#Team Jaime Flowers

[incorrectcfvg]

[rouxboo]

superstars ⭐

[knightofspades]

Happy Birthday Satoru Enishi!!

i call him both names so ummm... he gets full name status here LMAOOO

[its-time-to-write]

Omg I'm loving your response to my prompts!! thank you

I have a few ideas (You don't have to do them all) just throwing them out there to see what sparks ideas!!

I love secret admirer stories (I know its no where close to valentines day but still) maybe Reader is Rebecca's assistant and keeps getting gifts leading up to valentines day but she is pretty sure its like Sam or Isaac and tells friend Jaime (even though its really him) then the day of the grand finale and she comes to the lovely surprise of it being Jaime!

also if you could include Scarlett red roses in it for me (They are my favorite flower and the only flower I'm not allergic to)

So. I liked this one. Maybe too much? It might be the longest one I’ve written so far, so, uh, sorry about that. But I liked it a lot. It might be one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. Hope you enjoy. also the gif isn’t Jamie Tartt but it is Phil Dunster so hopefully that’s ok

honey, i’ll give you all my time

Good god, it’s February all ready. You have a love-hate relationship with the month; love, because Galentine’s Day and hate because Valentine’s Day. You and your friends would go out on February 15th to get discount chocolate from the shops, then return home for an ungodly amount of takeout and a movie. On the whole, you all preferred action movies with a good romance. 

You’re dreading Valentine’s Day because it’s when your boyfriend of two years held your hands in his, and told you he wanted to break up. 

That was a year ago. You’re mostly angry that he’s a dark stain on one of your favorite holidays. You’re absolutely determined not to let him ruin your enjoyment. 

This is also the first year you’re not with your friends. You moved away last March because you realized your ex had been holding you back in far too many ways. 

So. To recap. 

You’re alone. You love Valentine’s Day, despite it forever being the day of your breakup. Your friends aren’t here. You have new friends. There is no one to go to the shops with on the 15th. But discount chocolate is still discount chocolate. 

Your current job is as a personal assistant, something you excel at. You basically anticipate needs, meet them, and just generally make your employer’s life a whole lot easier. The application said the job required a lot of travel, but all expenses (minus some food) were covered. 

You were shocked when you got an interview, then a second, then a third, then were hired. 

Your boss is a woman named Rebecca Welton, and you’re half in love with her, but who isn’t, really?

You swear you’ve never been in such a healthy work environment. You mention it one day, early on, and she says it’s all thanks to their head coach, someone named Ted. 

You meet him for the first time later that day, and you understand. 

It’s impossible not to love him, because he has vision. He knows what he wants from his team, and he knows how to get it. 

He believes the team extends far beyond the players. 

He believes it extends to you, too. 

Ted and Coach Beard steal you from Rebecca as often as they can, claiming emergencies such as “a toxic amount of testosterone from all these boys,” “life-threatening boredom,” and last but not least, “there’s a new pun Ted absolutely needs to test right now and he won’t take no for an answer.”

(You like to give Ted honest feedback on his puns.) 

You also find yourself in their office when Rebecca is out for lunch, eating your respective sandwiches and swapping life stories. 

They remind you a lot of your parents.

It’s mid-June when you mention the Valentine’s Day story. 

It doesn’t hurt as much when it’s punctuated by Ted’s “he didn’ts” and Beard’s perfectly-timed gasps. 

You find yourself laughing halfway through, unable to stop. 

“And anyway,” you finish, cheeks painful from smiling so hard, “that’s why romantic love is a joke and I am drowning myself in platonic love forever.”

Ted and Beard share a look. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Beard says. 

You shoot him a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“Well sweetheart,” Ted says, “between the two of us collectively,” here points between him and Beard, “we know of at least three of the boys on the team who are madly in love with you.”

“What?” you gasp, “How did you- where did you- who??”

Ted zips his lips and Beard tips a finger to him. “We know of five if we count Rebecca’s intel.”

You’re sitting cross-legged on the edge of Beard’s desk, in shock. “Rebecca knows about this??”

Ted and Beard shrug in unison. “We all have our opinions on which one should shoot their shot, but that’s neither here nor there,” Ted says. 

“Coincidentally, it’s the one thing we unanimously agree on,” Beard nods. 

You’re cut off from saying anything by the door opening. One of the players stands in the doorway. 

“Excuse me, coach,” he says, accent thick. 

Ted motions in a you have the floor type of way, and the footballer turns to address you of all people. “We’re all goin’ out tonight, and Keeley sent me to invite the new girl. None of the lads have really met you yet, just seen you ‘round. Thought it might be good for team bonding, or something. I’m Jamie, by the way.”

“Oh,” you say, taken aback. “I guess- yeah, I guess I haven’t really met them. I mean, I see you guys around and stuff and I’m at your games, but I don’t really know you. Are you sure you want me to come?”

Jamie shrugs. “Coach is always on us about bein’ a team or some shit. And, havin’ a girl around makes the lads look good.”

You think that makes sense, and then find yourself agreeing to go out that night with a group of footballers you don’t know, and (thank god) Keeley Jones. 

You’re going to figure out which five before the summer’s over. 

—

You have nice time out with the lads. They go to a bar and cram into separate booths. You’re wedged in between two who have introduced themselves as Isaac and Dani, and across from Sam, Bumbercatch, and Jan Maas. Roy, Richard, and a few others you don’t know are milling about, and you see Jamie and Keeley at a table, surrounding by giggling girls. The sight is so absurd that you catch yourself smiling and turning back to whatever conspiracy Bumbercatch is telling you about now. 

—

You put Sam at the top of your list as soon as you get home. The man wears his heart on his sleeve, or maybe in his eyes, but you’re positive that he’s one of the five Ted and Beard referred to. One down, four to go. 

— 

It’s the end of July, and you begin to become friends with the team. You know for an absolute fact who is not interested in you, Jamie being one of them. Coincidentally, he’s the one you become closest to. You think it’s because you’re not worrying about sending mixed signals or leading him on. You dropped public hints about not really looking for anything romantic, just to be sure you wouldn’t hurt anyone. 

As it is, Jan Maas and Dani have made the list. Jan Maas, because he stifled his Dutch bluntness for you and Dani, because he openly declared he was madly in love with you in front of the whole team. 

—

Isaac makes the list in December. It had been in between him and Bumbercatch, but Isaac was the one who walked you to your car every night and the first one to say hello to you every morning. 

You’re not gonna lie, it was cute. 

You shared some of this with Ted and Beard, who remained impressively stone-faced. Rebecca proved to be equally impervious.

You shared all of it with your lunch-buddy-turned-work-bestie, Jamie. 

You ate with him because Rebecca was constantly in lunch meetings these days, and Ted, Beard, and Roy were always revamping their football strategies.

Jamie would plop down at your table and say, “What’s the news, Amy Hughes?” in his perfect Mancunian accent, and then listen/add commentary to whatever you had to say. 

You explained to him that the reason you wanted to know who liked you was so that you could be extra careful with their hearts. You knew what it was like to be led on, and you did NOT want to do that to someone else. 

Jamie nodded thoughtfully at that and then said, “We’re all footballers though, ain’t we? We get the shit end of the stick all the time, hearts broke by models and whatever. Even ends up in the fucking press. Everyone here’s has their heart broken before, and we all know you aren’t doing it on purpose.”

You wrinkle your nose at him. “I’m pretty sure it’s short end of the stick, Jamie.”

And thus begins your lunch hour of bickering. 

—

No one has made a move on you yet, and you don’t have a read on number five. You still think it may be Bumbercatch, but in reality, it slips from your mind. Sam’s moved on, Jan Maas has accepted defeat, Dani swears he will love you until the day he dies, and Isaac stays, well, Isaac. Still sweet. Still walking you to your car, coming round extra early in the morning with a coffee or a water, depending on which “looked less like shit.”

Really though, you don’t think about it until February first, when you walk into your office to a small box on your desk. 

At first, you think it’s a box of Ted’s biscuits. 

Then, you notice a small, scarlet-red rose taped to the top. There’s no note, and all that’s inside is a tiny paper heart. 

