#Bubblegum Mix Cheats

[adore-laur]

SOUTHPAW

— a heartwarming friends to lovers story set in the 90’s 🌴

——

ORLANDO, 1991

The city calls him Southpaw, a sobriquet graciously granted to the left-handed pitcher who has won every game for the Orlando SunRays at Tinker Field.

Harry Styles is the praised name behind it all. The tall, curly-headed boy is swiftly on his way to stardom. He's an undeniable force to be reckoned with, built with strong arms that can throw curveballs and fastballs with lightning speed. The twenty-five-year-old is the backbone of his team, the best in the Southern League, and the player who makes the others green with envy. He impressively balances the substantial titles while remaining charismatic and altruistic toward everyone he encounters. 

When he's not found in the ballpark wearing his usual blue and white baseball uniform, a cap sits atop his head, paired with tan skin that seems to have a new ink design each time he's spotted by an onlooker.

Then there's Sawyer Clemente. Well, she knows for sure that she isn't quite as commendable as her best friend. Standing just a smidge over five feet, she could never amount to his accomplishments or role model status. To put it plainly, she's unemployed, lives with her parents, and has an ex-boyfriend that she hates because she just found out he cheated on her last night. 

She's merely Harry's closest companion, rooting for him in the bleachers even if she thinks baseball is a painfully dull sport that only inflates the male ego and makes her sweat in the merciless Florida heat.

She also has a plaguing crush on him but doesn't like to dwell on that matter too much. 

It almost seems punishing not to, though, because he's naturally flirtatious. It's impossible not to think about his innocent yet butterfly-inducing touches. To tell where his feelings for her lie, whenever he hugs her tightly after a successful game or looks down at her lips while she rambles about her day, proves to be even more unfeasible. 

Sawyer glumly watches the semifinal game, veering her troublesome thoughts away by appreciating Harry's legs in his form-fitting baseball pants. Nothing else seems to be working, so she borderline objectifies him while he chews his Bazooka bubblegum in concentration. 

She debated not attending because of the cheating revelation unmasked to her hours earlier, but she would never forgive herself if she missed such an important game for Harry. It determines whether the Sun Rays will compete for the highly illustrious minor league title. 

It's now the start of the seventh inning, and it's about the hundredth time she has caught Harry's eye, finding her in the crowd with a solicitous gaze and a frown on his lips. Her tense body language and absent-minded expression must indicate her mood. She absolutely despises how well he knows her. 

Harry focuses back on the game as he gets into position on the pitching mound, ball in hand, an undaunted mystique exuding from him. With unkempt curls framing his face, a smear of dirt on his cheek that was kicked up from his teammates sprinting to the bases, and his jaw contracting with each gum smack, he finally lifts one leg and throws the ball so fast it could be missed if someone were to blink. The crack of the bat reverberates throughout the stadium, and Sawyer sees Harry glance up to find her again. 

Then, every player's worst nightmare happens. Sawyer's worst nightmare happens. 

A cry of agonizing pain echoes loud and clear. Sawyer is up out of her seat instantly, her hands slapping over her mouth as she watches Harry double over and hold his wrist, his baseball mitt tossed to the side. His teeth are gritted, and his knees are bent as he rocks back and forth on the ground. Players hurriedly signal for the medics as whispers from fans in the audience mix with panicked yelling coming from the field. All of it is in the background of Sawyer's mind since the only thing she can focus on is Harry. He's in so much pain, and it brings terror-stricken tears to her eyes as he cries out again when his coach jogs over to him and tries to touch his wrist. 

Everything escalated so rapidly. Sawyer doesn't know what happened, and she's petrified because she's never seen her best friend in such an excruciating condition before. The only injuries she'd seen him suffer through were a harmless twisted ankle and the sporadic cramp in his hand. 

The medics cautiously escort Harry into the dugout. Sawyer doesn't hesitate to follow them. She can't just wait it out; there's a dire need in her to take care of him. She shuffles past people and quickly walks down the wide stairs toward the dugout, where his team is gathered. Some have their arms over their heads. Some are crouched with uneasy expressions. 

Sawyer goes to where she's seen the medics stand by during previous games. One of them, wearing a red vest, immediately lifts their hand to stop her. "Ma'am, fans are not allowed back here," she informs, her calm tone doing nothing to mitigate Sawyer's pounding heart. "Please return to your seat." 

"I can't! H-Harry," she stammers, standing on her tiptoes to try to locate him. "Harry Styles is my friend. Where's his coach? He'll recognize me. Please just let me see him." 

The medic sighs and calls behind her, "Someone tell Gardenhire I'm letting a girl in! Tell him she's Southpaw's friend!" 

Sawyer almost collapses with relief. "Thank you so much, miss. I owe you my life. Um, where do I go?" 

"Go straight ahead and take a left." She points and guides her in the correct direction. "Don't get too close. Let everyone do their job." 

As Sawyer runs to the medical tent, she can hear Harry's muffled groans and heavy breathing get louder. She puts a hand on her chest as his coach notices her and silently ushers her in. 

"Get her out," Harry says from his place on the stretcher. "Sawyer, leave. Damnit, someone take her!”

His voice grows weaker as his pain worsens. Sawyer only gets closer. 

"It looks like the ball hit and fractured his hamate bone in his left hand," explains a medic over the commotion. "It's swelling pretty fast, so surgery will be required as soon as possible. He won't be able to play for a while." 

Harry's eyes are pinched shut as they poke and prod his skin. Sawyer's heart sinks when she notices the pain etched on his face, a face that's usually so radiant and lit up with a smile. Her feet are frozen as she watches people surround him with bandages and ice packs. His body is stiff, and he's breathing shakily through his nose. When his eyes open, he reaches out his uninjured hand. Sawyer knows he would never want her to leave when he's hurting. He would never leave her side if the roles were reversed right now.

"Come here," he says scratchily. "It's okay. I'm fine." 

"Harry, no, you're not!" she exclaims, running her hands through her hair as her bottom lip wobbles. "God, why did you keep looking at me? Why weren't you paying attention out there?" 

"Hey, hey, hey," he whispers, gripping her hand and tugging her toward him. "Less of that, please. You looked like something was bothering you. Tell me." 

Sawyer stomps her foot and groans in frustration. He's too selfless! He's on the verge of tears but is concerned about her instead. 

"Don't worry about me right now. I'll tell you later, okay? You need to go to the hospital." 

Harry squeezes her small hand with his large one. "Is it about your boyfriend?" 

She sighs sharply. Again, she despises how well he knows her. A reply doesn't come, though, because an ambulance suddenly pulls up, the back doors opening as the sirens shriek. The medics help Harry sit up, and Sawyer doesn't let go of his hand the entire way to the vehicle. 

"Go home," he says once he's sat on the edge. "Just go home and run a bath or something. I want you away from here." 

Her wide, brown eyes dart back and forth between his. "At least let me ride to the hospital with you." 

"Sawyer, no. Listen to me." He cradles her tear-streaked cheek and roughly kisses the opposite one. "Listen, please. I'll feel better knowing you're safe at home." 

She would do anything to relieve his worry, so she nods her head with a sad sniffle. "Okay." 

"Don't cry over me." He winces with an uncomfortable groan when the ice pack slides off his wrist. Sawyer picks it up and gently returns it to his bruised, swollen skin. "I'm alive. It's not like I'm dying." 

"That's not funny," she scolds, crossing her arms. "But I'll go home now. You're in pain, so I'm not going to keep you any longer. They'll take you to the hospital, fix you, and everything will be fine." She's convincing Harry, but more so herself. 

"Correct," he says with a smirk. 

"Correct," she repeats while standing. "Keep me updated." 

"I will, Sawyer. Drive safe." He swings his feet like a child and scrunches his nose. "Tell your parents I say hi... with a broken wrist."

She smiles fondly and reluctantly leaves with a ruffle to his sweaty hair, glancing back on her way out to witness the ambulance doors shut with a bang. On her way home, she calls her mother and asks if she could start running a bath for her. She plans on sinking down in the warm water and praying to whatever higher power that Harry will be okay. 

Praying his sunrays won't dim. 

——

Tinker Field is empty when Sawyer arrives in the early afternoon. Harry is there, throwing a baseball up and down with his right hand, just like she assumed. A new accessory adorns his left one—a bandage wrapped around his wrist from the surgery he underwent. He looks incredibly gorgeous in his purple corduroy pants and fitted white T-shirt. The bandana tied around his neck is a nice touch, along with his lucky yellow sunglasses that glimmer under the open sky. And to no one's surprise, his recycled denim cap is peeking out of his pocket. 

"Hey, sunray," Sawyer says with a hand shielding her eyes. It's what she's called him ever since they became friends. Not only does he play for the Sun Rays, but she thinks he's a ray of sunshine himself. 

Harry saunters to her, chewing gum and skillfully spinning the ball with his hand. "How did you know I'd be here, shortstop?" 

"Where else would you be? Also, I give you a cute nickname, and all you give me is one that pokes fun at my height? That's not fair." 

"Don't care. Hug me, please." He pouts dramatically. "I have a boo-boo." 

"You have a broken wrist, Harry; I'd hardly call that a boo-boo." Sawyer snatches the stitched ball from his grasp. "No more. You're supposed to be resting." 

"You sound like my mother." He tries to grab it, but she holds it behind her back. "I'm not even moving my hand that much." 

"How was the surgery?"

He shrugs and circles around her to try to sneakily pluck the ball. "Dunno. They knocked me out real good. The nurses told me everything went well and sent me home the next day." 

Sawyer skips over to home plate and sits. Harry plops down beside her. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit. You know my parents don't like the hospital being in a dodgy part of the city." 

He nudges her. "It's all right. I still received the flowers you sent. Since you're here now, I expect you to tell me what was going on during the game." 

Sighing, Sawyer forms circular shapes in the dirt using the baseball. "You were right; it was about my boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend. My friend saw him making out with another girl at a bar last night. You know what's crazy? I asked him if he wanted to come to the game with me, but he said he had to work early. I guess he lied to avoid seeing me." 

Harry lets out a disappointed hum, then cracks his neck. "Mind if I leave right now and practice my screwball pitch on him?" 

"Please don't do that," she says with a wary laugh. She knows he's getting pissed. "Trust me, he's not worth it." 

"Yeah, but you are," he replies while fixing the folded cuff of her sleeve. "I'd do it in a heartbeat if my wrist wasn't fucked up." 

Sawyer smiles at his generosity. "Not necessary. He was a jerk, and we were only together for two months. Let's talk about something else." 

Harry tilts his head toward the sky, and Sawyer admires him for a bit. She notices his baby hair, which is sun-bleached from hours spent outside, the stubble that grows along his jaw and above his lips, the mole adjacent to his mouth that he's insecure about, and his sloped nose splattered with faint freckles that she wishes she could kiss. 

Her sublime sunray. 

Harry clears his throat and leans into her. Sawyer loves it when he leans into her. "I think I'm going to go tomorrow." 

"To South Carolina?" 

"Yeah. Even if I can't play, I still want to support the team. The flight leaves tomorrow morning." 

"Oh," she says quietly, picking at some overgrown weeds. "That's... really soon." 

He nods and scooches closer. "You could come with me and keep me company. We can watch The Golden Girls together. You can cut up my massive pain pills and put them in food for me because I'm a big baby. You know, friend shit." 

"Harry, I can't," Sawyer says hesitantly.

He tuts. "Why not?" 

"Um, I actually have a job interview scheduled for tomorrow. About time, right?" She laughs, but it quickly dies when he stares at her with a serious expression. "Don't look at me like that." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

She squints as the sun peeks over the nosebleed seats. "I just did." 

"No, before that," he says, taking off his sunglasses and setting them on the bridge of her nose. "When did you get the call?"

"It was right before you got hurt." She crosses her ankles and shakes her head. "I guess I forgot to tell you since I was so worried about your surgery." 

Harry hums understandingly. "Well, what's the job?" 

"Office clerk. It's lame, I know. I'll probably be printing and typing stuff all day." 

"That's not lame. It's a job; we all need one." 

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but you travel the country and play professional baseball. It's nowhere near the same level of cool." 

"And look where that got me," he mutters. "I can't even play for three months." 

Sawyer doesn't say anything as Harry picks up her leg and sets it over his. He unties the bandana around his neck and uses it to clean the dirt off her white sneakers. His bottom lip is cutely jutted out as he carefully scrubs with his right hand while the other lays limp beside her. 

After a few beats of silence, he asks, "Will you have time to say goodbye to me at the airport?" 

"Of course." She knocks her foot against his shin. "My interview isn't until the afternoon." 

"Kay," he says with a shy, dimpled smile. He ties the bandana around her thigh and pats it. "By the way, you still haven't hugged me."

Sawyer grins and bends down in her sitting position to wrap her arms around his torso, her face squishing against his soft stomach. He gives her a noogie before setting his arms around her shoulders. For the next hour, they watch robins and sparrows swoop throughout the ballpark, the sun beating down on the field as they talk about anything and everything. 

They melt deeper into each other until it's time to leave. 

—— 

Suitcases roll on terrazzo flooring, and voices boom through public announcement systems as Sawyer walks behind Harry at Orlando International Airport. 

She can't stop staring at his back. His white T-shirt is way too tight on his buff body, but she can't complain. His yellow sunglasses are on his face again, partly to hide his tired eyes and partly because those same eyes are puffy from crying. His coach told Sawyer that the healing stage after surgery is the most painful part. On the way to the airport, Harry had slumped next to her on the charter bus, and she could tell how exhausted he was from how he immediately fell asleep on her shoulder before they even started moving. 

Now, they walk toward the correct terminal to wait for the team's flight to be called. Harry holds his suitcase and duffel bag stuffed with all the uniforms in his right hand, while the other is still bandaged and basically useless. Sawyer occasionally sees him flex it uncomfortably, the veins and muscles protruding against the exposed skin rather attractively. 

She catches up to his long strides and gently grabs his forearm. "You need to let it rest. Stop moving it." 

He swallows harshly before shoving it into his pocket. "It hurts," he says, his voice laced with an undertone of strain. 

"I know," she whispers sadly, squeezing his bicep. "Your pain meds should be kicking in soon." 

They eventually arrive at the terminal, where people are bustling around to get to their designated boarding gates. The blinding sunrise pours through the large airport windows. As the team gets in line, Sawyer stays behind and watches Harry drop his luggage before standing in front of her. 

"Bye, sunray." She frowns sympathetically at his dog-tired expression. "Have a safe trip. I hope you guys win." 

Harry gives her a weak smile. "Thanks, shortstop. Good luck with your interview. Make me proud, okay?"

"Can I hug you?" she asks. Harry immediately opens his arms and winces when his wrist moves. She still hesitates. "Are you in too much pain right now? I don't want to hurt you." 

"You'll hurt me mentally if you don't give me a hug," he replies while jerking his head, this time with a genuine smile on his face. "Get over here." 

Shuffling toward him, she closes the distance. He hugs her with one strong arm around her neck, pulling her in and swaying her as the woman over the speaker announces that his team's flight is boarding. 

Harry nuzzles his nose against her head and hovers his mouth next to her ear. "I'll call you as often as possible. Please don't worry yourself sick, okay? I'm in good hands."

Sawyer nods against his firm chest, matching her breathing with his. She'll always worry, but she won't tell him that. "I love you," she mumbles when the final boarding announcement chimes. 

It's not uncommon for her and Harry to exchange those words, but this time, she wants them to mean something different. She wants to love him, not just as a friend. She wants to kiss his pretty lips. She wants to romantically hold his hand. She wants to feel his warm body press against hers at night. He could offer all those things, and she can't wrap her head around what's stopping them. 

Even if a nagging fear deep inside her is confident that it would ruin everything, why can't he just give her a sign? 

—— 

The ringtone of Harry's Nokia phone blares at maximum volume, rudely cutting his nap short. He covers his ears with a pillow and grumbles about how he just got off a three-hour flight. After contemplating, he slowly sits up and reaches for the nightstand to answer whoever’s calling. 

He checks the number displayed on the screen while rubbing his bleary eyes—it's Sawyer. His annoyance immediately dissipates, and he giddily rolls over to hide his smile in the mattress before hopping out of bed. He opens the sliding door that leads to his hotel room’s balcony and holds the device to his ear.

"'Ello?" Harry answers, his voice cracking with sleepiness. 

"Hi," Sawyer says breathily on the other line. 

He stares at the midafternoon sky and scratches his stomach through his pink sleep shirt. "Hey. How are you?" 

"Doesn't matter. How are you? Are you in Charleston yet?" Based on her rushed tone, she seems a bit jittery.

"I'm good," he replies with a trace of confusion. He can hear her fidgeting, and it's piquing his curiosity. "Um... I'm on a balcony." 

"Oh, that's nice," she says. "Really nice. Balconies are great." 

Harry smirks and starts pacing, staring at the ivy climbing the exterior walls. He loves it when he makes her nervous. "Mm-hmm. Yeah, for sure." 

"So, how's it going? Is your wrist—" 

"Hey," he interrupts gently. "What's up? I can practically hear you biting your nails." 

Sawyer huffs. "I have to tell you something. It's not bad; I promise. I just didn't want to make everything about me." 

"Don't go there with me, Sawyer." He yawns, balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear before rewrapping his wrist bandage. "Lay it on me." 

"Well," she says timidly, "I had that job interview not too long ago." 

He nods to himself. "I remember." 

"And they hired me on the spot. I can't believe it, Harry. I got the job!”

Harry stops in his tracks. "No way," he says with a growing smile. "Really? Actually, of course you got it. I knew you would."

Sawyer releases sweet laughter, and Harry closes his eyes to imagine how she looks. Is she all cozy in bed in her silk pajamas? Is she pacing around her room while twirling the coiled phone cord around her finger? Is she watching The Golden Girls on TV and wishing he was beside her? God, he misses her already.

"They said I can start next week. It's only a five-minute walk from my house, so I don't have to worry about driving. It's—" 

"Excuse me? You would rather walk instead of letting me pick you up? Is that what I’m hearing?”

She laughs again, making his heart soar. "You shouldn't drive with a broken wrist, silly." 

"I drive with one hand anyway." Harry sits on the balcony's decorative chair and crosses his legs. "Speaking of picking up, did you want to meet me at the airport when my flight lands?" 

"What time?"

He sputters his lips as he foggily tries to recall. "Tomorrow, a little after four in the morning. You don't have to, though. I know it's early." 

"I'll be there." 

No hesitance. All confidence. Harry swears that if she was next to him, he would kiss her lips until they ached. 

"You're the best, Sawyer." 

She hums delicately, almost sensually. "I'll see you then. I miss you, sunray." 

At the sound of his nickname coming from her, Harry's cock twitches under his denim shorts. "Yeah? I miss you more." 

