#It's been six years and I still have to watch football alone.

[heretherebewolves]

Hi, it's football season again. Here in the UK, there's a MASSIVE football culture. Everyone's talking about it. But I'm here to remind you of an important statistic; Domestic Violence is SO closely linked to football. "... reported incidents increasing by 26% if England plays, 38% if England loses and 11% the next day, win or lose." If you have friends and loved ones you worry about, try to make sure they're safe during this time (where possible, and whilst keeping yourself safe). It's a scary time for those in violent relationships, and every time we win, that fear gets higher. It's another round, another chance of violence, another volitile and terrifying evening. But hey, we're more likely to get beat if we lose too, so... Even if England win, we don't. Be safe. Be aware. Be kind.

[iinsertblognamee]

a baby? for me?

summary; you break the news to your daughter that you and alexia are having a baby pairing; alexia putellas x single mum!reader spanish | english translation

"Estás bien?" 'are you okay?'

Alexia's attention is taken away from the gym equipment in front of her and towards the resistance band that was thrown at her forehead, before turning towards the person who threw it.

Mapi's wearing a slight frown as she looks over her best friend. Looking down at her knee for a split second before back towards Alexia's face.

"Tu rodilla está bien?" 'Is your knee okay?' The midfielder can't help but nod her head suspiciously, her eyebrows frowning before asking "Sí? Por qué?" 'Yes? Why?'

"Has estado fuera de esto toda la mañana. Qué está sucediendo?" 'You've been out of it all morning. What's going on?' She moves closer to Alexia, making sure to lower her voice before continuing "Es yn? o maní?" 'Is it yn? or peanut?'

The two of you had found out you were finally pregnant after two attempts of IVF, besides yourself and Alexia knowing about the pregnancy, you had told Mapi and Ingrid as well as Jonatan. You both had agreed to keep it quiet until your first trimester was over, not wanting to create any panic from friends and family during this time.

However today you were adding one more person to the list. Mia, your daughter.

She was Alexia's daughter too, after everything Alexia had done for the two of you - everyone knew Alexia was Mia's second mum.

Mia was her daughter, for all intents and purposes.

Alexia met you and Mia three years ago, Mia crying in the middle of the supermarket as you tried to calm her down. Alexia discarded the two dips in her hand that she was debating on getting to send a small wave to the upset two-year-old. Mia took one look at the footballer before calming down.

Alexia had been smitten ever since.

Mia's father was never really in the picture, a sloppy one-night stand with a stranger was all it took for you to fall pregnant. You had attempted to get in contact with the biological father, but after meeting at a cafe to let him know of the situation you found yourself grateful he walked away. Mia and you didn't need him in your lives.

Alexia had no problem stepping up, she was coined 'My Lexi' by Mia within six months of meeting, and Alexia's heart beat that little bit faster every time she was blessed to hear her nickname.

Mia never called Alexia 'mum', but when you explained that Mia thought having a 'Lexi' was so much cooler than having a dad, Alexia didn't mind the name one bit.

She hoped that maybe one day, when Mia was comfortable she may find herself being Mia's mami, but she wanted it to happen authentically and on Mia's terms. So for now, she was Lexi.

"si, todo esta bien Mapi" 'yes, everything is fine, Mapi' Alexia started, leaning back into her stretches, flexing her leg a little further, "Yn is telling Mia today"

Mapi's eyes widen almost comically, her mouth falling open before stepping closer to her best friend. "sobre el" 'about the' she pauses, as she lowes her voice "Baby?!". Alexia nodded her head, rolling her neck as she felt a slight pop from her muscles.

"sin ti?" 'Without you?' Mapi questioned.

Alexia ran her hand over her face, nodding her head once more "si, yn and I talked and we agreed that it would be best for yn to break the news to Mia alone, and tonight the three of us can have a talk. In case Mia has any questions".

You and Alexia agreed Mia needed to hear this news from you, the pair of you had no idea how she would take the news. It had always just been the two of you, and then Alexia. You didn't have any siblings and Aleixa's sister didn't have any children of her own so for as long as Mia had been aware, she was the only baby of the family.

You had tried to tell Aleixa how excited Mia would be, you had caught her watching the children at the park and the longing in her eyes to have someone to play with but Aleixa was still super nervous. She didn't want Mia to feel like she was getting replaced or felt that Alexia would love the new baby more than her. Mia was and always would be Alexia's first baby.

The song connected to the speaker finishes, and the next one starts. Alexia takes this as her cue to stretch the other leg. Before Alexia could get in the next position her phone vibrated between the pair.

She takes a deep breath, before picking up the phone and seeing two new messages from you.

mi amor 💗 ignore my sniffles in the background

mi amor 💗 sent a video

Mapi seems to get Alexia's need for some distance, before giving her one quick hug and moving away from the anxious mother. Alexia takes one last look around the gym. noting it's completely empty before turning up the volume and pressing play.

The video starts with you setting the phone up and leaning it up against something as Mia gets comfy on your couch back at your shared apartment. The sound of one of Mia's shows in the background suddenly becomes mute as you pick up the TV remote.

"Mama!" Mia splatters out, as she looks between the TV and her mum. You reach your arms out, an indication you knew Mia would take as to come into your embrace - which she does.

Alexia can't help the small smile that appears on her lips as she watches her two girls embrace on the screen. You give Mia a small, delicate kiss on the crown of her head before pulling away enough to catch her attention, but still close enough that she was still in your embrace.

"I have a little something for you baby girl" You take this chance to pull out a small piece of paper from your pocket - Aleixa recognises it instantly as one of the ultrasound pictures the pair of you had picked up last week.

Mia takes the picture out of your grasp, her eyebrows frowning as she takes in the picture - ensure what exactly she was looking at.

"What is it, mama?" Mia lifted her gaze from the picture to her mum, before tilting her head and taking another glance at the piece of paper. "It looks funny" Mia can't help but giggle as she admits that. You let out a small giggle as well, running your hand through her hair "It does look kinda funny doesn't it huh" You agreed with her, Mia only letting out another laugh at her mother's confession.

"What is it, mama?" She asks once more, her curious nature taking over once again.

"It's a baby" You clarify slowly, your hand now dropped from Mia's hair and into your lap. Alexia felt her heart start to beat faster as she tried to catch every little moment happening on the screen in front of her - trying to catch a glimpse of what Mia was thinking at that moment.

It takes a second or two before your words seem to make sense to Mia, her eyes widening before looking down at the picture once more before towards you "Is it your baby?" her little voice pitched, somehow her eyes managing to widen even further.

You let out a small chuckle, nodding your head as some tears start to swell up in your eyes "Yeah baby, it is"

Mia looks towards her mother before her gaze drops to her stomach and back to her mother's face, "Is it in your belly? Like right now?" Alexia watches as Mia's hand drops the picture and places her little hand on your flat stomach.

You nod once more, your hand now covering your daughters, "It is, but it's very little right now so we can't see the difference quite yet".

Alexia knew exactly what you meant, she would check every morning before the two of you got out of bed and everything night before turning the lights off. She would run her hands over your stomach, planting kisses and mumbling promises to your unborn child. But besides the slightly firm change, that was the only indication there was a child growing in your womb as of now. That and the very picture sitting in Mia's lap.

Alexia watches as Mia's mouth forms into a slight O shape, before letting out a loud shriek and jumping up on the couch, bouncing and giggling.

"I'm going to be a big sister" She declares to the room, "Mama I'm a big sister!"

The first sniffle shifts Alexia's attention from Mia and onto you as you let a few tears fall down your face, but a massive smile plays on your lips. Alexia's face mirrors yours.

"What do you think about that sweetheart, is that okay?"

Mia throws herself into her mum's embrace, squeals leaving her lips "I'm so excited!-" Then before continuing, she suddenly pulls herself out of your embrace, her gaze falling to your stomach before placing herself right next to you on the couch, her hand back on your belly. "Sorry Mama, don't wanna hurt our baby"

Alexia thinks her heart stops at Mia's declaration. Our baby.

"You won't hurt them lovie, we just have to be a little more careful is all, and once they come they're going to be very small and fragile"

"That's okay mama, I'll look after her. Or Him. I don't care, mama. I don't. I'm so happy"

"That's very kind of you baby" You kiss her head, Mia's hand still flush against your stomach. "How come I can't see the baby yet Mama?"

The sight of your flat stomach was confusing Mia, she knew when people were having babies that had big stomachs, like her school teacher who had to leave because she was having a baby.

"Because the baby is still very small, but they'll continue to grow and as they get bigger and bigger you'll be able to see then".

Mia didn't seem too impressed by your answer, her eyes squinting to see if she could notice a difference towards your belly.

Just when Alexia thinks the video is going to end, Mia pipes up with another question.

"Who put the baby in there Mama?"

You and Alexia both freeze up at the same time, a nervous giggle leaving your lips as you try to quickly come up with something that would satisfy a five-year-old.

"Uh, Alexia and I did with the help of some doctors"

"Why?" Mia asks, looking from your stomach to your face.

"Uh. Well. Well, we wanted you to be a big sister. Is that okay?"

Your answer is enough for Mia, who throws her arms around your neck before giggling into your hair. Her response is muffled but from what Alexia can tell, you are grateful for her answer, your shoulders dropping in relief as you kiss the side of her head. "I'm glad you're so excited honey".

"Mama, when the baby comes, can I hold it?" If Mia's face wasn't so serious, you would have giggled a little at the question - Alexia watching the video doesn't stop the giggle from escaping her lips.

"Of course baby, you can hold them, and Alexia and I would love for you to help us out"

"I want to help Mama! I'll help you and Lexi"

"I know you will, you can help push the stroller and bathtime and maybe even a diaper or two" You joke at the end but Mia doesn't seem fussed, a smile growing as she nods her head along. "I'll help so much mama. I will"

"I know you will baby, you'll be the best helper" You assure her, before grabbing the phone from the spot you had placed it before. "I'm going to send this video to Aleixa, is there anything else you want to say to her?"

"Lexi! We having a baby, come home so we can celebrate" She quickly turns her attention from the screen to you, asking for your permission "Can we celebrate when Lexi comes home?" You giggle and nod your head in response, a squeal leaving Mia's lips. "Lexi Mama said yes! Hurry home so we can celebrate! I miss you"

You mumble something about getting the table clean for this celebration before turning your attention to the screen - your eyes filled with tears once more "I think we can call this one a success, we love you. come home soon"

The video cuts off, as you blow an air kiss towards the camera, Alexia letting the tears stream down her face, as the last few minutes replay in her head.

Mapi's head sticks into the gym a minute or two later, an uneasy look on her face as she takes in her crying best friend.

"¿Estás bien Ale?" 'are you okay ale?'

Alexia responds with some fast head nods, wiping her tears away.

"Amazing, Soy asombrosa" 'I'm amazing'

& bonus

Alexia walked through the front door and was met with an energetic five-year-old throwing herself into Alexia's arms. Squeals leave her lips as she bounces in her embrace.

"Mama! She's home. She's home!" Planting kisses all over her face, Alexia finally sets her down as you walk into the hallway, pulling you into a tight embrace, kissing you on the lips twice over before placing her hand across your stomach.

"How are you feeling mi amor" 'my love'

"Perfect"

Alexia hums into your lips, before pulling away once more "That's what I like to hear".

"Mama! Lexi! Hurry up"

Alexia and you meet each other's eye contact before giggling to each other, "She gets that from you, you know?" you comment, planting one last kiss on Alexia's lips before moving down the hallway and towards your daughter.

Alexia doesn't even try to argue, following you down the hallway, a smile permanent on her face.

Mia was ready at the table, Alexia's favourite meal was dished out, and some soft music playing in the background with some pink streamers across the walls that had been leftovers from Mia's last birthday party.

It was about halfway through the dinner, before Mia dropped her fork, looking between you and Alexia.

"Everything okay pequeño?" 'little one?' Alexia questions, her fork placed next to her plate as she reaches out for Mia's hand.

"Lexi, are you gonna be this baby's mami?"

Alexia swallows thickly, looking at you for some guidance between back towards Mia, nodding her head a little "Yeah, pequeño. Yeah, I am" 'little one'

"Can you be my Mami too?"

The simplicity of her questions makes Alexia's heart stop for a second, she shifts her gaze towards you once more, your face positively beaming, as a tear trails down your cheek. You give a slight nod before turning your attention towards your daughter.

"Uh. Do you." Alexia clears her throat a little, the tears swelling up once more "Do you want me to be your mami baby?"

Mia looks between the pair of you, before picking up her fork and taking another mouth full of her food. "I kinda thought you already were. I drew you in my family picture for school and you love me like how mama loves me"

"I do baby, I love you so much, you're my hija" 'daughter'

"Hiji" 'daughter' she tries to repeat, Alexia had been teaching her Spanish since your second date, claiming that no child of hers wouldn't know her mother language.

"It means daughter. because you are, always have been and always will be my little love"

"I love you mami"

"I love you hija"

"And I love you both" you add, your heart beaming.

[wileys-russo]

Leah williamson "how can you fall asleep at a time like this" watching a football match at home

superstitions II l.williamson

you were happily tucked into bed, glasses on and reading light pointed to the final ten chapters of the book you'd spent the last month battling to finish, never seeming to have enough free time to get through more than a few pages before something came up.

but with your girlfriend having dinner at her best friends house you finally had the cherish little pocket of time you needed to finish, incredibly invested in the story thus far and dying to know who killed the main protagonist.

you planned to sit down and read for an hour before you'd make yourself something to eat and then finish off the rest, angling for an early night as you were quite tired from a long week of work and family commitments.

you'd only made your way through a few pages before you heard the front door click from downstairs and you frowned, snapping the book shut and swinging out of bed.

but hearing a familiar laughter ring out through the home your shoulders sagged in slight relief, but the frown never left your features as leah wasn't due home for a few hours yet, and it didn't seem like she was alone.

"baby girl?" you appeared at the top of the landing at leahs call, the blonde stood at the bottom of the stairs with a happy smile, the same adoring twinkle in her gaze anytime she looked upon you.

"i bought dinner babe, come make a plate." she nodded her head toward the kitchen as you made your way downstairs. "hi wally." you greeted the girl sat at the counter with a surprised smile who span around.

giving her a hug you lingered by her side with her arm around your waist, various takeout containers from leahs favourite italian place down the road spread out in front of you.

