#I just wanna watch Austin wells catching some damn balls

[scaryl3gs]

Blackouts actually make me wanna kms.

[commander-rahrah]

Alone with You - A Ride or Die Short (Logan x MC)

Pairing: MC Ellie Wheeler x Logan

Chapter Rating: T

Word Count: 3600+

Description: It’s been two years since Ellie and Logan said goodbye. And now he’s standing in front of her. 

Disclaimer: Characters are from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, backgrounds, etc. 

Author’s Note: 1 billion years ago I said that I had re-read Ride or Die and it made me have a lot of feelings and ideas about what happened to Ellie and Logan (since ROD2 is never going to happen?!!?!!?!). Well, I wrote it. Finally.

The two have been stuck in my head for so long -- I have a playlist for them, I have a pinterest board for them. I am so happy to finally have fully written this little short out. And who knows... if people like it, maybe it can become a little mini series? 

As always any likes, reblogs and comments are very appreciated. 

Taglist: @omgjasminesimone​ @brightpinkpeppercorn​ @choicesarehard​ (hope this is OK, I remember you three being excited for this lol)

Full choices masterlist: here

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I wanna be alone Alone with you, does that make sense? I wanna steal your soul And hide you in my treasure chest I don't know what to do To do with your kiss on my neck I don't know what feels true But this feels right so stay a sec Yeah, you feel right so stay a sec

“Ellie?”

She froze — her hands hovering on the latch for the car hood. Gulping, she snagged it with a tan finger before turning around.

It was really him.

He looked exactly the same. His brown hair, perfectly waved around his face. His puppy dog eyes were big as he took her in. A black t-shirt clung to his chest and biceps — his arms hanging loosely at his sides, his car keys dangling from his fingers.

“L-Logan?” She stammered, wiping her greasy hands on her jean shorts.

He took two giant steps, before enveloping her into his arms.

Ellie stood frozen for a moment — standing in shock. Before she blinked back to reality, and threw her skinny arms around him. He placed his forehead into the crook of her neck, holding her tighter as she hugged him back.

“What — what are you doing here?” She muttered through his wavy, brown hair. Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as she pulled away from him.

“I’ve just been driving — and I needed to stop and do some work,” He pointed a finger behind him to the familiar GT — that was painted matte black now. “I usually go to a little Ma and Pop like this...” He voice trailed off as he took her in. “You look good Troublemaker,”

Ellie ignored the feeling that nickname gave her, following her train of thought. “You were just driving? You didn’t realize you were getting close to my college town?”

He hesitated, “I—I’ve been driving for a while, didn’t really pay attention to where I was going.”

“Right.” She said, not believing him.

He peered over her shoulder to the white convertible she was working on. It was sitting half out of the garage, shining in the sun. “230SL, hey? She’s pretty.”

“Thanks, she’s mine.” She looked back at the car, licking her lips.

His dark brows furrowed in confusion, “What happened to the Panther?”

Ellie ignored the question, “Logan, what are we doing?”

He shrugged, not sure what she was implying. “What do you mean?”

“I mean — I haven’t seen you in two years, and we— we’re just, what? Shooting the shit at this garage?” Her voice started to raise a little — her emotions getting the best of her.

His dark eyes went wide, “Well, no—“

“Well, what Logan? I didn’t think I was ever gonna see you again. And now you’re just here and you’re asking me about my car?!” Her arms wrapped around her torso as she started to tremble.

Logan moved his hands out to touch her — but then thought better of it. He played it off instead, running his fingers through his dark waves, “Ellie... I know this is so unexpected. If you could — just gimme two hours. Two hours of just normal stuff. I missed you — more than I want to admit.”

“I missed you too.” She croaked out, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones. “We’ll trade out spots in the  garage. Take my car.”

Logan hesitated — looking back at his car with a twisted mouth.

“It’s that or you can pay like $25 an hour to park near my apartment.”

“Way too rich for my blood.” He smiled sheepishly, before unlatching his key from his belt loop.

The pair reversed and drove around each other — before Logan slid into her white convertible. His hands ran over the fine stitching on the leather seats — a smile spreading across his face as he took in the vintage car. “You have to tell me how you got this.”

Ellie swallowed as she watched him — following his calloused fingers softly touching the console and arm rests, “I bought it at an estate sale actually. This guy’s son was selling it — said his dad was working on it for most of his life. Poor guy died before he got the chance to finish it and it was way over the sons head.”

His thick brows raised on his forehead, “You low ball him?”

“For a 230SL? No. But I made sure I had enough leftover to fix it up.”

Looking over her shoulder, Ellie reversed out of the parking lot with ease and started to drive them through the streets of Cambridge.

Logan was looking through the passenger window — watching all of the brown stones whiz by, “So, you work at the garage?”

“No,” She shook her head, imagining the little two car garage mechanic shop in her head,  “I just made an arrangement with Mr. Kim, the owner. He lets me work on the car and get it fixed up when I want.”

“So you did all of this?” His mouth opened in slight shock.

“Everything but the paint.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

“Damn, Ellie.” A grin spread across his face as he was genuinely impressed with her. “You a grease monkey now?”

She smirked at him, “Mechanical engineer actually.”

“That’s what you decided on for school?” His voice was so genuine — it was killing her.

She nodded in reply, her eyes focused on the road. Her fingers were tight around the steering wheel.

“Good for you. I’m glad.” There it was again — and he was probably looking at her with those big brown eyes.

Licking her lips, she changed the subject, “You hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good thing I know the best place to get burgers in Cambridge.”

______________________________________________________________________

“Can we get also get two doubles, well done and crispy fries? Thanks Joe.” Ellie rattled off the order without looking at the menu. She gave them a smile, but then quickly her eyebrows shot up, “Oh! And no mustard on one!” She turned around to face Logan.

“You remembered?” His heart fluttered.

“Yeah, it’s no big deal.” She shrugged, before putting the straw to her milkshake back in her mouth — chewing it slightly.

But it was a big deal to Logan. His heart was melting because she had remembered he didn’t like mustard. Two years later.

God, he was a mess.

He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act right now. All he wanted to do was to hold her, to make her laugh again. To kiss her soft pink lips.

“EJ?!”

Logan ignored the voice, instead drawing his eyes away from her and looking out of the window at all the people walking by — all of them mostly students.

“Austin, hey.” Logan’s ears perked up as he heard Ellie’s voice. Turning around he watched as she was approached by a tall guy with a black cap and MIT hoodie.

His stomach burned with jealousy as they hugged.

The young man pulled his arms back from around her, looking down at her with a warm smile, “We were just talking about you,” He gestured behind him to a group of guys sitting at a table, “You heading to the track tonight?”

“Oh, uh,” Ellie clammed up, “No actually I have—“

“Hey I’m Logan.” He stepped forward — his calloused hands outstretched for a handshake.

“Logan?! Like hometown, Cali Logan? Nice to meet you man.” He clapped his hand to his, gripping it tightly.

“Yeah — that’s me.” So Ellie has talked about him to other people?

Ellie sidled up in between them, waving her hand at the guy in the cap, “This is Austin. He’s in eng — engineering with me at school.”

Logan scrutinized him quickly — he was a lot bigger then him. But that wouldn’t be a big deal — he had fought guys much bigger than him his whole life and usually came out the winner. “Austin” had way too perfect stubble and the vest he was wearing over his hoodie probably cost $250.

