#and again like we haven’t even spoken ABOUT these people in like two months and they just crawl out of nowhere

[clanoffelidae]

Like two and a half month’s ago my roommate’s ex-friend told him to go kill himself so I went off on her and then we both blocked her and removed her from our lives, forgot about her within like two weeks because we have??? Other things to worry about??? but apparently we’ve been living rent free in her and her girlfriend’s heads since then since they both just spam called and texted us a few hours ago and were just. ????

You mean. The therapist that I’ve MET??? The one whom I’ve walked in during virtual sessions with to drop off meds I picked up while at the pharmacy??? Who prescribes all of said meds bc what fucking dealers do you have that hand out prozac???

Girlie what are you SAYING what world have you built in your heads these past two months like ???? 😭

[lowkeyerror]

The Family Business Ch.12

WandaNat x Reader

Word count: 2.7k

Ch. Notes: It's a converstion so dialouge heavy, non-sexual nudity

Summary: Natasha and Wanda reveal their feelings.

An: Ok... ok late again, but tell me it's not worth the wait. (Please don't) Hopefully you love it because it's 2:25am but I'm still doing this for yall and yes if everything goes right new ch. on Monday

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Wanda couldn’t look at you when she was speaking. You could see she was trying to find the words, but you didn’t know how to help her.

Natasha knowing what her wife is trying to say tries to take over.

“ Before I met you I was a little jealous. Seeing the love of my life light up talking about someone who was quite literally thousands of miles away, was a hard pill to swallow. I haven’t known you as long as Wanda, but I can see now why she had always spoken so highly of you.”

You want to interrupt the red head and say anything back to her, but you don’t. They had said they wanted to tell you everything before you spoke so you intended to let them.

“When Papa sent me away, I resented him for it. It was a great opportunity and a show of good faith, but I was angry with him because I didn’t want to leave you here. I thought we had grown quite close, little krolik. You were the best part of all my days. So much so that even thousands of miles away I couldn’t shut up about you. Even after I fell in love, you’d always find a way into my mind,” Wanda plays with her wedding ring as she speaks.

You look between the two woman silently urging them to continue.

“I’ve been many places, lived many lives, and have met many people, but I've never met anyone like you. There’s this light inside you that you keep so close to your chest. I can feel it behind all the walls you put up. I see it in how intensely you care about your family and I admire it. I admire you,” Natasha isn’t scared to take your hand in hers.

Wanda continues, “It’s hard not to admire you. If Natasha has seen it in these few months, it’s safe to say I’ve always seen it. I saw it before you put all these walls up, when you let it be known to everyone. I think that’s what startled me so much when I came home. I felt like a soldier come home from war to see his home was no longer his.”

The woman begins to get emotional. You reach out your other hand for her to take, not knowing what else to do.

“When I saw Wanda interact with you for the first time, I felt something. It wasn’t jealousy or hatred or anything like that. It was this overwhelming warmth. Seeing her hold you as if you’d disappear, seeing her smile as big as our wedding day, it made me happy,” Natasha recounts.

Wanda sighs, “When we were in my old room at the dinner I was terrified. I thought you were going to tell me the same thing everyone else had when it came to you, but you didn’t. You held me, dried my tears, and I think things really started to fall into place for me then.”

“I met Wanda when she was technically on a job. She was leading and in charge of operations. I had seen her get angry or upset on multiple occasions, but I don’t know if I ever saw her as mad as that night. I could almost see the steam coming out of her ears when she had Pietro against the wall. As far as I knew, I was the only one who could calm her down, but then you did it like it was second nature.”

You speak quietly, “She’s always had a temper.”

You think the woman will roll her eyes, but she doesn’t, “I have and you have always been there to calm me down. I don’t know how to say this, Y/n. When I met you, you were just my little brother’s best friend, but then you became my friend and then a part of my family. You were so delicate back then, you weren’t even 18 for Christ sake.”

Natasha tries to help her wife find her bearings, “But by the time she left you were 22 and you had grown into a young woman.”

Wanda shakes her head a bit, “You had done a lot of growing, that I didn't want to see, that I was trying to ignore because I didn’t want you to think that I had intentions of taking advantage of you. I felt like at the time I was too old, you were too young, and we were too close.”

You look at her with confusion on your face. There’s only one thing that she could be talking about in your mind, but this can’t be happening.

“What are you saying Wanda?”

For the first time in the conversation her eyes meet yours. You see the fear in them, the uncertainty, the desperation. Her hand let’s go of yours and finds itself on her bouncing knee.

“I don't want to ruin this and I'm so scared of losing you, but if you would’ve died in that alley not knowing that I’m in love with you it would’ve destroyed me.”

You feel your heart beating against your chest. Your mouth opens and closes a few times as you try to find your voice. You find yourself stuttering for the first time in years, “Y-you w-what?”

Wanda stands abruptly trying to run from the conversation. This makes you panic and try to stand as well. However, you forget about your ankle and yelp at the weight you put on it.

Wanda’s arms are quick to steady you before you do anymore damage to yourself. She’s close to you and you swear you can hear her heartbeat.

“D-did you s-ay-” you give up frustrated with your reappearing stutter.

Wanda’s grip on you tightens slightly, “I’m in love with you.”

“Wanda I- you’re married,” you look back at Natasha only to find her staring at you.

She stands from her place on the couch, and closes the gap between the two of you.

“I have my own feelings for you Y/n,” Natasha is confident as she speaks.

Her assertion makes you turn red, “Y-you also?”

Natasha smiles sweetly, “Maybe not love just yet, but I could see myself falling for you.”

This situation was short-circuiting your brain, it felt like you were dreaming. This couldn’t be real. As you stood between the two woman it felt like less of a dream.

“I loved you before they sent you away,” you blurt out to your friend’s sister.

Once you start it’s like the words just pour out of your mouth, “You were way out of my league. You’re still out of my league, I mean does it get more taboo than falling for your best friend’s older sister. You’re just so easy to love, but I never thought I had a chance and then you came back with a wife; a very beautiful, very intelligent, ex-Russian spy of a wife, and I just knew I didn’t have a chance.”

“The chance is now. Admittedly, we don’t know how something like this works, but I think we can figure it out together,” Wanda levels with you.

“If you're interested,” Natasha adds on, leaving the ball in your court.

“It would’ve been nice if you guys had told me before I got a cut on my lip. I could’ve done the whole dramatic kiss to cut you off,” you tease them.

Wanda rolls her eyes, “If I could shove you and you wouldn’t fall over, I would.”

“You talk to every woman you’re in love with like that?”

Natasha chimes in, “You get used to it after awhile.”

You share a laugh and when it dies down Wanda speaks, “So we’re doing this?”

“I want to try, but I don’t want to ruin your marriage,” you speak honestly.

“You won’t,” Natasha declares with certainty.

“How do you know?”

She thinks for a moment, “The love Wanda and I have for each other is endless, I’ve never for a moment thought anything could break it up. We’re not changing the way we love each other, we’re just adding you into the already existing dynamic. Eventually it should end with the three of us loving each other endlessly. Does that make sense?”

You nod slowly, “It sounds perfect.”

Natasha places a kiss on your cheek like it’s second nature to her, “Good.”

Your ears heat at the contact and before you can respond Wanda places a light kiss at the corner of your lips.

The movement leaves you wanting more. Against better judgement you try to lean down and kiss her. You succeed in placing your lips against hers for a brief second but as you pull away you almost fall again.

Natasha is the one to steady you this time. She teases you, “Someone is eager?”

“My ankle doesn’t want me to be great.” you pout.

Natasha hesitates, but delicately she touches her lips to yours. It’s as quick as your attempt at kissing Wanda.

“Your ankle won’t stop us, bunny,” Wanda looks at you with shining eyes.

Your face heats at the nickname that’s only familiar to you in the woman’s native language. The women chuckle at the pigment of your skin.

“We’ll see who’s laughing when my lips don’t hurt and I can kiss you properly,” you try once again standing on your own.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Wanda lets her eyes fall to your lips.

You roll your eyes, “Stop teasing, and help me get ready for bed. This has simultaneously been one of the best and one of the most painful days of my life. Truly unforgettable.”

Natasha speaks first, “I’ll get some stuff ready for a shower.”

“I’ll help you to the bathroom,” Wanda finishes.

It’s an all too similar feeling as you find yourself perched on the bathroom counter with Wanda standing between your legs.

Her fingers play with the end of your shirt. She looks at you for permission and you give her a light nod.

Slowly as to not aggravate your injuries she takes your shirt off. She’s careful as she unwraps the bandages from your torso.

“You’ll need help in there,” she speaks softly as her eyes scan your body.

“I know,” the pain starts to catch up with you.

Leaning forward slightly you rest your head on her shoulder. She smells good and it calms your nerves.

Wanda can’t help herself as she speaks up, “Isn’t this a familiar scene?”

You raise your head off of her shoulder and smile, “It’s ringing a few bells.”

Natasha enters the restroom with some towels and pajamas, “I’m going to get some food going, if you guys are alright in here?”

Wanda nods, “I’ve got her, Nat.”

Natasha nods and proceeds to exit the bathroom, “Just holler if you need me.”

Wanda steps away from you to turn the shower on. She’s back in front of you in no time.

“How do you want to do this?”

You feel nerves as you speak, but you try to sound objective, “I think you should join me. Not because I want to see you, not that I don’t want to see you. Its just I can’t really stand and-”

She quiets you down by pulling her own shirt over her head. Her feet pad against the bathroom floor as she makes her way back over to you. Wanda’s hands place themselves on the top of your pants. Her movements are slow but sure as she begins to pull them down. She takes extra care when they're around your ankle.

Once they’re off she takes a step back swiftly removing her own pants. The only thing left on both of you is your underwear.

The sound of the shower rings heavily in your ears as you watch Wanda take her bra off. You can’t move even if you want to. Your eyes glance over her chest before following her hands path lower. She’s not teasing as she removes her panties.

Once again you find yourself with her standing between your legs, but this time there was significantly less fabric in the way. She reaches behind you back to place her hands on your bra clasp.

“Y/n, do you mind if-"

“Take it off,” you finish for her.

She does as you say, a shaky breath releases from her. Your bra falls off your shoulder, but you keep looking in her eyes. Her hand slides down from your back and her finger hooks around your underwear.

“Take it off,” you repeat in a hushed tone.

She follows your instructions. Her eyes snap back to yours. The two of you stare in silence. There’s an underlying tenderness to the moment.

Wanda’s hand reach for your waist, “Ready?”

You nod and she assists you off of the counter. The water hits your skin and you sigh. You enjoy the heat against your bruised skin. Wanda’s hands stay in place for a moment just keeping you steady.

It's a silent delicacy as Wanda soaps up a towel and begins to gently clean your skin. You marvel at the lightness of her touch.

She turns you around so you face her. You look down at her and can’t help but brush your nose against hers. You hear her breath hitch. Carefully you use your hand to guide her’s across your body.

Neither of you dwell as she cleans every inch of you intimately. You lean against the shower wall a bit so Wanda has room to wash herself. You take in the details of her body as she cleans herself.

She gets out first and then helps you put the pajamas laid out for you on before dressing herself.

“I love you,” you say it easily when everything is done.

Wanda places a kiss on your forehead, “I love you too.”

Wanda helps you to the kitchen table. Your eyes find Natasha moving about in the kitchen.

“Almost done, I know you’re tired lisichka. We can eat then get in the bed,” Natasha speaks to you.

“Thanks Natty,” you look at her with your hand on your chin.

“Did you re-wrap her torso detka?” Natasha asks her wife.

Wanda snaps her fingers, “I knew I forgot something.”

“Take over here, and I’ll do it?”

Wanda agrees to these terms. Natasha goes to fetch the medical wrap and quickly returns. You’re sitting down, so Natasha kneels to be level with your torso.

Carefully with tentative hands, she lifts up your shirt. Her hand finds the small of your back, to encourage you to sit straight. You follow her instructions.

“Tell me if it’s too tight, okay?”

You’re looking down into her eyes and you momentarily get lost in them. The hues of green draw you in like emeralds.

“Baby,” she says again a little more firm.

You snap out of it and nod, “I’ll tell you if it’s too tight.”

She brings the wrap around your torso multiple times, each time looking for any extensive discomfort in your expression.

When she’s done with your torso, she quickly does your ankle. Your ankle was more sensitive, so she made sure to be extra gentle.

“All set, lisichka,” the woman places a kiss on your forehead as she stands up.

“Food is ready,” Wanda announces bringing plates for the three of you to table.

At this point exhaustion was knocking at your door. You eat in comfortable silence and once you’re finished, they help you to bed.

When your head hits the pillow, you almost fall asleep instantly.

“If I didn’t want to kill him for what he did to my father, I’d kill him for this,” Wanda says to her wife.

“The men involved have been dealt with already,” Natasha relies to her Wanda.

“You work fast malyshka,” Wanda places her hands on Natasha’s hips.

Natasha looks at your sleeping figure, “I’d move at the speed of light for either of you.”

Natasha ends her statement by kissing Wanda.

“I love you,” Wanda pulls the woman closer to her.

Natasha smiles pecking the woman’s lips once more, “I love you too.”

The two of them climb into the bed, making sure to give you adequate space due to your injuries.

“Why does this already feel so natural?” Wanda questions.

Natasha answers instantly, “It’s just meant to be like this. This feels like the final piece to our little puzzle."

Wanda was more than content with that answer, closing her eyes, unable to fight rest.

Somewhat like before, but entirely different at the same time, the three women lay together.

Taglist: @natashaswife4125 @autorasexy @alexawynters @blkmxrvel @toouncreativeforausername @likemick @sgm616 @bstvst @dorabledewdroop @sapphic-simp4015 @natty-taffy @justarandomreaderxoxo @mmmmokdok @tarathia @bgwlsmahf25 @lezzylover @og-kxsh-420 @vanessashands @untoldreader @sxlfishbrokenheart @marvelgirlx @elle161989

[saerins]

( 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐀 ) — 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔

+ suna x f!reader | wc 1.8k | content: fluff, highly suggestive (skinny dipping), college au, best friends to lovers

notes: i …. do not know how this came out it just happened ૮꒰ྀི ´∩∩` ꒱ྀིა i was going somewhere with this but … yeah :’) idk i hope it’s okay >_<

summary: you both are good at living in denial. until now, until neither of you can stay away anymore.

“god, i missed hanging out with you.”

it makes your heart skip a beat; suna’s sudden confession. you look to your right, suna in the passenger seat of his own car with you behind the wheel. his head is thrown back against the seat, his green eyes lost behind his bangs.

you swallow the lump in your throat. “what kind of friend would i be if i left you all to your miserable, lonesome self, huh?”

suna sits up, looking at you, that godforsaken smirk plastered on his face. “as much of a horrible best friend you were back when i was still with haruka.”

he laughs when you flip him off. “please, your girlfriend’s insecurity comes first, okay, rintarou?”

“ex-girlfriend now,” he points out, “and there was nothing to be jealous about, we were just friends, babe.” he’s still laughing, obviously amused by your incredulousness after so long of not being in contact with you, and too used to you that he doesn’t flinch at calling you things like babe.

you extend your index finger, pointing it at him as a warning, “rin, i’m not joking.” because yeah, there was nothing going on, but you and rin were… close. and you’d probably get why some girls wouldn’t be okay with that. some of his girlfriends were fine with it, some of them even made friends with you, but of course some were not. like haruka.

that’s also why you and suna haven’t spoken in well over a year. it’s nothing you can’t handle… really.

but then you feel suna prying your outstretched palm open, your index finger in his hands and his lips pressing softly against your lifeline, a glint of mischief in his green eyes and that favourite smile of his filling your vision and you suddenly remember why you had to pry yourself away in the first place.

“stop being so smug, rin,” you snap, heated cheeks and suddenly remembering to breathe. hurriedly, you yank your hand away from him and start the engine while suna’s still there beside you, staring at you, amused.

“whatever you say, princess.”

it’s been over a month since the breakup with haruka and strangely, suna feels fine. there wasn’t any animosity between them either. it was just two people figuring out that this wasn’t working. they had that spark at first, yeah, but everything after that was just… something. a whole lot of something that suna just wasn’t interested in anymore. neither was she.

funny how he didn’t think he’d want anyone else for a while—until he saw you again on campus. being apart from you took some time getting used to, as it always did, but it wasn’t hard when there was always someone for him to fool around with.

and funny how the moment he started talking to you again that he started thinking maybe he wants it, all of what he had with all those ex-girlfriends, with you. and sue him for thinking that maybe you wanted it too.

“you’re such a slow ass driver, oh my god,” suna groans, earning your glare. now this; this feels like the kind of life he wants. chilling, enjoying night drives, you next to him. just you.

“you take the wheel then,” you huff, indignant.

fuck, you’re so cute.

suna crosses his arms, “nah i’m a little sleepy.”

you roll your eyes, hands on the gearshift, increasing the speed a little after his complaint. he still remembers how you pout when you’re disgruntled, how you idly puff your cheeks out when you’re concentrating, how you bite your lip when you’re nervous.

maybe his repressed feelings are catching up to him. maybe they’re telling him to just fucking get it over and done with because he’s done pretending.

you’re driving him to your parents’ holiday beach house after all, because your parents are rich like that and have absolutely no notion of saving simply because they never had the need to. you’re able to enjoy the spoils of it all.

plus, your car’s probably a thousand times better than his semi-beat up gt-r but here you are, insisting on driving his car instead of yours.

suna steals a sideways glance at you, the yellow from the street lamps bouncing off your face in all the right ways. god, you’re fucking pretty.

maybe he’ll make a move after all.

“can’t remember the last time i was here,” suna sighs as he gets out of the car. his heart is beating out of his chest; you don’t need to know that. he acts normal, like he isn’t anticipating anything with you, like he still thinks you’re just his friend, as though either of you can continue pretending like this.

because sure, when would a guy and a girl go to a beach house together completely platonic? suna thinks if there were people like that they’d be insane. especially if it’s with you because—he steals a glance at you again, dragging your weekend bag along with you as you fumble with the keys to open the door—look how goddamn beautiful you are.

and he thinks even more so one hour later, when you come out of the house in your swimsuit, looking hot as hell that suna’s glad he’s already in the water because you don’t need to see him reacting to that.

