#and a bit of lara too

[sealrock]

tumbling the AU verse in my head and thinking about percy and them possibly becoming a gleaner like hector was but their assignments are hunting down relics to store away in sharlayan, a dangerous job for anyone else but percy has the wanderlust gene like their parents... they could be a final fantasy lara croft

[simspaghetti]

Lara's been working on her athleticism, and she's starting to get buff! 💪

[sillayplinker]

Haii 👋 haaiii 👋👋👋 *you see a missile approaching me from behind (I’m not gonna make it)*

[incorrecttigerandbunny]

Kotetsu, after the fight with Fugan and Mugan: You know when grown-ups tell you everything is going to be fine, and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?

Lara: Yes.

Kotetsu: Everything's going to be fine.

[lovinglin]

Would this be considered a redraw? Not sure, but take it still hsjahsjsh

[jennifercheck]

right, well, uni has taken over my life again but.. this is the busiest term. after easter, i'll have a busy (in terms of workload) term but i'll also have quite a lot of free time ^_^ activity will spark up some more around then but for now, i can be found at @belasgoth !

[knightofleo]

Finalists of the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Dispute by Jacek Stankiewicz from Kraków, Poland: 'I caught this scene while watching birds in the Bialowieza Forest. Young greenfinch was still fed by parents. However, from time to time birds looked like having argument. My friends interpret this scene in two ways: A young naughty kid is arguing with a parent. Or one kid is reporting to the parent that its brother did something wrong: "Look he has broken the glass in the window"'

'Excuse me sir but I think you're a little too young to be smoking' by Dakota Vaccaro from Victor, United States: 'While I was working deep in the Virginian woods, a family of grey foxes took up residence under the deck of the abandoned cottage next to my work housing. One day while practicing their hunting skills on bits of moss and branches, one of the kits lunged at a small chunk of wood and started rolling around with his prize. Tired after his hunt the kit lounged on his belly still holding the wood in his mouth which gave the strong resemblance of a cigar. I was very envious of the kit at this moment cause who wouldn't want to just lay around all day relaxing'

The Rainforest Dandy by Delphine Casimir from Brussels, Belgium: 'This picture was taken in the monkey forest in Ubud, Bali. This place is a crazy place where monkeys are king! Sometimes they give a show, sometimes they climb on you to look for fleas or steal the piece of biscuit you are trying to eat'

Otter Ballerinas by Otter Kwek from Singapore: 'An arabesque smooth coated otter'

Picture me! Picture me!! by Dikla Gabriely from Yokneam, Israel: 'A brown bear in Finland who definitely did everything to make me pay attention to him and focus on him and not the other bears'

Boing! by Lara Mathews from Melbourne, Australia: 'Taken at Westerfolds Park, a beautiful and surprisingly wild pocket of land in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, famous for its kangaroo population. The mob was enjoying some morning sunshine when this joey decided to get silly and try his hand at boxing'

Living the Moment by Kawing Chiu from Staten Island, United States: 'Relax, lay back and enjoy the warm sun... This seal is scratching its face and it is seen lying on the side while his head is supported by his flipper. This image makes the seal like the reclining Buddha statue'

[doppelnatur]

S/o to man hating women who make an exception for me <3

[syppys-den]

I love that ^^

contemplating kryptonian fashion once again so clark and his parents doodle

[superhoeva]

bouncer!logan spotting you at a halloween party he's working the door for. it's annoyingly cute how you fumble about when you find out that the there's a door fee and you have no cash.

he lets you squirm for a bit, enjoying the troubled expression on your face before the pinch of your eyebrows forces a sigh from him.

"okay look," the man starts, arms crossing as he motions for you to lean in. thinking for less than a second, you follow the direction, not catching the way logan drags a hard stare across you and your skimpy costume. "'m really not supposed to be doing anything like this. but one, i don't give a fuck. two, you're cute enough to break a few rules for."

with his jaw clenching at the way you can't hide your pleased grin, logan continues.

"gonna let you in for free, but you're gonna have'ta owe me a little somethin' in return."

an eager nod from you has logan biting his tongue. his hand reaches to rub at he growing hair of his beard, pretending to consider his options. finally, he speaks, purposefully lowering his voice so you have to shift even closer.

"use this pretty face and get me a couple'a free drinks? since you don't have any cash and all..."

"okay," you nod again, teeth grazing the corner of your bottom lip. "what do you have a taste for?"

logan's skin heats at your question, shoving the first answer that comes to the very back of his mind.

"nothing too sweet." he's got to save that craving for the possibility of tasting you. "just beer. nothing special."

you're a wizard. logan's certain of it after you bring him the fourth bottle of beer, this time with a glass of something for yourself.

"jesus," logan huffs. "you're wringing 'em dry in there, pretty."

you shrug at the man, slinking atop the stool he brought to keep his back from aching during his downtime. he can feel your eyes on him as he chugs down half the bottle, staring at the bobbing of his adam's apple as he drinks.

lowering the bottle, logan swallows and turns to you. your gaze flicks to the side of him, pretending like you weren't just oogling the shit out of him and how tight the black v-neck he's sporting is.

logan takes the thick silence as a chance to really look at you. take in your costume of black spandex shorts, blue crop top, and empty thigh holsters.

"lara croft," logan finally figures it out, and you grin a little over the rim of your glass. "...you wear her well."

another smile from you and logan nearly squeezes the bottle so hard it breaks. a tiny laugh from you breaks another round of heated silence.

"i miss somethin'?"

"no," you promise him. "it's just... i've spent more time out here than in there. even after you let me in for free."

logan sniffs, meeting your eyes in his lean across from you.

"don't worry, ms. croft. i definitely don't mind."

after that, you end up staying with him for the rest of the night. leaving you his seat, logan standing all broad and strong whenever someone enters, letting you hold the cash he collects from each patron. he sends a wink your way every time he turns to hand out the money but nearly growls out at anyone that asks about you.

"keep movin', bub," logan warns the latest inquirer who lets his eyes linger a little too long for your liking. the guy isn't smart enough to heed the first warning, going as far as ignoring logan to lean in your direction.

"come find me later, yeah?"

you don't get a chance to answer. logan's got him by the back of the neck, shoving him out into the cool fall air of tonight's evening without a second thought. dusting off his hand, logan ignores the man's whines about the cash he wants back, and turns to find you blinking at him with a squirm.

he steps to where you now stand with his eyes hooded, slicking out one of the tens from your grasp. neither of you says a word as logan folds the bill, and encircles his arms around you. your breath hitches at the hand logan plants on one of your asscheeks. he glides the money into your back pocket, biting his lip.

"my shift ends in an hour. i can show you an actual party worth your time if you're up for it..."

warm and dazed, you nod. logan grins a little, squeezing the flesh under his hand before returning to his post of strong, crossed arms and back turned to you while he faces the door.

logan grins again, this time wider, at the way he can feel your gaze burning a hole into his ass.

[woso-dreamzzz]

New Girlfriend III

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle x Teen!Reader

Summary: You make a game

When Lucy cracks open your door, you're as you always are.

You're hunched over your computer, clicking around some game level aimlessly with your tongue sticking out in concentration.

Your mice, like they always are when you're in the room, are running riot in their pen.

Outside of their cage and on the floor, you've set up a little pen for them to roam around and play in.

Lara and Zelda are wrestling like always as Clementine tries to work through the enrichment puzzle full of food. Ezio is asleep, flopped over on your shoulder as you study whatever new game you've found.

"You ready for dinner?"

Now that it's gotten colder, you've managed to get even moodier than before and even more of a shut in.

"One sec," You say. You click around the game level a bit more before pulling up a separate tab to type a long string of something Lucy can't even hope to understand. "Alright, I'm done. What's up?"

Lucy rolls her eyes fondly. "Dinner. Now. Ona cooked."

You push your chair out from your desk and stretch, your back cracking from the long hours you've spent hunched over.

You put the mice back into the cage, each of them getting a quick snuggle and kiss before you bolt it shut.

"Is it good food?" You ask as you go down the stairs.

"It's better than your mum makes!" Ona calls out and you grin.

"Yeah, but anything's better than Mum's cooking!"