Her smile is evident when she replies, "I'll bring your favorite blanket from my house in case you want to sleep while I drive." 

"Fuck, I can't wait for that." He doesn't tell her that it's his favorite blanket because it smells like her—an irresistible blend of coconut and pure sunshine.

"Me neither." The sound of her car starting is muffled in the background. "I have to head to the grocery store, so I'll let you go. Good luck with the game tonight." 

"Thanks. Hey, can you buy me some Toaster Strudels while you're there? The apple kind, please." 

"I got a job, and now you want me to buy you food? Absolutely ridiculous." 

"I'm injured. That's my excuse." 

"Bye, Harry." He can totally tell she's rolling her eyes. "Get some rest, okay?" 

"I will," he promises while toying with his bottom lip. “Bye, Sawyer. I miss you so much that it hurts." 

She snorts before hanging up. Harry sighs and uncrosses his legs—it’s a brutal mistake that has him hissing and palming his bulge. There's a tender ache that isn't painful, but it's still present and will definitely be an issue he needs to take care of before seeing anyone. 

It’s cruel the things she does to him without even trying. He got so horny over a friendly conversation that it's almost shameful the way he's about to jerk off in a Holiday Inn bathroom. 

Sawyer. She's all he can think about when he steps under the hot spray of water, biting his knuckles and bucking his hips as he unravels from just the thought of her sweet voice and smile. The image of her doesn't leave his brain until he falls asleep again, but even then, she manages to seep into his dreams like some unconscious sign being sent to him. 

—— 

There's no one else Sawyer would do this for. It's four in the morning, and she's in the airport parking lot waiting for Harry's plane to touch down. It's raining—downpouring, to be precise. The droplets hitting her car lull her to sleep. Her head leans against the window as the squeaky windshield wipers do their best to clear the continuously pelted glass. 

September in Orlando brings torrential precipitation most days. It's peak hurricane season, so the palm trees seem to constantly be swaying in the wind. Florida has been Sawyer's home since birth, but she wishes she had been raised elsewhere. Someplace where it isn't so humid, the citizens aren't so entitled, and the traffic isn't so unbearable. The only thing keeping her in the city is her best friend. He makes it worthwhile.

The passenger door suddenly opens, and Sawyer jolts awake. She slowly opens her eyes and stretches uncomfortably. 

"Why is your door unlocked?" Harry asks hoarsely, his morning voice causing a shiver to run down her spine. 

"There's no one here," she grumbles as her seatbelt clicks in time with a distant rumble of thunder. 

He throws his luggage in the backseat and says, "It doesn't matter. There could be creeps lurking around." 

Sawyer hums monotonously and clicks on the interior light to look at him. He's wearing a gray hoodie, the right sleeve covering part of his wrist bandage. Black sweatpants hang loosely on his legs. Strands of wet curls stick to his face and fall across his forehead, officially labeling him as the epitome of handsomeness. Somehow, he got tanner in the single day that he was gone. The sun in South Carolina must have kissed his skin with kindness, leaving more freckles across his perfect nose and cheekbones. 

"Where to for an early morning snack?" Harry asks while adjusting the air vents. 

"7/11 is open. Slurpees?" 

He nods eagerly, so Sawyer reverses out of the parking spot and heads in the direction of the convenience store. She turns on a classic rock radio station. They quietly sing "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" by Heart the whole way there, the thunder and lightning outside providing background ambiance for their duet. 

Once they arrive, Sawyer parks, grabs her fleece blanket from the backseat, and gently lays it over Harry’s body. 

"Blue raspberry?" she asks him, even though she already knows the answer. 

"Please and thank you," he murmurs, putting his lanky legs on the seat. He tucks the blanket under his nose and inhales deeply.

She steps out, the orange and green neon sign reflecting off the puddles on the slick sidewalk, and walks through the glass doors. No one else is inside except a lone cashier, who looks like he's about to tip over from exhaustion. She pays and gets two cups, then walks over to the machine to fill them up—a blue raspberry for Harry and a Mountain Dew for herself so she can stay awake during the drive home. 

When she returns outside, she sees Harry with his head pressed against the window like he's in a depressing music video. She hopes he isn't too bummed about the unfortunate outcome of yesterday. News quickly spread that the Sun Rays lost the championship game. Deep down, everyone knew a win would be asking for a miracle without Southpaw pitching on the field. 

Sawyer sits in the driver's seat and hands him his drink. "I'm sorry about the loss." 

Harry sighs and takes the cup from her. "I think we all knew what the result would be. We were in our own heads, which unfortunately translated to how everyone played." 

She gives him a sad smile before taking a sip of her drink. "That sucks. I'm sorry." 

"There's always next year."

She watched the game from the comfort of her living room. Every time the cameras cut to Harry sitting in the dugout with a less-than-enthused expression on his face, her heart squeezed painfully. He loves baseball more than anything, and him not being able to play for his team clearly clouded his mood. She felt the effects of it when saying goodbye at the airport.

After a minute of tranquility, Sawyer turns off the radio and musters up some courage to ask the question that’s been lingering in the back of her mind since yesterday. 

"At the airport, why didn't you say I love you back? Did you not hear me?" 

Utter silence except for slanted rain falling even harder. Harry seems to be internally debating a response while he stares straight ahead and sucks from the straw in his slushy, his cheeks hollowed as he takes gulp after gulp. Sawyer is genuinely worried he'll get a brain freeze. 

Eventually, he sets his drink in the cup holder and clears his throat before tilting his head back on the headrest. "Fuck it," he exhales in a single breath. "I knew if I said it then, it would've changed everything. I wouldn't have meant it the way you did." 

There's the sign. She asked for it when she hugged him at the terminal. The one that's been hidden in both of them for so long, trying to crawl up to the surface but always shying away to avoid rejection. Always creating a barrier between the fine line of their friendship and something more. Constantly on the edge of a confession but never taking the leap. 

"How do you know the way I meant it?" 

"Friendly, I guess," Harry mumbles, plucking imaginary lint from his sweatpants. "Because we're friends. I don't know." 

"You don't know. You have no idea, actually." 

He looks at her, narrowing his eyes. "What are you talking about?" 

"You're wrong," she says vaguely. "I didn't mean it like that." 

He shakes his head, not understanding what she's getting at. "Stop speaking in riddles. What do you mean?" 

Cracking her fingers anxiously, she murmurs, "What do you think it means?" 

"Cut me some slack, shortstop. I don't know, all right? I like to think I know what goes on in your head, but I'm clueless right now." 

"Then answer this question." She shifts in her seat to face him. "In what way would you have meant it if you had said I love you?" 

He sighs and rubs his temples. "Sawyer, don't." 

"Tell me," she demands. 

"No. Let's just go home." 

"You might as well just say it." 

"Say what?" He runs a hand through his damp hair. "Just drive." 

She yanks her key out of the ignition. "I'm not moving this car until you tell me." 

"You're so stubborn, do you know that?" 

"I'm not just going to drop it, Harry." 

"I would really appreciate it if you would." 

"Then we'll be here for a while because—"

"I'm in love with you, okay?!" Harry abruptly leans over the console and grabs her cheeks, glancing down at her lips for a fraction of a second. "Okay?" he says more softly. "Does that answer your question?" 

The sign is so beautifully clear.

"Yes," Sawyer chokes out. "Yes, it does." 

He settles back in his seat and crosses his arms. "Wonderful. Now start driving." 

Lightning strikes. Rain batters. Hearts pound. She doesn't listen to him as she opens the car door and steps out, letting the downpour mat her hair and saturate her clothes. 

Harry hastily gets out and walks around the car toward her. "What in the world are you doing?" he asks, completely dumbfounded. 

Every fear about whether or not it will ruin everything disappears like gray skies after a storm. The sign has been spoken, and it now drops from the cloudburst and seeps into Sawyer's veins like the raindrops on her skin. 

"I'm in love with you too," she says over the sound of rainfall. Harry leans back against the car like he physically took a blow from her admission. "I mean it," she adds more firmly. "That's how I meant it at the airport." 

After a laugh of disbelief, he prompts, "And you made me admit it first because...?" 

"Because you make me nervous!" she says, spreading her arms. "You make me so nervous, Harry, but in a good way. In a way that makes me wonder if all those times you'd be flirty or handsy with me were on purpose." 

He steps closer, flexing his hands. "Of course they were, but I never wanted to just blatantly throw a confession of love at you. You had a boyfriend, and I would never screw that up for you. Even if he was a total birdbrain and didn't deserve you." 

Sawyer smirks. "And yet you flirted with me anyway?" 

"Well, I-I..." he stutters, scratching his head. "To be fair, I was flirting with you way before you were taken. The first time we met, to be specific."

She laughs loudly. "We're so stupid! Why were we so blind?" 

He wrinkles his nose and squints up at the sky. "I don't think we were blind. I think we were scared." 

"I'm not scared anymore."

He uses his uninjured hand to tuck strands of her hair behind her ear, then moves it to caress the side of her head. "Then kiss me." 

Her chest visibly deflates. "But your wrist..." 

"I really don't give a fuck about my wrist right now." 

"Okay, but I do," she argues, pointing at his gauze that's now soaked through. "You just had surgery—"

Harry's blue-stained mouth shuts her up. His teeth clash with hers, but his soft, wet lips quickly take control and remedy the slight pain. Placing both hands on the sides of her neck, his thumbs tilt her jaw upward to coax deep and perfectly messy kisses out of her pliant mouth. Sawyer settles her hands on his narrow hips and leans into him, doing her best to return his constant affection. His hoodie is drenched, and his hair tickles her face as his nose nudges against hers, slick from the rain. They're both breathing heavily, and she hums into his mouth when he tilts his head to kiss her from a different angle. Faint groans and whimpers come from the back of his throat when she returns his kisses with equal fervor. They make out until the rain causes their teeth to chatter, forcing their aching lips apart.

Sawyer pulls away first, feeling a bit dizzy. "Damn, Southpaw. You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet." 

"Please don't call me that," Harry says breathlessly, placing kiss after kiss on her forehead. “I only want to be your sunray. Forever." 

"I can't call you my boyfriend?"

He turns to the side and awkwardly coughs into the crook of his elbow. "Is this… am I your boyfriend? Wait. Don't… aren't you supposed to ask or something?" 

"Sunray," she says, cradling his cheeks like she's wanted to do for so long, "will you be my boyfriend?"

He gives her a noogie. "Duh. Will you be my girlfriend?" 

Sawyer nods elatedly, and Harry pumps his fist in the air before bringing her in for a suffocatingly affectionate hug. The two lovers stay in that position until the rain lets up and the sunrise lightens the sky. They sway like the palm trees do on the boulevard, kissing until their lips are numb. They hold each other until their clothes stick to their skin. They fall deeper in love since life's too short to not act on buried feelings. 

The storm has passed. 

The sky has opened. 

The sign is crystal clear. 

——

[bloodfin]

✭・.・✫

Rain Ghoul x Dewdrop Ghoul, Midwest Emo Ghouls AU

Rated: T

Word Count: 2.978k

Summary: Set in the Midwestern Emo Ghouls AU, Rain and Dew are trying to enjoy a nice game of pool when a preacher from a few towns over barges in and makes an unscrupulous bet. Rain teaches him a thing or two :)

Warnings/Tags: boys in love; possessive behavior (mildish, they just started dating like two weeks ago who can blame them), suggestive themes, implied/referenced cheating (NOT between raindrop!! the other guy in here is just a capital J Jerk), no beta we die like nihil, background ghouls/relationships

Author’s Note: *smacks fic* you can fit so much lore in here! i had a couple (literal) fever dreams about this raindrop fic after getting covid from a post-christmas pool hall expedition so..... the brainrot is incurable. enjoy, be well, and share what you can! special thanks to @herbal-quintessence for chatting with me about the AU and making me feel so welcome to share a few thoughts about them

additional disclaimer: this is about literal demons straight from hell and has absolutely nothing to do with the actual band members of Ghost

read on AO3

Dew looks like he's glowing in the off-yellow lights that hang from the ceiling, his soft blonde hair glimmering while his head is tossed back in laughter. He had just sent another pool ball over the edge of the table, caught by Rain's quick reflexes before it could clatter to the ground.

“You know,” he smiled, rolling the striped ball back onto the worn green wool, “I thought you were kidding when you said you couldn't play pool.”

Dew laughed again.

“I didn't say I couldn't play, I said I was the worst.”

Rain chuckled, turning towards the bar.

“Hey Rory, can we get another round please? I'm gonna need it.”

“Two old fashioneds, one with extra cherries, coming right up.”

She smiled as Rain nodded, her bubblegum pink hair the brightest thing in the old bar.

“Fritter still on business?”

Dew had joined Rain's side, lacing their fingers together as Aurora mixed their drinks.

“Yeah, might just buy him out at this point. If I do that though, y'all will be saying goodbye to those old tables and icky lights. We need some color in here!”

She giggled as she added more cherries than were necessary to Rain's glass, setting them on the bar while he slid her a crisp bill.

They spent a bit of time at Cinders now that they were together together and Rain felt like he didn't have to worry about the cute bartender as much. As it turns out, he never really had to worry at all. Aurora was bubbly and flirty with everyone, and dating Swiss and Mountain, which his brain often forgot to remind him of in his moments of late night jealousy.

When Ifrit bought Cinders he didn't do much, just changed the name and a few lightbulbs. A few bar signs here, moved the pool tables there, but never quite got around to fixing the crack in the window above the heavy wooden door.

“Humans won't come by as often if it looks a bit run down,” he had shrugged, and no one could argue when they all knew he was right.

But sometimes he was wrong.

Rain was trying to show Dew how to properly rack the balls, a task he was certain could've been easier if Dew didn't make rack and ball jokes every three seconds.

“It's too easy,” Dew chortled, watching Rain's shoulders flex under his flannel as he rolled the triangular rack across the play field.

Rain was about to make a comment back about Dew being easy when the cold wind kicked in through the open door, a stranger walking into the beat up bar. Aurora greeted him pleasantly enough as Swiss stared him down from the shadows of a back table.

Mist and Zephyr looked over from their perch at a hightop, the man's human scent slowly filling the room. Rain and Dew shrugged it off, figuring he'd have a beer or two and be on his way. On the off chance a human did stumble into the bar, they typically had enough intuition to sense that something was just a little ‘off’ and never stayed long.

They instead went back to their game, chalking up their cues and chatting about nothing. Rain insisted Dew break this time, encouraging him with a good natured pat to the back before digging out one of the cherries in his glass and popping it in his mouth.

He watched Dew bend at the waist and carefully hold the cue between his fingers, his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth in concentration.He settled his weight in his hips, mostly for Rain’s benefit but also because he thought it might help - breathed deeply, and struck the cue ball dead on.

His face broke into a huge grin when he watched the striped and solid balls roll around the table, four of them reaching the rails. Rain wiped cherry juice onto the bottom corner of his flannel before wrapping his hand around Dew’s shoulder, congratulating him with a little check of his own hips.

“I did that!” Dew was still smiling, overjoyed that all the balls stayed on the table this time, and he nailed a legal break.

“You did,” Rain smiled, faltering a touch when the man at the bar slid down to the corner, a little too close to be casual.

“Have a good teacher,” Dew purred, oblivious to the way the human was looking up and down his lithe body, eyes pausing a bit too long on the ripped back pocket of his skintight jeans.

“That was a great break for someone learning,” the stranger interjected, hand tight around his glass of pale beer.

Dew’s face was neutral, while Rain felt the corner of his lip start to quiver with a scowl.

“Thanks,” Dew said, snaking his fingers into the hand Rain held behind his back.

The man then turned to Rain, head tilted with a question. “Best way to learn is to watch a game, right? I’m a bit out of practice, but we could make a quickie of it.”

It was Rain’s turn to study the human, his neatly cropped hair and groomed stubble. He saw the imprint on his left hand, faded skin where a wedding band should be. Rain knew exactly what he was after, and there was no way he was going to get it. He squeezed Dew’s fingers before letting them go, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sure. Keep this break, or start over?”

The man looked down the table, taking in the position of each ball.

“Well, he seems so proud. Let’s keep his work. I’m Michael, by the way, I preach a few towns over. Was driving through and needed a little break.”

Typical.

“I’m Damon,” Dew piped up, returning his cue to the stand and grabbing his drink before dragging a bar stool over so he could watch. “And this is… Richard.”

Rain turned to glance at him snickering into his glass, a perfect eyebrow nearly hitting his hairline. “Richard?” he mouthed silently, and Dew shrugged, feigning innocence and fishing the cherry out of his glass.

“Well Richard,” the human smiled, far past typical politeness, “why don’t we make the game a little more interesting for Damon, since he’s learning and all?”

Rain turned his attention back to the man, looking him up and down again.

“Depends. What do you want if you win?”

The man hummed, pretending to think about it, even though everyone in the small room could smell his intention from the moment he slunk down the bar.

“Perhaps I could buy that pretty little thing you’re with a drink or two, and then we’ll see where the night goes.”

Rain turned his head towards Dew, making sure the trail of purple Dew left up his neck that morning was visible under the bar lights. Dew shrugged, fully knowing Rain has never lost a game of pool in his entire time topside.

“Well, he seems alright with that.”

The man hummed, pleased. “And if you win?”

“I’ll come up with something reasonable, I’m sure.” Rain offered, his siren charm seeping out.

Filled with false confidence the man offered his sweaty palm in agreement, which Rain begrudgingly shook. He waited until the man had turned to wipe his palm hard against the front of his pants, shaking his head at Dew’s near silent laugh.

“Guests first,” Rain said with a tight smile, gesturing at the field.

Michael shrugged and lined up behind the cue ball, a loud snap echoing in the bar. The purple striped ball rolled into the corner pocket, and the man had the common sense to look surprised by sinking his first shot.

“Can’t believe that went in!”

Rain stifled his eye roll. It was an easy shot, Dew probably could have made it with the right encouragement.

Rain gestured for him to go again, watching him call a complicated show-off shot that the guy would most likely miss. He wanted to bounce off the rail and sink the striped orange ball, but shrugged it off when he scratched instead. Michael wandered his way over to Dew, pushing what would be considered a polite distance.

“That was a scratch, since I pocketed the cue ball. Now Richy here gets the ball in hand, and can shoot from wherever he wants.”

Dew had to take a deep breath through his nose, fighting every instinct he had to make a comment about how Rain was very familiar with the concept. Only a few weeks had passed since they decided to step across the friendship barrier and into something more, so, one could say that they’ve been making up for lost time.

Instead Dew focused on the way Rain walked around the table, rolling the white ball in his large hand. Dew could tell he was showing off a bit, his slender fingers wrapped around the cue, the way he appraised the table, surely making whatever secret calculations he always made when lining up for his shots. So it was a surprise then, when Rain paused next to Dew, taking a sip of Dew’s drink before nodding his head towards the table.

