#It's why he reacts the way he does when Max acts like he is going to hit Travis

[be-side-my-self]

@durorholmes

Travis just keeping back and staying quiet like the obedient dog

Very true. Because...

They trained him well…

Which is why it's so much more impressive that he does not shoot Laura when they tell him to do so:

And it hurts him to do that:

Well trained indeed... and still he does not shoot her. (It also suggests that he has silver bullets in his pistol?)

We all know why most fanfictions with Travis as an important part are tagged with "former child abuse".

Anyway here is the reaction of Travis if you shoot Constance:

One thing I constantly think about is the fact that Travis has to know that Laura is infected because the last time he saw her she was missing an eye...

And they meet again and Laura has two:

I would have loved to see any real reaction about that from Travis but I guess that is just another thing the developers didn't get around to add.

Because the inner monologue had to be something like "Why the fuck is Laura here? Oh shit, she is bitten and she is in our house and she is the one who killed Kaylee and mom knows but they don't know she has been bitten and when will she change? What the fuck am I going to do? Oh shit..."

That would explain why Travis did not react any more than he did when Laura gets shot, because he knows she might get up again?

[slapintoaslimjim]

requited love

how the mha characters would react to finding out you also have feelings for them

includes: i.midoryia, k.bakugou, s.todoroki

a/n: this is part one, i'll be making part two with Kiri, kami, and sero soon :3

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

izuku midoryia

-found out by uraraka just randomly dropping in her sentences about how you always talk about him

-"yeah y/n mentions about you two hanging out to me a lot, she also called you cute!" "wait whAT?!"

-but, he doesn't want to jump to conclusions and make a fool out of himself in case if he's just reading into it too much

-cue him stressing himself out over it to the max

-because what do you mean the person he's crushed on since his first year at UA likes him back?! no she might not.. okay but she does because she talks to uraraka about their hang outs all time and called him cute!

-yeah, its an internal battle for a while

-i've mentioned in a previous drabble that he is the type to write a love letter. so yep! you guessed it!

-he's writing that letter for you

-BUT! before he gives it to you, he manages to get a somewhat concrete answer if you actually like him from uraraka

Katsuki Bakugou

-he already knew lol

-he's a highly observant person, and as your friendship grew he watched as the way you act with him is so different (to him) versus with your other friends

-its the way when he talks your full undivided attention is always on him, a soft smile on your face, too

-or when events happen around campus, your first instinct is to invite him with you

-or how you're constantly checking up on him and making sure he doesn't over do himself when training

-you didn't do this the first few months of the friendship, and it can be very easily overlooked by the others and it is but he notices these subtle things

-and when you two are hanging out alone, that tough, hard exterior that he had, crumbles

-you become his kryptonite, and he has a hard time for a while accepting the fact that he has feelings for you too, beyond platonic

-because why did that hug you gave him make his heart palpate? Mina is constantly hugging everyone, including him, and that never happens with her

-because yes, katsuki may struggle with his feelings. but he's not an idiot. he knows the difference between romantic and platonic

-and what he feels, he knows it's not platonic anymore

shoto todoroki

-he suspects it, but doesn't think too much of it at first

-he's dense, yeah. maybe bad with knowing and spotting romantic feelings. but, he does realize how you act with him

-because you're a bit more forward with your actions and words to him (because lets be honest, if you're not, he's not going to get the slightest hint)

-''awe the suit looks so good on you, sho! you look so cute!" "..huh..?"

-or your excuse to constantly be around be at some extent, always hugging him or wanting some sort of skinship with him

-which he slowly but surely opens up to the idea with you

-and izuku is the wingman for both of you; hearing both of your stories about each other and offering advice the best he can

-eventually izuku just blatantly tells him that you like the boy while he's talking to izuku since shoto is obviously conflicted

-"todoroki.. y/n does like you. you're not looking too deep into it" "........"

-time for him to steal his daddy's card and take you on that date he's been mentally planning

[love-byers]

i’m having byler doubt rn and i can’t stop thinking about mike already knowing that will’s gay and he might’ve realized that over the few months of will being away in between s3-s4

what if the “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” scene isn’t mike projecting but him sort of having a feeling that will likes him romantically. or mike hearing from el that will is painting for a girl he likes, and then he sees will holding a painting in the airport and realizes, that’s why he was being so awkward. and before someone says “mike saw the painting after the awkward hug with will”, what if he actually saw it the moment he walked closer to them and that’s why he pointed it out right away?

and the whole “that’s because she’s my girlfriend, will” “we’re friends. we’re friends” scene. what if he was trying to reject will without being obvious about it. i know he’s like canonically oblivious but what if he’s not?

this is me asking for reassurance/proofs that counters this because it’s bothering me sm 😭 i have some claims in my head that oppose to these but i guess it’s better to hear it from others

1. if mike was suspecting will was gay in the rain fight then he's being homophobic lmao

same dude that tried to fight a homophobe for talking bad about will takes a jab at will for being gay? what changed? why did mike become mildly homophobic between s1 and s3? bc he got a girlfriend? that's not a great message to send...

and like...come on. look at his face. he's heartbroken because will just said he used to want to spend the rest of his life with mike, but not anymore, because mike has made that out to sound outlandish and clearly doesn't want that. that should be further confirming to mike that will does have feelings for him, and he reacts like this?

and if he does suspect will has feeling for him, wtf is this?? 😭 why is he so giddy about will reaffirming what once made mike think will likes him??

2.

it seems like mike had pre planned how he was going to greet will, which was with a shoulder pat. "i can't hug him, that's weird, isn't it??" which would imply that mike thinks hugging will would be romantic....why? he hugs all his other friends normally with no hesitation. and how could he have figured out will liked him between s3 and s4 if he and will barely spoke? and if that's how he treats will when he thinks will might like him, then he's an asshole! 😭😭

and if mike suspected the painting was for him, he was noticeably upset after will said it wasn't for him

he doesn't seem very happy to have confirmation will doesn't have feelings for him 😭 and he went on to be pissy the whole day because will wasn't talking to him. why is he more worried about his platonic bro than his girlfriend?

like i just said, will not giving him the painting should ease all his worries that will has feelings for him. they're just friends. and then will goes on to ignore him all day. why would he still be in the mindset that will likes him during the rink o mania fight?

and we don't have to theorize what was going on with mike between s3 and s4 and at rink o mania. he tells us

"thanks by the way."

"for what?"

"for knocking some sense into me, i mean was being a total self pitying idiot."

during the rink o mania fight, will is knocking some sense into mike. he's saying will was right about everything.

"hey also, about the last few days--"

"you don't have to say anything. i was being a total jerk to el, i deserved it."

"no. no you didn't deserve anything. listen, the last year has been weird, you know?"

mike goes straight from his behavior towards will to how he felt during their time apart. so the two are connected, clearly, since mike is telling us

"i mean max and lucas and dustin, they're great, they're great, it's just...it's hawkins it's not the same without you. and i feel like maybe i was worrying too much about el...i don't know, maybe i feel like i lost you or something."

mike was acting that way because he desperately missed will and felt like will had left a hole in his life. home didn't feel like home anymore. he was torn up inside over it. and he worried that will wasn't reaching out because of how he'd treated will over the summer (ditching him to hang out with el), and that he'd lost will because of that. he's kicking himself, hating himself because he screwed it all up. and he thinks that at the same time he is torn up missing will, feeling all these big feelings about him, will is unbothered, off making new friends. not only does this make him feel like he's feeling too much for will, but he shifts the blame onto will (because he's a self pitying idiot). he feels like it's his own fault, so he projects onto will and makes it wills fault. he doesn't reach out because he thinks will has grown up and moved on like mike had been encouraging him to do all summer, and he doesn't want will to know about all these deep feelings he's having, like will has left a hole in his life, so he doesn't reach out either. he doesn't want to come off desperate. he begins questioning the nature of his feelings towards will, worrying that it's something more than just friendship. if will doesn't care, why does he? why does he care so much?? what's wrong with him??

so he goes on defense. he is not going to let will know how he's been feeling, he's going act aloof. he's going to act like he doesn't care. we are just friends. i don't feel anything more for you, will. see? i don't even want to hug you, i am very clearly your platonic bro. see, everyone? see, el? see, jonathan? i'm straight and he's my platonic bro friend. he's making a spectacle out of it, because grappling with internalized homophobia. he feels like he needs to prove that he's straight.

however mike is a dumbass and instead of realizing that he was way too in his own head. and considering that treating will that way might hurt his feelings, he just gets angry that will isn't treating him the same. will isn't talking to him. will is acting glum. why?? how does he have the audacity to act sad?? this is all his fault in the first place!! if he hadn't gone off and forgotten about me and made me feel this way then none of this would've happened!! he's got to be doing this on purpose!!

and then in the rink o mania fight, it ticks mike off even more because now will is acting like he did nothing wrong. and then:

"well what about us?"

"what?"

uh oh. this is what mike feared. us?? what about us?? there is no us, that's a romantic thing, and we're friends, totally just friends.

"you called maybe a couple of times. it's been a year, mike. meanwhile el has like a book of letters from you."

"that's because she's my girlfriend, will!"

if mike had sent will letters, it would've been gay...? why? actual straight guys don't have to go out of their way to not be gay💀💀

"and us?"

"we're friends! we're friends!"

mike takes this as will asking what the nature of their relationship is, because that's what mike had been doing the whole time they were apart. it was already fresh in his mind. he was being hypervigilant. but that backfires, because will wasn't questioning that. he merely misses their friendship, because will thinks that's all they'll ever be. if he can never have mike romantically, he at least wants to preserve their friendship.

will never questions the nature of their relationship. he thinks he's got it all figured out. he likes mike, but mike is straight, and that's how it'll always be. they will always be just friends. meanwhile mike is still being a disaster with internalized homophobia, questioning his own feelings and projecting it onto will. he's confused and scared and messy as fuck.

but will knocked some sense into him. will made him realize that all this defensiveness and projection was hurting them. will isn't playing with him, will isn't out to get him, will hasn't moved on from him. will still cares, and mike can just be honest with him. so he is, and that's how we get the talk in wills room. mike is honest and vulnerable and puts it out there that he just misses will and wants to be best friends and stick together. and at the end of the day that's all will wants too.

and also, about mike trying to reject will by saying we're friends, again that's a pretty aggressive and homophobic-ish way to do that don't you think? if mike has will all figured out why is he being an asshole?? most people who suspect a friend has feelings for them do not go on attack mode and shoot down every advance the friend makes, even if they're just platonic. that's the behavior of someone who is projecting

here are some other posts i've made about this topic:

here

here

here

here

here

stay strong my fellow byler warrior, this battle will be over soon

[sleyu]

all i everrrr think abt is post argument over something like reader being too close to a male friend and reader being oblivious to it, n ron being lowk a lil mean abt it but he ends up feeling badd w makeup sexxxx after & soft cuddly ronn

nooo because i just saw a tik tok about this exact scenario (it was the harry potter boys react to videos<3) where you wake up late for class, and ron, who’s already sitting in the classroom waiting for you, wondering where the actual hell you are, sees you walk in late with another boy who just so happened to be late as well.

buttttt we all know ron and how jealous he can get. his jealousy prevents him from abandoning any form of reason and he automatically becomes suspicious and assumes that there’s something going on between you and that guy. you sit down beside him and before you can even smile or say ‘hi,’ to your flushed boyfriend, he immediately pulls you close and whispers, ‘who the fuck was that and why’d you both come in late.’

actually, you’d be lucky if ron actually communicated his curiosity and jealousy, because the more likely scenario would be him brushing you off and rolling his eyes every time you’d speak to him. and you would be so confused :( you woke up late, didn’t get to have breakfast or kiss your boyfriend good morning, and now he’s being a big fat meanie ? the atmosphere in the room where the two of you would be together would be simply tense. ron would either glare at you, and when he relieved you of his scowling, he’d begin glower menacingly at the boy who walked with you to class.

he genuinely doesn’t care about the idea of it being a mere coincidence if he was already in a bad mood. he gets sooo possessive, especially when he gets regularly taunted by the slytherin’s for literally everything, but ever since the two of you began dating, he just feels extra threatened and is scared that someone is gonna steal you away :( the thought of some guy even being within 5m radius to you is enough to make his blood boil and his cheeks flush.

eventually, he gets soooo antsy that he corners you in an empty corridor and demands you to tell him who he was and why you would miss your daily walks to walk in with some other guy. what’s nice about ron is that it doesn’t take much to reassure him on the spot. all you really have to do his wrap your arms around his neck and stand on your tiptoes, emphasizing his height, and press a soft, loving kiss to his lips. your doe eyes, combined with a cute little pout on your lips, plus the slight tilt of your head in confusion is enough to have him apologizing for how he acted throughout the day :(

‘i’m sorry, love, it’s just—ah—i’m tense and—uh—i really missed you this morning,’ i’m sorry but he can’t communicate for shit so it’s better to just cut him off with a kiss and let him express his sorry to you physically.

hhh makeup sex with ron is so good because even after making up with him, even after all the apologies and reassuring, each thrust of his hips feels so territorial, as if he’s trying to engrave himself inside you, claiming you for himself. even though he whispers that he’s sorry and that he’ll try his best to control his feelings next time, you can still tell that the way he’s pounding into you is almost as if he’s trying to prove a point: that you’re no one else’s but his and that nothing in the world could take you away from him.

he’d groan in your ears, slow his pace to kiss you on the lips, ‘all mine, yeah? you’re all for me, y/n, aren’t you?’ HHHH

he hates himself for it, but he gets such a kick out of how small you look and how big you make him feel as he’s fucking you. your mewls, the way your eyebrows furrow, as if you’re almost overwhelmed by his size and each rut boosts his ego to the max and only makes him want to fuck you harder :( you just looks so pretty and ronald weasley is a firm believer in the fact that pretty girls deserved to get fucked well !

and you best believe, he’s leaving hickeys all over you. maybe not in places where other people can see (despite however much he wants to show the world that your his, he knows he’ll never hear the end of it if the twins or anyone else caught sight of the marks he left on you), but all over your breasts and inner thighs. it gets him going that he’s the only one who will ever get to leave marks in those places.

and let’s not forget his big finale. you best believe that after some good makeup sex, he is definitely cumming inside you. ron’s breeding kink is something we can discuss next time, but seeing his cum drip out of your abused, swollen cunt is the icing on the cake for him. as said in my previous ron fic, it completely solidifies and affirms the fact that he’s the only one who will ever be able to do that, and in years time, he dreams of getting you pregnant with his children to show the world that you’re his forever </3

[httpsserene]

𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞'𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐬 (𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠!) - 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐜.