Lucy grumbles, shaking her head. "One nice meal is all I ask. One meal where I don't get horrifically bullied!"

"We don't bully you," You say," It's character building!"

You and Ona laugh and Lucy just rolls her eyes. Sometimes, you think she would prefer if it went back to what it was like when you were first adapting to Ona.

"Oh," She says," I sent you those audio files you wanted."

"Thanks."

Lucy frowns. "She's been making you do those too?"

"Yeah, it's for a school project, right?"

You nod. "Uh-huh. It's for programming."

"I know I shouldn't have let you sign up for that," She says," It's all you ever do. I think you're losing sleep over it."

"You'll like it," You declare," What I'm working on. I promise."

"I'm sure that I will but it doesn't mean I think you're sleeping well. Put it down for once, that's all I'm saying."

You roll your eyes.

Lucy's always like that about your programming. Sometimes she lays asleep at gone three in the morning and can still hear you typing away on your computer for hours on end.

You return to your room after dinner ends and briefly come out to show Ona what you're working on while also denying Lucy the same opportunity.

"You've love it," Ona assures her at training the next day.

"Love what?" Keira asks," Oh, y/n's game? Yeah, you'll love it, Luce."

"Am I the only one that hasn't seen it?!" She demands, glancing around the room at people who are trying to not make eye contact with her. "Seriously? Raise your hand if you've seen it?"

Slowly, everyone raises their hand.

"This is so unfair!"

When you first got given the project, Lucy had been the first person to be clued into your plans. You showed her all your design sketches and all your ideas as you jumped between them.

At one point, one of your bedroom walls had been covered in concept designs and you would stand in front of it and point out certain aspects you liked and things you didn't think were quite perfect yet.

Lucu had been integral to your thought process and then all of a sudden she was shut out. You'd ask her to record voice lines or demonstrate doing something but you'd never explain why or what it was for.

You all but unplugged your computer when she came in unexpectedly and tried to get a sneak peak.

"Alright," Lucy says when she gets home to see you and Ona giggling on the sofa together," I've had enough. Show me your project."

You sit upright immediately, eyes wide.

"No-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer. I've had enough of the secrets."

She's serious. You can tell by the clench in her jaw and the way her arms are crossed over her chest.

Lucy's stubborn but you inherited from her so you're stubborn too.

Your cross your arms in the same way as you stand. "No! It's not finished! You can see it when you're finished!"

"Hey," Ona intervenes before the argument can truly get heated. Her hand rests on your shoulder. "It's okay. Just show her."

"I can't! It's not ready!"

"Come on," Ona says," Show her."

You glance at your Mum, who is staring at you with that same stern look and crossed arms as the one that she came in with.

"Fine. Give me a sec."

Lucy sits on the sofa as Ona hooks up a laptop to the tv.

You come back in with a disc and nervously put it into the dvd slot.

Lucy doesn't know what to say when the opening credits appear.

'Lucy Bronze: The Game' with a little pixel version of her holding the Champion's League trophy up on her head.

"We were meant to make a game about a hero," You say," And you're my hero."

[sunkissedscribbles]

BF!MATTHEO HEADCANONS

☆ BF!MATTHEO is the type to greet you with the biggest smile and warmest embrace first thing in the morning when he sees you. be in bed with him, having slept in his shirt (hell, he's so in love with the way his clothes fit you), in the great hall, after a morning quidditch practice, all sweaty – he doesn't care.

☆ BF!MATTHEO doesn't care, exactly like that. not about what condition you are in, not about your social status, blood purity and all that shebang, he’s a simple creature, alright? he’s just utterly, madly, completely in love with you and he doesn’t need anything else. he finds you perfect, just the way you are.

☆ BF!MATTHEO is the kind to have an opinion about everything; the government? sucks. music? 80’s dad rock. the best kind of coffee: the one you make. the worst though, is when you two decide to just spend the evening watching a film: he’s damn picky. (so are you, but this is about him.) so, when you suggest a movie, he has an argument already. “don’t like its title.” “sounds very girly-pop.” “babyyyy, you know i don’t like romcoms,” he states with a whiny tone and a pout every time. trust me, he’s a sucker for romcoms. MODERN AU!BF!MATTHEO’s favourite is ‘it’s a boy girl thing’.

☆ and when you fall asleep, whether during the film or he just happens to see you dozed off in a deep slumber, be prepared to be BF!MATTHEO’s most recent 50 pictures in his gallery.

☆ in fact, MODERN AU!BF!MATTHEO’s lock screen isn’t a sweet picture like lara jean’s from to all the boys i’ve loved before. no. he has you sleeping with your mouth open, in 0.5 as his lock screen instead. he shows that picture to everyone who asks about what his girlfriend looks like with unashamed preference, too.

☆ BF!MATTHEO might not have a way with spoken words, but he has his notebook on him all the time for a reason: to draw you, for you or for himself, whether you are sitting in front of him or he’s trying to capture you from last night: in his hoodie with messy hair from having his fingers in it, plump and red lips (maybe a bit bruised, too), smelling like sex after the latest round.

☆ BF!MATTHEO makes you mixtapes. period.

☆ maybe he’s sweet to you, a real koala when it comes to snuggling and clinginess, BF!MATTHEO doesn’t refrain from fucking you whenever he can, wherever he can. his dorm is a safe place for making love, with aftercare, but let me tell you, once he finds a secluded corner in one of the corridors, he doesn’t hold back. he finds you trying to suppress your usually loud moans by biting his shoulder or swallowing them back into whimpers extremely sexy. and when he finds out the password to the prefects’ bathroom? run, that’s my advice.

tag list: @inksoakedparchment @mattiesgf @girllblogging777 @mqstermindswift @myysunshine @yelanare @mamartinez @s00ty-feet @malfoylover4l

[hwonnrinji]

THE FIRST SNOW

kim minji x fem!reader

{ synopsis } : you were in a long-term relationship with minji since the start of high school. after graduating, minji broke the news that she's going back to canada. a long-distance relationship wasn't an option, so the next best thing was breaking up. you were still in love with her for a period of time but eventually started to move on– until you bump into someone on the street.

{ a/n } : tsbu lara fic hasn't seen the light of day since creation, i feel bad -v-

{ tags/extra } : 2 years after break up, lovers to exes to ???, light angst, hyein and reader are sisters, may or may not have projected a little

═════════

now playing : the first snow - exo

⤷ "if i met you,

would tears rise up?"

════════

═══════════════════════════

"Y/N! IT'S SNOWING!" hyein shook you awake while she rambled about the snow in excitement, pulling on your arm to go outside and see. you gave a half-ass protest but hyein insisted you check it out. "it might be one of the prettier first snows."

"hyein, do you have any idea what time it is?" you rubbed your eyes tiredly, the glare from the streetlights were rather annoying. the snow was as pretty as hyein said it was but you'd prefer to see it when you're fully awake.

"it's six in the morning," hyein answered. you turned to look at her, having to slightly look up to see her face. now that you're getting a better look at her, she's in her school uniform. "i have to leave for school in a bit."

"oh. i'll go get ready." as you were about to make your way to the bathroom, hyein quickly stopped you.

"it's okay, dain will pick me up."

your eyes narrowed suspiciously as you stared at her. "can dain drive yet?" seeing her tense, you sighed, putting your hand up to stop her from talking. "whatever, i don't care. just get to school safe and on time."

"why are you making it seem like i'll skip?" hyein pouted, clinging onto your arm.

"it's because you do. if you skip one more time, i'm sending you back to incheon with mom and dad," you warned. blood seemed to drain from hyein's face

"what?! noo, i like seoul," she whined while shaking your shoulders to take back your threat. you groaned, swatting her arms to let you go. "plus, haerin is the one driving."

"really? ok, have fun."

"hey! why are you suddenly ok when i mention that cat?"

"haerin value her studies so of course i trust her." you shrugged. a sudden voice called out for hyein down the street– more like a couple voices –signaling that her friends were here. "don't spend too much money on snacks, ok? love you."

"love you too, bye!" hyein rushed out of the house, turning the corner. you peeked your head out to see haerin's hyundai parked at the end of the neighborhood. you softly smiled seeing hyein run happily to her friends, reminding you of your high school years.