“Which ball should I sink?”

Dew hummed, tapping his fingers on his thigh.

“Well, he’s stripes so you want the solid ones. Mmm,” Dew paused, scanning the table. “Maybe the orange one?”

He pointed at the ball already on the edge of the far pocket, and Rain nodded in agreement.

“Good choice, he should be embarrassed if he doesn’t nail that,” Michael smiled, squeezing Dew’s shoulder.

Rain bristled as he dropped the cue ball onto the table, making a show of lining himself up.He could just rip Michael’s arm off his body, but embarrassing him felt more fun.Dew was watching, intently, the way he flexed his fingers around the stick, loosening his grip as he rolled his wrist to line himself up. The path to the ball he was taking was unnecessarily difficult, so he called the shot out loud to make sure the intention was clear. Dew watched him breathe and settle his hips, eyes following the snap to watch the orange ball tip into its named pocket.

Dew smiled, nodding in encouragement as Rain studied the play field once more. He could watch this all day, the way his eyes traced the paths of possibility across the field, trying to determine the quickest way to win. Rain often pulled at his lower lip when he was concentrating and it was cuter with his fangs, but was still adorable now. He watched him tip his head, no doubt showing off the line of bruises that ran the column of his neck, and much, much lower.

Dew had to snap himself out of it before he did something regrettable, settling back into the bar stool and finishing his drink.

“Oh, I’ll take that for you,” Michael offered, letting his fingers touch Dew’s for longer than necessary before he turned to the bar.

“What a gentleman,” Dew mumbled, watching Rain’s eyes get darker with each passing moment. He blew him a quick kiss, watching Rain catch it before pretending to lick his palm, running it along the stick a few times before Michael turned back around.

Rain smirked, finding a shot that nearly mimicked Michael’s failed attempt from before. Dew watched him nod to himself, using his long pointer finger to plot the course he needed to take. He moved around the table, gripping the edge, getting himself lined up in confirmation.

“Yeah, blue, left center pocket.”

Michael scoffed, and Dew shoved his hands under his thighs to keep his claws from coming out. He loved the way Rain’s brows furrowed as he breathed into the shot, aiming true. One cue ball, off the rail, skirting by the eight to tap the blue exactly where it needed to go, left center pocket. When Rain stood he ran his hand through his ruffled hair, eyeing the table for his next call.

“You’re pretty good there,” Michael said low, taking a long drink of his beer.

“Didn’t say I wasn’t,” Rain stated blandly, sipping his own drink. Dew swore he could see Rain’s skin burning from across the table, knowing he didn’t like how close this human was standing, although he couldn’t blame him. He knew Rain could end the game in six more shots, but he also knew that sometimes, Rain liked to play with his food.

It was on his next shot that Rain missed, purposely, as far as Dew could tell, leaving the cue ball in a difficult position for Michael to make any shots. Rain shrugged and slipped another cherry into his mouth, chewing slowly while making his way back to Dew’s side.

“You’re so hot,” Dew whispered, leaning into Rain.

Rain hummed, pulling another cherry from the glass and pressing it to Dew’s lips. He parted happily, chewing the sweet fruit with a smile. Really, how many had Aurora put in there? Dew took the glass from Rain’s hand and swirled his finger around the ice cube, licking it clean while Mitch or whatever his name was tried to work out a shot.

“Got me cornered here bud,” Michael joked, looking over his shoulder to find Rain shrugging nonchalantly.

“Not like I could do that on purpose.”

Dew bit back a snicker and Rain moved to lean on the table, knuckles pressing into the wood. Michael was taking aim, grumbling under his breath when he landed a solid ball into a nearby pocket.

Rain smiled and made quick work of a stripe. “Gotta keep it fair, yeah?”

Dew watched him wait patiently while Michael pocketed another ball before missing on his second shot, giving the field back to Rain.

Rain made quick work of two more shots, missing the third when his hand slipped watching Michael rest his palm on Dew's knee. A deep rumble filled his chest and the bar, a low enough frequency that the human never would have heard it.

Dew moved in his chair, crossing one knee over the other, sagging with relief when Michael pulled his hand away. Rain quickly returned to his side, resting the cool weight of his palm on Dew's warm thigh. It grounded both of them, let them breathe in each other's calming scents while Michael tried, and failed, to sink another shot.

How he thought he would ever win a pool bet was beyond Rain, but he supposed he could briefly admire the man's audacity. Only humans were so bold.

“You wanna get out of here?” Rain asked Dew quietly, fingers playing with the corner of his flannel.

Dew nodded, briefly leaning his head on Rain's shoulder with an affectionate rumble.

Rain returned to the table, shifting his weight between his legs while he studied.

“Red ball, left corner,” Rain stated, clicking his stick against the table.

Michael scoffed. “From where?”

Rain looked at him sideways.

“My apologies. Red ball, left corner, double bank from right and far center rails.”

“Sure, bud.”

Rain winked at him, settling into position. And when the cue ball followed his exact path and tipped the red ball in, Rain was certain he could have sunk the eight into Michael's mouth next with how far it was hanging open.

Rain flipped his hair to the side as lined up for his last shot, and Dew couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight of his bruised skin. It was far from the first time he saw it that night, but every time he caught sight of the marks his stomach filled with butterflies, a reminder that Rain was his.

His.

He turned his attention back to the game to watch Rain call his final shot, sinking the eight ball with a frightening level of precision. When he stood the human offered him a few claps, nodding up and down.

“Figure out what you want? Since you won and all.”

Dew could hear that the man was a little bitter, his prospects blown by his incredibly hot boyfriend's hidden talent for pool.

Rain set his cue on the stand and turned, appearing to be deep in thought. When he breathed in Dew felt the air change, suddenly chilly as he sucked in warm moisture coming from the radiators.

“I want you to run,” Rain smiled, slowly letting small parts of his glamor drop away, the tips of his fangs falling first.

Michael stammered.

“You want me to… what?”

Rain leaned over the pool table, braced by his hands. His fangs were fully showing now, and his horns were visible in the shadow he cast against the wall. The air around the table got colder and colder, Rain absorbing the warmth with every breath. .

“You heard me. Run.”

Michael screeched out to the Christian god before turning and bolting out of the bar, Rain and Dew nearly doubling in laughter at the sounds of his car peeling away.

“That was mean, Rainy,” Aurora laughed from the bar, drying glasses and setting them on the shelf.

“Maybe he'll think twice next time.”

Dew hummed, hopping down from his chair to press into Rain's back, his arms wrapped around him in a firm hug.

Rain squeezed his hand over Dew's.

“Richard, huh?”

“Yeah, you know the nickname for Richard right?”

Rain stared ahead blankly, having a feeling he was about to be the butt of another one of Dew's jokes.

He snickered, resting his head on Rain's back.

“Dick.”

“You're insufferable,” Rain sighed, long suffering though good natured. “Let's go home.”

“I know. I love you too.”

They left hand in hand, giggling the whole way back to Dew's place, promises made between them to call a realtor in the morning and to finish packing.

Rain's apartment wasn't going to list itself, and the town could always use a few more ghouls.

[littlekingbergara]

Anyway no more about the situation what are your favorite albums of all time

super appreciate the plural bc i could nottt choose one. how about like ten. these are NOT in any order i just love them so much. also limiting myself to one per artist for your sake.

britney spears's ...baby one more time goddamn i LOVE this album. her voice is soo beautiful and the sound is the perfect late 90s/early 2000s bubblegum pop vibe mixed with some of the most heartfelt songs youve ever heard. gorgeous gorgeous record.

chappell roan's the rise and fall of a midwest princess... obviously. i really truly feel like this album will go down as one of the Greatest pop records in history and it's so deserved ALONG WITH chappell as one of the most iconic performers. like she Literally has everything. party bops and crazy heartbreaking ballads and it translates SO well to a live show. my next record purchase as soon as i can decide between the deluxe or regular and im leaning heavyyyy toward the deluxe.

the regrettes' further joy. i had this on repeat when it came out!!! no skips it's so boppy and fun and thoughtful dreamy... i love it. would give anything to hear it live again but my signed vinyl will have to do. this album is like the music version of this emoji 💖 im so serious.

the cab's symphony soldier. have you ever... listened to this album. for one it's beautiful and two it's SUCH a fun vibe you can't not sing and dance and have so much fun. also yes i'm a spn fan ok move on.

waterparks' fandom. uhh relevant djfhdjdh. but for real it's such a stark and strong commentary on what fandom Is and parasocial relationships and how it feels to be trapped in a box because your fanbase won't let you grow as an artist and what it is to be so accessible to the public to the point where you have no control over yourself or your image. i love her deeply she tickles my brain so nicely and makes me think.

fletcher's you ruined new york city for me. it's an ep ok maybe i'm cheating but she tells the story of a whole album. i listened to this when i got dumped in nyc 🤪 so dramatic lmao. but really it's such a vulnerable breakup album that does so much in five songs. mostly make me sad.

5sos's youngblood. yeah i'm here have you LISTENED to this album??? the SOUNDS on that thing!!! it's like just the right amount of poppy and grungy and mature like... they really did something there.

harry styles debut ... controversial? honestly my favorite harry album changes prob every other week but something about his self titled is really doing it for me right now. it's an incredible body of work that introduces us to Harry Styles himself outside of one direction. i'm begging for a rockier album in the future from him bc the tastes of it we get on this record show he would just nail it.

paramore's after laughter. i swear this album made me feel alive in a way i didn't know i could feel. it's such a departure from their past work but it's still so genuine and true and you can't tell whether you're happy or sad or both or neither it's just everything to a bitch like me who can't confront her emotions dead on. and so so pretty.

carly rae jepsen's emotion.. right? how could it not be. pop perfection and that's all there is to it. the first record i bought before i even had a turntable.

extremely honorable mention to 5sos's the feeling of falling upwards. i didnt officially include it bc it's a live album but i love it so much it's so beautiful.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Kissing (3) Masterlist

Links last checked: November 5th, 2024

part one, part two

after the rain (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: they meet at pride

An Experiment Gone Right - phansomedevil

Summary: At a party, Phil suggests an experiment to test if he and Dan really are 100 percent platonic. What, after all, would happen if they kissed? 

finding you (ao3) - spaceandvinyls

Summary: dan is tired of being pushed around and called a whore. he meets phil at a party, expected to get used again, but instead finds himself falling in love with him.

Frottica (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: Dan finally acts on his feelings toward the sexy barista at Lester's Coffee Shop. Phil is relieved by the man's boldness, and an exciting new relationship begins.

Fuck Away The Pain (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Phil’s boyfriend cheats on him leaving him a mix of sad, angry, and a million other unidentified emotions.

Luckily Dan was always there for him.

Graveyard (ao3) - Numberonephanboy

Summary: "You're bringing me lunch in a graveyard?"

"Sounded more romantic in my head."

Homoerotic Vampire Make-Out Session (ao3) - husbants

Summary: It’s October 2015 and Phil wants to indulge Dan in a little festive vampire roleplay. Dan seemed to like writing “The Urge,” after all.

I can't help falling in love with you (again) (ao3) - Findus26

Summary: "Do you ever miss that feeling of being newly in love? Like, those first date jitters? Butterflies, if you will?"

It's 2020, the world is falling apart and Dan can't help thinking back to October 2009 when everything was new and exciting. Phil finds a way to recreate the feeling

I love him (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Phil had hidden who he really was for such a long time that he was scared of people knowing the truth.

Luckily Dan comes into his life, making him feel safe and so extremely happy.

Dan makes Phil feel less scared to be himself, and he finally feels comfortable and ready to come out and show the real side of him.

No more fear, no more secrets, no more hiding.

i'm bad at cooking (but not at loving you) (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: 3 times Phil tries to make Dan breakfast, + 1 time it actually works

It's home (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: A day in the life of Dan and his smitten ice-cream vendor boyfriend Phil, living on the coast of Connemara, Ireland

Kisses Through The Years (ao3) - undertalednp

Summary: Phil wanted this forever.

And so, forever is what he got.

Love Scenario (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: When Phil first saw him in the spring, he thought he looked like bubblegum.

Melodramatic, But It Turns Me On - phanlight

Summary: teenage!phan are at a sleepover and begin to have a bit of fun with the sex dices they’d found earlier that evening. 

Now We’re On the Naughty List (ao3) - cafephan

Summary: Phil meets Dan after a Christmas Eve party, and invites him to stay after his taxi is stuck in the snow.

Oswald (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan is an asshole, Phil goes through a tragic accident, and this somehow brings them together.

Also Phil owns a pancake restaurant.

something to play for (ao3) - spaceandvinyls

Summary: “the world doesn’t revolve around basketball, lester.”

a basketball!au where phil is the school's star player and dan is his best friend, watching from the sidelines. everything changes when the team makes it to state championships for the first time in ten years and dan and phil realize they want something more than friendship.

the taste of your cherry chapstick - huphilpuffs

Summary: Punk!Phil has a crush, so when Pastel!Dan is manning a kissing booth for a school event, he finds himself showing up with a pound in his pocket.

The Lovers (VI) (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: Dan, guardian of the forest, feels inadequate to love and of love. His best friend Phil loves him despite that.. but doesn't know quite what to do when Dan becomes a hypocrite- playing with both their feelings

The original high (ao3) - KujiraHanma

Summary: Listening to "The Original High" the song reminds Phil of Dan and the first years of their relationship. Delving into memories induced by the song, he gets horny and when Dan comes home Phil surprises him with sex while keeping his headphones on.

Too Hot - jilliancares

Summary: Dan gets dragged to a party he doesn’t want to go to and then dragged into playing a game he doesn’t want to play. He can only hope that he won’t end up having to kiss Phil Lester, who he hates more than slow internet.

too loud in public (ao3) - dizzy, waveydnp

Summary: dan is too busy snogging a cute stranger named phil in a closet at a university party to realize the cops are about to break it up

Uh, No Homo Bro? (ao3) - enthuzimuzzy

Summary: Phil helps a drunk Dan up the twenty seven steps to their apartment on his birthday, forgetting what's behind the door. And that Dan really can't hold his alcohol.

Welcome home! (never leave that long again) (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Dan comes home from tour and stumbles right into Phil’s arms. He is more touch starved than he’d realised.

who you are and who you've been (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: The last day of summer seems like the perfect time to break into a public pool and make life-altering decisions in the middle of the night.

[threadsun]

You know, I just freaking realized I’m literally still being vocal on here without using my actual voice. Like, I don’t NEED to tell you how I’m reacting and I could just lie at how much this is affecting me. I could just play it cool and flirt back level headed, but here I am freaking detailing out everything lol. Correction: I need an experienced SADIST dom to get their hands on me, but I’ll never admit it! But damn, I’m usually the one to fluster people, it’s so weird being on the other side! Like, I hand out compliments like there’s no tomorrow, but I ain’t used to people handing them back.

Are you sure you’d be winning though? As far as I can tell, I can still think coherently AND I haven’t melted into a puddle of curses, so I’m not sure if you’re doing so good of a job reminding me how I should behave. A dom who can’t put a sub in their place, shame really~ All I can see is someone talking big game with no action! Heard it plenty times before, so there’s really nothing new there. Now you better show me some real talk here or I’ll just keep believing that I’ll win

Every. Single. TIME

I’m very competitive so~ But yeah! I think when I first learned about Ian, I was upset at what he did, but the afterlife story combined with what we know from the original game hints more as to why he did it and why he wouldn’t do it again. Self esteem issues mixed with religious trauma can definitely f-up someone’s mental image of sex and taboos. Of course, there’s a part of him being so used to m/c being around that he took them for granted a bit, but it’s normal to get more comfortable with someone after knowing them for so long. This whole situation was a reminder that M/C chose to be with them not because it was easy and convenient, but because they wanted to and so doing something like cheating might make them step away. But outside of that, I feel like a long heart-to-heart conversation and some counseling would really help their relationship heal, as couple or as friends. He never did it out of spite of M/C or to purposely hurt them so I don’t think it’s right to demonize him.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Fireman Joesph straddling a giant hose shirtless. Fireman Joesph letting you sit on his lap while he drives the fire truck around. Fireman Joesph warning you about the dangers of fire while smoking a cigarette at the same. Fireman Joesph slipping down the pole with flair just to tease you a bit. Fireman Joesph asking if you want to be the firehouse’s pet while handing you a Dalmatian ear headband. BARK! MWHAHAHA I FOUND YOUR WEAKNESSES! ψ(｀∇´)ψ Anyway, EMT Joesph snapping those gloves into place as he pulls out a heart monitor. Having him ask why your heart rate is so high while he leans over you to grab something. Gonna need that oxygen mask at that point sir! But yes to stripper Joesph in uniform! Freaking playing that magic mike soundtrack while grinding into the floor looking so fine~ YUM!

OMG YES! DO IT!!! WRITE THAT ZANDER FIC WITH OUTLAW JOESPH!! I’LL BE ALL OVER THAT THE MOMENT IT DROPS! 😂 Smoking in fiction definitely is hotter than irl, but imagine Joesph with sunshine who loves bubblegum cigarettes, acting like they’re real while blowing out sugary smoke. Their cheeks get all puffed up trying to keep the stick from flying out of their mouth and them trying to tell Joesph all cool like that their favorite brand is Round Up (Which ironically has a cowboy on the front of it). I can just imagine him chuckling to himself and shaking his head while taking another drag from his cigarette. Maybe they’ll even try to recommend Joesph to use their bubblegum cigarettes instead of his.

-🎃

It's cute how honest you are with me, I think you know I'd see right through you if you tried to lie. For all your bluster and big talk about how bratty you are, all you want is for someone to make you hurt for them. Someone who wants to see you cry for them. You just want a sadistic dom's firm hand to guide you and show you just how much pain you can withstand, all for a little praise and attention. Unfortunately for you, I don't do that part for free unless we're close. So sadly you'll have to settle for knowing I could break you, but I won't. And really, that's the perfect punishment for a brat like you, I think~

Ooooh see I don't think Ian took mc for granted at all. What I think happened is that his mother somehow convinced him that mc was being unfaithful. Whether it was just through constantly sowing seeds of doubt, or having mc followed and photographed in innocent situations framed to look scandalous, or paying someone to lie to him and say they'd slept with mc/seen mc sleeping with someone else. From what we've seen in Afterlife, she's not above things like having Ian followed. She clearly has the money for this sort of thing, doesn't approve of the relationship, and will go to any lengths to manipulate Ian and make him do what she wants. I think Ian didn't know what to do when he was made to believe mc cheated, so he slept with someone else to at least feel desirable and like he was as capable as mc of finding someone else. But as soon as the heartbreak and anger died down (and post-nut clarity hit), he realised it was his mother orchestrating the whole thing all along. So he feels guilty and responsible (because he was ultimately the one who believed it and made the choice to sleep with someone else) but it still keeps in line with the personality we saw in Afterlife and tracks with what we know of his mother. idk this might not be the way they go with it, but to me it makes more sense with what we've seen of his character than him just... deciding to cheat on a whim. Or cheating because he somehow takes mc for granted and assumes they'll forgive him (which is like... the exact opposite of what we've seen of his personality so far).