“what, you pussying out on me, rin?” you tease later, when he had half jokingly dared you to turn this into a skinny dip.

suna narrows his eyes at you, and for a moment it’s like you realise that he doesn’t look like his usual, smug self. like you can tell his expression’s growing soft. “i’ll do it if you do.”

some part of him is wishing you’ll say no, and not because he doesn’t want to see all of you (because he’d be lying if he said he didn’t think about you when he’s alone sometimes)—but because he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to hold back if he does.

maybe you’re oblivious to that, though, because you swim closer, throwing your arms around his shoulders and grinning. “my bottom’s off,” you tell him, and he can’t get it out of his head how you sound absolutely sinful.

with the sea so dark, he’s cursing it for not letting him see you.

“your top’s still on,” he tells you, eyeing the straps, eyes glazed with full-blown lust. so are yours, as he realises the moment he flicks his greens to you.

you’re not grinning anymore when you speak, “untie it for me.” you look a little timid, like you’re a little too aware of how his index finger is trailing a path down your spine—and yes, your bottoms are definitely off, probably lost in the bottom of the ocean somewhere.

suna doesn’t say a word, only relishes the way your breath hits his lips, enough of a compensation for a kiss for now, while his other free hand undoes the strap on your right, and then left, until your top goes limp and is probably joining your bottom soon.

it’s taking everything in him not to just carry you up so he can look at you. you smirk when you catch him thinking; like you know exactly what’s going on in his head.

because you do, he’s your best friend after all.

“let’s get back to the house, i’m freezing,” you grin, knowing that he’s groaning on the inside.

“fucking tease,” he’s grinning now too, watching as you float back towards the shore, pulling him along.

when you get out of the ocean, he stays still as you pick your towel up off the lounge chair, swallowing the lump in his throat as he admires you, bare body and so so perfect. he doesn’t mind dying tonight after this.

“quit staring, perv,” you giggle as you toss him his towel.

suna’s not crazy for thinking you’re into him too right? with the way you look at him with those eyes, with the way your fingers linger above his for a little too long.

“what’s wrong with staring?” he asks, challenging you, inching closer, feeling the smugness wear off when you realise you’re chest to chest, the kind of proximity you didn’t allow for earlier.

you’re stubborn, you insist on playing along, refusing to back down. “quit it, or i’ll think you like me, rin.”

it’s borderline amusing how you’re almost breathless by the time his forehead presses against yours, his fingers brushing your sides through your towel. your breath hitches in your throat and he likes that, likes you, so maybe he should keep staring.

“what’s wrong with that?”

he’s treading that line you’re always so afraid to cross, but fuck he just wants to pull you with him, take you back to your house and fucking love you like that’s all he knows.

but he’s patient, he’ll wait—because he wants you to make the move. to close that gap, to inch even closer than he has.

you’re nervous, but your hands come up to his cheeks and you give him that relief he seeks; your lips taste even better than he thought they would, and you sound like paradise. the way you gentle tug on his bottom lip before you eventually pull away has him going crazy, though maybe to be fair, he’s been going crazy for a while now, thinking of you in every crevice of his room whenever he’s alone.

“finally,” he exhales, taking some pride in the way you seem to have weak knees now, leaning on him. “maybe some of my exes had a point.”

you laugh, playfully pushing his chest away, “oh our first kiss and you’re going to talk about exes? i could tell you all about the time i dated kiyo—”

suna shuts you up forcefully with a kiss, both pairs of your legs clumsily hitting sand and rocks and the cobblestone path as the urgency to get back to the house hits.

“don’t wanna hear you say another guy’s name,” suna tells you in between kisses, smirking against your lips when he hears you whining as he pulls away. “just my name okay, baby?”

it’s hard not to fall for him when he’s like this; when even before everything he calls you pet names and introduces you to his family, when he always puts an arm around you and holds you close, when everytime he breaks up with someone and you inevitably draw close again that it feels like nothing’s changed.

“yeah, only you, rin.”

that smile will be the death of you, and his whisper of good girl against your ear is the ultimatum.

maybe you’ve always had a thing for your best friend.

now you finally get him.

[peachhcs]

mark to the rescue

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

samy isn't feeling it when hannah drags her out, so mark comes to save her from the frats

2.1k words

i always love writing the big brother relationship between samy and the umich boys, so here's her and mark after he picks her up when samy attempts to go out and talk to guys but realizes all of them are horrible

au masterlist

“come onnn, you haven’t come out with us in like..forever,” hannah frowned at samy where the girl sat on her bed trying to get her homework done. a small eye roll came from the soccer player. 

“maybe because i’m trying to keep up with my work?” samy’s tone had a bit of attitude laced into it. 

hannah’s noticed she’s become a bit more bitter ever since the breakup and knew to not take it personally. “okay, well you can take a break? it’ll be a fun break,” the girl tried again with a hopeful smile. 

“i’m just not into it,” samy shrugged knowing she wouldn’t really have fun. she never had a lot of fun when going out unless she was somewhat wasted and there was no way she was drinking her weight with a game in two days. 

“for an hour? please? for me if not yourself? maybe you’ll see a guy catch your eye or something,” hannah wiggled her eyebrows, but that only earned her another unimpressed eye roll. 

she’s been on samy’s back a little about going out and talking to some guys since will clearly didn’t care anymore and neither of them had spoken for five months. 

“again with the guys, huh?” samy raised her eyebrow. 

“i just think it could be fun for you. try out your flirting. you never really had to do that with will because he was always just all over you,” immediately after hannah said that she realized she probably shouldn’t have. 

samy’s gaze hardened a bit at the mention of will’s name. 

“if i come out, will you shut up?” 

hannah smiled, “yes. i knew i could convince you. come on, we need to get you ready.” 

samy was dragged off the bed a moment later, her textbooks and notebooks long forgotten as the two girls dove into samy’s closet to find an outfit. 

thirty minutes later, hannah and samy packed themselves into the full frat house. sweaty bodies knocked against one another along with drinks dropping to the floor as it sloshed out of people’s cups. the scene was chaotic and samy quickly regretted coming out. 

“i’m gonna find a drink. want anything?” hannah yelled over the speakers. 

“get me whatever,” samy responded. the girl nodded before disappearing into the crowd of bodies towards the kitchen. 

samy perched herself in the corner where she hoped she could hide the whole night and not have to talk to anyone. her phone suddenly became really interesting as she swiped through her different apps awaiting hannah’s return. 

“hey, samy, right?” the brunette’s head snapped up at the new voice. 

when she saw the face a few feet away, she instantly recognized him. he was in her political theory class where the two bantered back and forth about differing opinions. samy managed a small smile. 

“hi, yeah. that’s me. you’re..dylan, right?” the boy nodded when samy got his name right. 

“yeah, that’s me. i’m always firing some opinions back at you in class,” dylan said and samy nodded. 

“yeah, that’s right. those are fun,” the girl chuckled even though they were on opposite ends of the debate most of the times, samy enjoyed having someone to have civilized discussions with amd she knew they entertained the class. 

“i didn’t really take you for much of a frat girl?” dylan hummed, leaning himself against the wall. the brunette shrugged some. 

“i’m not, but my roommate dragged me out,” somewhere in the crowd was hannag getting them drinks and samy lowkey hoped she’d come back soon so she could exit this conversation. 

it wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to dylan, samy knew what he wanted and why he was near her and that was just something the girl didn’t really want to partake in. 

“how are you and your boyfriend? i never see you post about him anymore?” dylan asked casually, but that sentence alone nearly sent the girl spiraling. she forgot people would ask her about will because they were fairly public with their relationship. 

“um, we broke up a few months ago actually,” samy swallowed, eyes on the ground. 

“oh. i’m sorry, i had no idea. that sucks,” the taller boy quickly sympathized with her, but samy shook her head. 

“don’t worry about it. it’s fine,” she gave a tight lipped smile that hopefully dylan would take the hint that she didn’t want to talk about it. 

he seemed to not take that hint though, “you were out of his league anyway. i’m sure you can do a lot better than him.” 

samy seriously hoped hannah was on her way back with those drinks. “yeah, it’s whatever. i’m getting over it,” the soccer player’s fingers brushed across her charm bracelet, subconsciously toying with the shark charm. 

whether the youngest hughes wanted to acknowledge it or not, she played with that charm a lot whenever will was on her mind as if it would help her stop thinking about him even though he got her that charm. 

“i bet your brother’s hockey friends are just lined up for you,” dylan seriously did not know when to stop talking. 

luckily, hannah pushed her way back through the crowd with two cups in her hand. she beamed when she caught sight of her roommate talking to a guy. 

“oh, perfect. i was waiting for you, hannah. mind showing me to the bathroom,” samy immediately cut in when the girl got close enough. 

samy had eyes that said get me away from this man. hannah glanced between her and the guy before nodding, letting the soccer player drag her away before anything else could be said. as soon as the two were out of view, samy grabbed a cup and quickly chugged whatever was in it. 

“jesus, slow down, hughes,” hannah laughed a bit. 

“these fucking guys don’t know how to take a hint. have they always been this bad?” because will was always just there, samy never had to do much flirting with him to catch his attention. she hardly paid attention to the guys in the frats last year, so she never realized how horrible it was to talk to one of them. 

“did something happen?” hannah grew concerned. 

“just that dylan can’t take a hint when to stop talking. he literally thinks luke’s hockey friends are at my feet after knowing will broke up with me,” the idea made the brunette shudder even thinking about it. 

“ew, gross. that would be a whole new low for you if you started dating one of them,” hannah shook her head. 

“can i just leave? i’ll get mark or someone to pick me up. i know you’re trying to cheer me up, but i don’t think a frat is gonna make me smile,” samy frowned a bit. 

hannah studied her roommate's expression and she knew this scene wasn’t for her. it never had been anyway. “okay, just text me when you’re back? i’m sorry this wasn’t fun.” 

“it’s okay. i promise i’ll text,” the two girls exchanged tight hugs before samy started her way back to the door and searched for mark’s contact. 

she knew ethan was studying for this big exam coming up and mark never did much except hang out with his girlfriend, so samy just hoped she wouldn’t interrupt things when she called. surprisingly, the older boy picked up on the second ring as soon as samy got outside. 

“what’s up hughesy?” mark cheered. 

“hey, i hate to ask but can you pick me up? i’m at this frat hannah dragged me out to and i just wasn’t feeling it. i’ll send my location,” the girl explained. 

“yeah, sure. i’m on my way,” mark said. 

“thanks, mark. i owe you,” the two hung up and samy made her perch outside while she waited for mark’s arrival. 

ten minutes later, mark’s little honda civic pulled onto the side of the road. the boy reached over the seats to push samy’s door open for her. the girl smiled as she climbed in beside him. 

“thanks again. i didn’t wanna bother ethan knowing he’s studying,” samy explained as she buckled in and mark pulled back onto the road. 

“it’s not a problem. i was just playing video games with the other guys,” that made samy laugh because of how typical that sounded. those guys were always glued to their computers on call with one another. 

“any chance you’re hungry? i could go for our usual,” mark glanced over at the girl with a smile. 

anytime ethan or mark had to pick samy up late at night, they always stopped at their favorite pizza place on campus that became the spot the two boys took the girl out for lunch every other week to catch up with her like real annoying brothers would do. 

“i could always go for pizza,” samy grinned back at the older boy. 

they pulled into the parking lot a few moments later as the two eagerly hopped out to order their usuals—two slices of pepperoni for samy and two slices of cheese for mark. with it being almost 12 in the morning, the two got in and out and then found a table outside. they let the comfortable silence overtake them, savoring the first bites and people watching the very drunk college kids wandering around to different house parties. 

“so bad night, or what?” mark wondered. 

“not really..i just wasn’t feeling it i guess. this one guy tried talking me up and it got weird really fast,” samy shook her head. 

“what’d he say?” 

“well, first he said i was out of will’s league because i told him we broke up when he asked. then he said and i quote, “i’m sure luke’s hockey friends are lined up at your feet.”” mark quickly frowned when he heard that. 

“what the fuck. who says that,” his eyebrows scrunched together in near disgust. 

“i have no idea. i just had to get out of there. i forgot how awful guys are when they’re trying to flirt with you,” the younger girl shook her head again. 

“i guess you have been out of the game for awhile so,” mark gently teased, but that made samy smile. 

“apparently. i hate that i actually have to like deal with that if i wanna talk to guys now.” 

“are you thinking about dating again?” mark asked. 

“i feel like i can’t keep sitting around being sad, so maybe. i don’t know. probably nothing serious though. the dating scene doesn’t really appeal to me.” 

“makes sense. i’d be the same way if i were you. i know you and will didn’t date for a long time, but that was some serious shit, so.. moving on isn’t that easy,” the older boy sympathized, which samy appreciated. 

“right. i was his first time, so i’d say that’s pretty serious,” the girl mumbled, but mark made a face. 

“ew, i didn’t need to know that part. but like actually?” his reaction made the brunette laugh. 

“sorry, but yeah i was. surprised me too when he told me, but i don’t know. i kind of thought it was sweet,” samy hummed a bit, her finger going back to the shark charm. 

“i know you’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but i really hope you guys can work it out. especially the friendship part. having a best friend like that is really special. i never really had a best friend like that until i came here and met ethan and luke and all the guys. even if the dating can’t happen again, i really hope you two can be friends again,” mark said softly which samy surprisingly didn’t hate hearing. she knew everyone who was saying this had a point and she, too, hoped that her and will could work something out. it was just a matter of who was gonna reach out to make it happen because they were both very stubborn. 

“thanks, mark. i also hope we can be friends at some point again,” the two shared a smile. 

they stayed for another ten minutes before deciding they should get back because it was late. when mark pulled into the parking lot to samy’s dorm, she reached out to give his arm a loving squeeze. 

“thanks again. text me when you and ethan are up for our get together next week and i’ll see you at tomorrow's game.” 

“yes, ma’am. have a good night,” they exchanged one last smile before samy climbed out and started her way back to the dorm feeling a lot better than she did when she left earlier. 

[jaysng]

all i want is you | pjs

pairing: loverboy!jay x reader

genre: angst, fluff

summary: idk how to summarize this🙏🏻

<a/n> little women reference used cope w it 🤣

you hear it, the teasing glances and the whispers as you walk around the school. it’s been like this ever since jay, the popular guy at school had asked you out about 2 months ago during valentines. 

“hey look it’s your girlfriend” you hear it very clearly, but you know what they want, they want a reaction out of you. 

you still turn your head to the side to look and jay seems.. embarrassed? sad? you weren’t good at reading people so you never tried that hard either. 

there wasn’t anything negative about you or your looks, it was just the people around you who did not value you. but sometimes you did tend to forget and let your emotions control you.

same way, 2 months ago when jay had asked you out, private proposal. it was pretty unusal to you, you thought it was some kind of prank, you still do, like some kind of bet. 

so you just stared into his soul that day, without responding you nervously just bowed at him and excused yourself. 

few other students saw and reported it to their friends and slowlt by the next day, the rumor spread like a wildfire.

yes jay’s ego was hurt, you expected him to look down at you after that day but later on he just showed up with “i will win you.”

maybe he watched a movie and got motivated off it? 

you did like him back, no doubt in that but all your life you’ve felt like you were in a competition and always losing it so you just let things be. 

there was someone else who wanted him, some other of your classmate, yunjin.

so you just did not want to be in all this drama, yunjin already despised you, you did not want to make things worse. 

you head back to class as soon as recess is over, ignoring all the whispers and the look of envy you recieve from yunjin.

“what is going on?” wincing in pain as yunjin pushes you onto some wall with a sudden question.

“what the fuck do you want?” you ask back as she laughs at your face “i thought i told you to stay away from jay?” you could’ve fought back to get out of her grip, but come on she had two girls behind her making sure nobody sees. 

“i did, we haven’t spoken in a while” you say as you grab her hand harshly and pull it away “and, don’t touch me.” 

the sternness in your voice intimidated her, you could tell by the way she was gulping, even though you appeared weak you still were strong enough to fight back so they could not do much.

“then why the fuck is a rumor about jay dropping all his friends for you going on?” she says as you look at her, not even surprised cause you were already done with this school and it’s rumors. 

she steps back “god have you like casted a spell on him? why the fuck does he even want you?” looking at you in disbelief if you have caused it.

shrugging, “don’t know and don’t care” you say as yunjin tries to trap you between her and the wall again but the teacher calls out

‘what are you girls doing? get to class right now’

she gives you the dirtiest smirk known to man kind as you stare into her soul back with a poker face, not feeding onto her little trick. 

deciding to talk it out with jay, during second break you visit him near the playground area.

“why would you choose me when you can have her? i mean she has everything i don’t” oh the way jay could answer this in a paragraph.

“she has everything but she is not you okay? she is a piece of shit who goes around and bullies people, just like she has bullied you your entire life at school” you can audibly hear breaths leaving his mouth, desperation of wanting you really evident now.

your gazes piecered each other’s souls, staring deeply, somewhere deep down you knew there was some spark as your chest tightened oh how bad i want you jay.

“you’re what everyone wants jay. i am someone they spit on and walk past. nobody wants us together.” you confessed absentmindedly. 

“why do you care about what they think?” he asked, “its always been like that, you were a bystander too before you liked me” he lowers his head out of embarrassment.

knowing there is nothing more to add in to the arguement, you slide your hands in the pockets of your uniform skirt and walk away.

little did you both know, yunjin was eavesdropping everything and rage of jealousy filled her making her undereye twitch.

class dismissed.

it is finally the end of the day, the bell rings as the sounds of everyone packing their bags fill your ears. 

jay’s class was right infront of yours, but unfortunately yunjin was still in your class so you just couldn’t avoid her for some reason, knowing you’re under her sight almost all the time. 

she walks out first as you go extra slow, too tired for anything. 

out of luck, no body stops you to tease you today, everyone annoying out of your sight. 

walking down the alley as everyone else, it was almost empty and not crowded as usual, as you realise you came out late. shit what was i dreaming about.

something captures your eyes, but you were captured someone’s eyes way long before you noticed, it was yunjin, she saw you walking back home to school and grabbed the opportunity out of her luck that jay was walking back too at the same time. 

“oh- jayie” she calls out for him as he diverts his attnetion to her now raising his eyebrows, “can i have some water.” she asks faking tiredness.

jay cringes at her but still reaches for his side pockets of his bag. 

as he is doing that, yunjin watches carefully as you walk closer, minding ur own business.

thats it as soon as jay looks back up yunjin pushes him to the nearest wall holding him by his tie and kisses him. 

she kisses him so hungrily, ignoring his pushes, finally jay gives her one sudden push that makes her lose her balance and fall over “dude what the fuck?”

“did she see it?” she thinks to herself directly looking back at you as she sees you standing there, amused and disappointed. 

jay looks at yunjin but realizes that she is looking somewhere else, his gaze follows her as his mind freezes for a short second. 

you slowly meet his eyes, he could feel the rage in your eyes, your face completely showing numb as turn your eyes back to your path and continue walking. 

you walked as fast as you could avoiding him calling out your name, running behind you. 

jay thought to himself, this is the most of my desperation i can show. mix of anger, love and worry on his face. 

“just stop jay.” 

both of you stop in your tracks as he pants swiping his sweat off, bending down taking supporting of his knee. 

he uses all his energy to keep his head high, it was like your and his eyes were magnets, once attached you could physically feel the burden of breaking it. 

“why don’t you get it? just leave me!” you scream from a distance at the top of your lungs, catching your breath as soon as you were done with your words. 

your feet faces back to your path as you continue walking fast, you could hear his footsteps fastening again, you did not quit either as you start running back

“i have loved you ever since i’ve known you y/n why dont you get it”his voice ringed in your ears as you cried after each word, eyes getting teary and blurry. 

that’s when you gave up and lost it all, crying right there on the spot. “what jay?” you ask as you shut close your eyes, your lips trembling and so were the words.

he didn’t stop, continued to approach you and close the distance, shaking you by the shoulder, even though the action seemed harsh it felt so soft, “why don’t you just accept this? why don’t you just accept me? what do i lack?”

what do i lack. 

someone so perfect like him had feelings like that too, about a total complete loser like you? after all he was just a person, just like you. 

you opened your eyes, your eyes met his as the world went quiet, his narrowed eyes staring at you, the tension in the air mixed with all your emotions crashing with each other. 

both of you taking deep breaths and panting hard, feeling the heat radiating off each other, “i gave up everything you didn’t like, cant you see? i’m happy i did its fine and i waited and i will wait and i never complained..

and i-“

you kiss his lips to shut him up, the sensation in his heart goes crazy as you feel his muscles go loose, knees bucking as sense of weakness. 

you hold his face, sharp bones of his jawline and cheekbones right in contact with your palm, he was so warm. his lips were like pillows, so soft.

his head spins around, incapable of coping with the moment. you pull back

“you know i figured you’d love me y/n.” he says without thinking as if he was on auto pilot 

“oh god how much i love you” you kiss his lips once again grabbing his collar to pull him closer.

you couldn’t hold onto it any longer maybe this is what everythings meant to be. 

[thevoidstaredback]

Tales of Conquest, Warnings of Fools:

Letters Between Brothers

Damian Wayne, Dec. 31, 2011

Ha! I sent the last letter of the year! How satisfying victory is.

Anyway, I know exactly what ‘incriminating’ means! I just really wanted to talk to you. It’s been five years since we last saw each other, let alone talked to each other, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Life is- It’s different out here. It’s so much bigger than we thought. There’s so many people and things and places to explore! I didn’t have anyone to talk to when I first got here. I wasn’t about to let you go through this huge adjustment alone. I know I waited a year, but we’ve already established that I’m a coward.

I’m curious, though, about the research you’ve done. What was it for? A project with father? Your own interest? Pray tell.

Questions! You flipped them back at me, so I hope my answers are to your satisfaction, ahki! Though, I don’t exactly remember what questions I asked, so I’m going off of your own answers.

My parents, as I assume you’re wanting to know about them, are less parents and more fosters. They haven’t ever offered to actually adopt me, but they haven’t thought of sending me to a different foster home. Not that I’m really complaining. There are places a lot worse than this place that I’d rather not risk going to, especially because these guys are the perfect example of where Grandfather and Mother would never think of looking for me if they had even an inkling that I was still alive.

Drs. Jack and Maddie Fenton are who I’m staying with. Not quite as famous as father and you and your siblings, but they are still quite well known for all the wrong reasons. They’re known as crackpots in the scientific community; laughing stocks. I have to admit, though, that their research is interesting. I don’t believe a word they have ever written or spoken about the subject, seeing as they have almost no proof of any of it, but it’s interesting. I recently got to see the little phial of “proof” that they have. It looks exactly like the Pit Water. Best to keep Grandfather and Mother as far away from them as possible.

Jazz, short for Jasmine, insists that I call her big sister. I would say it out loud, but it feels weird. I’ve never had a big sister before, are they supposed to be this pushy? She’s been studying psychology and reading parenting books since about two months after I got here. I’m worried. She won’t listen to me, though. Says that she’s older, so she knows best and that I shouldn’t worry about anything because she’s got it handled. She refuses to understand that I lost the option to be a “normal” kid when I was born.

I live in Amity Park, Illinois, a few miles from Elmerton, actually. I didn’t want the Drs. or Jazz getting ahold of our letters, and I couldn’t set up a P.O. Box here in Amity for some reason, so I went and set one up in Elmerton! The Drs. don’t really notice me and Jazz too often, I actually think that they literally forgot that I was neither their child nor adopted, so it’s really easy to take a bike out of town. Sure, it’s almost two hours each way, but it’s more than worth it. Then again, I also have a delivery deal set up with one of the staff there, so I don’t always have to go all that way.

Going to school was a good idea at the time, but now I just find it unnecessary. Like you, none of the others can really keep up. I don’t want to call attention to myself, though, so I’m not gonna complain too loudly. Though, keeping my grades exactly average is a really fun challenge. I hate P.E., though. Way too boring. If I could, I’d sleep through it. I’ve two friends, though! Tuck and Sam are cool. Tuck’s my ride or die, and Sam mostly hangs out because her parents disapprove of our friendship. She says she’s sticking it to the man, which I get.

I want to get a dog, but I don’t think it’d be safe to stay in the house. Or on the property. The Drs. seem to think that lab safety is a suggestion. OSHA’s a good topic to stay far away from. On the bright side, though, Jazz won’t have to pay taxes when she grows up, so...

Lets see, I don’t have a lot of hobbies; nothing ever really caught my interest after I got here. I didn’t really actually relax until just before we turned ten. Constant vigilance doesn’t leave time for anything else. Though, I still like the stars. Jazz got me an encyclopedia about stars and space and stuff last year! There’s so many more stories I’ve learned that I want to share with you!

Have you met Martian Manhunter? Or Superman? Or Green Lantern? What am I talking about, of course you have! I’m so jealous. Do you think you could get me an autograph from them or something? No, that’s a stupid thing to ask. You guys are technically coworkers. Boo.

I’m glad you still have it, though I don’t know why you’d keep it on you; It’s wooden! It’s not very sharp, either. More likely to break before it broke skin.

I guess weapon making could be a hobby? But I haven’t really indulged since I left. Sure, I’ve whittled a few shanks, but those are easy. Would you like another dagger? One that’s actually sharp and more likely to do damage to your opponent?

That’s cool about the holidays and stuff. I was kinda hoping, last year, to get to learn more about American cultures and holidays, but I don’t think the yelling and fighting and the food biting back are normal. Me and Jazz did a gift exchange, though! She got me a rocket puzzle and I got her the Chronicles of Narnia. I want to celebrate the Solstice next year, though. Both Summer and Winter.

Were my answers to your satisfaction, Your Highness? /j

Danny Fenton

***

In a town as small as Amity Park, the New Year Celebration was a big deal. Any holiday that involved fireworks was a big deal, but New Years happened to be the biggest one. The biggest park in the city, right in the edge of the residential area, was decorated for the occasion, just as it was for every holiday. Black and gold streamers lined the fences; the pavilions were all decorated to the T; food and drinks were set out buffet style, every family having brought something to share; picnic blankets and lawn and camping chairs had been scattered around the place; people mingled; children ran around every which way; and the fire department had set up a pyrotecnic’s area in the road to shoot off fireworks as soon as the time switched over into the New Year.

“A shame Sam’s stuck in Washington,” Tucker said between sips of his hot chocolate.

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, “Amity Park has the best New Years celebration.”

“I know, right! We get to set off fireworks! Do you know how many other places in the world celebrate New Years with fireworks?”

Danny knew. Of course Danny knew. Tucker told him the same thing every year. It was almost like a tradition at this point. “One?”

“Zero-!” He blinked. “One?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. China ushers in the new year with fireworks to ward off evil spirits.”

Tucker grinned. “That’s so cool, dude! How do you know that?”

Because they have this exact conversation every year. “I like mythology. A lot of it ties into the stars.”

Tucker snorted, “Of course. Don’t you ever get tired of learning the same things about space? Most of it is empty anyway.”

Danny shook his head slightly, very happy to get to talk about his special interest. “That’s why it’s called ‘space’, Tuck. And, no, none of the stories are the same across mythologies and cultures. Some are similar, sure, but none of them are the same.” He pointed to a cluster of stars. “Like Orion the Hunter. In Greek Mythology, he declared that he’d kill all of the animals that roamed the Earth. Gaea, Earth Herself, obviously didn’t like that, so she sent Scorpio to kill him. When Orion died, Zeus turned him and Scorpio into stars, forever locking them in battle. But, in Chinese Mythology, Orion doesn’t have a story. Instead Orion the Hunter is called Shen Xiu, ‘Shen’ meaning ‘Three’ and ‘Xiu’ meaning ‘Place for rest’. The three stars that make up his belt are where the moon rests in Chinese Myths.”

“What about the Zodiacs?”

“Which ones?”

“Um, the Twelve Zodiacs? You should know about them, man, since you’re obsessed with stars and stuff.”

“I am not obsessed!” Danny defended, “And, yes, I do know the Twelve Zodiacs, but China has different Zodiacs they recognize.”

“Well that’s not confusing at all.”

“It’s really not.”

“Sarcasm, dude.”

“I know, but they aren’t that hard to keep track of once you know all their stories.”

“Yeah? Then please, enlighten me.”

Danny settled into his seat, shifting to look better at his best friend. Tucker, who was almost done with his hot chocolate, also turned to face him better. “Okay, so, I’ll start off with the Chinese Zodiac because their story is easier to explain. Millenia ago, the Jade Emperor, Yudi, the ruler of heaven, decided that there should be a way to measure the passage of time, so he created a calendar. He invited all earthly creatures to participate in a race. The first twelve to cross the finish line would be granted a place on the calendar. The Rat knew its size would be a disadvantage, so it convinced the Ox to carry it. At the last moment, the Rat leapt off the head of the Ox, taking first and forcing the Ox into second place. Next were the Tiger and the Rabbit. Then, despite its ability to fly, the Dragon came in fifth because it had stopped to help some villagers on the way. The Horse was startled into seventh place when the Snake slithered past it into sixth. The Sheep, Monkey, and Rooster worked together to cross the river, finishing eighth, ninth, and tenth. The Dog, who had stopped to play in the river, finished eleventh. The Pig came in twelfth because it stopped for a snack and a nap. However, the Rat and the Cat had been best friends. The Cat liked to sleep in during the mornings, so the Rat had promised to wake it for the race. Some renditions say that the Rat forgot to wake the Cat, others say that the Rat tricked the Cat into missing the race.”

“I was gonna say that we could totally be the Rat and the Cat,” Tucker sighed, “But I don’t want to be either.” A half beat. “You wouldn’t be the Rat, right? You’d tell me if something important was happening?”

“Of course.” Was Danny’s immediate reply.

Tucker narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion before nodding. “Alright. What about the other Zodiac?”

“Well, unlike the Chinese Zodiac that cycles every year, the Western Zodiac cycles every month and almost none of their stories connect.” He shifted in his seat again. “They’re separated into four categories: Fire, water, earth, and air.”

“Like Avatar?”

“Like Avatar. Aquarius the Water Bearer, Pisces the Fish, Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull, Gemini the Twins, Cancer the Crab, Leo the Lion, Virgo the Virgin, Libra the Scales, Scorpio the Scorpion, Sagittarius the Archer, and Capricorn the Sea-Goat. Air, water, fire, earth, air, water, fire, earth, air, water, fire, earth.” He took a deep breath, almost sighing his exhale. “In Greek Mythology, Aquarius is said to be the representation of Ganymede, the son of Trojan king Taros. He was so beautiful that Zeus granted him immortality and brought him to live among the gods as their cupbearer. In Babylonian Mythology, Aquarius is said to be the god Ea and is associated most with the violet floods they suffered.

“Pisces, also Greek, is one of the oldest known constellations. In order to escape the titan Typhon, father of all monsters, Aphrodite and her son Eros - Venus and Cupid in Roman myths - transformed themselves into fish. Another ending says that the fish carried Aphrodite and Eros to safety. Yet another myth says that an egg fell into the Euphrates River and was rolled to shore by two fish, where doves sat upon it until it hatched, out of which came Aphrodite. As thanks, she added fish into the night sky, tied together by a ribbon.

“In Babylonian history, Aries was first known as ‘The Agrarian Worker’ or ‘The Hired Man’. Then, in Egyptian Mythology, after the transition in depiction from a man into a ram, Aries became associated with the god Amun-Ra, who’s depicted as a man with a ram’s head. In Greek Mythology, Aries is associated with the Golden Ram who rescued Phrixus and Helle on Hermes’ orders.

“In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Taurus the Heavenly Bull is sent to kill Gilgamesh for spurring the advances of the goddess Ishtar. To Egyptians, Taurus was regarded as sacred, associated with renewal of life and spring. In Greek Mythology, Taurus is identified with Zeus who took the form of a magnificent white bull to kidnap Europa, a Phoenician princess.

“Gemini the Twins: Castor and Pollux. In Babylonian stories, they are regarded as minor gods; The One Who Has Arisen From The Underworld and The Mighty King. In Greek, Pollux is the son of Zeus and Leda while Castor is the son of Tyndareus and Leda. When Castor - who was a mortal - died, Pollux - a demigod of Zeus - begged his father to give Castor immortality. Granting his wish, the brothers were reunited, living on as stars.

“Zeus, king of the Olympian Gods, slept with Alcmene, giving birth to Heracles, Roman name Hercules. Hera, goddess of marriage and Zeus’s wife, turned her anger onto Zeus’s child, causing him death and suffering for a lot of his life. When Heracles made it to adulthood, he married the princess Megara and they had several children. Hera then provoked a fit of madness upon Heracles, in which he killed his wife and kids. As penance, the sibyl - oracle - of the Delphi Oracle - high priestess of the Temple of Apollo - ordered he perform ten labors. Eurystheus, Heracles’ cousin and judge for the ten labors, deemed two of them invalid because they couldn’t be done without help, resulting in the famous Twelve Labors of Heracles. During his second Labor - killing the Hydra of Lerna - Hera sent the giant crab Carcinos to assist the Hydra. Enraged, Heracles killed the crab before killing the Hydra with the help of his nephew, Iolaos.

“Another one of the earliest recognised constellations, Leo was known in Babylonian astronomy as The Great Lion. In Greek, Leo is identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Heracles during his Twelve Labors.

“In most stories, Virgo is depicted as a virgin maiden associated with wheat. In Greek and Roman, she is related to Demeter, Roman name Ceres, and Persephone, Roman name Proserpina. The myth of Parthenos tells of how Virgo came to be. In another Greek myth, Virgo is associated with Erigone, the daughter of Icarius. In Egyptian Mythology, her presence is marked as the beginning of the wheat harvest. In Christianity, the birth of Jesus to a virgin mother is symbolically linked to Virgo.

“Libra has almost always been associated with law, fairess, and civility. In Babylonian astronomy, Libra is called ‘scales’ or ‘balance’ or ‘Claws of the Scorpion’. The scales were held sacred to the sun god Shamash, patron of truth and justice. Ancient Greece also recognised Libra as the Scorpion’s Claws. All the ‘claw’ names are because Libra was a part of the Scorpio constellation until the Romans made it its own.

“Orion the Hunter was a giant who proclaimed that he would kill every creature that roamed the earth. Gaea, Earth Herself, didn’t like that, so she sent Scorpio the Scorpion to hunt and kill him. Now, even after killing him, Scorpio hunts Orion; One constellation rises when the other sets, forever locked in chase.

“Sagittarius is known to Greek Mythology as Chiron the centaur. He is most known for mentoring heroes such as Achillies, Jason, Heracles, and Asklepios. He is the wisest of the centaurs, whose higher intelligence forms a bridge between Earth and Heaven.

“Capricorn has been depicted as a fish-goat since the Middle Bronze Age. He was used in Babylon as a symbol for the god Ea.In Greek, he is sometimes seen as Amalthea, the goat who suckled baby Zeus after Rhea saved him from being devoured by his father, Chronos. It is also said that his broken horn was turned into the cornucopia, AKA the horn of plenty. Another Greek rendition says that Capricorn depicts the god Pan while fleeing from Typhon via the river.”

There were a few beats of quiet between the two, the noise of the people around them filling in the space. Danny took a sip of his now too cold drink before putting it down with a frown.

“Wow,” Tucker finally said, “That’s a lot. How do you know so much?”

Danny smiled again. It was small and melancholy. “I’ve loved the stars for longer than I can remember.”

“Can you read them?”

“Can I read what?”

“The stars. Can you read them?”

“What do you mean?”

“My mom said that people used to use the stars to track where they were and where they needed to go. So, can you read them?”

“Yeah,” was the answer. He and Damian had been taught by Mother herself how to navigate via the stars. “I can navigate via stars. It’s not hard once you get the hang of it.”

Quiet settled back over the two as Ticker let himself get lost in thought for a minute. Danny let himself people watch while he waited. What was left of the food had been packed up about an hour ago, leaving simple snack foods and drinks out. There was just under an hour before the year would change over. Maybe they could call Sam for a minute? That might be a nice surprise for her. Or she could be busy and they’d piss off her parents. 

Calling Sam it is!

Just as Danny was turning on his phone, Tucker said, “Do you think we could write a computer code using the stars?”

Huh? “Huh?”

Tucker blushed and hid his face in his scarf. “Well, I’ve always wanted to try coding something that not even the best of the best could get around. And, if we used something like the stars, then it’d take at least a while for someone to crack it because no one would ever guess they’d need a map of the stars to hack something.”

Danny thought for a moment before a grin split his face. “Tucker, that’s genius!” he exclaimed, “I could kiss you!”

Tucker blushed deeper and buried himself more into his scarf, mumbling something that Danny couldn’t hear.

“We don’t have the stuff on us to do anything now,” Danny said, “But we could totally start work on it Thursday. What’d ya say?”

Slowly, Tucker brought himself out of his makeshift turtle shell. “Tomorrow should be good. My place?”

“Yeah, that’d be best. Mom and dad  got this new ‘breakthrough’ a few days ago. They’ve also gotten it into their heads that me and Jazz want to and can be down in the lab. Neither of us really want to go down there, but are you going to tell the crazy scientists ‘no’?”

Grimacing, Tucker shook his head. “No thank you.” A beat. “Should we call Sam?”

“And rub it in her face that we’re having so much more fun than her?” His grin turned feral. “I was thinking the same thing.”

*

“Why do we gotta be the ones to clean up the lab?” Danny complained.

Jazz huffed from where she was putting their parents’ papers into folders. “I don’t know, Danny. Just like I didn’t know ten minutes ago. Or twenty minutes ago. Or thirty minutes ago. I don’t know what goes on in mom and dad’s heads!”

He cringed back, keeping the broom between himself and his sister as if it could stop her from suddenly attacking him. “Sorry, sorry! It’s just,” His gaze wandered over to the empty, still being built, portal. “That thing gives me the creeps.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? A ten foot tunnel with LED lights and glowing walls is giving you the creeps?”

He spluttered. “Well, I-” He groaned in frustration. “You haven’t been inside it. When dad pushed me in, it was a lot darker in there than it looks out here. Like, you’d think that it'd be brighter, seeing as there’s only one place for the light to exit, but it wasn’t. It was like all the light was being absorbed instead of reflected.” His grip on  the broom handle tightened. “And when I tripped, I could swear that I heard a voice.”

“A voice?” Because of course that’s what gets her attention. “Danny, hearing voices isn’t a good thing.”

“It’s not-!” He sighed and began sweeping again. “Just forget it. Let’s get this done so that I can get back to my project.”

She followed his lead. “What’re you working on?”

“Tucker had the idea to use a star chart as a guide to code something. In order to do that, we need a star chart, so I’m making one.”

Jazz smiled as she put the folders into the middle drawer of the desk, each one labeled accordingly. “That’s nice. Are you guys gonna let Sam in on it?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe, maybe not. Probably will. She has to come back for that, though.”

“She’ll be back soon, you big mother hen, stop worrying.”

“Only if you stop reading those parenting books.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Then it seems we’ve reached an impasse.” Danny hung the broom up on the wall of the landing at the bottom of the stairs. “Come on, Care Bear. You’ve got concerning books to read and I’ve got concerning friends to worry about. Besides, the sooner we get outta here the sooner mom and dad can ruin all our hard work.”

Chuckling, Jazz followed her brother back to the main floor of the house. “Why’d they even want us to clean down there?”

“Because they didn’t want to?” He shrugged, “Maybe they’re renovating? Who knows.”

She hummed. “I guess we’ll never know. Want a snack?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

“Positive?”

“As my blood type.”

“Your blood type is AB-.”

“Exactly.”

“Danny.”

“What?” He was halfway up the stairs now. “Look, I’m fine. No need to nag me, mother hen.”

“Shut it, greedy chick.”

*

Waiting for the next letter was almost as bad as waiting for the letters before it. Was this anxiety ever gonna lessen, or was this a thing he’d be stuck with until he and Damian met face to face? If. If he and Damian ever meet face to face. ‘If’ is…decent.

Though, if they ever did meet up again, in person, where would they do it? Would they meet each other’s family? He didn’t mind the thought of introducing Jazz and Damian, and he figured it would be nice to meet his father, but he wasn’t sure he wanted Damian or his family to meet his parents. That would be an embarrassing disaster waiting to happen and Danny would like no part of that, thank you.

Starting a group call with Tucker and Sam, Danny only had to wait a ring and a half for someone to answer. “I am beyond ready to be back!”

“Hey, Sam. Nice to talk to you, too.” Danny joked.

“Don’t snark me, asshole, I can still kick your ass from two-thousand miles away!”

“Two-thousand twenty-three miles, actually,” Tucker joined the call.

“Yeah, yeah,” she scoffed, “Technicalities and shit. I was only off by twenty-three miles.”

“You would not believe the distance that covers, though.”

“La la la! I’m not listening!”

The three laughed after a moment, their usual dynamic falling easily into place despite the distance. After a few minutes, the line delved into a comfortable quiet, white noise from each side filling the space.

“So,” Tucker said after a moment, “What’d ya call for, Danny?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. ‘S just bored.”

“You could always come get me from Starling City?” Sam offered.

“And pull you from your rich person parties?” Danny feigned distress, “I could never!”

Tucker laughed. “Yeah, and I don’t think he’d be able to cross state lines, especially in a stolen car that you’re not old enough to drive.”

“An extraction plan would be easy,” Danny chimed, “Sneaking across state lines would be a bit more difficult, but not too bad. The real problem is when your parents report you missing and there’s a manhunt launched in Washington to find you.”

“You’re right,” Sam relented, “Though it’d be hilarious to watch the manhunt from the comfort of my own room.”

“You mean one of our rooms?”

“You’re grandma would probably help,” Tucker added on, “She’d probably even fund the thing!” The three laughed again.

“Does this mean you’ll come save me?”

“Nah. If you haven’t died already then you’ll be fine until you get home.”

“What’re you gonna do when I get home?”

“Don’t worry about it.” The two boys said at the same time. Then, Tucker added, “Have you seen the Arrow?”

“The who?”

“The Arrow!” Tucker exclaimed, “He’s like, the coolest hero ever, and he’s based in Starling City!”

“Really?” Danny wondered.

He just knew that Tucker was nodding his head so fast that he wouldn’t be out of place at a heavy metal concert. “Yeah, dude! And he definitely has a tech guy. I, for one, would die- perish, if I got to meet either Arrow or his tech guy.”

“What about other heroes and their tech guys?” Sam asked, humor in her voice. “I’d like to meet Green Lantern or Wonder Woman. They’re both known diplomats; I’d love to pick their brains.”

“What about you, Danny?”

Batman would be the obvious choice. However, “I’d like to meet Martian Manhunter and Superman. Can you imagine how much I could learn about space from actual aliens?” He sighed dreamily. “I could die a happy boy.”

“And risk coming back as a ghost?” Sam snorted, “You’d really disappoint your parents like that?”

Again, Danny shrugged. “I’m a disappointment in life, I’ll be a disappointment in death.” He heard the front door open and shut, his parents’ loud voices carrying into the house. “Sorry to cut this short, guys, but my parents just got home.”

“Speak of the devil,” Tucker said.

“I think I’d rather deal with him.” he sat up, “I’ll talk to you guys later.”

“Are you still coming over tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see ya then.” He hung up, cutting his friends’ farewells short. Heaving a heavy sigh, Danny stashed his phone in his back pocket and crept into the hall, meeting his sister at the top of the stairs. They didn’t share anything other than a look as they watched their parents haul linoleum floor tiles and metal wall sheets down into the basement lab.

“How does Tasty Burger sound for dinner tonight?” Jazz asked quietly.

“Sounds good.” Danny responded in the same volume.

***

Danyal Fenton     Jan. 4, 2012

You’re insufferable, you know that, yes? Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve managed to survive any situation, especially not social ones. You need to work on written communications, but you should broaden your horizons and work on all forms of communication, just in case.

Yes, before you get too far, you did answer sufficiently. Must you act like I tortured you for information? Honestly, Danyal.

I understand your want of communication, though I don’t blame you for waiting for so long. I would’ve done the same, had I been in your shoes. Mother, for the most part, has left me and father alone, and our contact with the League is few and far between. Meeting in person, though, would be the best and most secure way of communicating.

I’d hardly call you sending your letter on the last day of the year a victory, but if your life is as mundane as you’ve been portraying it as, then I’ll allow you to relish in whatever you can get. Also, would you mind explaining what ‘/j’ means? I am unfamiliar with it.

The research I mentioned was about twins. There were some interesting studies that I happened across during some research for a project with father, and I read through them on my own time. I’m sure you have the same results as me. Emotional states are not shared between twins, but, more often than not, one twin can tell the emotional state of the other. It was an interesting rabbit hole, as Drake called it, to go down. I recommend looking into it if you’re bored.

However, there are cases of twins being able to tell when the other is in physical distress. We were not allowed to be close as children, though I always thought you were alive because I did not feel you die. I did not understand it then, and I still do not understand it now, but I am glad I was correct.

You’re family, to change the topic, sounds like a handful. Why does Jasmine not have to worry about paying taxes when she’s older? And why do the Drs, Fenton disregard lab safety? Are you in danger? Has their carelessness hurt either you or Jasmine?

I understand that calling another your sibling is weird. Call her however you are comfortable calling her. If she truly cares, she will understand and she will refrain from pushing you to call her something else.

I must say, I’m not sure I like Samantha, based on what you’ve said about her. To be friends with someone just to go against her parents does not sound like a healthy relationship in the slightest. Tucker, as I assume that’s his full name, on the other hand, sounds like he’s a good friend. Does he recuperate the sentiment, though? Are you his ride or die, just as he is yours?

Yes, I have met Superman and Martian Manhunter. No, I will not get you an autograph if I see them again. Green Lantern, at least the four that work with the Justice League, are all Earth Born.

Weapon Smithing does count as a hobby, yes. It’s unfortunate that you’ve been unable to keep it up, though I do encourage you to pick it up again. You were quite proficient when we were younger, and you will only get better.

I would love another dagger. Until then, though, I will keep the one I have on me. When you have created another, I will put the wooden one in the display case. But, only when you have given me another.

Celebrating the Summer and Winter Solstices sounds like a wonderful idea. The Summer Solstice, according to my research, is the celebration of the return of light, life, and fertility. The Winter Solstice is the celebration of rebirth, renewal, and the return of light. So, similar meanings, but celebrated differently. I think I will join you in celebrating, though we won’t be able to do so together properly until we meet in person.

Resorting to name calling, peasant? I thought I taught you better.           Damian Wayne

Part 2 Part 4

[spookysteddie]

Love On Tour

18+ MINORS DNI

cw: mentions of drugs, motions of overdose, bad parents, some hurt. (Let me know if I missed anything)

wc: 1k (sorry shes so short... I've been sick)

...

Dating Eddie Munson was pure bliss. 

The closest to heaven you’ll ever come and you couldn’t be happier. 

The media has been having a field day this past month over Eddie breaking the news during a red carpet interview. You were his date, of course, and he couldn’t keep his hands off of you. When the reporter asked if you two had a title, he just grinned and kissed you right there. The press loved it. 

You parents, however, did not. 

You haven’t spoken to them since the day after that award show. They saw the interview and called you up to scream at you for not listening to them. You sat there and took it, holding back tears and doing all you could to get off the phone with them. You were glad Eddie wasn’t around during that conversation since he doesn’t like when people mock or yell at you.

As for your followers? They eat up any and all content you make with Eddie. The good thing is Eddie really enjoys making content with you. He even let you do his makeup with the biggest smile of his cute face. He also did one of your voice overs for your “spend the day with me” post. 

In private Eddie dotes on you. The second a flower starts to die, he comes home with new ones. He’s on top of texting you through most moments of the day (even though you told him he didn’t have to do that) and he even moved his schedule around once to accompany you to an influencer event. 

He was the most incredible boyfriend ever. 

Now, they’re getting ready to go on a year and a half long tour for their new album. The album you happen to be on the cover of. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t nervous about Eddie going on tour. 

It’s not that you didn’t trust him, not at all. It was the atmosphere that comes with rock and roll tours. Drugs are way easier to access and Eddie has a very hard time saying no. Needless to say you’re scared his band mates are going to call you and let you know he’s overdosed. 

Or worse that he died. 

Now, have you confessed these feelings to Eddie? No, of course not. You two haven’t been together that long and the last thing you need is for him to think you’re suffocating him. In short, you just don’t want to scare him and make him leave you. 

You sit by the stage, watching them practice and watching Eddie and Gareth figure out lighting issues and a set list. It’s nice to see them like this, in their element. They all put so much love and care into everything they do when it comes to their jobs. 

“Hey bunny, I need you for a moment,” Eddie calls, making you look up from the email you’re sending. 

You nod, getting to your feet, “how can I be of service?”

Eddie beckons you up to the stage and you listen, climbing up the steps and standing in front of him with a grin. 

He leaves a small kiss on your forehead. “Okay, I need you to stand right here. I’m going to go around here and see what it looks like from different angles.” 

You nod, taking the microphone so you can speak to him as he moves. “Need me to do anything else?” 

“Yes. I need you to let me know if you think we need to change anything. Okay?” 

You nod again, leaning up to kiss his cheek. He blushes a little before jumping down off the stage. He starts from the floor seats, walking around every section there to make sure everyone has a good view. 

Eddie knows floor seats are tough considering some people are shorter than others. But regardless, he likes to make sure anyone and everyone can see at some point. He moves back to the actual stands. 

“Bunny, I need you to move to the left a little for me please?” His voice carries through the empty stadium. 

You nod and move to the left. The light is right in your face, a little too much and you are shorter than Eddie is. “We might need to move this light. It’s right in my face and I’m seeing spots. I think it’ll wash you out, Eddie.” 

You hear his laugh carry from where he’s standing, “are you saying I’m pale?” 

You giggle a little, “just a tiny bit, honey.” 

He laughs, “maybe we need to take a little week long vacation before we start this tour.” 

Eddie walks to the seats that face the center of the stage. He tilts his head left and right before moving on to the next section. 

And the next. 

And the next.

… 

You wished you could go with Eddie. 

You’d tried, actually. But your schedule had been set long before you met Eddie and you have contracts that you’d signed and now need to fulfill. It hurt your heart that you wouldn’t be there for him. 

It hurt more that you wouldn’t be there to make sure he doesn’t die. 

You lay next to him, head resting on his chest while you listen to his heart. It’s one of your favorite sounds and you swear your beats in time with his. The invisible string theory for sure. He has always been yours, the universe just didn’t let you have him till the time was right. Even if that time came after too much wine.

You feel like he’s been yours much longer than this, like you’ve been lovers in every life. In every timeline. He was your person, your soulmate. And sure that might be insane considering you’ve only been together a little over a month and a half. But you felt it inside. 

You felt it in your bones.

Eddie takes a deep breath, pulling you closer to him and kissing your head in his sleep. You kiss his chest in return and finally fall asleep. You’ll deal with your fear of the tour later.

[toppersjeep]

Think Of Us- Logan Sargeant X Reader

Summary: You used to be an engineer for the willams team but you left because you got offered a better opportunity at Red Bull. But out of all people you thought Logan would support you. You two were best friends. But ever since you went to Red Bull he’s ignored you. When you go out to celebrate a Red Bull win you run into Logan for the first time in months.

masterlist

Your POV

6 months before….

“Logan I have something to tell you” I said. “Me too im staying for the next season they’ve offered me a seat” Logan said. “That’s really great Log I’m happy for you” I said with a smile. “Yeah you get to be my engineer again and work with me” Logan said I sighed. “What’s wrong” Logan asked.

“Logan I won’t be working here much longer” I said. “Why what happened did they let you go” Logan said. “No they did offer me a position still but” I said. “But what” Logan said. “Red Bull offered me a position as a lead engineer” I said. “And.. you’ve taken it haven’t you” Logan said.

“Yeah I did” I said. “That’s great you only think about yourself” Logan said. “This will better my career what do you mean” I said. “Whatever” Logan said walking away from me.

Today…

I was walking out of the Red Bull paddock when I ran into someone. I realized that it was Logan. Who I haven’t spoken to in months.

“I’m sorry Logan I was in a hurry” I said he ignored me. “You know you can sit here and ignore me forever” I said. “I think that I have the right to do so” Logan said. “What did I do” I said. “Y/N you just left okay” Logan said.

“But you knew why” I said. “I know and that’s what hurts you didn’t talk to me” Logan said. “Logan it just happened all of the sudden I’m sorry” I said. “I really don’t wanna hear it” Logan said.

“Look I just wanted to talk to you I missed my friend” I said. “Friend.. if you were a friend you would’ve thought about me” Logan said. “And my feelings” Logan said. “Logan” I said. “You didn’t even think about us” Logan said.

“Us” I questioned wondering what he meant. “Y/N.. I just” Logan began to say. “You what” I said. “Talk to me” I said looking into his beautiful blue eyes. “I always thought you.. I don’t know” Logan said. “Just say it” I said.

Without saying anything at all he pulled me into a deep kiss. I circled my arms around his neck as he kept kissing me.

“I didn’t know how I never have” Logan said. “Is this why you been ignoring me” I said. “It hurt me that you wanted to leave” Logan said. “I never intended to hurt you lo”I said. “I just.. I didn’t wanna let you go” Logan said. “I didn’t wanna leave you either but” I said.

“It was a great opportunity I know” Logan said. “And I’m so proud of you.. I shouldn’t be selfish” Logan said. “I don’t wanna talk about that” I said he smiled. “What do you wanna talk about” he asked. “You kissing me” I said.

“I guess.. I was trying to say I like you” Logan said I smiled. “I really like you too” I said. “So maybe if you’d let me take you out” Logan said. “I’d like that Logan” I said. “Good.. maybe we do dinner later after the race” Logan said. “Sounds good to me” I said.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Always: Discussing Arthur and Charles

Alternative title: Steph waffles about the dynamic between Arthur and Charles for way too long because it’s all she can think about rn

Tagging @the-bi-space-ace in case you were interested in my ramblings about these two 🤠

I recently fell back down the Red Dead 2 rabbit hole and once again have had many thoughts about the characters, particularly Arthur and Charles (nothing new there lol) and their relationship (however you interpret that). I don’t know if I have a singular favourite quote from Arthur in this game, as there are a few contenders - “we’re more ghosts than people’, “we’re thieves in a world that don’t want us no more’, “I’ll turn you into a goddamn cauliflower” - but with Charles I definitely do. “Always.”

It’s so simple, so succinct, and so perfectly Charles. A line that holds so much weight and meaning, in such few words. And what I love about it is that it represents what makes Arthur and Charles’ dynamic so special, and encapsulates how meaningful that relationship was for the two of them in those months.

When we first see these two characters at the beginning of the game, it’s mentioned that in the 6 months that Charles has been with the gang, the two haven’t spoken all that much, and yet something that becomes immediately clear is the fact that there is a very obvious level of respect that they hold for each other. We can determine that within just a few months, they have already built up a recognition of the work and care that the other puts into the gang, and the importance that they have within the group. Even if they aren’t necessarily close at this point, there is undoubtedly a mutual respect there, very early on in the game. But what is even more interesting to watch during the hunting mission up in Colter, is the way that they fall quite easily into a comfortable conversation. We have Arthur, who tends to make it fairly obvious when he doesn’t like someone, and Charles, who never says more than he deems necessary and who avoids any possible conversation with people he doesn’t have the time for, having a relatively open conversation for the entire mission. Even if they haven’t interacted much over the time since Charles has joined, they already have a bond that is slightly surprising for these two characters. And over the course of the game that bond just grows into something so special.

I’m gonna side track slightly to talk about the background of these two because I think it is integral when talking about the dynamic that these two have. Arthur has been with the gang for a long time (20 years or so) and as a result, has become very close with a lot of the people in it. Even if he doesn’t agree with some of them a lot of the time, they are still his family, and he will always do what he can to protect them. Arthur didn’t have the greatest start to life, with his mother dying and his (likely abusive) father being executed in front of him, so this gang is the closest thing to a family that he has had for the majority of his life. Similarly, Charles did not have the best beginnings either: losing his mother, losing his tribe, losing his father to drink, and then running away, subsequently spending half of his life alone. Not to mention the fact that as someone of African American and Native American heritage, Charles will have experienced hardship and adversity on a level that many of the other gang members (including Arthur) will never have experienced. So for Charles, joining the gang meant the chance of something new, the chance to find a place where he can actually belong.

It's these backgrounds that build these characters and that set the foundations for what we see in the game: why they act in a certain way around others, why they make certain choices, why they agree or disagree with the choices made by the people around them. And it’s their past which, in a way, explains not just why Arthur and Charles came together, but why they were so necessary in each other’s lives. I’m not going to say that it’s all down to fate necessarily, but I do believe that these two met each other at the point when they needed the other person most. The trajectory that we see these characters go on wouldn’t have been possible without the other by their side and I’m gonna discuss why.

One of the things I love most about their dynamic is that despite there being a mutual respect between the two, Charles isn’t afraid to call Arthur out on some of his behaviour. The best example of this is when he tells Arthur “you ain’t as tough and dense as all that” in response to Arthur saying that they shouldn’t help the German family, especially since he doesn’t even speak their language. Arthur is a character who is very much aware of the way people view him, and is very conscious of the fact that he is labelled by many to be a bad person (as to be expected from an outlaw). As a result, he tends to go about things with an attitude of “well, if people already have this opinion about me, why should I try to be anything else?” and tends to act harsher than he typically would because he’s just living to the standard that everyone expects from him. But Charles can see through Arthur’s act, and knows that he’s acting this way to try and fit this tough outlaw image that everyone expects him to show. He’s also aware that this isn’t really who Arthur is and doesn’t hold back at taking him down a peg or two when he is acting like a bit of a prat.

And as much as we talk about how much of a good influence Charles is, one of the things I don’t see talked about as much is how much of a part he played in Arthur’s redemption in the story. The game doesn’t hide the fact that Arthur will never truly make up for all the hurt and destruction he has caused, but he can at least try and do some good, to try and make the lives of some people in the world just a little bit less tough, in response to everything he has done up until this point. And one of the people who helps most with that is Charles. He’s always pushing Arthur to do the right thing, to make the best choice, and to help people who need it. Charles was a guiding hand that helped Arthur in following his redemption and was never afraid to tell him that even if he had done wrong in the past, that didn’t mean he couldn’t make better choices towards the end of his life.

Not only that, but Charles was a pillar for Arthur when the man was facing the hardest circumstances he’d ever experienced. As I said earlier, the gang is Arthur’s family, they have been a part of his life for most of his life, but as the game progresses, he watches that family fall apart. He loses people who he views as siblings, he loses a man he viewed as a father, and the other father figure in his life is turning against him, accusing him of betrayal, and had left him to die with someone holding a knife to his throat. Not to mention that Arthur is facing all of this alongside the knowledge that he doesn’t have long left. Now more than ever, Arthur needs a support system, people who have his back and will stand by him when everything else is slipping away. And he has that. He has Sadie (who could be discussed in an entire post of her own) and he has Charles. Charles stood by Arthur when he needed him most, reassuring him that he still had people fighting in his corner, still had people on his side, as well as helping him to stay on the right track and make better choices, even in the face of hardship and a growing sense of hopelessness. Because Charles understands what it’s like. This man has been through so much, has lost everything, and despite that has remained true to what is right and has never given up striving for good. As Arthur himself says in his journal, Charles is truly a good man at heart, despite the life he has led, and he uses that to help Arthur hold on.

But the thing is, it isn’t just Charles who helps Arthur. Arthur helps him in return. Charles is used to living a life of solitude and when the world takes everything away, and treats you like you don’t belong, you begin to believe that there is no place for you, that you will never find your space anywhere. And we know that this is something that he struggles with. He struggles to know where he fits in, or what the point of anything is, because everything he has been through just seems to drill home this idea that he doesn’t deserve to be here, that there is no place for someone like him in this world. And this is even more prevalent as the gang falls apart because for Charles, he’d finally found that place where he felt like he could belong and be a part of something, only for it to all be taken away. The one place he could even consider a home is in shatters and his friends are dying. For Charles that feels like it would be more than a sure sign from the universe that he doesn’t deserve to belong anywhere.

However, through all of that, he has Arthur, who has always stood up for him and told him how much he matters. Even the minor camp interactions feed into that, with Arthur telling Charles how much he likes having him around, and how he hopes for Charles to stick with them because they need him. Arthur agrees to help Charles with the Wapiti Tribe, he goes to Charles when he needs someone he trusts, and he makes sure that Charles knows just how important and appreciated he is. For a man like Charles that is a huge deal and means far more to him than I think any of us ever really appreciate. Arthur made sure to incorporate him into his family and make it known that he belonged. When we see Charles go off at the end of the epilogue to find a place to settle down, we see a man who has come to appreciate himself and his worthiness more, with the help of the people who supported him throughout those years, including Arthur.

These two characters helped each other in ways that I can’t even begin to summarise in this post. The bond that grew between them was so special and I cannot argue that Charles and Arthur were so integral in sculpting the lives that each other led. “Always” is my favourite Charles line because it encapsulates everything about that bond: the trust, the respect, the love, the appreciation, the drive to help in any way they can. It breaks my heart to know that they never had the opportunity to know each other for longer, but I will always appreciate, no matter how brief, just how beautiful that relationship was.

Always

[lanocheunvinde]

See you again,

Bada Lee x fem reader

Summary: After you both agree to part ways, your paths cross unexpectedly.

Cw: exes :(, angst (?).

Wc: 6k.

Pls read : I’ve decided to put all parts (1 2 & 3) into one single fic because it’s not that long. For the babes that already read the first 2 parts, before the beginning of every chapter I added numbers so I’d be easier for you to scroll to your desired chapter🤍

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡

(1)

''So, you're going to be back soon. Right?''

Soobin asked, her tone uneasy. Even tho you told her numerous times that you won't just disappear forever and once the leaves begin to fall and change colors you'll rock the streets of Seoul again. Until then, you'll fly as far as your wings take you. It's not like you did anything wrong. You decided to leave after all. 

''Wild, young & free'' as some would describe, as she would describe. Until you weren't free anymore, your thoughts kept you imprisoned in your mind. 

''Yeah girlie, you know how hard I worked to get in.'' 

For a long time, you've wondered what you're into—having an identity crisis every time you see her dancing with such passion. You admire her wholeheartedly, but you can't help feeling jealous since there wasn't anything there for you. Your mom took you to piano classes, swimming, and even judo. She tried her best to expand your horizons and you're grateful for that but it never really worked out. Until in your early teens, you discovered your burning passion for writing, having the power to control every reply, scene, or character you desire. It's like the alphabet was made for you just to write cheeky stories that she would giggle at. Words being placed thoughtfully in your love letters to her.

''I can't wait for you to get back home. I will get reallyyy mad if we don't go out drinking before uni." The younger girl giggled over the phone. But the word ''home'' stuck to you like a bandage. You're the type of person that considers ''home'' wherever the heart is but where is your home when your heart is all over the place? 

You're just lying to yourself. You know exactly where home is. Home was the queen-sized bed you once shared, with the messy sheets you were too lazy to arrange since you knew in less than 24 hours it would be the same. Home was the kitchen where you would fail yet another recipe trying to surprise her with a yummy meal after her dance class. Home was anywhere she was really. Too bad she’s so far away now. That doesn’t mean you’re homeless tho. Many tried to offer you a room in their hearts, but it just wasn’t the same. The best you could do was try. Going on dates, even being a fan of dating apps until you gave up. Her presence scarred you so deeply that you subconsciously compared every romantic interest to her, her jokes, her compliments, her touch, her way of being. 

“Did she get in?” the girl who once was your biggest relationship enthusiast asked, knowing how the story unfolded.

“How am I supposed to know? Is there any reason I would be interested? I haven’t spoken to her in months.” 

“Forget it, why are we even talking about her? Call me when you arrive. I’ll talk to Seoyoung and Taeyoung and maybe we can go out and have cheap drinks like we did back in the day!”

You had a happy childhood, loving parents and lots of friends and you even had a best friend since primary school! Funny how a best friend turns into someone you love and then into someone you don't know at all-isn't life funny? 

During the past two months, you traveled around Europe. Finding beautiful places that make you enjoy the moment, finding beautiful people, beautiful moments. Peace. Traveling was one of the things you truly enjoyed. She once promised you’d go to Lyon and Basilicata together. You ended up going by yourself. Maybe it was better this way. 

Even though you were surrounded by people there were still moments when you felt alone and rather than being sad, you tried to enjoy being by yourself and embrace the quiet. Your life was so noisy until it all just stopped. You just accepted it. 

The familiar streets make the corners of your mouth turn upright. The convenience store right around the corner from your childhood apartment, the sun shining brightly on your street, and the kids that just left school flooding the now-crowded street gave you a familiar feeling. Comfort. 

“You are so beautiful.” your mother said while embracing you tightly, clearly noticing the subtle changes in your looks. Your skin is now sun-kissed thanks to Sardinia beach, your hair is slightly shorter and darker since you couldn’t skip the hair salons in Paris, and your cheeks are more plump since you’re not the one to refuse a delicious dish. 

“You just came back and you are leaving again in a few days. If you don’t come to visit me on Sundays I won’t send you any food ever again!” your mom said sarcastically. Truth is, you would like to spend more time with her but now you’re too caught up with the new school year starting. 

You’re officially a student in creative writing & linguistics and even got accepted as #13. Your mother couldn’t help but brag to her friends about your success in joining such a prestigious university. She was shocked. She wasn’t aware you planned to join this university a long time ago, alongside her. 

“How’s Bada? Are you guys still mad? Is an 11 year old friendship worth throwing away?”

Bada was well acquainted with your mother. Sometimes you thought your mom loves her more than she loves you. Bada infiltrated in your life so well that it came as a surprise to everybody that the two best friends who held hands just stopped talking. No reason behind it. 

“You still haven’t told me what happened.”

“Mom please I just arrived home don’t make me wanna leave again” You came off as a bit harsh but Bada was a dead subject to you. At day you would pretend you never came across Bada Lee, at night you would remember the way her hands softly caressed your waist and how your lips perfectly fit hers. You cut her off exactly how your hair stylist cut your split ends in Paris. But hair always eventually grows back.

Your childhood bedroom became the center of your attention for the next seven days as you discovered many random things while packing for uni. Old textbooks from high school, many hair accessories, polaroids with her, some dried up hand cream. Small things that were core memories for you. Your room is being filled up with 2 types of carton boxes: to take & to throw.

Most of the items you decided to throw were just straight up trash, one of her baggy t-shirts that still had her scent on it being included. Some stuff you decided to keep was necessities, toiletries, some pictures you took together just in case you made up again, etc. She was already half out of your heart, the other half made sure your heart was beating rapidly only for her. Did she also throw out your stuff? Did she keep it?? 

Across the street, things were pretty much the same.  

“Make sure you eat well. Did you pack everything?”

Mrs. Lee made sure to check up on her daughter. She was indeed a very caring mother. 

The girl let out a loud sigh saying, “Yeah, I’ll check again before leaving. There's still plenty of time left." 

“You always do that honey, wait until the last minute. Go check it now! We won’t have time to add everything to the boxes in the morning!” said the older woman worriedly. 

She went back to her room. The framed picture on her desk watched her every move, constantly reminding her of what was. Something in her not being able to throw it away, it was already there for 2 years. But sometimes she did turn the photo upside down, usually when she had other women over.

 It was her 17th birthday. Your smiles were brighter than the flashlight itself, your cheeks flushed after so many shots your mother would destroy you for drinking. It was the night your relationship exploded. 

“Is it wrong that I really want to kiss you?” You asked quietly, embarrassed by how close she was, her body firmly pressing against yours.

“Why would it be?” she says flatly. 

As you take a deep breath, you think to yourself: ''Fuck it.'' It doesn't take long for your hands to reach her face. You lean in and kiss her, feeling her heart racing against yours. She melts into your arms, immersing herself in your arms as you explore each other's lips. You pull away and look into her eyes, feeling a connection deeper than anything you've ever felt before. You both smile, savoring the moment and knowing that this is the beginning of something new. The color of your lipstick now staining her lips and her mind. She runs her fingers over your lips feeling the warmth and softness of your skin, as she says softly: 

''This is how it's supposed to be."

 You lean in and kiss her again, this time with more passion and intensity until you have to pull away to catch your breath. That was the first of many makeouts in Bada's bedroom.

In the first place, you were just supposed to change your shirt since somehow a glass of champagne ended up on your clothes, and Bada one way or another managed to trap you in front of the closet. Shit happens.

That night the now dried shirt stuck to your skin, the idea of anything else instead of the girl in front of you being long forgotten. 

To be sincere, you always held the power to pull anything you wanted without really trying. And you pulled Bada Lee into a complete black hole that night. Unaware that your souls are tied so tightly that at one point they'll burst. And unfortunately, that happened faster than any of you anticipated. 

(2)

''You're Y/N, right?" the thrilled girl asked. She had a unique appearance. The mole on her nose easily distinguished her from a crowd you thought. Flashy nails, long hair, bright clothes, and a bubbly personality were the main characteristics of your new roommate.

''Yeah! It seems like we're stuck together for a while. And you are?''

''I'm Hyerim, I'm in the dance department! I love your outfit! Where did you get that cardigan? This color looks flattering on you!" she says rapidly with a wide smile.

You hit the jackpot for the first time in a long time. On your way to the dorm, your thoughts are filled with the idea of having a demon as a roommate. You had already created a scenario of what to do just in case the person you need to spend the whole school year with together is insufferable. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. For the next 2 hours, you and Hyerim had a blast, talking about anything & everything while unpacking. You both laughed and joked around, and you felt a sense of relief when you realized you wouldn't have to deal with a roommate who wasn't pleasant. You two got along great and you were excited to spend the next year together. You just clicked. As the first week of school passed you realized Hyerim was the hyperactive little sister you never had.

''There's this party next door, one of my friends invited me.'' Your new friend proposed as her eyes sparkled with excitement. ''Do you want to go with me? My friend will bring her girlfriend and I don't want to be the third wheel." The girl pouts.

''Sure, I feel like drinking anyway.'' You said chuckling. Back in the day, you attended every party you possibly could, earning admirable alcohol tolerance. You're making people take notice of you tonight since you have the whole pack to survive a frat party.

You and Hyerim took your time carefully arranging every rhinestone around your eyes. There was a heated debate about what lipstick color would look best with her charismatic outfit.

As you stepped into the party, vibrant energy engulfed the house. The music filled every corner, blending with the laughter and already sweaty bodies of many young adults. The dorm was a mess, filled with more alcoholic drinks than you can count. The smell of vanilla body spray and cheap cigarettes reeked in the living room. You genuinely wondered how so many people could fit into such a small apartment. As you scanned the room, you noticed a familiar face. You smiled and waved, and Soobin quickly made her way to you, giving you a warm embrace.

''So it seems like our drinking plan is finally happening." she laughed while scanning you up and down. ''Who are you trying to attract tonight Miss Martini? If I was into women you would've been my first choice.'' Soobin said while smirking.

Earlier while Hyerim went to touch up her makeup, you wandered to the kitchen where you found some unknown version of martini that was already half empty. You didn't care that the now-empty drink would be the cause of your headache tomorrow. All you wanted was to have fun. The alcohol helped you to keep your thoughts foggy. You grabbed one drink after another and gulped it down in one go. You felt a rush of warmth spreading through your body and you felt yourself becoming more confident and daring. You felt like you could take on the world. You danced and sang along with Soobin. You were living in the moment, without a care in the world. You were having the time of your life.

''Y/N I'VE SEARCHED FOR YOU EVERYWHERE!'' Hyerim screamed trying to make her voice louder than the music. The girl next to her looked dumbfounded. ''This is my friend Dohee. I've told you about her before! Her oreo girlfriend will arrive later so until then it's the four of us.'' She said while showing Soobin a big smile.

Meanwhile, Hyerim and Soobin were discussing a movie you've never heard of and your eyes couldn't stop traveling to Dohee's sour expression. It was such a shame, a beautiful girl frowning. Her red-coated luscious lips are paralyzed, the leather jacket accentuating her small figure so well. Whoever is making the alluring-looking women wait is a real loser, you think. But you're here, with her, right now, in the moment. Who can blame you for wanting to steal a smile from the girl's face?

''I guess your girlfriend is not coming hm?'' You asked quietly, trying not to make the girl explode. She looks like she could burst into crying any moment now. While asking her, you carefully put your arm around her shoulders.

''Yeah. She stood me up again." Dohee sighed then went on and told you how the girl whose appearance won't be seen tonight isn't actually her girlfriend but rather a friend with benefits she's too scared to admit she has feelings for. She told you the unknown woman told her she wasn't interested in any emotional relationship and she just had to accept it. You wondered if the cause of her being so open about this subject was the cup full of plain vodka or if she just was so desperate for someone to hear her out, to look into her soulful eyes and say ''I care''. Regardless of that, you were ready to be there for her even if it was for a short time.

''She's such a fool. I hope you're aware of that. Someone like you doesn't deserve to be treated like that, tossed around like a simple washcloth. Forget about her tonight. Things will get better like they always have.'' You told her while giving a genuine smile, slowly putting your hand on top of hers.

''You really mean that?'' She says smirking while looking at your hands that are now intertwined.

One conversation led to another, and you and Dohee ended up outside sharing a cigarette she pulled from her bra. Even tho you met only 3 hours ago the silence between you two wasn't awkward, but rather comforting. The moon shone down, illuminating your faces as you stood together. Dohee couldn't help but ask you:

"You look familiar. Are you sure our paths haven't crossed before?" Her expression grows nervous. She knew exactly where she saw you before but was too drunk and confused to link things.

''If I had seen you before I would've remembered, but besides that, I doubt I would've let you go." You respond confidently with a grin.

''I've told you so much about me and I don't really know anything about you.." She told you wistfully.

You went on and told her small details about you, such as your 2 month trip and your passion for writing. Nothing too significant but enough to be considered an acquaintance instead of a stranger. She took a moment and studied your face, admiring the eyes she was jealous of every time her romantic interest forgot to hide the picture on her desk. No wonder Bada kept your picture somewhere visible. You were too beautiful to not be looked at. Maybe that's why Bada hid the picture every time she came over, to not fall in love with you instead of her. At first, she envied you for looking so happy next to her. She envied the fact that Bada's smile looked genuine next to yours. Two stars standing next to each other so closely couldn't be any good she thought, unaware of the fact that you and Bada eventually collided, merging into an even brighter star than you currently are. Unfortunately, that star didn't survive long as it was pulled into a black hole, but it died gloriously in a tidal disruption event.

She smiled and gave you a warm look. She took your hand in hers and brought you closer, her touch sending a spark of electricity through your body. It's been a while since you kissed someone but you sure wouldn't mind her touch. When the gap between you closed, your cherry lips met her strawberry ones. Weird combination of flavors but it works. One bitter and the other one sweet.

Your hands shamelessly roam her body, not knowing in the distance that someone is enjoying this as much as you. Instead of focusing on the one she spent the last night with, her eyes are only focusing on your figure, observing the way you fiercely grab the other girl's hips pulling her even closer to you. It's been a while since she last saw you, especially like this but you still managed to make her freeze on the spot. For a moment Bada recalled a time when you simply kissed her. It wasn't something meaningful at all, just how your plump lips sat on hers. At the same time, it was amusing for her that you just kissed the girl she casually used to forget about the emotions she drowned in because of you. Following her heart always leads her to you.

Dohee pulled away when her phone suddenly rang, her face suddenly becoming bitter. You went inside to give her privacy. In the living room, you find Soobin and Hyerim ''dancing'' if it even can be called that, barely being capable of standing on their own feet. They quickly pull you into their little dancing circle forcing you to dance with them. There was no choice other than to give in and take pictures to have a good laugh later on. The laughter didn't last long as Dohee came in with the tall, 2 colored hair woman holding hands.

''What the fuck..'' Soobin whispered to you while catching a glimpse of Bada.

You were drunk but not drunk enough to not notice Bada and her changed appearance. The once blue hair you encouraged her to dye was gone, now weirdly but cutely resembling an oreo and one thing about oreos is that you couldn't resist them, being ideal for your picky taste buds. The not overly sweet cookie fits your dessert criteria perfectly, just like you and Bada's hands fit each other perfectly but that was long forgotten.

''There they are! Let's play spin the bottle now!" Hyerim exclaimed while sending Dohee a wink. It was obvious she was trying to make her friend happy and maybe give her the chance to kiss the girl she spent sleepless nights crying over. However, Hyerim wouldn't let her teenagey thoughts win if she knew the way Bada used to smile at you, nevertheless, it was too late for that because you and a few other people gathered in a circle.

Hyerim went over the ''rules'' quickly, saying if you don't want to kiss the other person you have to take a shot of whatever alcohol was left. Everyone agreed, eagerly to kiss one another or just drink some more. In the first round, the bottle landed on Hyerim and Soobin. They shared a peck playfully without any hesitation. You were up next, the cap of the bottle stopped between Bada and Dohee, the in-love girl clearly not thinking it through because she was too excited to be staying so close to the woman next to her, obviously they won't kiss at all since they aren't sitting on the opposite of each other.

''Okay Y/N who are you gonna kiss??" Hyerim said full of curiosity, a little afraid of the decision you have to make.

''You don't have to kiss anyone Y/N. It's just a stupid game.'' Soobin babbled.

''Dohee.'' You said firmly while looking straight into her eyes. She couldn't handle all the eyes on her, especially yours and Bada's so her view dropped to the bottle in front of her.

''I-'' Dohee gasped trying to form a sentence unsuccessfully, not only because of her drunken state and emotions but because another voice chimed in.

"Kiss her." Bada assented. "It's not like you haven't kissed her before. Kiss her." She repeated smirking while your eyes locked. You won't lie, the multi-colored hair really fits her, just as she thought about how well the rhinestones make your eyes pop.

You grabbed Dohee's face and kissed her. Now you'd blame it on the martini but you specifically bit her lip just right in order to earn a moan from her and a sneer from Bada.

''I'm so calling Taeyoung right now..'' Soobin mumbled trying to remember her passcode in order to call your friend to tell her the shit show she just missed.

(3)

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension and unspoken words, especially between you, Dohee, and Bada. The game of spinning the bottle continued, but your mind was elsewhere, replaying the moment your lips met Dohee's and the mixed emotions that flashed across Bada's face.

After a few more rounds and a couple of awkward kisses, the game fizzled out, the participants either too drunk or too distracted by their own thoughts. Hyerim, with her ever-bubbling energy, suggested a change in activity, but the mood had shifted. The party was winding down, people were starting to leave or find a spot to crash for the night.

You decided to step outside for a breath of fresh air, the stuffiness of the room becoming too much. As you leaned against the railing of the small balcony, you felt the cool night air brush against your skin, sobering you up a bit. Your thoughts were a jumbled mess, images of Dohee's surprised face and Bada's unreadable expression swirling in your mind.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice asked from behind. You turned to see Bada stepping out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her. The noise from the party became a dull murmur, giving you both a semblance of privacy.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here tonight." you said, trying to keep your voice steady.

Bada leaned against the railing beside you, looking out into the night. "I could say the same about you." she replied. "Seems like we both can't escape each other's orbit, no matter how hard we try. Every time I forget about us you hunt me down." She giggled, earning a chuckle from you.

The silence that followed was heavy, laden with unspoken words and memories of a past relationship that had ended in a whirlwind of emotions. You both knew that whatever had been between you was in the past, yet the remnants of those feelings still lingered.

As the moon cast a shimmering glow on the sandy beach, Bada and you found yourselves walking hand in hand along the shoreline. The sound of crashing waves provided a soothing soundtrack to the unspoken connection between you. With each step, the love between you became replaced by a renewed sense of fear. It might be time to stop swimming into the Sea, maybe it's time to dry yourself off from the sticky saltwater that's been on your skin for so long that it started cracking. As your wounds started to deepen the saltwater couldn't be any good. The stinging sensation was trying to catch your attention, to alarm you that something was wrong but to no avail. You kept swimming and swimming until you couldn't see the shore anymore. That's when you realized you had got lost. In your next life maybe you'll be a fish, that way you and the Sea wouldn't hurt each other. In the one after that maybe you'll be a dog, sleeping at the foot of your owner's bed if it means you get to be on it. You will be just like how she loves you. You will continue to be patient, just as you were in this lifetime. Maybe in another life if it couldn't be in this one.

''I didn't think we'd grow apart so soon.'' Bada's husky voice made goosebumps spread all over your body as her face was now close to your ear, back hugging you. ''You're the first person who made me feel something. I'll forever cherish the moments I had with you.''  As Bada's whispered words reached your ear, a bittersweet mixture of longing and nostalgia flooded your heart. In that moment, you couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for the lost connection, yet also a deep appreciation for the love that had once blossomed between you.

''I knew you were going to leave me but it still hurts.'' Your breathy words managed to escape your throat.

''Thank you for letting me go Y/n because I would not have walked away.'' The emotions of longing and nostalgia washed over you like a tidal wave, reminding you of the way your soul intertwined with Bada's. Each memory, each stolen glance and each word you shared replayed in your mind, leaving you yearning for the future that slowly drifts away, as easy as it comes and as easy as it goes.

Bada hugged you one last time, her arms embracing you so hard that her scent lingered on your shirt-and that was the last thing she ever offered you.

"Why did you tell Dohee to kiss me?" you finally asked, breaking the silence.

Bada turned to look at you, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions. "Because I know you, Y/n. I know that even if you're trying to move on, a part of you is still stuck in the past. With me. I don't want it to be that way."

You swallowed hard, the truth in her words stinging. "And what about you, Bada? Are you stuck in the past too?"

She hesitated, then let out the answer you already knew. "Maybe. Maybe part of me never really left our bed. But I also know that we can't go back. Too much has happened. And that's okay."

''There was a time when I thought I'd know you forever.'' your reply seemed to suck any thought Bada even had in the first place, leaving her speechless.

Finally, Bada spoke up again. "Look, Y/n, I don't know what the future holds for us, whether we're meant to be in each other's lives or not. But I do know that I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me."

Her words were sincere, and you felt a warm sensation in your chest, a feeling that maybe it was time to truly let go and move forward.

"Thank you, Bada," you said softly. "I want the same for you."

''Is this our goodbye?'' You dared to ask.

"You know I don't believe in goodbyes."

With those final words, you both shared a smile, acknowledging the end of a long and tangled chapter and the beginning of another. As you went back inside, leaving Bada alone with her thoughts, you realized that the night had brought more than just a party; it had brought a sense of closure you never got on the night when you and the Sea decided your love was too powerful so it might cause a tsunami. You felt a sense of uncertainty about what the future held, hoping that somehow she'd be at the end of your path.

That night was the last time you ever saw Bada Lee up close. Your eyes involuntary checked her instagram profile every once in a while or if you were lucky sometimes you'd spot her around uni, your sight being glued to her; your burning stare was never enough to make her turn around tho but still, you couldn't help yourself but think maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for something new to grow from the ashes of the past. Until you dropped that idea because you realized:

one fish would never be big enough to fill the whole Sea.

[thegettingbyp2]

can I pls req a Peeta fluff piece where it explores how, when it comes to the reader, they are the only one who can make him feel nervous with butterflies inside (different from how he presents himself on the Capitol media as charming)? maybe set after the initial movie or the second where he comes back home to district 12?

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A part of you was shocked when you found out that Peeta Mellark was going to be coming back home to District 12 after The Hunger Games. It’s not that you didn’t have any faith in him, you’d just seen some of the people he was up against. You didn’t know him that well but you’d say hello whenever you saw each other and you couldn’t help but think he was cute.

Even though you know that you would never work up the courage to ask him out yourself, or even to strike up a conversation with him, you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed when you heard him talk about how he was in love with Katniss he’s been for years and watching their relationship bloom on screen was just what was needed for your heart to crack slightly.

That day you all stood in the town square when Peeta and Katniss both arrived back home, you could have sworn that when Peetas eyes swept over you, his smile widened on his lips. The moment you felt his eyes on yours, you felt your heart flutter in your chest, only for it to go crashing right back down to the pit of your stomach when he reached for Katniss’s hand.

After that day, you didn’t see Peeta for a couple of months, until the day before he and Katniss were supposed to leave for their Victors tour. You were making your way across the square when you bumped into him, shooting him a small smile before making to walk past him.

‘(Y/N), wait up,’ he called out, his hand loosely wrapping around your wrist, stopping you from moving any further. ‘I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.’

‘That’s what being in the games does,’ you joked, instantly regretting it as soon as the words slipped out of your mouth. ‘Sorry, bad joke. I meant that you’ve just been busy with moving into your new house and I’m sure you and Katniss are trying to spend as much time together as possible.’

The mention of him and Katniss had Peeta flinching slightly and he looked down, scuffing the toe of his shoes on the ground beneath him. ‘Yeah, I guess,’ he mumbled quietly.

‘Peeta, is everything okay?’ you asked, noticing that he wouldn’t meet your eyes anymore and his cheeks were slightly flushed.

‘Yeah, everything’s fine,’ he started before stopping and starting again. ‘Actually, can I talk to you about something?’

‘Of course.’ Peeta gently took your hand in his as he began to lead you out of the town square and towards Victors Village. You couldn’t help but let your mouth drop open when you saw the rows of houses and realised that Peeta actually lived in one of those now. He led you up the stairs to his front door, only letting go of your hand once the door was firmly closed behind you both.

‘Peeta, what’s wrong, you’re starting to scare me.’

‘I’m not in love with Katniss,’ he practically blurted out, causing a wave of confusion washing over you.

‘What do you mean? We were all watching you two when - ’

‘I made it up during the interviews and then Katniss carried on with it in the arena. It was the only way we could get out of the arena alive,’ he explained as you struggled to wrap your head around what was happening. ‘I didn’t think we’d have to carry on with it once we were home but President Snow went to Katniss’s the other day and now we have to go do this Victors Tour and act madly in love when all I wanted to do was get back here so I could finally talk to you.’

‘Why did you want to talk to me?’ you asked, confused as the two of you had never really spoken before and now, here he was, spilling secrets to you.

‘Because the whole time I was in that arena, I was thinking of you, of how I had to get out so I could talk to you. I missed you in the arena. I know we never really spoke before but I always wanted to. At school, I’d always walk into class a little bit happier if I saw you sitting at your desk. I’ve just always been too nervous, and I knew that if I did talk to you, I’d make a fool of myself. A bit like I’m doing right now,’ he said, laughing nervously.

You were watching Peeta, slightly stunned at the sheer difference in his behaviour. When he was in the arena and being interviewed by the Capitol, he came across so confident and charming and now here he was, standing in front of you, fumbling over his words.

‘I missed you too,’ you said quietly. Peeta’s voice cut off abruptly, wanting to make sure that he heard what he thought he heard.

‘You did?’ he asked, his eyes filling with hope.

‘Yeah,’ you replied, shrugging shyly, ‘all that you just said, I’ve been feeling pretty much the same way and when you came back and I saw you and Katniss together, it hurt a bit. But I’m happy you made it out of the arena, even if you have to be tied to Katniss now.’

‘We could find a way to get around all of that,’ Peeta protested, shaking his head rapidly as he took a step towards you. ‘We can say that something happened, that Katniss and I no longer love each other.’

‘You’re insane if you think we can do that,’ you replied bluntly. ‘Look, I would love to be able to see where this can go but you know that President Snow would never let you and Katniss “break up”. And who knows what he’d do if he found out about all of this anyway.’ You felt a slight panic begin to set in the pit of your stomach, growing more and more paranoid that somehow your conversation was being listened in on. You looked back over at Peeta and the look on his face told you that he knew exactly what would happen if he went against President Snow.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered quietly. Giving him a sad smile, you stepped closer to him and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to his cheek, lingering for a second when you felt his fingers grip your jacket.

‘You don’t have anything to be sorry about,’ you replied, stepping back and making your way to the door. You refused to look behind you, knowing that if you did, you would most probably cave and you couldn’t afford to get caught up in anything that could get you in trouble with the Capitol.

[mountttmase]

The Do-Over - Part One

Note - happy new year 💙 also my asks are open if you would like to send any feedback or requests. Part two can be found here and Part 3 here.

Pairing - Mason Mount x Reader

Word count - 3.9k

Warnings - angst and fluff

‘Come on, you have to come. It’s already all booked’ your best friend Ava pleaded, her big eyes trying to work their magic on you but it was going to take a lot more than that.

‘Oh I don’t know’ you mused, stirring your straw around in your glass with your head resting on your hand.

‘Look I know last year wasn’t great’ she started and you gave her dumbfounded look.

‘That’s the understatement of the century’ you murmured and she gave a sympathetic smile.

‘It’ll be different this year, I promise. Just us girls. If you’re lucky I might even let you be my midnight kiss’ she told you with a wink and you couldn’t help but laugh. ‘At least think about it’ she reasoned and you nodded to let her know you would. ‘Listen I better run, text me yeah?’ she told you and with a kiss to your cheek she was gone

You loved Ava, she was your best friend and had been for the last three years after meeting at work and clicking straight away. You quickly became a big part of each others lives, and that’s how you’d met Mason.

Ava was cousins with Masons best friend, Declan and the three of them were like peas in a pod. Always together when they could be and once you’d met the other two, you seemed to be invited everywhere with them.

You should of known from the offset that Ava and Dec were trying to set the pair of you up, but it wasn’t until you were invited to lunch expecting it to be all of you and then only mason turned up that you realised something must be going on.

Mason seemed nervous the whole time, and to be fair to him, so we’re you. You’d always found Mason attractive and easy to get along with, but you figured he was so out of your league you never gave being with him a second thought. But at the end of lunch when he told you he’d enjoyed his time with you and said he’d like to hang out again just the two of you, you were eager to accept.

He was quick to invite you to his house for dinner after his next game. A place you’d been loads of times before, but never on your own with him. You ordered food and sat in-front of the tv whilst you spoke for a while about what Ava was like to grow up with and what’s she’s like at work now before he wanted to know all about you. Considering you’d known each other for just over half a year, you’d never spoken to each other like this. He sat and listened, taking in everything you told him and when he kissed your cheek at the end of the night you drove home hoping next time you saw him you could kiss him properly.

It took another two weeks to get to that point. In that time he’d held your hand and kissed you on every other part of your face, but it was after the game where he scored his first goal of the season he finally planted his lips on yours. You both confessed you’d been waiting a while for that and agreed to keep whatever was going between the two of you on the down low for now, knowing you’d never hear the end of it off Ava and Dec. You managed to hang it out for three months until Ava caught you in a heated make out session in her kitchen when you thought no one was looking.

You’d made it a whole year together when things took a turn for the worst. His schedule becoming packed to the point you barely saw each other. This lead to silly arguments that turned into big ones and it all came to a head last new years at a club that Dec had managed to book a table in. You were both stood in the corner of the smoking area outside, close enough to midnight that there weren’t too many people to see you but you made sure to keep yourselves quiet.

‘Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?’ He sighed, crossing his arms as he looked to the floor. ‘You can’t tell me you’re happy being like this with each other all the time? We haven’t been ourselves for ages and I don’t think I can do this anymore’

You knew if you spoke you’d start crying so you just shook your head as your heart broke inside your chest. Truth is it had only been three weeks of it being like this and you knew things would be better in the new year once everything calmed down. He didn’t seem to think this though, wanting to chuck your entire relationship away over a few silly arguments because you were both feeling a bit stressed. All you were hoping for is that he would fight for you a little bit but it seemed he’d given up at the first hurdle.

You could hear everyone counting down to midnight, and as everyone started shouting happy new year, you looked up to find Mason staring back at you with his big sad brown eyes. You had nothing else to say, no fight left in you, so you kissed his cheek and walked away before he had time to do anything else.

Almost a whole year on and you thought things would be better, and to the outside world you’d managed to convince everyone you were happier than ever, but you missed Mason more than anything. He hadn’t tried to contact you at all and you’d be lying if it didn’t sting a bit. You told yourself the two of you ended for a reason and it wasn’t working but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Seeing his face everywhere you turned also didn’t help.

Later that evening, you heard your phone ping, looking down to see a text from Ava.

You read it over a few times before messaging her back agreeing to go. She was right, you needed to make new memories so this night wouldn’t always be tainted and after a quick discussion about what to wear, you promised to meet her at her house tomorrow evening.

The club was busy, but thankfully the table Ava had booked was out the way so you weren’t bumping into people constantly and you were surrounded by all your favourite girls from work. Ava had stuck to her promise of no boys, besides the one you could see her hanging from, but you really were having a great night. The thoughts from the year before a distant memory as you surround yourself with good people.

Half an hour later you could see Ava on the phone outside, telling whoever was on the other end no repeatedly but soon enough she was storming back in and making a beeline for you.

‘I’m so sorry, I promise you this isn’t my idea’ she told you, but before you could ask her what was going on, you saw Declan’s face appear over her shoulder. You knew what that meant instantly and you felt your heart drop into your tummy. Ava saw by the look on your face something was wrong and turned to find Declan making his way to the table. She stormed over to him and they exchanged a few words before she walked past him, grabbing another man’s arm and dragging him away and out of sight.

Declan came straight over to you, his face looking slightly guilty but you pulled him into a hug as soon as he got to you. You hadn’t seen him in a long time but you’d always made sure you kept in touch with him through messages. Just because you and Mason no longer spoke you didn’t want the relationship with him to suffer.

‘I promise he won’t come anywhere near you’ he told you as you pulled away and you let out a chuckle at his cheeky face. ‘I didn’t mean to crash your evening, but it didn’t feel right spending the night away from you guys’

‘I know Dec, I’m sorry it’s like this’

‘Don’t be silly’ he smiled, throwing his arm around you. ‘It sucks, but that’s life sometimes. Hopefully it won’t always be this way’

You nodded and out the corner of your eye you saw Ava emerge from where she went, coming straight over to you. You soon saw Mason follow her, briefly catching his eye and your tummy dropped. This was the first time you’d seen him in a year and you felt your heart beat in your chest rapidly increasing.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve given him a talking to’ she told you and you shook your head with a laugh.

‘Guys I’m honestly fine. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night yeah?’ you told them and they both agreed with you. You made your way back to your work girls and mason slowly made his way over to the group, making sure to keep away from you as he’d been told to.

Whilst you told them you would be fine, you couldn’t help but glance over at him from time to time. He looked broader than the last time you saw him and he had a lot more facial hair. You liked what he’d done with the hair on his head too, remembering how it felt when you ran your fingers through the length on top but how he loved it when you stroked up the short sides.

He kept to his promise all night, and thankfully for you he didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk to any girls so at least you didn’t have to suffer through that. It was half eleven when you snuck off, wanting to get some air before the big countdown and you’d only been outside for a few minutes when you heard the door open besides you and Mason stroll out.

He hadn’t seen you as you were sat near the door and his face was buried in his phone. He kept on walking until he reached the railing of the balcony, resting his arms on top and looking out at the skyline. You sat there for a few moments and thought about what to do. You could stay there and ignore him, or get up and walk inside but before you had time to think he’s was turning, his eyes on yours immediately.

‘Shit, sorry. I didn’t know you were out here’ he told you in a rush and you stood up, averting your eyes to the floor.

‘It’s fine I was just going inside’ you mumbled and you saw his shoulders deflate and you went to walk away.

‘Wait’ he called and you looked up to see him looking at you nervously, his hands stuffed into his pockets as she shrugged his shoulders. ‘Can we talk?’

‘I don’t know’

‘Please? I won’t keep you long. You don’t even have to say anything back, I just wanna talk to you’

‘Ava said you promised not to say anything to me’

‘Well I guess you could say I don’t always mean everything that comes out of my mouth’ he murmured and your eyes shot up to meet his, wondering if his words had a double meaning.

You were in two minds about whether to hear him out but you eventually walked over to him, taking a seat on the table he was stood closest to and he joined you a second later on the seat opposite you. You heard him take a deep breath before he started.

‘I just want to apologise. I was a dick to you and you didn’t deserve any of that’ mumbled. ‘If I could go back in time, I’d do it all differently and I wouldn’t of given up at the first sign of trouble. I should of fought for you and I didn’t.’ He huffed, rubbing his hand across his forehead in frustration. ‘I’ve wanted to talk to you every day since but Dec and Ava told me not to. Said you weren’t ready and it was for the best to just leave you but fuck, I’ve missed you’ he eyes flew up to finally meet yours. Both were full of unshed tears but you refused to let any fall. You felt him wait a beat to see if you were going to say anything but when you were silent he just nodded gently before standing up. ‘Sorry, I’ll go. Have a good rest of your night’ he murmured before walking away. He made it halfway to the door before you finally found your voice.

‘Mason’ you croaked, standing up to walk towards him but you became rooted to the spot when he stopped and turned to you. You wanted to tell him you missed him too but the words refused to leave your mouth. You stood there in a silent stare off until your eyes finally gave up on you and all the tears you’d been holding in tumbled down your face. You had to look away from him when you felt the sobs begin to rack through you but you heard him rush over, pulling you into him without a word.

You sobbed into his chest, and even though he was trying you comfort you, you could feel him crying too. Both your heads now nestled into each others necks to muffle your cries but it was no use. He still smelt the same and the familiarity only made you bawl even harder. After a minute or two, he pulled away and held your face between his hands. Your heart breaking as you looked up to his tear stained cheeks.

‘Please talk to me. Please tell me how you feel. I need to know if you still feel anything for me cause if you do I promise I’ll make this right’ He told you with, his bottom lip trembling as he tried to hold it together. You’d never seen him like this before and you wanted to comfort him too, but you were no use to him in your state, both clinging to each other like your lives depended on it. When you didn’t speak he rested his forehead on yours and shut his eyes. ‘But if you want me gone I’ll go, whatever you want I’ll do it’

‘I don’t want you to go’ you whispered and his grip on you tightened as he let out a breath. ‘Im just really scared and I don’t know what to think’

‘I need to be honest with you’ he said, and he waited a second before carrying on. ‘I love you. Still. And I know you love me too or it wouldn’t hurt this much. If things were done and you’d moved on then you’d be able to look me in the eye right now but you can’t cause I know you still feel like I do. Please, just let me in’

‘Of course I still love you, Mase.’ You breathed and he let out a tiny whimper at your words, almost like he couldn’t believe what you were saying. ‘But you really hurt me’ you told him as you freed yourself from his grip. His arms fell at his sides and he watched you walk to the edge of the balcony before he sat back in his chair, his head in his hands. ‘You just threw everything we had away and didn’t even try to talk to me about it. I didn’t even get a reason why’

‘I know I know. But if you let me I want to try and fix this’

‘Tell me why then?’ You asked, turning to look at him hunched over the chair. ‘I need to understand what happened cause I didn’t even get an explanation. You just told me it was over I never heard anything again. ’

‘i know, you didn’t deserve that and I’ve felt like a massive dick. I wish I knew what the problem was’ he laughed, but there was no humour in it. ‘I’ve had so much time to think about it but in my head at the time it just made sense’ You furrowed your brows when he looked up and you and he shrugged before looking down. ‘I know it’s only been a year, but fuck y/n I feel like I was just a kid back then. I was so pissed off with everything at the time, the way the games were going, all the shit people say about me that I try and ignore but can’t. You were my comfort person and I relied on you so much to the point I thought I should take a step back. Maybe I needed to be shown what life was like without you to realise what I had. It was so selfish and I’m so sorry’

You walked over to him, his head still in his hands as he let out a few sniffles, not wanting to look at you whilst he was emotional. You stopped in-front of him, standing between his slightly parted legs and put your hands around his shoulders to bring him into you. His arms wrapped around your waist and his face got lost in your body and he clung to you. One of your hands now combing through his hair to comfort him and you felt him relax into you whilst he whispered how sorry he was over and over again.

You didn’t know what to do, on one hand you were scared of letting him back in again and getting hurt, but the sincerity in his eyes made you weak. The way he’s eyes had such an effect on you was scary to say the least and you were pretty sure with one look from him he could probably get you to do anything. You obviously knew he was sorry and you clearly hadn’t let go of what the two of you once had but the thought of letting him in and getting hurt again made you hold back slightly. Your head and heart were at war and you really weren’t sure what way you should swing.

‘Come on Mase, look at me’ you whispered, and he hid for a few more seconds before looking up at you, his big brown eyes looking at you full of sorrow and you felt your heart break for him a little bit. ‘I can’t stand here and say everything’s forgiven and we’re gonna go back to the way it was’ you told him, and his eyes dropped to the floor. You knelt down and caught his eyes. He looked so sad and you didn’t know what to say to make it better. You took his face in your hands, gently wiping the tears away and your heart throbbed in your chest at the soft smile playing on his lips.

‘One chance?’ He whispered, his hands coming to your arms as he stood up and pulled you with him. ‘One chance is all I need. Let me prove to you that you’ve got nothing to worry about’ his hands made their way back around your face so he could make you listen to his pleas. ‘If it doesn’t work out then fine, at least we can say we tried. But if it does work out I promise I’ll make you the happiest girl on the planet’ he promised, his hands settling on your waist and you placed yours on his chest. It felt so good to feel him under your hands again and the familiarity of it all made your eyes sting. ‘One chance. Please baby?’

As much as you wanted to be practical and think about everything rationally, your heart was winning over your head as you looked up at him. The fact he called you baby melted you a little bit more and if one more chance was all he was asking for then you figured it would be stupid not to give it a go. After a few seconds of making him sweat, you put him out of his misery.

‘One chance, Mase. I mean it you only get one’ you told him and you smiled as a look of relief washed over him.

‘Really?’

‘Yes, Mase. This years been hell without you and I don’t wanna keep putting myself through crap if we can turn this around’

‘You won’t regret this I promise’ he told you, pressing his lips to your forehead. You both stood in silence for a few seconds before you heard the DJ inside announce it was one minute to midnight. ‘Do you think I could get a do-over?’ He asked and you gave him a confused look.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I never got to give you your new years kiss last year, do you think I could maybe try again now?’ He asked and your breath got caught in your throat as you thought of what to say to him. ‘I know I’ve got a lot of making up to do, and this years been utter shit, but a new one starts in less than a minute and I’d really like it if we could begin this one how we mean to go on’. He explained and you felt your face heat up. The thought of his lips on yours made you dizzy but you nodded at him as you couldn’t think of anything better. He smiled down at you before pulling you impossibly closer and bumping his nose against yours.

The countdown began, you both giggling like school kids as the anticipation built up, and as soon as the clock struck midnight, his lips were on yours. You moaned into his mouth instantly and your whole body shivered as he delicately kissed you. Your hands moving from his chest to around his neck so he didn’t break apart from you. Slowly but surely, all the cracks that you’d felt form a year ago began to fill as he poured himself into you and you were soon both smiling into the kiss.

‘What the actual fuck’ you both suddenly heard, turning to find Dec and Ava at he door, both with shocked looks on their faces. ‘I knew this would happen’ Dec laughed as Ava crossed her arms.

‘I thought I was supposed to be your new years kiss’ she whined before you all laughed, Dec pulling on her arm to take them both back inside, leaving you and Mason alone again.

‘You wanna get out of here?’ He questioned and you raised your eyebrows at him. ‘Not like that’ he chuckled, taking your hands and walking you back over to the door. ‘I just thought we could talk some more but somewhere a bit more comfortable rather than stood in the freezing cold’

‘Okay’ you agreed, squeezing his hand as he lead you into the packed room. ‘Let’s go’

[mvltisstuff]

labyrinth - r.a

summary: five months after y/n breaks up with her boyfriend, she leans on ryan for help and as a comfort zone. when she has to face her ex again for the first time since at a party, ryan and y/n realize that their connection is stronger than their friendship can handle.

ryan atwood x reader

“summer, do you have that black top i can wear?” marissa asked her friend while preparing for a summer party with the teens in newport. getting ready for their senior year, the group was elated. they were ready to start thinking about their future and it seemed like everyone was happy with their current situation. summer had seth, and it seemed like the drama had dialed down.

y/n was spending a lot of time with ryan. her boyfriend, anthony, was brutally dumped by y/n. ryan was her main support after the fact. everyday, ryan saw her and helped her get back up on her own two feet, being her crutch. ryan knew she needed a shoulder when she didn’t have anyone else’s.

anthony and y/n were the cookie cutter couple. they had the whole town on their back, praying their relationship could be as perfect. the walking hand in hand, the meeting at each others lockers completely concealed the emotion of the real people. none the social part their relationship showed could fix the personal part. toward the end, she was checked out. the fighting and words had become too much, so one night, when the words were stronger than the love, y/n decided it was over.

it’s been five months since that stormy night. she knew he was going to be there, and they haven’t spoken since the end of school. she doesn’t want him to ruin another fun memory for her, so she made the choice to go. if marissa and summer were there, she could be too.

“yeah, its in my closet, grab it.” summer replied as marissa went into the closet. “hey you.” summer came over and sat next to y/n on the bed while she was painting mascara on her eyelashes.

“hey.” she mumbles.

“you ready to go soon?” she said understandingly.

“yeah, i’m just nervous. he’s gonna want to talk to me.”

“i know, he’ll try. but ryans coming too.” summer nudges her arm, a thin smirk on her face. even after knowing ryan and being close for years, she still got nervous hearing his name. “your knight in shining armor will come and protect you!”

————————————

the scent of hard liquor and joints were surrounding the mansion that the party took place at. people taking shots and sparking up outside the fence. people were thrown into the pool and the music from the speaker boomed through the whole neighborhood.

summer and seth arrived, arms twisted together. marissa met up with her own individual friends, and y/n was off to the side, taking small sips of a hard seltzer she took from the outdoor freezer. she observed the group of people in front of her while she leaned against the wall of the house. she felt a hand on her shoulder and she whipped to the side.

“sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” ryan said, softly with his own beer. “what’s a pretty girl like you doing hanging out all by yourself?”

“what’s a pretty guy like you doing coming over here?” she retorted. they laughed together and stood for a few minutes, making sly comments back to each other. “i have a question.”

“i have one too.” ryan replied back. “say it at the same time.” y/n nodded back at him.

“wanna get out of here?”

“wanna leave?”

ryan and y/n smiled and shook hands, agreeing to leave. marissa, summer, and seth were all aware we were leaving. they probably figured they’d leave anyway.

y/n threw out her seltzer can and ran to catch up to ryan. her sandals slapped on the cement surface of the deck as she skipped next to ryan. they smiled at each other, looking at ease and peace had graced both of their feelings. feeling another hand on her arm, she slowly turned around. because it was not ryan, and she knew all too well who it was.

she turned around to see the outgrown buzz cut on the boys head and looked into his deep green eyes. his height towered over her and all the words came crashing back into her mind like a wave. the aggressive aroma of marijuana and whiskey came running into y/n’s nose. his taunting smile peeled up on his face. “y/n! nice to see you.”

“im leaving, anthony, let go.” she assertively said.

“why you leaving, babe the party’s just starting!” his words slurred together and she found it slightly impressive how he managed to drink this much in such little time. she grimaced at the old name he gave her.

“shes leaving with me.” ryan came out of the side and stepped between us, ripping anthony’s hand off y/n’s wrist.

“oh! i see it really took you no time to get a move on.” anthony looks her dead in the eyes, stepping closer as she steps further. all the fears of coming to this party were displayed on the table. “and of course with this kid. ryan atwood everyone!” he shouted, making some heads turn and spilling some of his glass onto the ground.

“y/n lets just go, we can go back to the cohens.”

“nuh-uh, buddy, we’re not done here, y/n and i.” anthony spat out.

“oh, i’m sorry, my memory might be a little foggy, but,” ryan turned toward y/n. “she called it quits here.”

“exactly, y/n said it’s over.” he nodde his head and perked his head up a little. he adjusted himself toward y/n a little. “sweetheart, I never said it was over.”

“well you didn’t have the balls to call the shots.” y/n spoke up for herself.

“fuck, you still got that mouth on you. lucky Chino over here.” he winked at ryan. ryan started to laugh at anthony, rubbing his hand on his jaw.

y/n grabbed onto ryan’s side and pulled him in. “ryan, don’t. do not get involved and do what i think you’re about to do.”

“…fucking idiot… taking out the chino trash..” anthony’s voice from the corner while talking to one of his friends escaped their bubble and made it’s way into ryan and y/n’s. ryan smoothly turned around and laughed audibly, again.

“god, i love these damn parties.”

his fight response clicked into play. ryan landed a clean punch to anthony’s jaw, drawing it back and shaking it. anthony stumbled back, barely being able to stand straight in the first place. his friends caught him and all eyes were on the three. anthony was strong, and y/n knew it.

before anthony could pull himself together to throw back another punch at ryan, ryan and y/n were running to the car in the street. ryan’s hand had turned a faint purple on his knuckles and a red in the middle of the joints. the second his hand collided with anthony, y/n’s heart skipped a beat. she never wanted to start something new with anthony, and she just wanted it to end. she thought it was over, and the relationship was, but they wouldn’t be separated for a while.

y/n drove the two home in the cohens range rover in silence. ryan didn’t want to talk about it, because he knew she wasn’t mad. she was scared. scared of what a punch would do to them and what would happen to their relationship.

everyone around them knows that when ryan was there for her, neither of them would’ve been able to let go. ryan knew she wasn’t ready to move on, and he wasn’t ready to start something new after his life changed dramatically in a couple years. y/n didn’t want to change things, as he was the only stable thing in her life and she didn’t want it to end up being different.

summer always teased her, and seth always teased ryan, but the pairs fears and history prevented them from changing anything.

once back home, ryan and y/n went to his bathroom and she grabbed a few bandaids and alcohol. she started dabbing on the liquid and ryan hisses at the sting as she apologizes.

“i’m sorry, ryan. i never would’ve gone if i knew this was how it was gonna pan out.” she breathes out.

“don’t apologize. maybe he shouldn’t run his fucking mouth.” ryan looks up at her defeated eyes and sighs. “don’t be pissed off, y/n.”

“i’m not pissed, i just don’t know why you had to punch him.” y/n admits.

“what else did you want me to do? stand there and let him say shit about you?” his voice starts to get more fierce. he straightens his back and stretches his fingers.

“oh, i don’t know ryan, maybe we could’ve just walked away!” she tries matching his tone, but it’s no use. she decides not to fight back and layers on the bandage. “i’m just sick of seeing you get hurt over stupid stuff like this.”

“it’s not stupid considering the shit he’s done to you!”

her eyes well up with tears at the situation she’s in. her best friend, her soldier, is angry at her and her ex is on her back again. the scene’s running in her brain like a broken record. “i’m just worried about you, ryan, jesus christ!”

“why? you always get so worked up over shit like this when it’s not a big deal!”

“it’s a big deal to me because i fucking love you, ryan!” she spits out her secret. both of their faces drop in realization. his is relief and surprise, and hers in humiliation and regret. “shit, just… forget it, ryan. i have to go home.”

she turns around to leave with the thoughts spilling out of her head. she thinks, “he’s disgusted now, i just ruined the best thing going for me, he’ll never look at me the same…” she figured she broke her crutch. her soldier broke his weapons. her king put down his crown.

the tears are openly flowing at this point. the tightness of the bathroom and the bright lights making her more vulnerable than ever in their relationship. the pessimism of the situation over weighing the optimism. y/n goes to throw open the door when he grips her hip. he jumps down from the top of the counter and spins her around.

the fire is ignited between them and he pulls their lips together. ryan was scared, too. maybe she changed her mind about him now and didn’t want him anymore. at least not in the way he wanted her. his muscles relax when she leans in and places her hands on the sides of his face. their heartbeats were fluttering against their chests. his hands roamed her body and he tried to built the strength to pull away. he backs away, breaking the kiss between them.

“i’ve been falling in love with you this whole time.” he whispers.

[jacquiarno]

It’s Bisexuality Visibility Month (also Suicide Awareness Month), and the biphobia has been constant and intense, even in our own bi spaces, mostly from fellow LGBTQIA+ people.

Bi women have been told they are tainted for being with men, that we are dirty and dick obsessed. We’ve been told we are perverted fetishists by both cis and trans lesbians, with even gay men joining in on the insults, with one even threatening violence towards bi women if they come near lesbians. We even got told we deserve to be abused, raped, and murdered by our male partners because that’s what we deserve for dating men.

Bi men are being accused again for being HIV carriers, with gay men saying they are only good for sex because they will end up leaving them for women. One trans man said he would kill himself if a man started dating a woman after him, not leave him for one but just start dating again and that person being a woman.

I haven’t seen insults directly about non-binary bisexuals, but I’m sure there would be and a lot of hate lumps us all together. All this hates stings me but I can’t imagine the pain of all this for non-binary, trans women, and trans men dealing with it all, and it makes me so disappointed and angry that fellow trans people in this community are hurting them.

Pride Month a lesbian wrote “I wish god would eradicate all the bisexuals” while another wrote “For Pride Month let all the bi people disappear” with both having thousands of likes and comments agreeing. Now during Bi Visibility Month, a non-binary lesbian with feminist in their profile posted “Happy bi visibility month, I hope they find a cure soon 💖”. While continuing to mock us after.

Our allies and so-called LGBTQIA+ advocates have been silent and have even participated in bierasure, laughing at us when we point it out, saying “It’s not that serious.” “Lol the bis are getting upset over nothing again”. Only the bisexual advocates and pages have spoken out against the hate.

The B in LGBTQIA+ is suppose to be for bisexual but this community says and treats us as awfully as the bigots do to all of us. Bisexual is the sexuality that is attracted to two or more genders, that we have the ability to love anyone regardless of their gender. But we’re treated as greedy, perverted, hyper sexual, unfaithful, which from bigots you understand and usually brush off, but from those within the community who go through similar prejudice and should understand, sharing the same ignorant mindset.

These spaces are suppose to be our safe havens as well, but are just as dangerous. We try making our own spaces and even that is invaded by these people, we are beyond exhausted. We need the other members of the community that aren’t biphobic to speak out more and shut these people and this hate down. Because the lack of empathy from this community is frightening and all this in-fighting will allow the bigots to pick us a part more easily.

[grovelin-green-goblin]

Why Should we Play Glitchy Games?

How many times has this happened to you? You booted up a new game, you got it day one, and it has some glitches, and you aren’t too fond of the graphics, so, as such, you stop playing it and don’t really come back to it. You go back to whatever you were playing before and whenever your friends talk about it with you you always remark on how you couldn’t get past the way the graphics were. Some time passes, and you decide to watch a video on it, and you realize you missed out.

I think we’ve all been there, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of, lots of people judge books by their covers or just by the first few pages. But it doesn’t always have to be this way. Even if a game is unpolished, has poor graphics, or is glitchy, should stick with it. If not for just the sake of seeing what’s on the other side.

Talking about video games, it’s also easy to get caught up in the details. I’ve seen so much discourse about the graphics of games and how powerful the consoles are, it’s almost like the games themselves stop mattering at a certain point. It’s become more of “how close can we get to a movie without just making a movie?” Now, granted, multiple years during the Game Awards, Geoff Keighley and other speakers have spoken about how they hope to see video games get even closer to being like movies. While I’m all for advancements, and granted this is mostly from Playstation and Microsoft’s AAA output, they all play so close to one another, and if that’s not happening, Playstation is remaking The Last of Us again.

So, what’s the point? All these games look the same, and while there’s depth to them, but at the same time, there’s a lack of variety in the actual genres. So many of these games have become samey. There’s not enough variety, but with the actual content of the games, there’s not too much actually covered. So much of this has become a discussion of graphics and less about the games themselves. The discussion, and focus, should start to veer towards the actual content of these games, not just the performance and graphics.

Now, sometimes, the contents of the games aren’t completely polished, but I’ve seen so many stories of people playing these unpolished games and having a great time. A big example is Super Smash Bros. Melee, a game that has become renowned for its glitches such as the Wavedash and L-Canceling along with the roster’s unbalanced nature has made it an enduring classic for two decades, or Pokemon Red and Blue, games that, while a complete experience, are held together with duct tape and a dream, allowing for Arbitrary Code Execution, a way for people to make precise inputs, rewriting the game while the game is being played due to an insecurity in the game’s coding, allowing again for new discoveries to be made and be played for decades. So much so that people are still finding new techniques and the hierarchy of characters' competitive comparisons to one another to this day. Along with games that haven’t aged well or were unpolished, some games are made with glitches in mind, whether for comedy, like Goat Simulator, or simply that a glitch inspires a whole new concept. One of the most influential examples being Street Fighter II, where the designers found that different attacks had ending lags and could also be strung into each other, allowing for concept of combos to be born, and essentially creating the basis for all modern fighting games.

Now some may say that, no, playing unpolished games leaves you with a frustrating experience, with constant crashes and choppy, inconsistent frame rates. An example of this that I can think of is the Steam version of Fallout New Vegas, a game that, in general, is colloquially considered one of the best video games in the Fallout series, if not in its genre. But, due to the game not being developed for PCs first because it was first developed for the PS3 and Xbox 360, the game’s development being 18 months, and how old the game is, the Steam version is riddled with lots of bugs and frequently crashes. Despite this, however, the game still sits with an overall review average of “Very Positive” on its store page. Why is that? People found that, despite all the issues, players still love the game and found ways to not only work around the crashes, whether through toughing it out or modding the game to tighten up the experience, preventing these crashes from happening. This even happens now, with online games, like Fortnite and Fallout 76. These games, for as popular as they are, there’s always glitches that come with new additions and get fixed as they come, and they release with these glitches. People still play them. Even a game that came out three days ago, Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, has framerate drops and a strange lack of anti-aliasing, but guess what? I’m already halfway done with it, and I believe it’ll get fixed within time, whether as a patch or it was intended to work better on whatever this Switch successor will be. The point is, even if these games have these problems, a lot of the people who pull through usually end up at liking games like this.

Of course, this doesn’t work for consoles, but usually these don’t go that far as an issue.

All in all, even if the games aren’t polished or have glitches, it may still be worth it to play them. While, that doesn’t mean you can excuse extremely poor performances, you might find that you can still get enjoyment out of them, and can still be worth your time.

[midwestmade29]

Collaboration 🤠

Part 1

This story has been a month in the making! It’s a collab between @madhatterbri and myself that came together randomly one night. It was (and still is!) amazing to me how quickly and easily we were able to come up with something so awesome together! This story has pieces of us both in it and we are so excited to finally share it with you all 🖤 ✧ @madhatterbri's masterlist can be found here ✧ My masterlist can be found here

Disclaimers: Cursing, intimidation, threats, unprotected sex, angst. Read at your own discretion.

Word count for part 1: 1,831

GIF credit: @cardinalbiggles

Divider by: @saradika-graphics

Stay tuned for part 2 🙂

This is 100% pure fiction.

Your past follows you around everywhere you go, but a certain cowboy tries to help you heal from it...

Over the last few months, you had settled in to your new role on the production team with AEW nicely. You finally felt like you were coming out of your shell, finding your way around the production truck and backstage all while getting to know the rest of the team and the wrestlers! There was one person that you hit it off with right away, Hangman Adam Page. He was one of the first people to introduce themselves to you and the kindness he showed you was like a breath of fresh air! Whenever both of you had a free moment, you often found yourselves laughing and smiling together. If you weren’t mistaken, sometimes it felt like he was flirting with you too! Hangman loved to see you flustered and he enjoyed making you squirm a little with his words. You’d never admit it out loud, but you loved the way he looked at you and how easily he made you blush.

Every interaction you had with Hangman you tried your best to keep on the down low in fear that your ex might see you two together. Swerve Strickland wrestles for AEW too and even though you were no longer together, he still liked to keep a watchful eye on you. At work you lived with your head on a constant swivel, always looking over your shoulder for him or one of his associates. Swerve is a master manipulator, fiercely intimidating, jealous, and always delights in destroying your psyche. His words are always demeaning and harsh, well thought out and always packing a punch! All the awful things he said to you during your relationship live rent free in your head, the wounds they left on your heart have never healed. His most recent strike was when word had gotten back to him about a conversation you were having with The Young Bucks backstage. Hangman was the topic being discussed, The Bucks attributing his recent change in demeanor to you! “We haven’t seen him smile like this in a long time. Whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up Y/N! He’s a good man and deserves to be happy,” Matt expressed. As your exchange went on, you swore you saw someone emerge from behind a nearby storage crate and hurry away. The smile you had on your face was now replaced with worry!

“Boss! Boss!” Prince NaNa called out. “Y/N, and those Bucks! Th-they were t-talking about the cowboy a-again!” he tried to spit out in between his attempts to catch his breath. Swerve didn’t speak, just kept his icy stare on NaNa as he explained the conversation he overheard, sparing no detail. “What are you going to do about this, boss? You’re not going to let her get away with this are you?” Swerve only smiled a wicked smile at his associate, no words spoken as he walked in the direction where you were standing, Prince NaNa not far behind him. You were looking over your notes when you felt a shift in the atmosphere around you. Your body tensed up when a familiar voice uttered your name from behind you, “Y/N. So, I hear you’re into cowboys now, huh? A former champion at that! You trying to fuck your way to the top or something? I think your sights are set a little high with that one. The man will get tired of you just like everyone else has and ride off on his little pony in search of his next plaything. You’re damaged goods, baby. Don’t ever forget that.”

It had been two weeks since your last encounter with Swerve, but his words still echoed through your mind. You were doing your best to ignore them, at least for tonight since it was a big night for Hangman. His championship match was set to be the main event for Dynamite, and you had promised to celebrate with him afterwards if he was able to win the belt! He made his way down the ramp while you watched on a monitor backstage with a huge smile on your face. The crowd was incredibly into the match, chanting “cowboy shit!” in support of Hangman throughout the whole thing! He was clearly the favorite to win, and he almost had it in the bag until his opponent landed an exceptionally stiff clothesline on him that left Hangman completely dazed in the middle of the ring. You stared at the monitor in shock, whispering a silent prayer to yourself that he was okay! Your heart sank when Doc Sampson slid into the ring and immediately began examining Hangman while everyone around you gasped when the replay of the incident was shown again.

Once Dynamite was off the air, Hangman was taken back to medical for further evaluation. One of your fellow production team members agreed to take over your final tasks of the night so you could go and check on him! You were practically running as you made your way to him, dodging all obstacles and people that were in your path, not caring who saw you in your panicked state. After taking a deep breath and knocking on the door, you opened it and saw Hangman sitting up on the table while Doc Sampson checked him for a concussion. “Wow, Doc! I must’ve really taken a hit to the head. I think I see an angel,” Hangman teased. His smile was radiant as you walked over to him, it helped ease some of your worry, but you knew it wouldn’t go away completely until the doctor gave Hangman the all clear. “Well, how is he doc?” you asked with your eyes locked on the cowboy. “No concussion, but he’s going to be feeling the effects of a hit that hard for a while. I recommend taking a week- maybe two off to recuperate. He’s got some cuts I need to bandage up too.”

Even Doc Sampson couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as Hangman continued to tease you, “Still have your little headset on and everything! Do you always rush to check on all the wrestlers, or am I just lucky? I don’t know about you Doc, but I think someone has a soft spot for the Hangman!” You swatted his chest playfully and he grabbed hold of your hand before you were able to pull it away. The doctor excused himself from the room when he noticed the way you both were looking at each other. Hangman held onto your hand, lacing his fingers with yours and something inside you hoped that he would never let it go! You could tell he was about to say something, but before he had the chance, the door swung open and hit the wall with a loud thud.

When your brain registered who the intruder was, you immediately pulled your hand away from Hangman’s and took a step back. Swerve sauntered into the room, eyeing you and the cowboy before breaking the silence, “Well, what have we here? A patient and his little nurse, how cute! Looks like I interrupted your exam. It’s a shame what happened out there, cowboy. Almost like those hits were stiff on purpose!” It was obvious Swerve’s presence made you uncomfortable, and Hangman took notice. His voice was dripping with annoyance when he responded, “Y/N is just making sure that I’m okay, and unless you’re here to do the same, I think it’s best if you and that Dollar Store prince leave.” Prince NaNa was standing guard at the door and whipped his head around when he heard Hangman’s comment, but he knew better than to say anything! Swerve made his way closer to you which caused Hangman to stand up protectively, but he stumbled a little when he suddenly felt dizzy. You placed your hand on his shoulder encouraging him to sit back down and it was obvious that it triggered Swerve!

“You gotta keep better company, Hangman. It doesn’t bode well for you to surround yourself with someone so…promiscuous. I think Ms. Y/N here has been everyone’s flavor of the week at some point,” Swerve spoke meticulously, making sure each word got under Hangman’s skin. It was a job well done when he jumped off the table again and immediately got in Swerve’s face, “You watch your mouth, dumbass! I already gave you the chance to leave once and you didn’t take it. This is my final offer for you to leave on your own without having my boot shoved up your ass!” You watched as both men stood with their faces mere inches from each other, neither one of them daring to back down. Prince NaNa’s words echoed through the room as he warned his boss that someone was coming and that they needed to scram before someone sees them. Swerve remained cool and collected, offering Hangman a warning of his own, “You don’t wanna fuck around with this mogul, cowboy. You have no idea what I’m capable of. Enjoy Ms. Y/N’s services.” He laughed manically as he left the room.

After that night, Hangman started to pick up on things more and more. He could tell how tense you would get whenever you heard Swerve’s name, how nervous you appeared to be when you were talking to him at work, and how often you looked over your shoulder. Whenever he would ask about the situation with Swerve, you blew it off or changed the subject. You just couldn’t bring yourself to burden Hangman with the details about your tumultuous past! Every time you looked at the cowboy, you could feel yourself falling for him more and more, which terrified you. Even though you tried your best to push him away, Hangman still stuck around. He was starting to feel like your safe place, like someone you could trust. Hangman proved that he felt just as strongly about you as you did him the night he kissed you. While you still couldn’t wrap your brain around why this cowboy stuck around, you were sure glad he did. You’ve been to hell and back, but Hangman was giving you a taste of Heaven on earth.

He does whatever he can to show you that he’s worth trusting and he refuses to give up on you even on the difficult days. He takes his time with you, showing you grace and giving you patience because he knows you deserve it. Despite his best efforts, there were moments when the voice from your past would creep in and feed you lies. There were days where you kept him at arm’s length even when you knew it wasn’t warranted. One day he left you astonished when he whispered against your lips, “Y/N, I got you. Please, give me- give us a chance. Let me take care of you and show you how wonderful you truly are. No matter how many times you push me away, I will always stand firm. I’m not going anywhere, Y/N. I’ve got you.”