"well since i'm awake now," you headed back inside to get ready for the day, thinking about whether or not to go to class a little earlier than normal. since that's too much work, you decided to get coffee first.

~

your phone kept buzzing with endless notifications from god knows who, and while you tried to ignore it to admire the snow around you, a sudden call interrupted you. with an annoyed huff, you took your phone out of your pocket to see danielle calling. "hello?" you answered as you continued to walk to the coffee shop.

'did you hear?' she asked on the other line.

"hear what?"

'minji's back from canada.'

you paused for a moment, your lips parting in shock. minji, your ex that broke up with you two years ago to leave to canada, was now back in korea. "wait, i thought the move was permanent."

'it was never permanent?'

that little liar. "she told me it was," you said almost bitterly.

'really? before she left, she said she'd come back. look,'

danielle sent you a screenshot of minji's instagram story, the photo being her on an airplane with the caption 'back home.' you were absolutely furious, your hand gripping your phone so tightly that it might break. "she told me she wasn't coming back."

'maybe you remembered wrong? 'cuz that's not what she said to me nor haerin.'

"no, i'm sure. if she was coming back then we would've gone long-distance."

'y/n–'

"look, i don't wanna talk about this anymore. i'm gonna go." you didn't give danielle a chance to talk any further, your finger already pressing the hang up button. great. just when you were finally moving on, minji decided to come back. you shook your head and continued on your way. to say you were pissed would be the least similar way to describe how you were feeling. how could she lie and come back like nothing?

you finally reached your destination, your hand reaching out to grab the door handle until another hand appeared in front of you. "oh, sorry–" you backed up from the door but stopped midway once you saw who was holding the door.

"y/n?" god, you hated that voice.

"what're you doing here?" you asked with no interest, yet the sting in your eyes and the tug at your heart says otherwise. minji glanced inside the building before returning back to you, a confused look smothered on her face.

"getting coffee?..." right. it's a coffee shop. you fought back the urge to roll your eyes and cry at the same time, stepping back to let her go through. "you can go first."

"just go already." minji hesitated but reluctantly opened the door to go in first, pushing back the door behind her just enough so you can enter as well. you scoffed but didn't reject the offer, stepping inside to feel the warm atmosphere, a contrast to the outside. you placed your order quickly before finding a seat at one of the tables near the window.

minji sat in the seat in front of you, startling you a bit. her eyes seemed like she wanted to talk to you but you weren't sure if you were ready for that conversation yet. "can we please talk, y/n?"

"stop saying my name." you leaned back in your chair, your arms crossed over your chest. "you lied to me."

"it was the only option," she confessed. the sting in your eyes grew with each word she said. you ran a hand through your hair, pushing back the loose strands in frustration.

"only option? was i not enough to deserve the truth?"

"i didn't mean it like that..." her eyes were sad, practically begging you to let her explain. "i got accepted into a university in a toronto," she started, "i wanted to keep our relationship but i was going across the world. it would drive me insane to hear you say that you miss being held by me because, fucking hell, y/n. i'd miss it too."

your bottom lip started to quiver as tears welled up in your eyes, droplets falling down onto your lap. you're can't cry. not here, not now.

"i didn't wanna hear you say you wish i was there with you, i didn't wanna see myself crying in front of the bathroom mirror after calling you," minji continued on, "i didn't wanna have to pretend like i wasn't affected. so, i left."

"but why? why did you have to go? you could've stayed."

"it was the only university that accepted me. if yonsei accepted me then i would've." you sniffled, your hand coming up to wipe the tears from your eyes. you hated yourself for crying at that moment. "i was young and naive, but now, i know what i want." she reached across the table, holding your hand dearly. "i want you. i want us to start again."

"minji, you can't just leave and come back to ask for a second chance."

"please, y/n, please. i'm still in love you and i'm sorry it took this long for me to realize." her pleas were convincing but you weren't sure if you should give in. "let us be us again."

"i... i don't know." you pulled your hand back, slipping out of your seat. you left minji sitting alone as you walked out of the building, too caught up in your emotions. you felt a firm hand grab your wrist and turn you back around.

"love, please–"

"don't call me that!" your chest rose and fell rapidly as tears streamed down your cheek. "no. you don't get to break up with me and then call me love." minji only stared at you, half sorry and half full of pity.

"please think about it," she begged. "text me when you have an answer."

"don't boss me around." you took back your arm, stuffing your hand in your jacket pocket. "hyein still hates you."

"i'm sorry."

"stop, just stop. your number is still blocked and i don't plan on unblocking you." your hands curled into fists in your pockets out of anger. "see you around."

- tbc -

[ninguitar]

୨୧　𝓨OUR EYES ON ME　˒˒　SL

───﹙🎶﹚with sophia strangely distancing herself away from you, all you could do was focus on the bright side, trying to dismiss it—maybe she just needed a bit time for herself. however, eventually, the girl cracks at seeing you with your ex, working on a school project together.

pairing. sophia laforteza x f!r genre. angst, fluff wc. 3.3k+ notes. lawl idk if i made this angsty enough. lmk. req #1, req #2, req #3 here(MASTERLIST)

now playing ⋆ touch by katseye, another one by mac demarco

SITTING IN THE DINING HALL OF YOUR COLLEGE, with your burning gaze fixated on sophia, you watch the filipina make small talk—a few occasional giggles here and there—with everybody but you. to be honest, you weren't paying attention to a single word spewing from megan; you were way too busy glaring at your own girlfriend through your peripheral vision.

"i mean— god! the professor sucks, like he assigns so much work yet never grades them," the ginger-headed girl complains, rubbing her temples. the chinese girl only continues to mindlessly grumble curses under her breath at your simple nods. you were used to her rants everyday, finding them amusing—especially with her rather colorful embellishments

trying to stifle your laugh, "i told you not to take his course!" you refute, lightly nudging the girl playfully, as you try to dart your eyes away from sophia; after all, what was the point of worrying? she was your girlfriend—your girl, the same one's your everything.

of course, megan could tell how tense you were, from the worry lines creasing your forehead, the way your nails dug into your palm, down to the way your gaze fixated on sophia. "y'know she probably means well right? relationships go through rough patches a lot—that's only natural," she tries to assure you, shrugging as she does so.

"yeah, you're right," you meekly nod, leaning back in your seat. nonetheless, a bitter taste remains on your tongue, your head spiraling while littered with thoughts of your relationship with sophia going south. before you could agree with megan once more, another one of your friends, lara, appear behind the ginger-headed girl.

"that test was so hard!" lara exclaims out, her hands resting on megan's shoulder, as she rolls her eyes. muffled curses leave her breath, before her gaze flickers up to the filipina from afar, "isn't that your girlfriend?" her eyebrows raise almost immediately, confusion washing over her face.

with resignation you nod your head, shrugging. the indian girl looks at you, confused, "you're usually like, all over each other and shit," a teasing chuckle escapes her breath. and needless to say, she was ultimately right; you and sophia were always inseparable, practically attached to the hip, and glued together.

"shut up—you're just mad you can't commit," you retaliate, a series of giggles erupting from you. at your teasing comment, both girls gasp dramatically, a hand on megan's mouth to indicate how appalling it was. and hastily, snarky remarks from lara follow your retaliation.

while laughter erupts from the three of you, a pair of hands snake around your neck gently, sending a chain of shivers down your body. your eyes widen, a quiet gasp escaping your breath, before your eyes trail down to the hands, already knowing who it was by the nails—your girlfriend.

"hey," she whispers against your ear, making your cheeks and ears have heat curl on them immediately, "i can't make tonight's date—uh, i'm busy." the filipina flatly mutters, a thin line pressing onto her lips, as she presses a tender kiss onto your jaw.

"busy with?" you mumble, curiosity painting your face, as you ease into her touch, your cheeks flushed. your eyebrows are knitted together, a hushed sigh drifting from your lips. in response, a faux laugh escapes sophia's breath, the girl shaking her head.

