#Obviously it was so she wouldn't owe him anything. Obviously

[shivunin]

Hello there! ✨

New prompts? Here we go.

I was talking of Moby Dick yesterday with a friend, so of course it must be number 7, for whomever you'd like to force in the same bed with a soon-to-be LI!

Ooooh this was a really tasty one! Thanks, Arja c: I am really happy with this, and it bridged a gap in the timeline I've been fiddling with for a while.

(But. Arja, I gotta ask: as someone who has not read the book in question, is there an 'only one bed' scene in Moby Dick???)

(Tropes Prompts)

For 7. Muses are forced to share a bed:

Back to Back

(Arianwen Tabris/Zevran | 2,015 Words | CW: Canon-typical references to darkspawn/death/the Blight, alcohol mention)

The three of them stood just inside the doorway, various packs already piled off to the side. The room was comfortably warm, did not smell of dead bodies, offered two beds, and featured a fire burning already in the hearth. By the standards of the rest of the castle, it was the height of luxury. Even so, they hesitated. 

Morrigan spoke first.

“I will not be sharing, in case either of you have fostered any such foolish notions,” she told them acerbically. “‘Tis hardly fair for the Crow to have the whole bed to himself by simple virtue of gender.”

“Did I say anything?” Arianwen asked, arms crossed. When she opened her mouth to go on, the Crow in question spoke. 

“I am not so delicate as I look. Surely I can manage one evening’s sleep on stone, yes? It will still be an improvement on packed earth.”

“No,” Wen said sharply. “You are not a dog.”

Zevran turned and stared pointedly at Wen’s mabari, who’d already slung himself over the foot of the bed in question. His tongue lolled out in canine delight and his fur was clean for once, as she’d given him a cursory bath before sneaking him into Redcliffe’s castle. Wen was probably the only one who could make the hound move, and she had no intention of doing so. The poor fellow deserved a soft bed for once. He worked as hard as any of them.

Morrigan, plainly assured that she need not participate in this conversation, turned and walked away. In Wen’s periphery, she could see the witch beginning to draw some sort of sigil over the stone before the door. Good. These people were dodgy as any she’d seen.

“I will keep my hands and knives to myself if you will,” Tabris told Zevran coolly. “It is no closer quarters than we share in camp, Crow.” 

One of his eyebrows arched, but he inclined his head slightly. 

“As you wish, my lady.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, hunching her shoulders. “Ugh. Warden, if you won’t use my name. You’re not my servant.” 

She was certain she did not imagine the glint of mockery in his eyes when he swept her an elaborate bow. 

“As you wish, my dear Warden.” 

She didn’t like that either, but she suspected further objections would meet with further prodding. Wen ignored him and went to the far side of the bed, where she could at least shed her armor in peace.

“Not a dog, not a servant,” Zevran murmured to himself, unbuckling his armor on the other side of the bed. “I find my employment opportunities sadly diminished so soon.”

“I hear the Crows have an opening,” Wen told him, casting him a sharp look, and he grinned at her. 

“Let us hope, for both our sakes, that they do not know it yet.”

“Hmph,” was all she could muster in response. Her armor slapped the ground when she tossed it down, but the release of its burden was too much of a relief to stay annoyed. Wen sighed and stretched her hands behind her head, rolling her head first one way and then the other. When she glanced up, the assassin was pulling the covers back and climbing beneath them. 

“Ah—did you want this side?” he asked when he saw her looking, one leg on the mattress, the other on the floor. Wen narrowed her eyes at him. 

“No,” she said. “Just don’t take all the blankets.”

He smiled again and opened his mouth, but she held up a hand. 

“I’m not in the mood for jokes,” she told him. “I might still have to kill a child to save this place. Just let me sleep.”

Zevran shut his mouth and nodded, climbing silently beneath the covers. Wen joined him a moment later, thinking poisonous thoughts at the chamberlain who’d stuffed the four of them in this room. It made strategic sense to stay in one room, but…

But the nightmares were not going to be kind to her tonight. Perhaps it would be wise to warn him before��before. 

“Hey,” she said when Zevran rolled over. 

He glanced over his shoulder at her, his hair backlit by the hearth behind him. For a moment, he looked almost gilded with it—a foolish notion. Wen pushed the thought aside with a vague sense of irritation. It was already hard enough to find the right words; it did not help that he was so plainly assured of his own good looks. She certainly wasn’t going to add to it. 

“Yes?” he said, when she didn’t go on. Wen pressed her lips into a hard line and rolled over onto her side. This corner of the room was shadowed, blocked from the light by the broad lines of the bed and their bodies. 

“Nevermind,” she said instead, biting the end of the word off. “Goodnight.”

A pause, sheets rustling behind her, a quiet breath. Morrigan still sat before the door, her legs crossed, her hands palm-up on either knee. Arianwen did not know if she was meditating or taking first watch and she didn’t intend to ask. Morrigan wasn’t going to kill them while Wen slept; that was all she really needed to know right now. 

“Goodnight, Warden.” 

|

Tabris stood in a wide field, surrounded by heaving bodies on either side. They tossed around her like a river of putrid flesh, horrible syllables clawing their way from ruined throats, sick weapons waving in the air. None of them took notice of her, but they did not leave her space to breathe, either. 

If she stayed here for too long, she would surely choke to death on the smell thick in the air. Even as she knew this, she knew, too, that leaving was impossible. 

There was no way out. She was trapped on all sides. She would die here and be carried onward, like a rotting tree branch in a blood-filled stream, until all the bits that made her distinct from anyone else were worn away by the tide. She knew this with a surety she could not question or define, and the knowledge of her own death bound her hands from fighting back. 

In the distance, a beautiful song rose, as cloying and thick in the air as the smell of unwashed bodies and burning flesh. She was drawn to it even as it repulsed her, caught in the inevitability of the sound and everything that it meant. The archdemon was calling her. She had no choice but to follow, hands bound and feet heavy with the sound. She had no choice. She had—

Wen sat up, gasping for air. 

One hand dragged at the neck of her tunic, loosening the ties even as she clawed her own skin. Something shifted beside her and she flinched away, knocking her head against the carving on the headboard. 

“It is only me,” Zevran said in the darkness beside her. Tabris relaxed slightly, though she still panted for air. 

The fire had died sometime in the night, leaving darkness and a chill in its wake. She could not see him, but she could hear him, could feel the shift in the bed when he moved again. After a moment, something soft brushed her hand. 

“Wine,” he told her. “It will help.” 

Wen abruptly remembered something Morrigan had said to her when Wen had brought him back to camp. She’d said something about him poisoning them all one day and killing them in their sleep, or words to that effect. Tabris unstoppered the wineskin anyway and took a sip, letting it clear some of the thickness from her throat. She took a longer pull a moment later, then passed it back to the left. Zevran took it from her silently, his hand never once brushing hers, and she could hear him drinking, too. 

“Nightmares?” he asked. 

Wen, whose breath had finally begun to slow again, nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her. 

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” he said. “I thought that might have been you several evenings ago.”

“Yes,” she said again. Her screaming had woken the whole camp. She was not proud of it and did not appreciate him mentioning it again now. But—he had given her his wine. That allowed him some leeway, she supposed. 

“All Wardens have them,” she added, touching the marks she’d made at her neck. Some of them stung, but she didn’t feel blood. That was good, she supposed. “Alistair is used to them, he said. They are still new to me.”

Zevran made a noise of acknowledgement, then swallowed again. 

“More?” he asked. 

Wen hesitated. She could feel the wine burning in her stomach, too much on an empty stomach. She hadn’t been interested in the castle’s offer of food, but she regretted it now. 

“Yes,” she said, and took the wineskin from him when it brushed against her hand.

“Every night?” he asked. 

“Most nights.”

The wine was red, sharp, faintly bitter at the end. Wen rolled it over her tongue before swallowing, tasting each note as intensely as she could. They chased the last of the nightmares from her mind, to her relief. The wineskin was mostly empty when she passed it back. 

“I’ll buy more wine on the way out of town,” she told him, the closest she would come to an apology. Zevran moved—perhaps he shrugged—but he, too, must have remembered that she could not see him. 

“There is no need,” he said. 

Wen snorted and slid back under the sheets, flicking her braid out of her way as she went. No need, he said, but she knew how this worked. She would buy him wine and she would not owe him for this. She was no fool. 

“Sometimes, in Antiva, I would…feel for a bedmate or a weapon,” he said carefully, “when I woke and I did not know where I was. It helped, I think.”

Wen said nothing and she did not move. Zevran drank again, then moved on his side of the bed. His foot brushed against her calf when he rolled over, but neither of them acknowledged it. 

“Goodnight, Warden.”

“Goodnight,” she hesitated. “Zevran. And—thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.”

Wen grimaced at that. She rolled onto her side and held herself still for a moment, thinking. At last, she sighed and shifted backward until her back brushed against his. 

“Warden?” 

His voice was wary. Wen frowned, ready to move again. 

“You were awake, too,” she said sharply. “So—here. If you have another nightmare.”

His back was tense against hers. She wasn’t sure how to interpret that. 

“Nevermind—” she began, but he was already speaking. 

“I—thank you, I did not mean—”

“I’ll move if you—”

“No, there is no need; I was not asking you for—”

“Fine, then, shut up and go to sleep. It doesn’t have to be a whole—a whole—thing.”

Ser Grr snored loudly at the foot of the bed, startling them both. When she finally recognized the sound, Tabris snorted and tucked an arm under her head. If this was the caliber of pillow the people in castles used, she supposed she was happy enough with the rolled-up blanket she’d left in the camp. How glad she would be when they saw the last of this place. 

“This makes us even,” she said after a moment. “For the wine.” 

At last, Zevran relaxed back against her. The next breath he took pressed his spine to hers. It was an odd sensation, and not one she was entirely sure she enjoyed. Wen waited. 

“I said there was no need.”

“You did.” 

“But—very well. We are even. Save the life debt, of course.”

“Of course,” she said, though the idea of him owing her a life debt still made her deeply uncomfortable. She wedged the pillow between her arm and head and tried to make herself comfortable again. 

The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was the sound of his breathing, quiet and even behind her, and the soft pressure of his back against hers. She did not wake again until morning.

[bweeeb]

HARD DICK...or three

Summary: Draco, Theo and Mattheo have always been Y/n's best friends, but when she realizes that the reason her relationships don't last long are them, the conversation takes a funny turn involving three boys with hard cocks.

Warnings: English is not my first language, a lot of intimacy between the boys and the reader.

---

There were people who were lucky in their careers, financial life, academics, and even love life. You were a lucky person but hated to admit that the hardest part for you was always your unluckiest part. Boyfriends were never easy for you, and staying stable with them was even harder. You never considered if the reason none of them lasted or were worthwhile was your fault—your poor choices, or the lack of character in all three serious relationships you had over the past few years. You never questioned it until last night. Dave Franco was your boyfriend for a year and a half, and last night he had a jealous outburst in the middle of a Hufflepuff party. You swore you heard him repeat the same words more than three times, “shitty friends,” “are you sure you didn’t have a threesome?” “They want to fuck you!” You were drunk and getting upset with his words until you realized that maybe your friends were much more intimidating to your boyfriends or flings than you had noticed. So you concluded that no, you were not the problem; they were…

— Alright, Our sleeping beauty has already missed the first classes.

Theodore's voice spread through the silent room along with the rustling of the comforter beside you as he occupied the space next to you.

— If you miss lunch, Snape will punish you until next year.

Mattheo said, pulling the blanket off your body, exposing your figure dressed only in navy blue lingerie that hugged your curves.

— And that means if you want to graduate this year, you better get out of this room.

Draco said, casting his eyes over you as you groaned into your pillow and shook your head in denial.

— Fuck off.

You whimpered, feeling your body shiver from the cold due to the lack of a blanket. Normally, you wouldn't be so exposed in front of your male friends, but Dave had broken up with you, so you didn't care at all if the three saw your butt, breasts, or whatever—it wasn't anything more than they had grown up seeing.

— What the hell happened to you? You didn’t even drink that much last night.

Theo said, and immediately you turned to look at him with a pout on your lips.

— Dave, he broke up with me.

You muttered, sitting up quickly.

— And it's your fault, so one of you owes me some affection.

As soon as you said that, your legs wrapped around Nott's waist, who smiled mischievously at Malfoy and Riddle, who were standing at the foot of the bed, watching you almost naked, snuggling into Theodore’s lap. It wasn’t a secret that you were obviously the dream of the three boys, and the fact that you grew up together gave them enough freedom to act like that among themselves.

— What do you mean?

Theodore asked, wrapping his arms around you.

— Yeah, he broke up with you because we’re your friends? Was he afraid of getting punched if he broke your heart or what?

Mattheo mocked Dave, and Draco laughed beside him and continued:

— Man, I think he's gay; there's no way he broke up with you because of us.

— No, he thinks we fucked or something. I don't know how many times I heard the word threesome or that you guys wanted to fuck me last night. Man, it was like torture.

You groaned, getting off Nott's lap and out of the bed, walking towards the mirror. You looked at yourself and sighed, rolling your eyes.

— The guy broke up with you because he thinks we want to fuck you?

Theodore laughed, and you gave him the middle finger while fixing your hair.

— Honestly, he's more insecure than my grandfather. Merlin, how did you stand him?

Draco laughed as Mattheo approached you and hugged you from behind, wrapping his arms around you and resting his head on your shoulder.

— Oh yeah, Draco’s grandfather probably fucks his grandmother more than that loser Dave fucked you. Am I wrong?

Mattheo said with a mischievous smile directed at you through the mirror's reflection, causing you to laugh and shake your head.

— Ew, I don't want to think about Malfoy's grandparents having sex.

Theodore grunted, getting out of bed.

— Yeah, whatever, but the point here is that you all can hug her, and I can't? Get your claws off her, Riddle.

Draco grumbled, unhappy with your position, receiving an irritating smile from Mattheo, who let you go and allowed you to go to Draco with a gentle smile.

— Ah, he's a baby, guys.

You said, and Draco glared at you with a scowl.

— Shut up…

Draco grumbled, pulling you by the waist and throwing you on the bed with him on top.

— I’ll put a baby in you if you keep that up.

— See, that’s why my relationships don’t last.

You said, throwing your head back and pushing Draco off you to fall beside you on the bed.

— Nah, this is bullshit because we don’t do this with you when you’re dating.

Theodore said, sitting next to where your head was lying, as did Mattheo on the opposite side.

— I don’t know; maybe I’m just a terrible girlfriend and act the wrong way.

You murmured, frustrated, turning onto your stomach to hide your face in a pillow.

— Y/n, princess, stop blaming yourself for the idiot’s idiotic choice.

Draco shrugged while leaning his back against the bed's headboard and throwing another pillow at your now exposed butt.

— You hardly even come near us when you’re dating. I can’t remember the last time I hugged you besides today.

Mattheo made a mocking expression, thinking David was making false accusations about you.

— You are the most loyal person in Hogwarts, and everyone knows it. If your boyfriends are all insecure enough not to handle being with you because of us, it’s simple—they don’t deserve you, dolcezza.

— Really?

You asked, and as confirmation, you received three murmurs of agreement. Propping your elbows on the mattress, your gaze changed to a curious look that was noticed by Nott and Riddle.

— Hmm, do you guys want to?

You asked another question, and this time the boys’ faces on your bed were genuinely confused.

— What?

Mattheo questioned your question, and you laughed, laying your head on Theo’s lap, who had lit a cigarette. With a look, Nott understood; he brought the cigarette to you, and with a wild smile, he answered Mattheo and asked you.

— Fuck you?

— Uh-huh.

You agreed, hearing Draco laugh while accepting the cigarette from Theo.

— Everyone wants to fuck you, princess.

— Right, but I’m not talking about everyone; I’m talking about you guys.

You said impatiently, sitting on your heels to look at the three on your bed, staring at you without saying a word.

— Come on, I’m curious.

— You don’t understand, do you?

Mattheo, with his dark eyes and a sly smile, leaned closer to your neck.

— Don’t understand what?

— You can’t ask if we’d fuck you when you’re dressed like that, darling.

Mattheo murmured, and you heard Theo and Draco’s nasal laughter as they moved on the bed.

— Okay, so that would be a yes?

You asked.

— Hell yeah.

Theo agreed, bringing the cigarette back to his plump lips and then to yours.

Your smile grew with each passing minute of silence in the room. The three of them were eyeing you as if you were gold, and you couldn’t measure how much that amused you.

— What?

You asked, feigning innocence as if you hadn’t seen the bulges growing in the pants of the three there.

— Alright, I’ll get changed so we can meet Pansy and Daphne. Wait for me a second.

With that, you got up from the bed and heard a groan from Draco.

— Seriously? I’m hard as fuck, damn it.

Malfoy groaned again, and the four of you laughed.

— You’re evil.

Theo sighed, and you turned to look at them with a pained face.

— I think my dick is going to break, it’s so hard right now.

Mattheo said, throwing himself on the bed before looking at you at the bathroom door with a huge smile.

— Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t do anything.

You said innocently, and Mattheo snorted.

— How am I supposed to continue the day like this?

— I don’t know, jerk off together, think of Malfoy's grandparents fucking.

You laughed again, and their scowls grew bigger.

— I swear you’ll pay for this, dolcezza.

Was the last thing you heard besides groans before you left to change for afternoon classes.

---

I hope you enjoy this

And if you want to read some dirty shit here:

[k0juki]

Mafia!Max Verstappen headcanons

Summary: Max used to be with reader, but they broke up, she gets pregnant (with him) and didn't told him and they met a few years later. More mafia!Max here!

English is not my first language so feel free to point out any mistakes or errors! Don't copy or translate my works!

Wc: 767

---

• It was just a useless relationship that he didn't need, nothing more

• at least that's what he says himself everyday, but it was far from the truth and he knew it.

• He loved you, that's for sure, but

• he did what he had to do, so you will be safe but

• how could you live your life and one day see your "mini-me" looking right back at you.

• He wasn't planning to go this far and what's worst, to have a child with his enemy's daughter.

• He never wanted that and the fact

• Max broke your heart all those years ago was just a bonus.

• After that you moved out of the Netherlands, back to London, but

• a few weeks later, you found out that you were pregnant. Well, shit.

• It was a little boy. Elijah or your little Eli.

• You wanted to tell Max, you really did, but your father didn't approved that,

• he didn't want him to know, and the fact that your father was head of the local British Mafia and his enemy was Dutch Mafia, wasn't good at all.

• little Eli was your secret, so whe Max saw you with little child

• it was safe to say that he almost had a stroke right on the sidewalk.

• Max never thought that he would see you again.

• Well, not at least with a little kid that looked like him.

• He was just supposed to take care of a few things around the London and then fly back to Netherlands

• but he saw you and your little blonde boy

• as you carried him in your arms and his own were around your neck with little red and blue car toy.

• You were crossing the road, when you saw Max on the other side.

• You stopped in the middle of crosswalk, mouth agape with nerves on the march.

• What was he doing here?

• You turned on your heels and basically ran back to your car.

• After that you tried your hardest to stay away from him, or anyone from that matter

• but he knew what he saw

• and that was you and his child, a boy,

• his heir that he had and didn't know about

• but he was determined to change that and he did when

• he found your penthouse that you owed, he killed every guard outside the building that was watching over you and your son, he couldn't care less about them and

• he will deal with your father later, now

•Max he didn't want to scare you like before, so he

• knocked on door and obviously

• he didn't expect a little boy with car toy he saw earlier and with paci in his mouth

• will open for him, and then he heard your call for Eli, asking him who came here, thinking it was your mother because she was your regular guest.

• You came to the door and saw Max, how he just stood here, looking

• as you scoped little Eli in your arms and asked him what he was doing here, but all he could do was to

• ask if it's his son, you looked at him

• and said yes, it was three and half years ago that you saw and talked to each other and you

• still missed him, but you couldn't forget how he broke up with you.

• Saying it was for your own good.

• he dropped to his knees

• "I'm so sorry" he apologized and promised that he would do anything to make it up to you and his son.

• To spend all his free time with you both, to have you both in his life

• but you weren't convinced, more like scared

• what if something happens, what if someone hurts your baby?

• You wouldn't survive that.

• He kissed your and Elijah head and promising to take care of both of you, that he will move the entire world just for you

• and you accepted.

• You didn't want to move right back to Netherland, so he stayed most of his time in your penthouse with you and Eli

• slowly got used to him, after you explained that Max is his father, he didn't want him to leave, ever.

• It took a lot of time to open back to him, but he always made sure that you have everything you and Eli needed.

• His family.

---

I want more of Mafia!Max so send me some requests of him. 🫶 more posts here!

[pearlywritings]

hello! i adore you're writings! may i request alhaitham + xylophone from your event? thank you!

thank you for your kind words, dear anon <3

It's a secret... but from just one person

pairing: Alhaitham x fem!reader

prompt: secret relationship

word count: 1.2k+ words

~ The Music of the Night event ~

“No, can you believe it!? She told me– ME, her best friend, that whoever she is dating is none of my concern!”

“It seems peculiar to me that you, a possessor of such a bright mind, as rumors have it, can’t wrap your head around the fact that she indeed doesn’t owe you any explanation.” “You–!”

Alhaitham, without taking his crystal-shaped irises from the book in hand, tilts to the left, when an eraser flies in his direction. It hits the backseat of the sofa and falls onto the cushions near him, jumping two times before stilling. The architect, sitting cross-legged on a daybed near a huge stained glass window, fists an outstretched hand, cursing under his breath for missing.

“Of course you, with an emotional capacity of a fork, wouldn't understand me! How can I not be concerned? What if she doesn’t say anything because she feels threatened??”

“By your pushing? Oh, undoubtedly.”

“Or what if she worries that her ‘boyfriend’,” he shows quotation marks with his fingers, a scowl tugging on his mouth, “will get jealous because she has a guy for her best friend?” Alhaitham glances up from his book, giving Kaveh such a skeptical look, it makes the blonde want to throw a pencil at the Scribe too.

He actually contemplates on the thought for a little while, but decides that, on second thought, it would’ve been a waste: while he had two more erasers nearby, he took just one pencil with him. So he chooses to bury his nose back into the blueprints on the board he propped in front of him.

“Why am I even telling you all of this…”

“What a coincidence,” the ashen-haired man returns to his book and turns the page, “I’ve been asking myself the very same question.”

