#all thinking he’s an angel or something because of it
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flwrstqr · 2 days ago
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( する ) : ETERNAL SUNSHINE ⟡​ ASKING FOR ANOTHER KISS
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── 𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗬 ⸝⸝ 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖻𝖾𝗀 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝗄𝗂𝗌𝗌
‎ ‎ ✶ 𝐀𝐂𝐓‎ ‎𝐈 : enhypen + fem!r 1OOOwc ⟡​ fluff oneshots headcanons ࿁ them being bad down for you, skinship, petnames. && 【 VOGUE 】
다니 : hehe i love bad down enhypen.. it always make me giggle TT
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𝗟𝗘𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗡𝗚 “please, baby,” he whines, his voice barely above a whisper, fingers tugging gently at the hem of your sweater like he’s afraid you’ll pull away. his big, doe-like eyes—those bambi eyes—are locked onto yours, wide and glossy with desperation, as if the world might end if you don’t give in. “just one kiss. one, yeah? promise i won’t ask for more.” but he’s lying—you know he is—because his gaze keeps flickering to your lips, and the way his hand slips to your waist betrays him completely. “you’re so mean,” he murmurs, his lips curling into the softest pout. “how can you look this pretty and still torture me like this? c’mon, angel. please, love, just one. i'll do anything,” the second your lips brush his, he melts—actually melts. his grip on your waist tightens, and a muffled, satisfied hum escapes him.
𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗘𝗢𝗡𝗚 “angel, just one kiss,” jay pleads, his voice soft, eyes shimmering as he pushes a pile of shopping bags toward you. “here, all the dresses you glanced at when we went on our mall trip. i’ve been saving them for you.” you blink at the heap—every color, every fabric, exactly what you admired or some that you just glanced at for a split second. “baby, you didn’t have to get all this… just for one kiss,” you murmur. he leans closer, a teasing grin tugging at his lips. “but i’d do anything for you, you know that.” you don’t know if he’s trying to spoil you or if he just really wanted a kiss from you. with a small laugh, you lean in, pressing a kiss to his lips. jay beams, smug but smitten, as if he’s won the world.
𝗦𝗜𝗠 𝗝𝗔𝗘𝗬𝗨𝗡 jake’s arm is draped lazily over your waist as he pulls you closer, his fingers tracing idle patterns on your back. the quiet hum of the tv fills the room, but he’s barely paying attention, his focus entirely on you. “you’re comfy,” he mumbles. he adds, “i think i like this spot.” you glance at him, and he’s already looking at you, a tiny smirk playing on his lips. before you can ask what he means, he leans in, pressing his lips to yours in a kiss. he pulls back just enough to see your wide-eyed expression, his grin growing as he teases, “what? you looked like you wanted one.”
𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗡 sunghoon’s sitting across from you, chin propped on his hand, nodding occasionally as you ramble on about your day. at first, you think he’s being attentive, but something feels off, his responses short and quiet. when you finally glance at him, he’s not even meeting your eyes. his gaze is fixed on your lips, unwavering and far too obvious to ignore. your words falter, and the room falls silent, but he doesn’t look away. “were you even listening to me?” you ask, crossing your arms. he blinks, finally dragging his eyes back up to yours, but there’s no apology in them. you sigh, leaning forward, and he meets you halfway, his lips brushing yours like he’s been waiting forever. when he pulls back, his smirk says it all: it was worth the wait.
𝗞𝗜𝗠 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗢𝗢 sunoo sits beside you, arms crossed and lips slightly pursed, clearly unimpressed by how long you’re making him wait. “just give me a kiss already,” he says, no hesitation, his voice laced with playful impatience. you bite back a grin, deciding to tease him, because how could you not? “hmm, where do you want it? the cheek? the nose-” you ask. his eyes narrow, and for a moment, you think he’s going to give in to your teasing, but instead, he moves faster than you expect, closing the gap and pressing his lips to yours. he pulls back. “there,” he says with a satisfied smile, leaning back smugly. “exactly where i wanted it.” mission accomplished.
𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗚𝗪𝗢𝗡 jungwon is folding laundry beside you. you glance at him, his focused expression almost too cute, and the words slip out before you can stop them. “kiss me.” he pauses mid-fold, looking at you like you’ve just handed him the most important task of his life. “okay,” he says simply, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your lips. but then he doesn’t stop. another kiss lands on the corner of your mouth, then your cheek, then your forehead. giggles bubble out of you as he peppers your face with kisses, completely forgetting about the laundry. “jungwon!” you laugh, trying to push him away, but he just grins, pulling you closer. “you said kiss me,” he teases, planting one last kiss on your lips. “i’m just being thorough.”
𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗔 𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗜 you’re sitting across from riki when he starts tapping his fingers on the table, his eyes darting to your lips every five seconds. “what’s taking you so long?” he mutters. you raise a brow, amused. “taking me so long for what?" “nothing,” he grumbles, looking away. but then his impatience gets the best of him. “you’re so slow, y’know that? maybe if you weren’t so distracted, someone could be happy right now.” the teasing lilt in his voice only makes you laugh. “oh, so you want a kiss?” you ask, leaning closer. he scoffs, eyes narrowing. “who said i wanted one?” his ego crumbles when you press a quick kiss to his cheek. his ears turn red, but he smirks anyway. “finally. took you long enough.”
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cardassianexpats · 12 hours ago
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This is legit one of the reasons I love them so much and identify with Aziraphale like I haven't with any entity before. Being agender (or in my case genderagnostic) can be such a wild ride. Yes sure, I present as one gender, mostly cause I don't care and it's easiest and certain clothing just fits this body better. But sometimes someone will say something about my displayed gender and I'll look down and think "oh, yeah, right. I see why you'd think that, sure, whatever".
It took me a long while to recognize my actual gender (or lack thereof) and (again identifying with my angel) the thing that helped a lot was watching Crowley trying on and rotating all the genders. I first considered myself fluid, probably because I knew more about that label than my own, but realized that wasn't quite right by watching Crowley slip in and out of whatever gender he/they/she (I'd even argue "none" as Bee!Crowley) fancied that day was a revelation.
I had to read/learn about gender dysphoria because I, lucky bastard that I am, had never experienced that apart from being told "oh, but you ARE ..." and that not resonating at all, but not being at all bothered enough to correct the person.
This was a very long and serious post prompted by a silly Good Omens meme, which totally tracks 💛
If you're like me and struggling to find the word that describes you, feel free to try mine on and see if it fits.
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godmadeaterribleerror · 2 days ago
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Every Day That You Want
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Main Masterlist
Read on A03!
Tags: Dean Winchester/Female Reader, tooth-rotting fluff, pregnancy, pre-established relationship, marriage proposal
Summary/Warnings: You have big news for Dean. News you have to tell him, wether he likes it or not. You really hope he likes it, though.
Author's Note: Kind of a prequel to another fic of mine (Still You Want Me), but can be read alone. I just love putting big scary men in normal situations.
Word Count: 2.9k
You can do this. You’ve been to hell and back, you’ve killed angels, you’ve survived at least three apocalypses, and you’ve helped raise the Anti-Christ. This should, comparatively, be easy. 
It’s not. It’s the most daunting and terrifying thing you’ve ever done. It’s just words, but you’re going to choke on them because they could ruin your life. You’ve rehearsed in front of the mirror until your voice didn’t sound like yours anymore and nothing you said seemed real. It had been like repeating the same one word over and over again, until it’s nothing but an odd sound. Until it meant nothing.
But this has to mean something. You have to be able to say this to Dean, and you have to try and not get lost in the possibilities of how he’ll respond. He won’t leave you—Dean would never leave you—but he might tell you he doesn’t want this, and then you’ll have to make a choice. You don’t want to make a choice. You don’t want to hear Dean tell you that, with the lives you lead, this wouldn’t be a good idea. That it doesn’t matter what either of you want, because this isn’t something you get to have.
You want to have this, though. You want to have Dean and the baby. You want to have him as you’ve always had him before—strong and tired, always fighting because it’s all he knows how to do, but resting his head on your chest in the dark and humming against your lips when he kisses you—but you also want to have him in this new way. Where he’d smile for more reasons than just you and Sam and Cas. Where he’d get to direct some of that undying loyalty to someone who’d never be ungrateful, who’d would see him as a hero in a way he might finally believe. 
He’d be so good at it. Dean would spoil the kid, and teach them everything he knew, and care for them more than he’d ever care for himself. It breaks your heart sometimes, how he doesn’t kill himself for Sam, and he doesn’t drink himself to death for Cas, and he tries to get better for you, but he still doesn’t really know how to look in the mirror and not see a shadow.
And this would be the piece of him that’s never been tainted. The piece of him that crawls over you in bed just to hold you, that still watches cartoons and gets excited when he sees a cool car or hears an awesome drumline. The part of him that still cares, against all odds, and cares so much you’ve been worried it would kill him. The part of him that’s so simply made of light and love, crushed under years of his soul being bruised and beaten.
A part of him that won’t break. A part of him you love just as much as the rest of his wreckage, but that you still try to tend to, because you’ll love him the same if it vanishes, but you don’t think he deserves that. Dean deserves to only have that piece of him expand, to have it absorb all the love you throw at him, to grow until he can see it too. Until he can believe it’s there.
You know that it’s all so fucking hard. That Dean will never be all light, but you wouldn’t ever expect him to be. You know that a baby won’t fix him, not by far, but you also know it will show him he can create something. That he doesn’t poison everything he touches. 
That he made something entirely good, with you.
And if he tells you he doesn’t want this, you’ll live with that. You’ve lived with worse.
But you don’t even want to try to live with it. You’ll probably have to, but you’d like to pretend you won’t. 
The most you’re daring to pray for is that he doesn’t freak out. But angels don’t really take your calls anymore. 
So you’ll just have to hope.
You’ve set this up perfectly. There’s a pie in the oven that you will not let burn. There’s bacon and pancakes on a plate waiting for him when he finally gets his ass up. You have the whole bunker to yourself, because Sam’s off to see Eileen.
You’re not allowed to tell Dean that—Sam says he gets annoying—but you will in order to get him in a better mood. Sam’s fatal mistake was believing that you wouldn’t do anything to make Dean happy. So this is really on Sam. He’s the one that introduced you to Dean in the first place. Just because you were his friend first doesn’t mean he didn’t lose your automatic allegiance the moment he said this is my brother and his brother was the hottest man you’d ever seen. 
Sam should’ve known better. His big head should’ve understood that letting you anywhere near Dean—let enough so close that you’d be allowed to fall in love with him—would have always resulted in you using his secrets against him to make Dean happy, so you could slip in the fact that you were pregnant with Dean’s baby as easily as possible. 
Like any sane person would.
Although you have been up for hours, after only sleeping two. And you might be losing your mind. But anyone would lose their mind in a situation like this. Waiting for their dumb boyfriend to wake up so they can change his life forever. 
But Dean’s still asleep. You’re starting to get worried. He usually sleeps in late, especially after hunts, but not this late. Not past noon, long enough for you to stress eat half of his pie, then make a whole second one. Not long enough for the coffee to go cold three times.
You’re about to go check on him when he appears in the kitchen door. Bleary eyes and mussed hair, his glazed eyes focusing slightly when they land on you.
He starts to shuffle towards you, and you forget everything you’d rehearsed. He looks sleepy and adorable, and you’ve seen him like this before but you’d like to see it a million times more. You’d like Dean to always drop his head on your shoulder and wrap his arms around your torso, to always slump over you with a low hum. To always kiss the crook of your neck and let out a long breath when your hands snake around his neck and your fingers tangle in his soft hair.
You could have him like this forever. 
You just have to tell him. 
“Dean-“
“Why’re you up.” He speaks against your skin, his voice slurring slightly, tugging you a little closer. “’S early.”
“It’s 3pm, baby.” You draw back to smile at him, and he just blinks at you. “You’ve been knocked out for fourteen hours.”
He shakes his head, pouting slightly as he takes your hand in his. “Nah. Doesn’t feel it. C’mon.”
Dean starts to walk away, taking you with him, and you’re snapped out of the daze.
“Wait,” You pull on his grip, and he turns with a frown. “Where are you going?”
“We’re goin’ back to bed.”
You give him an amused look, your affection briefly overpowering your panic. “We?”
He nods, tugging your hand in his until you’re pressed right against his chest. “Only up ‘cause you weren’t there. Need to get my girl back to bed, you need sleep too-“
You do need sleep, but until you tell Dean, you might as well be injecting caffeine right into your bloodstream.
“But I made you bacon-“
“Course you did.” He grins, pressing a light kiss to your nose. “You’re awesome, baby.” 
You feel your stomach flutter, and at this stage it has to only be nerves, but that doesn’t make anything easier. “Can we please eat?”
Dean hums, scanning carefully over your face. “You eat already?”
“I had some applesauce-“
“Then we’re good.” He starts to move again, and now you’re attached to him like a magnet. You couldn’t move away if you tried. “Bed.”
You’re frayed and wired and on edge, trying so hard to find the will to insist he stay and eat, but Dean’s so warm and suddenly you’re drunk on him. He’s sturdy and soft in all the right places, herding you back to bed with hands on your shoulders and mumbled praise about being his dream girl, making him bacon for breakfast and lovin’ him more than he deserves, and you wish you had enough backbone to just shout at him that he does deserve your love. He deserves whatever you can give him, including a baby that he needs to know about now before you explode.
But he gets you back into bed, splaying his body over yours and pinning you down.
“Didn’t see Sammy,” his head is buried in your chest, his voice muffled against your skin. “Where’dhe go?”
“Eileen’s.” You sigh, running your fingers through his hair. “I’m not supposed to tell you that, though.”
Dean chuckles, his hands drawing slow circles on your hips. “You’re a little backstabber, sweetheart. I’m never tellin’ you anything again.”
“I’m backstabbing Sam for you.” You shrug, smiling at the air. “I’d never backstab you.��
“’S exactly what a backstabber would say.”
You giggle. “You’re tired, Dean. Your brain’s not working right. Maybe if we get up-“
“Not getting up.” He grunts, squeezing your body. “Not until you get your own fourteen hours.”
“I’m okay, Dean-“
“No. Sleep.”
You sigh, squirming slightly under him. “You know, it’s bad for you to sleep in. It’ll mess up your circadian rhythm-“ 
Dean tilts his head up, frowning at you. “What’s going on with you?”
“I, um-“ You swallow, your whole body suddenly far too warm. “Huh?”
“You always make me sleep extra after hunts.” His voice is a little stronger, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Why’re you suddenly trying to get me up?”
“Nothing’s going on-“
“No.” Dean’s sitting up now, rolling onto his back and pulling you over his lap, his gaze stern. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong either-“
He says your name, squeezing your waist as he rubs his jaw. “Please just tell me. If it’s a body we can hide it, but I need to know if it’s a monster body or person body-“
“Why the hell would it be a person body-“
“I dunno, but if it is you gotta tell me, so I can grab the salt.” He cups your cheek, offering you on his charming, downright boyish grins. “I’m not letting any ghosts haunt your hot ass, babygirl.”
“Thank you.” You mumble, dropping your brow to his. “But it’s not a body.”
“So there is something.”
“Yeah.” You whisper. “But I… I’m not-“
“Hey,” Dean leans back, holding your gaze as he tucks some hair behind your ear. “Whatever it is, I don’t care. I’m helping you.”
You swallow, squeezing your eyes shut. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs, like it’s simple. Like this will really be that easy. “For you? Always.”
It takes deep breathes, and hands curled in Dean’s t-shirt—gripping him hard, making sure he won’t fly away or vanish into the air when you speak—but you do it. You run over your entire rehearsal one last time and let it all go, because Dean’s right here, in front of you, and you just need to-
“I’m pregnant.”
You say it, and he doesn’t vanish into nothing. Dean just stares at you, eyes wider than you’ve ever seen them, and whispers, “With a baby?”
“Yeah, Dean.” You offer him a small smile. “A baby.”
“My- my baby?” 
You open your mouth with a slight frown, and Dean’s hand flies to cover your mouth before you can speak.
“Wait, shit, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just-“ He groans, his eyes seeming to drive right into your soul as his voice because hoarse. “You’re sure? That you’re… growing one?”
You wish you could read him better right now. You’d laugh at him saying growing one.
Instead you just nod, and it’s like something flips in Dean. He grins—wide and toothy and unrestrained—and you barely have time for the relief to hit when he’s kissing you. Long and deep and passionate, until you’re dizzy and grinding down onto him, falling over his chest and clinging to his shoulders.
“Dean,” you gasp as he dives down to kiss a line over your collarbone. “Shouldn’t we, shit-“ He starts suck on a soft spot behind your ear, and all your exhaustion is starting to catch back up with you, so everything is really just a haze. “Don’t we need to talk-“
“No,” he mutters, rutting slightly up into you and chuckling against your skin when you whine. “Just need you, baby, need to- son of a bitch!”
Dean’s yanks himself up and twists to his bedside table—his hand on your hips holding you steadily against him—scrambling around the drawers as he mutters low words you can’t hear.
“Are you okay?” You ask, your hand fisting in his shirt once more. “I mean, I know you might have doubts about-“
You’re cut off as Dean surges back up to kiss you again, this one shorter and soft, but still firm. 
“No doubts, sweetheart.” He mutters against your lips. “And I’m better than okay. I’m fucking amazing.”
“Good.” You sigh, pulling back to scan over his face. “What was that, then?”
Dean smiles at you, and it’s… nervous. He’s almost never really, truly nervous, but this smile has no edge, no carefully designed charm. It’s just Dean, purely him, smiling at you like you’re holding his heart in your body.
You kind of are.
“I know I, uh, I don’t say it enough. You know I’m not good at saying it. But I do love you,” Dean says your name, and you blink at him. This sounds like a speech. “I love you so much it drives me insane. And I’d never want this, want a baby, with anyone but you. But, I, uh, I want all of this. Whole stupid, apple pie thing, just with you.” He takes a long breath, his eyes never leaving yours. “Marry me.”
You gape at him. “What?”
“Marry- shit, wait-“ Dean reaches slightly behind him, grabbing a small box, and pops it open with his thumb. There’s a diamond ring inside, and it looks like a real one. Not the ones you’d use on cases, that would give you a rash for a week after. This looks… carefully made.
Made for you.
“Dean-“
“Marry me?” Dean looks between your slack jaw and the box, his voice almost nervous. “Please?”
“I-“ This is going better than you could’ve ever even imagined. You’re not sure how to handle it. “I don’t want you to marry me just because you knocked me up-“
“Baby, I didn’t pull this ring out of my ass.” He drawls, his voice a little firmer. “I’ve been getting ready to ask you for months. I was going to kick Sammy out next week, make a picnic in the library-“
“Really?”
“Yeah, I-“ He frowns. “Why’d you think I was poking about your ring size?”
“I don’t, um, I don’t remember you doing that.”
Dean laughs, shaking his head slightly. “That’s good. I was worried I ruined it. I, um-“ he glances down at the ring, his face falling back to the nerves, and you realize you haven’t actually answered him yet. “I haven’t-“
It’s your turn to kiss Dean, and these words aren’t difficult to say at all. “Yes,” you whisper, pressing another, smaller kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I’ll marry you.”
“Awesome.” He grins, and the ring is barely on your finger when he’s diving back into you, kissing you until you can’t ever remember anything has been difficult in your life. 
You yawn right as Dean pulls away, and he chuckles. 
“You alright, sweetheart?”
You hum, nodding. “I’m good. So good. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Dean says your name in your ear, and it’s quiet and gentle. Not like a secret, but a promise. “How’s a day in bed sound? We can try and get you pregnant again.”
“That’s not how it works, babe.” You giggle, folding a little deeper into his hold. “I’m gonna have to buy you some books.”
“I’ll read them.” Dean kisses the top of your head, and you can feel his smile on your skin. “For you.”
“Thank you.”
“Course.” He sighs, squeezing your body slightly. “We’re having a fucking baby.”
“Yeah.” You smile, and there’s that piece of him, shining on the surface. All joy and wonder for something that’s really just good. “We are.”
End Note: Dean Winchester in my head this is indeed the life you live every day. Season 15 isn't real it can't hurt me.
Title from Waste by Foster the People
If you like this story, please reblog, share, or leave a comment! <3
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colorlessjay · 18 hours ago
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Does season16 dean feel bad when he looks at season6 castiel sometimes? Knowing what happens in the future and everything that happens between them?
Ya know, this is something I think about often, but angst is kinda hard to put into words, but I can try:
Life is funny. You spend half your life believing that when the lights go out, they go out dark and empty, that there is no 'after' when you clock out.
Then suddenly, you get proven wrong so hard that it rocks your world view. Everything you've ever believed in gets thrown back in your face, and all you can do about it is get angry. Because that's the only thing keeping you sane. Because it's all you can really do when faced with hell, and heaven, and angels.
Dean regrets being angry.
"It's not your fault." That's what Cas told him. That Chuck was the one that pulled anger out of him to progress his shitty story
"I forgive you" Cas tells him when Dean feels like he's being pulled down by the weight of his guilt
"I love you" Cas whispers to him, when doubt starts creeping in and clawing at his heart
Small words. Short sentences. But they do wonders keeping Dean up-float, keeping the itch of alcohol out of his hands and his mind at rest
The sight of his husband would usually put him at ease. Would shave away those feelings that often crawl up his spine when he least expects them
But Cas - Castiel isn't his husband right now. The man - the angel that's with him now is a curious, rebellious wave length of light and power who would do anything for the Winchesters
and Dean knows too well that it's not just anything, it's everything
And it's only the start of it
Castiel's vessel is still newly his. This is his first trench coat. His hair is still a wild mess. His voice is still hard and monotone. He still radiates angelic power, and stands as though he is an immovable mountain
and yet, in Dean's eyes, Castiel looks like a man yet to experience the true horrors of war
Ironic given what he's going through now
And it pains Dean. He stares at Castiel, knowing how Dean's younger self is going to hurt him, abandon him, kick him to the curve only to drag him back into their bullshit
Knowing Castiel would crawl back to him time and time again, bloody, beaten, and broken
Because of Dean
"Dean"
He snaps out of his dark thoughts, turning his gaze back towards Castiel who stands by the doorway between the kitchen and living room
"You were deep in thought" Castiel points out, his brow scrunching up and his head tilted to the side.
Dean swallows dry and offers a warm smile. He can feel it doesn't reach his eyes "Yeah well, age makes ya think"
"What were you thinking about?"
you
"Nothing you have to worry about right now" With a grunt, Dean pushes himself off Bobby's old couch and shoulder's his duffel bag "Sammy outside?"
"yes" Castiel stares at Dean. He can feel his eyes scanning his soul. He knows the angel can sense his reluctance to speak. Dean expects an interrogation. Expect Cas to call his bullshit. But Dean doesn't want to spill his guts, not when there's work to do
So with a smile and a pat on the shoulder, Dean saunters past Castiel to the door, knowing Cas would follow
It pains Dean to know how far Castiel will follow him
"Through hell, heaven, and purgatory
through every universe beyond and between
through death and back. I will follow you"
His husband's vows echo through his mind, but he looks over his shoulder at Castiel, those words don't bring the same comfort
--------
that was a long one. anyways, honk honk
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spacegyaru · 2 days ago
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it's almost 3 am in my country, but i have a fanfic idea for kaiser... i need to let it out;;
EDITED: HERE'S THE PART TWO SINCE YALL WANT IT
cw: michael kaiser x afab! reader | all charscters are aged 21+. pure fluff / mentions of kaiser's past experiences with his dad. nothing suggestive.
imagine michael kaiser falling in love with you, the owner's daughter of that one bakery that lived across their street. that same girl who gave him free bread everyday, and that same girl who would cry whenever he was wounded and bruised.
your family isn't the richest�� but you owned the best bakery in the slums area. because of that, you were often a target of bullies. they bullied you because you have everything that most slum kids didn't have. you had loving parents, you were well-fed, and your parents have stable and honest income from the family business. you were also very pretty, so a lot of people made fun of you, thinking that you are a 'spoiled ditzy princess'.
until one day, you go out for a while to play with others. there, you met him— michael kaiser. he was all bruised and wounded. and to be honest, it looked like he was going to die... if you did not help him that day.
few minutes later, you gave him some water to drink and some sourdough bread to eat and take home. that's all your family's bakery sells after all. your mother also treated his wounds.
he introduced himself as 'michael kaiser' to you and your family. to your parents, he seemed to be a nice and a timid child. but to you, he was cold and a bit hesitant to play and to be friends with you. it was almost as if he hated you.
well, that's what you thought— until there were bunch of kids coming at you, wanting to bully you, pull your hair, and just flat-out mess with you. kaiser was the one who protected you. he told them that he won't hesitate to beat the shit out of them if they mess with you.
apparently, most slum kids are scared of kaiser, which means that you were sooo protected.
and ever since then, you would give him sourdough bread... and if your store is feeling fancy, you would give him some bread rolls that your mother made.
even if kaiser protected you a lot, he was still cold towards you. you thought that he wasn't just expressive.
the truth is, kaiser actually really really liked you. but he didn't have the confidence because he sees you as an angel, and he's just... well, he's just who he is.
fast forward when both of you grew up— well, both of you were in high school when the incident happened. by incident i mean, when he was arrested for alleged stealing.
during that time, both of you were still friends. but you rarely see him because of the 'sidelines' that kept him busy. still, you try your best to keep in touch. sometimes, you would pass by their home and give him something like sourdough bread and some bread rolls.
as time went by, you grew feelings for him. you no longer see him as the friend who protected you, but he was like a knight and shining armor. sometimes, you still wonder why he hasn't let you meet his new friends tho...
one day, kaiser got arrested for stealing. your family was deeply sad about it. they knew that his father forced him to do it— and that he's not the type to do something like that.
after that, you've never heard from him again. until a year later, you've started seeing him on billboards, commercials, and etc. it seems that he's playing for a team in germany.
despite all that happened and the separation between the both of you, you felt very happy for him. whatever success he was experiencing at this point, he deserved it. you were sad that he forgot about you, but eventually, you've come to accept that both of you live in two different worlds now.
until one day, you saw a familiar figure appearing on the bakery door. his usually grumpy expression was changed into a smug and confident one.
your eyes delighted to see who it was — it was michael kaiser, your knight and shining armor, who seem to have returned to see you again. he came back for you.
note: should i make a part two of this?lol
btw this isn't proofread so i apologize in advance!
EDITED: PART TWO YALL
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jewelsli · 2 days ago
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So I don’t have much to add but I did do some art of fishified joker
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And the bioluminescent version isn’t uploading but I’ll work on it
He happened to be the one I ended up drawing, and I think it ended up alright.
I mostly based him off of a lionfish, but I think it would be cool if he could do the puffing up think and grow 2-3 times his normal size. Up the spooky vibes, or make him look like a balloon, both sound great to me!
I think that due to increased exposure and ~vibes~ his venom should almost exactly match the effects of joker venom(or whatever he uses) but wear off(unless it kills someone) and be stronger, it would be different enough that it requires a different antidote and while it does have lasting effects it doesn’t leave people fully insane forever.
He has short hair because most people, when admitted to Arkham Asylum, get their hair cut short for sanitary and other reasons. People on good behavior get to grow their hair out and joker… isn’t on good behavior.
While most rogues have very little or no shells I did give him a few: First is a string of cowrie shells(purple top and tiger) with a king scallop at the end, it’s from Punchline and I tried to get it to symbolize romantic intent/seeing him as powerful, though while I was looking up shells I did rediscover that Cowrie shells were used as currency in many cultures… so maybe some Gothamites regard them to be extra valuable or something?
Anyway, the second shell was given to him by Harley(don’t worry guys she’s over him) and is an Angel wing shell. I thought that with angels and all it could symbolize healing or hope for healing, she was essentially saying that she wants him to recover even though she’s not involved with him anymore. Now it’s tradition to give these shells to those in hospitals and asylums, whether it’s from someone on the staff or those you know personally.
And yep! That’s all I have to add, I LOVE this au so much, I hope that y’all think my addition is alright.
Mermay Special Prompt 3
“Are you kidding? No one goes to Gotham, that place is like,” Aquaman made a motion with his hand, a not-quite grimace on his face. “Like things should not be living in the water, like it should be impossible, and things should be dead, but they aren’t and it’s like, like the equivalent of an undead apocalypse over there!” 
Bruce rolled his eyes behind his cowl, taking a sip of his coffee as the others continued drinking. Socialize, they said, it’ll be fine they said. Well excuse him, but the waters weren’t that bad. Sure there were always dumped bodies, and chemicals from the rogue attacks, but it was far worse at one point.
One thing he’ll always be relieved for is how the… curse (thank you broken statuette back in the beginning of his vigilante career that fused with the other many curses of Gotham) made the people of Gotham actually care about the waters around them. 
Though also, he couldn’t help but thank anything that might be listening for the fact that the curse only interacted with Gotham waters, because losing legs with any risk of a drop of water would be downright annoying. 
“No dude, you don’t understand, no one goes there for a reason! That shit is horrific- someone saw a big thing with bits of rebar stabbed straight through it and still chased after a big alligator-thing!” Oh. Oh that had been him. Oops. Hopefully his kids didn’t find out about this, but they were probably already on the cameras. Dammnit. 
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14dayswithyou · 2 days ago
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Ren owes me 22 dollars.... I think I remember you saying before that if Ren and Angel had kids Ren would still prioritise Angel over them so it has given me a couple of questions?
1. If Angel passed away what kind of father would Ren be? If it was because of childbirth would Ren 'blame' his child?
2. If Ren discovered one of his children was a yandere like him what would his reaction be?
Thank you for always engaging with this community I really enjoy the story and your characters, looking forward to what comes next! :D
⌞♥⌝ Thank you for da kind words!!
I don't really enjoy talking about how Ren would react to Angel dying (nor can I see him moving on after they've died), and I don't feel comfortable talking about maternal death either, sorry. All I'll say is that Ren would never blame his own child for something like that.
If Ren found out his child was also a yandere like him, he honestly would not care in the slightest T_T His main priority will always be Angel, and what his child gets up to whenever he's not around isn't... really his concern. He'd still care for his child's wellbeing (obviously), but if they want to go around stalking and murdering people for the one they love, Ren won't snitch — nor would he try to help them, either. All he cares about is Angel, and if they're safe and happy, he will be too.
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ultravi0lence14 · 3 days ago
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BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
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DEAN WINCHESTER X DEMON!READER
WARNINGS: angst, before dean and lil monster got together, bloody chaos
SUMMARY: little monster is new to the bunker, new to living with sam and dean. all she wants to do is show dean she is not a bad person, but the eldest won’t budge.
WC: 889
LITTLE MONSTER’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
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dean sighs, his hands balling into fists as he hears the annoyingly loud classical music blaring from your room. why did sam allow you to stay with them? why did he allow you to buy that freakish gramophone from the thrift store, along with dusty old records of soundless tunes that were fit for a gothic waltz.
you were weird, probably the most freaky person dean had ever come in contact with. he knew a lot of demons — hell, he’s killed a lot of demons, but you were. . . different.
he wanted to kill you, badly did he want to drive the demon killing blade into your chest. but something deep inside of him wouldn’t allow it. and it was pissing him off because you were pissing him off.
the bug obsession was just gross; always coming inside with new insects inside of jars, curating them to put into shadow boxes. it was disturbing, and dean had to shield his eyes whenever he reluctantly went into your room.
your room was a enigma that dean didn’t even want to interrupt. all the bugs, dead animal bones (he hopes), jars filled with trophies you took from supernatural creatures you killed; it was all so morbid, and dean saw enough death in his life to have a room in his home dedicated to it.
he was expecting you to turn on him and sam, a ploy that was ready to swing into full motion at any moment. you were the first angel turned demon for christ’s sake, lucifer’s second hand when he battled michael. why should he and his brother trust that you wouldn’t turn on them.
the pleading and forced explanations were getting tiring. you tried to explain to dean that lucifer had manipulated you, throwing you away when you weren’t needed and turning you into a demon for punishment. you tried to make him believe you were bullied in hell, that your bloodlust came from years of demons and death picking on you and making you believe you were nothing. it was so laughable, dean didn’t even listen anymore.
today had been dean’s final straw; he’d been cleaning his gun in his room, getting ready for a demon hunt a couple towns away when you knocked on his door. the distinctive knock you refused to let up rang through his ears, eliciting an eye roll from dean as he got up from his bed. when he swung his door open, a scowl on his face, he saw you standing in the threshold expectantly, a tiny music box perched in your palms as you stared up at him through your lashes.
the look on your face was mesmerizing, your hair falling down your back in long ebony waves. the long black sleeve shirt mixed with a black skirt had dean believing you were death itself, a beacon that grew rot and decay around them.
looking down at the item in your palms, he noticed that the music box had intricate designs on it. small butterflies and wilting flowers decorated the brass sides, a string of ivy going around the lid. it was beautiful, and dean couldn’t help but let his scowl let up.
“what’s that, little freak?” dean grit out, his hands gripping onto the doorframe as he noticed the mud caked on your knees.
pushing your hair behind your ear, dean got front row views to your razor sharp jaw, a line like the grim reapers scythe. “i was at the thrift store and found this, thought you’d like it.” you muttered, sock clad feet knocking against each other as dean’s stare penetrated your blackened soul. “i didn’t recognize the song that played, but it sounded like something you’d like.”
carefully taking it out of your hands, dean opened the box to hear a soft, yet piercing melody burst into his ears. it truly was beautiful, and he couldn’t find it in himself to hate you for thinking about him when you saw this.
“thanks.” he murmured, turning to place the item on his dresser. “now go get ready for the hunt, need that blood fein to come out and play tonight, little freak.”
you just nodded, mouth parting with words on your tongue before dean slammed the door in your face. he didn’t want you to see the turmoil in his eyes, the way he couldn’t justify hating you anymore.
dean couldn’t find all those hobbies you had disgusting anymore. the bugs were something he affiliated with you, a gross yet endearing tendency that dean realized he never really hated. the animal bones were also very you, alongside all your trophies which dean realized symbolized your loyalty to his and sam’s cause. you were killing supernatural creatures, not working with them.
and when the demon they were hunting solidified your story of being lucifer’s protege, a laughingstock in hell that got bullied for not being full angel, dean couldn’t help but slashing the vile creatures throat with his demon blade, watching as life drained from their eyes and blood filled with yours.
there were more demons left, and dean watched with awe and confusion as you slaughtered them all. dean didn’t know what the feeling he felt was, but he valued you like the bride of frankenstein; a beautiful and dark woman who loved destruction.
god, dean was screwed.
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TAGS: @titsout4jackles @starzify @floralscented @deansbeer @bluemerakis @figthoughts @haunteres @foolinthera1n @deanangel
NAT BABBLES: another head canon post is in order bc bree and i cannot stop brainstorming prompts for our little monster!!
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gr1m-c0l0rs · 3 days ago
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My WHB!MC’s relationship with the Kings
OVERVIEW: To Sunny, his relationship between the devils is strictly fwb, mainly because of his insecurity that the reason the devils only like him is because they see him as Solomon and not as his own person—no matter if the devils say otherwise. She does have a slight crushes on all of them and had thoughts about staying, but she quickly pushed down these feelings. Sunny really doesn’t want to stay in Hell for the rest of his life but he also doesn’t want to pull a Solomon and leave them forever (which sets up for future angst potential >:))
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SATAN:
The first devil Sunny met and the first devil that got really close to
Helped Sunny realize that she was a sadomasochist (never really explored outside of vanilla sex with her other sexual partners on Earth)
Constantly has flirty banter with each other
Sunny gets really irritated easily which Satan loves, following behind him to egg him on so Sunny could hit him
Sunny retaliates by picking him up by his waist and teasing him on how small he is (of course this pisses him off a lot
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MAMMON:
Literal sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship
Sunny gets incredibly flustered around him, not used to being spoiled
Tries to reciprocate by it’s kinda hard as she don’t have money (which she is embarrassed by, but Mammon finds endearing)
Was weirded out being called “Master”, constantly reiterating to Mammon to just call him Sunny, but eventually gave up and ended up loving being called it (big dominant looking men calling you master>>>)
Slightly jealous of how strong Mammon is, constantly teetering between “do I want him? Or do I wanna be him?”
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LEVIATHAN:
Absolutely DESPISED Leviathan we they first met, especially since they tried to kill him when they first met.
Sunny thought he was ethereal at first, but when he tried to kill her, Levi went from a 10/10 to -3/10
They constantly bicker and hate-fuck sometimes
After learning about Levi’s childhood, Sunny did feel a little bit of sympathy about his situation; still has Levi’s name as “fuckface” on his contact list
Gradually becoming soft for Levi (so is Levi as well to Sunny) but wouldn’t dare admit it (not yet at least)
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LUCIFER:
Sunny was absolutely terrified after meeting Luci, especially after learning that he still has beef with his whole bloodline due to Solomon
After eloping with him, Sunny became a little more comfortable with him (still a bit of underlying fear tho)
Tries to be polite and quiet around him, talking to Luci like a doctor and not like a best friend (goofs around with Gamigin whenever he goes to Paradise Lost tho)
Sunny likes to listen to his stories about God, Heaven & Hell
Always asks Luci if she could visit to have tea with him, whenever he gets overwhelmed by the other devils
BEELZEBUB:
Practically shares the same braincell
Sunny only saw Beel as a horny goofball until he learned the real reason why he wanders around, and now feels guilty for thinking that he didn’t have depth
Flirty banter pt. 2
After finding out that Sunny used to party on Earth, Beel always make sure to take him out whenever he gets stressed out about angels
Sunny likes to leave little trinkets and food in his coat pocket that is covered in his scent as a way to thank him (something Beel appreciates even though he wants the real deal.
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BELPHEGOR:
Was really indifferent about Belphie at first but sees him as a cool dude to hang out with occasionally
His “don’t care” attitude annoys Sunny sometimes but brushes it off
Sleeping buddy (literally)
Watches anime at Belphie’s palace, and discusses about it with him (even if it’s a short amount of time)
When not cuddling, Sunny likes to help Beleth with work (sometimes even carrying Belphie on her back since he’s warm and squishy ‘like a pillow’)
ASMODEUS:
Sunny was (understandably) afraid hearing the stories about Asmo
After meeting him, Sunny ends up becoming slightly annoyed with Asmo’s antics
Sunny constantly threatens to spray Asmo with a hose (especially after finding out he doesn’t shower) which Asmo laughs it off
Likes listening to him gushing about his kids
Sunny feels nothing but sympathy about the loss of his first love Solomon and his second love, his wife, but doesn’t have the heart to break his heart a third time
HEIGHT COMPARISON:
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avelera · 4 hours ago
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I've been thinking about this meta and laughing actually because I want to reiterate, the foundations of Jayce's Season 1 plotline was clearly a typical morality play where he has an angel and a devil on his shoulder and he's tugged between politics and science.
To briefly sum up the meta above, what subverted this very reductive plotline was making Mel not evil (actually, not evil at all, just her own person with her own goals which are indeed mostly altruistic) and to make the motivations for Jayce 90% of the time to be helping Viktor and their work.
I think originally, the plot was supposed to be "Viktor and Science are Good" "Mel and Politics are Bad" "Jayce is Seduced by Bad Politics and Sexy Mel Away from the True Value of Brotherly Friendship and Science" with him only coming back too late to his Good Science Bro and realized his Evil Politics and Girlfriend Mistakes after Viktor has tragically decided to go full Machine Herald after Jayce's abandonment.
Now in this simplistic version, this failed morality play on Jayce's part is a Tragedy because he realizes his mistake and returns to his bro after it is Too Late and now he must use the lessons he learned to Save His Bro from Evil (that Jayce caused with his initial abandonment).
Then a bunch of other better storytelling drafts happened and we got the plot of Arcane as we saw it BUT
BUT
The thing that is absolutely cracking me up about this proposed timeline of storytelling decisions and where it got us (which I firmly believe to be true) is that it led to the absolute gayest take on Jayce & Viktor ever like, seriously, by fleshing out this story the way they did, it went from "Save the bro you tragically abandoned" to "Save the man you did EVERYTHING for because only YOU can rescue your soulmate across all timelines, all possibilities, and you must give more than you did before, you must give everything of yourself to this cause and you do so gladly, in the most romantic gesture of all time." Like...
Ok, I'm gonna say something potentially unpopular here but I don't really blame Christian Linke for seeing Jayce/Viktor as brotherly, because that's what like 99% of straight male showrunners see when they write the gayest relationship of all time and given what we know of what Jayce & Viktor looked like in the earliest drafts, it probably was more brotherly in the earliest versions that he had the most influence on before he handed it over to better writers and artists.
(I speculate the reason for male showrunners not getting how romantic the "friendship" stories they're writing are is because for many cis straight male creators, "brotherhood" as defined by "not blood relatives but more than a best friend" with another man is the closest relationship you can have, while romance is just a relationship with the best sex you'll ever have, maybe, or just the woman you're "supposed" to settle down with, whereas for women and queer writers, they tend to write the love interest as being your most important person, not a blood relative but more than a best friend, and this is where the wire gets crossed because these cis male writers don't realize they've written a catnip romance for everyone who isn't them ANYWAY I DIGRESS).
SO, this re-write of Jayce's reductive morality-play plot where Science Bro Good and Politics Girlfriend Bad to make Mel and Viktor more nuanced and complicated and not really dragging Jayce into two directions because he's doing everything for Viktor 1) makes all his motivations realign to be just about Viktor which is insanely romantic. But 2!!!
2) In the original morality play plot with Science Bro Good, Jayce returning to Viktor in S2 but it's Too Late is just tragic but it could still just be a story of betraying a friend and your own principles.
But in the revised arc, where Jayce did everything in S1 for Viktor, including overthrowing the government, but in S2 realizing that he wasn't helping Viktor in the way Viktor wanted, that he should have instead stayed in the lab to help Viktor instead of trying to save him elsewhere, and then re-writing Jayce's entire life purpose in S2 to be about saving Viktor's soul and oh, also the world I guess, goes from being "Reductive Jayce making Amends for Leaving his Science Bro for Evil Politics Girlfriend" and instead makes it, "Man who gave everything for his best friend but it wasn't enough to save him then course corrects and figures out how to give his best friend what he REALLY needs, but only does so tragically too late, and must then go on a Tragic Quest, tear himself down to shreds and build himself back up again to become a vessel of but one singular goal, which is the salvation of his Science Bro's SOUL, rescuing him from a fate of loneliness worse than death, because in all timelines, in all possibilities, only HE can rescue his Science Bro from himself oh, and also the world, I guess." And it just becomes the most insanely romantic story of all time.
And I can see how in the foundations of the old story, this would be a much more "friend-coded" story for Jayce and Viktor but because of all the nuanced writing levels that were added later, it just got 10x and then 100x more romantic until it's the most undeniably, mind-breakingly romantic story ever of literally saving one another's lives and souls over and over again across the multiverse because only you can save each other, you are doomed without one another, and yeah, if originally you just wanted to show Jayce being torn between his evil politics girlfriend and his good science bro buddy and then spending act 2 redeeming himself for his act 1 temptations then yeah, I can see how as CL or other show runners you might not have realized what you were cooking until after it came out of the oven!
I feel like so much of the silly Mel vs. Viktor discourse when it comes to Jayce would be resolved if people realized that the plot was originally conceived as a basic morality play arc with Mel as the devil on one shoulder and Viktor as the angel on the other for Jayce.
The bones of Jayce's plot in Season 1 is of a good-guy scientist who is tempted by the allure of politics and fame, with a beautiful femme fatale politician seducing him towards power on the one side and his humble 'brotherly' relationship with his scientific partner representing Jayce's 'true self' that he is drawn away from by her machinations. It's a very, very old school, reductive, male-centric plot that literally boils down to "bros before hos".
It even makes sense for S2, with Jayce overcoming his corruption arc in S1 and returning to his "bro" only for his prior sins to tragically launch Viktor's own corruption arc as the Machine Herald only after Jayce has learned his lesson.
And then the Arcane writers and Fortiche subverted this plot. Here's how:
They made all three characters multi-faceted adults with their own agency and motivations. None of them are puppets for the others or, if they are, the time one character spends controlling the choices of another becomes part of that controlling character's sins that must be atoned for (namely, Jayce resurrecting Viktor against his will, Mel manipulating Jayce against his will, Viktor trying to control everyone against their will).
For example, they made Mel complex and interesting and a good person in her own right. Yes, she still has elements of the beauty, danger, and allure of a femme fatale but by making her her own person with her own plot and motives, none of which are malicious (at most, they are self-serving until she changes her views on Hextech and how best to bring peace to Piltover).
Jayce is still torn between Mel and Viktor but he also fully has his own agency, as many are quick to point out. He is often dragged around by the manipulations of others too (Mel yes, but also Marcus, Vi, and Ambessa influence Jayce into bad decisions). Part of his arc is learning how to be true to himself and his own goals after his time spent in the Anomaly future. But, even there, you can still see the bones of the original morality play arc, where the "Good Ending" for Jayce is to go back to his lab partner "bro" and bring both of them back to being true to themselves.
Viktor isn't just helplessly standing by while Jayce ignores him. In fact, Viktor often deliberately cuts Jayce out of his experiments. He doesn't tell Jayce about the Shimmer, or the self-experimentation, or even about Sky's death until after Jayce resurrects him with the Hexcore. Viktor has agency, he has his own goals, and while he frequently chastises Jayce for abandoning their shared dream in what I believe is another hint of the bones of the original morality play plot, he also has his own flaws and his own journey to go on independent of Jayce.
Much of the silly bickering I see between Mel and Viktor fans comes down to who "deserves" Jayce, who is "erased" by not ending up with Jayce, whether or not Mel is manipulative, or if Viktor thinks about Jayce at all when he's busy pursuing his own goals, and I think all of those are absurd arguments.
Mel is manipulative, it is part of the bones of the morality play plot that has her as the antagonist, but they made her so much more than that, that I think it's an active disservice to the character they made to reduce her story down to whether or not she ends up with Jayce. I get why people get hung up on it, because I do believe it's the core of the first draft of her plot, but the richness of her character comes from moving beyond that. Indeed, in S2, the least important part of her character is her relationship to Jayce. She has her own stuff going on.
Whether or not Jayce is a victim of manipulation or whether or not he pursued power for its own sake is also showing an understanding of the basic, core plot they built the richness on top of. Jayce was seduced by Mel's manipulation and he did grasp after power, but they enriched his character by making his goals more noble and more tragic. He's always trying to fight for Viktor, for Hextech, for their shared dream, and for making Piltover a safer, better place, but how he goes about it often makes matters worse until he learns, grows, gains wisdom, and makes terrible mistakes he arguably can never make up for fully.
Jayce also isn't fully a victim of Mel's manipulation, just as she is not fully a mastermind able to control his every move. He breaks away at a certain point and makes his own (poor) decisions in ways that frighten her and make her regret her actions, until he grows enough to recognize the wisdom in her advice (though he later grows again and recognizes the original manipulation, which leads to him breaking up with her in 2.08 because Mel's sins are still there and they are the reason she and Jayce don't have hope for a future together once he realizes he can't trust her because actions have consequences in Arcane).
As for Viktor, he doesn't like Mel. In that, I think we again see the original morality play roots, with him as the angel on the shoulder disliking the devil who is seducing Jayce. But they enriched his character by having him respect Jayce's choices even as he may have privately disapproved of them, and to have his own arc to worry about with his failing health, and his other flaws like intellectual tunnel vision/naiveté, and his tendency to self-isolate in the face of his terminal illness. He has his own stuff going on.
They also subverted the morality play arc to a certain extent by having Viktor stop being the angel in S2. Indeed, the framework more or less falls away entirely and it become Jayce trying to save Viktor from himself, and from Jayce's own mistakes of not destroying the Hexcore, while Mel is busy with her own story of politics, war, and magic.
Anyway, I hope some of this makes sense. But I think if people just recognized that yes, there are elements of Mel as a bad guy in the fabric of the story, of a story where Jayce is in a balancing act between his demons and his angels, but that good writers came in and layered real people over these simplistic plots, made it so Mel's story isn't just about Jayce, Jayce's story isn't just about getting corrupted by a femme fatale, and Viktor's story isn't just about being abandoned by Jayce, and thus elevated the trope beyond its tired-out, simplistic roots, there'd be a lot less wank.
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ineffableaddiction · 2 days ago
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Mirroring
I know, mirroring is not anything new in Good Omens. I highly appreciate the nuance it takes to build on the same theme through two (or more) seemingly (and sometimes actually) different stories.
There is one that has been stuck in my brain for awhile though.
Let me share….
The Final 15
This has been analyzed from millions of angles, so I’ll be brief. Crowley cleans the bookshop and plans to take Aziraphale to the Ritz. He attempts confession of some sort, only to be interrupted by the angel bringing him good tidings of great joy while looking like The Them when Adam made them smile. The two awkwardly talk, each thinking they’re making grand gestures (and they really are, in their own ways). Things go… not as either of them would have liked. And then… the kiss and aftermath that broke a billion hearts.
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This scene has always seemed very Crowley to me. Bold. Grand gestures. Blatantly emotional. (My evil demon drama queen). This scene has an in-your-face impact. There is a reason that almost everyone that saw this had a visceral reaction to it.
NOT the Final 15
But if we pull back, we see a parallel story. A grand gesture. A declaration of love. A missed opportunity to work together.
And…
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One of them choosing to go to Heaven.
Think about it. Aziraphale plans a ball in the bookshop, one he’s quite excited about. But, in true Aziraphale fashion, he hides his emotions away and lets the Nina and Maggie coupling attempt to explain away his excitement.
I could always rely on you. You could always rely on me.
Our favorite angel has plans. Is he going to declare his love? Possibly, but maybe not. Will Crowley be invited to live at the bookshop? This seems likely, given the previous “our car” and “our bookshop” banter. Whatever it is, it’s a step forward.
I would like to spend…
Just look at Aziraphale’s excitement as he asks Crowley to dance.
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But…
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Hell decides to bust up the party. Not Crowley’s fault, but disappointing.
This is where some things seem to get overlooked.
A group of the two of us
At one point, before Crowley escorts the humans out, Aziraphale asks Crowley to hear his idea. He didn’t say plan - he wanted Crowley’s input. After all, it worked so well when they put their heads together when they were trying to protect Jim.
You can’t leave this bookshop
But Crowley doesn’t listen.
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He moves the humans to safety, basically just walking them across the road.
And he doesn’t come back. Instead, he goes to Heaven. Because he thinks it is the way to help everyone.
During the time Crowley was in Heaven, Aziraphale didn’t know where he was. There were demons outside the bookshop. The human-shaped being he loves might be discorporated. Maybe even erased. And he had two humans and an amnesiac archangel to help him protect his and Crowley’s home.
That makes this scene tug violently at my heart:
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So, to recap….
1. Heart eyes plans something special
2. This is ruined by occult (or ethereal) beings
3. Heart eyes tries to get their object of affection to stay at the bookshop and work together
4. Object of affection leaves the bookshop anyway
5. Object of affection goes to Heaven because they think it will solve/protect something
Then….
6. Object of affection comes back. They always come back.
We have Aziraphale’s quiet, understated version. We have Crowley’s flash bastard version.
Season 3 will hopefully bring us their version. For them, together is beautifully better.
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floraisunwell · 9 hours ago
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Cramps | s.r
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who? spencer reid x fem!reader
category: fluffy fluff
summary: you stained spencer's bed sheets and clothes and think he's going to be mad but you couldn't be more chill about it
based on: MY PERIOD CRAMPS WERE KILLING ME BAHAHAHAHA
word count: 685
a/n: i stained my bedsheets during my afternoon nap the other day and i wished i had a spencer to take care of me because my cramps are BRUTAL (and i'm just a sucker for period fics overall lol) @angellic4l my beautiful proofreader, our baby is here.
t.w: mention of blood and very briefly a knife wound
The sound of the shower running awoke you and even in your sleepy state, you smiled because that was a sign that Spencer was already home.
You sat up and that’s when you saw the bags of groceries that were plopped beside the bedroom door, one was from your favorite take-out place, and the other from the corner store down the street, you knew for sure that it contained all the treats you love and your smile widened when you realized that Spencer knew everything you needed just from reading the text you sent a few hours ago
-these cramps are killing me. going for a nap, don’t wake me up when you get home-
You were already opening the package of Sour Patch Kids when you noticed the brownish-red stain in the spot where you had woken up. You instinctively looked down at your sweatpants, Spencer’s sweatpants, and surely, a stain in the same shade of red could also be found there.
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…” you grunted
“Is everything okay angel?” your boyfriend inquires getting out of the bathroom with wide eyes
“No, oh my god your bed sheets, oh god”
“My, my bed sheets? What’s wrong with them?” he asks but his eyes have already landed on the stain and a relived ‘oh’ escapes his lips
“Baby I thought something had happened; you scared me for a moment,” he said with a slight smile.
“No, something did happen, did you not see your sheets? And also, your sweats,” you say pointing down “Oh god they look disgusting” you spit out.
“Oh no, don’t say that angel,” he says reaching for your hand but you take a step away and start talking again
“I destroyed them, Spence. It looks horrible. They looked expensive too,” you say, pointing at both the bed and the pants. That stain is so huge, too. It probably reached your mattress,” you say, your face contorting into an emotion Spencer can’t describe.
“What no, you didn’t destroy them, they will be perfectly fine after a wash or two”
“Spence that blood literally came from inside me,” you say with an overly serious tone
“Well, it would be concerning if it had come from anywhere else angel” he says, a smirk tugging at his lips
“Haha, what a perfect time to curate your humour doctor,” you say trying to hide a chuckle because this is one of the occasions where Spencer was funny.
“But seriously it’s not a problem angel I don’t care about the sheets, or the pants, at all. I can literally think of more than 30 ways to clean off those stains.” He says pulling you into a hug.
“Are you sure you’re not completely and utterly disgusted by my bodily fluids?” you ask smiling.
“Not at all, I see too much blood daily to be disgusted by that” he replies looking down at you
“But I mean, that’s period blood, it’s different from blood from like a knife wound or something like that,” you say still looking up at him
“And? Seeing period blood is actually better angel” he says while resting his chin atop your head.
“Are you sure?” you ask with a slightly unbelieving tone
“I am completely sure,” He said leaving a kiss on your forehead “So, how are your cramps? I got you ibuprofen”
“Oh, I left some last time I was here and I have some in my bag too, but thank you, Spence”
“No problem angel,” he stated as he got away from the hug “Now go take the bath I prepared for you, while I take care of these stains, you’re so worried about”
“And then we can cuddle?” you ask with the same wide grin you had when you woke up.
“And then we can cuddle however long you want.” He replies with a smile as wide as yours mirrored in his face.
And as you took your shower and smiled stupidly at the wall you couldn’t stop questioning yourself about how this man kept making you fall in love with him over and over again
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impossiblesublimelight · 2 days ago
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Ever since season 2 concluded back in December, I’ve been rethinking Brandon Roger’s slip of the tongue about how Blitzø “ran” I.M.P. instead of “runs”. A lot of us were convinced that Mastermind was going to have Blitzø’s business being destroyed along with the building it was being run in. But then Sinsmas aired, and I.M.P. is still going strong.
But then that begs the question, was that earlier statement by Brandon just a slip of the tongue? Or were we given a hint to a future conflict/conclusion that takes place in a later season?
Personally, I think there’s still a chance that Blitzø is going to lose I.M.P. And my obsession with finding lore/future hints in Vivzie’s official merchandise turned a simple passing thought into a freakin full blown obsession that just won’t leave me alone. So of course I’m going to share the insanity.
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This Halloween T-shirt’s art is what started it all.
Blitzø is dressed up as an angel, something that anyone from hell would consider as terrifying or monstrous. Perfectly in theme with Halloween while also being ironically hilarious to the audience.
But what if it’s more than that? What if it’s a possible hint about how Helluva Boss will end? What if Blitzø doesn’t lose I.M.P. or willingly retire and pass it on?
Helluva Boss could just as easily end with Blitzø’s death. But that doesn’t mean it’s actually “THE END” the end for Blitzø’s or even Helluva Boss’ story. Because Blitzø could be reincarnated as an angel, just like he’s dressed up as in the Halloween art.
After all, Vivzie is also famous for another show based in hell that focuses on redeeming those condemned to live in hell. And one of those sinners was even redeemed and made it into heaven after sacrificing himself for his loved ones.
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This sounds exactly like something Blitzø would do. In fact, he’s already tried to sacrifice himself for his family once already, and I highly doubt he won’t do it again. Especially with Stolas in the picture being as apathetic of his own life as he is.
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Now, we know little to nothing about how death affects hellborns, or if they even have souls that can die like a human’s from earth. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a possibility! After all, ghosts might not exist in the Helluva Boss universe. But reincarnation hasn’t been taken off the table yet! And it would really add an interesting twist in the lore of the Helluva/Hazbin universe. Which would then be the perfect excuse to bring some Helluva Boss characters over into Hazbin Hotel.
Oh, and then there’s the full moon/heaven imagery to consider.
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Heaven is the freaking moon in Helluva Boss! And Stolas has already visualized Blitzø as being unreachable in the glow of said moon…
So, maybe there is merit to the idea that Blitzø can be reincarnated into heaven. Thoughts?
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paxdracona · 2 days ago
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Good luck yelling at Mav when his guardian angel is around~
Now, people think Ice is coddling him. That he thinks Mav can do no wrong. They see Maverick all smug-like, standing safely behind Ice's shoulder and maybe even pulling a face and think Ice never makes him face consequences. That's not true.
.5 seconds after they're alone, Mav will be appropriately apologetic, as he SHOULD BE and he knows it. He's not sorry he did it because he knew it would work, it was the option with the best chance of success but riskier than his orders, and he was the only one to think of it. And they both know he's going to do something like it again. No, he apologises for Ice having to throw his weight around to defend him.
Ice isn't thrilled with Maverick's penchant for reckless stunts; but he knows Mav does it because Mav knows he can do it, ICE knows Mav can do it AND that it's usually the best course of action. Still, rules are rules and Mav has a gaggle of adoring fans baby pilots that would follow his lead always so boundaries need to be kept firm. If only for the fact that the navy needs Mav's out of the box thinking so Ice needs him to stay in the air.
So yes. He'll read Mav the riot act. But in private, because he'll be damned if he gives other people the satisfaction of them seeing him reprimand his wingman when the outcome was positive on the whole.
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mimisempai · 2 days ago
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The smile that belongs only to you
Summary
While the angel and the demon are on a visit at Whickber Street, Nina points out something to Aziraphale. Something he'd never really realized, and it has to do with Crowley's smile.
Notes
Sorry but not sorry for the amount of sugar, I need it to counteract all that bitterness...
On Ao3
Rating G - 777 words
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"When will our dear Mr. Grumpy be joining us, Aziraphale?"
Aziraphale and Crowley had left their cottage in the Southdowns to visit their friends on Wickber Street for a few days.
The angel put down his glass of sherry and replied to Nina, "In a few minutes. He's looking for a place to park the Bentley."
"Where? There's a free spot in front of the bookshop!"
"Too small, according to him."
"Oh, I see, Grumpy's afraid of scratching his old banger."
Maggie replied, "Honestly, that nickname hardly fits him anymore."
"You're right. The way he smiles, I should call him Dopey instead."
Muriel and Maggie giggled as Aziraphale looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression.
He asked, "What do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. Whenever you're in a room and he walks in, he smiles in a very peculiar way. I'm not talking about that mocking smile he puts on his lips like a well-fitting mask, no, I'm talking about a goofy, completely idiotic smile. Fleeting, yes, but really silly."
Aziraphale was about to reply that Crowley had smiles for him that weren't mocking, but he'd never noticed the one Nina was talking about. Seeing his puzzled expression, Muriel added, "He smiles like that when he thinks you're not looking at him."
Maggie interjected, "Oh look, he's just entered the pub, take a good look, you'll see!"
Aziraphale didn't turn to the door on his left, but watched Crowley's arrival out of the corner of his eye.
First he saw him looking for them, then the look on his face when he saw them, and finally he saw it, the moment Crowley laid eyes on him, the smile Nina was talking about.
He vaguely heard Nina murmur: "I told you so! It's tiring to be right all the time."
Then she added in an even lower voice, “Dopey...”
Only for Aziraphale, there was nothing silly or goofy about that smile. The only word she could think of to describe it was happy. Knowing that it was he, Aziraphale, who had brought that smile to Crowley's lips filled the angel with overflowing joy.
He couldn't help but turn his full attention to Crowley and watch the smile turn into something more teasing. Ready to have some fun. Aziraphale watched in amusement as the demon "bickered" with Nina once he was seated beside him.
He thought about it later that evening as he joined Crowley in the bedroom above the bookshop. He watched the demon before entering and saw that smile again. 
Of course, Aziraphale had always wanted to see the joy on Crowley's face again. The pure joy of the Starmaker. But this was different. Here he was the one making Crowley smile. He'd never really thought about it, but one thing was for sure: he liked the idea. Very much.
A special smile. Just for and because of him.
He slid under the covers, and Crowley opened his arm so that Aziraphale could rest his head on his shoulder.
After a few seconds of silence, the angel asked softly, "May I tell you something? I mean something very sappy."
Crowley took Aziraphale's hand, which was resting on his chest, and planted a kiss on the palm.
"Go on."
"I like the way you smile." 
He felt Crowley's lips curve against his palm.
"The way I smile?" Crowley placed a gentle kiss on Aziraphale's wrist and the angel felt the smile on his skin again.
"The way you smile because of me or for me. You don't know how you make me feel."
Crowley lowered his head to meet Aziraphale's eyes and another smile appeared on his lips, literally a smile of adoration. 
"Tell me."
"Well, seeing you smile is always a delight, obviously. But when I know it's because of me or for me, it takes my breath away." 
Aziraphale shook his head before adding, "Sorry, I don't know how else to put it."
He rested his head on the demon's shoulder and felt Crowley kiss him in the hair before the demon replied softly, “It's the same for me, you know. I've always loved to see you smile, just because of me, because of something I said, something stupid I did, no matter why. Just to know that I was the reason for your smile."
Aziraphale lifted his head to look at Crowley and they both smiled at each other in the same way.
Nina would have said they were smiling like two idiots in love, but that didn't matter to the angel and the demon.
For each of them knew that he was the reason for the other's smile.
_________
Still not beta'd
Still not my native language
Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰
Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝
South Downs cottage series : here
Ineffable fan fictions Masterpost : here
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strawberrychampagneglass · 3 days ago
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Roses pt 2 - A Fragment of our Pasts
masterlist
part 1 WC: 6k
C/W: angst, pining, some fluff ig, swearing, alcohol, a man, mentions of violence, mentions of substance some sexual references but not smut, read at your own discretion but it's really not too too much I promise
A/N: SO SORRY FOR THE LATE AND VERY LONG AWAITED UPDATE I PROMISE FUTURE ONES WILL NOT BE THIS MUCH WAITING, GOOD NIGHT AND TAKE CARE YALL CUS I NEED TO SLEEP LOL I love u guys sm
October 20th, 2028
Los Angeles, California
I’m not a cheater.
The word that Paige almost spit out haunts her. The looks that her teammates gave her haunt her. 
Buried in her hotel bed with a wet towel hanging around her forehead, Azzi shivers despite the fire that has set her body ablaze. It’s nearly noon, yet she still feels sleepy; her body is worn out from the migraine that sinks its claws into her head. Her throat feels raw and her cheeks feel sticky from the dry hotel air clinging to the tears she shed last night. But, Azzi knows she isn’t allowed to feel like this. She knows it’s unfair, but she can’t help herself.
“Azzi?” Cam’s voice is muffled but lighthearted. When she opens her eyes, the blonde stands above her with a look of genuine concern across her face. “I had to bribe the receptionist for a key, but I think I overpaid. She gave me a mint too.” The amusement in Cam’s eyes loosen a shackle around Azzi’s turbulent heart. 
“Hi Cam,” she rasps. She opens her mouth again when the two stare blankly at each other. “I’m so sor-”
“She hasn’t been doing great since she heard that you were coming to LA. I put her on alcohol probation because I knew she would do something stupid if she were drunk, and thankfully, that didn’t happen.” Cam shakes her head before plastering on a pitiful look when she inspects the shivering brunette. 
“Has she been drinking a lot?” The words escape Azzi’s mouth before her brain fully processes them. The taller blonde standing before her winces but masks it with a feigned, but thoughtful look.
“Um… not really, no.” She stammers, averting her gaze from Azzi. “What happened to you though? Where’s your fiancé?” Her stormy blue eyes scan the room until they rest on her shattered phone. Azzi swallows nervously when Cam crouches next to the debris.“Oh my goodness. Azzi, where is he?” the taller woman breathes while hunched over, inspecting the remaining pieces of her phone. 
“I don’t know,” she breathes. “We got into an argument and he…he left.” 
“Azzi…”
April 17th, 2020
Arlington, Virginia
Paige has a problem. 
She’s slowly sinking into the Fudds’ sofa with one of Azzi’s books in her lap as she “subtly” looks at her best friend, admiring how she moves, how she blinks, and even how her face contorts into a scowl around her brothers as they swarm her while waving their dirty socks in her face. Unfortunately, Paige isn’t very good at stealing glances at her best friend. Her blue eyes catch Azzi’s warm, brown ones that are narrowed at her.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Azzi sighs while plopping down on the other side of the couch. Paige’s heart drops when she sees the distance at which the other girl is sitting: away from her. 
“Sorry,” she mutters slowly while returning to the book. She can’t focus though, the constant train of Azzi, Azzi infiltrates her brain. The brunette has been off since their plane ride back from Belarus almost 2 years ago. When she woke up in the morning, a searing pain scorched through her head and throat. Her vision was blurry and all her senses were disoriented. However, the feeling of her left hand latched onto her best friend’s waist underneath her hoodie and her right hand tangled in the mess of her best friend’s soft curls seemed to cure her hangover. She suddenly became aware of Azzi’s head resting on Paige’s chest as she snored softly, sending vibrations up her spine. 
Rather than reveling in the comforting and warm feeling provided by the other body, she detached herself in a hurry as a familiar feeling of panic surged through her veins. One that only existed when the lines of their friendship began to crack. Their conversation at breakfast and on the plane was extraordinarily uncomfortable, and the tension was palpable; it felt heavy on Paige’s shoulders when they stiffly and very hesitantly hugged goodbye after landing in Minnesota.
It was a silent and mutual agreement to ignore the “incident” and continue with their friendship even though the strict lines of their friendship were now permanently impaired. The once-familiar norms of their friendship and well-established boundaries were now blurred. Neither of them wanted to admit it though, so they pretended. They pretended everything was alright. By the time the State Fair rolled around that year, they found a sense of near normalcy. Near. Normalcy. To say that Paige wasn’t hurt by it was an understatement, but Azzi had to pretend. If she didn’t pretend, everything would crumble. 
After wishing Azzi’s family good night, the two start their unbearably slow trek to Azzi’s room. There was discord between the two girls; it became excess weight that the girls dragged along, making the usually quick journey feel strenuous and even longer than normally perceived. As she plops down on her side of the pillow barrier that had been put in place since Paige arrived in Virginia, Azzi grabs the TV remote and jams a few buttons until Frozen appears on the screen.
“Do you ever get tired of this movie? Like damn, Elsa making a castle of ice to seclude herself from everything else seems kinda emo.” Paige’s snide comment earns a punch from her best friend on the other side of the pillow wall. 
“Shut up, Paige. You’ve just never been able to put yourself in Anna’s shoes,” Azzi retorts. Paige doesn’t miss the soft chords of her laughter hidden amongst the playful banter. “Isn’t it symbolic how she goes from one love to another?”
“Bro, this shit-” Her words are cut off when Azzi sticks a finger in her face. Groaning, she slumps into her pillow and closes her eyes. After a few minutes, the obnoxiously loud music is abruptly cut off. Paige’s eyes fly open as she sits up before meeting Azzi’s eyes. Her dark eyes glow in the dark and she sees every little detail of her brown irises and dilated pupils.
“I got bored.” She states before whipping out her phone. 
“You never get bored of Frozen.”
“Well, I guess you kind of got to me.” 
“Az, what’s wrong? Talk to me, c’mon. You’ve been off this whole time that I’ve been here.” 
Azzi sighs and puts her phone down against her chest. “I don’t know. Good night, Paige. I’m gonna sleep.” Instead of a verbal response, she is smothered under a cushioned weight. “Ow, what the f-” 
“Azzi. What’s. Wrong?” Paige’s face is contorted in a scowl but her voice is soft and reassuring. The brunette picks at her fingers, refusing to meet her best friend’s gaze. 
“Nothing’s wrong.” She turns so that her back faces Paige. The air weighs down on them, heavy from the exasperated breaths that have escaped the mouths of the two girls. Paige chews on her lip as she watches the other girl scroll through a myriad of Instagram stories when she sees a particularly provocative story that makes her blood boil: a close-friends story with a picture of Azzi and a guy sitting at a cafe together with the caption “sniped.”
“Is this about the night in Belarus?” Azzi’s blood runs cold and she brings her phone to her chest before turning to Paige. She closes her eyes before letting out a silent groan. “We can’t ignore it forever. It’s causing a rift between us, and we’re gonna have to address it at one point.”
“That night was a fucking mistake.” Paige flinches and whips her head in the other direction, away from Azzi. She isn’t sure if it’s the blonde’s relentless jabs for information or her frustration that still lingers that prompts the harshness in her tone. 
“Az, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I woke up hungover with you in my arms. Bonus, I guess.” When Azzi doesn’t laugh at Paige’s sarcastic quip, she sighs but continues. “Believe me, I was confused too. I guess we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but since then, you’ve been so fucking distant,” Paige clenches her jaw in frustration. When she receives silence as an answer, she slumps into her pillow and stares at the barrier. 
“You know, I went on a date the other day.” Azzi’s words break the uncomfortable silence. The blonde gapes at her before laughing awkwardly. However, the air from her lungs is sucked out of her body and she feels a force that doesn’t break through her skin or bones but shatters her heart. 
“That’s cool.” Her tone is dry even though her heart is hammering against her ribcage. “Um… how’d it go?” Her tone is dry, but she still asks. Because Azzi is her best friend, and that’s what best friends do, right?
“It was… fine. I haven’t talked to him since, though. I guess we didn’t hit it off, you know? Not like he was my type anyway.” Paige nods, averting her gaze to hide her relief. “Are you jealous?” Azzi teases, smirking shyly at the flustered blonde. “You don’t have to be. He was awkward and we didn’t have a good time. I would rather have spent the time with you.”
“Oh,” Paige murmurs while chewing on her upper lip, only half listening to Azzi. “I would’ve rather spent the time with you too. The date sounded boring.” The room becomes eerily silent and both of them begin to feel the weight of the tension on their shoulders.
“It’s just gonna be weird when you go to college.” Azzi finally mutters, burying her face into her pillow and releasing a heavy sigh. 
“We’ll still FaceTime every night, it’ll even be easier because we’ll be in the same time zone.” 
“You’ll have rigorous practices because you’re a student-athlete, Paige. You also have homework and I’m sure the college workload is a lot heavier than high school.” The blonde swallows and runs her hands through her messy hair. She hadn’t thought about that.
“Well…we can make it work, I mean, we always have,” she sputters, looking everywhere but at Azzi. “I won’t forget about you, I promise. You’re still my best friend, and you’ll always be.” Her voice grows quiet and she picks at her fingers. Azzi doesn’t miss the way Paige’s eyes seem a little too turbulent, even under the dim light provided by the glow of their phones. 
Instead of acknowledging their feelings, she raises an eyebrow, leaning closer. “Sure. You won’t forget me, right? I swear that after we saw each other in that one AAU tournament you ghosted me for 3 weeks.”
Paige groans, “That was one time. I was busy!”
“Right,” Azzi says, smirking. “Busy becoming an Instagram celebrity with 12 followers. Big league stuff.”
The corners of Paige’s mouth twitch as she remembers her Instagram posts that were specifically tailored for Azzi. “Thirteen now, thank you. And one of them might be a bot, but still, commitment.”
“Thirteen? Wow! That’s a whole basketball roster,” Azzi giggles, prodding at Paige’s ribcage. The blonde squirms away, swatting at Azzi’s hand with a yelp before she retaliates by darting at her toned stomach. “Hey, that’s not fair,” Azzi exclaims with a shaky voice before grabbing Paige’s wrists and flipping her over. Their tickle fight comes to an abrupt stop and Azzi swallows thickly. Oh. 
Suddenly, Paige is very mindful of Azzi’s hot breath that contrasts with the cool air that surrounds them. Each breath makes the skin on her neck prickle with anticipation, but she reluctantly pulls her body away. Instead, she reaches for Azzi’s cheek and caresses the soft skin, sending shivers down both of their bodies. 
“I’ll always be there for you, I promise. It’ll be us against the world, you know what I mean? Paige and Azzi, together.” Her voice is soft and wistful, yet her blue eyes sparkle with determination.
“Together,” Azzi breathes as she buries her head into the older girl’s neck, wrapping her arms around her waist and taking in her rosy scent. Paige’s hands find their way through her curls and everything feels perfect. 
“I’ll miss you. A lot.” 
October 20th, 2028
Los Angeles, California
401. 403. 
“That fucking motherfucker,” Paige snarls under her breath while sprinting down the hotel hallway. The pills in the nearly empty bottle of Ibuprofen rattle against the plastic that threatens to explode under Paige’s grip.
“Room 435. If y’all end up fucking, I don’t wanna hear about it.”
“Fuck you too, Cam.” 405. 407. 409. Paige nearly slams her knee into the sharp corner.
411. 413. 415. 417. 419.
“I’ll always be there for you, I promise.” The words she said 8 years ago just before their unspoken feelings unraveled themselves like a ribbon awaiting a very eager child on the morning of Christmas Day replay in her mind. 
421. 423. 425. 427. Every step adds pressure onto her raging hangover headache. She’s almost there. Almost. 
429, 431, 433. How long is this fucking hallway?
435. Paige stops and hesitates before extending a shaky hand to scan the keycard and open the door. 
April 6th, 2025
Tampa Bay, Florida
A collective and electric feeling of euphoria lightens the air of the gym as the UConn Women’s Basketball team celebrates their hard-fought win against a 1-seed team in the Final Four. Paige weaves her way between her teammates, giving an occasional hug here and there until her eyes land on her. A pair of warm, brown doe eyes stare back at her. Azzi stands in front of her with a wide grin carved across her face. The blonde lets a contented sigh leave her lips and grins, preparing to jump into her best friend’s arms…
October 20th, 2028
Los Angeles, California
In the middle of the room on a king-sized bed lies a familiar figure in her bomber jacket buried under the thick comforter. Her eyes are red and a damp towelette clings onto her forehead. 
“Cam?” An uneasy voice rasps. When the figure lifts herself off the mattress, she freezes. “Paige,” she says cooly, but there’s a hint of wistfulness. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, sorry. I’ll leave,” Paige manages to stutter out as she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, turning away and heading toward the door. “I’ll leave this for you here,” she mutters as she puts the pill bottle on the bathroom counter. “Feel better soon.”
A muffed, yet broken sob escapes Azzi’s mouth. “Stay, please. I don’t have anyone.” 
That’s all it takes for Paige to open the doors to her heart again. She cautiously walks over while refusing to meet the pair of warm brown eyes that wander over her body. The two sit in silence before it’s broken by another strangled breath that comes out of the brunette. “Shit, Az…zi,” Paige begins to panic, staring at the other woman who has broken into a frenzy of sobs. Reflexively, her hand extends, but it stops, just before reaching her face.
“I don’t get why you’re here,” Azzi chokes out between gasps of air. 
“I…I made a promise.” Paige replies curtly. Her fingers move on their own accord as they begin to caress the tears away. Inside of her head, everything is ringing, telling her that this is wrong. But Paige decides to ignore it and she hopes that this time will be different from every other time. “I’ll always be here for you. Cam told me you weren’t doing great so I came over with Ibuprofen. Paige looks around the room nervously. The alarm bells in her head have been going off for too long. “Look, I think I should go, but it was nice to-” 
To her shock, Azzi cusps her cheeks and pulls her in for a searing kiss. There’s hunger in it as they move their mouths in tandem, neither of them pulling away. Azzi lets her tongue slip as Paige lets her hands move down her torso until they reach her waist. Her fingertips dance along the smooth ridges of her skin where they etch the words “I love you.” She grips firmly, pulling the brunette off the bed and pressing her flush against her own body. “Fuck,” the younger woman moans against Paige’s lips, sending a shiver through the older woman’s body. Azzi starts to tangle her hands through Paige’s hair until-
Her eyes fly open. 
April 6th, 2025
Tampa Bay, Florida
…Until her best friend is whisked away by a mysterious man with olive skin and brown curls. Paige’s heart plummets into her stomach when his firm hand grasps Azzi’s waist. She turns away, throws herself into KK’s eager arms, and plasters a smile onto her face. 
Because it’s okay, and Paige will be okay. 
We’re not exclusive. 
October 20th, 2028
Los Angeles, California
The room is dark and empty except for the sound of familiar, anguished coughs. The pungent scent of weed smoke fills the air and Azzi stifles a gag. She lets her eyes flutter open. When she does, she catches a glimpse of shimmering blonde hair. It makes her heart beat erratically. It’s been 3 years. 3 years of separation from each other, yet she knows it’s Paige Bueckers. 
“Who the fuck are you?” The blonde whips around, startled by an unfamiliar harsh voice. 
As an olive-skinned man slides through the door of the hotel room, Paige is harshly reminded of the diamond ring that sits on her Azzi’s ring finger. “Charles.” Paige extends a hand to the man. His bloodshot eyes flicker down to her hand, devoid of any jewelry, before they meet Paige’s again. After a heartbeat, their hands clasp firmly in a brief handshake–his grip firm, too firm. Her pulse quickens, yet she refuses to flinch and meets his gaze with equal intensity. 
“Paige. Hi.”
Behind him, Paige notices three things. First, the putrid stench of weed hits her in waves. Second, she sees a pile of a white, powdery substance on the bathroom counter. Third, she sees a flushed Azzi, who lies alone in an otherwise untouched bed. The sight of Azzi in a vulnerable position sends 
Charles studies her with curiosity and a very noticeable sniffle. “Do you… need anything? Why are you here?”
Every nerve in her body begs her to stay and push the lame excuse of a man out of the way. Most of all, the only thing she wants to do is cradle the younger woman in her arms and tell her that everything will be okay. But Paige sighs and hands Charles the pill bottle before turning away. “No, Cam told me to drop this off. I’ll be heading out, but take care.” She feels a pair of brown doe eyes engraving themselves onto the back of her head, but she can’t. She walks away. 
Paige Bueckers, you’re such an idiot.
***
Three days later, Paige and the rest of her teammates are huddled around a secluded table at a local bar. It’s in a secluded part of the city, giving the team privacy despite the energy in the air. Rickea Jackson had organized the meet-up impulsively after hearing about Azzi’s plans to return to New York for the next two weeks in preparation to officially move to Los Angeles. 
The team is decently buzzed, having ordered 2 rounds of shots already. They’re ready to let loose tonight; most people had plans to visit their families in the upcoming weeks. 
As for Paige, it’s evident that she has consumed several drinks already. She needs an escape from the labyrinth of her thoughts that trap and corner her. She’s spiraling, and she doesn’t have the energy to fight against it. Cam, Rickea, and even Dearica insisted that Paige should stay sober tonight, but Paige was drowning. She was adamant about drinking after the events that occurred earlier in the week. Cam and Dearica did their best to distract her, taking her to lifts, pickup games, and even shopping after her birthday. And while it worked beautifully for a few days, the effects of the distraction were completely worn off by tonight. 
Paige sits in a secluded corner of the bar, trying to separate herself from the rest of her team. The sight of Azzi sitting across from her amplifies Paige’s heightened anxiety. Her eyes are trained on Azura Stevens, who is animatedly telling her about the children she worked with the other day while nursing a drink at the same time. Although partially disengaged, Azzi stays polite and friendly. Even if she doesn’t want to admit it, a small part of Paige’s heart flutters at the sight of Azzi assimilating well with the Sparks. 
“Paige, were you even listening to me?” Next to her, an exasperated Cam stands up and walks up to the shorter woman. Her hand rubs soothing circles on Paige’s back; a simple gesture that causes her waterline to prickle and prompts tears to form. Azzi’s eyes flicker over to Paige, noticing the dark circles around her eyes. Her blue irises have lost their luster, and her shoulders are slumped forward. The blonde glances at Azzi and offers a weak nod of acknowledgment. The friendly act sends static electricity through her body.
She doesn’t know how their relationship, or the remnants of it, got to the point where even the simplest friendly gesture seldomly happens. Azzi tries to ignore the heavy pit of if only things were different that knots itself into her stomach. But she fails and it simmers with the turbulent sea of her emotions. 
“Yo, Az!” Odyssey Sim’s booming voice catches Azzi off guard and causes her to flinch. A flicker of concern flashes over Paige’s face but it is quickly masked with a guarded scowl. It’s an emotion only Azzi can discern; the two women spent years carving themselves into each other’s skin, etching marks of unspoken promises in every crevice. They were each other’s mosaics; they spent years meticulously putting every intricate piece together. Azzi learned the meaning behind the faintest, yet most intentional quivers of Paige’s muscles from their years together. 
But now, everything about Paige seems foreign. 
If Odyssey and Paige notice how Azzi flinches at the loud voice, they ignore it. At least, Paige does. “Az, come join us,” Odyssey’s voice is softer, with tones of empathy laced under each syllable. “Truth or drink, team tradition.” Reluctantly, she hoists herself from her seat to walk over to Odyssey and the flock of basketball players passing a bottle of Devil’s Spring around. 
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Azzi mutters to Azura who laughs and ruffles her hair playfully. “Azura, I can’t play truth or drink. We’re adults, not carefree college students,” she glances at Paige who is animatedly arguing with Odyssey about getting a virgin shot. 
“Odyssey, that’s not fair. I’on even drink that much anymore,” Paige whines, throwing her hands over her head. Odyssey frowns and pours the blonde a shot of vodka, not wanting to argue with her. Paige grins triumphantly and Cam rolls her eyes from across the table. 
Azura snickers and turns to Azzi. “You’ll be fine kiddo. Team tradition.” 
Azzi groans, letting her head drop into her hands. She did not want to share too much information with her teammates, and she did not want to be completely shitfaced in front of her new teammates. After all, that’s more Paige’s fashion than hers, but not wanting to fight with her teammates, she allows Azura to pour her a shot. 
Or two.
Or three. 
Paige watches her, amused by the uncertainty painted across her face as she warily inspects the three nearly overflowing shot glasses. Azzi glances up at her, an unreadable expression flashing across her face before she turns away, her jaw tightening. Paige knows it’s unfair, but she flinches at the hostility swarming the warm brown eyes she’s grown to know and love.  
***
The bar buzzes with a faint hum of music and laughter, the kind that borders being too loud but also keeping everyone grounded in the moment. The occasional boisterous cheers after a teammate opts to throw a drink back instead of answering personal questions about their sex lives that emanate from the table earn occasional glares from bystanders.
“Alright, alright. We gotta save some questions for our princess,” Odyssey announces, cutting through the chatter as she leans forward across the table, flipping through a messy notebook full of questions. “Fudd, you’re up.” 
Azzi swallows, feeling the intense gazes of all of her teammates scouring her body as if their stares could rip all her secrets apart. She stiffens when a dark gleam enters Odyssey’s gaze as she scribbles something on a slip of paper and hands it to her. When she opens the note, she stiffens, a cold bead of sweat dribbling down her neck. 
“Have you ever ruined someone else’s relationship?” Azzi reads aloud, her voice hesitant. The table erupts with laughter and a bunch of “oohs” and “ahhs.” From across the table, Paige pretends to seem unfazed but her subtle nail-biting reveals her uneasy demeanor, but there’s a hint of a silent challenge that enters her eyes. 
“Damn, Sims. You really went for the throat for our little newbie,” Cam chuckles, earning a glare from Azzi. Azura leans back in her seat, sipping from her drink while giving Azzi an encouraging nod. 
“Team tradition,” Odyssey grins unapologetically while twirling the ballpoint pen in between her fingers. “Gotta make it memorable for our first-timer, right?” 
Azzi flips her off before glancing at the paper slip again, debating whether she should throw the shot of vodka back that sits next to her. The weight of the question settles over her like a heavy cloak. It’s not an easy one to avoid–if she drinks, her teammates will know that she’s hiding something from them. However, if she answers, she knows she will regret it tonight. Before she can let herself decide, she opens her mouth, and a single syllable rolls off her tongue.
“Yeah.” Paige’s eyebrows shoot up before furrowing as she leans forward ever so slightly. The table falls silent for a moment, a silence louder than the music and laughter in the bar. The weight of the curiosity of her teammates settles down on her, drowning and suffocating her. Cam and Paige share a knowing look with each other and cough awkwardly. 
“Well… do you regret it?” Odyssey asks, her gaze flickering knowingly between Paige and Azzi. Azzi’s fingers tighten around the shot glass, her knuckles whitening. Paige savors the way the muscles in her fingers flex for a split second before swallowing and glancing at Azzi expectantly.
“It’s complicated…” she finally mutters, desperately looking around at her teammates. Paige scoffs silently, turning away to sip from her drink. When Azzi risks a glance at Paige, guilt pools in her stomach as she notices the hurt and anger that flickers in her eyes. The tension between them is palpable, their unspoken history hanging between them like a storm cloud. 
Eventually, when it’s Paige's turn, she leans back in her chair, basking in the attention of her teammates. “Guess it’s my turn,” she mutters. 
“Alright, superstar,” Odyssey mocks while sticking her tongue out at the blonde. She scribbles down a question and slides it across the table. Paige picks it up, silently inspecting it before letting out a dry laugh. 
“What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?” she reads aloud, her voice tinged with irony. The table falls into an uncomfortable silence again. Paige doesn’t hesitate and picks up her shot glass and downs the vodka in one smooth motion. Azzi traces a loose droplet that dribbles down her neck before clinging to her toned collarbone exposed by the simple tank top that frames Paige’s tall figure. The tightness in her chest grows. She knows Paige’s avoidance isn’t about the question, but more about her. The blonde slams the shot glass on the table and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes fixed on Azzi. 
“Guess you’ll never know,” Paige says with a hollow smile, her voice piercing Azzi’s skin like daggers. The game continues, but the once-exuberant laughter begins to settle down. The tension between the two basketball players lingers and the unspoken words and old wounds simmer beneath the surface. She knows the night is far from over, but she’d rather be anywhere other than her hotel room. 
***
As her teammates began to leave their seats and move to the dance floor, Azzi and Paige were involuntarily sitting next to each other. The distance between them was only several feet, but it felt like miles of separation with their unspoken past. Surprisingly, a soft and familiar voice addresses her.
“I’m sorry ‘bout the other night,” Paige murmurs hesitantly, staring at her feet. The knot in Azzi’s chest is tightened and she feels suffocated by Paige’s words, soft but genuine. The once-vibrant atmosphere of the bar feels muted, with the steady bass of the music fading into the background. Azzi doesn’t respond immediately, her fingers curling around the rim of her shot glass as if it could anchor her. The apology hangs between them, fragile yet heavy, and Azzi can only hear the erratic drumming of her own heart. 
“What are you sorry for, Paige?” her voice is quiet but laced with sharpness. Her eyes drift to the pair of blue eyes, once so lively and full of a sparkle that has dulled out and left an almost deserted shell. 
Paige flinches at her tone, but she presses on, her voice soft and cautious. “For, well, everything,” she mutters under her breath, a lonely tear sliding down her smooth cheek. Azzi instinctively reaches over to caress the tear off of her face. At first, Paige flinches at the feeling of her warm hand but leans into her touch. The blonde finally lifts her gaze, meeting the brunette’s. The expression in her eyes–equal parts regret and vulnerability–knocks the wind out of Azzi. It was once the expression that was used to unravel the thread that tied Azzi’s defenses to her heart together, but it’s now the one that feels like a knife twisting in an old wound. 
The silence stretches between them, thick and suffocating as Azzi retracts her hand, her fingers tingling with the familiar warmth of Paige’s skin. She hadn’t meant for her defenses to slip, but the sight of Paige’s tear stirred something she thought she’d buried.
“Azzi?”
“Yeah, Paige?”
“Does he treat you well?” Azzi’s eyes widen and her body stiffens before she can nurse her expressions into a feigned happiness. Paige doesn’t miss the way her body reacts and her gaze softens with a knowing expression. The question is simple with no ill intention, but Paige’s gentle gaze stays locked to hers.
“Of course, he does,” her voice too light, too practiced. Paige’s eyebrows raise slightly in suspicion, but she doesn’t say anything. 
Paige tilts her head slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Good to you,” she repeats softly, almost as if she’s testing the words. There’s no accusation, only quiet observation, but it feels like she’s shining a spotlight on all of Azzi’s cracks. 
Azzi shifts in her seat. “Why do you care, Paige?” she finally asks, her voice harsher than intended. She meets Paige’s eyes, and the question lingers in the space between them; jagged, heavy, and raw. 
Paige doesn’t flinch and instead holds Azzi’s gaze, her blue eyes shimmering with raw emotion that she doesn’t bother to hide. “Because I care about you,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. “And, I know you, Az. I know when you’re lying.” Azzi feels her throat tighten, and she swallows hard. The urge to protect herself flares up, but she forces it down. She stares at the amber liquid in her glass instead as if it holds the answers that she doesn’t want to face. 
When she lifts her head up, Paige leans in closer, bridging the distance between them. “You deserve better. You deserve to be happy.” Azzi’s chest aches as she opens her mouth, but no words come out. 
Just then, the bell of the bar door rings aggressively. All eyes in the bar turn to the olive-skinned man with unruly hair and red eyes standing in the doorway. 
“Azzi, where are you?” Charles slurs while scanning the area like a predator hunting for its prey. Next to Paige, Azzi’s breathing slows and her body goes rigid. She glances at Paige, panic in her eyes. “Azzi…” Before he can continue, Paige steps firmly between them. “She doesn’t want to talk to you right now,” Paige says sharply, her tone slicing through the tense air. Charles lets out a dry and humorless laugh, his lips curling into a sinister sneer. “And who the hell are you to tell me that? Her ex? Thought you’d be out of the picture by now.” When Paige’s jaw tightens, he knows he’s struck a nerve. He moves closer to her, jabbing a shaky finger into her chest. “She never fucking cared about you. Drop it.” 
Azzi sucks in a sharp breath and sinks her teeth into her upper lip as she closes her eyes. Fuck, she really didn’t want this. Paige’s jaw tightened and her hands clenched into fists by her sides. She knows she’s strong enough to take him on. “I’m someone who actually gives a damn about your fucking fiancée,” she sneers.
Charles chuckles mockingly, staggering forward until his booze-heavy breath fanned over Paige’s face. “You don’t know anything about us.”
“I know enough,” Paige snapped. Azzi’s head swam as she watched the confrontation unfold, her body frozen between the two people pulling her in opposite directions. Charles glances at the brunette, scowling. “Why don’t you back off, princess? This is gonna get messy real fast.”
Before Azzi could respond, a sickening crunch split the thick air between Charles and Paige. Startled, Azzi sits up and lets out a shriek. A silhouette of olive skin and blood stumbles and falls backward. Paige stands at the door, unscathed. Relief courses through Azzi’s veins until she notices the tears streaking down the blonde’s cheeks and her uneasy breathing. 
“Agh, fuck!” Charles screams, grabbing his nose. “Fuck, you’re a fucking maniac!” 
Azzi doesn’t know what’s going on. She’s suddenly hit by the warm, humid air of the Los Angeles night as she’s being dragged by Paige’s cool, but secure grip on her wrist. The noise of the bar fades into a distant hum, and she’s only half aware of the world around her as she’s pulled into the quiet of the night. 
Her feet stumble to keep up with Paige’s determined stride, her brain still trying to process the whirlwind of emotions. The feeling of Paige’s hand around her wrist is grounding, a tether in the uncertainty of her future. They don’t stop walking until they reach the car, the cool metal clicking open. Azzi doesn’t protest; she lets herself be guided into the passenger seat where Paige’s familiar rosy scent envelopes her. 
Paige doesn’t say anything at first while she slides into the driver’s seat as they ride in an unusual silence. It’s not suffocating, but raw and uncertain. Azzi finally glances at Paige, her shoulders slumped as she grips the wheel so hard that her knuckles are white and bleeding from the encounter in the bar. 
“Why are you doing this?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
Paige glances at her, her face soft yet unreadable. “I care about you, Az. I won’t let you keep pretending everything is fine.” Azzi doesn’t respond right away as she lets the words settle in her chest. They stir up the guilt that lingers from their last encounter 3 years ago. But she lets herself relax in the quiet of the night as the city lights flicker past.
For the first time since she got to the city, Azzi lets herself breathe. 
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