"why do you look so shocked?" your girlfriend asked with a mouthful of pasta making you roll your eyes, sometimes you could swear she was a sixteen year old boy and not a twenty six year old woman.

"i just wasn't expecting...this." you gestured as lia let go of you to start eating her own plate of food. "well i hope you weren't expecting me to cook love you know thats not in my wheelhouse." leah grinned and again nodded for you to make a plate.

"obviously not. but you told me this morning you were going to lia's for dinner and to watch arsenal play, not coming here with lia and dinner." you retorted as you started to dish yourself up some food.

"no i said wally was coming over for dinner and then we're going to watch arsenal play." the blonde argued with you as you grabbed your plate and sat down on the stool beside lia.

"i'm not arguing with you about this lee, i just had a hot date with a book you've interrupted." you smiled before digging in as your girlfriend pulled a face. "you are not still reading that are you? baby its been like five months!" leah groaned as lia reached over to smack her hand.

"and what was the last book you read leah? picture ones don't count." the swiss defended you causing your girlfriend to scoff and you to grin, bumping your shoulder into hers appreciatively.

"well your little book date will have to wait till later baby girl we have traditions to attend to!" leah warned as you threw your head back with a groan. "you can't be serious? its all superstition love it doesn't actually help anything!" you laughed as both footballers now turned their gazes onto you.

"yes it does." they spoke seriously and in sync making you pull a face and roll your eyes. "no it doesn't." you sighed, knowing regardless this was not an argument you'd be winning anytime soon with it clearly being two against one.

"leah i don't want to!" you whined after the blonde had wrestled a jersey onto you, laying down on the bed stubbornly. "well too bad! now are you walking downstairs or am i carrying you?" the girl questioned, hands on her hips as she stared down at you from the end of the bed.

"why can't you and lia just do everything you normally do but without me?" you sighed as your girlfriend rolled her eyes. "because thats not how we did it last time and last time we won 5-0. you weren't here the time before that and we lost 4-2." leah rationalized, gesturing her hands around wildly.

"can i at least read my book while you watch?" you tried to bargain as the defender shook her head. "no! you didn't do that last time, isn't happening this time. now up!" leah motioned, clicking her fingers impatiently.

"kick off in two minutes!" you heard lia yell from downstairs as your leah's eyes widened and before you could blink she was manhandling you up and off the bed, pulling you toward the door as you groaned but didn't dig your heels in.

"okay. you were there with the red pillow and the scarf, i was here with the blue pillow and babe you were here." you were once again manhandled to lay down between leahs legs, a beanie forcefully tugged over your head, your hand smacked away as you tried to pull it off.

"oh! i think your hood was up too." lia remembered as leah quickly pulled her hood up and over her head, the whistle blowing for kick off. "the two of you are ridiculous, you know that right?" you sighed but wiggled around a little to find a comfortable position.

"perfect. you were in a grumpy mood last game too, thank you for your cooperation stroppy!" leah teased peppering several kisses across your face as you pushed her away, interlocking your fingers with hers and wrapping her arms tighter around you.

as time passed you grew bored of the game. you loved watching your girlfriend play and would never ever miss an opportunity to be there and cheer her on. but you'd never shared the same passion that the blonde had for watching games at home.

you'd appease her by sitting with her at times when she wanted, though your attention was always elsewhere and you encouraged her to invite the girls over so she had other people to actually watch with.

but the premier league north london derby always commanded an extra special set of rules and regulations, and your strong willed girlfriend was always the first to enforce them.

you sat quietly and patiently throughout the first half, arsenal going up 2-0 before suddenly by half time it was 2-1, and then a few minutes into the second half it was locked 2-2.

you'd long grown used to leahs tendencies to scream at the players on tv as if they could hear her, learning how to block it out and zone off into your own little world.

today was no different though you were much more tired than most nights you laid down with the blonde to watch a match, and with lia there for her to discuss and commentate with it was easy for you to drift off.

"hey! there's no sleeping during the derby." leah laughed, pinching your cheeks as she noticed your eyes closed, lia smiling in amusement as you exhaled deeply.

"i'm here, i'm wearing your stupid vintage shirt and beanie, im sitting in my designated position. why can't i take a nap?" you huffed in annoyance. "how can you fall asleep at a time like this baby? its deadlocked 2-2 this is fantastic football babe!" leah protested as you shrugged, unbothered.

"leave her be." lia chuckled as you shot her a grateful smile, eyes closing again as leah started to argue, her best friend only shushing her as eventually her protests died down.

a smile curled into your lips as you felt her body shift beneath you, hands on your hips pulling you upwards so she could hug you a little tighter, warm lips affectionately pressing a soft kiss to your cheek.

"i can't believe she'd rather sleep than watch this, this is the best match of the season so far!"

[sc0tters]

Friend in Need | Luca Fantilli

summary: who would have thought fake dating could end up so messy?

request: yes/no

warnings: mentions of underaged drinking, allusions to sex, swearing.

word count: 2.39k

authors note: I’m embarrassed to say how long it took me to write this after I made @fantillisdaylight pick what I wrote next 😭 this one has been in the works for a while now but I’m glad it is finally done and I like how it ended up.

You didn’t know how you landed up in this position.

It all started in Italy, the time you were meant to have to enjoy the company of your best friend before he went off to the NHL. Adam had been your person for years on end and this was going to be the first time you were going to be away from him. So during this trip you aimed to spend as much time as you could with Adam, but even with that you still needed your time alone. This time it came in the form of tanning as you watched him play football on the beach. The reason you weren’t with him was that you were using the trip to fall out of love with him.

So as Adam stood on the beach laughing at something of one of the local girls said to him, you couldn’t help but notice the shadow that formed above you “you’re gonna ruin my tan!” You whined cutting yourself off as you saw Luca standing above you “sorry sweets.” Luca teased as he sat next to you pushing your feet off of the end of your lounger.

Luca had been the irritating older brother Adam always had. He was only three months older than you but somehow you never found a way to connect with him in the way you connected with Adam “you enjoy watching him try to get laid?” Luca teased causing your cheeks to grow warm as you tucked your hair behind your ears.

The smirk he had on his face hardened as he ran his fingers through his hair “I do not care what happens to him in his bed.” You shook your head making Luca laugh “so the crush you’ve had on him-” he couldn’t finish his sentence as you slapped your hand over his mouth.

Your eyes were wide when you realised he knew “when I remove my hand you will not say a word about it?” The hockey player nodded as he listened to you “I think someone should have noticed with you having this crush since you were six.” Luca pulled back when you went to quiet him again.

You swore it wasn’t nearly as obvious “it’s for the best.” You knew you couldn’t argue with him not when Luca could spot your lying cues from a mile away “you know I would believe what you said if you actually dated a guy.” It was no secret to anyone that all you did was hook up with guys, you opted for it instead as you couldn’t bring yourself to like someone else.

Luca sighed as he placed his hand on your knee “look all I’m saying is that I could help you out.” He offered with a sparkle running across his eyes “unless you plan on getting your brother to like me I don’t see how this is going to work out?” You grumbled pushing your hair out of your face to focus on him.

He swore his mouth when dry “I’ll date you.” The hockey players offer made you furrow your eyebrows “what would be in it for you?” Somehow you were still ready to hear him out like you were out of ideas.

He shrugged thinking about all of the different reasons why “Rutger says Molly has a new boyfriend and I need her to know I’ve moved on.” Luca was spending his first weekend home with the McGroarty family and he really didn’t know how was meant to face his ex with her new happy boyfriend “I’m in.” You nodded holding your hand out for him to shake.

But you pulled it away when you came up with a list of agreements “we need some agreements though.” You pointed out making him sit there in silence “we gotta be used to kissing for anyone to think we are together.” Both of you were more than physical so it was only logical to think that you would be making out with your boyfriend.

It made him smirk as his fingers traced figures on your knee “and how do we feel about casual sex?” Your cheeks turned red matching the shade of your bikini “not gonna have my boy fucking anyone else.” You grumbled making him smile “you should probably know how to kiss me then?” Luca teased making you scoff.

You rolled your eyes as you shook your head “you’re an ass you know that right?” You mumbled leaning forward as you cupped his cheek letting your lips graze his “and your boyfriend now too.” Luca pointed out as he grinned pecking your lips once more.

That was well over seven months ago and somehow you were still in this entire thing with Luca. The Christmas break was originally when you assumed that it would end. It would have been the perfect time for things to end but you actually found yourself no longer in love with Adam, instead with his brother.

Your friends were oblivious to the lies that your relationship lay on, sometimes you even thought that Luca opted to forget about it as well. He seemed so happy with his arm around you at parties as he would whisper those sweet nothings into your ear. But you started feeling like you were going insane, there was never the promise that he was yours.

Because whilst you hoped Luca was falling in love with you too, nothing made that feeling you felt in bed with him palatable. The hockey player would kiss your head and within an instant you were feeling like the only girl in the world, or at least that was how you felt until you were back in your dorm alone. Reminded of the fact, that Luca was yours for a mutual agreement that was meant to benefit you both.

It seemed that everyone became your worst enemy when you returned to campus from the December break. Every girl that looked at Luca, was all of a sudden flirting with him and you found yourself going insane. Of course Luca never went for any of them yet you thought that it was only out of respect for you. As you two grew further apart, the worst fears came through your mind as he seemed to have less and less time for you.

Part of you felt stupid though as you got upset because you two were never really together “look I want you there tonight in my jersey.” Luca spoke softly as he leaned against your bed “you sure that Maisie wouldn’t be better in it?” Your words were sharp as you turned to face him again.

It irritated him as he roll his eyes “if I wanted Maisie I would be in her room wouldn’t I?” The hockey player snapped taking you back, it wasn’t that he raised his voice. It was the fact that he made no effort to suppress your concerns, he never did “I don’t want to go if you want to act like that.” You grumbled as you looked down to the sleeves of your hoodie.

Luca watched you avoid his gaze “I need to get going.” He sighed looking at the time on his phone as he was soon to be late to the walk in “bye.” The boy mumbled leaving you with not even a kiss on the head as he left you alone.

You couldn’t help but frown as you pulled your legs closer “how were you this clueless?” You groaned staring at the first picture that was taken after you two started this lie. Luca had his arm wrapped around you as you grinned, both blissfully unaware of the camera that Adam used to take that picture. That moment in time felt so real yet now here you sat willing to give up everything to get back to that.

Just as anyone could have predicted the boys won, but as the celebrated the win one player seemed distracted. Luca stared at the door hoping you would show up. He still felt bad about leaving you in the way that he did “where is your girlfriend?” Rutger furrowed his eyebrows as he had grown used to see you by his side “she isn’t feeling well.” Luca lied as he frowned.

Rutger didn’t fall for the answer as he scoffed “Kayleigh was told about the fight.” You had grown close to the blonde over the last few months “look she just got jealous about Maisie.” Luca shoved his hands into his pockets.

It made the blonde boy laugh “you really think you being here when she’s not your real girlfriend-” Rutgers scoff was short lived when Luca’s hand slapped over his mouth “how do you know about that?” Luca’s voice was barely above a whisper as he began to wonder how many other people knew about it too.

The younger boy rolled his eyes “y/n told me about it in November when she got drunk.” Luca remembered that night, you had just had the worst week of tests and got drunk.

Rutger watched you fall into the seat next to him “you look happy.” He smiled holding his arm out for you to hug him “like loving Luca.” You confessed as you nodded letting a grin paint your face as you watched Luca excitedly win a game of beer pong.

The American was happy to see both of his closest friends in this relationship “but he doesn’t love me.” You added with a huff making the boy grow confused “you think your boyfriend doesn’t love you?” Rutger swore it was the alcohol talking as he sat up straight to look at you.

He watched you nod “it’s like fake dating.” You shrugged before your eyes went wide “don’t tell him!” You raised your voice causing people to look in your direction.

Rutger was quick to shush you “you guys are just telling people you’re together?” He cocked his head as you nodded “but I think I kind of love him now.” You huffed pressing your head against the couch behind you.

Luca felt his mouth go dry as Rutger recalled the interaction “I should go.” The Canadian nodded to himself as he got up “don’t you want to stay with Maisie.”Rutger teased knowing all too well about your issues with her.

The way Luca let his lips press into a fine line made him laugh “just go get your girl.” Rutger took the beer from the Fantilli boys hand as he ushered him off.

Luckily for him you hadn’t left your room, instead opting to call Adam as you missed your best friend “I’m sorry I’m not there for you.” Adam frowned as all you had said was that you and Luca had fought “is it wrong for me to wish that he didn’t go to that party?” Your question was met with a knock at your door that had both of you going quiet.

It was weird watching the door “y/n please can we talk?” Luca pleaded from the other side of the door “I think your wishes are going to be answered.” Adam smiled as he sent you a wave before he hung up.

You walked with caution to your door before you opened it “look I need you to be really honest with me right now.” The hockey player began as he pushed past you letting himself into your dorm “do I have to?” You whined looking at your feet.

He nodded watching you shut the door behind yourself “do you love me?” The question made your heart jump into your throat “of course I do I mean we’ve known each other forever.” You tucked your hair behind your ear as you let out a soft laugh.

But that only made him grow irritated “you know that it’s not what I’m asking about.” He pointed out as he crossed his arms “you don’t want to know my answer.” You quipped back as you chewed at the inside of your cheek.

The boy walked closer to you leaving you to step back until your back hit the door “like hell I don’t.” Luca raised his voice as he shook his head “look if you can’t maybe I should go.” He sighed taking a step back as tears formed in his waterline.

Your palms began to grow sweaty “yes I love you.” You blurted out seeing him freeze “I have for months but that wasn’t meant to happen so I try to hide it.” You rambled on not seeing how he smiled at the fact that your cheeks went red.

Part of Luca began to feel cruel as he let you carry on “look I want all of you, not some half ass agreement where you just end up in my bed.” You raked your fingers through your hair as you sighed trying to remain straight faced as the boy placed his hands on your waist “you have all of me.” His words were so simple yet they did so much for you.

He smiled as he stepped closer to you shutting the gap between you both “I want to be yours for real.” The hockey player mumbled as he nodded “I love you.” It was his turn to get talkative as you stood there in what felt like shock.