"mm, just got that literature project to do."

you softly hum, trying your best to dismiss how reserved sophia was, as you nod, "okay, just call me when you're home, baby." the girl just nods, before sauntering out of the dining hall.

once the filipina was out of view, megan snickers, "jeez, what'd you do wrong that she's acting this way?" you scoff at her remark, rolling your eyes, as you chug down a mug of coffee. lara chirps, "stop fumbling pretty girls," a grin tugs the corners of her lips.

crossing your arms against your chest, trying to defend yourself, "i'm serious, i did nothin' wrong! i don't know why she's acting like this—she's just been, avoiding me." your breath stutters towards the end of your sentence, biting the inside of your cheek.

"calm down, she likes you enough—somehow—to want to keep you around," lara shrugs, grabbing your coffee mug to take a sip out of it, making you scoff playfully at her gesture. megan nods, "yeah, can't believe a loser like you has a girlfriend as gorgeous as her," she tries to lighten the mood, her lips quirking upward, as she ruffles your hair.

laying back on your bed, you read your clock—11:47 pm. a sigh drifts from your lips, as you question your girlfriend's whereabouts, especially when she texted you she'd be home pretty early. upon trying to check her location, you realize she turned it off. your finger hovers over the call button on sophia's contact, your eyes burning out from how long you'd been waiting.

the harsh brightness illuminating light onto your face keeps your eyes from shutting, as you hesitantly call the filipina, your nerves abused from your countless meek justifications for why your girlfriend hasn't called you. your phone ringing blares throughout the room, before a soft, dulcet voice emerges from it.

"hey, why are you still up? it's late."

you sigh—maybe she just forgot to call you. she was a student after all, just like you, so that was plausible. taking a deep breath at her tactless question, "just, wanted to talk to you, that's all," you murmur against your phone, not wanting to trouble her.

"can't sleep?" her raspy voice emerges, making your cheeks flush.

you softly hum, agreeing, "come over? please."

your desperate plea makes sophia bite the inside of her cheek, the girl making some excuse off the top of her head, "shit, i can't. i got a calculus test tomorrow, and i need to sleep. 'm sorry."

you sigh, meekly nodding, "yeah, you're right. good luck though."

the filipina murmurs a simple "i know" before you two bid your good-byes quietly, hanging up the phone call. your head falls back to rest on your pillow, your troubled mind revisiting each and every one of sophia's words to you in the past few days. did you do anything wrong, why was she suddenly distant—those same questions continue to flood your mind, a frown pressing onto your lips.

you huff, deciding on sleeping on it for now. you lie down, settling into the bed with your body tense. minutes pass as the darkness deepens around you, and your mind is still nonetheless plagued by thoughts of the filipina girl. and for a few minutes, you lie there, tense in the stillness of the night, hoping that, in the back of your mind, sophia was just swamped with her coursework—as she claims to be.

the shared smiles, lingering touches, and laughter-filled nights with sophia swarm your mind—how long has it been since you last went on a date with her? your mind races, replaying scenarios and doubts you couldn't shake off.

shit.

you curse under your breath, while the ginger-head to your right is practically in hysteria, her hand over her mouth to keep her series of giggles suppressed. looking over the lecture roster again to double check, you read yours and your ex—manon's—names beside each other, making you guys partners for a pair-work project.

"it's like god's trying to set you up for failure," megan sneers, giggles eliciting from her throat, as she reads the assigned pairs off the google doc. in response, you lightly nudge her, scoffing, huffing out a muffled "shut up." you cross your arms against your chest, tapping your foot against the sleek floor.

"what's your girlfriend gonna think when she sees you with your ex? i mean, isn't she avoiding you or somethin' right now, too?" the chinese girl wearily mutters, making you rub your temples in apprehension. you snicker, shaking your head.

"she's not that jealous, you know—just sometimes a little, over the top," you shrug, running a hand through your hair. megan's laughter rings clear and unapologetic, her chuckles fading into a grin at your underestimation of your girlfriend's jealousy.

the ginger-head girl relentlessly teases you, "are we talking about the same girl who goes ballistic seeing any other girl with you?" your shoulders droop at her comment, making your roll your eyes.

you chime in, "i said she was sometimes over the top—she just means well, y'know!" you try to defend sophia's name, mumbling curses under your breath, before the lecture ends. the two of you get up, as you retort retaliations to megan's quips, before you're interrupted.

"hey." a hand creeps over your shoulder, lightly tapping it, and in-turn making shivers run down your spine. turning around, your eyes scan manon's face. a mixture of amusement and curiosity laces megan's face before she mouths a "see you later" to you.

"shit, don't scare me like that," you mutter, affronted, as you awkwardly stand in front of the ghanaian girl, shifting yourself to make room for others to leave. your brows twitch slightly, as you lean against the wall, a hint of seriousness slipping through your voice, "sooo.. we're partners, huh."

"yeah." manon rasps out, "do you just wanna go to the library to work it out?" she suggests, trying to make as much distance between the two of you. the air is thick with tension, as neither of you murmur any replies longer than a few words.

with a deep breath, you agree, "tomorrow?" to which, she meekly nods, muttering a "bye" before sauntering away. you swing your bag over your shoulder, a sigh drifting from your lips, rushing to find megan. you huff before strolling around campus, your eyes scanning the crowds for a girl with bright ginger hair.

you card a hand through your hair, your body tense from talking to manon, and you couldn't help but feel stupid for being so awkward around somebody you used to be close with. and it wasn't like neither you or manon had felt disdain against one-another, especially when you guys came to an agreement to break up; you two just weren't meant to be, and that's that. neither of you could commit to one-another—not when you both wanted to live your lives before your guys' first year of college.

before you could continue your train of thought, a pair of hands reach your shoulders. "hey!" lara exclaims, crashing onto your back with enthusiasm. your eyes dart to the indian girl, rolling your eyes, "what is up with people scarin' me today," you huff under your breath.

"who else is scaring you—what!" she feigns shock, dramatically opening her mouth wide to express her surprise.

"manon," you practically whisper—well, your voice was barely above one. your response makes lara chuckle, nudging your shoulder, a series of "no way!" combined with "today is not your day," escapes her breath.

you dramatically lament, "it's not funny! megan laughed too, like give me some pity at least!" snorting, the two of you walk through the campus, quips eliciting from you two every few seconds. the red-headed girl relentlessly mocks you for your worry, feigning pity for you.

"the professor sucks—always assigning group work without us choosing our groups," you grumble, "hell, megan could've been my partner, and i would've been fine with her just complaining 'n ranting while i do the work! 'cause at least i'd have entertainment," a chuckle escapes your breath, as you guys reach your dorm room.

unlocking the door, your eyes notice a particular ginger-head, making you exclaim, "you've been here the entire time?" both you and lara drop your bags off near the front door, slipping off your shoes.

"i literally live here?" she retorts sarcastically, as both you and the indian girl settle down, plopping down beside megan on the couch. while the two girls choose a tv show to watch on megan's laptop, your eyes stay fixated on your phone.

[ manon ] hey. ( 2:45 pm ) [ manon ] this is y/n right? ( 2:46 pm )

your eyebrows furrow, as you reluctantly text back, your thumbs hovering over your keyboard to think of what to say.

[ y/n ] yeah. ( 2:47 pm ) [ y/n ] do you need anything? ( 2:47 pm )

[ manon ] what time tmr ( 2:48 pm )

[ y/n ] 3pm. ( 2:48 pm )

and with that, you swiftly tuck your phone into your pocket, watching the two girls beside you struggle to choose between glee and gossip girl. you roll your eyes, your hand hovering over the mousepad to click on glee. you draw the curtains closed, turning the lights off, and making the laptop's harsh brightness being the only light emitting.

while your hands remain on the card-stock paper poster, you murmur curses under your breath, writing yours and manon's names on the board. the ghanaian girl meekly types out her part of the document onto the google doc, a thin line pressing onto her lips. beside the sound of your grumbles under your breath accompanied by the girl's nails against the laptop, the library fell into tension. you're aware of every sound, every breath she takes, and the slight rustling of papers against one-another from books.

the shared silence makes you bite the inside of your cheek, and taking a breath, you look over her work, quietly humming as you do so. "how- how is it going?" you try to converse, your tone hesitant.

"good—it's pretty easy," she murmurs, "what about you?"

"going good too," you silently exhale in relief.

you two keep distance between one-another for the next few hours, feeling relief yet unease simultaneously, as the two of you continue to work on the project. you softly hum under your breath, your earbud plugged into one of your ears. before you could ask manon about her progress, a pair of hands curl around your waist, making you jerk back in shock.