LISTEN I just think Joseph looks good in uniforms ��� and I'm correct too. Oh what I would give to be the station puppy in an sdj firefighter AU........ so many big men in uniforms.........

>:3c I just might~ I simply think Zander/Kitty would have so much fun playing a game of cat and mouse with outlaw Joseph!!

Oh absolutely, either those or like the herbal cigarettes people use to help quit smoking! Moon's OC Nik uses those and it's very sexy and smells nice :3c

[shauni--lee]

shauni knew the ins and outs of dating because she'd done it a lot. shauni knew what kind of guys to avoid and the red flags to look out for when boys wanted nothing but someone to add to one of their lists. shauni was in a happy relationship at the moment where the two were each other's favourite people in the world. that's exactly what a relationship between two people should've been like. soren seemed sweet. shauni remembered soren getting embarrassed once he checked vivian out one time. the poor guy probably didn't realise they were sisters at that time - probably assumed shauni was vivian's roommate instead because the two didn't look similar at all. "nobody said you needed to make him cheat. i'm just saying that you couldn't do anything to stop him if that was what it came down too. i doubt he's got a girlfriend anyways by the way he was looking at you the other night." vivian could make conversations with soren. she was easy to get along with and out-going enough. "yeah? let's create it then. am i pretty enough to make your photographs look good?" shauni was use to taking selfies instead of professional photographs. vivian knew how to make shauni look more model like." she looked at the picture vivian was showing to her with a girl in water mixed with milk. the photo did look pretty cool. "really? do you know i'm going to be picking bubblegum pop all the way there?" shauni's music taste was full of powerful woman singers currently in the charts.

"makes sense," she nodded. of course, she couldn't read him and expect to know everything about him after just waving at him when they moved into the place. "okay, conversation, i think i can do that," she nodded. at her sister's words mentioning how relationships didn't stop people, vivian opened her words. "shauni, i'm not stealing anyone's boyfriend," she mused quickly, "and i'm not making anyone cheat on anyone," vivian assured. if the cute guy was single, she would try her best to ask him out. she didn't know how that could go. maybe simply mentioning the place would make him want to invite her? if not, she would try something else. she was smart; she could do it. she didn't have as much charisma as other girls, but she could try to fake it until she made it. at some point, she would like someone to make her feel like shauni had told her antonio did. she could dream, couldn't she? "i mean, not a whole bathtub filled with milk, but i saw it on tiktok and i think it can look amazing, and my portfolio needs more things. maybe if people like them, i will get booked or something," she pointed out, taking out her phone and looking for her inspiration picture. "see, it looks cool," she mused, showing the picture to her sister. the brunette started making her way outside and down the elevator to their car. "off we go," she smiled. "you can choose the music, passenger princess."

[lostinthe-jojos]

Spa Day

Just some Draken fluff. Reposted from my old blog

Draken usually stayed until late at his shop, seemingly the days weren't long enough for him. Some days you'd stay, keeping him company and making sure he took breaks to eat and drink something. Other days, you'd just wait for him in your shared apartment, getting some dinner for you both whether it be homemade or ordered, and tried to stay awake until his arrival.

Usually, however, he'd get home to see you asleep on the couch, a warm feeling invading his chest at the sight and carefully carrying you to your shared bed. Sometimes you'd mutter a soft thank you or I love you and fall back asleep.

That night, however, he got home to see you in the middle of your skin care routine.

"You're early" you said when you heard him opening the door to your home "How was your day?"

"Boring" he responded and walked around trying to find you "Not much to do today" he said with a shrug.

"Well I'm happy to have you for myself a bit earlier" you said sending him a kiss, without leaving your place on the couch.

You were apparently busy mixing something he couldn't quite figure out.

"Watcha doin'" he simply asked messing your hair before kissing the crown of your head, his big hands gently massaging your shoulders.

You leaned to kiss his right hand and looked up to him.

"Clay mask" you responded "You got here right on time, wanna join me?"

He shrugged.

"Sure" he said and jumped over the couch to sit with you.

"Nope. Go wash your face first" you said playfully pushing him "c'mon, you can use any of my face cleansers" you added with a wink.

"I'm such a lucky man" he said with a chuckle and walked to the bathroom.

"Which should I use?" He asked, trying to figure out if there was really a difference among the three containers you owned.

"Um... Maybe the tea tree oil one?"

He picked up the cleansing gel and read the instructions.

"You callin' me greasy?" he asked in a theatrical offended voice as he washed his face.

"We're both greasy, babe" you replied.

Minutes later, he plopped down next to you, face washed and wearing a white oversized t-shirt and black sweats, his usual stay-at-home outfit.

"Done. Now what?" He asked, eyeing all the products you had on display on your coffee table.

You handed him a small pink package.

"Soft exfoliating mask. Rub it on your face and then use this" you gave him a small container with a wet towel "to take it all off"

He did as you instructed, being careful to not rub on his skin too hard, just as you told him.

"Smells like bubblegum. I like it" he smiled at you before cleaning the exfoliating mask.

"Now the clay mask" you said, holding another container and a small brush "Do you want me to put yours on first?"

He hummed and leaned down, letting you put on the clay mask on him. He loved the gentle look on your face, so focused on covering his face just right, careful not to drop any on the couch not his eyes or lips.

"This is actually very relaxing"

"Shhh... You'll mess it up" you said before announcing that you were finished.

"Can I put yours on?"

You handed him the container and brush and he proceeded to apply the mask on you, trying to do it as thoughtfully as he could without getting anything on your hairline.

"Absolutely beautiful" he said when he finished and you responded by sticking out your tongue.

"Now we wait fifteen minutes and we get this off"

You decided to play cards while you waited, the timer you had set startling you.

The two of you walked to the bathroom, each playfully pushing the other, until Draken threw you over his shoulder and kept you there, with you whining about how that was cheating, while he washed his face.

"This is what I get for being a nice and sweet partner" you dramatically said when he finally put you down "You're so mean to me sometimes"

"You love it" he said and winked.

Once you were done, you handed him a sheet mask, one with a panda face painted, and explained him how to unfold it and put it on before you put yours on. He was leaning on the couch with his eyes closed, unaware of the photos you were taking of him and were planning to use to make some cheesy edits and stickers.

"This is the most relaxing thing I've done in a while" he said.

"You're welcome" you said wrapping one of his arms around you "we can do this anytime you want"

Do not repost, translate or distribute my work outside of Tumblr.

[starrysupercell]

If Brawlers were Animals: Part One!

Rules: No obvious typings. I'm not allowed to use animals that

The character has motifs of in their default appearance, like Piper with Butterflies and Mortis with Bats.

Are animal skins/Line skins like Tanuki Jessie, Sally Leon, Neko Bea.

Are pets (Mike's Canary, Gale's Snake)

Are their actual animal. (Crow, Ruffs)