All of the months of dating under a false pretence lead up to this “do we want to do this for real then?” You cocked your head as you smiled “you don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that.” He nodded as he kissed your lips enjoying how it felt to know that you were finally all his.

Your hands wrapped around his neck pulling him close like you were scared to lose him “but just to be clear you will tell Maisie to go fuck herself if she continues flirting with you?” You pulled away making him laugh “think it might be funnier if you get the chance to do it for f’me.” Luca countered making you press your lips into a fine line.

He grinned as he pulled you even closer to him as he pulled the two of you onto your bed “I’m kidding!” He laughed as he kissed your lips once more knowing that he was going to enjoy his night with you where you were finally his.

[therealcocoshady]

Recovery - Chapter 15

In the following weeks, you saw Marshall often. You made a point not to avoid him, even though you were still a bit heartbroken over the fact that he was dating someone else. However, you tried not to let it show, and he probably didn’t notice anyway. You didn’t have too much information on Nicole or that date. To be honest, he didn’t seem too keen on sharing those details, and you weren’t really in the mood to ask either. Of course, if he decided to share, you’d be a good friend, but you didn’t really see the point in putting yourself in a position of being sad. You were only thankful that you hadn’t confessed your feelings to him. That would have been awkward to say the least. You got to spend time with him whenever you hung out at the studio (which was rather frequent) , when he visited Jamal and Talia or when you were invited to anything anyone from the group organized. The only thing that had really changed was that you were never alone and that you made a point of not being too close to him physically, but he didn’t seem to mind. You weren’t even sure he noticed any difference anyway… You thought it would be best not to be all over each other all the time. Once again, there was no point in setting yourself up for heartbreak. If he had asked that woman on a date, it clearly meant he didn’t like you as much as you thought he did, or as you hoped he would. On a Sunday afternoon, you joined everyone at Marshall’s to watch the latest Lions’ game on TV. Initially, you weren’t too keen on going, but Marshall had convinced you to come. For some reason, he was really intent on turning you into a football fan. You weren’t the sporty type and couldn’t really care less, but everyone would be there, so you figured that even though you may not really enjoy the game, you would enjoy the company. 

When you arrived at his place with Talia and Jamal, you were greeted by Hailie, who you recognized from pictures Marshall had shown you. 

Hi Hailie ! Talia said before giving her a quick hug. 

Hey guys come in ! The game is about to start, she said. 

She looked really good and, as you quickly looked at her, you could see she had inherited some of Marshall’s features. They looked a lot alike. 

Hi, I’m Hailie, she introduced herself. I’m the daughter. 

I’m Y/N, you replied politely. I’m Talia and Jamal’s roommate, you explained.  

You entered the house and greeted everyone. Marshall was dressed casually, with black sweatpants and a Lions hoodie that brought out the blue in his eyes. He was painfully attractive and you tried not to stare too much. Everyone was sort of matching his outfit, as they were all wearing some Detroit Lions merch. You were the only one who didn’t. You were actually dressed in leggings, UGG boots and your hoodie from University. 

You went to uni here ? Hailie asked as she saw the logo. I actually have the same hoodie !

Yeah. I’m a PhD student here, actually, you explained. 

What are you studying ? 

Communications. It’s my last year ! 

Are you kidding me ? She asked. One of my best friends is a PhD student in communications too ! His name is Josh. Do you know him ? 

I do ! You said with a smile. We worked together on a paper last year. He is amazing ! 

The guy she talked about was very nice. He started his PhD work in the same year as you did and you had a blast working with him. He was by far one of the smartest persons you had ever met. And it didn’t hurt that he was really attractive as well. You and Hailie spent some time talking in the kitchen. As it turned out, you were the same age, born six months apart and had graduated the same year. You actually knew some of her friends and had attended a few of the same events and venues on campus, though you had never talked or noticed each other. 

I can’t believe we never actually met before today, she said. We have probably crossed paths hundreds of times without knowing. 

I know right ? That is so weird. 

So, how come I have never seen you around here if you hang out with Dad and the whole team ? She asked with curiosity. 

Well, I only started hanging out with Marshall and the studio crew recently, you explained. I moved in with Talia and Jamal a few months ago, after I broke up with my boyfriend. 

It’s crazy, everyone seems to be breaking up, these days, she said. Josh broke up with his girlfriend of six months a couple weeks ago. 

Oh ? I hope he’s ok, you said with a smile. Although I wouldn’t be too worried for him. He probably won’t be single for too long… 

I know, right ? Do you guys get along ? She asked. 

Yes, you said. I mean, we don’t really hang out too often, but we’ve worked together in the past and it was great. He is really nice too. I really like him. I think he might actually be the person I talk to the most, on campus. 

We’re going for drinks to cheer him up tonight. You should come ! She offered. 

Oh, I don’t want to intrude, you said with a giggle. 

You won’t ! You guys know each other and… I’m not going to lie, you are totally his type, she added. 

Good to know, you said as you blushed a bit. 

I could gladly set you guys up on a date, she offered. If you’re single, that is. 

Uh… sure, I guess that could be fun, you said. I think drinks tonight might be a good start. 

The two of you kept on chatting for a while, and you couldn’t help but think that, if you had met earlier, you would have been the best of friends. After all, it wasn’t too surprising. She was a lot like her dad, only more cheerful. He entered the kitchen and smiled at you. 

Glad to see the two of you are getting along, Marshall said with a smile as he grabbed a couple of drinks in the fridge. 

We’re actually going for drinks tonight, Hailie said. 

So now you’re stealing my friends, uh ?  He asked his daughter. 

Well Y/N and I do have friends in common, Dad. And I’m sure she’d rather hang out with people our age instead of old crones like you, she joked. 

You have no idea, you said jokingly.

Very funny, Y/N, he said as he rolled his eyes. You girls better get to the living room, the game is about to start. 

You sat down next to him as you watched the game. He tried to explain the rules of football to you and you tried your best to understand, but it was all a bit blurry to you. You understood what a touchdown was, but there was something about the yards that didn’t make sense to you. You silently cursed the Americans for their misunderstanding of the metric system. Still, you had to admit that the game was entertaining, as well as everyone’s passion for it. They seemed excited about every move the players made, and they were so involved you could have sworn they were part of the team, especially Marshall. He promised to take you to see an actual game, in person, so that you would finally get the hype. You agreed but didn’t really count on it. In a matter of weeks, he probably would take Nicole instead… 

After the game, everyone hung out for a while. You were talking to Talia when he came to get you. You went for a walk in the garden. 

So, you finally met Hailie, he said with a smile. 

Yes, you said happily. Your daughter is really cool. 

I knew you’d get along, he chuckled. Are you sure about going for drinks with her, though? 

Do you have a problem with me hanging out with her ? You asked. 

No, not at all, he said. It’s great you’re getting along. But, you know, you’re sober and she and her friends… they’re not. They’re responsible but still, I want to make sure you’ll be ok. 

Worried much ? You said jokingly. 

Well, yeah, he admitted. I know this shit can be hard. Plus, you know… I’ve been worried about your sobriety when we weren’t talking. 

Really ? You asked surprised. 

Of course. I mean, me talking about you overdosing… that was a shitty move, he said sheepishly. Especially a week after a relapse. 

Well I think I did pretty well, you said with a smile. I don’t want you to worry. I think I’ll be ok. Plus, I’m often around alcohol, you know ? When there are events at university, stuff like that. So, really, I’m good. 

Good then, he said before kissing your cheek. I’m proud of you, Y/N. 

That evening, you joined Hailie and her friends for drinks. Josh was happy to see you and reconnect. The two of you talked a lot about your respective research and the struggles of being PhD students. The conversation was easy going and you really enjoyed the moment. Hailie and her friends were so nice too. For the first time in weeks, you found yourself forgetting about Marshall, even though it was ironic since you were hanging out with his daughter. 

The night came to an end and you said goodbye to everybody, especially thanking Hailie for the invite. Josh walked you out of the restaurant to get a cab. 

We should hang out more. I had a great night. Can I see you again ? He asked. 

Sure. Feel free to come by my office on campus, you said with a smile. 

I meant, like, on a date, he added. 

We can grab coffee on Thursday if you want, you said before kissing him on the cheek and getting in the cab. 

It’s a date, then.

He closed the door for you with a charming smile and you stared at him as the car started. You couldn’t contain your smile, on the way home. 

From M :  Having fun tonight ? 

Reply to M : Yes. Made new friends and drank mocktails :) you ? 

From M : Good. Hanging out in the studio with Dre. Working on a couple of songs. He flew in tonight, he’s going back to LA on wednesday. 

You smiled as you read Marshall’s texts. Even on a weekend night, he was working. You couldn’t help but admire his work ethic and dedication. 

Reply to M : Can’t wait to hear them. 

From M : You can come to the studio on Thursday if you want. I’ll play them for you. 

Reply to M : Can’t. I have a date :) Friday ? 

Josh took you out for coffee and a walk for your first date and it was as if you were in a movie. The conversation, the hand-holding, the flirting and the kissing… it was perfect. You were giddy as you got home and told your friends everything. Talia was nothing but supportive. If anything, she was just as giddy as you. Jamal, on the other hand… he seemed unimpressed. 

What about Marshall ? He asked. 

What about him ? You and Talia asked at the same time. 

You know damn well what I mean, Y/N, he said. There’s something between the two of you. You like him.

Yeah, I do, you said. I mean, he is amazing. But we’re good friends. That’s it.

Bullshit, Jamal said as he rolled his eyes. You aren’t fooling anyone.

I don’t know, Babe, Talia said. I mean, I thought there was something there too but don’t you think Em would have made a move by now ? 

Right, you said. 

Obviously, you hadn’t said anything about what happened between Marshall and yourself. Talia only knew what had happened during the first movie night, but that was it. The only things your friends knew, they got from watching your interactions. 

I’ve known him for a while and he’s never cared for anyone like that, Jamal said as he shrugged. And you, Y/N… I’ve seen you around him. All… cuddly, and flirty and shit. Everybody can see it. 

I think we’re missing the important question here : what do you want, Y/N ? Talia asked. 

Look… maybe I was a little flirty, you admitted. But there’s NOTHING between Marshall and I. He doesn’t like me like that and that’s fine by me. On the other hand, Josh IS interested in me and is taking me on a dinner date on Saturday night. 

It was true. As soon as your first date had ended, Josh had booked the next one. He seemed interested in you and not afraid to show it. It was something you liked, as it left no ambiguity as to whether or not he liked you. And you could definitely use some of that, instead of dwelling on Marshall...

On the next day, you visited Marshall at the studio after you were done with uni work, as planned. He was alone in the room when you arrived. Everyone else had already gone home. 

Am I too late ? You asked after you greeted him. 

It was unusual for you to see him alone in the studio. 

All good. I wanted to stay a bit longer to listen to all of the tracks anyways, Marshall said. We have produced about thirty so far and I’m not sure about some of them. 

You sat on the huge leather couch and listened as he played some of the tracks for you. You closed your eyes as you tried to focus. 

Thoughts ? He asked after he had played about ten tracks. 

I don’t have any, you said. 

Well that’s not good, he mumbled. 

He rolled his eyes and put his head back as he sighed. 

What do you mean ? You asked. 

I mean I played you about a third of what I have and it doesn’t even make you think of… anything ? Like, are they that bad ? 

No, you said with a laugh. What I meant to say is that I know nothing about music. I wouldn’t know how to differentiate a good song from a bad one. That’s kind of your job, you know ? 

Mmmh, he sighed, still not satisfied with the answer. 

There are some tracks I like more than others, you said. But that doesn’t mean anything. What matters is your own opinion. 

Which ones do you like ? He asked. 

Do you really want my input ? You asked in disbelief. 

It can’t hurt, he shrugged. 

You went over the songs together, as you gave him your opinion on the beats or the lyrics. It was kind of haphazard, as you didn’t know the right words to use. He sometimes proceeded to correct you with a chuckle. 

No, that’s not what « reverb » is. 

No ? You asked in disbelief. You know… that kind of … sound and the way it goes ? 

Yeah, no, I see, he said as he laughed lightly. 

It’s crazy. It seems so easy for you, you said. 

As you said… it’s my job, he replied with a smile. Like I probably wouldn’t know shit about your work. 

Maybe, you said with a chuckle. I think you’d find it a bit boring. 

Probably a bit, he admitted. But I know you’re crazy smart. 

Believe me, as I’m writing, it feels like I’m unable to string two sentences together, you replied. 

Maybe Jack could help you with that. 

Who ? 

You know… your date, Marshall said. You guys do the same thing, right ? 

Ah. Josh, you corrected. I take it that you talked to Hailie ? 

Josh, he repeated. Right. Yeah, Hailie might have told me a few things. You guys work in the same field, so maybe he would be able to help you ? 

I don’t know about that. I have worked on a paper with him before but showing him my own work and for him to critique ? It’s kind of… 

Intimate ? 

Yeah. 

He smiled in agreement. 

So. Are you going to tell me how it went ? He finally asked.

I didn’t realize you were interested in my date, you replied with a smile. 

I care about you, Y/N. You know that, Marshall said with a serious voice. 

Well it went great. We went for coffee and a walk. We had a great talk. He held my hand. And he kissed me, once. 

Once ? He asked in surprise. Just once ? 

Yeah. It was a goodbye kiss. 

He nodded in understanding. It was a bit weird for you to talk to him about your date. He looked in your eyes as he waited for you to say more. 

What ? You asked with an awkward laugh. Want me to describe the kissing for you ? 

I’m good, thanks, he said with a grin. 

He’s taking me out tomorrow. 

So soon ? Damn, he must really like you, Marshall commented with a chuckle. 

Well, I am kind of a catch, you said jokingly. 

Of course you are, he said with a smile. 

He looked in your eyes and he got closer to you. It seemed as if he was about to add something when his phone rang. He looked away as he answered it. 

Hey… thanks for calling. yeah, tomorrow is great for me… 7:00 ? … good. Me too. Bye. 

He looked back at you. 

Sorry, he said. 

All good ? You asked. 

Yeah. It was Nicole, he simply said, with a casual tone. 

You stared at him and tried to prevent your emotions from showing. 

I told you about my date. Do you want to tell me about yours ? You asked carefully. 

I’m not sure there’s too much to say, he explained. Hailie set it up. 

You let out an involuntary laugh. 