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: maybe this time, the natural distance between them concerning their now different job requirements would help max get over his small, miniscule, tiny, fractional, microscopic, miniature, little, itty-bitty crush on daniel. it didn’t work the first time, when younger-max had avoided his ex-teammate like the plague after his move to a different team—if anything that absence made his heart ache for daniel more, even though he tried his hardest to hate him. so now, maybe that max isn’t the one causing the growing gap between him and daniel, this space might dissolve max’s fondness. 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 18+ only. idiots in love. mild angst. fluff. happy ending. attempt at humor. plot with a side of porn. the timeline is mostly accurate. max verstappen is an oblivious idiot. daniel ricciardo is an obvious idiot. 5+1 things (in a way). the three musketeers: charles, pierre, and lando. light praise kink. light dom/sub undertones. mild orgasm delay/denial. 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 9.5k 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: max verstappen x daniel ricciardo

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲: so....how's life been treating y'all while i disappeared for two months :) ? no, um, sorry for ghosting you guys; i know, i'm surprised that i didn't forget my login info. life started being life for a good amount of time and i got really sucked into school and work. aside from the boring everyday stuff, i've got an internship this summer (yay!), i'm pretty sure i have a bit of a mutual-crush with this boy in my morning lecture, and i've started playing final fantasy sixteen.

anyways, this is my longest work ever! and i'm dedicating it to one of my sweetest betas, bianca. you requested this long before my disappearing act in december, and i told you i was nearly finished with a 6k-word fic for your request. to make up for my unexplained absence, i rewrote the entire thing into a near ten-thousand word feel-good masterpiece.

i hope this fic is of good enough quality for all of you wonderful f1-stans to forgive me because, i'm back, and hopefuily here to stay lol. enjoy reading, loves &lt; 3.

requested & written by/for @biancathecool

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milton keynes, red bull racing headquarters, pre-season 2023

daniel looks happy. max doesn’t know why that surprises him—maybe he’s projecting his emotions (his therapist says he does that quite often) onto the man. the surprise makes sense though, max thinks, as he watches the australian chatter away with the engineers, the largest toothy smile spread across his face like he never left red bull behind in 2018. if it were max who had gone through the mclaren bullshit along with not having a guaranteed seat for the upcoming 2023 season, and he had to settle for a third driver position: he would scourge the world with his fury.

but: it’s not max, it’s daniel. it’s daniel, who was warmly welcomed back into navy blue (papaya did not suit him), it’s daniel, who doesn’t snap at the marketing team when they ask how he’s “coping” with not being on the grid. it’s daniel, who becomes friends with checo easily. it’s daniel, who’s scheduled to fulfill the pr activities that the two red bull drivers refuse to complete. it’s daniel, who has clocked in insane hours in the sim and factory while max has been enjoying his off-season. 

it’s daniel, who hasn’t shown any signs of disappointment about not having a seat this year.

if he won’t show or admit it, max will. having a race weekend without daniel doesn’t feel right. max knows this, even though the season hasn’t started yet: he’s going to be miserable. it’s like when daniel left him the team. of course, max had pushed daniel away after he signed with renault. what was he supposed to do? react calmly with the emotional intelligence he didn’t have? max thought the man hated him when he didn’t tell him that he was leaving before the news was released. 

regardless, instead of the australian leaving, this time around he’s coming back, which max had originally believed was the best thing to ever happen. he’s not so sure of that anymore. daniel belongs in the car chasing him with the smell of burning rubber and petrol surrounding them. max doesn’t appreciate how the smell of race tracks has already disappeared from him. he could tell it was missing when daniel made a show of giving max the biggest hug as soon as he stepped foot in the factory.

maybe this time, the natural distance between them concerning their now different job requirements would help max get over his small, miniscule, tiny, fractional, microscopic, miniature, little, itty-bitty crush on daniel. it didn’t work the first time, when younger-max had avoided his ex-teammate like the plague after his move to a different team—if anything that absence made his heart ache for daniel more, even though he tried his hardest to hate him. so now, maybe that max isn’t the one causing the growing gap between him and daniel, this space might dissolve max’s fondness.

“max, kid,” christian waves a hand in front of max’s face with an unimpressed look, “did you hear a single thing i said or were you too distracted by the sight of daniel in red bull gear again?”

the tips of max’s ears redden, and he snaps his head away from where it was turned to watch daniel’s constant smile, to face his team principal. max doesn’t know what he was thinking; his crush is going nowhere.

𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐎𝟑.

taglist: @saintslewis @cherry2stems @lorarri @inloveallthetime @mindless-rock @biancathecool @barnestatic @my-ylenia @katekipshidze @darleneslane @lovingaphroditesworld @smoothopz @vetteltea @tallrock35

© httpsserene 2023

[that-one-unhinged-dadvid-blog]

Max's expression when he and David have that scene in the rain are really interesting to think about.

So, this was right after he did the whole, "People suck, the world is full of assholes, I wasn't loved as a child so now I'm evil and don't go to bed on time" yada, yada, yada. You get it. You can instantly see that he's smug. This could be due to the fact that David didn't respond, therefore in Max's mind he "won" This whole season he wanted to "break" David. According to him he wanted David to see that his idealistic worldview was wrong so he would "cry himself to sleep like the rest of us" Yeahhhh our boy isn't ok...the fact that a 10 year old said this is insane. So maybe he thoughts that he finally broke him and did what he wanted. But then look at his face when David admits that he's right about nobody caring.

He's confused, he probably just thought that David wouldn't respond, leaving David alone to think about his worldview, but instead David agreed with him and we can tell by Max's face that this wasn't apart of the plan. He just wanted to tell David that he's wrong and get it over with, but then David agrees with him, and is far from the usual cheerful counselor we normally see him as. This intrigued Max, which seemed to be why he stayed.

Now let's look at his face after David's awesome but heartbreaking line "That's why I'll never stop trying. Because somebody fucking has to."

The guilt is clear on his face. I think this is where Max finally noticed the effect he had on David. While Max wasn't entirely responsible for David snapping here, It'd be foolish to think that he didn't play a part in it. We know that while David tends to act unaffected by Max's comments, he cries over them when he's alone

"I'm so happy you're here, I'll only cry for 2 hours over that comment later!"

He's probably confused, this is what he thought he wanted. David finally broke and admitted that Max was right, and that nobody besides him cares, so why does he feel so guilty? Isn't this what he wanted?

Then he reaches out for David, we don't know what for. He could've been trying to apologize, make the whole speech he gave sound less harsh, or maybe comfort David in his own weird way. I mean, Max isn't really good at comforting people, since he never had any friends before Camp Campbell, so he never had to comfort anyone. And his parents are emotionally neglectful, so it's not like he had any example to go off of, especially since this was before David comforted Max in Parent's Day, so he had no healthy example of how to comfort others. But he still wants to try to comfort David in one way. Showing how guilty he really feels. But David instantly shut him down, probably too emotionally exhausted to hear from Max right now. Which, while it may seem harsh, it's kinda hard to blame him. He also cuts Max off because he still cares about him. "Go back to your tent Max, you'll just catch a cold."

I'm tempted to gush about how sweet it is that David still cares about Max even when he's at one of his lowest points butttt that's a post for another time. This post in about Max, but look at his reaction when David cuts him off.

He flinches...I wouldn't be surprised if Max's parents were not only emotionally neglectful, but emotionally abusive as well. Seeing how he reacts to an adult cutting him off, he definitely associates adults cutting him off with negative experiences, even if it's subconscious. This is one of the few times we see Max actually afraid, even though David just wanted him to go in a tent so he doesn't get a cold...fuck, Max's parents really did a number on him

Now let's look at the next time we see Max genuinely afraid which is right after this when the logs fall on David cause the show can't just give David a break ig

He's terrified...this may seem like an average human reaction, but this is Max we're talking about. He straight up tried to kill David in episode 2 of this season (Although this might've just been a gag, and not something we're meant to take seriously) but here, he tried to reach out for David, then right after this he got help and convinced everyone to do the campfire. Then yelled "Don't look too deeply into this!" when David found out, he still cares about David but doesn't want to admit it, due to a fear of him having something more than just friends to say goodbye to when he leaves Camp Campbell. But also having to say bye to the only father figure he ever had in his life, so he puts up so many walls when it comes to David in particular my poor baby boy

[i-yap]

omg you are also south indian!!!! i find it really hard to find south indians on here, could you do the batboys reacting to reader wearing traditionally indian clothing for a wedding they are attending???

Im north Indian with a little spanish in me shifting to NY actually but yea the indian dc fanfic community is smaller. I love the idea of a traditional indian s/o with Jason particularly. Dick with someone spanish , tim with an African American, Damian with caucasion and bruce with someone asian. Idk why Thats just How I imagine it. Its in no way a canon to their character or a generalization of people from a culture but the cultures ,and norms and values of these cultures really suit the batboys. Hope this isn't offensive. So Im just going to do batboys x reader in a family event .

Batboys(tim, dick, jason , bruce)x y/n - At a family event

Dick Grayson

is also dressed in your cultural's traditional clothes. Dick has traveled all over the world and he likes seeing you in your traditional clothes. Being comfortable in your traditional wear, being in "your element" . He charms up all your family members, no-one even calls him the white boyfriend anymore . The women also hit on him( of all age groups srsly) He is part of the family by the end( or within 5 mins) of the night . Dont be surprised when you find him and your family laughing about what jokes your parents are going to make at your wedding. He isn't even nervous before going. He is a real charmer and you couldn't be prouder.

Jason todd

doesnt want to go. Really thinks your family wont like him and they probably wont the first time they meet him. Will still wear his leather jacket but at least he wore a white shirt and clean jeans? He even agreed to take the car rather then the bike. Will stop complaining the moment he sees you in your element. Like goddess pro max what even , so ethereal ,the world is shaking . Staring dialed up to 100/10 . plus his complaining was never serious to start with. He wants you to have a family, be connected to your background,. Its just one of the things that make you you and he wont change a single hair on you. Will probably get insecure ( I get set up or marriage proposal talks when I go to family functions - just indian girl things I hate it tbh. And I've noticed its a thing in a lot of cultures) because he'll think that you deserve that traditional life with people who 'get you" but no one will ever get you the way he does and you just need to remind him of that. He is a bit broody , tall and just kind of sticks by you . The men and boys of the group are probably fascinated by him so as the night goes he starts getting more comfortable around them. The kids lowkey like him a lot so its cute and you may get baby fever. And the older women of the group are poking at him( why the jacket? whats with that scar) and you'll have to rescue him. He'll do it all over for you though.

Tim drake-

time to put on that practiced facade. He is used to putting on a fake winning smile at those galas so imagine his surprise when his old tricks don't work at your family function. Personal space? privacy?? fake formalities?? don't exist. Bonus points if it isn't a fake rich family. But he gets to see you In a pretty clothes and he is simping, teasing you on how you look like a real girl now(but he lowkey prefers you in the geeky shirts you guys share) . he did research so like ask him the They are still very impressed by your respectful young man ( who is super rich and smart). He gets by tbh, a bit shy because he is just so not used to all this. But keep him near you, show him how to dance properly and get a few drinks in him and its a party. He loves it, your family loves him and your cousins are now his besties (don't ask when that happened). He loves having a family and it just leaves him with wonder. He is in awe of this and so grateful that you let him into your life.

Bruce wayne

does a lot of research . He knows exactly how to act, what to say and what to do. A bit cold and aloof . Still surprised by the whole chaos . But unlike tim he keeps his cool. your family is impressed by you "bagging" the rich billionaire boyfriend. If this is batman with robins ver then they are worried about the huge amount of kids he adopted and what that means for you. So uh..just mention the billion again? They ask really personal questions but bruce prepared and is so ready for it. He loves seeing you in your traditional clothes, probably encourages you to wear them casually too. As if anyone can stop you, go to galas in traditional clothes or just wear home traditional in the mansion. Over all he loves getting a peak into your life and what experiences shaped you to be the woman he loves so dearly now.

If there's anything offensive about this let me know and I will change the content or even delete the whole thing. Ive based it a little of the four different cultured families I have and the common stuff I've noticed in all of them. But I've tried keeping it as general as possible tbh. So I'm sorry if this is offending anyone.

[milevenstancyendgame]

In Defense Of Mike

Sometimes antis inspire you to write meta - I don't know why, but today I feel like going through these Mike accusations that someone left on my Eleven post, lol:

No one talks shit about my boy Mike on my post.😎

-"And not to make this about shipping because El is her own person and should be discussed outside of ships, BUT" - goes on long ass shipping discourse.

You nailed it right there, buddy.😂

-"Mike babies her throughout their relationship":

I think it's so funny that those who are on the fence shouting about El needing to break up with Mike, to be independent, are doing exactly what they accuse Mike of doing (gaslight much?). You're willfully ignoring her love for Mike, which is canonical, projecting your own dislike of him onto her, like you know what's best for her. You're babying her.

So when does he baby her? I can't think of any time, but since you also said that he's protective and "El wants to be trusted and supported", I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're talking about SOME scenes between El and Mike in s3.

I think it's funny that antis wave Mike's protectiveness over El in s3 as though it was some big red flag.

Like, ya'll act as though he wanted to lock her up in the cabin. Oh wait, that was Hopper in s2, actually. I don't see you hating on Hopper though, even though he's an adult.

Mike is worried and traumatised from losing El several times before. Yes, he doesn't know how to deal with this, but like you keep saying, El is her own person and should be respected as such.

So what does El do? She shows that she doesn't like it, and in an intimate moment away from the over-the-top comedy of s3, she tells him "I need you to trust me".

And how does Mike react? Did you actually watch that? Because it doesn't sound like it. He ACCEPTS what she says IMMEDIATELY, even gives Max an acknowledging glance, and backs off, letting her do her thing.

Like this right there. That's growth.

And that's him doing exactly what you say El needs - that's trusting, supportive, and letting her decide for herself. Which, by the way, he has been doing the whole time and continues to do.

He apologies to her and shows that he has been self-reflecting, and is overly hard on himself. He's aware that he was jealous and that he doesn't know how to deal with his strong love for El.

That's healthy and wholesome, and also huge for a 14-year old emotionally neglected boy, who has no blueprint for a healthy romantic relationship.

But no, you don't want to see this. Nor anything else, apparently. Just literally this ONE DAY on which he was overwhelmed and worrying about El. And you interpret that as "babies her throughout their relationship". That is…wild.

-"Mike puts El on a pedestal" & "Mike never compliments El's personality" :

Wow, this feels like the most unjust accusation of all. You interpret him thinking and telling her she's a superhero as putting her on a pedestal?

First of all, how can you do that, when you just said that he babies her throughout.😆 It almost seems like your various views about him are incompatible...maybe because they're not founded on reality...👀

He's the one who constantly reminds everyone else that El is not a machine, that she has limits, that she has human needs...seriously, have you watched the show? S1? When everyone saw her as a problem or a weirdo or a traitor or a monster or a criminal or a science experiment....and he was the one who treated her for what she was - a scared, friendless child in danger. An equal. A friend.

How come you're not hating on Dustin and Lucas? Maybe you're able to see how they changed? Or Max, because she's in awe of El in s2 and in s3 is 100%ly confident that she will be able to defeat the monster on her own? Maybe you're able to see that she had a normal reaction to finding out about someone's super powers and that she simply was mistaken? Or Steve, because he refers to her as "this girl with superpowers that we usually rely on"? Maybe you're able to see that this didn't reflect any dehumanising on his part?

Oh, but Mike is different of course.🙄

Mike never treats El as anything else but his equal. If he actually put her on a pedestal, he'd constantly be like: "Oh, but I'm sure El can fix it!" for every problem they have, and he'd be disappointed and shocked to witness her humanity - her flaws, her needs, her imperfections.

Well, he doesn't. On the contrary, he tries to provide for her every need, reminding others of them, is worried about her overexerting herself (which you hated on a moment ago, but now strangely seem to have forgotten), and never pushes her to fight for them. He's also always the one who wants to provide a back-up for her, to not let her fight alone or do everything for them (like in the caves in s2, or in s3 when they try to overturn the car in the mall).

Okay, and my personal favourite: "He also does this with Dustin and Will" So I'm guessing you're referring to Mike telling Dustin in s1 that his cleidocranial dysplasia is like a superpower, after being bullied; and in s2, when he tells Will he's like a super-spy now. And of course telling El that she's a superhero.

And you think this is bad????????

😳

Sorry, I just....HOW? He's literally reassuring Dustin that he not only accepts him as he is, but that his difference is cool, he compares him to the coolest people they know and admire, the super heroes from comics. He's trying to cheer him up after he got humiliated for being different. I mean...I guess if he had given him a hug, you would have found a way to interpret that as bad.😬

And the same with Will - he sees that his friend is barely keeping it together, he's rightly panicking, because he's possessed by an interdimensional monster, but Mike finds a way to distract him, invite his mind to see things in a different way that actually EMPOWERS him, reassuring him that they won't let the monster spy back, and again, this is bad, because?

Or do you mean it's only bad when he does it with El?😂 Because it's the same thing. He's trying to reassure her that she's not a monster, that he loves her.

And once again - when she shows in s4 that she doesn't like something he's doing (not saying "I love you"), he accepts that, he feels bad, and tries to give her exactly what she asked for at the next opportunity!