Because those are too obvious. I want a challenge. I'll also include a brief description explaining why I see them as such. I think that's it. Plain and simple. With that, let's begin.

~~~

Jacky: Rabbit. The way she hops along is, of course, how rabbits move. And have you ever seen a rabbit temper tantrum? When rabbits get mad, they stomp their hind legs to show how they feel- it's literally just her regular attacks. There's also her pigtails, and the fact that she drills into the earth? Burrowing bunny.

Colt: Red Panda. The gorgeous coloring just makes me think of him- usually I try and find more in depth explanations, but I can't think of another animal for him. He's pretty. He knows it, you know it, and he knows you know it.

Bibi: Tasmanian Devil. She's small and occasionally temperamental and surely packs a wallop. Also, the cute shade of pink in its ears and open mouth reminds me of her bubblegum.

Sandy: Maine Coon/Ragdoll Cat mix. If you think Sandy isn't a cat... well, that's your opinion and I respect that. Anyway, this sleepy boy loves snoozing in the sun, he's very strong but he would honestly prefer to just chill 99% of the time. Maine Coons are known for being good at hunting. Ragdoll cats, if you can imagine, are cats that show their affection by going limp when picked up by someone they trust. It's very adorable.

Shelly: Tiger. Maybe it's cheating a little bit, because she has her pet cat.. but that's only a regular house cat. Tigers are big cats. She's strong, extremely ferocious and beautiful. Don't mess with her. Tigers are also known to represent anger, so I'm sure that's fitting. Also, skulks around in bushes, and aren't Shelly mains endangered too? :p

Spike: Porcupine. Is there much to explain here? Cute, but not a good idea to touch. Also waddles along. Did you know it's possible to pet a porcupine? Build trust with the little guy and mind the quills, but please. Try. For him. (Not really--)

Rosa: Kangaroo. She's tough and likes fighting. She's a boxer, but I think the powerful kangaroo is a good fit for her. Maybe she's a kick-boxer? Lol. Also, for bonus points, while she does carry around Vinny on her back (my name for the pink plant, for anyone who hasn't seen that headcanon of mine-), mother Kangaroos carry around their offspring.

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats #25 | Throat... 12 Years After (Damiano, 1984)

This review contains mild spoilers.

By the '80s, the nexus of porn filmmaking had shifted from New York to California, the sunny, warm weather vibes of the latter having replaced the grittier urban realities of the former. So when Throat... 12 Years After opens with images of New York City, it feels something like a statement. This isn't going to be one of your trifles from the west coast. This is a real movie, about real people, dealing with real emotions. One of these real emotions is guilt, like what George Payne feels about cheating on his wife and visiting a hooker as he argues with his conscience on his drive home. ("There's something between nine-to-five and meatloaf," he tells himself.) Now, this conversation is played softly for laughs, but the movie does stack the deck in favour of one side by casting Sharon Mitchell as the bubblegum-chewing prostitute. In a room bathed in a pulsating red light that waxes and wanes in brightness, Mitchell asks him about his sex life as they prepare to do the deed.

"You ever done anything kinky?"

"One time the wife kept the slippers on."

As the scene progresses, Mitchell recounts a schoolyard sexual encounter, and the movie proceeds to cut between her scene with Payne and her flashback with Phil Prince regular Dan Stephens (one of the more presentable male performers in that director's stock company), and you can see how the movie navigates the differences in erotic qualities between the immediacy of the Mitchell/Payne scene and the almost ethereal Mitchell/Stephens scene. But as much as the actual sex, the scene's interest lies in the before and after, the characters trying to wring meaning from their actions.

The rest of the movie follows this pattern. There's a housewife, who at first is browbeaten by her mother to make some grandkids already ("Cook a nice dinner. Put on something see-through. Kids are what you need.") and later finds solace in the visiting repairman, who sees through her marital troubles. ("People drift apart by inches, day by day, an inch at a time.") The wife is played by Michelle Maren, who doesn't have a whole lot of other credits to her name (Damiano was known for sometimes casting relative unknowns in major roles; the high water mark of this strategy would be the great Georgina Spelvin in The Devil in Miss Jones) yet is quite effective in her role (and has a very distinct hairdo to boot). The repairman is played by Eric Edwards, who I've sometimes found a little bland but happens to be very good at playing nice here, so much so that you don't really hold it against the wife for being unfaithful.

Then there's Sharon Kane, an older woman employing the services of an inexperienced male prostitute played by Jerry Butler. Kane is an experienced patron of such services, providing Butler with very specific instructions for preparing martinis and then chiding him over his inexperience. ("What's with you, you can't listen and suck at the same time? You an actor or something?") It's probably not very nice of Kane to tell Butler to his face that he's not as good as her first (who we see in a flashback), but she also gets through a tricky bit of dialogue while being orally pleasured, so much respect in any case. The climax of the film follows Joey Silvera and Joanna Storm on a trip to an underground sex club. Their cabbie is played by Damiano in one of his cameos (a Camiano? Cameo-no?), delivering a joke about why you can't drink a cold beer after a hot bath. (I won't reveal the punchline, but I did laugh.) Once there, naturally they join the orgy that's in progress, and while such scenes aren't ones I find inherently erotic, this one is well put together for what it is. After having struggled through the interminable, shapeless orgy footage in Jungle Blue, I appreciate that this one, with its mix of stark lighting, unusual angles and acrobatic positions has a pretty distinct impact compared to the previous sex scene. (It's also set to a disco song with embarrassingly graphic lyrics.)

Once all of this is over, the main characters, who we learn are couples and friends, get together, their relationships apparently having been strengthened by their sexual escapades. Their choice of entertainment explains the title, and they all toast ("To practice") as the credits kick in, with flashbacks in splitscreen to the preceding antics. Throat... 12 Years Later was directed by Gerard Damiano, who placed more importance than the average director at the time on the dramatic potency of his films. The tagline explains the mission statement ("A reflection, not a sequel"), which is about reflecting on the acts featured while it's delivering the goods, using its episodic structure to create emotional resonance. Damiano has a certain conservative streak in some of his work, but this is fairly sex positive, arguing that sex strengthens all the characters' relationships, and extends to a defense of the hardcore porn genre, offering an argument that these movies can actually be emotionally rewarding. That it works as well as it does is due to the relative naturalism on display, carried by consistently strong performances and a good ear for dialogue, and the elegant yet varied visual style (cinematography courtesy of Larry Revene), which finds a distinct and potent atmosphere for each of the encounters.

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Reality Check-Euphoria Imagine

Requested: No Warnings: mentions of trauma and a scene of an attempted sexual assault

A/N: I’m back from a super long break! I am so sorry I have not been able to update this blog since I started grad school but I have a bit of a break to write a bit. I just finished Euphoria so after this imagine, I’ll get started on the requests.

I own nothing from Euphoria and do not claim to own anything

Gif is from:geek-ramblings

Everything in italics in the story is Rue’s narration

Y/N Y/L/N wanted to be a princess for as long as she could remember. It didn’t hurt that every Disney movie and other piece of media designed for little girls endorsed this dream. One of those movies was the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Whitney Houston, Brandi, Whoopi Goldberg, and Victor Garber. It was the first time Y/N saw a princess who looked like her and it solidified that her dreams were possible. She watched that movie every day for three years and knows the soundtrack by heart. When her older cousin, McKay, irritated her, she would belt “Impossible/It’s Possible” at the top of her lungs in retaliation. While McKay was pushed to his limits on the football field, Y/N would twirl around in her living room during the ballroom sequence, pretending as though she had a dashing partner who would whisk her away. Her parents didn’t mind this dream since it suggested that she was as “normal” as a little girl could be. Eventually, Y/N’s mother put her in dance classes so that she could learn how to be graceful and dance with real people. Y/N fell in love with dancing since it gave her a way to express herself without speaking. Y/N was one of the sweetest people ever, but she was so shy and nervous, and I didn’t get it. Once she got comfortable, she actually had some things to say and a decent sense of humor. What she rarely let anyone know was she still dreamed of finding her prince, even though East Highland was overrun with frogs. In middle school, Y/N focused on studying and dancing while everyone else was practice dating (ie talking for a few hours on Facebook Messenger and avoiding eye contact in the hallway save a few nervous glances). She was hopeful that she would meet her prince in high school since that’s how it worked in the movies and what her older cousins had her believe. Y/N learned quickly that high was not like the movies and did not entertain herself with frivolous things, something Maddy called her out on at lunch one day.

  “I’m right so don’t even try to fight me about it,” Maddy affirmed from across the table.

  The cafeteria was busy and smelled of semi-fresh food and bubblegum. Y/N, Maddy, Cassie, BB, and Kat sat at their usual table. Y/N paused mid-bite into her cucumber sandwich and closed her mouth as soon as she realized it was hanging open.

  “What?”

  “You don’t do anything outside of school and dance team unless we drag you out and that needs to change,” Maddy insisted.

  “I do other things,” Y/N said hesitantly.

 “Yeah, like what? And it can’t be anything that you would use for college!”

   Y/N racked her brain for a few moments. “Well, I watch movies and I read----”

  “Fun things!” Maddy interrupted.

  “Like gettin’  d-ck,” BB added.

  Y/N’s face warmed up and she looked away from BB. “B, why’d you have to say it like that?”

  “Well, at the end of the day, all that romance sh-t you’re into is just a pretty form of foreplay.”

  “No, it’s not, they’re displays of affection and they’re beautiful. I know you all think romance is dead but I can’t and I don’t want to settle for that.” Y/N nodded her head in the direction of a table of guys who were concocting potions by mixing up the lunch of day with milk.

  Cassie grabbed Y/N’s hand. “No one would expect you of all people to settle, but you haven’t dated anyone and there are some good guys in this town if not in this school. We just want to see you happy.”

 Y/N could tell that Cassie was being sincere by the look in her eyes, all her friends were, but they also knew why Y/N behaved a certain way. The summer before eighth grade, Y/N saw the texts on her mom’s phone between her and a man that was not Y/N’s dad. It sickened her to her core, and she had no idea how to process it. Suddenly, her parents’ nightly arguments coupled with her mother’s late returns from nights out with “a friend” made more sense. She did not tell either of them that she knew and kept quiet about it. If she did not acknowledge it, she thought it would go away. She threw herself into dancing and studying, which did not raise any eyebrows. One night, Y/N, Maddy, Cassie, Lexi, and I went to the movies to see a Twilight movie. When she stepped out to get a popcorn refill, she saw her mother standing on the other side of the theater, smiling and flirting with a man who had to be in his seventies. Y/N managed to keep it together until we got back to Cassie and Lexie’s, where she broke down and told us everything. We hugged her and tried to calm her down, but there was nothing we could say that would repair her heart. Y/N’s mom officially stopped cheating when Y/N was fifteen but by then, the damage was already done. Her parents wanted to work on their marriage but neglected their child’s emotional and mental wellbeing since Y/N was so good and pretending she was fine. Her grades were excellent, she was the youngest co-captain of East Highland High’s dance team, and she stayed out of trouble. But if you really look at her, you can see the heartbreak in her big, coffee-colored eyes. Despite this, Y/N was convinced that there was a great guy out there for her, but she was extremely reluctant to date. She prayed that college would be better than high school and she would find the courage to date then.

  “I love and appreciate your guys’ concern so much, but I am not about to give up my,” Y/N paused and glanced around the cafeteria before whispering, “virginity just to fit in, no offense.”

  “Come on, Y/N, you may look and act all pure but you have to be dying to know what good d-ck feels like,” Maddy whined.

  She had been, Y/N was human and not a total saint after all.

  “I can wait, really.”

  “So, have you just not been interested in any guys? I know plenty who are interested in you,” Cassie added.

 “What?” Y/N was baffled by the loaded statement.

 “Come on, Y/N, you know you’re hot,” Kat said.

  “Your legs go up to your neck, Sis,” BB blurted as she nibbled on a Twizzler.

 “Your face is basically perfectly symmetrical, it disgusts me,” Maddy said, emphasizing her statement with hand gestures.

  Y/N chuckled nervously under the attention. “Thanks, guys.”

  “But, is there anyone that interests you?”

  Y/N glanced down at the tops of her metallic rose gold sandals. “No, not really.”

  That was a total f-cking lie. Since fourth grade, Y/N harbored a crush on Nate that was fueled by when he shoved Caleb Parker after Caleb shoved Y/N during a game of tag in gym class. When Nate helped her stand on her feet, he was basically her knight in shining armor. Nate fit Y/N’s type perfectly: tall, dark hair, dark eyes, killer smile, and kind. Y/N never said anything, but anyone could tell just by observing the way she looked at him and the fact that she could never string together a decent sentence around him. This did not stop her from daydreaming about him and watching him from afar. She thought that maybe she could impress him with her dancing, and he would be forced to make a move. Y/N paid close attention to what Nate liked and disliked about girls, leading to religious mani-pedis and waxing. I tried to talk her out of it freshman year, but I can’t blame her for ignoring a junkie’s advice. When Maddy and Nate started dating, Y/N tried to cut off her attraction to Nate because she loved Maddy like a sister. She stopped pining after him but wished that she had a tenth of the confidence Maddy had.

  “That’s it, we’re going to a party on Friday and you are going to meet a guy,” Maddy demanded.

  “What?”

  “Relax, you don’t have to sleep with him…unless you want to.” BB wiggled her eyebrows and Maddy, Cassie, and Kat burst into giggles.

 “I think I can start off with kissing.”

 “Have you even kissed a guy?” BB shot back.

 “Yes, I have.”

 In second grade, Travis Williams was double-dared to kiss Y/N on the playground. She knew that he wasn’t her prince charming since he produced too much saliva, and he was dared to do it. It gave her a weird complex about how attractive she was since no one really approached her. Sure, there were guys at parties but they just wanted something warm to slide into, not a real relationship.

 After practice, Y/N and Maddy sat across from each other with their legs spread out, pulling each other back and forth to stretch.

 “You really went in with this number, my legs are still killing me,” Maddy moaned as Y/N tugged her hands.

  “Well, Alia wants to do something super impressive for homecoming; it’s not my fault she was so inspired by Homecoming.” Y/N relaxed her back while Maddy gently pulled Y/N’s arms towards her.

   She relished in the stretch as her muscles released. Alia had tasked her with working on the homecoming choreography a month ago and the only requirement was it had to be set to Beyoncé’s “Diva/Everybody Mad” mix. It was tricky choreography, complete with acrobatics and lifts, but it would be entertaining.

  “Well, we better do Beyonce well because she deserves nothing but the best.” Maddy’s expression dropped.

  “What’s wrong?” Y/N turned and saw Nate heading towards them. He was so gorgeous even though he was in a black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. His hair looked perfect for finger-combing and Y/N could just see his muscles flexing with every step he took.

  Y/N could never relax around Nate, even though she tried everything----slowing her breathing, counting backwards from twenty, and imagining him with food poisoning since no one looks good with that. But nothing worked, nothing ever worked, and she was forced to do whatever she could think of in the moment.

   “Hey, Y/N,” Nate greeted.

   “Hi,” Y/N breathed.

   “Maddy,” he looked at her and Maddy rolled her eyes.

   “What?”

   “Are you done stretching? I’m giving you a ride and we can’t be late, remember?”

   “Well, it doesn’t really matter since I always take too f-cking long to get ready.”

   Nate sighed. “Maddy, I didn’t mean it…”

   “I can go,” Y/N volunteered meekly, suddenly very aware that she was still sweaty from practice and needed to shower.

   “No, Y/N, stay,” Maddy said, “stay so you can hear the bullsh-t he comes up with.”

   They argued for about five minutes, all of which Y/N used to make herself as small as possible. She knew they had a dysfunctional relationship and that was the last thing Y/N wanted, she’d seen how they worked. If the couple weren’t arguing with each other, they would rant about the other person to a friend. Maddy did it all the time, but she was nowhere near as bad as Y/N’s dad. Her dad spoke explicitly about Y/N’s mother’s activities when things were really bad. It was always late at night and Y/N was not always sleeping over at someone’s house. Her father would rant for hours and force Y/N to sit there and listen. Whenever she tried to ask him to stop, he would say, “Tell your mother to stop, she did this. I didn’t do anything!”. Y/N cried a lot more than she would let anyone know. She wanted so badly to be whisked away from East Highland, preferably by a tall, handsome prince who would take care of all of her worries. She would be comfortable around him and feel loved. After Maddy and Nate’s argument, Y/N was able to slip away and go home.

  Y/N stepped out of a relaxing shower when she heard the low rumbling that started before every argument. The walls of her room felt closer than usual and she could easily run her hands over the lavender and white checked wallpaper. Everything felt so far away and she felt much smaller than five-foot-nine. Y/N slowly curled into a ball on her bed and shook as the rumbling grew higher.

  “Please stop,” she whispered.

  It persisted.

  “Please, please stop,” she repeated.

  Y/N kept repeating herself for so long that she did not know how long it took before her parents burst into her room. Her mother wrapped her up in arms and rocked her while her dad tried to get her to talk.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  “The fighting, it’s loud,” she whispered.

  “Well, you can’t react like this every time we have an argument, Y/N. You’ll fall apart as an adult,” Mr. Y/L/N affirmed.

   “Dinner is almost ready,” Mrs. Y/L/N said and kissed her forehead.  

  When they left the room, Y/N felt dejected and uninterested in food. Just as she was about to start lotioning, her phone dinged. It was Maddy.

   Maddy: Football party’s on Friday. UR GOING.

 It wasn’t a difficult decision for Y/N to make. Her parents gave her a generous curfew since Y/N wouldn’t go out every weekend. But her parents didn’t care how she felt so they shouldn’t care about what she did for once. And if they didn’t care, then why should she? It wasn’t like she going to engage in an orgy or something.

   Y/N: You had me at football.

   Scott Callahan’s giant house was filled with smoke and strobing lights on Friday night. People were dancing and drinking half-naked in his front lawn and inside was another kind of pandemonium. There was every kind of expensive alcohol one could imagine scattered throughout the house, marijuana, Percocet, molly, and cocaine. Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” was blasting through the surround-sound speakers and people were either dancing, grinding, or making out to it. Y/N arrived at the party with Jules and Rue. Hours prior, Y/N gave Jules free reign to do whatever she wanted with her makeup.

 “Ugh, I have been waiting ever since we met for this moment. No, maybe even before then,” Jules said as she swiped silver glitter around Y/N’s eyes.

  Cassie, Maddy, BB, and Kat already helped Y/N pick out an outfit a day before via Facetime: a shiny silver mini dress with platforms. Y/N had been nervous as Jules helped her do her makeup and put some waves in her shoulder-length dark hair. But the finished product made her look like a totally different person.

  “Is that me?” Y/N had whispered as she stared at herself in the mirror.

  Jules rest her chin on Y/N’s shoulder. “Yes, it is, the shinier version.”

  “You look good, Y/N,” Rue complimented.

  “Thanks, Rue. Are you sure you’re okay with me drinking tonight? I feel so weird and guilty.”

  “Yes, it’s fine,” Rue had insisted. “I just got out of rehab and I don’t wanna go back.”

  “And I don’t want you to, either,” Jules added.

  Y/N agreed.

  Y/N still felt weird about drinking around Rue once they arrived at the party,  but Rue insisted that Y/N and Jules have fun. Several guys stared as Y/N walked past, but that could have been attributed to Jules’ neon green corset dress with matching hair or Rue’s tie-dye ensemble. When they reached the kitchen, they found Kat and BB doing tequila shots. Their eyes lit up at the trio.

  “Finally, you’re here!” Kat hugged Rue, Jules, and Y/N.

 “Did you miss us?” Jules teased.

  “Little bit. You guys want a shot?”

  “I’m DD-ing, or DR-ing since it’s a bike,” Rue said.

  “Or DB-ing, for bicycling,” Y/N added.

  BB poured Jules and Y/N shots and handed them over. They cheered before downing the alcohol. The tequila burned down Y/N’s throat and Y/N fought the urge to cough. She’d had alcohol before but she did not drink as often as her friends. Y/N immediately felt the liquid courage coursing through her as she slid her shot glass towards BB.

  “Another one?” BB arched an eyebrow.

 “Are you complaining?”

 “Not at all, you look hot by the way.”

 “Thanks.”

  “I did her makeup,” Jules said.

 Y/N laughed and continued drinking.

  I watched as her third shot became her fifth, and then Jules made them both screwdrivers and she made them strong. I’d only seen Y/N drunk once and that was at freshman winter formal. Maddy convinced her that Gatorade and Everclear were a good mix. She was tripping over herself for most of the night, so there was no telling what she might do.

 “Crap, I forgot to tell you, Maddy and Nate broke up again,” Kat said.

 “Why?” Y/N asked.

 “Stupid same old bullsh-t, probably,” Rue said.

“Where is Maddy, anyway?”

 “Last I knew, she was outside with Cassie,” BB said.

 Y/N finished her screwdriver. “Let’s go, then.”

 Y/N was surprisingly agile as she weaved her way through the crowd and lead the way outside. Maddy and Cassie were easy to spot since they were standing by the lounge chairs and rolling their eyes at every guy who tried to talk to them.

 “Maddy, Cassie!” Y/N announced.

 They both looked up and smiled at her.

 “Y/N, you look amazing,” Cassie said.

 “Thanks, and you look great as per usual.”

 “You’ve been drinking,” Cassie said.

 Y/N nodded.

 Cassie and Maddy greeted Rue, Jules, Kat, and BB.

 “Hey, I’m sorry about Nate,” Y/N said.

  “It’s fine, I don’t need him and I could get any guy here I want. Besides, it gives me the chance to focus more on getting you a guy,” Maddy said.

  “Oh, Maddy, don’t worry about me.”

  “No, that’s why we’re here. Now, let’s do some shots and scope!”