Your daughter should really start matchmaking business. 

You have no idea, he replied as he rolled his eyes. Ever since her mother and I got divorced for the second time, she has been meddling. I can’t count the number of times she tried to set me up with her friends’ single moms. I usually don’t let her but well… who knows ? 

He laughed at the memory. 

So… want to tell me more Nicole ? You asked. 

Actually, I know her from… way back. Her daughters used to go to the same primary school as mine. I hadn’t seen her in years when we ran into her at the hospital. We ran into each other again a few days later when I was out with the girls and somehow Hailie got her to call me. She’s nice. 

She’s really hot, you said. 

I’m not commenting on that, he said as he rolled his eyes. Is Jack hot ? 

Josh, you corrected. 

Right. Is he ? 

I’m not answering that, you replied with a grin. 

You stared at each other and burst out in laughter. Somehow, it felt good to be able to talk to him about it. 

So… you like this Nicole ? 

She’s nice, he said. 

I mean… she must be kind of cool if your own daughter thinks she’s good enough for you right ? You asked. 

I guess. We’ll see how it goes. How about Ja- Josh, sorry. You like him ? 

I do, you nodded. He is really smart. Kind, too. And… he is really hot, you added with a wink. 

Oh yeah ? 

Yup. 

That’s cool, he said with a smile. 

The both of you chuckled. 

For real though, how do you feel about dating ? He asked. 

What do you mean ? You asked back, puzzled. 

Recovery isn’t an easy time. Are you sure you should be dating ? I mean, I don’t mean to be an ass, or tell you what not to do, he said. But maybe you should focus on yourself a bit ? 

You stared at him and said nothing for a second. It seemed pretty ironic for him to say that when he had asked you out a while ago, shortly after your relapse, no less. 

I like him, you know ? He’s really nice, and, at least, it keeps my mind busy, you said. I think I’m ready to date. 

He nodded and smiled softly. 

You know… this son of a bitch better be nice to you, Marshall said.

And what if he isn’t ? You wondered. 

I’ll make sure he regrets being born, if he ever hurts you. 

He’s a gentleman, you reassured him. And Hailie likes him. 

Right. Must be a nice dude, then. 

You looked at each other, smiling. 

You know, if Nicole ever breaks your heart, I can make sure some hair removal cream ends up in her shampoo, you said with a smirk. 

What if I’m the one who fucks it up ? He wondered. 

I’m sure you won’t, you said. Though if you do end up being an ass… I’ll probably have to dye your beard green in your sleep. Or shave it. 

I’ll remember the warning, he said with a chuckle. And I hope it doesn’t happen… It took forever to grow this thing. 

You laughed as you gently scratched his beard. He pulled you in for a long hug. 

It’s good, he said under his breath. 

Yeah. It really is, you confirmed.

[selfishlove-tf]

5th Annual TF Story Exchange - for Jockifyme

G’day :) I wanted to challenge myself so I entered the TF Story Exchange to force myself to write something. The author I got for the exchange was @jockifyme​ so please enjoy. I hope I met your requirements @jockifyme​ .

***---***

I’m an accountant and sometimes we audit High Schools. We make sure that the donations or funds received go places they should be going to, we check payroll and budget; we call it “cash stuff” in the office because “expenses” and “finances” start confusing our smaller-minded Gen Z workers.

From that “defame our younger generation” comment alone, you should be able to tell that I am older – not too much but I feel myself reaching the other end of my thirties really quickly. Luckily, the stresses of older age haven’t touched me too much; I have my curly brown hair, though it is fading in colour just like my eyes which used to be emerald, now swamp. Got my height from my mum, she was six-three and she gave me my current six-one. Got my metabolism (or lack thereof) from my dad whose genes garunteed no weight would be gained – I was skinny, a measly one-forty pounds.

The lights in the schools office behind reception showed my touch-of-sunburn off more than I wanted to, my skin naturally pale like a ghost flared up with areas of red where I misapplied my sunscreen. I, however, didn’t feel the burn so the sun must’ve been somewhat lacklustre that day. Sunburn was the last thing on my mind anyway. Numbers, numbers, numbers. I enjoyed the numbers and I did well in maths back when I was in school some blah blah blah years ago – I’d rather not say how long – and was in the top ten of students in my school who graded highly during the final exams before graduation. The only part I hated was listening to the administration guy who lightly flirted with the teachers as they walked by. They couldn’t see it but the “that dress fits nice on you” and “did you forget your glasses because those eyes are shining today” commends he has said in the past ten minutes were dangerously close to the line of being fired should someone actually pay attention to him.

I continued my counts and record-checking and, soon enough, the admin guy was talking to me about football. I never got into that kind of thing, my focus was more on work and work and work. I didn’t need to watch a bunch of men running into each other, the idea was stupid to me. Yet, despite my disinterest in the topic, the admin guy continued to drone on about it.

I looked at my watch; I had only been here for an hour. All the kids were in their classes so, gladly, I decided to quickly take a break and get a drink. Stupidly, I forgot my water bottle and I didn’t want to deal with more dead conversation from the admin guy and, as I recalled, I remembered there being a bubbler/water fountains near the building facing the oval. With a quick “I’ll be back” to the admin guy, and a swift exit, I was out the door and headed towards the oval, a quick hello and hi to some teachers passing or students that were supposed to be in class. Reaching the bubbler, there was footsteps nearby and voices loudly talking. I leaned down, pulled the lever and started drinking, footsteps getting closer. The closer it got, the more I heard the topic of conversation.

‘I don’t know what we’re gonna do, man,’ one started. ‘Tyler’s out for the game tonight and we got no backup since Harry left.’

‘Cool it, Reid!’ another cut the first off. ‘We’ll find someone or deal with a short team no matter what coach says.’

‘Yeah, but where are we gonna find something so short notice, Jay?’ A third asked. I had become invested in the conversation that I didn’t realise that they were now walking behind me as I was still drinking from the bubbler until they stopped.

‘How about you?’ Jay asked.

It took me a minute to realise he was talking to me. I stopped drinking and turned around and was greeted by four teens in football gear. ‘You talking to me?’

‘We are looking at you,’ pointed the fourth.

‘Smart kid, though I don’t go here clearly.’ I gestured to my whole figure, hoping they weren’t dumb enough to think I was any younger than thirty-five.

‘Not a problem with us.’ Jay, who I assumed was the leader, stepped forward. ‘I’m Jay, and these are my bros Reid, Mikey and Kyle.’ He gestured to his friends as if I was interested in knowing them. Jay was short, wide and brunette; Reid was tall, thin and blonde; Mikey was tall, tan and built; Kyle was the shortest, brunette and athletic. The group did seem like the perfect popular boys of school, they just lacked more arrogance.

‘How would you expect to fix that?’ I questioned. ‘Compared to you guys, I’m weathered. Y’all haven’t even touched hard work yet.’ That comment seemed to irritate Reid, subtly puffing his chest up.

‘Hard work? Football is full time!’ Reid arched up.

‘Reid, not another word,’ Jay snapped. ‘You’ll only scare him away, and we’re already about to get scary.’

‘Oh, I’m shaking.’ I teased before rolling my eyes and started walking back to the office.

‘Take him,’ I heard Jay mutter.

Soon, three pairs of hands were on me and started to pull at me, dragging me in the opposite direction. I started shouting to let me go and, for a moment I thought why it was suddenly so quiet at the school; no students or teachers were walking by and no one seemed to look out the windows at the commotion I was causing. No matter how much I shouted and wriggled, the guys’ strong hands had firm grips. I looked behind me to where they were dragging me and found that they were taking me to the locker rooms. They barged in, pushed me to the bench and sat me down, Reid and Kyle holding me down while Mikey went off to grab something.

‘We’re gonna make sure you’re ready for the game tonight,’ Jay said matter-of-factly.

Mikey returned with football gear which I began to question myself about how stupid they really are. Jay motioned to Reid and Kyle as Mikey came to stand behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. Without warning, Reid and Kyle started to pull at my clothes, tearing my button up off and yanking my shoes off before pulling off my pinstripes. I tried to fight back with all of my strength but Mikey was stronger than he looks, making sure to hold me in place during the process. At the end of it, I was left in my briefs.

‘Let me go you freaks!’ I shouted. ‘I don’t know what you plan on doing but it needs to end now!’

Jay motioned to the football uniform and gear and Kyle and Reid moved almost immediately. Reid began with what looked like compression shorts, sliding them up my legs until they were on properly. I felt immediate embarrassment being dressed as if I couldn’t do it myself. When the compression shorts snapped into place, my legs felt like they were burning although bearable. No sooner did my legs start burning that Kyle had put on long socks and oversized football boots, and the burning spread down until it reached my feet. My whole lower half was on fire and, sure enough, when I looked down, I saw why. My thighs started to plump up, calves sharpening and I felt my toes touch the end of the boot. Soon as that began, Reid grabbed a compression singlet and slid it over my head and over my torso, Kyle soon following with the shoulder pads.

I was panicked, my whole body starting to feel like I’d worked out for hours, and my body was catching up. My torso bulked up, a bit of muscle showing as my chest puffed up and my biceps blew up. My flexed forearms had a roadmap of veins as my increasingly meaty hands gripped firmly on the bench. I was beginning to tire myself out through all the strain and flexing I was doing due to the pain of the growth. At some point, Jay told Mikey to let me go because he knew I wasn’t going anywhere, not that I could because of the amount of pain I was in.

Soon enough, as it had started to die down, I looked over myself while out of breath and saw how toned I got. I was in shock; something completely impossible just happened. When I looked up to the group, there was glee in their eyes, but mine saw red. I had no energy to do anything, though, exhausted from the growth.

‘What the fuck did you do?’ I gasped between breaths.

‘It’s not over,’ Jay said. ‘Look at me.’

He grabbed my chin and lifted my face to look at him directly in the eyes. He smiled before swiping some black paint onto my cheeks, and then he let go of my chin and stepped back. There was a brief moment where nothing happened, but it hit seconds later. I gripped my head and squeezed my eyes shut as images flashed across my vision of school, football, training, hanging out with the bros. Bros? No, I was an adult. I was here for an audit. No, that doesn’t sound right? I was on the oval with my bros talking about the game. No! The admin guy, we were talking about football while I was doing work… work? No, I was skipping class. My brain went back and forth and soon enough, the school-kid persona was taking over. All the games my bros and I played, the games we won and the after-parties we went to. My body, face, and mind were all getting younger. My hair turned a darker brown, keeping the curls, and my eyes had regained their shining emerald green. My sunburn cleared up and my skin looked tanned from spending weeks in the sun. Although keeping the muscle on, my body shrank a little and smoothed out. After all of a few minutes, my head cleared and my body no longer felt like it was burning. I felt completely painless, in fact, I had a lot of energy.

‘You good, Jack?’ asked Reid.

I looked up at the group, a brief pause before nodding my head. ‘Still mad Tyler can’t make it.’

‘Well, we gotchu at least,’ Mikey pointed out. ‘We’ll sure win tonight.’

‘We always win, bros!’

‘That’s the spirit!’ Jay cheered. ‘Now let’s get practicing! Don’t forget your jersey, Jack.’

I looked down at the bench where my jersey was. I grabbed it and slipped it on, unknowingly sealing the transformation. ‘Do we gotta wear the shoulder pads during training?’ I complained.

‘Shut up and get out there!’

[chelseachilly]

king of my heart - pt 1

i’m perfectly fine, i live on my own  i made up my mind, i’m better off being alone

pairing: reader x ben chilwell summary: Of all the men in London, Ben Chilwell would’ve been extremely low on the list of who you would expect to meet at a random party your friend dragged you to. You know who he is, obviously - your younger brother is a massive Chelsea fan, as was your dad before he passed away unexpectedly a couple years ago - but you hardly run in the same circles as professional footballers. Until now. warnings: mentions of death of a parent, takes place in a fantasy world in which chelsea will plausibly beat arsenal this season word count: 2.5k

author’s note: hi! i’m very new to the tumblr football world but needed a distraction from chelsea’s current situation, so here we are! i’ve noticed there aren’t enough fics for ben and this is my first time writing for him, pls let me know what you think and feel free to hmu about all things chelsea :) title from king of my heart by taylor obv

*faceclaims for y/n and your best friend are camila morrone and suki waterhouse bc i am obsessed with daisy jones and the six lmao

Of all the men in London, Ben Chilwell would’ve been extremely low on the list of who you would expect to meet at a random party your friend dragged you to.

You know who he is, obviously - your younger brother is a massive Chelsea fan, as was your dad before he passed away unexpectedly a couple years ago - but you hardly run in the same circles as professional footballers.

Until now.

A few months ago, your flatmate and best friend Charlotte got an amazing new job in PR. Since then, she’s been invited to a million fancy events and met a lot of famous (and semi-famous) people. Just last week, she went to the opening of a new club and apparently met some incredible, funny, super attractive guy who invited her to a party at his house tonight.

Although you’ve been really trying to push yourself to go out more lately and enjoy being young in the city, your idea of a perfect Friday night is often just staying in and reading or watching Netflix, so you still take some convincing.

“Charlotte, do you even know anything about this Mason guy?” You ask as Charlotte begins to put her makeup on in the bathroom of your shared flat, a tiny but cute two-bed in North London. “Like, his last name, his job, anything?”

“Nope,” Charlotte shrugs. “But I know he’s fit, and probably posh because the address he gave me is in South Kensington.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you were a gold digger now?”

“I’m not, but posh means open bar,” Charlotte grins. “Now hurry up and get ready.”

You reluctantly drag yourself up off the floor and go to your closet to put on your favourite little black dress - a safe bet for any party, regardless of how casual or fancy it might be.

After doing your hair and makeup and taking a couple shots to ease any social anxiety brewing in your stomach, Charlotte calls an Uber and you’re on your way. You quickly post a photo of the two of you before you leave.

yourusername

liked by charlottewright, yourmum, & 102 others

yourusername by the way, we’re going out tonight ✨

tagged: charlottewright

view all comments

charlottewright hell yeahhhh

yourmum Beautiful girls! xx

yourusername thanks mum x

When you reach the address this Mason guy gave Charlotte, there’s music blaring from the house. Several very expensive-looking sports cars are parked outside, and there are a few people sitting on the front steps, drinking and laughing.

