#My favorite thing to do in this game was always the soda drinking

[goldfades]

✮ 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐩, 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 | jack hughes

♡ ─ word count | 3.8k

♡ ─ summary | when you and jack had parted ways, somehow you both knew you'd meet again somehow.

♡ ─ warnings | second chance romance!! slight angst (nothing too crazy), fluffy as fuck!!! jack being a cutie patootie, bsf x luke hughes cus why not???? mention of drinking/bars but that should be it.

♡ ─ taglist | | @dancerbailey3 @valluvsu @daisysnhl @dasiysthings @iminlovewithtz11 @literatureluster @lvrzegras @lxvleyzoe @bowen-power @ru-kru @jackhughesily @hearts-for-luke

♡ ─ ev's notes | okay, so this started off as sweeter than fiction fic but slowly turned into an invisible string fic, but its okay. they both slay and lowkey work well together!!

No matter how hard you tried to forget Jack, you never could.

The moment you both laid eyes on each other, each of you knew it was game over for everyone else. Everyone else was merely everybody else, and the other was just the one. From the first hello to the last goodbye, there was a connection neither of you could fathom.

Jack was more than just your first love or your first everything, he soon became the key to solving all your problems and the keeper of all your secrets. He was the funniest and kindest person you knew, no matter how long you'd been together. That never changed, even after you two parted ways.

It's been almost three years since you seperated but you can still how he made you feel, and all his favorite things: how he liked his coffee, what side of the bed he slept, his favorite soda and how to cheer him up. However, if someone had asked you where he was now, you couldn't tell them.

Well, not necessarily. You knew he plays some NHL team and he was doing what he's always loved, that's all you knew for sure. Some things never change, you guess.

Sometimes, you would wonder if he ever thought of you. Were you just a passing thought or a lasting memory? Did he remember everything or did he forget it? Those questions kept you up at night. But, at the end of the day, you realized that you were happy for him because he was out there, pursuing his dreams. Even if you weren't in those stands, wearing his jersey cheering him on, like he'd always promised.

──

"A hockey game?" You repeated, staring at your best friend Brie. She shook her head, a big smile on her face.

"My friend got tickets a few months ago but he got covid, so he gave them to me. And I knew you were a fan of hockey, so why not?" Brie explained as she leaned back into the couch.

"Not really-"

"Well you grew uo in Ontario so that makes you a hockey fan by association. You're going, end of discussion." Brie sighed exasperatedly, feigning annoyance as a smile enveloped your face. You had no choice now, you had to go.

You couldn't help but chuckle at Brie's determination. She always had a way of roping you into things, and this time was no exception. Despite your initial reluctance, the prospect of attending a hockey game stirred a sense of excitement within you.

A few days later, you found yourself growing curious about the experience. Memories of watching hockey matches with your family in Ontario flooded back, reminding you of the excitement that accompanied each game. One memory stuck out to you, you couldn't remember much but you do remember the warm feeling of his jacket and how your heart was beating- No, no. Focus on the now, Y/N. You reminded yourself as you forced yourself out of your head.

You navigate your way through the big arena and you both finally found your seats, settling in as the game was beginning. Settling into your seat, you let yourself soak in the atmosphere, the sights and sounds of the arena becoming a backdrop to your thoughts and emotions.

The players take to the ice and the game begins, you find yourself swept up in the thrill of the moment. The cheers of the crowd fill the air, each goal and save met with loud applause and excitement. You missed this.

"Y/N, look! That's the one I was telling you about, the one who followed me. Isn't he cute?" Brie spoke with a warm blush on her face, pointing out a number 43. You nodded, watching him glide.

He looked slightly familiar but you couldn't place it. "Wait... Is that why we're here, Brie?"

"What? No. What do you mean? What?" Brie's blush spread to her entire face as she let out a giggle, a telltale sign of her lying. You shook your head with a laugh, of course there was an ulterior motive to coming here.

She let out a sigh and then continued, "Okay fine. He invited me to the game, with free tickets. You wouldn't say no either, alright?"

"Yeah, free tickets are free tickets." You shrugged with another laugh. "Is he cute?"

"You'll see, he told me to come to the bar after the game."

"And I have to come?" You sighed, leading back into the uncomfortable seat of the stands.

"Don't sound too excited, Y/N." She teased as you rolled your eyes playfully. "He has a cute brother and I heard the captain is hot, so... you won't be third wheeling entirely."

"Okay, fine. But what if they aren't cute?"

"This is hockey, babe, there is a very low chance of that happening." Brie said with a big grin as you laughed. That was true, they all happened to be very cute.

With each passing minute, the anticipation grew, fueled by the idea of meeting Brie's acquaintance and his friends. Despite your initial hesitation, there was an undeniable curiosity about what the night held in store.

As the final buzzer sounded and the game drew to a close with another win for the Devils, you found yourself caught between anxious anticipation and excitement. The promise of a post-game gathering lingered in the air, pulling you into its orbit with a magnetic force you couldn't resist.

Brie quickly took you out of your trance, grabbing your hand to rush to the bar. As you entered the busy bar, the atmosphere was electric, pulsating with the excitement of post-game celebration. The air was thick with the scent of beer and sweat as you nervously walked beside Brie to find her friend.

She pulled your sleeve and pointed to a curly-head in the distance before whispering, "That's him."

"Whoa, he's tall."

"I know." She whispered back dreamily as she stared before walking towards him, a confident smile on her face whilst you followed her.

He turned around and your eyes widened. He was familiar, you knew exactly who he was. Luke Hughes, Jack's little brother. Instant regret hit you as you hoped and prayed he wouldn't remember you.

Thankfully, he looked right at Brie with a huge grin. "Oh, hey. Glad you could make it."

He leaned in for a hug and your eyebrows rose, they were already on hugging terms? As they pulled apart, his gaze moved to you and his features changed into a knowing one. You plastered on the best smile you could and silently prayed he didn't remember you.

"Y/N?"

Shit.

But that wasn't Luke's voice, you turned your head to the side to see him. "Jack?"

As the name escaped his lips, your heart skipped a beat, the world around you seeming to slow to a crawl. Time seemed to stand still as you locked eyes with him, the familiarity of his gaze stirring a whirlwind of emotions within you. His blue eyes boring into yours, your heart racing.

In that moment, the weight of the past crashed over you like a tidal wave, memories flooding back with clarity. The sound of his smooth voice, the warmth of his sweet gaze—it was as if no time had passed at all, as if you were transported back to a time when the world was simpler, when your love felt like an unbreakable bond.

For a moment, the world fell away, leaving only the two of you locked in a silent exchange that spoke volumes to only the two of you. Memories of your shared past flooded back, the laughter, the tears, the love that had once bound you together, all laid bare in the space between you.

Jack's expression softened, a flicker of recognition dancing in his eyes as he took in your features. It was as if time itself had stood still, freezing this moment in eternity, the echoes of your past reverberating through the air like a haunting melody.

"Jack, buddy, you're about to spill the drinks." Luke's voice drew both of you out of your trance and back into the present moment and out of your head.

"Yeah, um, sorry. Here." Jack nodded to his brother and handed him the beer as you stared back at him, a troubled expression plastered on your face.

As Jack handed the beer to Luke, the brief interlude allowed a moment of reflection from the intensity of the small exchange. The tension lingered between you, a reminder of the emotions simmering under the surface.

You struggled to find the words to break the silence, the weight of your past weighing heavy on your heart. Each passing moment seemed to stretch into eternity, the air thick with anticipation and uncertainty.

Finally, Jack turned back to you, his gaze searching, as if looking for answers to questions left unasked. The troubled expression on your face mirrored the emotions swirling in you, a storm of conflicting feelings that threatened to engulf you both.

"I... It's been a while," Jack began, his voice hesitant, the words hanging in the air between you like a delicate thread.

"Yeah, it has," you replied softly, your voice barely above a whisper. The memories of your shared past lingered like a ghost, haunting the space between you with their silent presence.

Luke looked a Brie with a knowing look, taking her hand warmly and glancing between you and Jack. "I think me and Brie are gonna get some drinks, we'll be right back."

Before anyone could reject, Luke pulled away your best friend to the bar and she turned around with a sympathetic smile and a shrug. You cursed the younger Hughes as you sighed. Now you have to face Jack alone, without the comfort of your best friend.

You and Jack once again found each other's gaze, staring into each other's eyes with warmth and recognition. His eyes were still as blue as you left them but he looked more mature, facial hair growing on his chin and his hair a little longer but you thought it suited him. But he still has the boyish charm to him, the thing that made you fall for him in the first place. His mouth curved up into a small smile as he watched you observe him.

"How've you been?" His voice echoed and that was another that hadn't changed. You had forgotten his voice on the course of the couple years of separation, you forgot how sweet and smooth it was.

"I've been..." You trailed off, not knowing what to exactly. "I've been good. You?" You settled for a simple answer, not knowing exactly where you stood yet.

"Can't complain." He responded with a shrug, take a sip of his beer. Silence once again filled the space between you as you gazed at each other.

In the absence of words, your gaze held a conversation of its own. The warmth and recognition in Jack's eyes mirrored the emotions swirling within you. For a moment, it was like you were seeing him for the first time again—his features bathed in the soft glow of recognition, his smile warm in the rest of world's darkness. The years had etched lines of experience onto his face, sculpting the contours of his features into something familiar yet different.

And yet, beneath the surface, there remained a sense of familiarity—a connection that defied the time itself and the hurts of the past. It was a reminder of the depth of your shared history, the moments that had shaped you into the people you had become.

You couldn't help but wonder what thoughts raced through his mind, what memories stirred beneath the surface. Did he too feel the weight of the past, the pull of unfinished stories waiting to be told?

"You grew your hair out." He stated softly as he examined your new look. "It looks good."

"Looks like you did, too." You smiled softly and he let out a warm laugh, and it was infectious. The memories, rushed back into your mind at the happy sound and your stomach did a flip. Another thing that hadn't changed, the sweet sound of his laugh.

"Yeah, that's what hockey does to a guy." He explained, his eyes glowing beneath the warm light of bar.

You chuckled, a mixture of emotions swirling within you. "Guess it comes with the territory. You always did love the game."

Jack's gaze softened, a flicker of sentimentality in his eyes. "Yeah, some things just never change, I guess. Hockey's been a constant in my life and I don't think I'll ever stop."

The shared memories of watching games together, the thrill of victories, and the hurt of defeats lingered in the air, connecting you both in a shared history that time hadn't erased.

"I remember how you used to explain the rules to me, as if I was clueless," you teased, a playful glint in your eye.

Jack laughed, the sound a symphony of familiarity. "Hey, but you caught on quick. Besides, it was a good excuse to spend time together."

The mention of spending time together cast a gentle shadow over the present moment, a reminder of the shared past that had once been the foundation of your connection. The complexities of life had woven a tapestry of experiences, leading you both on separate journeys, yet the threads of your history remained intertwined.

"But hey, the hair suits you," you replied, your voice soft with sincerity. Despite the years that had passed, there was a sense of ease in the way you spoke to each other, as if no time had elapsed at all.

Before he could respond, you were suddenly pushed from the back and flew right into the arms. You were shocked and turned around to see a drunk man stumbling. Suddenly, Jack's arm twisted around your shoulder, a protective stance.

"Shit, sorry." He slurred before walking away into the crowd.

The sudden proximity between you sent a jolt of awareness coursing through your veins, the closeness igniting a spark of familiarity that lingered in the air like electricity.

As the chaos of the moment subsided, the realization of how close you two had been struck you with a sudden clarity, leaving your cheeks warm and your heart racing. You both stared into each other's eyes before Jack spoke softly. "Let's go somewhere quieter, yeah?"

With a nod of agreement, you instinctively reached for his hand, fingers intertwining in a silent pact as he led you through the crowd and out into the cool night air. The sounds of the bar faded into the distance, replaced by the soft murmur of the night.

He let go your hand, the cool night air hit the warm area that his hand once was. He gazed out into the night as you looked to the side of his face, a warm feeling filling your body in spite of it being cold outside.

"So, you play on the same team as Luke?" You spoke, breaking the silence between you two.

His lips curved into a smile as he nodded, "Yeah, isn't that funny? We always talked about playing together again but it's cool that we can actually do that now."

You couldn't help but marvel at the twist of fate that brought them together again. The bond between Jack and Luke was woven with shared memories and childhood dreams, all coming true.

"It's amazing how things come full circle," you remarked, a small smile playing on your lips.

"Yeah and Quinn's finally got the captaincy, it's perfect." Jack continued. He looked happy and content with the way things were turning out with his career and his family, it made you happy seeing him happy. "What about you? Anything exciting?" He turned his attention to you, his blue eyes gazing into yours.

You smiled. "Not as much as you, definitely. But I'm about to graduate and get an apartment, all by myself up in New York. Found the perfect one yesterday and I'm driving up there to see it."

"Just like you always wanted, huh?" Jack's smile grew at that. He was comforted knowing that you hadn't changed too much and you were still same old you, despite how many years that had passed.

"Yeah, it's right in the middle of the city, with windows everywhere so I can watch the city move."

Like you had always wanted, Jack thought in his mind with a big smile. "So we are both chasing our dreams, then?"

"Yeah, something like that." You laughed and he joined along. The warmth of his laughter filled your lungs and you felt like you were out of breath just by laughing along with him. It was perfect. The laughter had died down and you both still were locked in gaze.

For a moment, it was as if the world had faded away, leaving only the two of you suspended in the quiet intimacy of the night. The warmth of Jack's presence enveloped you like a comforting embrace, grounding you in the present moment amidst the chaos of the world.