  The shots were easy but finding a good guy was not. Y/N was officially drunk and giggled a lot whenever the guys Maddy or Cassie found spoke to her. Y/N would push the guys she didn’t like away, which was the majority of them.

 “Alright, you rejected eight dudes, why?” Maddy asked over City Girls’ “Act Up”.

  “Well, one had horrible halitsosissss and another kept talking about how he had never been with a black girl before.”

  “Which one said the last thing?” Cassie asked.

  Y/N shrugged and drank more beer. “Seriously, do not worry about me, guys, I’m fine, I just wanna have fun.”

 “Yes, fun!” an equally inebriated Jules commented.

 At that moment, Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” started playing and Jules and Y/N screamed in unison.

 “I love this song!” Y/N exclaimed.

 “Me too!” Jules said.

 “Let’s dance!” Y/N turned to the rest of the girls and extended her hand. “You have to join us, it’s Lizzo, it’s basically law.”

 “Yeah, basically law,” Jules echoed.

 The others couldn’t argue, and they all moved to the dancefloor, which was really the living room. Jules twirled Rue around even though Rue was reluctant, and BB started grinding on some basketball player. Meanwhile, Maddy, Cassie, and Y/N alternated between shouting the lyrics and moving their hips to the beat.

 Dance truly set Y/N free, but the song also helped. There was something about Lizzo’s voice and choice of beat that made Y/N want to dance and never stop. She would move her arms and hands and feel more fluid than water. For once, she wasn’t calculating each step and making sure she was on beat, she was simply reacting to the music.

 Towards the end of the song, Y/N muttered that she was going outside to Cassie and slipped away from the circle. Y/N found herself enjoying the fresh air and giggled to herself when she saw a couple going to second base by the pool.

 “Y/N, I didn’t think you was into watchin’ people,” Fez teased.

 He was sitting on a beach chair in a corner a few yards away from the back door. He was wearing a navy, yellow, and red Coogi sweater with jeans. He was fully reclined in his chair and smoking a joint.

 “You don’t know a lot of things about me,” Y/N shot back as she walked towards him.

 She plopped down on the seat across from him and tried to steady herself.

 “You good, Y/N?”

 “Yeah, just drank a lot more than usual.” Y/N eyed Fez’s joint. “You know, in all this time I’ve known you, you’ve never offered me drugs.”

 “No disrespect, I just didn’t think you’d be into it, didn’t seem like the type.”

 “Oh yeah? Then what do I seem like?” Y/N leaned towards Fez and arched her back a little.

 Fez blew some smoke away from Y/N and tried not to stare at her. “You…you look like the type to stay away from this stuff and even me.”

  Y/N laughed and shooed the thought away. “How could I stay away from you, Fez? You have the best snacks at the gas station. Plus, I like talking to you.”

 “Really?”

 “Yeah, you have an interesting but simple way of looking at things.”

 Fez looked as though he was thinking for a long moment as he smoked his joint. “I knew I liked you for a reason. You act all quiet and nervous usually but you got a lot to say and say it in a good way.” He extended the joint towards Y/N. “Be careful.”

 Y/N focused as hard as she could to grab the joint with two fingers. She’d only smoked once with Rue and Rue was the one to drag her over to Fezco to get the weed. Y/N remembered coughing a lot, but she knew how to avoid that. She took two long drags before handing the joint back to Fez.

 “Thanks, Fez. We should talk more later.”

 “Sure, if you feelin’ up to it. I’m here all night.”

 Y/N stumbled back into the house, her full intentions to find her friends. Then, she heard the beginning strains of Kanye West’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and she smiled to herself. She started spinning around in time to the music, twisting her arms up and down as she did. Her hips began to sway gently to the rhythm. She ran her hands through her hair and exhaled.

 Y/N was lost again and wrapped up in the beat. She usually did not drop low outside of the comfort of her bedroom, but the alcohol mixed with the weed mixed with the great music made her think differently. She was free and everyone else around her was free. There was nothing to worry about and she could let go of her inhibitions. It didn’t matter that none of the guys at the party were her type nor really interested her, she was having too much fun. But little did Y/N know that someone had their eye on her since she started dancing to “Truth Hurts”.

 Y/N felt someone push up against her from behind, followed by hands slink around her hips. Her eyes fluttered open and she covered the large hands with her own. “Sorry, I don’t----" She stopped when she made eye contact with Nate. “I’m high,” she muttered.

 “I don’t know about that, but you’ve definitely been drinking.”

 Y/N tried to ignore the way his gravelly voice made her stomach drop to her heels or how she felt like everything was throbbing. She shook her head and backed away from him. “I can’t…you just broke up with Maddy.”

 “Y/N, please don’t.” Nate looked worried as he took cautious steps towards her.

 Unbeknownst to Y/N, and everyone else, Nate had a fascination with her that bordered on obsession. He noticed her in fourth grade and how much she got excited about reading and history lessons. Even then, Nate thought Y/N was innocent and so quiet. He was curious about her but never really approached her until that day in gym. That day was a godsend so that he could show off how strong he was and get her to talk. All he got was a “Thanks” and “I’m okay”. Nate was disappointed, but he didn’t stop looking out for her. He made sure none of the football players went after her, which McKay appreciated but he thought Nate was doing it as a friend. No, Nate was doing it because he knew that football players were animals and Y/N was high above them. Maddy was too but Maddy was different .She was so much more confident and bold than Y/N was, and she was a virgin when Nate asked her out. But Maddy liked to fight with him and test him and Y/N wouldn’t do that----she was too sweet and would most likely want to resolve everything as quickly as possible. So, she was unofficially his and Y/N had no idea.

 Y/N kept shaking her head as tears welled up in her eyes. “I can’t do this, Maddy’s like a sister to me.”

“Y/N, breathe, please.” Nate took another step and when Y/N didn’t move, he got close enough to grab her forearms and rub them soothingly. “You’re allowed to dance with me, all we did was dance.”

 “That was not dancing, I’m a dancer, I would know.” Y/N tilted her head back to will the tears away.

 “You look beautiful, seriously. Don’t cry.” He tried to touch her face, but Y/N backed away.

 “Thank you, but I think we should stop talking.”

 “You always look beautiful, especially when your hair is down, it frames your face nicely.” He brushed some hair off her shoulder.

 “Nate, stop.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

 “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

 “I know you’re doing this to make Maddy jealous, it’s what you always do, it’s the same game!” Y/N cried, but it was masked by the music. “I’m…I’m not going to be your pawn in this weird game, Nate. I deserve better than that.”

 Nate reached out and cupped the side of her face in one hand. “Oh, Y/N, you would never be a pawn and I’m not playing with you. Maddy’s not gonna care if you dance with me, she’s not even here.”

 Y/N glanced around the room and didn’t see Maddy anywhere. She suddenly got a sinking feeling and looked back at Nate. “I’m just not comfortable with doing anything with you, she’s my friend.”

 “And I would never want to ruin that and I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable; I just wanted a chance to dance with the prettiest girl at the party.”  

 Y/N snapped her eyes to him. “You think I’m the prettiest girl here?”

 Nate nodded. “But if you don’t want to dance with me…”

 “Fine, one dance.” Y/N held up her pointer finger for emphasis. “And we’re done.”

 “Deal.”

 “Good.”

 The song changed to “One Dance” and Y/N was stiff for a moment. She never really did partner dancing and was lost. Nate sensed this, grabbed one of her hands, and spun her around. She laughed and swiveled her hips to the beat. Nate continued twirling her around and watched Y/N move to the music. When he spun her out again, Nate pulled her back in and held her close. Y/N did everything in her power to fight to gnawing desire to melt into his embrace. He felt so strong and protective. Y/N stared at the collar of his t-shirt to avoid eye contact and kept her hands on his chest.

  “This isn’t fair,” she whispered.

  “What isn’t fair?”   “I’ve had a crush on you since elementary school and the time you decide you want me, it’s just after your break up with one of my best friends.” Y/N buried her head in her hands. “I’m such a bad friend, I should go.”

 Nate held her there and stared her down. “Go and do what?”

 “Um, find my friends.”

“And then what?”

“Dance?”

“Just like you’re dancing with me?”

 “No, not this close and you know that.” Y/N stepped back. “We should stop.”

 “But, you said you’ve liked me for a long time.”

 “I did, but I want to be a good friend. I’m sorry, Nate.”

Y/N really didn’t want to, but she pulled away from Nate. She couldn’t believe she’d spent a whole song dancing so close with her friend’s ex. Maddy would kill her if she found out. Maybe if Y/N told her first, things would not be as bad.

“If we can’t dance, can we at least talk?”

Y/N hesitated but nodded slowly.

Nate grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. A few coked out people and couples pushed past them and Y/N felt more and more nervous. They found an empty bedroom and Nate closed the door behind them. The room was dark and Y/N found a light.

 “So, what did you want to talk about?” she made herself comfortable on the bed.

Nate sat next to her and clasped his hands together. “Things with Maddy and me have always been f-ckin’ crazy and they will always be. She always wants to fight when there shouldn’t be a fight.”

“If you wanted to complain to someone about your ex, you could have found someone who wasn’t her friend.”

 “Stop, what I’m saying is I don’t like it, it’s exhausting, and…and we bring out the worst in each other. But you, I don’t think you would do that to me.” He glanced down at Y/N’s hands. “You’re kind and you want the best for everyone.”

 “I try.”

“You would never want to hurt anyone on purpose and you listen, you really listen, and I feel like I could tell you anything.”

 Y/N nodded.

 “The truth is, I’ve liked you since fourth grade too, but I never asked you out because you seemed disinterested.”

 “How’d you get that?”

 “Whenever I tried to talk to you, you wouldn’t talk and I thought that meant you didn’t like me. So, I started going out with Maddy because she was clear about that, but now, I think we could be something.”

 “Just like that? But what about my friends? Maddy and I have the same friends and I don’t want to hurt Maddy.”

“You can make new friends and you’ll have me.” Nate leaned closer to Y/N. “C’mon, Y/N, you know you want this. You’re always thinking of other people, be selfish for once.”

 In that strange bedroom, with the guy she had been crushing on for so long begging her to do something to him, Y/N was at an impasse. She loved Maddy like a sister and didn’t want to divide the group, but Nate was making so many good points. The only reason she did well in school was to please her parents and the only reason she would go out was to please her friends. She didn’t do anything to please herself and this was her chance.

Nate leaned closer to Y/N and looked up at her for confirmation. Y/N closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of Nate’s lips against hers. They were slightly chapped but he knew how to use them, applying pressure in the right places at the right times. His hands went to her waist and Y/N wrapped hers around his neck. He slid her into his lap and Y/N gasped.

 “Did I scare you?” he whispered.

 “A little,” Y/N murmured.

 He rubbed her sides and kept kissing her, adding tongue. Y/N shyly tapped her tongue against his and he smirked into it. He rolled his hips underneath her and Y/N gasped at the shocking feeling, pulling away.

 “Does it feel good?”

 Y/N nodded.

 “Say it.”

 “Yes.”

 “Yes, what?”

 “Yes, it feels good.”

 Nate nipped at her neck and Y/N moaned out, grinding down on him. Nate’s hands tensed around her hips. “You’re so hot,” he whispered in her ear.

 Y/N laughed.

 “Seriously, I’ve thought about what this would be like, what we would be like.”

 “And?”

 “And, so far, it’s better than I thought.” He kissed down to her collarbone and palmed her chest. “I’ve thought about these.”  “Really? But they’re so small.”

 “No, they’re just right.” He bit the base of her neck and Y/N hissed. “I’ve also thought about your legs, how they distract me during practice when you guys are outside. They’re so soft but firm.”

  Nate kissed her again and pinned her on the bed. Y/N gasped as she felt one of Nate’s hands trail up her dress. Her mind was jumbled up and she didn’t know what to think. Everything he did felt so good, he knew just where to kiss and nip. He looked at her with full-blown lust in his eyes. Maybe Y/N had finally found the prince she’d been waiting for, but he was always there.

 Then, his hand went a little too high. She squirmed and shook her head.

 “Nate, that’s a little too much.”

 “What?”

 “I said it’s a little too much,” she repeated louder.

 “I thought you liked it, don’t you want this? Isn’t this what you’ve always thought about?” Nate tangled his hand in her underwear.

 “Nate, stop, I don’t want to do this.”

 “You weren’t acting that way earlier.”

 “Nate, please, stop.”

 “You don’t want me to stop.”

 “Yes, I do, please!”

  Y/N tried to push him away but Nate pinned her down. He rolled his hips into hers and Y/N turned away, tears falling down her cheeks.

 “Do you feel how much I want you? I’d do just about anything to have you.”

 “Nate, stop!”

 “Shut up!” Nate growled.

 One of his hands let go of her wrist and wrapped around her neck. He had a death grip on her neck and Y/N started gasping for air.

 “Don’t pretend like you didn’t want this? Like you weren’t dancing on me, begging for it? You were jealous that Maddy got me whenever she wanted. You wanted me all for yourself just like I want you.”

  Y/N wanted to scream at him, tell him he was wrong about everything, but was he? When Maddy talked about sex with him, Y/N would feel pangs of guilt and jealousy for wanting to trade places with her. Most of all, she wanted Nate to get off her. She wanted Nate to leave her alone forever. When she looked at him, the sweet fourth grade boy was gone and replaced by a full grown monster. Why was she getting monsters when she wanted princes? What did she do to deserve this?

  Nate unzipped his jeans and tears kept flowing down Y/N’s face, ruining Jules’ masterpiece. He kept his eyes trained on her and Y/N was losing oxygen, she couldn’t think to move any of her muscles. Just as he was about to push in her, someone banged on the door.

 “Occupied!” Nate yelled over his shoulder.

 “Whatever.”

 Nate turned back and looked down at Y/N, shaking and crying. He leaned down and whispered, “Don’t make a sound.”  He released his grasp on her neck and pinned her wrists again. Y/N’s throat felt numb and she couldn’t do anything. She inhaled through her nose and before Nate could thrust, she took gathered all her strength to knee him. Nate groaned and rolled onto his side, releasing her wrists. Y/N scrambled to her feet, unlocked the door, and ran outside. People in the hallway looked at her bewildered. Y/N nearly fell down the stairs and ran into Rue.

 “Y/N, what happened?” she asked.

 Y/N gasped for a moment before burying her face in Rue’s shoulder and crying, full-on, heaving, shoulder-shaking crying. Rue held her close and ran her hands through her hair. “Nate,” was the only word she managed to get out.

 Before Rue could only see Red, Fez approached them. “Hey, I’m about to head out if you wanted a ride. What’s up?”

 “I think Nate tried to do something to Y/N,” Rue whispered. “Y/N, could you look at me?”

 Y/N straightened up and Rue and Fezco saw the handprints around her neck. Both of their expressions hardened.

 “Where’s Maddy, Cassie, and Jules?” Rue asked.

 “Right here,” Maddy said as they approached. Her eyes widened at Y/N. “Y/N, what the f-ck happened?”

 Y/N swallowed but winced at the feeling. “Nate tried to rape me,” she rasped out.

 In an instant, Fez and Rue handed Y/N over to Cassie, Maddy, and Jules. Y/N collapsed in their arms and continued crying.

 “Honey, it’s okay, you’re gonna be okay,” Cassie said.

 “Breathe, Y/N, you need to breathe,” Jules muttered.

  “I’m so sorry, Maddy, I’m so sorry,” Y/N said.

  “No, don’t apologize,” Maddy insisted, stroking Y/N’s hair.

  They cleared a couch for Y/N to rest and they continued trying to comfort her. A few seconds later, Nate came tumbling down the stairs, with Rue and Fezco on his heels. Rue was cursing at him while Fezco laid more punches on him. Nate’s face was already bruised and scratched up.

 “It’s not my fault!” Nate spat out. “I told you, she came onto me, she’s been in love with me since fourth grade, she wanted this! Maddy, Y/N’s a bad friend, that’s not my fault.”

 “Don’t even talk to me right now or I swear, Rue and Fezco will have to keep me from killing you,” Maddy hissed.  

 “I’m a bad friend,” Y/N whimpered.

 “No, you’re not,” Maddy, Cassie, and Jules said.

 “I liked him a lot, even when you dated, I liked him and then he…he came onto me, maybe I deserved it.”

 “Y/N, no one deserves to get raped, no one, you did not ask for this,” Jules assured her.

  Y/N turned to lay face up. “Why does everything hurt so much? I just wanted someone to like me since loving me is asking for too much.”

  “No, it’s not,” Cassie hushed.

  “And we love you,” Maddy said.

  “I love you the most,” Jules said.

 Y/N smiled slightly. “But you know what I mean.”

 Y/N loved her friends and appreciated their love, but she wanted the fairytale. She’d convinced herself that maybe she would get some idea of that with Nate but she was so wrong. She wanted the dream and got a nightmare. It was a terrible f-cking way to learn how real life works, but it had to happen. Besides, we’re in high school and the love Y/N truly wanted was impossible to find in high school, especially East Highland. Y/N ended up pressing charges on Nate and that encouraged Maddy to open up about stuff he’d done to her during their relationship. Everything is different with Y/N now, I can see it in her eyes, they aren’t as bright as they used to be. Before the stuff with her mom, they would shimmer and after that, some glints remained. Now, it was like looking in a dark hole and I could guess what she was feeling since I’ve been in that place too----in fact, I’m still in it. I think the saddest part is she always had so much optimism and now it’s gone before she’s twenty and I don’t think she’ll get it back.

[acciocrzychickfics]

Mixed Signsls

Author’s Note: The Marauders are on a Mary Jane run and bump into some familiar faces at the exchange spot. Since this is Muggle AU and I can do whatever I want. JKR just owns the characters. Remus and crew are between 28-29. Tonks and Charlie are 19-20. More of an 8-9 year difference. First time writing all of the Marauders, please be nice :) has not been beta’d. TW: cursing, drunk kissing

“How the fuck did you lock Remus’ keys in his car?” Sirius exclaims, running a hand through his black locks “Now how are we supposed to get back to get home?”

“We could call Lily?” the blonde boy pipes up.

Both sandy haired men and Sirius look to the young man with glasses, “we could try that. She’s probably up.”

“Of course she is. She is waiting for a call from her boyfriend.” Sirius mutters walking towards the house in front of them.

“Are you sure this is the place?” the shabby dressed man asks by his side “It looks like a frat house.”

“This address Doracas gave me.”Sirius replies, pulling tightly at his leather jacket. “Come on.”

“I am not going in there.” Remus retorts .”You, James and Peter can go. We are almost thirty years old. I am too old for this.”

“Lily won’t come unless you ask her too. She’ll just say we fucked up and will have to figure it out ourselves.” James ackwoldeges. “So you have to use their phone to call.”

Remus resigns knowing that is something Lily would say grumbling “fine”

“How do we find the exchange spot?” James asks, leading the group into the house.

“That is a good question” Sirius answers as they cross the threshold to see a sitting room with a makeshift dance floor with the furniture pushed back against the wall. In one corner is a table with an array of various foods strung out. In the other corner, they see various kegs and large bottles of differing booze. On the makeshift dance floor, there seems to be what looks like a square block with people dancing. One of the faces looks familiar.

Wearing ripped jeans, cropped black Led Zeppelin shirt with a patched jean jacket, she could have been anyone at this party. However, with her nose ring and her hair gave her away. That bubblegum pink hair.

Grabbing her hand, she jumps and trips off the block. Not looking up after spilling her drink “Fuck off, you tosser”

“That’s no way to speak to family, Nymph” Sirius answers as she looks up from her soiled top.

“Sirius” the strange looking girl exclaims, sloshing her drink onto the floor as she hugs him a little too hard. “Don’t call me that and what are you doing here?”

“Getting the grass” he response holding her drink up right “You looked intoxicated, cous”

“If you want to buy some, it’s out back.” Tonks answers “I had a couple hits earlier.”

“Great, intoxicated and high.” Remus mutters behind Sirius with his hands in his pockets as Tonks glares at him.

“Let me introduce you to my cousin, well second cousin” Sirius breaks the glare motioning to the female ,“This is my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks.”

“Merlins bread, how many times do I have to tell you, it’s Tonks” the female retorts drunkenly gulping down the last of her drink. Turning behind her, “Charlie, can you fill me up again?”

The red haired boy who was doing what looked like keg stands not even five seconds ago, smiles and fills up her cup with the interesting looking drink.

“I can see where the family resembles is” Remus mutters again as she basically downs the drink, holds her cup out for another.

“I’m gonna go with James and Peter to grab Mary Jane,” Sirius whispers to Remus. “Keep an eye on her will you. Dromeda will never forgive me if she knew I was here and did not stop this. Whatever is this.”

Remus sighs trying his best to not be upset with his friends for having to be babysitter. Seeing she was going for another drink, he grabs her arm and pulls her away from the keg. “Let’s go into another room”

“No, I’m not going with you” Tonks replies pulling her arm back from his grip “I just met you.”

Realizing what she must think, he comments “ I’m not going to hurt you. I just think you should sit down and take a break.”

She eyes him up and down. He was cute. If you were into the person who was shy, always in the library type, “maybe you're right.”

“Come on, let's go into another room.” Remus guides her into the study and into a chair. “Here I’ll go grab you some water”

Coming back from the kitchen, he hands her some water. Looking up at him, she drunkenly kisses him. At first he doesn’t pull away, he will admit when he first saw her, she was cute. However, he pulls away from the kiss. She was drunk and he was older than her. She was still in college. He was sober. She was drunk. This had all of the signs to end badly.

As soon as he pulls away, she opens her eyes, looks around and puts her face in her hands,“Oh, fuck. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I found out my girlfriend cheated on me this week and I thought you were being nice to me too, you know.”

“I was being nice to you because you are as drunk as a skunk.” Remus reminds her smirking “Plus if I ever let anything happen to you, Sirius would kill me.”

“Oh” Tonks answers, not understanding why his answer upset her so much. It was the alcohol, she convinced herself.

“But I understand why you wanted to get drunk. Heartache is tough.” Remus continues.

“Moony, we got it. Price rose but we got it.” Sirius exclaims calling back through the hallway.

“In here.” Remus answers as he realizes Tonks has fallen asleep in the chair.

“This house has a cordless.”James smiles giddley as he hands the phone to Remus.

Dialing Lily, he walks to the back of the study. The response on the end sounded groggy “Lily, I’m sorry to bother you, James locked the keys in my car. Would you mind picking us up?”

The answers could be heard loudly from the other side of the phone. “ The address is 135 Divine Dr. Thanks, we owe you.”

Handing the phone back to James “She should be here in 20 minutes.”

“Moony, why is my cousin laying on the floor?” Sirius asks. It seemed while he was talking to Lily, Tonks had fallen to the floor.

“Oh shit.” Remus mutters helping Sirius pick her back up onto the couch. “Let’s just say she is having a bad night.”

“She’s gonna have a bad morning, if not a bad night in a few hours.” James chuckles pointing out her drink had spilled all of the floor.

“Oh shut it!” Remus counters, not sure why his voice rises. “She is heartbroken. Leave her alone.”

James holds his hands up in mock surrender “You don’t have to get so defensive.”

“I think she should come back with us. I can phone Andromeda in the morning to come pick her up.” Sirius suggests trying not to voice his concern. “I do not want to leave her here. Not that I do not think she can fend for herself. She is a Black. Her Mum is Black.”

“Want me to help you get her outside?” Remus asks unsure why he wanted to protect this girl he had only just met a half hour ago. Sirius nods as he puts her left arm around his shoulder as Remus does her right.

Once outside, Tonks opens her eyes and slurs “I knew you liked me.”

“Of course, I like you cous. You’re family” Sirius chuckles attempting to keep Tonks on her own two feet. He knew sober that was tough, drunk was an entirely different story.

“No, silly. Him” she counters trying to point towards Remus but pointing the opposite way. “He kissed me.”

“I do not remember it happening like that “ Remus disputes looking towards Sirius. “I distinctly remember you kissing me.”

“Wait what happened in the 15 minutes I was gone?” Sirius asks his face laced with confusion.

“She assumed that the reason I wanted to get her alone and out of the main room was because I wanted to…”

“I still am not convinced. You are trying to take me home” Tonks interrupts talking much more loudly that decimal of the discussion should have been.

Remus groaned putting his hands in his front pockets, “Sirius, please”

“Hey, I didn’t get into this situation.” Sirius chuckles as Remus rolls his eyes.

“I do not want to get into your pants. You are drunk. You are not in your right mind to even discuss this. “ Remus addresses Tonks as the pink haired girl trips into him.

“But what if I want to discuss this.” Tonks whispers into his ear. Remus’ ears begin to flush red as a van pulls up in front of the house.

“Lily” James exclaims as rolls down the window.

“You guys owe me” Lily exclaims back with a roll of her eyes. Rolling the back seat car door open, Remus guides Tonks over to get into the car before asking “will you hold my hair when I get sick tonight?”

Remus chuckles nodding his head. He had a feeling this would not be the last time he would interact with Nymphadora Tonks.

[dcnatural]

Is There Somewhere

Word Count: 2392

Pairing: Harley Quinn x Poison Ivy

Rating: Mature

Synopsis: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn meet to finish unfinished business, and Ivy recalls a magical night the duo had shared.

Unless you knew what you were looking for, the Gotham Garden Motel was hard to spot. Squeezed between two warehouses on the road leading to Arkham Island, the building seemed abandoned: the glass of the windows was covered in dust, making it impossible to see anything in the other side; the sign which announced the name of the establishment was missing some letters and the neon lights had long stopped working; the roof was missing a couple of tiles and the white paint was peeling off the outside walls, which were covered by cracks. It was a miracle the place was still standing.

Despite the decrepit state of the motel, its driveway was often filled with cars and people were seen going in and out at a regular basis. If one dared to open the rotten wooden door, they would find themselves inside a shockingly well illuminated reception. It even had a waiting area, which included a tube television and a coffee machine. An employee in a cheap cotton uniform sat behind the large desk, alternating between watching a soap opera and scribbling something on the notebook open in front of them. A door reading “Employees Only” leads into the office, a separated area with two large window panes that could be used to spy on the reception. 

They didn’t ask for IDs and only accepted upfront payments made in cash, the registration was as simple as writing whichever name you wanted in the book and leaving the money. You would then be given a key to your room. This discretion was the main reason behind the motel's popularity. Whether you were a cheating husband, a drug dealer or a high tier super criminal, if you wanted to have a clandestine meeting, this was the place to come. Everyone who visited the motel was involved in some shady business. The whole premise of the place was that you could come, do your shit and leave, no questions asked.

That's why the clerk didn’t bat an eye when Poison Ivy came striding in through the front entrance, placed a wad of cash in the front desk, signed the visitor’s log, took the key for room 93 and headed to the staircase without saying a word. Nor did the clerk find it unusual when, fifteen minutes later, Harley Quinn burst in and raced upstairs, not even bothering to close the door after her.

Room 93 was located on the fourth floor. Unlike most hotels, which the room’s number indicated their respective floor, the Gotham Garden didn’t use this rationale. Instead, the numbers had been randomly assigned; a brilliant idea that occured to the first owner after getting wasted in a bar downtown. Therefore, there was no intuitive way of finding your room, and the guests were required to carefully read the maps plastered to the walls of the staircase.

While the reception gave the impression of belonging to a decent place, the rest of the hotel matched the state of the outside. The red carpet covering the floor had a thick cover of dust and mold, the lamps in the ceiling were either burned out or flickered inconsistently. Cockroaches crawled around, and one could hear the screeches made by the rats inhabiting the wall. Each door had been painted with a different color, but now the ink was faded and everything looked like a lifeless gray.

Harley verified if the hallway was clear before tapping on the dark-blue door. Dressed in a black hat with a wide brim, overly large star-shaped pink sunglasses and an old trench coat, she looked like the most comical spy in the world.

The knock caused Ivy to jump from her chair, and she stumbled to reach the door. She gave a quick glance at the bathroom mirror to ensure that her vivid red hair was well combed and her shirt was in place. Her heartbeat was frantic and she took a deep breath to calm herself, inhaling the lavender scent of her perfume.

Ivy sighed as she contemplated the girl before her. “Didn’t I tell you to be discreet?”, she complained as Harley skipped inside.

“This is discreet, Pams. No one can recognize me with these glasses. Betcha you wouldn’t have known it was me if I hadn’t told you I was coming disguised”, she replied as she removed the sunglasses and tossed them aside. They skittered through the floor before stopping underneath the wardrobe. 

She then took off her hat, letting her blonde locks cascade down her back. The colorful streaks had been washed off, with only ghostly remnants of pink and blue to evidence the product of Harley’s latest post-break-up-hair-makeover. It only made sense that now that she was back with the Joker she would try to erase any change she had made during their time apart.

The darkened windows didn’t allow much light to pass through and, despite being early afternoon, Ivy had turned on the twin lamp shades that decorated the nightstands, their floral pattern casting shadows in the threadbare arabic rug that covered the floor underneath the bed.

Harley sat in the far end of the bed, back propped against the wall and legs stretched over the mattress. “So, what’d you wanted to talk about, uh?”

Ivy paced around the room, she couldn’t bring herself to look at Harley. “How could you go back to him?”, the words left her mouth in an urgent whisper. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision and she felt the urge to brush them away. Tears were a sign of weakness and weaknesses weren't a luxury she could afford. In fact, the last time she had cried was back when she still was Pamela Isley, on that fateful day that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Her last tears had been shred when she laid on the floor, dying only to be reborn as Poison Ivy.

Harley idly played with her hair, curling it around her well manicured fingers. She didn’t know how to reply to that. Why did she return to the Joker every time? Why did she still love him when all he did was hurt her? She knew it was an abusive relationship, she hadn't spent years training as a shrink for nothing, but she couldn't find the strength in herself to cut him out of her life. For better or for worse, he had shaped her into who she was now. She feared that without his influence in her life, she would go back into being Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and honestly, the prospect of normalcy terrified her.

But she couldn't tell Ivy all of that, so she did what she knew best and created a diversion. "You know, your hair’s fantastic today. Are you using a new shampoo?"

As if moving by their own accord, Ivy's lips curled into a smile. She cursed herself. She should be angry, sad, outraged. But there was something about Harley that always made her let her guard down. Harley had the gift of bringing happiness into Ivy's loneliness. And perhaps that was the reason why that betrayal had hurt so much.

Ivy collapsed into the bed, careful not to get too close to Harley. She wasn't sure if she could deal with so much proximity right now. Not in this bed, at least. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wonder. To travel back to a week ago, before the Joker sweeped in again and took Harley with him. Back to when it had been just the two of them, hiding in this same room while they counted their loot and laughed about the stupidity of the guards of the jewelry story they had just robbed.

That day had awakened something in Ivy, and she had thought that her friend felt the same. But clearly she had been wrong. 

In her mind she relieved it all, every single detail of that fateful day, from the smell of the strawberry bubblegum Harley had been chewing to the sound of gold clittering against gold.

* * *

The first thing Harley had done once they were secured inside the room was to remove her jester suit, the sweaty outfit was sticking to her skin and making her itchy. Stripped to her underwear and tube socks, she had then proceeded to catalogue every single item they had stolen, listing the retail price in a chart. 

Ivy had offered to help, but Harley had her own system and every time the redhead tried to do something she only mixed it all up. So she had given up and was texting her usual fence to ask when they could meet.

"I love this song", Harley shouted when the radio began to play a slow pop ballad. She seemed like a completely different person from the concentrated woman she was seconds ago. Climbing off the bed, she began to dance, with a grace that only the ones who had trained for years were able to do. She moved like air, arms swaying to the rhythm of the music and hips rocking back and forth in matching pace. The whiteness of her skin was a stark contrast to the black and red socks she wore, and Ivy’s gaze lingered on those long and slender legs. For a moment she wondered what it would be like to have those legs tangled around her own body, to have those hands caressing her skin. 

“Come dance with me”, Harley asked, tugging Ivy’s arm and trying to pull her to her feet.

Ivy shook her head. “I don’t dance.”

Harley rolled her eyes and pouted. “Pretty please, for me! It’s boring to dance alone.”

Faced with the other girl’s plea, Ivy couldn’t find in her the strength to say ‘no’ and so she relented, allowing Harley to pull her up. Ivy’s movements were awkward, her body rigid whereas Harley’s was fluid. She misteped and tripped, but Harley was always there to catch her before she fell.

The song ended and another began, and they kept swirling around the room. The soft melody brought them closer, Harley’s arms embracing Ivy’s waist, chests pressed together and faces inches apart. Harley suppressed a yawn, eyelids fluttering shut as exhaustion began to take over. She nestled her head on Ivy’s shoulder, taking advantage of her friend’s taller stature. 

The rest of the world faded away, all that Ivy could think of was the intoxicating feeling of Harley’s lips brushing against her bare skin. Outside, a car passed by, the headlamp shining even through the dirt glass, creating a brief spotlight for the two girls.

A false move caused Harley to trip, and they stumbled, Ivy’s back landing on the saggy mattress with Harley on top of her. For a moment, time stood still. They laid over the white sheets, not moving and barely breathing. A tension hung in the air between them, an unvoiced desire that previously neither had felt. 

Then, before Ivy knew what was happening, Harley leaned down and brought her mouth to Ivy’s, hovering like that for an instant before closing the remaining distance. At first, the touch was light as a feather, barely there. Then, with renewed passion, Harley pressed harder, Ivy’s lips welcoming her. Ivy didn’t protest as Harley slid the strapless leotard out of her body, the garment falling to the floor near where Harley’s own jumpsuit laid.

When Harley pulled away, it was only so she could lay a trail of wet kisses. She sucked, licked and bit every inch of exposed skin, venturing further down with each second. She stopped at Ivy’s navel, looking up in search for permission, and Ivy remembered how to move for just long enough to nod, before collapsing back onto the bed. 

Every nerve in Ivy’s body was on fire. Her mind was numb. She felt nothing but Harley. Harley’s mouth. Harley’s fingers. Harley’s skin. Harley. Harley. Harley. The name echoed in Ivy’s mind with every beat of her heart. Ivy clutched tightly at Harley’s arms, the firmness of the muscles underneath her fingers ensuring her that this wasn’t just part of her imagination. Ivy felt herself coming undone under her friend’s touch. She couldn’t think she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t breath. All her worries and fears that clouded her brain faded away until only Harley was left.

* * *

“Pammy?”

Harley’s voice pulled Ivy back to the present and she snapped her eyes open. “I thought we had something.”

“We did. We do. You are my best friend. I love you. I really do”, there was a note of sadness in Harley's voice as she spoke.

Tears spilled out of the corners of Ivy’s eyes. “But you love him more.”

Harley nodded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…”

“No”, Ivy interrupted, sliding out of the bed. “It’s fine. I was foolish to believe you would actually leave him for real. I just wish I could let this go, forget it ever happened.”

She realized now how stupid this had been. Nothing she did could ever change Harley’s mind. She needed to get out of that room, she needed fresh air.

“Ives, come on”, Harley pleaded, rushing to grab Ivy’s arm before she could leave.

Ivy twisted out of her friend’s hold and opened the door. “I need to go. I’m sorry.”

The door closed shut behind Ivy and Harley allowed her body to fall to the floor, back against the scrapped dark blue paint. A sob escaped her lips and she buried her face in her knees, shielding herself from the world. She felt alone. Her best friend had abandoned her. And perhaps I deserve that, Harley thought. She didn’t know which was her worst mistake: falling in love with the Joker or with Ivy.

Outside, Ivy inhaled the fresh afternoon air and began the long walk back to the Botanical Garden. She hadn’t meant to fall in love that night, but now it was done and there’s no way of fixing it. She wished Harley could leave the Joker, not just out of jealousy but because she knew her friend deserved better. I could offer her better.

The dusk had settled over Gotham when a figure wearing a trench coat and hat left the Gotham Garden Motel. She opened the door to a green car and, with the motor rumbling, she took off into the darkness.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Goretober Prompt 24: It Means Everything

Prompt: Mutated Fandom: Legend Of Korra Summary: Guan captures Kuvira and injects her with juice from the spirit vines.

Korra cradles Kuvira in her arms. The woman looks up at her and tries to smile, though her eyes hint at a pain that the Avatar can’t quite comprehend. “Did I fix things? Did I...stop him?” She winces. “I think that I did.”

“Yeah, Kuvira, Guan’s dead.”

Her eyes flash with confusion. “Dead?” Korra nods.

“Did I…?”

Korra nods again. She looks into the woman’s eyes, one of them still glints purple, the other is its usual green. She isn’t sure that Kuvria will ever be truly herself again; at least not outwardly. “What did he do to you?”  She rests the back of her hand against Kuvira’s cheek.

Kuvira’s brows furrow. “He had these syringes full of spirit vine juice.” She begins, eyes growing distant as she tries to recall. “After his brainwashing device had no effect he injected me with those and then…”

“You don’t remember do you?”

Kuvira shakes her head. Korra squeezes her hand. She can’t help but think back to the night she’d initially taken the Uniter down. She’d been venerable, small. This is a little different, their is an air of pride that cuts through her weakness.

“Do you think that the rest of them will stand down now.”

Korra looks around at the carnage. The gore is all over, limbs strewn about amid gooey organs and stomped hearts.  There aren’t many people left to stand down but she doesn’t have the heart to tell Kuvira yet. “I think so.”  Not all of them were human, there is more yellow-green blood in the mix, Kuvira had been fighting fellow mutants too. Korra is inclined to say that the majority of her kills had been mutants as well.

Kuvira’s lips curl into a soft smile. “Wonderful, Avatar. Maybe now people won’t resent me anymore.”

“Maybe.” Korra replies.

Kuvira closes her eyes, Korra can still see a soft purple glow beneath the lid of the left one. After it goes limp, Korra removes Kuvira’s hand from where she had it clutching her side. Her glove comes away smeared with a yellow-green and purpled tinged ooze. Korra realizes with alarm that this is the woman’s blood.

She shouldn’t be surprised considering much of her body has warped. It is mostly confined to the left side of her body, and truly she is still mostly human. Even still, the mutation is painfully apparent. Kuvira has always been a toned woman, aesthetically so. But the bulging of muscles on her left arm, leg, and chest are grotesque. Bizarre and ill-proportioned. The muscle tissue seems to weep from her skin and, where it connects to the right side of her body, has a texture like stretched bubblegum. In places, mostly along her neck and biceps, Korra can see veins of purple. But her face is normal, normal except for the magenta of her left iris.

And when she opens her eyes again, she still acts like Kuvira. Still talks like Kuvira with her elegant yet boyish charm. “I don’t feel well, Avatar.”

“Yeah, you took a few bad hits. Katara should be here soon, you’ll be alright.”

“I better be. Who else is going to make you look like a wimp…” she coughs. “When we got to the gym, Asami?”

“Asami could kick both of our asses and you know it.”

She gives another weak smile.

“Tell me the truth, Korra. What did I do?”

Korra looks at the bloody mess around her. And for a moment she sees a hulking figure standing at the end of the hallway, accented by purple with tendrils of spirit vine wriggling from its chest.  She shudders away a sudden wave of paranoia, a dread that that figure might step forward and slam a vine straight through her. She shakes her head, that figure is significantly smaller now and nuzzled against her chest almost like a child.

“You did a lot of damage, that’s what.” She answers. “I don’t think that you would have if they just let you be…”

“I killed more people than just Guan.”

It wasn’t a question so Korra simply confirms. “Just the ones that came after you first.” She lies. “I don’t think that you would have done it if you were in control. How many times did he inject you anyways?”

Kuvira seems to mull it over. “Several times a day. I think twice, sometimes thrice.”

Korra thinks that it is a miracle that the woman isn’t fully mutated beyond recognition. She has a suspicion that, at one point or another, she had been. “Well, the healers were able to get the poison out of me so hopefully they can do that for you.”

“I’m not going back to prison?”

“Not if I can help it.”

.oOo.

She still doesn’t bleed normal.  She discovers this after Korra accidentally punches her nose sparing. She hears a soft crunch and then comes a flow of what should be red. Instead she sees yellow-green with a soft glow of purple.

It turns her stomach. Korra thinks that she is being dramatic in her distress until she looks and the avatar gets a good view of the inhuman blood that runs down her chin and coats her hands. “It isn’t right, avatar…” she mumbles. “It’s supposed to be red.”

She doesn’t know why she expected any different, not when she is looking at a left hand that is significantly larger than the right. Not when she looks in the mirror and sees something misshapen and awful. But for some reason, she expected to be human on the inside. To bleed like a human.

Korra rubs her back. “How about we take care of that? I’m not the best healer but I think that I can fix your nose.”

“Go on.” She holds still and lets the avatar get to it.

“There.” She says upon finishing. “All healed.”

“More water?” She holds out a rag and Korra wets it. Kuvira scrubs the blood off of her face and hands.

“Feel better.”

“Not really, avatar.” She confesses. Any day where reminders are heavy is an awful day and this one has only just begun.

Korra bends down and kisses her forehead. “How about now?”

“A little, I suppose.” She replies. Kisses and affection in general do make her feel more human, if only slightly.

Korra looks at the bloody cloth and the back at her. “You’re still you and that’s what matters, you know that right?”

That should be all that matters, she agrees. But it doesn’t, people avoid her more than ever. She vocalises this to Korra.

“Are they avoiding you or are you avoiding them?”

“Excuse me.” She stiffens.

“Kuriva, I can’t remember the last time you left this house.”

“I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t under house arrest.”

Korra slaps her own forehead and Kuvira very nearly doesn the same.

“I suppose that, that makes it difficult for people to try to talk to me, doesn’t it?”

“Ya don’t say.” Korra laughs. “Well think about it this way, dinners are normal, right?”

Kuvira nods. They are mostly, she supposes that the level of awkward tension is on par with what it probably should be for conversing with family and an ex-lover that she’d nearly murdered. They don’t usually bring up the mutation. Baatar speaks of it only once, it had been more or less an innocent question born of curiosity. But it left her feeling hollow, like a test subject. More so than usual. “For the most part they are...bearable.”

Korra tucks the loose strands of Kuvira’s hair behind her ears. “It doesn’t bother me.” She lets her fingers linger upon her neck where ruined and stretched flesh meets smooth skin.

“At least I’ll have that.” Kuvira musters a smile. She wraps her arms around Korra, taking the care not to squeeze too tightly. She presses her ear against the Avatar’s torso.

“You going to let me sit down?” Korra asks eventually.

Kuvira loosens her hold and pats her lap. Korra takes her seat. “Comfortable?”

“Sure am.” Korra replies. She takes to massaging Kuvira’s biceps. “Honestly, you should try looking at the positives.”

“Positives?”

“You’ve been trying to outdo me at one-armed push ups for ages now.”

Kuvira gives a haughty sniff. “Cheating doesn’t count.”

“But apparently it works.”

“Funny, avatar.” She rolls her eyes.

“Really though, this doesn’t bother me.” Korra trails her fingers over her swollen muscles. “That means something, right?”

“It means a lot, Korra.” She replies. At the moment it means everything.  

[rocket-remmy]

The Cake Is A Lie||Lydia and Remmy

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @inspirationdivine and @whatsin-yourhead SUMMARY: Lydia catches Remmy in the act of....thinking about baking. 

The bruises from last night had healed by the time Remmy decided to get out of the bed and head into the house. Lydia had said they were free to use the kitchen, to treat the home as their own, but Remmy was still tentative as they headed into the kitchen, glancing around. It was far fancier than anything they’d ever been inside of, including the old kitchen at the haunted mansion. Their insides crawled a little, skin vibrating. They just wanted to relax for a little bit, do something to take their mind off the shit that the world was pulling them through, and their go to had always been baking. It had always helped calm them down and they felt as if nothing else would even come close right now. But standing, alone, in Lydia’s giant kitchen, they weren’t sure what to do. After a moment, they turned to leave, deciding maybe just staying in their room would be enough. They could read or watch a movie or just bury their head in pillows and pretend like their life wasn’t falling apart before their very eyes. But instead they nearly ran headlong into Lydia, and they jerked, freezing. “S-sorry!” they said, backing away. “Sorry, I didn’t see you...there... I was just, um-- I was thinking about maybe baking something, but then I…” but they didn’t finish the statement, because there wasn’t a point to. There wasn’t a point to a lot nowadays for them.

Remmy roamed her home much like a skittish cat. Occasionally coming in for a cuddle, but equally sneaking around at night and hiding things. Lydia didn’t mind this so much, not when she was prone to the same. A quiet rendezvous with Marley here, a trip out there. She made sure to be around as often as possible, especially now she’d had to tarp up not one, not two, but four windows while she waited for the glazing company to prepare replacements. This was the problem with custom glass: it needed to be made before it could be replaced. She wandered idly into the kitchen, cardigan wrapped tight around her when Remmy bumped right into her. “Darling,” Lydia said with a smile, with the same cadence as if she’d said it’s okay. “That sounds tempting. What sort of thing were you intending to bake?”

“Oh, um,” Remmy stuttered. They hadn’t actually thought about what they’d bake. Whatever came to them when they opened the cabinets, probably. Cakes and cupcakes were easy, simple. “I didn’t really have anything concrete in mind. Probably something...simple but like, you know, distracting? Maybe cupcakes. Those are fun to decorate,” they rambled quietly, backing away enough to look at Lydia. They didn’t really question the broken windows, just as they knew Lydia wasn’t questioning where they went at night, something they were all the more grateful for here. There was an amount of discretion Lydia afforded them that Remmy wasn’t entirely sure roommates like Blanche and Ham would grant. Not that that made them bad roommates, but if Blanche followed Remmy to the Ring again and saw what was going on...Remmy shook the thought from their head. “Probably red velvet, i-if you have stuff for that. It’s my favorite-- er, was my favorite-- flavor.”

“Cupcakes? Sounds darling.” Lydia smiled softly at Remmy as they backed away. “I might. If I’m honest I do not bake often, but we may have some ingredients lying around from Simon’s entry into the pie contest.” She walked over to the cupboards, and began pulling out a motley arrangement of things. She hadn’t been completely honest. The cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla essence had each last been touched not by her nor Simon, but Anneliese, who had sworn that baking was one of the best things in life. It had kept her happy, and in turn Chloe and Sammy, so Lydia had bought her what she wanted, and left them there after her death. Flour, eggs, food colouring, instant yeast and other baking goodies were unveiled one by one. “Do you see what you’re looking for here?”

Remmy watched Lydia pulling out the ingredients and started formulating something in their mind. There was nothing to make red velvet, but there was enough for some lemon vanilla  cupcakes. There was even ingredients to whip up a meringue frosting, if they were feeling it. “Uh, yeah, actually,” they said, taking the ingredients they needed and separating them from everything else Lydia had begun setting out. “You’ve sure got a lot for someone who doesn’t bake,” they said idly, “I don’t even have this much stuff and I used to try and make stuff regularly. It was the only way my roommate-- Blanche-- would eat something other than microwave dinners and candy.” A small pang, as they thought about Blanche, perhaps all alone now, too, in that giant house. They wished they could go back, but they knew this was for the better. Jax knew about Blanche and he had already threatened her once-- they couldn’t let that happen again. “Um-- do you wanna help? I usually let Blanche do all the mixing.”

As they began sorting through the ingredients, Lydia took a long look at the collar resting on Remmy’s neck. She’d never been one to keep track of fast fashion, nor anything that wouldn’t sit in her very feminine wardrobe with intricate structures and figure hugging cuts. Quite far from what Remmy wore anyway, so she’d assumed it was some modern fashion piece. Morgan’s messages had revealed something else, something dangerous. Her gaze flicked away long before Remmy was done. Her smile was as lightweight as her footsteps as she pulled out a mixing bowl and weighing scales, as well as aprons. One of which was bubblegum pink, the other a deep navy with embroidered detailing on the bottom. She handed the navy one to Remmy. “Well, much of it is shelf stable for quite a long time,” Lydia replied with a smile. “Yes darling, I’d love to help. So, what are we making?”

Lydia always had such a calming presence. Remmy didn’t know quite how to thank her for that, but maybe one day they’d be able to find the words. As they gathered up the stuff and started organizing the mixing bowls, they looked over at Lydia with as much of a tired smile as they could muster. “I’m thinking lemon vanilla cupcakes. Nice and light, and there’s enough here for a meringue icing, I think.” Started separating the ingredients, then, into dry and wet and what they needed for the batter and for the icing. “I hope that, um...sounds good,” they paused, unsure of a lot more nowadays than they had been before. They knew Lydia had said they were okay to treat this home as their own, but when their own home felt foreign and wrong, what did that mean for here? They scratched absently at the collar, before they started pouring out some of the dry ingredients, pulling up a simple recipe on their phone. 

Cleaning her hands, Lydia looked back at them and nodded. She was not altogether too fond of lemon cakes, but then, she wouldn’t eat much in any case. As much as she cooked in the evenings, she rarely ate herself unless it was to indulge in a rich new treat. Just not too rich. “It does.” She pat their shoulder as she came to stand by their side, peering around Remmy’s shoulder to look at their phone. Gaze flicking to their collar once more. They looked so somber, so uncertain. There was almost nothing Remmy couldn’t heal from, but god did they look scared. The corner of Lydia’s lip twisted into a smile, playfully. “Now, I mightn’t be able to remember how this all works. We start with the flour, don’t we?” She reached for the bag of flour, but instead of pulling it towards her, she scooped up some flour from inside the bag, and did the most unexpected, and thus the most fae thing: she flicked it playfully, right at Remmy’s face. 

Of all the things Remmy had expected Lydia to do, that had not been one of them. Though she was soft and compassionate and kind to them, someone who was playful and perhaps a bit devious wasn’t who Remmy had ever pegged her for. Blinking, they stared at her for a moment, flour now on their cheek and nose. Slowly, they reached over and picked up the baking powder can. “Actually,” they said, “I like to start with the baking powder,” and flicked some back at Lydia in kind, a sort of whimsical playfulness now on their face.

“That sounds-ack!” Lydia scrunched her face up as she got the baking powder in her mouth, recoiling, but when she opened her eyes, they glowed blue with bright enthusiasm, as she ran round to the other side of the island counter. This time, she took a handful of flour, hurling it all at Remmy’s face, before ducking under the counter.

Remmy couldn’t help but laugh. That was until a fistful of flour hit them directly in the face and they coughed a little, shaking their head. “Hey!” they exclaimed, brushing the flour from their hair. This might’ve been odd in any other circumstance, but Remmy was grateful for the reprieve. They scooped up a handful of flour themself and tossed it at the counter where Lydia had ducked. “That’s cheating!” 

Instead of ensuring that Lydia didn’t get hit, all ducking did was ensuring that she got flour all over her elytra and wings, and her blouse underneath. “Alright, peace!” She called playfully, before standing back up, hands raised. Flour drifted down her clothes to the floor. “I did cheat, and I accept any reasonable punishment you give me.” She laughed, sliding the flour back to where they were baking. 

Remmy was smiling by the time Lydia surrendered, something they hadn’t done in a very long time. It felt nice. They grabbed the flour and pulled it back over to the other ingredients, pointing to the bowls. “Your punishment is having to mix the wet ingredients in, that’s always the worst part,” they said, still smiling as they pulled up the recipe and started measuring out the dry ingredients. After a moment they paused, then looked over at Lydia. “Thank you,” they murmured, “for everything.”

“I accept my punishment entirely,” Lydia chuckled, a tiny promise binding herself into place, not that it was an issue for this, leaning against the counter as she watched Remmy starting to set up. “You are most welcome,” She replied softly, reaching over to touch their shoulder reassuringly. “Has the danger eased, yet?”

Remmy always relaxed under Lydia’s touch, it was one of the things about her that they most liked. There was a certain softness to her that made them almost melt. As if under her gaze, everything was okay. Even the collar around their neck. They measured out a few more ingredients before passing along the bowl to Lydia. “I-- it’s...complicated,” they muttered. Trying to find the words. “I sort of...I can’t talk about it,” they went on, “I sort of promised I wouldn’t.”

“I see, and I would never ask you to break a promise.” Lydia replied, searchingly. She looked away from Remmy as she tidied away the ingredients Remmy was finished with, before peeking around their shoulder, and turning the oven to the right temperature. “I have a more general question. See, no other species is quite so particular with their wording as we are, so I feel the need to clarify. Generally speaking, Remmy, when you use the word can’t, do you mean won’t by choice, or that there is a more physical limitation on a situation?”

“Not all promises are good promises…” Remmy mumbled, starting on the mixture and picking out which pan they wanted to use for the cupcakes. Started mixing ingredients for the frosting, a methodic sort of motion. Relaxing. Enough so for them to let down their guard just a bit, release the tension in their shoulders just a bit. “I can’t. I-- I didn’t know at first, but it’s-- the second one.” paused, waiting to see if they’d get sick, but it seemed as if Jax’s wording didn’t extend to someone guessing it and Remmy affirming it. They sighed with relief. Continued mixing again, slowly at first, as if unsure they should go on, peeking at Lydia from the corner of their vision. “I’m sorry. I-- I should’ve said something. I just-- I wasn’t sure I could. O-or should.” 

“No, but that doesn’t change their value as a promise,” Lydia replied mildly. Her eyes were still heavy with exhaustion from the day she’d spent upholding her own promise to the Vural witch, that had threatened to consume her whole every time she’d dared to nap. Owing a debt or a promise to the wrong person was a terrible thing indeed. That didn’t mean they weren’t important to keep, until they ended.  “That’s all you need to say,” replied Lydia. “Don’t make yourself sick. Anyway, I believe it’s time for me to add the wet ingredients.” She raised her arm, and gestured for the bowl. They didn’t need to discuss this anymore now. It was time for Lydia to find out where Remmy was going each week. 

Remmy was relieved when Lydia didn’t press further. They didn’t want to get sick but they also didn’t want to lie to Lydia. Honesty was important to her, and therefore it was important to Remmy to be honest to her. They usually tried to be honest, anyway, but it mattered much more with Lydia. She’d never wrong them or lied to them. They owed her that much. “Here,” they said, measuring out the milk and oil, “add that first and stir, then we’ll add the eggs.” As they handed the stuff over, they thought that, perhaps, Lydia needed this reprieve just as much as they did. And maybe things didn’t always need to be sad or serious. Sometimes it was okay to put that aside and bake something simple with someone you cared about. The thought made Remmy smile, and they grabbed the next bowl. Maybe that was what their uncle had meant when he’d said their mother was peaceful to be around. Maybe she’d found the right balance of life and baking. “Thanks,” they said again, “for doing this with me.” And maybe that was something Remmy wanted, too.

[hades-999]

No-metix aliens

I feel if I done two no Ben aliens counting, I couldn't stand not count Nemetrix predators too.

I gona cheat again with the firs one, so I gona give you one more to be fair

Rules:

I count aliens who's DNA isn't in the Nemetrix

It's inportant to be an animalistic species or a knowen predator of some other aliens (cannibals not playing)

It's not nesecary to know wich transformation of Ben/wich species would be it's prey (but I'll try to choose one or more)

Mutants and Reboot still not count

So, come and counting with me

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0. Anubian Baskurrs

Yes, I mention it, 'cause Zed just wore the Nemetrix, but her DNA newer was in it

They posess average animalistic powers like enchanted senses and good phisyque, but not more knowen powery. However, their apperace is metalic like, so maybe they have some kind of armor-fur

These aliens can be teamed with good care and easily become loyal

They are related in a way to jackals as their "Anubian" name refers to Anubis, the jackal headed Egyptian god

Unoffical prey: being very much wolf/dog like , so probably they hunt for something similar prey like them

1. Gracklflint

These spider form creatures poses enchanted strengh, agility, wall climber ability and an extremly violent behavior

They can split a venom from their mouth wich one can be used as an antidote while it's fresh. But remember: it doesn't mean it's not a poision! So far the only knowen effect of the venom is makes the eyes burn badly

Unoffical prey: because they eat fruits but attack humanoid creatures as well, the most logical prey for them the human like Floraunas (Wildvine's species). For the same reason, they can prey for Methanosians (Swampfire's species), however it's not so sure because of the species' flames

Also, because they can stealth well and because of their venom's effect maybe their prey species is the Opticoids (Eye guys)

2. Cerberush

It only appeared in UA, "Map of Infinity" episode and it hadn't even a name (this one only on Fandom wiki)

On the same page, it sayes his home planet is Mykdl'dy, but actually in UA that planet's only offical inhabitants are Necrofriggians, so, maybe it was (were ?) brought to the planet

It has the ability to shoot fire from it's right and ice from it's left mouth

Also, despite of it's reptilian apperance it isn't bothered by cold enviroment

Seemingly the heads functioning independent way, cause one still can attack when the other one is knocked out.

Unoffical prey: because one of the Necrofriggians (Big chills) mentioned Ben's team can't survive without a guide, it's possible they are not natural preys of this species. However, it still could hunt for fire/ice power based life forms, but because Pyronites (Heaetblasts) have their natural predator, maybe it hunter of the Polar Manzardills (Arctiguanas) or the Hightbreeds/DNAliens

3. Krakken

This one would be interesting, because in Ben prime universe Krakkens are actually liveing on Eart

However, they are animalistic predators, and nothing prevents to be a sample from it in the Nemetrix

Because it's quete sure it's not a mutant and kryptids only were bring in Omniverse (when Ben met Saturdays) maybe this species have an alien origin and now they are liveing on multiple planet

This species posess two tentacles what they can use as arms, have powerful jaws. And, despite of their enormous size, they can stealth well. They also incedible strong and seemingly invulnerable

Unoffical prey: They are feed on fishes, but if they are really aliens, than they might came from Piscciss and hunt for alien "fishes" just like Piscciss Volanns (Ripjaw's species)

4. Time beast

This creature appeared in Omniverse, in the "Let's do the time war again"

But they still can be hit or stoped by gravity (in that chase they become a black hole and die). Their ray mix with electrycity cause a timefreez

Their main ability to manipulate the time, it allowes them to travel through it, make dust from closly anything by ageing it (even do it just for secound) and "teleport", move in space and time at the same time. It also capable to shoot energy beams from it's mouth

Unoffical prey: they would be perfect predators of the Chronosapiens (Clockwork's species). They can follow their prey through time, dodge their rays and make dust from their armors

5./6. Sand ripper & Root Shark

These creatures move like worms but deadlyes as real sharks Or even more

Root Sharks debuted in "Simon Says", Sand rippers in "OTTO Motives"

We don't know too much about these two species' powers, but Root Sharks can jump very hight (despite of their lack of limbs) and both have sharp teeth and capable of tuneling greatly

Offical prey: Root Sharks are the natural predator of Arachnichimps (Spidermonkey's species) while Sand rippers prey for Tetramands (Four arms' species)

7. Arburian Carcharodon

They appeared in the Reboot's alien worlds exploring seria

These goblinshark like creatures are liveing in oceans, it's unkown if they can survive on land or not (wich woul gives to their preyes a great advantage)

Possibly their teeth strong enought to break Arburian Pellarotta's armors, but they can be stunt by be hit by them

Offical prey: they hunt for bathing Arburian Pellarota (Cannonball's species)

8. Pantophage

This one would be exceptional, because Pantophages are humanoid specis However, they are stupid enouth to be categorised as animalistic species

They not showed any superpower, except enormous size and enchanted strengh

Their name means "all-eater"

Offical prey: they are the predators of the Levodans

9. Nullvoider

Maybe they better knowen as Null Guardians, but originally they got this name

They poses sharp teeth, wings wich allows them to fly and tentacles what they can use to walk on

Also, they can fire energy beams from their mouthes and has the natural sensors to track life energy

Unoffical prey: maybe it's a common mistake, but they are not the only inhabitants in the Null void. So, personally I think they are hunting there for Hawok beasts

10. Omnivirus

Pictures from insane-mane and rizegreymon22

This species was originally planed to be in the show but in the end it wasn't

It supose to be the smallest transformation of the Nemetrix

We don't know too much about this alien, but it would cause a cold like disease to Way big. And, being a virus, maybe multiplaying

Unoffical prey: It's already oblivious it would be the To'kustar (Way big's species) predator.......or more a disease

*

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Bonus:

You could ask ; Why didn't count Panicular, when Zed's species was here? The anwser is easy; the Panicular, who wore the Nemetrix realy was a simple member of it's species..... However, Khryber made it to transform into an Ultimate Panicular, wich means there was a sample of the species' wich one was evolved into Ultimate form

Arachnichimps have a phrase; "Jumping the root shark" wich means the same what humans use with "shark" (being famous temporary)

Null guardians not a natural species, they were created by Galvans

When Ben's team and Dr. Paradox fought (in "Paradox") against a time manipulating mutant, Paradox mentioned the bubblegums long "lifetime". Maybe they would be effective against a Time beast too.

Gracklflints are not carnivorius species, 'cause they can eat plants too. That makes them herbivores, more possible omnivores

So, these were 10 No-metrix aliens. I hope you liked it, but I don't know what to do next, so I'm open for any asks. 🖖

[teachergaming-blog]

Bubblegum Mix Cheats, Hack, Tips & Guide

Remove The Ads and Receive Any Number of Coins with The Bubblegum Mix Cheats for Free!

One of the greatest games at time killing and fulling your need for finding a suitable challenge that will match up your skill level, start downloading it to your Android or IOS device and do not forget the Bubblegum Mix cheats as it will make things easier.

Bubblegum Mix was created by “Fun Match 3 Games” company.

Quick Intro.

Get ready to learn every single detail that is related to the game in our Bubblegum Mix guide, as it is written by a professional that has been playing the game and putting it under a hard test to reveal all the secrets and the necessary information so far that is why you have to keep on reading the review to its end to at least learn the game basics and get a boost at the start.

This is just an ordinary game that is built around matching out the bubblegum together and there are certain rules that you must follow in order to see the results that you have been looking for so far, and on the next segment we will be speaking more with details about the rules.

Friendly UI.

Before we jump directly into the rules section and the gameplay settings, we have to give you a quick view over the UI, it is very simple but yet we have to make it much clearer for you to save the time and effort you would be consuming to figure out the usages of each item displayed on the screen.

Starting with the top side where there will be a counter for your score points, and also the moves that you have left in order to reach the given target right next to these counters as well, you are simply given certain number of moves and you are supposed to use them out in order to reach the highest possible score, but you should follow the given Bubblegum Mix tips by our side to always ensure that your score is high enough.

Gameplay Techniques.

Your aim should be always focused on destroying as many as bubblegum as possible with the least number of moves, because the more moves you are consuming the less the score result at the end will be.

You are allowed to move the bubblegum for only one block away from its original position, so do the math and always stay alert as much as possible to save yourself the time and locate the best opportunity on the given puzzle.

Available Customizable Options.

You can access the pause button at the top right corner and it will be taking you through the game options and the ability to exit or restart the game all over from the start once more, do it only in case you have the lost the chance to score the full three stars’ mark and wishing to have another shot to score the full star’s mark, of course you could get the help from Bubblegum Mix cheats and make everything look achievable, even the scariest and strongest missions could be simply solved out.

Get Any Booster You Want with Bubblegum Mix Hack.

Enable or disable the game music and sound effects from the options menu according to your preference from the pause menu as well, and now we are done with the available options that you can modify to make the game much more friendly.

Moving right into the game boosters, at first you must learn these boosters powers and how they exactly work on the field, the first booster we got here will enable you to swap any 2 candies together at the same time, the second booster is simply based around giving you more moves, each one will increase the moves counter by 5 extra moves and it is not related to the time limit by any meanings, which means that you can simply get extra moves at any time by accessing the boosters bar at the bottom of the UI, and cover all your expenses with the Bubblegum Mix hack of course.

The First publisher is : Games Park

Main Post Link : https://www.theteachersalaryproject.org/bubblegum-mix-cheats-hack-tips-guide/

Topic : Bubblegum Mix Cheats, Hack, Tips & Guide.

Re Shared on “WithoutWax” : http://withoutwax.tv/2017/06/15/bubblegum-mix-cheats-hack-tips/

Re-Shared too on “WeAdvance” : http://weadvance.org/bubblegum-mix-hack-cheats-gameplay/