“Don’t worry, Y/N,” Charlotte says as your car pulls up. She can obviously tell that you’re worried about socializing with all these strangers, especially ones way above your tax bracket. “We’ll get some drinks and have fun. Hey, maybe Mason has some cute friends he can introduce you to?”

You roll your eyes. Dating is far from a priority for you at the moment, having just begun the career in publishing that you’ve wanted since you were a little girl. Work is your focus, but you know Charlotte is right. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Before you can even fully get out of the car, still straightening out your dress and making sure you have your phone and purse, you hear Charlotte yell “Mason!” and run over to the group of people on the steps.

As you follow her and finally get a good look at the guy Charlotte won’t shut up about, you nearly trip over your own feet.

You recognize him instantly - Mason Mount, Chelsea midfielder. You may not follow the club the way you used to before your dad died two years ago, but you remember watching Mount score a hat trick during one of the last games you went to.

Charlotte doesn’t follow football at all, so you figure she also has no idea that standing next to Mason are his England national teammates Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

You, however, can’t help but be a little starstruck. Football was a big part of your life growing up, and it’s a bit surreal to see all these athletic superstars right in front of you.

Thankfully, they’re all occupied with Charlotte and don’t seem to notice you until you regain your bearings and walk over to Charlotte’s side.

“Y/N, this is Mason and Declan,” Charlotte grins. “And what was your name again, sorry?”

“Jude,” Bellingham answers, smiling at you and shaking your hand. “What’s your name, love?”

“Y/N,” you answer, trying not to blush at the attention as Mason and Declan greet you.

“Well, come on in, ladies,” Mason smiles, gesturing to the front door. “Bar’s in the back, and there’s loads of food in the kitchen.”

As Mason leads the way into the house, which is just as massive and stunning as its exterior, you hang back a bit and grip Charlotte’s arm tightly.

“What is it?” Charlotte asks, furrowing her eyebrow.

“Charlotte, they’re not just posh, they’re footballers,” you explain, gesturing to the literal Champions League trophy casually sitting on a shelf. “Like, some of the best in the country.”

“Footballers?” Charlotte’s eyes widen for a moment. “Oh my god, so you know who they are?”

“Yeah, babes,” you chuckle. “Mason plays for Chelsea. I’ve watched him play for Chelsea.”

Charlotte’s face falls a bit, and she lowers her voice. “Oh, shit, do you want to leave? I know Chelsea was your thing with your dad-“

“No, no,” you wave her off with a small smile. “It’s alright, let’s have fun. He is super fit, and he probably finds it endearing that you clearly have no idea who he is.”

“Now that I think about it, he did mention having training in the morning last weekend. I think I asked what he was training for.” Charlotte laughs. “Shit, that’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Nah, he seems into you,” you comment, noting the way Mason’s eyes are glued to Charlotte as the two of you continue to speak privately. “Now go talk to him, I’m gonna go get a drink.”

Charlotte nods and returns to Mason’s side. God, it feels strange to see your best friend chatting up a guy you watched play in the World Cup on TV a few months ago.

You make your way to the back garden, weaving your way through lots of guys - some of whom you recognize as other footballers - and lots of very pretty girls. As promised, there is a full-service bar outside, and you order a vodka coke for yourself.

Thanking the bartender, you decide to stay out here for a few minutes. You’ll return to the party eventually, but you want to give Charlotte some alone time with Mason and despite your assurances that everything is fine, it’s a lot to digest being in the home of an actual Chelsea player.

Most of the partygoers are inside, with only a few people out back having a smoke or going to the bar. You find yourself a quiet spot in the back of the garden and sit on a patio chair, crossing your legs and leaning back as you enjoy your drink.

You pull out your phone and can’t resist pulling up and old photo of you and your dad at a Chelsea match when you were six years old, both of you smiling in blue. Although it’s difficult to look at, it makes you smile, too - you remember how Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-0 that day and how happy your dad was on the drive home. You’ll always treasure those memories.

“Hey, mind if I sit?”

A male voice prompts you to glance up from your phone. It really shouldn’t surprise you to see yet another familiar face at this point, but the man in front of you nearly takes your breath away.

You recognize him right away - the shiny dark hair, the piercing eyes - he’s unmistakable. He’s even more handsome in person than on TV, if that’s possible. Ben fucking Chilwell.

“Yeah, go for it,” you say, gesturing to the other chair and trying very hard not to stare at him too much.

Ben, who is holding a beer and wearing a hoodie and jeans with a pair of Air Force Ones, looks fascinatingly normal to you for someone who you know for a fact scored a Premier League goal just this afternoon - your sixteen year-old brother Max mentioned it when you spoke earlier, still as big of a Chelsea fan as your dad was. Luckily, losing your dad didn’t poison the game for him the way it did you.

“I’m Y/N,” you blurt out, feeling the need to explain yourself and your presence here for some reason. “I came with my flatmate Charlotte, she met Mason at some club last week.”

“I’m Ben,” he says with a small smile. “Mase and I…uh, work together.”

“Yeah, I know,” you chuckle. When he raises an eyebrow, you continue - there’s really no point in sitting here pretending you don’t know who he is. “My brother’s a massive Chelsea fan.”

“Ah,” Ben smiles, taking a swig of his beer. “Charlotte didn’t seem to have any idea who we were last weekend.” He seems to realize he may have come off a bit arrogant there, as he quickly shakes his head. “Not that she should. I was just-“

“All good,” you interject. “And for the record, I love her to death, but Charlotte thought Man City was a gay bar a couple weeks ago. She’s not much of a football fan.”

Ben laughs so hard he nearly spits out some of his beer, and you can’t help but laugh along with him - his smile is completely contagious. It also seems to be the first genuine one you’ve seen since he sat down.

“Fair enough,” he laughs, setting down his beer and turning his chair to face you properly. “So, Y/N, what brings you to this secluded corner of the garden? Not enjoying yourself?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Chilwell,” you smirk, taking a sip of your cocktail.

Frankly, you’re impressed with how cool you’re being given the situation. It’s not even the fact that he’s famous. Sure, you were starstruck at first, but now you just can’t stop looking at him. At those hands clutching the cold beer bottle, that fluffy hair that you’re dying to reach out and touch, those damn eyes…

“Well, I’m a bit knackered, to be honest,” he admits. “But I wanted to come out and celebrate the win. Honestly, I’m waiting til it’s late enough that I can leave without the lads calling me an old man at training on Monday.”

You laugh and nod sympathetically.

“I get what you mean. I kinda got dragged out tonight as well,” you say. “I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to a bunch of strangers after a long work day, but Charlotte wanted me here and she’s my best friend, so-“

“I’m happy to leave you alone if you’d prefer it,” Ben says quickly. “Well, not happy, but I can. If that’s what you want.”

You shake your head, maybe a bit too quickly.

“No, please,” you smile. “I was in budget meetings all day, but you scored a goal against Arsenal. I think that earns you a spot to sit.”

Ben raises an eyebrow and grins. “Sounds like you’re a fan as well, no?”

“I’m…not not a fan.” He looks confused, so you decide to elaborate a bit. “My dad was a massive supporter. We were season tickets holders at Stamford Bridge until he died a couple years ago. My brother, he’s sixteen, still follows the team, and he keeps me updated, but I haven’t really…well, it hasn’t been quite the same for me since then.”

Though you still miss your dad dearly, time has healed the pain enough for you to be able to talk about him like this. Although, you did have to stare at your shoes the whole time to get through it, and when you look up, Ben’s eyes are wide and full of concern.

You immediately worry that you just majorly overshared with this complete stranger.

“Sorry, you didn’t need to know all that,” you murmur, fiddling with the material of your dress. “I don’t even know you-“

“No, please don’t apologize,” Ben says in a much softer tone than he was using before. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Y/N.”

“Thanks,” you say with a sad smile. He holds your gaze, and you can’t help but feel comforted by his warm expression. Then, all of a sudden, a laugh escapes your lips, surprising Ben. “Sorry, I just…I was thinking about what my dad would say if he knew I was talking to the man he once described as ‘the best left-back in the country’ at a party.”

“Wow, that’s high praise,” Ben smiles. “Your dad sounds pretty great.”

“He was, but I love that your reason for thinking that is him praising you as a footballer,” you laugh softly. “To be fair, he was a big fan of Mount and Havertz as well.”

“Oh, well, never mind then,” Ben jokes, making you laugh even harder.

Probably harder than you’ve laughed in years.

The conversation continues as you each finish your drinks, and after Ben gets you a couple more rounds. You talk about everything - your job in publishing, his life growing up, both of your favourite films and music.

You don’t even realize how late it is until you see a much drunker Charlotte come outside with Mason keeping her upright. Despite her protests that she’s fine, you and Mason both agree you’d better get her home and to bed. After giving her some water, Mason calls an Uber for both of you, and in all the commotion, you barely get the chance to say goodbye to Ben.

It’s not until you get home and take care of Charlotte that you realize you didn’t even get his number. You could get Charlotte to ask Mason for it tomorrow, you suppose, but you don’t want to come across as desperate.

You aren’t even looking for a relationship. You just happened to meet a cute, funny, smart guy at a party who probably has girls lining up around the block just to sleep with him. It’s not like this is going to turn into anything.

Right?

-

You wake the next morning in Charlotte’s bed - you passed out next to her after making sure she had water and a bin next to her in case she got sick - to a loud buzzing sound.

“Too early,” Charlotte grumbles, feeling the beginnings of a bad hangover. “Turn it off.”

You reach over to the bedside table to silence your phone, but you quickly glance at the Instagram notification before you turn it off.

benchilwell

Hey, I found your insta through Charlotte’s, sorry if that’s stalkery lol

benchilwell

I had a lot of fun last night. Any chance you want to hang out again sometime?

“Oh my god,” you mumble groggily. “Ben Chilwell just slid into my DMs.”

Charlotte, still half-asleep, rubs her eyes and turns to face you. “Who the fuck is Ben Chilwell?”

next chapter 💙

[swcctbitter]

[  olivia rodrigo,  demi woman,  she / they,  muse 20,  billie eilish  ] welcome  to  excesstv,  LUSIA “LULU” AMOR DE LUNA  —  or  should  i  say  the  dreamer  ?  …  a  quick  google  search  tells  me  you’re  a  TWENTY - TWO  year  old  MUSICIAN who’s worth $53 MILLION DOLLARS.  you've  called  avalon  home  for  THREE YEARS,  however  something  tells  me  there’s  more  to  you  than  a  flashy  resume  and  penthouse  17A  on  your  door  ?  it  seems  you’ve  managed  to  earn  a  reputation  around  the   city   for  being  ESCAPIST,  yet,  upon  further  investigation  it  seems  you're  also  quite  INNOVATIVE.  but  hey,  thats  the  kind  of  mix  that  keeps  people  guessing.  i'm  sure  as  a  PISCES  you're  used  to  people  commenting  on  your  DALBEN GIOELLI AQUAMARINE RING  /  an elegy for the lost, jamming to songs alone in your room, angel statues over graves, dream pop music playing from another room, the cycle of necrosis.  but  still  we  can't  wait  to  watch  you  flourish  (  or  fail  )  these  next  few  weeks  …  

╰ * STATS.

tw : familial abuse , hospitalization, incarceration + mental illness.

it’s a strange feeling, knowing who you are from a young age. most people spend their lives searching for something to call theirs and theirs alone, but lusia always knew what she was: a musician. and more, what she wants to do —— study the music, gut it from the inside out, inspect the innards and surround herself in the gore. it isn’t the future that her parents have tailored for her, but there is little that anyone can do to convince her that it is an ill-met fate. music threads through her veins and makes her heart beat. without it, she is bereft. so, too beloved by her family for them to deny her, the de luna's change their idea of what lulu’s life will look like.

at the tender age of eight, her parents find their marriage collapsing and her mother scoops her and her brother up and relocates them from the small village of ruidoso, new mexico to albuquerque. still, even in a bigger city, her dad coins her as a music savant by the time she's thirteen, putting her in a small rivalry with her step - father, neil, who tirelessly vies for her mother's attention that is won out by lulu or her older brother joaquin. she is frequently seen with her nose in a book discussing music theory or music history, and for her fourteenth birthday she is gifted her very first ukulele after begging and pleading for months on end. she is seldom seen not clutching a fretboard, mastering the craft with steadfast dedication. although it isn’t what they envisioned for her, she has represented more than most do when it concerns discipline, audaciousness and tenacity. and who better knows that than her own brother?

he supports her at every football game she plays xylophone in and lifts her high on his shoulders, parading her around like his own trophy, and she doesn't mind at all. especially when she gets into her spats with neil. once, when he dares to strike her across the cheek after finding her crawling through her bedroom window with a girl, joaquin does nothing but watch as she takes his baseball bat and slams it into the hood of neil's precious trans am, which does land her in juvie for six months. joaquin's even still there when she receives her bipolar diagnosis from a psychiatrist while in police custody. upon release, reintegrating into teen society is difficult. far more difficult than the strict routine of juvie and the numbing medications they'd force feed her inside —— but when she comes home, joaquin reminds her of her love of music, how it's always been a surefire escape, so that's exactly what they plunge themselves into.

this time, together. they start out slow, with minimally produced tracks mostly utilizing bass guitar and piano. however, the more they create, the deeper the dedication sinks its roots within them. they keep going. days off are nonexistent, all they know is the music. it becomes them. and after she releases her debut single in 2017 at the brilliant age of sixteen, they begin to realize that what's consumed them is beginning to engulf everyone else. it's a tailspin from there on out. mere months after the release of her breakthrough song, she and joaquin craft an excellent ep that receives critical acclaim. she isn't certain what to do with herself at first; the adrenaline rush from the constant stream of attention quickly becomes addicting, but she's reminded too soon that their work is not yet done.

when the time comes, she heralds a debut album that garners her praise from everyone she's ever wanted to impress, including the motherfuckin' grammy's, of which she wins three her first year nominated in the four main categories. she tentatively embarks on a tour, loses her mind slightly, cowers for a few months and painstakingly crafts a song for a blockbuster movie that earns her an oscar for best original song. in the years since, she's ebbed and flowed between tumultuous relationships and evaded the spotlight whenever she can, for her own wellbeing. after releasing two more albums, one while living in the avalon, she's decided to take a small break and indulge in something different. something like... a reality tv show.

