linger on her. Azzi noticed, her eyes glancing toward Paige before raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Azzi asked, a teasing edge to her voice.

Paige’s ears flushed pink, and she quickly looked down, feeling the warmth of embarrassment flood through her. "Nothing," she murmured, avoiding Azzi’s gaze. "Just thinking."

Azzi’s curiosity piqued, and she leaned in slightly, her tone soft but insistent. "About what?"

Paige didn’t immediately respond, just shook her head with a light laugh, trying to dismiss the moment. "Nothing," she repeated, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Really."

Azzi studied her for a moment, a smile forming as she relaxed back into the bed. "Alright, keep your secrets weirdo," she teased.

Paige couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Azzi here and there, her gaze drifting over her without meaning to. Azzi definitely noticed, but she didn’t comment, merely raising an eyebrow at Paige the few times their eyes met. Paige quickly looked away, her heart beating a little faster each time Azzi caught her staring.

She didn’t know when it started—this acute awareness of Azzi, these small details she found herself noticing more and more. Small details that shouldn’t really matter to. Her dimples when she smiled, how her laugh made Paige feel lighter just hearing it, the way Paige couldn’t help but enjoy seeing Azzi’s smile and her brown eyes light up, like they somehow brightened the entire room, how Paige just always wanted Azzi around. Maybe it had started during all the late nights in the gym or maybe it was when Azzi would drag Paige to get a “sweet treat” despite the blonde grumbling everytime. All Paige knew was she liked having Azzi around a lot more than she would admit to anyone else.

December 2021 - DMV

Paige sat on her bed in the quiet of her room, the only sound being the occasional click of her phone screen as she scrolled through her social media absentmindedly. She was struggling a bit because she missed Azzi more than she wanted to admit. Despite talking every day since they left UConn for the break, the physical distance between them made the days feel longer.

She glanced at the clock. It was still early, but she couldn't stand the silence any longer. She reached for her phone and opened FaceTime, her thumb immediately hitting the call button. She leaned back against her pillows, the soft hum of her thoughts swirling in the background, waiting for Azzi to pick up.

The call rang twice before Azzi's familiar face appeared on the screen, her expression laced with that playful, sarcastic grin Paige had come to like a little too much. "Wow you almost made it to a reasonable hour before bothering me today. Bored already?" Azzi teased, raising an eyebrow.

Paige rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at her lips. "What you doing?" she asked, shifting slightly on her bed to get comfortable.

Azzi panned the camera down, revealing she was lounging in bed, a pile of blankets surrounding her. "Nothing," she said casually, her voice lazy. "Just enjoying the quiet."

"Hm," Paige hummed. "What you doing today?"

Azzi’s eyes glinted with mischief. "Aww, does Paigey miss me?" she teased, her lips curving into that knowing smirk. "You’re all about me now, huh?"

Paige groaned, rolling her eyes again. "No, I’m just bored. That’s all. I’m literally stuck here with nothing to do because I can’t drive."

Azzi chuckled softly, then raised her eyebrows as if she had an idea. "Well, I’m going to a kickback with some friends from high school later. You should come with me."

Paige paused, the offer hanging in the air for a moment. She didn’t know anyone from Azzi’s high school, and she was still recovering from her surgery a week and a half ago, which made her hesitate even more. She bit her lip. "I don’t know, you know I just had surgery. And I don't really know anyone there. They probably hate me for whooping your ass all the time anyway."

Azzi rolled her eyes at the last comment before her face softened into a reassuring smile Paige had grown to be comforted by. "It’s gonna be chill, I promise. Plus you don’t gotta worry about your knee. I’ll be with you the whole time. You know I got you."

Paige’s heart fluttered at the thought of spending time with Azzi, even though she was still a little unsure. The idea of being around a bunch of strangers didn’t sound all that appealing, but the thought of being by Azzi’s side made everything feel a little more manageable.

"I don’t know..." Paige started again, but Azzi interrupted her with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Come on," Azzi coaxed, her voice playful. "Don’t be boring. I’ll take care of you I swear. And if you’re worried about the knee, I’ll literally carry you if I have to."

Paige laughed, shaking her head, though she could already feel the excitement building despite her reluctance. "Alright, fine. I’ll come. But I’m not doing anything but sitting down."

Azzi’s eyes widened, feigning surprise. "Oh, you’re so gonna dance. I’m dragging you on that floor with your stiff knee whether you like it or not."

Paige groaned, though there was a smile on her face now. "Yeah, we’ll see about that."

Azzi’s grin softened, the playfulness replaced with something warmer. "You’re coming, and that’s all that matters. I’ll make sure you’re good the whole time. Nothing you can’t handle."

Paige felt the butterflies stir in her chest as she met Azzi’s gaze through the screen. "Alright, I’m in. But if I get too tired, you’re carrying me out of there."

Azzi laughed, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "Deal. But don’t think I won’t drop you if you start complaining too much."

Paige grinned. "You’re so kind to me. Really."

"Only because you’re special," Azzi teased with a smirk

Much later the conversation had gone on longer than either of them had planned, but it felt impossible to hang up. Even now, with their plans for the night set, neither seemed ready to end the call.

Glancing at the time on her screen, she groaned softly. "Alright, I really need to eat and get ready before I’m late picking you up. My phone’s about to die, and you can’t watch the magic happen."

Paige raised a brow, leaning closer to the camera as if challenging her. "Magic? Azzi, I see you every day. What could possibly be so—"

"Uh-uh," Azzi cut her off, wagging a finger at her through the screen. "This is party-ready Azzi, Paige. Not practice Azzi. There’s a difference, and I’m not giving you a sneak peek."

Paige rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress her grin. "You act like I’m going to be taking notes or something."

Azzi tilted her head, a sly smile spreading across her lips. "You might. Gotta keep some mystery alive, Paigey."

Paige let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Fine, fine. Go charge your phone. Leave me here. Alone. Abandoned."

Azzi grinned, leaning closer to the screen for a moment before softly saying, "You’ll survive. I’ll call you back when I’m on my way."

And just like that, the call ended, leaving Paige staring at her reflection in the now-blank screen. She let out a long sigh before tossing her phone onto the bed beside her.

…

Azzi pulled up outside Paige’s house, her headlights cutting through the early evening darkness. She grabbed her phone and shot Paige a quick text: I’m here. A few minutes later, Paige stepped out, in a hoodie, her crutches tucked under her arms. Azzi hopped out to help, her lips quirking into a teasing smile as she opened the car door for Paige.

“You know, I’m not helpless,” Paige muttered as she settled into the passenger seat.

Azzi smirked as she slid back into the driver’s seat. “I know. But it’s fun watching you try to act tough.”

Paige rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at her lips.

The car ride was casual at first, filled with light chatter. Azzi talked about her old teammates and how she wasn’t sure who’d actually show up tonight. Paige mostly listened, her responses short but warm.

After a while, the conversation lulled, and Paige found herself sneaking glances at Azzi. The way the dim light from the dashboard highlighted Azzi’s features—her sharp jawline, the curve of her lips, the casual way her hand rested on the steering wheel—it was almost unfair.

Azzi caught her once, her eyes flicking over for a moment before she stopped talking and smiled. “What?”

Paige’s ears turned pink, and she looked out the window. “Nothing. Just… listening.”

“Hmm.” Azzi’s hum was teasing, but she didn’t push it, much to Paige’s relief—and frustration.

When they arrived, Azzi helped Paige out of the car, steadying her for a second as she adjusted her crutches. They walked inside together, the hum of chatter and music growing louder as they stepped into the living room. A few heads turned, and someone called out Azzi’s name.

“Azzi!” one of her old friends greeted her, pulling her into a quick hug. “Yo nice to see you. You want a drink?”

Azzi shook her head. “Nah, I’m driving. Thanks, though.”

The guy turned to Paige, his eyebrows lifting slightly in recognition. “What about you?”

Paige shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

Azzi led Paige to a couch where a few of her former teammates were sitting. They greeted her warmly, the conversation flowing easily as they caught up. Paige mostly stayed quiet. She chimed in here and there when prompted, but for the most part, she sat back, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her hoodie.

Azzi noticed and leaned closer, her voice soft so only Paige could hear. “You good?”

Paige nodded, glancing at her. “Yeah, you know me. Not the most chatty if I don’t know them.”

Azzi smiled, her voice taking on a light teasing tone. “Mmm ok. I’ll make sure I keep you company then.”

The quiet exchange helped Paige relax a little, and soon the two of them were chatting quietly, their heads close together so no one else could hear. Azzi leaned back on the couch, her arm draped casually over the backrest, while Paige leaned in slightly, her knee bouncing as they talked.

At some point, Azzi stood. “I’ll grab us some water, you look parched.”

Paige nodded, watching as Azzi disappeared into the kitchen. For a moment, she was content to sit alone, scrolling idly through her phone. But it didn’t take long for people to notice she wasn’t occupied anymore.

It started with one or two people approaching her hesitantly asking for pictures, but within a few minutes, a small crowd had gathered around her. Paige smiled politely, answering their questions and posing for pictures, though her knee started to ache from standing without her crutches that Azzi had propped up on the wall.

After talking to someone in the kitchen for a bit Azzi returned to the living room, holding two bottles of water, only to pause when she saw the scene. A smirk tugged at her lips as she leaned against the doorway, watching for a moment. Of course, she should’ve known this would happen.

Still, Azzi’s smirk faded slightly when she noticed the tightness in Paige’s smile, the way her weight was shifted entirely to her right knee.

Azzi shook her head and made her way over, weaving easily through the people standing near Paige. “Alright, alright,” she said, her voice cutting through the chatter in a playful way to not draw too much attention. “Give her some room, y’all. She’s gotta rest that superstar knee.”

The crowd dispersed almost immediately, some people backing away sheepishly while others gave her a grin, clearly recognizing her from school as well. Paige glanced at her, relief flashing in her eyes as Azzi handed her one of the bottles.

“Sit,” Azzi said firmly but gently, her hand brushing Paige’s shoulder as she guided her back to the couch.

Paige exhaled as she sank back down, her fingers wrapping around the bottle. “Thanks,” she murmured, glancing sideways at Azzi.

Azzi dropped down beside her, leaning back casually. “No problem. You’re the one who decided to be famous, though,” she teased, earning a soft laugh from Paige.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t sign up for this part,” Paige muttered, though her tone was light.

Azzi chuckled, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Welcome to the life, Bueckers.

As the crowd thinned out around them, Paige and Azzi settled back into their own bubble of conversation. Paige leaned back against the couch, her bottle of water balanced on her knee. Azzi, ever relaxed, stretched out beside her, one arm resting along the back of the couch.

“So,” Azzi said, her voice soft but teasing, “you having fun yet?”

Paige smiled faintly, glancing at her. “I guess. It’s... different.”

Azzi raised an eyebrow. “Different good or different bad?”

“Good,” Paige replied quickly, then hesitated before adding, “Probably because I’m here with you. If it was anyone else I would be miserable.”

Azzi froze mid-sip of her water, her eyebrow arching higher as she set the bottle down. “Wait a second,” she said, her tone dripping with playful suspicion. “Are you trying to flirt with me, Paige?”

Paige’s eyes widened slightly at the accusation, her ears turned red as she stumbled over her words. “No! I—I was just saying—”

Azzi leaned closer, giving her an amused, knowing look. “Mhm. Sure you were.”

Paige groaned, looking away to hide her flustered expression. “I wasn’t,” she mumbled, though her voice lacked conviction.

Azzi let it go—for now—but the teasing smile never left her lips as she leaned back, clearly picking up on Paige’s reaction.

A little while later though Azzi knew she wasn’t making things up in her head.

One of Azzi’s friends walked by, their arm brushing against Azzi’s as they held a drink, and in the process, the liquid sloshed over the edge, spilling onto Azzi’s shirt.

“Dude you’re drunk!” Azzi exclaimed with a laugh, pulling her shirt away from her skin as it stuck to her chest uncomfortably.

“Sorry!” her friend called back, but Azzi just waved it off.

Paige, however, couldn’t help but glance down. The damp fabric clung to Azzi’s chest, highlighting the curves beneath. She quickly looked away, but it was too late. Azzi had caught her.

Azzi didn’t say anything at first, but her eyes glinted with something as she grabbed a napkin to dab at the spill. After a moment, she set the napkin down and turned toward Paige, her movements a little slow.

“What were you looking at Paige?” Azzi asked, her voice low and teasing as she leaned in slightly

“Nothing!” Paige said quickly, though her voice cracked slightly, betraying her.