"jesus, soph'," you murmur, heat curling on your cheeks, as your hand brushes against the filipina's. your head cranks near sophia's—the girl's jaw clenched and her eyes slightly narrowed.

"why are you working with your ex?" she whisper-shouts against your ear, making you shake your head in a frenzy.

"'cause i have to, baby—" and before you could continue your sentence, the filipina interrupts you.

"we need to talk—real quick," sophia mutters, leaving up no room for discussion, before flashing a faux smile at manon, "it's fine if i just borrow her for a second, right?" to which, manon meekly nods, shrugging, "yeah, we're done anyway." she watches the filipina drag you out of the library.

"what is up with you—fuck, sophia!" you grumble, jerking your arm out of sophia's grasp. you stagger against the wall, a grunt escaping your breath, as sophia tilts her head, sighing.

"what's up with me, seriously? you—my own girlfriend—couldn't let me know that you were gonna be working on a project with your ex?" she hisses, her voice echoing through the halls. her throat tightens, "so, tell me. what's your excuse now?"

a stunned silence follows, your breath catching in your throat, as you scoff, your voice lowering, "are you jealous right now? get off your high horse, sophia! you have been practically avoiding me all week! and that same excuse of yours—'i'm busy!' seriously?" you huff, your fist clenching.

sophia's eyes widen, "so now we're blaming me? get over it, y/n—you can't handle not talking to me for a few days?" her face darkens, speaking in a raised tone. her body grows tense as she speaks.

you look at her incredulously, stepping closer, "stop twisting my words! god, can't you just take some accountability? you're acting so fucking strange!" anger flashes over your expression at the filipina's disregard for her actions. "i- i tried to ignore how you were avoiding me for the past few days—because maybe my girlfriend needed some time to herself, that's normal! but god, why won't you just ever let me all the way in!"

and at this rate, your guys' argument could be heard from any of the classrooms, passerby's giving you two glares for your volume. anxiety looms over you, as you wait for sophia's response, snickering.

"let you in? are you serious right now?" she asks, a grumble escaping her breath, as if to question your nerve to say such a thing. with anger sewn into her, the filipina continues her words, shooting out, "god, you're just infuriating."

your brows furrow, your eyes practically twitching, as you assert, raising your tone to match hers, "that's all you have to say for yourself?" genuinely taken aback by sophia's careless dismissal, you rub your temples, "i guess i know your priorities now." resolved, you try to hold yourself back.

and brick by brick, sophia's anger diffuses, remorse washing over her face, as she realizes her words' damage on you, "wait, baby—" tears begin to stream down your face, as you sweep past the filipina, rushing towards your dorm. her eyes widen as the shock from your reaction sets in.

settling in your dorm room, tears painting your flushed cheeks, as you crouch down onto the wooden planked floor, your knees up to your chest. trying to reach your retreating figure, sophia stands outside your dorm, her arms crossed against her chest. ans reluctantly, she knocks on the door.

"y/n," she whispers, her voice gentle—a stark contrast to her rugged, exasperated voice from earlier, "i'm sorry, please. just let me in, and we can talk."

and to no avail do you answer, sniffles and sighs escaping your breath. again, the filipina girl rasps out.

"please. just hear me out, and if you really think i'm being stupid, then just tell me," she desperately whispers, her tone tugging at your heart strings. you wipe the tears off your face, before getting up and unlocking your door.

reluctantly opening it wide open, you meet face-to-face with a regretful sophia standing outside meekly. you let the filipina in, silently closing the door behind her.

"i- i don't get you, at all, sophia," you murmur, your arms crossed against your chest. your words strain with effort to speak, your heart telling you to just curl up against the filipino girl to soothe your heartache.

"because ever since a few weeks ago, part of me feels like you've been waiting… waiting to just push me away. and my heart—it really is with you. you have always been the one i've wanted," your words with unbridled sincerity leave sophia shocked, the girl's cheeks flushed at your admission.

while you try to maintain your composure, sophia takes a deep breath, her tone gentle as her eyes bore into yours. "i'm sorry. i- i don't know why i went through so much trouble avoiding you, it made no sense. you were right. i never wanted to make you feel this way—to make you cry like this. i'm just- fuck… i'm scared for what's gonna happen to us when we graduate, when we're on our career path. i don't—can't lose you."

and cutting you off before you could say anything, sophia continues, "and i was irrational, avoiding you, then getting jealous. i should've been more trusting with you; i know you're not that type of person. god, i'm just so stupid."

she pulls you towards her desperately, enveloping your body, as she buries her head against the crook of your neck, breathing heavily to maintain her composure. her urgent, desperate need to comfort you, to show you she was truly sorry, was overbearing, as her delicate hands draws circles on your back. your heart twists at her words, as you whisper reassurance under your breath.

"i'm sorry—i love you, please," sophia presses her lips against yours fervently, wanting to just be near you. and of course, you return her feverish kisses, your lips as hungry as hers.

"can we just put this behind us?" you mumble, your hands entangling themselves in sophia's hair, lightly scratching it. she frantically nods her head, making you chuckle, "and god, you are stupid. i could never leave my pretty girl."

the filipina crashes down with you, holding onto you firmly, as if to keep you from ever getting up—which, you wouldn't ever think about doing. she drawls out, "just, forever let me pour my love onto you, for infinity."

you don't know what to do,

afraid she might not love you anymore

taglist. ୨ৎ @lararajjj @kisshae @sed7ction @yeetaberry127 @vrtualstar

@jellaaa @artrizzler19 @falling-intoo-deep

[lcriedlastnight]

Enemies to lovers with Lando: "you want me?" "you know i do"

thank you so much for your request, anon!

tw: fem!reader, swears, wee bit angsty, she's a big one, dickhead!lando. lmk if you want me to add anything.

w/c: 2.8k

this weekend had gone horrible for lando so far, and of course as his assistant you had gotten the brunt of it. on days like this you don't know why you didn't just quit your job. lando clearly didn't like you, in fact you would go as far to say that he hated you and wouldn't everything go much more smoothly if you both liked each other? you lay awake in bed at night - especially after a rough day of running around like a headless chicken after lando - thinking about having a job where your boss didn't curse the ground you walked on.

you had been working overtime this weekend, making sure that lando had everything he needed all weekend for press conferences, meetings with zak and andrea and even when he needed a second alone to himself in his drivers room, you would make sure to tell anyone who was looking for him that he was busy, just so he could get a break. you had decided when lando was in looking at data after both free practise rounds on friday to grab a bite to eat. you hadn't eaten since breakfast, it was now a little past five. it wasn't an exaggeration to say you were starving.

you head towards some tables next to the cafeteria and pull what you had brought for lunch out of your bag. you pull out your phone, scrolling through your texts, one catching your eye. it was the groupchat you had with all your friends, baring in mind there was only four of you.

'it's like a double date but for the four of us!" lara, had said. the other girls seemed to disagree with whatever her idea was. you scroll down further to see the newer messages.

'what if we set her up? i'm sure her boss will give her the saturday off to go on a date with him." again it was lara who suggested it, but it caught your eye because she was talking about you. who was she trying to set you up with and why was she even doing it in the first place? there was also no way lando would be giving you saturday off, never mind during a race weekend.

you tell them so before hearing the distinct voices of lando and zak chatting away as they make their way down the hall. you sigh and pack away your half eaten lunch. you could've finished it, you were sure lando wasn't that much of a dick that he would deny you of food but you didn't want him to hold it over your head. you knew for certain he would do that. you shove the lunch bag into the bigger bag then sling it over your shoulder. your phone pings, a message from the groupchat.

'too late it's already set up, ask your boss and we'll go shopping on monday when you're home.' lara says. you could kill her. you don't respond, just shoving your phone into your pocket and walking over to lando and zak.

"hey, great to see you again!" zak greets you with a cheery smile. it's easy to happy around zak, the only time you've seen him annoyed or upset has been on bad race days. you're sort of surprised he is so because lando has not been performing so far this weekend. you bite your tongue on that one, instead giving him a smile back and returning his polite words.