[mchlgayser]

ONE HAPPY DAY!

starring: jude bellingham x female!reader

warning: none

author's note: once again, I am happy with my artwork, that are like a pile of rubbish to me bfr, thanks to you guys that has been requesting, literally I love y'all sm xx & not proofread

the request: can you do an imagine on bellingham pls ? they’re married and are having a day at home with their kids ?

requested by: @crndsblog

song suggestion: romantic lover by eyedress

The bed is being bounced up and down, the twins is having their best time jumping around the bed, and you was the first to woke up 'Guys, what're you doing?'

The older of the two, Amelia was the first to said 'Waking you up of course! Come on mom get up!' Aidan giggle jumping off the bed bringing your other daughter who's two years old at the moment, Sophia

He hop her off at you and you laugh 'It was eight, leave us alone!' You mentioned putting the baby girl right next to her father who was sleeping like a log. Jude move slightly and bring his hand to caught his younger daughter in his arm, he was still sleeping but smiling. You can't helped but smile at the scene and pet the two's head

'Come on, let your sister have her time with dad, I'll help you with your breakfast.' You take both of their hands and tread downstairs to the kitchen 'What do you want today? Casual or do you want me to cook something?'

They were looking at each other first before yelling in sync 'Half-cooked eggs and toasted bread!' You snort, bringing your hand down to your daughter's cheek and pinching her softly 'But we had that the day, day before..'

'But that was the day, day before. We wanted it again.' You don't want to argue with two of these bone-heads six year old so you bobbed 'Alright, sit down and don't get up until I told you so.' You said, with a pretend stern tone.

You tied your hair up in order to make sure that any hairs won't get in the food, and wearing your apron.

'Morning my sunshine...' A familiar voice croaks, Jude is on the stairs with Sophia in his arms, she was babbling incoherent words while playing with his hair 'Morning babe' You went to kiss him for a quick second and coo at the girl 'Who's my beautiful baby girl!' She yelped with a giggle left her rosy lip

You gave her a boop on the nose and went back to making breakfast.

The breakfast went by quick, Jude left with the twin to their shared room to help them bath and you with Sophia 'Up we go!' You raced upstairs as she giggling non-stop, her drools is all over her face as she wiped it using her bawling hands

'We need to get you shower Soph,' You peck her temple and began undressing her 'Who's the good girl!' You tickle her side and she laugh along with you.

-

It was now three, the twin is playing puzzles with their dad while you and Sophia settled beside them watching them solve the 100 puzzle pieces.

'Jude darling, me and Sophia wanted to go to the back yard alright?' He hums taking your chin to give you a gentle kiss 'We'll be there soon.'

This time, you hum 'Do not rush the kids.' You pick up your youngest daughter and bring her outside to play, and wearing her favorite shoes 'Let's go, Sophia!' You began running barefoot, she was having a hard time catching after you and you laugh harder when she trips 'Careful baby, slowly....' She slowly gets up and ball her hands multiple times with her hands stretched out

'That's right, come on!' Again, she trips but Jude caught her in time 'Easy there pretty girl,' She yelped squishing his cheeks and pulled 'Ouch Sophia, ouch' She laugh, throwing her head back

'Dad let's play football!' Amelia exclaimed, ball in hand. Aidan huff 'Let's do something else! Football isn't that interesting anyway.' He rolled his eyes at the elder, Amelia stick her tongue out at him 'You are just envious that I am better than you!'

'Am not'

She huff turning her back away from the younger and get her dad's hand 'Let's go dad!' Aidan get the other hand and fight 'No! Let's go do something else!' They started their cat and dog fight while you watch along with Sophia in amusement

'Let go of my dad's hand'

'Judey is my dad you mice!' You stood up 'Alright, that's it' You separated the two by pulling both of their ear and they yelped in pain 'Ow, let go mom!' They both scream, clearly still in pain 'Not until you two apologize.' You pointed out Fine.' They synced, you lets go and sigh 'Good, now let's go Jude.' You grab his hand bringing him to the bench near the pond and sat down, you hand him Sophia as you watch the two getting along and hugs each other

'Those two..' You beamed, Jude hold your temple and bring your head over his shoulder, you flinch but soon enough, relaxed into the touch, he clasp your hand in his and kissed the back of your palm 'I love you, thanks for this beautiful gift Y/n.' You smiled 'You're welcome...?'

You winced in pain when Sophia yanked your hair down 'Ouch Sophia, that hurts!' She laugh, 'You wanted their attention so bad Sophia?' Aidan put both of his palm over his waist with a judging face 'Yeah, they were our parents?' Amelia continued, Sophia did a face tilting her head aside 'But I assume we can share? Right Dan?'

'Sure!' They both jogs over to you and you all hugs 'This is warm!' Exclaimed Amelia 'Shut up Ame, you are ruining the moment!' You cackled hugging them tighter whilst Jude bring his hand all over the four over you 'I love you all my sunshines.'

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Horror Masterlist

Always, The End (ao3) - Astroash94 ot4 N/R, 12k

Summary: Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Don’t exist.

“...I wish you would hurt me harder than I hurt you...”

fear the fever (ao3) - kingscrossinseptember luke/ashton M, 8k

Summary: The breeze shifts and Ashton catches a whiff of a new scent that makes his heartbeat stutter. It’s cold and metallic and hungry in a way that shouldn’t be possible to emulate via smell, which means it can only be one thing: a vampire.

Heavy On Our Heels (ao3) - Branithar M, 1k

Summary: While working on a space ship, Ashton, Luke and Geoff are captured and held hostage by pirates.

i'm not alone (ao3) - orphan_account ot4 M, 22k

Summary: calum had worked hard to get into uni on a sports scholarship. all he wanted was to play football, pass his classes and meet the occasional hot guy.

instead, he moves into a haunted house with his best friend and discovers he might have magic powers? this starting to smell like a netflix original series to anyone else? at least there are still hot love interests, right?

It Happens In April (ao3) - Astroash94 luke/calum/ashton N/R, 15k

Summary: In August summer ends. In September autumn starts. In February, winter ends. And in March spring begins.

But what happens in April?

mirror :: malum. (ao3) - eaty0urveggies michael/calum M, 11k

Summary: "you really should be afraid."

or,

When Michael receives an old mirror for his birthday with a scary past.

lowercase intended

stay on the path (ao3) - mimi_reads T, 1k

Summary: It's common knowledge that when one goes into the woods, one should stay on the path.

or, another horror story about 5sos

Tears Remind You You’re Alive (ao3) - NarryEm niall/harry, zayn/louis, luke/ashton, michael/calum, liam/sophia

Summary: Niall, along with eight other guys, are chosen to participate in this year’s Run and they dread it so much. None of the survivors ever come out of the Heartbeat Mansion unchanged and the details are never released to the public. Can they all survive the horrors that await them?

The ghost of you (ao3) - Goldrush23 luke/ashton M, 589

Summary: 3 stupid boys play 1 stupid and end up setting free a ghost from 1890

the world is vast (and filled with terrible horrors) (ao3) - riibread N/R, 4k

Summary: “Mystery Flesh Pit National Park, cosmic horrors beyond our comprehension, yadda yadda,” Michael rattles off, “yo what the fuck?” All four of them huddle around Michael’s laptop screen. There it is, Luke gives a casual glance at the information, what little he reads brings the nausea back tenfold.

or

What happens when four musicians have to deal with terrors beyond their comprehension? The answer is fucking around and finding out and the power of friendship.

To Be Unbridled And Unburned (ao3) - Branithar michael/calum, luke/ashton E, 8k

Summary: Since a wealthy businessman found his pelt while he was relaxing on a beach several years ago, Calum's done his best to make the most of his new life. He hasn't been able to like his wife or their home or their neighbours, but he's surviving, at least. Unbeknownst to him, rumours of what his father-in-law did have spread and a shady group of traveling magicians have taken interest in his situation.

Trapped in a Horror Movie | Niall-Centric (ao3) - xdistorted_cliffordx T, 12k

Summary: It was the night an innocent prank went bad.

All these six teenage boys wanted to do was mess with their friend Niall on Halloween by going to an abandoned mansion. That's all. Just to give him a little scare, to change up their age old tradition of watching horror movies.

But it's a night that will alter their lives forever, one they'll never forget.

Because unlike years past, the boys will be trapped in a horror moie, fighting for their lives, trying their best to escape the mansion.

With each other.

ALIVE.

would you kill for me, my darling? (ao3) - mimi_reads michael/luke M, 1k

Summary: Michael and Luke have a conversation with unexpected consequences.

Your Eyes Are Cooler Than My Beating Heart (ao3) - CliffordAffliction michael/luke E, 64k

Summary: Michael is a demon who somehow makes Luke want to die and live all at the same time

[odyssey-xxartsy]

Hey. 💗✨

Probably should have done this introduction stuff months ago but never really thought about it until now. So, here we go.

Name:

Odyssey/Ody/Alannah

Born:

12th July, 1999

Star sign:

Cancer

Age:

25

Pronouns:

She/her

Nationality:

Irish (and I still live in Ireland)

Skin tone:

White/Caucasian

Sexuality:

Bisexual

◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉

Likes:

Music (Gorillaz, Franz Ferdinand, The Chemical Brothers, yunè pinku, Kate Bush, Coldplay, Blur, etc.), art, water colours, pastel colours, cats, rabbits, horses, flowers, movies (mostly horror/supernatural/animated/comedy movies), anime (just got back into it with "Bungo Stray Dogs" after 5 years of not watching any), the works of Tim Burton (mostly his films, but back in November, I started watching "Wednesday"), supernatural beings, photography, chocolate - dark chocolate too, coffee, latte, cappuccino, hot chocolate, bowling, the colour purple, pizza, Chinese food, Indian food, burgers, noodles/ramen, Identity V, Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, Scott Pilgrim stuff, arcade games and air hockey.

Dislikes:

Country music, opera music, tea, spicy food, golf, football (the European kind, but yeah, pretty sure the American version counts too), rugby, heights, overcrowded places, social situations (I have social anxiety disorder, ever since I was a kid - I always feel too overwhelmed and stuck for words) - this especially goes for speaking in front of people or presenting something to them, swimming (almost drowned once on holidays, I slipped on the pool floor and fell under for a few seconds - I was terrified), seafood, art stealers and tracers, being alone or left out and spiders.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Extra Information:

I'm a very creative person. Got a head filled with tons of art ideas ever since I was a little girl. I only do traditional art right now and currently use an app called "Snapseed" to edit them. Hopefully, one day, I'll be able to do digital art. 😊🤞🏻

I also love taking pictures, sometimes, of myself (yeah, selfies). Mostly though, I prefer taking pictures of anything around me. Usually ends up being street, nature and/or landscape photography. Been interested in it for well over six years. 📸

Been interested in anything supernatural for the past decade now. Which ends up being my favourite kind of horror movie/TV show genre. Animated or not. My family thinks I have a problem. 😆

I may have OCD and ADHD. I'm not exactly sure, since I was never diagnosed. But I feel like I have both. There's definitely something going on in my head that itches if I don't do this or that. Or if something feels out of place. 😣

By the way, I fully support the LGBTQ+ community, given the fact that I'm of course, a part of it myself. So, any hate expressed towards the community, I definitely don't tolerate it. Not even on my profile. Anyone who expresses such hate will be blocked and reported.

The same thing goes for racism and any hate towards any religion, and even someone's culture. Blocked and reported. Everyone is accepted here.

✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭

If anyone has any questions, anything you guys want to know about me that I didn't mention here, feel free to ask. Nothing inappropriate though. Keep it SFW.

Thank you. ♥︎♥︎

[latetothepartyandconfused]

[ID: fourteen pictures showing warning signs 1st:sign in an underwater cave that has death reaper on it with dead scuba divers on his feeet. It says "Stop prevent your death! go no farther. fact: More than 300 divers, including water scuba instructors, have died in caves just like this one. fact: You needed training to dive. You need cave diving and cave equipment to cave dive. fact: without cave training and cave equipment, divers can die here. fact: It can happen to you! There's nothing in this cave worth dying for! Do not go beyond this point.

2nd: orange sign with person in winter clothes sitting with his back to a tree on it that says The mountains will be just as cold and lonely tonight as they were 200 years ago. Do not ski alone.

3rd: green sign on street lamp with skull and lungs drawn on it with text that says "For more information on lung cancer keep smoking"'

4th: black and white photo of soldier in a bathroom the mirror has text arround it that says "If you talk too much this man may die!"

5th: Emergency warning about bushfire on someones phone/ computer It says "You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave. What you should do: You should move indoors: -protect yourself by wearing long sleeves and trousers, made from pure cotton or wool. wear leather boots. -bring your pets inside -close all exterior doors, windows and vents and turn off cooling systems. -You must take shelter before the fire arrives. The extremeheat is likely to kill you before the flames reach you. -shelter in a room that has two exits, such as a door or window including one directly to the outside. It is important to be able to see outside so you know what is happening with the fire. -if your home catches on fire and conditions inside become unbearable, you need to get out and go to an area that has already been burnt. It may still be too hot to remain outside, so you'll need to seek shelter in another structure or last resort option. If you cannot get indoors, last resort options include: -shelter in the middle of a large open area like ploughed paddock, football oval or sporting reserve -Get into a large body of water like a dam, lake , river, the ocean or inground pool. -try to protect yourself from the fire's heat."

6th: Photo of piece of cobalt that has the words "danger radiation, drop & run" written on it accompanied b the radiation symbol. The photo is captioned "Cobalt 60 is an exremely radioactive compound. 5 minutes next to this gives you about 50% chance at surviving the next month."

7th: sign in front of some sort of concrete structure with water in it. The sign has skull on it and says "Danger: aerated deep water. You will sink." There is smaller sign under it that says "Danger: watch your step"

8th: danger sign that says "not only will this kill you, it will hurt the whole time you're dying

The ID for the next 6 signs is copied from the alt text.

9th:Two trail signs, one on top of the other. The first one reads "ATTENTION: Olomana Trail Users. Six people have fallen to their deaths after hiking past the first peak." The second, larger sign reads "Olomana Trail. 11/2022: Fatal fall between second and third peak. 4/2022: Fatal fall between second and third peak. 2018: Fatal fall at or near the third peak. 2015: Fatal fall between first and second peak. 2014: Fatal fall between second and third peak. 2011: Fatal fall between second and third peak."

