#We started that a year or two after we moved to Ireland

[faroffsong]

Tell me a favourite Christmas tradition of yours.

[alotofpockets]

All grown up | Alessia Russo x Irish Arsenal!Reader & McFoord x Platonic!Reader

Where you've been with the team since you were young and have always been seen as the baby of the group, even when you aren't the youngest by far, and the team finds out you've grown up when they figure out you're dating Alessia

Woso masterlist | Words: 1.6k

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When you first joined Arsenal, you were still a teenager, and quickly your nickname became “the baby” as you had been the youngest one on the team. Katie had taken you in when you made the move over from Ireland, you hadn’t played together a lot because she had a few years on you, but to have a fellow Irish around made you feel more at home. 

You were a shy kid, and had a tendency to follow Katie around, at least for the first few months that you were at the club. A lot had changed in all those years since, but you would always be seen as the baby of the group, even when you weren’t the youngest anymore by a long shot.

Moving out of Katie’s place hadn’t changed much to the dynamic the two of you had. The girl was like an older sister to you, and you still found yourself at her and Caitlin’s place more often than not. Besides the two of them, the team was your family away from family, and you could not be more grateful to have them in your life, but sometimes you would like to be treated like anything besides “the baby” of the group.

That is exactly what you found when Alessia joined Arsenal. It was refreshing to see someone treat you the way they treated the rest of the girls. Most girls that joined the team, easily fell into the rhythm of mothering you around, like you weren’t a grown adult yourself by now. Not Alessia though.

You had fallen into a different rhythm with her. She wanted to get to know you for you, and not the person everyone saw you as. It wasn’t long before the two of you fell for each other and started dating.

Together you decided to keep the relationship hidden from the rest of the team. You knew they would treat your relationship differently than any of the other girls starting one, and you didn’t want all the eyes that would be on you, to ruin what you and Alessia had started. 

“Hey Kiddo, are you still coming over for dinner tonight?” Caitlin asked with her arm around your shoulder on the way back to the locker room after practice. “Yeah, of course. You know I wouldn't miss it.” She patted your back and moved over to Katie.

You thought you and Alessia had been good at hiding your relationship. Making sure you were the last to leave training so you could slip into Alessia’s car unnoticed, but Beth had noticed how you would always take forever to get ready and had set her mind on figuring out what was going on. She dragged Steph to the side when they walked to their cars and explained her plan.

Together they watched you and Alessia walk out, happily chatting, and getting into Alessia’s car before driving off. After seeing this, she decided she was going to watch the two of you closely, to see if she could figure out what was going on.

When you arrived at Alessia’s apartment you immediately pulled her towards the couch to get in some much needed cuddles. “I hate having to keep my distance from you around the girls.” The blonde wrapped her arms around you and pulled you closer into her side. “I know, love. Have you given any more thought about telling them about us?”

You shook your head, “I don’t want what we have to change the moment everyone finds out. They are all so protective, all their eyes would be constantly on us, and I don’t want it to feel like our relationship is constantly being watched by the adults.” 

Alessia presses a long kiss to your forehead. She sighed softly while running her fingers through your hair. “I get it, they can be a lot. But you know that no matter what they say, I’m sticking around, right?” You smile and nod, “Yeah, I know.” You cuddle up to her further and start a movie.

Once the movie was finished, it was time to head over to Katie and Caitlin’s for dinner. “Want me to drive you home or to Katie’s?” Alessia asked as she got up and stretched her arms out. After checking the time, you opted for Katie’s. 

At a red light a couple blocks over, you took the time to kiss your girlfriend and thank her for driving you. So, when you got to Katie’s you got out of the car after another quick thank you, so neither Katie or Caitlin would see any of the couply stuff. 

And good thing you did, because the first thing Katie said as you entered the home was, “Was that Alessia’s car?” You froze for a split second, thinking she might be onto you. “Yeah, we were hanging out and she gave me a ride.”

Katie narrowed her eyes at you in suspicion, but didn’t press any further. “Alright, get in here Kiddo. Dinner is almost ready, and Cait is already complaining that I’m doing it wrong.” You chuckled as Caitlin’s voice rang out from the kitchen, “That’s because you are!” The tension you were feeling flooded away as soon as you stepped further into the home. 

After dinner, Katie insisted on driving you home to not let Alessia drive back and forth again. You knew that if you went against her offer, you would only be giving her signs that something was going on between you and Alessia, so you accepted the offer.

Once you got inside you called Alessia to fill her in and ask if she would still come over to your place. When she got there, you were pacing the living room. “Do you think she suspects something?” 

“I don’t know about Katie, but Beth and Steph are the ones I’m worried about.” Your head shot up. “Why?” Alessia sat down and shrugged. “Beth has been giving me these weird looks, like she’s trying to figure something out. And then when our eyes meet, she quickly starts chatting with Steph, and I don’t know, I just feel like they’re talking about us.”

Alessia realises she’s only worrying you more with what she’s saying, so she quickly gets up and moves her hands to your cheeks to get you to focus on her. “We can handle their teasing, and everything that they can throw our way. We’re going to be okay no matter what.” 

You take a deep breath. “No matter what.” You repeat her words. Alessia kisses you, before guiding you to your bedroom. “Now, let’s get some sleep.” 

The next day at lunch with the team, you sat between Caitlin and Alessia, with Katie, Beth, and Steph sat across from you. The atmosphere in the hall was great, conversations flowed easily at all the tables. 

Alessia’s knee brushed against yours and you were trying to focus on Katie’s words instead of the warm feeling that filled your body. Then all of a sudden Beth leaned forward with a sly smile, clearly ready to stir something. She looked directly at you, and you could feel your nerves kicking in instantly.

“So,” She began, looking from you to Alessia and back. “How long have the two of you been dating behind our backs?” The table went silent and the whole team was watching you after they heard your fork clatter on your plate.

“What?” You stammered, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, don’t even try to deny it.” Beth smirked. “Steph and I saw you getting in the car with Alessia, looking a little too cosy if you ask me. We’ve all seen the way you two look at each other, and the lingering touches when you think we aren’t watching.”

You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks as you were being called out in front of the whole time. “I- We-” You tried to form a coherent sentence, but you had seemingly forgotten how to form one, so you just sighed in defeat and nervously looked over to Katie.

She was leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, you thought she was going to be mad, but then her smirk grew, matching that of Beth’s. “Well, well, our baby is all grown up.” Caitlin jumped in as well, “Guess that means we can double date now, huh?”

The whole room erupted into laughter and teasing comments. All you could do was sink lower into your seat, and bury your face in your hands. Alessia reached over to squeeze your leg under the table, trying to ground you amidst the chaos Beth’s comment had created. 

You leaned into her side and buried your face into her chest, blocking everyone from seeing your reddened cheeks. Eventually, Katie reached over and ruffled your hair. “Relax, Kiddo. We’re happy for you. Russo, you’re coming to dinner next time, alright?” The blonde nodded, not having spoken a word, too afraid to mess up herself. “Yeah, ehm, I’ll be there.” 

You finally looked up, and glanced around the room. Despite their teasing, you found nothing but love and support on the faces of your teammates. Maybe Alessia had been right, telling them wasn’t so bad after all.

“Come on, love birds,” Caitlin said as she got up and put a hand on both of your shoulders, “back to training.”

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[woso-dreamzzz]

Play, Sleep, Repeat

Arsenal Women x Teen!Reader

Summary: You're Katie's cousin

Katie has never quite understood you.

You'd always been on the fringes of her awareness.

She has all her siblings. Her close family is big. Her extended family is even bigger.

You're her cousin, on her mother's side.

She'd never really kept up with your life. She'd see you at family reunions maybe once, twice a year and it would all be a quick conversation before she moved on.

She'd never been close enough to her uncle, your dad, to really know what was going on the two of your lives. All she really remembers was that his wife (your mother) had left him and he was a single dad.

It was surprising to see the Arsenal announcement photo with you smiling at the camera, a big Ireland flag draped over your shoulders.

It should have made her feel bad that you didn't drop a text to say you were signing but Katie didn't even know you played football until the announcement so she decided that she didn't really have room to have her feelings hurt over it.

She had hoped this would be the opportunity for you both to grow closer but, as she looks at you now, horsing down your lunch, she kind of thought that was a pipe dream.

You get up immediately after finishing, avoiding the table with the other younger players and heading back out onto the pitch.

It was like clockwork with you. You were either crashed out asleep in the break room, eating like you'd been starved or practicing for hours before or after training.

"What's up with your cousin, McCabe?" Leah asks, watching you leave as well," She never hangs around."

Katie shrugs. "I dunno. She's always been like that, I think."

"You think?"

"She's being raised by her Da. I guess she's never been around this many girls in her life."

"Surely she played on a girl's team before coming here."

Katie shrugs again.

"You don't know?"

"I've got a big family, Williamson. I hardly see her back home. Sue me for not stalking her every move."

Kim slides into the seat next to her. "I'm worried about her," She says," She's always here early and she stays late too. I've never seen her Dad pick her up."

"So what? She's a big girl."

Kim raises a brow. "I wasn't worried because she promised me that you've been dropping her off."

"What? She told me Kyra was doing that."

Kim sighs. "I got her address off Jonas. Do you and Caitlin mind popping by tonight? I'd do it myself but she might respond better to you."

Katie stands at your door a few hours after training has finished. She'd been waiting in her car for a while now, unable to believe her eyes when you'd stepped off the bus barely ten minutes ago still in your training kit.

Her hand hovers over the door, unmoving.

Caitlin nudges her to the side, pressing the doorbell.

"Hey," She says when you open it," Can we come in?"

Your eyes dart to the side. "Er..."

"Is your Da in? I need to talk to him."

"Da's busy," You say.

"That's okay. We can wait." Katie barges in and Caitlin follows her before you can stop them.

"How long will he be?" Caitlin asks and your eyes dart to the door.

"Well..."

"Have you had dinner yet?" Katie asks," 'Cause your fridge is bare."

"Stop it!" You say, pushing her out of your kitchen," Stop snooping!"

"Are these takeout boxes?"

"Katie, I mean it! Out!"

"Nah, where's your Da? Surely, he can't be letting you eat all this crap."

You mumble a response that Katie forces you to repeat. A response that gets regurgitated to every responsible adult on the team.

Your Da didn't come with you to England. In fact, your Da hadn't even be to one of your Arsenal matches.

"He'll come when I make it into the Ireland squad," You'd told Katie and Caitlin," He promised."

The team keeps a close eye on you. Your back prickles with awareness and every time you look behind you, someone is watching.

Things change as well, slowly but surely. It's enough to put you on edge.

It starts with Caitlin and Katie driving you to practice. You usually leave hours ahead of when training starts so you can get the bus and still have time to practice before it begins.

(Maybe if you have a bit extra training then Gleeson will have no choice but to call you up for the next international break).

You have no idea how long they've been camping in their car because you get up stupidly early.

They bundle you in with them. They grab breakfast at a quaint place in town before getting you to training on time.

Next comes Kim. She sits with you at lunch and talks to you enough that you finish the same time as everyone else.

Leah helps you with your kit.

Lia sits with you on the bus.

Lessi, Vic and Kyra splash you with water during the changeover at training.

Beth lets you nap against her and Viv makes sure you have a protein shake ready for you when you wake up.

Slowly but surely, you're folded into the team that is Arsenal. You existed on the fringes of life in London, focused on nothing but finally having your father support you in football.

Now though, you have the team to celebrate your goals with. You have Katie shaking you with joy when you score the last minute winner against Everton.

You also have the text from your Da nitpicking your every move in the match.

You feel lucky that he even kept the match on with how shit you were apparently making. A few months ago, you would have gone back to your own habits. A few months ago, you would have ran until your legs gave out.

But it's no longer a few months ago.

So, you just put your phone away and let Steph ruffle your hair on the way back to her seat.

You're actually part of the team now. A key part of the team if you go off how many times you've started a match.

A key part of the time if you go by how you seamlessly tackle Cuthbert and send the ball rolling straight to Caitlin to collect. You're about to stand up but Cuthbert can't stay on her feet and she stumbles, falling with a sickening crunch onto your ankle.

The scream you let out is guttural and you push her off you to grab at your ankle, as if touching it would suddenly make it feel better.

You slap the ground with your fist and scream again. Leah comes sliding in next to you, pinning your ankle to the ground with a firm hand.

"I know," She says," I know but we need to keep it still. Just stay still."

"Leah," You sob," It hurts!"

"I know," She repeats," The physios are coming straight on. Just keep it still."

Katie comes running to you next, tucking your face into her chest as you sob, shielding you from the fans.

Caitlin has taken her job at yelling at the ref, desperate to get some kind of compensation even if it was all a complete reaction.

"I...I..." You manage to get out through your tears," I don't think Gleeson's going to call me up for the break."

Lia, who had gently removed your cleat, laughs. "You don't need to focus on that right now." She peals your sock down. "But it's nice that you've still got your sense of humour."

You hiss as someone else touches your ankle.

"Hey!" Katie snaps," Careful with her!" She turns back to you. "Can you walk?"

"I don't even think I can stand up."

"You're going to be okay," She says as the stretcher is brought on," They'll fit you with a boot and you'll come back to mine."

You groan. "God, not your place."

"What's wrong with my mine?!"

"You can't cook! Can I go to Kim's instead?"

"I think I preferred it when we didn't talk."

You grin. "Didn't your Ma ever tell you lying's bad?"

[footygirl114]

Operation (Leah Williamson x Reader)

This is definitely a result of too much Grey's anatomy but I was told that I need to let some of the ideas out of my noggin so here you go? (I think). Also I could be persuaded into this becoming a series...

Your pager going off interrupted the scrolling of TikTok you were doing while enjoying your morning coffee, after rounding on your patients. You glanced at the screen and noticed it was a 911 to the ER for an incoming Trauma. Kicking yourself into gear you moved and started to make your way down, the whole time kicking yourself for jinxing your pager since you were hoping to catch the Arsenal vs. Manchester United Game at the Emirates on TV during your shift. 

Knowing that wasn’t going to happen as you walked into the ER and it was organised chaos. You walked towards the head of the ER and asked “what happened?” 

He turns to you and says “A car jumped a curb at the Emirates stadium before the game, ran into a few pedestrians including an 8 year old and her dad. We have the driver, a 43 year old male, and the two victims on route now.” 

“damn it, how bad?” you ask him as you move to pull your hair back, and put on a trauma gown and gloves. 

“the dad, is in critical condition, they say he was able to get the girl out of the way but she sustained injuries when he shoved her out of the way.” He says as you walk with him to the ambulance bay waiting for the incoming ambulances. 

As you wait for the ambulance you listen to the other doctors conferring over what they think the driver was on, but you take the second to glance at your phone and double check the texts with your fiancé. They state that she was there an hour prior to this happening, and knowing the teams timing you knew she was on the field for warm up. 

When they finally pull up you wait to find out what one your patient is in. Once you know where the child is you step up and move beside her gurney listening as the paramedics rattle off her name and vitals. She meets your eyes and you can see how scared she is and you say to her softly “Hi Kenzie, I’m Dr. Y/L/N, and I am going to be taking care of you.”

She’s shaking as she asks “where’s my dad?” 

“Sweetie, he’s being taken care of by some of my very good friends, You and I are going to get you checked out so you can be ready for him okay?” you tell her as you move your hand to tuck a loose piece of her hair behind her ear checking her pupils as you do this. 

When she nods, you move to grasp her hand as you gesture for the team to get her gurney moving. You had waited so they could get her father inside so she wouldn’t have to see him too injured. Once you get her into a room and transferred onto a gurney you start your exam on her. 

She’s stays silent as you explain what you are doing, you tell her that you specialise in helping kids who have been injured or sick, and when you press on her belly and he’s hisses and pulls away in pain you know she may have some internal injuries. 

Once you determine she’s stable and waiting for scans you go to move away from her but she grabs your hand and says “don’t go.” 

You turn and squeeze her hand back and says “i am just going to check on your dad and then I will be right back, I promise.” 

She shakes her head and holds up her other hand, leaving her pinky up as she asks softly “pinky promise?” 

You smile at her and wrap your pinky around hers and say “I pinky promise sweetie.” 

She lets go of both of your hands and you move outside the door, watching as your favourite ER nurse immediately steps in and starts talking to the patient, keeping her distracted, you walk out of the room and the last thing you hear is them talking about the arsenal team. You smile to yourself knowing that she will be okay for a few minutes. 

You take the time to order scans for her, and check on her dad, you also manage to talk to someone from social services who is looking for her next of kin, but they are having no luck since her fathers License is from Ireland, you know it will take some time for anyone to get over here. 

Walking back into her room you smile at her and say “Hi Kenzie, I am going to take you upstairs now.” 

She meets your eyes and asks “how is my dad?” 

Moving back towards her you sit down on the edge the bed by her legs and say “he’s been taken into surgery, by those friends of mine. He’s getting the best care possible and they will do everything they can to help him.” 

She starts to cry and you move to grasp her hand and she says “I want my daddy.” 

It breaks your heart and you move closer and pull her into a hug softly whispering “it’s okay sweetie, let it out.” 

After a few moments of letting her cry she’s sniffles and pulls back and says “I’m okay, I can be a big girl.” 

You smile and wipe under her eyes and you say “you are strong sweetie, now lets go get some scans of your belly and then we can get you fixed up to be ready for your dad okay?” She nods and you gesture to the nurse to get her ready for transport upstairs for scans then into the paediatric floor. 

**

Less than an hour later, you walk into her room on your floor. You were one of the attending surgeons on the paediatric floor. “Hi sweetie” you tell her as you walk into the room when she turns and smiles softly at you, you continue “They called your grandma, and she should be here tomorrow.” 

“Grandma is old and cant move fast” she chuckles at you. 

“Well she does have to fly over her, like you and your dad did sweetie. Why were you over here?” you as her as you fiddle with her IV. 

She gasps and says “the game! I missed the game.” 

“The arsenal one? Were you guys over here to watch it?” you ask her. 

“It was my first game, daddy saved up and finally was able to bring me over to watch my favourite team play. Did I miss it? Can I still go watch?” she asks you with wide eyes pleading. 

You sit beside her hip on her bed and say softly “sweetie, your scans came back and I need to go in and fix your belly, we are going to do it now.” 

“So i wont get to see the game?” she pouts. 

You smile sadly and hold up your pinky and ask “I pinky promise when we’re done, I will come and watch the full game with you right here.” 

She smiles and wraps her pinky around yours and says “deal.” 

Before you can say anything more the surgical team walks in and you know its time to go, You turn to her and say “We’re going to take you in and put you to sleep and when you wake up we will get to watch Arsenal kick butt okay?” 

She nods and says “okay.” 

You follow the surgical team push her towards the OR, you help them transfer Kenzie over and you stay with her until she’s out. You move into the scrub room and pull out your phone, texting Leah like you did before every surgery, and told her that you would be in the OR and will update when you are done. 

**

Almost 6 hours later you were sat beside Kenzie’s bedside, it was dark and quiet and you were not expecting her to be awake anytime soon but you wanted to be here when she did. It had started to get late and when your phone buzzed you knew it would be Leah. You saw it was and you turned and looked out into the quiet hallway and decided to take the phone call there. 

You had been with Leah for almost 5 years, and it was the best 5 years of your life. You had been still a resident and Leah was gaining popularity and you both decided that you wanted to keep your relationship quieter. Leah was worried that some of her more enthusiastic fans would attempt to contact you through the hospital and she wanted to make sure that you were safe. 

It was sweet and when the opportunity came up to be an attending at this hospital in the middle of London you jumped at the chance to be close to your fiancé. You had been at this hospital for 6 weeks and as far as you knew, no one was the wiser to if you were single or in a relationship. Which is why you would make sure no one was around before you answered a phone call from her. 

“Hi babe” you greeted her when you picked up the phone call. 

“Hi love, are you still working?” she asks with a chuckle. 

“I am, I’m gonna stay here tonight actually.” you tell her with a soft smile, eyes on the sleeping form of Kenzie in front of you. 

You can hear her moving and she says “Are you going to be in surgery all night?” 

“no actually, this patient came in and I operated on her” you tell her softly. “She’s 8 and was here with her dad to watch your game, but she was hit by a car on the way to the stadium.” 

“Oh, love, is she okay?” she asks softly. Your heart grows three times the size as she just immediately understands why you need to be here and why you cannot leave her.

You pause on answering when Kenzie moves in front of you, but when she settles you say softly to Leah “she’s all alone Lee and I promised to watch the game with her when she wakes up.” 

“You’re amazing and I love you” she says “and I will miss you tonight.” 

“I miss you too babe” you tell her with a soft smile.

You listen as she moves around and it sounds like she’s gotten into bed and she asks “can you stay on the line with me while I fall asleep?” 

Smiling you move and adjust the chair so you are reclining as you softly ask “Do you have training tomorrow?” 

“No.”

“Good, I will definitely be home tomorrow babe” you say softly. 

“Mhmm I want you here” she sleepy says. 

You stay on the line listening to her breathe evening out and you smile to your self, thinking about how much you love this woman. “Sleep tight babe, I love you.” you whisper when you hear her softly snoring you hang up the phone. Turning in the chair to settle into a light sleep. 

**

It’s early in the morning when you hear Kenzie moving around in her bed in front of you. You open your eyes to see her eyes open looking around. You wait to see if she will fall back asleep but when her eyes lock on yours you says “Hi sweetie.” 

“hi” she whispers. 

You move to stand up and check her vitals and move your hand to check her incision site and you ask her “how are you feeling?” 

“Tired” she answers softly. 

“do you want to go back to sleep?” you ask her, and move your hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. 

She shakes her head and says “Can we watch the game now?” 

You chuckle and tell her “yeah? lets watch.” 

You move the table over the end of the bed to be closer and you pull out your phone and find the recording of the game. You always set Leah’s games that you miss to be recorded so you can watch them back. You pull the chair closer and you set the phone up so you both can see. The first 15 minutes are quiet but when Arsenal scores one she gets excited and sits up more. 

After the third goal she’s more animated and is excitedly talking about the game and the players. The game has made her feel a lot better and more like a little girl and you are happy that she seems to be doing better. 

You are lost in thought watching when she says “holy crap thats Leah Williamson.” 

You chuckle without taking your eyes off the screen and say “sweetie she’s been on the whole game.” 

“No, she’s right there!” she shouts. 

You turn and meet the eyes of your fiancé standing in the doorway of the hospital room with two coffees, she winks at you and says “I heard we had a fan here that wasn’t able to make it to the game.” 

You pause the game and move to stand up and step closer to Leah and you say “this is Kenzie.” 

“Hi Kenzie” Leah says and she hands you a coffee and brushes by you to stand beside the bed “are you watching the game back?” 

“yeah, I missed it cause Dr. Y/N was operating on my belly.” Kenzie says, the smile bright on her face. 

“she’s pretty Awesome” Leah says and then continues “Can I watch the rest with you?” 

“Yes please!” Kenzie answers quickly with an excited smile. 

“I guess you don’t need me anymore” you say with a chuckle. 

Leah smirks at you and says “Sorry love.” 

“It’s okay, you guys enjoy I am going to shower and change.” you tell them both. “Kenzie please make sure to ask Leah all the questions okay?” 

“I will! She’s my favourite player.” Kenzie says with a smile and moves to press play on the TV as she says to Leah “What did the ref say to you there?” 

You chuckle to yourself and move outside the room, and you stand on the outside of the window looking in and you feel your heart grow again watching as Leah and Kenzie both talk with their hands about the game and you can feel the smile growing on your face knowing it may be time to have a conversation with Leah about what you want next. 

[whickberstreetwriters]

Celebrating the Whickber Street Writers Association community 💜

We're a discord micro-community of Good Omens fanfic writers and, last week, one of our members @prinxlegolass gave us all the most wonderful gift: a message from Maggie Service 🥰

We wanted to share it for a couple of reasons. One was that we hope other fanfic writers might also enjoy the prompt Maggie gave us! Secondly, it's a great reminder of why storytelling matters. We're going to be doing some writing soon based on her prompt but, for now, we wanted to share some of the amazing work that our members have already created (as always, please read the tags on AO3):

Among the Stacks (65K) by @rhosmeinir - Nearly a year after Aziraphale returns to Heaven, he vanishes from existence, leaving Crowley bereft on Earth. Just when the demon has finally started to heal and move on with his life, he finds his angel by chance in a library. But Aziraphale has no memory of his life as an angel, or of Crowley. How will our hero cope?

Angels Don't Dance (Rated Mature, WIP currently at 50K) by @sixshotsinatumbllr - Crowley is assigned to investigate the unexpected uptick of infernal energy being produced by Bush Doofs in Australia. He brings Aziraphale along for the ride. It goes... well, it goes about as well as you would think.

Exit Wound (Rated Explicit, 5K) by @prinxlegolass - This is a story of love, loss, coming home, and everything that never was; a re-telling of an Irish Celtic Myth that has been sanitised and long-forgotten. Taking place one hundred years into Early Christian Ireland, it weaves themes of spiritual colonisation with the ineffability of a great plan and the parts of us that are never truly lost.

Ineffable Poetry (Rated General, 4.9K) by @bl0ndwave - a collection of poems written after watching Good Omens S02 because @bl0ndwave is still absolutely hearbroken :(

The Kindest Thing (Rated General, 1K) by @bohoteacher - In the aftermath of the final fifteen, Maggie observes Aziraphale & Crowley's parting, realizing that her and Nina's interference may have been partly to blame. She feels terrible and desperately sad for Mr. Fell & Mr. Crowley. Forgiveness comes to her from an unusual source.

Last Dance (Rated Teen, 800 words) by @rcreveal - Maggie and Nina are mortal and Aziraphale and Crowley are not. Someday, the Ineffable Husbands will have to say goodbye to dear friends.

Living Fiction (Rated Mature, 20K) by @sakascal - For two years self-published romance writer Azariah Fell has been coming to this café, three times a week on a schedule. It's the view that he's coming for - but not of the street. Right across the street is the florist shop 'Serpens et Horto', and the proprietor Anthony Crowley keeps drawing his eyes. So, is it really a surprise when one of the main characters in his latest book has a striking resemblance to Anthony Crowley?

Punks without pants (Rated Explicit, WIP currently at 47K) by @playdohangel - an AU based in London around the end of 1978 to 1979 known as ‘the winter of discontent’. Strikes, protests and political upheaval were the norm. Az, an avid follower of the Northern Soul music scene, is having a pretty shitty time of it. His dads been laid off and he's had to come down to London to work for his uncle who owns the punk venue, Dingwalls. There, his path crosses with punk Crowley, a self-confessed rich, spoiled shit running from his own past...

The Season of Nightingales (Rated Teen, Podfic) by @nosferatini - A nice and accurate prophecy of the season following the parting ways of an angel and his demon—if such an Ineffable Plan were written by a benevolent God…. As the effort to thwart Heaven’s wiles is complicated by unexpected friends, an ex-Inspector Constable, a guileful Metatron, and a Heavenly floor full of the Blessed Dead—Aziraphale and Crowley find that navigating their relationship is not mutually exclusive from saving the world from Armageddon.

Set Yourself On Fire (Rated Explicit, WIP currently at 112K with one chapter left!) by @rofell - A Sapphic fic: Azira and Crowley are old high school enemies who end up as dorm roommates. They couldn't possibly have anything in common, right? A love story that spans decades, about dealing with your shit and becoming the person you were meant to be.

The Travel Sweet Illusion (Rated Mature, 6K) by @secretlywingedphantom - What if Crowley did, in fact, secretly pass something to the angel in the final 15? A somewhat-silly one shot about an angel and a demon preparing for the worst. But in the most delightful and delicious of ways.

Walk in the Shade (Rated Teen, 1.7 K) by @springofviolets - A sad man (gn) walks into a bar and... Written for the Whickber Street Writers Association Karaoke Project, an event based around the prompt: what happens when a new karaoke bar opens on Whickber Street and attracts the attention of a certain demon?

Whatever I Like Best (Rated Mature, 1.8K) by @naturallyteal - The Secret Dream Diary of a Good Omens fan (anonymous, he) who contracted a severe case of the fandom-typical brain rot from watching S1 & S2 too often, reading too much fanfic on AO3, and spending altogether too much time engaging on tumblr, digesting gifs, fanart and meta. He dreams about Good Omens every night.

Write A Way (Rated Explicit, 73K) by @angie-words - Azira Fell and AJ Crowley are both successful authors in their own right, invited to speak at the same national book festival. Despite a falling out a couple of years ago, they've never actually met - so this event is going to be awkward for both of them. Right? As it happens, it seems they share a love of a certain TV show... and being very active parts of its fandom (yep, it's Fanfic Writer Crowley and Fanfic Reader Aziraphale time!)

Lastly, @sakascal has also put together a poem at extremely short notice inspired by Maggie Service's prompt!

Spirit

Met by the warm current that surrounds all

A sense of comfort breaking any wall

Genial free smile, hopeful yet welcoming

Graced by cheery lights under lashes pleasing

Inviting arms wide open to the world

Essence of kindness for all unfurled

[vesseloflukola]

Normal folks turned Celebrities…

One thing that I think some of us forget (I mean, I do at least), is that not too long ago both Nicola and Luke were just normal people living normal lives.

They both started out as kind of “theater nerds”. I would never think of either of them as nerds…but what I mean is that, although they had both been in projects, they were unknown to the general public. They were each in their own little bubble trying to find success.

Even though they had been in other things, they both had a small following and small successes, and Bridgerton was their big break.

Nicola said after trying to be successful in London, she moved back to Ireland, and as a struggling actress, she worked part time in an Optician’s office.

While Luke was going on auditions, he worked as a bartender and was staying on a friend’s sofa bed.

Bridgerton was a big success for both of them, but season 3 (and the World tour that led up to its release) was truly their skyrocket to stardom. Before the show, and their season being leads of the show, they were relatively unknown actors to most of the world.

As unknown actors they were able to do very normal, everyday things without being encountered much by fans, and definitely not harassed by the paparazzi.

This last year has been one full of changes for both of them because of their new (bigger) celebrity status. They have flown all over the world. They have needed bodyguards sometimes. They have been recognized and photographed by complete strangers, sometimes making them feel scared or disrespected.

They essentially went from being able to do whatever they wanted, without thinking about it, to having to plan every move they make and think ahead of what the outcome could be.

Another thing that I believe they were dealing with at the same time as this newfound status, is their relationship with one another. Those are two big things to be balancing at the same time.

Yes, they both have PR teams and they both have other successful actors (like Jonathan Bailey, for example) to guide them. But ultimately, they are the ones making the decisions on how they want things to go and how they want to be seen.

I fully believe that Nicola and Luke have been together romantically (this time at least) for about a year. I believe the unhinged things they did and said on the WT were shown to us because they were just so much in love that they couldn’t hide it.

They said their chemistry as Pen and Colin came easily, because they just stopped repressing it. I fully believe that the love they have for one another was also somewhat repressed because at least Luke (but possibly Nic too) was in a committed relationship when they met.

I also believe that Nic and Luke are happily married with a baby (like Nic keeps saying of Pen and Colin in recent interviews). With such a change as this (love, marriage, and a baby), in addition to the heightened celebrity status for both of them within a years time really, they truly have a lot on their plates!

Have they been messy? Absolutely!! But do I think there is a really good reason for that messiness that only they and their close loved ones know about? Also, yes imo.

I think we need to give them some grace and some time and we will see what we all want so desperately to see (which is a hard launch showing how unbelievably happy they are together). I honestly think they want to show us. However, they need to be able to do it in their own time, which is hard for the fans.

What we saw from them at the SAG Awards was real! They showed us how they feel about one another. We all saw the love and affection between them. They honestly gave us SO much to be happy about for them. They were even more unhinged and acted more connected than they did during the WT.

They just could not hide how they are feeling right now (even though I believe they had intended to hide it and not give us what they did). For now, I think we have to be happy with all that we got from their SAG appearance (because it really was SO much).

I believe they are living their “Happily Ever After”. We just need to be patient as we wait for them to share that good news with the rest of the world.

[greynatomy]

falling for mccabe

lia wälti x reader

don’t really know how to feel about this

———

You and Katie were like two pease in a pod. Growing up, you had different interests, but that didn’t stop you from supporting one another. You moved away from Ireland first, wanting a change in scenery, be more independent. So when you got hired at a hospital in London, you accepted right away. Telling Katie was the hardest part of leaving home.

Just two years later though, Katie signed for Arsenal, the choice was a no brainer for her. She got herself her own apartment but came over to yours as much as she can. Her team, once they were all comfortable and got to know each other better, would tease her, saying that she needs her big sissy cuddles. Katie, however, was never once embarrassed by the teasing. She loves to be able to call her her big sister.

You never really got to know any of her teammates from Arsenal until after the lockdown. Katie’s teammates told her to invite you over to the club. You got along with the team, some more than others, and maybe got to bring one of them home with you.

The same person you brought home was now your very secret girlfriend. You were going to tell Katie the moment it became official, but you found out from your girlfriend that your sister’s girlfriend was her ex-girlfriend and became stuck.

You and your girlfriend were still fast asleep, your arm slung over her waist, holding her close that you didn’t hear your front door opening and steps coming closer to your bedroom. 

“Rise and shi—WHAT THE FUCK!”

You shoot up from the bed, falling over the side, bumping the side of your head on your bedside table. Lia gets out of bed just as fast.

“Ow.”

“Oh, baby.” Lia crawls over the bed to you, her hand replacing the side of your head that you were rubbing.

“Baby?” Caitlin speaks for the first time.

“Couldn’t you fucking knock. Fucking almost killed me you cunt.”

“Oi! I don’t appreciate that tine, missy!”

“I’m older so I can talk to you how I want.”

“Woah. Okay, sassy.” Lia covers your mouth with her hand. “Why don’t you both wait in the living room while we put some more clothes on.”

Caitlin drags Katie out to the living room by her arm. A minute later, Lia comes out and Katie walks back towards the bedroom, leaving the two exes by themselves.

“Would you like something to drink?” Lia asks.

“A coffee would be good. One cream—”

“—Two sugars.”

“You remember.” Lia gives her a tight lipped smile, not knowing how to reply. “So… how long has that been going on?”

“Uh, a year or so ago now. Since that time at the bar after lockdown.”

“No way.” Caitlin states in disbelief.

“What?”

“That’s when Katie and I started seeing each other.”

“Wow.” Lia whispers, shocked with the information. “Who would’ve thought we’d fall for a McCabe at the same time.”

“Don’t sound so shocked baby. I’ll have you know that I am quite the catch.”

“It’s the Irish genes I tell you.”

Both of the sisters’ girlfriends roll their eyes at their cockiness.

“Know what’d be funny?” Katie looks at you and you smirk in understanding.

“What is it?” Caitlin asks impatiently.

“You and Lia are still friends right? No hard feelings?” You ask.

“Yeah…” They were both now skeptical.

“Why don’t we mess with your fans for a bit.”

“What do you have in mind?” Lia wraps an arm around your waist, now very curious.

“Nothing too crazy. Just start interacting more. Be best friends. You’ll be in-laws sooner than later anyway.”

The next few days, the fans have been gong crazy over all of the Caitlin and Lia interaction they were seeing. Walking out of the coach together, walking to the locker room together, walking out to the pitch together, celebrating goals together, signing/taking photos with fans together. Are they together? Everyone was confused, including their teammates and national teammates, but they both simply ignore all questions.

You had a very rare day off from your job which lined up with Arsenal’s off day, so what better way to celebrate than to stay home and get drunk. Katie has been known to be a crazy drinker and knowing you just a short time, its safe to say where Katie got it from.

You and Katie were drunk, at the phase where everything is funny. Lia and Caitlin are a bit tipsy, still in control of themselves. Ever since catching you and Lia in bed together two weeks ago, the two became close again, like before. No romantic feeling left for each other and care now very good friends, you and Katie being a common denominator.

Caitlin and Lia were in the living room when they no longer heard the two of you. A silent McCabe meant something was wrong, but two silent McCabes… they knew you were up to no good. They slowly crept into the kitchen, hoping to catch what the two of you were up to, going unnoticed. They were both greeted by the sight of the siblings focused on something on Katie’s phone, identical furrowed eyebrows on you faces.

“What are you two up to?” Lia asks cautiously.

“Hey!” You perk up from the sound of your girlfriend’s voice. “Katie is doing this instagram thing and I’m just a bit confused.”

“Yeah, cause you’re old and don’t know how to use social media.”

“Well, what would I post? “‘Hey, instagram! I’ve just finished fixing up this person’s brain for ten hours.”’ You like have to be on it.”

“Are you allowed to take pictures while you’re in the operating room?”

“I’d probably have to get some consent forms signed.”

“You should facetime me sometime.”

“Wait. What is it you don’t understand?” Caitlin now asks.

is that caitlin? did i hear caitlin’s voice i heard lia’s earlier caitlin and lia together again??

“It keeps saying your names now. How does instagram know your names?” You were very confused now. Your drunk self couldn’t make sense of anything.

“Give me that.”

Lia grabs the phone off the table, Lia looking over her shoulder to take a look herself.

“Ohmygod.” Caitlin was quick to move the phone away from her face, setting it on the table face up. “Katie!”

“Yes, sugarplum?” Katie answered at the same time you asked, “Did you figure it out or not?”

“You’re on instagram live!”

People watching the live are now freaking out. Some confused, but most are freaking out at the quick sight of Caitlin and Lia together.

“Okay, um, we have to go. Bye guys.” Lia quickly ends the live.

Just second later, both Caitlin and Lia’s phones are ringing from calls and messages from their friends.They looked at each other and silenced their phones, making sue to turn off the tracking privileges for some of their friends. No one would be able to find them as you were all at your house.

“Want to just post something to freak people out more?’

“Great idea.”

———

liked by leahwilliamson, caitlinfoord and 48,738 others

liawalti from exes to in-laws

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leahwilliamson huh?

kyracooneyx PARENTS!

katie_mccabe11 hi sister in-law

↳ caitlinfoord how’d you get your phone back?

↳ katie_mccabe11 a magician never reveals their secrets

ynmccabe hi, honey!

↳ liawalti since when did you get instagram?

↳ ynmccabe right now. katie did it for me

user now that’s gold

user not everyone freaking out that they got back together

↳ user me… i was everyone

user not you two falling for sisters

[tallwife]

Ive been kind of quiet about personal posts on here in the last year or so making my moves in silence so here's the full crazy rundown of how me and bf got together because all I've been doing really is make the occasional vague post but not expanded on it

Met this guy at a party about a decade ago (omg) when I was about 16/17 who I remember because I talked to him and this other boy about video games. Other boy was like a GIRL who GAMES??? And the guy was like 'obviously girls can play games lol' and I remember it well because it was funny and he was nice. Don't see him again

About 5 years ago meet the guy again, we don't make the connection for another few years that we've met before. He has a gf and is nice enough, but I don't know him very well yet

He hangs out with my friend group a lot and I click very well with him when we talk, but he's not on my radar because of aforementioned gf

I start a VERY tumultuous idiotic embarrassing situationship with one of his best friends aka the 'GIRLS CAN PLAY GAMES???' guy. I'm stupid and have feelings for him and on reflection it was insane. My heart is being ripped out constantly and I'm being toyed with

Meanwhile he and his gf break up and soon after he has a casual fwb thing with another one of my friends. So he's still not on my radar at all

As this is all going on me and him become very very good friends, its 100% just platonic and supportive. He finds out how badly his friend treated me and to my surprise he firmly takes my side on things and is a massive help and a great friend in this time, distances himself a little from situationship guy

We start to click and hang out constantly. We bond over being bi and other personal things and we have the same humour, nobody can make me laugh like him.

At this point about a year and a half ago, we probably hang out at least once a week. We have a cute weekly cinema habit and we talk about everything. I've never felt this comfortable and safe with a guy before. Start to realise he's also very much my type but I try to keep it out of my mind

He starts to get back into the dating world and I realise it makes me feel really nervous and sad. UNSURE WHAT TO DO. I worry that I am just feeling this way because of proximity and also that I am going to fuck things up if I ask about it. I also kind of fell into that trap of thinking 'if he liked me he wouldve already tried to make a move'. i start imagining how id feel if he got another partner longterm and it makes me feel really sad

About this time last year it's like I wake up one day and am like 'fuck I have feelings for him' but figure I just need to ignore it and get on with my life

Attempt to have a brat summer and affirm that I will find someone else and that these feelings will go away. By early July I realise this is IMPOSSIBLE and that I will need to tell him how I feel because he's the only person I ever look for at events and the person i think about all the time.

situationship guy leaves the continent and i never have to see him again HOORAY

A few of us go abroad in mid July. Hot country, us two and another friend, his gf and brother.

the whole time im TRYING to ignore my feelings but im 100% fallen in love and am so attracted to him. we have long late night chats over cigarettes on rooftops, late night swims, day trips by ourselves etc. so i realise i have to tell him how i feel or i'll regret it

almost have a heart attack from nerves but tell him on the last night of the holiday. feel like im going to get rejected and because hes slow to react and needs to process it im SURE hes rejecting me

we basically stay up all night talking about what this could mean, the implications if it goes wrong, can we stay friends if so, etc. but we do end up holding each other and falling asleep together.

the second we land back in ireland we go on a 40k+ step walk all day to discuss EVERY detail. at the end decide we're gonna try it and have a proper first kiss by the ocean AHHHHH

have our first date the next day

we fall crazy in love

both admit later on that we had BOTH been in love with each other for the past year and BOTH had resigned ourselves to never confessing it because we cherished our friendship so much and thought the other person would reject us

friends to lovers arc in real life complete

[nicstylus]

I'm rereading Skulduggery Pleasant for the nth time. Here are my newish revelations.

The Faceless Ones Edition!

First || Previous || Next (SoonTM)

List of artwork links at the bottom.

!! Spoilers for all of Phase 1 and 2 !!

Forgot that the bell was the Sea Hag's whole thing. She gives Val the bell in... Badlam? Whatever, some P2 book, but I forgot that was her whole shtick. Also I don't think Val every uses it after she gets it??? I have not read Phase 3. Nod along and agree xD

God Fletcher is so annoying. I never really warm up to him tbh, the annoyance just slowwwwwwly fades. I (an aromantic idiot that insists on logic) don't understand why book characters warm up to and date each other so fast. I know like a year passes between Valkyrie meeting Fletcher and them dating (maybe two years, idr if they start dating in dd or mc) but like. Do people really move that fast? Esp when you find them so annoying to begin with???? He's so cocky and pretty bad with consent in this book, and then. 11 months of agonizing searching for a skull later you're like yeah maybe I do like him? What?

Not Kenspeckle foreshadowing Valkyries head being taken off with how he'd be able to sew it back on obviously It's probably a good thing he's dead by KotW, can you imagine the absolute ass-beating he'd unleash on Skulduggery if he found out Valkyrie got her head ripped off in another dimension, regardless of if she was in God-Mode at the time?

Resolute Thread? Never seen again (maybe one other time, I don't remember it at all though). Sure, it's said that its very rare but, one time use rip

The Purple Menace looks like this btw, in case you never looked it up. For some reason (because I'm stupid) I was imagining a really low sports car, like a mustang or something xD

Until this reread, I thought Val lost her first jacket in book 2. She actually loses it in this one, (it gets eaten by one of the sanctuary's exit tunnel) Then Kenspeckle gives her one of his, then Ghastly unstatuefies and starts making her a new jacket- all in the span of like two chapters. Granted she doesn't get the new jacket until the second half of the book but still amusing. Still salty the white covers spine art is so wrong but what can you do right

"You die in pain. Screaming." "Fighting a creature of darkness." Did Ghastly's mom see the REFLECTION? Stephanie dies getting beaten to death BY Darquesse. Horribly and painfully. Screaming for Fletcher, who is literally ten feet away.

Damn Erskine starting shit as early as book 3 (technically earlier bc he poisons Saracen ikik), I forgot about that

Do we think the 'woman in grey' thats with him is Mist? Some random woman Derek didn't wanna name? Zafira from America? Hmmm

okay obviously I'm an idiot bc I'm sitting here like if Paddy is Batu this whole time why the hell would he call Skulduggery to tell him Gallow is walking around his land? But then I realized that he ALSO needed to know where the portal was going to open. Batu knew Skulduggery would show up with Fletcher (So now he also knows what he looks like) and inadvertently show the spot to him. This might even be pointed out later in the book, but I'm writing this as I read so. Durrr*

Oh sweetheart :[

So we can agree that the Reflection definitely internalized this speech by the Great Echo Gordon, yes? Okay cool

Remember when I mentioned that Serpine turned the floor/entrance to the caves to dust? Yeah they just used the key to open the floor. Who is this nameless stonemason sorcerer who came and fixed it? I simply must know.

Do we think Derek got the idea for Cadaverous as he as writing Anthem Mire? That's the first time we see 'Master of my house/domain' in the form of 'It will do whatever I say'

Bliss explaining that if they lose Thurid only two years after Meritorious that the rest of the world would try to step in 'for Ireland's own good' Hmmm what interesting foreshadowing. It would be a real shame if anything were to happen to Mr. Bliss, since he understands politics and actually thinks with his brain.

I wonder if Derek realized he named two different characters Alan in the same book? Alan and Cathy the classmates broke up at the beginning of the book, and Alan the farmer attempts to protect Valkyrie from Crux much later.

Chapter 30 from Beryl's perspective makes me laugh every time I read it, I love Tanith. She also asks Stephanie about Val in front of the entire family, then leaves without an explanation. I genuinely can't remember if the twins ask Val about it later when they find out her name is Valkyrie. Maybe they forgot.

Battle of Anamore Farm

Okay so during the Fletcher/Guild exchange, Skulduggery says that Valkyrie is probably the safest of them all at the moment, with her being locked up in the Sanctuary and all. Then when everything goes wrong and gets a hundred times MORE unsafe, the first thing he does while everyone else drives straight to Anamore Farm is detour to the Sanctuary to pick her up and take her directly into the warzone with him. What a great, responsible role model.

Batu Paddy definitely intentionally charged out at them, shotgun in hand with the hope of killing them 'accidently' before hell breaks loose. Failure to do so just meant switching to his backup plan of 'whoops my bad! don't wanna give up my land haha'

It just finished raining. Krav and Gallow are drawing the portal circle/sigils on the ground with... Chalk?? On wet grass???? Have mages never heard of spray paint lmao

Murder Rose and Razzia would either get along really well, or have one hell of a time trying to kill each other.

Ghastly: Pulls Valkyrie away from the danger zone after she gets a grenade thrown at her. Also Ghastly: Immediately pulls a shard of glass out of her back (DO NOT PULL OUT SHARP THINGS THAT HAVE STABBED YOU) and sends her running across the property to his burning and flipped over van.

I completely forgot the Diablerie had an army of Hollow Men with them here.

"Why are you their last hope? Do you have a power no one else has?" Eh give it a few more years.

There's something parallel about the White Cleaver saving Tanith from dying a terrible death at the hands of Murder Rose, after almost making her die a terrible death at his own hands. I'm not poetic enough to point that out though.

*Yeah Batu literally tells Val that them bringing Fletcher showed him where the portal was and somehow I just never remembered that part?? xD

This isn't a new revelation but I want to point how how smart burying the Scepter was. I feel like most villains just hold on to things but hiding an object in a hole in the ground in the woods? I know Remus found it bc he watched Batu, but realistically it should have stayed hidden until the Sanctuary could launch a search for it or something. Plot armour is a hell of a drug

Mentioning again how good Derek is at writing young inexperienced fighters. Tanith is right: Use your elbows, not your knuckles. ESP don't punch your knuckles into the skull. Big strong head bone will win over your tiny finger bones any day, even in you're punching correctly. Palm strikes are better. Elbows and knees are best.

Minor continuality error where Valkyrie finds Fletcher sitting against a tree and she looks down at him while they talk. Then at the end of the conversation she 'gets to her feet.' *shakes fist at Derek*

Fletcher is realistic though. Regular people like to think theyre brave and would be super defiant if in scenarios like this, but really, if you're face to face with three insane serial killer zealots and then you open a portal to three gods that are 'impossibly made form? You're not sticking around. You're gonna wanna be GONE, same as Renn xD

Interesting that the last Faceless One was chasing Skulduggery but stopped and turned to Val. Is it because a flesh and blood target is more interesting than the living skeleton? Did it see Darquesse? Did it see the owner of the Sceptre? Or, more likely, did it see it's own blood within her? * China says it didn't kill her bc of the ancient blood so I think we know the real answer.

Gallow has some quick af thinking. Figuring out the tattoo was a beacon? Pulling off a belt and wrapping it tight enough around your upper arm to cut off circulation, all while running?

Also, how the hell did he use a Cleaver scythe to cut off his arm. I always imagined that the scythe was just. A normal scythe blade, sharp on the bottom, facing the ground when you stand it up. (I draw mine as foldable because that makes much more sense for sheathing and such) Either he picked up a blade that was severed from the snath, or the Cleaver scythes are sharp on all sides (which also explains how they're able to fight so fluidly with them, because scythes are seriously horrible fight with) Tangent: Here are the three official artworks of cleavers. Ignoring how stupid they look for a moment: The scythe blades are pretty ambiguous

Here's the thing though

There's no way Gallow is cutting off his arm with an intact scythe (in one smooth motion no less) by laying his arm on the ground and pressing the blade against it with... The rest of his body? He's still connected to his arm its not like he can stand up either. The scythe would have to be sharp on the outside too, which makes for a pretty shitty and flimsy blade, unless the BOTTOM is the thicker edge, in which case... ???? Magic I guess smh No wonder the Rippers use sickles, those make so much more sense xD

Reread the series and take a shot every time the Sceptre gets dropped. Seriously, no one thought 'hmm maybe I should put a Wii remote strap on the most powerful weapon in the universe?'

Take another shot every time the Sceptre gets broken or 'mangled beyond use' Derek just can't let it go lol

I wonder if Skulduggery was already thinking about the possible necessity of sacrificing himself when they start bringing Batu's Faceless One back towards the portal. I know he was actually dragging in in the end, but the thought might still have been there as we know he's pretty consistently multiple steps ahead of everyone else. He and Wreath are fighting this thing together while China and Fletcher hold the portal open, and even though Skulduggery has shown his distain for Wreath he physically throws him out of the fight before Batu/The Faceless One can kill him. The ideal outcome if Skulduggery were to sacrifice himself would be Ghastly and Tanith (and maybe China I guess) taking over Valkyrie's mentorship; but I wonder if a little part of him knew that Wreath would also step in, especially since Skulduggery's skull becomes the new Isthmus Anchor.

Tanith has been out of commission pretty much this entire battle, she's gonna be pretty pissed about that when she wakes up. (Near Death Experience in this book: Curtesy of Murder Rose and Batu)

✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏

Here's my TFO-specific artworks:

Cover Redesign

Fletcher Renn Design + Finbar

Billy-Ray had taken her smile (WIP)

Welcome back Ghastly

It's a guy thing

Solomon Wreath Design

Punching Wreath

First || Previous || Next (SoonTM)

[archerarchives]

Winner Takes it All

Slater x Fem Reader x Sterling Archer

Your ex-husband isn't thrilled to hear about your latest romantic connection.

(It's more about Slater than Archer.)

Drama, Smut, Comedy, Story-Driven.

TWs: !!Smut!! And maybe a lil angst, jealousy, physical violence, drunk sex, long read, not proofread, this is not a 3-way fic, sorry! They're just both gettin' bounced on!

You've just moved cities for a new, low-profile job with a well-known spy agency, ISIS. It's a change of scenery where you can still use the specialized skills you've honed over the years at your old job. The CIA was a prolific time in your career, but with your divorce newly finalized after a long, messy process, you're ready to uproot your life and start over somewhere.

Finding this job was something of fate in itself. You were drinking your thoughts away in a shabby pub on a mission in Ireland when a man, just as wasted as you, came crashing through the door, spouting off at the mouth about "top secret agent" this, "classified mission" that. Even at your drunkest, you've never compromised yourself in such a way. All's well, though, as it ended with a job offer and a very interesting hook-up.

Try as you may, you can't escape the memories of that first sexual rendezvous after a lengthy legal battle. Your cheeks redden with warmth as you remember the way he bent you over, sliding his hands up your spine as he guided your hips against his waist.

You giggle to yourself as your stomach flips. All this time seeing him in a professional setting feels silly, considering his drunken personality when you first met him. You're certainly not in love, nor are you looking for it. It's just nice to explore without moral compromise.

Working with ISIS is a dream, not to mention getting to step out with Archer to fuck in a supply closet nearly hourly. The scandal of sneaking around only adds to the fun.

Your marriage was just as passionate for years, but with that came an explosiveness that working together at the CIA ultimately killed. No time apart, you smothered each other until it felt like there weren't any feelings to save.

Keeping things light with Archer has been easy, considering if he's not fucking you, then he's definitely off fucking someone else. Often other members of the agency. It is vehemently not love, and you love that.

One day, after months of casual hookups, Archer mentions something about taking you to dinner. An awkward silence falls over the two of you as you lie naked in his bed. "It's not that I don't want to, I just," you search hard for your next words.

"Oh, no. It's fine. I just figured I owed you after, you know, all this." He gestures to your whole body.

"You don't owe me anything, handsome. It's a pretty equal exchange if you ask me." You wink at him, slipping away from his possessive grip so you can get dressed.

"By the way, don't tell Mother I told you, but we've got some CIA agents coming in on Monday. I'm not sure what for. Apparently, none of us are supposed to know." Archer's clearly looking for any way to change the subject after his invite went wrong.

"CIA? Did you happen to get their names?" You ask, with a lump in your throat.

"No, but they can't be much worse than those other two dick heads." Archer settles back against his headboard, covered by nothing but blankets up to his waist. His chiseled body shines in the sunlight like a painting. You almost hesitate to leave, but after that awkward date denial, you want to get far, far away. It's not all his fault, he has no idea about your situation.

"Sounds like fun. I'll see you there, princess." You chuckle, lingering in the doorway.

"For the last time, it's Duchess. And we don't get to choose our code names!" His spiral makes you laugh as you wave goodbye and head out his bedroom door. His valet, an elderly man called Woodhouse, always meets you at the door to send you off. You smile warmly at him as you make your way to your car.

~~~Monday Morning

"Good morning, Pam," you yawn, stepping off the elevator. She waves a tired hello to you and you make your way toward your office. After a small window of time, Archer knocks at your door, right on schedule. You both slip down the hall and meet up in one of your trusty 'spots.' You've opted for the supply closet yet again.

Archer pulls you inside with him, hungrily grabbing at your breasts and roughly fidgeting with your buttoned-up blouse. You let out a giggle, a bit louder than you mean to, but you quickly quiet back down. He grins at the sight of your breasts pressed firmly against his chest.

"Oh, my God," he breathes into your neck, positioning himself right against you. "I'll never get tired of this." He slips inside of you with ease. A low, breathy moan escapes his lips as he reaches his hilt. From there, he's thrusting into you rhythmically, gripping your hips while you prop yourself against the shelves of dusty cleaning products.

Archer's fingertips dig into your skin as he lifts you off the ground for a better angle. Each delicate moan that escapes your lips is met with a sensual sound of his own or a passionate kiss on your lips to silence you. He places a firm, but gentle hand around your neck as he picks up his pace.

"Harder," you whisper against his broad chest and he's happy to oblige. At this point, you hardly care what can and can't be heard outside the closet. "Harder." And he complies, slamming into you with a force that'd tell a stranger he must hate you.

A knot begins to form in your stomach, growing tighter as you near your orgasm. He's moaning your name into your ear, sending your eyes rolling back every time he opens his mouth. You're doing all you can to keep it together, and just when you finally give, he pulls out and finishes on your chest, careful to keep aim on your exposed skin.

Your blue-eyed hookup helps you clean up and you realize there's yet another awkward silence as he lingers for a little longer than usual in the closet, just looking at you. "Wow," he sighs.

"You weren't too bad yourself, handsome," you wink, playfully tapping his chest with your palm. Once you've both steadied your breathing, he leaves first, scoping out the hallway, careful to give a cough or some sort of signal if someone's around. It's silent. You give it a few minutes and then you step out as well.

"Y/N!" A painfully familiar voice calls your name from the opposite end of the otherwise empty hallway. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Slater?" You knew it, you just wanted to believe it could've been anyone else. "Are you asking what I'm doing or what I'm doing here?"

"Well," he's stumped. "Both, I guess. Did you just fuck Archer in that closet?" He sounds equal parts disturbed and livid.

"I work here now. And that's really none of your business anymore." You cross your arms defensively.

"Trust me, Y/N, you don't want-"

"Stop telling me what I do and don't want. Don't we have a meeting or something?" You stomp off, not allowing his ability to set you off cost you this new job.

Archer and the other agents have already been in the meeting. You're late and if you weren't on Malory's good side, you know she'd have something to say about it. Instead, she just gives you a sharp look, and you take the warning for the golden ticket it is. You take a quiet seat near the group and tune into whatever the other CIA agent is explaining.

It's tedious, tiresome, and boring. Some of the staff are falling asleep while others are zoning out altogether. Archer's distracted and his disruption goes unchecked as he messes around with an Operation game.

Suddenly, the door slings open and Slater angrily crosses the floor. Most of the room falls silent, besides Archer, who is still playing with the toy. Slater reaches his desk and slaps the game out of his hands, causing others around them to gasp in surprise.

"Are you fucking my wife?" Slater yells lividly through gritted teeth, placing one hand on the desk surface to stop himself from swinging at the ISIS agent.

"What?" Archer's surprise quickly turns to amusement. "No, I'm screwing-"

"I'm not your wife anymore, Slater!" You scold from across the way. The room fills with sounds of confused shock, but no one's as wide-eyed as Archer.

"You're married to this douchebag?" Your dark-haired situationship points to Slater.

"Not anymore!" You toss your hands up defensively. "Our divorce is finalized. What Sterling and I do-" you're cut off.

"Sterling?" Slater erupts at the intimate comfortability between you and Archer. Unhinged, Slater grabs the front of Archer's suit and lands a solid punch to the face. His biceps flex intensely under his casual T-shirt as he tightens his grip for another swing.

Now Slater and Archer are in an all-out brawl. The desks of the lecture room are knocked into disarray as the two men toss each other around. Cyril and Ray both try to intervene, but it's pointless. Archer, as usual, takes nothing seriously. He's almost laughing and probably would be if he wasn't ever so slightly losing the fight.

"Enough!" Malory throws a glass of cognac so hard, it slams against the wall right between both men's heads.

"Mother!" Archer looks distressed by her close quarters warning.

"If you two don't stop this childish nonsense this very minute I'll have you both sent wherever the hell I want for treason." Her threat is grand, but it's clear she means it.

"Look, fuck you, but she'll actually do that," Archer speaks with his eyes narrowed at his rival. Slater sighs, glaring at Archer for just a moment more before finally releasing his suit jacket.

"Good," Malory relaxes, somehow already equipped with another freshly poured glass of cognac. She redirects everyone's attention back to the boring speaker from before. "Now, you were saying?"

~~~After Work, at Your House

"That's not what I'm saying!" Slater yells, an all too familiar sound. One you thought you'd gotten rid of.

"Then what are you saying?" You toss your arms up in frustration. "Because from here, it's sounding like you're telling me who I can and can't be with. We aren't married anymore!" That last sentence seems to piss him off, or at least hurt him. He closes his eyes and furrows his brows, trying to find it in himself to calm down. Something he's never tried to do before.

"I know we're not married anymore, but seriously? Him?" He shakes his head. "And why move? Why leave the CIA?"

"Are you kidding me?" You ask, utterly shocked by the question. "This is why! This tantrum you're throwing as if you haven't been enjoying your own freedoms even before the divorce was finalized!" The truth causes Slater to avert his eyes. It's true, he was living his own bachelor lifestyle quite early on in the process.

"It's just," he takes a deep breath. "Could it be anyone else?"

"You act like I'm in love with the guy." You laugh. "I'm just trying to feel something."

"Oh yeah? Does he know that?"

"Of course he does!" You knit your brows. "Have you met the guy? I'm not exactly at the top of his roster."

"His people said he hasn't strayed outside your little meetings for at least two weeks. That's like a year for him." Slater crosses his arms.

"Two weeks, huh?" You take a seat at your table. Slater sits right across from you. You do the math and realize you've only been working at ISIS for about a month.

"Two weeks. Not even Agent Kane had him down that long."

"Agent Kane? Lana? Do they have that kind of history?" You ask. It's clear to anyone that they've fucked, but you had no idea what their history entailed until Slater filled you in.

"You have no idea what this guy's about, huh?" He asks, smugly.

"I don't. And I don't care. I'm not stepping on any toes and I certainly don't owe you anything." You wrangle any corner of your face that may show discomfort, adamant to not let him know he got into your head. "I think you should go. I have work in the morning."

"Oh, I know. You and I will be working very closely for a while. Just like old times." He sounds sickly sweet as he heads for your door, like you asked. Just before he leaves, he hesitates, almost like he intends to speak, but he doesn't. He doesn't look back at you or anything. He just finally exits and a cold silence follows in his place.

"Fuck," you huff.

~~~The Next Day, in The Lecture Room

"Psst," Archer garners your attention.

"What?" You whisper and he passes you a note like you're two kids in school. It reads: 'My office, 2 PM.' You stifle the smirk blossoming on your lips. Then, before you have time to blink, the note is snatched from your hand by Slater, playing the role of the bitch teacher. After that, there are suddenly mandatory training exercises being held for certain agents at certain times. You've been lovingly gifted the time slot of 1:50 PM to 2:50 PM with Archer going right after you.

While each agent waits, you spend time at Cheryl's desk with her and Pam. A little gossip to speed things along. Pam doesn't hold back in the slightest, diving right in as soon as you sit down.

"So were you Y/N Slater or...?" Cheryl wrinkles her nose, asking a question far less invasive than Pam's.

"I kept my last name. I didn't know how to navigate that either." You shrug.

"Okay, but this divorce is recent, right?" Pam redirects the conversation.

"Recent for a divorce, sure. But we've been separated for over a year."

"A whole year of working with your ex-husband at the CIA?" The round-faced blonde raises her eyebrows.

"There's a reason I jumped at this opportunity, Pam." You tilt your head forward, widening your eyes at her. A look that says, 'Don't even ask.'

"Mrs. Slater..." Cheryl repeats to herself. "Nope, doesn't have a good ring to it."

"Sure doesn't!" You exclaim, holding up your left hand and wiggling your bare ring finger. Right on cue, Slater approaches you where you sit in front of Cheryl's desk. She and Pam both excuse themselves to eavesdrop from a few feet away.

"Ready for some assistance training Agent Y/L/N?" He asks, a bitterness already biting in his voice.

"Absolutely, Agent Slater." You give a false sense of enthusiasm. "Anything to get you out of here faster."

"Then right this way," he gestures for the elevator. The firing range is on an entirely different level, and something about the usually short lift ride is excruciatingly long today. You stand next to each other uncomfortably for a while before you finally glance over at him. He doesn't look at you, but you get a good look at his chest and crossed arms. His seemingly permanent angry expression etched lightly into his features. "Like what you see?" He asks, smirking smugly.

"Shut up," you snap, facing forward and silently scolding yourself for being so quick to nearly forget why you left him in the first place. Finally, the elevator doors open to the shooting range lobby. It's empty until you and Slater step out of the elevator. After checking your weapons and loading up on ammunition, it's time to start shooting.

You've always been a pretty solid shot. These exercises don't meet your skill. You'd do better to practice with a course, but that's not an option right now. "Two in the head, one in the chest," Slater says, and you don't think twice about what he's talking about. You fire the three bullets you were instructed to fire. This goes on for a while and you begin to think an hour of this might not be so bad.

"Oh, hey. I was thinking, why not make this a group effort and save some time?" Archer, seemingly drunk, appears in the soundproofed doorway of the shooting range.

"Agent Archer, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." Slater smiles deviously as he shoves him back and slams the door. Once it's locked, he turns his attention to you. You missed the whole ordeal due to the quality of your ear protection. You didn't see or hear Archer's impromptu class suggestion or it's brutal rejection.

"Are we done?" You ask, assuming that's what he's come to tell you when he lifts the earmuff off your head.

"No," he shakes his head. "Your form is a little off." His comment makes you arch your brows.

"No it's not."

"Yes, it is. Here." Slater takes your arms and guides them up to point your gun at the target. With his body pressed against yours, he wraps your hands around the firearm and "shows" you the proper form. It's no different from how you were just standing, and you know that, but that's not the point. The point is, now he's flush against your body and you can feel his heartbeat in the heat radiating off his chest.

"Slater, come on. What are you doing?" You try your best to sound serious, but you fail. He takes the gun from your hand and places it on the counter before slipping off your ear protection and setting it to the side as well. You're still standing with your back to him, and he leans in to whisper.

"Why don't you show me how good your form is?" He slips his hands into your hair, pulling it back gently like a ponytail before suddenly wrapping one hand up and roughly pulling your head back so he can plant a heinous love bite on your neck. You let out a breathy moan as your eyes slip back into your head. This is why it took so long to get away. If it wasn't an argument that had you nearly throwing chairs, then it was this.

"I can't... Or rather, I don't want to."

"You don't owe him anything. He's drunk right now, probably already fucking someone else in a different tiny, filthy closet." His grip on your hair tightens. "Haven't you missed me? Just a little?" The raspy nature of his voice vibrates into his chest that's pressed up against your back. Your skin erupts into chill bumps as his grip loosens and then tightens back up again when he doesn't get an answer fast enough.

"Slater," you pull away, finally. Much to your disappointment. Listen. Regardless of Archer, you know this isn't a good idea." You straighten up your appearance and calm your reddened cheeks. "Training's over," you say as you speed walk out the door.

At the end of the day, you're back at your place, freshly walking through the door after a stressful day at the office. Who'd have guessed Slater would make an appearance so soon in your journey to figuring out the single life? Who'd have known how absolutely unprepared you were for it?

After a few drinks, at-home vodka cranberries with far too much vodka to cran, you stare at your cellphone. All of you wants to call Slater and cave as quickly as you turned him down earlier. You shake the thought from your mind, scanning through your contacts for Archer. You stare at the number for a moment, recalling his dinner invitation.

You wonder if it was really meant to be a "repayment" of your promiscuous meetings. It felt far too personal, though. So personal, you sit with his number pulled up for another twenty minutes before ultimately hitting the red button, and clearing out all the information. Slater's presence has thrown your entire dynamic through a loop and it's pissing you off. Defiantly, you dial Archer's number.

Your stomach ties in knots as imagine what kind of mental strain this may put on him. To know you don't want anything more than an orgasm to get your mind off of the divorce. Surely he understands, right? It's not like he's the sentimental type.

"Hello?" A voice on the other end of the phone doesn't match the contact dialed. It's a woman and she's clearly wasted.

"Um, Archer?"

"Oh, he's kind of-" The next part of the sentence is clouded with laughter and the scuffling sound of a phone being dropped. Finally the call ends. An intense wave of relief washes over you. Thank God, you think to yourself. The relief is short-lived as you realize you've lost your lover for the night. You consider a trip to the bar, but it feels too desperate. That's when your phone begins to ring.

You stare at the screen. Slater's name flashes on the small device and you roll your eyes, sighing heavily. Already preparing for the mental toll this is about to take on you.

"Hello?" You answer on the last ring.

"Hey," he starts. "I just wanted to call and um, apologize." He sounds agonized by his own words. An ego check he never asked for.

"Apologize? For what?" You ask with a giggle.

"My behavior today was... Less than professional. I shouldn't have put you in a situation like that." It's as if this apology is being forced out of him at gunpoint, but you're appreciative of the effort.

"Thanks, Slater." You roll your eyes, still chucking.

"Are you uh- You alone tonight?" He asks, hesitantly.

"Yes, but not by choice. It seems someone else has made their way to my benefit's bed." You laugh. "I'm having wine and watching that show I like."

"What kind of wine?" Slater asks. You roll your eyes. He's always done this when he wants attention. Just sparking up a conversation about any and everything.

"Oh, you know, the cheap stuff." You shrug. Slater's unmistakable laughter crackles through the line.

"You love cheap thrills," he sighs with a smile. Silence falls over the conversation for just a moment before his voice rings through the phone one more time. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Slater, I-" but you're cut off by the telltale sign of being hung up on. You groan, tossing your phone across the room and letting it softly land on a fainting couch on the other side of the room. You rub your temples, silently venting about the man you've spent all this time trying to escape. Not due to any kind of fear, but simply because you know it's not ever meant to work.

An hour or so passes since you've changed into a sill nightgown and settled in for the night. You even consider digging out your weed stash and rolling a joint in the peace and quiet. You're halfway through the process (didn't have to twist your arm) when there's a knock at the door. Three soft knocks. Instinctively, you dismiss your buzz with sheer willpower. You glance at the clock. It's late, too late for visitors. Gripping the neck of your wine bottle, you stealthily make your way to the door.

Knock, knock, knock. Again. You don't jump, you hardly react at all. Nothing but a blink. Taking your place tactfully, standing right next to the door, you begin to slowly lean in toward the peephole. Just before you catch a glance, you hear a sound outside. A sigh. "Oh, Jesus Christ," you nearly melt with relief.

You open the door, pale in the face. All you could imagine was the CIA taking back their word and sending someone to take you out in the middle of the night in your own home.

"What the hell?" Your ex-husband stands before you with something in his hand.

"God damn it, Slater," you sigh. "What's up?"

"You said you were drinking the cheap stuff, so brought you a bottle of Château Calon-Ségur," he says, eyeballing the bottle in your hand meant to be a weapon. "But I'm now realizing this is the cheap stuff."

"The pay at ISIS isn't too shabby." You shrug. A second of silence passes between you two before you finally step out of the way and invite him inside. He nods a thanks at you and takes a hard look around your home. His eyes narrow at the lack of evidence of ever having a life with him. It's just a staged house of anything that isn't from or about him.

"Nice place you got," he says, stifling any other comments he wants to make.

"Thank you. I figured you'd have something shitty to say." You laugh, raising your eyebrows in surprise at his lack of insult.

"Not a lot of pictures," he tosses.

"I don't have any to hang yet," you arch an eyebrow at him.

"Right," he says, recalling the endless amount of photographs of you two he still has in his attic. "You seem happy. You look," he leans back, shaking his head with a sly smile. "Great."

"Yeah?" You smile politely. You know you look great. You've done nothing but glow since the papers were very first served. It's then that you notice the scent of his cologne. A decade of forgotten feelings comes flooding back, and as aware as you are that it's the wine, you can't help the redness flushing your face. And that's all it takes, just like that, he knows he's in.

Slater crosses the living room and takes a place on the couch next to you. "What's all this?" He asks, gesturing to your half-rolled joint. "I thought pot was illegal around here," he chuckles, finishing the joint and lighting it.

"It's decriminalized, but I still usually step outside before lighting it."

"Whoops," he responds flatly, bringing the joint to his lips as he lies back on the couch, sinking into the soft cushions. You pass the joint back and forth until you're both in a haze, surrounded by lingering clouds of smoke. The TV plays a Western, and though you're both staring at the screen, it feels like you're focused on each other. Each stealing eye glances at the other.

"Wine?" You ask, breaking the comfortable silence. He nods and you disappear to grab another glass. In the kitchen, you can feel the moment of his hands running through your hair, pulling it back, and whispering in your ear the other day. Chills run up your spine. Quickly, you return to your ex in the living room. He's sitting up a bit straighter now. After pouring him a glass, you join him on the couch.

He'd be a piss-poor agent if he didn't notice how much closer you sat to him upon your return. He can't help himself. "You know, your little friend with benefits was getting pretty friendly with some escorts in a casino tonight." You roll your eyes.

"My God, Slater. Are you just stalking everybody now?" You laugh, shifting a bit away from him. "Besides, I already know. He was supposed to come over tonight, but he seemed a little busy." Slater's eyebrows narrow.

"So sorry you had to settle for me," he smirks.

"I didn't. You just showed up." You eyeball him as you sip your wine. "And that begs the question; What do you think would've happened if you showed up while I was reaping the benefits?"

"Ugh," Slater shakes his head. "I don't want to think about it." He's laughing, but the boiling in his blood is as present as ever when he thinks about you with that secret agent idiot. His "casual" grip on the back cushions of the couch ignites his knuckles white. "God, do you live to get a rise out of me?"

"What do you mean? I didn't even invite you here." You look around the room as if to look for who might've invited him, sending the message that there is, in fact, no one. He invited himself.

"Y/N, look. I know the divorce is finalized. I understand I don't really have a leg to stand on."

"Oh, god. No, please stop."

"Will you just hear me out?"

"I really don't want to." You look at him, eyebrows turned up. "That sounds like some really heavy stuff and I'm really high." Slater sighs with defeat.

"Fair enough."

"Why'd you come over tonight?" You ask, curious and figuring it can't hurt seeing as he already made things tense.

"Ya' know, I don't really know."

"Really? No cheesy monologue about missing me?" You laugh. He used to try too hard. Always phoning it in. No substance.

"Oh, please." His eyes narrow. "Like you haven't been thinking of my hands in your hair all evening." His bold statement causes you to nearly choke on your sip of wine. Slater's chuckling at you, looking pleased with himself.

"You're insufferable," you scoff and his giggle erupts into laughter.

"You're so much easier to read off the clock." Slater leans forward and toys with his glass for a moment before downing its contents in one swallow. The tension between you is palpable as you refill his glass, not once spilling a drop and maintaining eye contact the entire time.

You hardly realize how close you are to him when you return the glass to his hand. Your palm flattens against his broad, solid chest. You've unintentionally pushed the two of you into a lounging position where you lie on top of him, staring down into his eyes as they scan your face.

You want to tear his clothes off and climb him like a tree, but you're preoccupied by the possible repercussions. You ball up your fist on his chest and release a frustrated sigh before creating a gap between you once again. You're sitting up, but Slater is still lying down, looking confused.

"Whoa, what happened?" He holds his empty arms out like he doesn't understand how you got away.

"I don't want to be shitty to you, but," you swallow the awkwardness down. "I don't want to create a dialogue that isn't there."

"What the fuck are you talkin' about?"

"I'm not interested in fixing things, Slater."

"Fixing things? Y/N, sweetheart, we had a good run." He sits up. "But I'm not trying to marry you again. I hardly like you."

"Bitch."

"But if you're gonna be sleeping around anyways, you might as well give me a call sometime."

"Jesus Christ. I'm not just handing it out like a prayer pamphlet," you say, crossing your arms.

"Never said you were," he arches his brows, annoyed that his own words aren't landing correctly.

"You very much implied it."

"Of course, you're gonna do this. You always do this." He begins to shift like he's planning to stand and leave. You can't tell if that's what you want or not.

"Do what? You just came over and told me if I'm gonna be a whore, I might as well include you in my whoring."

"No one called you a whore, Y/N!" He runs a hand through his pushed-back hair and groans with impatience. Finally, he stands and so do you. "Look, I'll just let you get back to smoking pot and drinking while your Mama's boy boyfriend has sex with a bunch of hookers."

"What the fuck is your problem?" You raise your voice. "And that's not what they're called anymore. They're sex workers." He rubs his temples.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ, Y/N."

"Oh, fuck you. You're the reason this is so hard to navigate. You made that divorce as difficult as possible at every turn!" You shove a finger into his chest.

"Because years ago, when I was fucking stupid, I didn't want to lose you!" The confession is too heavy. Too sweet. Too real. You hate it.

"Lower your God damn eye brows when you're talking to me." You push away the sentimental nonsense and Slater notices right away.

"I don't love you anymore, Y/N. We're both over it."

"Then why the hell did Archer make you so angry? You beat him up in front of his own mother."

"I don't know. Still a little protective, I guess." He begins to cool down. After a criminally short moment of silence, Slater sighs and rolls his eyes before closing the gap between you and crashing his lips into yours.

Everything in you screams fucking finally! But instead, you wrap your arms around him and deepen the kiss. He starts to lead you to your bedroom, but once he realizes he has no idea where it is, he picks you up, wrapping your legs around him. It's an easy stroll to the couch where he drops you onto the cushions and makes quick work of removing your nightgown.

You glow beneath him. His eyes study your exposed form like he couldn't see until he saw you. One hand grips at the curves of your waist, and the other squeezes your breast through your bra. A breathy moan slips from your lips like a sigh. All feelings aside, it's as if your flesh missed each other.

Slater's breathing is heavy as he drinks in the image of you beneath him. All those years together, but neither of you has felt like this since the very beginning. Back when it was just harmless fun in an empty office at work.

You tug his shirt up and over his head before resuming the sloppy kiss. After unfastening his belt, you begin to unhook your bra, but his hands stop you. You erupt into chill bumps as his fingers trail up your back and effortlessly flick the clasps undone. It's one part the alcohol and one part the history, but you're nearly breathless with anticipation.

"God damn," he huffs.

"I know, right?" You smirk. He shakes his head with a chuckle, burying his face in your neck and biting down softly, but firmly. You gasp as his teeth drag over your skin. He strokes himself a few times, looming over you with sparkling, dark eyes. His free hand pushes a stray piece of hair back from his face. You wait with bated breath as he slowly pushes himself against your sensitive clit.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss this," Slater sighs before slowly sliding into you. You release a low, sultry moan as he grinds himself against you. He pulls your legs up so that they're hooked up over his shoulders, giving him all the angles he needs to thrust himself entirely into you. His movements are rhythmic and steady as he savors every inch of you he can reach.

"Oh, my God!" You gasp, earning a pussy-throbbing smirk from the man inside you.

"Don't get the cops called again," he chuckles, still thrusting. He's speaking about a time during your marriage when he fucked you so well that your moans and screams not only woke but concerned the neighbors.

"Fuck you," you huff, speaking between the slamming of your pelvises against each other.

"It's what you needed," he winks, picking up his pace. He's broad, strong, and well-endowed. It's hard to compare anyone to the feeling of being with him. It's like fucking a really sexy brick wall.

After an eternity of him slamming into you, legs tossed over his shoulders like a ragdoll, he pulls out. You gasp at the sudden absence. "Why don't you show me that ass, sweetheart?" He says, his voice is taunting and dominant. You do exactly as he says, turning over and arching your back to put on a bit of a show. Nothing he's never seen before, but you'd hardly be able to tell by his reaction.

Slater grips both your hips with his open palms, hooking his fingertips into your soft flesh as he pulls you back against him with each thrust. He tosses his head back in ecstasy. "Oh, fuck," he sighs with heavy breaths. You wrap your arms around the throw pillows, hoping for some sort of leverage against the harsh bucking. He raises a hand and playfully slaps your ass, earning a light squeal of excitement from you.

Just when you don't think you can process anything else, he slides a hand up your spine and wraps it in your hair. With each desperate slam into you, he pulls tighter. At some point, he releases your hips and your hair is the only handle for leverage he has, using it to pull your body to meet his as he thrusts as far as possible inside you. It just happens to be pretty goddamn far.

"Have your fun, Y/N," he huffs, voice raspier than usual. "Fuck whoever you want. I don't care." The sound of him sliding in and out of you has evolved to loud, wet echoes. "You're always gonna be mine." He picks up his pace yet again, slowly losing his rhythm as his flesh slaps against yours.

You can't argue. You know he's not wrong. Sure, neither of you cares so much for the marriage aspect, but you know you'll be right back in this situation a million more times before you're ever truly done. For the last time, you're working toward another orgasm when he quickens his thrusts and with one final slam against you, he withdraws and finishes on your displayed ass.

Breathless, Slater slinks backward into the couch and you collapse where you are, flattening out on the other end of the couch. You flinch as he cleans you up, leaving you with a playful smack.

"God damn, Slater," you sigh, eyes still threatening to roll backward.

"Better than your Mama's boy?" He asks between breaths.

"I don't know. I think I need to run a few experiments first." You grin, flushed in the face.

"Fuck you."

*****

Author's Note:

I wrote this entire story based on one glance at that GIF and I can't even remember what episode that is or what's actually happening there.

Update: I watched the episode and I love the handsome cartoon men. That's all. (I love the women too, but I objectify men.)

[boobabietch]

Chapter VIII: “August 17, 2018. Blind Item #13” | Diana Taurasi x OC

Warnings: mention of a slightly not cool age gap relationship, Ireland

A/N: Okay, I'm not even gonna excuse myself. I know this chapter took way too long to be posted, but I promise you, I didn't know what the fuck I was doing with my life. I rewrote this chapter like 10,000 times, I swear. And honestly, it took a completely different direction than the one I had in my head, but I am really proud of this. And yeah, basically I wanted to give y'all guys some of Victoria's backstory, a little bit of her life, so y'all get to know her a little bit better. But I don't want to spoil anything, so just read. That's it. Per usual, English is not my first language so if you find something wrong tell me so I can change it ASAP. Likes, reblogs and comments(!!!) are highly welcomed, feel free to tell me or ask me anything my ask box is always open. My semester is finally done and I’ll try to be much more consistent, sorry for the long wait but without anything else to say, enjoy! Love, Sof :)

Making headlines masterlist

I was a big baby.

22 inches

9 pounds

My poor mother’s vagina…

And the name I was given? Victoria Siobhan O’Hara.

Never really knew where Victoria came from, but I liked it. It’s better than Siobhan, nobody knows how to pronounce it right, my fucking name isn’t Zeeovan, or Zaiobhan, so don’t, just don’t.

I was born on August 30, 1994 in Cork, Ireland to an Irish dad and an American mom. Don’t ask me about life in Ireland cause I don’t know how life is there, we moved when I was three cause we had some issues (that’s a nice way of saying we where fucking broke and there was no way my parents could afford 4 kids in that country). Anyway we moved to Chicago when my dad got his immigrant visa approved.

My life has been good, about as good as it gets when you're living with three older brothers and you're a lesbian woman with an Irish father. But it was fine. I can’t complain.

I was 6 when I started playing basketball. It was an all boys team cause there weren’t enough girls to make a team just for us.

At 8 I had a spiderman themed birthday party. My parents thought it was because of my brothers’ influence but I don’t think so.

It was 2006 when I first saw She’s the Man with Amanda Bynes, and I got weirdly into Viola. My mom said Channing Tatum was hot and that’s why I kept watching it over and over. I said Viola was 'it for me' and my old man thought it was just because she was pretending to be a guy. But now I know, it was because I’ve always been into mascs.

My first kiss was gross, I was 13 and it was with a boy playing spin the bottle with an empty Fanta.

When I was 15 I saw Santana Lopez make out with a girl on TV and I realized I could actually get turned on the way my friends used to talk about when we saw Twilight and Edward started glowing.

Freshman year was when people started taking me seriously with basketball. I was already 5’11, and my dad kept muttering, “What the fuck do they feed kids in this country?” like I was being raised on radioactive cornflakes.

And that same year I met the love of my life, Maddison. She was two years older than me, but only a grade above me, played ball too, and smelled the baby lesbian energy on me the second she transferred to our high school.

She was my first everything. First kiss that didn’t make me wanna wipe my mouth after.

First slow dance in a dimly-lit gym that somehow felt like the center of the universe.

First time I said “I love you” and meant it like it was the only truth I’d ever known.

First time I understood what heartbreak might feel like if I ever lost her.

And, well. I did.

Not right away. We dated all through high school. Everyone called us “the basketball lesbians,” like it was some kind of sitcom. But we didn’t care. We were in it. The kind of in it that makes you write her last name after yours on notebooks. The kind of in it that makes you think you're gonna marry your high school girlfriend and live in a cute apartment with a crooked painting and a cat named after a WNBA legend.

When I got into USC, we promised we’d make it work. Long distance was gonna be rough, but we were tough. We’d made it through two seasons of high school drama, a concussion, and her getting benched during regionals. What was 300 miles gonna do to us?

Freshman year of college was actually... good. I mean, I was exhausted 24/7 and constantly sore and lowkey spiraling academically, but we were good. FaceTimes, late-night voice memos, and phone sex. She even visited once, and it felt like I could breathe again.

That summer before my sophomore year? Fuck, it was perfect. We stayed at her parents’ beach house for a week. I swear it felt like we were 16 again, only with less acne and way better sex. I kept thinking, we’re gonna be the rare ones. The ones that make it.

Sophomore year hit, and shit just shifted.

At first I thought it was just the season starting. We were both busy. But the texts got shorter. The calls less frequent. Something was off, but I didn’t want to admit it.

Then she called me.

Said she couldn’t do it anymore. That long distance wasn’t working. That it wasn’t fair to either of us. That she still loved me, but we were growing apart.

I cried. Like a lot. Like embarrassing amounts. I remember hanging up and just staring at the wall for maybe an hour straight.

But I got it. I mean, it sucked, but I got it.

Until a week later, one of our mutual friends texted me.

And I’ll never forget the screenshot.

“So excited to finally call you my girlfriend 💛”

Different girl. Different campus. A girl Maddison had apparently been dating for four fucking months while she was still telling me “I miss you, baby” on FaceTime and asking for pictures of my boobs on a daily basis.

It felt like someone had shoved their whole fist into my ribcage and yanked something out.

I spiraled. Not in the cute rom-com way. In the full-blown, destroy-everything-that-moves way.

A’ja had just gotten to USC. Freshman. Bright-eyed. Unaware that her sophomore teammate was about to go feral. She watched it happen in real time.

At first, it was just parties.

Then it was making out with strangers.

Then it was hooking up with strangers.

Then it was… well.

I was tired of being in love. I just wanted to feel nothing. So I fucked. A lot. Girls in my classes. Girls I met at parties. Girls who came to our games and looked at me funny.

Some nights I didn’t even remember their names. Didn’t care.

That went on until I graduated.

And when I got drafted, first pick, WNBA, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, You’re done. Grow the fuck up.

And I did. For a while. I stopped. I kept it clean. Focused. Celibate, even. Not in a religious way, just in a I’ve seen enough of the lesbian nightlife to last a lifetime way.

And then came Diana motherfucking Taurasi.

And you know what happened there.

But what happened after? I broke my own rule. One night with her flipped a switch I thought I’d permanently shut off. I started spiraling again, but cleaner this time. No drugs. No partying. Just… sex. A lot of it.

The thing about being 6’3”, hot, and very obviously gay in the WNBA? There is so much pussy. Like, unreal amounts.

And I took it. I took it all.

Not because I was trying to prove something. But because that one night with Diana woke up all the fear I’d buried. The fear of getting attached. The fear of being soft again. The fear of loving somebody enough to let them hurt me.

So I did what I do best.

Played ball.

And fucked.

And made sure no one ever got too close.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

Blind item #13:

This WNBA darling spent years building a squeaky-clean reputation, first pick, focused, polished, and celibate. But the past few weeks, this foreign born athlete has been making up for lost time. Word is, if you’re in her city and breathing, you might just get the invite. Friends say she’s in her second era, but this time, it’s private planes instead of frat basements.

Turns out a girl cannot be a fucking whore in peace anymore

Requests are Open!

Masterlist

[httpswritings]

The Great War

Warnings: Mentions of anxiety, throwing up and therapy, sensitive topics overall, avoid reading if you find them triggering.

Right after Katie ended her relationship with Caitlin Foord, she met you. After some time, you got into a relationship together, enjoying every single second of the magical connection you seemed to have. With the passing of time, Katie became more and more anxious about the relationship. She doubted she could be what you deserved, even though you took her time every day to remind Katie that you had never been as happy in a relationship as you were with her.

«My knuckles were bruised like violets

Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep-talked»

Two heartbreaks in such a little time, with both her Ireland National Team's member Ruesha and girlfriend of seven years, and her Arsenal's teammate Caitlin Foord, who was her girlfriend during half a year, made the Irishwoman insecure about her ability to love, to trust, to have a happy fairytale ending. Katie knew these thoughts would damage her relationship with you, but she couldn't help but to spend most of her day tracking every single detail that built her relationship to the obsessive point where she felt absolutely sick of herself.

«Spineless in my tomb of silence

Tore your banners down, took the battle underground»

When she reached her limit, she told you about what was going on, gaining an empathetic response from you and willing to help Katie, and it started well. Really well. But after some time, Katie fell back into a cycle of doubt and anxiety, and those sensations kept growing when she noticed any change in her girlfriend's mood, as she took everything, even the smallest and insignificant details, too personally. This made her re-experience in her mind those moments of stress while she was with Ruesha or Caitlin.

«And maybe it was ego swinging

Maybe it was her

Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur»

As her girlfriend, you tried to understand Katie, you tried and tried but eventually, you reached your limit.

“I want to help you. I really do. But I can't continue like this. I'm not Ruesha, nor am I Caitlin. I am aware that being in a new relationship it's difficult for you, so maybe we should take things a bit slower. I don't mean to take a break, but maybe I should go back to my flat. We will move on slower than we did before, but I do think it's the only way to work it out.”

«All that bloodshed, crimson clover

Sweet dream was over»

“Yeah, maybe you're right." That was Katie's only response, gaining a defeated sigh from you. That night, Katie slept alone in her bed. Her body reacting to the cold sheets and crying herself to sleep.

«My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War»

Sweet morning messages from her girlfriend: "Good morning, baby. Do good at training today! Love you ;)"

Surprise visits from you, lovely gifts, usually handmade ones, brought Katie to tears as she felt endlessly loved.

«Always remember

Tears on the letter

I vowed not to cry anymore

If we survived the Great War»

Katie prayed for things to get back as they were during the first months of your relationship. The feeling of her not being a good girlfriend haunted her even in her sleep.

«You drew up some good faith treaties

I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone»

One day, you suggested seeing a therapist together, but Katie was unsure about that. She thought that if she couldn't quite open to her girlfriend about her feelings and thoughts, she wouldn't be able to talk about what was bothering her to a stranger. Such a huge contrast between the two parts of the relationship that drew you even more apart.

«You said I have to trust more freely

But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire

And maybe it's the past that's talkin'

Screamin' from the crypt

Tellin' me to punish you for things you never did

So I justified it»

"No, I'm sorry, but I'm not doing this. I feel uncomfortable talking to a stranger about our issues."

"I know, baby, I was just suggesting it. Let me explain you why. We are aware of having some problems in our relationship, but we don't really know how to get through it. We've tried and things keep getting worse. Maybe talking to someone who's out of our relationship can make this whole situation clearer for both of us."

«All that bloodshed, crimson clover

The bombs were close and

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember

The burning embers

I vowed not to fight anymore

If we survived the Great War»

Katie took some weeks to meditate your idea. She was terrified of being judged by the therapist you'd talk to. Even more scared of her girlfriend realizing that she didn't do any good to her. Eventually, she agreed.

"Maybe she's right. People attend therapy sessions. It's normal, Katie. It's normal", she told herself.

«It turned into something bigger

Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed»

Katie was not new to getting help from a therapist. She was very open about her mental health in different areas of her life, whether that included football or not. The first time she attended a therapy session was when she was a teenager. It went well, so did the first sessions with Anna, your new psychologist.

Making progress is not a linear process, and making mistakes is a part of the success. Mistakes are a victory in themselves, it means that you're still trying. One day, Katie had an individual session with Anna. Anna felt it was Katie's time to open about her two past relationships; a young adult romance that lasted for more than half a decade and a short but intense romance of one year after a breakup.

It was a slow conversation filled with many pauses from Katie.

"Are you gonna tell her what I'm telling you?"

"No, Katie. This stays between me and you," said Anna.

As Katie began to speak about her past experiences in love, she broke down.

The wall she had built, in order to avoid being hurt and judged, collapsed in that therapy room.

“Don't be afraid to cry. You have nothing to prove to me or to her. This is about you and your healing process. She will help you, but it's crucial for you to work on yourself, especially being a public figure.”

«Your finger on my hair pin triggers»

As Katie arrived home, she unlocked her phone and asked you to come over.

"I've asked Anna, and she told me it was a good initiative and a great way of gaining some independence in our relationship, leaving her out of it for a while. Don't feel obliged to!"

"I am exhausted, baby. Work was something else today, and I’m a little bit irritated because of it, lol. Maybe another time? Love you."

As Katie was about to spiral, she remembered Anna's advice. She breathed deeply. Her girlfriend was setting her boundaries. She trusted Katie enough to tell her the truth and not to make any excuses. She felt tired from work. You are not mad at her. Katie didn't do anything wrong. Everything’s okay.

«Soldier down on that icy ground

Looked up at me with honor and truth

Broken and blue, so I called off the troops»

The next day Katie woke up to a text from you.

“Good morning, princess. I had a great sleep, what about you? How did you sleep? I’m up to seeing you today if you feel like it. Love you.”

Still slightly asleep, she smiled.

“I can't wait to see you today, beautiful girl. I had a good sleep, too. Good to have the bed all to myself ;))”

She frowned after sending the text with that joke at the end.

"Breath, Katie, let these useless thoughts pass. Both of you feel comfortable teasing each other," said Katie to herself.

“Ha, ha, really funny. We both know you missed having me snoring next to you.”

“How do you know?!?!”

«That was the night I nearly lost you

I really thought I lost you»

As Katie was preparing herself to go out with you to have lunch, she remembered the night where you left her house.

She didn't freak out to the thought of it, but instead she did an exercise of introspection. She saw herself in her mind, almost throwing up, completely emotionally depending on her girlfriend while pushing her away and bottling up her feelings.

«We can plant a memory garden

Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair

There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair

And we will never go back

To that bloodshed, crimson clover

The worst was over»

She looked at herself in the mirror. She saw herself, Katie, as the woman who knew that she was loved, and she was deserving of being it. The woman who respected her girlfriend’s boundaries and didn't freak out at the tiniest change that she perceived. The woman who was going to take her girlfriend out to have a good time having lunch, not worrying about anything but what order she's going to have.

«My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember

We're burned for better

I vowed I would always be yours

'Cause we survived the Great War

I would always be yours

As they arrived home back from the restaurant, you walked towards Katie.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. You did this. You are doing it every day. I’m so excited to see where our relationship leads us to."

As Katie's eyes were trying to hold some tears back, she laughed, "It’s nice to cry sometimes. God, I feel so relieved. I’m so proud of myself, too, of us! Thank you for being there for me, my love, thank you. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life as your girlfriend."

"Even when you wake up to my snoring?"

"Especially when I wake up to your snoring."

[alotofpockets]

New surroundings | Alessia Russo

Pairing: Alessia Russo x Reader & Katie McCabe x Best Friend!Reader

Reader pronouns used: she/her

Prompts: "If there is nothing going on between you two, you don't mind if I ask her on a date, do you?" & "You love me?"

Warnings: Toxic ex, some slight angst, and alcohol consumption. Plus, I feel like drunk ex trying to get back together should be one.

Masterlist | Woso masterlist | Words: 3.8k

Arsenal was the closest team you had ever been a part of. You joined the club about four months ago, back then you had only known Katie. The two of you had played together for Ireland since you were around fifteen, and she had become one of your best friends years back. Katie had taken you under her wing at this new club, and introduced you to all your new teammates. You felt like a part of the team right away, loving the team bonding nights they had, it made you get to know the girls better, and it helped to keep your mind occupied. 

When Arsenal’s offer had come your way, your long term relationship had just ended. You loved Manchester and playing for Manchester City, but training and playing alongside your ex-girlfriend was a lot, especially since the break-up wasn’t on good terms. So, you took the offer and moved to London, after finishing the two months that were left on your contract with Manchester City. So far, you loved playing for Arsenal, and the girls on the team had quickly become your friends. 

Tonight’s team building took place at Leah’s house, you had all just headed inside after enjoying a lovely dinner in her backyard together. You weren’t paying much attention to the conversations around you, as your eyes kept making their way towards Alessia, she looked absolutely stunning. Katie had noticed you staring, and walked your way, “Enjoying the view?” You roll your eyes at your best friend, regretting over and over again that you told her about your crush on Alessia. “When are you going to ask her out?” Your smile falters slightly, “You know why I haven’t.” You had endless late night conversations with her, about not knowing if you could allow yourself to trust a person like that again. “Plus, it’s not like you have asked out Caitlin yet.” You add, lightening up the conversation quickly. “Fair point.” Katie places a reassuring hand on your shoulder, knowing where your thoughts were at. Even though you were worried about allowing yourself to open up to another person that way, you would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about trying to with Alessia. 

On the other side of the room Leah nudges Alessia, “I see you’re having a great time tonight, Russo” The woman mocks, having just witnessed the forward stalk your Instagram page. “She’s in the same room, maybe you should just talk to her.” Alessia quickly scrambles for an excuse to be on your profile, and finally comes up with, “Oh, I was just looking up something that I was talking about with Katie earlier.” Leah nods like she believes her, "If there is nothing going on between you two, you don't mind if I ask her on a date, do you?" Without waiting for a response Leah starts making her way over to you. Alessia quickly comes into action, and gets to you before Leah does.

“Can we talk?” Alessia says when you notice her speeding your way. “Yeah, sure. Is everything okay, Less?” She nods, and asks you to follow her, more so to create space between you and Leah. Completely unaware that Leah was just trying to push her closer to admitting her feelings for you.

Alessia walks you to the backyard, where the two of you sit down. “Less, you’re worrying me, what’s going on?” It only just dawned on Alessia that now she would actually have to tell you something. She takes a deep breath before going for it. “This wasn’t how I planned on telling you this, but Leah was going to ask you out but I couldn’t let her without telling you something first. Y/n, I like you, like in the I want to take you out on dates and stuff, and I’ve just been too scared to say anything. I just knew that I had to before Leah talked to you, unless you would rather have her be the one telling you this, then I’ll go.” You shake your head, “No, I want it to be you. I like you too, Less.” Alessia’s smile widens, and you feel your heart melt at the sight.

“I do want to be open about something before we continue this conversation.” You say nervously, not having thought you’d be having this conversation, let alone with the girl you’ve been crushing on. “Of course, anything.” Alessia reassures. ”So, I don’t know if you’ve heard the ins and outs by now, but my last relationship ended pretty badly.” Alessia shakes her head, “I try my best to let people's private lives stay private.” Your breakup had been pretty public, as your ex was spotted with a new partner only a week after she had broken up with you, most of the public not even aware that you had broken up yet. So, hearing Alessia say that meant a lot. “If you don’t mind I don’t want to get into that too much now, let’s just say that that relationship left a lot of emotional scars.” You take a breath before continuing. “I guess what I am trying to say is that if you and I were to start something, I would need us to take things very slow. So, yeah, just that as a heads up, because I would understand if that’s not something you’re looking for.” 

Alessia, who was listening carefully to your words, simply nods. “We can take it as slow as you need us to, I’m not going anywhere.” Her words mean so much to you, you could already tell that she respected your boundaries, you hoped that it would stay that way. “Can I kiss you?” You ask shyly, hoping that you didn’t ruin the moment by sharing what you just did. “Yes, you can.” Alessia smiles and leans in, you share a short but sweet kiss, knowing your teammates are all inside. 

The following weeks, you felt yourself getting more and more comfortable around Alessia, she kept respecting your boundary of taking things slow. The two of you had spoken more about what went down with your ex, just because you wanted to give Alessia some insight into the things you might struggle with more than others. It was hard not to fall for her, she was kind, thoughtful, and loving, still you had your doubts that it wouldn’t all switch up to the moment you got too comfortable.

“So, how are things going with Russo?” Katie asks as she sits down on the couch with you, having planned a relaxing evening together before your match tomorrow. “Yeah, I think it’s going well. I really like her, she has been amazing so far. We went on our first date yesterday, which was really nice.” It makes Katie happy to see you smile so much when talking about Alessia. “Though, if I’m being honest, I’m still scared that she’ll start treating me the same way that Jenny did.” Katie takes a moment to make sure she will say the right thing, Jenny got her angry and she knew you needed a different side of her right now. “I understand why you would feel scared, Jenny was well she was horrible to you, and like I’ve said before you deserve someone who treats you well. I think that Alessia is someone who will do that, I mean just see the way she has got you smiling. Alessia isn’t Jenny, and though it might take a bit for your mind to wrap around being treated in a good way by your partner, I know you and Alessia are good for each other.” You smile at her reassuring words, “Okay, enough about me, what about you? Any update on the Caitlin front?” By the way Katie starts blushing you know there is. “McCabe, why did you start with me? Tell me everything!” Katie tells you about how she asked Caitlin out for lunch yesterday, how great it went, and about walking her home and kissing her on her front porch. “I am so happy for you.” You say as you give your best friend a quick hug. 

Katie was getting some snacks from the kitchen while you opened up Netflix to pick out a movie. You had just set up the movie you chose when your phone buzzed. You quickly grab it, hoping to see Alessia’s name on your screen, but your smile falters when the name on your screen reads Jenny Jones. Without opening the message you quickly put your phone down on the couch again. Katie comes back into the living room, and you start the movie. Your phone keeps buzzing, but you try to ignore it. “Will you please just look at your phone?” Not wanting to make a scene you grab your phone and open your messages, not reading the words on your screen.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Katie says worriedly, noticing the change in your facial expression. “Nothing.” You lie, even though you know Katie won’t believe you. Katie takes your phone from your hands, and you let her. “Why is she texting you? I thought you told her to stop contacting you.” You shrug, “I did.” Katie reads through the messages. “She makes me so angry. Y/n, you know that none of what she’s saying is true right?” You nod, “She’s probably just trying to get in my head before tomorrow’s game.” You’d be playing your old club, and that still included your ex-girlfriend. You talk a bit more about the messages with Katie, “Are you going to tell Alessia about the messages?” You weren’t looking forward to it, but knew that it would be best to tell her. “Yeah, I’ll tell her tomorrow morning. She’s picking me up for the match.” 

You rush to the door when you hear the doorbell, Alessia was early, and you weren’t done getting ready, probably because you were going over and over again how you could best tell her about the messages from Jenny. Nonetheless, you open the door with a smile, “Good morning Less.” She returns the smile and pecks your cheek. “I got some coffee on the way.” You thank her and let her into your apartment. “Just give me one second, I still have to get changed.” You quickly make your way over to your bedroom, to change into your training gear. 

Once you’re back in the living room, you sip on your coffee. “So, how are you feeling about playing your old club?” Alessia starts the conversation. “I have mixed feelings about it. It will be weird playing against them, but I am also excited to see some of my old teammates again.” Alessia nods, “Yeah, I completely get you. Playing my old club left me with very similar thoughts.” She pauses for a moment before she continues. “Tell me if you don’t want to talk about it but what about-.” She struggles to find the right way to ask you, so you guess the rest of the sentence for her, “Jenny?” She nods. “I am not looking forward to that part, I haven’t seen her since I moved, and that’s been really nice. There was something I wanted to share with you, now that we are on the topic. She started texting me yesterday, I said to Katie that she’s probably just trying to get into my head before the game. I’m not planning on responding or anything, I just wanted to let you know.” You show her the texts, not wanting anything to come between what you and Alessia were building.

Jenny Jones: Getting your first start tomorrow, congrats. I can’t wait for you to screw it up

Jenny Jones: You think you’re a part of the team but the only reason they tolerate you is because of McCabe

Jenny Jones: They just petty you

Jenny Jones: Anyways, see you tomorrow x

“I’m so sorry she said all of that, it’s not true you know?” She puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder, and you fall into her arms immediately. Alessia holds you while you cry, whispering sweet nothings into your ear. “You are going to be amazing. You are such a great defender, and you will ace this match. Jonas put you as a starting player because he believes in you. I believe in you, the whole team does. We love having you here, and you are as much a part of this team as the rest of the girls.” Alessia was saying all the right words, she continued stroking your back even when you stopped crying. “I love you, Less.” The words slip out before you realize it. Alessia’s hands freeze in place. "You love me?" You felt like you should be stressing out more about having just told her that you love her, but it felt right so you sit back up so you can look her in the eyes. “I do. Is that okay?” Alessia’s smile grows, “Yes, that is very okay.” She pulls you back in for a hug, “I love you too, y/n/n.” 

Alessia drives the both of you, and you arrive into the locker room with a big smile on your face. “I’m assuming this means telling Russo about the messages ended up going well.” Katie says as you take your place next to her. “You could say that yes. I might have told her that I love her and she might’ve said it back.” She pats your back, “Aw, I’m so happy for you.” Everyone gets ready for the match, and lines up in the tunnel. Alanna was standing next to you in the tunnel and gave you a quick side hug before you entered the field. Like you said earlier, it would be nice to see some of your former teammates again. 

While shaking hands with the opposing team you so badly wanted to skip Jenny, but you knew you had to show your sportsmanship. So, you shook her hand anyways, looking to Leah standing in front of you instead of to Jenny. You move on to the next person quickly, not wanting to linger. Kerstin sends you a knowing smile and pats your back after the two of you exchange a handshake. 

After the team huddle you make your way to your spot on the field with Manu, Katie, Leah, and Lotte. The referee blew the whistle and the match started. You put your full focus on the match, knowing you were going to need it as Jenny and Chloe kept pressing forward. Manchester City was putting their pressure high, so your defense pushed back hard. Chloe earned her team a corner kick, and your team positions themselves for the corner. You feel a slight push to your back, not uncommon of course, until you hear the voice that belongs to the person pushing you. “Didn’t respond to my messages, sweetheart.” You ignore her and keep your eyes focussed on the people around you in the box. The corner gets taken and the ball comes flying your way, before you can respond Jenny speaks up again, “You’re going to flop today.” You freeze in place, her words getting to you. Jenny takes the opportunity to move around you and head the ball in the direction of the goal, luckily Manu was able to grab the ball out of the air. Katie runs up to you, “Don’t let Jones get into your head, okay? You’ve got this. You’re better than she is.” She pats your back before running to her position. 

Katie and Leah took you aside during half time, they reassured you, knowing how Jenny was playing tricks with you. You took their words with you into the second half. Alessia managed to put Arsenal in the lead with a goal in the fifty eight minute, which only made your opponents push back harder. They earn another corner kick, and you get ready in the box once again. This time being prepared on who would come standing behind you, and entirely blocking out the words that were spoken to you. If it’s not about football, it’s not important. Leah had said, the words keps playing in your head. This time the ball didn’t reach the far post, so it was Lotte who headed the ball away from the goal. Though, Katie’s blood was boiling after she heard what Jenny said to her. She wasn’t holding back on her tackles and shoves, almost earning herself a yellow card a couple of times. You were grateful for your best friend having your back, but you also were not wanting her to get sent off the field by her actions.

There were only two minutes left of the match, your team had been playing high up on the field when the ball got intercepted by Kerstin who quickly played the ball to Jill. You are standing a little below the midfield line when Jill sends a long ball over your head. You spot Jenny making a run for it and quickly turn on your feet to run after it. Manu was already back in her goal, but besides her you were the only defender this low on the field. Jenny reaches the ball first, but you are close behind her. You divert slightly to the left so you can flank her. She is a step ahead of you, so there was only one way you’d be able to stop her attack and that was by a sliding tackle. The timing had to be perfect, you needed to prove Jenny wrong, needed to prove that you earned this spot on the team. You slide down, and time seems to slow down as your foot nears the ball. 

The crowd at the Emirate erupts in cheer as you perfectly time your tackle and hit nothing but the ball. Jenny trips over your body, but no foul was given since it was a clean tackle. Katie, Leah and Lotte are the first one by your side, as they were trying to make the run back to aid you, the three of them running into a hug as the final whistle blew. The rest of the girls joined in on the group hug just moments later. 

To celebrate the win, the team went out for some drinks. Nothing too crazy because you had training again tomorrow, since you’d have another game in a couple of days. The group of you just wanted to spend some time together outside of football. You were enjoying your evening, talking with your teammates and sipping on your drink. Alessia’s arm was draped around your shoulders and you were leaning into her side. The happiness you felt in your girlfriend's arms, with your friends surrounding you, was something you weren’t used to. You were excited to start getting used to it though. 

You hadn’t even noticed that some of the City girls were in the same bar until a very drunk Jenny was standing in front of you. “You shouldn’t go out with her.” She said, slurring her words, and pointing to Alessia. Alessia who protectively held you closer to her body. “We should get back together, make it work this time.” You shake your head in disbelief, “Jenny, go home, you’re drunk.” Jenny doesn’t listen, and instead only takes another step towards you. “I want you back, y/n. Doesn’t matter if I’m drunk or not.” You give a quick squeeze to your hand that was intertwined with Alessia’s before getting up. “Look, Jenny, it is never going to happen. You never treated me right, and I should’ve left a lot sooner than I did, because I have found someone that treats me so well. There is no way that I would ever get back with you, please just leave.” 

It seems like Jenny isn’t even listening to a word you said. “Come on, we’ve had some good times together.” Alessia heard enough, and got up to stand by your side. Her hand resting on your lower back, showing that she is there for you. “Jenny, she asked you to leave.” Your girlfriend said sternly. Jenny moved forward again, this time Katie stepped in between the both of you, her hand on Jenny’s shoulder keeping her back. “Look, mate, she is never getting back together with you, because you treated her like shit. So, my advice would be to leave before you embarrass yourself more than you already have.” Alanna and Kerstin heard the commotion and made their way over. “JJ, come on.” Kerstin said, pulling her away from you. “Let’s get you home alright?” Alanna stays for a moment, to check on you. “I’m okay, Lani, thank you.” She gives you a quick hug before she goes and helps Kerstin get Jenny home. 

Both Katie and Alessia sit back down, both checking in on you as well. You lean into Alessia’s side again for comfort. “I am okay, really.” You reassure them. “I do think that I want to go home though.” Katie is already on her phone ordering an uber. “I got you.” You walk outside with Alessia’s hand in yours, along with Katie and Caitlin. “Want to stay over tonight? Caitlin is coming to mine too.” You nod, “Can Less come too?” Katie smiles, “Of course, she can.” You look over to Alessia, realizing you should also ask if that’s something that she wanted. Alessia simply nodded and gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. 

When you arrive at Katie’s home, you turn to Katie right away. “Do you mind if we head straight to bed? I'm exhausted.” She brings you in for a quick hug, “Of course, whatever you need.” You give Caitlin a quick hug as well, before you take Alessia's hand. You stop before you leave the room, “Thank you for today.” You say looking between the girls. “No worries, we've got your back, always.” And with that you guide Alessia to the guest bedroom, you had some stuff laying around since you stayed over at least once a week, per your game day ritual.

“How are you feeling?” Alessia asks as she lays down on her side next to you, her head propped up on her arm. “Exhausted but okay, I know I have my people, including you.” She reaches out her free hand to put a falled strand of hair behind your ear. “I hope you know that I would never treat you that way.” You nod, “I know, you've been pretty amazing, actually.” You lean in and kiss her lips, the kiss is sweet and more passionate than the few kisses you have shared before. “Hm, I really am exhausted, Less. Can we continue this later?” Alessia leans her forehead against yours and smiles, “I would love to.” She lays down on her back and opens her arms for you to cuddle into her. You lay your head down on her chest, and she instantly wraps her arms around you. “Goodnight baby, I love you.” Her words make you smile, you could get used to falling asleep like this. “I love you too, darling. Sweet dreams.”

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[kittyykattxoxo]

painted in fate (part 3)

pairing: finn balor x oc summary: niamh gallagher is a newly hired makeup artist for the wwe. born in cork, ireland, she grew up watching the indie wrestling scene in the uk, even after her parents moved the family to america when she was a teen. after working a few years as a makeup artist for tv and film, she felt the wwe would be a better fit for her to unleash her creativity. never did she imagine that it would lead to her bringing to life the demon, finn balor's alter ego, nor did she realize where things would go after meeting the superstar. word count: 963 content warning: age gap (older male x younger female), sexual content later (will be marked as such)

credits: dividers by @bunnyrph on tumblr

The days that followed were a blur of rental cars, airports, hotels, and new arenas. Life on the road with the WWE wasn’t for the weak, but Niamh had found herself adapting rather quickly to the rigorous schedule. After her impressive job with Finn, her coworkers seemed to take her a bit more seriously too and she’d found herself actually able to sit in with a couple other superstars as she helped them get ready for their live performances, though in her mind nothing was going to live up to being able to bring the Demon to life.

Another thing that made her adjustment rather easy had been Finn. Ever since they’d exchanged numbers on Monday, the two managed to find themselves falling into the easy flow of conversation on a daily basis. It was unfortunate that he wasn’t scheduled to appear until the next week’s RAW, so she hadn’t been able to see him in person, but perhaps that had also made it easier for her not to throw herself at him too easily. 

Regardless, they’d found ways to continue speaking. It had started the day after when Finn texted her, pointing out that while she’d brought it up, she hadn’t technically agreed to when their date would be. He teased her about it a few more times, which led to her calling him a needy fucker for bringing it up so much. As the week progressed, their conversations slowly became longer as they delved into a bit of their personal histories, especially talking about back home in Ireland.

On Thursday, he texted her a picture of a ridiculously massive stack of pancakes from a diner in whatever city he was in.

Finn: I reckon I can finish the whole plate

Niamh: I reckon your eyes are bigger than your stomach, Balor. Try not to kill yourself before we have our date, yeah?

Later that night, as she’d climbed into her hotel bed, she received yet another message from him.

Finn: Okay, I reckon you were right. My stomach feels like it’s going to explode.

Niamh: Told ya. Should’ve listened to the smarter one in this arrangement.

He simply replied with a middle finger emoji and she caught herself giggling, the smile on her face bigger than any she’d had in ages. Finn Balor, it seemed, was turning her back into a school girl with a crush, but she’d never let him know that. He couldn’t think he had it easy after all.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Niamh found herself growing excited because she knew that she was going to see him in person again, a fact that she would never state out loud.

She arrived at her hotel in the afternoon, dropping her bags off before immediately heading to the arena. Things were usually chaotic on the day of, so she preferred to get her station set up early so that way she didn’t have to worry about it.

She was unpacking her kit when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she watched as Finn strolled in, hands in the pockets of his joggers and a look on his face that was much too smug for her liking. 

“Fancy meetin’ you here, love” he spoke, stopping by her set up.

Niamh raised an eyebrow, fighting back the urge to grin at his cheesy greeting. “Aye, cause where else would I be? Disney World?”

Finn smirked. “Well there’s a lot worse places you could be. I figured I’d stop by though so I could make things official.”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Make things official how, exactly?”

He leaned a little bit closer, his voice dropping low enough that it made a little shiver run up her spine. “That dinner you owe me, how does tomorrow night sound? After I have my match rehearsal.”

Niamh crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to contemplate his offer just like she had last week - teasing Finn was just too fun, though she’d already made up her mind the moment that he’d ask. “Hmm, let’s see…is this the part where I play hard to get and pretend like I’m busy? Or do I accept and stroke your ego?”

Finn grinned. “I mean, you could keep pretendin’ if you want to, but we both know that you’re just lookin’ for a reason to say yes.”

Niamh scoffed. “Feckin hell, you’re a cocky arsehole aren’t you?”

“Confident, actually,” he corrected without missing a beat. “So? What’ll it be, lass?”

Niamh gave a playful roll of her eyes, but couldn’t hold back the grin on her face. “Fine. But if the food is shite, I reserve the right to make fun of you til the end of time.”

Finn laughed and Niamh couldn’t help but notice the twinkle that appeared in his blue eyes. “Alright, I’ll text you the details then.”

“Good,” she said, already turning back to the work she’d started before he approached. “Now, run along. Some of us actually have important work to do, ya know.”

Finn chuckled as he backed away, raising his hands in a mock surrender. “Fine, fine. Don’t miss me too much though.”

She snorted, but didn’t look up from her task. “I think I’ll manage.”

As he walked away, however, she couldn’t help but let the biggest of smiles come on her face. She hadn’t been excited for a date in a long time, but something about Finn brought that feeling back. She certainly hoped that he wouldn’t disappoint like most of the guys before him, but she maintained a small hope that Finn would be different. After all, their banter seemed to flow easily and he appeared to be a decent guy.

Tomorrow night was certainly going to be interesting.

[scotianostra]

The Scottish actor David McCallum was born on 19th September 1933.

Born as David Keith McCallum, Jr in Maryhill, Glasgow, the second of two sons of Dorothy Dorman, a cellist, and orchestral violinist David McCallum Sr. When he was three, his family moved to London for his father to play as concertmaster in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Early in the Second World War, he was evacuated back to Scotland, where he lived with his mother at Gartocharn by Loch Lomond.

McCallum won a scholarship to University College School, a boys’ independent school in Hampstead, London, where, encouraged by his parents to prepare for a career in music, he played the oboe.In 1946 he began doing boy voices for the BBC radio repertory company. Also involved in local amateur drama, at age 17, he appeared as Oberon in an open-air production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Play and Pageant Union. He left school at age 18 and was conscripted, joining the 3rd Battalion the Middlesex Regiment, which was seconded to the Royal West African Frontier Force.In March 1954 he was promoted to Lieutenant. After leaving the army he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (also in London), where Joan Collins was a classmate.

David McCallum’s acting career has spanned six decades; however, these days he is best known for his starring role on the police procedural NCIS as medical examiner as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. I first really remember McCallum for his role in another US show, The Invisible Man which ran for 13 episodes in the 70’s. McCallum by then was a veteran of many TV and Film roles, starting in the 50’s including Our Mutual Friend and The Eustace Diamonds, in the 60’s he was in several ITV Playhouse shows before moving across the Atlantic to take roles in The Outer Limits and his big break as Illya Kuryakin in several incantations of The Man from Uncle.

His most notable films were The Greatest Story Ever Told as Judas Iscariot and of course Ashley-Pitt ‘Dispersal’ in The Great Escape.

As well as the aforementioned Invisible Man in the 70’s he took time to pop back over to our shores to star in two quality series, as Flt. Lt. Simon Carter in Colditz and Alan Breck Stewart in an adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Kidnapped.

The 80’s saw him team up with the lovely Joanna Lumley in Sapphire & Steel and several guest roles in the likes of The A Team, Hart to Hart and Murder, She Wrote as well as a one off reprise of Illya in the TV movie The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair.

The 90’s saw David in Cluedo and Trainer on our TV screens over here and American science-fiction series VR-5 in the states..

During the last 20 years or so he has been in the kids TV show, Ben 10: Omniverse as the voice of Professor Paradox and of course Donald Horatio “Ducky” Mallard in a remarkable  436 episodes of the popular NCIS.

David has been married twice. He married his first wife Jill Ireland in 1957. They met on the set of the movie Hell Drivers. Together, they had two sons and a daughter, Paul, Jason and Valentine, with Jason being the only one who was adopted. In 1963, David introduced Jill to his co-star on The Great Escape, Charles Bronson, and she left David and married Charles in 1968. In 1967,

David McCallum passed away aged 90 on September 23rd last year, he is survived by his wife of 56 years, Katherine McCallum, his sons Paul McCallum, Valentine McCallum and Peter McCallum, his daughter Sophie McCallum and his eight grandchildren. NCIS paid tribute to him in an episode called The Stories We Leave Behind when the tagents find comfort in working on one of his unfinished cases. The episode features clips from several old shows.

[omgwhatchloe]

You uh…you should tell me everything you got about Seans father, canon or hc…./nf

HIII TYSM FOR THIS ASK IM SORRY I ABANDONED MY TUMBLR AND NEVER ACTUALLY ANSWERED IT😭canonically it can all be found on his wiki so i wont waste any time writing that SO LETS DO SOME HEADCANONS

-For the few years they had peace in Donegal where Darragh was raising Sean, they took in a wolfhound which Darragh trained very well. The wolfhound was very attached to Sean, and would let him hang onto to them as he learnt to walk. Darragh thought this was adorable and doodled it in his journal.

-Oh yeah, Darragh had a journal that he kept secret from everyone else as he wrote down all his thoughts about Irish freedom along with the occasional 10 full pages about Sean’s development. Would have made an absolute banger of a history book if it had been found. Like, the deepest most painful page about his endless fight against his oppressors then “Sean fell off his chair today but this time did not cry. We are getting somewhere.” *drawing of sean on the floor after falling off his chair*

-Their shelves were filled with whittled animals and even a little whittled Sean that Darragh used to make in his free time. He’s the reason Sean always tries to whittle but isn’t very good at it in camp. Naturally, Darragh just has a lot of patience and skill (though Sean remembers him being way better than he was and gets frustrated when he can’t do what he remembers his father doing).

-Darragh’s favourite activity when he wasn’t being dragged out of a political debate by security, was long hikes around the countryside. Sean absolutely hated it but pretend to be interested when he was young. When he said he didn’t want to go, Darragh would call him a lazy boy and give him the option of cleaning the entire house or coming with him.

-Darragh always carried at least three knives with him at all times because he was convinced the English were watching and ready to strike every day of his adult life. Funny how when they did strike, he was completely unprepared.

-Once, he burnt a large property down after him and his crew screamed at everyone in the house to get out because they were going to burn it to the ground. As they watched the fire roaring and cheered, Darragh is absolutely convinced he heard the scream and saw the shadow of a young child in the flames, but when he ran in to find them through the smoke and collapsing building, he didn’t see them or their burning body. He might not have even seen or heard them at all. He will never know if he killed a child in a fire. Regularly, the scream wakes him up from his dreams and as a special little treat sometimes Sean’s the one burning.

-Darragh has his affairs in order. Funeral money always ready on the mantel piece and his will has always been ready, Sean will live with their neighbours, Aidan and his wife, if he dies. He also has Sean’s affairs in order, the spade to dig two graves if Sean ever died and the money for two funerals.

-Sean’s mother got severe postpartum depression to the point she couldn’t even look at Sean for a few weeks. At the same time, the law was coming down hard on Darragh and they desperately needed to move locations. He knew he needed to run, but he knew Sean’s mother wouldn’t, couldn’t, come with him. All she asked was that he took Sean with him, and he did.

-Darragh used to be quite a grumpy person until he started raising Sean. It absolutely wasn’t close to being easy in the slightest, but he adored everything about his son and was convinced he’d make him into a mini-Darragh, brought him on jobs so he could see what they do, told him stories about his life every bedtime, and made sure Sean understood exactly what the English did and still were going to do to Ireland. It could have actually worked if they didn’t run to America when Sean was 12.