“EJ’s our resident brainiac.” Austin flashed a megawatt smile — his teeth were perfect too.

Logan’s first instinct was to hate this guy, “Sounds about right.” He said casually, looking over to Ellie who had her arms crossed over her torso.

“He’s just saying that.” She said, her eyes low.

“EJ, foods up!” The man working the countered yelled from behind them.

She sighed in relief, and quickly turned to get the bags. Shuffling back towards them she gave a sheepish smile, “All ready to go.”

“Enjoy you two. If we won’t see you at the track tonight, we’ll catch you at Ash’s birthday tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure. Probably.” She nodded nervously, “Okay, talk to you guys later.” She waved her full hands to the table of guys behind Austin and started to walk away.

Logan followed her out, looking back over his shoulder at the group once more — his brows furrowed as he watched Austin return to the group — all of them chatting excitedly and watching them leave.

He grabbed the car door for her, before grabbing the brown bags of food so she could climb in.  Getting in himself, he couldn’t help but notice how nervous she seemed as she fumbled with her keys to start the car.

They sat in silence for a moment — the only sound was the rustling of the bags on his lap as they drove through the downtown streets. Finally he broke the quiet.

“So, EJ huh?”

She licked her lips before speaking, “Yeah. Ellie J—“

“Jane. I know.” He nodded, remembering the night she had told him her middle name. She had been curled up in his arms in his little loft above the garage — she had drawn circles on his arms as she spoke about her mother, her namesake.

“Of course...” She glanced over to him — her face was hard to read. “When I moved here I just — I wanted to be someone else. Not just Ellie. So I introduced myself as EJ.”

“So what’s this EJ like? She hangs out with people like Austin...”

“Austin’s a good guy. All of them are. We lived in the same building freshmen year.” She chewed her lip, “It’s a tough program — we all take care of each other.”

“Right.” Logan felt his stomach twist — someone had to take care of her. It couldn’t be him, he knew that.

She pulled up in front of an empty park filled with trees, and cut the engine. Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes as she breathed in the fresh air with the top down in her car.

He gulped as he watched her — his eyes following the line of her nose, curves of her lips and throat. Coughing slightly he composed himself as she started digging through the brown paper bags.

She handed him one of the burgers, wrapped with a napkin.

“Do you usually eat greasy take out in a priceless vintage car?”

“It’s my right as an American.” She grinned at him, before taking a big bite of her food.

Slowly unwrapping the burger, he took a bite and let out a moan, “Oh, that’s good.”

“The best.” Ellie said through chewing. Ripping the brown bag a little with a free hand, she poured out fries onto the brown bag for them to share. “Probably been a while since you’ve had decent food? Being on the road?”

“Yeah... yeah it’s been... I mean I didn’t have to do a huge drive recently. But I was trying to go from coast to coast.”

“Were you following me?” She joked.

“Right, yeah. I guess you made the same drive.” He sat the burger down in his lap and ran his fingers nervously through his hair. “But I — I didn’t make it.”

“Oh?”

Shit. Okay, he was going to do this. “I got arrested.”

“Logan, I— I had no idea. I’m sorry.” Her voice turned quiet — but genuine.

“S’okay.” He mumbled out, “I mean — it was just a matter of time honestly.” He gave her a sad smile, “I made it to Colorado at least.”

“What happened?”

“I got a lesser sentence for agreeing to be a key witness against Shaw. Served for a year, got out on remission... Served a probation order.” He nervously ran his fingers through his wavy hair.

“Wow...”

“And now...”

“You’re here.” She moved her knee closer to his — her bare skin brushing up against his jeans.

“I’m here.” His dark eyes met her light ones — going back and forth between them. He had missed them, as corny as that was to admit. “I was living in New York before—“

“Before?”

“I didn’t mean to come here.” He admitted.

“You didn’t?”  She asked — a line forming between her brows.

“Not at first. Not on purpose.” He gulped as he looked up at her, “I just started driving. And this is where I ended up. And then I thought — I could just drive by your school, through the town— just see what you see. I didn’t think I’d actually find you.”

“But you did.”

“But I did.”

They locked eyes again, studying each other.

“Do you wanna see apartment?” She asked simply.

He gulped — he suddenly felt nervous and clammy. “I — sure, if you’re okay with it.”

“Mhmm.” She said with a nod, before turning the key in the ignition and starting to drive away with one hand on the wheel and the other clutching her burger.

After a ten minute drive, she pulled up in front a row of studio apartments that were in alternating colours of brown and orange.

Logan followed Ellie up the sidewalk and into the apartment complex. They padded down the empty, carpeted hallways and up a set of stairs. Her keys jingled in her hand as she let them in to apartment 2-7.

Logan’s heart fluttered as he stepped into her apartment. He had never gotten to see her bedroom in California — and stepping into her little home now was like stepping into her mind.

It was a studio apartment — just a tiny little thing. The first thing he noticed was the big window at the back of the apartment, pouring in the afternoon light. Christmas lights were wrapped around the frame, turned off at the moment.

A little kitchenette sat off to the side — scarred wooden counter tops and vintage appliances showing the age of the building. There wasn’t any where to sit — a bed sat in front of the large window, a mattress on wheels. It was messily made with a sunny yellow duvet. Night stands on either side were made of stacks of books, and a little green plant was sat precariously on top of one. He could see a few photographs taped on the far wall — but it was too small to see from the front entrance.

It was so messily organized and soft and simple — it was so Ellie.

“It’s not much.” She shrugged as she stepped in.

“I love it.” Using his toes, Logan kicked off his shoes and followed Ellie farther into the apartment. He was trying to be nonchalant about looking around — he didn’t want to seem like he was prying. But every little detail — even the magnets on her fridge shed a light onto the young woman in front of him.

His fingers trailed on a framed photo — Ellie in her red cap and gown from her graduation. Her dad standing next to her — big smiles on their faces for the photo. He could try and determine how fake the pose was, knowing everything that had led up to that photo, but he didn’t want to go down that road.

Moving his dark eyes, he let out a chuckle as he saw an extremely organized calendar stuck to the fridge door. “I see you haven’t lost your passion for organization.” He thumbed through the pages, noticing all the stickers and highlighter.

Her face turned red as she realized what he was looking at. “You have to be with my course load. I’m taking extra classes on top of my usual work load.”

“Trying to graduate early, nerd?” He teased.

Her face fell. “Uh, no. I have to take extra courses if I want to graduate on time actually.”

He raised a dark brow at her, “What? Did you take a light course load or something?”

“Yeah — light course load. An extremely light course load.” She let out a heavy sigh, “I took off a whole semester actually.”

He almost scoffed but he stopped himself. “You love school. I highly doubt you took off a semester to travel abroad.”

“I, uh, I didn’t. I went home.” Ellie had wrapped her arms around her torso, starting to hug herself.

“You went back to LA?”

“Well, I went there for the summer.” She chewed her lip, “And then I stayed throughout the semester.”

Logan studied her carefully, “Okay, what are you not telling me?” It had been two years, but he still knew how to read her.

When she didn’t answer him right away, his stomach twisted. “Ellie?”

She kept her eyes to the worn floorboards, but finally opened her mouth. “At first, it was just for summer break. But while I was there — Dad got sick.”

“Ellie, I’m so sorry.”

“He collapsed at work — apparently it had happened before, when he was home alone. That’s when the doctors found it...,” Her voice trailed off, “The cancer.”

