#I am gonna start introducing myself with ‘let it be known to the world’

[gunkbaby]

i love the photos/pinto short story bc what an opening

[monacodaydreaming]

I Will Follow You | Part Two

You and the rest of the group were all sat around the table outside after having finished the immense feast that Zak and his wife had prepared. You had managed to avoid being the talk of the day which you worried you would be after Lando introduced you to everyone and told them how you two had come to meet. 

“So what is it that you do Ellie?” Max asked you from across the table. Oh yeah that’s right Max Verstappen was also at this barbecue. 

“Oh, I’m a personal assistant.” You said with a small smile to him.

“Are you really?” Lando asked from next to you, with a slight quirk to his lips.

“Yes I am really.” You laughed.

“I’m sorry but this is still so funny to me.” Tracy spoke in amusement. “The fact that you two have never met before today.” You couldn’t help but laugh at her words.

Lando just shrugged. “Sometimes you just know someones gonna be your cup of tea.”

“How could you have possibly have known I was going to be your cup of tea from seeing me standing at the side of the road?” You scoffed, eyebrows pulled together. The table fell silent, intrigued to see how Lando would answer. He held your gaze for a moment.

“It was everything.” He started, placing his beer on the table. “Firstly..what you’re wearing. I mean look at you, you look amazing.”

“I’m wearing a tracksuit.” You deadpanned.

“No I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to second him on this one.” Other Max, Max Fewtrell was piping up now. “When you walked in, I did actually think to myself she looks fucking cool.” You pulled your eyebrows together and shook your head slightly at his words.

“No it’s true, like I said it was everything. It was the outfit, the jewellery, the shoes, the bag..I mean Ellie you look like a fucking model. But it wasn’t just that, you were completely in your own world at first, bobbing along to your music. Then when you saw me and you wiggled those four fingers at me..biting your lip.” You could feel yourself blushing slightly, suddenly aware of how everyone at the table was looking at you. You dropped your gaze to your hands. “I had to know you.”

There was a slight silence as Landos words hung in the air for a few moment. You cleared your throat. “Well now you do.” You looked to him again.

“Now I do.”

___

“Can I see you again?” You didn’t turn to face him at first. You’d left Zak’s house a little while ago and had been driving back to London in a comfortable silence. You let a small smile appear on your face.

“You sure you want to?” You answered, still facing out the window.

“I definitely want to.” He replied. “Today was nice, but I want to get to know you more..preferably without a crowd of people watching us.”

You let out a small laugh and turned to face him. “I like being invisible Lando. I’m not really sure that hanging out with you in London fits into that so well.”

“We don’t have to go anywhere, just come to my flat?” You pondered over his words. “We can cook and watch TV and just..chat. I just want to spend time with you.”

“Okay, when?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow..okay yeah tomorrow.”

“And just so you know Ellie, you’re definitely not invisible to anyone on this planet.” You turned to face him again to find that he was already looking at you. You gave him a small smile, and he turned back to the road.

___

“Okay, like I said I’ll send a car to come and get you.”

“You really don’t have to, I can just get the tube.”

“I’m sending a car.”

“Okay.” You gave in, already learning that sometimes there was no point in arguing with Lando. “Thanks for today..I had a lot of fun.”

“I had a lot of fun too.” He answered, you were both sat inside his car parked just around the corner from your flat. “I knew you’d be my cup of tea.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at his words. 

“Goodnight Norris.” You said quietly. 

“Goodnight Love.” You sat there for a moment longer, before rather boldly placing a hand on the middle console and leaning over to place a kiss on Lando’s cheek.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” You said after pulling away. You quickly opened the door and climbed out without saying another word.

___

“Where have you been?” You were immediately pounced on upon walking into your flat that you shared with your two friends Charlotte and Bea. You hovered in the doorway to the lounge where they were both sat watching TV.

“You won’t believe me, there’s simply no point.”

“Oh don’t be like that!” Bea said before throwing a cushion at you. 

“What the hell!” You said picking it up off the floor and throwing it back.

“Come on Ellie..where were you?” You walked in and flopped down next to Bea and began to tell them about your day.

…

“So you’re going to see him again tomorrow, at his flat..just you and him?” Bea questioned sceptically.

“I mean yeah that’s the plan.” You ran a hand over your face. “I don’t know, the whole things so fucking random.” 

“It’s not fucking random, it’s like a one in a billion chance that you’d bump into Lando Norris outside of Battersea Park which in my book means that it was meant to be.” Charlotte spoke before taking a sip of tea.

“I second that.” Bea chimed in.

“Meant to be?” You questioned quietly, mainly to yourself really.

“Think about it, out of all the places that the two of you could have been at that exact point in the day. You were meant to meet. Things like this don’t happen for no reason.” Charlotte said again nudging your slightly.

“Urgh, this is too much for my brain to process right now.”You said before standing up abruptly. “I’m going to bed.”

___

You stood outside the front door to his apartment. You had been standing there for a couple of minutes since arriving at his floor. You just couldn’t bring yourself to knock. He’d buzzed you into the building so he knew you were here. Come on Ellie, this is ridiculous. Just knock on the fuckin- 

Before you could even get there the door was being swung open from inside, revealing a very confused Lando. 

One of his eyebrows raised slightly in confusion seeing you just…stood there. “How long have you been standing there?”

“About three minutes.” You answered flatly.

“Right…and were you planning on knocking at any point?”

“Yeah..I was just working up to that.” He let out the smallest laugh before stepping to the side of the door gesturing for you to come in. You walked past him and inside. “Shoes off?”

“Nah you’re all good, follow me.” He headed past you and led you down a hallway into the most beautiful kitchen and living room. Your eyes widened at the view from his window. You could see almost everything in London.

“Oh wow Lando..” You said dropping your bag to the floor and walking over to the window. “This view is..” You couldn’t even find the words.

“Pretty cool huh?”

“It’s beautiful.” You said still staring out over the London skyline.

“Okay. So just go with me on this.” You turned around to look at Lando hovering behind the island in the kitchen. “But I thought we’d make pizza.” You began to walk over to where he was. “And by make, I mean from like scratch.” 

“I’m gonna level with you here.” He looked up at you from reading the off a piece of paper he had in front of him “I’m terrible at cooking..like can barely keep myself alive terrible.”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m a pro then isn’t it.” 

__

“Okay so now see if you can spin it in the air.” Lando said as you stretched the dough out on the counter in front of you. Your movements paused as you turned to face him. The process of getting to this stage had been eventful. You were a disaster in the kitchen and spent most of the time watching Lando whilst clearing up a mess that you’d made. You didn’t even want to think about the bag of flour that you’d accidentally crushed with a bowl causing flour to fly into the air and subsequently all of Lando. His revenge being to smear butter all over your forehead.

“You’re just asking for trouble with that.” You scoffed.

“Come on, you’ve got this. Here let me help.” Lando left his pizza base out on the side and clapped his hands together to get rid of the excess flour. He came to stand behind you and placed his arms alongside yours grabbing your hands so that he was guiding your movements. You felt yourself grow hot at the proximity of your bodies. His chest was flush up against your back. His chin was resting just above your shoulder and you could feel his breath fanning against the side of your face.

“Okay so make this hand into like an open fist, so it’s sort of curled over.” He spoke just above a whisper, his hands gently moved over your left hand curling your fingers in until your hand was shaped the way he wanted. “And then with this hand your gonna pick the base and sort of drape it over.” He moved your hand again, until the dough was balancing across both your hands. You couldn’t help your gaze drifting away from in front of you where you should have been focusing to over your shoulder where his gentle voice was coming from. Your breath was sort of shaky. You weren’t even listening anymore, you were totally consumed by his proximity to you. “Ells, you still with me?” His voice suddenly brought you back to where you should be.

You cleared your throat abruptly. “Yes..s-sorry. Okay so now what.” 

__

“So why’d you move to London then?” 

“I figured I needed to be away from my folks.” You put the slice of pizza you’d just bitten into back on the plate which was on the floor in front of you. Pizza making was a success, mainly thanks to Lando and now you were sat on the floor in his living room in front of the window enjoying it. “I have a tendency to rely on them I guess. Like my mum is literally my best friend and I go to my dad for everything and I just figured that even though I don’t know what I’m doing I needed to be away from them to try and work it out.”

Lando was nodding away to what you were saying. “Do you like London?” 

“I do, I think sometimes it’s hard. Like it can feel so lonely sometimes. All my friends are kind of spread out now, I don’t have a massive core group that’s here anymore. And it can suck because I’m like broke all the time and Londons expensive to live in. Hence why I live with two flatmates.”

“What are their names?” 

“Charlotte and Bea.”

“Were you friends before?”

“No, they posted an add on this app called spare room and I came to meet them.”

“You serious?” You laughed.

“Its how most people who flatshare in London meet.” He seemed shocked at the revelation. 

“I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Well it’s a good thing you’ll probably never have to then.” You joked and he let out a small laugh in response. “What about you, do you like London?”

“I do, I think it’s beautiful here.” You hummed to his words. “But I think home for me now is definitely Monaco.”

“Where do you spend most of your time?”

“That’s a really hard question to answer.” He sort of laughed. “Monaco by a very slim margin, but I travel so much that it never really feels like it.”

“Do you like how much you travel?” 

“Umm, I like being able to see as much of the world as I do. I know how lucky I am.” He paused for a moment. “But I don’t like how much I miss out on. It makes things hard, you know meeting people, keeping friends, staying close to family. Especially when not everyone is able to drop their lives to come with me wherever I go.”

“Is that what you’d like, someone to come with you everywhere?”

“I mean yeah that’s the dream. I want to share all this with someone, otherwise whats the point.” 

“Maybe there is no point.”

“That’s a very cynical way to look at things.”

“What can I say I’m a realist.” You uncrossed your legs and fell back slowly so that you were lying down on your back.

“What about you, what do you want?”

“What do I want?”

“Yeah, you know..from your life?”

You stayed silent for a moment. “Honestly..to be happy.” You turned your head to the side so that you were looking at Lando again. “I don’t have a plan, I never have. I don’t know what my life’s going to look like, all I know is that I want to be happy doing whatever it is I’m doing.” A small smile came over Lando’s face. 

“Are you not happy now?”

“I don’t think I’m quite there to be honest. I have these moments where I feel happiness and I know that somethings..good?” Your eyebrows scrunched together as you tried to explain what you meant. “But I don’t think I’m happy. Does that even make any sense?”

“Yeah, it does..in a weird way.”

“Are you happy?”

“I can’t lie to you..yeah.” You laughed at him. “Fuck yeah, I’m so happy.”

“You can tell.”

“You can?”

“Yeah, you can tell that you’re happy. You give off this energy, it’s hard not to feel happy around you.” 

“That’s potentially the nicest thing anyones ever said to me.” You laughed again. “I feel happy when I’m around you.” 

[lynzishell]

My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 24 30 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 2024🎉 (because rules were made to be broken)

TYSM for tagging me @herecirmsims, @elderwisp, and @changingplumbob 💖 As per usual, I went overboard... oops!

Before I forget -- I am going to tag @honeyjars-sims, @raiiny-bay, @havenroyals, @likelyamused, and @dandylion240 (ofc, feel free to ignore me if you've already done it, or if you just don't wanna)

JANUARY

We started the year in Sulani where Phoenix and Dawn got engaged! Let us all take a moment to remember the glory that was Phoenix with a tan 😍

I call this - My Love Affair with Brindleton Bay (Part 1)

I love them. This isn't even the greatest screenshot, but it will forever be one of my favorites. One day I will put together a collage of forehead kisses for these two.

FEBRUARY

My Love Affair with Brindleton Bay (Part 2)

Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi were always happy to steal focus when I needed to blur things happening in the background... 😏

Atlas forever being the best uncle in the world... and fascinated with his niece having his eyes

MARCH

Me peeking through the foliage while Phoenix introduces his wife and child to his mom... the only way he knows how 🥺🤍

APRIL

😂 Ok so March and April are pretty sparse... I took a break in the Spring because I was going through a breakup and a move. I spent that time focusing on things that made me happy - like writing The Past arc for the boys and laughing at Dawn's ridiculous in-game expressions 😂

MAY

I'm so glad I took that break because I was able to come back and give Phoenix and Dawn the wedding they deserved! I also LOVE these last two shots... After the party ended, those three were goofing off and having so much fun... and then giving Phoenix the MOST thoughtful gift... it still makes me tear up! 🥹

JUNE

And so it begins... This nightmare sequence was so much fun to put together! And this shot is by far my favorite... it was totally by accident, but oh so perfect

The Past my beloved... I love this shot sm... the morning light, the fall colors, Ash and Lex being Ash and Lex while Atlas tags along behind them (he'd only known Ash for 24 hours and was already crushing... poor boy didn't stand a chance)

Oh yeah! Remember Chestnut Ridge?! The way I jumped around in this part istg... You're all incredible for putting up with me this summer 😂 Okay but I love this one because of how all the animals are turned to look at Danny... again, a total accident, but perfectly foreshadows what I have in mind for his future!

Back the The Past - What's perfect about this one is how the only thing in focus is where they are touching.

I’m acutely aware that his leg is resting against me now, and he’s rolling the fabric of my sleeve between his thumb and middle finger. Normally, I would have already scooted away from the sofa. Pivoted my body so the conversation could continue, but so that I could not be touched. But I don’t feel any need to do that. Not with him. His affection is so subtle and absent-minded; I can tell he’s just feeling comfortable with me. Something about that makes me feel comfortable with him too.

JULY

AHHHHHH!!! I still lose my mind over this moment!!! Like... the way physical touch plays such a big role throughout this arc, and getting to see Atlas evolve from someone who always kept his distance from people to being the affectionate teddy bear he is today... and the way Ash is so sweet and mindful and considerate through it all...

And then I look down, down to where I feel his hand come to rest on my leg, the heat of it warming my thigh. “Is that okay?” He asks, “Do you want me to move my hand?” I look up into his eyes and shake my head slightly, “No. No, it’s okay.”

THEIR FIRST KISS!!!!! The tippy toes pls!!! 😭 I'm not gonna lie.... I forgot the entire purpose of this post and am now lost to reminiscing... I already miss this arc so much!!!

Taking my time, I brush my lips lightly against his before kissing him softly. Holding myself back, not because I’m unsure, but because I’ve never been more certain of anything. I want to savor this moment, commit it to memory so I can revisit it tomorrow, and every day after.

A brief look into The Present as these two make plans for the future that I will inevitably ruin for them because I felt compelled to go into CAS and play around with genetics and rewrite the entire ending to this arc. Sorry not sorry boys!

aaaand back to The Past for our first peek at Ash's POV as he realizes he may be falling for Atlas

Y’know, my biggest fear is drowning, especially in the ocean, and yet, my favorite place is the beach near my parents’ house, sitting right at the water’s edge. Being with Atlas, it reminds me of this place. The bright blue of his eyes, the sandy color of his hair, and the dusting of freckles across his nose. And the way being near him makes me feel just a little nervous, like at any moment I could get swept away and lose myself completely.

AUGUST

Oh yeah! Chestnut Ridge and Joey's cliche dad-logic moment! Seriously guys... thank you for putting up with my nonsense... But OMG! Did you know you can set the horses to buck riders off every time they try to get on? 10/10 recommend if you need a laugh! I had so much fun with this scene... Phoenix, on the other hand, did not 🫣

This one. You have no idea. I struggled SO MUCH with trying to figure this scene out... and only those in our discord writing group will know how I lost my mind when these poses were released and gave me the inspiration I needed... I'm pretty sure I shot this scene a month before I even started this arc because I couldn't get it out of my head... I should also add that these two died in process of making it, and I fucked up this lot while trying to place all the lights and decos via TOOL and had to start all over in another save (which worked out because the Romance Festival spawned in the new one making it all so much better and more lively)... I went through a lot for this shot, and I will hold it near and dear to my heart forever as a result.

SEPTEMBER

Just them. Holding hands. In The Present. 🥹 I just like this one a lot... it's actually the desktop background on my PC lol

A hazy dream in neon pink

Don't worry... they're JUST FRIENDS (who are clearly in love with each other and on mdma and suddenly can't keep their hands off each other)

As he backs himself against the wall, pulling me into him, I finally understand. “Is this okay?” he asks. I lean in so fast that I practically breathe the answer into his mouth, “Yeah,” and before I know it, we’re making out again. But this time is far more intense, our kisses deeper, our breathing ragged, our hands grabbing fistfuls of hair and clothing and clawing at skin as though our desire for each other has grown into some kind of wild animal. Finally free from its cage, there’s no going back now.

💛🩵💛🩵 What am I doing again? I think I've lost the plot...

OCTOBER

Oh yeah... fave screenshots of 2024! We're so back! San Myshuno my beloved

The Proposal 😭 Spoiler alert... they were never "just friends" ajsdkakljs Also, I had to exit and go back in game three times to keep those bright red/orange skies for this scene... worth it!

NOVEMBER

A glimpse of The Future... and bb is confused af

DECEMBER

Things are different now in ways they don't quite understand, but they have each other 🥹🩵💛

For the rest of our lives, we're in this together.

[lam-ila]

Baseball and Love || Dawson Mercer

Summary: Four times you watched baseball at home and one time you watched in person.

Word Count: 1,906

Warnings: one scene occurring during quarantine

please let me know if you find more that i should add

NHL Masterlist

a/n: here’s my 2024 summer fic exchange for @hischier-papaya! i hope you like it! as always, huge thank you and shout out to @wyattjohnston for hosting the fic exchange! you’re amazing!!

this is gender neutral. hope you enjoy this! feedback is appreciated

LIKES ARE GREAT, REBLOGS ARE BETTER ♡

—————

1. The First Time

Every summer, since before you were born, your parents hosted a summer barbecue at your house. Eight year old you was running around with other kids your age, screaming with joy as you played tag. Early on into your second round of tag, you were plucked out of the game by your parents to meet a new friend.

“Sweetheart, this is Dawson,” one of your parents explained to you. Your eyes were wide with intrigue as your mouth twitched into a small smile at the sight of a new friend, so you weren’t sure which one of your parents was talking to you.

“Hi,” you said to him. You looked over your shoulder to the game of tag still going on behind you. Looking back at Dawson, you continued “Do you wanna join our game?”

“Yeah!” Dawson exclaimed, looking up at his parents for a nod of approval before running off after you.

After many rounds of tag and a few other games, you and your new friend were completely tired out. Luckily for you, it was perfect timing as the Reds game was just staring to begin. You plopped yourself down on the floor in front of the tv where the game was playing. Since Dawson wasn’t introduced to anyone besides you, he followed you to the tv and sat down right next to you.