It’s folded with extreme care, and you place it on your shelf, smelling the rose. It smells amazing and you make a mental note to figure out where the heck it came from. But for now, it’s time to work. 

—

You don’t mention the gifts until February third, because now there’s been one a day. Each one with a scarlet red rose, and a different gift. Yesterday was an incredibly expensive bar of chocolate (it was life-changing) and today is a tiny gold bracelet.

It’s a simple enough chain, but it is absolutely breathtaking. There is no mistaking the fact that it is not cheap, so you take it and march straight to Rebecca’s office.  

“Rebecca,” you say, hands outstretched, “look.”

She does, smiles, then says, “It appears you have a secret admirer.”

“But I don’t want that!” you cry. “I don’t even have time for that! I don’t even like anybody right now!”

She peers at you over her glasses. “Don’t you?”

The sheer weight of those words is enough to physically knock you back two steps. 

You don’t, you swear you don’t, you’re absolutely sure. 

What about Vienna? a voice in the very back of your head nags.

You reply, out loud, “We don’t talk about Vienna,” and Rebecca just shrugs. 

“Have it your way,” she replies in a tone that means this conversation is over, but you’re the one ending it.

You turn on your heel and find yourself taking the route to Ted and Beard. 

You burst into their office in such a flurry that the entire room turns to look at you. “Close the door,” you say with such urgency, that Trent hurries to comply. Beard even shuts the blinds. 

“What’s on your mind, Ollie Cline?” Ted asks. 

“Wait,” you say, holding up a hand. You point to Roy. “Do you want to be here? It involves feelings.”

“Fuck no,” says Roy, “thanks for being fucking considerate.” He follows it up with a pointed glare at Ted, then goes into his office and firmly shuts the door. 

“Can he be here?” Ted asks, tilting his head toward Trent. 

“I don’t care, he’s probably a good one to have around for this because look!” You present the three collected roses and the bracelet. 

“Someone’s started leaving me gifts, and I’m pretty sure it’s a Valentine’s thing because of the roses, and it was fine for the first two days but this is expensive, and I can’t accept this!”

Ted and Beard share a look. You hate it when they do that and leave you out. 

Ted sighs. “Listen, do you think this about Vienna?”

You fix him with a glare. “No. We are not talking about Vienna ever again.”

Trent pipes up, “What’s Vienna?” and you wheel around on him, taking your glare with you. 

“Vienna," you spit, like it’s poisonous, “is a terrible, awful place where people think terrible, awful things. I never want to talk about it again and I never will.”

Trent nods. “Noted.” 

You turn back to Ted and Beard, pleadingly. “What do I do? Tell me what to do.”

Beard gets up and puts his hand on your shoulder. “Kid, if you want my advice, take the damn roses and wear the damn bracelet. These boys make more money than they know how to spend, so just let it go. They all know how you feel about dating, so if someone’s shooting their shot, they know the stakes.”

You shake your head. “Fine. Fine. I’ll let it go.” 

—

You decide to tell Jamie on day five, because it’s a Friday and you’re dying to get his take. You tell him everything, show him the roses in your office (hanging upside down to dry), and then hand him the notebook that was in today’s box. 

“Jamie,” you say, “this is an expensive notebook. There was a typed note inside that said, ‘for your drawings.’ How did this person even know I like drawing? I never talk about it!”

Jamie looks at you and laughs a little. You’re very flustered for something most people would enjoy. “Dunno, love, but we’ve all seen the sticky notes you leave Coach. That might be it.”

You groan and flop down into your chair. 

“At least tomorrow’s the weekend,” you say.

—

Jamie’s phone dings at 9:00am on Saturday with a text from you that says, what the actual heck and a picture of a brown bag at your doorstep. Inside is a plastic box of your favorite lemon muffin from a local bakery. He emphasized the image, then waits for your response. 

It was still warm, you write. It was someone who knows where I live and knows what time I leave to get breakfast.

Jamie grins and sends you a shrugging emoji, and you respond with an eye roll and a you’re no fun.

Jamie reads that and privately disagrees. He thinks he’s lots of fun

—

You’re pretty sure it’s Isaac. After all, he’s the only likely candidate. He’s one of the few who knows where you live and knows your routine. Not in a creepy way, in a we’re-good-friends type of way. You bring this up to Jamie, after personally banning all talk of this with Ted, Beard, and Rebecca. Stupid Vienna. You should never have told them. 

Jamie shrugs for the millionth, infuriating time. He’s been noncommittal this whole time. You’re over here pouring out your heart and soul, considering whether you like Isaac romantically or not, and all he can say is, “I dunno?” 

This is not the Jamie Tartt you’ve become best friends with. 

That Jamie would be down to hunt this secret admirer with you. That Jamie would be helping you figure out if Isaac had a chance with you. That Jamie would be way more engaged than the one sitting in front of you right now. 

But, you suppose maybe that Jamie died in Vienna, so you stop bringing it up.

—

It’s day ten. Valentine’s Day is in four day, and you’re nervous. 

You’ve decided you don’t like Isaac like that, mainly because it shouldn’t take you that long to decide if you like anyone. There has to be an initial spark, and you shouldn’t try to manufacture it. 

Still, you’re not sure it is Isaac, so you’re not going to say anything about it. The scarlet red roses hang on your office wall, permeating the room with their scent. 

You feel like you’re dying. 

This is a cruel joke and you’re dying. 

The building is basically empty right now. Rebecca and Higgins have some meeting, the team is on the pitch (including Will) and various other staff are somewhere far away from you. So, you jump a little when Trent Crimm comes tripping into your office. 

“Vienna,” he says, no greeting. “If you didn’t want to talk about it, you wouldn’t have told anyone. I’m assuming you do want to talk about it, but you don’t want judgement from the people you love. I’m here to offer my services as a neutral party.”

You look at him. “Trent. You are a journalist. Your whole job is writing down people’s secrets. Why on earth would I talk to you about the worst day of my life?”

Trent shrugs. “I’m good at keeping secrets. This would be off the record. I’ve never lied to people about off the record, also. I consider it bad journalism.”

You consider this for a moment, then sigh. 

“Alright,” you concede. “At least if this gets out, I know whose head I’m shaving in retaliation.”

Trent looks at you in surprise, seeing you in a whole new, slightly threatening light.

“It happened two months ago. It was around Christmas, and I didn’t have anywhere to go…”

—

Your family all had their own separate plans that Christmas. Plans that didn’t really involve you. Same with your friends. You said something casually to Rebecca, and the next day she told you she had booked you a trip to Vienna. Call it an early Christmas present, she said. It was at the Aumaris Vienna, and it was gorgeous and ridiculously out of your budget, but she said you worked hard and gave her peace-of-mind, and you can’t really put a price on that, can you?

So you went. 

But here’s the thing. 

Someone else didn’t have Christmas plans. 

So when you brought up your trip at your daily lunch, said someone else casually asked, can I come? 

You almost choked on your sandwich. 

Because here’s the other thing.

You were, maybe, kind of, possibly just a little bit head over heels in love with this someone else.

You’re not sure when it happened, really, just that it was probably in August and that it was soul-crushing because you knew for an absolute fact that he did not, and never would, feel the same way. 

You didn’t tell anyone except Keeley, but under the condition that she just let you say it and that she never, ever give you a response to it. Just listen. 

She did, but you were pretty sure she almost combusted. 

But who are you to say no when Jamie Tartt invited himself on your luxurious Christmas vacation saying, I’ll pay extra to get a plane ticket next to you? 

You were doomed from the start. 

To make matters totally and impossibly worse, he couldn’t find another room. 

He had his tickets, but the hotels, he said, were packed. 

It was Christmas, after all. 

So that’s how you ended up in a luxury hotel with Jamie Tartt for a week and a half, one day of which was Christmas. 

You know the, “there was only one bed” trope that everyone thinks is so cute?

It was that, but only if you add deep, shattering heartbreak to it. 

Because every night, you had to listen to Jamie say, “goodnight, love,” and then get into that giant, soft bed as far away from him as you could manage. 