He crossed over to her — getting closer, but not touching. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to do that. “What— what happened?” His voice was quiet — gentle.

“School gave me an extended absence — they held my spot and scholarship for me. Due to family distress. I — I stayed there. I took care of him, drove him to chemo... I was all he had.”

“Ellie...,” A sharp breath escaped him — imagining the pain she had gone through. The pain she was still going through. Was he...

Logan didn’t even want to think it.

“Wh—what happened?”

“He died.” She croaked, before exploding into uncontrollable sobs. She tried to speak again but all that could be heard was hiccups and gasps of breath.

Logan didn’t know what to say. He’d never been one with words.

So instead he did the only thing he could think to do — wrap his arms around her. She fell into him easily — her face burying into his chest as she started to soak his t-shirt.

As he felt her start to crumble into him, he softly lowered them until they were sitting on the edge of her mattress — her face still glued to his shoulder.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat like that for — and he didn’t care. He would sit with her all night if she wanted him too. But finally she shifted around, keeping her face tucked to his chest but she wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Ellie — I’m so so sorry.” He said softly, rubbing her back as she sniffled, “About your dad. And you having to go through that by yourself. No one should have to do that. And for what I put you two through — the wedge I drove between you and your dad is unforgivable I know that, I—.”

“We were okay. In the end.” She said through her sniffles — her voice muffled through his shirt, “We were good.”

He let out a sigh of relief.

“And I’m sorry for keeping my promise — to stay away.”

She turned her face up to his — her blue eyes wide as she listened. He stared into them — his heart beating faster as he thought about what he was going to say.  

“I wanted to be there in little ways — maybe a letter or even just to call, and hear your voice — heck, even hearing your voicemail would have tied me over. But I was so afraid. I’m still afraid.”

“Why?” She asked — her voice a whisper again.

“Because the way you make me feel, Ellie Wheeler, terrifies me.” He used his thumb to brush some of the lingering tears on her cheek away. “I haven’t seen you in two years — and the moment I saw you it felt like I had gotten a sucker punch to the stomach.”

“And I’m sure you know what that feels like — I assume  you’ve been punched in the stomach a lot.” She said, a smile forming on her lips. They let our breathy laughs together.

“I have. Look I have no idea what I’m doing, Ellie. All I know is—,” He gulped, “That the last couple hours I’ve spent with you ... have been the highlight of my life for the last two years.”

He hung his eyes low for a moment, his dark brows furrowing, “And I know that I’m scum. I’m trash. A freakin’ ex-convict... I know, I don’t deserve someone like you.”

“Logan, what are you saying?” She moved her fingers to his chin, moving it so he was looking at her again.

He took a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m saying that I love you, Ellie Wheeler. Troublemaker. EJ. Every side of you. The valedictorian. The speed demon. I love you.” He looked up at her through his brown waves, his dark eyes big as he tried to read her face — trying to figure how royally he had just screwed everything up.

“I’m sorry — I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m such an id—“ But his words were interrupted as Ellie crashed her mouth onto his.

A surprised gasp escaped Logan — not able to comprehend what was happening. Before his lips met hers again — the kiss was needy and desperate. It had been so long — too long. He almost forgot what her soft, pink lips had felt like, how she had tasted. He felt goosebumps start to cover his skin as she moved her fingers up the nape of his neck and into his thick hair. He moved his hands onto her waist carefully, pulling her into him. Their kiss softened as she parted her mouth for him, deepening it.

They sat like that for a moment, relishing in the feeling of each other until Logan felt dizzy. Their lips stuck together slightly as they pulled away. He gulped as he looked down at her — waiting for her to say something.

“I love you Logan,” She said simply, her fingers trailing down his tan jawline, “You’ve always been my ride or die.”

He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Stark’s New Intern” Chp. 17

Summary: Erik has to juggle a few things...

Maure Audience. NSFW. Smut.

"Can it be I stayed away too long Did I leave your mind when I was gone Well, it's not my thing trying to get back But this time let me tell you where I'm at

I want to, want to be where you are Anywhere you are I want to, want to be where you are Everywhere you are…"

Michael Jackson—"I Wanna Be Where You Are"

Pussy was Erik's kryptonite post-Naval Academy.

Busting a good nut had him off-kilter, so when Erik stood up to face Devika's unwanted visitor, his natural fighting instincts didn't kick in until the giant man had Erik pinned against a wall with his throat gripped in both of the man's powerful hands.

"Austin let him go!" Devika shrieked.

He couldn't breathe.

Oxygen was squeezed away from his brain cells and Erik felt faint before he felt the angry hard punch from a fist knocking the breath from his body. He fell to his knees and tried to protect his genitals as the man kicked at his balls.

Gasping for air, Erik punched up with his fists hoping to strike anything on the man's body but Austin was built like a brick wall and Erik's punches were like a toddler smacking a Pro wrestler. He lifted Erik up by his waist and slammed him on his knee making Erik holler in pain as he was tossed to the floor. A kick to Erik's right eye made the socket swell up tight crippling his vision.

"Fuck!" Erik yelled scrambling back on his legs while still trying to protect his dick from more injury.

Devika threw books from her bookshelf at Austin who deflected them and charged Erik once more.

"Shit!" Erik yelped hooking his fingers and immediately leaping to his feet and giving Austin a taste of Wakanda with his hands. It was hard for Erik to gage his accuracy because his eye was stinging like hell, but the grunts from Austin let him know the man was getting that work.

Keeping his body low, Erik knew he couldn't use his legs and feet too much because his dangly bits were flopping around dangerously exposed and throbbing with pain. His balls felt like they had swelled up to twice their size.

Devika got in his way trying to be helpful and he had to shove her aside to get at Austin. It took a head butt and a blur of fast fists into the man's stomach and sides to get him to back off. Erik swept his legs in a capoeira slice that would make his mother proud and Austin fell like a chopped tree onto the living room floor with a loud thud. The man groaned and grabbed for his ribs on the left side of his body. Erik felt like he had fractured a few. He held back from the full force of his blows. He didn't need any bones puncturing the man's lungs. Erik wasn't about to catch a murder rap over some pussy.

Erik crawled over to Devika's couch and rested his head on the cushion. He couldn't see anything out of his injured eye. Rolling over he rested his neck on the couch and stared at Austin who climbed to his feet with Devika's help.

"I can't believe you!" Devika shrieked striking Austin in his chest.

She grabbed her cell from her coffee table and stomped over to her front door flinging it open. She snatched a key from the outside keyhole.

"Don't come to my house again!"

"Devika—"

"Leave Austin."

"You are so wrong for this—"

"No one asked you to come here. I asked you for space and you disregard my privacy."

"Give me a chance—"

"Give you a chance, Austin?! Fuck! Just go! Don't make me call the cops."

Austin's eyes widened with surprise and his eyes swept over to Erik who peeped him with his one good eye.

"I might have some broken ribs—"

"Well, that's your goddamned fault."

Devika looked fierce standing naked with just her stilettos on with her hair bunched wildly around her face. If he wasn't in so much pain with a nut sack injury, Erik would be obliged to fuck her against the door just on general principle.

Shit. Looking that beautiful, he'd be open to another beat down just to see her like that again another time. She put that pussy on him like a G and he wasn't mad at Austin for going off on him because they both knew that bitch had that good-good poppin'.

