#anyways!!! it was such a nice interaction and it felt like we’re all in this together and we have each others backs

[mostlykind]

I feel like all these racist riots have now caused all white people to worry about seeming racist that they’re now going out of their way to prove they’re NOT and are being so much nicer in public

[elliesbelle]

nobody compares to you

chapter 11

pairing: ellie x reader

synopsis: you're in your junior year of college and at a party, you run into the girl who broke your heart: ellie williams. despite the time it took to reset your life, will you risk a broken heart again for her?

content warnings: modern college au, cursing, angst, descriptions of alcohol and underage drinking, mentions of homophobic slurs, descriptions of marijuana use, men being creepy in general, drama between exes, descriptions of an anxiety attack, mentions of nausea and vomiting, minors do not interact

word count: 10.2k

chapters: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen

series masterlist

my masterlist

i have a ko-if if you like my work so much that you feel compelled to tip me ♡︎

the "nobody compares to you" spotify playlist

Freshman Year, Fall

You’d never been to a college party, much less a frat party. The extent of your knowledge was taught by cheesy and likely inaccurate movies where all the characters were all played by 30-year-olds pushing 40. But after the shit show that was your senior year of high school, you were looking forward to celebrating your newfound freedom through underage drinking and close-quartered gyrating.

Your roommate's name was Tara Maclay, a honey-blonde tomboy who wore baggy clothing and had a foul but amusing mouth. Your first few days involved polite conversation and awkward apologies when you’d accidentally invade the other’s personal space. However, after a late night of deep conversation, you’d discovered that you were both lesbians and felt a friendship click almost immediately.

During yet another freshman orientation, this time for your dorm held by your RAs in one of the lounges, you’d both befriended a few other girls who also resided in your building, Wilson Valley. The first you’d met was a girl named Astrid. She was tall, skinny, and had long black & blonde braids that swayed gracefully every time she moved. You couldn’t help but notice the way Tara eyed her, nudging her playfully to break her out of her slack-jawed loser lesbian stupor.

Astrid had greeted you both sweetly and introduced you to a couple more girls she’d already met: Sidney and Rebecca, who happened to live right in the same hall as you and Tara. Astrid mentioned she had a roommate as well, who couldn’t come to the meeting. You vaguely recalled she said her name was Dina.

After your RAs ended the meeting and dismissed the rest of the residents, your newfound group lingered in the lounge. You continued to chat lightly about nonsensical topics like new classes and room assignments and the campus until Rebecca mentioned a party being thrown the next night.

“My roommate Kristen mentioned that this frat is having a ‘Start of the Year’ party or something tomorrow!” She said, settling into one of the ratty couches. “Not sure if you guys would be interested in that, but I thought that would be cool to go to, even just for the experience.”

Tara grimaced before saying, “An excuse for asshole, predatory frat guys to prey on freshman girls?”

“Could maybe still be fun, though,” Astrid mused. “Nice excuse to get fucked up and all.”

“Well, I guess the free booze isn’t so bad.” Tara quickly said, changing her tune instantly. You chuckled quietly at her.

“What’s the frat?” You asked.

“Uhh,” Rebecca pondered for a moment. “I think… Sigma… something? I honestly don’t remember. I’ll ask Kristen later.”

“All of them just sound the same anyway,” Sidney shrugged, sitting criss-cross applesauce on the carpeted floor next to the couch. “I’m totally up for it if you guys go, though. Good way to be social. I don’t really have friends around here just yet.”

You turned towards her.

“We’re all your friends, so you do now.” You said, smiling at her.

Sidney returned your smile with a wide one of her own.

You’d already set out your desired outfit on your bed for the Sigma Eta party when you sat by your desk, applying your makeup. Behind you, Tara was clumsily rummaging through her clothes, cursing under her breath as she kept changing her mind about her party attire.

“What the fuck do you even wear to frat parties, dude?” She said, throwing yet another unfolded, creased shirt into her dresser.

“Honestly, I don’t really know. I’ve mostly gone to high school theatre cast parties, and I don’t think those really count as real parties.” You replied, lightly brushing a small spoolie through one of your eyebrows.

“Am I supposed to look fucking nice, or—?”

“Just be yourself!” You jokingly said.

Through your makeup mirror, you saw Tara give you an annoyed grimace in the reflection. You laughed.

“That’s stupid ass advice.” She groaned in frustration.

“Sorry!” You apologized in jest. “I mean, you’re not really there to attract guys. Don’t have to be all dressed up and all if you don’t want to be.”

“You’re getting all dressed the fuck up.” Tara pointed out, motioning towards your outfit on the bed.

“I just like looking nice,” You shrugged. “Just for myself, not really for anyone else. Like I said, you don’t have to get all dressed up if you don’t want to. Unless there’s someone you’re trying to impress.”

“I mean, I didn’t say that…” She grumbled, almost indiscernible underneath her breath.

“Oh?” You said, momentarily pausing your makeup routine to turn towards her with an eyebrow raised. “Why? Is there a certain someone you wanna look good for?” You inquired.

Tara refused to meet your inquisitive eyes as she fidgeted with another shirt’s buttons between her hands.

“I knew it!” You laughed, pointing the makeup brush you held in your hand towards her. “You like Astrid!”

“No, I fucking do not!” Tara responded defensively.

“You have a crush on Astrid,” You said in a sing-song voice. “You have a crush on Astrid!”

“Shut the fuck up, dude!”

“You think she’s pretty, you want her to have your babies!” You continued to sing, cackling as you turned back to your desk to resume your eye makeup.

“I will physically fight you, you dick!” Tara warned noncommittally.

“Save all those kinky threats for your new girlfriend.” You chuckled as you effortlessly blended two shades of eyeshadow with one another.

“Ugh,” She groaned as she flopped down on her bed. “She’s so fucking straight though. Like, painfully fucking straight. Like, not just heterosexual. Barbie heterosexual.”

“First of all,” You said as you set down the makeup brush in your hand to grab your setting spray. “Barbie is so gay, so that point is useless.”

“Barbie is not fucking gay, man.” Tara argued.

“Barbie is a lesbian with comphet and Ken is her lavender marriage boyfriend,” You disagree, fanning your freshly sprayed face. “Secondly, Astrid is one hundred percent a dyke too.”

“Did you fucking see her, dude?”

“Yes, I did. I have eyes, Tara.”

“Yes, I do too.”

“But not a good enough gaydar though, it looks like.”

“What the fuck!”

“Trust me, Tara,” You said, turning towards her once more to look her straight in the eyes. “There is not a single straight bone in that girl’s body, I guarantee it. If you weren’t so busy checking her out before, you would have noticed it too. Might have even noticed that she was also checking you out.”

“Wait. Hold the fuck up, seriously?” Tara said, perking up for a second before suddenly looking nervous.

“Dude, this is no time to be a fucking pussy! She’s really pretty and seems to like you back. Just get to know her tonight!”

“You think she’s pretty?” She asked.

“I mean, yeah, of course. She is gorgeous.” You admit. “But you’re okay, I’m not competition. She’s not my type, trust me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, kind of discovered after my last relationship that I’m more into like, masc and butch lesbians.”

“Oh?” Tara said intriguingly, abandoning her search for appropriate clothing to take a seat on her bed. “How do you mean exactly?”

“Well,” You said, twirling your eyeliner pen in between your fingers as you turned in your chair to face her again. “My ex-girlfriend was a little bit more feminine than masculine. And I mean, I guess I was attracted to her in different kinds of ways, but I think that I was drawn more to her personality than her looks.”

You sighed before continuing.

“Which, obviously, I think is very important, but I also believe that you’ve gotta be physically attracted to who you’re with too, you know? Not in a shallow way or anything. But I don’t think I really ever felt that click with her, even at the start. It was just another unrealistic expectation I had of her that ultimately cemented the end of our relationship.”

Tara hummed in understanding.

“So why masculine lesbians, then? I’m just curious as someone who presents more as masculine but who tends to like more feminine girls.” She asked.

You pondered her question for a few moments, considering your response.

“There’s just… I don’t know, there’s just something so bold and alluring about a woman who completely rejects femininity in every possible way. We’re all expected to fill that role of being gentle and ladylike, and I think it’s just so attractive when a girl openly says ‘fuck you’ to that and presents the way she actually wants to, not the way the rest of the world expects of her. I love it when women are exclusively masculine, almost like they’re showing men how it’s supposed to be done. I think it’s just so hot and charming and sexy.”

“Ooh, so you think I’m sexy and shit?” Tara teases, wiggling her eyebrows at you as you conclude your mini-speech.

“No, you’re way too much of a loser lesbian who can’t even tell the difference between a straight girl and a femme lesbian.”

“Hey, not too fucking much now!” Tara said indignantly.

You laughed loudly before going back to applying your winged eyeliner.

A few moments later, you heard a knock followed by Astrid, Rebecca, and her roommate Kristen after you shouted that your door was unlocked. Kristen, a short and perky girl with her dirty blonde hair up in two long pigtails, introduced herself and said that her friend Mina was also tagging along later on, in addition to two other people she didn’t mention.

It was incredibly amusing to you how red and flustered Tara became as a result of Astrid’s sudden appearance. You even felt a little bit giddy yourself when Astrid graciously offered to help pick out an outfit for Tara to wear for tonight’s party.

It wasn’t long after the three girls arrived that Sidney joined the rest of your group, having done herself up a bit as well in a short, pink dress and pieces of curly hair styled to fall from her space buns. You all enthusiastically complimented her and hyped her up, to which she blushed.

You were the last one to finish getting ready, the rest of your new friends every now and again watching you finish your makeup routine as they all chatted animatedly. They all gawked in awe at the way you’d artistically dolled up your face, Kristen commenting that Michaelangelo couldn’t have painted colours the way you did your eyeshadow (to which you humourously and geekily remark that he was more of a sculptor than a painter). The girls all loudly squealed at how expertly you applied your fake eyelashes within mere seconds, you chuckling to yourself at how easily amused they seemed to be.

As all the girls began to pre-game with a bottle of Bacardi spiced rum Kristen had brought, you threw on the rest of your outfit: a long-sleeved, lacy and see-through white top with a black bra underneath, a black mini-skirt with side pockets, and your favourite knee-high black boots. You joined in the drinking festivities before Astrid checked the time and her messages then suggested you all head out to meet Kristen’s friend Mina and head towards the Sigma Eta party.

You all squeezed into a rickety, old elevator located in the middle of the hallway and headed down to the first floor of your building. As the elevator doors opened up to the lobby, Kristen broke off from the rest of the group when she spotted another girl waiting with two guys by the front doors. Kristen squealed happily and gave her a tight hug before introducing her friend to the rest of you.

Mina was a girl with short kinky blonde hair that reached just above her shoulders. She wore a white halter top with dark blue jeans accompanied by black pumps. To her left was a short, brown-haired guy with a plain, blue button-down and a pair of salmon-coloured shorts; to her right was a tall, dark-haired boy wearing an orange Hawaiian shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.

“Good evening, fellow freshman cuties,” Mina said before gesturing to her hand to her own company, introducing them respectively. “This is Fred, and this is Jesse.”

The two boys smiled and nodded in greeting.

“Mina’s brother actually used to be in the fraternity that’s throwing the party we’re going to tonight before he graduated last year.” Kristen explained to your group.

“Yeah, Fred here is a friend of my brother’s. He was the one who told me about the party.” Mina added.

“Oh, that was really nice of you.” Astrid said, giving Fred a polite smile. He smiled back, not before eyeing her keenly up and down.

“Thought I’d introduce Mina to college life the proper way.” Fred replied cockily, patting Mina hard on the back in a brotherly fashion. Mina rolled her eyes.

“Let’s head out, chicas!” Kristen announced, beckoning your large group towards and out the front doors.

The trip to the Sigma Eta frat house wasn’t very long, but it felt like it to you at the beginning. Tara had broken off from your side when she was able to garner enough courage and nervously converse with Astrid, who was chatting back animatedly while ignoring Fred’s futile attempts to flirt with her. Kristen and Mina were enthusiastically catching up with each other, and Rebecca, who noticed Sidney’s shy and reserved demeanour, began kindly engaging her in a conversation to help her open up and get to know her. This left you to yourself for a while.

You were excited to be branching out socially and making friends, but it was difficult not to feel like you were out of your league in this rather abundant group of acquaintances. Being accustomed to smaller circles of friends and having gone through a recent ordeal with former friends, you weren’t quite sure how to politely insert yourself without seeming like a burden or nuisance.

The other guy Mina had brought along, Jesse, seemed to notice your silent predicament. He was a tall, muscular Asian man who had jet-black hair and kind eyes. You and your friends were approaching a nearby bus stop when he first spoke to you.

“So, this is your first real party, huh?”

You almost jumped, surprised that someone was speaking to you.

“Oh! Umm, yeah,” You responded sheepishly. “Is it really that obvious?”

“A little, but it’s alright,” He chuckled. “I’m Jesse, by the way. What was your name again?”

You smiled meekly as you introduced yourself.

“I’ll be sure to remember that.” He said with a friendly, assuring grin.

You weren’t sure what it was about this guy Jesse, what it was about him that made you like him instinctively. Men generally made you feel uncomfortable, and you almost never had any guy friends. But something in your gut was telling you that he was genuine, someone you could trust.

“So do you go to these kinds of frat parties a lot?” You asked in an attempt to be social.

“Sometimes,” Jesse replied. “Don’t really like this specific frat we’re going to, but I’m supposed to be helping this friend of mine link up with some guy who’ll be there. Do you smoke pot?”

“Why do you ask? Are you a cop?” You joked.

“Oh, absolutely. That is precisely why I am tagging along with a bunch of underage freshmen to a booze-filled shitty, frat party as someone who is also currently underage.” He chuckled.

You smiled at him.

“Yeah, I smoke,” You eventually replied. “I don’t really have a solid plug out here just yet though.”

“Well, my friend is a dealer and the guy we’re meeting up with tonight actually grows nearby, so we’re gonna see if my friend can work with him. She needs to procure some more fresh ‘merchandise’ or whatever.” He said, making air quotes upon saying the word ‘merchandise.’ “If you’re looking for a regular plug, I can introduce you to her later.”

“That’d be perfect, honestly,” You replied. “Don’t know how I’ll be able to get through freshman year of college without the influence of drugs.”

“Trust me, I get it,” Jesse said. “I had to make do with second-rate dealers as a freshman last year ‘cause my old dealer back home is obviously far away. Everyone around here either charges way too much or their shit is completely dry and weak.”

“Damn,” You replied. “But you think your friend’s got better connections?”

“Well, we’re going to see. But she’s real great about finding good strains and shit. Hopefully, things work out tonight.”

“I hope so too. I don’t wanna try and find another dealer out here, and then it turns out they’re creepy or something. And I trust you and your faith in your friend.”

“Yeah?” Jesse said curiously. “That’s very nice of you.”

You shrugged and gave him a warm smile.

The rest of the trip to the Sigma Eta house was much more enjoyable now that you seemed to find a friend in Jesse. You clicked instantly with him: discussing where you were both from, what your majors were, what there was to do around and outside of the campus. He even gave you tips on how to navigate college as a freshman, having gone through it himself already the previous year. It comforted you that this person you’d just met already seemed adamant about looking out for you in a friendly, platonic manner.

As your group walked down the sidewalk that led to multiple houses where other college students resided, you spotted bright, strobing lights coming from a house towards the end of the street. The sounds of loud party music and boisterous chatter grew louder the further down you ventured. You finally came up to a house where several cars were haphazardly and crookedly parked out front and an assortment of other college kids loitered around the porch, most holding red solo cups filled to the brim.

Before you all stepped foot onto the front porch of the house, Astrid suddenly stopped and turned around to face the whole group.