Every morning you woke up to the pillow barricade long gone, one of his arms thrown around you. Or one of your legs on top of his. Or a million different scenarios where you end up literally asleep together, some weird gravity pulling you to each other. 

You were falling so hard and so fast, that you felt like the air was knocked from your lungs when Jamie started talking about the girl he liked. 

“She’s just so fucking beautiful,” he’d say, staring at an Alpine mountain. Or, “Swear she’s the smartest fucking person I’ve ever met,” while traipsing through the city. Or, “Pretty sure she’s ruined me for everyone else,” while getting facials at the hotel spa. 

To be fair, you were the one who teased him into admitting he liked someone. 

You just didn’t expect it to hurt so much. 

The entire trip felt like heaven and hell had simultaneously converged on you, and you never wanted to leave but also desperately counted the days till it was over. 

You came back and broke down in Rebecca’s office. Ted and Beard were there. The whole thing came spilling out, about how you loved the trip so much it felt like your heart would explode but that Jamie loved someone else. 

They all exchanged looks amongst themselves and did their best to comfort you. 

You pulled yourself together and they promised never to say anything to anyone. 

—

“So that’s Vienna,” you finish. 

Trent is just staring at you, mouth slightly agape. 

He finally says, “My god, that’s fucked,” with such emotion that you decide right then and there that you like Trent Crimm and his rainbow mug. 

Now, you just shrug. “I did it to myself, honestly. That’s why I’m tripping out about this secret admirer thing. And god, Trent, the roses. They’re so beautiful and it’s so romantic, and whoever it is obviously knows me well so there’s a part of me that wants to like this person, but…” you trail off. 

“But there’s a part of you that’s hoping against hope that Jamie’s behind it all,” Trent finishes. 

You let out a little laugh. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

Trent looks at the roses, then at you. “Maybe you should talk to Jamie,” he says, gently. 

You reply with a forceful, “No,” and then follow up with a small, “That’s what Ted and Rebecca say, too.” 

Trent stands up, shrugs, says with a small smile, “Just a thought,” then he’s out the way he came. 

—

It is Valentine’s Day. And it’s a Sunday, which means you are legally required to stay in bed until 10, at which point you will get out only to make yourself decent enough to go buy a good cup of coffee and maybe (definitely) something to eat. 

You’ve just finished putting on your shoes, when there’s a knock at the door. 

You take a breath, and get ready to let down your secret admirer as gently as possible. 

You swing open the door to reveal- 

“Jamie! What are you doing here?”

Jamie Tartt is on your doorstep, hands behind his back, looking shyer than the day you first met. 

He opens his mouth and says the last thing you’d ever expect:

“D’you remember Vienna?”

Your heart, which had already been going fast because his dumb floppy hair was all dumb and floppy in his stupid, cute headband, is now working double time. You manage a nod. 

Jamie takes this as permission to continue. “D’you remember how I couldn’t get another room, no matter how hard I tried? That wasn’t true. I could’ve.” He pauses, and you wait for him to continue. 

“And d’you remember when we met, when I told you Keeley told me to invite you out? That was a lie too.”

You tilt your head, confused. He keeps going. 

“Look- I fucked it. I fucked it a million times and I told Ted and I told Beard, but they kept helping me un-fuck it and giving me chances, and then Rebecca bought two tickets to Vienna and slipped me the other one, and they all told me I had a perfect shot.” 

You’re still not understanding what he’s saying. He might as well be speaking another language. Jamie sees the confusion in your eyes, takes a breath, and tries again. 

“Keeley told me to invite you out, but only because I’d seen you around and thought you were fit. Then Isaac and all the lads thought the same thing, so I didn’t even get to fuckin’ sit with you. And then you started sayin’ things about not bein’ ready for a relationship, so I tried to let it go. I really fucking tried. But I just couldn’t. Your eyes are too sparkly and your laugh is too fucking cute and I couldn’t let it go, so I started eating lunch with you and you fucking let me. I knew the moment I said anything about liking you, it was over.”

Comprehension has started to dawn, but you push down hope until Jamie’s done speaking. 

“Everyone told me to shoot my shot in Vienna. We shared a bed, for fuck’s sake.” Here, Jamie looks bewildered. “But I dunno, I didn’t want to make shit weird. So when you asked if I liked anyone I said yeah, and started fuckin describing you, but you never fucking picked up on it. That’s when I got the idea to try one more time. All by meself, no help from anyone else. So…yeah.”

Jamie Tartt is standing on your porch confessing his love for you on Valentine’s Day and it is not a dream, because if it were your teeth would be falling out and his hair would probably be neon pink. 

“I’m an idiot,” you breathe. “You like me? Like, like-like me?”

Jamie quirks a smile at that. “Not quite, darling. Pretty fucking sure I love you.” He pulls his hand from behind his back to reveal a bunch of scarlet red roses. The same from each gift. 

“Got these for you,” he says. “D’you know how hard it is to get red roses in February?”

You don’t answer him because you’re leaping into his arms, kissing him like you’ve thought about doing every day for what feels like forever. He’s kissing you back, hand with the flowers pressed against your back, other hand in your hair. 

“I love you too, Jamie,” you whisper against his mouth. He smiles and pulls you in again. 

[zot3-flopped]

None of these delusion “swifties” actually know much about Taylor Swift’s weird summer with the Kennedys and it never fails to make me cringe.

Taylor Swift spent an entire year obsessing over the Kennedy before even meeting them - reading books, dressing like a 1950s housewife, and visiting JFKs grave to lay flowers. (I beg you to look up the paparazzi photos, she’s stood there in a yellow dress, massive sunglasses, an umbrella and a serious look on her face - it looks like it came straight out of a Pretty Little Liars episode lol).

She manages to get into their circle and spends time with them in Hyannis Port over the summer. She starts dating one of them (Patrick), however Patrick wants to pursue a career in acting and leaves. A few days later, Taylor is cozying up to his 17 YEAR OLD COUSIN (she is 22, almost 23 at this time), Conor Kennedy. Unfortunately, Conor’s age isn’t the only problematic part - his mother had just commit suicide very recently so he’s in a vulnerable position, and Taylor decides it’s completely normal to buy a house right by his own family’s (they’ve only known each other for weeks)!

Not only does this social climbing psychopath buy a 4 million dollar house to be close to her boyfriend, but she also has to sign him out of school to hang out with him 😭 Not to mention the moment she crashed a Kennedy wedding she wasn’t invited to, was politely asked to leave by the mother of the bride (if I remember correctly) and apparently “looked straight past as if she wasn’t there”

Her PR team must’ve worked overtime to squash this because all of her feral fans are constantly attacking Taylor’s exes for problematic age gaps, yet seem to completely blank on Conor Kennedy being a minor.

I've seen Cages talk about the age gap between Taylor and the boys she dated when she was 22 and she just dismissed it by claiming that 'Taylor was a very young 22', as if Taylor was a virgin who'd never left her family home instead of an international popstar who'd already had two serious relationships with older men.

Jaime also said 'Harry Styles was much more experienced at 18 than Taylor was at 22', even though at 18 he'd only dated one other person for any length of time, and that was a fellow student his own age called Felicity Skinner in secondary school.

[freedelusionshere]

Cicero always puts money first.

All his conversations revolve around money and being successful. Sports metaphors and how botching a win is because of that one guy. It probably deserves a very long and detailed post about how many times he does this? (Someone may already have one, hit me up if you do.) How many times he tells people the audience loves that he loves them, but then is looking out for his finances first and foremost and how it’s understood that others can lose, but his team must not and cannot.

He talks to Carmy in Apologies about how dreams costs money to make them happen (in America is the subtext) and then compares it to this talk he attended at Chicago U praising how all these really great ideas, “innovations”, “started right here in Chicago” (btw, the Uni loves the show mentioned them LOL and talked about it on FB), but…he’s talking about the Manhattan Project, isn’t he? Innovation. Not the aftermath.

He keeps apologizing and wishing he’d “done more” for the kids, but the vibes to me are he’s roped Donna and her kids into The Beef to chase his dreams. (This is also another role cast with someone who often plays likeable characters who are not menacing, just like Jaime Lee Curtis has to this point.)