Austin limped out of the condo and Devika slammed the door locking the bolts again. She bent down and picked up the food and wine Austin brought and put them on the coffee table. Kneeling down in front of him, she checked Erik's injuries. He hissed when she touched his privates. He didn't want to look down there to see how much damage there was. The good thing was, he didn't want any kids, so as long as his dick still worked, he could live without a ball or two.

Devika hastened over into her kitchen. She opened and closed her fridge and returned with saran wrap covering chunks of ice in both hands.

"Fuck!" he yelped as she placed the ice over his genitals. He held the ice in place as she put the other pack on his injured eye.

"Erik…I'm sorry…"

"Boyfriend?"

"Fiance."

"Damn. Got me in a serious triangle."

"We aren't together right now."

"Coulda fooled me."

"He used my spare key to come in here. I have it now, so he can't get inside again."

She touched his bruised waist and he ground his teeth huffing out air between his teeth.

"You feel like anything is broken?"

"Nah. My eye is fucked up and my balls hurt like shit."

"There's some swelling down there," she said looking under the pack he held on his nuts,

"Dick looks okay though."

He laughed and she started tittering herself.

"Oh shit...the look on his face when he came in. I didn't know what the fuck was happening," he said.

Devika laughed softly, but then her face grew serious.

"How are you going to go to work tomorrow?" she asked.

"I'll call in sick for a few more days."

"But you'll still have bruises healing on your face."

"Don't worry about."

He leaned forward and kissed her lips even with the pain he felt on his mouth.

"I'm sorry," she whispered caressing his face.

"Not your fault, Ma. It won't stop me from being around you. You still plan on marrying him?"

"We are on break for a reason—"

"On break ain't the same as broken up—"

"No. I don't want to be with him."

"Good, cuz when I heal up, I'm coming for you again."

"You are so reckless."

"But you like it."

"I do. I like you."

"Finally. I get my ass beat just to get the truth outcha mouth. I knew you were feeling me. Been frontin' all this time."

His eyes dragged over body.

"You so fuckin' sexy right now."

She helped him sit on her couch and he grunted when his balls shifted.

"If the swelling doesn't go down soon, I'll take you to urgent care," she said.

She opened the food that Austin brought.

"Chicken Alfredo. Hungry?"

They ate Austin's food and opened the expensive wine. Erik's scrotum didn't enlarge and the pain subsided. He kept icing his eye.

"You can stay here while you call out," she said.

He smiled. She wanted him with her.

Naked on the couch together, Devika stroked his scalp and when the last of the wine was sipped, Erik fingered her pussy until she came all over his hand.

###

Tony Stark stared at Erik's face in his office.

Erik fidgeted in his seat but kept direct eye contact.

Reaching into his desk drawer, Tony pulled out Devika's thong and placed it in front of Erik.

Fuck.

He thought he had shoved it deep into his own pocket safely when they left the office five days previous.

"Two things, Stevens. Devika is off-limits. Period."

Erik felt his lips press together tight. He flexed his fingers.

"Your focus needs to be on finishing this internship. Your other extracurricular activities are stirring up a little bit of dissension among your work peers. That is a no-no. Understand?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not going to ask about the shiner."

"Okay. You won't fire Devika, right?"

"She doesn't know I found these, and I will not mention to her that I know what went on in my office."

"Thanks."

"You can throw those away. No need to embarrass her. She's a good girl, Stevens. Impeccable. Let's keep it that way."

Good girl?

Erik didn't like the sound of that. It was too intimate and it was what Erik wanted her to be for him. He regarded Tony's face and thought of what Devika told him at the Expo about mixing business and pleasure. The two of them had something in the past. Was T blocking?

Tony glanced at his watch.

"Time for the intern meet up. Are you ready to discuss final schedules?"

"Can someone else do it?"

Erik's hand went up and touched his eye lightly.

"No. If you're worried about how your face looks, then you should've made better choices while you were out."

Erik cut his eyes away.

Tony stood and slipped on his suit jacket and buttoned it.

"Let's go."

Erik stood up and stuffed Devika's panties deep inside his pants pocket and zipped it up. They strode out of the office together and Erik let his eyes flicker over to Devika who was on the landline talking and swiping her laptop screen.

"Tony, Pepper needs you to give her access to the Rylex app."

"Will do."

Devika glanced at Erik and he was already wanting to stay behind and have lunch with her and shoot the shit just to be up in her face. He turned his head and followed Tony out.

"Please don't give Devika puppy dog eyes every time you see her," Tony whispered.

Erik rolled his eyes.

Six minutes later they entered the same cavernous hall that Erik sat in on his first day of the internship. He caught eyes taking notice of his face. Walking with Tony always made him stand out and he gave up being incognegro months ago. Stepping onto the stage with Tony and three other interns, Tony took in the room filled with eager faces. Many were still jealous of him and the favoritism they thought Tony gave him still.

"Good to see everyone. Thank you for being on time and ready to hear some important announcements as we start to wind down this year's group of interns. You've all worked very hard, made some outstanding contributions to your departments and Stark Industries as a whole. Today I'm going to have a few of your peers address you and then I will be introducing Mr. Sebastion Summerville who will give details about some other internships affiliated with my companies and also opportunities to find employment after you leave us. First up, Erik Stevens with some exciting updates in Biometrics."

Tony stepped aside and Erik approached a raised podium and adjusted the mic on it.

"Good morning, I will be taking a few questions at the end, so please wait until then before raising your hands…"

His eyes swept the room and he saw Giselle watching him from the left side and Athena hawking him from the right. They both looked pissy and Athena had her arms folded across her chest. He would have to tread carefully now that Tony was aware of his dalliances. How many more knew? There was only that one romp clubbing where he even showed Athena affection on the subway in New York, but the others in their entourage were far away from him when they kissed. Maria had no clue he had fucked Athena in the hotel while they watched tv, and even if she knew, she wouldn't blab to anyone because he was her homeboy. At least that's how she rolled with him. He searched his brain trying to think where he could've slipped up. He wasn't the type to brag to other dudes, so Curtis had no idea he was fucking other interns.

Erik finished speaking and turned off the images floating above him. He stepped aside to allow another intern to come forward and share data.

He sat down on the dais and kept his eyes on the podium.

He saw Devika slip into the room and stand by one of the exit doors with a leather-bound file folder in her hand. He swept his eyes away from her and wondered how he could keep away from her. He really and truly liked her. Liked talking with her all night long. Liked cooking food with her and listening to her talk about trifling Black men in Los Angeles and the pick me's so desperate to snag mediocre boyfriends. He liked laying next to her, listening to her breathe when she slept. He liked waking up to her and watching her brush her hair. She treated him like a man and not just a jump-off. He felt like he was adulting with her. Athena and Giselle were cool and fun, but they often made comments that referenced his age or made it seem like his being younger made him less aware or less experienced than them. They had no idea how many lifetimes he had to live just to make it to where he was now.

Ninety minutes after entering the room, they were all dismissed for lunch and Erik walked toward the exit. Devika walked his way.

"Nice work," she said tapping his shoulder with the folder.

Erik glanced back at Tony and his sharp eyes were already watching them.

"Thanks."

His voice held very little enthusiasm, and Devika picked up on it, her mouth frowning slightly.

He just wanted to be in her condo again, enjoying the feel of her hair splayed out on his thighs as he stroked her back while she laid on him watching tv from her couch. The quirk of her lips sparked desire in him again.

"I gotta go," he said abruptly and brushed past her without another word. When he reached the exit and looked back at her, she was still standing there watching him, a look of doubt on her face.

And Tony was watching her…still.

###

There was no sense avoiding them.

Erik caught up with Athena and Giselle as they all stood waiting for an elevator. Crowded around the other interns made him comfortable approaching them.

"'sup," he said.

They both looked at him. Giselle rolled her eyes, but Athena just gave him a passive stare.

"Been sick," he offered.

Athena looked at his still discolored eye.

"Fighting too?" she said.

"Can we all go get tacos later? My treat? We gotta talk."

"We?" Giselle interjected with some salt in her voice.

Erik checked to see if any others were listening but they were ignored because of the rush of bodies boarding the elevator. The doors closed and the three of them stepped aside for the next rush waiting on the next lifts.

Erik kept his voice confidential.

"I need to talk with ya'll. Serious shit, okay? I've had a rough two weeks and I need to vent some things."

Giselle's eyes softened and she lowered her left hand from her hip.

"Janine is driving me crazy...Stark is up my ass, and I need some advice."

The big sister angle.

Placing the onus on Janine and Boss Man would allow them to coddle him, deflecting his lack of attention on outside forces. He lowered his head and really gave them the full game.

"Poor thing," Athena said rubbing his arm, "why didn't you call us or say anything?"

"I'm trying to handle it on my own."

"How about we meet at Pacheco's after work? It's just around the corner." Giselle suggested.

"Cool. You down, Athena?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

"I just want to bounce ideas off of you and see how I can handle those two. I just want to make it out alive these last few weeks."

Hook. Line. Bagged.

He separated from them and thought about kicking himself for not using Tony and Janine as a crutch to get out of the responsibility for dodging them.

Maybe he wasn't as mature as he thought.

He felt tense and used his intern key card to dip into one of the executive restrooms. No one was around so he locked himself inside one of the fancy fully enclosed stalls and pulled out Devika's panties. He sniffed them and could smell the lemongrass lotion from her thighs and the aroma of her folds. He wanted her.

Unzipping the fly on his pants he fished out his penis and pulled it through the opening. Fisting himself, he smelled her underwear again then imagined being between her legs and looking down at her face.

"Shiitttt, Devika," he gasped.

He circled the head of his dick smearing some of his pre-cum on her panties. But then the image of her naked in stilettos yelling at her fiancé yoked him up and thick semen shot out all over her underwear.

Cleaning off his fingers with toilet paper, he snatched out his cell and swiped the screen.

Fuck Tony.

"I gotta see you tonight," he whispered into his phone.

He couldn't prove it, but he felt like she was smiling on the other end.

Chapter 18 HERE

###

Tag List:

@fd-writes​ @soufcakmistress  @cherrystainedlipsbaby @tclaybon  @thadelightfulone

@allhailqueennel @bartierbakarimobisson @cpwtwot @shookmcgookqueen @yoyolovesbucky

@raysunshine78 @the-illllest @terrablaze514  @l-auteuse @amirra88 @jimizwidow @janelledarling

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@tyees @eye-raq @writerbee-ffs @chocolatedream30 @childishgambinaa @mygirlrenee​ @nahimjustfeelingit-writes​

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 75)

"Pitts✈LA✈Philly"

@creatureofthen1ght-v3

@lovemythsworld

@crystalbaby12

📷 manip cred @southsidequeenie

Colson wakes up groggy on the back of The Bus. Reaching for Luna with his eyes still closed, he's irritated when he remembers she's not there. Pulling his phone out, he looks to see if she called or anything. Nothing.

"She's always off somewhere...." He sighs, thinking to himself. Appreciating that Luna's independent but also feeling a bit lost himself when she's gone. Finding her was like growing an extra limb. When she's not near, his body has a phantom ache for her. "Lemme hit her up." He decides.

Shooting her a quick Snap, he sees his laptop sticking out of one of his bags. He pulls it out and digs through his red LV travel bag. Finding the things he wants, he settles back onto the bed.

Popping the flashdrive in that Luna gifted him for his birthday, he opens the file.

Sliding his hand down his pants, he starts stroking his cock in anticipation. Colson jerks off to himself fucking Luna for the first time. Watching himself with her. How they move and talk with each other. Her dominance and submissiveness, driving Colson to the brink. Throwing himself back, he explodes when his mind wanders to her warm mouth sucking his dick the morning she had given it to him to watch.

"God Damn, Loons..." He thinks of his future wife as he chuckles to himself.

Still sexually pleased by her. Even 3K miles apart.

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

Landing at LAX there's an unseasonable chill to the air. Luna pulls on a soft gray sweater. Knocking her bandana off. Shoving it into her bag, She pulls out a pair of sunglass.

Hopping an uber to Frannie's, she notices a Snap from Colson. He looks miserable.

"What an Asshole..." She laughs to herself. Snapping him back with sass and love.

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

"OH MY GLOB! OH MY GLOB! OH MY GLOB!! OH MY GLOB!!!! Paris burts out, squeezing Luna.

Luna having told her and Frannie about her engagement. P let's her go, wanting to pop a bottle, asking Frannie if she has champagne. Luna and Frannie laugh as they hug and Frannie gives P directions. Still holding tightly onto Luna. Her bestfriend's a bit cynical and rightfully so, considering her own current divorce.

"I'm so happy for you!" Frannie gushes to Luna.

Knowing her Soul Sister all too well, Luna pulls out of the hug. She winces a bit, forgetting to take any pain meds for her gunshot wound.

"What was..." Frannie goes to ask.

Luna interjects. "Buuuutttt....??" She asks with eyebrows raised.

"But don't make the same mistake I did. I don't care how much you love him. Get a prenup. At least for your family's history." Frannie sighs, advising from knowledge.

Luna pulls her back into their hug. Squeezing Frannie tight. She had half expected this.

"I hear you, Frans." She says softly in her ear.

Both girls squeeze each other. Over a decade of love, life, pain and understanding passing through them. The pop of the champagne bottle startles them as they break apart, laughing.

"LOONS IS IN LOOOOOVE AND GETTING MARRIED!!!!" P shouts, handing glasses off.

The three bestfriends cheers and laugh together. Luna asking to keep it kinda low key until she tells her grandmother and Colson his daughter. Her two friends nodding.

The girls have lunch. Talking and sharing champagne. Admiring the sweetness of her ring. Luna telling them the plan to get married in TownHall before the first weekend in August. Inviting them to both the intimate affair and the weekend rager. Frannie and Paris laugh at Luna's usual unconventional way of doing things. Excited about the festivities. They share a joint before Luna has to go. She has a performance with Ashley tonight.

The three bestfriends hug when Luna's uber arrives. Congratulating her again. Giving her Love and Kisses with their See Ya Soons.

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

"Spill it." Paris says to Frannie once they've waved Luna GoodBye. "It's just quick. We seen 'em together, what? Once? And we were tripping balls. Everything's glorious when you're tripping balls." Paris throws her arm around Frannie's shoulder as they walk inside. "Then let's hang out with em. AND." She snaps the fingers of her free hand. "We gotta start planning her birthday party soon. Soooo... We're gonna need to talk to him anyway." P makes very valid points with her grin. Heading inside Paris can't help but ooze for her friend. She loves Luna and she love Love. Pulling up an old picture of them, P Congraulats one of her bestfriends on the sly. Or so she thinks.

"The peanut butter to my jelly. The Rock to my Roll. I love you and am over the moon!!!

💖🎉🎡🤘💫✨😍"

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

The Boys are in Philadelphia staying in Rittenhouse Sq. Right in the heart of the city. Colson, Slim and Baze have friends who live off of Lombard. Ashleigh hangs back, glad to be rid of their madness.

Walking over Colson gets a Snap from Luna.

Laughing, he plucks a flower off a bush. Popping it behind his ear. Grinning as he Snaps her back.

"What up, Dawg!!"

They're greeted by their friend Tyree. Finding LaMar in the kitchen rolling up. Its Dark and Hell is Hot blares through the Philly condo. Cracking beers, slamming shots, they burn and catch up.

Soon heading to Cheerleaders, a stripclub/sports bar close by.

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

"You got something you wanna tell me?" Ashley blurts out to Luna.

"Well, Hello to you too, Pal." Luna responds laughing.

"Why's Paris BooLoven' you on Insta?" Ashley questions her.

"Seriously? What's it say?" Luna sighs.

"Nothing really but that she loves you and is Over the Moon" Ashley air quotes.

"Okay... Listen, I didn't call you because it literally happened last night and I wanted to tell you in person today..." Luna begins to explain.

"Okayy..." Her bestfriend peers at her.

Holding her phone in her hands so that Ashley can't see her fingers, Luna continues.

"Colson asked me to marry him last night." Luna tells her.

Stunned, Ashley says "Noooo..." With wide eyes. "What did you say?" She asks.

Luna shrugs before breaking into a grin. "I said Yeah."

Ashley squeals, grabbing for Luna's hand. Looking at the contraption on her left hand.

"What is this shit?" She asks bluntly.

Laughing, Luna explains how he forgot the ring but made her one out of his guitar string. And to shut the fuck up because she loves it.

"No... That's really... REEALLY You&Kells." She laughs, grinning.

Ashley pulls Luna in for a tight hug. Congratulating her bestfriend, telling her how happy she is for the couple. They link arms as they head to the stage to rehearse for tonight. Talking wedding plans along the way.

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

Cheerleaders is loud. Colson paying more attention to the Indians game than the girls.

Slim noticing the difference. Still his normal goofy, loud self, Colson interacts with the girls, talking and signing autographs but declines them on his lap.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Mar notices it also.

"He's getting maaaarried...." Baze teases Colson.

"YOOO!??" Ree flips around entering the conversation. "Tell me it's to that sweet piece of ass you did Bad Things wit!"

"Who???" Mar jumps back in.

Colson laughs, pulling a picture of Luna up on his phone. It's a simple sideshot of her.

"Damn, she got more tattoos than you do, Son!!" Mar exclaims.

"She looks like a fucking badass, Homie. How your lanky ass score that??" Ree busts Colson's balls.

"She knows what it is." Colson smirks.

Slim, Baze, Benny and Rook burst out laughing at him.

"Yo. LunaTic will fuck you up, Kells!" Rook calls him out.

Slim turns to their friends, explaining how Luna does NOT take anyone's shit. Including Kells. Joking that in the last two months that she's been around, he's seen her open more cans of whoop ass than Stone Cold Steve Austin could've ever ordered.

The Guys laugh hysterically at Slim's reference. Benny, Rook, Baze and Colson knowing it's true.

"Yo! So, you got a RIDA!? When we gonna meet Mrs. Homie?" Mar asks.

"She's in Cali right now performing but she'll be back before tomorrow night. Come to the show. We'll kick it after." Colson tells them.

Both men nod in agreeance. Wondering about this LunaTic who seems to have tamed such a Wild Boy.

They carry on drinking, laughing and teasing Colson.

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

"HOW YOU FEELING, WAZZMATAZZ?" Ashley asks, stalking around the stage.

She's the Headliner of the concert. Opening with Now or Never, Colors and Eastside. She nails a stripped down version of Closer before bringing Luna out.

"I SAID HOW YOU FEELING!??" She screams to their roars. "I did a song with my bestfriend. It's currently sitting at #1. And I'd like to think that it's because it's the truth." She continues, adjusting her earphone as she walks the stage. "All art is based on some sense of truth, and if our art is number one, it's because WE'RE NOT THE ONLY TWO PISSED OFF!!" She screams to the energetic crowd. "So I've got her with me tonight. The ONE, THE ONLY, THAT BROOKLYN FUCKING BIIITCH!!" Ashley screams introducing Luna to the venue's  explosion.

Luna comes out in a plain white tank and black skinnies.

"Did I hear people are pissed off?" Luna asks excitedly as she comes onto the stage. "FUCK right we are!!!!" She bellows to the audience's screaming agreement. "Let's show 'em how angry!!" She shouts looking at Ashley as the opening chords play.

Both girls begin to bounce with the melody, swinging their arms and legs wildly. Ashley blasts into the opening chorus as her band nails the chords. Fire exploding in the background.

🎶I🎶

🎶Keep a record🎶

🎶Of their wreckage🎶

🎶And their lies🎶

🎶We're starting to recognize🎶

🎶The weapon in our minds🎶

🎶They talk shit🎶

🎶But we won't take it 🎶

🎶This time🎶

🎶As I realize🎶

The band drops out as Luna comes in strong. Unyielding.

🎶I'm out for blood🎶

🎶And it won't be sweet🎶

Ashley's band picks back up as Luna sings. Bouncing and jumping around the stage, using her hands to express her points. Dipping low to touch fan's hands.

🎶Tired of having the rugs🎶

🎶Pulled from beneath our feet🎶

🎶Done trusting lies🎶

🎶Done trusting Men🎶

🎶Picking each other up🎶

🎶And putting ourselves🎶

🎶Back together again🎶

The masses chant with her. Growing louder as Luna calls out Society's standard of women. Luna dead panning certain lyrics.

The Girls cross paths, tossing their mics to each other as they hit separate corners of the stage.

🎶Come on Little Ladies🎶

🎶Give us a smile🎶

🎶No we ain't got nothing🎶

🎶To smile about🎶

Ashley and Luna rip through the lyrics as the lights pop and smoke billows. Belting together how they don't owe You a God Damn Thing.

Ashley kicks back in hard with the chorus. The stage explodes again with fire. The crowd venting along with the two bestfriends.

🎶I🎶

🎶Keep a record🎶

Ashley continues as her and Luna bounce and jump across the stage. Grinning and tossing each other satisfied looks as the crowd rages with them.

It's a volcanic experience as Ashley and Luna dance and sing across the stage with each other. Filled with passion and genuine resentment.

🎶I'm no sweet dream🎶

🎶But I'm a hell of a night🎶

Ashley taunts before Luna slides in.

🎶No I won't smile🎶

🎶But I'll slow you my teeth🎶

🎶And I might let you speak🎶

🎶If you just let us breathe🎶

Luna squats, bouncing up and down. Singing her lyrics. The Band dropping so Luna and the audience can scream together.

🎶We're tired and angry🎶

🎶Digging up The Hill🎶

🎶So scared🎶

🎶Is what you should be🎶

Luna and Ashley come face to face taunting the other to smile. Telling each other there's nothing to smile about. Fire igniting and lights blaring as they let loose about how they don't owe anyone a God Damn Thing.

Ashley singing about keeping a record of all wreckages and lies. Firing exploding as the two artists bop around the stage, screaming about injustice.

Playing and pushing off the other. They really are a force to be reckoned with. On and off stage.

The keytar comes on solely as Luna and Ashley hit MidStage together. The loud room singing with them claiming Luna's heart's desire.

🎶Women like me🎶

🎶Can be real nightmares🎶

🎶Completely aware🎶

🎶But I'd rather be🎶

🎶A real nightmare🎶

🎶Than die unaware🎶

🎶Yeah🎶

🎶Women like me🎶

🎶Can be real nightmares🎶

🎶Completely aware🎶

🎶But I'm glad to be🎶

🎶A real nightmare🎶

The Girls both kick their limbs out while changing the last lines. Luna dipping down in front of her.

🎶So, save us🎶

🎶Your fucking Prayyyyerss!!!🎶

Before slaying the chorus together. Bouncing, grinning, bopping and jumping as the floor ruptures on fire around them with crowd.

Watching them, the two bestfriends are magnetic. Knowing each other's range, limit and place. They perform together as if they were back in Luna's bedroom. Jumping off of props instead of beds. In hindsight it's a beautiful thing to see how far they've both come. Never losing their core.

Grinning at each other, they storm into the chorus with the crowd. Thriving off each other on stage. Tossing mics as they pass, dropping them to signify certain lyrics.

Finishing the chorus together, Ashley goes first as The Girls hit separate corners of the stage.

🎶I'm not sweet dream🎶

🎶But I'm a hell of a night🎶

Luna singing after her. Ending the song.

🎶No, we're no sweet dream🎶

🎶But we're a hell of a night🎶

Coming back together, the bestfriends laugh and thank the crowd before Luna heads off.

Luna FaceTiming Sean as Ashley closes out the show with a hitting performance of Without Me.

"Heeeyyy!" She grins into the screen.

Chuckling, he asks what she wants. Luna explains how she's at WazzMaTazz. Ultimately, asking if she can borrow his jet tonight to get back to Philly for Colson's show tomorrow.

"What's in it for me?" The business man asks.

Luna laughs at Sean, replying that he'll have the pleasure of not feeling her foot up his ass.

"Alright, alright... You little Brooklyn Bitch..." He agrees with a laugh. "When you need it?" He asks.

"Uhhh.. Gimme like 2-3hrs?" Luna asks.

Diddy agrees, telling her he'll text her the details. Thanking him graciously, Sean warns her to stay out of trouble. Shaking his head as she smirks that she'll try, they say GoodBye.

Hanging up Luna sees she has a Snap from Colson.

She opens it, thinking of how much she loves him.

Once Ashley's OffStage, they hang out with the other performers. Luna especially enjoying her conversations with Fletcher and Ellie Goulding. Luna being fans of theirs and vice versa.

Before long, Luna's saying her GoodByes. She's off to the hanger. Flying from CA to PA. Across the country for the second time in less than 24hrs.

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

The Adderall finally wearing off, Luna's feeling the weight of the day. She pops two 30s and sips on an Old Fashioned.

Sleeping for most of the 6hr flight. She arrives on the East Coast as the sun begins to rise. Luna has to look at her phone to figure out what day it is. Surprised that it's Tuesday.

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

Finally at the hotel, Luna takes a quick shower. Managing not to wake Colson until she wants to.

Crawling into bed with him, Colson's on his back. Luna kisses his cheek. Then his jaw. Down his neck to his collarbone.

He starts to stir as she lightly drags the tip of her tongue down his body. He doesn't have any clothes on. Luna kisses the top of his mound, his short pubes tickling her face.

Kissing his inner thigh, Colson reaches for her. Running his hands through her blonde hair. He calls out her name with a groan as she swirls her tongue around his hard cock's head.

Taking him in her mouth, Luna sucks Colson's dick, sliding and her gently twisting her wet hand along his base. Letting her free hand roam his body.

It being early in the morning and her suction firm and steady, Luna only needs to deep throat Colson a few times before he oozes into her mouth.

Both satisfied with her work, Luna swallows his load before washing her hands and climbing back into bed with him.

Laying on his chest, Colson strokes Luna's hair as he asks about CA. She gives him the details of her day. Him talking about how she'll meet Tyree and Lamar tonight.

They come up with the idea of flying Casie out to NY on Friday. He's thinking lunch with her, Patti and Emma. Telling them all together. Luna thinks it's a smart idea. They drift off together, cuddling.

Don knocks on their hotel room door around 11A. He doesn't bang anymore.

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

To be continued.....

[thesportssoundoff]

The AAF And Why We Should Care About These Teams

Joey

Feb 5th, 2019

Still bummed about the Super Bowl? Well let's get over it real quick! On Saturday, the Alliance of American Football will be the first of THREE (God help us) spring football leagues to take off. THREE. We really needed that many, huh? Doesn't being announced after the XFL, the AAF will launch this spring under the watchful eyes of Dick Ebersol and NFL executive legend Bill Polian and will air across a variety of platforms such as Bleacher Report's online app, the NFL Network, the CBS Sports online app, TNT and CBS itself. Let that be a lesson to those of you who think that sports can't milk every single penny out of today's weird digital/broadcast era. The majority of the pitches for this game feature stuff football fans do seem to want in some capacity although disagreements about HOW to implement them remain. For instance, the AAF is attempting to shave 30 minutes off of the viewing experience by limiting commercials. They're also scrapping pretty much all elements of kicking from the game (two point conversions only, onsides kick have been replaced by a wacky 4th and 10 scenario and there's no kickoffs either) so fans who are obsessive compulsive about kicking get a bit of a break. We've got a college football style "one foot = catch" rule and a reduction of the play clock from the NFL's 40 seconds to a cool 30 seconds. It's an attempt to do somethings differently and I'm at least willing to give it a try.

With just eight teams to choose from for the AAF,  I'll just go team by team and list ONE reason why you should care. As much as you wanna just consider it a bunch of has beens and never was' playing out here, there's some intriguing storylines for the AAF. So much so in fact that perhaps you'll find a team so intriguing that you'll follow along this year!

Atlanta Legends

Why: Michael Vick Offensive Coordinator

I wanted to do a larger piece on how the NFL's lack of black head coaches boils down to the NFL's lack of black offensive coordinators (the IN demand spot these days). Instead of writing eight paragraphs about something that could be done in one, let's just look at Michael Vick and his new role as Atlanta Legends offensive coordinator.  For starters, the Alliance of American Football being a potential breeding ground for former players to better grasp the coaching game is an A+ decision. We've already seen the offensive coordinator for another team in the Alliance of American Football get the bump up to NFL QB Coach (Jon Kitna went from San Diego Fleet Offensive Coordinator to Dallas Cowboys QB coach) and any opportunity for former players to stay involved in the game is a good one. Michael Vick's name comes with a lot of clout (and plenty of controversy) so right off the jump he's an important get for the AAF. How good he is as an offensive coordinator (be it gameplanning, calling plays or making adjustments on the fly) could determine how quickly he ascends at the position. Vick is a really unique character and a polarizing figure but seeing him in the role of offensive coordinator is going to be a worthwhile experiment. If Vick opens the door for other young out of work players to jump into the coaching game then I for one am all for it. As for the roster, the Atlanta Legends actually have plenty of name value from former Georgia QB Aaron Murray to NC wide receiver Bug Howard to Iowa RB Akrum Wadley to a host of Georgia Bulldogs on defense.

Memphis Express

Why: The "name" QB battle

Let's always be honest about this stuff; your fan interest will only go as far as the QB you have. The Memphis Express may not have GOOD QBs but they have NAME QBs and that's truly what counts. The Memphis Express have Christian Hackenberg and Zach Mettenberger, two "name" QBs who figure to draw in eyeballs if only due to the fact that there's Penn State and LSU involved. Hackenberg was a disaster for two years at Penn State and people excused him for that because the team was bad or the line was bad or the coaching was bad. Turns out Hackenberg was just bad and continued to be bad at the NFL level before getting bounced around by 4-5 different teams. Hackenberg will attempt to resurrect his stock in the AAF, a team that literally named its offensive coordinator in like early January after their original OC bounced. Hackenberg won the job but the back up spot belongs to Zach Mettenberger. I refuse to believe that Hackenberg is a better player than Mettenberger but ALAS! Mettenberger has NFL experience and has thrown actual touchdowns in real football games even if he played like a 6th round pick who was holding onto a roster spot for dear life. He just wasn't that good. Mettenberger and Hackenberg are two guys who share similar traits (big, they throw the ball far) with different reasons (Mettenberger was a problem in college, Hackenberg couldn't really play) that leads to the same development (playing in the AAF to continue their pro football careers). Still a QB BATTEL with name value is STILL a QB BATTEL and here we are. The Memphis Express also have a ton of LSU guys and LSU players don't half ass it so expect a ton of big hits from their defensive which legitimately has an all LSU DL. Also of note, the head coach is Mike Singletary and we can expect plenty of intense coaching gifs and press conference call outs of his own players. That's the finest reality we deserve.

Orlando Apollos

Why: Steve Spurrier is BACK!

Remember the days of Steve Spurrier? Run and Gun? Mr. Click Clack?  There ya go. The Ol Ball Coach is back and Spurrier in Florida just feels right. Steve Spurrier's offenses in the mid to late 2000s were some of the funnest things imaginable and I'm curious to see if a few years off to refuel the jets don't bring out the fun in the Run 'N Gun offense. Spurrier's offense is helmed by either Austin Appleby or Garrett Gilbert since apparently nobody knows who the starter is as of this moment. Beyond that, he's also got a trio of name running backs (D'Earnest Johnson from USF was a popular name around draft time plus Akeem Hunt from Purdue and De'Veon Smith from Michigan were interesting dudes) and like twelve WRs who all run really fast. Realistically though I feel like this team is about watching to see if Steve Spurrier turns this gig into another college coaching opportunity soon enough.

Birmingham Iron

Why: TRENT RICHARDSON (and friends)

Unsurprisingly given the whole locales theme, the Birmingham Iron roster is LOADED with dudes from Alabama. The one name who immediately jumps out is Trent Richardson and I'm surprisingly intrigued to see how he looks. It's worth remembering that Trent Richardson had a tremendous rookie season and looked to be on the way to being something before he got big/hurt. Perhaps Richardson will be rejuvenated playing at home in front of what figures to be a primarily loaded Alabama crowd. Also keep an eye on Blake Sims who I figure will win the QB job eventually. In fact keep an eye on every player from Alabama (Auburn, Bama, Troy) because chances are they'll be given ample opportunities to show out at home. They also have the coolest uniforms. Lastly Tim Lewis is a long time defensive coordinator/DB coach getting his first crack at a head coaching gig so I'm curious to see if he can parlay that into another big opportunity down the line.

San Diego Fleet

Why: Mike Martz

Mike Martz is arguably one of the more unfairly judged head coaches in NFL history. He was the coordinator for the Greatest Show On Turf and as head coach of the Rams, Martz had five full seasons---he made the playoffs in 4 of those. Martz' ouster in St. Louis was controversial for a variety of reasons but he WAS successful and deserves to be remembered as such. From that point on Martz never got another head coaching opportunity, bouncing around as a coordinator in Detroit (back to back 4,000 yard seasons for Jon Friggin' Kitna of all things), San Francisco and a disastrous run in Chicago with Jay Cutler. Martz was pretty much cast aside by the NFL at that point and his reputation as a pass happy difficult personality pretty much ensured he would stay out the game.  With passing being en vogue (and every QB guru alive being courted for 1,000,000 roles), this might be Mike Martz's last chance to maybe find a place in big time football. The San Diego Fleet roster is relatively bare compared to its contemporaries but Mike Martz almost guarantees to make it as fun as possible given the usual performances of his wacky passing game. Mike Martz making Mike Bercovici look like an NFL level quarterback would probably be his greatest accomplishment ever. Also keep an eye on Nelson Spruce slot WR-ing his way back to the NFL if it's any thing like he was at Colorado.

Arizona Hotshots

Why: Phil Savage and Rick Neuheisel

Phil Savage is in a very weird spot here. Savage had a brief runs as Browns GM and it went about as well as you'd expect it to. He was in, out and done before anybody even knew he was there. Savage re-emerged as a key part of the Senior Bowl process and for the most part, I don't think I ever saw many complaints about Savage's job as the figurehead for the event. Surprisingly at the end of 2018, the Senior Bowl replaced Phil Savage with former scout Jim Nagy. The decision to move on from Savage was not exactly well received at first and it seems like Savage has bounced back well enough with the AAF. Savage should be able to form a damn good roster given that he's probably interacted with and been around most of these players relatively recently as the Senior Bowl's ace executive. Somehow someway Rick Neuheisel has weaseled himself into the picture and into another head coaching job, he of a sparkling 87-59 record in college but a less than sparkling 47-40 from 2000 onward. Plus he's also been pretty much run out of every stop he's had under inauspicious circumstances. Phil Savage should in theory be able to find a competent squad of players (and they have a pretty well known defense with Sterling Moore, Rahim Moore, Will Sutton, Carl Bradford, Scooby Wright and Chunky Clements) and perhaps the time away has rejuvenated Neuheisel. At the very least Trevor Knight will be fun to watch am I right?

Salt Lake Stallions

Why: A Testing Pattern Perhaps?

Utah has one pro sports franchise, the Utah Jazz, which is  intreresting when you consider how beloved the Jazz are. It seems like there's a very big supportive fanbase for sports out there in the Pacific Northwest and yet Utah has no football team, no baseball team and no hockey team. PERHAPS this can be a test. The Salt Lake Stallions overall do not have the most appealing roster in this entire deal but they may be the one best situated to draw the biggest audience. Utah is not blessed with a lot of pro sports options and if the Stallions are good then perhaps they can get people into the stadium. They have a weird eclectic mix of former Utes and three former QBs who if memory serves were all in the draft last year.  Former Vikings RB and Utah legend Matt Asiata is 31 year and probably cooked BUT he figures to be a popular face for fans.

San Antonio Commanders

Why: An Actually Kinda Decent Deep-ish Team

Really. If you were putting together an all star game in 2017/2018 of pretty decent-ish draft prospects, a lot of these dudes would be here. QB Logan Woodside? Pretty good player! Had some issues but was a super productive small MAC QB type dude. RBs David Cobb and Aaron Green? Kinda intriguing RBs! Tray Williams has been on like 12 NFL teams as a third down back over the past two years even if he never stuck. WRs like Greg Ward, DeMarcus Ayers and Mekale McKay? Some draft buzz there! Some of their OL were late round types who wouldn't have been out of place at an NFL camp this season. The defense has draftnik "names" like Joel Lanning, Keenan Gilchrist, Tyrone Holmes, Austin Larkin, Winston Craig and a secondary featuring Jordan Thomas and Duke Thomas on the back end. It's actually not an awful team assuming you can put the parts together.