"well look, as i said before, this is only friday, the only day where what you drive like matters is sunday. that's when we get the points. although i'm sure you will be back on your game tomorrow. we all have off days." zak tells lando, a comforting hand on his shoulder before he walks off in the direction he came in. you spot oscar too, so there is no doubt that it is oscar's turn for his driving this weekend to be analysed. oscar's weekend comapred to lando's has been pretty good.

"that's you for today. nothing else you're needed for." you tell lando, triple checking his calandar, making sure you were looking friday. the time where you were accidentally looking at his saturday schedule instead stays at the forefront of your mind whenever you look at his calandar.

"i know. you told me that before." lando remarks, his voice blunt and a little nasty. its like your presence just pisses lando off. you remember the date your friends set you up with and will courage to fill your veins before asking him.

"what are you still doing standing there?" lando asks, not genuinely asking, just wanting you to leave him alone. he hates seeing you outside of work and although you were in the paddock, he deems this outside of work.

you take a deep breath before just directly asking him. "can i have next saturday off?". lando stops untying his fireproofs. he looks up at you.

"why? why are you making plans on a race weekend?" he condescends, like you were stupid.

"i didn't. my friends set me up on a date without asking." you explain. you hated explaining yourself to him but you knew if there was any chance you were getting saturday off then you had to do what he asked.

lando pauses for a second, staring at you then returns to undoing his fireproofs. "no. i need you here." he declares.

you shouldn't be shocked he said no, you really should have seen it coming but it still surprises you nonetheless.

"you can't go without me for just one day?" you ask, as if you were desperate to go on this date. now it was more about him not giving you the day off than it was about actually going on the date.

lando's brows crinkle. "no. if i give you the saturday off then you'll need the sunday off too as i'm guessing it's not here so unless you're planning on flying over straight after your date?" he spits out the end of the sentence. you had not thought about that. you are quiet as you take in his words.

"that's what i thought. tell your friends to cancel the date, you're coming with me all weekend." lando basically demands.

"i'm not sure why you even want me here. you hate me, i don't know why you haven't just fired me and found a new assistant. this would work a lot better for you if you actually liked the person you need to spend the whole weekend with." you grumble, annoyed at his attitude and how he felt like he could just go around telling you what you could and couldn't do with your life. it seriously felt like you were cutting off you social life for this job. you storm past lando and straight out of the paddock into the uber waiting for you, it stands out against the rich, fancy cars surrounding it in the carpark.

you drive back to the hotel in silence, in one of those moods where everything was annoying you. you hate the fact that you had to stay in the same hotel as him. you had never been this mad at your job before. you try to unwind once you are back at the hotel by jumping into the shower but it does not help.

once you have gotten yourself dry and have gotten changed for bed, you eat the rest of your ruined lunch/dinner and text your friends back letting them know that lando was in fact, not giving you the day off for the date. you then throw yourself into bed. you put the tv on but the only channel that spoke english was the news channel and you seriously couldn't care less about the way people make tea. how did stuff like this even make the news anyway?

you scroll through all your social media apps then decide to download a job app. you enter your qualifications, cv and a description about yourself and your current job. you apply to a few then feel yourself getting tired so you set your alarms and head to sleep, dreading having to see lando tomorrow. you hope he's in a good mood because even though it doesn't matter what mood lando is in, he's still a dick to you, he's a little bit nicer when he's in a better mood.

you go over everything in the morning before you leave, making sure you have everything. as you make your way to the uber waiting outside the hotel, you check the job app but you have no new notifications. you usually only uber back to the hotels and lando drives you there seeing as you both have to arrive at the same time but there was no way you were spending more time than what you had to with him today. you seen him in the hotel carpark getting into his car when your uber was pulling away, so at least you knew he would be on time.

you and lando arrive at the paddock at the same time, you know you would have to wait for him before going in because andrea wanted to have a quick meeting with the three drivers ahead of the practise session and qualifying.

lando sees you waiting and eventually catches up to you. "andrea wants to see you guys before free practise today. i don't know how long for but it might be long 'cause he wants to talk about quali too." you don't look up from your phone as you read out what had been added to his calendar late last night.

"alright." lando replies. there's no nasty comments, no bluntness and no condescension. you are completely shocked but don't let it show on your face as you both walk inside the mclaren motor home together.

you spot oscar in the corner, eating some sort or energy bar? or maybe some kind of breakfast bar. either way it reminded you that lando probably hasn't eaten yet today, so as he and oscar head towards the meeting room you try to find something lando can eat. oscar has told you many times that making sure lando eats is not in the assistants job responsibilities and yet you feel yourself compelled to make sure he is taking care of himself.

you grab a few of the same bars you seen oscar eating earlier before heading towards the meeting room. you hate walking into the meeting room when there was meetings going on so you try your best not to do it. you have only had to do it once and it was the worst thing you've ever had to do. you were so embarrassed.

everyone is surprised at your interruption but you give them a shy smile and head towards lando. you don't say anything just setting the three bars down on the table in front of him. lando locks eyes with you. "thank you." he says.

this time you can't hide your shock as it's written plainly on your face. it's hidden from the others in the room except lando. you only smile in response then rush out the room. what is going on with him today? you sit on the same table you tried to take your break on yesterday as you respond to emails of lando's behalf and it hits you. lando is clearly feeling bad. you'll talk to him before qualifying.

the meeting ends ends and both mclaren boys are quick to get ready for free practise. from the looks of it, zak was right. lando was back in the game today. he came in third on the time sheets. you hoped this would mean a good qualifying, if not for lando and mclaren but for you. this good mood and lando treating you nicer would definitely go down in flames if lando didn't place in the top five for qualifying. you have never been religious, but you prayed then for it to happen.

you stood at the back of the garage, talking to one of lando's engineers when the man himself came over and dragged you away from him. you didn't even get a chance to apologise for lando's rude behaviour before you were both standing in the hallway to the driver rooms.

lando doesn't speak he just leans forward, pressing his lips to yours in a hesitant and light, kiss. when you didn't react he kissed you again with a little more force. every single thing in you was telling you to kiss him back but there was a single thought in your brain that reminded you who he was and how had treated you the past year. you end up pulling away and asking "what are you doing?".

lando looks at you confused. "you know what i'm doing." he utters, voice laced with confusion, like he seriously didn't understand what the problem with kissing you out of nowhere was.

"uh i don't think i do." you cross your arms, waiting for an expantation.

"i want you." lando tried to say confidently, but it comes out a little weaker than what he expected. he puffs out his chest and stands a bit taller, trying to see more confident.

"you want me?" you repeat back to him. surely he wasn't being serious.

"you know i do." lando responds, hand flying up to cup your cheek. you look at him confused. there is no way he has been living the same year that you have. what the fuck does he mean 'i want you'? you have literally never felt more confused in your life.

"do i? last time we spoke you wouldn't let me have a day off?" you remind him. you want to remind him of a lot of things right now, like every single moment he made you go home or even back to your hotel room and cry. his hand moves from your cheek.

"yeah and why do you think that was? because you were going on a date. with some guy. i don't want you going on dates with random guys i want you going on dates with me." lando tries, desperate to explain himself to you.

"i don't think you have a right to tell me who i can and can't go out with, lando." you are seething. who does he think he is messing around in your life like this? "you're abusing your position as my employer."

"fine. you want the weekend off to go on a date? you can have it off then." lando says, firm and a little sad. before you can say anything back to him, he storms away into his drivers room. you don't know why you just did that. you don't even want to go on the date, you would love to go on the date with lando instead, just like he proposed but you were still annoyed at the way he treated you. you know why he did it now but it still doesn't make it right.

you don't see lando for hours until there are people crowding around his driver room telling him it's time to come out for qualifying. you guess from the noise that lando eventually comes out. zak is there telling him information about the car. you suddenly feel that you need to tell him you do like him. right now. you just felt like he had to know. so you squeeze through the people making their way to his car with him. you find lando's hand and give it a tight squeeze to get his attention.

you pull him closer before you whisper into ear, not wanting all the people surrounding him to hear. "i want you too, but you hurt me. apologise and we can maybe work something out." you reveal. lando's eyes widen, with what you can clearly tell is happiness. he doesn't even have any time to answer you so all he gets to do is nod as he's told to get into the car.

you watch the qualifying with eager eyes, this is the fiirst time since you started that you were actually excited to watch lando race, even though it was just qualifying. he really does put the 'flying' into the flying laps. after a very long hour, lando qualifies in second.