Some of the subliminal stuff in The Bear is leaning heavily into Hitchcock films directly, but I keep thinking about David Lynch on rewatch, and how his Twin Peaks efforts have a lot of similar themes of death and addiction and the dark side of American culture that lies just under the surface of it all? Mikey is the Laura Palmer of The Bear, the cool guy who died with all the secrets. Or am I wrong here?

Even bringing Scorsese in, narrating about illusions when Scorsese rose to fame by depicting Italians as mafia culture, and now he’s making stuff like Killers of the Flower Moon, which is about how American “progress” was too expensive a cost and talks about the specific ways indigenous women were exploited through marriage contracts to extract their wealth. Cicero trying to get Syd to sign that agreement?

Got a lot on my mind! @whenmemorydies @yannayartside @gingergofastboatsmojito @currymanganese any thoughts on this? (Sorry if I left anyone out, I'm still learning the landscape).

[vivacissimx]

arthur dayne hours. obsessed with Him. famous for hanging up reduce reuse recycle!!! (❁´◡`❁) signs around his war camps. successfully union-busted by setting up his own better union. sadly his contribution to labor rights (dedicated weeks to months) was overshadowed by his fight with the smiling knight (tagged in for one hour, half the time was spent pouting and pleading this isn't you baby ik your heart isn't in this) which ended and immediately arthur was like yayy go team!!! who wants a gold star???

kills me that it's supposed to be a sexyawesome fight scene except it's no% phallic. honestly a bit paternal, notably jaime's sexual awakening. wow! even the kid whose sexuality tywin didn't fuck up, he still did!

equally taken by the Arthur to Jaime:: Rhaegar to Cersei square. of course this is nothing new but something i love to think about regardless. the white cloak soiled me (if only he'd been arthur dayne instead of the smiling knight) / she will never wash the stain away (if only she'd married rhaegar). jaime bleeding when dawn came / cersei flowering and becoming the rising sun. ARGHH. btw the jaime sept connections of cyclical bleeding where he bleeds in his plain white tunic from a pale white blade knighting him, mimicked by cersei's menstrual blood and her pale white legs, he never felt it / he never heard her, then next time he's in a sept he refuses to pray and do devotions. That boy had wanted to be Arthur Dayne / And Dayne, with Dawn in hand… 🥺 / the Warrior, with one hand on his sword / I thought that I was the Warrior, and Cersei the Maid / but someplace along the way he had become the Smiling Knight / but all the time she was the Stranger. hmmm. jaime hating the Self (ever-shifting collection of identities and experiences) and hating cersei in tandem, the two of them entangled, is simply more compelling to me than ‘jaime has finally seen the truth of big bad cers and is escaping her grasp.’ oh sorry this is about arthur dayne right? okay well jaime coming of age (getting his period) and arthur waltzing in like don't be embarrassed! it happens to everyone!!! let's think positive *takes jaime's virginity*

[msweebyness]

Bart In Glee Club (A Random Young Justice Thought I Had)

So I just had the most random thought ever, but then I kept thinking about and it was beautiful. I suddenly remembered that Jason Marsden is an awesome singer, and then it occurred to me: BART JOINING HIS HIGH SCHOOL GLEE CLUB. (Because that boy would definitely love to sing, try to tell me I’m wrong.) He’s definitely mid tenor range I would say, and one of the frontmen. Jay, Barry and Iris come to any show they can, and let everyone know he’s theirs. I think he’d at first be worried to tell the other members of his team, because he’s not sure what they’ll think, superheroes are tough stigma and all that. But you can’t convince me that on the night of his first major solo (Runnin’ by Adam Lambert, because you know he can’t resist the puns), that as soon as the song finishes, he doesn’t look out in the crowd and see all of the Outsiders, I’m talking Cassie, Virgil, Jaime, Gar, Tara, Tim, Forager, Wendy, Courtney, Lia, along with Vic, Violet, and Traci. Hell, throw in Artemis, M’gann, Dick and Conner! And the whole lot of them are cheering like crazy people. But cheering louder than any of them with an uncharacteristically huge smile is obviously his loving boyfriend, one Eduardo Dorado Jr. Who may or may not have brought flowers to give him after the show. And death-glared his speedster’s various admirers (who doesn’t like a guy who can sing?)

What do you guys think?

[ingek73]

RITY NEWS

What It’s Really Like to Work for Meghan Markle: Staffers Reveal Truth Behind Rumors (Exclusive)

By Justin Ravitz and Jaime Harkin September 24, 2024

Hours after The Hollywood Reporter published a piece alleging Meghan Markle’s “terrible” behavior is the cause of the high turnover rate at the company she runs with her husband, Prince Harry, a current employee posted a note on Instagram passionately debunking the report. The September 12 article, which claimed that those who work for Meghan are “terrified” of her, included quotes from a source calling her a “dictator in high heels” who “belittles” people and has reduced “grown men to tears.” The staffer said the allegations made in the article are wildly inaccurate and damaging to both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and members of their team. Current and former staffers quickly flooded the comments with statements of support. “Best bosses I have ever had,” one current team member wrote, while an ex-staffer added that their time with the Sussexes was “truly an honor.”

The Duchess of Sussex has long been dogged by reports she promotes a toxic workplace environment. Back in 2021, days before the couple sat down for an in-depth CBS News interview to share their story, The Times of London reported the former actress had allegedly bullied and reduced staff members to tears at Kensington Palace. In August, NewsNation claimed Meghan and Harry had lost 18 employees between their time in the U.K. and the U.S. (they launched Archewell Foundation in 2020), with a source blaming an “unbearable” and “condescending” Meghan for the “churn and burn” rate.

Several current and former staffers paint a different picture to Us. Ben Browning, their former head of content — who was responsible for getting their Harry & Meghan documentary on Netflix before leaving after his contract expired in early 2023 — says his experience at the company and with Meghan and Harry in general “was positive and supportive,” adding, “we all continue to be friends. The narratives we’ve seen suggesting the contrary are untrue.” Onetime chief of staff Catherine St-Laurent tells Us she and the couple have also “remained close” and says, “The time I spent working with Prince Harry and Meghan was incredibly meaningful to me.”

While Josh Kettler’s August departure as Harry’s chief of staff sparked more negative press, he says he was “warmly welcomed” by both Harry and Meghan and the Archewell team during his stint. “They are dedicated and hardworking,” he tells Us of the pair. “It was impressive to witness.”

Ashley Hansen, global press secretary to the duke and duchess and the head of communications for Archewell, says her bosses couldn’t have been more supportive when she had to take some extended time off for a serious surgery. “When I told them, I was met with the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child,” she recalls. “I was asked what I needed, how and if they could help, and told to take as much time as I needed.” Hansen says Harry and Meghan sent flowers and care packages, “but most profoundly to me, Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were OK and had support,” she adds. “It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realize how much that kind of kindness and thought means until you need it.”

Normal Hiccups

There’s little doubt the company — which employs a small team of roughly 16 full-time employees and is comprised of the Archewell Foundation (their charitable nonprofit), a production side (which deals with audio work like podcasts and their Netflix deal) and communications (Markle’s new lifestyle brand is a separate entity) — has had some growing pains. “Archewell is not unlike a start-up; it’s relatively young,” says Hansen, adding, “Two things can be equally true: you can be a great leader and still have turnover. No boss or company is immune to that.”

Adds a current employee who asked to remain anonymous: “People leave at any company — they get new opportunities, change their careers or feel their role isn’t the right fit. They also sometimes get let go. Those decisions are part of doing business.” Hansen maintains Meghan and Harry have no hard feelings toward anyone who’s left. “They want people to grow and to have opportunity — whether that’s within or eventually outside of [the company].”

Good Vibes Only

The current anonymous staffer says colleagues have been “dumbfounded by the claims,” adding, “It’s clear where this type of commentary is coming from. It’s likely made up from someone who’s disgruntled.” Browning tells Us the narrative is “simply a predictable attempt at creating intrigue through sewing false conflict.”

The office culture is positive. “This is the first company I’ve worked [where I] liked every person,” says the source. “Harry and Meghan picked the best of the best from every field and watered the seeds for them to flourish. We have an enormous microscope on us. But good things are happening.”

Staffers outside of the production team, which has an office in Hollywood, work remotely most of the time — including Harry and Meghan, who share an office at their Montecito home. Occasionally, staffers will gather at the couple’s mansion or meet at Soho Works. “The teams find ways to work together in shared spaces,” says a former staffer, adding that everybody’s welcome to request in-person meetings with Harry or Meghan wherever and whenever. While the Sussexes get dressed up for formal events, they sometimes show up at virtual meetings in baseball hats and T-shirts.

During weekly Zoom calls, Harry will chat casually with staffers. “He’s fun. He definitely takes the work seriously, but when a meeting starts, the first five or 10 minutes are all pleasantries, like, ‘How was your weekend?’ Or “How’s the construction going at the house?’” the ex-employee says. As a group, they go to happy hours and have holiday parties. “We’re planning a karaoke night,” adds the current staffer, “because we have two people getting married on the team.”

Sweet Gestures

Other acts of kindness from the duke and duchess? “When I adopted my dog, the next day, I had a luxury brand leash and new collar on my doorstep,” says the former staffer, who adds that parents-to-be are given brand-new gifts and top-notch secondhand stuff from the couple themselves “like unused car seats and baby items they no longer need.” During the Colombia trip, the duke and duchess texted a team leader to take everyone out for drinks.

“They want to take care of us,” the current employee says. “Meghan will do things like, ‘You mentioned on the call your skin is bothering you, I put together a kit for you.’” And during team visits to the couple’s Montecito home, no one departs empty-handed. “Whenever staff goes to their house, they leave with a basket with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, fresh eggs,” the staffer says.

Behind the Scenes

Meghan’s known for giving credit where it’s due. “If you’re in a meeting and a great idea is referenced, she makes sure to give props to the person who generated the idea,” says the former employee. “[After] a big trip, every employee gets a personal email thanking them for their contribution in making it a success.”

The former employee says Meghan is the first person to wish staffers a happy birthday and is “compassionate and understanding” when it comes to illness or family commitments. As for rumors of Meghan’s penchant for tantrums, the current staffer says they have “never” heard her yell, explaining that the duchess “gives clear direction and is solution-oriented.” And those reports of firing off demanding emails at 5 a.m.? Meghan’s official email signature reads: “My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this email outside your normal working hours.”

On the Defense

Loyal staffers take the outside criticism to heart. “We’re here for a reason,” says the current team member. “If you come for our bosses, you’re coming for us. This isn’t a criminal organization. We’re trying to do good.”

A second former staffer recalls asking for a break during a low point in their lives and says Harry and Meghan were more than happy to give them time off, no questions asked. “I needed to be totally off the grid. They couldn’t have been more supportive and even paid me during my leave. It’s so in their nature to lean in and support and take into consideration that there is a human behind this job.”

“Part of the profound injustice of having to speak publicly on this in light of these endless and damaging narratives is that so much of the kindness, mentorship, and support that Prince Harry and Meghan share with others happens quietly behind closed doors,” says Mandana Dayani, who served as the president of Archewell for 18 months in 2021 and 2022. “I’ll never forget sitting on the floor in their kitchen while Meghan was feeding Princess Lily and cold-calling a dozen senators — their reactions were unbelievable — to ask them to advocate for paid leave.”

Dayani and Meghan traveled to Uvalde, Texas, after the tragic 2022 school shooting. “For hours, [Meghan] sat in a room with grieving families, going one by one to each person — hugging them and crying with them,” she recalls to Us, noting that Meghan has since kept in touch with the families affected by the tragedy.

While working with the Sussexes, she grew close to them personally. “Some of my favorite memories were during our weekly meetings in their Montecito home, where Meghan always served the most incredible lunches, snacks and her latest beautiful concoction.”

They all remain close. “These are kind, decent, caring people who I am very proud to call my friends.”

For more on Meghan, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.

[lemonhemlock]

My advice to Cersei/Jamie anon :

If you're into getting Jamie out of the King's Guard I'd say one way is post roberts rebellion, since at that point Aerys delululu is dead so with enough persuasion on tywins part maybe Robert will just issue something and relive Jamie of his duties.

Personally when I made my one of my Jamie ocs I had it that he'd been bethrothed to oc before Aerys had him join the KG and oc had a very decent relationship with Cersei basically gal pals. And the previous betrothal was one of the reasons Tywin managed to convince Robert to let Jamie go.

Also strongly agree with everything you say lemon especially the Jamie parts !!! he's never been into politics. I feel like even after being relieved from the KG he'd be interested in a position like commander of the city watch instead of other small council positions Tywin might want to put him in (lol again something I did for my ocas canon)

Ofc course there's the matter of kids for Cersei/Jamie. I'd say it could still go according to canon? Just need to be real sneaky about it but there's nothing Cersei can't pull off lol.

There is something to be said about the institution of the Kingsguard needing reform. The people fulfilling those posts honestly seem set for a miserable life. You live like a monk and have to keep fighting until you basically drop dead of old age, if you're not directly killed in combat because you're not as strong as you once were. It's not even a very efficient system: if you somehow find yourself with a Kingsguard composed of old, slow geezers, that's not exactly the finest security team you could possible assemble for the ruling monarch. So maybe introducing the possibility of dismissal or setting fixed terms for the position is not such a bad idea? Give Cersei her flowers for being such a reformist queen and firing Barristan Selmy. We stan!

However, as far as their happy-marriages-to-other-people storylines go, they would realistically need to tone down their incest, if not stop it altogether, so not sure how viable having shared children is. :)) Cersei did start having children with Jaime as a fuck-you to Robert, so perhaps if she got along with her husband, she wouldn't have felt such a strong need to stick it to The Man, so to speak.

[secondgenerationnerd]

Jensen, my girl, my main home skillet, my good time boy.

Tell us all what allergies the omega team has

😂😂😂

I’ll tell ya and tell you how serious

Jon? No allergies

Mar’i is lactose intolerant (worst symptom is really bad stomach cramps…in all 9 of her stomachs) and metallic chromium (like her mother, she sneezes A LOT)

The twins are both lactose intolerant and will eat a thing of Ben and Jerry’s regardless of the bloating, cramps, and farting.

Lian is allergic to dragonfruit, her tongue swells and her throat itches

Colin is allergic to some flowers and gets hives. The venom in his body also reacts negatively to some medications

Milagro is allergic to bees and will go anaphylactic if stung. It happened when she was little, so she, jaime, and Bart always keep epi pens on hand.

Damian, like his grandfather Thomas, is allergic to almonds. No other nuts, just almonds. He also goes anaphylactic. And Alfred was in a habit of not cooking with them/never kept it in the house or tower. They discovered the allergy at a fancy restaurant, where his siblings thought someone poisoned him.

[incorrectcfvg]

[rouxboo]

with the powers of friendship and flowers and incredible physical violence

[afaims100arrowversefavs]

My 250 Favorite Arrowverse Episodes: Part 3: 200-176

Taken from „Arrow“, „The Flash“, „Supergirl“, „Legends of Tomorrow“, „Constantine“, „Black Lightning“, „Batwoman“, „Stargirl“ and Season 1-3 of „Superman & Lois“:

In honor of Seaosn 4 of "Superman & Lois" being the end of the Arrrowverse, the end of DCTV like we knew it and the end of The CW like we knew it, a final time before the final season all Seasons ends of all the 250 best Arrowverse Episodes (according to me):

I did include "Stargirl" this time, since it has as much connection as "Superman & Lois" to the rest of the Arrowverse, but One Hit Shows like "Gotham Knights" and "Naomi" (anyone still remember this one?) are not on this list, neither are Arrowverse unrelated DC shows:

200. The One with the Nineties (The Flash 7x6)

The One in which: Cisco and Chester get stuck in die 90s.

139, Written by: Kelly Wheeler, Emily Palizzi, Directed by: Jeff Byrd

199. Menagerie (Supergirl 4x12)

The One in which: Pamela discovers a new form of headwear much to our heroes dismay.

77, Written by: Robert Rovner, Daniel Beaty, Greg Baldwin, Directed by: Stefan Pleszczynski

198. Grinning from Ear to Ear (Batwoman 1x14)

The One in which: Dueala his issues, so has Sophie.

14, Written by: Denise Harkavy, Directed by: Michael Blundell

197. The Flash is born (The Flash 1x6)

The One in which: Barry gets revenge on his childhood bully.

6, Written by: Jaime Paglia, Chris Rafferty, Directed by: Millicent Shelton

196. The Legion of Doom (Legends of Tomorrow 2x10)

The One in which: Phil gets kidnapped by the Legion of Doom.

26, Written by: Phil Klemmer, Marc Guggenheim, Directed by: Eric Laneuville

195. Don’t Run (The Flash 4x9)

The One in which: Caitlin gets kidnapped and Barry locked in.

78, Written by: Sam Chalsen, Judalina Neira, Directed by: Stefan Pleszczynski

194. Land of the Lost (Legends of Tomorrow 2x13)

The One in which: Amayas pets a T-Rex while Sara visits Rip's head.

29. Written by: Keto Shimizu, Ray Utanarchitt, Directed by: Ralph Hemecker

193. Attack on Central City (The Flash 3x14)

The One in which: Gorillas attack Central City.

60, Written by: Benjamin Raab, Deric A. Hughes, Todd Helbing, Directed by: Dermott Downs

192. Love is a Battlefield (The Flash 6x11)

The One in which: Valentine’s Day and mind reading flowers dominate Date Night.

125, Written by: Kelly Wheeler, Jeff Hersh, Directed by: Sudz Sutherland

191. Livewire (Supergirl 1x4)

The One in which: Leslie wants to skin a Cat.

4, Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Caitlin Parrish, Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen

190. Fadeout (Arrow 8x10)

The One in which: Oliver Queen is dead.

170, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Beth Schwartz, Directed by: James Bamford

189. Beyond Redemption (Arrow 4x4)

The One in which: Sara is back but not in good way and there is police corruption going around.

73, Written by: Beth Schwartz, Ben Sokolowski, Directed by: Lexi Alexander

188. Pilot (Arrow 1x1)

The One in which: Oliver Queen is alive.

1, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed by: David Nutter

187. The Good, the Bad and the Cuddley (Legends of Tomorrow 3x18)

The One in which: Beebo fight a Demon.

51, Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Phil Klemmer, Directed by: Dermott Downs

186. Draw back your Bow (Arrow 3x7)

The One in which: The Arrow has a stalker and love is all around us.

53, Written by: Wendy Mericle, Beth Schwartz, Directed by: Rob Hardy

185. Suicide Squad (Arrow 2x16)

The One in which: Dig meets Task Force X.

39, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Bryan Q Miller, Directed by: Larry Teng

184. Uprising (Arrow 3x12)

The One in which: Team Arrow has to save the city without Oliver’s help.

58, Written by: Beth Schwartz, Brian Ford Sullivan, Directed by: Jesse Warn

183. Years End (Arrow 1x9)

The One in which: Oliver wants to bring Christmas back and the Dark Archer is having fun.

9, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed by: John Dahl

182. The Dress (Superman & Lois 3x9)

The One in which: Lois wants to give a away a certain dress.

39, Written by: Kristi Korzec, Directed by: Stephen Maier

181. Armageddon Part 1 (The Flash 8x1)

The One in which: Ray visists Central City and Barry meets a hater.

152, Written by: Eric Wallace, Directed by: Eric Dean Seaton

180. Last Sons of Krypton (Superman & Lois 1x15)

The One in which: Brotherly love is not what happens here.

15, Written by: Kristi Korzec, Michael Naducci, Brent Fletcher, Todd Helbing, Directed by: Tom Cavanagh

179. My Name is Oliver Queen (Arrow 3x23)

The One in which: Oliver is victorious and drives off in the sun-set.

69, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Jake Coburn, Directed by: John Behring

178. The Calm (Arrow 3x1)

The One in which: Oliver and Felicity try to go on date and Ray Palmer is introduced.

47, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Jake Coburn, Directed by: Glen Winter

177. Legends of Today/Legends of Yesterday (The Flash 2x8/Arrow 4x8)

The Ones in which: The Hawks and Vandal Savage make time travel necessary.

Part 1: The Flash 2.8/31, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Aaron and Todd Helbing, Directed by: Ralph Hemecker, Part 2: Arrow 4.8/77, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marx Guggenheim, Brian Ford Sullivan, Directed by: Thor Freudenthal

176. Pilot 1+2 (Legends of Tomorrow 1.1-2)

The Ones in which: Rip Hunter recruits a bunch of losers to become legends.

1&2, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Phil Klemmer, Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisgberg, Directed by: Glen Winter

[its-time-to-write]

What about Jaime liking someone who works at/owns a flower shop so he keeps making excuses to come in and get flowers? Richmond is real confused about why he’s giving away so many bouquets all of the sudden

(Ps I love love love your work! I’ve got it so I get an alert whenever you post because of how much I love it!)

this one turned out SO CUTE I hope you like it!

wishing on every one

You know you’re fucked as soon as he walks through the door of your shop. 

Then he tells you he’s looking for flowers for his mum who’s visiting him for the first time, and you know you’re extra fucked. 

He’s absolutely gorgeous, especially in the soft light streaming through your flower shop windows, framed by the vibrant hues of the plants lining the shelves.

Then he says, “I’m Jamie,” peers at your name tag, and tells you that you have a lovely name. You’re blushing the entire time you lead him around the shop, answering each one of his questions as best you can without stuttering. He cracks jokes, picks out a nice bunch, and leaves you one flower for yourself on his way out. 

And then, the next week, he comes back. 

Jamie Tartt, AFC Richmond’s star footballer, comes back to your shop and flirts with you again. 

Of course you know who he his, you knew the moment he stepped through the door. You live in Richmond after all, and you agree with the great Dani Rojas that here, football is life. It’s just hard to believe that your favorite footballer is back in your tiny little store and maybe sort of kinda definitely flirting with you.

You don’t let it get to your head (much). It’s Jamie Tartt, you’ve seen him on Lust Conquers All. To him, flirting is like breathing. You also don’t tell anyone, although you feel like you’re bursting inside. Your flat mate notes that you’re smiling more and that you always seem to be humming, and could you please maybe be careful when you’re skipping around because she just mopped the floor and doesn’t want you to slip. 

But Jamie Tartt keeps coming back; first once a week, then twice, then about every other day. He follows you around as you help him choose flowers for all kinds of occasions, and then he’a gone again, leaving you to wonder which time will be the last. 

—

At Nelson Road, things are in chaos. 

Ok, maybe chaos is too strong a word. Things are… out of the ordinary. 

Well, but things have been out of the ordinary ever since Ted Lasso showed up. 

Things are… weird. Yeah, that’s a good word. They’re weird. And “they,” refers to Jamie. 

It starts off simple enough. It's Sam’s birthday, so Jamie shows up with some flowers. He heard Sam say they were his favorites, so it makes sense that he’d bring them. No one notices anything. 

The next week, he’s brought some for Ms. Welton. 

“It’s for all the shit you do that we don’t know about,” he explains. “Didn’t want you to think we didn’t notice.”

Rebecca doesn’t comment on the double negative, just smiles and says, “Thank you, Jamie,” as Keeley sits forward on the couch in a slight state of shock. The Jamie she was with had never done something like that for her romantically, and here he is doing it platonically. Holy shit, he really has changed. 

Rebecca also doesn’t take the flowers to mean something they don’t. She knows that the team looks to her with the same respect they would afford an older sister or even a mother (although she is not old enough). Strangely, she doesn’t mind. It makes her feel loved in a way she’s unused to, and the flowers from Jamie hang upside down on her wall so they can be immortalized. 

Barely a week after that, he’s gotten some for Keeley. “It’s to make up for the ones I never got you,” he tells her. They’re all bright pink with fluffy petals. Keeley wraps her arms around Jamie with a squeal of delight. Roy grunts angrily, so Jamie pulls out a bunch of dark red and black flowers. “Didn’t leave you out, grandad,” he grins as Roy pretends to hate the bouquet. But even he isn’t cold-hearted enough to hate flowers.

Suddenly, people are getting flowers every other day. It’s become Jamie’s thing. Ted gets some sunflowers when he seems like he’s missing home a little extra. Will gets a bunch of sweet-smelling flowers that Jamie doesn’t know the name of, but he knows that purple one’s lavender because he remembers how you told him it reminded you of growing up. Dani gets a bundle of tulips and it almost makes him pass out from excitement, but luckily Isaac is there to catch him. 

Dani is firmly seated on the bench in the locker room and Jan Maas has removed all tulips except one, and now Isaac has the chance to turn to Jamie and ask the question that’s on everyone’s mind. 

“What gives, bruv?”

Those three words make Jamie turn bright red, but he shrugs it off with a laugh. 

“What, can’t get me best mates flowers?”

“It is a little better than the PS5s,” Richard says. There’s a chorus of agreement, much to the surprise of Coach Beard. 

Jamie thinks he’s in the clear and his face isn’t red anymore but then Dani says, “Jamie Tartt, why did you decide to give us flowers and not some other expensive gaming device?” and Jamie knows he’s completely and utterly fucked. He did not think this far. He has no excuse, no lie, so what comes out of his mouth is, “The flower shop girl’s fit,” and then the locker room completely descends into chaos. 

The boys are firing questions at Jamie faster than he can even understand them, and Ted’s just laughing at the pure pandemonium. He remembers similar moments when coaching other football teams, American ones, and the good feeling that comes along with “boys being boys,” in the way the phrase was originally intended. 

All pertinent information is successfully extracted from Jamie before the team heads home, except your name and which flower shop it is. Colin says that’s the most important bit, but Jamie refuses to tell them more than the fact that your laugh makes the sun shine brighter. Isaac nods thoughtfully and Roy shakes his head, but it’s with a fondness he reserves only for his team. 

It could be any shop, really. There are conversations across the parking lot of the best way to figure out which one it is and Jamie’s getting nervous when he hears Ted’s voice call his name.

He turns, and Ted hurries over to where Jamie’s car is parked. 

He carefully places a hand on Jamie’s shoulder (softly, unlike the crushing grip of his father) and looks Jamie straight in the eye. 

“Jamie, life’s too short to beat around the bush. You like her. I think it would be best if you rose to the occasion and just asked her out. I be-leaf in you, son. You just gotta get clover it and do what you gotta do.”

Jamie doesn’t pick on the flower puns until about the third one. He’s laughing a little bit and Ted is too, all while regarding Jamie with a soft look that Jamie always wished his father would give him. Ted pulls Jamie in for a hug and says, “In all seriousness man, we’re rooting for you.” 

Jamie gives him a look, which makes Ted hold up his hands in defense. “Alright, alright, I’m done,” he says. “For now.” Then he winks and headed to meet Coach Beard. 

—

It’s the middle of the afternoon when the bell on your door jingles, and you look up from the register hoping to see Jamie. 

Instead, you see a middle-aged man with a mustache smiling at you. 

He says, “Howdy,” in a way that is so very American, that you can’t help but break into a wide smile. 

“Hi!” you reply, “How can I help you?”

“My name’s Ted Lasso,” he says walking toward you. “I coach football here in Richmond.”

You’re still grinning. “I know who you are, Coach Lasso. I’m a big Richmond supporter. Have been since I was a kid.”

“Just Ted is fine,” says Just Ted. “I usually don’t like to introduce myself along with my job title because it makes me seem all uppity, but I thought it might make more sense if I did.”

You scrunch your nose in confusion so Ted says, “You were expecting to see Jamie today, is that right?”

You nod. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Jamie’s coach is in your flower shop and he knows that you like him and he’s probably going to tell you you can never see Jamie again because that’s the only logical reason he’s here, right? Maybe Jamie’s been skipping practice to be here with you and that all has to end now because football is life and you of all people should know that. Shit. 

Ted must be able to see the panic on your face because he shakes his head and says, “Don’t worry darlin’, it ain’t anything bad. I’m only here to let you know that boy’s got it down bad for you.”

Wait, what?

“Oh,” you reply. 

“Yeah, oh,” Ted chuckles. “Why’d you think he was here all the time?”

“I- I don’t know,” you say. “He flirts with everyone. I’m nothing extra special.”

Ted shakes his head again. “There’s where you’re wrong. You’re somethin’ extra special. Did you know I found you based on the way Jamie talked about you alone? He didn’t even give your name, but I’ve been in here once or twice myself and I must say, he was right when he said the sun shines a little brighter when you smile. I figured it had to be you the moment he said that.”

You’re smiling again. Jamie said that about you? To his coach?

Ted’s talking again. “Listen,” he says, a little more serious, “Jamie’s like a son to me. And sometimes dads need to give their sons a little push so they can get rid of their training wheels and just go for it, you know what I mean?” 

You’re at a loss but Ted just grins. “I got here exactly three minutes before the boys take a break for lunch, which means that Jamie should be in here-” the bell at the door jingles “-right about now.”

“Coach?” Jamie asks, looking very adorable and very confused. “What’re you doing here?”

Ted shrugs. “Sometimes dads gotta take things into their own hands. Give you a little extra boost, as it were. Figured you’d be in here forever before you got the guts to make a move and by then Nelson Road would be completely overrun by flowers. Not that that’s a bad thing,” he says with a glance to you. “Anyway. I’ll be on my merry little way. Beard’s saving me a seat at our favorite lunch spot.”

Ted waves a two finger goodbye and pats Jamie on the shoulder as he heads out the door, bell ringing behind him. 

“So,” you say, making your way around the counter over to Jamie. 

“So…” he replies, looking down at you. 

You take his hand. “Heard from a reliable source that you have a crush on me.”

Jamie grins. “Ain’t a crush babe, I’m a grown lad.  Think it’s somethin’ a little more real.”

“Uh huh,” you say, smiling back at him. “Well it just so happens that I also have a crush on you as well as a thirty-minute lunch break that starts right about now…”

[delinquentshipping]

Chapter 3

Heads Up this is a M/M GT story

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

One phone call and a brief walk later, well brief for them considering how much longer their strides were now as estimated house size teens, thanks to Enishi’s quick mental calculations as the members of Team Jaime Flowers trailed several metres behind, practically jogging to keep up.

Upon finally returning to the main area Kazuma and Chrono flinched as everyone turned to face them in perfect synchronisation, pulling the same expression that the afternoon had suddenly become borderline creepy but awkward; it felt like they had been staring at the duo for hours when in fact it had barely been minutes as both parties stood there trying to register the scene before them.

“Chrono, it is beyond me how you keep getting yourself in such situations, even now, you would think you would have learned something after all this time…”

“What’s that supposed to mean Shion!?”

“And it isn’t even just you this time; you’ve dragged Kazuma into your mishap as well!”

“You’re such exhausting work, how can one person cause so many problems…”

“Does this have something to do with why you are all staring…?”

“Chrono!!!”

Shion and Tokoha cried out in exhausted unison, their red headed former team mate was as dense as ever it seemed, unfortunately that much hadn’t changed through High school.

“Can you really not see the problem here? Or are you just doing this to mess with us and make us worry…”

Tokoha queried, now a bit concerned how Chrono genuinely seemed to be so oblivious to what was going on around him but that concern was quickly shifted to uneasy curiousity as a rather unimpressed Kazuma stepped in.

“Shindou you idiot! We're the problem, we're too big!”

“Oh? …Is that all?”

“Is that all? Is that all you’ve got to say?”

“It’ll be fine, I’m sure of it, everything will be back to normal by morning!”

“Because these things just have a way of figuring themselves out” retorted Kazuma with words dripping in sarcasm.

“Exactly!”

The carefree grin on the redheads face was simply met by a look of stunned and exasperated faces, was he being serious? The type of confident, enthusiastic grin that Kazuma had felt himself drawn to many times before was on this occasion the last straw as he tackled the twirly haired counterpart, placing him in a loose headlock. It was time to make him actually listen and this time to try an alternate method of getting the message across. Placing a hand each on both of Kazuma’s arm, Chrono tried to pull himself free as he chuckled through the moment, after all Kazuma meant no harm, Chrono could tell compared to other times, the dark haired boy was actually being unusually gentle; maybe he was holding up a bit better than he first thought about earlier? After all it wasn’t like they weren’t prone to using each other as punching bags from time to time when emotions piqued. No, that wasn’t it, this was a performance, and Kazuma was wearing the same mask as when they first met, trying to throw the others off of their trail that anything had happened. Glancing at the dark haired teen, Chrono could feel the guilt rising up as he faked a chuckle to hide it, shifting his position as he found one arm drop round Kazuma’s waist as he regained balance. If this was his choice, the least he could do was play a long and do his part until they had a chance to talk again.

As the two tussled, the group watched cautiously, jumping back out the way as Chrono’s bare foot came crashing down beside them as he regained his balance, with Henri being tugged back by Shion, the former Fukuhara student still bewildered by everything that going on. Coughing through the sudden dust cloud, the group couldn’t take their eyes off the pair; Chrono’s foot alone was big enough now to cause any one of them some serious harm or damage to the area, let alone the impact created felt like a small tremor as if the ground was shuddering beneath their feet.

“Hmm… hey Shion, is it just me or do those two look even bigger than before?”

Henri awkwardly asked as he removed his glasses, wiping them clean with the edge of his jacket, he had to be imagining all this; people don’t just grow to the size of house for no reason? He’d just been in the sun too long…?

“Excuse me! Chrono-kun, could I get a lift, I would love to see the view!”

“Huh, Kumi!? I’m not…but…are you sure about this?”

Chrono cautiously inquired, the girls request having broken up the two wrestling teens by being caught off guard by the sudden request. Sighing lightly, he could already feel Tokoha glaring at him in warning to be careful with her best friend; he didn’t even need to turn round and check. In comparison Kumi had always come across as rather easy going and calm, while she had her moments, Kumi tended to be more reserved almost the complete opposite of Tokoha. Leaving Chrono to his own thoughts briefly as he glanced over at Kazuma, for them it was more a case of likes attract over opposites as the Shadow Paladin user gave an ever unhelpful shrug in return to the red heads gawking. Sighing in defeat and unable to ignore Kumi’s staring any longer, Chrono finally nodded in agreement.

Nervously crouching down, he could feel the tension in the moment rise drastically, as if everyone was expecting him to do something bad, just what was with this mood all of a sudden? Using both hands to pick up the former school friend by the underarm, Chrono made sure she was securely in place before carefully getting back to his feet.

“Chrono Shindou, you better not drop her!”

“Tokoha, please calm down, it’ll be ok, you know we can trust Chrono-Kun!”

“But Kumi, trust isn’t the problem… the fact Chrono can be a klutz is and that is quite a drop!”

“Hey! I am still standing right here!”

Chrono looked on puzzled as the party below now covered their ears from his agitated response; a response that caused the others to flinch at the unanticipated volume. Now standing at full height, with Kumi in hand, Kazuma silently observed the size difference between them and everybody else. From this angle, they couldn’t have been more than a quarter of their size, with the tallest among them just about passing for knee high.

Meanwhile Chrono carefully turned round in a full 180 to show the island from their new perspective; all while Kazuma mentally noted the now tense expressions from the people below, people who were supposed to trust them and could clearly see Kumi was fine and enjoying the view.

“Wow!…Chrono-kun, this view is amazing, the sea seems so vast, it really is a beautiful blue and now you can see it all the time, you’re lucky!” the young girl smiled sincerely, her genuine response being a nice change of pace from the berating they were receiving before, “then again, perhaps it’s a another shade of blue that has your attention, hmm Chrono-kun?”

“Heh, no problem Ku…mi…ah…I, I...have no clue what you could…ugh!”

“Chrono-kun? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, its fine…”

“It clearly isn’t you idiot…”

Interjected Kazuma, biting his lower lip as he curled and uncurled his fingers, the more he stared at his hand, the more it didn’t look proportionally right, his body felt tense, it felt strange, nothing like before as his attention shot straight to a quietly groaning Twirly-head who had lurched forward slightly, trying not to let the pain show through gritted teeth, all while a worried Kumi clung tightly to Chrono’s hand, a gaze of worry shifting between the two boys.

Shifting his hold so that Kumi was practically sitting in the centre of his palm, Chrono took the other and held it gently and carefully over the top of young girl, caging her in and making sure she was secure, the last thing he wanted to put her in harm’s way on top of everything else.

“Shindou…how are you holding up?

“It feels hot, I ache all over…like…like…” as Chrono's gaze dropped to his stomach; it felt like it was in knots while doing backflips and he was almost certain no stomach should make the sounds he swore he just heard…

“The body is being ripped apart from the inside out and everything feels out of place, out of proportion?”

“Ease up their mister Shadow Paladin, dark much… Everything is just so sore but I can feel something bursting to the surface”

The dark haired boy casually dismissed the remark while wincing through the pain, both boys being as stubborn as each other in refusing to let the pain vocally be known to the others, while they looked at each other with concern, Kazuma was almost certain that a hint of curiousity could be seen in those vivid green eyes. It was a moment that made the pair forget everyone else; if it wasn’t for the sinking sudden realisation of what was going on!?

Falling to his knees with a loud thud, Kazuma supported himself with one hand on ground grasping at the loose sand below as he gritted through the pain. His spare hand had found its way under arm, hugging his lower chest, trying to increase the pressure slightly in an attempt to dumb down the pain he actually felt all over.

Gasping in fear, the dark haired boy found himself mentally recoiling in horror as his body refused to move, only just about managing to open one eye, Kazuma looked down at his hand and then at the people around it, as the likes of Jaime and Henri kept taking steps back as his hand became longer, his fingers inching wider, taking up more and more space by the second, acting as a rather unwanted comparison to just how small everyone else was starting to become. It already looked like he could pick them up in one hand with ease but now; compared to them even his fingers were starting to look massive.

“This seems worse when there are actual things to compare it to…”

Groaned Chrono as he watched the sight of one of the sea hut rooves come into view, carefully inching further and further above it; stepping out, in attempt not to damage the nearby buildings; collapsing to his knees with another loud bang, holding out his hand in front, trying desperately hard to keep his balance as a way to protect the girl he was struggling to sense was there.

“Shindou!? Are you alright!?”

called out Kazuma as he instinctively rushed over, finding the energy to move from somewhere as he started to  kneel by Chrono’s side helping him up, as uncertain vivid green met the hurt gaze of steel grey for a brief moment, before the pair quickly turned away from each other.

“Kumi are you ok …? wha…Ku…Kumi!?”

As it was now Chrono’s turn to be apprehensive with his responses, instantly drawing the attention back of the navy haired team mate, who understood immediately what Chrono was thinking as he stared at Kumi now sitting in the others hand as if it was just a normal seat. The ever changing view was due to them, they were the problem but from their perspective, it now looked like Kumi was gradually shrinking away in the palm of Chrono’s hand, the orange haired girl now sitting comfortably, legs tucked in as she waved up at them as if nothing was out the ordinary.

“Now… that is too strange…” spoke the boys in baffled unison.

With Kazuma’s help, Chrono managed to carefully but most importantly drop the orange haired girl back on ground level and out of harm’s way as the duo arched over the rest of the group to do so. However the pain was still there, still fresh, they could feel it in every muscle, every bone almost as if they were being reshaped from the inside as everything continued to stretch and lengthen, through gulps of air, it was absurd how excruciating the pain really felt as the distance from the floor only continued to increase with them and if this was what kneeling looked like, what kind of state would they be in standing up?

With neither teen fairing any better than the other, both Chrono and Kazuma looked at each other in relief as the pain subsided slightly as the feeling started to slow down, unfortunately that was only the beginning of their problems as a rather irked but neutrally unimpressed voice called out to the pair from the balcony above, causing the two boys to flinch. Falling backwards into a sitting position was agonising enough on his sore body, the red headed teen landing with an even noticeable wham than before as Chrono nervously looked up onto the balcony at the long white haired figure; well this was going to be a fun one to try and explain…