Azzi smirked, inching closer until Paige instinctively leaned back against the wall, Azzi made her stand by in the name of getting her knee used to standing. Azzi placed a hand on the table beside Paige, her other hand reaching up to twirl a strand of Paige’s hair around her finger.

“Hmm,” Azzi mused, tilting her head as she studied Paige’s flustered expression. “You sure? Because it kinda looked like you were... distracted.”

Paige swallowed hard, her heart pounding. “I wasn’t.”

Azzi’s smirk deepened as she fluttered her eyelashes, leaning just a fraction closer. “Paigey...” she whispered, her voice almost a purr. “Do you have a crush on me?”

The words sent a jolt through Paige, and she found herself nodding before she could think, her brain short-circuiting under Azzi’s gaze.

Azzi blinked, momentarily surprised by the response, but then her expression softened into something almost unreadable. Her hand stilled in Paige’s hair, her thumb brushing against the strand lightly before she pulled back with a smile.

“Well,” Azzi said softly, her voice carrying a mix of amusement and something else Paige couldn’t quite place. “Good to know.”

Paige stared at her, still trying to process what had just happened, as Azzi settled back into her seat on the couch, acting like nothing had happened. But the glint in her eyes and the slight curve of her lips said otherwise.

Azzi kept her teasing smile as she leaned back into the couch, picking up her drink and taking a casual sip. Paige, still frozen against the wall, tried to compose herself.

“So,” Azzi said after a moment, glancing sideways at Paige, “what’s going on in that head of yours, huh?”

Paige forced a laugh, her voice slightly shaky. “Nothing. Just... thinking about how weird this party is.”

Azzi smirked, clearly not buying it, but she let it slide. “Weird, huh? I don’t know—seems pretty normal to me.” She raised an eyebrow, her tone playful. “Or are you just feeling weird because I called you out?”

Paige groaned, hiding her face in her hands. “Azzi, please. Don’t start.”

Azzi chuckled. “Oh, I’m just getting started.”

Before Paige could respond, someone called Azzi over to the kitchen. She excused herself, leaving Paige to sit there, her thoughts swirling.

When Azzi returned a few minutes later, she plopped back down beside Paige with two more fresh waters. “Here,” she said, handing one to Paige.

“Thanks,” Paige muttered, her cheeks still faintly pink.

Azzi grinned as she twisted the cap off her own bottle. “You’re welcome. You good now, or should I give you a few more minutes?”

Paige glared at her, but there was no heat behind it. “You’re the worst.”

“Nah,” Azzi said, leaning back lazily and tossing her arm along the back of the couch, close enough that her hand brushed Paige’s shoulder. “Apparently you like me too much to think that.”

Paige rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched, betraying the smile she was trying to suppress.

As the night went on, the two of them fell into their usual rhythm of casual conversation as if nothing happened. Paige occasionally chimed in when Azzi’s friends asked her a question, but for the most part, she stayed content in her role as an observer.

It wasn’t until they were heading home that Azzi brought it up again.

The car ride was quiet, the hum of the engine and SZA playing quietly in the background filling the space between them. Paige stared out the window, her knee bouncing slightly in a restless rhythm.

“You’re awfully quiet for someone who talks so much,” Azzi said, breaking the silence.

Paige glanced at her, her fingers tightening slightly around her phone she was holding. “Just tired, I guess.”

“Uh-huh,” Azzi replied, her tone dripping with skepticism.

Paige shifted, trying to focus on the passing streetlights. But then Azzi glanced over at her, catching the faint way Paige’s eyes flickered toward her hands on the steering wheel.

“You keep looking at me,” Azzi said suddenly, a sly grin tugging at her lips.

“I am not!” Paige said, her voice shooting up an octave as her ears turned red.

Azzi laughed softly, the sound low and warm. “It’s okay, you know. I don’t mind. I actually kinda like it.”

Paige groaned, sinking into her seat. “Can we not do this right now?”

Azzi shrugged, her grin never faltering. “Fine. I’ll save it for later.”

Paige sighed, but her lips twitched despite herself hanging on to the way Azzi said she liked it. She glanced at Azzi again out of the corner of her eye, noticing the way the passing streetlights highlighted her profile—her relaxed grip on the wheel, the faint smirk tugging at her lips, the calm confidence she always seemed to carry now.

Deciding to be a little bold and before she could second-guess herself, Paige blurted, “You looked really good tonight.”

Azzi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and for a moment, the car was silent except for the hum of the music. She glanced at Paige briefly, her expression unreadable, before a small smile curved her lips.

“Thank you Paige,” Azzi said softly, her voice quieter than usual.

Paige’s ears burned, and she quickly turned her gaze back to the window, biting back a nervous laugh. “Yeah, well, don’t let it go to your head.”

Azzi chuckled, the warm sound filling the space between them. “Too late.”

The rest of the ride passed in comfortable silence, but Paige couldn’t shake the small, knowing smile Azzi wore the rest of the way home.

As they pulled into Paige’s driveway, Azzi shifted the car into park. She glanced at Paige, her earlier teasing replaced by a softer expression. “Well, here you are, safe and sound.”

Paige hesitated, fiddling with her seatbelt. “Do you, um… do you want to stay over? It’s late, and I’d rather you not drive home alone.”

Azzi raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her gaze. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Paige rolled her eyes, already pushing the door open. “Azzi, just come in. It’s not a big deal.”

Azzi chuckled softly, unbuckling her seatbelt and following Paige to the door.

When they stepped inside, the faint sound of video game explosions filled the living room. Drew, was sprawled on the couch, controller in hand, his eyes glued to the screen.

Paige sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “Yo what are you still doing up?”

Drew jumped up, his boundless energy kicking in as soon as he noticed her. “Paige!” he exclaimed, jumping toward her before his attention shifted to Azzi. His eyes widened slightly, and he hurried to put the controller down, becoming more calm.

“I’m Drew,” he said confidently, holding out his hand like a little gentleman.

Azzi smiled, shaking his hand. “Azzi. Nice to meet you.”

Drew grinned up at her, his voice brimming with admiration. “You’re really pretty.”

Azzi laughed softly, her gaze flicking to Paige. “That seems to be a thing for the Bueckers family tonight.”

Paige groaned, already starting to head toward the stairs, albeit slowly due to her knee. “Oh my god, Drew, go to bed,” she called over her shoulder.

Azzi followed behind her, suppressing a grin as Drew called after them. “Goodnight, Azzi!”

Azzi’s laughter echoed softly as they climbed the stairs, and Paige shook her head, muttering, “I don’t know where he gets it from.”

When they reached Paige’s room, she pushed the door open and gestured for Azzi to come in. “You can hang out in here for a sec I’ll grab you something to drink.”

Azzi stepped inside, taking in the trophies, photos, and basketball memorabilia that decorated the space. “Nice room,” she said, settling onto the edge of Paige’s bed.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Paige teased, disappearing to the kitchen.

Azzi leaned back slightly, her gaze lingering on the doorway where Paige had just disappeared. Her smile softened, and she shook her head, amused at how easily the night had taken such an unexpected—yet intriguing—turn. Anyone with eyes could see that Paige was attractive but Azzi never let thoughts linger too much of anything beyond that. But now Azzi sat there thinking about her and Paige’s dynamic, it definitely wasn’t lost on Azzi how much time they had spent together. How Paige was able to get her out of the bed at all hours of the night with just a FaceTime call. How easily they had fallen into each other's orbit after breaking past the tension they once had.

When Paige returned to her room, she found Azzi standing by her shelf, studying a framed photo of Paige with her teammates. “You were tiny in this,” Azzi commented with a small smile, glancing over her shoulder.

Paige set the drink down on her nightstand, rolling her eyes as she started undoing her bulky metal knee brace. “I wasn’t that small. You were just as scrawny back then.”

Azzi smirked, turning to face her fully. “Yeah, but now I’ve got muscles. You’re still trying to catch up.”

“Whatever,” Paige shot back with a grin, adjusting her leg with a slight wince as she set the brace aside. She got up and moved to her dresser, rummaging through the drawers until she found a soft hoodie and a pair of shorts. “Here,” she said, holding them out to Azzi. “I already put a toothbrush for you in the bathroom.”

Azzi walked over, taking her time as she crossed the room. When she reached for the clothes, her fingers deliberately brushed against Paige’s. The subtle touch lingered just a second too long, and when Paige glanced up, Azzi’s eyes were unreadable but warm.

“Thanks,” Azzi said, her voice light but carrying a hint of something Paige couldn’t quite place.

“Yeah,” Paige mumbled, quickly stepping back as if the proximity was suddenly overwhelming.

Azzi’s lips curved into a faint smirk, and without another word, she turned and headed for the bathroom. Paige watched her go, her stomach twisting in a way that was both confusing and exciting.

The soft click of the bathroom door brought Paige back to reality, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She flopped onto her bed, pressing her hands over her face as her mind replayed the look in Azzi’s eyes

When Azzi emerged from the bathroom, the sound of her footsteps was soft but enough to draw Paige's attention. Glancing up from her phone, Paige’s eyes immediately caught on Azzi’s figure as she crossed the room. The oversized hoodie hung loosely on Azzi’s frame, her toned legs visible beneath the hem of her shorts. Her damp curly hair tumbled around her shoulders in an effortless way that made her look almost ethereal.

Paige gulped, quickly averting her gaze before she got caught staring. She swung her knee over the edge of the bed slowly and stood, grabbing her clothes. "I’m gonna hop in the shower now," she said, her voice sounding a little too rushed. "Be right back."

Azzi, who was checking her phone, gave a nonchalant hum of acknowledgment. "Take your time. Don’t hurt yourself, though."

Paige shot her a playful glare. "I’m not that helpless, you know."

Azzi smirked, not looking up. "Sure, you’re not."

With that, Paige escaped into the bathroom, closing the door and letting out a long breath she didn’t know she was holding. What is wrong with me? she thought as she set her clothes down and began the careful process of getting in the shower.

The shower helped clear her head, but it took longer than she anticipated with her knee, which was stiff from the day. By the time she emerged, dressed in her own oversized hoodie and shorts, her hair still damp, she felt a little more composed. That composure, however, faltered the moment she stepped into the room.

Azzi was laid out on Paige’s bed, her hair in curls sprawled everywhere as she scrolled through her phone. She looked entirely too comfortable, her body stretched out and her face lit by the soft glow of the screen.

Paige froze for a moment, her stomach fluttering. Something about seeing Azzi so relaxed in her space made her heart skip a beat. "You look a little too at home," Paige teased, trying to cover the nervousness in her voice.

Azzi turned her head, a slow grin spreading across her face. "You’re the one who invited me in. What did you expect?"

Paige scoffed, moving toward the bed with her hands tucked into the pocket of her hoodie. "Just don’t hog all the pillows," she muttered, sinking down onto the mattress.

Azzi let out a soft laugh, her eyes glinting with amusement. "No promises. You know I sleep a little crazy sometimes."

Paige rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she settled against the headboard. Despite the teasing, the air between them was warm, and Paige found herself relaxing, even if the butterflies in her stomach were stubbornly refusing to settle.

Azzi’s gaze flicked down to Paige’s leg, the faint furrow of concern returning. "Hey," she said, her voice softer now. "Before we knock out, let’s switch spots. You should be on the inside, where your knee’s by the wall."

Paige blinked at her. "I’m fine, Azzi. You don’t have to—"

"Humor me," Azzi interrupted, sitting up and giving her an expectant look. "I’d rather not accidentally knee you in the middle of the night."

Paige hesitated for a moment before sighing dramatically. "Fine. But if I wake up smooshed against the wall, I’m blaming you."

Azzi grinned, already shifting so Paige could scoot over. As Paige moved, Azzi reached over to turn off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into a cozy darkness. The faint light from the street outside filtered through the blinds, casting soft patterns on the walls as the two of them settled into place.

It was quiet for a moment, the only sound was the faint rustling of blankets as they got comfortable. The tension was noticeable, though not unpleasant. This was different from the other times they’d ended up in the same bed—those moments had been accidental, born of exhaustion or laziness. The two of them falling asleep watching a movie or Azzi throwing a pillow at Paige in the middle of the night after the blonde fell asleep on Azzi’s beanbag telling her to get in the bed. But now, they were both wide awake, fully aware of each other’s presence in the shared space.

Paige lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, hyper-aware of Azzi beside her. She could feel the faint warmth of Azzi’s arm, just inches from her own, and it took everything in her not to glance over.

"Well, this isn’t awkward at all," Azzi said suddenly, her soft chuckle breaking the silence.

Paige turned her head, giving her a mock glare. "You saying that made it awkward."

Azzi smirked, rolling her eyes. "No, it didn’t. I was just stating a fact."

"It was fine until you opened your mouth," Paige teased, her voice light but edged with humor.

"Okay, so if I stop talking, we’ll be back to normal?" Azzi challenged, her tone playful as she shifted onto her side to face Paige.

Paige’s lips twitched upward. "I don’t know. I feel like the damage is already done."

"Wow," Azzi said dramatically. "Way to make me feel self-conscious."

"Good," Paige shot back, smiling now.

Azzi shook her head, grinning as she propped her head up on her hand. Her dark eyes studied Paige for a moment before she asked, "So, was today exhausting for you? Or are you secretly a robot and just pretending to be tired?"

Paige laughed softly, glancing at the ceiling. "No, it was exhausting. My knee’s sore from all the moving around, and my social battery is completely drained."

Azzi’s brow furrowed slightly, concern flickering across her face. "Your knee’s sore? Why didn’t you say anything?"

Paige shrugged. "It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve had worse days."

Azzi hummed, not entirely convinced but letting it slide. Her gaze lingered on Paige’s face as the faint light from the window shifted, casting a soft glow that made the blue in Paige’s eyes seem impossibly bright.

For a moment, Azzi found herself captivated, the vivid color catching her off guard. It reminded her of the sky after a storm, a striking clarity that was hard to look away from.

"You’re really pretty, Paige," Azzi murmured, the words tumbling out before she could stop them.

Paige turned her head fully toward Azzi, her cheeks flushing slightly. A shy smile crept onto her lips as she whispered back, "You’re really pretty too, Azzi."

Azzi’s heart skipped at Paige’s response, the quiet sincerity in her voice making the moment feel heavier in the best way. Neither of them looked away, the stillness between them now filled with an unspoken understanding.

"Do your eyes always look like that?" Azzi asked softly, almost to herself.

Paige blinked, confused. "Like what?"

"That blue," Azzi said, her voice barely above a whisper. "They seem…different."

Paige’s blush deepened, and she bit her bottom lip to hide her growing smile. "I guess… I don’t know they’re just eyes, Azzi." Paige said, trying to hide just how much those words affected her.

"If you say so," Azzi said, the words so quiet they barely reached Paige’s ears.

The softness of Azzi’s tone settled over them like a blanket, and neither of them spoke again. Paige slowly turned onto her side to look at Azzi, her exhaustion catching up with her as her eyelids began to droop. Azzi stayed where she was, her gaze lingering on Paige’s relaxed features until she finally let herself sink into the quiet comfort of the moment, her eyes closing as she softly held Paige’s forearm.

[sparrowlucero]

Hello sorry I am being shy and anon but do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into Doctor Who again after briefly dabbling (and enjoying it very much) in like the early, early 2010s? I know this is mostly your art blog but you were the only person I could think of to ask you're like the Doctor Who authority of blogs I follow

Oh yeah of course! People can be really confusing about this so I'll try not to be.

So first, the majority of doctor who episodes are self contained stories that you could just watch and understand perfectly without any further context. even when there is some overarching context it's usually written in a way that's either pretty easy to glean and/or just doesn't impact your understanding of the story. 99% of the episodes don't even care if you know the premise and are just like "what if some people were on a spaceship and the devil was there? wouldn't that be fucked up or what??". Don't feel like you have to binge a 60 years long show to watch it. Some standalone episodes I think are fun if you (or anyone else) just want to check out one or two:

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (A supposed-to-be-dead boy in a gas mask haunts a young woman in world war 2)

Blink (A woman gets wrapped up in a mystery involving statues that make people disappear. This one is especially good if you flat out know nothing about the show. Has some really great time travel stuff.)

A Christmas Carol (A christmas carol pastiche (of course) where the doctor tries to rewrite the past of a cruel man who's going to let a lot of people die. very sad and sweet. I love the "wintery planet with sky fish" setting of this one)

Vincent and the Doctor (The famous Vincent Van Gogh Episode™)

The Rings of Akhatan (A pretty lowkey little adventure story about an alien festival. has supreme autumn vibes)

Flatline (A species from a 2 dimensional world tries to break into our 3 dimensional one. really fun special effects)

Midnight (A tour bus breaks down on a diamond planet where nothing can survive. Something knocks at the door.)

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (The Doctor and friend go to a library that covers an entire planet and finds that everyone has disappeared. Has a lot of really great, interesting concepts baked into it that I won't spoil)

It Takes You Away (A girl is left alone in a cabin in the woods when her dad disappears through the mirror. Has a famously goofy ending that I really love)

73 Yards (A character is steps on a fairy circle and is followed by an old woman who always stands exactly 73 yards away)

The Devil's Chord (This doesn't really have, you know, a plot, but it does have jinkx monsoon as an evil music god)

Boom (The doctor steps on a landmine on an alien planet and cannot move)

Wild Blue Yonder (A two hander where the Doctor and co are trapped on a dilapidated spaceship at the edge of the universe. really atmospheric with some fun/strange visuals.)

That being said, it does add a lot to watch it in order; there's a lot of plot twists, character dynamics, and general payoff you get if you marathon it. I would personally recommend starting with either the first episode of the 2005 show ("Rose") or the first episode of the 2010 season ("The Eleventh Hour") and just watching in order from there. I think you could also start with "The Snowmen", "The Pilot", or "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" if you wanted, but the first two (especially rose) are the better jumping on points.

some other little notes of advice I don't often see people mention:

it's stupid sometimes just roll with it

once in a while the show sort of "reboots" with different writers, actors, directors, and a new tone. it's much more like watching several small shows than one long show, so don't be too put off by the length!

IMPORTANT: pretty much all streaming services will separate holiday/anniversary specials from the show proper and you have to deliberately search them up on the same service to find them. It's really necessary to be aware of this because many of these specials are the first or last episodes for characters/whole eras of the show and are genuinely unskippable. I strongly recommend looking up a list of the episodes and checking it after finales just to make sure you don't skip anything on accident.

there's two spin offs (Torchwood, a more adult (read: gay sex) show about a mysterious agency that solves sci fi crimes, and the Sarah Jane Adventures, a pretty good monster of the week kids show) that ran concurrently with season 1-4. You don't have to watch them to understand anything happening in doctor who, but sometimes they cross over with the show in fun ways, Ex. the first season finale of Torchwood continues directly into season 3 of Doctor Who. My friend and I got a kick out of watching them at the same time so maybe you will too. (either way I recommend watching "Children of Earth", the torchwood miniseries, if you want to see a weird dark sci fi show about the government making contact with aliens. It's a bit like arrival (2016) if it was way nastier.)

alternatively, you can inject fast acting brain poison into yourself with this

anyways I hope this all reads as, you know, more approachable than the way dudes on quora recommend this show:

[dddesc]

Do we ever see Escargon move like a snail? I can’t remember seeing him move, or if we did, I don’t remember seeing his lower body - just his upper half.

inspired by the foot like part of his body on your comm

(in reference to this phenomenon. footy)

those "feet" are canon! they're funny. here they are in the show:

i like to imagine them as similar to the edge of an irl snail's foot, which you can see in this picture of one of my pet snails:

...but that's not a hard and fast rule for me. the way i draw the anatomy of his foot depends on the piece.

interestingly enough, these feet (which i'll call toes from here on out to differentiate them from the foot muscle that is technically the majority of his body) aren't prevalent on his model sheets; they seem to be a trait gained and dramatized as artists continued drawing him throughout the show's run.

now, in terms of how he moves... well, i could just show you. or i could infodump about him and snails all in one.

(sorry i can't readmore this one, fellas; it breaks the post. you're trapped in here with me.)

escargon moves around a whole lot, really! he's quite fast, so it's easy to miss.

episode 9 gives us this shot of him chasing lololo and boy-kirby:

but, hmmm. i don't think it's the only instance of him moving in this classically gastropod-esque manner, with his foot rippling across the ground, but it is probably one of the few. he doesn't move like this very often.

instead, as the show progresses, it becomes much more common that he steps around on his toes. here they are at their vaguest in episode 19:

and 25, hitting us with some very leg-like anatomy:

there are more and technically earlier examples than this; 8, 11, 12, 17... etc.

the above examples are him moving fast, but even when moving slowly -- like in 25 once more, as well as 73 -- it appears that snails primarily drag themselves along using their toes.

it's very very cute. like a dress. <3

but what does all this have to do with irl snails?

it's important to know that irl snails have two gaits: adhesive crawling and loping.

adhesive crawling is when a snail leaves its foot planted entirely on the ground, moving forward via muscle contractions and slippery mucus. with this gait, they leave a continuous trail of said mucus.

loping involves a snail only partially planting themselves on the ground, arching their foot as they move and leaving a discontinuous trail of mucus. they're still propelled forward by contractions, but look almost as if they're dragging themselves forward on "toes"...

certainly less dramatic than the show, but hey. notable enough for me!

the reason snails use each gait is believed to be dependent on the surface they're on -- adhesive for smooth, and loping for rough or absorbant. they used to think snails loped to escape predators, but truthfully, neither gait is much faster than the other. instead, it seems that loping is useful for conserving mucus.

you didn't ask about mucus, but it's pretty important when it comes to snail locomotion. with how escargon moves, i'd say he spends most of his time loping... which makes me think anthro snails in kirby produce a lot less mucus than the average snail.

i can't recall any point wherein escargon is described as physically slimy, or leaving trails. you'd think something like that would be a point of contention when it comes to the cleanliness of the castle (and dedede's fists). he also can't stick to walls on his own or anything, hence...

...him needing to use plungers in his only show-canon attempt at doing so.

"but he's wearing clothes that would impede his ability to stick!" -my wife, who proofread this post and is being contrarian on purpose.

okaaay, but, the times escargon does crawl up walls -- alongside dedede, which means that this ability is not unique to escargon or a result of his species -- he is most definitely using his arms and toes to do so, implying that adhering to the surface is not something he can do.

...besides. if escargon could stick to surfaces naturally, don't you think he would have attempted to do so at least once to get away from his majesty?

it all makes you think (or, it all makes me think, at least)...

in conclusion: i don't think he'd be able to drag his body around without at least a little lubrication, but due to him potentially not producing a lot of mucus (maybe a trait of evolutionary anthropomorphism?), it would make sense that loping is his main gait on account of its mucus conservation.

...then, to finally answer your question: yes! we technically see him move like a snail. but he is a unique fictional interpretation of a snail, so he has some amusing little quirks that i've spent way too much time applying real-world anatomical logic to.

[prettyboy-parker]

changing

tony gets out of rehab.

tws for addiction, substance abuse, vomiting, angst.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

It’s day 73 when the call comes. 

Peter is technically on the clock, hunched over his notebook in one of the staff laboratories. He’s supposed to be working on the project proposal he was assigned over a month ago, but he shoved those papers somewhere in his office when he hit a mental roadblock. He’s thinking about the various applications he saved on LinkedIn, about how his time at Stark Industries is creeping closer and closer to being over, when his phone lights up and vibrates on the desk.

Tony, the screen reads. 

Peter feels like he could throw up, cry, scream, and throw something all at the same time. But instead he very calmly picks up his phone and answers the call.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Pete,” Tony breathes, and hearing his deep voice for the first time in months makes Peter’s heart ache. But he reminds himself to stay neutral; he knows how Tony can sweet talk. “How are you? I told Pepper to wire you enough money to keep you okay for now, but I don’t know if she actually did. I heard about the whole penthouse thing, I get it’s a liability but god, I wish I could’ve done something to help-“

“Hey.” Peter interrupts, grabbing his keys and heading into the hallway to take the call. “I’m fine, Tony. When did your program end?” He knows when the program ended. He’s been counting the days on his calendar. 

Tony is silent for a second. 

“A couple weeks ago. My therapist told me it would be best to wait a bit until I called you. I’d rather not have her boss me around but I know she’s probably right.”

Tony laughs dryly, and they fall into an awkward silence.

“Look, Pete-“

“It’s going to take time, Tony,” Peter says softly. “You sound like—you sound good. But I don’t know if I’m ready yet.”

It hurts him to say. He loves Tony with his entire being, but he wants to cry and cuss him out and curse him for something that he was never totally in control of. It would be so easy to say nothing, pretend like nothing ever happened, to go back to how everything was. But Peter can’t do it. He can’t do it all again.

“Yeah, that—yeah. Okay.” 

Peter stares at the white wall in front of him. There’s a vinyl graphic printed on it in black: Everyday is another step towards shaping the future. A mouthful of a slogan if you asked him. 

“I’m going to go, Tony. I’ll call you later.” 

“Sure, yeah. I lo—I’ll talk to you soon.” 

Peter ends the call.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

“Make you a drink, Pete? It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.”

Peter looks up from his textbook at Tony, who’s standing behind his personal bar. It’s a bar so impressive he’s sure it rivals the most exclusive clubs in New York. Tony looks good—dress shirt sleeves rolled up, tie loosened around his neck from a long day of work.

“No thanks,” Peter says with a smile.

“More for me, then,” Tony replies.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Tony Stark went to rehab for the first time after he graduated from MIT.

His dad said he’d either get clean, or he’d be completely cut off from any future involvement in Stark Industries. If it wasn’t for the contract presented to him, Tony would’ve thought Howard was just bluffing. 

He was sent upstate to some egregiously expensive rehabilitation center, away from the prying eyes of the press. He jerked around and didn’t take it seriously, but it was enough to convince his father that he wasn’t going to end up dead off a bender. He still drank a lot after that, but he saved the coke for special occasions. 

And then—well, and then his dad died, and it was his turn to run the company, and he almost died in a cave in Afghanistan, and then there was the whole Iron Man thing. 

So, he drank. When being Iron Man started wearing down his body, the alcohol helped ease the pain. He’d show up to board meetings with a drink in hand and get trashed at his own charity events. Everything became impossible to do on his own. And then the coke came back, making him pull all-nighters in the lab, so wired he could barely keep his hands still. And that’s just how Tony was—how he became.  

But then he met Peter. 

Tony’s never changed for anyone. He’s stubborn like that; too caught up in his own habits to ever want to change them. But Peter fell into his life in a whirlwind of eagerness, wits, and a heart too big for his own good. Years went by, they saved the world, and then Peter walked away. 

He tried picking a fight with him. Probably over something stupid, he can’t remember. He said mean things. Loving someone means you know all their insecurities, their fears. He knew which buttons to press to make Peter really hurt. Tony has always gotten a thrill out of riling people up, whether at press conferences or company meetings. And then he did it to Peter. He was crying so much, could barely form a sentence as he hurriedly packed an overnight bag. Goodbye, Tony, he had said, stepping into the elevator and asking FRIDAY to take him downstairs.

Tony can’t remember much of the week after. He completely cleared out the cabinet where he keeps his good liquor and made the mistake of reaching out to old acquaintances from his 20s. Once a bad influence, always a bad influence it seems. 

As soon as he was conscious enough to listen, Pepper flipped out on him. She screamed and cried a little and turned bright red, before telling him he needed to go to rehab or she’d get the board to vote to remove him as a shareholder.

There was a lot of back and forth. He would almost ask FRIDAY to wire over the tens of thousands of dollars treatment would cost, but then back out at the last second. He’s Tony Stark, he can do whatever he wants. He doesn’t have to listen to Pepper or the board, they’re not his parents. 

He thought he’d made up his mind. That was until Peter wanted to come by the penthouse to get the rest of his stuff, but requested Tony to be vacant during the time he was there. 

He flew to California the next day.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

“Happy anniversary, baby.”

Peter smiles, sighing happily as he leans in to press his lips to Tony’s. Tony licks along his lower lip, but Peter winces when he tastes the whiskey on Tony’s lips. He’s lowered gently onto the bed, sinking into the soft, silken sheets as Tony climbs on top of him. 

“Tony,” Peter breathes, the scrape of Tony’s facial hair against his neck making him shiver. Peter jerks his hips upwards, searching for the friction of Tony’s cock against his own.

“Just give me a bit Pete, I promise I’ll be ready for you soon,” Tony murmurs between kisses against Peter’s flushed skin. 

Peter is just about to ask him what he means when he’s flipped over onto his knees.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

They see each other for the first time in three months at a coffee shop.

Tony is standing outside awkwardly, waiting for Peter to arrive. He has his hood pulled up over his head and his hands are shoved into his pockets. He looks anxious, continuously looking back and forth across the street. Peter watches from afar as he mutters something under his breath, most likely to FRIDAY. 

Peter exhales deeply as he turns the corner for real (he was not stalking, okay?) and clears his throat to get Tony’s attention. The older man whips off his sunglasses, hands shaking ever so slightly as he tucks them into his pocket.

He looks good. Better, most definitely. He’s gained some of the weight back that he’d lost, and the circles under his eyes are much less dark than before. He still seems unsure of himself, missing that signature Tony Stark charm.

“Peter!” Tony calls out. On instinct, they both move to do something—hug? Shake hands? Kiss? But Peter decides on a shy wave instead.

“Hey, Tony. Good to see you made it in one piece.” 

Tony smiles. “I’m lucky I didn’t get jumped the moment I stepped out of the tower.”

Peter laughs, genuine this time. Tony holds the door open for him, gesturing to him to go inside first. They find a small booth in the corner of the cafe, tucked away from prying eyes. 

“You look nice,” Tony says once they sit down, looking at Peter’s layered top and sweater. “Very librarian chic. I like it.”

“Ha. When do I get to tell you you’re being too loud?” He snorts, and that makes Tony laugh.

It’s so easy. Being with Tony is so easy, it feels so right. It makes him feel good, especially since Tony’s jokes feel softer around the edges. He’s being careful, obviously, but he so clearly wants Peter to be pleased. Tony has never been subtle. 

They stay in the cafe for another hour and a half. When they leave, Tony gives him a warm smile and waves him goodbye. 

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

He can barely look when he does it. 

He can hear the tap tap tap of Tony’s metal Amex card on the lab table, the soft scrape of the metal against the steel. Peter tightens his grip on his pencil, trying to focus on scribbling out whatever note he started to write. He doesn’t know what’s worse: pretending not to care, or watching with disdain. Peter hates watching Tony when he does a line. Hates how his hands shake while cutting it, hates how he scrambles for his handkerchief as his nose begins to bleed. It makes Peter feel sick.

“You okay, baby?” Tony asks from behind. He's still sniffing. 

“Yeah,” Peter replies quietly. “I’m fine.”

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Peter’s filling out an application for a bio engineer position at a new medical startup when his phone buzzes.

Tony: Hey Peter

Tony: If you’re not interested, no problem, but what do you think about a picnic on Saturday?

Tony: I can rent out the park 

Peter snorts as he unlocks his phone. Renting out a public park is as Tony as it gets.

Peter: Sounds fun. I’m not that spoiled, I can exist with other plebeians in public 

Tony: haha very funny. Be ready at 2

Peter feels like he has butterflies in his stomach as he adds the date to his calendar. 

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Their alarm clock says 2:03 AM.

Peter is staring at the ceiling. The warm light from the master bathroom spills over into the bedroom. He hears Tony heaving, groaning into the toilet bowl. He’s already thrown up what little contents were in his stomach—now he’s just dry heaving. 

Peter’s been listening. 

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

“I think all my problems are solved when I lay in the sun.”

Peter’s sprawled out on the picnic blanket, their finished meal pushed to the side. Tony’s looking at him through the tint of his sunglasses. 

“You’re telling me.” He chuckles softly, taking a sip of his sparkling water. “Maybe they were right about Vitamin D.”

They sit in silence for a while. Peter listens to the chirping of the birds, the fluttering of their wings. The wind rustles the leaves of the trees above them. In the distance, a child squeals in delight as their parent kicks a soccer ball to them. He listens to the soft rise and fall of Tony’s breathing.

“Hey Pete?”

“Hm?” Peter asks. 

“I’m sorry. For everything—for the voicemails, for it all. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“I know, Tony.” Peter replies. “Thank you.”

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

“You embarrassed me, Tony.” 

Peter shucks his suit jacket off, tossing it onto the couch. He’ll get it tomorrow morning. Tony sinks into the big leather chair across from him, loosening his tie.

“I didn’t embarrass you.” Tony barks out a laugh, but it comes across more bitter than it should. “Get me a drink, will you?”

Peter scowls, shooting Tony a look. His partner is staring at him expectantly, eyes bloodshot.

“You almost got into a fight with Osborn. You insulted an attendee’s mother. You made a scene when I said I didn’t want to dance with you. Of course I was embarrassed.”

Peter feels frustrated tears prick the corners of his eyes. He toes off his shoes while Tony gets back up and heads to their drink cart. He doesn’t even bother getting a glass, just grabs the bottle of bourbon.

“If anyone should be embarrassed, s’me,” He slurs, nearly tripping over Peter’s dress shoes as he approaches the other man. “M’sorry. I can make it up to you.”

Peter tenses with anger when Tony grabs him by the wrist and kisses the top of his head. 

“No, Tony. I’m going to bed.” Peter wrenches his wrist out of Tony’s grip. His eyes blur with tears. He tries to wipe them away with the back of his hands; he can’t look Tony in the eyes. 

“Fuck you,” Tony spits, and Peter cringes. The coke makes him so, so mean. “Refusing to dance with me, even after all I’ve done for you, un-fucking-believable-“

Peter’s shoulders shake as he disappears into the guest room. 

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

A month later Tony takes him out to dinner to celebrate his new position at a private lab, working for a researcher named Dr. Reed Richards.

It’s extravagant and familiar. The menu has no prices on it, and most of the dishes Peter can’t even pronounce. The waiter keeps calling them sirs. 

Tony’s cleaned up nicely. He’s wearing a three piece suit in a dark grey, his beard and hair freshly trimmed. Peter likes Tony like this: healthy. He likes when Tony laughs at his jokes, smile lines wrinkling around his mouth and eyes. He likes catching Tony listening intently as Peter describes the new projects he’s working on. 

They’re leaving the restaurant as they discuss Peter’s prototype for a regenerative bandage based on his web fluid. It’s so normal, this intellectual back and forth. God, he misses working with Tony in the lab. 

Peter is in the middle of describing a possible equation change for a prototype when he realizes Tony has stopped listening. Peter trails off, meeting Tony’s heavy gaze. 

“Can I kiss you?” Tony asks softly. He waits for Peter’s answer, but he doesn’t have to wait long. 

“Please,” Peter murmurs, reaching out to grab Tony’s waist, and—

They kiss. 

[yanderehsr]

Reader: let me go

Yandere:no

Reader: please?

Yandere:no

Reader:pretty please?

Yandere: no

Reader: pretty please with cherry on top?

Yandere: not a chance

Reade:How about a game, if I win, you let me go, If I lose, I will stay willingly

Yandere:*sigh* fine, what are the rules?

Reader: pick a number, any number

Yandere:72

Reader:73, I won, now you have to let me go

Okay, that got me to chuckle😂

This post contains both Platonic and Romantic. I hope you can know which ones are platonic😅

Hope you'll enjoy😄

Trigger Warning: Yandere, Obsessive behaviour, Possessive behaviour, Kidnapped reader

Those who don't accept: Did you really think they would let you go, they are your captor, your lover, of course they can't do that and you are a fool who thinks they would even let you take a step outside, they don't care if you call them a liar because of this little game, what's important is that you will stay with them.

Blade, Topaz, Bronya, Imbibitor Lunae, Jing Yuan, Jingliu, Kafka, Luocha, Seele, Natasha, Yukong, Ayaka, Ayato, Baizhu, Cyno, Dehya, Diluc, Keqing, Raiden Ei, Shenhe, Wanderer, Xiao, Beidou, Candace, Fischl, Kuki Shinobu, Lynette, Razor, Rosaria, Sara, Wriothesley, Clorinde, Furina

Those who says you're cheating: They call you out on this game, first of all they didn't accept THIS game, they only wanted to hear the rules, second of all this isn't a fair game that both side has an equal chance at, they will choose a different game, a game were they probably will win, did you really think you could get away so easy.

Bailu, Stelle, Caelus, March 7th, Dan Heng, Silver Wolf, Yanqing, Lynx, Qingque, Sampo, Serval, Tingyun, Guinaifen, Herta, Albedo, Alhaitham, Childe, Eula, Hu Tao, Kazuha, Kokomi, Lyney, Neuvillette, Tighnari, Lumine, Venti, Yae Miko, Yelan, Amber, Diona, Dori, Faruzan, Heizhou, Kaeya, Kirara, Layla, Lisa, Ningguang, Yanfei, Xingqiu, Charlotte

Those who accept: Well they did promise, they will let you go, they will cry, maybe even beg for you to reconcider but you of course chooses to leave. They don't last more than a week before they kidnap you again, after all there were no rules stating they couldn't recapture you.

Arlan, Asta, Clara, Gepard, Luka, Pela, Sushang, Ganyu, Itto, Jean, Nilou, Qiqi, Aether, Yoimiya, Zhongli, Barbara, Bennett, Chungyun, Collei, Freminet, Gorou, Kaveh, Mika, Noelle, Sucrose, Thoma, Xiangling, Xinyan, Yun Jin, Navia

Guesses right: Whether through luck or some kind of power they have, they guess right. You have lost the game you yourself made, it's embarrassing really. Now honor your word and stay with them, after all, you promised didn't you.

Fu Xuan, Mona, Nahida

[luvhughes43]

puppy | luke hughes x reader

luvhughes43 masterlist🌷

request: Can you do a luke blurb where you just show up to his and jacks apartment with a dog and you’re like “he’s ours now”

word count: 0.6k

“okay, dont be mad” you cautioned your boyfriend and his brother as you walked into your shared apartment. 

“what did you do?” jack called out as you stepped into the living room. it seemed liked both brothers were in their own rooms. 

before you could reply to jack, the puppy in your arm started barking. you quickly tried to shush it to delay the inevitable, but it was too late. Both boys practically bolted out of their rooms at the sound.

“YOU GOT A DOG?” jack shouted, and luke stood by his bedroom door stunned.

“y/n…” your boyfriend trailed off, really unsure of what to say. he had good reason of course, you didn’t exactly ask if you could get a puppy but the opportunity just presented itself to you.

“i know, i know! but-but hear me out!” you started to defend yourself as jack came over to you, taking the small dog out of your hands so he could cuddle with them. “i was doing some shopping and there was this pet rescue place, and they didn’t have the space to take in a new dog… and i overheard all of this and so i went to see the puppy and…” you trailed off sheepishly, hoping that your boyfriend and his brother wouldnt be too upset at you. “he’s ours now?” you said, forcing a smile and shrugging your shoulders. 

“you know what! i like him!” jack smiled, dropping to his knees and putting the puppy on the floor so he could play with the little dog. 

“yeah but who’s going to take care of it?” luke piped up, always the one to be rational and think things through.

“i will! plus, when you start playing all the time next season i’ll just be here alone so the puppy can keep me company!” you explained, and you could see luke warming up to the idea of having a dog. 

“yeah you're so cute! you're so cute!!” jack cooed at the dog as he started ruffling its fur. 

“okay, yeah its pretty cute” luke finally admitted, crouching on the floor next to jack so he could also play with the puppy.

now that you were no longer on thin ice  you joked, “luke! don’t call our baby an it!” to which he playfully rolled his eyes.

“I’m gonna call mom right now and tell her i’m an uncle” jack laughed, fishing his phone out of his pants pocket. 

you quickly grabbed his phone from his hand and hid it behind your back. there was absolutely no way you were going to let jack make that call. it was hard enough to get your parents to both agree that you could move in together. if jack even joked about you being pregnant… you didn’t want to think about it. 

after getting the dog settled into the apartment, you, your boyfriend, and jack all went out to the nearest pet store to stock up on all of the supplies you’d need. 

ynuser just posted ! ynuser

liked by lhughes_06, jackhughes, dylanduke25

ynuser my baby😭🫶

tagged: lhughes_06

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dylanduke25 mom and dad

liked by ynuser and lhughes_06

_quinnhughes when did you guys get a dog??

jackhughes literally 1 hour ago its so cute 

luca.fantilli ITS SO CUTE???

edwards.73 can i be an uncle?

ynuser no

lhughes_06 proud and honoured to be a father❤️ our baby will no doubt be the best dog at the dog park!

ynuser it wasn’t easy but we did it🥺❤️ so proud to be the mommy of our perfect little angel❤️❤️

fan01 NAWW wtf is wrong with them???😭

fan02 theyre so???😭😭

[notmeifyouaskkris]

ball is on the jenners court

liked by jeffreestar,tchalamet,zo,& 2,958,000 others

stevienotjenner sista sista

.

.

@kyliejenner @kendeljenner

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zo perfect

-> steviejenner big ballerrrrr

kyliejenner rise and shine

user82 I thought she was pregnant

krisjenner wear your spf

->stevienotjenner dont worry lovie

scottdisick where is my invite butter cup

-> stevienotjenner in the mail ice cream man

user38 the nicknames she has for her family and tight group A1

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70 Questions with Vogue

“Hi, Stevie! Thank you so much for having me over,” Joe Sabia greets. 

“Any time” 

“Can I just say that you have a beautiful Chicago home,” Joe gushes, looking around in awe.

“Thank you so much! That’s one of my favorite compliments because and Zo have put so much time in it  and that it would feel like our home away from home,” you can hear the warmth in her voice. 

“Am I welcomed in?”

“Yes, please come in,” you move to the side, allowing Vogue’s crew to come in. 

“How does it feel to be added to the list of celebrities doing Vogue’s 73 questions?”

“I am honored,” you answer and move to your kitchen.

“Why the color green for your kitchen?”

“Ugh I just love the color green. My kitchen in our first  home was green, and it was my favorite, but then we moved into a bigger home and I decided to not have it green. That’s why this kitchen is extra special to me. Plus, this kitchen holds a lot of memories,” you smile, thinking about everything that’s happened in this kitchen. 

“That’s sweet. What’s the first memory of this kitchen that pops in your head?”

“Earlier this year my sister kendall was in here trying to cut up cucumbers and let me tell you we got a kick out of it. The internet also”  she recalls  laughing 

“ I know moments like those are funny and special  Speaking of family and special moments, you just welcomed your second  baby and first boy  into the world about a month ago. Congratulations to you.”

“Yes, thank you. he’s my special boy and he’s so spoiled already, especially with Zo.” Your cheeks get rosy, feeling an overwhelming amount of love fill your heart at the thought of Zo being the best dad he is. 

“What’s something you learned when you became a parent?”

“Responsibility. It’s easy to lose a handle on yourself and life when you’re solo, so when you have other humans to take care of, you learn more about what responsibility looks like.”

“Favorite summer drink?”

“A very cold glass of water or a lemonade ” you laugh at the random question. 

“Mama!!” You grin when you hear Zoey shout, knowing she’s about to jump into your arms and cling to you. 

When you see her running towards you, you prepare for her tiny impact and easily lift her up. You push her hair out of her face, but it’s no use as she hides in your neck. 

“My big girl ! Wanna say ‘hi’ to the camera?” You rub softly on her back, feeling her melt into your touch much like Zo does when you embrace him after a tough game 

“Hi,” she says shyly. 

“I want daddy,” she adds in, hands on your cheeks. 

“You want to see daddy? Well, I guess it’s time to take a detour outside,” you say to the camera before telling them to follow you to the back. 

The camera captures you walking with Zoey while also grabbing the baby monitor, so you can keep an ear out for Sloane as He’s napping. You walk with an effortless strut even though your feet haven’t touched a runway in months. 

When you step onto the warm cobblestone of your back patio, the camera gets a view of your Zoey  walking away from your hold. She press quick kisses to your cheek and you immediately beelined straight to Zo. He is out by the outdoor court 

You stand by, enjoying Zo as he’s shirtless shooting around. Your eyes sparkle with love when you watch him pick up Zo with ease. Your eyes also glimmer.

The sweet giggles coming from Zoey pull you towards them. Zo’s tickling her stomach, simply unaware that there are cameras near. 

He finally looks up, connecting eyes with you. You smile and tilt your head towards the cameras and he just nods, beckoning you closer to him. 

“Lonzo, it’s nice to see you man,” the interviewer breaks the silence. 

“Hey, guys. Welcome to our home,” Zo greets, handing Zoey  into your arms so she can wrap his hand around your waist. 

“Y/n, what’s your favorite thing about Zo becoming a dad?”

“He’s so gentle,  he is also such a big softie for his babies. He’s also really matured, it’s fascinating seeing him learn something new everyday,” you answer with sincerity and a loving gaze locked on his shy smile. Zo stays quiet, kissing Zoey on her temple before reaching over to kiss you 

“Zo, what’s your favorite thing about seeing Stevie become a mom?”

“I get to witness the force of nature that is my wife. The way she takes care of all of us, and just struts her way through. She makes it look so easy, so I guess that’s why I love to see her in action because I know raising children isn’t easy.”

Your cheeks heat up and you make your way to Zo, hugging his body to yours. 

Zo  kisses your cheek, choosing to ignore the cameras capturing your pda, and whispers in your ear that he’s going to check on Sloane. Choosing to ignore the camera’s presence as well, you give him a chaste kiss on the lips and slap his ass as he goes upstairs. 

“Favorite tattoo?”

“I have quite a few favorites. Firstly, my “angel” one for my daughter  and “Zo” those  tattoos are ones I adore. I also love, my “divine feminine” tattoo because Zo loves tracing that one ,” you explain. 

“Oh! I almost forgot, I’m getting a tattoo for my son soon, so that’ll be another favorite,” you add. 

“Biggest fear?”

“It used to be endless darkness but since becoming a wife and mother, my biggest fear is my husband or children getting hurt. However, I’m still scared of endless darkness . Becoming a mom has made me much stronger, but I’m no superhero.”

“Is that my precious baby boy?! It is,” you say before turning your attention to the camera. “This is the first glimpse that the public is getting of him and we’re excited!” You rub your nose against his baby smooth cheek, inhaling his scent. 

“Everyone, this is Sloane Ball,” Zo introduces Sloane. The camera zooms in on his sweet face. His’s barely awake, but his grasp on Zo’s finger doesn’t let up. 

“He's adorable, guys,” the man compliments.

“Thank you. I think  looks just like Zo,” you say. 

“Why the name Sloane?”

“Well that is my actual government name but I was not aware of that until I was around 13 turning 14. I was trying to be independent because who ask is this name that everyone has been calling me my whole life actually my real name not really something you ask anyway I saw my birth certificate and I was like Sloane who is this. This is the wrong person but I am also the only sister to have a an S name I asked and welp it was not wrong  so I came to the conclusion that I was going to name my first child  after me and that they can be proud of the name that I never got to embrace.

“ wow I would of never thought that at all I am actual shocked” He says in awe 

“Most people are” you say walking back inside the house

“what is your favorite moment with Zo’s family”

“ummm maybe when Melo Zo’s younger brother meet Zoey for the first time it was so special and so funny he is over one of the funniest people I know” you say laughing toward the front door

“ we can tell by the show and his on air interviews .” He says with a smile

“well I think it is getting a little late maybe this is my moment to leave thank you so much for having me” he says walking backwards with the camera out the door

[angel-dustspo]

Daily check in – Day 73!!

with photos byyyy..... me !!!

Workouts:

Well I was all day on my feet and walked lots in the mountains (easy hike tho because of the snow)

Steps: 22 042

Eating:

breakfast - a grilled cheese sandwich, a bit of yogurt with chia seeds, some pumpkin seeds, ⅓ protein bar

lunch (in a snowy cabin in the mountains!!!!) - a hot chocolate, bulz (romanian dish made of polenta with melted cheese and a fried egg), an entire pack of sesame crackers, half of a chocolate crepe (my sister's)

snack/dessert - a nutella donut, 2 papanasi (romanian dessert made of donuts with jam and sour cream:3)

dinner - an apple, a tiny sandwich

Water intake: almost 2 liters

Sleep: 7.5 hours

Studying:

read 120 pages on the train (and finished my book!!!)

essay 2/3 done on the return train😋

wrote both my essays when I got home

Screen time: no phone dayy

Self care:

Tbh seeing the snow and enjoying all of that tasty food and breaking my silly routine felt SO THERAPEUTICAL <33

cozy face mask and lit candles while studying

Emotion log:

I'm so happy and proud and at peace and the saturday trip was SO relaxing and enjoyable!! I saw lots of snow, made snow angels, ate desserts and breathed the cold mountain air all day!!!!

Thoughts for tomorrow:

I have one more essay to do and I should also do my math homework

I really wanna make coffee with chocolate syrup and I want to bake chocolate muffins SO BAD (I promised my friends I'll bring them all muffins so I better get to baking :3)

[hollowed-theory-hall]

is the 'heir' a thing in wizarding world?

like Heir of Slytherin i think it was most for the plot than real thing, but are Heir of Black/Malfoy/etc the same? or just a baby producer and power holding, especially if ministry and society year by year becomes more distant from pureblood ideology

it's also a common fanon trope for the Heirs (i talk about rings with special powers and goblins), and more often strange than interesting

I think it is. I mentioned in multiple posts my thoughts on the Wizengamot being an older kind of House of Lords therefore being a hereditary position here, here, here, and here. I also mentioned my thoughts about the Goblins being involved with wizarding heirlooms here (the answer is I don't think they are, but write whatever you want).

As for the ministry going further from pureblood ideology every year, I don't think that's true. Not really.

I mean, Arthur Weasley says that during the first war Death Eaters outnumbered the Order 20 to 1:

“Oh, Molly, come on, it’s about time you got used to hearing it — look, I can’t promise no one’s going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we’re much better off than we were last time, you weren’t in the Order then, you don’t understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one. . . .”

(OotP, 177)

And I don't think he was referring to marked Death Eaters. Even if we look at the Ministry during the Death Eater reign in book 7, very few ministry personnel are actually replaced, many of the people working in the ministry go along with the blood purists or even agree with them — like Umbridge.

We also know in the last war Voldemort had many followers, even within the ministry:

“Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again,” said Sirius. “In the old days he had huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards he’d bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they’ll be just one group he’s after. He’s certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters.”

(OotP, 93)

“Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off,” said Sirius, “and it’s very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them.”

(OotP, 94)

Even families like the Weasleys who are considered blood traitors, are condescending towards muggles, muggleborns, and squibs. Ron mentions this in book 1:

“Are all your family wizards?” asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him. “Er — Yes, I think so,” said Ron. “I think Mom’s got a second cousin who’s an accountant, but we never talk about him.”

(PS, 73)

So, really, blood purity is more of a scale than a yes or no sort of thing, and their entire society is steeped in it. Their very language is influenced by it. I mean, Harry is referred to as a "half-blood" even when both his parents were wizards by practically everyone. (there is a larger reblog chain about this here)

“And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be ’Wizards first’?” asked Lee. “I’d say that it’s one short step from ’Wizards first’ to ’Purebloods first,’ and then to ’Death Eaters,” replied Kingsley. “We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.”

(DH, 378)

Kingsley's stance seems to be in the minority. The fact is that even common, random wizards, not part of the Order or Death Eaters, still believe wizards should come first. Kingsley is right in how easy "wizards first" can become to "purebloods first" and that's the society they live in where, for the average wizard, muggles are seen as lesser. Their lives aren't treated as having the same worth as a wizard's life.

The wizarding world is steeped in their bigotry even among people who aren't Death Eaters, so I don't think it's correct to say their society is moving away from pureblood ideology, they're all blood-purist at a different point on the scale.

[drewsbuzzcut]

73 Questions With The Barzals

mat barzal x model!fem!reader

a visceral in doses fic (the vogue series)

warnings: mentions giving birth, reader and Mat slap each other’s ass, alludes to sex, and I think that’s all

You look at your appearance in your mirror strategically placed by the entrance. You fix your hair that’s in its familiar messy updo, your favorite silver hoop earrings on display.

You smooth out your dark blue pullover (that was Mat’s) and adjust your light grey, cotton shorts. Your outfit is very simple and casual, probably too simple and casual for the video you’re about to film, but when you’ve just given birth not too long ago, comfort is what matters most.

The knock on your front door gathers your attention, you take deep breaths, mentally preparing for this vogue interview. You know your fans and Mat’s fans will be excited to hear your answers to some of the questions and get a tour of one of your homes.

Your face lights up in a smile upon opening your door, “hi!”

You’re leaned up against the doorframe, ultimately blocking the view inside of your home, but it gives the cameraman a perfect shot of some of your home’s exterior.

“Hi, y/n! Thank you so much for having me over,” Joe Sabia greets.

“Of course!”

“Can I just say that you have a beautiful home, and especially for it being your Italy home,” Joe gushes, looking around in awe.

“Thank you so much! That’s one of my favorite compliments because Mat and I have put so much into this place to make it our home away from home,” you can hear the warmth and appreciation in your voice.

“Can we go on in?”

“Yes, please come in,” you move to the side, allowing Vogue’s crew to come in.

“How does it feel to be added to the list of celebrities doing Vogue’s 73 questions?”

“I am excited and honored. I know Mat’s excited, too,” you answer and move to your kitchen.

“Why the color green for your kitchen?”

“Ugh I just love the color green. My kitchen in our first New York home was green, and it was my favorite, but then we moved into a bigger home and I decided to not have it green. That’s why this kitchen is extra special to me. Plus, this kitchen holds a lot of memories,” you smile, thinking about everything that’s happened in this kitchen.

“That’s sweet. What’s the first memory of this kitchen that pops in your head?”

“Earlier this week! I was in here, cutting up some fruit for the boys and they were supposed to be in the family room with Mat just playing with toys, but Angel walked to the kitchen. It was his first steps and I just remember calling out for Mat and Angel walking to him as well. We were crying messes,” you recall.

“Congratulations to your son, I know moments like those are the most special. Speaking of children and special moments, you just welcomed your third baby and first girl into the world about a month ago. Congratulations to you.”

“Yes, thank you. She’s my special girl and she’s so spoiled already, especially with Mat.” Your cheeks get rosy, feeling an overwhelming amount of love fill your heart at the thought of Mat being the best dad he is.

“What’s something you learned when you became a parent?”

“Responsibility. It’s easy to lose a handle on yourself and life when you’re solo, so when you have other humans to take care of, you learn more about what responsibility looks like.”

“Favorite summer drink?”

“A very cold glass of water or a cherry limeade,” you laugh at the random question.

“Mama!!” You grin when you hear Nolan’s shout, knowing he’s about to jump into your arms and cling to you.

When you see him running towards you, you prepare for his tiny impact and easily lift him up. You push his hair out of his face, but it’s no use as he hides in your neck.

“My big boy! Wanna say ‘hi’ to the camera?” You rub softly on his back, feeling him melt into your touch much like Mat does when you embrace him after a tough game or a long roadie.

“Hi,” he says shyly.

“I want daddy,” he adds in, hands on your cheeks. He gives you those big puppy eyes.

“Daddy?” Your youngest son, Angel waddles around, interest piqued at the mention of his father.

“Y’all want to see daddy? Well, I guess it’s time to take a detour outside,” you say to the camera before telling them to follow you to the back.

The camera captures you holding both your boys while also grabbing the baby monitor, so you can keep an ear out for Sloane as she’s napping. You walk with an effortless strut even though your feet haven’t touched a runway in months.

When you step onto the warm cobblestone of your back patio, the camera gets a view of your boys wiggling in your hold. They press quick kisses to your cheeks, something Mat taught them to do whenever they were leaving your presence, and beelined straight into Mat’s thick legs. He is pining clothes to dry, but the minute the pitter-patters reach his ears, he’s all focused on his babies.

You stand by, enjoying Mat as he’s shirtless in all his beautiful glory. Your eyes sparkle with love when you watch him pick up both boys with ease. Your eyes also glimmer with tones of want as you see the way his muscles flex and veins bulge out from underneath his skin.

The sweet giggles coming from Nolan and Angel pull you towards them. Mat’s tickling their stomach, simply unaware that there are cameras near.

He finally looks up, connecting eyes with you. You smile and tilt your head towards the cameras and he just nods, beckoning you closer to him.

“Mat, it’s nice to see you man,” the interviewer breaks the silence.

“Hey, guys. Welcome to our home,” Mat greets, handing Nolan into your arms so he can wrap his hand around your waist.

“Y/n, what’s your favorite thing about Mat becoming a dad?”

“He’s so gentle, not that he wasn’t ever gentle with me, he was, but he is such a big softie for his babies. He’s also really matured, it’s fascinating seeing him learn something new everyday,” you answer with sincerity and a loving gaze locked on his shy smile. Mat stays quiet, kissing Angel on his temple before reaching over to kiss you and Nolan.

“Mat, what’s your favorite thing about seeing y/n become a mom?”

“I get to witness the force of nature that is my wife. The way she takes care of all of us, and just struts her way through. She makes it look so easy, so I guess that’s why I love to see her in action because I know raising children isn’t easy.”

Your cheeks heat up and you make your way to Mat, hugging his body to yours.

Mat kisses your cheek, choosing to ignore the cameras capturing your pda, and whispers in your ear that he’s going to check on Sloane. Choosing to ignore the camera’s presence as well, you give him a chaste kiss on the lips and slap his ass as he goes upstairs.

“Sorry. I get so caught up in Mat sometimes everything else disappears,” you admit shyly, fingers lingering on your lips.

“It’s okay. The rawness is good. So, New York or Italy?”

“New York!”

“Favorite tattoo?”

“I have quite a few favorites. Firstly, my “angel” and “Nolan” tattoos are ones I adore. I also love the “13” I have for Mat. I also love my cherry tattoo, it’s my first one I ever got. Lastly, my “divine feminine” tattoo because Mat loves tracing that one all the time,” you explain.

“Oh! I almost forgot, I’m getting a tattoo for my daughter soon, so that’ll be another favorite,” you add.

“Biggest fear?”

“It used to be heights, but since becoming a wife and mother, my biggest fear is my husband or children getting hurt. However, I’m still scared of heights. Becoming a mom has made me much stronger, but I’m no superhero.”

“I beg to differ,” Mat chimes in, coming down the stairs with your newest bundle of joy nestled in his strong arms.

“Is that my precious baby girl?! It is,” you say before turning your attention to the camera. “This is the first glimpse that the public is getting of her and we’re excited!” You rub your nose against her baby smooth cheek, inhaling her scent.

“Everyone, this is Sloane Augustine Barzal,” Mat introduces Sloane. The camera zooms in on her sweet face. She’s barely awake, but her grasp on Mat’s finger doesn’t let up.

“She’s adorable, guys,” the man compliments.

“Thank you. I think she looks just like barzy,” you say.

“Why the name Sloane?”

“Mat is actually the one who chose the name. We both made a list of S names and he chose Sloane,” you explain.

You guide everyone back outside to sit on the outside furniture. You and Mat are on a couch in front of the camera, Nolan and Angel sitting next to you playing with some toys while Sloane stays tucked in Mat’s arms.

“Mat, what are you looking forward to in the future?”

Mat looks up, pondering his answer before saying, “seeing how tall Nolan gets!” Mat jokes which make you giggle and card your fingers through Nolan’s hair. He’s getting so big and you can’t stop time. “No I look forward to the little mundane things. For example, Y/n and I taking our kids on vacation, or just even having pregame naps in our bed. I sound like a sap, but ever since becoming a father, they’re the only ones I think about when I think of my future,” Mat finishes, making you look at him with a loving look.

“What’s your favorite photo shoot?”

Excitement takes over your features, your body sits up straighter and your eyes light up.

“The one I did for Rolling Stone! I got to dress up in super fun outfits! And most importantly, Mat joined me on that one and it was just a sexy time,” you peer up at Mat, hand finding its place on the back of his neck, and you smirk at him while the flashbacks of that day pop in your head. He matches your smirk and rests his arm around the tops of your shoulders.

“That was a fun time. A time when I truly understood how much fun it can be to change your wardrobe or hairstyle,” Mat says.

“Don’t go getting any ideas about another haircut,” you tease, resulting in him pinching you lightly.

“Can I just compliment your relationship? I can see how genuine the love is and the bond between your family. It’s really refreshing,” the interviewer says sincerely.

“Thank you so much. That means a lot,” you reply and Mat agrees.

“What’s something you wouldn’t change about the past?”

“The way Mat and I communicated in the early stages of our relationship. It really helped us grow as people and as partners. I know there are people who wish they were more communicative, but I appreciate the time and effort we both took to learn how to properly talk with each other. No one really knows that we had a communication issue in our relationship, so I won’t get into great detail,” you rant a little.

“We were good at feeling a lot of emotions, but bad at expressing them verbally with each other. I’m so glad that she was willing to have patience with me in the beginning of our relationship,” Mat adds in, shining the tiniest bit of light on a major relationship issue you’ve had in the past.

“I like that answer. Thank you for being honest.”

You nod your head and give an appreciative smile.

“Favorite memory of Italy?”

The way both Mat’s and your face light up is all telling about how in tune you are with each other.

“The first time we came to Italy together. It’s cliche, but I just knew Mat was my person.” You reach out to caress Mat’s cheek, falling more in love when he nuzzles into the warmth of your palm.

“It’s true! Italy is a place that will always feel like home, and bringing Y/n was allowing her to build a home in my heart. It was such a fun trip. We got to learn about each other more while experiencing new things together. I will never forget that feeling of intense love. It’s even more special that we get to bring our kids here and have a home here.”

You start to tear up, immediately pulling Angel into your lap so you can hide your face in his soft hair. You make sure to give him multiple kisses. This, however, makes Nolan just a tad jealous, so he moves to wrap his arms around your shoulders and gives you kisses on the cheek.

“We feel left out,” Mat breaks you out of your kiss attack, leaning towards you to kiss you on the lips. For the sake of the cameras you keep it soft and quick, but it’s also quick so you can give kisses to Sloane.

“We’re nearing the end of this interview. It’s been a lovely one. I will be the first to say I don’t want this to end.”

“Aww thank you for being an incredible interviewer and for picking my brain. This has been a delight.”

“Okay! Favorite material thing?”

“My wedding rings. Hands down. It’s so special to me, especially because Mat designed it himself. Little fun fact: my wedding band has the initials of each kid engraved on the inside,” you gush.

“Mat, please do tell us the story of why you designed her ring the way you did.”

Mat’s face goes red in a flush, getting shy at the world finding out how sentimental he really is.

“It wasn’t hard. Two diamonds being joined together: toi et moi (you and me) and I love the concept. Plus, I know Y/n loves rings, so I had to make sure the diamonds were Y/n’s favorite shapes. The wedding band itself is simple. Although I had Nolan’s initial engraved already, the other two were just added at later times. As for the other band of smaller diamonds, I picked out for our first wedding anniversary, symbolizing the many moments that will forever be on the forefront of my brain and heart,” you want to squeal and lunge yourself into Mat’s arms. He is such a sweetie. You love him so much.

“That’s really sweet.”

“He’s a sap and I love him for it,” you muse, knowing Mat will roll his eyes even though he’ll blush more.

“This is our final question, so I’ll make it an easy one. What is your favorite room in this house?”

“Easy? That’s a hard question! Oh… I don’t know. I love my babies’ rooms, but my closet is the first thing to come to mind. I do love my kitchen so much, but I already talked about that, so I’ll say my closet,” you claim.

“She loves spending hours in there,” Mat chimes in, throwing you a teasing wink.

“I am grateful for everything I own, so that means I admire all my items. I’m a material girl at heart, so yes I do love spending hours in my closet to organize or just to simply admire. You spend a while in your closet, too, hotshot,” you tease back.

“I love the harmless banter. Guys, this has been incredible. Your home is lovely as well as you all. Thank you for having us in your home and for being so welcoming,” the interview closes the interview.

“Thank you for having us. It’s an honor to do this interview. I had a good time. I hope there will be more Vogue interviews in my future,” you say back, smiling your signature smile.

It’s around 30 minutes after you bid your goodbyes to the cameras that they’re turned off, and you’re once again biding your goodbyes.

When the house is calm and just your family, Mat pulls you into a deep kiss, making sure to dip his tongue into your waiting mouth.

“I have been wanting to do that the whole time,” he whispers against your lips.

“So why didn’t you?” You tease, nipping at his bottom lip and pulling a groan from him.

“I wouldn’t have been able to stop,” he says surely.

“It would’ve been a whole different kind of video,” you muse, smirking up at him while your arms are resting over his shoulders.

“No doubt and that content is for our eyes only.”

You decide against saying anything back, just leaning up to kiss him again. Sloane has other plans, though. Her cries ring throughout the house, bouncing off the walls.

“That’s your daughter,” you playfully chide.

“Your daughter.”

“She’s the result of you not knowing how to keep your hands off me,” you bite back.

“No. More like the other way around,” Mat replies, tickling you on your stomach.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, hotshot,” you whisper against his lips, not kissing him and running to get Sloane, but not before he sends you with a smack on your ass.

a/n: FINALLY! The first part of the vogue series is here, and I hope you all enjoy it.

[timeagainreviews]

A Foot in Two Worlds: 73 Yards

My third-grade lunch buddy was a girl named Kendra. We used to love chatting about movies and television. My favourite topic was Batman. Hers was Full House. However, one morning, instead of gushing over Stephanie Tanner, she told me about a movie she and her brother had watched over the weekend. The movie was 1989’s “Clownhouse,” and she was a bit traumatised by it. And because of her vivid description, so was I. Honestly, I don’t remember anything past her saying “It’s about these kids who see clowns watching them through their windows,” because I never stopped thinking about that sentence, for years. While I’ve still never actually seen Clownhouse, nor do I experience coulrophobia, the idea of being watched from a distance still creeps me out. I still close the blinds at night.

Initially, I wanted to compare “73 Yards,” to something like “It Follows,” or even “The Immortal Snail.” Both scenarios entail being tracked by a slow but relentless pursuer who kills you if it ever catches up to you. But “73 Yards,” isn’t so much a story about being pursued. It’s about feeling watched. It’s about feeling judged. It’s about feeling abandoned. It preys on our fear of being the subject of gossip. That people could spread lies about us that scare away our loved ones. The fear that maybe they’re right. Maybe we don’t deserve love. It’s about the ambiguity that sits within our hearts. The liminal threshold between us at our best and us at our worst. But it’s not just about the wicked and the divine, but also body and spirit. A foot in both worlds.

Doctor Who currently has a foot in both worlds. The Doctor steps on a science fictiony land mine one week, and the next week he’s stepping on fairy circles. A recurring theme in this new season is “look before you leap.” Or ‘watch your step.” Ruby steps on a butterfly in the past and changes species. The Doctor steps on a land mine and almost dies. And now, the Doctor steps on a fairy circle and disappears. The Doctor is learning to have a healthy respect for the new supernatural powers coursing through the Whoniverse. At least he would if he remembered anything from this adventure. Not even Ruby will learn a lesson here, so was it worth it?

After last week’s “Boom,” I was game for whatever Russell T Davies had in store for the future. The trailer for “73 Yards,” gave us very little to go on, and in hindsight, it’s pretty easy to see why. This was a Doctor-lite episode and therefore not a lot of footage to share that wouldn’t also spoil this being a Ruby-centric story. But I was ready for it. Ruby has been suffering a bit from underdevelopment as a character. I even saw a Chibnall stan on Twitter saying so, which is quite extreme when you consider how underdeveloped Yaz was. In Ruby’s case, however, it’s hard to pinpoint what it is about her that’s underdeveloped. She’s got a great family dynamic. She’s nurturing. She plays in a band. But who is she? Like River Song before her, her character arc is starting to affect her character development. And my interest is waning.

After the Doctor steps onto the fairy circle and disappears, Ruby unsuccessfully tries the TARDIS doors. She then checks around the other side to see if he’s having a pee. This may be the first time the show has canonically mentioned the Doctor goes to the bathroom. It’s funny to think of the great Time Lord having a slash off the edge of a cliff. The Doctor seems to do a lot of important things on cliff edges these days. Failing to find the Doctor, it’s then that Ruby notices a strange old woman standing under a creepy old tree from 73 yards away making some sort of hand gestures. However, the closer she walks toward the woman, the further she appears away.

The mechanism of how the woman moves is hidden by editing, but it feels like something Ruby would notice quickly. I don’t imagine Ruby walking closer would cause the woman to start backing up physically like that Community episode where Professor Duncan got a restraining order on Chang and used it like he had force powers. Instead, they cut back to the woman and she’s simply further away. Ruby is conveniently looking for footing every time, so she fails to see this. But if you started walking toward someone and they started hovering backwards, wouldn’t you find that weird? It’s not like she doesn’t sense something weird pretty early on. She even asks the woman if the Doctor’s disappearance has anything to do with her. She even asks the hiker (yet another character played by Susan Twist) if she can see the old woman.

Something I found interesting about the Susan Twist scene was that whoever her character is, she’s not immune to the effects of the old woman. Either that, or she’s lying. Either way, it feels important that we were shown her having the same reaction to the woman as everyone else. If she’s a magical trickster, she’s not an invincible one, or maybe she’s not magical at all. We’ve learned very little about Susan Twist’s character(s), but this indicates that she’s not fully in charge of the situation if she can be scared off like that. What’s frustrating is that the first time a character looks at her and says “Hey don’t I know you from somewhere?” it’s in an aborted timeline. I would have expected the Doctor to have made the connection after the ambulance screens in “Boom,” matched the woman from Space Babies, but maybe he’s been distracted by clothes.

By this point in the episode, I’ve been fully drawn in. Ruby finds her way to the small village of Glyngatwg and a pub called “Y Pren Marw,” which translates to “The Dead Wood.” I thought this might have been a reference to the weird tree on the cliff, but the illustration on the pub sign looked more like an oak tree, so I doubt it. Another name they could have used for the pub could have been “The Gaslight Inn,” because man oh man did they gaslight the hell out of Ruby. They keep accusing her of thinking they’re yokels for asking pretty innocuous questions. Asking if you can pay with your phone is perfectly reasonable. There’s a chippy in my village that does the best fish n chips in the area, but I never use them because they haven’t got a card machine and I don’t carry cash. I don’t imagine the owner of the chippy goes home every night in his Fred Flintstone car because of it. Maybe they’re worried they really are yokels. Either way, five quid for a Coke and abusive staff? What’s their Trip Advisor score? Negative six?

The only non-yokel in the pub is Enid and that’s solely because she’s played by Siân Phillips, who could never be mistaken for common. She was easily the highlight of the episode for me, sitting elegantly at the bar in her fashionable hat. Of all of the patrons at the bar, she’s the one I believe would coin the Latin phrase “semper distans,” to describe the way the old woman follows but never approaches. If only she could have taught Isaac Newton the word “gravitas.” Beyond being incredibly rude, I rather enjoyed the patrons of Y Pren Marw. They reminded me of characters you would have found in classic Doctor Who. The pub scenes reminded me a lot of “The Dæmons,” or “Terror of the Zygons.” But more than anything, this episode reminded me of “The Stones of Blood,” wherein things start like folk horror and end in a more mundane setting.

After Ruby’s unwanted follower scares away one of the pub’s most faithful patrons, she’s forced to head back to London, which is about where the episode starts to lose steam. Up until that moment, I was expecting a sort of witch coven or worse to spring up in the sleepy village of Glyngatwg. I was ready to call it RTD’s best ever. But now we’re back in London where the biggest mystery is Mrs Flood, and she’s really only there to remind us she exists. But that’s not to say a piece of Glyngatwg didn’t leave with Ruby, and it’s not to say I disliked the story’s ending. But there was a noticeable drop in excitement the moment Ruby boarded that train.

I found it odd that Carla and Cherry were badmouthing the Doctor in his absence. Cherry was ready to jump his bones the last time they spoke and now he’s good for nothing. I get that they want to support Ruby, but like, what if he’s hurt somewhere? All I’m saying is that if I ever go missing, please don’t send Carla and Cherry to find me. After telling Carla about the old woman, Ruby’s deepest fears are realised. Like Susan Twist and Josh before her, talking to the old woman causes her to abandon Ruby. The look Carla gives Ruby from the cab as it drives away is the last way anyone would want to be looked at by their loved one. It wasn’t a look of fear, it was a look of disgust.

It’s that look of disgust that really started to make me think of another story from the Whoniverse- “The Curse of Clyde Langer,” a Sarah Jane Adventures episode written by Phil Ford. In it, Clyde’s name becomes cursed and anyone who hears or reads it becomes irrationally opposed to Clyde. His friends and family disown him and it’s Clyde against the world, which is wild because Clyde’s one of my favourite characters in all of Doctor Who. Who could hate that precious cinnamon roll? Even further, who could forget that episode? Well, it turns out Davies was kinda hoping the answer would be you. I’m not saying Davies is out of ideas, but he seems to be “remixing,” a lot of what has come before. More on that in a moment.

After losing her family, Ruby gets on with life, but not before being given a spark of hope in the form of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. We even learn some things about the old woman from Kate. We establish that yes, it is always 73 yards away. And no matter how close a person gets to her, she always looks as in focus as a person with 20/20 vision would see her from 73 yards. We also learn that the old woman’s “powers” work via headset, as Kate breaks contact with Ruby, leaving her devastated from losing yet another lifeline.

An interesting factoid about that scene is that Kate and Ruby were sitting across from “The House of Pi,” and Pi Day is the 73rd day of a non-leap year. Why do I know this? Because I went into a bit of a rabbit hole trying to learn about the number 73 yesterday. I looked into its mathematical significance. I learned it’s Sheldon Cooper’s favourite number. I looked it up in terms of numerology. I read the 73rd Psalm. There are 73 books in the Catholic Bible. But none of it felt significant. Then my dumbass googled whether RTD had explained the number, and he claimed it was as simple as going outside and measuring the distance from which people’s faces began to blur. Right. Well, that’s disappointing, albeit creative.

We’re treated to a montage of Ruby getting on with her life throughout the next couple of decades. Like the rest of us, her age starts to show itself with long hair and big glasses. I mentioned earlier that Ruby suffers a bit from a lack of character development and this montage does nothing to help that. She grows up into possibly one of the most boring people they could have made her. Her queer group of friends she has a band with seem to have disappeared. Her dating life is painfully heteronormative. She didn’t date a single woman throughout that time? She would have learned by now not to encourage her friends to talk to the old woman, and due to the perception filter, it’s not like anyone seemed to mind her anyhow. I’m just saying, if someone as normie as her started wearing a political shirt for the nuclear war-hungry Albion Party, I’d look at her and say “Pssh. Figures.”

Speaking of the Albion Party, it’s time we started talking about Harold Saxon. Oh, sorry, I meant Roger ap Gwilliam. The episode implies that Roger is the trickster “Mad Jack" who had escaped the fairy circle after the Doctor stepped on it. But Davies is remixing the classics, or as LCD Soundsystem puts it- “Shut up and play the hits.” He even mistreats women in the same way as the Master. I took this to be Doctor Who’s flimsy attempt at a comment on the MeToo movement. It would work better if ap Gwilliam was more than a moustache-twirling miscreant. Especially because Ruby throws poor Marti to the lions by not warning her away from Roger. If this is a MeToo story, Ruby is an enabler, which is not a great look. But she apologises so I guess it’s ok. Don’t worry Marti, your trauma gets erased anyhow.

While the campaigners prepare for a press conference for Roger ap Gwilliam to announce that Britain has purchased Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, Ruby realises she’s out of time and needs to act now. Using her semper distans friend to her advantage, Ruby backs 73 yards away from Roger and sends him cowering and eventually resigning from his position as prime minister. Ruby expects this to be the end of the old woman, but she remains with her until the day she’s on her deathbed, at which point, the old woman changes from her perspective to Ruby’s. As the old woman, Ruby sees her young self and is able to call out to her and warn her about the fairy circle. That’s what happened, right?

Well, maybe? The biggest curveball comes in the form of the old woman herself. Because while Ruby does age to the ripe old age of 80, the actress playing her is Amanda Walker. The actress playing the woman is Hilary Hobson. Set pictures have also revealed Hobson in make-up that appears to be scarring going up the left side of her face. And those hand gestures of hers? Sign language. Eagle-eyed viewers have roughly translated her signing as “Bless you. Thank you so much, that's so kind of you. When you gave me that little thing, it was just so precious. How am I ever going to repay you? But we will think of something.” Perhaps this scarred woman is someone the Doctor and Ruby have yet to meet. Perhaps she repays them by warning them away from the fairy circle and saving both the Doctor and Ruby from a bizarre fate.

People seem divided by this episode in a major way, which is pretty normal for Doctor Who. But one of the more irritating takeaways I’ve seen is that the episode doesn’t make any sense. That’s only sort of true. There are some bootstrap paradox things occurring, which if you haven’t accepted as a reality of Doctor Who at this point, what are you even doing here? But what does the old woman say to Ruby? Where does the Doctor go? How does she travel back in time to the clifftops of Glyngatwg? Forgetting completely that we’re in a Doctor Who era which has introduced magic in a real way. But that’s a bit hand-wavy, can’t we do better? Well, they do mention that the TARDIS’s perception filter parked so close to the fairy circle might affect how people ignore the old woman. I liked this because it implies that the TARDIS and magic are somewhat compatible and therefore opens up new avenues for storytelling. You could also imply that if the TARDIS could affect the fairy circle, perhaps it can affect the TARDIS in turn. Maybe people reject Ruby because the warding spell placed on Mad Jack is affecting Ruby. Maybe Ruby needed to be in a position where she was so friendless that she would join the conservative party.

The episode may not have explicitly explained things, but it gives us enough of a vague framework to form an idea. As a fan of David Lynch, I am rather happy to exist in that liminal space. To straddle the cusp between the known and the unknown. It leaves an air of mystery, or as David Lynch would say “room to dream.” I will however slightly come down on the episode for its rather bland ending compared to its strong start. I don’t agree with the people who said it nosedives toward the end. But I would be lying if I said I lost a lot of interest the moment Ruby left Glyngatwg. Earlier, I compared the story to “The Stones of Blood,” but where the two stories differ is that when “The Stones of Blood,” changes its setting from the occult folk horror of the Cornish countryside, it replaces it with something equally strange.

That isn’t to say the jump to the year 2046 isn’t interesting. I’d be very curious to see how this story plays over the next few years. It acts as speculative fiction and the bizarre reality of speculative fiction is that it occasionally becomes mundane in hindsight. What once sounded unreasonable now feels painfully obvious. HBO’s “The Leftovers” hits different after the pandemic. Richard Kelly’s loony “Southand Tales,” feels tame after the 2016 election. Therein, I fear the day Roger ap Gwilliam becomes something more than a cartoonish depiction of British politicians. Partly because of the implied threat of nuclear devastation, but also because 2046 feels like a rather generous timeframe.

[meguemii]

Hardly Friends.

01. Hurry up.

Pairings- Megumi x Reader, Slight Nobara x Yuji (mostly platonic) Yuta x Reader (fwb situation— brief mention in a few chapters)

Synopsis- Megumi and Y/N used to be inseparable as children and just started drifting apart when they start high school they meet again in college. But you are roommates with each others best friends. Nobara drags Y/N to a party one night without knowing Yuji had asked Megumi too, they start their journey to regain their lost friendship on a two week trip.

Word count: 1.6k

Master List.

“Nobara I told you, I’m not gonna go to one of those annoying parties you and Yuji always go to!” you groaned into your phone as you put it on your vanity so you have a better view on facetime. “Y/N I just don’t understand why you don’t wanna go out? school is out for the next two months! we have the entire summer to be doing this kinda stuff!” She argued as she rolled her eyes at you.

“You know I’d rather sit around on my ass all day and watch stupid rom coms while making cringe pinterest boards.” you rolled your eyes in return. “Yeah whatever I don’t care, I’m picking you up at 9. so be ready at your door by 8:55.” She said flatly. “Nobara I’m not go-” you were cut off as she hung up the facetime. Groaning in annoyance seeing as how she got the last word. It was 6:46 now, you had about two hours to get ready to make yourself decent. Deciding to hop in the shower, fully exfoliating and shaving just incase.

You wrapped a towel around yourself as you stepped out of your shower and checked your phone quickly sending Nobara a quick text asking what to wear ‘get dressed up but still keep it lowk casual’ That’s easy. You can do that. Putting your phone on charge, blow drying your hair and putting on parachute pants, a cropped long sleeve black shirt and putting your hair back into a tight spiky bun and calling it a look you’re ready. Grabbing your phone to check the time and your battery percentage, it was at 73% and it was now 8:45. You had about 15 minutes before Nobara got here.

Walking out into the shared living room Yuji is in the kitchen putting booze into a cooler, “Hi yuu.” you greeted him. “Oh hey Y/N! You going out?” he asks looking you up and down. Almost playfully judging you for getting ready at this hour. “Yeah Nobara invited me to a party, I’m assuming it’s at Maki’s place.” you tell him as you plop down onto an island chair and rest your head in your palms. “Oh sick! Megumi and I are going to Maki’s tonight!” He said gleefully.

You’re and Yuji’s phone ding at the same time indicating your rides here and in sync you both say “___’s Here.” both of you giggled and put your shoes on at the door and you open it “ladies first!” you smirk at Yuji as he beams a smile and tips his imaginary hat. “why thank you m’lady” and you both giggle again while making your way down to the parking garage.

Nobara and Megumi took their own cars so you and Yuji say your goodbyes and get in the others car. “Are they going to Maki’s too?” Nobara asks as she pulls out of the parking garage. “Yeah, Yuji said they were. Also you look so cute! hello?!!” you gush at Nobara. “Stop” she over annunciates the ‘p’. “you’re such a cutie patootie Y/N.” humming in response you grab Nobara’s phone and put music on as you guys make your way to Maki’s.

Muffled music could be heard as You and Nobara made your way up to Maki’s home, pink and purple flashing lights could be seen through the windows and bodies all huddled around. Yuta’s car was parked outside the door and you smiled to yourself. You and Nobara made your way inside and was greeted with a sloshed Inumaki and Maki who greeted you both. “Y/N! I’m surprised to see you! Did Nobara drag you out?!” she yelled over the music and you laughed at her. “Yeah, she did! You think I’d be here voluntarily? No offense!” you yelled back. “Non taken! Glad to see you though!” She smiled and walked off to greet more people.

“I’m gonna go find Yuji! Are you going to be okay?” Nobara asked. “Yeah, I’ll be okay! I’m going to go find Yuta.” you replied and she just winked and walked off. Making your way through the home you have to shove past the crowds of people while you see Megumi sitting on the couch with some girl in his lap, nothing out of the ordinary for him. Not giving it a second thought you make your way into the kitchen to get a drink and there he is.

His face lit up as he made eye contact with you and walked over, “Y/N! You’re here! when’s the last time you came to one of these parties? I haven’t seen you in so long!” he asked as he slung an arm over your shoulder and took a sip from the red solo cup he was holding in the other hand. “Yeah it’s been a while, I haven’t been to one of these since.” you smiled leaning into him. “Where are my manners? Did you want something to drink?” he asked leading you towards to counter full of bottles and coolers full of different alcohols. “Yeah, I’ll take a shot of tequila” and he immediately pours you a shot and hands it to you. Throwing it back your face contorted in a gross manor and you put the shot glass down. “God I don’t know how you do that” he chuckled. Putting his arm back around your shoulder you walked back out into the living room to be met with crowds of people.

You two find a spot to sit on the couch, only room for one but that wasn’t a problem. You just sat on Yuta’s lap, simple conversation. You see a lot of your friends but they either just smile and wave or come and greet you with simple “Hey! haven’t seen you in so long” or “Hey Y/N, how’ve you been?”. Nothing really that caught your interest until you met a certain someone’s gaze. Megumi just looked at you and Yuta silently asking what was going on between you two. Not like he knew you two hooked up from time to time, not that it was his business. You waved your hand off as he just scoffed to himself and turned away to talk with someone else.

“You wanna go upstairs? I’m spending the night here, I got Inumaki’s room tonight.” He whispered in your ear as he rubbed circles on your back. “Thought you would never ask.” you giggled

Suddenly it was about 2:30am as you laid under the sheets with Yuta, checking your phone you had a few texts from Yuji and Nobara. 2 hours ago from Nobara ‘Hey, I’m leaving now. I’m assuming you’re with Yuta. Just wanted to let you know where i am’ and a text from Yuji, ‘Hey, I’m home and you clearly aren’t. wya?’ and there was another that read ‘I asked Nobara and she said you’re probably with Yuta. I’m going to sleep because I feel like shit. Call me if you need me.’ sighing you turn to look at Yuta who is scrolling on his phone. “Hey yu?” looking up at him, he smiles and looks down. “what’s up?” he asks. “I should probably get going” you say as you get up and start putting your clothes back on. “I would drive you home but I don’t think I’m safe to drive on the roads” he says apologetically. Waving your hands you say “nono don’t worry, I wouldn’t ask you to! I’m just gonna call Nobara to come get me.” as you dial her number and it rings a few times before she picks up. “hello?” a groggy voice comes through the phone and you sigh. “Sorry if I woke you up, can you come get me?” you say into the phone in a hushed voice. “I’m sorry girl, I’m too tired to drive right now. I’ll ask Megumi to come get you.” she says as she hangs up before you can protest once again. Sighing you sit back down and just talk to Yuta while you wait.

Heading a car pull into the driveway you check the window and it’s Megumi’s car. Receiving a text from someone under the contact name ‘Gumi’ you let out a soft chuckle. It’s been so long since you two had texted. The text was a simple ‘Hurry up.’ And that’s your que to go, saying your goodbyes to Yuta. Making your way downstairs and out the door you knock on his window to signal him to unlock the door, hearing a click you get in. “Thank’s for coming to get me.” he nodded and a quick hum in acknowledgment. There wasn’t any music and it was painfully awkward. You hadn’t been one on one with this guy since you were like 14. He finally broke the silence and asked “So you and Yuta?” he glances at you with a cocked brow. You looked up from your lap being snapped out of your trance. “It’s not like that, we just hook up sometimes” and he says a quick “gotcha”.

Arriving back to your building you bid a quick goodbye and thank him again. He waits for you to open the door to the lobby before leaving. Walking past the front desk women who give you a small smile and nod, you make your way to the stairs because you’re afraid of you took the elevator you’d vomit everywhere. Finally getting to your apartment you lock the door behind you, make your way to your room and jump into your bed, not bothering to change and you pass out. You last thought being ‘It’s going to be a long summer’.

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This doesn’t seem like a lot but like it does? This fic is heavily inspired by something I read two-ish years ago but I can’t remember where [sobs]

I hope the first chapter was good, it was in fact proof read but at 2am so do not hold me accountable for anything BECAUSE I AM SO TIRED. no but fr i hope this was good