“Hey, can we take a quick pic of all of us attending our first-ever college party? I wanna capture the memory of getting fucked up with my new dorm besties!” She gushed excitedly.

“You know, this actually isn’t my first college party.” Kristen chuckled, but Mina nudged her in the ribs.

“You know what she means, you killjoy. Come on, let’s all take a selfie!”

All the girls gathered together and began to link arms or embrace each other around the waist or drape their arms over each other’s shoulders. You turned towards Jesse, who was texting rapidly on his phone.

“So, selfie time?” You asked him.

“Nah, you guys go ahead. I think I’m gonna go find my friend inside ‘cause I’m pretty sure she’s here already. Plus I don’t wanna get in the way of you and your friends.”

“You’re my friend too,” You asserted boldly. “Come here and get in the picture with us, new friend.”

Jesse flashed you a warm smile and relented without any further argument.

Astrid held up her phone at a 45-degree angle towards the starry, night sky, angling it so she could get the whole group in the frame (except for Fred, whom she made very little effort to include in the picture, him standing at the edge of the group and desperately trying to have his face captured as well). You and Jesse stood right next to each other, and you allowed yourself to put a hand behind his back in an almost half-hug. You let out a partly genuine smile as Astrid said “Cheese!” and snapped a few photos of your group. After she sent the pictures to you and the rest of the girls in a mass group text (which she then promptly named “Wilson Crew ❤️‍🔥” after the dorm you were all living in), you and your new friends finally ventured into the Sigma Eta frat house.

The deafening noise of terrible EDM and the smell of sweat that filled the thick air was almost enough to make you regret coming out. But the rest of your group tittered in anticipation, so you feigned excitement as you all ventured further into the house.

You entered the dining room where a long, wooden table had been turned into a small, makeshift beer-pong court. There were several people gathered around it, whether as spectators or players. You watched as a girl in a ponytail whooped after she effortlessly bounced a ping-pong ball onto the table and into a red solo cup on her opponent’s side. Several bystanders cheered in response as a frat guy on the other side of the table cursed in jest and promptly chugged from the cup.

“Dina!” Astrid mused excitedly, approaching the girl. She gave her a tight hug, which the girl named Dina affectionately returned.

Dina was an incredibly pretty girl with tan skin and black, wavy hair. Beneath thick, dark eyebrows were a pair of beautiful brown eyes that looked extremely warm and welcoming. Being Astrid’s roommate, it’d have been an obvious guess that she was a freshman too like the rest of you. But she exuded this air of boldness and spunk that made it seem like she was a vetted college student. You noticed that several onlookers, mostly men, had been eyeing her shiftily and curiously.

“I thought you said you weren’t coming!” Astrid scolded her playfully.

“Well, I honestly wasn’t, but a friend of mine had been trying to persuade me to come and—” Dina began before breaking off suddenly.

Her eyes had wandered towards your group of friends and fell on Jesse who was standing right next to you. The wide smile on her face faltered as her animated expression turned into one of shocked recognition. You turned towards Jesse who had suddenly gone rigid and stone-faced. You looked back at the girl Dina who blinked back to reality and began to stutter.

“I-I’m g-gonna catch up with you later, okay?” She said to Astrid before making her way towards the back of the house.

“Ah, shit,” You heard Jesse mutter under his breath. “Goddamn it.”

“You know her?” You questioned him.

“That… was my ex-girlfriend Dina. Childhood and high school sweetheart.” He explained.

“Oh, shit.” You uttered.

“Hey, I’m… I’m gonna be right back, okay?” He said to you before quickly heading towards the direction that Dina had gone in.

You watched as he left you behind with your friends who began to gossip amongst themselves curiously about the exchange that had just occurred.

You’d been standing in the kitchen by yourself for the past five minutes, attempting to finish a drink in your hand that you’d reluctantly poured from an orange cooler on the counter. After they’d downed a couple of shots, the rest of the girls had tried to convince you to come to the basement where the dancing was primarily taking place. You declined and said that you needed a minute or two, promising you’d find them later. Though it was still relatively early in the evening, you were already feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. You’d been faking plenty of smiles and forcing tight-lipped laughter all night; it was getting more tiring to feign excitement, especially now that the new friend you’d made tonight had not made a reappearance since quickly running after his ex-girlfriend.

Sighing, you refilled your red solo cup with the same unknown alcoholic contents from the cooler. You weren’t particularly enjoying the drink, completely confused as to what it was in the first place, but it was at least giving you something to do. As you continued to sip from your cup, you decided to venture towards the backyard where you figured Jesse had walked off.

Squinting past the darkness illuminated by the moonlight and the strobing lights peeking through the house’s windows, you scanned the numerous figures occupying the grassy lawn. You eventually spotted Jesse’s tall, dark silhouette after a minute or two, seeing that he was in a seemingly heated discussion with the pretty girl Dina. Deciding that this was a lover’s quarrel that you probably shouldn’t get in between, you find your tired, aching feet take you back inside the house.

You felt the temperature change back from brisk chilliness to throbbing heat from the pheromones in the musky air. Unsure of where to go, you walked back to the kitchen where you found a couple pressed up against each other in the spot you previously occupied. You grimaced at their pre-coital positioning and how they seemed to be swallowing each other’s faces before retreating from the room. Having no interest in watching the new round of beer-pong that several people had started again in the dining room, you settled for finding sanctuary elsewhere.

Finding an empty spot on a wall in the living room, you leaned up against it and took a generous sip from your cup. Though you didn’t have high expectations beforehand, the night was still going quite poorly. You cursed yourself silently for not having a sufficient social battery to socialize with your friends at the party nor enough courage to endure your overwhelming surroundings. You were contemplating whether you should rejoin the group after all in their close-quartered gyrating in the basement when you suddenly felt an invisible pull from across the room that called to you and compelled your head to instinctively turn in its direction.

Your eyes simultaneously met a pair of ocean green ones. The sounds of terrible music and overlapping chitchat immediately vanished when you saw her. You watched as her eyes scanned your face just as you scanned hers. The handsome stranger began to look you up and down before the left corner of her lips turned up in a crooked smile. Your cheeks burned in bashfulness and you tore your eyes away from her to stare at the ground and take another sip from your drink.

You felt your throat close up, your breathing hitch, and your entire body going up in flames. It felt as if someone had shot you through the chest with an arrow, aiming for and perfectly hitting where your heart was located. You felt utterly bare and naked in front of all these strangers, suddenly prey to a strange emotion that felt completely foreign to you. It was intoxicating, like you were completely wonderstruck within seconds of being in this stranger’s presence.

When you eventually felt her eyes wander elsewhere, you dared glance at her once more. She was incredibly handsome: her auburn hair partly tied up in a bun, cheeks adorned with freckles as if an angel had hand-painted them itself, broad shoulders that suggested a muscular frame underneath an old, brown motorcycle jacket she was wearing. She was sitting on this ratty old couch, manspreading in the middle as she noncommittally nodded at the people standing beside her. Her slender, long fingers were expertly wrapping a few rolling papers on the table in front of her. As she brought a joint up to her lips to lick it closed, her eyes flicked up once again to look at you. Embarrassed that you were caught shamelessly staring, you quickly focused your gaze in a different direction. From the corner of your eyes, you could see her chuckling.

The girl muttered something to her nearby companions before making her way across the room to you. Your drumming heartbeat echoed each of her steps, getting louder and louder in your chest the closer she got. You didn’t allow yourself to look her way again until she was right in front of you.

“Hey.” She said, voice rough and husky.

“Hi.” You responded, trying not to sound too flustered over this extremely attractive stranger approaching you to engage in conversation.

“You all alone tonight?” She asked.

“Not exactly,” You responded truthfully. “My friends are around here somewhere.”

“Oh?” She said, cocking her head slightly to the side as she crossed her arms.

“Yeah. I think downstairs, humping and gyrating with everyone else.” You joked.

She chuckled.

“Not your type of thing?”

“Not really,” You said. “I wasn’t in the mood tonight to get felt up by some horny frat guy trying to shove his limp-dick boner up against my ass.”

The girl let out a genuine laugh accompanied by a toothy grin.

“You’re funny.” She commented. You returned her smile with one of your own.

“Wanna come sit on the couch?” She asked. “You honestly look like you’re about to collapse at any second.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t really the best idea to wear a really nice pair of high heels to some crappy fraternity party.”

“Well, hey, they look good on you, so not a total loss.”

“Yeah?” You questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” She smirked. “Anyway, come sit with me on this ugly ass couch. I promise I won’t try to shove my dick up your ass or anything.”

“Aww, you’re not? I was going to say yes, but if you’re not gonna shove your dick up my ass...” You teased boldly.

Even under the dim lights of the party, you thought you saw traces of pink appear underneath her freckles as she smiled. You felt your own cheeks burning.

“Come on, pretty girl.” She chuckled, leading you towards the sofa.

She sat back down in the middle but didn’t manspread this time to make room for you to sit comfortably next to her. Her body faced towards your direction, indicating to her companions that she was disinterested in any further conversation with them. Both your hands gripped onto your red solo cup tightly like it was your life-saving anchor. Your body tensed up from being so close to this handsome stranger whose name you didn’t even know yet.

Almost as if she read your mind, she introduced herself.

“I’m Ellie.”

You smiled nervously as you gave her your name.

“So,” She began. “You a freshman too, huh?”

“Yeah,” You hummed. “First ever college party.”

“Oh?” She said, reaching for one of her joints on the table.

“Mhmm,” You respond. “Not really as exciting as people have been making it out to be.”

“What, you’re not impressed by the repulsive smell of jungle juice and shitty trap music and the giant, sweaty orgy going on in the basement?”

“Eww,” You giggled, scrunching up your nose in disgust. “No, I wouldn’t really say that I’m impressed, exactly.”

Ellie chuckled before offering you the joint she was holding.

“You smoke?”

“Yeah, I do. But are you sure? I don’t wanna waste your weed.”

“I never mind smoking out pretty girls for free every now and again.” Ellie shrugged.

You ignored the way your heart fluttered as you placed your cup down and took the joint from her. You ignored the sudden, electric spark when you felt her skin brush against yours. You ignored how her own breathing seemed to hitch at that same moment before she pulled away from you to grab her lighter from a front pocket of her motorcycle jacket.

You placed the joint in between your lips, trying not to think about the fact that Ellie’d just sealed it a minute or two ago with her tongue. Ellie cupped her left hand around the tip while her right hand flicked on the lighter. Your eyes wandered from the budding flame to her eyes, which were already watching you. Her stare caught you off-guard that you almost forgot to inhale. You leaned away from her, both to blow the smoke in a different direction and to nervously catch your breath from how intimately close she was to you.

“So?” She inquired, reclining back and throwing her arm behind you on the back of the couch.

“Mm?” You hummed in question as you took another puff of the joint.

“How do you like the j?”

“Hmm,” You say after releasing another breath of smoke. “It’s… fine.”

“Just fine?” She asked, looking playfully offended.

“What!” You said, giggling and handing her back the joint. “It’s just a regular, old j! What else would you like me to say?”

“What, do you smoke some fancy ass weed with gold and diamonds and shit where you’re from?” Ellie chuckled.

“Sorry! I guess I’m just used to something very particular.”

“Oh, yeah?” She asked, cocking up an eyebrow, the one that you’d noticed had a slit right through it. “What do you mean by that exactly?”

“I usually lace my own js with lavender buds,” You explained. “Makes it taste better, in my opinion, and it helps me relax.”

“Really? Lavender, huh? I’ve never heard of someone doing that before.”

“A little trick I learned from an ex-girlfriend.” You clarified, pretending that you didn’t throw in that last word on purpose.

“That so?” She replied. You could have sworn that she had moved slightly closer the moment you mentioned having an ex-girlfriend.

“Mhmm. Lavender’s my favourite, but I’ve tried lacing them with other herbs and plants too.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“I’ve done rose petals and passionflowers before. Gives them a much better flavour. Sage is good too if you wanna destress and all. And apparently, hibiscus and jasmine are, well…” Your sentence is cut short by a slightly drunken giggle emerging from your lips.

“Are what?” Ellie prompted you.

“Umm, they’re good too.”

“Good for what, exactly?”

You handed the joint back to her before responding.

“I heard that they’re supposedly good aphrodisiacs.” You nearly whispered.

Ellie smiled slyly, taking the joint back without breaking eye contact.

“Interesting” is all she says before taking a huge puff.

Whether it was the mysterious alcohol finally kicking in or the sudden presence of marijuana in your system, you felt a surge of sudden confidence flood your senses. You wanted to impress this strange girl, you wanted her to like you. And yet somehow, it feels almost as if you’d already met before.

“By the way,” Ellie began. “I really love your eye makeup. You did it yourself?”

“Thanks,” You smiled. “Yeah, I did.”

“That’s seriously fucking impressive. I’ve never been into makeup and girly shit like that, but I know it must take a fuck ton of talent to do it.”

“Nah,” You waved off before picking up your red solo cup from the table and drinking from it. “It’s really not that hard to learn. I taught myself how to do it for the most part.”

“That’s even more fucking impressive.” She stated simply. You gave her a sheepish smile before uttering another quiet thanks.

Before either of you could speak again, the guy leaning against the arm of the couch next to Ellie turned towards her.

“Yo, Williams, Chang here yet?” He asked.

“Really don’t know, man. He said he would be.”

“Damn. Call him or something.”

“Call him yourself. I’m not his mother.”

The guy tsked in irritation before returning to a conversation with his companions.

“Nice friends you got there.” You said out loud without thinking.

“We just got a mutual friend in common, that’s all,” Ellie replied, shrugging and taking another puff. “My best friend knows like, half the people who go to this school.”

You nodded in acknowledgement as she continued.

“Most people are usually disappointed that I’m not as nice as him.”

“You’re not?”

“Nah, apparently I’m ‘antagonistic’ and ‘mean’ and just really fucking rude.” She chuckled.

“Doesn’t seem like that to me.” You commented.

“Well, we just met,” She smirked. “Just wait a little while.”

“What, are you planning on being really mean to me in the future, Ellie?” You quipped.

She shrugged and you chuckled.

Both immensely absorbed in your engaging and private conversation, you weren’t quite sure exactly how long you and Ellie were sitting in that dirty living room on that ratty, old couch. You talked about the classes and professors you had in common, bonded over your shared love of music and the instruments you both played, laughed at all of the dumb and silly jokes she made.

At one point in the night, Tara emerged from the basement, all buzzed and sweaty. She scanned the living room, having been worried that she nor none of the rest of your friends had seen you since you’d all first arrived at the house. Upon spotting you sitting so intimately to Ellie, her whispering something in your ear and you boisterously laughing, Tara smiled and retreated back to the basement.

Ellie was beginning to tell you about her hometown when your conversation was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Hey, yo, El!” You heard Jesse say from behind you.

You turned around to see a jovial expression on his face that didn’t quite meet his serious eyes. He was smiling in greeting, but it seemed like whatever occurred in the private conversation he had with the girl Dina rattled him in some way.

“Yo, Jess,” Ellie said, waving him over. “Been wondering where the fuck your ass has been this whole time, man.”

“Ahh, well, I kind of… got detained by D…” He admitted as he approached the couch before spotting you sitting next to Ellie. “Oh, shit! You guys know each other?”

“What, you don’t know that we’re lifelong best friends?” Ellie said, winking at you. You turned away as you bit your lip, attempting to hide the smile on your face and the heat rising to your cheeks.

“Now, hang on, I thought we were lifelong best friends?” Jesse gasped playfully, putting one hand on his hip and gesturing between you and him mockingly.

“Sorry dude, I claimed her already.” Ellie said, smirking.

You tried to ignore Jesse’s mumble of “greedy whore” towards Ellie in between loud, fake coughs.

“Anyway, you saw D? Are you okay?” Ellie said, her tone more serious now.