Apparently you didn't see that either.

And "he never compliments her personality". How many hoops do you want him to jump through?🤣

Mike shows that he loves and respects El all the time, he doesn't need to say "You have an awesome personality." for El to feel that. And she never expressed any need for that. Does Hopper compliment Joyce's personality to her face? Did Joyce do that for Hopper? Did Nancy do that for Steve or Jonathan or vice versa? Did Max say that to Lucas? I guess Lucas is the only one who really loves his partner, because he did that once.🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Oh, and of course, the whole monologue at the end of s4 doesn't count, because. "I love you on your good days, I love you on your bad days, I love you without your powers, I love you with your powers...I love you exactly for who you are."

That's somehow not valid, hm?

Mike can't win in your eyes, because you don't want him to. This is called scapegoating, btw.

Lastly, it's strange that you have a reference to him in your username, when you clearly think he's so horrible and accuse him of all this...together with a reference to Will...hmm...how mysterious....🙄🙄🙄 Almost like you had double standards for a certain agenda.🤔

*Drops mic*

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

I've thought about the contradictions between Abstinence Camp and NPMD a lot, specifically with Pete, and I think I kind of love them??? I don't know how intentional this was, and I honestly don't care, but think about it- Pete is confident in himself and his ability, but he struggles with the difference between how he sees himself vs how others see him. He's got some identity issues, that's normal, but they don't show up at all in Abstinence Camp, there's not even a hint of trepidation in his friendship with Steph. The only time he even mentions being a loser is when he thinks it might negatively affect Steph's reputation, but that's concern for her, not himself.

The main thing that got me was the motivation change with his outfit. In Abstinence Camp he says that he wears the classic nerd look on the advice of his cool older brother, committing to an aesthetic. In NPMD he says that the outfit is specifically designed to prevent as much harassment as possible. Those two things didn't really click in my head until the thought popped up- what if he's just lying? Camp Idontwannabang has a strict social hierarchy for sure, but it's one that Pete doesn't have any reason to care about. You show up for the summer, you do the dumb activities, you have a bad time for a few months, you go home. There isn't a Max at Camp Idontwannabang. Sure, there's the Axe-Man, but he's just a scary story, the Boogeyman to blame when kids go missing in the woods. All he does, hypothetically, is kill you. Very bad, but he doesn't follow you home, drag you through the dirt, humiliate you for years on end, frighten everyone else into leaving you behind. So when Steph asks about the bow tie, why would he say the truth? Why would he drag all that baggage into a place where he is finally separated from it? Yeah. I wear it because I like to wear it. I make the choice to wear these things this way. I want to stick with this look. I feel cool.

He's been beat down since the fourth grade, not just by direct attacks on him, but by the attacks on people around him. Every choice he makes is in direct response to how Max has reacted to a similar choice in the past. The whole reason he wears a bow tie is to avoid what happened to Travis Colson. His most iconic fashion choice isn't really his own. It's a defensive reaction. All the nerds at Hatchetfield High are basically living in survival mode. The threat isn't just not being accepted, or being challenged by mean kids, the threat is getting the shit kicked out of you. The threat is being harassed and humiliated so badly and so constantly that you have to literally change your home address.

One of my favorite NPMD scenes is the scene at Pasquale's parking lot, because this might be the first piece of media I've ever seen that actually understands why people don't "stand up" to bullies. Sometimes when someone wants to hurt you, they will just do it. Max doesn't need a reason to hurt people. He just wants to, and he doesn't see any reason not to. Pete tries to establish himself, hoping that Max is putting up a front, hiding behind a tough façade. And he might be. But that doesn't stop him from beating Pete until his fists bruise over.

Pete isn't just hyping himself up or trying to act confident in front of a cool girl. Pete is reclaiming his autonomy. Because he doesn't get to make decisions for himself at school, it's all a futile effort to keep out of Max's line of sight. But anywhere else he gets to decide why he does things. And I just think that's neat.

[kateofthecanals]

A Little Ditty About Jack and bi-Anne...

Welp, it's been nearly a decade since I discovered my last big ship hyperfixation -- shoutout to my aunt for texting my mom and me and telling us we HAVE to watch "Black Sails" on Netflix. So we did and WHOOPS, new OTP! And of course, as always with my OTPs, it's a ship that comes with some controversy. It just wouldn't be a ship of mine if there weren't some other, annoying competing ship that I constantly have to side-step in fandom spaces like a freaking minefield. What sets this one apart from those other ships, though, is the not insignificant number of posts I see from people claiming to be JackAnne shippers but who say things like "I love them they're just such good friends!" or calling them "platonic" or closing their eyes to ANY romantic aspects of their relationship. To which I have to say... well, A LOT.

For starters, I need to point out a very telling moment from the very first episode of the series. Jack and Anne are hanging out at the inn on Nassau when Max slinks over and sits on Jack's lap. Anne immediately reacts out of jealousy, rising from her seat and grabbing for her daggers, but Jack holds her off. (Max is not soliciting Jack for sex; she is trying to sell him the schedule that John Silver stole.) This seems to make it very clear that one of both of them considers themselves an exclusive couple. Apparently, Jack is not even allowed to partake in meaningless sex with the many prostitutes that populate the island! But that seems just fine with him, because, throughout the entire 4 seasons of this series, we never once see him even come close to hooking up with someone else. Like, he does not even entertain the notion. Even when he and Anne are on a "break" at the beginning of Season 3 when she is shacking up with Max, Jack has every opportunity to find himself another lover too, but he doesn't. The closest he gets is employing a prostitute to play cello for him while he takes a shit, lol. We later learn that Anne met Jack when she was 13; she's about 25 or so during the show, so they have been together for at least a decade (when they actually became lovers, though, is not clear). So, the fact that they are apparently in some form of a long-term monogamous relationship at the start of the series is a very important detail to keep in mind.

Now, my hot take (which I'll probably get hate mail for) is that Anne either (a) had always been openly attracted to women but never bothered to act on it out of her duty & loyalty to Jack, or (b) wasn't particularly interested in women at all prior to Max. Either way, I do not think Anne was "repressed" or anything and needed Max to, like, coax it out of her, because I don't think it was about that at all. It is clear that Max's particular gift of persuasion and seduction, coupled with their shared trauma and Anne's increasing need for intimacy and connection (which she was obviously lacking with Jack) is what led to their affair.

It's essential to look at Anne's arc through the lens of her backstory in order to properly contextualize it. She was a child bride, physically and sexually abused, with no real power until Jack gave it to her by killing her husband. (Note how she knows how to properly and gently administer the anti-pregnancy treatment to Max -- something she no doubt learned to do during her marriage.) It perfectly explains why Anne was so upset by Max's treatment on the beach and her willingness to go to such extreme lengths to free her. Even Jack -- who Anne insists would have backed her up even if he had known about it -- does not quite understand the effect the situation had on Anne. He outright says this, but is also still a bit dismissive of it. In fact, we frequently see Jack be quite insensitive toward Anne's feelings throughout Season 1. (Though, tbf, Anne herself is a bit inconsistent here -- she admonishes Jack for calling Max "the whore" but she herself refers to her as much... even after they started sleeping together!)

And this kicks off an increasing pattern of Jack seemingly becoming more and more dismissive of Anne on the whole. He stops including in her plans, and he is unable to remain aroused while having sex with Anne. She's angry, frustrated, and feeling unseen. Then there is Max, who is aggressively pursuing her. (There is a conversation to be had about the optics of Max's constant disrespecting of Anne's wishes to be left the fuck alone if she were a man but we won't go there now...) She not only offers Anne fulfilling sex but also something else that has been missing in her life -- intimacy. It's worth noting here that every sexual encounter between Jack and Anne that's on-camera is initiated by Anne. (Yes, even the tied-to-the-bed one, because she's topping and she's frustrated by his lack of interest, so it was most likely her idea.) This isn't someone who's, like, just laying back and thinking of England out of some sense of duty, like she probably did with her husband and his friends. She has an appetite and Jack is a willing participant. However, despite their love for and devotion to each other, it apparently kind of stops there. So it's no surprise that Anne finally gives in to Max. But when she finally does show up to Max's door, she looks like this:

This is not the face of someone who's anxious to start an affair. This is not the face of someone anticipating some world-changing discovery about herself. This is a face of... shame. This is the face of someone who knows they are about to betray someone else. Tbh if someone showed up to my door for a booty call looking like that, I'd tell them to just go back home.

But to Anne's surprise, Jack is... well, not exactly okay with it, but he accepts it, because it's clearly something Anne needs -- an itch she needs to scratch, as he puts it. And he's willing to give her that space rather than lose her completely. (Though Anne probably has mixed feelings about this too -- on the one hand relieved that Jack is accepting of it, but also partly wishing he would fight a little harder for her, that he didn't fly into a jealous rage... We all wanna be fought for, right?)

So Max opens up this whole new world for Anne, one where fucking can be something MORE. And whattyaknow, she wants to share this with Jack! Just because she is with Max doesn't mean she still doesn't want to be with Jack too. She could not be any more clear (save for actually SAYING so) that she wants to share this intimacy with him. The point is even driven home after their first threesome, when it's with JACK that she is doing her post-coital cuddling. Like DUDE she is trying to tell you something, PAY ATTENTION!

Just a coupla bros snuggling after sex ☺️

Meanwhile, Max is coming to the very swift conclusion that she will never truly have Anne all to herself, so she tries to further drive a wedge between them by initiating a little "moment" with Jack during another one of their trysts. This after Anne had told Jack that she's aware Max is probably playing her, so she needs Jack close by to make sure Max does not succeed in driving a wedge between them.

Anne: "I need you to watch my back in there, Jack."

Jack: "SAY LESS."

The ultimate wingman 👍

We also see Jack putting 2 and 2 together when he hears Max explaining to Idelle the difference between fucking and seducing (though he doesn't seem to take this hint for HIMSELF... sigh). So now another strike against Jack -- actually engaging with Max while in bed with her and Anne.

The NERVE!!!

Then comes the straw that breaks the camel's back... the ultimate betrayal. When Jack's new crew gives him an ultimatum between Anne and Max, he chooses Max (for business and financial reasons). This sends Anne into a spiral. She even tries to join another crew but they tell her that if even Jack Rackham doesn't want her any more, why would they? She then has a full-on mental breakdown. She murders two innocent people (one of which is a member of Captain Flint's crew) and instead of trying to flee, she stays at the scene of he crime and waits to be discovered, and face the inevitable consequence -- her own death. Luckily, Max finds her and tries to help her, and it's here that we (and Max) learn Anne's backstory. Anne laments that she doesn't know who she is without Jack and wonders who she could have been if they had never met, if she could have found a way to save herself instead. Then Max gives her an oversized dress to wear and Anne basically reverts to her previous self before she met Jack -- a scared little girl silently following a strange man into the bedroom. Freaking heartbreaking!!!

But Max affords Anne an opportunity to exist and operate outside of Jack by giving her a little spy assignment in another port. It's the longest period of time and furthest she has ever been separated from Jack and it gives her time to put things in perspective. She even at one point considers just taking off on her own somewhere entirely. But ultimately she decides to return to Nassau and to Jack, telling him that it was an impossible choice he was given. The way his eyes are all glassy and his voice cracks when they are reunited UGH....

He wants SO BAD to hear Anne say that she came back to be with him (and possibly make it official?) and even presses her about it the next day. Thus comes Anne's infamous "I can't be your wife" line, which always makes me 🤨 because uhhhhh you WERE his wife, gurl lmao. But in the context of everything that just happened, it makes sense -- she wants/needs an identity outside of Jack. However she still wants to be by his side until the day they die. Kind of the king of mixed messages there...

The tear!!! 😭

Following this, Anne enters her "Have Your Cake and Eat It Too" Era. She wants to continue her affair with Max, but she also wants to keep Jack near… ish. After returning to Nassau, she even moves out of Jack's room and into Max's(!!?). The threesome is over. She completely takes for granted that Jack will just always be there when or if things go sideways with Max (and lbr she’s right; he would 100% take her back no questions asked.) Jack complains that he barely even sees Anne anymore but he just has to suck it up and take it, even when it's being constantly rubbed in his face. Even so, it's never far from Max's mind that eventually Anne is going to have to choose between her and Jack and she will inevitably be left out in the cold. She even tells Jack this, even though he has his doubts. Anne resists the idea of breaking things off, but Max soon convinces her that they might as well call it sooner rather than later. And after all that initial hemmin' and hawin' and whimperin', Anne moves on pretty quick. Jack left her out of ONE sailing expedition and she became SUICIDAL, but she breaks up with Max, whom she is supposedly in love with, and she's sad for like a day, lol. Just sayin...

So now Jack and Anne are officially back together and making a clean break from Nassau to start a new life somewhere else with their cache of jewels. But of course, Jack being Jack, he's like "on second thought nah Imma go back get myself a pardon so I don't have to change my name brb!" He's obviously arrested immediately, setting off a whole insane chain of events that the entire rest of the series hinges on. (istg Jack is the Peter Quill of "Black Sails" lmao)

Now here is when Anne's declaration about not being Jack's "wife" enters shaky ground. This is also a good time to address the term "partner". This is a word bandied about and bounced around between several characters and dynamics throughout the course of the series, usually in reference to a financial or business alliance. Jack and Anne are frequently referred to as partners too, but when it comes to them, the term takes on a whole other more nuanced and deeper (and some might even say co-dependent) meaning. They are partners in every conceivable sense of the word -- they are partners in piracy, they are partners in companionship, they are partners in the bedroom, and they are partners in life. What is Jack's is also Anne's and vice versa. Any conversation about their futures is always intertwined with each other. After being captured by Woodes Rogers, Jack basically refers to Anne as his "wife" when positing a hypothetical scenario to Rogers in which their predicaments are switched. Meanwhile, Anne tells Flint that, in their plan to rescue Jack and recover the cache, Jack means more than the money or Flint's war, because "what I got to lose ain't so easy to recover from." So, you know, she can sit there and SAY she can't be his wife, but lbr.... SHE IS.

This point is driven home when she discovers Jack still alive in the wreckage of the carriage, she scrambles breathlessly inside, grabs him, and plants the biggest damn kiss on his lips. Yeaaahhhh Max WHOMST? ;-)

Just a coupla bros high-fiving… with their mouths ☺️👊

Now, it’s conceivable, though perhaps unlikely, that this is the first time Jack’s ever had a real brush with death, or the first time Anne has faced such a situation. Either way, things seemed to have changed from this point on. Because this is the first time we've seen them kiss! Again, unlikely they've never kissed before but this is the first time WE have seen it, so it must be significant... right?

So what changed? My best guess is that, with Max now out of the picture - and she having lied to Anne's face about Jack being tortured while under arrest to manipulate her into giving up the cache - and with their futures currently on extremely shaky ground now that Nassau has been taken over by Woodes Rogers, Jack is really the only stable thing in her life at this point. No matter what else happens in the world, they at least have each other, and that is the one thing she knows she can count on. And having faced the very real possibility of his imminent death (either by the noose in Port Royal or in the carriage crash), Anne is realizing that he is her world, and she is determined to hold onto that for dear life.

Soon the roles are reversed, when Jack and Anne are captured by Rogers while fighting on Blackbeard's crew. After brutally keelhauling Blackbeard, the rest of the crew are chained up in the hold and Jack forced to choose crewmembers to fight one of Rogers's thugs. One by one, the crewmen are picked off, until Anne convinces Jack to let them take her next, which he is obviously NOT about but reluctantly agrees. Indeed, she gets absolutely pummeled, and she severely injures her hands while attacking the thug with broken glass shards. She's able to get a hold of the keys and toss to the crewmen to break free, and they subdue/murder Rogers's thugs. But Anne is severely, almost fatally, injured. Jack cares for her as best he can with their meager resources on the ship.

Here, have a Renaissance painting.