His smile slowly dropped as he kept looking into your eyes. "Why'd we ever break up?"

The bluntness of the question had taken you aback. And you started thinking back to why you broke up. As you searched for an answer, the weight of the past pressed down upon you, a heavy burden that threatened to consume you whole. The reasons for your breakup lingered on the edges of your consciousness, fragments of half-forgotten truths waiting to be unearthed.

You were moving away to college and he was getting into the NHL, the only logical way to go about this about was to break up. Long distance wouldn't have worked and plus, you were both growing up and getting into new worlds, you didn't want him worrying about you while he was out there, pursuing his dreams.

But deep down, you knew that the choices you had made had led you to where you were now, standing face to face with the echoes of your past and the possibilities of the future. The memory of your break-up was clear in your mind, with all the anger and resentment both of you had in that one moment. But something you had said suddenly stuck out to you, "If we are meant to be, we will."

And we did. You thought to yourself as you stared into Jack's eyes. "We were both growing up and moving away, and I-I guess... I didn't wanna burden you."

Jack's expression softened. "Burden me?"

Silence filled the air once again but this time, you felt embarrassed. How could that have led to the break-up? It seems so small but it felt so big before, like it was the end of the world.

"Yeah," you admitted, your gaze dropping for a moment before meeting Jack's eyes again. "I was worried about holding you back, about becoming a distraction when you had this incredible opportunity in front of you. I thought breaking up was the right thing to do, to give you the freedom to chase your dreams without any restraints."

Jack's expression softened, his eyes reflecting understanding. "Y/N, you could never be a burden to me," he replied softly, his voice filled with sincerity. "We were in it together, remember?"

"I'm sorry, Jack," you whispered, the weight of your words hanging heavy in the air. "I... I wish things had been different."

He immediately shook his head and slowly took your hand. "Don't apologize. If things had been different you don't know how that would've worked out, but right now, everything that led us here is perfect." He said sternly as you nodded slowly.

With a nod of agreement, you allowed his words to seep into the depths of your heart, a gentle reminder that the journey you had embarked upon together with twists and turns but ultimately, it had led you to this moment and that was enough.

"I believe that too," you whispered, your voice tinged with hope and conviction. "Every step we took, every choice we made, brought us here, to this moment."

Jack's gaze softened, his eyes reflecting a depth of emotion that mirrored your own. "We found each other again for a reason, don't you think?"

You nodded softly as you gazed back at him, warmth filling your whole body. Before you could answer, you felt a buzz in your pocket and sighed. You were ripped away from this perfect moment and back to reality. You took your phone out and saw the caller ID: "Brie <3"

You answered it, "Hey, Brie."

"Hey, so where are you? I just remembered I have a 9am lecture tomorrow."

You sighed before shaking your head. Brie and her bad memory, "I'm, uh, outside."

"Great, I'll meet you at the car. We have a lot to debrief tonight."

"Oh yeah, a whole lot." You laughed as you stared back at Jack's face with a warm smile. "'Kay, love you."

"Love you."

She hung up and you were met with Jack's gaze, pulled back into the moment. Again, there was silence before you spoke up. "Well, I gotta go."

"I figured." Jack spoke as a smile curved his mouth.

"I'll... see you, then?" Your voice came out in a quiet whisper as he nodded.

You turned around and started walking before you stopped. You couldn't leave without anything, right? It wouldn't be right. You turned around swiftly with a warm smile. "Umm... when can I see you?"

Jack's eyes lit up at your question, a flicker of excitement dancing in their depths. For a moment, he seemed taken aback by your sudden boldness, but a smile quickly spread across his face, warming the space between you.

Jack's eyes lit up at your question, a genuine smile playing on his lips. "How about tomorrow? We could grab coffee or something, catch up properly."

Your heart skipped a beat at his suggestion, the prospect of spending more time with him filling you with a sense of anticipation and joy. The thought of reconnecting with Jack, of rediscovering the depths of your bond, ignited a spark of hope within your soul.

"That sounds perfect," you replied, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

As you exchanged details and finalized the plans, the air buzzed with anticipation. The promise of tomorrow held the potential for new beginnings, a chance to explore the rekindled connection between you and Jack.

As you parted ways, each step carrying you closer to the promise of tomorrow, you couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for the chance to rewrite the narrative of your story, to carve out a future filled with forgiveness and the prospect unfulfilled promises you once made, coming true.

-> make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated! <-

thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[struwberrii]

kenma headcanons ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

like the title says,, here are my cute kenma headcanons from my head that i just made up just now, hope you guys like ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ (mostly relationship stuff)

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

hes super blunt and honest, a bunch of his classmates dont like him because he always tells it how it is

probably takes in stray cats sometimes and hides them from his family

lives in the same 3 hoodies

literally doesnt do anything if he doesnt feel like it, probably is behind on homework and stuff because of this

one of those people who say they don’t like the taste of water

HATES physical touch, but if you like it he lets you hug him or whatever you want

teaches you how to play his favorite games and also plays your games (if ur also a smelly gamer/j)

SLEEPER BUILD everyone always acts like hes so weak and scrawny like no he isn't the strongest but like he still played volleyball and practiced daily i KNOW he would beat me in a fight physically OR verbally and im literally taller than him (╥﹏╥)

i also feel like hed probably try and stay in shape after high school even though he doesnt have the best diet but i feel like hed still stay active yk?

probably writes you cute notes because he doesn't really know the words to say or hes scared of sounding stupid

loves doing small hands on things, like puzzles or lego building or rubix cubes

lays his head on your lap literally like a cat

loves when you brush/play with his hair

doesn't have the energy to argue over anything so he literally just lets you do whatever you want

if you suck at games he always carries you because hes just happy youre playing with him ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)

gatekeeps you from his followers (they know he has a partner)

wears your cute hair clips to keep his hair out of his face while he games/streams

lives in fluffy socks

isnt very good at showing affection so he just showers you in little gifts and presents, even if its not super fancy or expensive gifts

i feel like he would give the warmest hugs

bluntly/genuinely compliments you

shares his food/snacks with you

probably has terrible vision and keeps his electronics way to close to his face

has the worst posture, you have to remind him to straighten his back, like it literally sounds like popping bubble wrap when he sits up straight

soda/energy drink addict

gets so aggressive on voice chat when hes gaming like hes airing out the whole server... EVERYONE is catching strays tonight

acts like he hates pet names but secretly loves it :3

[koolades-world]

More Obey me! Headcannons

had so much fun last time I wanted to do it again

Satan is so smart, but has issues doing basic math and refuses to admit it, like he can’t figure out fifteen plus seven without his fingers or a calculator (is this me projecting? maybe)

Belphie bought himself and Mc matching house slippers. Mc thought Beel felt left out and made Belphie buy a pair for him too

Beel has a huge green thumb, and takes upon himself to save plants he thinks are sad or lonely. He buys the dying plants from the store to bring back to life (partially inspired by the chat where someone, forgot who, told beel that if he talked to plants they would grow faster my precious baby)

Lucifer is the best cook at the HoL, but rarely has time to cook. Beel is the second best but usually eats the ingredients before he can make anything with them. Mammon is probably the worst because Levi can make food from animes almost perfectly

Asmo once almost set a store he was collaborating with on fire with his rage alone because they spelt his name wrong

Beel probably needs a new toothbrush every couple weeks. Belphie probably gets toothbrushes mixed up and uses ones that aren’t his

Lucifer and Solomon like prune juice haha old men

The one thing Luke and Simeon have seriously disagreed on is if raisins belong in dessert. Michael likes them, so Luke does too. Simeon thinks they’re awful but never directly says it, so Lucifer usually says it for him

Despite always being online, Levi had not once checked his RAD email. He has 9,999+ emails, probably a lot more because 9,999 is where it stops counting

Mammon collects cool rocks and keeps them in a box under his bed

Satan’s hands are always freezing, so he sticks them under Mc (or a cat) when possible, or uses a charmed hot water bottle from Solomon that stays warm for days at a time

Solomon and Asmo have had matching bracelet sets for as long as they’ve known each other, and since they didn’t make them anymore, they got some custom done for Mc so they could also have them

For about 1,000 years, Thirteen though jelly beans were an actual kind of bean and Solomon never let her let it go

The first food Mc and Mammon ate on a date in the human world together was Taiyaki, so he made it a point to learn how to make them to surprise Mc (even though he’s a terrible cook) (I might make this a fic since I like this idea so much)

Diavolo has always wanted a Devildom version of a hamster but Barbatos refused to have any kind of rodent in the castle, rat or not

Luke probably downloads those stupid app games with the ads unironically

Satan’s favorite Disney Princess is Ariel because she ran off to do what she wanted without caring what her father thought, it’s giving daddy issues. He’s probably considered running off and marrying Mephisto to make Lucifer angry

Raphael unironically enjoys off brand chips and soda

Lucifer is a nail biter, and Asmo is helping him curve the habit by putting a nasty tasting top coat when he does his nails, and it’s also why he wears gloves all the time.

Belphie and Satan once went up to the humans world together to mess with people in Salem, Massachusetts with magic, which spawned several conspiracy theory books. They read them together and laugh as a past time

Diavolo once went to the human world in his demon form for,, reasons, and accidentally got written into ancient mythology because he got spotted by humans

Barbatos had a home garden for cooking and sometimes lets Asmo have leaves from some of the plants to make homemade skin care products

Mammon probably has lots of earwax. Don’t share your earbuds with him unless you make him clean them afterwards

Belphie has a really large water bottle that’s always on his side table. He wakes up randomly though the night, chugs an ungodly amount of water and then passed out again. In the mornings he has to piss really bad but is too lazy to get up and actually do it, so he just sits and complains. Even Beel isn’t sure how he’s able to drink that much water in a short amount of time

Satan likes waking up early to enjoy the morning air and read outside for a while since mornings can get hectic with his brothers

Thirteen’s favorite torture device is the Iron Maiden. She had her own that she bedazzled. Even Asmo is jealous and wants her to make him one too

Mammon introduced Diavolo to Gatorade, and instead of sneaking behind Lucifer and Barbatos’s backs to drink Demonus, they have secret Gatorade meetings

Diavolo and Lucifer definitely both had a hidden Dialuci stash of things and probably clash trying to collect limited edition things online

None of the Obey me cast took birthdays or passing of years seriously until Mc entered the picture and suddenly time was precious, and they actually kept track. Because of this, nobody is really sure how old the twins are

Mephisto thinks roosters want world domination

Asmo thinks cilantro tastes like soap and Levi thinks anything cola flavored tastes like cough medicine

Mammon's favorite party trick is one Mc taught him, which is rolling his tongue Everyone he meets, including his brothers, thinks it's so cool when really it's just a genetic thing

[cherrycola27]

All Too Well

Series Warnings: Language, drinking, military inaccuracies. Allusions to smut, eventual smut. Unrequited love, enemies to lovers. Adult themes and situations. 18+ Minors DNI

Masterlist

Next Part

...........................................

Prologue: I Remember It

The sun was just setting as a red and black Kawasaki GPZ900R motorcycle pulled into the Hard Deck. The driver quickly dismounted and took off her helmet, shaking out her dark brown hair. She slipped a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators over her sage green eyes to block out the fading rays of light.

She draped her red leather jacket and helmet over the seat of her bike. No one around here would be stupid enough to mess with her things. After adjusting her clothes, she made her way across the sandy parking lot into the establishment.

Phoenix, Bob, Payback, Fanboy, and Coyote were gathered in a corner booth as they watched Hangman and Rooster duke it out in a game of pool.

It was a relatively quiet night at the Hard Deck.

Phoenix was busy telling the squad about her recent trip back home to see her new niece. She was just about to show the group some photos when the bell above the door chimed. Her eyes moved to see who the new patron was, and when she saw them, her jaw dropped.

"No way." She breathed out. "No fucking way." The group of men she was sitting with looked at her confused. Her eyes darted over to Rooster to see if he'd noticed who'd walked in. He was too focused on the game to pay attention.

Phoenix watched the woman head over to the bar and greet Penny and Maverick before getting a beer and turning to scan the crowd.

"Phoenix, do you know her?" Bob asks. "You guys don't?" She asks the group. "Should we?" Payback questions her. "Who is that?" Fanboy asks.

"Fellas, that right there is Y/N Benjamin-Mitchell, better known by her callsign, Hustler." Phoenix tells them.

"Benjamin- Mitchell? Like—" Coyote asks as he gestures to Maverick and Penny at the bar. "Yep." Phoenix replies, popping the "P."

"She's their oldest daughter. And she can fly circles around any pilot in the Navy, including Maverick." She tells them.

A voice yells out, "Bradshaw!" Everyone's head snaps up to see its the mysterious woman. She runs over to greet Rooster with a hug who looks dumbfounded to see her.

"She also the only woman Rooster has ever loved." Phoenix tells them. As all eyes turn to watch the seen before them

...........

"Hus? What are you doing here?" Rooster asks you as he pulls back from your hug.

"Dad pulled a few strings and got me a permanent duty station here. He wants the family to be close again." You tell him. "Plus, I couldn't pass up on the chance to be close to my favorite guy again, now could I?" You bat your eyes and give him a big smile.

"Don't give me that look Y/N." Rooster warns you. "What look?" You ask coyly. Rooster knows exactly what you're doing. It's a routine he's fallen for many times, but he's determined not to let it happen again.

He grabs his beer and takes a long sip before speaking.

"It always ends the same with us, Y/N. Let's not start this time." Rooster tells you before returning to his game.

Dumbfounded, you turn on your heels and head back to the bar. You can already tell you're going to need your mom to make you something strong.

You sigh as you sit down next to your father before a tequila-soda is placed in front of you. "Maybe it was a mistake coming here." You tell your father. "Y/N, give it time, Bradley wasn't exactly jumping for joy when he saw me either." Maverick tells you.

"I just can't believe after all these years, he's still holding a grudge over something I didn't do." You say. "And the fact that you've breezed in and out of his life so many times doesn't make the situation any better." Your mother tells you. You look up and meet her knowing eyes. "Believe me. As someone who's been in his shoes, getting their heart broken by a Mitchell, it's not something that you just get over. Especially when you have a knack for re-opening the wound right after they thought it had healed." She tells you as she wipes the counter.

You sink down in your chair. You know what she's saying is true. Your parents had been on and off for the first few years of your life before your mom eventually gave Maverick an ultimatum, stay, or leave for good. He chose to stay, and it worked out for them.

But they were different than you and Rooster. You didn't choose to leave him the first time. No, the first time he pushed you away, calling you a liar and a manipulator. Saying that you were no better than your father. He called you a hustler, screaming that you used him to further your career.

You tried to make him understand that it wasn't true. You can still feel the got tears that streamed down your cheeks when you begged him to believe you, but it was too late.

So, you decided to lean into his words. If he was going to call you a hustler, then that's who you'd become. And for the past eight years, that's who you've been. Hustling your way to the top, becoming the best of the best, breaking records, and breaking hearts along the way.

It was thrilling at first, but then you were stationed with Bradley for a few months in Virginia. The two of you found yourself enthralled with each other once again, ending up in a tangle of sheets and mixed emotions before you were reassigned. You'd left without telling him. A year or so later, the two of you spent a few weeks in Lemoore, only for it to end with you leaving him again.

Then last year, you were in South Korea. You spent six months with him, and then one night, as the two of you laid together, he confessed that he loved you. That you were the only woman he'd ever truly loved. Instead of saying it back, you quietly slipped out of his room that night as he slept and avoided him on base. Two days later, he was called back to Top Gun for that faithful uranium plant mission.

You never got the chance to tell him that you felt the same. You were too scared to admit.

And now, you were back, and he was here, and you wanted to make everything right. You just didn't know how.

......................

Over at the pool tables, Phoenix and the rest of the Daggers had joined Rooster and Hangman. Jake and Javy were currently playing a doubles game against Mickey and Reuben. She, Bob, and Rooster were standing against the wall.

"So—Hustler is back." Nat spoke. "She is." Bradley breathed out. "How's that make you feel?" She asked him.

"Angry—frustrated —nervous—like—" Rooster trailed off.

"Like you never stopped loving her?" Phoenix finished for him. Bradley shook his head before downing the rest of his beer. He throws the bottle away and excuses himself to the bathroom. Phoenix doesn't miss Rooster's lingering gaze towards the bar as he walks away

"Bob," Phoenix begins as she turns to her back seater. "I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending."

Okay, I was kicking this around in my brain. I'd appreciate some feedback on this prologue to know if this is a project worth pursuing!

Tagging some who might be interested: @thedroneranger @roosterscock @gretagerwigsmuse @desert-fern @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @lovinglyeternal @lovingbradshawafterdark @wkndwlff @shanimallina87 @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby @dakotakazansky @startrekfangirl2233 @hecate-steps-on-me @bradshawsbaby @cassiemitchell

[anton-luvr]

hi hi!!

could you write about best friend sohee kissing you by accident, but then they both like each other? fluffy and a bit suggestive please

# CLOUD NINE.

𖦹 bestfriend!sohee x fem!reader | fluff & suggestive | f2l au | tw: alchohol 𖦹 note ; my first sohee fic!! hes so cute :( thank u for requesting anon!! i hope u like ittt + join my 100 followers req event here !

When Shotaro invited you and your friends over for a 'small house party', you weren't expecting much.

Maybe some good food, a silly card game, and a few bottles of soju to close the night with.

Instead, you're welcomed by music blasting so loud, you could hear it from blocks away while people filled up almost every corner of Shotaro's house.

Usually, you'd avoid huge social settings like these, but you had just finished your finals - so maybe it's time for you to relax and have some well-deserved fun.

"Let's get a drink," you suggested, tugging Sohee, your best friend, after you into the kitchen. Bowls of punch and bottles of alcohol lined the marble counters, stacks of red solo cups beside them waiting to be filled.

The both of you have barely taken your first sips when the all-too-familiar melody of your favorite song starts to play. "Holy shit, it's my favorite song," you whack his shoulder excitedly. "Let's go dance!"

"Wait, let me finish this first!" he protests, quickly downing his cup of vodka and soda. Hissing from the burn of the warm alcohol, he lets you drag him onto the dance floor.

The flickering party lights are the only source of light as the both of you squeeze your way into the chaotic crowd.

Almost immediately, you start swaying around, throwing your hands up in the air as you sing out loud.

"You like this song that much?" he shouts, starting to sway around too. You nod readily, smiling brightly as you keep dancing.

"It's a great song!" you shout back over the music. "Come on, loosen up! Dance with me!"

He hesitates at first, but soon he's letting the heavy bass control him as he starts dancing with you. You squeal in laughter at his moves, loving each and every moment.

He laughs along with you, cheeks flushed red from the vodka earlier and how gorgeous you looked right now.

The lights may be dim, but they don't do anything to how beautiful you looked; eyes sparkling with joy, your black dress hugging you in all the right places, and your laughter sounding better than any other song Sohee has ever listened to.

While the both of you were having fun, more people showed up to the party and were joining the dance floor too.

There were more people bumping you around now, shouts of 'Sorry!' and 'Watch it!' being thrown over the ear-blasting music.

You ignored it, but one particular bump almost made you trip.

Thankfully, Sohee was there to catch you.

However, with him being the clumsy klutz he was, he also ended up tripping - and falling with his lips pressed right against yours.

Both of your eyes widen, electricity rushing through your veins. "I-I'm so sorry, that was not on purpose." he stammered, quickly pulling away and getting up.

Your heart was pounding in your chest at the unfamiliar feeling but you pretended to act cool. "It's fine," you awkwardly laughed, getting up and brushing yourself off.

But it was definitely not fine.

Your thundering heartbeat further confirmed that. You've always found your best friend kinda cute, but to feel his lips against yours opened up an entire different perspective for you.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol, or maybe it was because of the feelings you had deep down. But whatever it was, one thing was for sure.

You liked it.

No matter how much you tried to shake it off and keep dancing, your mind kept drifting back to it.

Even as the party ended and the both of you were on your way back to your place in a taxi, your heart raced at the thought.

You're pretty sure Sohee was thinking about it too, because neither of you talked on the way back, the tension so thick that you could slice through it with a knife.

"I'll walk you up." Sohee says when you arrived, something he always did whenever you went out together. Yet it made your heart race again, a dark red blush creeping to your ears.

"O-Okay." you mumbled, your voice cracking embarrassingly.

The lift ride up was silent too, both of you focused on anything but each other.

The moment the lift reaches the floor of your apartment unit, you dash out, rambling. "Thanks for tonight, get home safe, bye!"

But you don't get far when Sohee runs after you, pulling you to a stop when he gets a hold on your arm.

"Wait, I need to tell you something." he says, sounding a bit panicky.

"Y-Yeah?"

You gulp nervously as he walks towards you slowly, until your back hits the front of your locked door.

"Y/N, I'll be honest." he whispers, getting so close that you could see the pretty moles that were scattered across his face. "I really liked kissing you just now." he confesses.

"I know it was an accident, but I wanna do it again."

Your feel like you could pass out right then and there, hands clutched nervously together.

"Can I?"

You nod, and Sohee has his lips on yours immediately.

He's bolder this time, hands immediately moving to cup your face while the other held you by your waist. His lips are chapped, but the warmth of his tongue makes up for it, pulling a shudder from you.

"Sohee," you whisper, breathless. "Come inside."

His eyes widen as you fumble with the lock. "Are you sure? I'm fine with jus-"

"Shut up and kiss me." you pull him inside and push him against the door when it closes behind the both of you.

Sohee feels like he's on cloud nine as you throw your arms around his neck, your lips on his again.

And just like earlier, Sohee fell for you.

© anton-luvr, 2023.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Hiiii this is my first time requeting but how would poe react to reader showing favoritism to him

My favourite (Poe Edition)

Self-Aware! Edgar Allan Poe x GN! Reader

Warning: OOC. English is my second language

Purple moon, once again, shined above Yokohama.

"Wohoo! Summer Vacation Poe card is mine! Finally, I can max its skill."

And, once again, you got a limited Poe card max level and 5 level skill.

_________

Ranpo and Poe were having some snacks and tea, when you got Poe's card. Ranpo chuckled.

"I envy you, Poe-kun. In a good way, may I add."

Poe, after giving a pretzel to Karl, looked at Ranpo quizzically. Ranpo was drinking soda, his eyes were closed.

"Envy me? Why?"

Ranpo waves his hand. Poe took a sip of his tea.

"Well, you know, you are Our Guiding Light favorite character, that's for sure."

Poe almost spit his tea.

"W-what? Favorite?"

Ranpo quickly answered.

"Yes. Favorite. Don't tell me, you haven't noticed it."

Poe nervously tapped his fingers against the table surface.

"I am afraid, you are mistaken, Ranpo-kun. I am sure, I am not their favorite."

Ranpo grins.

"And I tell you, you are their favorite. Look at your cards! They try to get all of your cards. The rarity doesn't matter, they are happy with R, SR and SSR cards. And they always tried to max level them. Moreover, they are using all your cards as App's Home Screen Wallpaper. Last, but not least, your "Black Cat in the Rue Morgue" card are their profile picture in game."

Poe took another sip of his tea. He (actually, everyone, to be honest), of course, already has noticed that you really like collecting his cards. Poe didn't want to think much of it. He doesn't want to overthink.

"Well, maybe, my cards are just pretty..."

Ranpo lazily tossed the candy into his mouth and responded

"Poe-kun, I won't debate on what's pretty and what is not, but, you do remember that R cards are simply our portraits? So, by this logic, they consider you pretty."

Poe scratch behind Karl's ears. He tried to hide his nervousness.

"Than... maybe, they really like to have all of their cards maxed in every way?"

Ranpo huffs and crossed his hands on his chest.

"Poe-kun, they already have all of our R cards. Yours are the only one that were leveled up and the only one, which skills were maxed. Same with SR."

Poe tried to think about another reason for you collecting his cards. But, he has to admit, that Ranpo was right. He was your favorite character.

Poe sighed. Carl jumped on his right shoulder and curled in a ball.

"Fine, I admit it, it seems, they are fond of me. But, surely, they liked me as a character with cool design or voice. Maybe, they have only one specific reason to like me."

Ranpo frowned.

"Poe-kun... You remember, what you have heard from Our Guiding Light? When you heard all of their words? Do you really think, they like you for one specific thing?"

Poe sighed in defeat.

"I don't. I am just nervous. They are real, but for them, I am character. What if they won't like me, when we met for real?"

Ranpo shrugged.

"Understandable. But, time will tell, Poe-kun. I think, you should think positive."

__________

Time, that tell arrived sooner, then one expected

Three days after Poe's and Ranpo's talk, you were having a chat with some random people on the Internet. You were discussing BSD.

Someone asked, who is your favorite character from BSD.

"My favorite BSD Characters? Edgar Allan Poe, of course. My reasons for liking him? Well... First, I think he is a good character. I like his personality. He is smart. He is loyal. He has social anxiety, and I can relate to him. He is determined. Also, he became friends with Ranpo, a person, who he thought, has destroyed his life. Poe helped Ranpo save other ADA members. Besides, I like Poe's looks and voice. Or, and Karl is the cutest."

________

In the app

________

Ranpo grinned, looking at his friend.

"So, I was right, Poe-kun? Not only favorite, but liked for many reasons."

Poe didn't answer. He was too busy right now.

Poe, red as tomato, hide his face in his hands. He was so embarrassed. Little Light was sitting on his head and 'purring'. Poe felt so much love that came from you.

Poe managed to mewl.

"You were..."

Poe was smiling. It feels so nice to be favorite. Poe chuckled. He owes you a nice warm hug. For been an absolutely adorable, nicest person. And for liking him.

[mrsstan21]

Attention to Detail

GIF credit: @angel060563

Summary: Men rarely pay attention to the things women say, but that's not the case with Officer Tom Hanson.

Tom Hanson x Reader 

A/N: Just a quick Drabble!

Warnings: None! fluff!

Word Count: 958 :)

For the past three weeks me and Penhall were at a local high school making a bust on drug dealing. 

It was always fun when me and Doug were put on a case together, he always knew how to make these cases interesting.

After I got a gun pointed to my head by one of the suspects we made an arrest. 

I asked Jenko if I could have the day off and work at my desk. 

“Hey how you doing” Penhall asked pulling a chair next to me. 

“I’m fine…isn’t the first time I got a gun placed to my head”.  

“Hanson, Penhall, Y/L/N in my office” Jenko spoke. 

I took a seat next to Penhall on the couch while Hanson stood up.

“We got a new case apparently somebody is trying to relocate SouthCentral High School one room at a time. Last night was the fourth BE in the same amount of months. No forced entry, no busted windows”. Jenko informed.

“Doesn’t sound like much of a break in” I added. 

“Burglary says to smacks of an inside gig. Like one kid gets a set of master keys, the next thing, half the school’s drinking free sodas, and on top of that, some teachers getting free roses from so secret admirer” Jenko continued.

“Got any suspects?” Hanson asked. 

“Got a couple. My best bet is a guy named Jeffery Stone. Sells everything from hot records to tickets to the Boss’s concerts, third row”. 

“Sounds like a real sales man” I spoke. 

“well Hanson your on this case. Penhall will be your backup in case things go south. Y/N I want you here going over this Stone guys profile see if you can get anything off him” Jenko informed us.

“Not a problem I gotta help Ayoki study for his test anyway”.

The three of us group outside by Hansons desk. 

“So aside from the kid selling merchandise we also got a stalker creeping on a teacher and leaving her flowers” Penhall spoke grabbing a cup of coffee.

“At least she’s getting flowers” I mumbled sitting on Hanson’s desk. 

“Aw come on Y/N I bet you get flowers all the time” Penhall teased. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“What no one’s given you a bouquet of roses?” Hanson asked. 

I look at him. 

“I don’t even remember the last time I got a single flower let alone a whole bouquet. Besides roses are so clique every girl loves red roses. I on the other hand am very different...Would make my day if a guy got me a single white lily my favorite flower”.   

***

It was getting late, Ayoki and I had been doing practice questions for I don’t know how many hours. 

We decided to break for a while and I took it as an opportunity to rest my head on my desk. 

But ended up knocking out instead. 

The sound of a loud book hitting my desk made me shot up. 

“A felon cannot be issued a drivers license” I spoke still half asleep. 

I rubbed my eyes to see a smiling Hanson sitting on top of my desk. 

“Oh it’s just you Hanson” I yawed stretching. 

“What are you still doing here this late” he broke into a smirk.

“it’s not that late it’s only…midnight” I looked over at my watch.

“She was helping me study that is until she fell asleep two hours ago” Ayoki smiled passing by.

“God I am tiered” I rubbed my eyes again. 

“Why don’t you let me give you a ride I’m about to head out anyways” Hanson said. 

I took him up on his offer, and he drove me home. 

“Can I ask you something” he asked staring at the road in front of him.

“Shoot.”

“You know so much about cars yet you don’t own one?” He smirked.

I let out a small chuckle. 

“Yeah well I live about a twenty min walk from the chapel. 

And if I ever wanted a ride somewhere I don’t live that far away from Penhall so I could always ask him for a lift”. 

“From the time I’ve been here not once have I seen you and Penhall come in together”.

“Ok if I’m honest I prefer walking it helps clear my mind”.

“Sounds like a fair game” he glances over at me. 

When we arrived to the front of my apartment complex I thanked him for the ride. 

He stayed and made sure I got inside before taking off. 

Hanson was starting to rub off on me. 

***

The following day Hanson closed the case, and made an arrest turns out the janitor was the one setting up Stone. 

I was at my desk cleaning out my file drawer when I notice someone sit on my desk. 

Looking up I saw a smiling Hanson again.

“Hey Hanson congrats not screwing up your case” I smiled. 

“Thanks…hey I got something for you” he spoke nervously. 

I gave him a confused look before he pulled his hand from behind his back. 

There in my sight was a single white lily. 

“What’s this” I smiled. 

“Well you said  you didn’t remember the last time you got a flower so I took it upon myself to get you one” he smiled. 

“And you got me a white lily” I took the flower from him smelling it.

“What you didn’t think I was paying attention?”.

“Well Hanson no offense but most guys don’t usually pay attention to what comes out of my mouth. But in fact are paying more attention to…well you get the idea” I laughed. 

“Well I just thought you could use something nice to start your day” he smiled.

I got up and kissed him on his cheek. 

“Thank you Hanson” I whispered to him. 

He blushes.

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Crush On An Archer PT.4

Kate Bishop X f!reader

a/n: Honestly, I know I took forever to write this but I'm proud of myself for coming back and doing it haha. We all know how I can be when I fall off the writing wagon for a bit. Anyways, I think this part was pretty good! Let me know what you think! For those of you asking, there will probably be one to two more parts after this. Most likely one but we'll see if I change my mind. Happy writing!

Word count: 2250

Warnings: Not proofread, drinking

Waiting for 7pm too roll around felt like weeks. You tried watching tv, scrolling tiktok, literally anything to pass the time. You ended up settling on taking a nap to make time move quicker and so you’d have no problems this time staying up a little later. Your alarm goes off at 5:30 and you get up to get ready. You settled on some beige shorts with a black tshirt and a fitted cap to match the shorts. You threw on your chain and rings and hit yourself with a mist of your cologne before you were ready to head out. You had about 40 minutes until 7 when all of a sudden your phone went off. 

“Hey any chance you could come to mine for 7 instead? I ended up having to host the pre game. Sorry about the inconvenience.” Kate said in a text. 

“Sure omw in 10.”

Kate dropped you a pin with her location as a reminder of where she lived and you started to head over. 

Despite the constant texting and good amount of time spent together so far, you couldn’t help but be nervous. You don’t drink often and when you do secrets spill so who knows how this is going to go. You send her a text saying you’re close and as you walk up the steps to her front door the door swings open and there’s Kate with open arms and clearly already tipsy. 

“Y/N!!!!!” She says as her arms wrap around you and her body weight almost completely falls onto you. You’re practically holding her up until she finds her footing. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was down, she was wearing this beige tank top style shirt that was tight to her body with super high cut black shorts. You were practically drooling. 

“It is SO good to see you. Let’s get you a drink. We’re playing some games.”

You walked into her house and around the corner there were about 10 other girls some of them you recognized from the team some you didn’t. 

Kate quickly did a run down of who everyone was in the room for you while cracking a vodka soda for you and handing it off. 

“Do you know the rules of flip cup?”

“Yeah I think so.”

“Want to watch us play one round then join in?”

“Yeah absolutely.”

You sat there and watching a bunch of drunk girls playing flip cup but honestly your eyes were stuck on her. Fuck she was absolutely gorgeous. Her smile felt like it was lighting up the entire room. Every feature on her face was your favorite. Your heart was just melting looking at her and she had no idea. 

“Y/n??” You zone back in. 

“Yeah sorry?”

“You saw how to play. Think you’re ready to join now?”

“Yeah absolutely.”

You played a couple of different drinking games that Kate walked you through for about an hour and a half and had a pretty strong buzz going when one of the girls announced that the party you were going to go to got shut down. 

“Well it’s not too late, we could always just go to the bars instead?” Kate says. 

Everyone nodded in agreement, you were honestly a little relieved because house parties weren’t so much your thing. A bunch of the girls went to touch up their makeup while you waited by the door ready to go. Kate walked over to you and waited with you, of course she’s so naturally gorgeous that she wears practically no makeup. 

“I hope you’re having fun!! I know you don’t typically do this sort of stuff.” She says. 

“I am yeah I’m excited to go to the bar too.”

“Good.” She says with a soft smile as you two stay making eye contact in this dark entrance to the apartment. 

“C'mon you two let’s get going.” One of the girls says as she stumbled between the two of you bringing you back down to earth. 

Everyone was ready to go and you all started walking towards the strip of road with about 5 different clubs and bars on it. Luckily, Kate’s place wasn’t far at all from the area so it was only a short 8 minute walk. After IDs were checked you all headed in, the music was blaring, drunk people dancing, yes you absolutely felt over stimulated and were trying to keep your cool. 

Kate looks over at you and sees the concerned look on your face. She grabs your hand with hers and motions towards the bar with her head. “C’mon let’s go get a drink” is what you think came out of her mouth but it's practically too loud to tell. 

Kate orders the two of you a shot and a vodka cran each as the bartender makes eyes at her, you can feel her grip tighten. 

“Thank you!” you try to yell over the music as she hands you your drinks.

Kate winks at you as you cheers your shots, tap them on the table and throw them back.

“Let’s go dance!” She screams over the music. Her free hand grabs yours again and pulls you to the front of the dance floor right in front of the DJ. The two of you bump into some of the girls you came here with who are so unbelievably plastered they had absolutely no shame in dancing any which way. You however felt shy, although there was copious amounts of liquor coursing through your body you were still sober enough to be nervous. That or the nerves were so bad they were sobering you up. You decide to down your other drink for courage and try your best at dancing. Kate was a natural, she went out with these girls all the time, they practically all had a dance routine created based only on their time drunk dancing in bars. Your second drink was starting to hit a little harder than expected so the nerves were settling and you felt like you could relax and have a little bit of fun. Was the room spinning? Yes. But it was spinning in the best way possible.

You and Kate were jumping around having an amazing time screaming the lyrics to whatever Taylor Swift song the DJ queued up (there were a LOT) when all of a sudden you saw all the emotion drop off her face. She got real quiet and started to stand a little behind you. You look at her confused as you follow her eyeline three people down to a guy who just walked up with his friends. Fuck.

“Kate? Everything okay?”

“no”

“What’s going on?”

“I just haven’t seen my ex since we broke up. I know it was inevitable with us living in the same town and going to the same school and everything but it still took me off guard.”

“Did you want to leave?”

“--fuck no. He doesn’t own the bar. I’m not going to ruin my night just because his dumb ass showed up.”

You see the guy she’s looking at make eye contact with Kate. Fuck is he walking over here?

Kate’s fingers are entangled in yours as she clutches onto your hand behind her back. 

“Hello ladies.”

ick.

“Why are you over here?”

“Woah Kate, no need to be so hostile. I just wanted to come say hi. Why don’t you introduce me to your little friend?”

You could see fire lighting behind Kate’s eyes. She quickly squeezed your hand twice and pulled you around in front to reveal your hands locked together.

“Girlfriend actually.” Kate says confidently as she releases your hand and puts her arm around your shoulders. Your arm naturally fell to her waist and your heart was beating a mile a minute as your hand gripped around her side. 

His eyebrows raise as the two of you hold each other. “Yeah…okay…sure.” He says. 

“I don’t know who you are but you’re making my girl very uncomfortable so I think it’s time you go.” You say with the most fake but hopefully believable confident tone. 

““Your girl” yeah?” he says with air quotes. 

You just raise your eyebrows in response. He scoffs, looks at the two of you back and forth and walks away. A huge sigh of relief comes out of your mouth as you watch him walk away. No way would that have been possible without the amount of liquid courage you downed just beforehand. You snap back into reality as you feel a kiss planted on your cheek. Your eyes widen and your face more beet red than it already was turns and looks at Kate. 

“You were GREAT thank you so much for playing along with me.”

You got a kiss on the cheek, holding hands, arm around her waist. Why did you feel so shitty? Why did it feel like your heart fell out of your ass to then get trampled on? 

You managed to crack a smile out as your eyes looked at Kate with lust and love and how all you wanted was for it to be true while she seemed obliviously happy that it was just you two again.

Her friends came back over to you guys after getting more drinks and Kate told them what just happened as you stood there still trying to process it all and how you felt. The rest of the night felt hazy, you tried to dance with Kate and her friends but fuck all you felt was out of it. That whole thing really fucked you and your night up and it never improved. 

You check your watch, “1:27am”

“Hey Kate, I think I’m going to go home, I’m feeling pretty tired.”

A frown comes across Kate’s face when you say you’re leaving. “Okay…but I’m walking you, I don’t want you walking alone at night.” She says. 

“No, it’s not a big deal, stay with your friends.”

“No y/n, I’m walking you home, you have no say in this.”

You let out a small chuckle and agree as Kate turns around and says bye to all her friends. 

The two of you push your way through the crowd and manage to make it outside and damn fresh air never felt so good. 

“So…how was your first night out experience?”

“I had a pretty good time, yeah.”

“So glad to hear it! I hope you come out with us again soon.”

“Yeah for sure.”

The two of you talked about all sorts of different stuff on your walk home, school, friends, archery, you had some laughs but for the most part you were still feeling really weird about everything that happened earlier and you weren’t doing a very good job at hiding it. 

“Thanks for walking me home…but now I’m worried about you walking home alone.” You say with a chuckle. 

“It’s okay, I can call an Uber.” Kate responds. “Uh…y/n..can we talk about something for a sec?”

“Yeah for sure what’s up?” Fuck. You can feel your heart racing again.

“Are we good?”

“Yeah of course, why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, it’s just I felt like we were having a really good time and then after my ex came over and that whole thing you seemed really off the rest of the night.”

Fuck. What do you say? Do you tell her you have feelings for her? Do you shrug it off? One of those sounds a lot easier than the other.

“Yeah! No, yeah of course we are good. Yeah that whole thing was definitely weird but there was no issue.” You say with the fakest smile ever. At this point you were worried she could hear your heart racing.

“You know if there are ever any issues you can tell me right? Like if I crossed a line or something, just be honest.” She says as she takes a step closer to you. 

“Yeah of course. No issues here.”

“Okay good. Because I have really enjoyed getting to know you and I love the friendship that we have…”

Is she just saying that to make it abundantly clear that we are only friends and will only ever be friends?

“...or whatever else we have too.”

You felt a lump get caught in your throat as your eyes were making lingering contact. Heart thumping so loud you can feel it in your eardrums. Your eyes were scanning her face, fuck all you wanted to do was grab her face pull it in and kiss her. Your body is just full of adrenaline, it's practically shaking out of you when all of a sudden you tune back in. 

“Yeah, I love our friendship too.” You say with a big goofy smile and take a small step back from her. 

What the fuck was that?

Kate’s face was fighting back every emotion it was feeling. Struggle was painted across it. She clearly had something to confess that she practically did but you are such a big pussy that pushing her back and away was the only thing you could do. 

“I should um get some sleep.” You say. “Text me when you get home safe?”

“Sure– uh– yeah.” Kate says looking confused as you start backing up towards your door and walk through it. Back against the wall as your head tips back in frustration trying to figure out why the fuck you would do that. 

– End of PT. 4 –

Taglist: @yelenaslyubov @youreatotalposer @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @lilroachsworld @inluvwithfictionalwomen @x666hours @natashaswife4125 @onetruwhore @karmasgxrl @hopelesslyfallenninlove @setsuna1415 @swiftdazer @imobsessedwithmilfss @madamevirgo @louisprettybab @splatalia-jumpanova @jediluka @t00manyfand0ms @oohlala666 @kates-abs-slay @scmg11 @uselessgaez @katebishops-simp @d0ingitwithpassi0n @wuwu96 @ar23northlondon-forever 

[corporatefrog]

꒦‧₊ ꒷ Sleepovers w/ Team Stan [Headcanons] ✧.*

✧.* tags: comedy, college au

✧.* Charactions: stan marsh, kenny mccormick, kyle broflovski, butters stotch

a/n: I haven't had a sleepover in years and this has made me want to have one with my friends so badly.

masterlist

Monthly sleepovers are a friend group requirement

Cartman is invited on a month by month basis depending on how much of a bitch he’d been in the past month

It’s a great way to keep him in line

“Why do the gays get a pride month and there’s nothing left for us straights?”

“That’s strike 3.”

“WHAT! I didn’t even do anything this month! Who the fuck died and made you king of the sleepover?!”

“Uh- I don’t know. The sleepover behavior etiquette contract that you signed with blood.”

“God fucking DAMMIT.”

You all go to Stan’s usually since it’s outside of town so you can be loud if you want

And get blasted but thats a tale for another time

After the sun sets, the real party begins

Aka eating pizza and talking shit 

“Clyde doesn’t know how to do laundry”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m literally not. I was at Tweek Bro’s and he spilled some of his drink on his shirt and he goes ‘Now I’ve got to throw this away.’ and I almost choked on my drink, I swear to god. I told him he just needed to wash it and he deadass goes ‘How do you do that?’”

Butters gets so much tea just from overhearing it or people complaining to him 

He LOOKS like a nice guy who empathetically listens

But Professor Chaos on the other hand is remembering every juicy detail about what Bebe sai to Nichole at the mall last week 

Just saying- when the gossip girl south park account comes out, you know who’d behind that shit

Just Dance competitions FOR SURE

Butter is a kpop stan i can feel it

Yall do dynamite and he’s DEMOLISHING 

I said before than stan is the type to only move his arm

But that’s totally kyle

Kenny and Stan go ALL OUT 

That guitar hero gave him mad rhythm

But they get so into the full body dancing that the remote doesn’t pick up the right movements and they end up with like 30 points 

They always TRY the tetris one 

But their ambition outplays their actual ability and it ends with them falling into a pile on the floor

I feel like New Girl would be a group favorite binging show 

“Stan you’re so nick miller coded”

“If I’m nick miller, kyle is the most schmidt to ever exist” 

“Schmidt is fucking hilarious so that’s a compliment. Nick is just an alcoholic.” 

“Okay man fuck off you’re just mad that you can’t be winston.”

“Yeah that’s because I’m winston and Butters is Jess.”

“Yn you’re fucking Robbie.”

“Kenny say sike right now before I throw your soda out the window.”

You all DEFINITELY try to play true american 

And it goes TERRIBLY

Why would you play a game where you have to jump from surface to surface with someone prone to dying 

After the 3rd time Kenny falls off a chair you guys stick to uno or some shit

Midnight taco bell adventures 

they know your fucking order and get annoyed whenver you pull through the drive through

Like god these dumb fuckers again

But you give them a nice tip

And feast on the taco bell in the parking lot while laughing at whoever did the dumbest thing during the night

Wonderful vibes, truly immaculate

[beckinferno]

My SP hyperfix is back so here's a masterpost for my general headcanons!

I'm sure you can guess which characters are my fav based on how some of them are very detailed. Sorry about any typos or unclear sentences LMAO

Kenny

Has a 5+ year old phone with a cracked screen which barely works. He only uses it to call or text people. At times playing games on it too

He loves chicken nuggets and fries but most of the time can't afford it

He never shows his face and hates it when people tell him to take off his hood

Butters, Stan, Kyle and Cartman are the only people who has seen him without the hood on. Idc about canon, let me have this

He drinks alcohol and smokes cigarettes from but hides it from other people

He loves hugs and cuddles, maybe because he never gets that affection very often from his family

He has a bad immune system

His favorite sodas are Pepsi and Sprite because I say so

He often skips classes or sleeps through them

Fingerless gloves.

He's actually a VERY good drummer and is self taught. He also lowkey enjoys sketching

He hates talking about personal things and will often brush them off as nothing

Stan

Biromantic and on the asexual spectrum

Plays the electric guitar and likes to doodle in his notebook more than doing actual school/home work

He likes ramen noodles

He dislikes weed because of Randy's farm, but he does smoke normal cigarettes and uses other drugs sometimes (as a teen)

Big soccer and baseball enjoyer

Listens to music too much and too often. He likes MCR because I do too

Loves holding hands, hugging, etc (any kind of physical affection) unless he's in a bad mood

He's very messy and rarely cleans his room. He is in no way organized about anything.

Hoodies. He wears many hoodies and sweaters. He loves comfy clothing and has come to dislike wearing suits and fancy clothes

Cartman

Very very very closeted bisexual. No, I won't elaborate.

Owns and knows how to play the electric guitar and is actually kind of good at it

Everyone knows he loves food, but less people know he actually really likes cooking. (He has a secret Pinterest account with only recipes)

He has heterochromia; one blue eye and one brown

He speaks a lot of different languages besides from English. Like German, Vietnamese and some Spanish

Loves Lady Gaga and Britney Spears

Cartman has been arrested a lot of times, and does have quite the collection of mugshots

Even when being a teenager, he has a love for his stuffed animals and always enjoys looking at toys while at the store

Secretly a history/war nerd

He's the type of guy to send random and unrelated memes in groupchats and text conversations

Anger issues about most stuff. Especially when losing in any kind of video game

Likes photography a lot

Ike

Autistic because I am autistic and I say so

Tells people he loves Minecraft and Roblox but actually enjoys violent games the most

Comfort food is pizza and his favorite drink is chocolate milk or coca cola. He also loves any type of cookies/chocolate

Loves his weighted blanket and one of comfort items is a stuffed dinosaur

Stuffed animals, drawing and music helps him calm down after nightmares/memories of Miss Stevenson

Only accepts physical affection from Kyle and their parents. His experience with Miss Stevenson changed his reaction to touch

Plays ice hockey and baseball

Hates being kicked/teased. But loves teasing Kyle back and wearing his hat

Big Pewdiepie, Jacksepticeye and DanTDM enjoyer

Loves cartoons, especially Scooby Doo and Chinpokomon (Pokémon)

Swears a lot despite certain adults not liking that he does it

Very protective and caring for Kyle and even if he's younger, he tries to show it the way he can

He hates being sick and despises taking any kind of medicine. He can be very stubborn about this sometimes

[cyanbugremix]

Reductive Audio #7 Spoilers

Uhh this is just a list of my favorite facts from the reductive audio

All d(a)emons are ambidextrous, and Ivan is left-handed, but the cool part is that Ivan became ambidextrous when Vega was controlling him (idk is that cool?? It's interesting for sure)

Brachium has only ever experienced vanilla extract through the memories of the dead.

Caelum on the other hand has made a "Vanilla Extract Tumblr Cake" (one of those polls where people "bake a cake" and it has too much vanilla extract voted for, i think) and it turned out horrible!

In Mario games, Elliot was forced to play as Luigi by Aaron, because of his at home nickname being "Ell/L" and Luigi starts with an L (you get the gist. It sounds the same)(Elliot wanted to be toad tho)(Aaron would play as Mario)

Gavin technically can and has pretended to read a book, he just has never actually committed to doing so

Lasko is scared of heights even though he knows that he could catch himself if he were to fall, so he thinks the fear is annoying

Damien peut parle français (Where did Damien learn french?? At home? School? As a hobby?)

Ash was taller than David, until David hit puberty and shot up (thus the big guy nickname came to be)(Seriously tho. So many boys would shoot up in like 3 months during summer break and be wayy tall when we'd get back to school and I was always amazed that someone could grow that tall that quick)

Oof T-T Sam was close with his Grandma Adeline (Adelene?), and when she passed he went back home to Mont Blanc to say goodbye to her grave (he snuck into the cemetery at night because he was a vampire by then)

Kody was gonna originally be involved with Closeknit, but then his character was taken in a different direction (makes lots of sense. He would be a closeknit guy)

Huxley was the fastest kid in his grade because he was obsessed with Bionicles (specifically pohatu with the mask of speed) (omg i forgot about bionicles until I looked them up again. I never did anything with them but I remember them)

Milo doesn't drink alcohol because he doesn't want to find out if he can get addicted to things as easily as his dad

Avior has HEARD of Gavin but never met him before

Oldest 3 d(a)emons in order: Polaris (Dead), Vega (dead for a bit but alive again), Ursa (elation daemon)

Camelopardalis has been in therapy for 2 years to work through the the bad memories that he had to keep of the whole Vega and Ivan problem (and he hasn't wiped his therapists memories yayy!!)

Arden took out the second most shades (David is the winner in taking out the most) during the Inversion, and Christian and her defended the VIP box through the whole night, even when Christian couldn't stay in wolf form

Kelsey started the Chrissy nickname! (Arden and Asher use it the most)

Aaron, when Elliot's powers first manifested, would imagine what it was like to be magical (He wanted to be a "Warder" and do force field stuff)

BLAKE WAS GOING TO ORIGINALLY BE CALLED CARVER OMG

Zeke (Member of Closeknit) drinks "Cactus Cooler" (orange and pineapple soda)

Xavier (contra-elemental) was originally supposed to survive the inversion

Bailey's mother is beta of the Keaton pack

DJ Anxiety (Hudson) still makes mixes, he just hasn't done live DJ-ing since the Inversion

Gregory Keaton doesn't exist in the Fooliverse (his parents never met in that AU)

Anton doesn't like gore, and bcuz of that he prefers black and white horror movies (modern ones often have too much gore in them) (Such a vibe for him)

Brachium was the last serenity daemon created by Min'Ara's own hands

E'Laetum has a grudge against Vega because Vega was specifically built to be the opposite of Polaris (even tho the dude didn't have a say in his creation)

Quinn sounded like he was interested in turning Darlin' (but they never could figure out if he was serious or not)

Hush was supposed to originally be apart of one of Echo's "deals"

Porter's maker was a dude named Felix, who got executed because Felix seemed to really like creating progeny (as well as being horrible to them)

Alexis resents Porter for becoming William's favorite when he wants someone to go out and do whatever, because Alexis does more "collateral damage" than Porter

(And there's cool Vampire lore from The Summit vampires from 26:18-27:36)

[beebundt]

“Nine People you want to know better” tag game

omg i can't remember the last time ive played one of these tag games thank you @demekii for the tag!! i hope you enjoy boy and the heron, it was fun watch for sure 🫶 🫶 also ive been watching analog horror video essays lately as well so i totally feel your struggle LOLLL😭

Last Song: my song on loop for the week has been Killing Eve by Benét. i rlly like this artist

Favorite Color: give it up for my primary color gang ⁉ specifically these. i will use these colors at every opportunity it's so yummy to me. plus a green bc im learning my affection for green this past year

Last Movie/TV Show: i rewatched arcane.... i can't wait until season 2, i really love the art direction of that show. also rewatched howl's moving castle, most beautiful film of all time my beloved.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: sweet, savory, then spicy. im not a big fan of super spicy but a little is fine! and i always love having a little sweet drink or smth

Relationship status: do you think miss karlach/laezel baldur gate 3 will crush me like a soda can if i ask nicely enough

Last thing I googled: Orin The Red wiki page.......... ive been playing my durge playthru on bg3 lately and getting rlly fixated on the sibling relationship between durge & orin and just reading too many wikis than necessary .....

Current Obsession: my favorite thing is just watching 1-4 hour long essays on things ive never heard abt or dont haven't thought abt super in depth before. ever since i watched this one random video essay on Brave (the disney movie) that perfectly summed up what was bothering me in that movie that id never put into words like 3-4 years ago, ive been chasing that high ever since. did you know learning is so fun (*if the video essay is actually well researched and good). outside of that i love watching charborg twitch vods while im drawing or playing smth

Last Book: i have trouble focusing on reading books sometimes bc ive had bad experiences with them in the past....... 🧍‍♂️ i ache to be a book girlie. but i have to push myself to read more in order to find good books. however smth i WANT to read is the locked tomb series

Looking forwards to: playing a oneshot this coming february with my dnd group where ill be playing a mean pretty twink. guys i have to come up with an insult list of things he might say ahead of time, imagine that being ur homework. also i joined a lgbt club ? that i didn't know my college had so very intrigued with whatever may happen with that in the future. what does an lgbt club even do. crime ? gay ?

dw abt doing this if you don't want to 🫶 tagging kind moots/ppl i would love 2 get to know more. blinks cutely @myagletismissing @notskeleton @66dataa @rascheln @vasirah @kornyo @dreadfutures @shouty-y @rennybu @rnangopantsu

[larsnicklas]

hockey writing appreciation club part ii (part i here) hi team. let's support good sportswriting, whether with clicks or subscriptions! here are some more of my favorite articles i've read in the past little bit! i'll keep sharing articles every few weeks or so, and i always welcome recommendations if you have them as well!!

A mysterious illness halted his promising NHL career. Eight years later, hope and a comeback 🔒 Hodgson didn’t think about the mysterious illness that caused him to walk away from the game. Or the tests for lung cancer, brain cancer and liver cancer that he’d endured in a fruitless quest to figure out what was making him sick. He wasn’t thinking about the months of on-ice work and yoga and a grueling weight-loss regimen that led him to this point. He wasn’t even feeling the blunt soreness of the broken rib he had sustained in his first professional game after his long layoff. All he was thinking about was the gimme pass he’d just received. “If I hadn’t scored on that one,” Hodgson joked, “I might’ve had to shut it down.”

How the NHL rookie class has handled life on and off the ice Confidence becomes more than just a buzzword: It's a mantra. The rookies, after all, have to believe they belong -- even among the future Hall of Famers. "It's not like the guys you're playing against are not human, you know what I mean?" Carlsson said. "You realize you can be a good player here too, and you don't have to be worried that you're not going to make it. If you have confidence out there, you're going to be fine."

For players on the roster fringe, every day in the NHL is a treasure — and a challenge 🔒 Confidence is a funny thing. Even superstars routinely lose theirs during a stretch of what qualifies as mediocrity by their impossible standards. Hang around the game long enough and you’ll lose track of how many times you hear a player talk about just needing to “see the puck in the back of the net” to get himself going again. Never mind that he’s been the best player on the ice at every level. Never mind that he’s scored hundreds of goals in the NHL. Never mind that he’s been so good for so long that he’s paid massive sums of money and showered with love and affection every night. Even the toughest players can spiral mentally. Hockey’s hard, and the pressure’s high.

Nils Hoglander on growing up in a tiny village, why he stays on the ice after practice and his 'hidden talent' Is it harder to shoot a moose or stay in the NHL? A hint is a never-satisfied 5-foot-9, 185 pounds of bowling ball persistence and last player off the practice ice on Tuesday. “I guess I have to say hockey is the hardest,” said Hoglander. “But if you’ve never been out in the forest or anything, it’s kind of hard to know what to do. If you bring Petey (Elias Pettersson) he would have no idea what to do, he’s a city boy.”

'Open people's eyes': How the NHL's evolved in the decade of data The chemist's cell phone rings. He finds a quiet area of the lab to take the call. Hockey Hall of Fame forward Ron Francis is on the line. It's the 2014-15 season, Francis' first as general manager of the small-market Carolina Hurricanes. Francis asks the chemist - who's assumed a part-time consultant role with the NHL team - about a few players. How would you rank them? The call is short. The chemist slides his phone into his pocket, slips his gloves on, and walks to his work station. Back to the day job for Eric Tulsky.

After 1,400 games and counting, Alex Ovechkin still doesn’t break 🔒 When Alex Ovechkin was a rookie, his teammates were concerned he might have a heart attack. The Washington Capitals forward, who was 20 when he played his first NHL game in 2005, has always done things his own way. Back then, that meant a pregame routine of three Red Bulls. When the rest of his teammates were drinking Gatorade or water between periods, Ovechkin was downing soda.

Why a first-round pick walked away from the NHL — and found peace doing odd jobs 🔒 Over the course of his 10-year career, Koekkoek admits he paid far too much attention to external noise. He read negative articles about his play. He paid attention to critics on social media. And he put too much stock into various coaches who didn’t believe in him. “I lost that self-value that someone believed in me to take me in the first round,” he said. “I wish I could have kept my swagger.”

[spahhzy]

Corner Pocket. 1# Lagging.

'The game of billiards has destroyed my naturally sweet disposition' Mark Twain.

.

"Do I have to?" Groaned Jaune in annoyance as Sun, Neptune, and Ren all dragged him to a local bar.

"Yes, dude, ever since the breakup with 'she-who-will-not-be-named', you've one been slacking on the gym, and two been cooped up in your room for months" explained Neptune as Jaune just sighed in annoyance.

"C'mon guys, I'm not sad anymore, I'm over it, really!" Jaune said, trying to find a way out of this little trip.

"That's a lie. You've been watching 'Your lie in april', 'plastic memories' and Wolf Children' in that exact order mind you, and you've been watching it on repeat for those months you stayed in your room" Ren said as Jaune just glared daggers at his best friend.

"Thanks, Ren. I truly appreciate it" Jaune said sarcastically.

"Always happy to help,"

"Come on, Jaune, have some fun and have a little to drink, and play some pool," Sun said as Jaune just sighed, seeing no way out of this just nodded.

Sun and Neptune cheered as Ren gave a small smile.

'Eh, this might not be too bad'

-Juniors Bar-

'This freaking sucks!' Was Jaune first thought as he looked down at the pool table.

"Dude, you freaking suck at pool," chuckled as he pointed to the bottom right pocket before sinking in the 8ball.

"You didn't sink any of the solids at all," commented Neptune a little amazed.

"I pocketed the cue ball at least..." Jaune said lamely as he held his head down.

"That's not a good thing, Jaune," Ren said to him, and Jaune nodded lamely.

"I know Ren...I know" Jaune told him as he reached for his glass of soda and taking a dip.

"We just need to get you some practice. Get your bridge and stance down, and you'll be pocketing 8balls in no time!" Cheered Sun as Jaune racked up another round.

"Alright, Nep, you're up, I think I'll go get me another drink Jaune said, waving an empty glass around as Neptune hopped off the stool and grabbed his pool cue from the rack.

"Get me a shot glass of bourbon, would you Jaune" asked Ren and Jaune raised his eyebrow.

"Bourbon? You?" Jaune asked and Ren shrugged.

"Nora has been expanding my alcohol horizons." Jaune shook his head and smiled. That was Nora, alright.

Jaune left the trio and walked up to the bar as Junior was standing by.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite blonde, how are you?" Junior asked, and Jaune shrugged as he sat on the stool.

"Eh could be better, but I'm not complaining, I guess," Jaune told him before asking for another soda and a shot of bourbon.

"Yeah, last I saw of you, you got hammered, but luckily, instead of smashing up the place, you sang sad love songs," Junior said as Jaune just blushed in embarrassment.

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me," Jaune told him as Junior smiled.

"No problem, buddy." before handing him his soda and shot glass.

Jaune nodded to him and left a small tip before taking the drinks and heading back to the table.

"Here ya, Ren," Jaune said, handing him the small glass as Ren nodded, taking it before downing the liquid.

"Didn't get one for yourself, Jaune?" Asked Neptune and Jaune just shook his head.

"Last time I drank, I was singing songs, I think I'll pass," Jaune said as Sun patted Jaune on the back.

"Jaune, come on, it's been quiet awhile since 'she-who-will-not-be-named' did what she did. Don't you think it's time you get back out there and try again?" Sun said, and Jaune just stayed quiet, staring at the empty cup in his hands.

Jaune stood up from his stool and walked away from the trio, Neptune hit Sun on the back of the head as Ren just sighed.

Jaune made his way back to the bar counter.

"What do they know...it's not like they were cheated on" he grumbled as he sat back to the bar stool.

"Another coke?" Junior asked, and Jaune just nodded handing him the glass.

"Hey Junior, you think it's time I...I don't know hop back into the dating scene?" Jaune asked and Junior brought him a drink.

"Why are you asking me?" He questioned, and Jaune just shrugged.

"Maybe I want an answer from another opinion" Jaune said as Junior chuckled.

"Jaune, you have been a good customer to me and a friend, I think you do deserve happiness, but only when you are ready," He told him, and Jaune thought on those words.

Maybe Sun, Neptune, and Ren are right.

He shouldn't be mopping about for months on end. What happened happened. All he can do now is move on forward.

"Thank Junior," Jaune said as he downed his soda, too quickly, as the cold drink gave him a brain freeze.

Jaune turned to leave with new vigor, but before he made way, he heard gasp and whispers.

Turning his head, his eyes widened as walking right past him was a very beautiful woman. Her eyes were two tones, pink and brown, matching her hair.

The hypnotic way her hips swayed kept him mesmerized as she passed by him, carrying a parasol with her before meeting two girls, whom Jaune recognized as Juniors hired help, Melanie Melitia Malachite.

The beautiful lady put her parasol on the table, a pool table, and with a twist of the handle she pulled out...a pool cue?

"H-hey Junior, who's she?" Jaune asked as he pointed to the mystery woman.

"Oh her? That's Neo, " Junior said as Jaune nodded, looking at her.

" oh boy, dont do it, Jaune," Junior said.

"Huh, do what?" Asked Jaune, and Junior just shook his head.

"Dont go up to her, It's best if you let this one go," He said to him.

"Why?" He asked and Junior sighed.

"From my understanding, she got out of a nasty relationship, so i think she isn't even looking for something serious if anything at all," Junior explained, and Jaune looked down, understanding what he meant.

"Thanks, Junior, once again." Junior nodded as Jaune gave him another tip before walking back to his friends table.

"Hey guys, imma head back home" Jaune told them as Ren was currently playing a game of 9ball with Sun.

"You sure, buddy?" Neptune asked, and Jaune nodded "Yeah man thanks for taking me out. It was fun. I mean, it, see you guys later Jaune said as he grabbed his coat off the wrack.

Jaune walked to the exit but gave a quick glance to that beautiful woman, Neo, who was in the middle of an 8ball match. He watched as she stepped forward and lined up her pool cue with the cueball, aiming her shot just right she hit one of the stripes and sank it into the left side pocket. She turned her head just briefly and made eye contact with Jaune before giving him a wink. As Jaune just blushed, she returned to her next hit as Jaune walked out the door red in the face.

Steeling his nerves, Jaune smiled, feeling a small warmth pile on him.

Neo, huh?

[ryverbind]

Faceless Fixation {Sal Fisher}: Be A Feminist [10]

Ash and I walk down the sidewalk outside of the MGM Grand casino and hotel with our arms interlocked, a little skip in our step and huge smiles making our cheeks ache. But it's all worth it. It's love.

Music fills the air around us, the sounds so loud and mixed together that I feel as though I'm in the front row of three different concerts all at once. I think Nickelback is playing somewhere down the street and then Paramore somewhere next to us. It's a clusterfuck of so many amazing things. I'm not overwhelmed, I'm energetic for the first time all day since finally connecting with The Faces.

It's freeing. Refreshing even with the sizzling tension radiating between Sally and I. Said tension is a mix of sexual frustration and absolute raging hatred-- but I find that combination extremely invigorating. Situationships suck unless there's some kind of unique emotion to liven it up a bit, I think.

But for now, I'll ignore it. This trip is about visiting with my friends, even if it means having to kick Sally out of my general vicinity every once in a while.

The lights from casinos light up the air around us, reflecting off of Ash's pretty red dress. Every sound that could possibly be heard in the world all at once is revolving through the streets-- distant airplane engines, horror movie-worthy screaming, sizzling food, normal conversations and giggling, and my favorite: silence from a particular someone.

"So what's the plan?" I ask Ash, panting lightly as our skip picks up pace.

Ash has a beaming grin on her face, her pink cheeks flushed from our little excited hops. "I dunno," she chirps between breaths. "We'll probably just bar hop. I think that's a fun idea!"

I squeeze my arm around hers, watching her glorious side profile with stars in my eyes, no doubt. The world seems to slow down as I gaze upon her smiling face and the night-time world reflected in her viridian iris's.

She looks down at me, her smile impossibly widening before she turns her head over her shoulder to look at the guys.

"Hey, bar hopping cool with you guys?" she asks sweetly, giving them a pair of eyes on the down low that screams we're doing just as she wants regardless of what they say.

And all three men are quiet for a second before murmuring their agreements-- Sally and Todd's a bit forced whereas Larry seems more than happy to go and party a bit more.

I look over my shoulder too, my mask pressing into my cheek as I make quick eye contact with Sally who quickly looks off to the side, his neck tattoo glistening in all the LED lights.

My head is facing forward immediately. Better to not look at him-- if I can help it, that is.

I mind my business for a bit, just skipping alongside Ash who tells me all about her favorite drinks and how really hot girls always go to the shittiest bars to avoid preppy frat boys. I'm not quite sure how she learned this information, but I'm not one to hate on the game, so I just nod along and pitch in here and there.

Ash shocks me a bit with a sudden change in behavior when she leans over, pressing her cheek to mine. Her lips brush against the temple of my mask as she says a bit more quietly, "Hey, remember that time you declared you'd raise hell in Washington D.C. because of soda prices?"

My eyes widen a bit as I recall one of the many phone calls I had with Ash when we were teenagers. I was pissed because my high school had raised the vending machine prices to three dollars per soda and I was not having it. It wasn't that impressive to me, but I guess it left a mark on Ash.

I'm about to ask her why she's bringing that up when another weight lands on the other cheek of my mask, followed by, "Soda prices pissed you off that much, Vi?" from Larry. His voice purrs deeply beside me and I try not to shiver.

His hand grips onto my shoulder, enveloping so much skin that his thumb brushes along the base of my neck. He squeezes lightly then lifts his head, peeking around my form so he can look at me with his dark, mahogany eyes that are just as hard to look away from as they are to actually look at, simply because they're so entrancing. Why does Larry have to be hot?

I hum in response, tilting my head. "I guess," I murmur, "I'm still pretty pissed about finances in general. Who isn't?"

Ash giggles cutely, running a hand over my hair before resting her fingertips on my upper back. "Vi's an anarchist," she says matter-of-factly.

Larry cackles, backing away from me and falling back with Todd and Sal.

I pinch my lips together to contain a laugh of my own and nod once. "Fuck the patriarchy."

A grunt sounds behind me, followed by, "You two are problematic." The words are grumbled and Sally sounds like he's physically aggravated over our conversation-- or maybe he's aggravated with the fact that he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

It takes everything within me to not groan obnoxiously and tell him to shut the fuck up, but I do roll my eyes to let off some steam even if he can't see it. "Aw, come on, Sally," I say, glancing at him over my shoulder again. His gaze is settled on me, his ocean eyes clashing with mine as soon as he's in my view. "Be a feminist!" I smile at him.

I watch as his eyes narrow momentarily, frustration probably biting at his bones as he regards me quietly, fighting for a reply in the depths of his mind. Maybe it was a dirty trap on my part, but I don't care all that much.

"I am a feminist. And fuck the patriarchy," Sally replies gruffly, "I just don't think running up on the government would be your best decision."

"And why do you care?" I snort, turning my face forward again as Ash holds onto my arm. We're getting closer to a bar towards the end of the street. "Let me start an uprising in peace."

"By all means, don't confuse my worries. I couldn't care less about what happens to you, just trying to give a word of advice since you're full of bad decisions," Sally replies, a snarky lilt to his deep voice.

I chew on my bottom lip. He's formulating something in his mind by the sound of his voice. He's confident. "You act like you've never made a bad decision in your life. An asshole like you is dripping in stupidity," I retort, albeit weakly. I'm a bit afraid of whatever it is he has in mind.

"Maybe I'm stupid," Sally starts like this is exactly what he wanted me to say, "but at least I don't seek validity by bulldozing through anything that bites back."

"So, you're just talking about yourself, right?" I bite out too quickly. The words are in the air and I've taken his bait-- I reacted before I could think. I chew on the inside of my cheek upon realizing that I won't be able to correct myself in time.

"I am talking about myself, smart of you to notice," he chuckles lowly. "I bite back and you just can't handle that, can you?"

The sound of his voice makes my brain itch. His chuckle makes my skin tingle. It's a constant back and forth of aching to strangle this motherfucker and wanting to climb on top of him and see what he does. Regardless, it's his reaction that I want so bad and the fact that I'm failing while he's succeeding in milking me of reactions is filling me with an unquenchable rage.

I stay quiet for a moment while we trek on, the entire group remaining silent while Sally and I hash out our ridiculous problems.

He's too good at building up a quick defense. I need to work on that.

"You misunderstood me," I grit out, keeping my gaze set on the pavement under my feet. "You fight anything with a pulse. You're so meticulous and aggressive about self-protection that you might as well just fuck yourself already." The words keep flying out of my mouth. I couldn't stop myself even if I wanted to. "You wouldn't get knocked up with that shitty attitude, but you may fucking get knocked out."

The silence around us is deafening and I feel like I've effectively made my point clear when Sally doesn't say a word. So I take a breath and relax my shoulders that are more tense than this fucking situation.

A hand clamps down around the back of my neck, cool fingertips squeezing my skin tightly before harshly yanking me back.

I trip over my lost balance, trying to regain my footing before I nearly slam into Sally who stops me with another hand on the small of my back.

The two of us stand in our odd, incomplete embrace for a moment, the shock of his touch shutting me down completely. I don't even take a breath as the feeling of his hand gripping my skin resonates within my mind. It's not much, but it feels good. And then his fingertips digging into my lower back through my thin shirt-- a warning to shut up now.

It's not hard to listen when his hands are on me, as much as I hate to admit it.

I'm acutely aware of his soft, azure hair brushing along the skin of my throat and the sound of his muffled breathing beside my face. He's close, very close. Closer than he and Lexi have ever gotten.

His unique scent envelops my senses just like it did the day I met him, every single note overpowering me in seconds. Sally has a good hold of me, which is dangerous considering he has me in a physical vice grip right now, alongside the fact that it doesn't take much for me to submit to him.

And that's starting to piss me off.

The side of Sally's prosthetic taps onto the cheek of my mask and I'm feeling major deja vu from earlier. Only this time, it's a lot more tense and breathtaking. No matter how hot Larry and Ash both are, it just doesn't compare to Sal.

"You know what this shitty attitude gets me, though?" He rasps quietly, his words short and aggressive.

I swallow thickly, blinking down at his shoes that lightly press against the back of mine. Wow, they match. Who would've thought.

My heart hammers against my ribcage, fighting a losing battle of desire and pride wherein I'm failing at getting both under control. I don't know what to say, what to do, or what to think with his skin on mine and just our close proximity in general.

I've always known he was attractive, but fuck, does he really have to silence me with his personality and looks?

"It gets me fucked," he says, his tone biting and hostile, even antagonistic like he's dangling another hook for me to latch onto. He continues, quieter this time but his words still slice at the walls of confidence I've built up. "I'm sure you know a thing or two about that, huh?"

He gives the back of my neck another tight squeeze, then shoves me away from him, ending the moment just as quickly as it began.

I stagger back toward Ash who grabs onto my arms to steady me. When I look up, she's glaring harshly at Sally. I don't think I've ever seen such a serious expression on her face in my twenty one years of being her friend... this is impressive.

She'd be freaked if she found out I thought the way he handled me just now was hot as fuck.

"Stop being a fucking cunt, Sal," Ash barks out, looking down at me with the glare ever-present on her face, though it softens just a bit for a moment. "You're really going to be like this?"

"It's fine, Ash," I stop her gently, offering her a little smile when she swings her head back to me. "I'm just as guilty. Sorry for making things awkward." The one thing I regret is putting my friends in a difficult position. Ash, Todd, and Larry don't deserve that.

Ash watches me with a hesitant expression for a moment before carefully letting go of my arms. "Fine," she murmurs quietly. "Both of you need to cut it out then."

Yea, she's right. I'm here to spend time with everyone even if Sally has to be involved. Whatever. It's worth it.

I nod my head with a tight smile that Ash returns as she boops the nose of my mask with her index finger. Then she turns to point at the bar that's beside us. We got here a lot quicker than expected. Arguments pass the time very well.

I turn my head slightly to the side, looking to Sally and muttering, "Sorry," just to keep the peace. It isn't that I mean it in any way, shape, or form-- and he can see that it's an empty apology-- but something to appease the two of us as well as the group for now.

He says nothing in return. I'll take that as a win.

I smile as the five of us walk into the bar, which is honestly so large and packed with people that it might as well be a fucking club. There are strobe lights, music so loud that I'm worried I'll get a headache, and sweaty bodies all packed together.

My smile drops immediately. I fucking hate places like this. I've been near people all day and I'm really tired of it.

Ash doesn't give me much time to regret following her to a bar though. She grabs onto my hand then yells back to me, "Grab someone!" so I lean back, glancing at Larry who clutches my hand with a grin on his face before grabbing onto whoever's behind him.

Ash drags me around like one of those kids with the backpack that doubles as leash-- like her grip on me is enough to keep me afloat when, really, I'm about to fucking take Larry down with me.

But she walks up to someone who undoubtedly works here, barks out a command with a hypnotizing smile on her face, and then she's dragging us back to a roped off area. The scene changes with a flip of a metaphorical switch and I can't really keep up, I'm only able to feel immense panic upon realizing that Ash just very easily got us into a VIP section of this bar-club thing.

And it must be emo night in here.

There's a range of old classics pumping in the building. Helena by My Chemical Romance ended a few seconds, and now we're on to Deftones. Ash picked a good place and I can't help but feel like she chose this specific bar on purpose.

Ash catapults me into a booth then crawls in beside me, Todd joining after her. Then Larry and Sally climb in on the opposite end of our table.

It's a nice, decent spot. We're away from the big crowd, but we're still able to see and interact with everything if we really want to get up and do something. It feels like finding that one unoccupied corner at a party.

"Okay, Vi," Ash says with a hefty sigh, slamming her hands onto the table with a happy grin on her face-- a stark contrast from her angry expression just a few moments go. "Here's the question I've personally been putting off."

I furrow my brows. "Okay," I say hesitantly. "Hit me."

Ash's smile drops a bit and she pinches her glossy lips together. "When..." she trails off and squints her eyes. "When are you leaving?"

Oh. Fuck. That's true. I have to leave in just a few hours now.

The look on my face must say a lot for her and her happy persona drops immediately. "Okay, how soon?" she mumbles softly.

I hum, checking the time on my phone. It's ten thirty. "In a few hours now," I admit, not daring to look back at my deflated best friend. "I have to be at the airport for six."

"Can you maybe take a different flight home?" Larry offers, a little frown marring his sharp and handsome features.

I purse my lips as I regard him with guilty eyes. "Either way, I only paid for one night at my hotel. There's not much I can do."

It hurts to think that I have to leave everyone so soon now. At the beginning of the day, I was just so elated to finally see everyone for the first time in years, but the clock is ticking and I'm only filling up with dread. I know I'll have to hug Ash, Larry, and Todd for the last time in a while tonight and it's going to suck. I'm going to sob on my flight back, I already know it.

My heart clenches in my chest and tears fill my eyes just from thinking about it. It doesn't matter that I'm in a club or that I'm surrounded by people. What matters is that I have to leave my friends. Again.

It was heartbreaking whenever I was ten years old, but now it feels like my world is about to crumble down around me.

"Well, Vi, hear me out," Todd says after a moment, a hand covering his lips and his brows furrowed as he looks down at the table.

I wait quietly, my eyes glued to his professional, put-together form. Please, Todd. Please give me a solution.

"If you can find an alternate flight home, you can just stay in our suite with us for the next couple days," he says a bit louder, his dark eyes finally meeting mine.

My brows bunch together. I couldn't possibly stay with them. That's unfair since they're paying for their room.

"Oh my gosh, that's a great idea, Todd!" Ash squeals, her hand clamping down onto my shoulder. "You can camp out with me! Bed's a queen. We can fit!" She beams excitedly, her jade eyes begging me to accept the invitation.

I gape momentarily. "I... I can't. It's unfair for me to not pitch in. And besides, I--" I cut myself off for a moment, wondering if I should leak a bit of my personal life. It's not like they can track me down if I'm vague. "I have a job. I told my boss I'd be back tomorrow."

"You work?" Larry asks, tilting his head curiously. "Actually, fuck your boss. We're more important."

As Sally once said, very inconspicuous.

But I still giggle at it regardless. "Yea, I told him I was sick. But, uh, I really need the money so I have to go back as soon as I get home tomorrow."

"You do know that the flu warrants a full five days at home, right?" Todd asks, his tone serious. I turn to him and he has so much confidence in his eyes. So much, in fact, that I suddenly feel like I could get away with being sick just a bit longer.

"I--" I pause again, trying to fight the guilt and desire that are beginning to mix into one in my mind. They're so close together that I can hardly distinguish the difference at this point. "Are you guys sure?"

"For fuck's sake," Sally groans, putting a hand onto his prosthetic. "Are we really about to do this?" I can hear the reluctance and disdain in his voice. He seems miserable behind his closed eyes and the shadow of that prosthetic.

Everything about him in that moment makes me feel a bit different.

"Yea, I'll stay with you guys," is what I say next, a giddy little smile forming on my face.

I have no regrets. Fuck Sally. Fuck whatever it is that he wants.

"Okay, so our first line of work then is to change your flight," Larry jumps into action, so energized that he bounces around in his seat for a second. He reminds me of a child, unable to contain his exhilaration. It's actually pretty cute.

"Oh, fuck," I groan, resigning a bit. I lean back in my seat beside Ash and chew my lip. "Do you think I can change it this late?"

Larry shrugs, looking off to the side. "We'll find a way. I'm cool with anarchy too," he glances back to me with a mischievous little grin and narrowed eyes.

My breath catches in my throat for a moment before I remember what he's said and then I  giggle, nodding in agreement. I've always been able to tell that Larry's pretty chaotic. It shows in absolutely everything he does-- he's a shit stirrer, but I like that about him. Makes things fun.

I open my phone to pull up the app that tracks my plane tickets and travel time, but I notice a text before getting a chance to focus on my changed plans.

Simp for the Entire Male Population i'm coming visit next week, ducks >:))))

Hm, this'll be fun. I haven't seen my cousin in a while, it's actually been a few years now, come to think of it.

Me cool, i'm looking forward to it ;)

I click out of the message and move on to my plane tickets. Something I'm thankful for is the list of alternative flights that pops up as soon as I navigate my way to the ticket options setting.

"How long will you guys be here?" I murmur, scrolling through my three options that leave on different days.

"The next three days," Ash chirps, "Did you find anything?"

"Yep," I say excitedly, clicking on the plane ticket that has me leaving on the 23rd. I confirm my change and it results in an extra $45 charge, but it's worth it. "I leave in two days now."

The table cheers-- except for Sal though. But he doesn't exactly seem upset either. If anything, a bit annoyed, but not against this new situation. If I'm sleeping with Ash, I guess he assumes I'll be out of his hair for the most part.

"So are you coming over tonight?" Ash grabs onto my forearm and yanks me around a bit, her pretty teeth on display in the form of a grin.

"Erm, actually, I think I'll stay at my hotel since I spent money on it, but I'll move in with you guys tomorrow," I say, laughing lightly.

It feels as though a weight's been lifted from my shoulders. Even if it's just an excuse to avoid the pain for now, I don't care all that much. I have more time and that means the world and more to me in the moment.

"Cool, I'll just come sleep over with you then-- give the guys a night to themselves," Ash declares nonchalantly, a giddy little smile gracing her full lips. "We're gonna have so much fun tonight!"

Larry slides a hand over the table and between Ash and I, immediately stealing my attention. "Hold on, how much fun? Because if it's a lot then I'd really like to join. Please." His eyes are wide and lips parted as he waits for a response.

Before I can jump in and laugh at his inconspicuousness, for lack of a better word, Ash slaps his hand away and rolls her eyes. "Not that kind of fun, you horny little fiend," she scoffs. "Vi is off limits to all three of you."

"Oh, so you get to have her all to yourself?" Todd challenges, raising an amused eyebrow at Ash.

Everyone's favorite viridian-eyed beauty narrows her eyes playfully, a little smirk building in her expression. "You lot can all go fuck yourselves."

A few laughs pass between us before we go quiet, ordering a few drinks and just enjoying the music. It's clear that our entire group appreciates good sound. Sally's head is leaned against the back of his seat, his angular and scarred jaw on full display for me-- the best part of the view being the tattoo on his neck. Larry's bobbing his head to Slipknot and Todd's holding his head up by his hands, his elbows propped on the table as his feet tap the ground rhythmically. Ash has her eyes closed, a little smile on her face.

I really found a good group, even if things between Sally and I are complicated. I can appreciate some of the things he appreciates too.

A good song comes on, one that I discovered on Youtube a few years ago. It's a small band called Dark Autumn Complex. They have maybe a few thousand fans if anything. But they're good and the fact that their song is playing at a club in Vegas is pretty big.

I perk up at the same time Larry does, our wide eyes meeting momentarily. He doesn't break our eye contact as he jabs Sally in the ribs with his elbow.

Sally pops up with a resounding 'oof' his feet slamming against the ground. Honest to God, this is the first time I've seen him with an expression that wasn't anger or bashfulness. Impressive.

Larry murmurs something to Sal then turns to me, both of us mouthing the lyrics to the song. A grin splits across his face and he nearly jumps across the table to fangirl with me.

"Dude, you like these guys!?" he exclaims.

"Yes!" I laugh, "I found them when they only had like maybe five subscribers on Youtube. I've been a loyal fan."

Ash suddenly scoots toward us with a huge smile on her face, "You really like Dark Autumn Complex?" she asks, holding back whatever's next by a thread based on her expression. I nod in response and she jumps at my confirmation. "Well--"

"Well, you're just like us then, Vi," Larry interrupts Ash quickly, throwing her a tantalizing wink. "No worries, baby," he says to her. "I got you," Larry gushes a moment later, a little blush painting his cheeks as he looks back to me. "I know every single song of theirs."

"I can't lie," I admit, trying to contain my excited smile. Fuck, I want to tell Larry who I am so bad. We have so much in common. "Me too. They're not my all-time favorite, but they are on my list of top five favorites."

"I think they're my favorite, truth be told. They're just so good," he wiggles excitedly in his seat. "And get this, we're going see them live at their first concert tomorrow. It's perfect timing because you'll be with us. You have to come."

"Holy shit?" I say breathlessly, my smile falling due to the shock. I hadn't seen anything online about the band having a concert... but then again, if it was a concert out of reach, I wouldn't have paid it much mind. "Of course I'll come! I can't believe I got this lucky." And I really am excited. Dark Autumn Complex has been on my wishlist of concerts-to-see for about three yeas now.

"It's gonna be rad as shit," Larry says, eyes widening as he grabs my wrist. He shows his emotions through physical touch-- sweet of him, but dangerous for me and every other man and woman who has good taste in men. "Maybe we can get in back stage to meet them." he says, a knowing little smirk builds on his lips as he watches me, waiting for a reaction.

Sally quickly elbows Larry though, shutting the excited man up in a moment. Larry looks over at his cerulean haired friend who hisses out, "Shut up, dude."

I roll my eyes. This guy is such a fucking mood killer.

"That would be super cool," I say quickly, ignoring Sally's ridiculous attempts to get in the middle of my conversation with my friend. "But I don't want to bother them either. If we meet, it'll be by chance."

Larry shrugs unapologetically, claiming he'll climb on stage to meet his favorite band if that's what it takes. 

The best and worst part is that I can tell he isn't exaggerating.

I appreciate the song playing. It's called "Wherein Christine Daaé Becomes Her Own Phantom." The lyrics are really deep, relatable, and captivating. The lead singer has such a hypnotizing voice and their bassist is so good with fuzzy riffs. I feel like I'm peacefully drowning every time I hear one of their songs, which is honestly insane considering those feelings are such a contradiction.

A fun little bit about the band, aside from their fantastic sound, is that no one knows what the members look like. There's the guitarist and singer (just one guy), their bassist, and then the drummer. They're a little group, but they're fantastic. Never filmed a music video before and have only ever posted a singular photo online of all of them wearing elaborate masks that cover their heads entirely. We haven't even seen their skin-- which makes seeing them live tomorrow even more exciting to think about. How will they present themselves?

Larry picks up our conversation again, asking my opinion. "How did you feel about the song they put out a month ago?" he asks.

"I thought it was awesome," I say happily, leaning my body against the table to be a bit closer to the man across from me.

Larry pushes a strong, inked hand through his hair then starts talking again, but my attention is suddenly and unfortunately stolen by a situation at the other end of our table.

The lyrics resonate through my mind as a ridiculous wave of jealousy washes over me.

"A ghost sending shivers down your spine; Something you never see but always feel. Some eerie tingle and a hidden shrine-- Every single layer of fear-- all of it I'll peel."

That is a disgustingly accurate way to describe my current feelings as a woman walks up to Sally, shyly tapping on his shoulder.

She has jet black hair that flows down her back in soft waves with a short, black dress to match. The fabric is tight around her slim body and she flaunts it beautifully. I can't see much of her other than that through the flashing lights and dark atmosphere, but I definitely notice the moment she sits right against Sally, nearly on top of his lap.

It's not that I'm jealous of them, it's that I'm jealous of her, I guess. Maybe I'm also jealous of the way he's so easygoing with her when he wouldn't even let me cum over our call, that bastard.

And not to mention, he's never been kind to me in any way. Never even gave me a chance. but here he is, happily conversing with this woman and being so sweet to her.

What did I ever even do?

"Pretty things are surface-level desire, But does the same go for me? Just quiet and sometimes a spit-fire, And only desirous by a small degree.

Death is but a word, Thus, elegance and pride will never die; A choking little lie that terror simply purred-- A horror-stricken mind is a fatal design."

Am I pretty like she is? Hell, I'd kill to have her looks. I've never been confident in the way I look or present myself, even if I do try really hard. To me, I'm nothing compared to all the beauty walking amongst this earth. I'm nothing like them. And that's proof that my mind really is a fatal design.

Suddenly, I'm not too fond of this song anymore.

Why do I have to desire such trivial things like beauty? There's so much more in this world. I don't need to want to be pretty like this. It's a mood killer.

Why does Sally make me feel this way about myself?

When did I turn into this?

"Disgusting, foul creatures of lust-- Humanity is a wasteland of evil, And the lack of a vendetta is unjust. So, here I am, a captive of the people.

Warrior hearts and monstrous brains, Murderous minds and devilish intentions-- All we amount to are thoughtless remains Of a world once full of potentials."

Yea, I had potential at one point a guess. Lately, I've just been a shell of who I once was and I'm just trying to build myself up to what I used to be. Hanging out with The Faces has been helping, but watching Sally throw an arm around this beautiful girl and lean a bit closer to her with a smile in his eyes makes me feel nauseous.

I don't even really know if it's about him and her anymore. It's more of an internal thing. Could anyone ever be attracted to me that way? Does someone think I'm actually pretty? Could I pull off a dress like hers?

Thousands of questions and sickening emotions fly through my mind. The situation is unnecessary, especially since Sally means nothing to me in the first place. I've turned it into something personal-- I'm only hurting myself, but I can't help it.

"Humanity is a vicious influence on 'differents'-- To people like me, Where purity is as damning as innocence; Oh, how ignorant are we?

A little bunny cornered by a pack of foxes, Coerced into following the crowd. Poisoned by passive-aggressive toxins Until I'm silenced and expected to be proud."

Today's strict beauty standards are fucked and this is proof that I'm trying to conform to them. It's not this poor woman's fault that I'm not confident in the way I look, it's society's fault. Just another reason to be a fucking anarchist, I suppose. I guess Larry would be proud of that thought.

The constant reminder that I don't look a certain way bothers me every single day. Just when I think I've been able to ignore it enough, it bites me during moments like this-- unwarranted and completely random. And I try to blame other people to make myself feel better. That isn't right. I can't even be angry with Sally for warming up to at least someone. If anything, it proves he isn't completely a cold person.

So why does it bother me so damn much?

"Christine has adopted the persona of Erik, A phantom in her filthy world-- Traumatized, scared, and barbaric Like a shredded dress still forced to be twirled."

Alright, that's enough with the song. I'm absolutely going to become barbaric if I don't distract myself.

Sally slowly runs his fingers down the woman's arm before turning the table, his azure eyes meeting mine. I pinch my lips together, instantly embarrassed about getting caught staring and begging myself to look away-- but he doesn't look away. That's... interesting.

So I keep looking at him. Some unknown emotion flashes across his pretty eyes and he pulls the woman a bit closer to him.

Is he trying to make me jealous? Funny. If he thinks I'm looking at them because of him then he's about to be really fucking disappointed. I refuse to let him get to me, even if a little bit of me wants to be held that way-- because it isn't that I want to be held by him. He has absolutely nothing to do with the negativity in my head right now.

Sally reaches a hand up, brushing a strand of hair away from the girl's face and raking his eyes over her pretty features. A raspy, deep chuckle reaches my ears and I feel like laughing too.

How pathetic. Of him and me.

I need to sort through my own insecurities and let whatever little situationship that existed between Sal and I a couple days ago die. I don't need it. And he very clearly doesn't need it either.

Whatever.

___________________

A/N::::::: hi, yes, i'm back to burdening everyone with lyrics that would have never seen the light of day if not for this chapter &lt;3

i've done this before in another book of mine, but for everyone here, i have a little habit of writing songs for my books and the one included in this chapter is a recent short one!! (the lyrics i put at the beginning of each chapter are NOT mine though, just the ones within the chapter that are bold have been written by me!)

i'm kinda on the fence about this chapter tbh. it feels a bit rushed even though i tried to put more description in where it was possible to do so. i want to put a focus on friendship building between the faces while also showing how y/n is struggling with the building tension between her and sal. i'm hoping i can come fix it up with time, but for now we have this! i won't deprive everyone of daddy sal and daddy larry and daddy todd and mommy ash just because i might be a little insecure regarding my abilities, i pinky promise ;)

I CAN'T WAIT TO INTRODUCE EVERYONE TO YOUR IN-STORY COUSIN SOON ;))))

anyways, i love you all so much! you guys are always so amazing and i owe everyone so incredibly much. you all have my heart. have a wonderful morning/day/evening/night!! <3333

[lucatielsgirlfriend]

good morning. i mean afternoon <3

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

7. earbuds or headphones?

8. movies or tv shows?

9. favorite smell in the summer?

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

18. ideal weather?

19. sleeping position?

21. obsession from childhood?

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

28. five songs to describe you?

32. top five favorite vines?

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

56. favorite tradition?

64. favorite website from your childhood?

66. favorite flower(s)?

72. worst subject?

82. pc or console?

88. your greatest wish?

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

94. favorite season?

96. desktop background?

and i have to ask this one ^-^ 98. favorite historical era?

omg you love me and you want to know everythig about me ^-^

5. bottles is easiest, but a crisp glass soda feels so nice!

6. out of those the styles that i think look best on me are boho and sportswear :) i like goth but im not really in the culture

7. headphones. i found this really nice compact travel set so im not totally unaware when i wesr them out!

8. tricky. I do love movies, but tv shows are easier to digest for me so i watch those more

9. um. probably when water hits the hot ground. rain or otherwise. like waterguns. bbqs are also really nice :>

10. i was a fat kid so not many. i really enjoyed badminton and tennis and also rounders or baseball

15. i remember liking Kensuke's Kingdom for a book report but idk if holds up... I also enjoyed when we analysed poetry in our final year ^^

17. um i have three pairs of slip on sketchers so those. theyre easy and shoes r expensive :p

18. heavy summer rain 🤤 thunder or not

19. i roll around a lott in my sleep, so i wake up in all sorts of positions. its usually easiest to get to sleep on my side tho.

21. i was a pokemon kid. show, cards, games and merch. always on that damn ds

26. i kinda hate the heat, so chilling in front of a fan with a sippy drink and music is sooo good. i liked the beach when I last went though!

27. stupid-cold bonfire nights are realllly nice. my birthdays right around guy fawkes so lots of nice memories there. im also more active in winter because it gets darker faster and i dont sweat as much.

28. five... umm: 'Laughing Gas - The Fratellis'; 'Override (A) - Area 11'; 'Knees Deep - The Beths'; 'To Be Better - Miracle of Sound'; 'Moment of Forever - Willie Nelson'. ^-^;

32. umm idk i was never really on vine... literally none come to mind sorrry

46. naked for sure especially in summer. t-shirt and bottoms on the coldest nights. ^-^

56. tradition... not sure I have any anymore. when i was a teenager we used to go to the lake and follow a river and have a shitty bbq by the side with a bluetooth speaker. and everyone would jump in the water and I never would hehe

64. YouTube. I yearn for the old days of YouTube... I was just becoming sentient when youtube was coming around so i was on it a lot

66. tulips! esp orange ones :>

72. maths. numbers hard.

82. PC all the way from my shitty laptops to here. i love my compuper

88. umm many. to be a girl. to be able to be social without anxiety attacks. to be able to afford things. to not be scared of intimacy. for my pets and family and friends to live forever and always be happy. many many wishes.

92. lamps. i hate overheads especially white ones.

94. Autumn. idk I like the colours. and there's usually a lot more happening around then. halloween and birthdays and getting cooler.

96. usually a game still. or art from a steam trading card or smthn. right now it's a boss from Slay the Spire :)

98. I dont know a lot about history as I should. but I'm interested in gold rush/ westward expanse era stuff, what little I know of it. I should learn more history... Idk sometimes ot just doesnt go in, and I have fuck awful recall ^-^;