“I mean, I guess,” Jesse sighed. “Thought she wasn’t tagging along tonight, but I guess she did.”

“Sorry, man, I really thought you knew.”

“It’s cool. I was gonna end up seeing her at some point. Might wanna check up on her, though.”

“She okay?”

“I think so, but you know how she can be.”

“Where’d she run off to know?”

“I think she said that she was gonna go hang out with her roommate or something for the rest of the night.”

“I’ll text her, see where she is.”

“Oh, umm,” You said, awkwardly speaking up. “My friend Astrid is her roommate, so I think your friend Dina went downstairs to the basement.”

Both Ellie and Jesse looked slightly taken aback at your short degree of separation.

“Sorry,” You apologized as you looked down at your hands in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to insert myself.”

“Hey,” Ellie assured, nudging your shoulder with hers. “Didn’t I just say that we’re lifelong best friends?”

You looked up at her and smiled with appreciation at her thoughtfulness.

Ellie, realizing they’d been leaving you out of their conversation, quickly filled in the blanks.

“Our other lifelong best friend Dina got dumped by this asshole joker right here a little while back. It was a bit of a messy break-up.”

“I haven’t always been the smooth and suave man that you see before you today.” Jesse quipped.

“Never have been, dumbass.” Ellie added. Jesse gave her a scowl, which she mockingly returned.

“Anyway,” She continued. “Now I’ve been stuck being the middle man for the past year or so ‘cause these two clowns don’t know how to talk about their motherfucking feelings.”

You chuckled at Ellie’s choice of words.

“I’m sure she’s okay if she’s with your friend, though. This Astrid girl nice?” Ellie inquired.

“Oh, she’s the absolute sweetest.” You affirmed.

“Well, I trust your judgment. I’ll give her some time and check up on her after.” Ellie concluded, giving you a half-smile.

It was so curious how these people you’d known only for a few hours seemed to somehow trust you so intimately and almost blindly. Besides your cousin Rafael who’s known you since birth, you’d never clicked so well with anyone else in your life. You felt a quiet warmth in your chest, feeling as if you had been soulmates with these people in a past life.

“Might as well,” Jesse said, looking down at his buzzing phone. “Eugene’s contact said he’s here. He’s out back if you still wanna talk to him.”

You suddenly felt naive, not realizing sooner that Ellie was the dealer friend Jesse had been talking to you about earlier in the evening. Her previous rolling of papers and multiple joints should have been a dead giveaway, but you were far too mesmerized by Ellie and her charm and her ocean green eyes to give much notice to your current surroundings.

“Ah, shit, I totally forgot,” Ellie cursed.

She looked at you.

“Umm, do you wanna come with? It’ll probably be boring as shit, but—”

“No, no, it’s okay,” You said, waving her off. “It sounds pretty important. Jesse was telling me earlier that you needed to meet up with him.”

Ellie turned towards him, an annoyed look on her face.

“Now, why are you going around telling my business to everyone?” She asked him.

“It’s fun.” Jesse joked. Ellie rolled her eyes.

“If, uh, you wanna stick around, this probably won’t take long. I’ll see you after?” She said guiltily. You gave her a soft smile.

“Ellie, please go ahead. I’m a big girl; I can be left alone for two seconds.”

She chuckled at your words as she stood up from her seat next to you, not before brushing her hand and her knee against yours. You wondered silently if she did so by accident.

“See you in a bit, pretty girl.” Ellie said, winking at you.

You watched as she and Jesse walked off towards the backyard of the house. Once they were out of sight, you sighed quietly.

You realized that you were all alone tonight once again, this time through no fault of your own. Not knowing what else to do, you leaned back into the sagging sofa and pulled out your phone from a pocket of your skirt. As you waited for your companions to return, you scrolled mindlessly through different social media outlets for a while until your entertainment was exhausted and eventually settled on Instagram. After a couple of minutes of looking through your friends’ stories and posts, sending likes and comments every now and again, you see something that suddenly makes your stomach drop.

Still not fully over the results of the disastrous break-up with your high school ex-girlfriend, you hadn’t unfollowed or blocked her on social media just yet. You realized in the moment what a grave mistake that was when you came across a post with several photos of her and all your former friends at some party with a couple of unknown people included. Hot tears formed in your eyes when, while swiping through the many images, you encountered one picture with your ex-girlfriend’s arms wrapped around a strange girl you didn’t recognize. Their physical intimacy and stances suggested something more than just friendship.

You suddenly felt the urge to throw up and you immediately rose from your seat in search of a nearby bathroom. Eventually, you came across a small one towards the front of the house and wrenched it open, feeling lucky that it was presently unoccupied. Leaning over the grimy sink, the feeling of nausea subdued from what you figured was a result of separating yourself from the overstimulation of the party. Still, your hands and neck felt clammy. You felt as if you couldn’t breathe, no matter how hard you inhaled and exhaled.

You raised your head up to look at yourself in the murky mirror. Thick tears threatened to fall from the corners of your eyes. Pieces of hair stuck to your forehead with nervous sweat. Lips were trembling and shakingly releasing laboured breaths.

Leaving your past behind was not as simple as you believed it could be. The past several months had been a personal hell for you, having been abandoned to be lonely and companionless by people you loved. After a messy break-up with someone who suddenly broke your heart, a result of two young, dumb kids attempting to be much more mature than they actually were, your entire friend group ended up choosing her in the aftermath. It left you completely grief-stricken and betrayed, not expecting the people you believed cared for you to cast you aside so quickly and easily.

You’d spent the entire summer after graduating high school healing and recovering from such a loss, and you’d genuinely believed that you came to your new school fully mended. But as you stood in front of a fogged-up mirror in a dingy frat house bathroom, it seemed as if you hadn’t fully overcome your emotional wounds like you thought.

You were dabbing the soggy sweat off your moist forehead when someone suddenly knocked on the bathroom door, causing you to jump.

“Oh, umm, someone’s in here!” You quickly exclaimed. The sound of the same voice you’d been listening to all evening calling out your name from behind the door had you grip the edges of the sink and freeze in place.

“Y-yeah?” You asked falteringly.

“Hey, uhh, i-it’s Ellie.”

“Oh!” You said in surprise. “Hi! Umm, I-I’ll be out in a minute!”

“Hey, uhh, are you okay?” Ellie said after a beat or two.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine!” You cried out unconvincingly.

“Can… can I come in?” She asked hesitantly.

“Oh! Umm—”

“It’s okay if you don’t want me to! If you need space—”

“No, no!” You interrupted.

You took a deep breath, threw out the damp tissue you still held in your hand, and carefully opened the door to reveal Ellie with a concerned look on her face.

“It’s a bit of a tight fit, but, uhh…” You said, stepping aside to let her in.

You backed up to make space for her and sat on the edge of the shabby-looking tub as Ellie closed the bathroom door behind her before leaning her back against it.

“How’d you know where to find me?” You inquired.

“Someone saw you come in here.” She explained.

“Oh” was all you could say in return.

There were several moments of complete silence, neither of you knowing how to start or what to say. It was you who eventually broke it out of nervousness.

“So, umm, how did it go with that guy you were talking to?” You asked awkwardly.

“Oh, uhh, good. At least, I think so. Gave me a pretty good deal and all.” Ellie replied.

You nodded in response.

“So, hey, uhh, if you need a new plug out here…” She pointed a pair of finger guns at you, to which you half-heartedly chuckled.

“Sorry,” She apologized. “I’m not really as smooth as I would like to think.”

“Don’t worry, I still think you’re plenty charming. Dorky, but charming.” You gave her a soft, affectionate smile that she returned as you saw her turn slightly pink underneath her numerous freckles.

“So, uhh, are you okay? I don’t mean to pry or anything, and you don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to—” She began to ramble.

“Ellie,” You said, chuckling. “It’s alright. I don’t mind, and you’re not prying.”

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Just a bunch of bullshit in regards to my ex,” You explained. “Thought I was past it all, but…”

Ellie nodded in understanding.

“Still not over her?”

“Oh, god, no, no, I’m completely over her,” You clarified quickly. “But dealing with the outcome of it all… isn’t necessarily fun.”

“Yeah,” Ellie agreed. “I completely get it.”

You looked up at her with an expression of gratitude.

“Man, this lesbian shit is real fucking messy and complicated, huh?” She quipped in an attempt to lighten the mood. You couldn’t help but giggle at her joke.

“How’d you know that I wasn’t okay?” You asked her after a beat or two.

“The people I was with earlier said that the pretty girl I was talking to suddenly looked stressed and ran to the bathroom.” Ellie explained, shrugging. You attempted to hide your bashful smile as you felt your cheeks go hot again.

“Wanna get out of this disgusting bathroom and go smoke some more?” She asked.

You and Ellie were passing another joint back and forth again several feet away from the Sigma Eta frat house. You’d both taken shelter underneath a nearby tree, listening to the muffled bass drops of yet another bad EDM song currently playing from the frat house. The weed was calming your nerves down slightly, but you had a gut feeling that it was Ellie’s presence that was the actual cause of your peace of mind.

“Damn, I really wanna try your lavender-laced trick now.” Ellie said after taking a hit of the joint.

“I mean, it’s not really my trick. It was my ex’s idea.” You chuckled dryly as you watched her blow the smoke up towards the night sky.

“Oh, fuck that shit. I don’t know her and I know you, so it’s your recipe.” She disagreed. You laughed graciously at her argument.

“Can I ask what happened?” Ellie began, handing the joint to you. “Like, did the bitch suddenly call or text you, or…”

“Nah,” You said after a puff. “She posted something on Instagram and, I don’t know, I guess seeing evidence of her existence triggered something in me.”

“Wait, you don’t have her blocked?”

“No…” You admitted sheepishly. “I still follow her and everything…”

“What!!” Ellie exclaimed. “Why?!”

“I don’t know!” You laughed at her immediate indignation. “I just could never get myself to actually do it!”

“Alright, no more free weed for you!” Ellie proclaimed, swiftly snatching the joint out of your fingertips.

“Noooo!” You whined.

“You’re on a time-out for still keeping your stupid ex-girlfriend in your life in some kind of way!”

“Look, I like to lurk sometimes! I can’t do that if I have her blocked!” You protested, attempting to take the joint back from her.

“Oh, now you’re definitely not getting any more free weed!” Ellie said, holding the joint up and away from your reach.

“How else am I supposed to be a miserable, pathetic lesbian who needs to be sad and tragic if you don’t let me!!” You said, giving up and crossing your arms over your chest in a huff.

“Pretty girls like you should be spending their freshman year in college in their drunken whore eras, not in an ‘I’m gonna sulk over my worthless ex the whole time’ era!”

“Ugh. Yeah, I know, I know,” You sighed. “But that all sounds like so much work!”

“Alright, give me your phone.” Ellie said suddenly.

“What?” You asked, surprised. “Why?”

“Just give me!” She insisted, holding her free hand out.

You pulled out your phone from one of your skirt’s pockets and handed it over to her, eyeing her suspiciously.

“What are you up to, Ellie?” You inquired of her.

“Just hold this!” She replied, handing you the joint. “But no smoking!”

“Yes, sir!” You said with a salute before taking a quick puff.

Ellie rolled her eyes, chuckled, and had you unlock your phone before taking it back to open up your Instagram.

“Okay, what’s your ex’s name?”

“... why?” You asked skeptically.

“Just trust me!”

You squinted your eyes at her before reluctantly giving her your ex’s name and Instagram handle. As you took a generous hit of the joint, you leaned over and watched as Ellie went to your ex’s profile and blocked her.

“Ellie!!” You protested.

“This is for your own good!” She exclaimed.

“Oh god,” You laughed. “Yeah, yeah, maybe.”

“Definitely.” She asserted before typing another handle into your Instagram search bar.

“What are you doing now?” You asked dubiously.

“Replacing your ex with a hotter, much cooler person.” She explained simply before handing your phone back and taking the joint out of your hand.

You looked at your screen to see Ellie’s Instagram profile and realized she’d followed herself through your account.

“Wow. Dinosaur nerd, huh?” You said, noticing one of her posts was of her posing geekily next to a dinosaur skeleton display in some museum.

“Shut up.” She chuckled before hitting the joint.

“Well, are you gonna follow me back?” You asked.

“I don’t know, I don’t really know you that well.” Ellie shrugged.

“You dick!” You scoffed, to which she laughed. “What happened to us being lifelong best friends?”

“Calm down, calm down,” She chuckled, holding the joint between her teeth and already pulling out her phone. “Bossy.”

You felt your phone buzz with a new notification from Instagram.

“There you go,” She said, putting her phone back in her pocket. “Now we’re official lifelong besties.”

You laughed. Your affection for this incredibly handsome and charming girl that you had just met tonight was growing more and more by the second. Every time she laughed at a joke you’d make or stared at your lips a little too long or brushed her skin against yours, you wondered if you were imagining it or if she had been feeling the same spark too.

“Hey, umm,” You began. “Thank you for that.”

“Don’t have to thank me. I’m sure you would have done it eventually. At least, I hope so.” She chuckled at the last part.

“Oh, I don’t know. I honestly hold on to shit like that forever. I would have probably stayed following her ‘til I was I was fifty.”

Ellie laughed.

For the next few minutes, you told her all about the sorry tale of the break-up between you and your ex. As you and Ellie went through and finished yet another joint, she listened to you intently while she leaned against the tree you’d been standing next to. She didn’t interrupt you, aside from an occasional supportive comment or two, intent on letting you rant your pent-up frustrations out.

You hadn’t opened up to anyone else about this, apart from your cousin Rafael. It felt like you had nobody else left to trust your heart with. And yet, there was something so different and familiar about Ellie that made you feel so at home, so comfortable confiding such intimate thoughts and experiences. She happily entertained you as you confessed to her the way you’d never done before with anyone else, her face looking so sympathetic and gentle as she watched you ramble.

“Oh my fucking god,” You eventually said after a while. “I can’t believe I’ve been babbling nonstop about my bullshit, I am so sorry, I—”

You buried your face in your hands in embarrassment.

“Hey, no, no,” Ellie interrupted, pulling your hands away from your face. “None of that. Don’t apologize, please. It’s shit that you obviously have needed to get off your chest for a long time now. I don’t mind listening at all.”

“Okay, but I’m a total stranger who just trauma dumped on you like a dumbass—”

“Alright, no, you are not a dumbass,” Ellie insisted. “And lifelong best friends, remember?”

She gave you a soft smile and began to rub her thumbs against your palms, her warm touch making you tremble.

“Oh, hey, you’re shivering, here.” Ellie said, taking off her motorcycle jacket and placing it around your shoulders.

“Oh,” You said, “T-thanks, Ellie.”

“Looks really good on you.” She commented, smiling. You felt your cheeks go hot again.

“It-it’s very nice.” You said.

“Yeah, it’s my dad’s old jacket. He gave it to me when I was around 14. He used to be a delinquent and was part of some gang or something when he was younger. Rode motorcycles a lot or some shit like that. I’ll tell you more about it one of these days.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Ellie seemed to realize how close she was to your face and how intimately she was holding you. A little sheepish, she walked back a few steps to lean against the tree. She crossed her arms against her chest and, her arms now uncovered, you noticed a large tattoo covering her right forearm.

“I like your tattoo,” You commented. “What is it?”

“Oh,” She said, glancing down at her arm. “It’s a moth with some ferns around it.”

“It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“Thanks. My ex-girlfriend did the tattoo itself, but I created the design.”

“Woah, really?”

“Yeah.” Ellie said, chuckling at your admiration.

“I know you were telling me earlier that you like to draw, but that really is something.”

“It is?” Ellie replied. You could see her blushing even under the dim glow of the moonlight.

“You’re really talented, Ellie.”

“Nah. I mean, my ex-girlfriend Cat, she did a lot of work making it look better and shit.”

“Still, it’s very impressive.” You insisted. “Do you think— Can I…?”

You extended a hesitant hand out towards her tattooed arm. She smiled warmly as she offered it to you.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

You lifted your outreached hand to trace your fingertips across the multiple leaves decorating her skin. You stared at the intricate design of the Death’s-head hawkmoth that was perched atop the ferns.

“It really suits you.” You said.

“You think so?”

“I do.”

As you continued to stroke Ellie’s tattoo, you felt electricity once again run between you two. You looked up at her to see her ocean green eyes staring at you. You’d never seen anyone look at you that way, not even your ex-girlfriend. You tried to decipher her expression when the moment was suddenly interrupted by your name being called coming from the direction of the frat house.

“There you are!” Tara exclaimed, half-jogging towards you.

“Oh, hey, Tara.” You greeted her, pulling your hands away from Ellie.

“Been looking for you everywhere.” Tara said.

“Sorry, the party was getting a little too much for me. Needed a breather.” You apologized before gesturing towards your companion. “This is Ellie, by the way. She’s Jesse’s roommate.”

“Oh, hey, nice to meet you, man.” Tara said, nodding towards her in greeting. Ellie replied with a nod of her own.

“This is Tara, my roommate.” You gestured to Tara this time.

“Nice to meet you too, dude.” Ellie repeated back to her.

“So, uhh,” Tara began. “Half the group is completely wasted, and Astrid really wants to get rid of that guy Fred who has not stopped trying to grope her all night.”

“Oh, gross. Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s okay. But we’re gonna order an Uber and we’re about to head home in a sec. Did you wanna come with or…”

“Oh, umm…” You turned towards Ellie.

“Go on,” Ellie replied, smiling. “I think I’m gonna go find my friend Dina.”

“I’m gonna go gather up the girls.” Tara said, pointing a thumb towards the house. “Nice to meet you again!”

“You too, man.” Ellie said as you both watched Tara walk off.

“Go ahead,” Ellie said, head motioning after Tara. “Go help your friends.”

“Are-are you sure?” You said hesitantly.

“Here, give me your phone again.” She said, holding her hand out. This time, you didn’t hesitate and unlocked it before handing it to her.

You watched as Ellie quickly typed for a few moments before placing it back in your hand. Glancing at the screen, you saw that she’d texted a new contact she’d named “Ellie 😛” with the message “hey sexy” accompanied by a winking emoji.

“Oh my god, you’re annoying.” You said, laughing.

“What, you don’t think I’m sexy?” She replied, grinning.

“Goodbye, Ellie.” You chuckled, walking away a couple of steps before suddenly stopping in your tracks.

“Oh, wait, your jacket—” You said, beginning to shrug off her old motorcycle jacket.

“No, go ahead and keep it.” She interrupted, securing it back onto your shoulders.

“Are you sure?” You asked.

“Gives you a good excuse to see my sexy ass later.” She smirked.

“Shut up,” You said, unable to hide a smile. “You are so annoying.”

“You love it.” She said, smirking once more.

As she adjusted the jacket onto you, you realized just how close she was again. You stared at her and she stared right back. There was a moment or two when you gazed into each other’s eyes, neither saying anything. You felt heat increasingly rising to your face when she suddenly brushed a piece of hair from your forehead.

You found yourself completely unwilling to leave this bubble that enclosed only you and Ellie. It was extraordinary how intimately absorbed you felt in this person you’d only seen for the first time today, how enchanted you felt by merely being in her presence. In just a few hours, she filled your mind completely with thoughts of her and only her. You prayed that this wasn’t a chance meeting but the beginning of something life-changing.

The moment was once again interrupted, this time by Jesse.

“Dude, I was—” Jesse began, but upon seeing what he’d walked in on, his sentence faltered. “Oh, shit, sorry—”

“It’s okay, Jesse,” You assured. “I gotta go, anyway.”

You turned back towards Ellie.

“I’ll, umm, see you soon?” You asked nervously.

“I hope so.” She replied, smiling softly.

You began to walk back towards the house, giving a quick goodbye to Jesse. Once you reached the front porch and before you walked through the door, you turned back to where Ellie and Jesse were standing beneath the tree.

You lifted your hand and waved at Ellie, which she returned with her own soft wave. The look on her face looked completely dazed and awestruck. You bit your lip in nervous anticipation, looking into her ocean green eyes one more time before walking into the house.

After a beat or two, Jesse finally spoke.

“Is she wearing Joel’s old jacket?”

“Shut the fuck up, Jesse.”

author's notes:

i can’t believe this is finally out!! sorry for taking so long to update this, but hopefully how long this is will make up for the time ♡︎

the "barbie heterosexual" line is a reference to a line from the iconique movie "imagine me and you" :)

reader's little spiel to tara about her dating preference is just another little love letter of mine towards masc/butch/stud lesbians. just love y'all so much, you deserve the world.

fred is named after another jackson resident in the actual game (as i've probably mentioned before, all the character names in this fic are purposeful: either named after actual characters or named after people irl). i thought it was a silly little reference for him to go after astrid cause in the games, he's barely mentioned except at one point when it's seen he was paired up with astrid for patrol at one point. i enjoy my little easter eggs :)

the descriptions of most of reader’s friends are slightly based on the physical appearances of some of my irl friends :)

i’ve discovered that i really love making these flashback chapters hehe

like i said, i’m so sorry for taking forever to update this!! my life has been an absolute shit show lately (if you’ve been keeping up with my personal ramblings on here, you know by now lol). but the next few chapters have been basically mapped out already, so hopefully it won’t take me that long to update this with the next chapter ♡︎

taglist: @lonelyfooryouonly, @elliesinterlude, @sawaagyapong, @peppesgirl, @iconsoft, @maybeidohaveadhd, @ellieswifee, @valiantllamapersonpony-blog, @nil-eena, @echostinn

@uraesthete, @softbunlvr, @cherriesxinthespring, @amitycat, @thefishymissy, @yevheniiaaaa, @machetegirl109, @bertandfearnie, @ximtiredx, @efam

@elliesnumber1gf, @digit4lslut, @tayyyystan, @emothurman, @livvy-2000, @abigaillovestoread, @gold-dustwomxn, @liabadoobee, @yuckyfucky, @qtefolleunpez

@libr4sonsa, @venusluv3, @robinismywifee, @villainousbear, @ashlynnnnnnnn15, @scarlettadore, @vianna99, @g0n3girls, @totheblood, @embermdk

@awyunh, @kenz-ee, @marvelwomen-simp, @eleactric, @simpforellie, @omgidksblog, @anxiouso, @nyrastar, @lillysbigwilly, @hopeless-y

@elliesbabygirl, @alexpritch, @thestarsanctuary, @aethelwyneleigh27, @cass00x, @mulan-but-gay, @carmellie, @destielcore, @tfuuka, @elliewilliamsmissingfingerss

@sagestuffing, @ewwitsbella, @igoferalforelliewilliams, @miaelliesgfxoxo, @kissesforells, @elysiagyaru, @asteroidzzzn, @gay4jinx, @97cityy, @joliettes

@p1llowthoughtss, @ellieslegalwife, @aouiaa, @lez-zuha, @ineffablefics, @peepshake, @lil-elliesgf, @wex--12, @ccinnamongrl, @siriusblackrunmeover17

@whenlostinthedarkness, @elsbouquet

[strniohoeee]

Paramour

Pairing: Chris Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N is stuck in the middle of who really has her heart….she knows she’s hurting Chris and herself. And Chris knows this too, but why can’t she stop?🫂

Warnings⚠️: There’s smut in this! My bestie @slumpedvioooo came up with this idea, and I just ate it up; so I had to do it! This is part one of a three part series. I hope you enjoy it because I loved it 🤞🏽

Song for the imagine: #icanteven- The Neighborhood, French Montana

⚠️This is an 18+ story, so minors do not interact, or do??⚠️

Paramour

Noun

A lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person.

This was wrong on so many levels. I was hurting myself, but I was especially hurting Chris. I know he knew how I felt, and I knew it bothered him deep down, but he would never admit it.

When I was laying in his bed my legs wrapped around his torso and my hands in his hair those thoughts vanished. This is where I wanted to be, and I hated myself for it. But at the same time it felt so right….

Currently I was laying in my boyfriend's bed watching a movie with him as I ran my fingers through his hair. Occasionally talking with him as the movie played.

“Do you have any plans tomorrow night?” He asked me

“No I don’t think so” I said looking down at him

“I want to take you on a date” he said smiling at me

“Aww I’d love that” I said smiling at him

“I’m thinking a candle lit dinner, then we take a walk on the beach and then yeah” he said getting shy

“That sounds perfect” I told him

“I’m glad” he said

I went to respond, but my phone started ringing making us both jump at the loud ringtone. I looked down at the contact and immediately got nervous. Why was he calling me when he knew I was with my boyfriend. I grabbed my phone and picked up

“Hello” I said more in a question tone

“Hey Y/N” I heard him say

“What’s up? Are you okay?” I asked him

“Yeah I’m okay, I just miss you” he told me

“Oh…umm that’s nice” I said really hoping he’d change the topic

“Come over?” He asked

“Oh I’m not sure I’m busy right now” I said back

“Pleaseeee” he said on the other line

“Umm alright give me 40 minutes” I told him

We hung up, and I looked down to see him already looking up at me

“Everything okay?” He asked me his blue eyes piercing into mine

“Yeah, my friend just wants me to help her set up for her sisters birthday” I told him lying straight through my teeth

“Oh so then go” he said smiling at me

“But we’re hanging out together” I said

“It’s fine! I’ll see you tomorrow anyways. Go have fun” he said sitting up

“Are you sure?” I asked him

“I’m positive baby” he said leaning in and giving me a kiss

I got up and put my shoes on and grabbed my purse and keys. I looked over at him giving him a kiss. His eyes were saddened by me leaving. I had a feeling he knew what was going on deep down, but didn’t want to believe it. His eyes always told the truth, but I couldn’t bare to look at him this way, so I turned and left

I got in my car and drove to his house, it was about a 30 minute drive. It went by quickly because I was thinking in my head the whole time. Should I be doing this? I mean I’ve been doing this for a while, but should I stop it? This was wrong. I was hurting all three of us, and I knew Chris knew this. I have to stop this, but I couldn’t

I parked my car, and went up to the door ringing the bell, and waited for the door to open. Once it opened and I saw him my throat ran dry….

“You can’t call me when I’m with my man” I said to him as he let me walk in

“Hello to you too” he said shutting the door and locking it

“Sorry” I said shaking my head

“I didn’t know you were with him” he responded pulling me in for a hug

“Chris I’m with him like every other day” I said pulling away

“Sorry baby, it just slipped my mind I supposed” he said with a smug expression

“Of course it did” I said rolling my eyes and walking up the stairs

“I missed your attitude” he said smacking my ass

“Chris enough” I said smacking his hands away

“Wait mama? You didn’t miss me?” He said pouting

“Of course I did” I said turning around and giving him a sly smile

Chris pulled me in by my shirt and crashed his lips into mine. I let my arms wrap around his neck as I melted into his touch. His lips….I could never forget how perfectly they molded to mine. I could stay like this forever

Our kiss began to get deeper, our teeth clashing together as our tongues fought for dominance. It was such a needy sloppy kiss, but I missed him and this felt like heaven.

Chris pulled away and licked his lips looking at me with hooded eyes.

“You’re so gorgeous” he said

“Shut up” I said avoiding eye contact

“You’re my pretty baby” he said rubbing his thumb over my cheek

That phrase sent me back….it was something he used to say all the time, and it made my heart heavy…always calling me his pretty baby…

About 3 years ago Chris and I were messing around for about a year. We weren’t dating but I suppose we were friends with benefits. It was good while it lasted, but when it ended it broke my heart.

Flashback

“Chris if you don’t want to be with me officially that’s fine, but please just let me know” I pleaded to Chris

“It’s not that I don’t want to be with you it’s just…..I don’t know” he said looking down

“Don’t know about what?” I asked him

“I just….im scared” he said

“Scared of what Chris?” I asked him looking down at him

“I’m just scared of commitment I guess” he said

“Oh?” I said

“It’s not you I promise, it’s not you it’s me” he said looking at me

“That’s fine, I guess….I guess I’m gonna head out” I said to him

“You don’t have to go” he said

“No it’s fine Chris don’t worry” I said backing up

That day hurt me the most, breaking things off with Chris really set me back. His fear of commitment and my want for him really made us clash.

Once I got in my relationship with Dominic, Chris started to act weird. He wasn’t happy for us, but he wasn’t an asshole to us. That hurt me because that was supposed to be Chris and I, and it wasn’t.

About a year ago is when Chris started having me come over to “hangout”. Those hangouts became cuddles, and then those cuddles became forehead kisses, and then it became kisses, and then that turned into making out, and then that turned into touches and those touches turned into me laying on his bed as he whispered sweet nothings into my ear as he thrusted into me.

At first I felt disgusted and hurt, but I found myself going back to his house. Hoping it would turn into more, and that made me hate myself more. No matter how much I loved Dominic, my heart was with Chris.

I couldn’t hurt Dominic, but also Chris didn’t actually want a relationship and that hurt me more. I used Chris for his body when he offered it, and then went home to sleep next to Dom…..this was such a burden. I couldn’t leave him for Chris, but what I was doing was horrible. However I couldn’t stop because Chris had a hold on me.

Flashback Over

“You haven’t called me that in ages” I said pulling away from Chris as he moved his lips to my neck

“I figured I’d bring it back” he said leaving sloppy kisses along my neck

“Why now?” I said shutting my eyes at the feeling

“Why not?” He said pulling back to look at me

“I don’t know” I said looking away

“Afraid your boyfriend is going to find out?” He said smugly

“Don’t be a dick” I said rolling my eyes at him

“Never baby” he said winking at me

“Let’s go to your room” I said

“Don’t have to ask me twice” he said

We walked down to his room, and when I stepped in my stomach fluttered with butterflies. This was so fucking wrong, but to know the events that would happen next sent me spiraling. In the moments of Chris worshiping my body, kissing every ounce of skin and taking his time with me, any thought of Dominic fled my mind. I wanted Chris as mine….forever

Like I said I love Dominic, but I think it was more of a friendship type of love. I think I fell in love with his actions, and not him as a person. The long walks, the dates, the cute messages, the flowers, the cards, the candies. I mean all of it. I fell in love with the way he acted and not him.

At first I hadn’t realized this, but as time went on and I prayed everyday that Chris would beg me to be his I realized something was wrong.

Not to mention Dominic and I weren’t compatible in bed. He didn’t know my body the way Chris did, and no matter how many times I tried to explain to Dominic what I liked he just didn’t get it; because he wasn’t Chris.

What was really fucked up was that the more I had sex with Chris the easier I found it to go back to Dominic. Chris made me so happy, and Dominic was there to fill the void of not having Chris in my everyday life. Dominic was simply…..my friend.

“I’ve missed this so much” Chris said coming up behind me and hugging me

“Chris I saw you like two weeks ago” I said laughing

“No…that’s not what I meant” he said spinning me around to look at him

“Well then what do you mean?” I asked him genuinely confused

“I mean-“ before he could finish his sentence my phone started to ring….Dominic was calling me

“Hi baby” he said once I pick up

“Hi” I said looking at Chris

“Did you make it there safe?” He asked me

“I did, sorry I was just about to text you” I said

“Oh okay! We’ll have fun” he responded

“Thank you I will, and Courtney said hi” I just blurted out

“Oh tell her I said hi back” he said laughing

“I will, bye baby” I said

And with that we hung up

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” I said to Chris

“Uh nothing, I’m Courtney now?” He asked laughing

“Sorry I don’t know what came over me” I said shaking my head

“It’s fine” he said pulling me in and connecting our lips

I melted into his touch once again, all my thoughts leaving my brain. This is where I wanted to be always

Chris back tracked us to his bed, and pulled away. He removed his shirt and I removed mine. Connecting our lips again and letting myself fall back onto his bed as he landed on me.