After that the silence settles in the room - busy with their respective tasks, two men no longer converse. The only sounds heard are the rustling of the pages and big sheets of paper, with a pencil scribbling and the architect occasionally groaning when something doesn’t appear to be according to his vision.

Kaveh truly can’t help it - you are very dear to him, the biggest support he’s ever had in his life, and a person he’s grown to care about like as if you were his little sister. Obviously he’s going to be concerned when you tell him nothing about a man you’ve chosen as your lover. There is absolutely no reason for you to withhold a piece of such important information from him, unless there is something awful going on, right?

He wants to know so badly, yet he can’t have you distancing yourself from him; as much as he doesn't want to admit it, his sarcastic neighbour has a point - should he put more pressure on you, it can result in a saddening ending.

So, as it seems, for now he can only guess and grumble, until you are ready to tell him.

About an hour later Alhaitham closes the book and puts it on the armrest. Kaveh ignores him when he stands up and leaves the lounge room, glancing up only when the man reappears in different clothes, with hair combed (though the Khashrevar graduate hardly sees the difference with how randomly cut his locks look) and a touch of perfume. Kaveh gives him a suspicious look.

“Is there an event I am not aware of?”

“You could say that. But it's the one where you are not invited to.”

“Okay…” the blonde says slowly, lowering the board with his blueprints. “Since when do you willingly attend events? Moreso dress up for them?”

“None of your concern, dear senior,” Alhaitham smirks, and something in the quirk of the lips and the haughty tone irks Kaveh more than ever before. It's as if the Scribe conveyed some veiled message, some important information addressed to the architect specifically.

But before he can ask anything, the other man is out of the front door.

Oh, you can definitely believe it. You’ve been witness to your boyfriend’s and best friend’s verbal skirmish way too many times, you can almost predict what taunt one of them is going to respond with next. So, when Alhaitham gives you a recap of their afternoon’s conversation, you are not surprised, not in the slightest.

“You two are so childish,” you roll your eyes, putting a vase with a bouquet of fresh, blooming viparyas onto the dining table. A soft smile graces your lips as you cup one of the flowers delicately, cradling its beautiful blossom.

“Should I remind you that it was your idea to keep our relationship a secret from Kaveh?” Your lover joins your side and nestles your back into his chest, both of his big palms resting on your waist. Your smile grows wider and gaze turns borderline dreamy, as you lean into him more, grazing the knuckles of his left hand with your fingertips.

“I was worried he’d be even more disgruntled at you,” you sigh, dropping your arm to your side. “He tends to be overprotective of me. I know, I know, you two can be civil and even amicable with each other, but Kaveh is emotional.”

“Just say ‘hysterical’, habibti, no need to hide behind the words,” the man behind you says monotonously, and you half-heartedly slap the back of his hand. The smirk he hides in your hair as he leans to kiss your temple tells you he is half-serious himself.

“Maybe you are right though,” you hum, welcoming his arms to wrap around your middle and putting your own atop of his. He starts slowly swaying from side to side. “It wasn’t my brightest idea. He’s stressing you, he’s stressing himself and soon he’ll most likely start stressing me, if I don’t reveal to him the mysterious character of my dear boyfriend. I am actually quite surprised he hasn’t figured it out yet or that someone from our friend’s circle said nothing to him.”

“I suspect they all found it hilarious,” Alhaitham offers an explanation, turning around with you still being in his hold, to check on the oven. “Or challenging. It’s keeping a secret from just one person after all and seeing for how long it can go on.”

“Mhm, I think you are right,” you chuckle, gleefully patting his forearms, tapping the rhythm known only to you. “But the joke has lasted long enough, let’s tell Kaveh. We can invite him to dinner where I can officially introduce you as my boyfriend!”

“He’s going to lose his marbles. And what happened to ‘I don't want him to be pissy at you’?”

“That’s not how I phrased that,” the man gives you a ‘sorry not sorry’ kind of look, and you can’t help but think that for all his restraint and wisdom, your beloved can really be impossibly childish. “Besides, I know you can handle that, look at all that muscle,” and you squeeze his thick upper arm. You earn yourself a blank expression as a response.

“If Kaveh arranges the ‘how well you know your lover’ quiz for me, and there is a question ‘why, in your opinion, your partner fell in love with you in the first place?’, I am telling him you are enamored with my arms.”

“Well, you’ll answer one question correctly at least,” snickering, your turn in his embrace to throw your arms around his neck and smooch him on the cheek. He shakes his head with an exasperated sigh, but nevertheless leans down, to ghost his lips across your forehead.

“I’ll answer all of them correctly.”

“Hehe, I’ll hold you to that, habibi.”

[clownfettis]

Happy late birthday spm, this is my love letter to this damn game asdhdjgk

Screenshots from here and source here

Notes and easter eggs list below

Mario and Luigi's usernames are the only one that use _

Timpani and Blumiere are the only username that use -

Luvbi's name is "The Pure of Heart" in elizabeth English

For Jaydes, Asphodel Meadows is one of the greek mythology afterlife, specifically the one the underwhere is based on

Merlon's numbers are because there's canonicaly multiple Merlon, so they're seperating each others' accounts with numbers. The number are spm's release date

Tiptron was brave enough to publicly take the username "Tippi" because it's not like Timpani"s gonna use it again. So she pretty much went "it's free real estate"

Peach is keeping her names serious due to her status. Bowser does not care lmao

Blumiere's mouth and eye are blue like how when he was defeated, rather than when he was hateful and corrupted

Timpani's hair band mimics butterfly antennas, her colours are from me putting a sepia filter on her pixl form

Mimi is wearing her post game outfit. The form she shape-shifted into is also important and related to her backstory, though I'm not sharing that just yet : 3c

Nassy's design is based on Swoops, which is what i hc she was before she ate Bleck's dreams, and transformed into a Swoop/Human/Tribe of darkness mix from Bleck's dreams of Timpani, in the hope on getting him to love her if she looked more similar to them. Her eye colour is from the square effect when she uses her mind control power. She's not wearing her glasses due to it being postgame, and thus the start of her development into accepting herself and hiding away less, they're not reading glasses but sunglasses due to being sensitive to light (and also hiding some of her face and facial expressions)

Peach and O'Chunks know how to cook/bake, so they're the one commenting on how she made it/how Peach couldn't replicate it despite being a master baker

Luvbi, Grambi and Jaydes are here because, if the witches have tv, then they must also have internet access, and it is canon in my post game that they keep up with what the gang is up to online, since it's not everyday they meet people that can come and go from the afterlife and who they owe their life to. Though obviously it would be from myspace rather than tiktok since they have 2007 technology. Jaydes and Grambi wouldn't post or comment anything, but Luvbi is actively making friends. Also the idea of god himself coming to your comment section to go "what the hell" at your cooking skills is too funny

Nassy is in Saffron's kitchen and wearing an appron designed like hers, since the post game shows she lives in Flopside now. I decided on Sweet Smile rather than Hot Fraun because i thought Dyllis' temperament might scare away Nassy since she's never cooked before, and Saffron would be more supportive

And, well, you saw one of her first attempts GSXGDHI Do not let her in da kitchen

She clearly got the role of secretary just because of how attached she was to Bleck and wanted to be useful. But the whole point is that's she's living for someone else (him), while also trying to be someone else (timpani)

So her not being the "perfect girlfriend" is important to me

Bad at encouragement, bad at team spirit, bad at cooking, bad at comforting, bad at advice

Just, take the cliche of the nurturing perfect mom-friend, and make it the opposite

She's trying to get on Timpani's level, when she doesn't even really want to or enjoy any of this new persona she'd need to use. Because she's not Timpani, and faking who you are to get someone to date you is such a bad move that will crash in the long run

ALSO ALSO TIPTRON SAYING SHE'S ALSO TIPPI, YET TIMPANI REPLIED WITH SASS AND SARCASM, WHILE SHE MADE A JOKE CONNECTED TO ANALYTICAL KNOWLEDGE

TIPTRON IS MORE ANALYTICAL PIXL THAN SASSY TIMPANI

@ooftale @jester--addict get yall's butts over here fqhdhfjf

[shinidamachu]

the importance of "I'll protect you with my life"

For @inukag-week's sacrifice prompt, I thought I'd expand on a topic I have only mentioned before: the "I'll protect you with my life" line and why it matters even more than we give it credit for.

The thing about Inuyasha's character is that he was build — both physically and psychologically — to survive.

Physically, the fact that his own blood can be weaponized into a powerful attack backs up that assumption.

And so does the fact that one of his defining traits is having a defense mechanism that kicks in whenever he's on the verge of certain death with the sole purpose of keeping him alive.

Psychologically, his tough childhood shaped his survival instincts into a reliable and sharpened sense. And this next part is more of a conjecture than anything else, but I believe Izayoi's death plays a huge role here.

It can be assumed that she gave up a lot in order to live her love story and her life choices ultimately resulted in an early death. Inuyasha, being the child born from that love, has no better way of honoring her memory than living. First, for her. Then, to spite those who were against his very existence.

And this — conscious or not — need to live, is deeply intertwined with his desire to belong. Fitting in is the safest way to survive and, at first, he tried to achieve that by becoming a powerful demon.

Then, he went the opposite direction and agreed to turn into human, which only cements that his true wish wasn't to simply become one or the other at all, but to be accepted, so he could live.

That's why he doesn't take threats to his life laying down, especially when unearned. It may not look like, given his reckless way of dealing with things, but in a crooked way, Inuyasha actually values his life.

So much, in fact, that putting other people's lives above his own was a foreign concept that he struggled with at the beginning and had to learn in order to wield Tessaiga.

When Kagome tells Inuyasha she will help him with the sword under the condition he promises to protect her, she obviously never meant that said protection should cost of his life.

She wouldn't dream of it because she knows she's not entitled to it. He doesn't owe her anything. Although, one could make a point that he kind of does.

Kagome is literally the reason he is alive. Through their journey, is a recurring theme that her voice would bring him back from death's grasp every time. She's constantly saving his life. In more ways than one.

And despite Inuyasha's immediate reaction to her request being to mock her and making it clear that he never said he would protect her forever, he was the one to willingly and unpromtly add the "with my life" bit.

Even though protecting Kagome with his life was precisely what he had been doing the entire time — in spite of spending a good chunk of the series thinking his life wasn't his to give away —, to say it out loud makes for an amazing paralel and it shows how much they've grown, both as characters and as a couple.

But more than that: it shows a whole new level of devotion. For the first time ever, Inuyasha is chosing to promise his life to someone for no other reason than the fact that he loves her.

And despite talking about a lifelong commitment, I can't remember a single stance of the story where Inuyasha had acted more free.

No wonder the scene can be interpreted as a proposal.

[icycoldninja]

Hi ! I love your one shots. Can you do one about Dante who owe money to reader so she always come back in the DMC to collect her but the more she came the more they learn more about each other until they fall in love please ?

Aw, thanks so much! Enjoy!

Debt (Dante x Reader)

Today marked the third year in a row that Dante failed to pay back the loan you so generously gave him. He came to you a while back, spouting nonsense about needing money to pay back debts and some bills. You tried to do him a favor and give him free financial advice, explaining that in taking out a loan from you, he'd be acquiring more debt, but Dante was desperate, and you were feeling nice. You gave him a loan, with lower interest than most banks, but warned him that if he didn't pay it back within two months, you'd come for him.

Well, the deadline came and went, and the money wasn't there. You tried every trick in the book that didn't involve legal action to get him to pay it, but he couldn't, and wouldn't, and negotiated for some more time, so you gave him another 2 months and tried again, but he was in even deeper debt than before. You had lingered at the agency for a while, hoping your presence would intimidate him into paying up, but he just couldn't. You didn't want to extend his deadline, but forcing him to pay you money he didn't have just seemed like bullying, so you let him go for another two months, which turned into another two months, and then another, and then another, until years had gone by, all because you had a big heart.

Ok, that obviously wasn't the reason why you gave him more time. Even the most compassionate lenders get fed up with Dante at some point, so why were you any different?

Because, stupid as it sounds, you had a crush. A big one. A completely unintentional one, but one all the same, and it was making debt collection extraordinarily difficult. Each time you came to get your money, you'd be told he didn't have anything to pay you with, receive a few meaningless apologies, then end up staying the evening chatting with him about life and other things. You had hated him originally, but the more you spoke, the more interesting he seemed to become. Then it became less about fighting the instinct to punch him in his stupid face and more about trying to keep that desire to punch him in his stupid face, because it was rapidly fading.

It was unclear whether Dante felt the same way or not—he probably didn't, but there was a tiny part of you that slightly hoped he would realize how you felt without you saying anything and take the initiative to confess so you wouldn't have to put your pride on the shelf and do it yourself.

Yeah right, not even in your dreams.

Ah well. Despite knowing it was pointless, you, the intrepid debt collector, made your way to Devil May Cry, ready to waste another afternoon as you tried to weasel as much nonexistent money out of the broke devil hunter as you could, already painfully aware of your impending failure.

"Dante!" You shouted, kicking open the doors even though you didn't really need to, as they'd already been opened a crack by the time you walked up to them. "Where's my money?"

"It's uhh—it's coming!" You heard him reply, before a cacophony of falling objects, shattering bottles and creaking joints assaulted your ears. "Look," He began, running up to you while wiping his hands on his pants. "Uhh, you might want to give me some more time, cuz, uhh, I don't have it yet."

"Figures," You scoffed. "You really can't pay me with anything?"

"Well, how about we stop worrying about money for a minute and come on over here?"

"Why?" You sighed, already sure he was going to either do something stupid or make you do something stupid.

"I know it's not much," Dante was saying, as he led you over to a foldable plastic table that has been hurriedly set with mismatching tableware, a large vase full of fake flowers sitting smack dab in the center. The plates were heart-shaped and were stacked with huge, greasy slabs of pizza, and the large cups had been filled with Coca Cola, topped off with Krazy Straws. "...but I threw this together, and well, I hope ya like it."

You surveyed the setup, and for a moment, wondered if Dante had done what you fantasized he would do and was taking the initiative to confess to you. It would certainly make things easier in the long run if he was, but there was no way this could be that simple. No, for Dante to suddenly do something like this, something so thoughtful and...sweet...he couldn't really mean any of this, could he?

"Well, umm...actually," You began, tripping over your words. "I do like it. It's very nice. Thank you."

"Great, so you'll forget about my debt?" Prompted Dante, a bit too soon.

You could only sigh at him. Had he kept up the act for perhaps half an hour longer, you would have believed he really set up this silly little dinner out of true sentimentality, but he was clearly too eager to get rid of his accumulating debt and blew his cover too quickly. Very poor behavior for a supposedly experienced devil hunter.

"Did you do all this just to get me to clear your debt?" You groaned, sure you already knew the answer. "Because if you did, then forget it. I'm not that easy."

"Woah, woah, woah, don't get the wrong idea," Dante hurried to clarify. "I was just joking! I promise to get you the money in the next few months, okay? Got a big job lined up for me. But in the meantime, let's relax, 'kay? Sit down, have some pizza."

You obeyed, feeling your cheeks burn as the embarrassment that naturally comes with jumping to conclusions kicked in.

"Oh, umm, alright," You muttered, now thoroughly rattled. "Thank you."

As you ate, you couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect that maybe that wild dream of yours was about to come true.

[thranduel]

the writers have purposefully made so many parallels between will and el (as individual characters and their relationships with mike) that it would make no sense if nothing happens with byler

before i start, i need to make it very clear that pointing out the fact that el pretty much came out of nowhere and, in a way, unintentionally ruined a huge part of will's life, is NOT bashing el as a person or character. she was just a child when she opened the gate and it wasn’t done on purpose to hurt will. also, she did not intentionally "steal" mike away from will. she loves him so much and he loves her too, and she did not plan for any of the pain he’s suffered.

BUT, the writers did.

and this is something we need to acknowledge, because if they plan to keep mike and el together after EVERYTHING they've done to will, that is extremely cruel and horrible writing, and i'll explain why.

the writers wrote their story in a way that will was basically replaced by el since the beginning.

there were SO many other ways for them to introduce el as a character without hurting will and ruining his life, but they didn't. and to cause extra pain, they decided to:

- make him gay and in love with mike

- make him get kidnapped because of a mistake el made

- have him stuck in an alternate dimension cold and alone while mike and el develop a relationship and start a romance when he’s literally not there

- be forced to watch mike and el be all lovey dovey in front of him while they CONSTANTLY ignore him (this happened throughout BOTH season 3 and 4, there was NO growth from either of them whatsoever)

- and then had the audacity to use him as a plot device to force mike and el back together while he suffers all alone… AGAIN.

here are some more examples and details of how will has been "replaced" and why mike and el's entire relationship is a slap in the face to him:

season 1

will goes missing because of the gate el opened and disappears from mike's life. el comes along and appears in it, essentially "replacing" him in the party and filling the empty spot he left behind.

they also chose to make el show up in the woods, close to where will’s bike was last seen, and many people in town actually thought el was a boy and mistook her for will.

there are so many parallels between them, like they are two sides of the same coin, but the writers chose to ruin will's life and then have el practically "replace" him in his party AND get the boy he loved first (again, not her fault directly because she didn't plan to do that on purpose, but the WRITERS did).

to make things even worse, will is traumatised and scarred for the rest of his life because of this gate being opened, but many people don't want to acknowledge that.

i constantly see comments like "will owes el his life! she helped save him!" and it's infuriating because he wouldn't have needed saving in the first place if she didn't open the gate?? like obviously it was kind of her to help save him and she risked her life which was a massive thing but it was also kind of what she owed him considering it was her fault he got taken in the first place! he was in danger BECAUSE of her mistakes. also, will's life didn't suddenly become good just because he was rescued. in fact, it got WORSE. he suffers with ptsd, anxiety and depression, and he already suffered with these things because of his childhood, but now it's even worse. he literally has a part of the mind flayer INSIDE of him even now and he also has to watch the boy he loves fall in love with someone else.

copying mike and will’s story + parallels

all the selfless and compassionate things mike did for will FIRST were essentially copied and pasted, and the writers made mike do the exact same things for el (but of course, because el is a girl, those gestures are automatically "romantic" now).

we haven’t seen mike do anything like this with dustin or lucas. this shows is that his relationships with will and el are different to his other relationships, but i just find it interesting how they had no creativity for mike and el. they just basically copied mike and will’s story, which makes it even more insulting to will.

when mike first met will, he:

- walked up to him and asked to be his friend

- saved him from being alone and ended up becoming will’s safe place

then in season 1, he:

- cried and hugged his mother after he saw his “body”

- looked through something that reminded of him (his drawings) in his basement when he thought he lost him

- tried to talk to him on the walkie talkie because he heard his voice

- never gave up on him and did whatever he could to find him

does that sound familiar? because they did the same thing with el.

- mike met her when she was alone and gave her a place to stay

- after she sacrificed herself, he cried and hugged his mother

- in his basement, he looked through something that reminded him of her (the star wars ship) on the couch in the SAME SPOT where he looked through will’s drawings first.

there are so many parallels between mike’s relationships with will and el. parallels can be beautiful and meaningful sometimes, and i love the similarities between will and el as individual characters especially because they've both been through so much and end up becoming closer when they become siblings, but i do NOT like that the gay character is the one that stays alone and has to suffer the entire show.

obviously if this is all leading up to byler being endgame, then it would make so much sense and these parallels would be extremely smart, especially if viewers go back and rewatch and pay close attention to every little detail.

but if they plan to keep mike and el together after making will suffer AND copying so much of mike and will’s relationship to use for mike and el, that’s absolutely horrible. there are too many parallels between them and the thing that people need to remember is that everything between mike and will happened FIRST. all the beautiful, meaningful, emotional things that make these relationships so special happened with mike and will long before it happened with mike and el. THAT is the difference here. mike met will and saved him from being alone. he lost him and then never gave up on finding him. he became protective of him once he returned. these are just a few things, but notice how mike and el’s story basically goes like that too?

the only difference between byler and m*leven is that they forced mike and el to be romantic because they’re a boy and a girl. people always try to use “but mike called el every day!” as proof of him being in love with her, but he did the same with will when he was missing. in fact, he did even MORE. he physically went out of his way to try and find him. he told everyone he was still alive. he wouldn’t listen to anyone that tried to stop him from finding will. even the cops warned them to stop, but he didn’t. he didn’t even do any of that with el and just kept everything to himself. i understand the situation with el had to be more secretive and was difficult for many reasons, but he didn’t even mention it to dustin and lucas who were also close to her. and yeah, he called her for a long time, because she was missing for a long time! they found will fairly quickly so of course he wasn’t searching for him as long as he was searching for el? but if will was still missing, of course he never would’ve given up on him either. he still went out every single day searching for will.

season 2 + season 3 + season 4

mike became extremely protective over will after he returned.

- he stayed by his side and made sure he was okay

- they had beautiful, meaningful scenes and heart-to-heart conversations where they would be there for each other

- he even got a bit defensive whenever someone else would come near him

- when will was possessed by the mindflayer, mike said a beautiful monologue where he told will about the day they first met

- he said he walked up to will and asked him to be his friend and that it was the best thing he’s ever done

again, does that sound familiar?