When they get back to Nassau, Max confronts Jack and tells him that the best way to defeat Rogers is by going to Philadelphia and appealing to the now-dead Eleanor Guthrie's grandfather for help. Jack agrees to the plan, and even invites Max to come with him. Which made me wanna pull my hair about because DUDE, you JUST got Anne back to yourself and were THIS CLOSE to leaving Max completely behind y'all and now you want to reintroduce her into Anne's space again?? Either he's feeling super secure or he's an idiot. (Since it's Jack, I'm opting for the latter...)

As expected, the first thing Max wants to do when she gets on the ship is see Anne, which Jack allows (duuuuuude!!!!). Luckily, Anne tells her to get the fuck out, and AS ALWAYS, Max initially refuses. But Anne insists so she finally leaves. The next time Jack goes to tend to Anne, all of her mixed emotions are stirred up again, which is honestly the last thing she needs. Jack confirms that he told Max to not visit her again and says "You can murder her another day." Which confirms for me that he really does think he's sitting pretty with Anne now, because it seemed clear to me that that was not what Anne was thinking at all. She just didn't wanna deal with it.

So they get to Philly, and poor tropical-blooded Jack is completely ill-prepared for northern weather. He tells Max to stay on the ship because he's pretty sure she will double-cross him and serve him up on a platter for prosecution at the first opportunity. When Jack finally gets in to see Grandpa Guthrie (but not before telling Featherstone to find a proper doctor in the city to tend to Anne), he blows Jack off, but his wife takes him aside and presents herself as the real brains behind the operation and is intrigued by the proposal. So, new plan: Jack brings Max to the followup meeting hoping to appeal to Granny Guthrie's feminist ideals or whatever. It seems to work, and Granny agrees to the plan, but with one caveat -- she wants Flint dead, and she wants Jack to pull the trigger.

Soooo at this point, I'm pretty much convinced this is a death sentence for Jack, because, well, Flint is the main character, there's no way that, if Flint does die, it's gonna be at Jack's hands. Jack seems to be feeling the same way, as he returns to the ship as if condemned. Anne, who is now up and about (and looking very Virgin Mary-esque), greets him on the deck where he tells her what he has to do. She doesn't seem to doubt that he can accomplish it -- she is more worried about how he will be able to live with himself after. But he reminds her of why he is doing any of it in the first place -- for them. He prepares to leave, and they share the sweetest frickin' kiss in the history of mankind.

Just a coupla bros sharing a tender kiss

When I first saw this, I was nearly sobbing, because I was convinced this was the last time they would see each other. Jack may have thought so too, even if Anne didn't.

So Jack sets off to his fool's errand, leaving the door wide open for Max to turn Anne's head again. In the meantime, Anne, for some reason, enlisted Idelle to find her a list of other ships leaving Philly, because Anne intends on just peacing out, even though, as she tells Idelle, she's sure Jack will return. Sooooo, what, then Jack gets back, and she would just be gone?? Kind of a dick move! I have no idea why Anne was wanting to leave. There's a moment preceding Idelle's entrance where Anne attempts to slice a piece of bread but her injured hands won't work -- does she want to leave because she feels she would be useless now or something? That she would be some sort of hinderance to Jack? That she doesn't want to have to rely on him any more than she already does if it turns out she has lost some if not all of the use of her hands? And that she wants to leave while he's out to sea so that he doesn't have the chance to talk her out of it when he gets back? That is honestly all I can think of.

At any rate, Idelle then jumps into this whole dumb speech about how amazing and wonderful Max is, and how she wants to share all her successes and spoils with Anne. It's fucking annoying but LOOK, it seems to have kept Anne from getting on a boat and leaving Philly, so fine, whatever.

Meanwhile, Max has another meeting with Granny Guthrie, who has another caveat, this time for Max -- she wants her to marry the man she has picked out to be Nassau's next governor. It would be a completely political marriage, in name only. Max refuses. Why? Because it might interfere with her chances of getting back together with Anne.

CUE ALLLLLL THE EYE ROLLS.

Like GURL, did you not hear her?? She said SHAM MARRIAGE. Meaning, do whatever the fuck you want behind closed doors. Now, call me crazy, but I would have thought that Max would refuse this arrangement because, you know, she comes from slave culture where white men took advantage of brown girls in this way all the time? Max herself even gives this big speech at one point about how she had to sit back and watch the master of the plantation where she was a slave, who was her father, play with and dote on his other (white) daughter. You'd think THIS would have played a bigger role in her decision. But no. She's just really concerned about the minor possibility that she and Anne will hook up again. (Even Anne doesn't see an issue with the marriage proposal.) So, Max whimpers and whines all this to Anne, who doesn't say anything but holds out her hand to Max. Which was nice and all, but it really doesn't tell us much about Anne's intentions here. But it seems like Anne is indicating that she forgives Max for lying to her and that she at least is willing to be friends again.

Meanwhile, Jack finally reaches Skeleton Island, but instead of killing Flint, he rescues him, and together they decide to engage Rogers in one final battle. Indeed, they end up double-teaming him and defeating him and his crew. Jack refuses to kill him, though, deciding that getting Granny Guthrie to purchase and then default on Rogers's debts will be a fate worse than death for him.

And so, Jack returns to Philly, and Anne is right there to greet him, running through the busy streets and right into his waiting arms.

Just a coupla bros hugging it out.

The moment is slightly ruined, though, when Max comes out and stands watching from a distance with a pouty look on her face. Jack catches her eye and suddenly looks... guilty? For WHAT?? For having the love of his life wrapped out him like a shroud cuz she's so freaking happy to see him again?? GO AWAYYYY.

Anyway, this is the last time we even see Anne and Max in the same space together. The series, and the story of Jack and Anne, wraps up when we see Jack back in Nassau, now out of English hands again and being governed by Featherstone -- but with Max the true power behind the throne -- insisting to a young recruit named "Mark" Read that piracy no longer exists in Nassau but okayitkindadoesbutshhhh. He invites "Mark" onto his ship, where "Mark" is introduced to Anne, who clocks “him” immediately (of course it's Mary Read, y'all!). She and Jack then take stock of the new and improved flag for their ship, which turns out to be the now infamous and iconic skull-and-crossed-swords emblem we all now associate with pirate ships. Cue credits! The End!

So, WHEW, Jack and Anne both made it out of this series alive, which honestly I didn't see coming. AND they ended up together again, as they should be. Of course, it's kind of bittersweet, because if you know anything about the real Jack and Anne, you know that the introduction of Mark/Mary Read means the beginning of the end for them. Still, the series ends on a perfect note, and you cannot convince me that, after everything we saw just in Season 4 alone, that these two won't rekindle their romance at some point -- if they haven't already. Because they just aren't the same people that they were when the series started, and their relationship is on a different footing now too. And even if Anne does decide to restart things with Max, or anyone else for that matter, the fact is, that person will never have all of Anne. It was always be Anne and Jack; they are a package deal. I'm not talking about a throuple situation here (even when Anne was sleeping with both Max and Jack, it was never an actual threesome, because Jack and Max didn't really like or trust each other); I mean that that 3rd person is always going to have the knowledge looming over them that Jack is #1 in Anne's life. Even Max knew this, and she decidedly not to delay the inevitable by breaking things off with Anne prematurely ("you can't fire me, I quit!"). And that's how it will always be.

[buckysgrace]

Thirty Six

The next morning Billy acted as if nothing had happened. Of course, Kim still expected for them to act distantly in front of their parents, but he had taken to ignoring her completely. She had tried multiple times to brush up against him or try and whisper something towards him but each time she was met with a cold shoulder. She was beginning to worry, thinking that she had done something wrong last night. Everything had seemed fine to her before he went to bed, she didn’t understand how his emotions could sway so easily.

“Have you packed your bag yet?” Max bounced on the edge of her bed. It was hot out. Way too hot to be outside and doing anything without melting away. Neil was gone so she dressed in her smallest shorts and tank top and was still sweating. Kim glanced at the younger girl; glad she was at least excited. Kim just kept thinking about the dreaded bug bites she’d get. She sat up and shook her head.

“Partially but not really. I’m waiting for my clothes to finish drying and then I will get it finished.” She told the younger girl, scooting in a different position on her bed, her head slightly leaning off so the cold air from the vent could hit her skin. Max joined her, kicking her feet up in the air.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Max questioned and Kim turned to face her, looking at her curiously.

“Neil?” Kim questioned, watching as her little sister nodded in agreement, “I don’t trust him, but I don’t think mom is going to listen to us yet.” She admitted. Their mother was too stubborn, too afraid to be on her own again.

“I don’t either. I can’t believe he hit her,” Max’s head rested against her shoulder, “Why would she want to stay with someone like him?” Kim felt the younger girl inhale softly, her head brushing against hers with the motion. Kim searched for the answer. It was obvious her mother didn’t love Neil, at least she thought it was. 

“He’s stable, he has a lot of money,” Kim admitted softly. She didn’t think her mom was a gold digger but if she was looking for someone to take care of her daughter’s Neil would be the perfect candidate. She wondered if her mom knew how abusive he was before she married him. She hoped she didn’t, “Hopefully he’ll mean it, that he won’t hit her again.” Kim tried to sound hopeful. Max spun the ring around her middle finger.

“You mean he won’t hit her in front of us. He’s not going to stop. Look at what he still does to Billy. We need to think of a way to get mom to leave him.” Max encouraged, glancing up at her sister with vulnerable blue eyes. Kim thought for a moment, unsure of what to say and even more unsure of how to get Neil out of their lives. It was like he was slowly becoming the boogeyman to her. She was too afraid to even think about him. She no longer wanted to be alone with him after how badly he had made her skin crawl the other day when he’d forced her to hug him. 

“I know,” She told her sister softly, “We’ll figure something out.” Kim promised her. Max was still watching her when she spoke up slowly.

“What if we told dad?” Kim blinked at her, furrowing her eyebrows as she thought about it. Her father still hadn’t answered any of her returning calls since he’d asked her for money. As far as she knew he hadn’t spoken or written to Max either. Their mom wasn’t happy that they had any sort of contact with him so Kim couldn’t comprehend how her mom would react if he showed up. She thought of what Neil would do as well. They both tried to pretend that the two girls didn’t have a father.

“Max,” Kim looked at her little sister, feeling guilt forming inside of her, “I don’t think he could afford to come out here if that’s what you’re suggesting. I think he’s broke.” Kim didn’t think that, she knew it. There was no way he could make it out here. He wouldn’t have anywhere to stay and Kim was sure that Neil and Susan would take whatever they had left and uproot them. 

Max’s eyes were softening, looking displeased with her sister’s answer but she wasn’t mad. She looked more disappointed than anything. Kim understood, thinking of how she had felt when her father had only called for money. She rested her arm around her little sister, pulling her towards her softly. Even though the room was still hot and both girls were sweaty she held her there for a moment, hoping she knew everything would be okay.

“Am I interrupting something?” Billy’s gruff voice pulled Kim away. She glanced over her shoulder quickly, her heart beginning to beat faster at the sound of his voice filling her bedroom. Her mind was racing as she stared at the tight shorts he wore and nothing else. She could see the gleam of sweat down the front of his chest as the sunlight radiated off of him. She bit her lip, doing her best not to stare but failing.

“Yes, actually,” Max looked at him a bit playfully, “We were just talking about how once a month blood seeps out of our-”

“Okay, okay,” Billy cut the younger girl off quickly, a look of disgust crossing his face. Kim wondered if it was because he clearly didn’t care about any blood the other day, “I get it. I was just going to say that dad called and Susan and him are going out tonight. They’ll be back later.” Kim felt Max stiffen next to her and she felt a similar way.

“We could order pizza and some movies,” Kim suggested softly, watching how Billy’s eyes flickered towards her and looked away from her quickly. It was driving her insane, not knowing why he was acting so distant, “Does that sound fun?” Kim turned to look at the younger girl. Max nodded, smiling. 

“Can you take us up to rent a movie?” Max asked Billy, sounding hopeful as she turned to look at him. He hesitated for a minute before nodding.

“Just hurry,” He grumbled, rubbing his hand across his bicep. Kim thought she might start crooning from how good he looked at the moment, “It’s hot. I don’t want to be out long.” He muttered, turning away and leaving. Kim sat up on her bed after Max.

“Will you be okay if I pick out a scary movie?” Kim pretended to think about it. No matter how badly she hated them, she had a hard time denying her little sister anything. She nodded playfully after a second.

“I suppose,” Kim rustled her red hair softly, sending the bright locks in different directions, “If you’re okay if I pick out a romance movie.” She smirked at the discomfort that crossed the younger girl's face. Kim thought her reaction was funny but knew that she was more likely to pick out one of the Indiana Jones movies than anything. It had been a while since she had watched them.

“It’s a deal,” Max crossed their pinkies together and squeezed. Kim smiled brightly, nodding in agreement. She followed her younger sister out of the room, heading towards the shoe rack, “I’m so excited.” Max exclaimed happily. Kim was too but she was dreading heading out into the hot sun. 

“Just don’t be too long,” Billy appeared again, wearing a white shirt that read Everlast over it. She stared for a minute, noticing how it rested high against his midriff. She felt a sensation traveling in between her legs as she glanced at his toned lower abdomen. She gulped hard, looking away. If she wasn’t hot and sweaty before, she definitely was now, “Let’s go then.” He gave Max a look and she scoffed, opening the door wide and inviting in the muggy air. 

Kim slipped on her sandals next to Billy, noticing the way his blue eyes widened as she bent down to lace them, “You’re wearing that?” Her face reddened when she looked up to face the blonde boy. His cheeks were flushed, like he hadn’t expected himself to say that. She peered up at him curiously.

“It’s hot,” She defended herself. Her tank top pulled up towards her belly button, her shorts lingering high up on her thighs, “We won’t be gone long.” She felt almost sheepish at the look he sent her, like he wanted to take a bite out of her.

“Yeah,” He breathed out harshly, his eyes lingering against her pale skin, “Let’s go.” He looked at her seriously after a second before he was brushing past her. She was growing frustrated, unsure of how he expected her to go back to normal when he had been so tender with her last night. She wanted him so badly and it was like he didn’t care.

The air was hot, and the sun felt even worse as she walked down the hill towards his parked car. The grass crunched underneath her sandals, and she was already beginning to sweat despite only being outside for a few seconds. She wondered if it would feel this terrible if she was walking around naked. She opened the door, careful as she sat down on the hot leather seats. She didn’t want it to burn against her skin. She sighed in relief at the cold AC blowing against her face.

She turned suddenly, noticing Billy was still staring at her. She was already too warm to blush, so she didn’t have to worry about turning into a tomato at the moment. He looked away just as quickly, beginning to back his car down the driveway.

“Can I get two movies?” Max tried to ask as sweetly as she could. Kim turned towards Billy, feeling sheepish as she remembered she left her purse inside the house.

“I’ll pay you back.” She muttered as she played with her red hair. Billy turned towards her curiously but shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s fine, and no, you can both get one movie.” It was almost funny at how mature he sounded at the moment. Kim cracked a grin as she rested against her warm seat. The sun didn’t seem so harsh in the car as it was outside. Max grumbled but seemed to accept his answer.

“Are you going to get one?” Kim asked Billy, trying to make any kind of conversation with him. It was hard, he didn’t seem interested in anything at the moment as he only shrugged his shoulders. She was sure that she had said or done something wrong, but she wasn’t sure what. 

“Probably one with boobs in it,” Max grumbled in the backseat as she kicked his chair, “He always gets those types of movies.” Kim grinned at her younger sister, knowing she didn’t realize that those weren’t even the worst of his movies in his collection. Billy scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically as he pulled into the Family Video. It wasn’t too far away from their house.

“Just don’t take long, I could be doing other things,” He reminded both of them as he got out of his car. Kim eyed him curiously, hoping that didn’t mean that he already had another date. She was beginning to regret her words from the other day, “Come on.” He ushered the two of them inside.