“I can’t get over how badly I missed you” he said in between kisses

“I missed you too Chris” I said moving my head back

Chris smiled before kissing down my neck and to the skin of my breasts that spilled out of my bra. He lifted me up and took my bra off

Kissing from the valley of my breasts to my left breast and then to my right one. He slid his tongue over my left nipple, and looked up at me causing me to bite my bottom lip and let out a whimper.

He then did the same to my right breast as his hands ran up my torso. Goosebumps following every inch of his fingers.

Chris began to kiss down my stomach causing me to squirm, and he stopped at my jeans. Unbuttoning them and slowly sliding them down

“Chris please” I whispered out

“I know baby, I know” he said pulling my jeans off and tossing them behind his head

He began to kiss down my legs and to my thighs whispering against my skin. He slid his pointer and ring finger against my cloth pussy

“Chris” I moaned out and licked my dry lips

He hooked his fingers in my underwear and slid them down. Spreading my legs wider and kissing my inner thighs.

He leaned down towards my pussy and spat causing my toes to curl and my hips to come off the bed.

Chris attached his mouth to my clit swirling his tongue around before sucking on the sensitive bud.

“Oh my god” I moaned out gripping onto his hair

His tongue moving in every direction against my clit causing me to close my thighs around his head. Lapping at me like a starved man

“I need more” I panted out

Chris pulled away, his mouth covered in my arousal. He looked so hot like this I swear I could cum from the sight of it.

He slid off the bed to remove his pants and underwear. His dick springing free and my knees going weak. He came back over and lined himself up with my entrance

Slowly sinking into me, both of us letting out a gasp at the feeling. No matter how many times we fucked this feeling sent me spiraling every time.

He leaned forward holding himself up by his forearms as he bottomed out. He grabbed my left thigh and helps me wrap my legs around his torso

He left his hand on my thigh as he began to thrust into me. My hands ran over his back as my nails gently glided against his skin.

“Fuck Chris just like that” I moaned out snaking my hand up to the back of his head as I pulled at his roots.

“You’re meant for me, you take me so well” he said moaning out as he kissed my temple. My stomach flirting at this intimate action.

Chris began to kiss my neck as he thrusted into me, my body falling deeper into the mattress as his name fell from my lips like a mantra. I never wanted this to end….he was my kryptonite

“Come on baby” Chris said as he pounded into me as I clenched around him

“Fuck baby I’m going to cum” I moaned out. The pet name slipping my lips went unnoticed by me, but not by Chris. His stomach coiled at this and his ears perked up. He loved it so much.

“I know mama” he croaked out into my ear

Chris’ hips snapped into me at a faster and deeper rate causing my breath to hitch in my throat. His hands running all over my legs and torso as his lips ghosted against my neck.

His hips relentlessly pounding into me as I cried out in ecstasy. I was so glad no one was home because this was the loudest I’ve ever been with him.

“Keep going…fuck just like that” I moaned out my legs wrapping around him tighter as I pulled him as close as humanly possible

“You’re driving me crazy” he said in a gruff tone as he used his left hand to push some hair out of my face.

Chris used his left thumb to run it over my cheek where the tears had now dried. Looking into my eyes as his mouth fell open and he pounded into me.

My thighs becoming shaky as my orgasm neared. My nails scratching as his back and his name falling constantly from my mouth in loud cries of pure joy.

In this moment it was just Chris and I, and I swore I was in pure ecstasy. All my thoughts were gone with the wind and I loved it.

Chris snaked his hand down in between us as he began to rub my clit, sending shockwaves throughout my body.

“Oh. My god oh my god” I moaned out my eyes shutting as my brows furrowed

“Look at me baby, look at me when you cum” he said in a whisper

I opened my eyes as he continued to thrust into me, he began to rub my clit faster

“I’m gonna cum” I yelled out clenching down on him

“Give it to me” he said biting his lip as his chest rose faster

These words alone sent me into orbit, I pulled Chris in closer as I clenched down on him. My thighs were shaking as my lower abdomen contracted. Cumming all over Chris’ dick as my breathing was shaky. Fuck and his name the only two things able to spill from my mouth in this moment.

Chris helped me ride out my high before I let my legs down and released him. He pulled out of me as he began to stroke his cock

“You’re so fucking beautiful, you do things to me I can’t even explain” he said in a low tone

He stroked harder before his own thighs began to shake, and his mouth fell open. He painted my lower stomach with his seed as he moaned out my name.

He allowed himself to calm down to control his breathing. He got up and brought a rag back to wipe me down before tossing it in his laundry basket.

We slid under his sheets and I faced him. Taking in his beauty. His freckles, his rosy cheeks, his plump lips. My finger traced his jawline as I looked at him

He looked back examining my face and brushing my hair away before opening his mouth to speak

“I meant it when I said you're gorgeous” he said in a whisper

“Thank you Chris” I said with a small smile

“My beautiful, beautiful Y/N” he said turning his head into my touch as he kissed my hand

It was in these moments that I saw a small glimpse of us being together. Of us being more than just fuck buddies. Chris has a nurturing soul, and I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to share that with someone else. Unless he did, and that someone else just wasn’t me….

“We’re throwing a birthday party for Madi next week you should come” he said looking at me again

“Yeah I’d love to” I responded smiling at him

“And you can bring…what’s his face” he said chuckling

“Dominic” I said with a blunt expression

“Yeah him” he said rolling his eyes

“I’ll run it by him” I said laughing

Before we could speak my phone started to ring

“Speak of the devil” Chris said looking at my phone as I turned over

I picked it up on the third ring

“Hello?” I said

“Hi baby, why do you sound so out of breath?” He said laughing

“Oh uhhh I was running up Courtney’s stairs” I said laughing and looking at Chris with wide eyes

“She doesn’t have stairs” he said confused

“Ohh uhh the stairs outside her house we were taking trash out” I said lying straight out of my ass

“Ohhh uh well okay, I’m glad you had fun” he said

“Yup lots of fun” I said looking at Chris and he just smirked at me

“Alright baby I’m going to let you go, I’ll see you tomorrow” he said

“Okay love you” I said cringing to myself because I didn’t even mean it

We hung up and I let out a sigh

“Stressed?” Chris asked me

“You could say something like that” I said looking at him

“Come in closer talk to me about it, spend the night” he said

This was uncharted territory. Chris never asked me to spend the night, and I assumed it was only because his brothers weren’t home.

“Stay? With you?” I asked him

“No stay with the Holy Ghost, duhhh stay with me” he said laughing

“Okay….yeah I’ll stay” I said smiling at him

Chris shut the light off and pulled me in closer my back to him.

This was wrong, but it felt so right. To be able to lay in his arms as we fell asleep was something I’ve always wanted.

This made my heart warm, but what kept my mind racing was that this was a one time thing and only for tonight. Our next encounters would not be like this.

I’d be in my own bed the following morning alone and saddened that I could not keep the only man I’ve ever wanted to myself.

I was the paramour.

The End

Alright guys this is part 1, and I truly hope you enjoyed it. I genuinely loved writing this and it like had me giggling and kicking my feet, but also lowkey sad😭😭 I wonder what will happen in part 2 and 3??? Stay tuned for more LMFAOAOA! I love yall so much 🤭🖤🖤 also sorry it took so long to get done I got busy

-J💅🏽

@rac00ns-are-c00l4

[adventuringblind]

Drive With You Forever

Chapter Five: Cats, Cluelessness, and difficult communication

Max Verstappen x Reader x Charles Leclerc x Lando Norris

Chapter Summary: a brief interlude in the off-season before 2020, Sebastian adopts Charles, Max struggles to communicate his feelings, and the reader makes a new friend 👀

Warnings: mentions of SH, reader over does it again, seizure like episode, Lando is awkward, Charles is awkward, Max can't do feeling well yet, jos verstappen

Notes: ah yes, the gang is all here now. I have more action coming in the next part. Maybe also some fluffy stuff. I've been trying to get some blurbs done for what isn't shown in the long chapters because I've had to cut down on some things. I would love to give y'all some content of our duo, trio, or quartet doing something specific.

Previous <-

Masterlist

The end of the season means a bit of a break for the drivers. A chance to spend some time with their families. For her, it means spending time with Sebastian and Hanna in Germany.

The trio had wanted to officially introduce themselves. They knew, but the three barely got a chance to interact all together. It would be nice to catch up anyways.

They are all sat at the dining room table. Even the littles wanted to join in on the conversation. Mostly they spout of randomness as they listen but it’s still endearing to everyone.

The three are sat in a row. Charles far left, the female in the middle and Max on the right if her.

“So I’m curious, who gets the middle of the bed?” Seb laughs at his own question. Hanna playfully hits his shoulder. Charles and Max both look at her. She just rolls her eyes as they both start laughing.

“Are you three moving in together?” Hanna asks this time. Genuine curiosity, unlike her husband.

Charles almost chokes. He hadn’t thought about it.

He’s thankful he’s not the first to answer. “Are you saying you want me out?” It’s a playful question from the girl. She’s smiling like an idiot at the banter.

“Of course not. You’re welcome here forever.”

Max swallows his food then joins the conversation. “We were actually planning on moving some things to my apartment since we’re here.” Now Charles feels out of place. Was he not asked yet for a reason? They hadn’t been together long so it would make sense. “Charles lives in Monaco already so I figured his things would be easier to move.” Max explains.

Now he’s confused. Something Max can clearly see. They make eye contact for a moment and Charles is left a mess. “Unless you don’t want to anymore?”

Charles is shaking his head no at lightning speed. He definitely wants to. He’s tired of living alone and throwing himself pity parties over breaks. Plus, he learns he sleeps better when he's not alone.

~

Moving feels more sentimental to her this time. She had more stuff than when she was fifteen.

Sbeastion offered to let them fly private with him to help move her stuff to Monaco. She wanted to, but it was unnecessary. Most of her belongings that she needs fits into an extra suitcase.

Max and Charles both kept asking her if she had anything else. It was getting on her nerves a bit.

Hanna and Seb had done the same thing when she first came to Germay. Though she had less then. Hanna had taken her to get some new clothes because her t-shirts all had holes in them.

Flights were weird. The first class has two seats for each row, meaning that one of them got to sit somewhere else. They often played musical chairs on the plane because of this.

She'd always had an affinity for even numbers.

It was an interesting dynamic they had created. Charles and Max are barely a month apart, and she's just turned nineteen. They get to do things she can't yet. But she's gentle and knows exactly what they need and is far to gentle for what she's been through.

Charles felt that he was playing catch up with the other two. He was new to this and still new to them. He, however, was the best at communication between the three.

Max, having grown up in an interesting family setting, is aggressive and protective. His communication skills are lacking, but he would do anything to keep his significant others out of harms way.

Today was one of those days that Max was struggling communication wise. It had started after an intense phone call where the other two were attempting (and failing) at deciphering dutch.

She'd offered to sit next to him if he needed consoling, but he decided to sit further away from the two. Leaving them to figure out what happened.

This had brought the thoughts of even numbers. If they were flying with four of them, Max wouldn't be able to mope alone.

"Do you think it was Jos?" Charles asked. His eyes had been on the Dutch for most of the flight.

"I would assume so given that he was speaking Dutch, and he doesn't do that with many people."

Both sigh. Jos had been on Max's ass about moving up into a championship title. Che was ready to have some words, either him, next time they were together, and Charles was going to start making a point to celebrate every placement in a race.

It didn't take long to get to Max's apartment. It's not the most luxurious, but it's comfortable. He's planning to get something worthy of the three of them after he gets a title.

Max had successfully locked himself away in his bedroom. The other two left to figure out what he needs. Maybe it is just a time thing?

"Is he usually like this after a call with Jos?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "It depends on if he's praising or berating."

"Can we help him?" Charles is eyeing the closed door and her. His brain working out every way to get him to open up.

She smirks. There always one thing that cheered up Max.

~

Max was choking back tears. He felt weak. Like he was never going to he enough.

He felt bad for stomping off the way he did, but he didn't want his partners to see him like this.

He hears the soft rape of knuckles against the door. "Mon Amour? Can we please come in?"

He grunts, but the Monegasque takes it as approval.

Charles peeks his head in. His gentle steps are coming closer to Max. He doesn't look up. He just keeps his head buried in his pillow.

Charles doesn't say anything, which he appreciates. Just sits down on the edge and lets Max's body dip towards his. Then he's running his fingers through Max's hair.

It's not long before another set of footsteps are padding into the room. These ones softer then Charles, telling Max it's y/n.

She's successfully moved both Jimmy and Sassy into the room from their hiding spots and is holding his favorite movie. She sneaks in and closes the door behind her.

They spend the next couple of hours lying in bed with the cats and watching their movie.

Max feels himself calming down. They don't talk about anything. Aside from occasionally copying the lines from the movie they've watched far to many time.

It's after that he feels like he can say something. His mind finally grounded back to reality. "I'm sorry for shutting you both out. I was just... agitated, I guess."

The Monegasque has his fingers back in his hair in an instant. "It's okay, you needed space. Do you want to talk about it now?"

The youngest places sassy on his chest as a way to comfort him. Her hands intertwine with his.

"Just frustrated that my dad thinks I'm not trying. He started spouting that I'll never get anywhere at this rate."

"That a lie. Jos is obviously lacking brain cells." The youngest pipes. "I can throw him into a wall if you want?"

The idea actually makes him smile.

~

Charles was the next to move things in. Though it was mildly awkward explaining to his family why he was moving somewhere else.

Turns out he can't keep a secret. His family is accepting. Pascale welcomes both into her home. She takes a particular liking to the quiet girl who is still always between the two older boys.

His stuff takes up more of the apartment than hers. The contrast of red and blue is now showing everywhere.

"If Charles is red, Max is blue, and I'm always in the middle, does that make me purple?" She spouts while unpacking a box of ferrari shirts.

Max spits out the water he was drinking. Charles starts wheezing. And she is laughing at her own comment.

"Where did you come up with that, Chéri?"

"Just a thought I've been sitting on since we started dating."

"You're not wrong, though." Max is wiping his mouth clean from the water.

~

It's weird going places together. Not errands and things, but social gatherings. Charles has asked to keep things private for now. He's not fond of the questions people have about the nuances of their relationship.

They came and left separately. Usually, depending on who wanted to leave first, the other would wait about fifteen minutes.

A few months into the break, Lando Norris decides to call Max and invite him and his lover to a party. He does the same for Charles a minute after he hangs up with Max.

The three of you have to hold in your laughter as Charles tries to get through the phone call listening to the same details.

Despite what Lando said, this was not the type of party any of you are used to by now. At least not Charles and Max. She'd been to few and got overwhelmed by it all pretty quickly. Sometimes, she'd use it as an excuse to get the boys out of the apartment so she could have the cats to herself and play around with her powers.

Charles and Max both hate it when she does it alone. They've found her on the floor passed out on multiple occasions. She doesn't care, though. The visions and nightmares of her father were more reason to keep going.

Regardless, this party is small. Just a few drivers who had been in town or live in Monaco are here with their partners.

Kika and Pierre, George and Carmen, Alex and Lily, Carlos is here along with Daniel. Charles is seated in a solitary chair. The couches have been taken. Daniel and Lando on either side of him.

It feels nice and intimate in a way. She hadn't seen many drivers just get together to hang out like this.

Charles is ever the gentleman and offers her the chair, which she takes. Him and Max are now making themselves comfortable on the floor in front of her.

They're eating, drinking, laughing, and sharing stories from the past. It's nice and relaxing.

She taps Max's shoulder, alerting him that she's going for water and asking both boys if they need anything to which they reply no.

She spots Lando in his kitchen getting a drink. It's not an alcoholic one, just juice that looks like it could be alcohol.

She turns on his tap for water, and Lando jumps out of his skin. His eyes rapidly look between her and his cup.

"I like to mix my alcohol with juice...?" His voice sounds unsure. Does he think it's not okay to just have juice?

"Juice is a good choice, in my opinion. Alcohol is strong and feels funny sometimes."

Lando visibly relaxs. "Promise you won't tell anyone? They laugh at me sometimes when I do this."

"I promise."

~

Lando was around more after the party. He seemed comfortable around her and Max. He'd opened up about his anxiety to them and played far to many games with Max.

What they were not expecting was for Lando to show up at their apartment door at three o'clock in the morning. His breathing uneven body shaking like a leaf.

She knew what this was. She'd had plenty of panic attacks.

She guides him inside to the couch and is trying to asses the situation. Get his breathing to calm down so he doesn't hyperventilate.

It takes ten minutes until he's calm.

"Did something happen?"

"Just a nightmare, and I couldn't calm down after."

"Did you walk here?"

He nods his head yes. Exhaustion flooding his eyes.

"Is Max asleep?" He asks.

"Should be. He sleeps like a rock most of the time." They both giggle. Lando is now able to relax in a calm environment.

They are interrupted by two sets of footsteps. Charles and Max come barreling into the living room. Panic on their faces one minute and embarrassment the next. Lando staring at the with the utmost confusion.

The older boys are shirtless and in sweats. Max's arm protectively outstretched in front of Charles.

"...oops."

~

Lando is not stupid. He may be the youngest on the grid currently, but he's not stupid.

He saw how the three of them looked at each other. Charles definitely touched them both far more than what friends do.

Originally, he thought he was crazy for watching them. Yet he couldn't help but be intrigued. How they all interacted. How they just flowed together.

Now he sits on their couch. Max looks like he's guarding Charles and y/n. The Dutch has yet to sit down and is leaning against the wall. Charles is sitting across from him with the females head in this lap. His fingers running through her hair.

It's a terrible feeling. Like he's left out of whatever this is. Three of his best friends spend all their time together, and he's just here. Young and naïve Lando.

"Did you have a feeling this would happen, Mijn liefje?" Asks Max from his perch on the wall. She shakes her head no in response.

Lando had heard about her knack for predicting future outcomes. He'd heard rumors about magic and tarot cards, but she'd never said anything to him.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here in the extra bedroom, and I can't take you home in the morning."

"That sounds nice, thank you."

~

She woke up exhausted. She felt guilty for not having warned Max and Charles. Her mind to far gone that they were mad at her. She spent her night trying to get any glimpse of their future but didn't get anything useful.

She hid herself away in the master bathroom. The wet towel and the floor her new best friend.

She could smell breakfeast. Max is cooking for all of them. They learned quickly not to let Charles cook. Lest they all die.

She was in bed with them this morning. Only crawling out from their hold when she felt them stir.

Every question puts her further into the fog. Was she going to lose them? Are they upset with her? Is Lando okay with them? Would he tell people?

It's too much for her head.

She goes for another attempt. She knows she's overdoing it. The further she goes with less time in-between brings her closer to the edge of her body going numb.

Nausea creeps into her stomach, but she sees them. Further down the line. Happy and four.

Four? This could be shocking, and yet somehow, she already knew. Her mind just needs a but of confirmation that it's possible.

The nausea gets stronger. Her nose is bleeding heavily. She pushed it past the limit.

They won't mind, though.

~

Max is making breakfast and quietly humming to himself. Charles has his hands on his hips, the two of them swaying back and forth to the tune.

"Do you think I should go check on her?" Charles mumbles into his shoulder.

"She may want space after last night, she was taken off guard and might need to peocess." He explains, then turns his attention back to the pan.

"I'm worried, though. She was crying last night after Lando went to bed, and I don't think she slept."

Lando slides around the corner. His face lighting up at the smell of food. "Can I... can I have some?"

Max laughs at the Brit's excitment. "Of course. I made enough for all of us."

Lando sits himself on top on the counter. Watching the Dutch and Monegasque lean into each other. He takes notice that someone is missing. "Is y/n okay?"

Both boys sigh with heavy concern. "She had a rough night." Explains Charles. His body is fighting the urge to go get her. "I can't take it anymore, I'm going to check on her."

Charles leaves Max and Lando in the kitchen. His legs taking long strides back to the bedroom.

"So you guys all sleep together? Not like sexually- I guess - I mean at night to sleep."

Max smiles at the Brit. His curiosity was nothing he didn't expect. "Yeah, we pile into the same bed at night. All of us sleep better that way."

Lando hums. His palm rubs his face with anxiety. "Would you ever add a fourth?-'m asking for a friend..."

Max already knows. Somehow, someway, he already knows where this is going. "Depends. It took months of discussion before Charles joined us. But I'm sure if the right person came along, we'd be open to it." Max turns around to face Lando and shoots him a reassuring smile.

Lando's cheek tint pink, and Max knows exactly what he wants.

~

Charles leclerc is usually someone who panics. This time was no exception.

He'd seen plenty after his six months of being together with his partners. Particularly how the femal among them is prone to violent behaviors against herself. He's seen all of her powers now and how they affect her if she uses them too much. He's been there to help soothe her after night terrors while Max fetches her water.

He was glad she opened up to him about her past more. He knew the generally what had gone on but no details, nothing like what he knew now.

The prospect of her father coming back for her at some point is what drover her to the breaking point on most days.

Now, Charles is faced with a locked door and the sounds of thrashing from the other side. He'd tried picking the lock, something him and Max both learned to do after instances like this, but his hands are far too shaky to maneuver the pins.

So he does the only other logical thing and breaks the door down. Only enough that he can lean it somewhere and not let it fall on her, but it felt cool to kick it in.

Charles has seen a lot of things, but this is completely new. Her muscles are tensing at a rapid speed, and her eyes are rolled back into her head. Her breathing movements are unatrual.

"Max!"

It takes ten seconds, and he's there. His body and mind reacting to the situation. He's trying to hold her in his arms. Attempting to wake her up from whatever trance she's in.

Max hisses through his teeth when he touches her. Her skin in his searing his hands. Yet, he pushes through.

Charles feels helpless. "What can I do?"

"This has happened before. She must have forced a vision. She'll come out of it, we just need to make sure she dosen't die in the process."

The two boys are then lifting her body of the floor. Charles now carries her to the bed while Max runs around grabbing things. Mostly ice to cool her down. Charles rambles on to her about nothing and everything. Max said they should talk to her, giver her some to help bring her back.

Both of them forgot they left Lando in the kitchen. The Brit left to finish making breakfast in light of their emergency. Again, they are shocked to see his pale face watching the scene unfold before him.

"Can I help?" Is all he can manage.

"Do you want to trade places with me? I think the liquid benadryl might help."

Lando is taking over for Max tentatively. He takes the ice pack from the Dutch and places it on her forehead.

Lando can see the sweat and tears mixed with fresh blood. It's scary, and he's nervous. Why are they not taking her to a hospital?

Normally, she's the one calming him down. She always knows exactly what he needs to hear. He's not been in this position, and it scares him to see her like this.

He slides one hand down to her bicep. His fingers tap out the melody to her favorite song. A trick she used on him to bring him back to earth when he got in his head.

About halfway through, she's sucking in a breath, her body sitting straight upwards. Her eyes are no longer stuck to the inside of her head. She's still sweating like mad, and her body is twitching, but she's awake.

She's breathing heavily. Dry heaving and coughing into herself. Her hands are quick to find Charles and grasp at him, searching for the familiar comfort.

Lando watches her intently. Her sobs are painful. They sound broken, like whatever she's just been through was some sort of of torcher.

"Chéri, can I set you with Lando for a moment? I need to tell Max you're awake." Charles whispers gently. Lando takes note of how he's cradling her. His hands on the back of her head and under her legs to support her weight.

She barely nods her approval. Her body is slid close to Lando, who embraces her. Attempting to replicate what Charles was doing. He finds himself tapping the same melody on her knees.

"Was that you tapping? When I was asleep?" She chokes.

"Yeah, could you feel it."

She nods her head against his body. "You brought me back, thank you."

Lando lets his body relax into hers, knowing he at least did one thing right today.

~

Next ->

Tags: @styles-sunflower @purplephantomwolf @boiohboii @reblog-princess-blog @jjsprobablywrong @ipabloramos @jayda12 @faithm120601

(comment if you want to be added)

[koolades-world]

hello sorry if your requests are closed pls feel free to ignore this if they are :(

i just got this nice idea and wanted to share it and maybe you could do hc idkkkk anywayy !!

so imagine a mc but they're a poc (black, asian, whatever) and they always felt kinda like an outcast in the human world bc they lived in a white neighbourhood and now they're in the devildom and... wow Mammon, Simeon, Mephisto ?! (and maybe Dia and Raphael too cuz they can be mixed or something)

Like I am japanese and I live in europe and in my whole life I've interacted with like 3 or so poc ?? That's sooo little! I would be overjoyed to meet people (demons) that aint white- there is some common experience shared with all poc and i just need that 'bound' with someone lool

Anyway sorry this kinda sounded like a rant by the end but yea! even if you don't do it its ok! Have a nice day and ily !/p ♡

hello!! of course :)

i only moved once when i was younger but both neighborhoods were predominantly white, and i don’t think I’ve ever had a close poc friend that wasn’t an online friend. in middle and elementary i was one of like three or four pocs. high school was better but since I was a magnet kid, i always saw the same people and they were majority white. I’m almost certain I was the only mixed one in that program

bottom line, i can relate haha

enjoy <3

Poc Mc and the poc boys

poc solidarity!

of course the first demon you see is Diavolo, and while you don’t trust him right off the bat because you’ve just been basically abducted for this program, it’s nice to see a poc in charge

since mammon is assigned your caretaker, of course you’re quick to form a friendship

when he learns about your childhood since that comes up at some point, he goes oddly silent and listens carefully when you tell your stories

eventually he himself opens up a little about what it was like in heaven and his experience

gonna break format for a minute, simeon and I would be such good friends, besties even. a writer, very kind, a great baker and cook, a great fashion sense, and he looks like me? omg sign me up we’re twins. there is such a thing as two pretty best friends lol

simeon is so naturally effortless but sweet, so it wasn't hard to become his friend

he's more than happy to help you where ever needed

after you get over the whole kidnapping thing, you become fast friends with dia because he's just so wonderful to be around

and he's more than happy to be your friend because the poor guy doesn't have enough. he'll take you to do all sorts of fun stuff and even if your pictures together end up everywhere online, he doesn't care

you also are a little reluctant to warm up to mephisto because of what lucifer had said about him, but diavolo spoke highly of him, so you spent a couple afternoons with him

and you found yourself very interested in him and the rad newspaper, left wondering why lucifer hated him so much

if you want, you're more than welcome to help out and of course receive credit where credit is due

it was also kind of intimidating to get close to raphael too since he seemed so tough and unapproachable, but he was actually great to have a late night talk with and helped you out with any kind of fashion dilemma

maybe the devildom isn't so bad after all...

[yuyuswrld]

O Captain, My Captain || 1

series intro here, or read chapter 2

characters: reiner x reader (this chapter), various aot boys x reader.

notes: this is an 18+ series, please don’t interact if you’re a minor! reader is referred to with she/they pronouns.

content warnings: explicit smut, fingering, reiner eating pussy like a god!!, alcohol consumption, degradation, mild slut shaming (?), mentions of marijuana at the end

“Has he always been a bitch?” You question Marco, inhaling bites of your ramen. He shrugs, “We’ve both been on the team since freshman year and I’ve never had a problem with him. Maybe you’re the problem?” He meets with dead silence as you stare up at him from your bowl.

“Funny, Bott. I’m just not looking forward to spending so much time with him, if he behaves like that, anyway.” Exasperation visible, you slump in your chair to think. “It’s not like he’s on the sidelines. He’s the damn captain, which means I have to talk to him a lot.”

Marco shrugs. “You’re being dramatic. He’s a pain sometimes, but he’s not that bad. Just try to be nice to him, please. Eren won’t get any nicer if you’re mean. Plus,” He stops to take a bite of his food, “we don’t have the time for fighting. We’re expected to go to nationals this year, and that’s not happening if you two scare each other off.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Bott. I’ll see you at practice later.” Uncrossing your arms and brushing off your legs as you get up from your seat. Okay, sure, Eren has yet to be anything except slightly dismissive and maybe just a little shit. He hasn’t actually done anything to you. You toss your bag over your shoulder before thanking Marco for the meal and dismissing yourself.

As the time for practice draws closer, you collect your thoughts as you stand outside the cold metal doors of the university’s second largest gym. Sure, you went to a school notorious for its D-1 volleyball, but the gym’s size was excessive. The high rise bleachers felt as if they would swallow you alive and the walls would collapse in. They had before. You remember the bile pool in your throat as the sports cameras flashes ate at your failure and spat you back out. Like a gazelle running from its predator, your body craves to run away from the glorified arena ahead of you.

“The fuck are you standing in the doorway for? Are you going in, or what?” Is it wrong to want to choose violence? Couldn’t he just say excuse me or ask if something’s wrong like a normal person?

Ugh, you should choose peace and not mess up a good opportunity. Just think about the money and all the nice things you can buy.

“I’m obviously just trying to get in your way.” You push the door open and walk into the gymnasium, not bothering with holding it open for Eren. In fact– hopefully it hits him! 

You hear the door fly open again behind you and a bag hits the ground with a loud thud. Eyes landing on the congregation of men in jerseys surrounding a smaller man, you beeline over to them. As you near, the smaller man, who you assume to be Coach Levi, locks his gaze with you. Is he… angry? Concerned? It’s impossible to determine what he’s thinking as he continues to stare.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

Your jaw drops. You’ve met more people in your life than you can count and never did a single person start a conversation in such a way.

“Not as far as I’m aware of…?”

“Okay, if you do what Hanna did, I will rip that baby out of your-”

A blond kid speaks up, “Um, Coach, you probably shouldn’t be threatening them on the first day. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to do that when we really need someone to organize our itinerary and keep practice stats. We’re nothing if we don’t have those numbers.”

“Fine, Arlelt. You and Braun stay here, explain how game statistics work and start having her do one-on-ones after. Performance evaluations for all of you.” You watch as Coach Levi’s eyes hover over Eren, who looks less than pleased. You’re not sure what’s going on there, but also can’t bring yourself to care. “Rest of you can go practice.”

As you glance over at the two boys who stayed, it throws you off that you’ve seen both of them before. The little blond one, you’re pretty sure his name is Armin. You’ve seen him walking around with Eren before, but he always looked so out of place in how gentle he is. You’re pretty sure you watched him bump into a trash can and apologize.

The other, however, you don’t think you’ve ever seen a man with such a commanding presence. He’s well-built. You’re pretty sure even a Greek god couldn’t hold up in comparison. You scoff internally, ‘it’s always the fucking volleyball players.’ But there’s something that lingers on your tongue, a conversation revolving around him. Then it hits you, Petra’s gossipped about him before!

“There are some really cute guys on our volleyball team. Did you know that?”

“Not this again, Petra. We’re supposed to be doing our biology homework.”

“Bitch, please. Let me speak. Anyway, there’s this guy on the team, his name is Reiner and oh my god- that is one fine ass man. He’s built like a tank engine. Not only that,” she says, a little giggle follows. “I’ve only heard this from two girls. He says he doesn’t like to hook up a lot, but his head game is insane. Like cum in a minute insane.” 

You stare, “I’m pretty sure that’s impossible, Petra.”

“I don’t know! Hook up with him yourself and you can give me all the juicy details afterwards.” You can only sigh in response, disturbed by your best friend’s inability to study.

But, here he was in the flesh, all 6’2 farmers tan of him. You couldn’t possibly do something so scandalous on your first day, could you? You shake the thought out of your mind as Armin talks.

“Volleyball stats are relatively easy to get the hang of. You just need to watch pretty closely. Even if you do miss something, we record them and you’ll go back through with Eren to make sure everything is recorded properly. Then, you’ll want to convert the numbers of each hit, serve, and pass into percentages compared to how many times it occurred per set.”

Reiner laughs, just a small one, but lord it’s like music to your ears. “Armin, you’re dumping too much info on them at once. It’d probably just be best to just show them the ropes visually and they can go from there. C’mon, let’s have coach set up the camera and record the three-on-three’s that they’re doing now.  We’ll watch the game, I’ll have you watch me record it, and then we’ll go back over it while watching the tape later.”

You nod, feeling just a hint of warmth across your face. Is this even possible, to have a school-girl crush in university? Those days were supposed to be behind you, but you can’t help but have the smallest bit of a smile as you follow him and Armin to speak with Coach Levi.

As you watch Reiner and Armin record the stats, your mind spins with utter confusion. You’re beyond lost, unsure how they’re even keeping up with the sheer amount of movement the players are doing. Dig? Write it down. Set? Write it down. You want to groan, or maybe even just go get dinner as you feel your stomach rumble.

As practice wraps up, your stomach rumbles in pain once again as it craves its next coddling. Reiner glances over from where you two stand, finishing up showing Coach Levi the statistics and getting a dismissive, “make sure it’s right,” instead of an appreciative response. He smiles at you, looking down.

“Gettin’ hungry?” He asks.

“Beyond hungry,” you say, shoulders dropping in defeat. “I’m being tortured. I haven’t eaten since noon. It’s 7 now! It’s criminal that you guys would starve me for so long.” You tease Reiner. He only responds by glancing at the gym door where most of the boys say their goodbyes before tapping out for the night.

“Y’know, I’ve heard I make a mean rice bowl.” 

It didn’t take much convincing for you to follow him back to his dorm room as practice winds down. Upon sitting across from each other at his make-shift dinner table, you learn Reiner is one of the middle blockers, coming at no surprise to you when taking in consideration to his stature. Although, you also learn he was from the countryside and this scholarship was his way out.

“Y’know, I always kinda dreamt of moving to the big city and being able to do what I love. But it’s crazy, man, I still can���t believe I’m here sometimes playing for the top university on the island.” 

Hearing the passion in his voice, you question if it’s right for you to intrude as a manager. Is it okay for you to be in charge of the livelihood of the men who’ve come so far and done so much for their passion? The men who could very well play on Paradis’ Olympic Team in the future? The concern is quickly shoved into your mental locker to be returned to as Reiner asks about watching a movie over some post-dinner snacks and beer. A much needed chance to relax after endless studying, you agree chipperly and move over to his plush couch.

As you two get halfway through Inglourious Basterds, you feel his arm wrap around you and his head turn in your direction. The alcohol running through your system has you heating up just from the skin contact. You blush as Petra’s words return to the forefront of your mind. You turn your head to face him, eyes interlocking with each other. His eyes signal a look of need, not want. You’re not sure if anyone’s ever looked at you like that before. Like a hunter who’ll starve without the meat of the deer he’s trailing.

“You’re so fucking hot” He mutters, you’re surprised a man of his stature can be so quiet. “I don’t think I’ll last with you as our manager.” Reiner closes the gap between the two of you. There’s a slight metallic tinge on his lips, but it’s addicting in the worst of ways and only deepens the experience. You two continue, allowing yourselves to sink into the couch, your body hitting the arm rest. His kiss moves from your lips to your neck, hands beginning to roam until they find purchase underneath your shirt. First, he plays with your bra before making his way under. Reiner moves his lips from your neck gently, almost like he’s scared of making a mistake. He helps you pull your shirt over your head and follows by removing your bra, his delicate touch unhooking the backing.

“You don’t have to be gentle,” you coo to him, lust-filled gazes connecting. “Please, I like it a bit rough, I swear.” He groans into the valley of your breasts.

“Don’t say that shit, I might break you.”

You can only laugh at his words, unfazed by the prospect, if not even more turned on by it. 

“Holy shit, please do,”

“In that case,” He says, voice lower as if weighing his options internally. “Don’t blame me if you limp to practice tomorrow.” Reiner helps you remove your pants before his fingers begin to dance over your body again. The touches are soft as they ghost the outline of your skin, your heart beating as you wait for him to soothe the ache between your legs. You attempt to rub them together for a semblance of friction but his arms find their way to keep them split. His gaze shifts up to you, eyes narrow as if disapproving of your behavior. Reiner’s face then begins to move lower, tongue licking a stripe up the inside of your thigh as his fingers begin to dance over your clit. He moves his face over to meet his fingers, tongue flattening against your clit, which draws a moan of approval from you. It seems evident that it spurs him on further as he begins to speed up his tongue, then switching to sucking your bud and having his fingers delve lower to your hole. Reiner holds eye contact with you as he begins to press one of his monstrous fingers inside of you. 

You can only make a noise of approval as he pushes it further in, approving of how well even one of them feels inside. It heightens your pleasure as he thrusts it forward, keeping his tongue dancing and sucking against your clit in a flurry of movements that have you questioning if Reiner is really a man and not a god in disguise. As he pushes a second large finger in, you cry out much louder than you should be in the dorms. You bite down on your lip to withhold any further noises, but Reiner puts a complete pause on what he’s doing.

“Keep moaning, baby. Let them hear how well you’re getting finger-fucked right now. This is what Armin wanted to be doing to you right now, did you know that?” He lets out a deep laugh, lips and face glistening in the dim lighting of his tv. “Bet you’d like that, though, huh?” His fingers move again and you gasp. “Yeah, you’d fucking love it if I bent you over and fingered you from behind to show off the entire team what a good little pocket pussy you are.”

That’s what tipped you over the edge. In fact, it’s probably disrespectful to feminism that you allow yourself to be finger-fucked while getting off to the disgusting words spewing out of the blond’s mouth. But social constructs be damned if this man didn’t stick his dick in you soon. You clench around his fingers as they continue to move, despite your cum gushing over his fingers.

“You’re fuckin’ nasty. But you’re still not ready for me.”

His face returns to its original spot, blowing hot air on it first as you wriggle at the stimulation. Reiner only adds another finger in response, allowing the three large digits to stretch you out before moving them once again. It feels as if you’re melting around his fingers as your back arches to the stretch. Despite slight discomfort, it’s overwhelmingly pleasurable to feel the expertise in his ways.

It’s not long after he adds another finger that you feel the coil in your stomach once again. As his tongue laps at your clit with a technique unknown to you, you’re about to unravel against his touch once again.

“‘M gonna cum,” you pant out desperately.

“Do it, cum on my fuckin’ tongue.” He replies approvingly, allowing you to take the time you need to ride out the rush to your body. For a second, you feel as if you’re floating in the way your back arches off the couch and your head spins in pure ecstasy. You glance over at Reiner, eyes fixated, as he removes his pants and reveals the thing you’ve been so curious to see. It matches his stature in almost every way, which makes you cringe at the thought of him fitting it in.

“You said you like it rough?” It’s a trap, that much you’re sure of. You glance back down to examine how large he is before you reconfirm, but before you know it, the condom has slipped on and he’s making his way back to you. He asserts his way on top, arms on either side of your head as he leans in to give you a quick kiss. It catches you a bit off guard, the earlier metallic taste has changed into the taste of your own cum and there’s a slight wince as you taste it. You can’t tell if this man is slightly depraved or hot as hell.

“I asked you a question. It’s not nice to ignore me.” 

A loud smack to your clit resounds as you let out a sharp, pleasure-filled gasp. 

“Yes, please,” you whine. It’s slightly pathetic, how you’re behaving for this man, but god be damned if anything were to impede your moment. 

He only grunts in response, lining himself up with your entrance. As he sinks in, you bite your lip to fight the stretch. You attempt to lie back and relax in his touch to allow him in, but he’s just so large. Reiner bottoms out, tip just ghosting against your cervix. He only grants you a few moments to adjust to his size before he’s pounding into you, your cries of pleasure nothing but music to his ears. The tip kissing your cervix is making your brain fuzz beyond anything you’ve felt before, and your walls hug him in intoxicating ways. Reiner grips both of your legs, bringing them onto his shoulders to push in further which earns you a grunt of approval from the larger man. 

He fucks you like he hates you. Every so often, his head falls back, and he lets out grunts of pleasure. His body moves like an artist painting their long-lost lover from only a distant memory, hips ferocious in their assault of your cunt. Reiner flips you over onto your hands and knees after an indiscernible amount of time, your sweat-covered body cringing at the chilly breeze it causes. His pace is still unrelenting from the back, cock feeling as if it’s touching every inch it can inside of you.

“Holy shit,” He cries out. “I’m gonna cum. I wish I could cum inside this pretty little pussy of yours.”

Without another word, except for your moan of approval, Reiner finishes and delicately slides out of you, removing the condom and disposing of it. He arrives back a couple minutes later, towel in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

“So, round two?”

“I’m pretty sure you started my period just now.”

[slytheringlambert91]

Theft in the Family...By Jason Todd Chapter 3

This chapter is a bit shorter, Exams are stressing me out xD

I have Chapter 4 done, it'll be posted once I finish chapter 5

The last week had calmed down some for Jason. He was slowly gaining control of the other gangs in Crime Alley, so now his job is mainly enforcing his rules and continuing his climb up the metaphorical food chain.

Currently he was on a rooftop overlooking the usual corner the working girls frequent.

He feels his half cape/cloak thing (Jason still doesn’t know what to call it, ok) waving gently in the breeze. It felt nice to have a moment of downtime, even if it was in the middle of the day.

Just as he was getting used to the (very rare) almost peaceful atmosphere, a child’s yelling cuts through the air.

Jason rushes off in the general direction of the sound.

He arrives just in time to see a large man slamming a kid against the wall, one hand wrapped around the kid’s throat.

Jason growls, jumping into the alley. He rips the man away, pushing himself in between the kid and his aggressor. “Leave. Him. Alone.” He draws one of the swords on his back, leveling it at the man’s chest.

Instead of scrambling back, the man stares at the sword and chuckles, pushing it away and drawing a gun. “The kid’s comin’ with me.”

“Yeah, nope. Not happenin’, jackass.” Jason draws his own gun with his other hand, this time aimed at the guy’s head. “Don’t think I only brought a sword to a gunfight. Besides, I guarantee you, I’m faster.”

Jason spares a glance behind him, and his heart nearly stops as the kid sits against the alley wall with a dazed look.

Fuck

That’s Damian.

Alright, fuck mercy. This guy is dead.

He uses the flat edge of the sword to knock the man’s gun hand wide, closing the distance between them. He uses his body to pin the man to the wall, and sheathes both weapons.

With his hands free, he wraps one around the guy’s throat (we’re gonna call him Chad now), and the other wrenches the gun from Chad’s grasp. “See? I’m faster.” Jason almost chuckles, before his tone turns dark again. “Do you know who I am?”

Chad barely manages to nod, and gasps: “Phoenix.”

“Good. Do you know what my main rule is?” Jason doesn’t even give him a chance to answer this time. “Do /not/, under /any/ circumstance, mess with kids.”

The man looks truly scared for the first time in this interaction. “I—I’m sorry! I didn’t know he was yours! He’s a Bristol kid, look at ‘em!”

“/All/ kids are under my protection. But you won’t get to make the same mistake twice.” Jason draws his gun again, aiming not at his head, but his groin. A cruel smile splits his face, not like the man can see that though.

The man whimpers, and Jason glances back at Damian again. The kid is still dazed, but he was standing and watching the scene play out.

“Get outta here, kid, I’ll catch up and make sure ya get home safe in a sec.”

Damian seemed to struggle to understand the instruction, but when he did, he stood firm. “No.”

“Kid—”

“No.” Damian scowls at him. Jason rolls his eyes, but mentally shrugs. The kid was raised by Ra’s Al Ghul, he’s seen worse.

With that, he turns his attention back to the weeping man in front of him. He debates saying something else, but decides against it. No need to draw this out any longer.

He takes a step back, and fires. The man screams, collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Jason holsters the gun (he’ll finish the man off in a second) and steps over to Damian. Kneeling down, he reaches out a hand and runs it through Damian’s hair, searching for injuries. “Y’alright, Habibi?”

“I have had worse.”

“I know, kid, but my question stands.” His glove comes away bloody when he reaches the back of the kid’s head, and Damian flinches slightly. “Alrigh’, I’ll take you home and clean you up, but you’re telling Bruce. Where even is the Old Man anyway?”

“I presume he is back at the diner, where I left him.”

Jason rolls his eyes, picking Damian up and settling him on his hip. “‘Course ya ran away. Now I’m gonna have Bats after me.”

A bark sounding through the alley snaps Jason’s attention away from his brother, and he sees Bruce and Ace running into the alley.

“God dammit, speak of the devil.” Jason mutters, eyeing the duo warily.

“Give me my son.” Bruce speaks lowly, clearly eyeing the distance between them.

Jason scoffs, “You lost him. I found him.”

The man on the ground groans, and Jason is reminded of his unfinished business. Without taking his eyes off Bruce, he fires another bullet into Chad’s skull. Bruce flinches at the gunshot.

“Give him back, before I call the cops.”

Ace growls, stalking forward. Bruce drops the leash, and the dog lunges forward.

Jason turns, making sure his body is between the snapping teeth and his brother.

Just before biting, Ace stops, his nose twitching as he sniffs the air, and his tail waves in the air. The growls turn to whines as he noses at Jason's leg. Something in Jason melts a little at the sight of his childhood dog.

“Ace!” Bruce calls, but the dog ignores him in favor of Jason.

“I think you have broken the dog,” Damian comments, and Jason pets Ace before pulling out his grapple gun.

He fires the grapple, watching Bruce’s eyes widen as he feels the familiar tug of the line hooking. Bruce lunges for him just as the gun pulls him into the air. In the short trip in the air, Bruce has pulled out his phone and is frantically talking to whoever he called.

In the same moment, Damian wraps his arms around Jason’s neck, and Jason remembers that this would be his first experience with grappling. With flying.

Jason smiles at his brother when they land on the roof, before realizing he wouldn’t be able to see it.

Jason grapples back to his apartment without saying another word.

When they enter (through the window, of course, no doors allowed), Jason sets Damian down and starts taking his gear off.

The hood and cape are first to go, followed by his masks and gauntlets. When he turns back to Damian, the kid is pouting at him.

“The hell are you pouting for, I thought ya wanted to see me?” Jason grabs the med kit from under his sink and walks over to his brother.

“I thought you would come back with me.”

Jason sighs, “We discussed this, Habibi. I can’t go back. Besides, Bruce doesn’t even know it’s me who has you. There’s gonna be a fuckin’ manhunt now.”

“He took your book,” Damian’s pouty face somehow… gets more pouty..?

“The one I gave to you?” Jason had to suppress a chuckle, but goes about cleaning the cut on Damian’s head.

“Yes.”

“What’d ya do to get him to take that from ya? He never took my books.’

“I may…or may not…have attempted to stab Drake.”

Jason scowls at him, “What did we talk about, Damian?”

“You said not to kill or maim anyone! It was just supposed to be a light stabbing…” The kid is sulking now. It’s almost cute, if Jason weren’t a little pissed at him.

His phone ringing cuts off any reply he may have had. He fishes it out of his pocket, answering it and setting it to his ear before going back to cleaning the cut on Damian’s head. “‘Sup?”