10th:A trail warning sign that reads "GORGE REGULATIONS: Swimming is prohibited. No access beyond this point. Violators are subject to arrest. Strong undercurrents and debris trap people under hidden rock ledges in a 30-50 feet deep pool below the falls. People have died swimming here." It includes an image showing the currents and hidden ledges, along with a quote from a recovery diver: "Even as a trained, properly equipped, professional diver I wouldn't swim here if I did not have to recover a body."

11th:A beach warning sign that reads "DANGER! DEATH HAS OCCURRED HERE. Sudden high waves happen without warning. Even on calm days. Dark rocks are slippery. Stay far back. Rescue here is unlikely due to conditions. Don't take risks - Leave here alive."

12th:A beach warning sign that reads "148 persons have drowned in this lake. Two not wearing a life jacket. 146 wearing a life jacket." The numbers are placed using stickers, so the count is likely updated often.

13th: A trail warning sign that reads "STOP. This area ahead has the worst weather in America. Many have died there from exposure, even in the summer. Turn back now if the weather is bad. White Mountain National Forest." The sign itself is very weathered (no pun intended) and scratched up.

14th: A US Forest Service trail sign that reads “THE DEADLY BELLS. The beautiful Maroon Bells, and their neighbor Pyramid Peak, have claimed many lives in the past few years. They are not extreme technical climbs, but they are unbelievably deceptive. The rock is down-sloping, rotten, loose, and unstable. It kills quickly and without warning. The snowfields are treacherous, poorly consolidated, and no place for a novice climber. The gullies are death traps. Expert climbers who did not know the proper routes have died on these peaks. Don't repeat their mistakes, for only rarely have these mountains given a second chance. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLIMB IF NOT QUALIFIED.”

end ID]

this is by far my favorite safety/warning sign btw. they really went off with this one

[pdriesta]

PROLOGUE

“how can i move on when i’m still in love with you”

genres — angst, angst, and more angst. suggestive.

word count — 1.5k (for prologue)

summary — two years ago, pedri shattered his childhood best friend's heart by ending their relationship. he was her first kiss, first boyfriend, and first love. now, as she prepares to start fresh while pursuing her master's degree, pedri reappears with a single mission: to mend the heart he once broke. can she trust him again, or will their past define their future?

an — repost! i accidentally deleted my blog so before i release anything new, i’m gonna repost my series’s. if this is your first time reading, let me know if you’re interested in a taglist!

masterlist

“papi, look, a football pitch!” you screeched from the backseat of your parents' car. the volume of your voice caused your sister to cup her ears beside you.

“yes, mi princesa. right in your backyard you have a pitch,” your dad chuckled from the driver’s seat.

even at just six years old, football consumed your life. your mom credited your father for all the times he yelled at the tv during matches. however, the moment that changed your life was the day your dad took you and your sister to the camp nou for the first time. you swore you fell in love with the sport on the spot. the energy, the passion, and the movement of the players had you hooked.

your parents couldn’t help but smile at the happiness in your voice while absorbing your new surroundings. the move seemed sudden to you and your sister, but after your brother, rafael, was born, it made sense to move away from the city.

you roamed your surroundings and watched the houses from the window before the car came to a halt. one by one, your family barreled out of the car and stood in front of your new home.

your parents smiled while holding rafa between them. their happiness was infectious; even caro couldn’t hold back her smile.

your parents shooed both of you to the park a few meters from your home, the same one with the football pitch. you ran in front of your older sister to the pitch and saw a group of boys playing together. you watched in awe as the boys moved up and down the pitch. however, there was one boy who caught your eye; he seemed about your age and was wearing the same shirt your dad had of his favorite club.

you knew from the shirt alone you had to become friends with him one way or another. so deep in thought, you didn’t recognize the ball hurtling toward your head. it all happened too fast for your little brain to process, and it didn’t hit you (pun intended) until you found yourself looking at the sky on your back.

“hermana!” your sister dropped to her knees. your cheeks heated as you began to get surrounded by the boys who were playing on the pitch.

your sister made sure you were okay before getting up and reprimanding the boys for being so reckless as to hit her little sister.

“are you okay?” you heard from beside you as you turned to see the boy with the top from earlier. you froze, not knowing why the words escaped you.

the boy seemed even more nervous at your silence. without thinking, he placed his hand on your forehead just like his mom would do, causing you to break your silence with a giggle. you quickly nodded, showing you were okay, and then looked down at your hands, suddenly becoming shy. you’d never been this close to a boy before, especially a boy who looked about your age.

“do you like barça?” you finally whispered. you’ve always been shy around new people but felt the need to speak to him because of their shared love for the club on his shirt.

meeting his face finally, you witnessed his face light up like a tree on christmas.

“yes, i love barca. one day i’m going to play for them!” he exclaimed.

“me too!” you squealed, matching his excitement.

“my name is pedro gonzález lópez, and we are going to be best friends starting today,” he proclaimed while extending his hand to help you up.

“and just like that, barcelona reclaimed the league title for the 27th time,” you heard echo from your position behind the counter.

you wiped down the counter for the fifth time to avoid glancing up at the screen. you thought your actions would go unnoticed until you felt a poke at your side. looking next to you, your mom gave you a pointed look, the same look she always gave when hinting about him.

“you know rosa and the family are at the game,” she mentioned for the fifth time. over the past two years since your breakup, your families remained close. as expected, rosa and your mother became best friends through countless playdates and sleepovers over the years.

“yes, mami. i remember from the last five times you mentioned it,” you replied, using humor to disguise your annoyance.

it's been easy to avoid pedri over the years. it was a dance you were familiar with by now. when the season was over and he would return to tenerife, you would visit from the mainland. once you knew he was gone was when you would return. your sister, carolina, has made it clear how childish she thinks you are being, but you have shown no sign of stopping anytime soon.

“you must be so proud of pedrito,” your mom settled on.

of course, you were. god, you were so proud of the player he has become. even though it kills you to think of how far he has gotten without you. he was right, he didn’t need me.

“mami, por favor,” you pleaded. no matter how long has passed since that day, the lump in your throat and ache in your heart never faded.

the gleam in your mom’s eye dimmed, deciding to drop the topic. she took the cloth from you and motioned for you to head to the back while she served the patrons who lined up during your brief encounter. you trudged to the kitchen and slumped into the nearest seat. finally, being away from the buzz of your family’s cafe, you took a deep breath.

the past hour and a half of seeing him on tv had your thoughts racing a million miles per hour. why is it so hard for you to get over him? it has been two years, and he has been seen with women countless times; you cannot understand why you are so stuck on him. no matter how hard you try, your mind always goes back to that dire day.

“i think we should break up,” pedri said as soon as you opened the door to your home. it took you a few moments to truly understand his words.

“what?” you spoke a little lower than a whisper.

“i think we should break up,” he repeated while stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“i heard; i guess what i meant is why? is it something i’ve done?” your hands began to shake. pedri noticed and lifted his hands towards your hands; he had to hold himself back from grabbing your hands like he usually did when you grew anxious.

“no, no, mi vida, you’re perfect,” he rushed out, taking a step toward you.

“obviously not, if you’re breaking up with me,” you huffed, taking a step away from him and wrapping your arms around yourself instead. pedri dropped his hands in defeat, needing a moment to proceed.

“it’s not you, it’s—” you interjected, “let me guess, it’s you? you can save me the movie-type excuse, pedro.”

he could see the hurt in your eyes, and he cursed himself for his actions. even after thinking about this moment over the week and rehearsing it, nothing could have prepared him for seeing your heartbreak in front of his eyes.

“corazón, the distance has been killing me, and i know it’s hurting you. with your schooling and your family’s cafe, you have so much on your plate. let alone, i hardly get to see you because of the season. you know how hard it’s been adjusting to the team.”

you understood completely. going from his boyhood club to one of the biggest clubs in the world has taken pedri and his family by storm. suddenly, he was under a huge magnifying glass where his performances determined whether fans hated or loved him.

“if you need me to come to more games, i can do that. please just let me know how to help you. this can’t be the answer,” you finally entered his space and grasped his hands in your own—desperate for his warmth.

“it is hard to support each other while being two thousand kilometers away,” pedri settled on while gazing deeply into your tear-filled eyes. “what about your classes? your family’s business? your life is here while mine is in barcelona.”

“pedro, i love you. is that not enough to overcome this distance?”

pedri, even though it hurt him, never broke eye contact with you. he brought his hand to the back of your neck and brought his thumb to caress your cheek the way he always did. if this was the last time he got to touch you, he wanted to savor it.

“i love you; i think i always have and always will. but loving each other is not enough.”

you couldn’t hold back your tears as he placed a chaste kiss on your cheek before stepping away from you for good.

you laughed at yourself, how pathetic. he is achieving his dreams while you replay this day more times than you’d care to admit.

next

© PDRIESTA 2024

[sophiasblog10]

Finding My Voice in the World of Sports

Growing up as a child I grew up in a very sports oriented household. There was always some sort of sport being watched at my house whether it was football, basketball, swimming, soccer, baseball, golf or hockey. I grew up in Stoneham, MA as the oldest child out of two as I only have one younger brother. When I was little I probably did every sport that one could possibly imagine. I started out with t-ball, then moved to  gymnastics, then did basketball, then continued with dance for a few years and then through all these sports I had found my true passion for swimming. I grew up surrounded by water especially in the summer and originally learned how to swim at my cottage up in Windham, NH before taking actual swimming lessons at the Reading YMCA. I officially joined the Reading YMCA swim team at 6 years old and have been swimming ever since. Although I do not swim competitively at the collegiate level, I still use the LA Fitness and Woburn YMCA pools to keep up my stamina and get some good cardio in. Swimming allows me to relax my mind as I am only just focusing on the strokes I take and how I can get better with each lap that I swim. The coordination between the parts of my body such as my legs and arms and the water is a type of technique that took years of practice. Making sure I kick my feet up and down in a flutter kick as well as bending my arms and pointing my fingers so they gracefully enter the water is a type of technique that not everyone has. Taking time alone to swim allows me to enter a peaceful state of mind and reset myself for the next moments ahead in my life. My mom was a swimmer in which she also started at a very young age and continued through college. I wanted to follow in my moms footsteps and I aspired to be just like her if not obtain faster times than her by the end of my swimming career. Unfortunately, my swimming career ended my senior year of highschool but till this day my level of competitiveness has been within me ever since I was little and my love and knowledge for the game of sports has grown more and more over the years.

Before entering my first semester of freshman year at Endicott College I knew that being a sports management major would be the best and right fit for me. Even when I began classes in the sports management field, I enjoyed every single one and was very intrigued by the new information that I was learning and how to apply it into my everyday life. No matter what I was doing at Endicott I made sure to get involved in some type of exercise and some type of sports related activity that would help me grow as an athlete and individual. I am constantly in the gym as I go six days a week to keep up with strength and conditioning myself to become a better athlete and individual. Some of my favorite exercises to perform in the gym are the seated shoulder press, lateral raises and bicep curls as I love to target my shoulders and biceps to develop and get them stronger even more than they already are.

Throughout my first semester of sophomore year at Endicott, working alongside Jack Dustin and JC Khulman in the strength and conditioning room was a pleasure. They even invited me to a group lift with them to make me feel comfortable with the program and help me begin to be more comfortable with assisting athletes when lifting weights. Throughout my time in the strength and conditioning room I have learned different lifting techniques to make athletes and individuals stronger based on the muscle group that they were focusing towards. I have learned the dos and don'ts of lifting, and the preventative measures to take to ensure that nobody gets hurt while lifting. Gaining this knowledge and understanding different ways to lift different equipment as well as taking precaution to make sure you do not hurt yourself either helps me as an individual as well to make sure I am lifting properly when I am on my own. My spring semester of my sophomore year of college I had completed an internship at Endicott as well as partaking in sports management classes. This internship I worked as a Game Day Operations manager and had applied everything I was learning in my sports management classes into the real world. I have gained more of an understanding of the behind the scene work that a game day manager goes through before an actual game can be put on. I checked in referees and umpires into the games that they were working, showed them as well as the opposing teams to their correct locker rooms, worked the music and scoreboards, set up the games and broke down after the games as well as managed to control the fans in the crowds at sports games. I made connections with everyone including the players and I feel like I have walked out of this internship with the most experience possible. I made tons of new friends along the way and enjoyed every minute of watching the sports games that I was able to. I can use all of the new skills and experiences that I learned and apply them into my everyday life and future internship sites as well. 

Being so involved in the sports world for my entire life as well as getting involved with the actual experience hands on has helped me grow as an individual into a field of study that I want to be partaking in for the rest of my life. Sports have so much to offer along with so many emotions. Sports has the good and bad emotions of it that bring a sports enthusiast in each and every day to keep coming back and watching more. Sports has always been and will always continue to be a part of my life in so many different aspects. Whether it is participating in sports for fun, joining different sports leagues, watching them on my television, or getting hands-on experience in the sports world, I will never get bored or ever be bored of the job that I am in.​​ That is what I find best about sports. Sports brings people together, we allow ourselves to cry or feel happy towards the game of sports, and most importantly there is an unlimited amount of jobs out there with unlimited amounts of variety of what a sports enthusiast or manager can do.

[sc0tters]

Lucky Day | Luke Hughes

summary: the day is here, you are finally faced by Luke and with that you need to talk to him.

request: yes/no

warnings: swearing?

word count: 3.01k

authors note: I really tried to get this one out before the new year because I am in love with this whole concept! It is one of my favourites I swear and I think Jack and Quinn might be getting their bsf pairings too soon.

part one

The span of over eight months with no Luke was tough on you.

Everyone spoke about, from your professors to yours friends, even to the random girls on campus who thought they actually had a chance with him. But it’s not like you could fault the last group, you shared something in common.

Right before the summer started you called Dylan as you begged him for help, he might have been Luke’s friend first. Yet you were one person he always had a soft spot for.

You paced around your messy room as you waited for his arrival “y/n?” Dylan called out as he knocked on your door. Your eyes were red and your skin looked tired “could you give these to him for me?” The question was innocent and small as you sent him a smile praying he’d say yes.