Kim was glad as she stepped into the cool store, soaking in the feeling of the AC as she walked towards the familiar section of movies. She always lingered towards the same area. She was beginning to regret her outfit choice with the look one of the mother’s gave her inside the store, but she ignored it. Billy was showing more skin than Kim was, and she didn’t see anyone giving him a dirty look.

She glanced through the selection of movies, searching for the section beginning in I when Billy snuck up behind her. She hummed softly, ignoring him for a second as she looked for the movie she was wanting. She felt her eyes widening when he placed his large hands across her waist and rested his chin against her shoulder.

“Haven’t you seen this movie a hundred different times?” Billy questioned, pulling her closer towards his chest. She was breathing slowly, her heart beating hard in her chest as he held onto her. They were in public; this was anything but being subtle. Anyone could walk by and see them.

“It’s a good movie,” She defended. It was good, it just happened to have Harrison Ford in it as well. She glanced at him nervously, her cheek pressing against his as she did so, “This isn't a good idea.” She mumbled softly. He smirked, rubbing her soft sides with his rough hands.

“Why? I’m just helping you pick out a movie,” He responded innocently, looking back at the selection of movies innocently. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, confirming that no one else was there. She could hear the voices of a group of people browsing the movies a few aisles behind them, “Is there anything wrong with that?” She could feel the fire burning as he trailed his hands up slowly, touching her skin oh so softly until he was squeezing her boobs in his rough hands. She bit back a squeal, looking at him alarmed and trying to wiggle away. He held her still, a small smirk on his features.

“Billy,” She responded quickly. Her heart was pumping so fast that she was sure he would be able to feel it against his hand, “You can’t do that.” She found her voice cracking a bit as he massaged her soft flesh in his hands. He pressed up behind her, kissing the crook of her neck softly. 

“Why not?” He licked the side of her neck, teasing her softly as he kneaded her breasts softly in his large hands. She bit back a moan as he nipped at her neck, “You look so good today. I can’t help myself.” She could feel exactly what she had done to him. Her face was burning as she fought the urge to grind back against him. They were still in public, in the middle of a store of all places. 

“It’s hot,” She whined out softly as he tickled the side of her neck with his mustache. HIs lips were still brushing against her skin as he held her against him, “Someone will see.” Her heart was thumping hard in her chest in worry. They couldn’t have anyone else catching them. He seemed to notice her worry as he slowly moved his hands away from her. She hated having to tell him no, she wanted nothing else than to be wrapped up in his muscular arms. No matter how badly she wanted it, it was still wrong. They couldn’t erase that between them. 

“You just drive me crazy,” He mumbled, pressing a soft kiss against her soft cheek, “You’re all mine later.” He smirked as he pulled away from her slowly. She felt the warmth fading with him and she could feel excitement building inside of her. She was glad he wasn’t ignoring her anymore. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

“You drive me crazy too,” She admitted sheepishly. She began to reach to tuck her hair behind her ear, but he beat her to it. She stared, watching his blue eyes as his fingers lingered around the curve of her ear. He pinched her earlobe gently, smiling softly as he pulled his hand away from her skin, “I found it.” She reached for her movie quickly, tapping it against her fingertips as he watched her in interest. 

“Let’s go find Max then,” He nudged her shoulder gently shifting her forward as she smiled bashfully, “You know, Harrison Ford is old. Really old.” He added, a small smile hinting on his face. She scoffed softly, feeling a bit defensive.

“He’s not that old. You like older women too, what’s the difference?” She questioned him, watching the amused smirk that crossed his face. He didn’t say anything, his shoulder bumping into hers as they looked for Max. She was, as usual, digging through the collection of horror movies.

“Nightmare on Elm Street or The Evil Dead?” Max looked up at Billy, ignoring how Kim’s face cringed up. He thought for a minute, looking at the other movies that were on the stand. Kim shifted next to them.

“Not The Evil Dead,” Kim looked at both of them desperately, “I had such a bad nightmare afterwards. It’s scary and gross.” She admitted. Max rolled her eyes, her fingertips still lingering on the movie as she thought about it. 

“Nightmare on Elm Street is better anyways,” Billy admitted, crossing his arms as he spoke to the younger girl. Kim watched how his shirt rose even higher. She wondered why she didn’t grab a hold of him when she had the chance, “

“What about Bloodtide?” Max questioned as she looked at the back of the case. She glanced up, looking at her older sister with a smirk, “Never mind. You’d be scared of this because you would be the one to die.” Kim felt her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Why?” She questioned, watching as Billy covered his mouth with his chin. He was pretending to scratch at his skin, but she could see the smile that he was hiding underneath as he looked further down the aisle, “What’s it about?”

“An adventurer hunting in Greece accidentally frees a monster that forces local villagers to sacrifice virgins,” Max mocked, changing her voice dramatically as she looked at her older sister playfully, “You’d definitely die.” Kim’s face heated up.

“That’s not, oh my god,” She sighed softly, not wanting to talk about her sex life with her younger sister, “You’re insufferable.” Kim told her sister, moving away from her. Max was laughing so hard that she started to snort. 

“Is she not, you know what, I don’t want to know,” Billy shook his head, examining the selection of movies at the other end of the aisle as Kim joined him, “Just get Nightmare on Elm Street.” He told the youngest girl. Kim tried to stay neutral in her expression as she thought about how Max had talked about how scary it was months after it had come out. One night in November, after it had been released, Max had stood at the foot of Kim’s bed at midnight and sang the creepy song to her until she woke up.

“If Kim goes towards the checkout Keith may give her the movies for free. He’s always looking for a way to pick up girls.” Max nudged her older sister’s shoulder. Kim glared at her, not liking the sound of her little sister’s plan.

“You know him?” Billy questioned, looking at Max with an odd expression. She shrugged her shoulders, glancing at the two older teens.

“He’s the dweeb that used to work at the arcade.” Max replied casually, smiling softly in Kim’s direction. Kim stared at her confused, having no idea who she was referencing. She couldn’t remember going to the arcade here. That job had been handed off to Billy when they moved here.

“I don’t want to do that,” Kim looked towards Billy, trying to confirm with him that she didn’t have to, “I’m not like that.” She felt like defending herself, but she wasn’t sure why. Max scoffed softly but didn’t look annoyed.

“I would if my boobs were bigger.” Kim raised her eyes in surprise from her sister’s words. Billy snapped his head towards her fast, shaking it quickly.

“No, no you won’t. If anyone even thinks about looking at you like that I’ll break their arm,” Max laughed at Billy’s threat but both him and Kim knew that it was more of a promise. Kim shrugged, knowing how she liked to tease as she began to walk out to the checkout counter with them, “I’m being serious.” He sounded serious too, but all Max could do was giggle again.

“These,” Billy took the movie from Kim’s hand and pushed them onto the counter mindlessly. Max’s comment must’ve bothered him because he stood in front of the two girls, looking irritated as the other boy rang up the movies. Kim figured it must’ve been the Keith that Max had been referencing, “And these.” Billy scooted a bag of M&Ms towards him. Keith sighed dramatically as he began to add the total back up. Kim watched Billy in amusement.

“Can we wait in the car?” Max asked, already tugging his keys from his back pocket. Billy looked over his shoulder, glancing at her.

“Just don’t be driving it.” He grumbled out as he fished out his wallet. Kim looked at Max confused, unsure of why he would tell the younger girl not to be driving it. She followed her little sister out of the door, hating how the sun hit them as they stepped into the muggy air.

“How are we going to survive in the wilderness in this heat?” Kim whined after Max started the car. She ruffled her hair, soaking in the cold AC against her scalp. She was dreading the vacation that Neil had planned for them. She had already read the pamphlet four different times.

“You’re such a princess,” Max teased as she leaned forward from the backseat, “Oh my god, what will you do once you can’t put makeup on?” She shoved her older sister’s shoulder softly. Kim sighed.

“I don’t wear makeup all the time, you know. I just don’t want to die burning and drowning in sweat.” Kim told her, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. It used to bother her when Max would make those comments but since she had grown, she no longer minded them. Susan used to constantly pick on Max for her boyish activities, as Susan liked to call them, so Kim had decided that Max was allowed to pick on her for that. It was more of their mom's fault for starting it.

“There’s lakes and stuff, I think mom said our cabin might have a pool,” Max replied, sounding more excited than ever, “She thinks it will be a good trip.” Kim licked across her bottom lip, tasting her cherry ChapStick.

“I hope so. As long as I don’t burn.” Kim mumbled. Sunscreen had been the first thing she looked for. She needed to apply layers and layers, or she’d be forming blisters and peeling until school started again. Billy walked out from the store and Kim felt her heart drop to her stomach, watching the way he moved. She felt as if she stopped breathing while she watched him, admiring the curve of his body.

“Here,” He tossed her the movies and bag of M&Ms as he slid inside the car. He winced, moving his back away from the hot seat as he adjusted himself. She was still staring, wondering how he managed to look so pretty and golden all the time, “What?” He slid his sunglasses on, looking at her confused. She turned away, blushing softly.

“Nothing, can I have some of these?” She changed the subject quickly as she motioned towards the bag in her hands. Her mouth was beginning to water at the thought of tasting them on her tongue. She moved the way the candy would melt in her mouth. She’d always wait until the shell was soft enough to pull apart with her tongue while she savored the chocolate taste in her mouth. He started to drive them home, glancing at her.

“You don’t want to save those for the movie?” He asked, beginning to light up a cigarette while he drove with one hand. She wondered if she’d be able to do that soon enough too. She smiled bashfully.

“I could, but you see it’s just so hot out,” She started to explain, looking for the spot where she could tear the tab off and open the candy, “And I don’t think we want to eat a bunch of melted chocolate. Right, Max?” She looked back to her younger sister for support. Max was watching her with one eyebrow raised.

“Don’t drag me into this,” Max crossed her arms as she watched them in the backseat, “I’m not the one with the sweet tooth.” Kim stumbled for a moment, looking back at Billy and trying not to pout.

“You can open them,” He spoke after taking a long drag, “I don’t want any right now anyways.” He smiled softly at her as he drove. She was gleeful as she finally tore it open and put a small handful in her mouth. She offered Max some, but the younger girl shook her head no. Kim shrugged, thinking it was their own loss for not eating any.

“Billy,” Max leaned forward again as he pulled into his parking spot, “Are you packed for the trip?” Max asked as he began to shut his car off. He looked back at her confused.

“Yeah, I have been. Why?” He looked at her confused as he grabbed his things and got out of the car. Max shot Kim a look as she ignored, stepping out and holding onto the movies and candy. Max bounced out on Billy’s side.

“Kim hasn’t yet. She’s procrastinating.” Max bounded up the steps. Billy looked back at Kim with a soft smile.

“Not really surprised,” He told her as they walked up the steps together, “As smart as you are, you’re really disorganized.” He opened the backdoor for her, and Kim looked at him curiously, wondering how much he knew about her that she didn’t know.

“I’m not that messy,” She defended herself, although she knew that it was partially true, “I just like to wait to get the important things done. She rubbed her arm as they walked inside the cooler house. She set the movies down on the coffee table in the living room as she took another handful of candy. Billy followed her, lingering near the couch for a moment.

“Then you get stressed out and cry,” He chuckled, “It’s okay though. You still get the important things done. I’ll order us a pizza.” She shrugged but she found herself tilting her head in curiosity. He always seemed to amaze her. She hesitated as he walked away to grab the phone.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Max walked past Kim, pulling her out of her trance. Kim nodded, reaching for some more candy to soothe her sweet tooth, “We can have a pajama party.” Max replied happily as she grabbed her pajamas from her room. Kim smiled softly, thinking her little sister was acting cute. Even as terrible as everything was going, she was glad she still had the chance to act like a kid. 

“I’ll get the popcorn ready.” Kim told her sister kindly as Max headed towards the bathroom. Billy looked over curiously from the phone as Max sent her a thumbs up and shut the door. Max’s showers were never nearly as long, and Kim suspected that it was partially to do with the fact that her younger sister wasn’t that crazy about water. Billy put the phone up, looking at her curiously as the water turned on. Kim smiled softly, unsure of why as she walked past him. 

“Billy, what are you-?” He pulled her towards him, cutting her off with his lips as he moved against her frantically. She was stunned at first, her nerves building in her stomach as he pressed her against the wall and kissed her harshly. She was stunned, trying to pull herself away from his rough kisses, “Can’t. Max is here.” She whined, trying to speak between his kisses. He flicked his tongue against her open mouth, sliding it across her teeth as he spoke. Max was in the shower; she could come out any time and see her brother kissing her sister against a wall. There would be no explanation. 

“It’ll be quick,” He groaned as he pressed his thigh against her core, rocking into her. She felt the jolts of electricity traveling up her body, “Please. Need you so badly.” She whined at his touch. The way he squeezed her hips and traveled to her breasts left her mind foggy. She nodded, watching as he placed his large hands on her shoulders. 

He pressed on her shoulders until she was on her knees. She stared up at him, watching the cocky smirk that grew on his lips as he freed himself from his tight shorts. She stared, still fascinated by how his cock looked. He pulled her lips apart with his fingers, spreading her mouth apart as he pushed the head of his cock between her lips. She was surprised at how fast he was moving with her. She thought that he usually took his time but there seemed to be a sense of urgency in his movements. She relaxed her jaw, sliding his throbbing cock into her mouth as she traced her tongue around his salty skin.

“Come on,” He urged, tugging her hair back behind her head as he rocked his hips forward. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, gagging as the head of his cock hit the back of her throat. She willed herself to relax as she hollowed her cheeks and bobbed her head. He was tugging on her hair, forcing her to go down further. She gripped his thighs, feeling her eyes burn at the sensation of him touching the back of her throat, “I know you can do it, baby. Please, please.” His words rattled her, traveling straight down to her core. He sounded desperate as he pleaded with her.

She fought every urge she had to keep from puking as he hit the back of her throat with each thrust. Her tongue trailed along the veins on his cock, swiping across his skin as she gripped his thighs hard. She tried to keep her nails from digging into his skin, but she almost felt like she had to with the way he was yanking her by her hair and pushing his cock into her mouth.

She was gagging each time, drool was pooling from her lips as she tried to keep up with his rough movements. It was hard, she was still learning, and it was difficult to try and hold your mouth open far enough that her teeth wouldn’t scrape against him. Not to mention trying to focus on breathing at the same time. Her jaw was beginning to hurt, the ache mirroring in the back of her throat as he pushed his hips roughly into her. He was a grunting mess above her, louder than usual. She liked the sounds he was making, like it was music to her ears as it traveled down her body and rested against her throbbing clit. She hoped he would stop soon, she wanted to feel him stretching her walls out inside of her.

“Fuck,” He cursed, pulling her head down further. Her hands snapped up against his hips and she closed her eyes tightly as he pushed her all the way onto his cock. Her lips burned, throat ached and she could feel tears brimming in her eyes from the lack of oxygen. His balls pressed against her bottom lip as he released down her throat. She was sputtering, pulling away from him quickly as she tried to catch her breath. Cum and spit leaked from her open lips as she panted, trying to fill her lungs again. He crouched down in front of her wiping the corners of her mouth gently, “Did so good, baby. So proud of you. You took my cock so well.” Her heart was swelling from his words and she didn’t have much more to say before he was pulling her up and pressed her back against the hard wall. A protest left her mouth when he dipped his hands into her shorts, pushing her panties aside as he rubbed her wet cunt.

“Oh,” She whined out as he wasted no time in sliding two of his fingers into her wet heat and curling them against her fluttering walls. She gasped as he trapped her against the wall, moving his hands roughly, “S’lot.” She breathed in total awe as he moved his fingers inside of her rapidly. He groaned, sliding his warm lips against the side of her face as her head fell back against the wall. Her muscles were clenching in pleasure as she rocked herself against him.

“S’okay,” He was fingering her harder, curling them against her walls as he peppered kisses along her neck, “Just like that, baby. Fuck yourself on my fingers.” She was trying so hard not to be loud but he made her feel so good. Her hands clenched around his biceps as he rocked his fingers into her. His thumb was brushing against her clit hard each time he moved. She could feel her wetness dripping onto her panties and soaking through her shorts. He slid another finger inside of her, stretching her wide. She felt herself clenching around his thick fingers, urging for more of him.

“Billy,” She whined, resting her back against the wall as her hips moved to meet his fingers. She could feel his rings pressing up against her entrance repeatedly as he slid in and out of her. “Oh god.” She felt her toes curling against the floor as he gripped her hips harshly with his free hand. He was moving so fast and hard; she didn’t have time to process his movements as her hips moved without rhythm. 

“So fucking pretty,” His teeth slid along her cheek as he held her in place, fucking his fingers into her even harder. She was gaping, her mouth falling open as he curled his three fingers up against her bundle of nerves. She was squealing, feeling herself clench down around his fingers as she came with a cry, “That’s it baby.” He was peppering kisses against the side of her face as she rode her orgasm out. She turned her face to look at him, leaning in to press her lips against his when he pulled away. He dipped his fingers out of her entrance, withdrawing them to his mouth as he licked her clean. He watched her intensely for a moment, his blue eyes raking her features before he turned around and left. She didn’t fully process it until he slammed his bedroom door shut behind him.

She stared, her legs still shaking as he left her there against the wall. He hadn’t said one thing, just came to get what he needed before he was leaving her alone again. He hadn’t always stayed to lay with her, but he always cleaned her up and asked if she was okay. Except for now. She wondered if she had pushed him too far last night, but she hadn’t noticed him acting uncomfortable then. She didn’t understand. She tried to catch her breath as a similar loneliness sank into her chest. 

She heard the door to the bathroom beginning to rattle and she moved quickly, heading back to the kitchen. Her legs were still quivering as she washed her hands quickly.

“You didn’t get it started yet?” Max stepped out, wearing her pajamas. Kim pushed the popcorn in the microwave, hiding her red face from her sister.

“I wanted to make sure it was hot when you came out.” Kim lied, fumbling with the timer on the microwave, “The pizza should be here soon.” She muttered, trying to keep her cool as the younger girl approached her.

“Okay,” Max leaned up against the kitchen counter, “Do you want to change, and I’ll wait?” She opened up the fridge and began to pull out cans of soda. Kim nodded stiffly, trying to relax her mind from what Billy and she had just done.

“Sure, I’ll be back in a minute.” Kim told her, almost racing towards her room. She was glad to change, to be able to clean herself up. She grabbed her nightgown quickly and reached for a different pair of panties. She lingered at her doorway, hearing the loud music that was coming from Billy’s room. She wondered what he was doing, what he was thinking. She wanted to know why he would just leave her like that and not say anything to her at all. She felt a lump forming in the back of her throat, but she quickly shook it aside. No, she wasn’t like his other girls. They didn’t mean anything to each other, so it was fine for him to get what he wanted and leave. It was hard to convince herself that she found out soon enough as the lump seemed to grow twice as heavy.

She brought her nightgown into the bathroom, undressing herself as she worked on getting herself clean and not so sticky. She thought about taking a shower but decided against it as got a towel damp. She glanced at herself in the mirror, noting how much of a mess she looked. Her hair was rowdy, cheeks flushed and hot and her skin along her neck was splotchy from where his lips had been. She touched her skin softly, trying to remember the sensation.

She withdrew her thoughts for a moment as she continued on her task of cleaning herself between her thighs. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept lingering back to Billy. She wondered why he was being so cold, so distant towards her. She liked how they had been last night.

She quickly changed, letting her nightgown rest against her upper thighs before she pulled on a clean pair of panties. She left the bathroom, taking the towel with her so she could wash it later. She crossed the tiled floor, soaking in the feeling of the cold tiles against her feet. Max had two bowls of popcorn set up on the coffee table and was currently sitting in front of the TV, setting up one of the movies.

“Which did you pick first?” Kim asked after disposing of the towel and washing her hands. Billy still hadn’t turned, and she was unsure if he would be joining them at all. She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs and pulling her nightgown down low enough that she didn’t expose herself. Max glanced back at her.

“Yours.” She said simply, working on trying to skip through the commercial. Kim thought it was typical that she would pick the lighthearted movie to watch first and save the two scary ones for later. She didn’t protest, not wanting to disturb the mood. Kim kept glancing over her shoulder, looking over at Billy’s room. The door was still tightly shut, and she could hear his music traveling into the room. She had been hoping that he would join them. She didn’t even have to touch him, she just wanted to be near him.

“Did the pizza come?” Kim asked suddenly. The younger girl nodded as the beginning title began to roll. She paused it, standing up quickly to shut the lights off in the living room.

“Do you want to get Billy?” Max asked as she crossed the room, grabbing three plates and carrying the pizza box back over to the couch. Kim wanted to do anything but go into Billy’s room and ask him to join them. He was acting weird and was sending her mixed signals. She rose from the couch, anyway, not wanting to get on Max’s bad side. 

“Sure,” Kim walked around the couch slowly, “Just don’t start it without me.” Kim playfully pointed at her sister. Max rolled her eyes but was smiling as she settled into one of the chairs. Kim hesitated at his door for a second, capturing the loud sound of his music and the smell of thick smoke coming from his room. Her heart began to beat hard as she grew anxious, thinking that maybe he was going on another date. She knocked softly before pushing the door open. 

He was laying on his back in his bed, his ankles crossed as he smoked down a blunt. She watched him for a few seconds, noticing how he had removed his shirt. She blinked slowly, looking at the blue scrunchie that held his hair up over his head. She grinned softly, joy filling the inside of her chest as she took a step into his room and closed the door behind her. 

“What?” He grunted out, sounding almost angry as he glanced towards her. She didn’t let his irritated tone dampen her mood as she crossed the room on the tips of her feet and bounced onto his bed. He looked up at her surprised, nearly dropping his blunt from his lips as she straddled his lap and rested on top of him. Her gown pulled up high over her thighs, exposing her flowery panties to him. She didn’t care. 

“I was called to summon you,” She rested her hands on his bare chest, looking at how golden he looked compared to her, “Max has everything set up.” He blew out a large cloud of smoke, the hint of marijuana tickling her nose. He removed his blunt with one hand, holding onto her hand with the other one. She giggled when he tickled her side softly. 

“I thought I was just buying that for you two.” He responded dryly, looking uninterested. She stared up at him, sure that he was just putting on an act. She leaned down a bit, kissing the tip of his nose. He looked surprised at first but then wrinkled his nose up, making her smile at his movements.

“Please. If you don’t come with me, she’ll drag you out of here.” Kim rubbed his chest softly, feeling the small tufts of hair that was growing there. She knew that Max would literally drag him out of this room. He groaned, seeming to think the same thing.

“Can you give me like five minutes?” She stared at his pink lips as he spoke. She was dying to kiss him but didn’t want to try again after he had ignored her attempt at a kiss earlier. She shook her head no.

“She’s ready now, you better hurry.” Kim crawled off of his lap slowly, shimming her gown back down on her thighs. He watched her, his eyes flicking up towards her in interest suddenly.

“Do you think Max wants to spend the night with her friend? We could have fun instead.” He suggested with a smirk, taking another long drag from his blunt. She looked at his blue eyes, noticing how he didn’t look high at the moment. 

“No,” Kim smiled softly as she inched her way towards the door, “That would be really mean. She wants to spend time with you. Please.” She added as sweet as she could. He sat up at the edge of his bed, nodding as he carefully put his blunt out. He sighed, pushing all of the excess smoke from his lungs.

“I’m coming,” He pushed off the bed and she stared at how his muscles moved when he did so. He was so muscular, so buff that it made her knees feel weak. He smirked as if he knew what she was thinking, “Reconsidering?” He teased as he cupped her butt in his large hand. She gaped, giving him a look before she opened the door and left. He followed behind her shortly and she could feel his eyes following her every movement. 

“You wish.” She teased, heading back towards the couch. She grabbed one of the blankets for good measure, not wanting to get too cold once the sun went down. She smiled at Max who was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor as she waited for the two of them.

“About time,” Max grumbled out in similar Billy fashion, “I hope your pizza is cold.” She stuck her tongue out towards Billy as he walked by. He laughed, ignoring to grab a plate and grabbing a large, cheesy slice from the box as he folded it up to eat it.

“Tastes hot to me,” He shrugged as he sat down on the opposite side of Kim. She resisted the urge to reach out towards him, wanting to feel him even closer to her. She was pretty sure that he had no clue what he was doing to her, “I feel like we’ve already watched this.” He teased as he looked towards Kim. She shrugged bashfully, making her own plate as she curled up against the corner of the couch. 

He didn’t say or do much after that. He was quiet through the whole movie, not even adding in any of the comments when Max and Kim would debate about different parts of the movie. It made Kim sad, even more so worried as she didn’t understand where she had gone wrong. She didn’t want him to be mad at her. She kept thinking about where she had gone wrong last night, even the days previous but she couldn’t find anything. She hoped that it had been from the weed that he had smoked but she doubted it. He was like this a few days ago as well. Always hot one second and cold the next. 

“This is Kim’s favorite part,” Her little sister teased as Harrison Ford appeared shirtless. Kim felt her cheeks warm as she gave her little sister an irritated look, “She always drools at this part.” Max responded smugly. Kim scoffed, tucking her hair behind her ear as Billy looked at her with a lazy grin.

“I do not drool,” She stammered out, trying to control her cool, “He just happens to be shirtless, so what.” She wiggled on the couch cushion, holding one of her knees up to her chest. She glanced at Billy, noticing the amused look on his face. 

“What’s that?” He said with concern, leaning forward as he inspected her. She felt her eyes widen as he watched her, nerves filling in her stomach at how concerned he appeared.

“What?” She breathed out quickly, fearing that a bug might be crawling on her face with the way that he inspected her. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry as he scooted closer, rubbing the corner of her lip with his thumb.

“Ah, just a bit of drool,” He pulled away with a smirk, leaning back against the couch as he sprawled out. Max cackled with laughter, hitting her hand on her knee while Kim’s face erupted into flames, “Don’t worry, you’re all cleaned up now.” He sent her a wink, but she was still scrambling to defend herself as embarrassment tickled at her skin.

“You two are the worst,” She finally spit out, hugging both of her knees to her chest as she scooted far into the corner of the couch, “And you’re not funny.” She added hotly, ignoring the way it only made the other two laugh harder. She thought about pointing out how similar the two of them were but decided to keep quiet as she kept watching the rest of her movie. She could feel Billy’s eyes lingering on her form as his eyes raked her over body, lingering on the exposed skin of her thighs. She ignored him this time, deciding she would pay attention to her movie if they would be giving her this much grief. 

Max was already drifting off after she set her movie up. It had only been on for about fifteen minutes when Kim noticed her head drifting forward, resting against the couch cushion as she curled up like a little baby. Kim had wrapped herself in the blanket a long time ago as she hugged herself, wondering if she could get away with turning the movie off.

“Scoot over, I’m cold,” Billy finally acknowledged her, nudging her thighs softly. She moved without thought, scooting towards the edge of the couch as he nestled in behind her. She could feel her body reacting instantly, soaking in his toned body and the feeling of his skin on hers. Her heart was thumping hard as she stared at the TV screen as he slid his muscular arm over her waist and pulled her against him, “Are you scared?” She faltered for a minute. She had been a while ago, when the movie first started. Now, she was more than comfortable wrapped up in his arms and thinking about anything but the movie that was on.

“A bit,” She said instead, not wanting him to move his arm away from her. She wanted to lay within his arms for as long as she could manage, “He’s scary looking.” She admitted, feeling his warm breath tickling the side of her face. He pushed her hair out of her face, curling it around his fingers as she realized he was watching her. 

“I’ll take care of you,” His lips brushed against her skin softly, tickling down the side of her neck as he spoke. She felt that feeling growing in her stomach again as she looked at Max, worried she might wake up to find them, “Just relax.” He replied and she realized how badly she had stiffened up against him.

Billy was fumbling under the blanket, scooting her closer to him. She shot him a look, glancing towards the younger redhead who was sleeping with her knees up towards her chest. He smirked, lifting her nightgown above her thighs.

“Billy,” She whispered quietly. He looked at her with forced innocence, his fingertips trailing against her bare skin, “Stop, she’s in the room.” He squeezed her thigh softly, his fingertips warming her pale skin. 

“She’s asleep,” Billy whispered against her ear, sending chills down her spine, “She won’t even know.” He promised as he cupped her sides, squeezing his large hands against her soft flesh. She exhaled softly, feeling goosebumps forming on her skin.

“She could wake up,” She bit back a moan as he squeezed her boobs, using his fingertips to pinch her nipples softly. She could feel the wetness growing in her panties, soaking her thighs again, “Billy.” Kim turned towards him worried. He leaned forward, licking the corner of her mouth.

“Just stay quiet, I know you can,” He reassured her, pinching her nipples softly. She could feel his bulge pressing against her backside as he lifted her onto his lap, adjusting himself higher up on the sofa. He adjusted, grinding her down on his clothed cock. She sighed softly, her back resting against his bare chest as he pushed her legs in between hers. He covered them with a blanket, like it would save them in this position, “Just let me have your pussy for a little bit. Please. I’m so fucking hard for you.” His breath was hot against her neck, his nose tickling against her soft skin. 

“B-,” She bit down on her lip hard, catching the moan in her mouth as he pushed his throbbing cock inside of her drenched hole. He rocked her forward, pressing her all the way down as he bottomed out inside of her. She gripped the couch cushions harshly, digging her nails into the pillows, “Please.” She whimpered softly.

“Feel how fucking wet your little cunt is on my cock? Why wouldn’t you want this?” He teased her, whispering quietly. Her walls were fluttering around his throbbing length as he pushed up into her deeper, the head of his cock hitting against her bundle of nerves, “You drive me so crazy.” He growled against her neck, biting on her skin softly.

She rolled her hips forward, gaping in awe as he began to thrust into her roughly. She was doing her best to keep quiet, urging herself to swallow her moans as he pounded into her. 

“Oh my god,” She whined out as quietly as she could, glancing towards the sleeping redhead in the rocker chair, “I can’t do it.” She whined as he dragged her hips back down onto him. His fingertips were digging into her skin, squeezing her flesh softly. 

“You can do it baby,” He rolled his hips up into her harshly, his cock dragging against her walls slowly as she squeezed around him, “You can cum oh my cock pretty girl. I know you can do it.” He dipped one of his hands between her thighs and began to rub at her vibrating clit. She squeaked out, trying to push her thighs together but he pushed her legs apart even further apart with his knees.

She was sweating, fighting back her moans as he hit the bundle of nerves inside her with each powerful thrust. He was playing with her clit, applying different amounts of pressure to her sensitive bud. She tossed her head back, closing her eyes as she focused on his cock dragging along inside her soaked walls and filling her to the brim.

“Billy,” She rolled her hips in awe, biting her lip hard to keep her moans settled in her chest. He held onto her hips tightly, kissing the back of her shoulder as he pushed his cock inside her harder. She was wiggling on top of him, trying to angle her hips in the best position as she clenched down around him, “Feels so, so good.” She panted out in awe as he brushed down on her clit harder. Her pussy was drenched around his cock, soaking down their thighs. His fingertips were digging into her skin harder, making her wonder if he would leave bruises in their wake.

It was hard to form any words, to think of anything other than his cock pulsing inside of her. She glanced towards the small redhead, making sure she was still asleep as she moved her hips rapidly in pleasure. Billy’s hands moved up her nightgown, exposing her to the cooling air as fingered and pinched at her hardening nipples. It sent jolts straight down to her core as she found herself desperately fucking herself onto him, meeting his movements halfway as he slammed into her. 