"front row for lando!" the garage exclaims in joy. you can't help but join in. you all wait for lando's car to return to the garage before people are patting him on the shoulder in congradualations.

lando speaks to a few people before he spots you through the crowd, he wades through it to get to you. "hi. i'm so fucking sorry for being a dick to you for the past year. i don't know how to cope with my feelings and i ended up turning positive feeling into negative ones and taking it out on you. i'm so fucking sorry, please let me make it up to you." lando begs. you don't know how he knew that you didn't want anything big as an apology, just lando admitting he was wrong was enough for you.

you nod with a smile to his question and lando seals it with a kiss, not caring that the garage was filled with people and most importantly cameras. he could deal with that later. for right now he had you.

[marie-swriting]

Love Advice - Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Summary : Jake comes back after six months of deployment and he needs your help to win the woman he loves.

Warnings : a tiny bit of angst, mutual pining, thinking there's an unrequited love, happy ending, maybe some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language, tell me if you see some or if I missed any warnings.

Word count : 3.4k

French version

Song inspiration : How You Get The Girl (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

Somebody knocking on your door takes your attention away from your TV show; at first, you just lower the volume down so the person doesn’t know you’re home and wait for them to leave. However, the second the knocks on the door get more insistent and you hear ‘I know you’re home’ with a Texan accent, you jump out of your couch and run to open the door to Jake. You joyfully shriek before throwing yourself into his arms. Jake laughs because of your enthusiasm, then he tenderly holds you close to him. 

You haven’t seen each other in six months because of his last deployment. Of course, you called each other almost every day, it’s just not the same. You've been thick as thieves since you were five, you need to see each other often. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home today?” you ask, breaking the embrace.

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you did. I missed you so much!” you exclaim, kissing his cheek before bringing him inside. “I hope you’re staying home for a long time. Six months without seeing each other is too much!”

“I totally agree.”

As usual, when he comes back home, you spend the day together then, Jake sleeps at yours. You go downtown, eat something, even watch a movie if there’s something interesting and the next day, Jake goes to his place - he lives twenty minutes away.

As soon as the night comes, you go home, takeout food in hand. You go into your living-room and you put a random show as background noise. You keep talking about the last few months in order to catch up when you decide to bring up a topic Jake seems to avoid.

“So, you didn’t tell me anything, what’s going on with Lara?”

Jake met Lara in a bar a week before leaving. You weren’t with him that night, so you don’t know a lot about their relationship; all you know is Jake got along with her pretty well.

“Oh, huh… Well…” he stutters and avoids your gaze.

“Jake,” you say with a disapproving tone. “Don’t tell me you messed up. Not again!”

“Not really. Okay, maybe a little.”

“What did you do?”

“I may or may not have not called her since I left.”

“Are you kidding me?” you scream, hitting his shoulder. “Do you realise you’re the kind of guy we talk shit about when we’re talking with other girls? Jake, you have to stop being a dick and destroying your relationship. You’re a nice guy, but whenever it’s about love, you’re the worst of them. Every time you find an awesome girl, you just ruin everything.”

“I know and this time, I want to fix this.”

“Before we keep going, you didn’t cheat on her, did you?”

“I might suck at relationships, however, you know I have some limits and I’m quite proud to say I’ve never crossed that line.” he affirms with a grin.

“You better!”

“Anyway, at first, I didn’t know what I wanted with her but now I do. I really connected with Lara and I want her to forgive me and give me another chance, I just don’t know how to do it.”

Following his sentence, you immediately understand what he wants. He messed up and now he needs your wise advice to fix the situation. Again. You roll your eyes before straightening up.

“I’m gonna make you pay for my love advice one day, at least, I’ll become a billionaire in a month with you.”

“You’re the most stable person I know when it comes to relationships so obviously I always go to you! Besides, you’re a woman, you know what to do.”

“True.” you modestly confirm. “First thing first, meet her in a neutral environment, a café for example.”

“And I buy her flowers?”

“Do you know her favourite flowers?”

“Roses are the safe option, right?” he suggests and you’re desperate.

“Do you know any personal details about Lara, like her favourite book?” you ask and he shakes his head. “Well, just pay for whatever she orders. First, you apologise and you do it correctly, you put the focus on her and what she might have felt. The goal is not for her to comfort you because you feel bad when you’re the one who messed up. If she still hasn’t thrown her drink in your face, you’re on the right track. Then you say, in the most convincing way, you want her, not an other girl, for worse or for better. You know it’s gonna take her some time for her to trust you again but you will forever and ever. Tell her you know you broke her and you’ll put it back together because you care about her and you want to do better for her. In short, show her you want to be a better man and make sure your actions match your words quickly. And that’s how it works, that’s how you get the girl. At least, your chances will be higher.”

“You seriously think it can work?” Jake asks skeptical. 

“I can’t 100% promise you but, at least, it shows you want to be the man she deserves. Either way, you have to keep me updated! And also, don’t wait too long to do it. You should even contact her right now so you can see her in the following days.”

“You’re right.”

Jake takes his phone and quickly types a message. After you approve it, he sends it and nervously waits for the response; however, being tired from the travel, Jake quickly starts to yawn so you go to sleep. Jake sleeps in the same bed as you. You’ve always done it so you’re not going to change this now, after all, between you two, it’s purely platonic.

At least, for him. The same cannot be said about you. When you were still in High School, your crush on Jake was almost embarrassing. It’s actually the only secret you’ve never told him. Officially. During prom, you confessed to Jake you wanted to be more than friends nevertheless he was so drunk he didn’t understand it and the next day; he had zero recollection of it and you were very grateful. You don’t know what you would’ve done if he had remembered. You probably would have lost your best friend and you couldn’t allow this to happen so you just repressed your crush until it eventually died. 

Notwithstanding, what you don’t know and the only secret Jake has never told you is that he remembers pretty well what you told him that night. He was just so stunned that he pretended he didn’t understand it. He thought he didn’t like you that way so he said nothing to not alter your friendship; though, the backlash was pretty violent two years later when you got your first serious boyfriend, Jake was insanely jealous. At first, he just thought he was afraid to lose his best friend until he reached the dreadful conclusion: he has feelings for you and it’s too late, he missed his chance with you. As a consequence, Jake went from one fling to the other while you were going from one long-lasting relationship to the other without him understanding what you found to ‘those dudes’ like he always says. Though, these last few months, he has come to terms with the fact one of ‘those dudes’ whom you’ve been with for several years is the one for you. Jake isn’t sure he’s the one you deserve, and he doesn’t want to ruin your friendship, that’s why he wants to fix his relationship with Lara, especially because your relationship with Scott is the longest one you’ve ever had and he’s probably your future husband so Jake definitely has to stop hoping you’ll get together one day. He has to move just like you did.

The next morning, once Jake wakes up, you’ve already left for work. While he’s eating breakfast, Jake’s eyes are set on a picture of you and him hung on your wall, he has his lips pressed on your cheek while you’re trying to hide your fluster with a smile. The picture was taken on the last day of High School and he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t one of his favourites. He finds you cute in this photo. 

His phone ringing catches his attention. He unlocks it and discovers a text from Lara.

Message from Lara to Jake, 8:37 A.M.:

I’m willing to hear you out, but just because I want some explanations. Is tomorrow afternoon okay for you?

Jake quickly answers her and confirms the date. He should be happy, Lara is open to the discussion though, he can’t help his heart to tighten in his chest, and he stares at the picture on the wall again. He shakes his head and brings back his attention to Lara. You’re part of his romantic past, even if nothing ever happened, Lara is his future. He has to think about her, not you.

The minute you come home from work that night, Jake tells you about his date the next day. You congratulate him with a big smile, though your heart breaks a little. Jake rehearses to you what he’s going to tell Lara to make sure he won't ruin his last chance and you assure him his speech is perfect.

“White lilies, those are her favourite flowers.” Jake says point blank.

“Then offer her some. It’ll prove you care about her because you remember a small detail about her.”