“Who are you rooting for?” Dawson asked, looking at you looking at the tv.

“The Reds," you answered, still looking at the tv. “My dad and grandpa like them, so I do too.”

“Cool,” Dawson followed your eyes back to the tv, staying silent for a bit before asking “Do you want some lemonade? I’m gonna get some for myself.”

—————

2. The Time at a Sleepover

Sleepovers with Dawson were a common occurrence and at these sleepovers, baseball was watched whenever the Reds were playing. After dinner, you and Dawson spent the hour before the game begun reassembling the tv room and turning it into a fort. Blankets were laid across and above chairs borrowed from the dining room and pillows were placed on the carpet beneath the temporary shelter.

“I heard there’s a rumour going around that we’re dating.” Dawson casually mentioned while snacking on the bowl of popcorn resting in between you two.

“Ew that’s gross, Daws,” you exclaimed, scrunching your face in disgust. “We’ve known each other since we were eight. That’s like, five years.”

“Yeah…” Dawson trailed off, looking at you while your eyes were glued to the game. “That’s gross.” He slightly shook his head, mentally shoving his ever growing crush on you deeper in his mind.

—————

3. The Time Before He Got Drafted

Quarantine sucked. Everyone knew that. Your last year of high school was cut short, the NHL season was paused until further notice, and worst of all, you couldn’t see Dawson. However, despite not being able to see each other in person, you and Dawson were constantly on the on a call together. One night, a little over a week away from the 2020 NHL draft, you and Dawson were on a call together, as per usual, and both watching the Reds game on either side of the call.

Your conversation consisted mostly of comments about the game, until Dawson spoke up.

“The NHL draft is coming up. Would you wanna join my family’s bubble to be at my place with me during it?” Dawson wondered.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I am a little nervous though. What if I don’t get drafted?” You immediately answered without question.

“Dawson Mercer,” you started, lowering the volume of your tv so there wasn’t much background noise. “listen to me when I say this: you are going to get drafted. You’re such a crazy talented player that it’s impossible for you to go undrafted. Any team who doesn't see that is simply stupid.”

“Thanks, it really means a lot.” He breathed as he felt a rush of warmth flush to his cheeks. He giddily smiled as he thought about how sweet your affirmation was.

“Also, I’m totally buying all of the merch of whatever team you’re getting drafted to.” Your statement broke Dawson’s train of thought as he laughed. “I’m gonna be so broke, but I’ll take being broke if it means supporting you.”

—————

4. The Time You Surprised Him

About half of Dawson’s third NHL season passed by without you being able to go to one of his games due to your schedule. You felt awful for it, but Dawson reassured you over and over again that it was okay, but you could tell he was still a little upset that you had yet to make it. Unbeknownst to him, you were flying over to New Jersey to watch him play and to spend a few days with him.

You planned everything with Jesper and Nicole, having them pick you up from the airport and driving you over to the game, keeping your bag in their car, so Dawson wouldn’t suspect a thing.

You went over to the Prudential Center and waited with Nicole and the other WAGS for the team to see everyone before the game started. It felt weird, but yet nice, for you to be waiting with the WAGS since you and Dawson weren’t together, but you pushed that aside, anticipating for Dawson’s excitement over seeing you for the first time in a while.

You straightened as the team began to come out, eyes widening as you spotted Dawson talking to Jesper. You began to smile as you watched the two of them walk towards you and Nicole.

“Hey Nicole, how are you do-” Dawson began before his jaw dropped at the sight of you standing next to Nicole. “What are you- how are you- hi.” He engulfed you in a breathtakingly tight hug.

“Hi Daws,” you greeted him back, still holding each other.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” he stated after pulling away.

“That’s because we planned to surprise you.” You briefly motioned over to Jesper and Nicole. “So, uh, surprise?”

Dawson turned over to face his teammate saying “You were in on this?” before bringing him into a bro-hug. “Thank you for bringing my best friend here.”

“Of course man.” Jesper smiled at the sight of Dawson being over the moon excited that you were standing in front of him.

The game ended with the Devils winning and Dawson scoring one of the goals, pointing up to were you were sitting with the WAGS as his celly, showing you that he dedicated his goal to you.

Once you saw Dawson after the game, you grabbed him into another hug whispering “I’m so so proud of you” into his hair.

You walked over to Jesper and Nicole’s car, grabbing your bag out of the trunk and placing it into Dawson’s trunk before following him into his car and making your way to his apartment.

After settling into his apartment, you watched as Dawson crashed onto his bed, turning on the tv in the process to the Reds game still going on. They were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers meaning about half of the game was still left to play. You turned your head to the tv, smiling at his urgency to put on your favourite baseball team’s game. Looking back at Dawson, you saw him meet your eyes and extend his arms towards you while doing grabby hands, making you laugh.

“You know, you really do act like a child sometimes,” you teased.

“Oh, just get in my arms. I want cuddles,” he demanded, making you laugh.

You laid in his arms while watching the game for about an inning and a half before you start to feel the effects of travelling, going to Dawson's hockey game, and staying up late to watch a baseball game all in one day. You’re fighting the heaviness of your eyelids as your head lulled to the side, making you look away from the game on the tv.

Dawson lowered the volume and pressed a tentative kiss to your forehead, lingering there for a moment as he whispered “Goodnight”.

You nuzzled your face further into his body, finding yourself placing a kiss to the bottom of his neck, close to his collarbone.

“Night Daws,” you mumble before accepting the sleep your body so desperately needs.

—————

+1. The Time He Surprised You

Despite being a big Reds fan, you had never been to a Reds game. That was something Dawson planned to change as he bought two tickets to a game for you two to go to during his offseason.

“Dawson, can you please tell me where you’re going?” you pestered in the passenger seat of Dawson’s car as he drove you to an unknown location.

“Nope,” Dawson smirked while responding. “you’ll see when we get there.”

“Ugh, fine," You rolled your head back against your seat’s head rest. “Wait, is that the Reds’ stadium?” You perked up, your face pressed up to the window.

“Mhm,” Dawson confirmed, “and we have two tickets to their game today.”

“Really?” you exclaimed. “Oh my gosh, thank you Dawson! I am so going to hug you when we get there.”

And you kept your promise, quickly unbuckling your seatbelt when the car was parked and rushing to the driver’s side of the car to give him the biggest and tightest hug you’ve ever given him.

Once inside the stadium, you found your seats and admired the very close up view, taking some pictures to send to your parents. You and Dawson then decided to get food before the game started, so you made your way to one of the food stands, hand in hand to avoid getting separated.

"Hey Daws?” you asked once standing in line, still hand in hand with him. “How much were the tickets?"

"That’s nothing of your concern," he asserted.

"But I want to pay you back."

"Not gonna happen."

"Okay, well I'll pay for food."

"You could pay me back by being my partner." Dawson started the sentence confidently and very quietly mumbled the last three words.

“Hm?” you hummed, hinting at him to repeat what he said.

“Oh, uh…” He let go of your hand, using his now empty hand to awkwardly scratch at his head. “Sure, you can pay for food.”

After eating, you two sat at your seats, waiting for the game to start.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” you said, your body twisted so that you were facing Dawson.

“Ah, no need to thank me,” Dawson waved your appreciation off. “It was about time I brought you to a Reds game.”

“But why’d you do it?” you asked, intrigued by what his answer would be.

“ ‘Cause you’re my best friend.”

“Yeah sure, everyone gets their best friend front row seats to their favourite baseball team,” you sarcastically remarked.

“Okay, you want the full answer?” You nodded in response, all your attention focused on him. “I like you, as in, romantically. I have since we were twelve.” Dawson stated in a matter of fact tone.

“You do?”

“Yeah, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. Nothing has to change.”

“Nah, I’d like for things to change because I like you too.” You laughed slightly as his reaction to you saying that, his face visibly brightening with excitement.

“Good because I’m going to kiss you now.”

You and Dawson leaned into each other, meeting in the middle and pressing a kiss to each other’s lips that expressed everything that’s been unsaid since you first met.

——————————

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[callmemana]

Captain’s Bet:

Quinn Hughes x Amanda ‘Trouble’ Hamilton

Summary: Quinn broke up with his girlfriend and to get him back on the saddle, Brock and Lizzie try to set him up with Brock’s childhood best friend, who’s known for being trouble thinking that maybe some chaos in Quinn’s life will help him get over his ex. The friendship starts a little rocky, but eventually the fine line of love and hate is crossed when they make a secret bet between the two to get their friends off their backs about dating and trying to change Trouble’s view on love.

Warnings: mentions of cheating, bad past relationships, accusations of being a slut (male/female- we do NOT slut shame here), relationship started as a bet, messy break up, unhealthy coping mechanisms, cursing, suggestive comments and scenes. 

A/N 1: heart breaker oc, I will NOT write smut. Inaccurate hockey descriptions (I’m trying, I’m still new to the hockey world)

A/N 2: if you don’t like this fic, I don’t really give a fuck. This is for myself and I won’t be bullied or whatever by some anonymous asshole. If you got something to say, say it with your chest.

{Master-list} {Next Chapter} {Previous Chapter}

Word count: 3k+

I sat in my car with the music loud and coffee half drank in my hand as I head banged to the divorce dad rock in my hoodie and tights.

My strawberry blonde hair was in a messy bun, made worse with the aggressive movements and my coke bottle glasses threatened to fly off my face every time I moved.

I didn’t look my best, but what do you expect on a Saturday morning when I was supposed to be asleep until almost noon and watch cartoons cuddled up under a blanket with my dog.

I’m not known for being a morning person, I've never been one and most likely never will be.

Honestly if I didn’t love Brock and his wife as much as I did, I probably would’ve told him to shove off if they asked me to be up before the ass-crack of dawn.

Mimi, my brown mini goldendoodle, sat in my passenger seat looking out the window and lightly panting from the excitement of seeing her ‘best friend.’

As the Metallica song faded out and the next song began, there was a knock on the glass on my opposite side. At first I didn’t recognize the man, so I ignored him.

He knocked again, harder and more urgently, gaining my attention. The brunett leaned against the sill, casually and slightly irritated.

I rolled my eyes as I lowered my music and rolled down the window on Mimi’s side just enough for my voice to be heard.

The brunett ran his hand through his shaggy hair frustratedly, the action making his dark wet curls fall in his face.

“Sorry, my parents told me not to talk to strangers,” I shrugged.

He rolled his eyes, “I’m not a stranger. Are you Brock’s friend, the one who’s supposed to pick us up today?”

“I might be, but I’m not telling someone I’ve never met before if I am or not.”

“Boes said that a woman in a burnt orange Honda would be here for us. I’m gonna assume that’s you?”

“Like I said, I’m not telling a stranger if I know Brock or not.”

I looked him up and down, there was no denying that he was far from being ‘just some rando off the side of the street.’

He had the build of a hockey player and had a ‘Canuck’s’ duffle bag similar to Brock’s.

“What if I introduced myself? Then I’m not a stranger anymore.”

“True, but I still wouldn’t know you enough to tell you anything.”

He groaned, “Dammit woman, please just let me in your car, it’s chilly out here.”

“Sorry, Captain, can’t do that. Plus I don’t have any candy to offer you to get inside my car.”

“It’s not like you're kidnapping me, I’m willingly getting into your car.”

“See, that’s how it starts, people willingly getting into strangers' cars. Next thing you know there’s an alert out for you and I’m hunted down by the police.”

“Wait, did you call me ‘Captain’? So you do know who I am!”

“I call everyone Captain, don’t feel special.” I rolled my eyes with a smirk.

Before he could call my bullshit, I looked him straight in the eyes and waved as I rolled up the window cutting his response off.

The man knocked on the glass a couple times, spewing curses as his ears started to flush pink in frustration or the weather, could be both.

I took that as my cue to roll the window down again, the same length as before.

“Yes, Captain?” I gave a half-assed two finger salute with a shit-eating grin.

“I think I’ve figured out your little game, you do know who I am but are playing the dumb blonde card.”

Quinn leans into the door frame, a smirk on his lips and a sparkle of mischief in his hazel eyes.

“Whatever do you mean? I've never met you a day in my life. How could I know who you are?”

“Cut the shit, you know I’m one of Brock’s teammates.”

“Wow, do you really think that when Brock and I hang out we talk about hockey? ‘Cause newsflash captain, we don’t.”

“There you go using ‘Captain’ again. Are you sure you don’t talk about the team when you're with Boes?”

I rolled my eyes, “Wow, egotistical much? You must think you’re hot shit if you think that all of our conversations are about you and the team.”

“But you do, I can see it in your eyes. Brock’s told you about me. What’s my nickname then?”

I shrug, brows popped, “I might’ve heard about some guy on his team that you so happen to look like. Not saying you are this ‘Huggy Bear’ guy, but you could be, I guess.”

“Don’t act like you don’t know me even a little bit, I can see it in your eyes. Brock’s told you about me,” he boasts with a smirk on his lips.

I tip my head from left to right, squinting my eyes and nose scrunched in concentration. I stroke my imaginary beard as I look at him.

Of course I know who’s standing right outside my passenger side door, you’d have to be living under a rock not to.

But it seems that the young defensemen might need an ego check, one that I’m more than happy to provide.

Mimi lets out a playful bark, panting as she puts her paws on the window as if to say, ‘haha, I’m in the car and you’re not!’

The window switch is calling my name to use and who am I to deny it, especially when the opportunity is too good to pass up.

The window starts to slowly roll up again as he starts to reply. A lop-sided grin on my lips as I sip my coffee loudly.

“You guess?” Quinn popped his brows and ran a hand through his hair again, the curls falling every which way.

It’s damp at best now, the shorter pieces dry and starting to fluff. The weather probably isn’t helping either, the wind blowing the brunet curls all around and messing it up more.

The glass is almost to the top now, maybe a centimeter or two before it touches the sill. I stop the movement just long enough to antagonize him one more time.

I give him a non-committal sound, shrug my shoulders and adjust my glasses again, “Maybe. You know I’ve only seen ‘Huggy Bear’ in photos, and he’s blurry most of the time.”

The window is closed and Quinn groans before starting to knock again. I take a sip of my coffee, making an exaggerated sigh, and turn up my music again.

My phone lights up from a message from Brock I pick it up and text him back, then turn my phone off.

Broccoli: Quinn should be outside and looking for you.

Trouble: 🤙🏻

Quinn has his head leaned against my car, face down and eyes closed. A smirk finds its way to my features as I form a plan in my head.

Will this get a lecture from Brock, most likely, but will it be fun and worth it? Absolutely!

I wait until Brock and his other blond friend are coming out of the building before honking the horn and waving through the window to show the others where I was.

Quinn, who wasn’t expecting the loud noise, jumped and fell to the ground. Brock and Elias leisurely made their way to us as they laughed.

I smirked at the annoyed face the brunett wore as he got up. A scowl now took over and a glint of anger in his eyes.

Once Brock had made it to my car, I turned the music off and rolled the window all the way down.

He takes Quinn’s empty spot on the door as the brunet tries to open the backdoor to get in. I was so distracted while talking with my friend that I forgot to unlock it.

Elias is stood near the back, waiting for the trunk to open as Brock and Quinn hand over their gym bags so he can put them inside.

He closes the door and makes his way to the passenger side, patiently waiting, unlike his friend.

I quickly press the button and the doors open as the boys get in the back before they close them again.

Brock stays outside to chat for a few more minutes before he gets in too, adjusting the seat to accommodate his height.

Mimi gives Brock a couple of puppy kisses before being told to get in the back.

The Captain grumbles as he situates himself now with the dog taking up the extra space and excitedly giving Elias and him kisses too.

Mimi calms down and stretches out on the seats, invading their personal space.

Elias laughs at his uncomfortable position, causing Brock and me to join in when we look back from the rearview mirror.

“I’m pretty sure you gave my boy a heart attack with that little prank Trouble.” Brock joked, a smirk on his features and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that matched mine.

“I had to make sure he’s awake enough for practice, you guys can’t just arrive tired and sluggish now can you?”

“Trouble, you know how to keep people on their toes!”

I let out a full belly laugh, turns up the Nirvana song playing through the sound system and took off.

The ride back to Brock’s was chaotic to say the least, but when it’s my car you should’ve known what was gonna happen when you stepped inside.

The music had been turned down to a single digit, to please the princess Quinnifer, and talk about pretty much anything that came to mind.

Once I pulled into Brock’s driveway, the boys all said their thank yous and goodbyes.

Boes stayed for a little bit after while the other two men grabbed their duffles and went inside, most likely to eat what Lizzie had made for breakfast.

“So, what do you think?”

I popped a brow, “About what? Am I missing something here, are you trying to be a girl and see if I noticed anything new about you?”

Brock laughs, “No, Trouble, about Quinn?”

I rolled my eyes, “He’s ok I guess. Why does it matter what I think?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes, “‘Cause I was thinking about setting you two up, you’d look cute together and Lizzie agrees.”

“Brock, I don’t need a knight in shining whatever. No one’s gonna change my mind on love. He seems nice, sweet even, but I don’t wanna break his heart when it doesn’t work out.”

“Trouble, I’m not saying that he’ll change it. I’m just saying that maybe he could be good for you. And he’s always grumpy, I think he needs more chaos in his life.”

“Listen Brock, I appreciate the thought, I do, but I’m not looking and by the way he’s been lately from what you tell me, he just got outta a bad breakup. He needs time to heal, and I’m not that kinda girl.”

He sighs, but nods, “Yeah, I knew it was a long-run, but thought I’d try at least you know? Maybe if you got to know him better?”

I reached over the middle console to hold his hand that’s hanging off the door inside as he leaned out of the car.

“Brock, honey, I don’t think he’d wanna be my friend. He’s more of a quiet soul, he needs someone who’s gonna match his vibes. And I’m not that, we both know how I am.”

“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. But don’t cry when in a couple of months I tell you I told you so!”

He smirks, taps the roof of my car twice, then walks backwards with his middle fingers up in a friendly goodbye.

I laugh, lazily showing my own middle fingers then back out of the driveway.

I turn up my music to double digits and start my way home.

A text from Brock popped up about halfway through his neighbor. The Bluetooth reads it off for me as I drive.

Broccoli: Drive safe Trouble!

Trouble: I’m always safe! 🖕🏻💛

Once home, I let Mimi out to go potty, then went inside to warm up under some blankets with hot chocolate, cuddles on the couch with my girl, and watched cartoons.

The warm drink and the noises from the tv must’ve lulled me to sleep because the next time I opened my eyes it was about midday and Mimi was whining about going outside again.

I hurried to get ready to go outside again, grabbing all I would need and Mimi’s leash, attaching it to her magenta color.

We rode the elevator down, passed the front doors, and went to the front lawn of my apartment building.

Mimi sniffs for a little bit before finally picking a spot to use to do her business.

I gave her a treat and let her play outside for a little bit before I was too cold and had to go in.

When we got back into our apartment, I realized that I had left my phone inside and forgot where I put it.

I looked everywhere I had been since I came home, but no dice. I double and triple checked the places before finding it sitting perfectly fine on the coffee table.

I groan, of course it’d be in plain sight.

I turn it on, and see that in the half hour I was outside with Mimi that Brock, Lizzie, and Raven had sent texts.

Lizzie: Brock said that you don’t like Huggy! Wtf?! He’s so your type babe!

Broccoli: I’m assuming that you didn’t die on your way home with the lack of ‘I’m home safe and sound’ and no calls from the police.

Tiny: can we FaceTime? Got big news!!

I replied to each, giving Brock a sassy comment more than anything.

It wasn’t long before Ray’s contact requested a facetime call, I accepted it quickly and got comfortable on my couch again.

The phone rang twice before Ray’s camera showed her and Willy. I smiled and waved, “Well hello gorgeous! Hi Willy!”

“Hi Trouble!” The couple replied in unison. It was gross just how cute they were sometimes.

“So, what’s the big news?!”

“We’re moving in together!”

I screamed, probably annoying my neighbors in the act, but I don’t really care.

“No way! Are you gonna pick which house to live in or a new start?”

Raven blushed, “I’m moving into Willy’s apartment. We’ve just gotta start packing everything and the moving truck should be able to hold all my things.”

“This is exciting!! If y’all need any help don’t hesitate to ask, okay? ‘Cause you know I’ll drop everything and come to Toronto!”

Ray laughs, “Yeah, we know. But that’s too much to ask.”

“But, when we get Ray settled in, if you wouldn’t mind coming for a housewarming party that’d be great!”

“Of course I’ll be there!! I get to see my favorite gal pal!”

“Aren’t you missing someone Trouble,” Willy popped a brow and smirked.

“And her boyfriend.” I mumbled, jokingly as I rolled my eyes.

“C’mon, don’t act like you're not our biggest supporter! You even threatened him if he ever broke my heart!”

I raised a brow, “And I stand by that threat William. You better make sure she’s the happiest girl in the world or I’ll come to Toronto.”

I pointed at him menacingly, a smirk on my lips as I threatened him again through the screen.

Willy laughs, “I know you would, but I’m keeping my promise. I swear, scouts honor.”

I narrowed my eyes, “You were never a Boy Scout, you wouldn’t have time with hockey being your main focus.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep a promise like one.”

“I guess,” I mutter, “OH you’ll never guess what Brock did today!”

“Tried to set you up with someone?”

“Not just someone, his captain! He set up a little meet-cute this morning at the ass-crack of dawn!”

“Oh my god, really? Didn’t Quinn just get out of something messy?”

I nodded, “That’s what I told him, I’m not lookin’ and Quinn just got out of something.”

“Should I be here for the ‘girl talk,” asked Willy as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“You should hear this too, in case Ray or you get any ideas when I come to visit Mister.” I jokingly pointed my finger at him as a smile pulled at my lips.

He raised his hands in mock defense, “Alright, alright I’m listening. No promises that we won’t meddle though.”

I groaned, “Please don’t, I already have Brock and Lizzie on my ass, I don’t need you guys too!”

“Trouble, who do you think told us about the meddling in the first place?”

My brows shot up to my forehead, “No they fucking didn’t, did they? When did you get their numbers? How long have you been cheating on me?”

The couple laughs at my dramatics, “We like to keep in touch in case you make a surprise visit to Toronto or anywhere and forget to tell us!”

“Oh, well that makes a lot of sense.”

“No shit Sherlock. We exchanged numbers after I texted Brock that you were safe after a night out with us. You were shitfaced and didn’t tell him you were in Toronto so of course he was freaking out, especially with the drunk texts you sent.”

“I don’t drunk text people, I go on side quests and make new friends along the way!”

Ray cut me off with a snort, “Yeah okay, lemme just pull up the last time you messaged me while at the bar.”

“Hey, how bout you don’t.”

“So you admit you do drunk texts friends,” she popped her brows with a smirk.

“I’m not saying that, I just get so excited to share my journey that I need to tell someone,” I babble, unable to talk my way out of this, but too prideful to agree.

“Whatever you say Trouble. Anyway, tell me about Quinn!”

“I honestly don’t know what to say, Ray. He was grumpy, and from what Brock’s told me, that’s just how he is.”

“Quinn’s not always grumpy. I’ve heard through Willy and the guys that he’s actually one of the nicest people in the league.”

I rolled my eyes, “Well I didn’t see that. Maybe it was ‘cause of the early morning and he was tired.”

“That’s not what Brock told me and he heard it straight from Quinn. You gave him Hell this morning.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “How was I supposed to know who he was when I’ve only seen blurry pictures and heard stories from Brock?”

Raven rolled her eyes, “That’s a lie, Trouble. I know you’ve seen him play when you go to games for Brock with Lizzie.”

“It all happens so fast how can I keep up with what’s goin’ on!”

They both gave me a deadpan look, I sighed loudly, making Mimi glance as if checking if I was okay before laying her head down again.

“Okay, maybe I’ve looked up the captain a time or two.” I mumble, arms crossed over my chest as I look away from the screen to hide my slightly burning cheeks.

“I know he’s your type, brown hair and lightly colored eyes. You can deny it all you want, but I know you think he’s attractive,” she smirks, Willy’s lips echoing hers.

“You don’t have to call me out like that,” I groan, pulling the blanket up to my face to hide the rosy tint coloring my features.

“What are friends for?”

“Not that, you should support me and tell me that I’m too good for him and everything else friends do in this sort of thing!”

“Trouble, I hate to say this, but I actually think y’all would be good for each other. It’s the classic grumpy x sunshine trope! And Quinn and you would be super cute, don’t you think so Willy,” Raven chirped, her hands flapping with excitement.

William chuckled, “Honestly, I agree with Ray. He’s more down to earth and well, you’re spontaneous. I have half of the chaos sisters and I know my life has been better since I’ve met her.”

“You guys are the perfect couple, I swear! ’Cause Willy, you go with the flow. You’re happy to be drug around with Ray. It wouldn’t be the same for us.”

“How do you know if you never take the leap?”

“I don’t, not for sure anyway,”

“Then jump bitch, maybe he’ll surprise you and catch you before the fall,” smiled Ray.

“Or maybe I’ll hit the pavement,” I mumble, more into the fabric on my lap than anyone.

Raven groans, “Don’t be like that! Quinn’s a good man.”

I repositioned on the couch, now sitting criss-crossed with the blanket tangled on my legs.

I fidget with my hands, “He might be a good guy, but I don’t wanna hurt him in the end. You know how I look at love and I don’t wanna get his hopes up that he’s changed it and then crush him when we break up.”

“Trouble, just be his friend first. That’s how Willy and I started out, as friends, then later we ended up where we are now.”

“Well I might’ve already messed that up. I did roll my window up while he was talking and honked the horn to scare him,” I smirked, still fidgeting with my fingers to get rid of the nerves.

The couple laughed, full belly and loud. Raven was the first to recover.

“Maybe less mischief and more talking.”

“Or,” Willy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, a wide smirk on his lips.

Raven groans, and lightly pushes his face away from the camera.

“Don't listen to him. Just get to know him better, then maybe after you figure out his humor, a couple of pranks.”

“Boo, you're no fun!”

“I am very fun, but I know my audience. You my dear Trouble, don’t know Quinn’s yet. He might surprise you, he did grow up with brothers,” Raven popped a brow.

“Yeah yeah, whatever mom, I’ll be on my okayest behavior next time I see him,” I rolled my eyes, a humorous smirk on my lips.

“That’s all I ask for.”

“I love you Tiny, thank you for the advice that I totally won’t use.”

Raven laughed, “Love you too, Trouble. Just keep it on the back burner though, okay, you might need it later.”

“I’ll think about it, but now I know who to go to for relationship advice in the future.”

“Bye Trouble, see you soon, yeah?”

I nodded, my hair falling out of the messy bun from earlier and the nap, “Yes sir! As soon as the apartment has been Raven-fied!”

With that, and a few more ‘I love yous’ and ‘see you soons’ the call ended.

Birdie’s Basket🧺: @dragon-kazansky

🏷️ list: @alwaysclassyeagle

[amity-moonrise]

Tw: mentions of SA, sexualization of children, trauma events

Parents don’t realize that telling their kids to cover up because their skin is showing is gonna make the child feel like it’s their fault if someone hurts them.

I can GUARANTEE that most, if not all children, cannot fathom the idea of being SA’d by someone who is supposed to be the adult or the one who they are supposed to trust, ESPECIALLY YOUNGER ONES. Children aren’t automatically born with the awareness of keeping themselves safe from creeps, they just want to express themselves and don’t see anything wrong with their body. Its when you start commenting on their body in a sexual context and forcing them to cover, only then do they become self conscious.

How do I know this? Because I am a direct victim. When you have parents who basically sexualized your body and used religion as an excuse to tell me to cover up while making inappropriate comments your whole life, you grow up feeling like your body isn’t yours. You no longer see people as people, you see them as what your parents describe you, bodies. Objects. Things that people take advantage of. And this gets worse once your own brother introduces you to porn.

It was so bad that we struggled for so long to figure out our gender identity, because for a while, our dysphoria came from that trauma. Now? The only dysphoria I have is of my uterus due to physical health issues. But before then, if I ever saw myself in the mirror, I never saw myself, I only ever saw a slut. And I still do, and I hate it. I lost the ability to see myself as human. We have become completely disconnected from our body. Our physical needs are numbed, pain is barely there unless we REALLY hurt ourselves, and we forget how our body even feels to the point where we bump into things because we forgot an arm exists or a bit of our waist is bigger than we anticipated.

Don’t ever fucking tell a child that they need to cover up. It was never their responsibility, it’s yours. No excuse can justify telling a CHILD to cover up. Protection? Just go to that one museum where it has an exhibit of the clothes that SA victims were wearing, and you will be SHOCKED to see how many of them are just regular clothes, the same ones you’re forcing a kid to wear. Covering does nothing. It did nothing for me when I was SA’d by someone I know.

As long as the child lives, nothing but the parents can protect them. Clothes won’t do shit. Isolating them won’t do shit. Homeschooling won’t do shit. Your child will always be in danger if you focus on making it their responsibility to protect or cover themselves when its actually yours. This is the world we live in. Either you basically hog the child away from society, knowing that they will most likely be traumatized and be stunted, or you risk it all to let the child grow, knowing that at any moment, someone could hurt them.

Majority of SA cases are done by people who are known to the victim. This includes friends, family, neighbors, pastors, doctors, whoever the victim has an acquaintance with. The chances that your child is hurt by a stranger are lower than if they were hurt by someone you know or they know.

Don’t treat a child like an object. Don’t sexualize a child. It counts as covert sexual abuse. You are abusing the child by putting them through shit that they have no business knowing about until they are older. If you are so worried about them not covering up, it’s most likely a reflection of your own fears and the way you see people.

If you are focusing on having others cover up, then they’re not the problem, it’s you, because no sane person would ever see a human being as anything other than a human being.

[carzugus099]

Okay guys, so this is more of a rant of my own but I wanted to tell someone but I was kinda scared of the reactions of the people I know in person so here I am, opening my mind to millions of strangers of which very little will actually pay attention to this post

And of course some people I have known here will probs read this too, but I'm not scared of them knowing this

So, the things is: I'm not really scared of mah material loving people's reaction to this, I just don't want them to worry, cuz it's actually okay, I'm over it, I just realised something big and wanted to acknowledge it in some way

Okay now, enough buffering, imma give yall what you actually want to read; the TEA

So I've labelled myself as aro-ace for a few years now, and sure; I've had those sexuality crisis and whatnots, but I actually believed in myself labeled like that

And I still do!, the a in both the words that summarises for means 'little to no attraction of this type", but I had actually found some people mildly attractive, while, on the other hand, I had never actually fallen in love with somebody before; or never had I acknowledged it

And hold your horses cuz this ain't gonna be a mushy confession of how I found the love of my life and etcetera etcetera.

No.

This is actually about the first person (and only, for the moment) I have ever been in love with.

Her name shall not be given as she is a real human and stuff

So we had been friends since third grade, which in my country means 8 years old. I don't actually remember how we started being friends, I just know that we started playing uno cards in the lunch recess. She told me, years after, that we actually had music extracurricular activity together, but I was always in my worlds of fantasy or reading and don't actually remember her being there, even if I do remember the class and some other members of it.

She later on that year introduced me to her best friend, let's name her Tripsy, and another friend of hers.

The three of us became the bestest of friends, people couldn't think of one of us without the other two.

So we where super close, but as time went by we couldn't spend as much time together, being cuz of diferent classes or bcuz they stopped coming to the school cafeteria at one point, so we made new friends with whom we spended time with aswell.

And this normally ain't an issue for long-term friends to keep their relationships, but Tripsy didn't get along well with my new friends, nor did they.

And to be honest there were times when they were mean to her and I didn't really step in for her, as a good friend would have done; but at this point I was just realising how much of a jerk she is.

(To this day, she's homophobic, racist, transphobic, sexist and a long list of other jerk characteristics)

She is like

Supercatholic✨️

And I was okay with, truly; religion is a lovely way to release the tension of the day to day, believing you have a forever friend and father who will be with you no matter what.

That, I'm okay with; but y'know it's not that simple, there are bad ppl with high places in the church who devotes will believe in to the point of hate.

She has told me, to my face, that I'm confused with my asexuality and I just haven't found the right person yet.

She has said, that if she had a trans child she would send them to the psiquiatrist; and that really enfuriated me, cuz she wanted too have so many children and all those poor living being will end up either tortured by her or like her.

And of course that's not the nicest thing to hear when struggling with your gender (I realised i was genderqueer not long after that), so yeah, stings a bit.

The thing is, I did care for her in all of diferent ways, me myself, as the anti-empathic autistic potato i am, (another one to the list, even if she tried remaining chill around me with it for us neurodivergent people were very present and understood in my school), would cry thinking of the stress she had too deal with, for her parents were so pressuring she has taken medication, gone to the psicologist and there the skin of her fingers to the point of bleeding cuz of stress.

So yeah, we drifted apart a bit.

And of course, she had known my other bestie for years, and as the bad person she is, she was quick to condition her to choose between one or the other.

They have always bad-mouthed ppl; my mother has heard things first from my friends mothers than from me, and we're pretty close.

And they also had like a grades war in which they tried to force me into, as they were jealous I always scored high grades with minimal effort, and for being the mathematic genius I am; but I didn't actually want ro meddle in the drama, and they didn't like that.

Well, backstory apart, I stepped down a little bit and enjoyed the moments I could have with her without Tripsy, letting her know I was not gonna make her choose between us.

Some time after that, I realised I had feelings for her, and eventually told, even though I knew I was gonna be rejected, as I was.

But it felt like the correct thing to do.

And as I expected, she freaked out for over a week, so I told her I wasn't hurt and was perfectly okay with what we had at the moment.

And by the end of the course year, life seemed nice: we would have all summer to spend time together and wouldn't have to worry much about Tripsy.

But then, Saint John happened; and the three of us were in a group of common friends, whom had decided to hang out that night.

(In Spain, this is a celebration of the end of the school year and the start of the summer, and students burn books and notebooks, and then jump over the fire and everything else you do at a party)

So I was asking were would we meet, as I had been the one to propose the meeting, and no-one answered my calls so I called Tripsy, who got all mad in the group chat and we had a big argument and she said some things she shouldn't have known; and she shouldn't have known cuz I had told this to only one person, and had trusted her to keep the secret.

Long story short, I wrote to her demanding an explanation which didn't come and most people of that chat stopped really talking to me.

And it hurt, of course it hurt, she was the only person with whom I felt truly comfortable with, they only person with whom I allowed myself to be myself, the only person who I couldn't picture my future without, even if not in a romanticall way.

So yeah, I'm dumb, bcuz until today that I read an old love note I never actually gave to her, I had never wanted to realise I was in love with her!

And I knew!, okay, I knew it was different from any other crush I had ever had, but the word love scared me, and scared her even more, so I just let it be.

To be honest, whoever read that lever would probably not believe i didnt know i was in love with her until today.

[atomic-thomas]

(Fake ASMR Commission) Tomboy Giantess Flirts With You

------------------------------------------------------------

"Oooh, who's that down there? They look pretty cute. Hopefully they won't mind if I give them a bird's eye view~"

...

"Yoink! Heh heh~"

"Woah. Chill, little one. You're acting like I'm gonna bite your head off or something. I mean... I'll admit. You do look like a snack. Don't take that literally though. I may be... You know... Huge. But I'm not a monster. Not in a moral sense at least."

...

"See, that's the thing. Ever since monster people integrated into human society, everyone has been frustratingly cautious around giants specifically. Dragon-kin? That's fine. Slimes? No problem. Fairies? Oh, everyone loves fairies."

"But for some reason, giants are feared way too much. Even by other monster folk. Why do so many people assume that Big = Scary? It's like everyone forgot that giants are abiding by human laws. We're not gonna do anything bad."

...

"Ugh... Sorry. We just met & I'm already venting my problems to you like we've known each other for a decade. I should introduce myself before saying another word."

"My name is Colossa. And I'm a giantess who lives near the city."

...

"What's so funny? Is it my name?"

...

"Well yeah. We giants always get names befitting our massive size. I'm surprised we're able to keep finding ways to twist big adjectives into names."

"So anyway... What brings a cutie like you out here all by yourself?"

...

"Just a nature walk, huh? Well, if you're trying to appreciate the scenery then how about I put you on my head? Then you can see the world from my point of view."

...

"Oh come on! Don't be that way. Step out of your comfort zone. Live a little. Just hold onto my hair if you're afraid of falling off. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

...

"Nuh Uh! I insist. You're going on top of my head. Just relax. It'll be fun."

...

"Oh My God, you don't need to scream. Haha~ You're not in any danger. Just look at this view! I see the world like this all the time."

"Just hold on tight if you're really that afraid of falling. And even if you do, I'll provide you with a very soft landing. I assure you."

...

"That means whatever you want it to mean. Use your imagination."

"Anyway... This is awesome, right? I can hear you laughing up there. And just a moment ago, you were screaming."

...

"A fearful laugh. Yeah right. Just admit that you're enjoying this."

...

"See? I told you this would be fun. I bet there's plenty of humans out there who wish that a giant would do this for them. The dynamic of our drastically different sizes allows for a world of unique possibilities & fun ways for us to interact with each other."

...

"Oh, you wanna stay up there? That's fine by me."

"Wait a just a damn moment... I just thought of a great idea. How about I go for a walk while you stay on my head? You can pretend like I'm a giant mech that you're controlling. And we can just kinda... Talk about stuff, you know?"

...

"Yeah, that's what I thought. No one would turn down an opportunity like this. Enjoy the ride. And the view of course."

*giant footstep sounds start & go on for... a while. I'll let you know when I want it to stop. lol*

"So... Where are you from?"

...

"The city. Oooh, so we live close. That's convenient. I work in the city. Multiple jobs at that."

...

"Well, for starters... I'm an attraction at the amusement park."

...

"Yes, you heard that correctly. I am one of the attractions. There's a couple things I do. The first goes as follows."

"An attendant ties a bungee cord to one of my fingers. And then they tie that bungee cord to a human."

"After that, they climb onto the palm of my hand, I lift them up &..."

"I use them as a yo-yo!"

...

"Hahahaha! I'm kidding. If I really did that, then the human would be at risk of splatting into my hand on the rebound &... Well, we can't have that."

"What actually happens is the human simply jumping off my hand & letting the bungee cord do the rest."

...

"What if it breaks. What do you think? We have equipment to prevent accidents. Ever since I started this gig, there's never been an incident."

"The second thing I do at the amusement park is act as a swing ride. There's a couple ways I can do this."

"I can either attach a human to each of my fingers using bungee cords & swing them around that way. Or if there's less people, I can just clench them in my fists. Not too tightly of course. It's perfectly safe. Never had an issue."

...

"There are probably other things I could do at the amusement park if I wanted to, but I wanna talk about my other job. I'm a construction worker."

...

"Unsurprising, right? A giant working for construction. It makes all the sense in the world."

"Naturally, I do stuff like building, helping my co-workers with scaffolding & heavy lifting."

"But above all else... I LOVE when I'm put on demolition duty. It's so invigorating! Nothing beats the privilege of getting to break something! Tear it apart! It's great when I've had a bad day & just need to take out my anger on something."

...

"Oh relax. It's not like I have violent tendencies or anything. We all have our emotions. Still though... I suppose it's reasonable to feel uncomfortable in the presence of an angry giant even if they mean no harm. We're just so... Big. We gotta be careful around the smaller folk."

"Speaking of being careful... There's this one co-worker I know in particular. She's a Drider. And lemme tell ya... Driders really hate giant shoes. Must be a deep-rooted fear that bug folk have."

"One time, I didn't notice her below me & almost stepped on her. I felt terrible knowing what could've happened. It took her a few days to warm up to me again. Can't say I blame her. That must've been really scary for her."

...

"Yeah, being a giant isn't always as cool as it seems. There's some perks, sure. It's fun to tower over everything & be super strong. But I have to be so careful. Walking around in the city is a tricky endeavor."

"There's cars, people, infrastructure... One wrong move & something bad will probably happen. I gotta take it seriously. Can't just throw my weight around."

...

"You know you should never ask a girl's weight, right? Hehe~ Don't worry. It's fine. I understand your curiosity."

"I'm 150 feet tall & weigh over a thousand tons. So uh... Yeah. I carry a lot of responsibility within this body of mine."

...

"That's a great question. I'm not sure how I don't stress the streets' weight limit. Hmmm... You know what? Let's not think too much about that."

...

"Why'd I pick you up. Well..."

*giant footstep sounds stop now*

"God, why can't I find the words for this? It isn't that complicated. Um... Hold on. I'm gonna take you off my head now. I want you in my hands for this."

...

"You're really cute &... You know... Good looks usually get a person through the front door &..."

...

"Sigh... I wanna get to know you. I don't know why that was so hard for me to say. It's just... I work with humans all the time, but I've always wanted to establish a personal connection with one. I'm not saying we need to start a relationship if you don't want to. I feel that would come off too strongly. We just met. But I at least wanna go out on a date with you. Maybe we can be friends. Something more if you want."

"Ugh... I sound like such a bumbling mess right now. I wanna state my desires, but don't wanna overwhelm you. And I don't even really know if I'm looking for romance or just a friendship."

"I'm sorry. This is all probably frying your brain, isn't it?"

...

"You... You get it. Really? You understood all of that?"

...

"You'll go on a date with me. For real? Seriously?"

...

"That's so awesome! I could jump for joy right now!"

"Buuuuut I won't. I'd cause some pretty bad tremors if I did that. Don't wanna set off an earthquake because I got too excited."

...

"Yeah, let's discuss date ideas. I can think of a few ways in which a human & giant can mingle. We just need something fun that we can both agree on."

"I'm really looking forward to learning more about you, little one."

------------------------------------------------------------

THE END

[cjsinkythoughts]

In Need of a Breath

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 4007

Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, Zemo, Feelings, Another PTSD Flashback

A/N: So…Part 4 is going to have a couple parts to it. Maybe even three. I didn’t even make it half way through the episode on this one, mainly because I really wanted to fit in the Reader’s backstory and I wanted her and Sam to have a heart-to-heart again. I’m suuuuper tired, so I probably won’t be posting the next part for another few hours (it’s 5 am right now and I haven’t slept), BUT it’s my day off work and I won’t be doing anything I planned because my grandmother had a stroke a couple days ago so plans have changed and I’m staying in to help her, meaning I’ll mostly be writing all day. 

This Part is kind of a mix between off-screen and shot-by-shots, but it’s mostly off screen/what’s going on inside Reader’s head.

I’m really excited about future parts and the characters that are being introduced! I will say that after these parts, I will be doing one shots of previous MCU movies with the Reader, due to the information that is being given about the Reader now. You kind of see more of how she was affected/how she affected the previous MCU movies and what she was doing during that time.

Like always, this hasn’t been beta’d, again it’s SUPER early in the morning, and I’m really tired, so please excuse any mistakes! I hope you guys enjoy this part! Stay tuned for more to come later today!

FATWS MASTERLIST

cjsinkythoughts MASTERLIST

!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!

“You know…I’m really starting to regret saying yes to this.” You huffed out, craning your neck and squinting your eyes against the sun as you stare at the facility in front of you, hating the skin-crawling feeling of being back.

“Would you relax? Whenever you’re nervous, I get nervous, and I don’t wanna be nervous about this.” Sam shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Do either of you have a better plan?” Bucky grumbled, crossing his arms.

Gnawing on your lips, you finally take the lead and breathe out, “alright. Let’s go then.” You could feel the hesitance from your - what were they? Partners? Coworkers? Teammates? - the fellas before they started after you.

There was a sick twist in your gut as you entered the building, going through the lobby and security.

You had been there.

You had been there when Zemo impersonated Bucky. You had been there when Zemo unleashed the Winter Soldier at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building in Berlin. You had been there during the battle at the airport. You had been there when Zemo turned Tony and Steve against each other in Siberia. You had been there when Zemo tore the Avengers from the inside out. Your family. The only family you’d ever known.

But you’d always been good about pushing your personal feelings aside for the sake of the mission. It’s what you’d been born to do. All you ever knew.

“Hey. Doll. You hear me?”

“Hmm. What?” You looked up from the ground to look into those enchanting blue oceans Bucky had for eyes, staring worriedly down at you, eyebrows pinched and forehead creased.

“I’m going in alone.” You frowned, opening your mouth to argue, but he shook his head. “Sam already agreed-”

“I didn’t necessarily agree-”

“You’re an Avenger, sweetheart.” Bucky tilted his head, speaking softly, those eyes of his worried. Worried for you. It made your stomach flip. “And you were there in Siberia, and that almost makes it worse. Especially considering you went after him. Just…just let me do this, okay?”

You cracked your knuckles nervously as you thought. It was a terrible idea. But it was an idea. And it was all they had. “Okay.” You finally relented, shrugging as your hands hit your thighs and slid up to your hips. “But don’t do anything stupid.”

“Steve took all that with him.”

Knowing about their little inside joke, you scoffed. “Sure he did. Go before I change my mind.”

You watched him walk down the hallway, hands fidgeting with excess nerves. “I think you’re the only one he actually seeks approval from.”

“Good thing I’m so lenient then, huh?” You joked, turning to Sam with a strained smile. Your smile slipped at the curious expression on Sam’s face, his eyes darting to each of your features. “What?”

“Are you doing okay?”

You groaned, throwing your head back. You thought you got out of talking about your feelings back in Baltimore. “Oh my God, Sam-”

“I’m serious. You…you just don’t seem like yourself.”

You shook your head, looking down the hall to where Bucky disappeared before turning back to him. It was weird to have a self that people recognized. Your whole life you’d been searching for it and when you finally found it…everything went to shit. “Honestly, Sammy, the only time I’ve ever felt like myself was with the team. Zemo took that away from me and now we’re here, practically begging him for help.”

Sam hummed, leaning against the wall. “Have you thought of taking a break?”

“What?”

“A break.” At your bewildered look, he rolled his eyes. “Cher, this time last year most of us were dead. This time a few months ago you found out about Wanda. This time last week you were out looking for her. Maybe you should just stop and take a breather.”

Shoving your hands in your pocket and looking at the floor, you couldn’t help but snort at his advice. “I haven’t taken a breather since I was eighteen.”

He clicked his tongue. “That’s my point. FBI academy as soon as you graduated. SHIELD recruit by 21, undercover operations leader by 24? Slow down. You’re in your thirties. Next thing you know, you’re gonna be ninety something, lying on your deathbed, wishing you had stopped to smell the roses.”

“If I live to be ninety, shoot me.” He chuckled in amusement. “I’m so fucking serious, Sam. I will not be put in an old folks home to play Bingo and be pushed around in a wheelchair. It ain’t happening.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” There was that infectious smile, which you unconsciously grinned back at. “Y/N…I’m serious. You’ve been in and out of missions since you were a teenager. What’s the shortest undercover operation you’ve done?”

“I dunno.”

He gave you an unimpressed look. “Yeah you do.”

Licking your lips, you turned away and shrugged. “A couple months. Seven weeks and three days, to be precise. September to October in 2012.”

“And the longest?”

“August 2007 to May 2009. Twenty one months.” 

Letting out a puff of air through his nose, Sam pushed himself off the wall and caught your chin between his fingers to make you look at him. “That’s nearly two years under cover. And I’m sure you went right back under after-”

“I was sitting at a desk for four months doing paperwork on it.” You defended yourself.

He shook his head, brows knitting together, lips drawn down. “You say that as if four months is enough time.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, Sammy. I’m out. I’ve been out since Ultron and Sokovia. I haven’t been under in almost a decade-”

“A decade half the world was dead for half of-”

“I wasn’t!”

“I never said you were.” Sam sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. You were always amazed at his ability to keep his emotions in check. To stay cool under pressure. Sometimes you forgot how experienced he was with dealing with other people’s trauma. It was no wonder why Steve thought he’d be good for Bucky. “Listen. All I’m saying is once this is done…don’t go diving back into searching for Wanda. Don’t go running to the kid every time he calls - and I know you’ve been doing that-”

“It’s just been homework and stuff-”

“Y/N.” You stopped, biting your lip at the stern look he gave you. “Go home. Order take out. Binge watch TV. Go for a jog through the park. Actually meet your neighbors. Go grocery shopping. Just…live. If only for a couple weeks. Don’t worry about anyone else. Don’t pick up the phone, don’t drop everything because someone needs you. You need you.”

“I-I…” You shook your head, looking at him, sincerely apologetic. “I can’t. I wish I could. But I can’t. I’ve never had one normal day in my life. I’ve never had someone to care for, never had someone to care for me. I can’t let people I’ve come to…I can’t let them think I don’t care. I don’t even know where I’d go.”

“Whaddya mean?”

You winced, not thrilled for his reaction to your next statement. “I, uh, I sold my apartment in D.C.”

He gaped at you in complete disbelief. “You got it in December!”

“I know, I know. I liked it. I really did, but…I dunno. Nomadic life has always suited me better. It’s what I grew up with.”

He took a breath, making you cringe again. You don’t think you’ve ever legitimately gotten on his nerves like this before. “Have you ever thought that, instead of going with the flow and jumping place to place, putting down roots might actually help?” He cut you off before you could say anything, holding up a finger to stop you from talking. “I can’t imagine going from foster home to foster home like you did. I can’t imagine not having a home for as long as you can remember. Louisiana’s my home. Always has, always will be. But I understand your life has been anything but stable. And maybe, just maybe, that’s why you need some stability.”

You clenched your jaw, crossing your arms. “The Avengers were my stability. Steve was my stability.”

“Because you loved him.”

“I’m not doing this with you again.” You turned to walk down to the lobby to wait for Bucky there, but Sam caught your arm.

“You were in love with him! It’s okay! You two were super close! No one would blame you! Why won’t you just admit it? I’m trying to understand! Why won’t you-”

You tugged your arm away, finally snapping at him. “Because he could never be mine, Wilson! Is that what you wanna hear?!” Sam took a step back at your exclamation. You closed your eyes, swallowing the lump in your throat and pushing down the tears. “He could preach all he wanted about moving forwards, Sammy, but we all knew he was stuck in the past. He visited the museum every Thursday because her interview showed in his exhibit on Thursdays. He carried around that broken compass because her picture was in it.” You looked back up at him sadly, shrugging. “And I get it; it’s hard to move past your first love. I get it because…that’s what he was to me.”

There was a silence that blanketed the hallway, before he spoke up hesitantly. “What about Bucky?”

“I thought - I thought I was projecting my feelings for Steve onto him because I knew Steve couldn’t ever…”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “You thought? What do you think now?”

You cleared your throat. “I’m still figuring that one out.”

“If you ever need to talk, I’ll be here.”

You chuckled, nodding slightly towards him. “Back atcha. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you not being yourself lately, either.”

“It’s…a tough topic.”

You nodded in understanding. “Just know that I’ll support every decision you make as long as you think it’s the right one. Because I trust you. Steve trusted you. It’s all we can do to try to do what’s right. That’s what makes you a good man, Sammy. He gave you that shield for a reason, and if you think what you did was right…I’ll stand by it.”

The two of you stared at each other for a moment, calming down in each other’s presences and taking comfort knowing you’d be there for each other through thick and thin. “Thank you, cher.”

“Of course, Sammy. Now let’s go see what’s taking the old grump so long.”

He laughed at that, nodding in agreement, taking your offered hand and squeezing it as you made your way down the hall.

****************

“What?”

Bucky eyed you as you spluttered, coughing on the water you were drinking. “Please don’t choke, doll.”

“Break him out of jail?!” You repeated his words and blinked at him, absolutely baffled by his plan. “Oh my God.” You groaned as Bucky and Sam started arguing, moving your flashlight around the room. “Where the hell are we?” There was no response as they kept going back and forth.

“Zemo’s gonna mess with our minds! Especially yours! No offense.”

“Heelllloooo!” You tried again. “Where the hell are we?!”

Bucky turned on the lights, giving Sam a look. “Offense.” Glancing at you he quirked an eyebrow. “Stop worrying your pretty lil’ head, sweetheart. You trust me, dontcha?” Your breath hitched at his words. You quickly recovered, huffing and pouting - although you’d deny ever pouting - and crossing your arms. You stood between the guys like that, eyes darting to whoever was speaking, waiting for them to stop so you could actually think.

“Look. Let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?”

You and Sam exchanged glances. “What did you do?”

“I…didn’t do…anything.” Bucky shrugged.

“How is it that you, one of the most deadliest assassins basically ever, are one of the worst liars I know.” You tilted your head at him, an eyebrow quirking up in confusion.

“Shush it you. Just, okay. The weakest point in any system isn’t the software, the hardware, it’s the meatware. The human element.”

The more you listened to Bucky’s “hypothetical”, the stronger the gut feeling telling you this was a terrible terrible idea got. You brought your hands up to your head, eyes wide as he spoke.

“I don’t like how casual you’re bein’ about this. This is unnatural.”

You couldn’t help but agree with Sam’s words, your head falling back and your eyes closing. “Sweet Jesus. Listen, God, I know we don’t talk much these days, but please, please don’t let this not be a hypothetical. I’m fucking begging you.”

A noise to your right made your head snap over. “Oh hell to the fucking no!” You shook your head as Zemo himself walked in, wearing a prison guards uniform. “Uh-uh! No way! Bucky, this was not part of the plan!”

“What did you do?!”

“We need him!”

“You’re going back to prison.”

“If I may-”

All three of you faced him, simultaneously shouting, “no!”

You held your face in your hands as your head dropped, shaking back and forth, your eyes squeezing shut, tuning them out for just a minute to think. Bucky had a point. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that, and the Avengers were technically disbanded, which was Zemo’s whole objective in the first place, but…God. You were good at compartmentalizing, but not that much. You were willing to put your feelings aside for the mission so Bucky could talk to him. Not for you to work with him. But he had connections, you knew he did, and he had information…

“Doll?” You looked up, Bucky anxiously licking his lips as he met your gaze. “I need you to say something.”

You looked to Sam, who shrugged, gesturing to Zemo. “What do you think?”

What did you think? What did you think?! You thought that it was the worst idea in the history of ideas and you should turn back and find another way! But…you knew this was the fastest, probably most reliable way to get information that you needed.

Dammit, since when were you the deciding factor?

You sucked in a breath, looking over Sam’s shoulder at Zemo, who lifted his hand in greeting. You raised your eyes to the ceiling, pointing your finger accusingly. “This is why we stopped talking.” Gaze dropping to the still waiting fellas, you gnawed on your lip, before hissing out, “ffffine…” Running a hand through your hair, you threw your hands up as you shrugged. “Fine. Okay. Fine.”

“Okay.” Sam nodded, taking charge again.

You couldn’t believe this was happening. Except, that was a lie. You could. You’d seen weirder. You’d experienced the impossible. Lived through the unbelievable. This…this was completely imaginable.

Which is why, with a lot of hesitation and very little confidence in this plan, you followed Zemo through the auto shop you were in until you reached a large room with a ton of different old cars.

Bucky’s hand found yours as Zemo explained what the plan was, rather vaguely, in your opinion, but at least he was explaining. Point for him. Not that it would make up for the level of distrust you held for him, but it was something.

You looked up at him, giving him a puzzling frown. He usually only grabbed your hand in front of other people when he was feeling anxious. Which, yeah, he had a right to be anxious right now, but it wasn’t the right kind. The type of anxiety caused by large crowds and loud noises, ones that startled him and threw him into a defensive mode.

But the look on his face made you squeeze his hand in reassurance. He was pouting, staring at you although he did something wrong - a puppy that tore up a pillow - and all you wanted to do was give him a hug.

“You’re mad at me.” He mumbled as the four of you headed out with Zemo in the lead.

“No I’m not.”

“Yeah you are. 

“Bucky, I’m not mad.”

“Listen, if I had a better idea I wouldn’t-”

You brought your linked hands up to your lips, pressing a gentle kiss to his gloved knuckles. “I’m not mad.” You repeated more firmly. “It’s just…a lot for me, right now.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, Buck, I-I just…” You thought about your and Sam’s earlier conversation and suddenly understood what he meant. “I need to breathe for a second.”

His features twisted into ones of uncertainty, eyes squinting as you stepped outside. “Do you…do you wanna leave?”

You shook your head, tugging his arm to stop him and grabbing the sunglasses on his collar, slipping them over his eyes. “No. I just need some time to think. Hopefully the plane ride to wherever the hell we’re going will give me that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, James. I’m sure.”

He lowered the glasses on his nose to scan you over the frames, before nodding and sliding them back up. “Okay. You ready for this, then?”

“No.” You breathed, turning back to where Zemo and Sam were still walking. “Let’s do this.”

*****************

Climbing onto the private jet, you raised an eyebrow at Sam, who shrugged, giving you a bemused expression. A Baron…huh…who knew? You feel like you should’ve, yet there you were.

You sat besides Bucky, across from Zemo, crossing your legs and leaning back while staring at him through narrowed eyes.

His butler seemed nice, which made you even more suspicious. You obviously didn’t know as much about Zemo as you wanted to. It was a habit you picked up after years of undercover work; once the mission was complete, that was that. There was no looking back on it. No sitting on it. It was over and you moved onto the next one. It was a bad habit in cases like this.

The moment you spotted the notebook over Zemo’s book you knew something was going to happen, yet you still flinched when Bucky lunged at him, grabbing his throat. You leaned back in your seat again, steadying your now racing heartbeat. You decided you were too tense, trying to relax your muscles as Bucky sat back down in his seat.

“I’ve seen that book. It was Steve’s when he came out of the ice. I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book.” Sam seemed so proud of himself that something he recommended was written in Steve’s little book and it made you smile.

You remembered that; Steve and you were supposed to meet up for coffee after his run, but Fury called him in so you rescheduled it for when he got back. He asked you about Marvin Gaye. For your opinion. You told him to check it out and make his own.

You remembered asking him about that little notebook of his, and he just shrugged you off telling you about his list. He would read items off to you, but he never let you read the book yourself. You never found out why, and you supposed you never would now. The thought made an ache behind your ribs that you’d come to familiarize yourself with appear.

You smiled a little more as Zemo and Sam told Bucky how awesome Marvin Gaye was. “C’mon, baby. Back me up.”

Chuckling, you looked at Bucky. “They’re not wrong. But,” you quickly added before Bucky could whine at you, facing Sam again. “Neither is Buck. I mean, c’mon. You can’t find music like the 40’s anymore. Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Fred Astaire. Ol’ Blue Eyes himself.”

“Thank you.” Bucky grinned at Sam, who rolled his eyes.

“Okay, okay. But, I mean, c’mon! Everybody loves Marvin Gaye.”

“I like Marvin Gaye.”

“Steve adored Marvin Gaye.”

Your face fell as Zemo started talking about Steve and icons and Red Skull, your mind once again slipping away from reality.

~

“Kids love you.” You giggled as you finally made it out of his exhibit. You’d wanted to show it to him since he moved to D.C., and you’d finally got an opportunity after coming back from being undercover for ten weeks. “You’re their hero, you know.”

“Yeah, well, I’m just trying to do what’s right.”

You nudged him, scoffing at his answer. “You’re too humble. You’re a national icon, you know.”

Steve shrugged, looking around the museum at the planes surrounding them. “I never wanted to be.”

“Why not? Everyone loves you.”

“I’m sure not everyone loves me.” He rolled his eyes. “And…I just wanted to help. To fight. Protect my country and the people I cared about. I-I didn’t ask for…all that.” He waved behind his shoulder where his exhibit was getting smaller with each step they took away. “People were dying. Bullies were winning.”

You shook your head, spinning and walking backwards besides him to face him. “Sure, but you did that. And you became someone people could look up to in the process.”

He narrowed his eyes at you before asking, “why do you do what you do?”

“...because I’m good at it?”

“Honey.” He gave you a look. “Answer the question.”

You hummed in thought. “Because I couldn’t stand by, knowing there would be orphaned kids if I didn’t help any way I could.”

“Alright. Why do you do it in the dark?”

“Whaddya mean?”

He shrugged. “Why don’t you come out and take credit for all the lives you’ve saved?”

“Because that’s not why I do it. I don’t want that attention. I just want to know I’ve helped people. I’ve kept them safe.”

He gave you a soft smile. “I just wanted to beat the bully. I never wanted to be a dancing monkey, too.” You looked at him in a new light then, understanding where he was coming from. “Watch out, honey!” He grabbed you and pulled you aside before you could crash into a wall, arms wrapped firmly around your waist. He gave you that charming smile of his. “Wouldn’t want you hurting that pretty lil’ head of yours, now would we?”

~

“Y/N!”

You snapped back into the conversation, moving your eyes from the window to Bucky, who tilted his head, eyebrows pinched and eyes narrowed. “Sorry. So, Madripoor. That’s a fun place.”

You ignored the side eyed glances Bucky and Sam exchanged, Sam turning to you curiously. “You’ve been?”

“Once. Back in 2010 for a few months”

Zemo raised his eyebrows. “You’re lucky to have gotten out.”

You shrugged nonchalantly. “Lucky, maybe. Skills were a part of it, too, though.”

“Good.” Zemo nodded. “Because we’re going undercover…and if we blow it. We’re dead.”

You breathed out, shaking your memory away and getting your head back into the game. Because like the man you were severely wary of in front of you said, if you blew this, you were dead. And, sure, you didn’t want to live until ninety, but you weren’t even half way there yet. So dammit if you were going to die soon.

“Hey.” You looked over at Bucky’s murmur, his head tilting as he grabbed your hand and pulled you from your seat closer to him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Are you okay? You know you’re going to have to be-”

“I know.” He nodded. You watched his Adam’s Apple bob as he swallowed thickly. “I’ll be fine. Just…tell me right now if you need to step out for this one.”

You gave him a smile that you knew he didn’t buy, just by the slight narrowing of his eye, his lips pressing together. “No. No, I’m good for this. If you think I’m gonna let you two idiots go into Madripoor with him - alone - oil that cyborg brain of yours, because there’s no way.”

He squeezed your hand, eyes still filled with uncertainty. “Are you sure?”

“If there’s even a slight possibility that I can protect you, then yeah. I’m sure, Buckaroo.”

[tarydarrington]

"Alright, everyone," Veth says with authority, and everyone else quiets down. "Tomorrow is the big day."

Caleb sighs and ducks behind his drink. There is a speech coming. This is exactly the sort of ceremony he had hoped to avoid by having this get-together at his home rather than the bar Veth had suggested. It's only five of them, tonight; Beauregard and Yasha are always in town, and Veth had insisted on coming. And Essek, of course. He's not sure when the elf's presence at his side became an of course, but in a careful way, he likes it.

“As the person in this world who cares the most about Caleb--”

Essek silently quirks an eyebrow at that, and it doesn’t get past Veth.

“Alright, come on, just because you got him into bed and I didn’t doesn’t mean--”

Caleb clears his throat loudly, and Veth’s smile snaps back into place.

“As Caleb’s oldest, dearest, truest friend,” she says, and Essek manages to look dignified even while rolling his eyes, “it is my humble duty to tell you all how amazing he is on this momentous occasion.”

“You know, I am starting a new job, not getting married,” Caleb murmurs in her direction.

“And we’re all very proud of you!” Veth replies.

Caleb takes a long drink as the others chime in with agreement. Yasha shoots him a sympathetic look, and he returns a tight smile.

“Come on, man,” Beau says from where she leans against the table, “aren’t you excited, at all?”

He takes a long breath. Excited is a word for it. Ready to vomit at a moment’s notice is perhaps more accurate. The Soltryce Academy is tricky. He’s been back there a few times in recent weeks, for interviews and preparation, and each time, it’s felt like walking through a dream of a place the mind could not quite capture properly.

For whatever purpose, Trent has always wanted Caleb - Bren - to follow in his footsteps. Those footsteps feel a touch too literal in those hallways.

“Caleb?” Beau’s voice brings him out of his thoughts. “You still with us?”

He shakes his head. "Ja. Entschuldigung. There is a lot to think about."

Veth lowers her glass, frowning. "Nobody threatened you, did they? Because I'll have words with them."

"No, nothing like that." Not lately, anyway. He sets his own drink down on the table. "Just a bit worried, perhaps."

"Worried about what?" Beau asks flatly.

Caleb lets out a long breath, looking down at the floor. Where to begin? He’s worried that everything will go wrong. Worried that he’ll turn up with his clothes on backwards, or spill coffee down the front of his shirt, or trip over his words before the lesson even starts. Worried, most of all, about what comes after.

“I hope that I will not…” He searches for the right words. “I hope that I will be able to serve my students well enough,” he settles on. “The examples I have had were, ah….” Trent Ikithon is not one he wishes to emulate.

Essek frowns. “Carve your own path,” he says. “Someone as brilliant as you are needs no one to emulate.”

“Ja, well, that is fine for throwing together a spell or two, but I imagine the students will need a little more structure.” These are young minds. Any mistakes he makes will stick with them. He, of all people, knows just how much.

“Maybe you could ask them what they want from you,” Yasha pipes up. “You know, make sure you’re doing alright.”

Caleb lets out a long sigh. “Ja, maybe. That is a good idea.” Of course, it also requires that the students in question trust him enough to give him a straight answer.

They sit in relative silence for a moment, working away at their drinks. He hopes Veth doesn’t resent him for stepping on the atmosphere.

“Seriously, man, you’re gonna be great.” Beau knocks back the rest of her drink. “You’re already the best professor I’ve ever known.”

“I do not think the owl counts as a point of comparison,” Caleb deadpans. “Regardless, I will settle for not making a fool of myself for a first impression. That will be difficult enough.”

Beau shrugs, and reaches over to refill her glass. There’s a devious look in her eye that makes him nervous. "So why don't you practice?" she asks.

Caleb looks at her warily. "Practice?"

"Yeah, man." She gestures at the others. "Here's your class. Teach us something."

Before he can object, she’s already begun to pull an armchair toward the coffee table in the center of the room. Soon enough, three more seats have joined it, all on the same side. She throws her arms wide with a challenging grin.

“First day,” she says. “Don’t be late.” With that, she flops down onto the rightmost chair.

Transfixed in bemusement, Caleb watches as Yasha and Veth rush to occupy the next two seats in the makeshift classroom. The Expositor commands a room, it seems.

“Are you comfortable with this?” Essek murmurs as he brushes past as well. “I am willing to be the, ah... wet blanket, if need be.”

Caleb sighs, briefly twining their fingers together and squeezing once before letting him go. “Not comfortable, no, but it’s not a bad idea.”

Someone wolf whistles from the peanut gallery, and Caleb turns a fond glare on them all. All three of them are, of course, the picture of innocence. He shakes his head as Essek settles down primly in the last remaining chair. It’s not exactly the picture of an academic setting, with their glasses of half-finished booze still on the table in front of them and the lot of them draped over armchairs and ottomans.

“Alright,” says Beau, who has not even bothered to put her drink down. She makes a trilling sound that he thinks is probably meant to emulate a school bell. “Hit us.”

"We will be brutally honest," Veth promises. "Which means we will tell you honestly how perfect you are."

"Or if there's anything you could do better," Yasha adds.

Caleb stares back at them. It’s nothing he hasn’t gone over in his own head a hundred times. Even once or twice, to a captive audience of cats. It’s a short class. It will be over before he knows it.

The others look up at him expectantly. Watching him. Waiting. Caleb clears his throat.

"I, ah... feel a bit silly,” he admits.

Without a word, Essek waves a hand, and the familiar faces before him shift to those of strangers.

It’s almost embarrassing how much it helps. Caleb takes a deep breath and lets it out, running through the lesson plan in his head.

"Guten Morgen, class, I am, ah… Professor Widogast." It's the first time he's said that particular pair of words out loud.

"Whoo!" the student who is not Veth shouts.

"Yeah!" the student who is not Beau chimes in.

Caleb gives them a look and straightens his coat. "This is Introductory Transmutation, in room 142, so if you are all in the correct place--"

"Professor?" The student who is not Yasha raises her hand.

"Ah, ja, Miss…"

"Lionett."

Not-Beau slaps a hand over her own mouth and mutters, “Holy shit,” into it.

“Was that too much?” not-Yasha whispers.

“Babe, it was so hot,” not-Beau hisses back.

Caleb clears his throat. "Miss Lionett, do you have a question?"

Not-Yasha seems to suddenly remember her role, and she folds her hands in her lap. "No," she says, "I have to use the bathroom."

Caleb pinches the bridge of his nose as not-Beau bites back a giggle. “Ja, okay, go.”

“Don’t let her go!” not-Veth interjects. “She knew it was almost time for class; she should have gone earlier.”

“Dude, if she has to pee then she has to pee,” not-Beau protests.

Pointedly, not-Essek raises his hand.

Caleb lets himself sigh with relief. “Ja, Master…?”

“Gross, Professor, we don’t need to know about your weird sex dynamics,” not-Beau says.

Not-Essek’s face blooms red, and Caleb presses a hand to his face to hide the same. “You know very well, Beauregard, that it is an honorific.”

Not-Beau shrugs, looking very pleased with herself as she takes another sip of her drink. Not-Essek glares very polite daggers at her before clearing his throat.

“Thelyss,” he answers.

Beau cups both hands around her mouth and boos.

“No, it’s better that he’s honest,” Veth says. “We already know he’s a terrible actor.”

“Herr Thelyss,” Caleb says, raising his voice above the heckling. “Do you have a question?”

Essek leans forward, resting his elbows on the table in a gesture that’s much too endearing. “I wondered what you will be teaching us today, Professor Widogast.”

Caleb tries not to dwell on the way the title hits differently on Essek’s voice, instead straightening up and waving one hand behind him. An illusory chalkboard appears in the air behind him to polite applause from Veth and Yasha. Back on track.

“Well, this is your first day,” he says. “So I know that - Beauregard, please remove your feet from the table - I know that most of your other teachers will be spending time going over the material that you will be covering this semester, but, ah…” What is he meant to be doing with his hands? They feel limp if they’re at his sides, but too formal behind his back and too awkward in front of him. Perhaps he should have a lectern? Somewhere to rest them, or shuffle with papers?

His gaze drifts back to his “students,” who all blink back at him expectantly. Essek inclines his head as though to prompt him on. He clasps his hands in front of his chest, hoping it will do for now.

“Right,” he continues. “Ja, so I thought we would take a look at something more practical to start. We will leave the reading for tomorrow; you have enough of that today.”

He waves his hands again, and behind him, a set of runes and diagrams appears on the chalkboard. Above it is written the word Prestidigitation.

“So, ah, partner up,” he orders. “Introduce yourselves. If there is someone on their own, a group of three is perfectly acceptable.”

“I call Miss Lionett,” Beau shouts, grabbing Yasha’s hand.

“Can I go to the bathroom, first?” Yasha asks.

Caleb gives her an incredulous look.

“I really do need to go,” she says.

He gestures towards the hallway, and she shuffles off. In the meantime, Veth and Essek scoot their chairs closer together. Caleb’s gaze lingers questioningly on Beau, who shakes her head.

“She’s not learning anything tonight, man. Go ahead.”

“Ja, okay,” he says distantly.

It feels silly, explaining the spell to this motley crew. Beau has leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, eyes glassy, clearly not paying an ounce of attention. Essek has produced a piece of paper upon which Veth occasionally scribbles, though the way he periodically nods approval at Caleb’s points betrays his own prior knowledge of the subject. After a few minutes, Yasha returns and attempts to take down notes of her own.

“Is everyone following along?” he asks after a while, knowing it’s a futile question.

“Yep,” Beau lies.

“Hmm.” Yasha hums.

“Perfectly,” Essek says.

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” Veth confirms with a wink.

He continues, running them through the various applications one by one. Beau gives him an occasional “uh huh” that he believes not one bit. At one point, he catches Essek take a passing glance at Veth’s paper, widen his eyes, and lean forward to murmur something to her. He isn’t sure he wants to know what that’s about.

“Let’s keep focused, please, everyone,” he reminds them.

Essek waves a hand to signal him to continue. Nothing too scandalous, then. He goes through the final few points, then comes to stop in front of the chalkboard, hands awkwardly clasped again.

“Okay, that is it,” he says. “You have as much time as you require to finish the spell, and when you are finished, I would like one person from each group to demonstrate.”

He gives the others a questioning look. It’s one of the points he’s most worried about. A way to take pressure off some of the slower students could just as easily be a way to unintentionally foster competition and resentment. But none of them objects, so he gives them another nod.

“I suppose we should skip the demonstration portion,” he mumbles.

“I can do it,” Yasha chirps. Without warning, she swings the massive greatsword from her back and sinks the tip into the table, making the others jump. “I made a small mark.”

Caleb covers his eyes with one hand. “Ja, will it go away in one hour?”

Yasha silently places her drink down over the indentation. Caleb sighs. It isn’t as though he has very many guests, anyway.

“I can probably swing producing an odor, for you,” Beau offers. “But I figure you probably don’t want that.”

He ignores her, and instead gives Essek a tight smile.

“Well, would my second group care to demonstrate?”

Beau jerks a thumb in Essek’s direction and fake-coughs to Yasha, “Teacher’s pet.”

Essek ignores her and sits back, fingers working in those little patterns he draws when something has piqued his curiosity. “I believe so,” he says, and nods to Veth.

Caleb raises his eyebrows as all eyes turn to Veth. Though Essek had the courtesy to leave her a halfling, her features and coloring are entirely different - but that wide smile as she stands and rubs both hands together would give her away, no matter the face it was set in. And as Beau swears under her breath, Yasha and Caleb look on wide-eyed, and Essek watches with a smirk, she pulls her hands apart to let loose a shower of sparks.

“You… learned the spell,” Caleb says numbly. He hadn’t imagined any of them were actually paying attention.

“It was an excellent lesson!” Veth replies.

As she takes her seat again, Beau and Yasha give her a smattering of stunned applause. Essek clears his throat pointedly.

“And I guess, maybe, Essek gave me one pointer,” Veth amends with an eye-roll.

“Hey, so your partner system worked,” Yasha points out.

It had. The lesson had worked, the procedure had worked - his teaching had worked. There’s still a little voice in his head reminding him that Veth is brilliant, and an adult, and perfectly capable of learning things like this without even so much as his help - but he can’t deny that it’s his guidance that taught her this particular spell. ‘An excellent lesson,’ Veth had said. In this moment, he’s inclined to believe it might be half true. Caleb realizes very suddenly that he’s beaming.

With a snap of his fingers, Essek dispels the disguises. The soft smile on his face - his real face, and Caleb always misses it dearly when it’s hidden - says he hasn’t failed to notice Caleb’s relief.

“Danke, all of you,” he says sheepishly, waving a hand to vanish the chalkboard.

“Thank you!” Veth says. “For the shiny new spell and for the masterclass in professoring.”

“You were really good,” Yasha agrees. “I’m, uh... I’m sorry about the table.”

He dips his head to hide the way his face is flushing. They exaggerate, the lot of them. But there is something to be said for having friends who will say such things. “Ja, well,” he says, “I am not convinced it will translate to an actual class, but I will hope.”

Beau takes another swig of her drink, wiping her mouth afterwards. “Dude, we were the worst and you still managed to teach somebody something,” she says. “Those kids have nothing on us. You got this.”

He offers her a smile, retrieving his glass from the table as Yasha, Veth, and Essek do the same. He hopes it’s true. He hopes that, separate entirely from his ability to teach them the how of magic, he will be able to keep them safe. That he will be able to keep from passing on any damage he received in his own time in those halls.

He catches Essek’s eye, and the knowing look there puts some of the anxious buzzing to rest. He will be better. He will struggle, most likely. He will stumble, inevitably. But he will give better than he got. He’s been practicing that part for years.

“To Professor Widogast!” Veth shouts, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Professor Widogast,” the others echo, and Caleb smiles.

“To my very good friends,” he replies.

“To the hottest professor the Soltryce Academy has ever seen,” Veth shouts in response, and Caleb nearly chokes on his drink when Essek casually clinks his glass against hers with a nod.

They drink together. Caleb thinks, just a little bit, he might be excited.

-

thanks @peregrintook for reading this over and telling me it wasn't the worst thing i had ever written (in much more generous words than that), and @saturdaysky for catching me red-handed last time i deleted it and being so kind about it 💜

[notesanddreams]

Gaster’s Motif Throughout Chapter 2

I’ve been long overdue for some Deltarune musical analysis, and I’m pleased to present my findings for Gaster’s motif and its appearances in chapter 2. If you haven’t read my analysis on chapter 1, you can find that right here if you’re interested. Before we get started, I would just like to remind everyone to not take these things too seriously; music is filled with silly little coincidences all the time, and the presence of a similar melody doesn’t always mean that a character/scene is connected to our favorite mystery man. I am a simple music nerd presenting his findings. With that said, let’s jump right back into it!

What is Gaster’s Motif?

If you haven’t read my chapter 1 analysis or simply need a refresher, Gaster’s motif is derived from the music file “mus_st_him.ogg”, otherwise known as Gaster’s Theme. The transcription reads as follows:

If you’ll remember from last time, we decided to define Gaster’s motif as simply “starting tone” -> up a minor second (half step) -> up a perfect fifth. 

In chapter 1 this motif appears all over the place, from the starting track of Another Him, to the ending track of Don’t Forget. I find it very suspicious. But I’m pleased to report that chapter 2′s OST is STILL chock-full of this mysterious motif.

The Noelle Connection?

This was the first time I noticed the motif making a comeback. In the track “Girl Next Door” we’re introduced to what we would probably consider Noelle’s theme for the first time. It’s an adorably cute track, but what’s this I hear? A mere 17 seconds into the track you can hear the bass come in with same sequence as described above: up minor second -> up perfect fifth. D Eb Bb.

(I’ve marked the notes in question in red to make it easier for you)

We can hear it once again on the second phrase at the 0:28 mark.

If that wasn’t enough for one track, Toby introduces it AGAIN in the main melody on the synth bells at the 0:38 mark.

So now we have a strange situation here that we didn’t necessarily encounter in chapter 1, right? The Gaster’s sequence is... INSIDE another character’s motif. And the above melody is DEFINITELY one of her motifs, because we encounter it in (almost) every track associated with her.

The opening bars of Lost Girl? Check.

Ferris wheel at the 0:19 mark? Check.

I say this complicates things a bit because, well...

It’s in Queen’s motif as well.

The Queen Connection?

The sequence appears right off the bat in the track named Queen, in the harpsichord melody.

Welly well well. This puts pressure on me because Queen’s motif appears in at least NINE tracks that I counted. You guys aren’t gonna make me do all that transcribing that’s essentially the same melody, right? No, sorry, I’ll just list the songs and the timecodes that the motif appears.

Queen: 0:00, 0:09

A Simple Diversion: 0:00, 0:14

Smart Race: 0:01, 0:07

Cool Mixtape: 0:00

Elegant Entrance: 0:00, 0:19 

Pandora Palace: 0:20, 0:30

Attack of the Killer Queen: 0:00, 0:13

Giga Size: 0:30, 0:46

Knock You Down (Kinda): 0:09, 0:59 (It’s Queen’s motif but it uses a major 2nd and major 6th instead of a minor 2nd major 5th)

The Secret Bosses Connection

If you’ll remember from my chapter 1 post, we discovered that Jevil’s theme(s) also contains Gaster’s motif. A lot. Upon hearing some of the tracks associated with Spamton, however, I find myself coming to the conclusion that this is instead a motif dedicated to secret bosses. At the 0:54 mark in Big Shot, it’s pretty undeniable that this is the same melody used in The World Revolving.

Dialtone also bears resemblance to the bridge section of The World Revolving, and once again utilizes Gaster’s motif.

(Please bear in mind that the keyboard in Dialtone is detuned roughly a quarter step)

Knowing this now, we may be able to assume that every future secret boss will use this theme, which also strangely uses Gaster’s motif. Won’t be able to confirm this until the next release, however.

Lastly, the City

As the city of Cyber World looms in the distance, we’re greeted with an upbeat track named “A Cyber’s World?” But did you hear anything in the melody at the 0:32 mark? 

The melody returns in Welcome to the City at the 0:12 mark.

And Just a Small Bonus

I thought this was kinda cool, but not really mega noteworthy. The sound effect that plays when you enter the castle town each time? It’s called snd_him_quick. What’s cool is it’s the same chord heard in the choir part of Another Him.

^ snd_him_quick

^ Choir part from Another Him.

They are simply chordioids made up of root, minor 6th, octave.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Conclusions

Gaster’s motif can be part of OTHER CHARACTER’S motifs. A Queen and Noelle connection could be very possible. There’s almost DEFINITELY a connection between the secret bosses and Gaster’s motif. Maybe a connection between Gaster and Cyber World? Who knows. And finally, the chord from Another Him could be something to look out for in future OSTs. Do with this information what you will. Have fun!

[shingia]

hopefullyy this inspires u to write,,, can i request hc's of the boys getting jealous seeing their s/o work well with another person on a team/club? like good chemistry with a dance partner for example! (u can choose who u write but can it include iwa!!) <33

✗ HQ BOYS GETTING JEALOUS SEEING YOU WORK WELL WITH ANOTHER PERSON ✗

a/n : kdjfkdjdkdj i love this request omg ty ! i did half hc/half scenarios bc i thought the request fitted this format <3

-> iwaizumi, osamu, kuroo, suna, tsukishima

-> warnings : kuroo’s a bit suggestive (tbh i don’t know about the rest. it’s just... kinda hot? (tsukki’s only fluff tho<3))

-> reblogs are >>>>

— IWAIZUMI

• iwa’s jealousy was practically non existent until he actually saw you interact with your partner

• don’t get me wrong, he absolutely loves your smile - but he especially loves to be the one who caused it

• he tends to get physically very protective of you, so expect his arm to stay wrapped around your shoulders most of the time. because to him it’s the easiest way to show the world (but especially your partner) that you’re his

• he also not-so-subtly offers you to wear his clothes on days when you have practice. and he secretly hopes that someone will ask you who they belong to...

« it’s cold outside. you should wear this ». iwa’s low and unannounced voice makes you turn around in surprise. leaned against the bathroom’s doorframe, he’s holding your favorite jacket in his hand - the one with his name written on the back, and you suspect that this might not be a coincidence... with a chuckle, you agree to put it on, noticing the proud spark in his eyes. « you know, i’m pretty sure everyone already knows i’m dating you » you tease him with a wink, all while also admiring the way his name takes up the whole width of your back. « oh yeah ? » he asks, a smirk tugging at his lips as he leans forward to rest his hands on the sink behind you. trapped between his outstretched arms, you watch his smirk grow just a little bit bigger as he lets out, very quietly, « well this is just a reminder... it better be the last ». his green eyes locked with yours could almost make you forget about his arm snaking around your waist at a painfully slow pace. almost.

— OSAMU

• look, he’s very happy for you. no doubt about it. but he’s so used to see people fawn over his brother that he can’t help but get a little protective from time to time

• since gifts are his #1 love language, he might buy you a workout-friendly piece of jewelry that you can wear during your practice

• he also insists on dropping you off and picking you up as often as his busy schedule allows it. especially since he learned that your partner was willing to give you a ride home...

• it’s not that he doesn’t trust you, obviously. he just doesn’t trust them yet

• and that’s why his kisses - and pda in general - are a bit more « intense » than usual

leg bouncing up and down, osamu is (very) anxiously for your conversation with your teammate to end. because after watching the entirety of your practice, he needs a little reminder that you two also have incredible chemistry together... a better one, even. so as soon as he sees you wave your teammate goodbye, he stands up straight, arms open just wide enough to welcome you against his chest. but instead of the chaste kiss you expected to get, you’re actually greeted by his left hand grabbing your sides while his right meets your lower back. disconcerted, you don’t even have time to say a word that his mouth crashes onto yours so eagerly that you have to lean back a few inches. « wh-what was that for ? » you pant as soon as his warm lips have left yours. « nothing. i love ya, that’s all » he smiles innocently, glad that you didn’t notice the cocky look he just gave your teammate who witnessed everything from afar... exactly as planned.

— KUROO

• passive agressive™️

• he would insist on properly meeting your partner but oh god they better brace themselves,,,

• because kuroo’s the kind of boyfriend that will shake their hand hard enough to make them yelp, all while having an angelic smile plastered on his face

• oh and you can forget being called by your name : he’s going to demonstrate the entire variety of nicknames he has for you. he might even come up with new ones just because he’s feeling « inspired »

• every single thing he says to your partner has to be a reminder that you two are dating. like « oh yeah they told me about this yesterday.. during our date ». just to make sure that there’s no misunderstanding.

« well... speak of the devil », kuroo hears you chuckle, your voice almost drowned out by his heavy breathing. he’s obviously planing on apologizing for being late... but not now. there’s something he wants to do first. still very aware of your partner’s presence right in front of you, he decides to securely yet eagerly wrap his arms around your waist before spinning you around proudly. « so... you guys were talking about me ? » he asks, glad to know that he’s the reason behind your giggles. « we were, actually » you answer a bit more seriously as he finally puts you down, still keeping both his hands on your waist. « well, i am your boyfriend after all... » he starts, interrupting himself to place a loud peck on your jawline. the only thing you can think is about is how awful this situation must be for your partner... kuroo, on the other hand, doesn’t seem bothered at all, as shown by the way one of his hands discreetly makes its way under the fabric of your t-shirt to rest directly on your skin. « hands off, kuroo » you order him with a slap on the back of his hand. an offended gasp leaves his lips, yet he complies reluctantly, thinking that your partner probably already knows everything that needs to be known about him.

— SUNA

• he doesn’t really mind it... as long as you’re willing to cuddle once you get back from practice. if you’re not, then he’s gonna start to worry

• because cuddling is probably his favorite ‘boyfriend privilege’ and he doesn’t want it to be taken away from him

• his schedule is pretty tight so he might not be able to attend any of your practices, but he asks you to record it as much as you possibly can so that he can watch the videos with you afterwards

• and seeing how smoothly you and your partner move together definitely doesn’t help with his worrying

it’s been thirty minutes now, and suna’s still not done watching the videos you took today. he loves to share these moments with you, snuggled up against each other the bed ; but most importantly, he has someone to keep his eye on... « babe- are you 100% sure that this was part of the choreography? » he suddenly speaks up, his eyes leaving the screen for the first time. you quirk a curious eyebrow, more surprised by his unusually suspicious tone rather than by the question itself. « oh, the hand on my waist ? yes, rin. it was ». at your words, his lips press into a thin line, he’s obviously far from being convinced. but you know your boyfriend well and you’re quick to reassure him : « you know, his hand might have been on my waist but you’re the one laying in my bed right now ». the frown on his face disappears almost immediately - much faster than you would’ve thought, replaced by a much more confident expression as his hands start to gently stroke your sides up and down. « mmh, i guess you’re right.... i mean, at the end of the day, only i get to have ‘all of this’ for myself » he smirks, playfully eyeing you up and down until he can’t resist the temptation of your slightly parted lips anymore.

— TSUKISHIMA

• tsukki’s not jealous, he’s just... well.. cautious. or at least that’s what he tells you

• but, deep down, he knows that simple cautiousness wouldn’t make spend his days and nights stressing about this new partner of yours...

• so, after a few weeks, his impassible facade starts to crumble a little bit. nothing too extreme, but just enough to let your partner know that you’re taken.

• and he knows he doesn’t need to do much : one of his signature scornful looks is more than enough. especially when he’s staring at your partner dead in the eyes while you’re greeting him with a hug and a kiss after your practice

« tsukishima kei, i’m waiting for an explanation ». with a sigh, your boyfriend drops his book on the table, turning his chair around to face you. « i don’t have one, i already told you. you told me to introduce myself, and i did. end of story ». you both know that tsukki did not just ‘introduce himself’ like any other human being would have done. and that’s precisely what you’re trying to make him admit - because your partner looked genuinely scared during practice today. « wha- no, i didn’t look down on him. it’s not my fault he’s so short... » he mumbles under his breath, trying his best to avoid any eye contact with you. but you know that only a slight tilt of his chin upwards is enough to make his eyes lock with yours - and that this is enough to have him admit anything. « you’re jealous, kei. and it’s painfully obvious by the way... » you smirk - but this smirk disappears in a split second as he slowly gets up from his chair, towering over you like he usually does. « ok, maybe i am. but i just wanted to make sure that he knew his place. and especially mine » he finally admits, his lips spreading in a scornful smirk that would be terrifying if his eyes weren’t filled with the infinite tenderness he has always felt for you.

✔️taglist : @toworuu @catwithangerissues @miyumiya @livy384 @k0u-minamo2 @fullsundear @hsjvwq @mochi-marie @hiraeth-z @velvetvirgos @kirishimas-manly-eyeliner @47meow @japanesevenom @geektastic84 @noir-blanches-blog @idontlikeyourjob @seiri-ami @atiny-grl-with-luv @admiringlove @nachotrash @kellesvt @aintyourholy @Moonlaeli @catchmewiddershins @duhsies @devilgirlcrybabiey @crystal-lilac

[nojey]

reminiscing (fans 2)

dreamwastaken x streamer!reader

genre: angst pronouns: they / them word count: 2.1k warning(s): failed relationship, cursing

fans (part 1)

synopsis: after taking 6 months off from social media, you finally explain to your fans why you took so long and why you needed it.

go live. *click*

you watched as your chat strolled in and viewer count go up. your computer screen illuminating your face in the dark room as your webcam caught the nervous look. you were shaking your leg up and down, a habit you caught whenever you tried to calm yourself down. 

“hi everyone, it’s been a while since my last stream, huh?” you dryly chuckled. “it’s been about.. 6 months since i last streamed and at this point i think i’ve taken enough time to correctly word how i’m going to tell everyone why i decided to take a break from streaming.” you said looking down at the ground and fiddling with your fingers.

“uh, donation notifications will be off for this stream and chat will be on emotes only because i really just want to focus on getting this out. but if you plan on donating, thank you so much, really, it means the world to me.” you said finally looking at your webcam and smiling a bit. you read a chat and answer, “yes, i’m doing okay. i just have a big announcement i want to say after i tell you guys why i took a break.”

you took a deep breath in and started. “ over a year ago, almost 2, i met this guy through a friend and we started talking. it was very little at the beginning but as little as it was, his texts always made me smile.” you scratched the back of your neck. “and as time went on, we started talking more and more and he just became part of my daily routine. when i woke up i’d see a good morning text from him, we’d spend most of our day being on the phone with each other, i was even on facetime with him most of my streams but i had an airpod under my headset so you couldn’t really see it, i almost always fell asleep on facetime with him. i really fell for this guy.” you fondly smiled, looking at your desk, where your phone used to be propped up and you would see clays face just looking at you.

“then we started streaming together. ‘omg he’s a streamer too’ yeah, and a lot of you probably know who i’m talking about at this point but i still won’t disclose who it is. i uh, got a lot of messages from you guys telling me that i looked super happy that stream and i was. i was always happy when i talked to him. but along with those messages i also got a lot of hate, telling me to stay away from him. it didn’t really bother me because i always get hate when i stream with my guy friends; i was used to it.” you said, taking a sip from your water then wiping the side of your eye as it teared up. 

“and today... i’ll be going on the dream smp! with the man himself, dream. dream, say hi now.” you introduced, you waited a few seconds but was only met with silence. you grabbed your phone and sent him a voice message, “clay! you’re on deafen! introduce yourself!” you screamed into your phone. dream then took himself off deafen and said. “hi (y/s/n)’s chat! i’m dream, i’ll be showing (y/n) around the smp today and we’re gonna get started on their house.” you smiled fondly when you heard him speak. “yeah! what dream said!” 

so you both logged into the dream smp, said hi to sapnap, and dream gave you a tour. you then started building your house in a forest, quite far from everyone else, “i don’t want anyone bothering you or ruining your house when you’re not on.” he explained. you told dream you wanted to build a cottage so if anyone does end up stumbling upon it, it looks welcoming to them. so dream started building your house for you even though you insisted you do it together. “dream! let me help, this is supposed to be my house.” you dragged. “well we can both decorate inside and make it our house.” you started blushing. “i guess..” you mumbled. you then started adventuring out to look for flowers and some things to decorate the house with.

you started placing flowers down into flower pots when you noticed something. “dream there’s only one bedroom.” you mentioned. he slowly turned around to look at you and quickly turned back and placed two beds next to each other. “this is our room, dumbass.”

later that night you checked your twitter dms and saw many people telling you to stop talking to dream and that you weren’t good enough to even know him. you sighed and powered down your phone.

“i think a few weeks after that he asked me if i could fly out to him and we’d meet in person. i was so excited i immediately started packing and i met him. it was amazing! i got to meet the guy i’ve been in love with for the past few months. i think it may have been a year already. but yeah, i finally got to meet him and being in his arms was the best feeling in the world, i felt so safe being with him.”

“it was the day after that, when he asked me on a date and i, of course, said yes. like who would say no to the person they fell in love with... so we went on a date and at the end of it we were just sitting on top of the hood of the car, eating dinner, watching the sunset and talking about a future we wanted together. and it may seem like we were moving fast but i knew 7 months into talking to him that he felt the same way about me. no matter if either of us disclosed it. i could tell and i knew he knew the same about me. then i went home and everything was perfect, i wasn’t his girlfriend yet though because we wanted to wait a bit.”

“that’s when everything went downhill, i think” you looked up to try to stop the tears from going down your face, but they fell anyways so you just let it be.

“we started streaming more and more and i started getting more hate than i usually got, this time getting death threats, people threatening to leak my address if i didn’t stop being friends with him. it was crazy but i was willing to endure it all for him. who cares what people on the internet are going to say to me? i really didn’t because i was happy enough with him that, that happiness overcame whatever type of hate i was getting.” tears kept falling from your eyes but you didn’t bother to wipe it, knowing it would just keep happening.

“dude you’re so annoying! you definitely cheated!” you screamed as you died. through your headset you could hear clay wheezing. “there was no way i was cheating!” he said through his laughs. “ask my chat, they saw the whole thing.” you breathed out, not wanting to believe him till a dono was sent to you, “yeah, (y/n) you just suck at this game,” you gasped, your jaw hanging then you started pouting. it was clipped and one of your viewers sent it to dream. he suddenly started laughing harder and you asked him why he was laughing, with a pout still on your face. “even your chat knows i didn’t cheat!” you started laughing too, till you read a message in the chat saying, “ew, their laugh is ugly. i don’t know why dream likes them.” you stopped laughing but kept a fake smile on your face.

“then he called me and he told me that he didn’t think we should be dating anymore, or even be friends. and i think it was because he saw the hate i was getting and he didn’t like that. he told me a different reason as to why he didn’t think we should date anymore but i didn’t believe it, but i let him go. because i was not going to force him to be with me if he really did mean it. “ you said, sniffling after so you didn’t sound too congested as you spoke.

after you hung up, you curled into a ball and cried. you cried, and cried, and cried. the feeling in your chest hurting more than you could ever imagine. you just lost the guy you wanted to marry, the guy you had spent over a year going to because of your problems, the guys you saw having kids with, the guy that made everything worth it. he was the only person on your mind as the pain in your chest grew. you tweeted and powered your phone off straight after. you didn’t want anyone messaging you asking what was wrong, knowing your friends they would do that. 

“so the reason i took a break from streaming was because of that. because i resented the people that sent me hate so much i couldn’t bring myself to stream. i didn’t resent them because they sent me hate. i resent them because the hate they sent me caused the guy i really wanted to be with to make me believe he didn’t love me like i love him.” now, you were sobbing, letting your cry’s out because you had been holding them in for too long. 

it had been a few months and you were on snapchat, seeing that you had a memory a year ago today, you checked it. “i think i literally met my soulmate.” with a picture of you and clay in a discord call. your breath got caught in your throat and your breathing became labored. your eyes started stinging as the tears started falling. it’s happening again, all the pain from the day you stopped talking to him came back and once again, you were crying into your hands and you couldn’t stop.

“i had always known that becoming a streamer i would get hate, but i never thought that i would get enough hate to prevent a relationship i really wanted to work. now all i do is reminisce of a guy i wish could be mine”

“streaming has brought me so many opportunities and i am so grateful for everything you guys have done for me, and for me to be able to do something i love and make money from it is insane to me. you guys have given me everything i ever wanted in life up until that point and i am so grateful and appreciative of that. you guys gave me friendships that i will never lose and never forget. so many of you have told me that i’ve saved you and changed your lives but trust me when i say you guys have saved me and changed my life too. i hope i repaid you back by making you smile, being your comfort streamer, and being a support system for each of you. but i think this is my end of the road. i fucking love streaming, i love you guys. but every time i click that “go live” button or even try to, all i think about is him and that’s too painful for me right now. maybe in the future i’ll find my way back here but i can’t promise that.”

“thank you guys, so, so, so, so, much for every single opportunity given to me, for everything. i love you all. my dms are still open. and this was (y/s/n), signing off for possibly the last time. goodbye everyone.”

end stream. *click*

a tear rolling down his face and falling onto his keyboard as he watched you finally say goodbye to your stream. it all just felt like you were saying your last goodbye to him again. 

for the last 6 months all clay could do was think about you and how he wished he just messaged you and told you he was sorry and didn’t mean what he said. that he misses you and he would quit streaming if that meant he could be with you. that all he wanted was to feel you in his arms again and just live out the future you two planned together. 

but if you just said goodbye to your chat for your last stream because you couldn’t stand the thought of him whenever you tried to stream. how could you ever forgive him?

the thought of never speaking to you hit him once more and again, he cried, sobbed, screamed, threw things, and even then, he knew.. you would never be coming back to him, with every fiber in his being, wishing you would.

—————

taglist: @loxbbg @bozowrites @noahsfag @sparklykeylime @bi-narystars @axths @cheybaee @letsloveimagines @meatte @julesamen21 @classyunknownlover @bad268 @strawbrinkofdeath

[shurisneakers]

shut in [epilogue]

Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Reader, Hitman AU)

Warnings: anxiety, ptsd, swearing

Word count: 4k

A/N: annnnd we’re done :)) thank you to my resident bully @midnightsunfae for really getting this fic off the ground and helping with the planning. ily upo and thank you to everyone who’s read this series over the 5 months it’s been going on. it’s meant the absolute world to me :’)

Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist

Your fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, an indicator of the nervousness that was building to a crescendo in your chest.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” he asked, hand placed gently on your forearm.

You nodded, eyes downcast. If you looked at him, you wouldn’t be able to find it in yourself to follow through with it.

“I am,” you said quietly, swallowing to get rid of the lump in your throat.

“Okay,” he confirmed, letting his arm drop gently.

Ten minutes to go. You took a sip of water nervously. The glass had already found itself shifting back and forth on the table in search of the perfect place. It was a fruitless quest anyway.

The door was painted a dark green, steps leading up to it from the pavement.

“Are you sure he won’t mind?” you asked quietly, standing a stair below him in apprehension. Neither of you had contacted him or sent a message, just showed up at his place exhausted and covered in a thin layer of dirt.

“I know he won’t.” Sam raised his fist to knock thrice, a pause before knocking two more times.

A code.

He turned around slightly, checking to see if you were fine. The longer you stood out there, the more afraid you were of someone spotting the both of you, putting an end to your life before it even began. You had a feeling that paranoia would continue for a long time.

The door swung open, revealing a tall man with blonde hair leaning against the doorway with one arm. There was a nick above his eyebrow, an old scar that hadn’t faded over time. Even though his other hand was concealed behind the door, you could tell that he was holding something by the way his muscles were clenched. Years of training wouldn’t disappear overnight.

"Sam." Surprise overtook his face in a second. "You're alive."

"Don't sound so happy, I can't handle it." Sam rolled his eyes, an affectionate smile on his face. "This is Y/N, we need a place to stay."

“It’s just been a while since I heard from you, man. Coming from a hit?” Riley didn’t think twice about moving aside, scrutinising dried blood on your person as you walk past. “Nice to meet you, I’m Riley.”

It was a cane in his hand. Sam’s mention of his limp flashed in your mind.

You gave him a small wave and a quiet re-introduction of yourself, following Sam into the house.

“You could say that.” Sam paused, a hand on Riley’s shoulder as he says something out of your ear shot to him.

Riley’s face turned stoic immediately, a nod of his head and a deep exhale soon following. “Stay as long as you need.”

“Thank you.” You pressed your lips together in a straight line with a corner quirked upwards, a half smile of sorts.

“Bathroom’s down the hall, to the right.” He pointed out the direction. “I’m getting you some food. Gumbo still your thing, Wilson?”

“Anything other than peanut butter.”

Riley was a blessing you could have never prepared for; knowing exactly what you both would need and anticipating emotions you had no idea you’d be feeling. For someone who had guests show up completely uninvited to crash on his couch, he was ready as ever, given that he had been through the same thing a while ago.

It was difficult. Fuck that, it was one of the hardest things to go; not pretending like everything around you would fall into soon and that you would be fine because you had to. You had worked too damn hard for you not to be.

But you knew things weren’t going to be fine right off the bat and it would be foolish to think it was.

“Sam, look at me,” you commanded gently, but there was an edge of firmness to your tone. You were sitting on the bench near the entrance of the park.

“I’m sorry, things were going good and I thought-” He shook his face that was hiding in his palm, elbows resting on his knees.

His attacks didn’t come nearly as frequently as yours. It was easy to think that he had no trauma just because he learnt how to deal with it better.

“Look at me, Sammy.” It was just a walk in the park, a stroll that should have lasted twenty minutes tops. You had been on that trail before for the same purpose but something triggered him today, someone’s gaze who lingered too long on the both of you.

He clenched his fists, lifting his head to meet your gaze.

“Breathe with me.” You exaggerated the movements to have him follow, a system the both of you had come up with when anxiety attacks used to hit at random. A temporary solution to an aftermath that would go on for hours, days even.

It took him a few staggered breaths to get there, finally falling into routine with you. He could feel his heartbeat slow to what it was but the pit in his stomach wouldn’t subside for a while.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“You have nothing to apologise for,” you reassured, still making sure he was breathing with you. You were nervous too and your eyes were still darting about to survey your surroundings, but he needed you at that moment. “We’re safe. We’re okay.”

“No one’s here,” he mumbles, interlacing your fingers and bringing it to his forehead to lean against your hand.

“We’re okay,” you repeated, giving him the space he needed. “We’re okay.”

“Will someone be joining you?” The waiter prodded softly. If it wasn’t your incessant tapping at the table, the clammy palms and constant checking of your watch was a clear giveaway that you could use a bit of kindness that day.

“Yeah, any minute now.” You smiled at her. She simply nodded, refilling your glass of water before leaving you alone.

You looked at your watch and sighed.

Seven minutes.

Things were fine. Things were good.

Sam and you were… undefined. Labels almost seemed too constrictive for now and it wasn’t like the both of you didn’t know what the other felt. It was kind. It was soft. Sometimes you kissed his cheek when the sunlight bounced off his face while he watered the succulents and the smile he gave you was addictive. Other times he snaked an arm around your waist and leaned his head on your shoulder while you watched the street from the kitchen window.

It made you happy, and so you tried to force away the stem of doubt that creeped into your heart.

Riley had introduced the concept of movie nights and the occasional mob movie would make it in there just to poke fun at. He showed you around the city, inviting you to go grocery shopping with him at the farmers market, the best places to get a glimpse of the music scene or to subtly point out potential date night spots.

He was a genuinely nice guy, and if you thought Sam was fun to hang out with, you were not prepared for the both of them together. You could tell why Sam adored him.

“Y/N, I don’t know how you stayed with him for all that time and didn’t murder him in his sleep.” Riley glared at Sam who had once again left his collection of music CDs strewn around on a couch. It was all in jest; it was well known that Sam found an anchor in music that kept him up late at night for a sense of calm.

“It was a close call sometimes,” you added playfully, giving Sam a grin.

“You weren’t exactly easy to survive with either.” He scoffed. “How many times did we watch Megamind in a row? Eight?”

“You wouldn’t stop watching Die Hard,” you accused, arms crossed over your chest. “It was payback.”

“You made the rule saying we couldn’t watch things more than twice in a row and you broke it first.”

“I’m gonna go,” Riley interjected. “But y’all keep at this. I heard it’s good for your soul.”

“Stay there,” Sam demanded, pointing to where he was standing a second ago. “You’re gonna be play judge since you started this shit.”

“I really don’t want to.” He shook his head, staying put nonetheless, amusement clear as day on his face.

“The laundry.”

“The dishes.”

You both narrowed your eyes at each other. His argument didn’t hold a match to yours.

“You know what, I was wrong,” Riley announced to no one in particular. “I’m pretty sure you guys would kill each other under any other circumstance.”

The smile on your face faltered but you straightened it back out with a clearing of your throat before firing a comeback.

It was barely a second, almost unnoticeable. But Sam caught it.

Four minutes.

Almost time.

The tapping became more intense, and the rate at which you pulled out your phone to check the time increased.

Fuck, this was a bad idea. How were you supposed to behave with him after all this time?

Something was wrong. Something was off.

Sam wasn’t blind to it. He could see it under the smile you eased into at game night, the complaining when too much food was ordered for three people to eat, the good natured teasing when he rolled over to your side of the bed at night to steal your blanket.

Something was eating at you, gnawing at you from the inside.

His suspicion was confirmed when you whispered at 2am one night to what you thought was an asleep partner that you wanted to move out. Find a place of your own.

His stomach dropped instantly but he didn’t so much as move a muscle.

“I need to get out. I need to have a life,” you sniffed, doing your best not to wake him up as you traced circles into his skin lightly. “I don’t know what it’s like to be independent. I won’t know unless I figure it out myself.”

The air had a chill to it and it was one of the times you had asked him to sleep in the guest bedroom with you instead of on his own, knowing that it was one of those nights where you could use a little extra warmth.

“Even when we were in there I couldn’t stop thinking about whether this thing between us was just because we were forced to stay together. You said it wasn’t, and I know that but I can’t help but think-” Your voice cracked. “Would you come back to me if things were different?”

He didn’t answer, even though he knew what he wanted to say with all the certainty in the world. Your fingers continued to draw on his skin. He continued to let you.

Sam didn’t even bring up the conversation that morning, or that week. Instead, he held you a bit closer whenever he could and gave you the space to hopefully open up to him on your own time, letting you know that he’d be there to listen.

It took a while. You both were in the middle of watching a movie that wasn’t Die Hard when you told him that you needed to talk to him about something. The hesitancy in your voice and the fixation your fingers had with the hem of your sweater was painful to witness.

He understood, of course. He always did. That you needed to experience what it was like to live, not survive. That decades of living with other kids, living under an abuser, living in a safehouse for months, was restrictive and suffocating and you needed to find what made you happy.

And so did he. It was something both of you had to do eventually, exit the bubble you had been staying in under such ardent protection for those two months.

Riley was wonderfully supportive of it, vowing to find you the best apartment that New Orleans had to offer. You didn’t doubt it.

His place had been colourful and bright and everything you could have asked for after the monotone walls you were used to. But it wasn’t yours.

A few weeks later you had moved out. Sam left a lingering kiss on your forehead, a sign to say that he’d be here whenever, whatever.

You made a Shakira joke. He laughed.

A completely fresh new start. If you failed now, it was all on you.

And what a terrifying thought that was.

It had been four months since you had left Riley’s apartment behind.

Four months since you had seen either of them.

The cafe was starting to feel too small for this event. Too intimate, too-

When the bell above the cafe chimes, something at the back of your mind instantly wakes up, sending you on high alert.

“Y/N?” he called out from behind you.

You knew he’d be early.

“Sam.” You breathed out, standing up to face him.

Video calls didn’t do him any justice. He had a particular glow to him, an aura of confidence that wasn’t there the last time you saw him. His beard was neatly trimmed and the smile that tugged at his lips the minute you caught his eye was beautiful.

You didn’t realise how different he looked until the time apart. Months of makeshift workouts and peanut butter as your only source of protein had done a number on him. You remembered him being leaner, and what you now realised was the constant burden of fatigue on his face.

“You look good.” An understatement escaped you, but he did.

He had a deep blue shirt on that hugged him in all the right places. Months of seeing him only black and grey had you damn near drooling when he wore other colours after you got out.

Not that you were staring, but his biceps had definitely made a wonderful return.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Sam sent you a smile that instantly put you at ease. “Independence looks good on you, sweetheart.”

You gave a small laugh, gesturing for him to take a seat. Should you have hugged him? Shook his hand? Kissed hi-

“It’s been a while,” he politely interrupted your overthinking. “How are things going?”

You let out a small breath. It was a big question, one that you had answered over text and call a few times but it was different now. He was in front of you now and you couldn’t bullshit the way you used to on call occasionally.

“Weird,” you admitted. “I don’t know what to do with myself now that I have all this time.”

“It takes some gettin’ used to.” He nodded in agreement, leaning back in his chair.

A lot of your time went into trying new hobbies. Knitting, pottery, drawing- anything that you could get your hands on. Things didn’t always catch on, some discarded just after the first week. Others stuck, bringing you bits of triumph every time you moved forward with your newfound skill.

“You still seein’ your therapist?” He flashed a smile at the waitress who filled his glass of water.

Ah, yes. Dr. Bishop had been one of the first people you sought out.

“Yeah.” You took a sip of water. “See her weekly.”

You still had money left over from all the hit jobs that you had done. As much as you wanted to leave every inkling of that life behind, you needed the cash to live. You had enough for the time being, but you knew that eventually you had to start working; if not for the money then for the peace of mind.

“How’s that goin’?”

“She thinks I talk in elaborate metaphors. The gang’s what I call my toxic family, he was my abusive father, stuff like that.”

There were moments where you thought you saw someone you knew standing at a corner, vendors giving you icy looks from across the street, footsteps outside your door that seemed too damn loud. But nothing ever came of it.

“Thanks for the tip, by the way.” You extended a smile to him in appreciation for the idea.

“Worked with my therapist, figured it would be the same with yours.” He shrugged casually. It wasn’t like you wanted to lie to her, and you weren’t. But some things were better left in the dark.

“But I think it’s helping.” You exhaled deeply, eyes downcast. “The nightmares are reducing.”

“That’s a lot of progress.” The corner of his mouth quirked upward in pride.

Several feelings erupted from that look, some that you’d spend the whole day revelling in if you didn’t force yourself to move on.

“How about you?” you diverted the subject back to him. “How’s Riley?”

“He says he misses ya.” Sam laughed. “Says he can’t handle me alone, that he needs you back to save him.”

“What have you been doing to that poor man?” you teased, easing back into your seat. “He was fine when I left him.”

“He’s got a fancy new job now and it’s been going to his head. Needed a little humbling.”

“You’re not going too hard on him, are you?” Even though you knew he wasn’t, it was fun to make sure.

“Nah, I’d say it’s just about the right amount.” Sam grinned and you felt the familiar flutter return to your stomach. “I’ve been doing good. Working on getting my license.”

“Oh yeah, how’s that going?” You were thrilled when he said he was going to look into becoming a youth counselor, knowing that it was something he had been genuinely wanting to do for ages.

“With my background, or lack of it, it’s a little trickier than I thought it would be,” he divulges a bit more seriously. “Riley’s been pulling a few strings and I got a few contacts but it’s gonna take some more time.”

You bit your lip, worry rising for him. He deserved it, he earned it. It fucking sucked that it wasn’t going to be an easy, direct path.

“We’ll figure it out,” you said quietly, reaching out to intertwine your fingers with his in reassurance.

The contact brings with it a small spark. You wondered if he still felt it.

“Yeah. We will.” He sent you a soft smile at your action, not making any effort to move it. “You been on any dates lately?”

You let out a snort at that. “Loads. Have fellas lining up at every corner for me.”

“I bet.” He’s more bold, a bit more open than he was in the first month when you both got out. “How many of them do I have to fight off?”

“I’d say six as a rough estimate.” Your expression mimicked one of consideration. “I hope you’ve been getting your hours in at the gym.”

“I’ll kick it up a notch,” he promised, hands raised in surrender.

“You better. We’re supposed to go for laser-tag.” A dumb callback to a joke he made on one of your last days there.

“Or paintball.” He remembered. It made you unnecessarily giddy. “I added an escape room to the list too.”

“Hilarious,” you fired at him, rolling your eyes slightly but the happiness on your face proved otherwise.

His laughter died down eventually, paving the way for the comfortable silence that lingered between you both. Your eyes fell down to where your hand still held his, biting your lip to conceal a smile.

“Y/N,” he called out, pulling your gaze back to his. “Jokes aside… how are you?”

You let out a breath at his question. You knew it was coming.

“Riley found me an apartment,” you murmured.

Sam looked up from his phone. “Yeah?”

“It’s a nice place. Lots of sunlight. Quiet too.” You toyed with your fingers. “But it’s about an hour away. More if you consider traffic.”

Sam set his phone down gently on the bedside table, indicating that you had his full attention.

“I don’t want you to think I’m abandoning you, because I’m not. I wouldn’t, I just-”

“Hey,” he interrupted calmly, twisting his body to face you. “I don’t think you’re abandoning me. If this is what you need, then you should do it.”

“I don’t know if this is what I need. I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ve never been-” the frustration in your voice only increased as you went on. “-I don’t even know if this is going to work. What if I hate it?”

“Finding out what you hate is just as important as what you like, I think.” He watched you toy with the fidget square he had gotten you. “And you know that if you don’t feel like it, then you can come back here at any moment.”

“I know.” It was a comforting thought. A safety net.

“But would this make you happy?” That caught you by surprise.

It wasn’t something you had thought of. You thought of the negative consequences, the devastating effects it could have on you, how it could be the worst possible decision you’d ever make.

“I don’t know,” you mumbled, a new anxiety setting in. “I guess we’ll see.”

You liked the neighbours who played the piano way too loud at 2am, the really terrible coffee at the therapist’s office and the feeling the paper plane on your dresser gave you when you occasionally looked at it.

You didn’t like how hot the apartment could get, especially during the afternoon, or the guy who sold magazines down the street who cursed at everyone for no reason, or the gentrified Indian food they served at the mall.

But Sam was right. Figuring out what you didn’t like was just as beautiful a journey as figuring out what you did.

“I’m happy.” You breathed out. “Or I'm working towards being happy. But it’s there.”

He doesn’t say anything to that. Simply slipped his palm under yours to lift your hand, pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

“I’m proud of you.”

If anyone could feel the heat that rose to your face they would probably think you had a fever.

The fear that you had, the one of what things would be like if you weren’t forced to survive in a confined space together, had begun to fade the minute he called out your name that day.

It was Sam. Your Sam.

You shake yourself out of your train of thought with a small smile, making a move to gather up your belongings without letting go of his hand for a second.

“Well, c’mon then. Those paintballs aren’t going to shoot themselves.”

“Are you saying this is a date?” There was a smirk on his face that wasn’t there a minute ago.

“Would you still consider it one once I annihilate you?” You tilted your head in a challenge.

“That would never happen, first of all.” He scoffed. “Second… I was thinking that maybe we could do something normal for a change.”

That had you more interested than the prospect of adventure sports. You had enough of it for a lifetime, frankly speaking.

“Lead the way, Cinnamon.” He only rolled his eyes at the nickname, sending you a vaguely threatening look. You just laughed.

“This place got good coffee?” He looked around at the establishment and its patrons.

“One of the best.”

“Then I don’t see why we have to go anywhere else,” he offered and you nodded, relaxing back into your place with the same sense of warmth in your heart that only intensified with his proposal.

He raised his hand up to flag the server, the same girl who had been helping you out since you got there, asking for two menus.

The smile he sent her was infectious. It was good.

“Sam,” you began quietly. “I missed you.”

His eyes softened, the sunlight reflecting in it making it shine like dravite. “I missed you, too.”

“Ready to order?” The waitress stands beside you with a notepad.

He looked at you and you nodded with a smile.

Things were different. You were different.

And he still came back to you.

--fin--

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <3

thank you so much for reading!

[legendaryprofessorwisteria]

In terms of the theories you’ve brought up, that does make sense. After all, even accounting for the lack of a known different on time between their original time and ours, they are similar enough that perhaps that convergent evolution in similar but harsher versions of our world would occur. As for being prepared for what happened…given the kinds of residents who end up arriving, the folks here and I are very familiar with dealing with Pokémon who are scared and injured, especially if they end up being permanent residents and don’t end up taken in by a family who comes by. I’m actually thankful Hogan, Electro, and now Emir have adapted as well as they have to their new home for that reason.

I imagine with Lilith, the mess afterwards wasn’t as sticky, given the juice that Hogan had drank was from Sitrus berries, and the barrels were pierced as a result of that. We had to clean the shed before it could be repaired as well as both Hogan and Julien after the sudden bout of wrestling, and though Julien is very used to baths even with the fact he’s a fire-type, Hogan was clearly unsure of the soap we used out of unfamiliarity. Least they calmed down when he was given one of the rubber duckletts we keep for stressed out residents taking baths to use like a stress ball. They proceeded to claim that specific one as their personal rubber ducklett, amusingly enough, and always has it in hand when washing up.

As for Electro and Emir, besides both of them also being buddies with Auther and Volt thanks to the former’s physical therapy with them and also introducing the latter to them, while each of them were in recovery, they were as shy as you’d expect, especially considering that I’ve heard that Xurkitree tend to be very energetic and Koraidon are often not unlike young Rockruff in behavior, a trait I’ve noticed is shared with many Miraidon as well. Electro started opening up at Volt’s insistence, the Dracozolt in question basically beckoning their friend to play in the snow with some other buddies who live here, which somehow did wonders for helping Electro open up. I have a feeling this led to Electro wanting to befriend Emir, perhaps able to figure out the similar situation and wanting to be to Emir what Volt was to them. I’d say it worked well, given how before that point, Emir only really seemed to trust Cantante, likely due to her being the one to find them and let us know so we could free Emir and treat their injures, myself, presumably since I am Cantante’s trainer, and a few others, my colleagues who focus more on the medical side of our establishment.

I think it's at least an interesting framework for understanding why these Pokemon are the way they are, both with Ultra Beasts and Paradox Pokemon. While we can directly observe where Ultra Beasts come from with the help of Pokemon like Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma, we can't do the same with Paradox Pokemon at this time - but we can still make a lot of inferences about what their homes are like just by their physiology and their links to present Pokemon. Gonna ramble more under a cut so I don't blow out anyone's dash.

For instance, my Iron Moth, Lilith, mostly survives off of sunlight, has powerful attacks, and has a tough exterior. This suggests it lives in a sunlight-rich environment, mostly ruling out the 'eternal clouds' theory someone was floating about the Paradoxes' future, and probably had serious predators or competed heavily with other Pokemon, which also explains the aggression. With Great Tusk, the past Paradox Pokemon we know the most about, we can guess similar things - it's an herbivore, but also a powerful attacker with a lot of aggression, meaning it probably faces a lot of danger in nature.

And yeah...the transit in time or space alone can be very frightening for Pokemon like that, and all that natural aggression doesn't make the landing any easier. It's very lucky that there are people and organizations like you and like my lab to intervene and prevent these Pokemon - and others - from coming to harm. It sounds like Hogan, Emir, and Electro got lucky with where they landed, and I really hope the same is true of Lilith.

And heh, thankfully Lillith's mess wasn't nearly as...sticky. It just flung papers everywhere and knocked over a few things, and got some Sludge Bomb splat on a wall. Not too hard to clean. It's interesting how Hogan took on those barrels, given how Buzzwole eat in the wild. And cleaning a Buzzwole must have been a funny experience! I always find it sweet how Pokemon like Ultra Beasts, Paradox Pokemon, and Legendaries or Mythicals in general are sometimes just the same as other Pokemon, doing things like picking favorite toys or comfort objects.

It's also wonderful how Pokemon care for and help each other! Seems like Volt did a lot to help Electro, and Electro did a lot to help Emir. Electro even paid forward how Volt was kind to it, which is so sweet...so many Pokemon are just wonderful to each other. I genuinely don't know what we'd do without Pokemon like that.

Also, I'd object to the comparison of Miraidon and Rockruff, but one of my colleagues is outside throwing a ball for the visiting 'Raidons and they're chasing after it like, well, little Rockruff. Lilith is staring intently. Arceus above, once things calm down I am going to try and catch one.

[amazingmaeve]

The Bet - Draco Malfoy

Harry Potter Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Summary: Draco makes a bet with Pansy and Blaise that he can make Y/N, a shy Hufflepuff, fall in love with him.

Draco Malfoy x Female!Reader

Warnings: Angst and Fluff

AN: Had this idea last night and had to do something with it.

Word Count: 1859

"I bet you can't make someone fall in love with you," Pansy who sat across from Draco and sat next to Blaise says looking at the platinum haired boy.

"I'll take that bet as long as it's not Granger," Draco says with a smirk. He knew that Hermione would probably punch him if he ever tried anything with her.

"Why afraid she'll punch you again," Blaise says looking cockily at Draco who rolled his eyes at his fellow Slytherin.

"Just get on with it tell who and I'll do it," Draco snaps looking at Pansy and Blaise who looked at each other with smirks on their faces.

"I'm gonna regret this," Draco thought as Blaise and Pansy whispered and looked around trying to find a girl that would be a challenge for Draco Malfoy.

Pants shoved Blaises shoulder and pointed in a direction behind Draco. Once Blaise saw the girl he had a smirk on his face as Draco looked at the two confused.

"Her," Pansy pointed to Y/N who was reading a book and looked like she was in her own world.

Draco looked behind him and saw Hufflepuff he hasn't noticed before.

"Who is that even," Draco asked turning back to his friends who shrugged.

"No idea," Pansy shrugged. "Now you have to make her fall in love with you in a month or you owe me 15 galleons."

Blaise coughed as Pansy rolled her eyes at him "15 each."

Draco thought about it for a minute his father would be furious if he took the money, but his pride got in the way.

"Deal."

For the next few days Draco watched Y/N. He finally learned her name. He saw that she was a quiet Hufflepuff who barely had any friends.

How he had to think about how to introduce himself to her. He still had most of the month left but he had to think class.

As they were in Slughorns class Draco kept thinking about how to get to her as Y/N was listening to the lesson her professor was teaching.

Y/N usually paid attention in class as she loved the stuff.

People thought she should of been in Ravenclaw but what she thought she got in Hufflepuff is her shyness. 

"Ok now for the next assignment we'll be doing partner work," Slughorn announced to the class.

Most people cheered but Y/N groaned internally since she hated talking to people.

"But I will be choosing your partners," He continued. Draco was now partially listening to the teacher as he heard the groan which mean partner work.

"Ok I'll start listing off the partners," Slughorn got the papers out and started listing out names.

Y/N's heart beat as she thought who she was going to get. She hated this stuff about school since she hated.

"Draco and Y/N," As the two people mentioned snapped their heads up in surprise different thoughts running through each other's brains.

Draco thought this was the perfect  thing to make her fall in love with him.

While Y/N was kind of worried she heard about all the stuff Draco Malfoy has done and his family as well.

As everyone got with their partners Y/N stayed looking at the ingredients for the potions getting ready to make it. She was worried about partnering up with Draco since his reputation was known.

As he sat next to her Y/N kept her face in the book while Draco tried to get a good look at her.

"Hey beautiful," Draco was the first person to say something. He thought it looked cute on her as she blushed at the nickname.

No stop thinking like that it's a bet.

"So what do we need to get started," He asked as she didn't say hey back.

"I'll get the stuff," Y/N whispered as her heart hammered in her chest. Before Draco could say anything she got up to get everything.

Draco scoffed as he watched her run off. He'll have to think of something else to do.

As Y/N sat down and put the ingredients on the table.

"So were you listening cause I certainly was not," Draco stated staring at the beautiful Hufflepuff.

"Yes," Y/N nodded giving him a smile.

"That's a relief," Draco sighed fiddling with his fingers.

"You don't listen," Y/N asked curiously as she put the ingredients in the cauldron.

"No was to busy thinking about a certain Hufflepuff," Draco flirted with a smirk on his face.

"Oh," Y/N blushed looking in the cauldron. Y/N thought he was cute so that's why she felt so flustered around him.

As the class went on Draco kept talking to her and Y/N kept blushing as butterflies were in her stomach.

"Meet me in the library tonight at 6," Draco said giving her a smile before leaving.

Y/N didn't know she should meet him. Maybe he wanted to work on the project or he wanted help in some other class.

Y/N decided to go because also would have been guilt standing him up.

"See you showed up," Y/N jumped as Draco said sitting next to her. She was to engrossed into her book.

"Yes I didn't want to stand you up," Y/N says quietly looking at her lap.

"That's sweet of you," Draco looked at her really looked at her.

He thought that she was the most beautiful girl in the word and even thought they just met today. Draco could feel his heart race.

"Thanks," Y/N smiled at him which made his stomach turn in a good way. "Uh why did you want me here anyways."

"Well I wanted to spend some more time with you darling," Draco teased her as he smirked at the girl who blushed at the nickname.

"Oh," Y/N says surprised.

"Oh why," He was curious of why she was so surprised.

“I just don't have much guys wanting to spend time with me," Y/N smiled at him maybe someone did like her.

Draco started to feel bad for leading her on but quickly got the thought out of his head as he stared into her eyes.

"Well I'm glad to be the first love,” Draco put his hand on hers giving it a squeeze.

They sat there for another hour talking about each other's interest. Draco was very fascinated about this girl.

For the next week the two were glued to each other's hips. Blaise and Pansy took note of this and decided to tease Draco about him.

"Is someone catching feelings," Pansy asked sarcastically.

"It's none of your business and for your information no I am not Draco snapped at the girl and got up walking away from his friends.

A couple weeks later Draco and Y/N got closer and Draco kept flirting with her which made Y/N feel giddy.

Draco invited her to his dorm where they could work on homework together.

As Y/N sat on Draco's bed she looked around and noticed how clean it was.

"Surprised love," Draco sat next to her getting his book out. He didn't really want to study but as long as it was with her it was fine.

Draco in the past 3 weeks has caught feelings for the girl who captured his heart. His stomach would have butterflies every time the talked and every time she smiled at him.

“So let’s get started,” Y/N stated with a smile.

As she continued talking Draco got lost in the way she spoke and a smile on the corner of her lips. Draco wouldn’t admit it but he was smitten.

“Draco are you even listening,” Y/N asked with a smile looking at the boy who snapped out of his daze.

“You are so beautiful,” Draco whispered ignoring Y/N. She let out a blush.

He put his hand on her cheek and felt the heat from the blush. He put his lips on hers and he knew it was her first time.

He knew this since she tried to copy his movements and Draco didn’t mind. Draco was glad to be her first kiss.

“I think I’m falling love with you,” Draco whispered against her lips.

Y/N stared up at him flabbergasted soon turned into a sheepish look.

“I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

In the next few days Draco took her out on the first day she’s ever been on and it was amazing. Draco treated her like a princess.

“I’m done I don’t want to do this bet anymore,” Draco snapped at Blaise and Pansy.

“You can’t just do that,” Pansy hissed.

“Pansy it was just a bet,” Blaise defended Draco.

“No,” Pansy snapped.

“I’m sorry Pansy I’ll pay you back but I’m done I don’t want her to think I’m only doing this for a bet when it’s done,” Draco snapped not noticing the Hufflepuff who walked up to him and had a shocked expression on her face as she heard Draco’s word.

“It was just a bet,” Draco heard Y/N behind her. Draco closed his eyes feeling annoyed with him self.

“Love,” Draco turned around and saw the sad expression on her face and tears coming in the corner of her eyes. He felt so guilty. She looked so sad.

Before he could say anything else she ran out going to her dorm room with tears running down her cheeks.

“Damnit,” Draco cursed himself ignoring Blaise and Pansy running after Y/N knowing she was going to her room.

He ran into the Hufflepuff common and thank god no one was in there. He ran up the stairs to her room where she was crying on her bed.

“Y/N/N,” Draco says cautiously.

“Go away,” Y/N cried into her pillow making her words muffled.

“Please love let me explain,” Draco raced his words out as he ran to her bed sitting next to where her body laid.

When Y/N didn’t say anything he continued.

“It did start out as a bet but as I got to know you I felt myself fall more in love with you,” Draco started to explain. “I started to feel guilty so that’s why I broke the bet off so I could be with you without it being a bet,” Draco lets out a tear.

“So it wasn’t just a lie,” Y/N asked sniffling as she sat up next to him. Her eyes were all black from the mascara.

“No it wasn’t just a lie,” Draco says wiping the tears away.

“One more chance and if you ruin it I’m done,” Y/N says sternly.

Draco nodded while saying “Of course anything love.”

Y/N wrapped her arms around his waist burying her face in his chest while his head rested on the top of her head.

He was happy that she forgave him because right now she was the only good thing in his life. And he knew he would never doing anything wrong again because he love her so much.

Even after a month.