- the writers decided to make mike become protective over el after she returned at the end of season 2

- but in season 3, instead of beautiful, meaningful moments where they had heart-to-heart conversations and comforted each other like mike and will did, they just… made out and excluded all their friends. real nice

- anyways, in season 4 when el is being choked by vines, mike is basically pressured into a monologue where he tells el he loves her (because he knows that’s what she wants to hear since that was what their fight was about) and he talks about the first day they met

- he claims his life started the day he met her in the woods, which we know isn’t true, because he was a traumatised 12 year old searching for his missing best friend and he knew nothing about romantic love. he also doesn’t believe in love at first sight and didn’t fall in love with a stranger he barely knew. he was literally planning to send her to pennhurst the next morning

- anyways, it’s obvious they tried so hard to copy mike’s meaningful monologue to will but totally failed. most of the audience thought mike’s monologue to el was extremely forced and cheesy. it’s even more insulting because they chose to make will have to sit there and listen to it while being heartbroken.

more from season 4

in the airport scene, will is extremely excited to see mike (he looks even more excited than el). he has his painting in his hand and he’s ready to hug him, but mike doesn’t hug back because he’s clearly struggling with his own personal issues and feels like he needs to push will away. will doesn’t know why he’s acting so cold though, and this makes him feel insecure and upset. his mood changes from this point forward, and rightfully so (el notices all of this too).

now here’s where it gets so infuriating. mike and el cling to each other and el says “i want today to be about me and you”, right IN FRONT OF WILL WHEN HE IS STANDING RIGHT THERE. like are you actually kidding me?! mike was will’s best friend FIRST. he has known him much longer than el and he was just excited to see his best friend. why couldn’t el even TRY to include him? she saw he was upset. she saw he just wanted to spend time with mike too. “they’re dating and were just excited to see each other” is no excuse to treat will so horribly. you can date someone while still including your other friends. the way they had the audacity to hold hands without even looking at will in the roller rink was just immature and selfish. if mike has internalised homophobia then at least that KIND OF explains his behaviour and allows us to understand him more (it still sucks but still), but el has no reason to treat her brother like that. he was literally comforting her and asking if she was okay the previous day when she was alone and upset. but when will is alone and upset? absolute silence 😭

anyways, the only reason mike said “i love you” to el was BECAUSE OF WILL. yet another example of will being replaced, and this time, the writers made will do it to HIMSELF. the van scene was supposed to be a special moment between mike and will ONLY. that painting was something will worked so hard on for mike.

since the beginning, will’s artwork has always been very personal and special to both of them and no one else. mike collects his art and has it all over his basement walls. will saw that mike was feeling insecure and upset and decided to sacrifice his own feelings for him just to make him happy, because THAT is how much he loves him. he used el’s name as a disguise, replacing his own in the process, to help mike and el’s relationship even though he didn’t have to. this is what led to mike telling el what she wanted.

so in the end, will gets hurt and suffers alone, el gets told she’s loved, and mike is just… the same. literally the same. basically just reduced to el’s boyfriend and nothing more. it’s so frustrating.

anyways, the writers have basically “replaced” will with el in so many scenarios, and they’ve also copied so much of mike and will’s relationship and used it for mike and el. it’s even worse because they’re doing all of this to an abused and traumatised gay character who has suffered almost his entire life. i know almost every character has trauma in this show and i genuinely want them all to be happy too, but the deliberate things they’ve constantly done to will is actually ridiculous.

if they wanted mike and el to be a couple, they didn’t have to drag will into it and make him go through so much pain because of them.

[canirove]

The invinsible princess | Chapter 3

“First times”

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Masterlist

“Knock, knock.”

“Mum, hey.”

“May I come in?” she says from my room's door.

“Sure” I smile. 

“So…” she says, sitting down on my bed. “You are leaving again.”

“It's just for a few weeks, mum.”

“A month. And then it's the summer holidays and you are also going away with your friends and I don't know when I will see you again.”

“Don't be that dramatic, mum” I laugh. 

“The house is gonna be so empty without you and your sister…” she continues . “Though I guess we should be getting used to this. To you spending more time away and following your own path. You aren't our little girls anymore, you are women now.”

“Don’t let dad hear you saying that” I chuckle.

“I won't” she smiles. “But Sofía… Is there anything going on?”

“Uh?”

“Lately you've been… I don't know. Different.”

“Different?” I ask as I keep packing my bag.

“Yes, like… I don't know how to explain it, but you look different. Happier.”

“Well, I am happy.”

“Because you aren't invisible anymore?”

“What?” 

“Sofía…” my mum says, taking a deep breath. “I know that's how you've been feeling all these years. As if you weren't important to us, as if everything was for your sister and we were ignoring you. As if you didn't matter, as if you were just a second choice. But you do matter, Sofía. You do.”

“I know” I whisper, playing with the necklace Pedri gave me over Christmas. Touching the little banana charm has become something I do mostly without thinking when I am nervous or feeling a bit anxious, something that helps me relax.  

“And now… I don't know. You've spent most part of this year constantly going to Barcelona and staying with your aunt and your cousins, looking the happiest I've seen you in a long time when you come back, and I can't help but feel like… like…”

“Like?”

“Like they are giving you the love you deserve. The love your father and I have failed at giving you.”

“You haven't failed me, mum” I say, looking at her.

“Haven't we? Because I can't remember the last time I saw you smiling like this. Well, I do. When Spain won the Euros” she chuckles. “You had the same sparkle in your eyes after the boys came to visit us.”

“The same sparkle?” I laugh.

“Cheesy, I know. But it's the truth” she shrugs. “Both things aren't related, are they?”

“What?”

“Your aunt Cristina has a theory but… Nah. Forget about it.”

“A theory?” I ask her. “What theory?”

“Well, she thinks you are dating someone in Barcelona, and that he may be either one of your cousin's teammates or a Barça player from the football team. One Irene seems to fancy.”

“What?” I laugh, hoping that my reaction will hide the fact that my aunt is right. Kind of.

Because Irene actually fancies a guy who plays handball with her brother, and since I owe her for helping me when I meet with Pedri, now I'm doing the same for her and accompanying her to his games.

“You two go watch your cousin play handball all the time and also go to the Camp Nou pretty often. And then you alone disappear most weekends and don't stop by the house. You say you are meeting with friends, but she suspects it's because you are staying with a boy.”

“That's… I…”

“Ferran!” my mum suddenly says.

“Ferran?”

“That's the boy Irene apparently likes. Are you dating him? I saw you looking his way when they visited us. He is quite handsome.”

“I'm not dating him, mum” I chuckle. “And I wasn't looking his way.” Though I was, because Pedri was obviously next to him. 

“I wouldn't mind if you were” she shrugs. 

“Really? He is… a football player.”

“And?” she says. “I was just a tv news presenter when I met your father.”

“Yes, but… But you had a degree. Most football players have struggled to finish high school.”

“Sofía, as long as you love each other and you have a healthy relationship, I don't care about what the person you choose does for a living. But whatever they do has to be legal, of course” she says with a playful smile.

“Of course” I reply, also smiling. 

“Does this mean there is a boy, then? Is your aunt right?”

“I… ummm…” I say, back to playing with my necklace.

“Got it” she winks. “Am I right about what I was saying earlier too?”

“Uh?”

“About you going to Barcelona so often not just because of a boy, Sofía. I think you are doing it because of me and your father. Because here with us you feel alone and lonely. Because here it is all about your sister and getting her ready for her future. And when we do something together as a family, like going to an event the four of us together for example, it also ends up being about her. So I understand it, Sofía. I understand if you've felt left behind and invisible, and now in Barcelona you don't anymore.”

And the thing is… that she's right. That in Barcelona I've found what I didn't have in Madrid, and not only because of Pedri. 

My aunt Cristina (my dad's sister) has basically adopted me and has been taking care of me as if I was another of her kids (she has four, Irene and her three older brothers). She has set a room just for me, and a box with things she knows I like (like my favourite chocolate or some of my favourite skincare products), is waiting for me in my bed every time I go back. And every day I share at least one meal with her, Irene, her brothers or all of them at the same time, something I'm not used to and that I've always missed back in Madrid. The laughs, the bickering between my cousins, the catching up about how your day has been… With my parents it mostly is silence or talk about work, even when Leonor is at home.

And speaking of work, I've found myself working on something I actually like, which isn't easy being who I am, invisible or not. 

My aunt takes care of some charities and foundations created and sponsored by the crown, and while Irene is at uni, Pedri in training and I'm bored at home, I usually accompany her to her meetings and help her with everything she may need as some kind of assistant. That's how I've found myself taking care of the foundation named after my sister, one that is focused on young people and helping them in anything they may need. And I… love it. I love it all, from coming up with new ideas for charity events, to meeting the kids and teenagers who are part of the foundation and spending time with them and helping them with whatever they may need, to even doing all the paperwork. 

Last time I was in Barcelona for example, I helped a group of kids with their homework, and once we were finished we spent most of the afternoon playing together, all of them going back home with a big smile on their faces. Them and I, to be honest. 

On this trip, among other things, I'm going back for an event with Barça's foundation that I've managed to organize thanks to Pedri's help, and I am so looking forward to it. You should have seen the kids’ faces when I told them about it, they couldn't believe it. I can't wait to see their reaction when he actually shows up and surprises them. 

And now that I mention him again, things are going so well between us… I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming, that everything I'm living and feeling with and for him is real. That I'm… that I'm in love with him even if I haven't found the guts to tell him just yet. 

What I have had to guts for, tho, is to say yes when he asked me to be his girlfriend, and he did it just a couple of weeks ago while he was away with the national team in Germany. 

Since it was the first official game Spain was playing after winning the Euros and Germany kind of is special for us, I went to watch him play. It wasn't an official visit, so as usual, going unnoticed was the easiest thing in the world.  

After the game we managed to have a sneaky date, and it was perfect even if we didn't leave my hotel room. Carlos was the best and helped us with everything, and even though he has to deal with us constantly being cheesy and too touchy when we are together out and about, I think he is starting to get used to it. To us being together.

“I'm sorry, Sofía. I'm sorry we've made you feel like that. That we've ignored you and neglected you the way we have.”

“Mum, I…”

“But we love you, Sofía. You know we do, don't you?”

“Of course I do, mum! I've never doubted that.”

“Then… do you forgive us?” she says, getting up and walking towards where I am standing. 

“There is nothing to forget, mum” I say, taking her hands on mine. “I know you were doing the best you could. And being invisible isn't that bad sometimes” I shrug.

“You aren't invisible, Sofía” she says, squeezing my hands. “You are a remarkable young woman, one I am very proud of. One both your father and I are very proud of.”

“Thank you, mum.”

“Ugh, come here” she says before hugging me. 

“Mum, can you… Can you squeeze me a bit less tightly, please? I can't breathe.”

“Oh, sorry” she says, still not letting go of me. “See how you aren't invisible?”

“Yeah” I chuckle.

“Though I hope you aren't using that excuse to do things you shouldn't. Like sneaking out to see that boy…”

“Mum…”

“Oh, look at the colour of your face” she laughs. “Will you tell me more about him if things get serious between you two?”

“I will.”

“Good” she smiles. “Now, do you need any help packing? You know I'm an expert. And maybe we could put on some music while we do it? I'm so out of the loop with what you girls like... Last thing I remember is One Direction, and I believe they stopped making music together years ago.”

“You are a bit out of date, yes.”

“Then… May I help you pack?”

“You may” I smile. “Thank you, mum.”

“You're welcome” she says, kissing my cheek.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Look at him. He never pays attention to his hair, and now he's been looking at himself in the mirror for the past five minutes” Ferran chuckles.

“His girlfriend is coming to see him play. He has to look royally good” Fermín says.

“I can hear you, you know?” Pedri says, trying to tame a lock of hair that keeps sticking out. He should not be bothering so much with it, he's about to go into the pitch and after a couple of runs it'll be ruined. But Sofía is on the stands, and he wants to look good for her even if she always says that she prefers his hair when it is messy.

“She is still coming to my birthday party, isn't she?” Fermín says.

“She is. She actually got you a present” Pedri says, giving up with his hair.

“A royal one?”

“Will you ever stop with those jokes?” Pedri says, rolling his eyes.

“Ummm… no” Fermín smiles.

“Don't worry, Pedri” Ferran says, putting an arm around his shoulders and messing his hair with his other hand. “He will go all shy when he meets her and won't say a word to her the whole night, you'll see.”

“I already met her when we went to the palace after the Euros, you know?” Fermín says.

“Yeah, and you weren't able to look up her shoes” Ferran laughs. “So don't worry about him, Pedri. Just focus on the game and scoring a goal to dedicate to your princess.”

“Ferran!” 

“What? Many people call their girlfriends princess as a cute nickname” he shrugs. “No one has to know that yours actually is a real one” he smirks.

“Yeah, well.”

No one from the team knew about Sofía. No one but Ferran, Fermín and Gavi, of course. And Pedri was expecting to end the season like that, with not having to tell anyone else. 

They only had four more games left. Four games, and he would be able to go on holidays with Sofía. 

They had booked a little house in the south in France to be alone and celebrate their anniversary since they had picked the date they met at the Euros for it, and he couldn't wait to go there and just disconnect. To spend his days waking up and going to bed next to her, cooking their meals together and eating them in the garden while they talked about the most random things, going for walks together without worrying about someone recognising them, to watch the sunset together on the beach, and basically enjoy her company and… well. Her. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Guys, finally! Where were you?” Fermín asks us when we walk into his house. Or shouts, because the music is so loud and there are so many people…

“There was traffic” Pedri says.

“What? I left after you did and the roads were the same as always after a game” Gavi says, joining us.

“And you left before Ferran, and he already is here” Fermín adds.

“Is he? We should probably go say hello to him, you know how he gets if we…”

“You are not going anywhere until you tell us where you were” Fermín says, stopping Pedri.

“We… umm…”

“We had to wait until Carlos had checked the party and made sure it was safe for me” I say.

“What?” both Gavi and Fermín say, looking my way.

“It's the usual procedure” I shrug. The usual… with my sister. With me things are more chill. “He says thank you for making it a party with no phones, by the way. It makes his life easier.” Which isn't a lie.

“I… umm… you're welcome?” 

“Anyway, why don't we get ourselves a drink? What do you want, Sofía?” Pedri asks me, trying to escape from his friends. 

He's been worried about them not behaving properly in front of me since the day I confirmed I would be attending the party. When I've met them on their own it's been fine, they all are really nice guys. And Fermín actually got a bit teary when I gave him his birthday present earlier after the game, which was really cute.

But Pedri fears that once they all are together and have drank a bit, they may get too cocky and say something they shouldn't in front of me. But not because he is hiding things from me or anything like that. Our phone conversations are so long that by now we basically know everything about the other when it comes to boys, girls, relationships, crushes and hook ups. He worries more about… embarrassing things and stories. 

“Look who is finally here!” Ferran says behind us, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and the other around Pedri's. “What took you so long?”

“Sofía’s bodyguard had to check if the house was safe” Gavi says.

“What?” Ferran laughs. “Did you seriously believe that?”

“It is the truth.”

“And I'm blonde, Pedri” Ferran laughs again. “Guys, haven't you looked at them?”

“What do you mean?” Gavi asks with a confused look.

“Swollen lips, the neck of Pedri's t-shirt is a bit crooked, Sofía isn't wearing lipstick and she was when we met them at the stadium… These two were late because they were making out in his car. Maybe doing more than that” Ferran smirks.

“No!” Fermin gasps, his eyes going wide. “You guys are late to my birthday party because you were too busy fucking?”

“Language, bro!” Gavi says, elbowing him and nodding towards me.

“You can swear in front of me, Gavi. It's ok. You should hear the things I say sometimes” I chuckle. “And we weren't fucking. We just had a quick make out session because my boyfriend here scored an amazing goal and we had to celebrate” I smile, looking at Pedri. “Besides, sex in his car isn't too comfortable.”

“Sofía!” Pedri gasps. Now he is the one whose eyes are about to pop from their sockets, his cheeks turning bright red.

“What? It's the truth, you've said it yourself” I shrug.

“You are lucky he got rid of the Mini before he met you” Ferran laughs. “Because if you find this car uncomfortable…”

“And I'm lucky I already got my driver's license and I don't need Pedri taking me everywhere” Gavi says.” Having to go training with him every day in that car knowing that you two have… you know…”

“Can we please talk about something else? Like, we are here to celebrate Fermín getting older, not to discuss details about my personal life” Pedri says, letting go of my hand and crossing his arms over his chest. He looks so pissed… 

“Exactly!” Fermín says. “Let's go get us some shots to celebrate. Follow me.”

“Pedri…” I say as the others start walking away. But he doesn't hear me… or doesn't want to. And I'm pretty sure he dodged my hand when I tried to touch his arm. “Great” I sigh before following him.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“To the birthday boy!” Ferran says once we all have our tiny glasses.

“To me!” Fermín smiles. 

“Pedri, where are you going?” I ask him when he finishes his shot and gives Gavi his glass, walking away and completely ignoring me. Again.

“Oh… trouble in paradise…” Fermín chuckles. “Ouch! Why did you hit me, bro?”

“Do you seriously have to ask?” Ferran says, nodding towards me.

“Oh, umm… Sorry, Sofía.”

“It's ok. I'm… I'm gonna go talk with him. Take this” I say, giving my glass to Ferran.

“Sofía, do you want me to go with you?” he offers.

“This is my mess, Ferran. But thank you” I smile before leaving him and the others and starting to look for Pedri among all the guests. How can Fermín know so many people?

“Hey, I know you!” a boy says, stopping me when I make it to the garden. 

“I don't think so.”

“Of course I do! You are the hot princess!”

“The what?”

“Yeah… Bro, what is the name of the princess?” 

“Leonor?” one of his friends says, not even bothering to look at me.

“Nah, not the one with an old lady name. The other one, the hot one!”

“Oh, Sofía.”

“Yes, Sofía! You are her, aren't you?” he smiles.

I am the hot princess? What? Since when?

“I'm afraid you are mistaken me with her. Besides, what would she be doing at a party like this?” I chuckle.

“Yeah, you are probably right… You still are really hot, tho” he smirks.

“Thank you. But now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my boyfriend” I say, giving him my best fake smile, the one I usually use at boring events. 

“Burn!” his friend laughs, some other people around us joining him. 

“Boyfriends can break up, you know?” he says, ignoring them.

“I know” I sigh. Mine may be thinking about that right now. “Anyway, it was nice meeting you. And thank you for the compliment.”

“You're welcome. And princess or not, you know where to find me!” he says as I walk away.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Ferran… Fer… Ferran” I say, tapping on his shoulder. “Ferran!”

“Shit!” he says, turning around. “Sofía?”

“Hi, yes. Sorry for interrupting” I smile at the girl he was making out with. “But I can't find him.”

“What?”

“I can't find… you know” I whisper, not saying Pedri's name just in case the girl has recognised me. “I've looked everywhere and I can't find him. And I don't want to call Carlos and ask him if he has seen him leave, because I know the look he will give me, and I can't deal with my bodyguard telling me I told you right now.”

“You have a bodyguard?” the girl asks.

“That's how she calls her older brother” Ferran quickly says. “But are you sure you have looked everywhere for him?”

“Yes” I nod. “I fucked up, Ferran. He got mad and now he has left me and…”

“Sofía, hey, no. We are gonna find him and you will fix things.”

“I hope so. Because I… I… you know.” I love him.

“I know” he says. “He does too.”

He… what?

“Do you mind if I go help my friend find her boyfriend? They had a little argument and… you know. But I'll come back and I will make it up to you. I promise” Ferran says to the girl with a smile that could make anyone fall at his feet. 

“Ok” the girl says before whispering something in his ear. “Don't take too long.”

“I won't, I promise. Let's go, Sofía” he says, taking my hand and basically dragging me behind him.

“What did she tell you?” 

“Oh, you don't want to know, Sofía. You don't want to know…”

“Ferran, I may be a princess, but I'm not a delicate flower like the ones you read about in fairytales.”

“That's what I've gathered after some things Pedri has told me” he says as he suddenly stops, making me almost crash into his back before he starts walking again, leading us upstairs. “But I am a gentleman, Sofía. What she said will stay between her and I.”

“Sure” I snort.

“Ok, fine. I may tell the boys some details about it. And… this way” he says as we go up another set of stairs.

“Ferran, where are we going?”

“I assume you checked all the rooms on that floor while looking for Pedri.”

“I did, yes. And saw things I didn't want to see.”

“Been there” he chuckles. “Did you come to this floor too?” 

“I did. But all the rooms were empty.”

“Did you go into the attic?”

“There is an attic?”

“There is” he says, opening a door I hadn't seen earlier since it has no handle. It is one of those kind of hidden on the wall, one you have to push to open. “Fermín basically uses it as a storage room, but it has a balcony with amazing views and Pedri has always loved it. So if he hasn't left the party yet, he's up there.”

“Aren't you coming with me?”

“It is an attic but there are no spiders if that's what you are afraid of. Pedri would never go there if that was the case” he chuckles. “And this is something you need to do on your own, Sofía.”

“I guess, yes” I sigh.

“Good luck” Ferran says, giving my hand an encouraging squeeze.

“Thank you” I smile. “And good luck to you too. Though I think you won't be needing it with that girl.”

“We'll see” he says before walking away.

“Ok, Sofía. You can do this” I say, taking a deep breath and going up the stairs.

Like Ferran said, the attic basically is a big storage room, boxes of gym machines, shoes and random bits and bobs scattered everywhere. At the end of it there is a big glass door that lets in enough light to illuminate the room without having to turn it on, and that door is currently open, letting the music and the voices from the party come in.

As I get closer to it, I can see someone sitting on the floor, his legs hanging between the bars of the balcony's railing. 

“Pedri?” I call.

“Bloody hell!” he screams, hitting his legs as he tries to get up.

“Sorry, I'm sorry. Are you alright?”

“I may wake up with a huge bruise on my knee tomorrow, but I'm fine” he says, massaging his leg. “What are you doing here, Sofía?”

“I… I was looking for you.”

“To embarrass me a bit more in front of my friends?”

“What? No! I just… I… I'm sorry.”

“I was looking forward to this party, you know?" he says after a few seconds in silence. "Actually, we both were. We had agreed on wanting to spend some time with the boys and have fun like any people our age would do, relax a bit before the end of the season and before we can go on holidays just the two of us. And as you also know, my only worry was that the boys could start behaving like idiots and saying things that they shouldn't, embarrassing me in front of you. I've spent the whole week telling them to behave, that if they actually were my friends, they would do it for me. Little did I know, that it would be you the one embarrassing me in front of them.”

“C'mon, Pedri. It was just a little bit of banter between friends.”

“Banter that made me uncomfortable, Sofía” he says, standing up. “You know how much they've been teasing me about you and our relationship since we started seeing each other. And you also know that even if they aren't doing it to be mean, it bothers me. Because I may be a worldwide known football player, but you are Spain's fucking princess. Yes, the second in line, but still a princess. And sometimes I can't help but feel… I don't know. Small next to you.”

“Pedri…”

“I know what you are going to say. That I'm not small. At least not in the way I'm thinking” he chuckles, his smile quickly disappearing. “But just as you struggle with feeling like your whole life you've been invisible to everyone despite me telling you that that's not true, I struggle with this. With sometimes feeling like I'm… not enough for you. And those insecurities came back earlier when we were with the boys. Because you are comfortable and confident enough to openly talk about such personal things with anyone, but I'm not. One thing is doing it between us, in private, and another with and in front of my friends. Like, it takes ages for Ferran to get something out of me and I know I can trust him with my life!” Pedri says, running a hand through his hair. “And I thought you knew that and understood it, Sofía. So when I saw you talking about it with them… Well. It hurt.”

“I'm sorry, Pedri. I truly truly am. Because I do know you feel that way and I understand it. I do, I swear. I should have known better and just shut up. But I didn't and I kept talking because I'm an idiot. I am a fucking idiot” I say, kicking an empty shoe box. “And I'm not trying to excuse myself but I just… I don't know. I guess I was just too excited because we were doing something normal with your friends. And then you have to add the game and your goal, the make out session in the car and… I don't know. It's like I was drunk in happiness and I got carried away and… I'm sorry.”

“Yeah” he whispers, neither of us saying another word for what feels like an eternity.

“I guess I should go back home” I finally say. “Carlos will probably be glad when he sees me. You know he didn't agree with any of this. With us.”

“Wait, what?”

“He didn't like the idea of us coming to a party with so many people, and he's never liked the idea of us together. He's started to get used to it, but since that misunderstanding when we met, I know he has never fully trusted you. So I guess he'll be happy knowing that it is over.”

“Over? What are you talking about, Sofía?”

“We have broken up, haven't we?”

“What?” Pedri laughs.

“Isn't that what just happened?”

“Of course not!” he laughs again.

“Then… umm…”

“Sofía, we haven't broken up” he says, taking my hands on his. “This has just been our first real and proper fight as a couple.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah.”

“Just that?”

“Just that” he chuckles.

“Then you aren't… I mean… Are you…”

“I'm a bit pissed and also disappointed, but that doesn't mean I want to break up with you. It only means we need to keep working on our relationship. Keep talking and telling each other how we feel, what we think, what worries us.”

“Oh... I see.”

“So clever and bold with some things, and so naïve when it comes to others, Sofía…” he says with a teasing smile.

“Could say the same about you, Pedro.”

“You could, yes” he laughs. “Looks like we are made for each other.”

“Yeah” I say with a shy smile. Here I am once again, feeling my face getting warmer by the second just because he has said or done something cute. “There was something Ferran told me before he helped me find you…”

“He helped you find me?”

“He did. I had been looking for you everywhere and couldn't find you, started to freak out, and had to interrupt him while he had his tongue down a girl's throat.”

“Wow” Pedri laughs. “Did she at least take it well?”

“She did. And if she had doubts, the smile he gave her sent them all away.”

“Oh, I know that smile. It is a dangerous one that has broken many hearts. But what did he tell you?”

“He… I mean… I implied something, and he said that so did you.”

“What?”

“I… Ok” I say, taking a deep breath. “I basically told him that I love you but without using those words, and he said that you…”

“I love you too, Sofía” Pedri smiles.

“You… You do?”

“I do” he nods. 

“That's… umm… ok” I say with a nervous laugh.

“Too many emotions in a short period of time, uh?” he says, moving one hand to cup my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. A cheek that is obviously burning.

“Definitely. I've gone from thinking we were breaking up to telling you I love you for the first time and you saying it back in what, five minutes?”

“Something like that.”

“Fermín said that his birthday party was going to be an unforgettable one, and he wasn't wrong. He probably had something different in mind, but… Did I tell you that some random guy recognised me? I obviously told him he was mistaken, that what would Princess Sofía be doing here. But he said that I was the hot sister. Me! And he also said that Leonor has an old lady name, which is pretty funny and…”

“And you are rambling, Sofía.”

“Am I?”

“Yep. And even though that guy was right when he told you that you are the hot princess, proving once again what I always tell you about being invisible… You, my lady, also are rambling” Pedri smiles, the fact that he has used his nickname for me making all my doubts and fears disappear.

“Another thing we have in common, then” I say. “You know, you may be right, and we may be made for each other.”

“We are made for each other” he corrects me. 

“Even if I sometimes I'm an idiot and have a bit of a big mouth?”

“Even so” he chuckles. “I love you, Sofía.”

“I love you too, Pedri” I say before kissing him.

[tinalbion]

"You Reap What You Sow" ||

Part 2

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Cooper "The Ghoul" Howard x fem!Reader

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄! Mentions of death, decapitation, abuse (physical and mental), implied (but not mentioned) sexual abuse, manipulation

𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: 4.5k

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: You had a bounty on your head and a familiar Ghoul has taken that bounty, so upon catching you, he escorts you back to the compound you escaped. Will you be able to convince him to let you go, or will it be for nothing?

© 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!

You were already exhausted with the sun so high up, causing your skin to feel as if it was melting, but you continued to make your way through the wastes beside your bounty hunter friend, and he hadn't been in a particularly friendly mood today. When you tried to ask him something, you were mostly met with silence, so you just dropped it altogether and continued to walk. As the sun began to sink again, you had distanced yourself from the Ghoul, wishing you had more of a plan to escape from his hold. 

Sure, he hadn't tied your hands together and pulled you along forcefully since you'd given him no reason to, but that didn't mean he wouldn't end up doing so at one point or another. He still kept a watchful eye on you and made sure to match your pace, ready for anything that was to happen. 

But neither of you was prepared for when two strange men approached you both from the left, catching you off guard as you hid behind the Ghoul for safety. He looked down at you, confused as to why you'd seek comfort and safety from him, but he hadn't given you a reason not to. 

“‘Scuse me, but we want that,” one of the men, the taller one, pointed directly at you. “Heard there was a bounty on her, and we ain't one to turn down some caps.”

The Ghoul scoffed and stared at them, obviously not amused. “She's already taken, as you can see, and I ain't got time to deal with lowlifes such as yourselves. Finders keepers.”

You tugged on the sleeve of his decaying duster and caught his attention. “Those two belong to the Condemned, the compound Axton is a part of, where I ran from. He probably sent them to kill you since you brought me this far, keep the money for himself…” You wouldn't have put it past the asshole, but You did recognize the two men even though you couldn't place their names or occupations. 

Upon hearing this new information, the Ghoul lifted his head and stared at the two men, reading the situation. “Well, my little friend here says you work for the asshole who put the bounty out, and I normally  don't have a problem with disposin’ of those who stand in my way, but now I feel downright disrespected with what's goin’ on here.” He placed his hand gently on the hilt of the gun and watched them both start acting nervous, their eyes darting back and forth from each other to the bounty hunter. 

“Look, either way, Axton is getting his little whore back, so–”

With speed you'd never experienced firsthand before, the man's head had exploded. Blood, brain matter, it all shot out and projected far as his now lifeless body crumpled to the ground. You jumped, your hands still holding onto the Ghoul's coat as his gun shifted over toward the other man. 

“Now, you got somethin’ to say against all this, or are you gonna run back to your compound and tell your man Axton that I better get what I'm owed?”

The man looked terrified and slunk back until the Ghoul had placed his gun back into its holster, then he looked down at you. “You're okay, girl, stand up,” he instructed, and you obeyed him. “C’mon, let's get you back before anything else decides to irritate me.”

You stuck close to the bounty hunter and although you could have easily done that yourself, the fear of seeing people that were under his pay, people that you've seen speaking with him, it caused you to freeze in the moment you needed to be clear-headed. As silly as it seemed, this man who was going to turn you back to where you ran felt like more of a safer option. 

“Mister Bounty Hunter… please, I'd rather not be given back to him…” You said, your expression was sullen. 

“Look, sweetheart, I ain't got much of an option right now, these chems you see me inhalin’? These keep me from goin’ feral, you understand? And that's where the bounty comes in, a man’s gotta survive one way or another. I got more important things to worry about right now, as awful as your situation is.”

You did understand, you wished you could have done something to make both your lives easier, but there was only one way to do that, and it would be easier said than done. Before you spoke up further about it, you felt a hard tug at your ankle and you went flying to the ground. 

You fell hard and let out a yelp, the Ghoul spun around and watched as the man who you both thought retreated had roped you by your ankle and was struggling to completely bind your legs together. You had been thrashing around, kicking and screaming at the man as you landed your foot against his jaw, but he reacted quickly and punched you in return. You were slightly stunned, but you had thrown your bag off your back and reached for the pistol in your pack, then shot him square in the neck. There would be no time wasted, you weren't one to take it lying down anymore. 

The Ghoul had stared at the scene in interest, a smile grew across his face as he walked over and rolled the limp body off your legs. “Well, seems like you're a little killer, huh?” He chuckled and removed his knife from its sheath, then cut you free of your half-tied bindings with one quick thrust of the knife upward. 

“I do what I can to get by, much like yourself,” you said, your voice a little shaky. “Thanks…” You stood up and dusted yourself off, then looked around before you grabbed your bag, gun still in your hand. 

“You're a curious one, you know that?” The Ghoul said, staring over at you. When you didn't answer and only greeted him with a puzzled look, he scoffed. “Had a gun the whole time and you didn't think to use it on me?” 

You looked away and slid your pack on, then you looked back at him. “Told you, I don't got a shot against you.” 

This made him laugh, he let out a belt of laughter and shook his head. “Been on this  planet for over 200 years and yet I can still be surprised.” 

His back faced away from the seemingly dead merc, but you took notice of the movement a little too late. The man lashed out toward the Ghoul, but you leaped at him and pushed him out of the way, your gun still in your hand, but the way the man threw himself had knocked you back. He plunged a knife deep into your shoulder, and you let out a howl of pain.

“Can't wait to see what he does to you, you bi–”

You brought your gun up to his head and blasted him. He dropped heavily into your lap, his blood splattered all over you, the ground, and your gun. 

You were shaking as the Ghoul got you to your feet, but you clung to him as if your life depended on it, you were just so tired of Axton and the bullshit he constantly put you through, and it finally caught up to you. You sobbed as you buried your face against your captor's chest, just wanting to live a life without Axton, but he'd haunt you until one of you died. 

“I'm sorry,” you groaned, the knife still lodged into your shoulder as you bit your lip. “Dammit.” You sniffled, wiped your face, and slid your pack off your shoulder carefully, hoping not to aggravate your wound. 

“Why’d you do that?”

“What, kill him?” You asked in confusion, tears still welling in your eyes while you dug for a stimpack. 

The Ghoul scoffed and looked at you in disbelief. “You pushed me out of the way, you fool,” he admonished. “You ain't got healing like I do, why'd you do somethin’ so stupid?” He placed some pressure on your wound and grabbed the stimpack from your shaking hand. “Breathe in,” he instructed. 

You did as he told you and that's when he administered the stimpack, then you winced at the pain of him pulling the knife out, but immediately holding the wound to slow the bleeding. You looked up at him with a small smile despite all that. “Thanks.”

“Don't pull nothin’ like that again, you hear me?” He began to help you dress the wound as expertly as he could, though he was a tad rusty with having to deal with mortal wounds. 

“What, you'll still get paid regardless. I'm only gonna get worse when I'm back there…” You looked down at the ground and felt the closeness you both shared, but you didn't comment on it. 

He was the first to pull away, but it took him longer than expected. “Come on,” he urged. He had nothing more to say, he had to think. 

More time had passed and you finally stood before the poorly constructed walls of the compound, and you were visibly distraught. “Mister, please,” you said as you turned toward him. You were no longer afraid to release the tears that threatened to fall. “I can't, you saw just a small sliver of what he's capable of, he will beat me senselessly, string me up. I just wanted freedom…” You looked back at the compound and tried your best to remain composed. “What if we take them out? All of them? I know the combination to his safe, I know where everything is stashed, I could help you.”

The Ghoul stood there in silence, listening to your words, words of desperation and bargaining. And as much as he wanted to simply ignore it, he knew he couldn't. Not anymore. You'd stuck your neck out for him, you'd not given him any trouble as he escorted you back, and somehow you managed to grow on him. How, he had no idea, but the sound of killing all these bastards seemed more than satisfactory. Killing them all so they didn't hurt anyone else like you, take their earnings, it all seemed fair, especially after sending someone to take him out and keep the caps for themselves. 

“Even if I were to entertain the idea, sweetheart, there ain't a guarantee you'll make it out of there. I can handle gunshots, you're gonna be a walkin’ corpse riddled with holes.” 

“I know their shifts. I paid attention when I was keeping track of when and who would be where. I can make it happen, I promise. Just please, help me take them down and you can help yourself to whatever you want.” 

The Ghoul looked away from you and brought his attention back to the compound, his eyes stared into the area as he mulled over your words. He let out a sigh, hung his head, and smiled a little. He was going to do this for a smoothie, a human, and for what? Maybe it didn't sit well with him that you took a stab wound for him, that he felt like he owed you for something you didn't need to throw your life on the line for. After what seemed like a good, long while, he turned back to you and sighed. His eyes wandered over your face as he recalled his past, something he tried not to do regularly, and a small smile played at the corner of his mouth. 

Again, he just sighed. “You better come through, you hear?” He warned, his hand raised and his finger pointed at you. “But if anythin’ happens, I ’spose you could call me Cooper…”

Your eyes lit up and you stared at him in awe. “Like…Cooper Howard…?” You gasped and smiled so wide you thought your cheeks would hurt. 

He scoffed. “Yeah, that's me, just don't go tellin’ people, you understand?” 

With a burst of excitement and a lapse in judgment, you threw your arms around him despite feeling the sting of your wound, and you hugged him. He didn't realize how big of a deal this was to you, your heart soared with delight at the news, and it was almost like an old part of your life was here, comforting you in tough times. “Oh, I'm definitely loving our chances now.”

The Ghoul just sighed and patted your shoulder awkwardly, wanting to support you in his change of heart. “I hope I don’t regret this…” he whispered to himself.

The ringing in your ears was causing you to squeeze your eyes closed as you tried to focus on anything other than the sound, but it gradually increased and you did your best to try and remain out of the crossfire as you hid behind one of the walls inside the compound. 

You and Cooper had gotten halfway through the building already, both of you easily working together when it came to taking down the men you knew so well, but you felt nothing except a growing sense of freedom the more men fell. You'd grown up with a lot of them, sure, but none of that mattered once they had begun to follow Axton's orders and put you in harm's way. You wouldn't admit to it, but the satisfaction you felt when they would fall to the ground as they bled out almost was too wicked for you to take any joy in, but deep down, you relished it. 

According to your memory, you and Cooper had taken down about fifteen of them so far, and you only had fifteen– bang– fourteen more to go. Axton would be holed up in his pathetic excuse of a ‘panic room’, which you knew the code to, so he'd be the best to save for last. You peeked around the corner, your pistol in hand as you looked for any more on this floor. 

“I think they're all running up to protect their stash now, they're gonna be crowded in a room on the top floor. Axton would want all his riches to be the top priority, the greedy bastard.” You stepped out and pushed on with the Ghoul right beside you, following your lead as you guided him through the compound. 

“There any coverage between us and that door?” He asked, his gun still raised as he looked over at you. 

“Yeah, there's a double wall up there, no doors,” you replied and paused when you saw someone cowering in the corner. You gasped and ran to that person with a relieved expression. 

“Oh my gosh, Toby?” You knelt beside them and placed a hand on their shoulder. 

Cooper was about to interject, afraid to take up too much time dwelling on checking on survivors, but the person known as Toby looked up at you and their expression was shocked. It was a Ghoul, just like him; not yet feral. Toby smiled and stood up, greeting you with a tight hug. 

“Oh, you're back, you're back! I thought you would have been killed, or worse!” Toby sobbed as they hugged you, pulling you tighter and tighter. 

“Toby, you have to get out of here, go outside the compound, and stay hidden till we come out.”

“You're doing it, aren't you, you're finally taking him down?” The Ghoul looked relieved and terrified, and yet the smile that spread across their face spoke volumes. 

You smiled in return and nodded. “Yeah, Cooper and I are, now come on, go, I'll find you after, okay?” You gave him one last hug and pushed on with Cooper by your side. 

You'd finally made it to the last floor, and you were both greeted with heavy gunfire. You pressed back against the wall with Cooper on the other side, and he looked at you as he counted down on his fingers from five. After it ended, he spun toward the door and just began to blast the mercenaries, all shots landing where they were supposed to. You followed in behind him and tried to keep up, taking down any stragglers with your pistol as you kept it aimed high. Whenever you shot another, they'd look at you in horror, realizing that you were finally fighting back. Some of them seemed to know it would have happened eventually, others seemed betrayed that it was you, but you wore the same expression as you gunned them down. 

Remorseless.

You’d been counting down, naming each one of the men in Axton’s employ as you shot them, remembering their faces, recalling all the times they’d done you wrong. With each bullet put into them, you felt lighter, a heavy burden was released from your shoulders. But you knew you needed to get to your main problem before you would feel any semblance of comfort. But now that you thought about it, you felt comfort being here with Cooper, which was an odd thing to say considering he was there initially to bring you back to this hellhole. But you’d both grown on each other, though he would never admit to it, but you hoped that he would after all was said and done. 

Once the last man had fallen from a shot to his leg, Cooper walked up to him as he crawled away, then stepped on the wound and stepped down hard, and he laughed as the blood came pouring from the wound while the man cried out. The Ghoul didn’t let up as he leaned closer to the man.

“So cowpoke, where’s your boy, Axton, huh?” 

The man who you knew as Luther had looked up, horrified to see the hand cannon he held pointed directly at his face. “L-L-Look, he’s in there,” he pointed to the right where his room had been, “I don’t got nothin’ to do with what he did to her! I swear!”

Cooper looked over at you for confirmation, but you looked away from him, your face filled with unwanted recalled memories. All of his men stood by and turned a blind eye to the things he’d done to you and many others, you wouldn’t soon forget. Cooper turned back to the bleeding man and smirked slyly.

“Seems that she says otherwise, partner, guess it ain’t your lucky day,” he said with a faux frown as he raised the gun to his head and shot without hesitation. He walked back to you and stood beside you, looking at you in silence for a moment. “You ready to take on this son of a bitch?”

You swung your pack around and dug for your box of ammo, filled your gun, and then looked into the Ghoul’s eyes. “I’ve been ready. But you gotta be careful, he’ll have heavy weapons on him, so don’t let him get you off guard.”

“You don’t gotta worry about me, sweetheart, I think I already established that.” He reached a gloved hand toward your face, and it lingered there for a moment as it hovered near your cheek. Cooper decided against it and sighed, then looked back in the direction of the room.

You wondered what he wanted to say to you, but maybe it wasn't something meant for right now, instead, you two had something to deal with. You walked toward the room and typed in the code you distinctly memorized despite not being allowed inside, and the door swung open to reveal Axton with a large turbo Plasma rifle, the only one in his collection. He pointed it directly at you with a smile on his face. 

“Shoulda known it was you,” he scoffed. “After all I gave you here, a place to stay, food to eat, safety?”

“You didn't give me anything other than scars inside and out,” you spat back. “You had this coming, whether it was from me or someone else. You get what you get.”

His eyes darted to the Ghoul and he let out hearty laughter. “Oh, this is even better, what, employing a Ghoul to help you? Always were obsessed with them.”

“They're friends! Toby is my friend!” You yelled and shot off a round straight at him, but he immediately dropped and dodged it before it could hit him. He just laughed at you and shook his head.

“Always were a lousy shot. So, Ghoul, she employed you, promise you that you'd get whatever you want in here?” He waved around the room and scoffed again. “She lied. She ain't shit, and neither are you.”

“Well, actually…” Cooper said with a playful smile on his face, “I was the bounty hunter who planned on turnin’ her in but after seein’ so much of who you are? Gotta hand it to the little lady, I ain't impressed with how this is goin’.”

Axton just laughed and shook his head. “Oh, so you're betraying me, too? Damn, what did she do, give it up to you to get you to change your mind–”

Cooper let off a shot that hit him in the shoulder and blood spurted out, but he didn't go down, not yet. “Better watch your mouth, boy,” he warned. 

Axton groaned but laughed and shook his head. “Oh man, she did, didn't she?! It's all she's good at anyway.”

“Enough!” You screamed out as you began shooting at him, not taking into account that you should have kept a level head of things. You tried to hit him, but he shot the plasma rifle at your feet, which caused you to stumble back and fall on your ass. 

Axton laughed and grabbed a pistol, then aimed at you to finally silence you, but Cooper easily shot it out of his hand, causing it to stumble and fly off somewhere. He ran up on the man and slammed his foot hard into his stomach, and Axton lost his footing and fell. Cooper didn't give him time to recover, instead, he ran up and kicked him again, this time across the jaw. 

Axton let out a yell and spat blood out onto the floor, but he was just laughing, and as he looked back at you, sneering. “You think this is gonna make things better? I own you,” he said as he pointed at you, “and you ain't gonna finish this.”

“She might not, but I will,” Cooper said as he held his hand cannon up to his head. 

“No!” You shouted, your hand reaching out toward him as you stared at the Ghoul. Your face was soft as you looked at him, and sure you hadn't known him long, but the lengths he was going to just to protect you… it meant more to you than you could put into words. you walked up to Cooper, who stared over at you quizzically. “I wanna do it.” 

Axton just laughed again. “You're gonna do it? Better off letting the Ghoul do it.”

You swung your gun around toward him and aimed directly at his forehead as he sat on the ground, trying his best to pick up his pride. “I don't need anyone to do my job for me, Axton, you think I'm weak? But I'm not, I've taken out more of your men than you've taken out bounties. I'm better than you in every way.” 

This got the man howling in laughter as he sat there below you, staring up at your gun. He felt that you wouldn't do a damn thing, and you would just fall for his ways again. You would let him live and he'd take you as his captor once again. “Sure, sweetheart, whatever lies you fed yourself, you can keep on believing them all I know is I'm gonna fucking  kill you–”

Your finger pulled back, the explosion of his head and brain matter splattered everywhere, and his body fell back. No more words, no more threats, no more danger. You stared at the man who once beat you, hurt you, did unspeakable things to you, and you finally felt that weight release from your shoulders. Your body suddenly felt weak, you stumbled and almost fell, but Cooper was there in an instant. His arms enveloped you as he lowered you to the ground so you could take a moment. 

You stared down at him and huffed. “Only he can call me that,” you spat and continued to stare down at him.

Your eyes didn't leave the scene of Axton's decapitated body, it felt too good to be true, like a sick dream that you'd wake up from. But your companion placed a hand on your cheek, pulling your attention away from the gruesome scene and made you face him. There was contentment in the way you looked up at Cooper, a small smile tugged at the corner of your mouth as you stared up at him. 

“I did that, right?” You asked him in disbelief.

Cooper gave you a small smile. “Yeah, you did ya little killer, c’mon, let’s get you out of here.”

“What about your pay? There are chems too, you’re gonna need those, please, get what you need. I’ll be okay… I’ll sit over here, you grab all of what you can.” You wandered over to the corner and sat down on the floor, away from the large pool of blood slowly making its way around. 

You waited for Cooper to grab all that he could and gathered a large amount of chems, caps, and whatever else he could fit into his pack, then he sauntered up to you and grabbed your hand to pull you to your feet. “Alright then, I got all I could hold, got some for you too, you ready?”

You looked over at him and seemed taken off guard by his question. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, are you comin’ with me or not? Didn’t think you’d wanna stay here.”

Your eyes stared at him for a good while, but you weren’t sure what to say now that you were here, and now you had the opportunity to leave. “Really? You’d want me to go with you?” You asked softly. 

Cooper scoffed and looked off at the destruction you both caused. “I ain’t gonna leave you here alone, sweetheart. Not gonna lie, you’ve grown on me, and as much as I’ve done in this lifetime, I ain’t that much of a monster.”

You couldn’t help but laugh and look around the room, then back at him. “I guess that’s the best choice I could ever ask for, huh?” You asked softly, smiling wide. “So… you really mean it?”

Cooper turned around and shook his head with a smirk. “I mean if you’d rather stay here, then-”

You grabbed him and pulled at his shoulder, causing him to turn to face you. He looked surprised, but his eyes widened when you pulled him into a soft kiss. He didn’t pull away, he just stared at you as you pulled away from him, but you seemed much more reserved now. 

“Sorry… but yeah, let’s get going, if that’s still on the table…”

The Ghoul just laughed and reached up to ruffle your hair. “Well, it ain’t all canned peaches and marmalade up here, but I ‘spose havin’ you as company will lighten it up a little.”

You placed your gun in your pack and sighed as you slipped it over your shoulder, but the smile you wore after kissing Cooper was one that you’d wear for quite a while. “I think I can agree with that.”  

[writingwithciara]

18 (Part 2) ~Matt Sturniolo~

summary: back in la, things start heading south for y/n & matt while a little bit of jealousy drives y/n into the arms of chris

word count: 10.4k (longest thing i've ever written. holy)

pairing: matt sturniolo x fem!reader, brief chris sturniolo x fem!reader

notes: i wasn’t sure i wanted to write another part of ‘18’ but i had an idea the other night and had to write it. wasn't aware it was going to fit with ‘18’ but i’m happy it did. insecurity, jealousy & swearing throughout. toxic matt & sweet chris. a few suggestive moments & allusions to sexual content, smut at the end. enjoy!

part 1 !

masterlist

as soon as y/n and matt walked through the door to the triplets house 3 days later, chris was attacking them with questions. matt ignored every single one of them and went straight to his room. chris looked at y/n hoping she had an answer but all she did was shrug.

“he was like that the entire plane ride. don't know what’s wrong with him.” she sighed and sat down on the couch. chris took the seat next to her and resumed the tv show he had been watching.

“he’s normally moody. wouldn't worry too much about him. he’ll snap out of it eventually.” chris took a moment to look at his friend. “did anything happen in miami that could’ve caused this mood?”

“not that i can remember. everything was great while we were there. and even after we kissed, everything seemed to be perfect between us.” y/n shook her head.

“you guys actually kissed?!?” chris nearly yelled, pausing his show and giving her his full attention. “i knew it. nick owes me 10 bucks.”

“chris, now is not the time to be thinking about that.” y/n sighed. “what if matt only said all those sweet things and kissed me because it was christmas? what if he only did it because my dad had just proposed to crystal and he was caught up in the moment?”

“y/n, i’m sure that’s not why he kissed you.” chris looked up at her with sad eyes. “he’s just being stupid right now. it will definitely blow over.”

“i hope you’re right because valentine’s day is coming up soon and i was hoping that matt and i would be doing something that day. something romantic.”

“if he doesn’t snap out of his mattitude soon, if worst comes to worst, i’ll be your matt replacement for the evening.”

“i appreciate the offer, chris. thank you.” y/n let out a small chuckle and looked at the tv.

“anytime.” he looked at his phone quickly before turning his show off. “it’s getting late and i'm heading to bed. nick is gone for the night so you can sleep in his room if you want. but you are more than welcome to come crash in my room if you don’t feel like being alone tonight.”

“okay.” y/n grabbed her phone and followed chris downstairs to his room. chris sat in his chair and faced the bed.

“if you want, we can play some fortnite or something. shooting things might help take your mind off of matt for a while.” chris picked up his controller. “you up for it?”

“sure. why not?” y/n pulled his extra chair over and looked at the screen. “i wish matt was as easy to read as you or nick.”

“what do you mean?” chris opened the game and looked at y/n. “you think that i’m easy to read?”

“well, easier than matt. i can mostly tell what you’re thinking at any given moment.”

“okay. what am i thinking of right now?”

“you’re thinking that i'm a better fortnite player than you, obviously.” y/n smiled.

“wow. lucky guess.” chris rolled his eyes playfully and started a match. as they took turns playing, y/n’s worries about matt began to fade. she focused on taking out as many opponents as she could while chris watched in amazement. after a few hours of playing, chris pointed out it was nearly 4 am. “we should probably get some sleep. that jet lag should be hitting you soon.”

“you’re right.” y/n stood up and took her spot on the left side of chris’ bed. he quickly joined her on the right side and plugged both of their phones into the chargers.

“see you in a few hours, y/n.” chris yawned and quickly passed out after. y/n stayed awake for another half hour before she dozed off herself.

around 7 am, matt was in the kitchen getting some water when he nearly tripped over y/n’s suitcase. he thought she had gone home but realized how late they got back to la and went to check nick’s room for her. when she wasn’t in his bed, he began to panic. then he remembered that y/n and chris liked to play fortnite together. so he ventured down to chris’ bedroom and opened the door as quietly as he could.

chris' arm was placed delicately across y/n’s waist and she was snuggled up close to him, essentially being the little spoon to chris’ big spoon. matt swore he could feel his heart break at the sight. he slowly closed the door and headed back to his room, his thoughts taking over and keeping him from going back to sleep.

a few hours later, y/n stretched and looked behind her. at some point in the night, she and chris had moved into a cuddling position and although it wasn’t a rare thing, she felt guilty. part of her knew that if matt had seen them, he would be heartbroken and she couldn’t deal with that. she felt chris’ arm move slowly as he began to wake up. y/n turned to face him and smiled.

“good morning.” he returned the smile and removed his arm from her waist completely. “sleep alright?”

“yeah.” she sat up and pulled the sleeves of her shirt down to cover her hands. “i still feel a bit upset about the whole matt thing though. he keeps running through my mind and i hate that.”

“don’t waste all your energy trying to solve the mystery that is matthew sturniolo.” chris sat up and looked at y/n. “he’s my brother and i still haven’t quite figured it out yet.”

“i suppose you’re right.” y/n moved herself off the bed and grabbed her phone. “i should head back to my apartment soon and unpack. i'll stop by later though, okay?”

“yeah. alright.” chris grabbed a shirt and followed her out of his room. “um, do you want a ride home?”

“well seeing how you can’t drive and the only other person in the house who can is matt, i think i’ll pass.”

“i can ask matt & if you think it’s going to be awkward, i can come with you guys.”

“it’s fine, chris. i only live a few blocks away. i've made the walk before.”

“yeah but you never had to do it with a large, heavy suitcase.” chris pleaded with her and when she sighed, he knew she was about to give in.

“i hate when you’re right.” y/n went to lift her suitcase but almost fell over. “i really hate it.”

matt wasn’t as willing to drive her home as chris was hoping but he did it anyway just so he would have time to think without her around.

when y/n walked into her apartment, the first thing she did was facetime nick. his bright smiling face appeared and even though he reminded her of matt, y/n couldn’t help but smile back.

“hey. you back in la?”

“yeah. we got back last night and i crashed at your place. i was really sad you weren’t there.” y/n sighed and looked around her apartment.

“i know. but I’ll make it up to you later when you come back over.” he paused for a second after taking in her expression. it was pensive. “you are coming back over, aren’t you?”

“i don’t know, nick. things have been really weird between me and matt since we got on the plane.” y/n sighed. “i did promise chris that i would come back later.”

“then it’s settled. and if things seem awkward with matt, chris and i will act as buffers.”

“i love you, nick.” y/n smiled at her best friend. he didn’t even have to ask what happened or why it was all of a sudden awkward. he believed her wholeheartedly, without question.

“i love you too.” he offered her a kind smile. “so i’ll see you later?”

“yeah. about an hour or two. still gotta have a shower and unpack.” y/n glanced over at her suitcase and sighed. the memories of the trip filling every vacant part of her brain. “talk to you later, nick.”

“can’t wait.” nick smiled and hung up. y/n set her phone on the coffee table and headed to the bathroom. while the warm water washed over her, she thought back to the last day of the trip

matt and y/n were sitting with brooke and jackson on the lounge chairs around the pool. matt’s hand rested gently on y/n’s thigh as he talked to jackson. brooke was on the other side of y/n and she was observing everything matt did to show affection to y/n. she gently nudged her cousins shoulder and pulled her attention away from matt.

“what’s up, brooke?”

“your boyfriend is perfect. just thought i would let you know.” brooke beamed. “he’s hot, funny, sweet & most importantly, he treats you like an absolute princess. and an added bonus is he gets along with every member of our family. that's almost impossible.”

“he’s pretty perfect, i suppose.” y/n nodded and faced matt, only to find him already staring at her.

“hey.”

“hey.” y/n smiled and it felt like they were the only two there.

“when did you want to head back to the hotel?”

“after dinner. dad and crystal are making my favorite meal.” y/n played with the necklace around her neck.

back at the hotel that night, y/n was stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around her body when matt decided to walk right in.

“matt!”

“sorry. thought you were dressed already.” he turned around and left the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door. just as y/n reached for the handle, matt came back. “for what it’s worth, you look amazing.”

“matthew bernard!” y/n pushed him out of the bathroom and got dressed quickly. she got in her bed and faced matt’s direction. “i can never thank you enough for coming with me this week, you know.”

“you don’t have to thank me. it was a lot of fun.” he smiled widely and placed his phone down on the nightstand between the beds. “we’ve been sharing the same bed all week so why are you over in that bed?”

“not quite sure.” y/n glanced over at him. “instinct i guess.”

“well is it okay if i join you over there?” matt looked at her hopefully. she nodded and matt wasted no time climbing into the bed behind her. he cautiously placed his arm over her waist, doing his best not to put too much pressure on the situation.

y/n noticed his behavior and placed her hand over his much larger one, turning her head just enough to see the awkward half-smile on matt’s face.

“you okay with this?” matt whispered into her ear. y/n felt a shiver crawl down her spine at the thought of how close they were. instead of focusing on that, y/n began to play with the rings on matt’s fingers. she nodded in response to his question and felt him loosen up a bit. he got as close as he possibly could and placed a soft kiss just beneath her ear.

“matt.” her voice came out as more of a soft moan than the intended whisper. matt smirked to himself and placed more kisses on her neck, causing her to to pull her bottom lip between her teeth. the hand that was resting over her waist began to wander her body but matt stopped when y/n turned to face him.

“i’m sorry. i should’ve checked with you to make sure that was alright.” He began to stumble over his words so y/n shut him up with a kiss. as their lips molded together perfectly, y/n took matt’s bottom lip between her own, causing him to groan. something stirred inside y/n for the first time and her confidence took over. she climbed onto his lap and deepened the kiss as he held her hips tightly.

the kiss went way beyond the confines of their friendship and even though they had admitted their feelings the day before, it still felt like uncharted territory.

matt's hands moved from their place on y/n’s waist to just beneath the bottom of her shirt. or rather, his shirt that she had managed to steal from him at some point in time. his fingers danced delicately on the bare skin, causing y/n to shudder a little bit. matt pulled away from the kiss and raised an eyebrow.

“you alright?”

“yeah but your fingers are cold.” y/n hid her face in the crook of matt’s neck, gently placing a kiss there. she then rolled off his lap and pulled herself into him. matt didn’t question the sudden change. instead, he opted for holding y/n as close as possible and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “good night, matt.”

the water in the shower was nearly ice cold by the time y/n was finished. and when she got out, she realized that maybe part of matt’s sudden mood change was her fault.

she got dressed and headed out to her car. there were so many things she needed to talk to matt about.

when she got to the house, she knocked hard and waited. matt answered the door and silently let her inside.

“matt, can we talk?”

he ignored her question and headed to the kitchen. “chris is in the shower right now and nick still isn’t home. you're free to hang out here until one of them returns. i'll be in my room.” matt turned away from her and headed down the hall. but y/n wasn’t about to give up. she stepped between him and the door, causing him to sigh in annoyance.

“you can’t just ignore me, matt.” she followed him as he turned to head back to the kitchen. “we need to have a serious conversation and you need to stop acting like a child.”

“how am i acting like the child?” he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, sipping on the root beer he had pulled from the fridge.

“matt, seriously?” y/n mirrored his position and pinched the bridge of her nose. “this is ridiculous. you're ignoring me and acting like nothing happened in miami.”

“well that’s because nothing happened.” matt shrugged casually and looked at her.

“really? you're still going to act like this?” y/n scoffed. “matt, we had a really heated moment and then it was over. how can you say nothing happened?”

“because it didn’t.” he sighed. “look, you can live in your little delusion all you want but i'm sticking with the facts.”

“so what? the kisses meant nothing?” she grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face her. “tell me they meant absolutely nothing to you and i'll leave it alone.” she searched his eyes for an answer and when all she got was silence, she felt tears begin to fall. her hand dropped from its position on his shoulder and she took a step back. “silence is all the confirmation i needed. see you around, matt.” y/n grabbed her keys from the counter and began heading for the door.

chris had finished his shower and was on his way up when he heard the argument taking place. he froze on the stairs until he heard y/n’s voice crack. he could tell she was crying and he wanted to punch matt for the silence. y/n said goodbye and chris could hear her footsteps heading down the front stairs. he emerged from his spot and went after his best friend, not sparing a glance matt’s way as he followed y/n out to her car.

“y/n, stop what you’re doing. you are not about to leave in this state. i refuse to let that happen.”

“i need to leave, chris.” y/n leaned her head on the car door and sobbed. “how can he say that the kisses meant nothing?”

“well, he never actually said they didn’t.” chris pointed out, earning a glare from y/n.

“the silence was all i needed to hear, chris.” y/n turned to lean her back against the door. she slid down until she was sitting on the driveway. chris sat next to her and sighed.

“i told you my brother was an idiot, y/n.”

“chris, in case you haven’t noticed, i'm not in the mood for an i told you so.” y/n almost snapped until she saw his face. she hardly ever raised her voice and it was never towards him. “i'm sorry. i-i didn’t mean to yell.”

“it’s okay. you should let it out. get angry.”

“i am not going to take my anger out on you, chris.” y/n smiled and chris saw it.

“i got you to smile!” he clapped his hands together excitedly. “if you want, we can go to a rage room.”

“i think i just want to go to your room and play some fortnite.” y/n bumped his shoulder and stood up. chris took her outstretched hand and ushered her back inside. he took her keys from him and they both headed down to his bedroom.

from his own room, matt could her them laughing whenever they killed an enemy player. little snip-its of their conversation could also be heard and it caused matt’s blood to boil. he shouldn’t be feeling this way, considering how he had just treated y/n not even 10 minutes ago.

a few more hours went by before nick came home. at this point in time, y/n and chris were in the living room laughing at a stupid movie they picked. when y/n saw nick, she jumped off the couch and hugged him.

“oh how i missed you. really glad you and chris didn’t kill each other while we were gone or else i would be forced to live a life without my 2 favorite people in the world.” she squeezed nick tightly and chris joined the hug.

“it wasn’t easy because chris is very annoying.” nick chuckled. chris punched his arm and almost fell backwards. y/n caught his arm and smiled.

“easy there, chris.”

“guess you could say i'm falling for you.” chris shot a smirk her way at the exact moment matt emerged from his room. the air around the group suddenly became heavy and quiet.

“why are you looking at me like that?” he questioned. y/n was staring at her feet while chris sent a glare his brothers way. nick had a sense of what had happened but didn’t want to ask any questions so he just looked anywhere else. “fine. don't answer me.”

“wasn’t planning on it.” chris spit out. matt grabbed a can of root beer from the fridge and looked around the room quickly before turning his attention to nick.

“remember how we were going to film a vlog on valentines day since none of us had plans?”

“yeah what about it?” nick shook his head and looked at y/n.

“turns out i have a date that night so i will be unavailable to film.” matt smirked and y/n wanted to slap that stupid look off his face. the only person he should’ve made plans with that night was her. she scooted closer to chris without even thinking.

“really?”

“yup.”

“who with?”

“madi.” he turned and headed back to his room. nick stood in his spot, completely speechless. chris put his arm around y/n’s shoulder and rubbed her arm.

“what the fuck?” she muttered under her breath, her voice beginning to crack. chris removed his arm and stood in front of her while nick took his place. they were trying their best to comfort her but the gestures weren’t working. y/n felt like her heart had been ripped out twice in one day.

“that’s it. you and i are definitely making plans now.” chris pulled her in for a hug, feeling extremely protective of his best friend. “i promise to make that kid regret his choices today.”

“how do you plan on doing that, chris?”

“gonna do everything for you that he should be doing. i'll write you love letters and shower you with gifts all day.”

“you don’t have to.” y/n tugged at the sleeves of the sweater she was wearing.

“i know i don’t have to. but i want to. i promised you earlier that i would be your matt replacement for the night, remember?”

“of course.” y/n looked up at him and smiled. he always knew how to pull her out of the worst moods.

“kinda wish i had been here earlier so i would know the full story.” nick shook his head and went up to his own room. y/n and chris went down to his room and played fortnite for a few hours.

after what felt like the 50th round, y/n stood up and stretched her body. chris averted his gaze out of respect when the sweater she was wearing rose up a little, revealing the small sun tattoo she got with nick last summer.

“i should get going. thanks for making today a little better for me.”

“you don’t have to thank me. you’re my best friend and i was just doing what any good friend would do.”

“well you’re the best friend in the entire world, chris.” y/n smiled and ruffled his hair playfully. “i love you.”

“love you too.” he smiled widely before checking his phone. “wanna stay for dinner? i was going to order a pizza. pepperoni, your favorite. we could even sit in the living room and watch your favorite movie.”

“you had me at dinner.” y/n ran up to the living room and laid on the couch. chris lifted her legs and placed them in his lap. matt walked out of his room, saw the way they were sitting together on the couch and rolled his eyes before looking down at his phone.

“hey matt. i'm ordering pizza for dinner.” chris didn’t look towards the kitchen as he informed his brother of their dinner plans.

“okay cool.” matt glanced up from his phone long enough to see chris place his hand just above y/n’s right knee. they were always affectionate with each other and matt knew there was no attraction between them so why was this bothering him so much? “i'll be in my room facetiming madi. come get me when the pizza gets here.” he nodded in their direction and went to his room. he wasn’t going to be facetiming anyone. he only said that to get a rise out of y/n. and judging by the way he saw her tense up, he knew it had worked.

y/n waited until she heard matt’s door shut completely before speaking again. “chris, do you think matt likes madi?” her fingers played with the strings of her hoodie as she spoke.

“i doubt it. but who knows with him?” chris focused on y/n as she began fidgeting in her spot. she was laser focused on the strings.

“am i only good enough when we’re not in la?” she glanced up at chris and felt like crying. chris noticed her intake of breath and his hand began tracing circles on her thigh. slow at first but speeding up every 5 seconds. it was the most effective way to calm her down.

“stop talking nonsense. you're more than good enough everywhere, y/n. matt is just being ridiculous.”

“i think his sudden shift in mood is because of what happened on our last night in miami.”

“what happened on the last night?” chris raised an eyebrow as y/n dove into the story. she explained how they almost hooked up and why she stopped it. chris didn’t judge her. he understood everything.

over the next week, whenever y/n was over at the house, chris would make sure to hand her little love notes when matt was around. he also called her every pet name he could think of. and did the bare minimum of what a ‘boyfriend’ should do.

every day, matt observed their interactions and with each passing day, he started to regret trying to make y/n jealous of madi. he wanted to be the one to write y/n notes and he wanted to be the one she adored endlessly. but he was too blinded by his own jealousy to realize what he had given up.

it came to the point where whenever y/n was at the house, which was pretty much all the time, he would have to stay in his room until she ended up in chris’ room for the night or went home. 9 times out of 10 she stayed overnight & it almost made matt sick seeing her with chris.

at some point in their little charade, the love letters chris gave y/n to feel real. to him, at least. he knew that the way he was feeling was wrong but he was so mad at his brother that he didn’t care about moving in on his girl.

one night, while y/n was laying on his bed in his fresh love crewneck & scrolling through tiktok, chris couldn’t help himself. he ended his game and laid beside her. he moved a piece of her hair out of her eyes and carefully placed it behind her ear. this little action drew y/n’s attention away from her phone, causing her gaze to go elsewhere, meeting the blue eyes she adored.

“hey.” she smiled, causing chris to blush profusely. “that’s really cute.”

“what is?”

“the way you’re blushing. and all because i smiled at you.” y/n kissed the tip of his nose and smiled again.

“you’re the cutest human being alive.” chris tried hiding the blush that crept up on his cheeks but y/n noticed it and held his face.

“excuse me but do i look like a fucking mirror, christopher? because how can i be the cutest human being alive when you also exist?” she looked into eyes and smiled at him again.

that smile. that damn smile. it’d be the death of him at this point. if there was ever a moment of tension to do something that could potentially make or break a relationship, now would’ve been the perfect time for him to make his move. but he didn’t have any time to react as y/n’s lips quickly found his.

he was shocked at first but after a moment, he kissed her back, pulling her close. he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. y/n was now straddling him and the kiss didn’t break.

y/n deepened the kiss and ran her hands down his chest, causing chris to groan and pull away for a second.

“wait.” he looked at her. “i need to know something before this goes any further.”

“what?”

“are you only doing this to get matt jealous? or are you actually into me?”

“can we just not complicate things right now, chris? you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“yeah of course.”

“then let’s just go with that. no need to make things more complicated than they already are.” y/n looked at chris and bit her lip. he was a sucker for her, that’s for sure.

for the remainder of time before valentines day, y/n and chris began an arrangement that really stretched the boundaries of their friendship. they never slept together but they were both willing to do whatever they could to please the other. chris was never one to leave a girl unsatisfied so there were times their encounters lasted hours. and chris loved every second of it.

matt tried to drown out the noises he heard coming from downstairs each time but even through his headphones, he could still hear it somehow. whether it was the sounds y/n made or the way she said chris’ name, matt couldn’t get it out of his head no matter how hard he tried.

how can she sleep with chris when she wouldn’t sleep with me? he often thought to himself. it was a constant reminder that falling for his brothers best friend wasn’t a good idea.

when valentines day finally arrived, chris woke up incredibly early and decided to make y/n some breakfast in bed. just as he finished plating everything, matt came out of his room and eyed chris’ neck before scoffing and opening the fridge.

“happy valentines day, matt.” chris smiled and grabbed the tray of food before heading down to his room. when he entered, y/n was sitting up, scrolling through her phone. she looked up when she heard his footsteps come closer.

“what’s all this?” she smiled and inspected the tray.

“well, it’s valentines day. the day of romance. and since i agreed to be your matt replacement today, i thought it’d be nice to wake you up with something delicious.”

y/n took a bite of the french toast and moaned at the taste. “this is the best fucking french toast i have ever had.”

“you think so?”

“yeah. it’s delicious.” she kept eating while chris sat next to her. “so what’s the plan for tonight?” she asked with a mouthful of food.

“i was thinking we could stay in and i could make you your favorite meal.”

“you can make chicken cordon bleu?”

“no.” he chuckled. “what’s your second favorite meal?”

“i like cheeseburgers and i love your cheeseburgers.”

“if that’s what you want, then that’s what you’ll get tonight.”

“you’re the best.” y/n slipped on one of chris’ hoodies and walked towards the door. “i'm gonna go see nick for a minute but when i get back, i'm going to thank you properly for the breakfast.”

y/n left the room with a devilish smirk and headed up to nick’s room. she knocked lightly and waited before walking into his room. he was still asleep so she jumped up on his bed and tickled his nose. he quickly swatted her hand away and opened his eyes.

“let me sleep. you and chris are two floors below me and i could still hear everything that was going on down there.” he closed his eyes and turned away from her. “you guys are disgusting.”

“okay mr grumpy pants. i was just coming to wish you a happy valentines day.” she giggled, kissed his forehead and left the room. as she made her way through the kitchen, matt came out of the bathroom. he took in her attire and rolled his eyes. “what the fuck is your problem, matthew?”

“i just think it’s pretty funny that you wouldn’t sleep with me, someone you were supposedly ‘in love with’ but you’ll sleep with chris every chance you get.”

“well if you hadn’t been a jerk the entire time we’ve been home, you’d probably be the one who gets to do things to me. you’d be the one getting to leave these marks on me.” she rolled up the bottom of the hoodie and showed off the inside of her thigh. dark marks littered the skin there. matt clenched his jaw and stared at her.

“this is ridiculous.” he shook his head. “can’t believe you’re acting like such a whore.”

“fuck you, matt.” y/n shot him the finger and headed back down to chris’ room, slamming the door and causing herself to jump. “sorry, chris. didn’t mean to slam the door.”

“it’s alright.” he walked over to her and looked at her face. her eyes were welling up with tears and chris felt bad.

“i know i said when i got back from nick’s room that i would thank you properly for the breakfast, but can we just lay in bed, please?”

“of course. don't worry about it.” he ushered over to the bed and laid down with her, holding her tight. “are you alright?”

“matt’s an asshole.” she sighed, wiping away at the few tears that fell down her cheeks.

“what did he say to you?”

“he said i was acting like a whore.” she sniffled. chris shot out of bed and headed for the door. “chris, please don’t.” y/n fiddled with her fingers and looked at chris.

“i'm sorry but he can’t just say something like that and get away with it.” chris turned the knob and it was y/n’s turn to get out of bed. she hurried over to the chris and wedged herself between him and the door, gently placing a hand on his cheek.

“please?” she whispered lowly, on the verge of tears. chris crumbled and let her lead him back over to the bed. she played with his hair as they cuddled on the bed. it was clear they needed each other on a deeper level than just intimacy.

an hour later, chris noticed y/n had fallen asleep. he slipped out of her embrace and made his way up to matt’s bedroom. he knocked twice before matt yanked the door open.

“what do you want?”

“i want you to apologize.”

“i'm not apologizing to you.”

“no. you need to apologize to y/n for saying she was acting like a whore. last month, you were so madly in love with her and now you’re acting colder than you ever have. this is not the way you’re supposed to treat the person you love.”

“i'm over her, chris. she’s yours now. you can have your turn.” matt tried shutting his door but chris stopped it.

“look, matt. that girl is still hurting and she’s blaming herself for what’s happening between you guys.”

“then she should’ve thought about that before she started sleeping with you after basically rejecting me in miami.”

“she didn’t reject you, matt. and we’re not sleeping together.”

“oh please. save it, okay? i can not only hear you guys going at it in your room but i’ve also seen the marks you left on her. if those aren’t clear signs you’re having sex, then i don’t know what is.”

“it’s literally everything but sex.” chris ran his hands through his hair. “did you ever stop to think about why she didn’t sleep with you in miami? it’s because she was scared, okay? she was terrified that if she gave you everything that you would just turn around and hurt her. and you guys didn’t even have to have sex to do that. you’re killing her slowly, matthew. and honestly, i hate you so much for it right now.”

“don’t hate me for your girlfriends choices.” matt checked his phone. “now, if you don’t mind, i have a date to get ready for.”

chris stood in shock as matt closed the door roughly. why was his brother not understanding the situation clearly? it was driving him crazy.

instead of going back down to his own room, chris headed up to nick’s.

“nick, i need you to ask madi to be your date tonight.”

“what are you talking about? doesn't she have a date with matt?”

“yes but matt and y/n need to go on a valentines date. they're supposed to be together. not him and madi.”

“wait, i'm confused.” nick held up his hand and shook his head. “why are you trying to set your girlfriend up with matt?”

“she’s not my girlfriend.” chris ran his hands down his face. “her heart belongs to matt.”

“so? if he doesn’t want to be with her, then you gotta take a chance.”

“but he does want to be with her. you should’ve seen the way he got jealous when he thought i was having sex with y/n.”

“you guys aren’t having sex? then what the hell are you doing that makes so much noise?” he questioned, the realization hitting him a few seconds later. “oh. ew.”

“so, can you text madi or not?”

“i can try. but if she’s into this date, there’s not going to be a way to get her out of it.” nick began typing on his phone. within seconds, madi was requesting to facetime. nick answered it quickly and it didn’t take long for madi to start speaking.

“what are you even talking about, nick? i don’t have anything planned with matt tonight.” she raised her eyebrow and got closer to the camera. “why would he say that? oh my god. do you think he likes me?”

“no.” chris shook his head and turned to nick. “he’s an idiot.”

“i agree. why would he say he’s going on a date with madi if it’s not true?”

“because he was trying to make y/n jealous, obviously.” chris sprinted out of the room and almost fell as he took 2 steps at a time to get back to his room. y/n jumped back as he threw the door open, as she was just about to go looking for him.

“you look like you’ve been running laps around the house. what's going on?”

“change of plans tonight. instead of me cooking dinner for you, i'm taking you out to eat.” he smiled and looked around his room.

“okay. i'm not complaining, but why the sudden change?”

“just want an excuse to dress up.” he held her face gently and smiled widely.

“oh, how about you still cook for me and i'll still get all dressed up.”

“that sounds like a better plan.” he leaned in to kiss her and smiled when she kissed him back. “do you have something at the house you can change into?”

“yeah. it’s up in nick’s room.” she looked at him. “be right back.” y/n dashed out of chris’ room and went upstairs to nick’s room. she paused outside in the hallway when she heard nick and madi talking.

“so if he likes y/n, why doesn’t he just tell her? i mean, didn’t they just spend a whole week together in miami?”

“they did and from what i learned, something happened and it screwed up their relationship. i’m not sure what it was exactly, but matt’s been ignoring her since they got back and y/n’s been spending all her time with chris.”

“so, are y/n and chris together now?”

“no. well, i'm not quite sure. they might as well be.”

“but she needs to be with matt. maybe you should tell her that matt’s ‘date’ with me was never actually a thing.”

“no. it’s gotta be matt who tells her.”

y/n knocked on his door and looked at nick. “hey.”

“hey. how much of that did you hear?” nick turned towards her, still on the call with madi.

“almost everything.” she shrugged her shoulders.

“hey y/n.” madi waved with a smile.

“hey.” y/n returned the smile and looked back at nick. “i came up to get that dress i left up here. need it for my date.”

“it’s in my closet.” nick nodded towards the door and y/n walked in. nick was right behind her. “who’s your date tonight?”

“chris.” she reached for the baby blue piece of clothing. “instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, we came to a compromise. he's going to cook for me and we’re going to dress up as if we actually were going out tonight.”

“why are you still going on this date with chris if you know matt’s date with madi was never happening? i thought you would be happy.”

“why would i be happy about something matt lied about, especially after he basically called me a whore?”

“he did what?!?” both nick and madi exclaimed.

“not going to get into details. but he called me a whore earlier. well, he said i was acting like one because i was sleeping with chris.”

“but you’re not. does he know that?”

“no and let’s not tell him. he doesn’t deserve to know.”

“you two are incredibly stubborn and i hate it.”

“what are you talking about?” y/n turned to nick and eyed him.

“you and matt. one minute, you’re in love & the next it’s like you’ve never met before. why can’t you guys see that you’re supposed to be together?”

“we’re not meant to be together, nicolas. if there was any indication of that, something serious would’ve happened in miami.”

“what the fuck even happened while you guys were gone?”

“do you really want to know?”

“duh. that's why i asked.”

“okay, smartass.” y/n carefully set the dress on nick’s bed and looked at him. “it was our last night in miami. we were alone in the hotel room and we were cuddling on my bed and things started to get…intimate.”

“so you slept with him?”

“no. after a really steamy make-out session, it was over. that’s as far as we got.”

“who broke the moment first?” madi questioned.

“technically, he pulled away first. but he was only checking on me to see if i was okay with what was happening. his fingers were really cold and it made me shiver. but after that, the moment was over.”

“so let me get this straight. he touched your skin and it caused you to shiver. he then pulled away to check on you and the moment was over?” nick raised an eyebrow. “sounds like it might have been your fault, sorry.”

“nick, are you crazy? matt's the one who pulled away first. it’s totally his fault.” madi shook her head on the other end of the phone.

“it’s both our faults, i will admit.” y/n sighed. “and it sucks because i really, really liked him too.”

“then fucking tell him, dumbass.”

“nick, be nice.” madi scolded him. “it’s hard to tell a guy how you feel.”

“i am well aware.” nick chuckled then looked back at y/n. she was focused on the dress. the dress she bought for a party, hoping to get matt’s attention with the color since it was his favorite. she didn’t notice if it caught his eye. he had spent most of the party talking to some random girl she didn’t know but whenever she wasn’t looking, matt would look over at her.

“what am i supposed to do?” at this point, y/n was sitting on the edge of the bed. “i obviously still love matt. but now there’s the thing with chris. so no matter which brother i choose, i know i am going to break someone’s heart.”

“right now, you’re breaking my heart, y/n. i don’t like seeing you upset.” nick sat beside her and sighed. “i wish there was a better to go about life.”

“me too.” y/n looked at him.

“i've lived with them both my whole life and i know enough to tell you that no matter who you end up choosing, the other one will for sure get over it. neither of them hold grudges.”

“you’re right. now the only issue is trying to talk to matt without an argument breaking out.” y/n looked back at the dress. “and i also have to talk to chris. damn it.”

“you can do this, y/n. i believe in you.” madi grinned, happy to know she was helping a little. “i'll come by tomorrow to see you if you want.”

“that would be nice. maybe we could have a girls day.”

“yes that would be nice. in the meantime, good luck with the boys.” madi waved goodbye as y/n grabbed the dress and headed down to chris’ room to shower.

after an hour of getting ready, y/n took a look in the mirror. nick stood behind her and smiled.

“you are so gorgeous.” he rubbed her shoulders in a calming manner. he then quickly checked his phone. “well, it’s time to head up to your dinner. good luck.”

y/n took one last look in the mirror before heading up the stairs. chris turned away from the stove and whistled.

“wow. you look so good right now. well, you always look good. but tonight, you’re just…glowing.” he smirked and walked over to her. “ready to eat?”

“you bet.” y/n smiled and sat down when chris pulled the chair out for her. he hurried over to his chair and handed her the plate he prepared for her.

“enjoy.”

the two of them began to eat in near silence. the only sound they could hear for the first few minutes was the background music chris had picked out. after y/n finished half her burger, she looked up at chris.

“i really appreciate you, chris. you know that right?”

“yeah of course.” he set his food down and gave her his full attention. “this last week or so has been insane, right?”

“yeah.” y/n kicked her feet slowly. “can we talk about that, actually?”

“sure thing.” chris rested his head on his hands and let her do most of the talking.

“what we’ve been doing has definitely been fun. the most fun i think i have ever had.” she blushed. “and although i thoroughly enjoyed it, i think we should stop.”

“you’re not gonna believe this but i've been thinking the same thing.” chris let out a breath. “obviously, i will always care about you and i will cherish the time we spent together. but you and i both know that you’re supposed to be with matt.”

“this is why you’re the best, chris. you’re so understanding and you’re the sweetest person i know.” y/n reached across the table and took ahold of his hand. chris absentmindedly ran his thumb over her knuckles. "thank you for the most amazing 2 weeks of my life.”

“i should be the one thanking you.” he placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles and they both went back to eating. after their meal was done, y/n stood up slowly.

“guess it’s time to talk to matt.” she sighed and looked towards his bedroom. chris walked up behind her.

“good luck, y/n.” he kissed her forehead and headed down to his own room. y/n approached matt’s bedroom door and knocked lightly. while she waited, she thought of what she was going to say.

when he pulled the door open, he wasn’t expecting to see y/n standing before him. his eyes widened as he took in the way she looked. and when he saw she was staring at him, he quickly placed his gaze elsewhere and replaced the confusion with anger.

“what are you doing here?”

“matt, stop. you and i are going to talk and there’s nothing you can do about it.” she pushed him backwards and closed his bedroom door behind her. matt tried to protest but instead, she sat him down on the edge of his bed before taking a seat on his computer chair. the air grew thicker the longer they both stayed silent.

“well, you wanted to talk. so talk.” matt couldn’t help but let his attitude out in the moment. this caused y/n to roll her eyes but she started talking.

“look, i'm sorry about what happened in miami. i shouldn’t have just given up when the moment got a little too intimate.” she looked down at her lap and sighed. “truthfully, i was so scared. i know how experienced you are and i didn’t want to let you down with my lack of experience. i've never had sex with anyone and i thought that if i wasn’t good at it, you would stop talking to me. and as soon as i got off you that night, i regretted it. i was so stupid and i thought i was ready. even now, i don’t think i am. i'm still so terrified that i'll make a fool of myself and it’ll get spread around like a sickness.” y/n’s leg began to shake and matt watched as a tear landed on her lap. he wanted so badly to reach over and wipe it away but he wanted to be respectful. so he waited for her to go on. with a shaky breath, she continued her speech. “i hate that i drove you away. i hate that i loved you enough to introduce you to my family and then i threw it all away.” she shot her arm out to emphasize her point and it was then that matt noticed the necklace he gave her. it laid perfectly around her neck, only moving when she took a deep breath. “i’m so sorry i put you through what i did. i never wanted to hurt you and i only wish i could’ve explained why it happened the way it did.”

“you don’t owe me any explanation.” matt spoke. it shocked her to hear his calm voice again. he saw her head jerk up at it but he continued to speak. “i never should’ve gotten so pissed off that you wouldn’t have sex with me. that’s not who i am. if anything, i should be the one apologizing to you. you didn’t deserve the way i treated you and you most definitely did not deserve hearing what i said to you this morning. that was the lowest blow i could’ve dealt out and i'm so very sorry for it. i don’t think you’re a whore. you’re the farthest thing from it. i was just insanely jealous because chris was the one doing what i one day hoped to do. and i know jealousy is not an excuse but it was wrong. y/n,” he got on his knees and held her hands. “i am so fucking in love with you and i need you to know that. i may have dated other girls in the past but i have never loved any of them. you are by far the most kindhearted person in the world and definitely the most breathtakingly gorgeous. you could wear a fucking garbage bag and i would still love you. hell, i would love you even if you were a fucking worm.” matt met y/n’s gaze and smiled. “you look really good in this dress and i swear i meant to tell you at that party the first time you wore it but i was scared that you would just laugh in my face and call me stupid or something.”

“i do think you’re stupid. always have.” y/n nodded and smiled even with the tears cascading down her cheeks. matt chuckled and reached up to wipe them away, causing y/n to sigh contently.

“god, you are so perfect. i want everything with you. not just the sex. i want the stupid future with you. the one where we have 2 or 3 kids and a nice house in the suburbs where our kids can play safely. i want the late night conversations with you. fuck, i even want the stupid fucking rom-com shit with you. it’s always been you. there is absolutely nobody else and there never has been. god, you are it for me. you’ve ruined everybody else for me.” he looked up at her. “i just…i want you in every possible way. good and bad.”

“fuck, matt. i want you too.” y/n caved and pulled him in for a kiss. one he was more than happy to return. her hands went to his hair while his moved from her knees to her face. he craved every part of her. he detached his lips from her to place rough kisses trailing from her jawline down her neck. with every tug on her skin came a gentle kiss to soothe the pain.

matt stood up but y/n was not willing to break the kiss. thankfully, matt picked up with ease and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her over to the bed. the strap of her dress hung loosely on her shoulder as matt kissed every part of her he could. her hands remained in his hair as his lips explored every part of her body.

y/n felt matt getting frustrated with the strap of her dress so she slid it off her arm entirely. he was more than eager to show how thankful he was for the simple action. and as he kissed her now bare shoulder, she took the opportunity to slip the other strap off as well. her dress staying in place only because of the position she was in. if she had been standing or even sitting upright, the top of her dress would’ve already slipped down to reveal the black lace bra she wore.

“fuck, matt.” y/n bit her lip as he kissed just above the top of the dress. she could tell that her being fully clothed was causing matt to grow impatient. “want me to take this off?”

“fuck. yes please.” matt groaned and watched with hungry eyes as y/n maneuvered  herself in a way that was so sensual to matt. the dress came off and matt wasted no time exploring the new territory. there was a faint mark just above the top of her panties, next to her sun tattoo, that matt knew chris had left. he took it upon himself to bite the skin with a little bit of pressure. not too much to hurt her, but enough to make a new mark.

y/n moaned as he left a trail of sloppy kisses up the inside of her thighs, stopping every few seconds to make new marks over the ones chris left behind. the idea of his brother getting there first only made him slightly more aggressive. his kisses on her thighs halted as he made his way back to her lips. his hands held her hips as he kissed her. instead of fisting his hair, she dug her nails into his back, causing him to let out a quiet groan.

“fuck. keep doing that and i'm gonna be finished before my pants come off.” matt whispered in her ear. he placed a kiss just beneath her earlobe, exactly like he had that night in miami.

he retraced his steps and traveled back down her body, stopping when he was just above where she needed him the most. he looked up at her and she didn’t hesitate to silently answer with a nod. matt slid his finger in the waistband and pulled them down her legs. once they were off, matt placed a kiss on both of her thighs before diving right in.

as his tongue moved in all the right places, y/n’s left hand clung to his bedsheets while the right one grabbed a fistful of his hair. he groaned into her and picked up his pace.

“jesus christ, matt. not gonna last long if you keep that up.” she spoke with a strained voice as she tried not to be too loud. matt just smirked and pulled her as close as he possibly could. she threw her legs over his shoulders and he was suddenly able to hit a new angle.

y/n could feel her orgasm approaching as matt continued to devour her. when the knot began to take its shape in her stomach, matt slowed down, but only a notch or two. he was trying to make it last as long as he possibly could, wanting to savor every moment.

it wasn’t long before her orgasm reached its peak and she was releasing all over his tongue. matt was more than happy to clean up all her juices, making sure he didn’t miss a single drop.

“fuck that was hot.” y/n breathed out, releasing her right grip of the bedsheet.

“and we’re not even close to being done, baby. i'm just getting started.” matt smirked.

“what do you mean?” y/n was about to ask him again but ended up biting her lip as matt shoved two fingers inside. the moans came spilling out of her mouth faster than she could even process them. as he worked on pumping his fingers in and out of her, he kissed up her body and stayed on her lips. she could taste herself in the kiss.

matt inserted a third finger, causing y/n to bit his lip. he groaned and she almost came right then and there. but she held out. nearly 2 minutes passed before she felt the knot build back up.

“matt, fuck. i'm gonna-“

“i know. come on. you can do it, baby.” he placed a gentle kiss on her nose as she came all over his fingers. he licked them clean very quickly.

“this isn’t fair.”

“what do you mean, princess?” matt raised an eyebrow.

“i’m completely naked and you still have clothes on.” she managed to get out with strangled breaths.

“you’re not entirely naked, since your bra is still on, but i'm willing to level the playing field.” he kissed the top of each of her breasts before making quick work to rid himself of his own clothing. y/n eagerly took her bra off and bit her lip as her eyes travelled down his body. she had heard many stories about his size but none of them seemed accurate. he was definitely larger than the legends said and easily the biggest she had ever seen in her life.

“jesus, matt.” she continued to chew on her bottom lip as she took him in her hands. she began to pump him slowly, almost like she was teasing him. the precum leaked from the tip slowly and matt watched as y/n expertly moved her hand up and down. he was not able to last very long.

“y/n, i'm about to-“

“i know. come on, baby. let it go.” y/n looked up at him and bit her lip as he came in her hand.

“fuck, that was hot.”

“i’m not even finished.” she repeated his words from earlier and before he could even ask what she meant she was taking him in her mouth.

“oh god!” matt threw his head back and propped himself on his elbows so he could see exactly what she was doing. “wow. you’re doing such a good job at taking all of me. holy fuck.” he closed his eyes and without warning, he was unloading into her mouth. the sight of her swallowing it all was enough to make him come again but he knew better. he wanted to last as long as possible for her. he wanted the experience to be just as pleasurable for her as it was for him.

y/n placed a kiss on his tip and stood up. matt grabbed her waist and positioned her on his lap. before anything went further, he looked at her.

“are you sure about this?”

“yes absolutely. wouldn't have it any other way, matty.” she kissed him deeply and without breaking the kiss, he flipped them over so she was laying on his bed. he hovered over her and gave her another look, silently asking if it was okay, to which she nodded. matt lined himself up with her entrance and started moving slowly. he took note of the way y/n winced so he stopped for a second. “okay. you can move now.”

matt kissed her gently as he began to move at a faster pace than he ever had before. the way their bodies moved together so perfectly sent chills down their spines, but in a good way.

his thrusts were powerful and addictive and y/n dug her nails into his back, moving them up and down his back with every movement he made.

the sounds coming from their mouths were crazy.

matt began to slow his pace and his thrusts became sloppy, signaling that he was close. y/n was close as well, digging her nails in further and locking her legs behind his back.

“do you want me to pull out?” he asked timidly.

“no. need you to fill me up, matt.” y/n kissed his neck, making sure to prolong the orgasm. he released inside her at the same time she finished too. as matt pulled out of her slowly, he placed a kiss to her neck and grabbed a towel from his bedside table to clean up their mess. he also noticed that he left both of her boobs untouched the entire time.

“oh my. how could i forget to give you any attention?” he chuckled and placed a gentle kiss to each nipple. y/n looked down at him with most loved up look she had ever given anyone. “you doing alright, y/n?”

“i am doing absolutely perfect. thank you for asking.” y/n grabbed her clothes and placed them neatly in a pile on the floor before grabbing some of matt’s clothes and putting them on. she crawled into bed and matt joined her seconds later, throwing his arm around her and holding her close.

“fuck, that was the hottest thing i've ever seen in my life. easily the best sex of my life.” matt chuckled, his breath still a little shaky. “how about you? how are you feeling?” y/n looked up at him and grinned.

“well, lucky for you, i have nothing to compare the sex to so clearly it was the best of my life too. as for the other things, you’ll be happy to know you beat chris.”

“oh, really?” matt grinned smugly.

“yup. a landslide victory. one for the record books. gold medal performance.” y/n giggled as matt began attacking her with kisses.

“i'm so in love with you.” he stared at her face and couldn’t help himself as he placed a soft kiss on her neck. “so so in love with you.”

“i know. and i'm so so in love with you too, matty.” y/n whispered, causing matt to sit up straight with her still in his arms. he looked like he was suddenly deep in thought. “what’s going on in that pretty little mind, huh?”

“just thinking of how we can now have sex whenever we want now.”

“so, you have sex with me once and think you’re going to be the only one now?”

“oh i better be.” matt sounded offended but when he looked down at y/n’s face and saw her smiling, he started to laugh. “don’t say shit like that. are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“of course not.” y/n smirked. “i love you, dummy. why would i want to have sex with anyone else?”

“i'm glad i'm the only one.” he kissed her head. “i am the only one, right? like, you’re completely done your thing with chris?”

“yes. it's over between me and chris. now it’s just you and me.”

“thank god.” he smirked and leaned in to kiss her. y/n slowly climbed onto his lap and wrapped her around his neck, deepening the kiss. “you up for a round 2?”

“with you or chris?” y/n smirked playfully and kissed him passionately when he rolled his eyes. how could he think for even a second that she would want to sleep with anyone else? she was glad he could take a joke and she would forever be grateful for the way he loved her.

taglist: @worldlxvlys @carolinalikesthings

[zwolfgames]

The Creché is super safe, right Lae'zel?

(Yo guys, been a while but that's because uni is kicking my aft :3. Here's more BG3)

Warnings: mentions of yandere stuff ig

Other parts: Begin, Goblin camp,

(3rd person POV)

Well, that goodbye party with the thieflings from the grove had been great.

Astatrion had snuck you some wine while no-one was looking since you told him you never had any. Worst idea a two hundered year old could possibly have but who are you to judge?

Halsin had decided to stick by your group as he had some buisiness to take care of in the shadow cursed lands... And he just met such a cute little cub like you, surely these weirdo's you're travelling with aren't keeping you out of harms way, as a responsible and wise druid he must step up to protect you!

This change in the team hadn't gone unnoticed by any of your compagnions, Lae'zel no longer found herself able to walk close to you on the way to the shadow cursed lands, as did many others notice that they weren't having as much time with you either since that new big elf guy was hogging you the whole time to teach you about plants!

You were focussing ahead as you had all stepped onto a lift, bringing you to a lower part of the mountain pass. From the moment you had all found Githyanki remains, Lae'zel started insisting that you must all go to the creché...

It's sweet to think she beliefs they'd help any of you... but your hopes were low, as your mother had described.. usual Gith were very cruel creatures, not only to themelves but to outsiders aswell.

"Are you sure about this? We can't exactly fight a whole bundle of gith on our own." Karlach bites her lip as she hesitantly speaks to Lae'zel about her worries.

"They will not harm us as long as you all stay by me." Lae'zel tsks and keeps walking up front.

"Karlach has a point, we do have a kid with us." Wyll adds.

"Teen." You correct with a face that should get the message over that you're done repeating that.

"You think they'd harm our youngling?" Lae'zel growls in offence.

"Yes? Y/N's not exactly the same species..." Wyll nods.

"What if we just all paint ourselves green?" Gale adds with a mocking tone.

"Shut up before you anger her." Shadowheart hisses and nudges Gale in the ribs.

The wizard let's out a little 'ow' as everyone marches on.

You all arrive at the door as two Githyanki guards asses your group, weapons unsheated. If you weren't confident in the fact that these people care about you enough to jump in the way if you were to be attacked you might have been nervous.

"State your purpose." One of the guards demands Lae'zel with a sneer.

You zone out as she starts telling that same story about how you all got kidnapped by mindflayers and infected and bla bla bla...

They eventually let you all in, apparently Lae'zel had a charm to her you wouldn't have ever noticed by the way she smooth talked you all into the creché.

"Behave, we must get cleansed by the Zaith-isk..." Lae'zel explains shortly.

"I call shots." You raise your hand.

"You will not be going first. I say we let the vampire do it." Shadowheart huffs.

"Excuse me? Let these Gith poke around in my brains? Defenitly not! I'd lose all my charm." Astarion huffs in offence.

"I will go first, it is my right." Lae'zel states clearly. No one seems to object so thats all fine.

You take a step back as Lae'zel lays down in the strange looking Gith apperature. The machine doesn't move before the scientist of the local Creché flips a brass lever, making the machiene whir to life.

It looks a bit too roganic for your liking, not exactly a machiene if it's got organic parts.. is it?

As the Zaith-isk started doing.. whatever the hell this is, you and your party stared in concern as Lae'zel started screaming.

Yea that... can't be good.. And no ones doing anything but staring.

Seriously, do you have to do everything here? That machiene obviously wasn't going to let Lae'zel out alive.

You snatched the crossbow off of Wyll's back and took aim, clicking the string into place before lodging an arrow into a nook between the plating and the delicate wiring inside of this strange contraption.

The Zaith-isk sparked and rumbled before it partially exploded and pushed Lae'zel out.

Your gith compagnion looked stunned and angered.

The question was, was she going after your head or the scientists'?

"You- Why did you do that!? I was getting cleansed!" Lae'zek seethes. looking ready to strangke you if it weren't for the annoyance of a protective instict that you've brought up in her in this journey.

"Frying you alive you mean? Yea, thank the kid instead." Astarion scoffs with an added tsk.

Lae'zel then turned to the Githyanki scientist, looking infuriated.

"You were planning for me to die?" She growls, sharp teeth bared.

You hide a bit behind Wyll as Lae'zel raises her sword.

The other Gith starts yelling for reinforcements and you stiffen in slight nervousness. A whole camp of Gith is... a challange.

"I think we're screwed." You whisper to no one in particular.

"No, no we have this.. uhm.. do you remember that spell I taught you, Y/N?" Gale whispers back, putting a hand on your shoulder.

"Uh.. no." You shake your head. The wizards sigh in dissapointment.

"The one with the hail?" Gale tries again.

"Oh, yea. I do know that one." You nod now.

"Good, now, just keep the hail at the entrance of the door as long as possible, so that everyone that runs in slips and falls, ok? We will take them out." Gale tries to smile. What an ass of a plan. As if Gith are that prone to slipping.

But whatever, Gale knows exactly what he's doing, doesn't he?

...

"On your left!" Karlach shouts in fear as she sees a spell fly your way.

You look to your right like world's most incompetent child and get hit square on the chest with some random pshycic spell.

It flings you back right into a diffrent Gith soldier who growls and raises his sword.

You freeze him with your hands as you yelp in pain from the impact.

Gale's plan had only worked for about the first two soldiers that ran in before they realized they just had to shuffle in instead of run.

And now you're all fighting for dear life.

Karlach bashed the head in of the Gith you just froze. You let out a shudder at the blood that splashed on you.

This room was a damm bloodbath.

And that annoying voice in your head didn't stop shouting about the tadpole's you had to pocket before they got smashed.

Seriously, as if you cared!

All in all, it was chaos.

Not an alignment you were that comfrotable with.

You suddenly felt yourself getting scooped up. Debating between panic and rationality you decided to look behind you as to who had the audacity to pick you up. And ofcourse it's Halsin-

And why is he sprinting out with you?! The fighting isn't over!

You struggle in the elfs grip but he doesnt let up before he's made it outside. All the Gith were busy with your group.. so they didn't seem to care about the two of you escaping. The singular guard that ran after you got vine trapped before halsin made it to the exit, so that seemed solved.

"Where are we going!? We can't just leave everyone behind." You frown as the tall elf keeps walking away from the Creché.

"Out of harms way, you have no place amongst battle." Halsin shakes his head.

"Hey, I saved you in battle along with the party back at the Goblin camp!" You protest.

"Wich as reckless, your compagnions clearly don't have your best intrest in mind." Halsin huffs as he takes you up to the ruin that used to be Lathanders temple. Sitting out between the vine grown stairs as he holds you in place by your shoulder so you don' run off.

Seriously, you don't like it when some people just decide things for you, that's something only your mother could do and you haven't seen her since... since the mindflayers got you.

"Calm down, maybe they'll be fine." Halsin reassures reluctantly. You didn't really like how he seemed to not even want them to come back.

Why is everyone behaving so weirdly. Just a few days ago everyone was just jokingly insulting eachother...

You sit there with a defeated face while waiting for something to happen.

Eh, they have Karlach, should be fine.

You just keep telling yourself that.

After what felt like an eternity, the rest of the party finally comes out of the Creché, bloody and exhausted.

You stand up to yell to them that you're over here, what goes unnoticed to you is that Halsin almost reached out to shut you up.

You call out to them with a wave and their tense faces soften.

The party gets reunited again and Shadowheart starts looking you over fr injuries while the rest has a mixed opinion of Halsin taking you away from the fight.

To each their own opinion...

Atleast you got a healing potion. Good stuff, you should learn how to make that.

Before things go south..

Well, its been very long OmO. Not good I know, but I'm in university now and interior architecture is no joke apparently. Haven't gone a day without homework. Actually finishing this the day before my art history exam. (I am so gonna fail).

Hope you guys still enjoyed this! Next up would be the shadow cursed lands etc. But if you have any asks I'd love to answer those too!

ZWolfGames out ;3

[yoyowrites]

shen jiu coming across lou binghe when he's out on a mission.

shen jiu is eating sat outside a shop when he spots him. he sees a small binghe begging. he's bad at it. he's smiling and shy and avoiding the best customers. there's no way he'd be able to make any profit. shen jiu considers ignoring him. he some extra coins to spare but he didn't owe him anything.

shen jiu finishes his meal and leaves his bill. he marches right up to the kid, nearly hitting an older couple that was pointedly avoiding looking in the boys direction. shen jiu drops a few coins in the jar, staring cooly at the boy. unfazed, binghe offers a bright smile. up close it was clear how tired the child is

shen jiu lets out a groan. he grabs the child's sleeve and begins dragging him. the child starts to protest but shen jiu glares and shows a pouch of money. it shuts the child up but he's still tense.

"sit, stay," shen jiu commands walking inside the shop and places an order of soup. when he returns the child is stiff but in the same place he'd left him. he sits in front of him.

they stay silent. shen jiu looks over the boy's form. he's thin, not obviously malnourished but who knows the last time he had a good meal. "name?"

the boy didn't respond.

"you have problems hearing?" shen jiu raises a brow.

"is my name needed for what you're going to do to me?"

shen jiu scoffs. "i'm not doing a thing to you other than giving you a meal."

he recieved a speculative look. "...lou binghe."

shen jiu didn't recognize the name. "and is lou binghe an orphan?"

"no," binghe gave a disgusted look that was gone as quickly as it came. he composed himself. "i have a mother."

shen jiu nodded. "but she's sick? she certaintly is not aware of her your boy doing this?"

"my mother," binghe pauses. "is doing her best."

"but it's not enough," shen jiu tapped the table.

binghe glared. shen jiu glared back.

"you're not very good at begging."

"and the honorable cultivator is?" binghe bit out.

then, the shop owner brought out some soup. they nearly set it in front of shen jiu but he gestured for it to be given to the boy. lou binghe began eating without reserve

"i was very good," shen jiu says. "i'll give you some tips."

lou binghe stares suspiciously but shen jiu spares it no mind.

"first," shen jiu began. "if a strange man tries to take you anywhere don't follow. two, if he offers you food, don't take it,"

binghe looked comical then, eyes wide, and cheeks filled with food. shen jiu nearly chuckled.

"anyone could tamper with food. then what are you left with? if a man approaches you, trying to lead you away, you run," shen jiu leaned foward, emphasizing his point. he waits until lou binghe nods to lean back. "next, always let someone know where you are..."

like that, shen jiu imparts his wisdom to the boy. the best time, best places, best ways to beg and to keep himself safe. it's widely out of character for him. yet, he can't help but think of himself, of yue qingyuan, and their bitter situation. of those holier than thou cultivators that preached peace and chivalry and the importance of protecting the weak, only to ignore those in unappealing situations. the sun was setting when they finished their talk.

"listen, kid-"

"why ask for my name just to refer to me as kid?"

"so mouthy," shen jiu frowned. "you sure have gotten comfortable quickly binghe."

"does the esteemed cultivator wish for me to be more formal?"

"lou binghe doesn't need to bother," shen jiu shakes his head. "we likely will not be meeting again. however, if you are ever in dire need. go to the Daisy's and give them this."

binghe was slightly mortified as shen jiu offered him an odd looking coin. "a brothel?"

"relax, they'll keep you safe. safer than with any of these dogs that call themselves men atleast, and they'll contact me."

"and you'll help me?"

"this one is a cultivator," shen jiu spreads out his fan to cover most of his face. "why wouldn't I be able to help you?"

binghe opened his mouth, then shut it again. he took the coin and nodded.

"it's only if you have nothing else. don't think i will show up just for the whims of a boy."

with that shen jiu stood and walked away. he didn't look behind just strolled out of the shop. he was late enough that he could hear the jabs the others would say of him. he doesn't expect to hear from the boy again. weeks pass and he's mostly able to put lou binghe out of his mind. between the terrible liu qingge, the always apologetic yue qingyuan, and his own misfailings, he didn't have time to worry abut anyone else.

then, early one morning, a disciple from another peak stops him. he looks uncomfortable and holds out a letter for shen jiu. "at least have the decency to not drag the rest of us down with your perversion."

shen jiu felt hot rage build inside him. but he took the letter before reacting. they wouldn't be contacting him if it weren't important. blood rushed out of his face as his eyes scanned the note. he left the unruly disciple with no comment.

shen jiu didn't return until nightfall. the peak was buzzing with rumors and talk. people awaited with bated breath to see what he'd done this time.

that night, shen jiu returns carrying a young boy, no older than ten, wrapped in a blanket and tightly holding on to shen jiu's robe. he paid the crowed no attention, only stopping before a befuddled mu qingfan.

"well," shen jiu says expectantly. "are you not a doctor? can you not tell when a patient needs help?"

that causes mu qingfan to jump to action. he reaches his arm as if to take lou binghe from shen jiu but one icy look stops him.

"he wouldn't let you carry him even if you tried. just lead the way mu- shidi."

[solarsa1nt]

𐚁֙࿐ SELFISH

inumaki toge x fem!reader

Tags — angst & fluff , happy ending , unrequited love turned requited , slight yuuji x inumaki? not really but reader interprets it that way , jealously

Notes — none

Y/N knew.

Well, obviously, she's been at least somewhat aware from the beginning. It's not like Inumaki was ever all that subtle with the feelings he harbored towards her.

She just didn't know how to react, it's not like she's a very likable person— she's an okay friend at best, but she's plenty aware that romantically, she's far from what someone wishes from a partner.

"...Ah?" Y/N mumbles as she stares at Inumaki, blinking slowly as she attempts to process the confession that left his lips.

It's rare that Inumaki speaks— most words being either an order towards a cursed spirit or, more commonly, the onigiri ingredients he uses to communicate with others.

She never thought she would hear a confession of all things from his voice.

Of course, Y/N's known since near the beginning of his crush— but that's all she thought it was, a crush. Something minor that'll go away in a few weeks, at most a month.

Maybe she should've grown concerned when nearly a year has passed and he remained unrelenting about his affections.

Even so, Y/N never thought she would have to worry about being confessed to— assuming that the cursed speech user couldn't, not even considering the fact that the words wouldn't be perceived as a command.

Maybe she shouldn't have left his feelings without a comment, maybe she shouldn't have given them the chance to grow, maybe she should've stopped this before it all started.

Yet, Y/N knew that no matter what she did, she couldn't change her past choices— no matter how regrettable they were.

"I'm... sorry." Y/N struggles a brief moment, the words feeling odd in her mouth yet soon continues on— knowing that she at least owes Inumaki this much. "I don't return your feelings."

"I, uh," Y/N glances away, the heavy feeling in her chest expanding, enveloping her lungs as her throat tightens. "I hope this won't affect anything with us being friends... nor anything with the other second years."

"Sorry, Inumaki."

━━━━

At first, Y/N didn't think it would change much.

It's not like she particularly cared whether or not the feelings Inumaki held for her were romantic or not.

Yet, as the boy's lingering touches started to fade away, the extra time they spent together dwindling till it was no more than the time she would spend with Maki or Panda, Y/N felt something almost hollow in her chest.

She knows that her being upset over him not even attempting to earn her love was disgustingly selfish— especially when she couldn't even bother to attempt to reciprocate.

Yet Y/N missed it. She missed their late night conversations after everyone else was already long asleep, she missed the way his gaze would stare at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, she missed feeling like she was his person.

She does her best to ignore the repulsive thoughts that seep into the crevices of her mind.

Instead, she offers a carefree laugh and a jokingly dismissive wave of her hand to Maki. "Some stuff happened on my latest mission, but it's nothing major. Sorry if I've been more sulky lately."

"But it's great to know that the Zen'in Maki cares enough to notice." Y/N adds with a teasing look thrown the girl's way.

"Don't call me with my family name." Maki replies irritably, glaring back at Y/N with no real malice other than traces of mild annoyance.

Y/N glances over to the side out of the corner of her eye— a barely noticeable action that not even Maki seemed to catch.

Inumaki was still staring down at his phone, typing whatever it is without a singular glance her way.

Y/N looks forward again, ignoring the self-centered thoughts once again attempting to flood her brain.

It's fine, Y/N convinces herself, it's not like she deserves his love at the end of the day— not when she can't even be considerate enough to reciprocate.

Despite herself, the thoughts don't do much to even slightly convince Y/N.

━━━━

Inumaki has been spending more time around the newest first year— Itadori Yuuji.

Now, don't get her wrong, Y/N doesn't have anything against the guy, he's sweet and empathetic and everything she's not.

But that seems to be what's causing her irritation.

Itadori is so disgustingly kind, so considerate to others even if their words are harsh and cruel. His desire to save as many people as humanely possible— no matter who they are or what they've done —is thoroughly selfless.

He's nothing like Y/N.

Despite that, Inumaki seems to be spending more and more time with him as the days go past.

Did he really get over her that fast? Y/N wonders, and the thought should bring her some sort of relief— she should be happy that he was able to move on and be with someone who can reciprocate his feelings.

Yet all it does it leave a bitter taste on her tongue.

Y/N groans into the silence of her room, dragging a hand down her face as she stares up at the ceiling with an irked expression.

Why does she care so much?

The question hangs over her as she droops her eyes shut, attempting to ignore her irritation as the same scenes play in her head over and over again— of Inumaki and Itadori training together, hanging out, doing all the things that he used to do with her.

With a sigh of thinly veiled annoyance, Y/N opens her eyes again, glaring into the ceiling as if doing so would erase the memories ingrained into her.

Deep down, she vaguely recognizes that this isn't normal— she shouldn't be so worked up over someone who she rejected moving on with his feelings and finding someone else.

Still, the image of Inumaki and Itadori together...

With another sigh, Y/N turns onto her stomach and buries her head in her pillow, clinging onto it tightly as she presses her skin against the soft warmth of the fabric.

Getting so worked up over some guy.. ugh, how far has she fallen? Acting like some lovesick schoolgirl—

Lovesick? Y/N echoes the word in her head— eyes widening at her stray thoughts as she sits up abruptly, pillow held tightly in her hands over her lap.

Lovesick... Love? Is she—

━━━━

E/C eyes flicker around the hallway, pouring in through the open windows as it casts an orange hue over the wooden floors and walls, the sun slowly disappearing behind the trees.

Where is he? Y/N wonders, turning around another corner as she vaguely wonders if she should just give up and try again later—

Y/N blinks as her eyes land on Inumaki, he didn't seem to take note of her yet, looking down at his phone as he stands by one of the windows, leaning against the frame with his upper body just slightly leaning out.

Just for a moment, Y/N hesitates, wondering if she truly has any right to tell him.

But still, at the same time, Y/N was selfish.

Even when in denial over her own feelings, she wasn't willing to lose Inumaki entirely yet still played oblivious to the way he felt about her, even when he made it painfully obvious.

"Inumaki." Y/N calls, evening out her tone into a casual one as she leans against the windowsill next to him.

Inumaki blinks, looking up at her with a look of surprise, but soon recovers as he returns her greeting. "Konbu."

After the short greeting, he leans back, about to turn and walk away—

Y/N grabs his hand in a sudden grip, surprising bother Inumaki and herself at the desperation in her actions.

"I, uh..." Y/N's words die in her throat, struggling as she looks down— feeling purple eyes stare down at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry." Y/N blurts out, vaguely wishing she had planned what she was going to say before hand. "When I rejected you I wasn't..."

"Takana?" Inumaki asks with a concerned lilt to his voice, his gaze never straying off of her for even a second.

Guiltily, she realizes she feels a surge of enjoyment at his attention being turned back to her— only her.

"I like you." Y/N confesses before she can think better of it. "A lot. I didn't... I didn't realize, but after you confessed I just..."

"I'm sorry." Y/N adds, letting go of his hand so quickly as if it had burned her— pulling it back to her chest as her gaze remains away from him, not being able to bear seeing whatever expression was on his face.

"I get it's way too late, and I'm glad you're happy with Itadori, I just needed to—"

A pair of lips meet her, eyes blowing wide open as her gaze shifts up to meet Inumaki's— him pulling away a moment later.

The kiss was soft, far from Y/N's first, yet so much gentler than any of her previous ones.

Y/N stares at Inumaki in surprise, a hand hovering over her lips as she tries to process what just happened.

"Okaka." Inumaki says, pointing to the part just under his eyes— where Itadori's second set is —before shaking his head.

"You and Itadori aren't...?" Y/N trails off, the unfinished question making her eyes widen with relief seeping into her.

"Shake." Inumaki replies, putting his forehead against hers as she makes an 'oh' sound.

A small smile melts onto her lips at the confirmation, shoulders relaxing as she looks up at Inumaki. Something so genuinely fond in his eyes that it almost makes Y/N concerned if she can match it.

To keep this— whatever's going on between them —she thinks, hopes she can.

© 𝓢OLARSAINT 2024 ─── all of my works belong me alone! do not copy, steal, plagiarize, or spread any of my works in any other social media platform. these have only been reloaded on my own accounts on ao3 and wattpad

[rivvyribbons]

can you do seperate headcanons first qiu and tam with a masc reader who gets injured quite easily? (step 1 or 2 doesnt matter :)) kind of like the talk qiu has with mc in the prologue if they have bandages on?

thank you and have a wonderful day / night

Tamarack and Qiu with an easily injured masc reader ! Set during step 1 !

A/N at the bottom <3

QIU

-> Qiu is, to say the least, always worried.

-> Even with his ‘cool and laidback’ demeanor, his worry manages to slip through.

-> There are times where he pulls you aside and asks if you're really okay.

-> Every time, you reassure him that you are. Takes a while for him to believe, but as always, his trust for you triumphs over his worry.

-> He always gets this relieved look whenever you reassure him. He's just glad that you're okay.

-> When all of you are on wheels, you always get a scratch or two.

-> He is immediately protective, always volunteering to be the one to patch you up.

-> Obviously, Qiu isn't happy that you're hurt, but he is happy that he managed to convince you to ride with him on his bike.

-> Mostly because your safe, but also because the feeling of you against his back is.. nice.

-> If you break your arm, he will not let you carry anything.

-> “Qiu, it's fine. I only broke my right arm, I can still carry my bag with my left.” “Too late. You were too slow to grab it.”

-> He backs off if it makes you feel belittled, but he's immediately there if you ask for his help.

-> Same thing if you break your leg! He's a considerate kid, after all.

-> “Guys, make some space for MC, he's injured!”

-> He's struggling a little with trying to please everyone and trying to make sure to pay extra attention to you, but he cares. He cares a lot.

“And then after that, I dec-” Qiu was quickly cut off by the sound of your head hitting the ceiling of his hideout.

You winced. Ow.

Immediately, Qiu is at your side. His hands hovered around you, wanting to help but not knowing how.

It was a little funny to see the guy who always knew what to do being a little dumbfounded.

But you didn't like seeing him worried.

“I'm fine, Qiu. I swear.” You said, touching your head. “Well. I might be bleeding a little, but I'm used to it!”

Qiu looked at you, worried. “I think that's worse. You see how that's worse, right?”

You pointedly ignored that.

“C'mon, lets go down.” Qiu said. “My mom will check if you're injured.”

TAMARACK

-> The band-aids that Qiu patches you up with? They came from Tamarack’s bag.

-> She makes sure to pay attention if you like the Hello Kitty bandaids more than the Spiderman bandaids, or vice versa.

-> After you're all patched up, she always kisses it better, no matter what.

-> It helps, surprisingly!

-> You get injured a lot trying to impress Tamarack and Qiu. While this makes Qiu worried, this makes Tamarack inspired.

-> She thinks you're the bravest boy on earth!

-> “You're so cool, MC! That was so awesome to see!” She says, a few minutes after you fell on your face while attempting to do a trick on Qiu’s bike.

-> This girl looks at you like you hung the stars, alright?

-> But she does worry. Sometimes you get injured infront of her, and if she thinks it's her fault, then she's immediately begging on her knees for your forgiveness.

-> “I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were there!”

-> You better hug this girl with all your might.

-> She always steals some candy from her house so she could give it to you when you're hurt.

-> Sometimes you feel like you're being given a lollipop from a doctor. Dr. Tamarack wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Tamarack leaned in, giving a small kiss to the cartoony bandaid just placed on your right knee.

“There! It should feel better by now.” She said, a smile on her face. Somehow, you were smiling too.

“It does feel better.” You said, fondly. “I don't know how you do it, Tama.”

“I don't know how either!” She giggled, as if she revealed her deepest secret. “My omi does that to me sometimes, so I thought it would work!”

“Oh. Does your omi also give you these bandages?” You picked at the corner of the bandaid. Tamarack gently guided your hands away, a determined look on her face.

“Oh, no! I just figured, since you get injured a lot, I went ahead and bought some bandages at the pharmacy!”

“All by yourself?”

“Yeah.” she leaned in to whisper. “I can't have omi and opa going out to buy stuff for me. I can do it myself perfectly fine!”

Before you can say anything about that, she cut you off.

“Oh,” she searched through her bag, and after seconds of what seemed to be aimless ruffling, she held out her palm.

A small piece of wrapped candy was placed on it.

“Here, you deserve it for being a very brave boy!”

A/N: SORRRY FOR TAKING SO LONG ANON!!! was originally going to play the game againvut add bandages to my mc so i could see what would happen but unfortunately time itself hates me

so, i just based this off of my perception of their characters! qiu cares for everyone, but he especially cares for you, so he worries a lot. tama is an independent girl, who probably knows how to patch up small wounds. she doesnt worry as much, but she does tend to ur wounds!!

as always, this is author rivs, bye bye gay people in my phone!!!

[lonerwolff]

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 ⌇𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑤𝑠

you can also read this story on @lonerwolff on wp !

warnings: mentions of injury and blood

chapter 2: What the heck Tai?!

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THE TEAM was doing their warm-ups. Stretching, cracking their joints, and jogging. Daisy stretched her arms above her head, then let them drop to her sides as Coach Scott's whistle pierced the air. "Alright, bring it in. Take a knee, ladies."

The girls quickly gathered in a loose circle around him, dropping onto one knee.

"What's up, state champs?" he said, clapping his hands together. Making Daisy and a few other girls cheer. "Okay, so JV is gonna help us out with a little scrimmage today. Uh, Coach Martinez had to take care of a family thing, so JV, you're gonna grab a pinny from Misty, and let's get started!"

"Uh, excuse me, Coach Scott?" Laura Lee raised her hand. "Shouldn't we say a prayer first?"

A few groans and eye rolls echoed through the group. Daisy looked around and noticed some of the girls exchanging annoyed expressions. She felt bad for her friend; she didn't deserve to be treated badly by them. Actually, by no one.

Daisy looked over at Laura Lee, who stood firm despite the obvious annoyance from the rest of the team. She admired that about her— how she never let other people's opinions shake her faith.

The two of them had been close ever since they realized they shared something in common— church. Or something that they once shared, at least. Daisy wished that her faith was still as strong as Laura Lee's; she wished that her parents didn't have to keep an eye on her to make sure that she would remain faithful to the religion and that she could spontaneously choose to go to church.

Daisy's family expected her to go, but Laura Lee wanted to be there.

Obviously, every Sunday morning, while most of their teammates were probably sleeping in or recovering from a party, Daisy and Laura Lee sat side by side in the pews. Desirèe could probably have skipped it if she wanted to, but the truth is that she didn't want to leave her friend alone. Not that Laura Lee would feel sad to be alone at church, she knew she wouldn't be. But still, a part of her didn't want to disappoint the people around her.

Even if she hadn't the same devotion as the other blonde, she still found comfort in the familiar routine. In the quiet moments when she could pray, when everything else faded away, and it was just her and her thoughts.

Coach Scott hesitated, shifting his weight. "Uhh...it's just a scrimmage, Laura Lee." But Laura Lee didn't back down. Instead, she turned her head slightly, locking eyes with the blonde beside her.

Daisy opened her mouth, not knowing what to say. It was a simple and subtle plea. Laura Lee didn't say anything, but her look obviously begged her to do so. She sighed but didn't hesitate. "Well, a small prayer won't hurt," she smiled up at the coach.

Coach Scott sighed, already looking like he regretted allowing the discussion to continue. But he agreed with a nod. "Sure. Yeah, knock yourself out." Laura Lee beamed, pressing her hands together. Daisy followed suit, closing her eyes as she intertwined her fingers.

"Heavenly Father, let our efforts be fruitful, so that we may perform in ways glorious to You. Guide our feet, steady our hands, and let us play with both strength and grace. In Your name we pray. Amen."

Daisy murmured an "Amen", along with a few others. while others clapped their hands together before quickly rising to their feet.

Desirèe opened her eyes and glanced at the girl on her side, who gave her a grateful smile. Daisy smiled back before dusting off her knees and standing up. She nudged her shoulder playfully. "You owe me for that one."

Laura Lee grinned. "I'll pray for you extra on Sunday." The other blonde chuckled, shaking her head before jogging toward Jackie, who was adjusting her scrunchie.

"I still have no idea why she insists on praying before every game," Jackie muttered under her breath.

Daisy shrugged. "It gives her peace of mind."

Jackie rolled her eyes but didn't argue further as she tugged on her socks.

Daisy may not have known exactly where she stood with faith, but she knew one thing: Laura Lee was one of the best people she'd ever met. And no matter what anyone else thought, she'd always have her back.

The whistle blew again, signaling the start of the game.

NATALIE SPRINTED FORWARD almost instantly, slipping through the defenders and sending the ball to Allie. Daisy watched intently, noticing the tightness in the younger girl's shoulders.

Panic washed over her face as the defense closed in, and in her rush to react, she sent a reckless, uncontrolled pass straight out of bounds.

Coach Scott blew his whistle sharply. "Come on, Allie! That should've been yours." His tone was sharp, and Allie flinched, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Daisy frowned. She hated moments like this—when someone would mess up, and instead of being reassured, they were put on the spot.

Taissa jogged up to Coach Scott, muttering something under her breath. Whatever it was, he nodded, and Tai turned, jogging towards one of the JV's. She exchanged a few words with the girl, then pulled a red pinny over her jersey.

Jackie nudged the blonde. "What the fuck is Tai doing?" Jackie muttered.

Daisy shook her head, eyes narrowing slightly. "I have no idea...But something bad is gonna happen," she watched as Taissa moved into position on the other team.

Coach Scott's voice cut through the confusion. "Alright, let's go, Varsity! Taissa wants to see you step it up, and quite frankly, that makes two of us."

Daisy shared another glance with Jackie, both of them confused. Whatever Tai was planning, it wasn't anything good, for sure. she could feel it in her guts.

The whistle blew again.

Daisy ran across the field, keeping up with the pace of the game, but her eyes kept flicking to where Taissa and Allie were running side by side. She saw Tai nudge closer than necessary, her shoulder pressing into Allie's, forcing her slightly off balance.

"What-" The freshman's voice wavered.

"This is the game," Taissa said, voice firm, leaving no room for argument. "Step it up."

Daisy frowned, and she quickly adjusted her pace, running up beside Allie as Taissa jogged away. "You okay?"

Allie nodded quickly, forcing a smile, but Daisy could see through it. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Daisy wasn't convinced. The look in Allie's eyes told a different story.

She exhaled, glancing toward Taissa, who had made her way back to Shauna. The two were speaking in hushed voices. And when Daisy jogged toward them, they immediately stopped talking.

She narrowed her eyes but decided not to ask about their conversation; she instead crossed her arms. "Go easy on her," her tone firm but soft. "She's just a freshman."

Taissa barely glanced at her. "She's gonna have to learn to play under pressure," Tai replied simply, then turned on her heel.

Daisy stood frozen for a second, watching her go. She looked across the field, locking eyes with Jackie, who stood across the field, watching with the same uncertainty.

The team captain raised a brow, silently asking for answers, but the blonde could only shrug.

She didn't know what the hell was going on.

THE GAME CONTINUED. And Daisy sadly had to admit, whatever Taissa was doing, it was kind of working. Allie was definitely playing a lot better than before, But that feeling never left her, even when Daisy passed her the ball amd she neatly caught it. Her chest felt lighter for a second, filled with pride

and then Allie was on the ground.

Taissa's foot that had met Allie's ankle instead of the ball created a sickening crack that was louder than it should have been as the freshman rolled on the floor.

Daisy's breath caught in her throat as she stood frozen, watching as Allie clutched her leg, screaming. Then she snapped out of it when she saw the red dripping off of it.

"Allie!" Daisy snapped out of it and sprinted toward her. "What the heck, Tai?!" she glared, her heart pounding as she dropped to her knees beside Allie, trying to calm her down and keep her hands away from the injured leg. Tai took a step back, her face unreadable.

"It's okay, it's okay," she murmured, barely convincing herself, her own hands shaking. "Just breathe, okay?"

The older girl tightened her grip on Allie, trying to keep her still. The younger girl was sobbing, her hands shaking violently as she tried to reach for her leg. Daisy quickly caught her wrists.

"Allie, don't...don't touch it, okay?" She said urgently, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "Just breathe. Help is coming."

But no one was doing anything.

The team stood frozen, staring in shock at the gruesome sight in front of them. Even Coach Scott looked momentarily stunned, his mouth slightly open.

"Someone call an ambulance! Do something!" She shouted, her voice sharp enough to snap them out of their trance. "Now!"

Misty was the first to react, already rushing forward, a cloth clutched tightly in her hands. "I-I'll do it!" she said eagerly, dropping to her knees beside Daisy.

"Okay, apply pressure to stop the bleeding-" Out of nowhere, she pressed the cloth to her injury, making Allie scream even more at the contact.

Daisy furrowed her brows, turning to her just as more of the girls kneeled around the freshman, "Misty! Stop!" Daisy snapped.

"Misty, get the fuck out of the way!" Coach Scott shoved her aside, kneeling.

"We need an ambulance," Daisy tells him, her voice urgent, her throat dry from all the screaming she wasn't used to doing.

The coach nodded. "There's a phone in Bill's office."

Misty blinked. "You... you mean Coach Martinez?"

"Christ, yes! Go! Now!" The coach lost his patience. Misty immediately took off towards the school building.

The team got closer, murmuring reassurances as Allie continued to cry. Allie let out another pained whimper, and Daisy squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Allie, just hold on," she soothed, even though her own stomach churned at the sight of all the blood. And more importantly, the bone sticking out.

Taissa stood a few steps away, her face still unreadable. She hadn't moved since Daisy yelled at her. Daisy's anger grew as she stood up, carefully leaving the injured girl's side. "What the hell was that, Tai?!" She snapped, getting closer to the curly-haired girl, who looked surprised. "That wasn't just playing under pressure. You took ittoo far..." she whispered-yelled.

Taissa finally met her gaze, guilt obvious on her face, but she hid it with a calm expression. "She'll be fine," she said simply, but her voice trembling betrayed her.

Daisy raised her eyebrows, "fine? Her bone is sticking out of her freaking leg Tai!" She pointed to the girl laying on the ground in agony.

Taissa didn't respond. She didn't like to be yelled at—everyone knew that. She was always pretty defensive of herself, and if it would've been anyone other than Daisy yelling at her, she would've probably yelled back. But it was Desirèe, so she could only look down in remorse as she scolded her.

Plus, she knew that she had fucked up. It was her idea in the first place, so she had no else but herself to blame for her actions.

A few of the girls exchanged a glance, unsure whether to step in or let them conclude on their own. Lottie, who had been kneeling beside Allie, carefully caressing the younger girl's head, eventually looked up at the blonde's rising voice. Daisy rarely ever got mad, it took a lot to push her to this point. But right now? She looked pissed.

Normally, she would get into action only to defend her friends, and yeah sure, Allie wasn't her friend, they didn't even talked much—at allactually— but Daisy was mad that the team had just lost one of their players, and sure, Allie wasn't the best player on the team, but she was slowly getting better at it. But even if she wasn't that good at playing, it didnt give Taissa or anyone else, the authority to treat the young girl that way. She knew Taissa made a plan, and she also saw how the sweet, puppy eyed Shauna was involved.

Lottie caught Van's gaze from across the field. The redhead raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly in question. Lottie let out a quiet breath before she carefully shifted away from Allie, making sure one of the other girls had her, then rose to her feet, dusting some of the dirt off of her. Without a word, Van followed suit, both of them making their way toward the two friends. Jackie caught sight of them moving and quickly got to her feet as well. "Shit," she muttered under her breath, jogging over before things could escalate further.

Daisy's chest rose and fell sharply. "Do you even feel bad?" she demanded, her hazel eyes locked onto Taissa's in a way that made the other girl shift uncomfortably. Tai kept her gaze steady, but her look indifference was starting to falter. "I didn't mean for that to happen," she muttered, her voice quieter now, less certain.

"It surely looked like you did," The blonde commented.

Before Tai could respond, a firm but gentle hand landed on Daisy's arm. "Okay, let's calm down," Lottie said, her voice calm but firm. Daisy turned her head sharply at the contact, her frustration still burning beneath her skin, but Lottie's steady gaze softened her anger just a fraction.

Van moved between them, looking from Taissa to Daisy with her arms crossed. "Yeah let's not turn this into an episode of Jerry Springer, okay?" she joked, but it was obvious that she wasn't actually amused. The last thing the redhead wanted was her girlfriend and best friend to hate each other.

Daisy took a step back, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, her breath still coming a little fast. She wasn't even mad. It's not like she was about to throw hands or something, she was just a little pissed. And she had every right to be.

Taissa clenched her jaw, glancing away as if she couldn't bear to hold Daisy's gaze any longer. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was something else.

"Look, let's all take a breath," Jackie finally spoke up, stepping closer. "Tai, you fucked up. Big time." She shot her teammate a look before glancing at the blonde. "But screaming at each other isn't gonna magically fix Allie's leg."

Daisy exhaled sharply through her nose but didn't argue. She turned, glancing at the freshman still sobbing on the ground. The sight made her stomach twist all over again. Lottie gently squeezed Daisy's arm before letting go. "We need to focus on Allie right now," she said softly.

Daisy blinked, then sighed, looking down to play with a string of her blonde hair. Lottie was right. She hated that Lottie was right.

Taissa finally found her voice again. "I didn't mean to hurt her," she repeated, and this time, she actually sounded like she meant it. The blonde let out a slow breath, fiddling with her hands. "Yeah. I know." Her voice was quieter now.

Van gave a short nod, then clapped her hands together. "Cool. So no one's getting punched today." She turned her head, glancing over at the injured freshman, immediately looking away. "Now, can we all agree to never let Misty handle a medical emergency ever again?"

Jackie let out a breath that was almost a laugh. "Yeah, that was terrifying."

Even Daisy—despite her frustration— chuckled and nodded, letting out a quiet "yeah."

The sound of distant sirens filled the air.

Daisy exhaled, turning her attention back to Allie, jogging back to her, kneeling beside her. "You hear that?" she murmured softly, brushing damp hair from the girl's forehead. "Help's almost here, okay? Just hold on a little longer."

Allie's grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. Daisy squeezed it back giving her a reassuring smile.

Coach Scott suddenly yelled at the team. "Ambulance is on the way, give her some space!" The girls backed up slightly at his command. Daisy let out a breath as she got out of the freshman's grip. The paramedics pulled up to the field moments later, rushing towards them.

From behind her, Daisy could hear Van asking Tai, "You good?" Taissa didn't answer right away. Then, finally, she muttered, "Yeah."

Daisy simply by hearing her knew that she wasn't, and she was sure that Van, as her girlfriends, knew as well.

NO ONE SPOKE. No one even made eye contact. The only sounds were the rustling of clothes, the occasional clang of a locker door, and the faint buzz of fluorescent lights overhead.

Daisy sat beside Van, who looked like she was about to throw up. Her best friend had barely moved since they came in, her elbows resting on her knees, hands gripping her legs like she was holding herself together, apparently the only thing she could think about at that moment was Allie's injury.

Jackie, who had been pacing for what felt like forever, finally appeared from behind the lockers, scanning the room. Daisy wished she would just stop moving; watching her circle around like a restless animal was making her head spin.

Jackie took a deep breath. "I know we're all worried about Allie. But it might not be as bad as it looks."

Natalie scoffed, the first to break the silence. "You could see her fucking bones, Jackie," she looked her up and down. "I'm pretty sure it's exactly as bad as it looks."

"Oh, God. I'm gonna throw up," Van muttered, tightening her grip on her legs.

Daisy reached over, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "Deep breaths, V."

Jackie exhaled, glancing around at the uneasy faces of her teammates. "Okay, but, I mean... we're still a team. And we still have each other." Her voice wavered slightly, like even she wasn't sure she believed it.

"And the Lord works in mysterious ways," Laura Lee added.

A loud slam made everyone flinch. Natalie had slammed her locker shut.She turned, walking toward the door, while saying, "Nice work, Taissa."

Taissa inhaled sharply, dragging her hands down her face, but she didn't say anything.

Daisy stole a glance at her, watching as Tai kept her hands fixed on her face. Looking at the curly haired girl like that suddenly made her feel guilty for how she screamed at her earlier.

Silence settled over the room again. Daisy let out a breath, rubbing her temples. She glanced at Van, who was still looking nauseous, then at Taissa, who still hadn't moved.