“That’s why you didn’t want me to take roses?”

“Exactly. If you are lucky and it’s her favourite flower, you’re good but imagine if she hates them because she finds them cliché, you’ll ruin your chances before opening your mouth, ‘cause on top of not being original, you just prove you don’t pay attention to her. Roses are the safe option, yet it doesn’t mean it should be your choice at the slightest obstacle. You’re already taking risks by coming back after six months of radio silence so go all the way, don’t play safe with roses.”

“You’re right.”

“I know I’m right! And please, please, please, don’t buy her flowers only when you screw up. Do it when everything is good between you. Do it even when there’s nothing to celebrate. It’s those kinds of tiny details that’ll make all the difference, it proves you care about her. Of course, it goes further than flowers but you get the idea, the fact is, you can’t let a routine get in the way and the only times you break it and you give her some attention is to make up to her or believe me, it’s the breakup for sure because she’ll feel abandoned.” you specify, saying your last sentence at an incredible speed and Jake looks at you suspiciously.

“Is everything okay between you and Scott? It sounded personal at the end.”

“We’re not talking about me but you.”

“So the answer is no.” he affirms, reading you like an open book.

“We broke up five months ago.” you sigh.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me? What did he do? He didn’t cheat on you, did he?” Jake questions, protective.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just after six, almost seven years of relationship, we lost ourselves in a routine and we realised we were together out of habits not out of love. Besides, we argued more and more for useless things. It’s better like that.”

What you’re not telling Jake is that there is another reason. Scott was sure you and Jake are in love. No matter how many times you said your crush on Jake was only when you were a teenager and that Jake never loved you like this, Scott never believed you. Your friendship with Jake was the main argument between you and Scott.

“You should have told me sooner rather than pretending you were fine when we were on the phone.”

“Don’t worry, I got over it. Let’s talk about you and Lara again. You didn’t tell me a lot about her.”

“In my defence, I never thought I’d go further with her.”

Jake replies to your several questions, but he can’t help and think back to the information you just gave him. You broke up with Scott, something he didn’t think would happen. He was sure you were going to end your life with him. As opposed to your exes, Jake had to admit Scott did deserve you and it cost him a lot to say it, nonetheless he could see how Scott made you happy like he never could. Maybe this time Jake could make you happy? Jake pushed this last thought in the back of his mind. He agreed he had to leave you in the past. Jake can’t hope for a future with you when he’s about to win Lara’s heart again! He needs to stay focused.

Jake ends up leaving in the late evening to go to his place. You hug him and give him some encouragement for his date before closing the door behind him. That night, Jake struggles to fall asleep, completely lost about who he truly wants.

The next day as it is your day off and raining a lot, you stay home and clean your apartment from top to bottom. Music coming out of your phone, you wipe the floor with care when someone knocks on your door. You loudly sigh then put the mop back in the bucket and make sure it doesn’t fall before walking to the door whilst shutting down your music. Once you open, you surprisingly find Jake, soaking wet, with a bouquet of several flowers in purple tones.

“Jake? What are you doing here?”

“I remember.” he tells you as if you were supposed to get it.

“What are you talking about?”

“Prom.”

“What? Aren’t you supposed to be with Lara by now, anyway? And I thought you were gonna offer her lilies.” you question, after you understood what he meant.

“The flowers, they’re for you. I’m not playing safe, I know you love these kinds of bouquet because you can’t pick a favourite flower and your favourite colour is purple.” he says, handing you the bouquet, yet you don’t take it.

“What? Are you insane? Lara is the one you’re supposed to win over, not me!”

“That’s what I thought, too, but it wouldn’t have been fair to her. I still went to meet her and apologise for ghosting her though, she isn’t the one I want.”

“Jake, I don’t understand.”

“Can I come in?”

Without replying to him, you step aside and let him in. Jake takes his damped shoes off before walking to the kitchen entrance.

“I’m gonna get you a towel, I don’t want you to be sick. Make yourself a coffee to warm up.”

Whilst you grab a clean towel, you try to understand what’s happening. You didn’t expect to see him, especially with flowers. The second you go back to him, Jake puts his freshly poured cup down and takes the towel while handing you the bouquet once more and this time, you accept it. Without holding yourself back, you smell the flowers and tenderly look at them; you love them. Jake got it right. He’s proud of himself when he sees the soft smile on your face.

“They’re beautiful, Jake, but why?”

“Like I said, I remember. I remember what you told me during prom.” he specifies whilst drying his face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” you lie, avoiding his eyes.

“I think you do. You told me you had feelings for me.”

You stare at Jake, confused. You were convinced he had no memory of that moment. In one second, your cheeks heat and you don't know what to do with yourself.

“I pretended to not remember because I didn’t know how to react and I’m sorry.” Jake admits, putting down the towel and taking a sip of his coffee.

“Don’t apologise, you saved me from a moment that would have haunted me until I die like this moment will.”

“I shouldn’t have ignored you.” he affirms, putting down his cup on the table. “You confessed something very important to me and by ignoring you, I broke your heart and mine in the process. I didn’t know it at the time but I also had feelings for you. I realised it too late, actually when you met dickhead number 1.”

“You mean Josh?” you ask, laughing.

“That’s what I said. Anyway,” Jake resumes getting closer to you, “I should have talked to you and not leave you in the dark. Your friendship means a lot to me and that night, I didn’t act as a good friend. Even if I hadn't had feelings for you, I should’ve said something and not let you deal with your broken heart alone. I’m sorry I broke your heart that night and if it’s not too late, I want to pull it back together. I never stopped having feelings for you. I spent years ignoring my feelings and every time I wanted to confess them, you were with someone else and now, it’s the right time. I want you, not an other girl, for worse or for better.”

“What about Lara? I thought you liked her.” you ask, trying not to get your hopes up.

“She’s nice but she’ll never make me feel what I feel with you. I would have never been honest with her if I had been with her. That’s why I never got in a serious relationship actually, you were always on my mind and I didn’t want another girl there. I wanted to try with Lara because I thought I had missed my chance with you so I wanted to move on, yet when you told me you and Scott were over yesterday, I knew you’d always be in my heart. That’s why I preferred to apologise to Lara without getting into a relationship with her. I could have never committed to her because I want to do it with you. I don’t know if you still have feelings for me and if you do, you’re probably hesitant considering my history and I get it though, I mean it when I say I want to commit to you.” he insists, looking you right in the eyes. “I’m not saying I’ll be perfect right away but you can be sure I’ll do everything to be. I know it’s gonna take some time for you to trust me but I will, forever and ever. I care about you, no, I love you and I want to do better for you. For once, I wanna be the good boyfriend and more particularly the man you deserve,” Jake states, putting his hand on your cheek, “the one who will buy you flowers at any occasion, the one who won’t abandon you, the one you’ll never get stuck in a routine with, the one who will make you happy, make you feel loved and who will cherish you until his dying breath.”

At the end of his speech, you’re at a loss for words. You didn’t expect a confession of love from him and you never thought Jake was capable of saying such beautiful things or even being serious about a relationship. Not knowing what to reply, you put your free hand on Jake’s cheek and kiss him with passion. He doesn’t waste a second to kiss you back. Among all the kisses he’s shared, this one is officially his favourite, and he hopes he’ll relive it every day of his life. His heart is beating fast in his chest while he brings you closer to him. As soon as you break the kiss, you look at Jake with eyes full of love.

“I never stopped loving you, Jake.”

Jake smiles as he hears your confession. He was very nervous when he came to your place. He was afraid he’d ruin everything, and he’s relieved to know he was wrong.

“Wow, your advice works wonders,” he suddenly says with a sarcastic tone. “Well, I improved your speech a bit but I approve of it. You really should get paid for your love advice.”

“I told you that’s how it works.” you affirm as if it was obvious. “That’s how you got the girl.”

“That’s how I got my girl.”

When you hear the emphasis on the pronoun, you avoid his gaze for a second, flustered. You clear your throat before speaking again.

“You should take me to a first date then.”

“Oh, I will. Any advice as to what to do on a first date? I have to impress this girl who means a lot to me.”

You both laugh then you bring Jake close to you again before pressing your lips on him, the second kiss even better than the first one.

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist