#You AU Challenge

[ominouspuff]

pulling strings

REQUESTS / BLOG EVENT

From @lunaemoth - request 2/2 - Palette#3 - Padme - Music stirs the soul

[sadagios]

a wip of a scarian au idea so ambitious it might outlive me

UPDATE: first part of the AU posted here

[bananafire11]

He has arriiiived. I think i got almost everyones suggestions.... oh and wretched is there too

[idliketobeatree]

G H O S T a dead boy detectives au comic inspired by a poem by cynthia huntington, a #deadgaysantas present for @mellxncollie <3

edit: this comic now has a beautiful, gorgeous first hug fic from @wordsinhaled, who's my dearest friend and eternal inspiration! 💚

[nottsangel]

— artrick and camgirl!reader ੈ♡˳

moodboard

it began as just a quick way to make some extra money during college and nothing more than that. you were a bit apprehensive at first, aware of the risks and consequences of someone finding you, but eventually, you started to find joy in it, especially because you received a lot of attention— even more than the other girls on the same website. people, who where mostly older men, started to like you, and money began to pour in like never before. but no matter what, you had to keep it a secret from everyone.

yet, patrick who scours the whole internet for porn that matches his specific taste, managed to unexpectedly find you while you were live. he almost couldn’t believe his eyes— his best friend, with her legs spread wide as she touched herself and loud moans escaped her mouth. and god, the way you moaned sounded so angelic, with your pretty, soft lips parted in ecstasy. he simply had no other choice— he had to tell art.

“i swear to god patrick, i don’t wanna see those golden shower porn videos again.” “just, trust me, you’re gonna wanna see this.” patrick insisted as he opened his laptop. he glanced at the time. 10 pm. that was usually when you came online on thursdays, because yes, patrick had already watched you so many days in a row, he memorised your streaming schedule. “who are these girls?” art questioned with a raised brow, puzzled as to why patrick would show him random camgirls, until he noticed he noticed you— fully naked while you held a vibrator against your swollen clit, causing his eyes to widen as he leaned closer to the laptop screen. “holy… fuck.” “yup. i know.”

and that’s how it all began. now, every day right before you would come online, patrick and art would sit impatiently next to each other on the bed, eagerly waiting for you to go live. “you think she’ll use that pink dildo again?” art asked patrick with clammy hands resting on his knees. “god, i hope so. that one’s my favourite.” and when you finally appeared on screen, a smirk spread simultaneously across both boys’ faces as they stared mesmerised at the screen, quickly adjusting their positions as their pants grew uncomfortably tight.

it was somewhat odd— it almost felt like video calling with you, as if you were touching yourself just for them, until they were hit with the harsh reality of the comments and countless men thirsting over you. the wave of comments flooding in during your streams, especially when you would interact with them, evoked a complex mix of emotions in patrick and art. they were consumed by jealousy— they wanted you for themselves, and they hated the fact that others could see what they saw. “jesus, these men are fucking desperate.” art exclaimed while reading the quick-paced comments with an unamused face. patrick shook his head in disapproval as he let out a chuckle. “i bet they’re all jerking off while watching her, fucking creeps.”

and ultimately… they found themselves becoming what they once criticised the most, as they’re now shoulder to shoulder in art’s stanford dorm room, hands tightly wrapped around their throbbing erections as they pumped it quickly. “this, uhm… this isn’t weird, right?” art questioned, his breaths coming in quick pants as your moans echoed through the shitty speakers of his cheap laptop. “no, no… i mean, we’re looking at her, right? nothing weird about that.” patrick reassured art as his eyes stayed fixed on your movements, and art nodded in agreement.

and even now, as they masturbated not only on their own to you but together, while watching you strip and bring yourself to your orgasms over and over again, they still hung out with you as usual. you noticed a change in their behaviour though— you couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but they seemed more, nervous around you. you brushed it off quickly though, thinking it was just you. but little did you know they were indeed nervous to be around you now, as their eyes scanned every inch of your body covered in clothing, knowing that they had seen all of it— all of you, naked.

“do you… do you think we should tell her? that we know?” patrick asked art as they were once again, sitting in art’s dorm room, their hands lazily pumping their cocks. soft fucks and oh my gods slipped from your lips and resonated through the room along with the buzzing sound of your rose toy, which was the usual on fridays. “i mean, yeah, we should, eventually. maybe… uhm, next week… or something.” “yeah, yeah. next week.”

ੈ♡˳

🏷️ tags: @maizweig @swamp-box @oceandriveab @starkeysprincess @unhingedbanks @imawhoreforu @mcugirl @skylerwhitwyo @maybankswifey @hearts-4-kai @takaosin @imbabycowboy @badesire @parkerloves @diorrfairy @jizzlle

[coolgrl111]

more dilf art i BEG

dilf art i love and need you. please. i cant do this.

[stealingpotatoes]

In Ursa Wren lives AU, what was her reaction the first time she met Din? Cause I'm kinda imagining her being like “Seriously? This guy is Mand’alor now?”

LMAO yeah probably

(donation doodles! // tip jar)

[ervotica]

i just saw someone talk about pornstar!patrick and my third eye opened up

shut up i’ll die actually

warnings; smut, 18+, fem!reader, pornstar!patrick, p in v sex, allusions to reader being eaten out, patrick is hot <3

a/n; i’m insane for this actually. pls send more pornstar!patrick asks i’ll beg for them 🥹

this is him <3

thinking of a self made pornstar!patrick, started off making solo videos of him jerking off in the dirty backseat of his car. utterly surprised when viewers couldn’t get enough of him and he earned enough money to make a living off of making porn of himself.

he starts inviting other men, women - anyone who shows interest in him and his videos - to shoot with him, and soon he has a plethora of people lining up for a chance to fuck him, even if it’s on camera.

he bypasses the entire queue when he catches wind of you, a soft little thing with a mean streak he so desperately wants to explore, and he’s running straight to your messages to set a date.

he pays for your transport and your stay — a five star hotel that is far more expensive than anywhere you’ve been in your entire life.

it doesn’t feel orchestrated when the camera starts filming. it doesn’t feel like an act as he works you up with his hot breath over your cunt and two thick fingers that sink into your weeping hole. it doesn’t feel fake when you bury your fingers into his hair and tug, relishing in the way he moans and ruts his hips into the plush bed beneath you.

and it certainly doesn’t feel fake when he makes you cum harder than you ever have before.

his viewers all envy you, want to be you, when he folds your legs to your chest and feeds you his cock inch by inch. it’s a tight fit, that’s for sure, but you’ve never felt more full, more stretched in your life, and you fucking love it.

the way the head of his cock, a visceral red, notches against your entrance as he sinks in in in, further than you thought possible until the weeping slit burrows against your cervix, the way you keen and clutch at his shoulders as he murmurs praises because you’re being so good, baby, just a little more now.

he’s barely one thrust in before you’re cumming around him with a shudder and a cry, and it’s stronger than anything you’ve ever felt in your life, so easy the way he takes you apart because he’s already memorised your cunt, already knows how to fuck it.

and he’s hooking his arms beneath the dip of your spine, dragging you up to meet his hot mouth in a greedy kiss, all tongues and teeth and fire and passion, and that paired with the way he’s fucking you - the filthy roll of his hips that never slows, never stops - is enough to have you cumming round him again.

he fucks like he’s in love with you and he hates you all at once, spears you open on his cock and keeps you spread out beneath him, teases and taunts until you growl with frustration and claw at him. it makes him laugh, a low, gravelly sound against your lips as he concedes and pistons his hips into you with more fervour than before.

once you’re well and truly fucked out, you crawl between his legs and wrap your mouth around him, and he’s sure he meets god.

and then the camera comes off, and a switch flips in him as he watches you laying on the bed, breathing heavily, eyes closed, a sleepy smile on your face.

patrick zweig might just be in love.

the video skyrockets in views and profits, climbing straight to the most popular he’s ever made. viewers beg him to keep you as a permanent fixture within his channel. and, well, who would he be if he didn’t give the people what they want?

-

challengers taglist; @diorrfairy @igotmajordaddyissues @xotwod-jade @imbabycowboy @cloudnitee @hobocatton

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 1: Dread on Arrival

(Part 2)

[leons-art-pit]

some DDVAU specific doodles for This Challenge

au by @kitsuneisi and @xmaruu11 this au lives in my head rent free, thank you guys for the wonderful au <33

Tango - 1F CuteGuy - 5C

Blood Warning:

the first one I did!!

CuteGuy - 10H

[rafesbowbunny]

𝜗𝜚 bf!rafe fingers and eats you like a man starved while you're on the phone

c!w; mdni !! sort of shy!reader, kinda humiliation kink on rafe's part, fingering, overstim, squirting, praise kink, slight degrading kink, use of nickname bunny. notes; thinking abt rafe just loving to see you squirm.

your best friend had been on the phone for nearly forty minutes, she was complaining about topper yet again. and of course, you attentively listened, until she started saying the same thing over and over again.

rafe could tell you were getting a little bored of your conversation, your eyes were glazing over a little as you sat cross-legged on his bed. he had been waiting for this conversation to end too, you two were about to ...get cozy. you turned your head mouthed a sympathetic 'sorry' to your somewhat patient boyfriend sitting next to you.

but his patience had run out.

he began running the pads of his fingers gently over the inside of your thigh, getting dangerously close to your clothed heat. your eyes shot up at him, a shit eating grin splayed across his lips and mischief in his eyes. he quickly slid his hand down to cup your pussy, you gasped lightly, luckily your best friend still on the other side of the phone took no notice.

your cheeks flushed almost a deep red as you breathed in, glancing at rafe who had his eyes now laser focused on your small pyjama shorts, very clearly getting more and more damp by the second. the tip of his tongue darted out to wet his lips in satisfaction, he loved watching you get wet for him.

your breath hitched when he dragged his fingers over your clothed but wet slit before pulling the shorts and your soaked panties to the side. you hit the silence mic option on the call immediately, turning to look rafe in the eyes now.

he was slowly, tauntingly, gliding his fingers along your sopping slit, his mouth partially open as he watched your pussy twitch a little every so often. "rafe" you hissed, your chest beginning to rise and fall strenuously. his eyes just glanced up at you with a little smirk before looking back down. suddenly you heard your best friend saying your name on the phone, shit.

"y/n?? y/n are you there?" she asked, clearly annoyed. you hoped she hadn't been saying your name for too long. you switched mute off, "yes- sorry, rafe just um came and asked me something.. could you repeat that?"

your best friend sighed and went on to say something else about how topper's behaviour was unacceptable and you zoned out of the conversation again. looking down, rafe was now rubbing your puffy little clit, you couldn't help but let out a small whine but you froze when you realised your best friend definitely would've heard you then.

"are you okay?" she suddenly said, stopping in the middle of her ever flowing train of thought. you internally stuttered, not knowing what to say but quickly snapped out of it while rafe was no help, now turning rubbing teasing little strokes to tight little circles right on your aching bud. "sorry, my legs hurt... rafe, yknow" you quickly babbled, your friend then scoffing and going on to say something about how topper isn't good at sex.

you gripped rafe's wrist and he grinned, you mouthed 'stop' but that only made him slide two fingers deep into your drooling cunt whispering, "shh bunny, i know this pretty pussy is begging for my fingers. you keep talking."

he loved hearing the breathy whimpers you make for him to stop, to try and push him away, but he refused to relent, now lowering himself in front of you, his face an inch away from your core. you pulled the phone away from your face for a moment, the pleasure making you forget about that stupid mute button, "rafe." you whined quietly, "stop... ughh, please. the call 'll be done soon-"

you were promptly cut off by his mouth connecting to your weeping pussy, immediately eating you like a man starved as his two huge fingers continued to fuck your hole. he was mumbling into your clit now, periodically coming up for air to whisper a few words, "mmm, my dumb lil' bunny's taking my fingers so good..." "you taste so good baby..." "gonna make you squirt all over this tongue."

it was taking everything to keep quiet, laying back on the bed your phone had fallen beside you a long time ago, your hand threaded into his soft messy hair as he ravenously ate and teased you.

you looked to the side, noticing as rafe was pushing the phone back up to you, "keep talking baby, wanna see if you can hold in what a slut you're being for me" he grinned, his gaze piercing.

you shook your head but he pulled his fingers out with a stern expression, raising your phone up to you again with raised eyebrows, you let a shaky sigh go and held the phone up to your ear again. your best friend now asking you for your opinion, which you could only answer with shaky and deep breaths.

the way he was lapping at your sopping hole was getting sloppier, three fingers now causing you to unravel, the feeling was too overwhelming. your eyebrows cinched together as your thighs threatened to snap shut but rafe's strong arms had a death grip on them.

he looked up at you, a teasing glare as he licked a deep stripe up your pussy, your legs twitched and you quickly pulled the phone to your ear, "sorry girl i'm gonna have to go- ohh. um- shit, bye!" you hung up and threw the phone down, now gripping on rafe's head with one hand and the bed sheets with the other.

hot white ripped through your body and it felt like exploding fireworks, your juices now coating rafe's face and hand. you looked down at him, half lidded and gasping for air as he chuckled lightly into your tired cunt, pressing a butterfly kiss to your wet pussy before getting up.

"i knew you'd squirt f'me bunny, such a good girl." he breathed, sliding his hands up your trembling thighs.

[old-desert]

Inktobertale 2024 Day 1: Ink (warm up)

[shepscapades]

20. Weight of the World — Battle Tapes

You showed up haunted with a fist full of dynamite Curated provocateur Ooh, the funny thing about a life that's so civilized Is when the lines start to blur Delusional, until we fold Buried under the weight of the world

This songs hits ten times harder if you imagine that the instrumental dropping out to the slowly rising bass at ~2:28 is the moment Tango respawns after Bdubs' boogeyman kill and starts to spiral into rage.

[sun-e-chips]

We love an oblivious y/n

y/n: ( Aww, they really prioritize their guests and making their experience more personal <3

WP Sun: ( Isn’t it amazing!!! Do you love it? :D Don’t you wanna stay here forever :DDD

[vanteguccir]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤBAKING BLIND, DEAF AND MUTE * CHRIS STURNIOLO

SUMMARY　::　where Y/N participates in the Baking Blind, Deaf and Mute video, but things don't go as planned.

FEATURING　Chris Sturniolo x reader　REQUESTED?　yes.

WARNINGS　::　beginning of a panic attack, anxiety.

AUTHOR'S NOTE　::　that is my work, I DON'T authorize any form of plagiarism; copy, "inspiration" or translation! | english isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

"Alright guys, it's been almost a year since the last time we filmed one of these, I think..." Nick began, his body appearing in the camera frame, stopping next to Matt.

"Yeah, and today we have a special guest-" Matt was interrupted by Nick, who swallowed all the rest of his energy drink, stumbling back as he shook his head hard, feeling the burn go down his throat.

"Like she doesn't appear in almost every video." Chris ignored Nick's reaction, momentarily pointing to his girlfriend next to him.

A laugh escaped his throat, followed by a dramatic sound of pain as he received a slap from Y/N as a response, who rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms and looking at the camera.

"They love me more than they love you guys at this point." She murmured, pointing at the camera with her chin, blowing an air kiss towards it.

"Anyways!" Nick shouted, casting a scolding glance from the corner of his eye at Chris and Y/N, focusing his eyes on the lens. "Today we're going to do the baking blind, deaf and mute challenge, and we have a guest with us, Y/N!" He raised his left hand, pointing it towards the girl momentarily, who smiled big and waved.

"Exactly, and since there will be four of us, instead of three, we will repeat one position. Y/N will be blind with Matt, while I will be mute and Nick will be deaf." Chris explained, wrapping his left arm around his girl's shoulder, pulling her close and massaging her biceps slightly, sealing his lips over her head momentarily.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"Okay, today we're going to cook a carrot cake with chocolate frosting since it's our guest's favorite." Nick spoke, his voice coming out louder than normal since his ears were covered by the headphones where music was coming out at full volume.

Y/N nodded, resting her hands on the table, unable to see exactly where she was, her eyes already covered by Chris's red bandana.

"Y/N doesn't eat ready cake mixture, so we're going to make it from scratch!" Matt added, his back resting on the counter next to the stove.

His arms were crossed, and his head was turned in the direction he thought the camera was.

"Let's begin!"

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"Can someone preheat the oven, please?" Y/N asked, her head turned to the side where she heard footsteps.

A tired sigh escaped her nose when she received no response. The girl moved slowly, using her raised arms for support, feeling wherever she went.

Sudden hands on her waist made her jump in fright, relief coursing through her veins as she quickly recognized Chris's touch. The boy holds her tightly, guiding her slowly through the kitchen, until they reach the stove.

Chris lightly held her wrist, guiding her hand to the button to turn on the oven, waiting for her to do so before letting go of her hand, moving away slightly.

"What is happening? Are you still here?" Matt's voice cut through the air, his figure doing a 360° turn as he tried to understand where the others were.

"In here, Matt." Y/N replied as she walked back to the table, feeling around until she found the ingredients already separated.

The girl reached for the carrots, feeling them to check if they were peeled. They weren't.

"Chris, can you peel it for me, please?" The girl asked loudly, lifting her chin in the air so her voice could echo better.

Footsteps approached, and soon, the carrots were taken from her hands, the sound of a knife hitting the cutting board filling her ears.

The sound of screams filled the kitchen, Nick singing the songs he was listening to as loud as possible, probably dancing around the space, checking every now and then if the others were making the recipe correctly, despite Y/N and Chris knowing it by heart.

"Nick, can you shut up?" Matt asked loudly, turning in the direction where his brother's voice came from.

Nick noticed Matt trying to talk to him, looking back while furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" He screamed.

Y/N, who was blindly measuring the correct amount of oil using a measuring cup, jumped in place in fright by the sudden loud sound. Her hand holding the oil shook slightly from the movement, spilling some of the contents onto her other hand and the table.

Her shoulders slumped, but she just kept going, knowing that there was nothing she could do at that moment other than fulfill her task.

After measuring the oil and flour as correctly as possible, the girl felt the table on her right side in search of the cut carrots, no longer feeling Chris' presence there.

Her hands ran across the wooden surface, grabbing the first thing she found in the belief that it was the vegetables, but instead, it was a knife.

A wince escaped her lips, feeling a sharp burning sensation spread from her right index finger to her hand. She had cut herself.

"Can I have a paper towel?" Y/N asked in a low tone, her voice coming out choppy from the pain she felt. "Hey, somebody, a paper towel. Please?"

No one answered her, Matt and Nick's arguing voices only growing louder and louder.

The girl took a deep breath, wiping her finger on her t-shirt, feeling pain and disgust at the same time at the thought of cleaning a wound on a fabric that wasn't as clean as something specific for hygiene.

Her attention returned to the things in front of herself. Y/N replayed her last steps in her mind, making sure she did everything right.

With that, her hand rescued the fuê that she knew was on her left side and began to mix all the ingredients in the ceramic bowl carefully, despite the pain in her hand.

She felt her senses were more heightened than normal, perhaps because her eyes were covered, which made her hear the different steps of each of the triplets, their voices, and in which direction they were going.

But at that moment, her attention was so focused on the mixture that she forgot to pay attention to the three boys.

"Matt, I'm not listening to anything you're saying!" Nick shouted, his tone full of sarcasm.

"I'm just asking you to stop-"

"Don't touch me, Chris!"

"Nick, stop doing that-"

"Stop talking, I can't hear you-"

The impact came suddenly against Y/N's back, causing her to hit her belly on the corner of the table and, consequently, pushing the mixture forward due to the impact. She was certain that everything had been spilled onto the wooden surface when she heard a loud gasp coming from Matt.

Y/N's lips trembled before the tears even came. She felt her eyes burning behind her bandana while her cheeks and chest ached with anguish.

"Y/N?" Chris's voice came out softly, his hands quickly ripping the bandana from his mouth, approaching his girl, ignoring the guilty looks from Nick and Matt as they both removed their respective bandana and headphones.

Y/N didn't respond, resting her hands on the table and lowering her head, feeling the fabric over her eyes getting damp little by little.

"Baby?" Chris whispered, slowly untying the knot on the bandana behind her head, being careful not to pull out any hair. The last thing he wanted was to cause pain on his girlfriend.

He felt his heart sink at the sight of her eyes closed tightly and her eyelashes damp against her pink cheeks. His own eyes quickly caught her chest rising and falling faster than normal in agitation.

Chris moved closer to her, positioning his hands on both of his girl's hips, lightly squeezing the covered skin in an attempt to ground her.

"Hey, hey, pretty girl, it's okay. Deep breaths, hm?" The brunette whispered close to her ear, casting a quick look behind his shoulder at his brothers, silently asking them to move away. "That's right, just like that. You got it, my love."

Y/N sucked in air through her nose, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it through her mouth.

After repeating the process a few times, she could finally feel her heart calm down and the anguish slowly disappear. Y/N opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to remove the remnants of tears.

"There's my pretty girl. Are you with me, baby?" Chris smiled kindly, his eyes shining as he looked at Y/N, waiting for her answer.

"Uhum, I am good. Thank you, baby." Her voice came out still a whisper, but in a healthier tone. "Can we continue? I really want to-"

"Wait, is that blood? Baby, are you hurt?" Chris noticed the reddish tone on her right hand, interrupting her sentence and holding her hand delicately with both of his, analyzing the small cut.

"Yeah, with that knife. It was an accident, but it's not hurting anymore." The girl tried to assure him, stroking his hands with her thumb slowly.

"Can we at least clean it? Before we continue." He asked, his tone full of hope while his eyes run through her face, trying to find any trace of pain.

"Okay." Y/N nodded, whispering with a small smile decorating her face.

The boy guided her to the sink, turning on the tap to cold water and slowly bringing her hand closer to the jet, letting the water hit the injured skin slowly, so that it didn't make her feel any more pain.

A wince escaped Y/N's throat when she felt the contact, suppressing the urge to pull her hand back.

"I know, baby. I know, I'm sorry." Chris whispered, his lips pressed against the side of her head. His free hand made small circles on her back, trying to reflect calm to her.

After a few seconds, Chris finally turned off the tap again, drying his own hand before rescuing a few sheets of paper towels. He wiped Y/N's sensitive skin slowly, wrapping her finger around a clean sheet.

"All done, honey."

"Thank you." She smiled, sealing her lips on his jaw slightly. "Can we bake now?" She asked innocently, looking at Matt and Nick, who were still watching them with guilty eyes.

Chris let out a low chuckle at her comment, waving his brothers closer again.

"Are you good, girl?" Nick asked as he approached Y/N, stroking her left shoulder lightly, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I am good, Nick. I promise." She smiled big at her best friend, hugging him sideways and laying her head on his right shoulder for a few seconds before stepping away again.

"Okay then, let's bake a cake!" Matt smiled at the camera, grabbing the nearest roll of paper towels, ready to clean up the mess before they could start baking again.

extra - comments:

"omg I would die on Y/N's place, all this was so overwhelming 😭"

"chris is such a good boyfriend and you can see it in here, the way he helps her at the beginning? bf goals 😫😫😫"

"chris and Y/N are so beautiful together 🥺"

"the way chris was super worried about Y/N so he ripped off his bandana too quickly to help her 😔😔😔"

"I want what they have so bad"

"nick and matt feeling guilty and then worrying about her was so cute!!"

"them baking it from the beginning again only because Y/N wanted to eat that cake is so thoughtful 😭"

© vanteguccir

[slushfaerie]

༘⋆ CRUMBS — prelude.

childhood friend!art donaldson x reader

word count & warnings – 1k. sfw. notes – inspired by an old friendship & the way it can feel when you make eye contact with someone you haven't met, but it feels like your heart recognizes.

it's the first day of high school and you're finishing your PB&J as you hustle up the stairs and slip through the door to Mr. Hu's classroom. Geometry right after lunch was diabolical – something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.

Mr. Hu's class was open seating, the room filled with the sound of comfortable, easy chatter. you opt for the fourth seat from the front, nearer to the wall without windows. you didn't want to give your mind too many chances to wander off. it would probably run away if it could.

the snap of gum popping rings out in the room amidst the din of your classmates following Mr. Hu’s beginning-of-semester spiel. you hear a snicker and something murmured you can't quite make out. another bubble pops as the semester's syllabi get passed down each of the narrow rows. you turn to pass the stack to the person behind you, taking the opportunity to get a glance at the source of the noise.

Arthur Donaldson - or "just Art. please." as you'd learned from roll call - takes that exact moment to glance in your direction. a little smile creeps up the side of his face as he chews his gum, listening to whatever was being said by the person beside him. a beanie on his head unsuccessfully attempts to tame unruly curls spilling out of it. you turn away swiftly, feeling an uninvited warmth kiss your cheeks.

was that crooked smile was meant for you? you'll never know.

but something about that dimple on his cheek and the way he lights up the back corner of the room kind of makes you wish it was.

your neighborhood was textbook suburbia: a smattering of young families still with a semblance of that spark of hope in their eyes balancing out the sleepier majority, mostly nosy retirees-turned busybodies and gossips.

and Art Donaldson's grandmother, the sweet lady she was, fell into the latter category.

Mrs. Donaldson had moved in with Art and his parents when he was just a sniffly little mess of golden curls. sat under an umbrella one fated summer at the community recreation center where Art picked up a tennis racket for the first time. overly enthusiastic cheers for every point he scored were met with a dimpled smile and wave from her grandson.

now, Art was in high school. still playing tennis. and still a mess of golden curls.

high school was a different beast, consolidating the town’s two junior highs and throwing all of the students into one big pot of teenage hormones and anticipatory stress for the future.

you and Art weren't new neighbors, funny enough. you'd become neighbors in the 6th grade, when your family moved across town and left behind the first place you'd called home.

~~

Art could hazily recall the night his folks had told him a kid his age was moving into the neighborhood - they both happened to be home between business trips. admittedly, he wasn't too invested in the development at the time. was too busy thinking about his backhand or the show he was watching on TV.

"Arthur, are you even listening?" his Mother had asked, moving to grab the remote and turn the TV off herself. he never did get to see how that episode ended.

and that was the first impression you'd made on him.

beyond that, for years you'd remained siloed in the routine established by your family as long as you could remember.

you’d be dropped off by your parents on their way into work and driven home after school ended. as you sat in your Dad’s car, you’d often drive by other kids walking to the closer school nearby. but your parents decided they couldn’t have their baby walking to school. that's too dangerous.

while Art had attended Westshore for junior high, your parents had opted to keep you at Shoreside, where the kids you'd known from your younger years had all gone.

you didn't argue too much. it was easier that way.

keeping your head down and in the comfortable monotony of routine meant that you hadn't managed to see Art before. you'd remember a face like that, you think.

but he had seen you.

~~

Art had been helping his Grandmother care for her rose bushes - the way he did every Sunday morning after she’d take him to church with her - when he'd witnessed what seemed to be one of the few instances you'd be allowed out on your own.

on your own, accompanied by your family's dog, more exactly. he saw the way you walked your dog around the block, letting her choose the route you traversed like her own adventure.

and before he knew it, Art found himself beginning to hope he'd see you every time he helped his grandmother or ventured out into the neighborhood.

he’d see how you’d sometimes end your walks sitting with your dog on the grassy hill at the far end of the park nestled in the heart of your neighborhood, just visible from his front yard. you’d look up at the trees or the sky and look like you were thinking too hard about something. occasionally, you'd bring a book with you.

sometimes he’d see a flash of your laugh in the front seat of your Dad’s car driving by on your way home from school. it was like you were in your own orbit, in your own world – a world he had the privilege of occasionally getting a little glimpse of.

~~

even if Art didn't want to think too hard about it, something about the way you looked at him had his heart doing a funny dance.

Art had tried to play it cool, even pretending to care so fucking much about what Mitchell had just said to him. but he couldn't help the grin on his face.

because there you were, four seats in front and one row over to the left, turning to pass the stack of papers back. you’d held his gaze for a breath that felt like it got stuck in his chest before turning to face back front. a few stray crumbs of something on your face.

you'd finally seen him too.

thanks for reading 🤍🪽let me know what you thought if you feel moved to do so.