“So good for me,” He grumbled against her skin, his teeth grazing softly as he pushed into her harder. She let a soft whimper fall from her lips as his movements began to stall. He was still playing with her breasts, massaging her soft flesh and squeezing her nipples in his fingers. She was grinding in awe, feeling her toes beginning to curl as she reached her near, “Fuck, fuck.” He grumbled, snapping his hips up rapidly as she came undone around him. She was clenching around him tightly as he came inside of her, filling her with his sticky fluid. She gaped in awe, her moans coming out quietly as her legs shook around her. 

“You’re bad,” She giggled softly, catching her breath as she tried to calm her racing heart from dancing out of her skin. She glanced back at him, noticing the tightness in his lips as he slowly lifted her hips up and pulled himself out of her, “Oh.” She breathed out softly, already missing the feeling of him inside of her. 

He played with the mixture of them that was leaking from her wet hole, tracing his fingers around her folds and clit as he did so. She sighed out softly, liking the feeling as she felt herself relaxing against his sweaty back. He peppered kisses along her shoulder before placing her panties back over her. She wiggled softly, sliding off of his chest and between him and the couch. She was squished comfortably, looking up at him in complete bliss.

He was glancing around again, his breathing already calming down. He moved his hand away so he was no longer touching her. She felt herself growing frustrated. They had been so good yesterday, he had been so sweet towards her. It was like he was only wanting one thing from her now, completely torn away from the other bits that she wanted in their relationship. She didn’t like that, not one bit. He began to shift further towards the edge as she realized he was starting to get up.

She pulled him back before he could leave, “You’ve been ignoring me.” She told him, straight to the point. His eyes darted away from her face, looking behind her. She resisted the urge to turn and look, wondering if this was a way to distract her. She wouldn’t fall for it this time.

“I haven’t been ignoring you,” He mumbled a bit timidly as he looked back towards her, “I was just busy.” He brushed her accusations off and she felt her eyes narrowing.

“You were ignoring me the other day too, before the Fun Fair. What’s wrong?” She asked him, genuinely hoping that she hadn’t done anything to upset him. She would fix it if he would tell her. He scrunched up his nose, becoming stiff against her as his defensive walls were thrown up.

“Nothing.” He said simply, irritation seeping into his words. She sighed, wrapping her pale arm around his waist and hugging him tightly to her chest. He grumbled, muttering something under his breath but she continued to stay clutched to him. Her face was squished awkwardly against the side of his arm.

“M’not moving until you tell me.” Her words sounded jumbled from the position she was resting in and she was careful not to bite her cheek. He was grumbling underneath her, clearly becoming more irritated with each second. She was playing with fire, but kicked her leg over his thighs just for good measure in case he tried to wiggle free.

“You didn’t call,” He finally spoke up after a few awkward moments. He had tried to gently press her away a few times but then she was back to clutching him even tighter. She looked up softly, moving her face away from his arm as she felt her eyebrows furrowing together, “You said you’d call and you didn’t.” He averted his eyes, purposely looking away from her. She was sure he felt too vulnerable to actually look at her while he spoke.

“Oh, Billy,” She felt guilt swarming inside of her chest, squeezing tightly as she raised herself up on the couch to look at him, “I’m so sorry. I wanted to, I really did. My mom just freaked me out, y’know she was asking if we were together and stuff. I didn’t think it would be safe to call.” She tried to explain herself, not liking the way he continued to ignore her eyes. She rested her chin on the corner of his shoulder, urging him to at least spare her a glance. She really should have tried to sneak out of the room and call him, at least to check up on him.

“It’s fine.” He grumbled as he shrugged his shoulders, knocking against her chin softly. She sighed, leaning up to take his jawline in her soft hands gently. She pulled at his face, making him turn to face her. His blue eyes looked over her features first, straying against her lips and her cheeks before he finally met her hazel eyes. She squeezed his hard face softly.

“I’m really sorry, Billy. I was scared but I still should’ve checked on you. I really wanted to, I promise you. I was just thinking we’d get in more trouble if my mom overheard.” She explained softly again, caressing her thumb across his scratchy skin. He hadn’t shaved yet, she noted. 

“It’s okay,” He searched her eyes for a moment, like he was looking inside of her to confirm that she was telling the truth. She curled up against him again, noticing how he wasn’t as stiff as before, “Really, I’m a little bitch.” She pouted at him, wondering if those were Neil’s words pouring from his lips.

“You can still be upset if someone didn’t do what they said they would do. I should’ve explained it to you earlier,” He looked bashful, like she had exposed something. She let her thoughts get the best of her as he scrunched his face up again, wrinkling his nose as he looked away from her. She leaned forward slowly, pressing her finger against the bridge of his nose and squishing it softly. He snapped his eyes towards her, almost in alarm.

“What are you doing?” He questioned and she could hear the humor in his voice. She smiled big at him, resting her finger against his nose for another second before pulling her hand away.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. Your nose just looks soft,” She admitted, feeling a soft flush form over her features. She was still happy she did it, “It is soft.” She confirmed, watching the glee that covered his features.

“You’re weird,” Billy told her but his eyes were twinkling, “Really, really weird. You’re cute though.” Her heart was racing as he watched her and she sank back against him, enjoying the way he warmed her body. She could lay here forever. She stiffened, watching as Max rolled over in her chair but swiftly relaxed as the sound of her snores carried across the room. She looked up towards Billy, a bit worried. 

“I can take her back to bed,” Billy spoke up again softly, rubbing his large hand down her pale shoulder. She rested her head against his chest, soaking in the feeling of his skin against hers. She didn’t want him to leave just yet, “Probably better do it before dad comes back.” She sighed softly against his chest, not wanting to be interrupted. She knew he was right though, if her mom came home and saw them curled up like this she would think the worst. 

“Okay,” She slowly released her grip around him, feeling herself pouting as he sat up and pulled away from her. She snuggled back into the couch cushions, trying to hold onto the warmth of his spot as he stood. He glanced down at her, a smile forming on his lips as he slowly picked the smaller girl up from the couch. Kim watched, intrigued at how easily he could lift someone, “I’ll wait for you.” She mumbled softly, he turned and sent her a smirk before he was walking away with the younger girl. She sprawled out against the couch, trying to calm the feeling in her chest. She didn’t understand why her heart was racing so hard or why she cared if Billy was ignoring her. She reminded herself that this wouldn’t last forever, one day both of them would walk away from each other. It made her sad, thinking about being without him one day. She knew it was true, no matter how badly she wanted to deny it. She could still feel their mixture in her panties but she didn’t care, she had grown to like the feeling of his warm liquid inside of her. It made her feel dirty in a good way. 

“You ready?” He nudged her foot softly, brushing his finger across the top of her toes gently. She shifted her feet away quickly, not wanting to get tickled. She looked up at his golden face, admiring the smile that was placed on his features. He bent down slowly, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up. She squealed softly, her head pointing downwards as he placed her over his shoulder with ease. She felt the giggles forming in her chest, leaving her mouth as she tilted her head up a bit to peer up at him.

“Please don’t drop me,” She giggled out, resting her hands against his lower back so she could hold herself up. She stared as the living room slowly trailed out of view as he carried her towards her room. He squeezed the back of her thigh softly, kicking her door open slowly with his foot. He kept the light to her room off as he traced his steps in the darkness before plopping her down on her bed. Her body bounced off of the mattress three times, a large grin on her face as she finally settled into the soft bed, “Where are you going?” She asked softly, looking at how he began to step away from her bed.

“My room,” He glanced towards her, the amusement fading from his face, “I don’t think it would be good if they came back and found us in here together.” He admitted, trailing a finger against her leg softly. She felt herself pouting, scooting over in her bed to make room for him.

“Just for a little bit? I bet we’d be able to hear when they came in. Please?” She questioned hopefully, looking at the way he seemed to be considering it. She felt her mood dampen when he turned without a word and headed towards her door. She really thought things may change again now that they had talked everything through.

“Just don’t be acting weird, I don’t want to be kicked or anything in my sleep,” He grumbled, closing her door and locking it for good measure. He was referencing how she had nightmares after scary movies, he turned with a soft smile on his lips. She could feel her heart pounding, realizing he was staying, “Not too many blankets, I get hot.” He muttered as he scooted next to her on the bed. She didn’t care. She wouldn’t need many with him. He always kept her warm.

“Okay,” She replied softly, looking over at him with her fingers linked together over her stomach. He messed with her pillows, shifting them until he got comfortable. She watched as he pulled the scrunchie from his hair, letting his blonde curls rest against his shoulders. It had grown so much from the first time she had met him. She couldn’t believe how short it had been at that time, “Just don’t let anything grab my feet.” She grinned, watching the way his eyes turned towards her in amusement.

“Not sure what I could do against a monster, but sure. You’re welcome by the way.” He rolled on his side to face her, resting his hand against his cheek as he watched her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

“Thank you?” She replied back, watching as he bit down on his bottom lip. He had a mischievous look on his face as he scooted towards her closer, pressing his warm hand against her pale skin.

“Yeah, now no one can sacrifice you to any ancient demons.” He cackled, his eyes scrunching with laughter as he looked at her reaction. She relaxed her face, ignoring the burning she felt in her cheeks as she shoved him playfully. She couldn’t believe he had just told her that. She felt a joyous feeling in her chest as she traced the lines around his eyes where he was smiling so wide. Her heart was fluttering hard, her stomach flipping as she watched him. Something felt different as an entirely new feeling soared inside of her flesh and bones. She felt like she was looking at him in a different light suddenly as all of her feelings from the previous weeks began to pile up onto her. She exhaled hard, fighting a smile as Billy was still watching her amused. She could stay here forever, she realized.

She was fucked.

[pavlovianpanic]

so, i've not really "gone over" why i peg nathan as bipolar born / bpd made. so that's under the cut! mostly just jargon ig. this is only going over nathan's bpd diagnosis, not his bipolar 1 diagnosis.

so, what are the symptoms in some detail?

A strong fear of abandonment. This includes going to extreme measures so you're not separated or rejected, even if these fears are made up.

i talk a lot about thinking he is rejected by max, how he handles his relationship with his dad, how he handles mark rejecting him, etc. nathan fears abandonment. his sister ran away, but sean arguably didn't stop her. he let her go. nathan is an only child.

A pattern of unstable, intense relationships, such as believing someone is perfect one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel.

nathan displays a lot of this with his father, also mark, who he fears and idolizes all at once. this is likely deep in how he views victoria, who he mostly keeps high up because she never disappoints him (or rarely does), but when she does, it is messy, and he comes crawling back usually.

Quick changes in how you see yourself. This includes shifting goals and values, as well as seeing yourself as bad or as if you don't exist.

nathan has a very unstable sense of self. one moment? he's fine, confident, and owns the school. the next? he's convincing himself to come down by actively talking out loud in the girl's bathroom. like, it's very extreme.

Periods of stress-related paranoia and loss of contact with reality. These periods can last from a few minutes to a few hours.

a huge character trait of nathan is his paranoia, how others perceive him, do not understand him, and he is always stressed out (even when acting cool). i think he very rarely feels relaxed but he tries to do things that are relaxing (whale sounds, etc).

Impulsive and risky behavior, such as gambling, dangerous driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating, drug misuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship.

nathan's entire relationship with sex is incredibly accurate to this. he's promiscuous, he uses sex as a weapon or to make himself feel better, and i've discussed here his struggles with his refractory periods and also post-coital tristesse.

additionally, nathan definitely drives erratically, he flashes cash to look good, probably gambles a bit, spends a lot (on himself and v, you see it with the diet pills, but he's a rich kid, he spends), he has an eating disorder (i do peg him as a binge and sneak eater), he does drugs, he sabotages his successes, and often ends positive relationships or ruins them entirely.

Threats of suicide or self-injury, often in response to fears of separation or rejection.

i do not think nathan cuts. why? the way he reacts to being scratched, beaten, etc. he is very sensitive to pain, that's clear. he doesn't like being hurt physically. nathan self-harms more ... subtly than that. he's an addict, he's using diet pills (which are bad for you), etc. it's those kinds of things. smoking cigs, etc. cutting is also statistically higher in females, and while males do cut, i don't think nathan does.

i think he has a lot of suicidal ideation, relies on "killing himself" when things go wrong (more a brain impulse, not an active thing he goes through with), and he fears being separated from anyone that loves him. mark and victoria are good examples.

Wide mood swings that last from a few hours to a few days. These mood swings can include periods of being very happy, irritable, anxious, or feeling shame.

nathan expresses a lot of shame and remorse, has an unstable sense of self, has erratic moods, is violent, mischievous to a dangerous degree, is out of control, and is often described with rage.

Ongoing feelings of emptiness.

nathan feels isolated, alone, and like no one can understand him or what he is going through most of the time. he has few close friendships, arguably one, and suffers from a feeling of being chronically empty, thus always filling the void with anything he can get his hands on.

Inappropriate, strong anger, such as losing your temper often, being sarcastic or bitter, or physically fighting.

this speaks for itself, i think. nathan is literally this to a t.

so, i think this diagnosis is pretty accurate? it's not ... it's an illness not very well understood. nathan fits all of these symptoms when generally you need about four, black and white thinking being one of the most common. nathan is actively suffering, he is not in control of this and is medicating his bipolar at most, but having severe side effects and withdrawals (because of a lot of misuse and over / under dosing).

does nathan have a "favorite person" ... yes. i have discussed that, on his peer level, it is victoria. mark could arguably be this, but their relationship is so unstable that nathan basically idolizes the guy to an unhealthy degree whereas victoria is more "on his level" and attainable.

sean is actively not involved in taking any role of nathan's mental health other than idk getting his rage books and trying to get him to take his meds ig and also letting him slip into the cracks while getting a celeb doctor to basically give nathan the prescriptions he needs because the other doctor wanted to do it right the way. no time for that. give nathan the meds and move on. nathan was born bipolar via his mother / made bpd by his father (who has npd). bpd is a made illness, not born. you have to experience extreme trauma essentially and you develop into it. nathan fits that.

[content-d3leted]

Here's some random terrible sketches I've done throughout the past 3 months that each took me less than 2 minutes to create because I'm lazy!! It's more about the...essence of what the image conveys rather than the art itself lol

I love how yellow the show is. Maybe it's just because my phone screen is made to see everything through a warm-ish filter, but certain series (especially s4) just have such a yellowy vibe to it...I have no idea why, but I love it so much

Also I love how in series 1 whenever Justin sat on the sofa, Robert always wanted to sit squished between him and the armrest so they were directly next to eachother, it's so CUTE!

(ignore the poor quality of the screenshot) LOOK AT ROBERTS FACE. HE IS ENJOYING IT. HE IS CONTENT. HE JUST WANTS TO BE CLOSE TO HIS BESTIE!! It's so sad that they got rid of this little thing he always did, I wonder what happened that made Robert stop?!?! Maybe he eventually realised that Justin found it annoying (except I'm pretty sure J secretly thought it was sweet) lol

Ngl series 1 had some of the most hilarious moments of the entire show in there. One of my favourites is in 'Suits you' (I think that's its name, it's episode 7 I think) when Robert has the conversation with Dee that goes something like-

R:" Sir is having a bath."

D:"Oh, well I can't give him the paper in the bath!"

R:"No.."

D:"The paper will get all soggy!"

R:"..............yes"

THE WAY HE SAYS THAT LAST LINE ABSOLUTELY KILLS ME ITS SO FUNNY FOR NO REASON

AND THEN AFTERWARDS WHEN DEE MAKES THAT RUBBISH JOKE AND ROBERT MAKES THE FAKE LAUGHING AUDIO PLAY. AND YOU JUST SEE THE LIGHT FADING FROM HER EYES. THE CORNERS OF HER MOUTH SLOWLY FLATTENING. LIKE NO ROBERT YOU'RE NOT MEANT TO SLOWLY CRUSH THE JOY FROM THIS POOR WOMAN BECAUSE OF A BAD JOKE.

And also there was such a sweet moment in the blocked pipe episode, when Robert was going into the basement to check for the pipe, and after doing his (unbearably cringe) 'Robert the brave' lines, he said "and Sir.........I'll miss you!" THE WAY HE SAID AND ACTED WHEN DOING THAT WAS SO CUTE. HE MUST REALLY LIKE JUSTIN TO MISS BEING AWAY FROM HIM FOR 30 SECONDS MAX. And Justin's fake annoyance afterwards was so funny too because I know that deep inside he thought that was adorable

Its kinda sad at how little Robert thinks of himself when it comes to his relationship with Justin. For example in the Roberta episode, he is literally on the brink of leaving the house forever?!?! Just because Justin bought a new robot to HELP him! He really believes that their friendship is just gone like that because of his..jealousy I suppose? Same in the Justi Moment episode (literal copy and paste episode), where he is on the verge of tears because Justin, yet again, bought a robot to help him out! I suppose Robert truly does believe sometimes that he is only fantasising of having a good relationship with J, and that Justin doesn't reciprocate those feelings (which is obviously not true).

Mac's first episode is so heartbreaking though. The fact that Justin did not stop a single time to consider the consequences of leaving his literal family for a couple of years is so sad. And Robert's little monologue bit was so tragic :( , but imagine what it would of been like if Justin actually didn't return for a couple of years, and how devastated Robert would of been. I wonder how he'd react to Justin coming back after so long?? He'd probably never want to see him again after that tbf. Also I do wonder why Robert was so nervous and awkward about meeting Mac for the first time, since he's never been known to do it before when meeting other newcomers. The poor guy was clinging on to Meradith for dear life in some scenes!

It's quite interesting that Robert canoniclly has a physical disability with his right foot coordinator (I think that's what it is, cant remember the exact thing) being faulty so sometimes he'll mess up with walking. Also quite interesting that robots can HAVE physical disabilities. Surely their parts can be replaced or fixed? I wonder why Robert never decided to fix it, perhaps because he didn't think it was important enough? Although I'm pretty sure it does affect him, since multiple times throughout the show he's shown to have a travelling cane of some sorts, meaning he literally needs a walking stick to get around sometimes- so it must be an annoying thing to have. Maybe he's worried about having an operation on his leg? Actually now that I think about it, coordination takes place in the brain, so maybe he's unable to fix it because of that (because I'm pretty sure messing with someone's brain is....not the greatest thing lol)

I'm so tired abdiejdeodnkdslsnjwls

[inktog]

YOU ARE A MONSTER, AND TONIGHT IS HALLOWEEN. It's the one night of the year when you can exist in the open—by passing yourself off as a human in a costume.

Players: Create Characters

What monster are you? doppelgänger, Frankenstein’s, ghost, headless rider, incubus/succubus, mummy, pumpkinhead, skeleton, vampire, werewolf, witch, zombie, other. (Start thinking about your supernatural capabilities.)

Choose your number from 2 to 5. A low number means you’re better at TRICK (slinking, skulking, spooking, scaring, killing). A high number means you’re better at TREAT (boldness, bluntness, upfrontness, playing nice, passing as human).

Write down your character’s name, monster type, pronouns (if any), and number on an index card so everyone can see them.

Players: Choose a Scenario

Decide as a group: You’re trying to

thwart an evil plot,

get revenge on someone,

escape from the human world, or

live it up for a night!

How’d you all end up with each other? What do you already know? What’s the plan? And if it’s not already obvious, why do you need to traverse the human world?

Decide for yourself: What’s your personal stake in this?

What does the evil threaten that you care about?

What’d they do to get on your bad side?

What’s waiting for you back home?

What’s one quintessential human experience you can’t wait to try?

Rolling the Dice

When you do something risky, roll 1d6. You roll +1d if you’re using supernatural gifts (a witch’s magic, a werewolf’s teeth and claws, a succubus’ seduction, etc.) and +1d if you’re taking the initiative (being proactive, not just reacting to danger).

If you’re TRICKing (acting in the shadows), you’re trying to roll above your number.

If you’re TREATing (acting in the light), you’re trying to roll below your number.

Each success is a hit.

If you roll 0 hits, something goes wrong. Brace for the worst.

With 1 hit, you barely manage it. The GM will give you an added complication, harm, or cost.

With 2 hits, you do it well. Good job!

With 3+ hits, not only do you do it well, but you also get some extra bonus effect of the GM’s choice.

Rolling your number exactly is TRICK OR TREAT: you gain a special insight into what’s going on. Ask the GM a question and they’ll answer honestly.

Some good questions: What do they know? Who’s behind this? How could I get them to [BLANK]? What should I be on the lookout for? What’s the best way to [BLANK}? What’s really going on here?

(A roll of TRICK OR TREAT counts as a success.)

When you help someone out or act as a group, each person rolls individually. The number of hits equals the number of people who rolled at least one success on their dice.

GM: Run the Game

Set scenes, roleplay as NPCs, give players challenges to overcome, and adjudicate the rules in the service of fun.

Start by giving the players a lead based on the scenario they chose: some immediate task or relevant info to help orient them at the start of play.

Call for rolls when it makes sense. Interpret the results as the dice dictate; don’t pre-plan outcomes. Let no roll go to waste: even failures should push the narrative forward in new and interesting directions.

Before something bad happens to the characters, show signs that it’s about to happen, then ask them what they do. (“The Pumpkin Queen rushes you, her blade crackling with dark magic. What do you do?” “After you reattach your eyeballs, you see a shocked little boy staring at you—he looks like he’s about to scream. What do you do?”)

Ending the Game

Call it a night when you succeed at your goal or reach an appropriate cliffhanger. If you’re playing more than one session, you can increase or decrease your number by 1 in between sessions (min. 2, max. 5).

If you’re discovered as monster, you attract a mob and are defeated (killed, exorcised, captured for government experiments, etc.). You can also be defeated by other monsters. Either way, you can make a new character to keep playing—as long as your friends are still alive.

Credits

Trick or Treat (by Joy Sherwood) is a hack of Lasers and Feelings (by John Harper) under the CC BY 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

[malepresentingleg]

A little late after the episode but I do have some (over 1k worth) thoughts on BMF and how they handled the whole sex thing that I need to let out before I even go into the tag.

I'll say this show has been very pleasantly surprising the last few episodes, and I was quite impressed with how they handled and addressed very real queer experiences - if it's Pisaeng's beautiful journey with the gay bar, his mom's "acceptance", and the beautiful beautiful rally with the wonderful speakers discussing queer struggles and more.

That's why I had a tiny bit of hope for an asexual Kawi following his comments about sex (can two people who date never have sex? YEAH!), but I wasn't holding on to it very much because I'm a realistic not delusional leg :') So as much as I LOVE this idea and think it could have been very interesting and important and a great opportunity to explore asexuality and relationships - I will write here under the assumption that Kawi is allo and is meant to be sexually attracted to Pisaeng.

One of my least favorite tropes in bl is "the blushing maiden"- where one character really pushes the other into intimacy and the other is avoiding it. If two characters are in a relationship- let them both be interested in each other!!! (uwma and between us are two of my least favorite bls from those I watched bc of that. Bad Buddy is probably my favorite because they show the mutuality of the relationship very well). Some examples for it being done well are MSP - they're BOTH shy and both do want it, they're just kids. When Tinn asks for kisses Gun is flustered and Tinn does it in a teasing way, and very much respects Gun's wishes. Not to mention, he ends up being even more shy.

I think the most similar to what BMF seems to be trying to show would be The Eclipse. Akk is extremely repressed. He's full of self-loathing and internalized homophobia and every time Aye pushes it's to help him be able to do what he wants without needing to admit it. Credit is definitely due to First's superb acting skills because he's effortlessly able to show the audience how much he's torn inside, how much he's very much into Aye, how he WANTS to touch him and be intimate with him, but he's scared and has a lot holding him back. Of course it's not perfect but it didn't give me the ick as much as uwma did, and not as much as BMF did too.

Which brings me to Kawi and Pisaeng.

Pisaeng made this beautiful journey for self-acceptance and embracing his queerness. We as the audience also know how easily things could have turned different and he would marry Pear without even coming out! So we know how much of a struggle it was, and it's reasonable to think- still is, for him to accept his attraction to men. I think that is part of what makes this dynamic between them so jarring - I want to celebrate Pisaeng's confidence, he's being sweet and romantic and giving his bf positive attention in an unapologetic queer way - but then the way Kawi reacts to it makes me also wants to hate it, to feel like Pisaeng is pressuring him and being predatory, demanding without consent.

But it's not what happens. Because of everything I mentioned about Pisaeng, and because he's charming and cute and has been through all that, I find myself "rooting for him" (why are there sides to be rooting for???) and thinking man Kawi is annoying! Didn't he say he's into Pisaeng?? Why can't he show it too, make him feel loved and wanted like he deserves? But that's a mindset I don't want to fall into.

But what I'm missing to feel more sympathetic towards Kawi is what I found in MSP and in The Eclipse - show me he does want it but he's scared, he's not ready, he's shy, anything! But now what I'm getting from him is that he doesn't actually like Pisaeng at all, and all that changed was their official status.

I was very excited for the chat he had with Max (a little bit because he really did sound like an asexual there and I had hope), because up until now he had very good advice and gave great queer insight.

I loved how he talked about his experiences, and said that yes, sex is an essential part of his relationships but - I was so sure he was gonna say it's different for everyone, that Kawi shouldn't do anything he's not ready for and that he should talk to Pisaeng about it.

Instead, when Kawi said he doesn't find sex to be that important in a relationship (ace Kawi! ace Kawi!!), Max kinda shamed him with "well you're a virgin so you don't know", and basically told him "you're gonna do it eventually so might as well now, you're lucky it's with someone you love". Which is kind of a horrible advice IMO. Another approach they could take is tackle why it is that Kawi is so reluctant, discuss his internalized homophobia that still makes him perceive gay sex as wrong and how he can get over it and embrace this part of himself. But the reasoning for him to do it being "just do it" ugh. No thanks.

Another direction I thought it might take and I would have been happy with is Pisaeng maybe apologizing for pushing and expressing hid sadness that Kawi doesn't want him or isn't into him or something like that, and Kawi would then explain and express how much he DOES want him but he's just not ready. ANYTHING. to make me believe Kawi is into Pisaeng and not just forcing himself because he's told he needs to.

The amusement park analogy was a bit on the nose - if you don't try the rollercoaster it's like you haven't really been here = if we don't have sex our relationship doesn't count. Which, ouch. But yeah "it's ok if you're scared, I'll be with you and hold your hand the whole time".

I was a bit surprised they ended up not going, and then again at the car with the roof, but after further thought I realized it was - Kawi saw Pisaeng respects his wishes and doesn't actually cross his boundaries and so he trusts him enough by the end of the episode. Still, the fact they had sex felt... wrong. After Kawi spent the whole episode being scandalized by anything touch related, his conversation with Max, him being scared shitless to find lube, the theme park and then the dinner - the transition to having sex felt lacking. Them just having sex without any sort of discussion about Kawi's reluctance, talking about how it's actually both of their first times (I assume? at least with a man), how it's ok to take it slow.. Idk, Kawi couldn't bear KISSING Pisaeng up until this point, so now they're having sex? It made it feels like he's forcing himself which is the last thing I want for their relationship. I want to see them both wanting each other :')

There were some great highlights like Kawi staring at Pisaeng in bed or calling his mom but for me it wasn't enough to make me feel like their relationship is built on mutual attraction.

[f0point5]

There are so many layers to this story, I love it!

In that last part, when you started with y/n taking horse riding lessons, I somehow really thought she might have taking Metaphor.

Like it's a part of her past and we didn't have the information on whether she's still into it or doing it or whatever. So it felt like she's taking a step away from her f1 world and into "another life", "her old life", whatever you wanna call it. And the idea that it's her letting Metaphor somewhat in, giving sth away and letting him see that side to her would have fit.

And yet again - it's Max sticking by her side, all supportive, focus on her and her only!

You said he's consciously "only" worried about her not talking to him, so any other feelings are rather unconsciously. And that's how I felt about it rather early in the story. I do believe she's so much more to him than a friend, but he still doesn't know it, or rather consciously agrees to that. However, him talking to Daniel about it and Daniel nagging on about what everyone seems to see there other than Max and y/n, does seem to unravel things for Max. And I'm here for that! #teammax

The y/n part is even more interesting... like she realizes there might be something off with Max, he's acting different, but yet she can't bring herself to talk to him, even though she suspects he knows sth. So if she believes he might know, why does she believe he acts the way he does with her? Like what is she afraid of? If both have dated and it's always been fine with them, why hide it now? Why make it bigger than it has to be?

I'm fully convinced that it should not be a problem to talk to Max like she talks to Lando, if it wasn't for there being sth more. So either she's worried about his reaction, which makes me wonder if she feels like there's more feelings there on his side...

Or she might be worried about her own feelings towards a certain Dutchman, even if so unconsciously... to me it really sticks out, how she's clinging to Max herself.

Like Max is behaving differently, she immediately asked Lando if he spilled the guts. She makes it about herself. What other reason could there be? Metaphor asked her out to dinner when she was still in the UK. She held back the answer, checking in with Max first, then declined Metaphors offer. The guy is always massaging like how she is, what's she doing, adding the little x's. She's doing none of that. Answering when questioned, keeping it short and rather impersonal. Like she's not even trying.

So really to her it probably doesn't seem to be important enough to talk about it with Max.

It doesn't feel like she thinks it's the big deal with Metaphor and that's why she won't say a thing. It's not a big thing to her, because as soon as there's something weird about Max' behavior that's the big deal for her. That's her main focus.

Max literally holding on to her finger tips cause he doesn't want to lose her is only one side of the picture. She might not be doing it quite literally, but she's still doing it all on her own.

And when you told that you believe if things were the other way around and Max was seeing someone without telling her, that she wouldn't take it well... I can fully see that. Absolutely. She'd probs go nuts.

And that really makes me wonder how she'd deal if Max won't react all too well to a new guy in her life. Then again it's Max. He'd probably rather cope than lose her completely...

I'm rambling. And I'm really curious where you'll go with the story. I guess I just really don't see the spark with y/n and Metaphor. 🤣

Awww no now I almost wish she had gone riding with Metaphor haha, because you’re right it would have fit. But then I think it also wouldn’t have fit for their comfort level atm, like she’s still scheduling dinners I don’t think she’d let him drive her to Nice to watch her riding lesson. I also think after Max’s weird turn they were looking for something fun to do together.

I also think Max is such a supportive person, like she spends so much time cheering him on I think he relished the opportunity to do that for her even if it was just an hour. I’m so sad they weren’t close when she was competing with horses because Max has always said his family lived for him because of all he was doing l, I think he almost would have enjoyed being supportive of someone else’s pursuits.

Lol poor Max, no one wants to meet him at his level to talk to him. I understand his frustration because it’s hard when you think one thing and you want help with the problem you think you have, and other people are so intent on telling you you have a different problem that you don’t feel you do. I can’t wait to get more into Max’s headspace on this because it’s really illuminating.

I think with Y/N, she’s never really been in this situation. Anyone she’s dated in the last 7-8 years has been someone Max knows it knows of, so he would know about her dating them, and she wouldn’t not tell him because she wouldn’t want it to blindside him. Whereas Metaphor is a whole new person that she’d have to introduce into their world, and she’s not ready to commit to him being in her life yet let alone him being a character in her wider circle. I mean, they’ve been on one coffee date. I think she knows that once it’s out there it’s going to have some kind of consequence so she thinks, why start that if he’s going to be gone in a few weeks.

Max is definitely someone who just copes, if it’s outside his control he just sucks it up and gets on with it. I don’t think she’s worried he will react badly, more that there will be a natural shift once there’s another man in her life.

I don’t think there’s necessarily a spark with Y/N and Metaphor but she definitely doesn’t see that as a negative…more on that to come.

Don’t apologise. There’s NOTHING I love more than a ramble :D