Dylan would never mention it to you out of respect for his best friend but Luke was doing horribly too. He occupied himself so much with hockey that you only came into his mind when he was sleeping. The confides of the room you had never seen was where you would want him the most “are you sure you want to do this?” Dylan sighed seeing the box full of memories that you held with Luke.

From hoodies to pictures to birthday gifts, everything that held some kind of memory to you about Luke was in that box “Luke made it clear he doesn’t want me in his life anymore.” You blocked his number when he unfollowed you on instagram. It might have been petty but you were still processing the hurt you felt by him leaving without a mere mutter of a word.

The boy placed his hand on your shoulder as he tried to comfortingly rub it “I’ll make sure he gets the stuff.” He nodded letting out a sigh as he didn’t want to be the one to send that heartbreaking blow to Luke’s heart.

When you declined Jacks invite to the lake house it took everyone by surprise, they thought that something was off between you and Luke. Yet when you officially said that your presence would be found elsewhere it made everyone realise that the whatever went on between you and Luke was worse than anyone could have ever imagined. It worried the older Hughes boys by how Luke would grow numb at the mere mention of your name.

It was like you two had grown apart in worse ways than anyone could have predicted. The pains of watching each other seemingly thrive whilst you barely survived was killing you both. Luke didn’t know what to do when he stared at the box of stuff you sent with Dylan. Was he meant to reciprocate the action? Give you back everything he of yours that he had kept from the letters to the friendship bracelet you gave him when you were six?

What honestly felt worse was that Luke knew he made the right choice of pushing himself out of your life when he would ass the bright and happy updates from your Instagram feed. It held consistent images of you laughing with your girlfriends as you all seemed to become avid fans of football. Luke studied each image posted and in the middle of October he finally noticed it. In the fifth image of the carousel you were in a umich hockey jersey.

It felt like a personal soft launch that only the most attentive person would notice until you finally posted your Halloween special. The picture had you as a hockey player and Ethan as a Stanley Cup. What people lacked from the images alone was context, Ethan wanted you two to be a race car driver and their mechanic. Thus a bet ensued and you made sure you won.

Whilst your feelings towards Ethan hadn’t changed, he was your friend, your confidant. And honestly the one person you were able to full let your tears flow whenever someone reminded you of Luke. Because you had to learn the hard way that when Luke left, his spirit didn’t leave Michigan. Everywhere you would look the scars of old memories would come back to haunt you as when you listened hard enough sometimes you’d even hear the sound of his laughter. It would echo in your ears to the point where you would end up frozen and unable to talk to anyone.

The boys had to offer you a ticket to the Red Wings matchup with the Devils, they knew Luke would have been heartbroken if they didn’t. But that didn’t mean that they weren’t surprised when you said no making up the lousy excuse of wanting to spend the break with your mom who was in town. The thought of you not being at the game wasn’t something that even crossed his mind. Still when all of the seats he reserved were full and none of them were by you, it only added to the blow that was delivered by the shutout loss.

But of course life wasn’t going to be that easy for you to avoid him, and you were foolish to assume you could have gone the break without seeing him “stop fiddling with your dress.” Your mom mumbled as she elbowed you in an attempt to get you to listen “Will one of you get the door!” Ellen pleaded as she was in the kitchen.

The door swung open as Luke stood there looking at your both. He thought you would be there but after last night he refused to let his holes disappoint him “hey Luke.” Your mom smiled going to hug the boy as she gushed about how so much had changed since she last saw him “y/n don’t you have anything to say to him.” She noticed you remained silent as you almost didn’t believe that he was in front of you.

Luckily for you Jack ended up seeing you stood there and came to save you “missed you last night!” His voice broke your gaze as you turned your attention to the middle Hughes “wanted a quiet night.” You sighed opening your arms as Jack pulled you into a hug “a quiet night?” He repeated your words with a laugh “who are you and what you done with y/n.” As a kid no matter how hard people tried they could not get you to shut up so the idea of you and silence didn’t mix well for Jack. Luke stood there as he rolled his eyes not enjoying seeing you with his brother “there you are!” Ellen cheered as she saw your mom’s famous bread rolls in her hand. This caused the entire ground to move inside.

You hated how the next thirty minutes came with not a word from Luke, but you hated how you spent more of your time staring at him. You couldn’t help but notice how good his hair looked and even with sleep deprived eyes he was still clearly the hottest man to you “so y/n you got a boyfriend?” Jim’s words had your cheeks growing warm. It was as though you were a child who got caught in the middle of a crush that was correctly guessed “nobody for me.” You shook your head as you tucked your hair behind your ear.

Ellen had to admit that it surprised her how a pretty girl like you hadn’t found anyone during your time in university “not even Ethan.” Were the first words that Luke said to you the entire night. Of course your only response was the simple roll of your eyes as Quinn practically dragged his younger brother out of there “you promised you would behave.” Quinn swore he could have hit his brother.

Even as your stomach did knots you didn’t let your mind drift to Luke, even if his cologne was the only one your nose could pick up on as it differentiated the oak musk from the various other smells that came from a kitchen on thanksgiving “but I hear that you’ve applied for an internship with the Tigers!” Whilst you were never one for baseball, with a degree in sports science you were not in the position to complain.

Luke let his eyes go wide as the dream always went him playing in the NHL and you reporting on it “why didn’t you tell Luke, honey?” Your mom was quick to question as you never told her about what happened. Both you and Luke were smart enough to know that if you considered telling your moms about what went on then it would have been quashed in minutes. The two ladies never let you two fight and that was why not talking to Luke was such a shock to your system “wanted it to be a surprise.” You lied trying to avoid the hurt look that Luke sent you.

He knew it was stupid and that he shouldn’t have cared about what went on in your life anymore but still Luke wasn’t prepared for how it would feel losing you fully “say something you idiot.” Quinn grumbled into Luke’s ear as he elbowed his brothers rib cage trying to get him to talk “feel sorry for the Tigers.” His look was cold as he crossed his arms with a shrug.

Hurt plastered your face as you didn’t know how to react “Luke!” Ellen went to apologise but you cut her off “better than going to the devs.” It was now your mom’s turn to call you out “y/n!” Even Jack had an assumption that something happened between you both but he never truly knew it “at least I’m not in love with me.” Luke smirked as he raised his hand to his lips “oh wait but you are.” In that moment you swore the world stopped.

Your cheeks turned red as everyone stopped to stare at you “Ellen you have anything else that needs to go onto the table?” You chewed at your cheek praying that she’d hear your call “let me help you with it.” Quinn nodded as he sent you a sorry smile taking one of the plates that Ellen had pointed to.

As the two of you left the kitchen sounds of Ellen berating her son echoed off of the walls and you couldn’t help but let out a pent up sigh that you didn’t even know you were holding in “you like him?” Quinn broke the silence between you both as you placed your plate on the table “don’t know why I do.” A laugh left your lips as even after the conversations in the kitchen you still did.

No matter how hard you tried to deny it Luke was always going to hold this power over you “because he’s always been by your side and you love him.” Quinn was the older brother you always wanted as a kid because he could read you like the back of his hand “if I knew telling him would end like this I would have kept my mouth shut.” You sighed as you stared at the burning candle in front of you.

The way the ember illuminated your pupils as they doubled in size. It was ironic, the similarities between your attraction to Luke and a moth to a flame were stark “you don’t mean that.” Quinn mumbled as he pulled you into a hug feeling as though you needed it.

And of course he was right, you melted into his arms as his hand rubbed your back “I knew you wanted my friends but you’re going for my brother now too?” Luke’s voice sent a chill down your spine as you looked back to see the rest of the group now stood there “Luke Warren Hughes!” Ellen was taken aback by her son’s behaviour today “you know what I’ve had it with you!” You finally broke as you snapped.

Everyone kept quiet as they waited to hear what was going on “I could put up with you wanting space, leaving without a word.” Your voice cracked as you shook your head “I had to learn that you signed from Quinn and I still didn’t say shit.” Luke was silent as he looked like a kid who got caught “but now I’m done.” Your fingers raked through your hair as your chest grew tight.

Your hands began to shake “I might be in love with you but I certainly don’t fucking like you.” The words were cold as they cut deep into his heart “you know how hard it was losing your best friend because he doesn't have the balls to tell you know he feels?" Tears created a steady stream down your face as you sniffled.

You brought your hand to your cheek to wipe away the tears as you shook your head "Ellen this all looks lovely but I'm just gonna go." When Luke couldn't even respond to you, you couldn't help but let embarrassment lace your mind as you pushed passed him to leave.

Michigan was a state you knew well but now this street felt foreign as the occasional non-working street light made these spores of darkness that echoed the negative thoughts that filled your mind "stupid, stupid, stupid." You dropped your head as you stared at your dirty white Converse hightops with each step they took.

Back at the house, it seemed that everyone else was now taking their turns to pick on Luke "I did not raise you to treat women like that!" As Ellen and Jim continued to berate their son as it mixed in with your mom's scattered apologies when Jack could have had a lightbulb go off on top of him "how would I even talk to her?" Luke felt his chest grow tight as the realization of the severity of what went on hit him.

Jack's soft shuffles were heard as he went to the couch "give her this." Your cream coat was bunched in his hands and it signified as a whole lot more than just your coat, it gave Luke a lifeline. One that if he didn't take the whole house was sure that Ellen would disown him "are you gonna go or should I hit you first?" Ellen motioned to the coat as she clapped her hands together.

You found yourself sat on a bench at the end of the road as you realized that you didn't know where you were in the dark with no phone. Your head rested in your hands as you continued to cry, no longer caring who saw you "why couldn't Luke just go back to being my friend?" You sobbed at the sound of footsteps "maybe I didn't want that." Luke sighed as he placed your coat over your shoulders as he didn't want you to freeze "if you are here to-" You cringed as you shifted to the other side of the bench.

Luke took the opportunity to sit by your side "please let me talk." The hockey player cupped your cheek as he brushed your skin with his thumb "I'm sorry." The apology made you feel sick as you rolled your eyes "bit late for that." You mumbled letting out a sniffle as you needed more from him.

He couldn't help it as a smile formed on his face "when you told me you loved me I was scared." His confession made your eyes go wide "I have been in love with you since that day you punched Jack for getting gum in my hair." The memory of how Jack had a black eye for two weeks had a giggle leaving your lips "I didn't want to see a world where you weren't my friend." Luke sighed as his eyes never left yours.

You remained silent "sure it was stupid but I panicked when I thought about you no longer being my person." His words were soft as he had never told you about that "I wanted to come home and tell you about Jersey but they told me I had to fly out that night." Luke was going to tell you he loved you too but he knew it wasn't fair to watch him leave and expect you to be okay with it.

More than anything else in this world Luke just wanted you to jump into his arms "and then I blocked you." You reminded him of the petty action you took as a hurt teen who had her heart broken "but why act like that tonight?" You added as you leaned back against the bench "because I thought that you could maybe hate me and then you'd find someone who could make you happy." Luke's confession made your heart break as you sighed.

Your hand was soft against his thigh "Luke I have only ever wanted you." You blurted out as the boy grinned "now I know I don't deserve it but can I kiss you?" Your lips were plump under the moon light as your body was painfully close to his "please." You mumbled shutting your eyes as you turned your head to the side.

His lips were rough against yours as his hand gripped at the back of your head "if you guys are done I want to eat!" Jack's voice made you both pull away as you swore you were dreaming. But of course you weren't as both his family and your mom all sat in the car as they smiled at you two "guys I said I'd do it!" Luke groaned as he dropped his head against the crook of your neck "yeah because like we were going to trust you with that." Ellen smiled as she winked at you.

Thanksgiving that year was the night Luke asked you to be his girlfriend, four later he proposed and to top it all off on your sixth as a couple you welcomed your baby boy in this world. You liked to call them your three reasons to be thankful, because maybe this day wasn't so bad after all.

[hvneybxns]

(—) ★ spotted!! EVERLY BLACKWELL on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 42 year old looks like ANNE HATHWAY, but i don’t really see it. while the AGENT / MODEL is known for being WARM my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be MANIPULATIVE. i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song PAINT THE TOWN RED BY DOJA CAT { she/her - cisfemale}

everly had a very clear idea of how her life was going to go from the get go. she knew what she needed to do, how she needed to act, everything was planned and thought through. for a while it worked for her and she had the dream that she had always wanted for herself, even as a small girl. following her high school sweet heart to college, she cheered him on from the stands, following loyally to support at his games, at his shows, she was the picture of their future on her hand with the heavy ring he had got her and a beaming smile.

then one day, it her plan was gone. she had no jackson, no job, and whilst she had kept his name in the divorce her unfaithful husband had left her without a story to tell with his little nda and everything she thought she had ever known was gone as she watched jackson move on. for the first time in her adult life she had no plan and for the first time in eight years, she was alone. watching jackson move on so quickly was enough to throw her for six though, and with a limited amount of money to her name she threw herself at any man that came looking to pick up what the football star had put down. around hollywood she became known for dating questionable men for around 6 months before she would move on, never marrying or settling, she refused to link herself to someone that could let her down so easily ever again.

her real focus was modelling and breaking into that brand, an ambassador for a few smaller lines here and there, she got jobs to walk in shows, was paid to wear the right thing. but her divorce and then her messy dating life was, public and out there for the world to see, the role of ex-wife number one still her biggest known role to date.

it never seemed to matter how much she did though, the modelling was a steady gig but it was not enough to really cement her and stand out and by a stroke of luck, she ended up landing a gig as the nanny for the dupont family. a gig that was supposed to tie her to more people, get her name out there as a model, and it worked too. she was known more and more for the people that she she was associated with other than a sad ex wife but life wasn't done throwing twists and turns at her just yet when 14 year old felicity dupont announced she was done with her parents and would be seeking emancipiation and she wanted everly to go with her.

the plan to be a mother had always been there, and despite knowing it could ruin her, she couldn't leave this girl who looked at her like she was the only thing in the world and so in true everly fashion she threw everything she could into learning how to be the best damn agent the young teen could ask for, balancing being a mother and a manager where she could.

she is withdrawn to protect herself, blunt and hard working. everly doesn't have time to deal with people who feel like they're entitled and due to work for nothing in their life and even if her words don't speak her truth, her face will. having been unlucky in love, she plans on using IVR to have a baby by herself and sooner rather than later but first she has to make sure her first baby is back on the right track.