There’s silence on the other end of the line, before a faint voice comes through. “...Master Jason?”

Jason almost drops the phone in shock, and it takes him a second to remember how to use his voice. When he does speak, he’s choked up. “Hey, Alfie.”

Alfred takes a shuddering inhale before continuing. “It is good to hear your voice again, my boy. Although I do have a rather urgent reason for calling. We seem to be missing the child you delivered to us three weeks ago.”

Jason raises an eyebrow at the kid in front of him, finally putting down the gauze and medical supplies. “Are you now?”

“Yes. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you?”

“Nope, not a clue. You should probably keep better track of your birds.”

Alfred sighed, seeming to realize the bluff. “Shall I inform Master Bruce that he is taken care of?”

Jason chuckles before answering. “Nah, let him panic. It’ll do him some good. Besides, finders keepers. Kid’s mine now.”

Jason can hear a hint of a smile when Alfred speaks next. “Hm. Well, try to have him back at the Manor for Sunday crepes. You are welcome to join as well.” It’s Thursday. That gives him four days with his baby brother.

And four days to make Bruce panic, which is always a plus.

He will have to move safehouses though, he wasn’t exactly watching out for cameras on his way here.

“Will do, Alfie. I’ll drop him off Sunday morning.”

They exchange goodbyes, then Jason drops the phone on the couch.

“Wanna explain why ya ran away?”

“I wanted to see you, Akhi. I had not heard from you since you dropped me off.”

Jason sighs, sitting down and pulling Damian closer to him. “You could have asked Alfred to contact me, kid. It’s not safe for you to run around Gotham on your own.”

“I can protect myself!”

“Like you did today?”

Damian scowls, “It is not my fault he caught me off guard.”

“Dames, no matter how highly trained you are, the people here will still win the fight when they are two to four times your size. You have to stay with an adult.”

Damian just huffs in response, and Jason gives the argument up. He’ll just have to keep a better eye out from now on.

[perfectsunlight]

(𝟒𝟔) - ✰ 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 ✰

𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌: none

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮

polar opposites, but still complimentary. that was the best way to describe your friendship with minjeong.

you were more like the summer. vibrant, outgoing, comforting. shades of yellow and tones of orange. the sunlight sparkling on the ocean in the middle of july, and the golden sunsets that descended in the evening. you were the light in everyone’s life, including minjeong’s at one point.

she was more like the winter. cool, icy, and mysterious. shy and reserved, soft spoken and silent. still like the deep sea waters. the unmistakable morning chill in the middle of january, the midnight rain, and the hues of raven shaded shadows. minjeong was the light in your darkness for at least 12 years.

but like the sun and the moon, you two could only be so close for so long. even in nature, distance is inevitable between opposing forces.

-

“it's not nice to ignore people.”

minjeong’s head leaned back as she hung from the monkeybars above her. the sounds of children playing and laughing filled the outskirts of her conversation with you. well, it was less of a conversation, and more like trying to get a wall to answer you. 

september air and afternoon skies observed the interaction between the two of you, the faint breeze kissing your cheeks as you stood below the playground equipment. minjeong had been ignoring you for almost the entire school day.

why you may ask? because you didn’t get picked for partners in the obstacle course.

the winter-like girl’s eyes remained on your figure as she hung upside down, her two braids falling down in the same direction as her. 

minjeong was about to answer, but she accidentally slid too far and ended up falling right on top of you. 

the two of you hit the ground with force, the playground sand cushioning the fall below the both of you. well, you mostly cushioned her, anyway.

“owww! minjeong!” you groaned and pouted. “that hurt!”

minjeong instantly felt bad. she didn’t mean to fall on top of you like that, it was just an accident. however, she couldn’t help but feel bad about it.

“say you’re sorry.” you said as you tried to move minjeong’s body off of you. the other girl shifted and got off of you before looking over her shoulder to face you. 

“im sorry.” 

your eyes met hers, pout still on your lips. minjeong had only apologized for falling on you, not for ignoring you. 

“for falling on me? or for ignoring me?” you asked directly.

minjeong’s tongue poked her inner cheek. she was still upset that you two weren’t partners earlier, but you were still asking her to apologize. “for falling on you.” she answered timidly.

your jaw clenched as you shook your head quickly. your best friend wasn’t off the hook this easily.

“that’s not how it works, you have to be sorry for both.” you tried to explain while brushing the dirt off of her skirt. “we’re best friends, you have to be sorry.”

a few beats of silence passed, where minjeong thought about your words carefully. in her eyes, she didn’t do anything wrong, but then she realized neither did you. it wasn’t your fault that the teacher had separated you two.

“okay, im sorry for both.”

you grinned and interlocked elbows with her before dragging her to the swingset. “come on minjeongie, you can push me first.”

the other girl’s brows furrowed in confusion at your comment. “why?”

your playful eyes met her stoic ones as you smiled at her, not faltering at all. “because you ignored me today, so you have to make up for it.”

minjeong shook her head, clearly unamused. push you on the swings? that was no fun for her. she wanted you to push her. 

despite this, she spent the rest of recess pushing you on the swingset with a small smile on her face. your laughter was contagious, after all.

and of course it didn’t take long for minjeong to stop being fully upset, especially when you offered to give her one of your juice boxes after school.

-

“y/n, i don't know. it seems like a scam, i don’t even know the company name.” minjeong tried to reason, her head in her palm as she stared at you pacing around her room. she had explained to you how she got scouted at one of the recent dance festivals she attended, and how a lady asked her if she wanted to audition to try and become a celebrity. 

she didn’t think much of it, as a matter of fact, she thought it was just a con artist. but you on the other hand? thought it was something worth looking into.

“min, i don’t know why, but i have a good feeling about this.” you looked over at her with a firm, honest gaze. the audition was in two days, and she would have to take a trip to seoul for it if she decided to go. her parents had told her she needed to decide by tonight, which was why you came over to try and convince her to do it.

minjeong blew her brown hair out of her face as she huffed. she was torn. this was a potentially dangerous situation. for all she knew, they could kidnap her and send her off to some foreign country. 

“i’ll go with you,” you blurted out, making the other girl’s eyebrows raise. “i’ll go with you, so that way you won’t be by yourself.”

any other day of the week, she loathed your impulsive and eager personality. she was still recovering from the other day, when you had decided to tie your shoelaces together to make “the world’s biggest shoelace knot” in the middle of your study hall together.

minejong was asleep on her desk and didn’t realize what you had done until the bell woke her up, and you two had to stay 20 minutes after school to undo the shoelaces.

however, today she seemed somewhat grateful for your impulsive and encouraging bad decisions. was this a bad decision? maybe, but it was something you seemed to really wanted her to do, and she couldn’t say no to you forever.

the dancer’s gaze softened. she was more appreciative that you offered to give up your weekend to go on this sketchy audition trip with her and her parents. especially, since this weekend was the class field trip to the aquarium. minjeong knew how much you loved the sea animals, and ever since the trip was announced, you would not shut up about it.

you’d send her hundreds of videos and pictures of different sea creatures and plants, to the point where minjeong changed your contact name to “national geographic.”

yet, here you were, giving up the one thing you were looking forward to all semester for, just for her.

“but what about the aquarium trip?” she asked softly. she felt bad knowing you would offer to give up that fun experience, but you never saw minejong as a burden. she was your best friend, and you would do anything for her.

“the aquarium animals are already celebrities,” you joked and threw one of minjeong’s empty backpacks at her figure. “my best friend is not.”

she caught it before it hit her face, thankfully, but she couldn’t help but smile at your response. it was in that moment that minjeong knew she would go to the audition with you at her side.

“now come on, you need to pack.”   

“so do you.”    

“not if i just steal your clothes.”    “ew.”

-

“you have no reason to be nervous, min.”

minjeong’s leg bounced out of anxious habit. she knew it was just like every other dance performance she had done, except for some reason, even she knew that this felt a lot more intimidating and professional than before.

just the rooms they had escorted you two into to wait were very nice. whatever organization this was, it was definitely not some low balling scam. 

“you and i both know this is a lot more than what we were expecting.” she said flatly, running a hand through her hair. the brunette was up next, and she was absolutely losing her mind.

“but you’re kim minjeong, a lot more than they are expecting as well.” you replied sternly. you hated seeing your best friend doubt herself. minjeong was hands down the best dancer in your school, and you knew that if anyone was going to make it somewhere, it was her.

the brunette was startled when you put a hand on her shoulder. her ever stoic eyes met yours, and you only smiled, and your face was like the sun. your presence was helpful in itself, countering each and every one of her doubts as they filled her mind.

“i know i don’t say it a lot,” she said slowly, putting her hand on top of yours. “but thank you.”

you tilted your head to the side and smiled. “thank me? for what?” a small chuckle escaped your lips as you spoke. “for stealing your juice so you are forced to drink water?”

the ice-like girl rolled her eyes and scoffed. “i am trying to have a sentimental moment with you, for once.” she stated flatly, but a small smirk graced her lips.

“but thank you for being here.”

you didn’t get the chance to reply because a lady walked in the room and called for minjeong. her heart was racing, but for just one moment, all the raging thoughts seemed to still as you gave her a thumbs up. 

at the time, you didn’t know that minejong performed the best she ever had in her life in that small dance room. and it was all thanks to you.

but it was all thanks to minjeong’s audition, that you were scouted that same day. SM thought you were gorgeous, fit to be an idol on the stage. they actually got your information from minjeong herself after she finished her audition.

she never told you, though. but you eventually found out anyway, it wasn’t hard to put the clues together. minjeong was always looking out for you, even if she never admitted it.

-

on the first day of being trainees, you two probably had one of the worst days of your lives.

the moment you arrived at the company building, you had gotten yourselves locked in the fire escape because you went down the wrong stairwell. being stuck in there with all of your bags was not exactly the start to the “celebrity dream” that you two had in mind.

once you got out, courtesy of one of the staff members who walked past, you then found out you two weren’t rooming together. minjeong wanted to riot when she found that out, but you had told her that since your dorms were down the hall from each other, that it would be easy to still see each other all the time.

later in the day, you somehow managed to fall down an entire flight of stairs when bringing up one of minjeong’s bags, and the other girl almost killed you when a group of the senior trainees walked by and saw it all happen. 

minjeong also found out that she left her pillow at home, meaning for the first fourteen days, she was going to have to use one of her duffle bags instead. she definitely was going to need to see a chiropractor once she had her first day off.

to finally top it all off, you two found out you only had one class together, and that was vocal lessons. however, you had still remained optimistic, and insisted that you two would still see each other outside of lessons. you also mentioned that minjeong would be able to focus better without you being in there to distract her.

you were wrong, of course. you didn’t know it at the time, but minjeong truly appreciated your antics. they helped remind her that it was okay to still have fun.

it was actually in minjeong’s dance lessons that she met jimin. minjeong remembered the first time she saw the raven haired girl walk into the room. minjeong was no expert in feelings by any means, but she couldn’t deny the way her heart got excited whenever she saw the taller girl.

at first she thought it was just because jimin was so nice to everyone, and looked like a literal disney princess. but as the weeks went by, minjeong noticed the lingering feelings in her heart.

-

“y/n?”

minjeong whispered in the dark. you two managed to climb on top of the roof without getting caught. she took this opportunity to finally talk to you about something that had been bothering her for a while.

“yes?” you answered softly, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow. minjeong was always either laughing with you, or silently judging you. to see her so serious about something was rare, even with you.

a few beats of silence passed by as she tried to gather her thoughts. there was no easy way to explain this. the ambience of the city below filled the otherwise empty silence between the two of you, until finally minjeong spoke.

“how do you know if you like someone?”

your eyebrows shot up instantly. in all your years of knowing minjeong, the closest thing she ever got to liking someone was this guy in 5th grade who gave her his entire sandwich in return for a hug.

you thought about teasing minjeong, but you knew right now she was being vulnerable with you, and you wanted to respect that. 

“hm,” you paused to think for a few moments. “well, i think when you like someone, you obviously enjoy having them around.” you explained.

your best friend scoffed, rolling her eyes playfully. “other than that, y/n/n. i’ve figured that out already.”

“when i say that, i mean it though.” you reasoned. “you like having them around more than anyone else, and when you’re with them, you feel like nothing else really matters.”

a comfortable silence existed between the two of you once more, until winter spoke up once more.

“i think i like girls, y/n.”

your head whipped in her direction, jaw dropped. “really?” you whispered in disbelief. never in your life had you heard minjeong be this direct about her feelings. “minjeong,” you snickered and shoved her shoulder. “i could have told you that, years ago.”

she narrowed her eyes at you before looking back up at the midnight sky. it wasn’t a perfectly clear night, but the stars and moon still peaked through the clouds enough to serve as something worth losing sleep over to look at.

“i think i like girls, too.”

it was minjeong’s turn to give herself whiplash when she heard your comment. her eyebrows were raised, and she stared at you with her jaw clenched. “you do?” she whispered softly.

you nodded your head slowly, a small chuckle escaping your lips. “i mean, im pretty sure i do.” you paused before turning your head away from her, a faint blush forming at your cheeks. 

“it would be pretty awkward if i had kissed a girl and said i didn’t like it.” 

minjeong’s jaw dropped at this revelation. “you did what?!” she squeaked, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. never in her life had she even seen you kiss anyone other than your stuffed dinosaur. 

“when was this??” she asked, moving her head closer to yours, trying to examine your facial features for any signs of you lying. except, given how shy you were getting, minjeong immediately knew you were not lying about this.

“uh,” you rubbed the back of your neck with a small smile. “the day before yesterday.”

her arms folded over her chest as she glared at you. “and you didn’t tell me? im hurt. i thought we were friends.” she said quickly.

you rolled your eyes and shoved her shoulder once more. “don’t be so dramatic,” you saw a smile return to her lips. 

“was she cute at least?” minjeong asked in a whisper, smirking in your face as she teased.

as she did this, you couldn’t help but let out a laugh. she definitely knew which questions to ask. 

“see,” you pointed a finger in her face. “this is why you’re my best friend.”

minejong couldn’t help but laugh with you, which made you start laughing as well. the two of you spent the rest of that night laughing and talking about your sexualities, and how funny it was that everything the two of you did in life somehow always involved each other.

as opposite as you two may seemed, your decade long friendship proved your unity. 

complementary opposites, contrasting in every single way possible, but somehow cohesively fitting together. where minjeong was rough, you were smooth. where you were upside down, she was inside out. no matter what, it seemed like you two would always have each other.

because no matter how different the sun and the moon may be, they still worked together every day. if the day was too hot, the night would be cool. if the moon was too cold, the sun would provide warmth.

you always provided that for the people around you, even without realizing it. minjeong always described it that way, anyway.

you shone like the sun, like the star you were. every room you entered, immediately brightened. your outgoing demeanor and energy was the backbone for every trainee group you were in. 

it was because of your warmth, and your light, that landed you a spot in the lineup with the girls. even the company could see how far your light reached, and they would be foolish to not capitalize on that.

because even in nature, things could only grow and bloom in the sun’s warmth. it’s much harder for things to grow in the absence of such light.

maybe that’s why jimin loved you so much. karina was like a sunflower, always facing towards the sun; it was just unfortunate that the company’s sunflower just so happened to be the only girl minjeong had ever liked.

it was even more unfortunate, that the visual sunflower herself was never facing the moon, but rather, always at her sun: you.

┊┊┊┊⋆ ✧　 　 · 　 ✧　✵ ┊┊┊☆ *　　 * ⋆ ┊┊★ * ┊┊* . *　✦ ┊☆ ° ✧　 　 · ★*

you and jimin met as trainees before she debuted, and you two never felt more in love. however, once she breaks up with you before her debut, you completely leave SM entertainment under the notion of needing a fresh start. you eventually debuted a few years later in le sserafim, where you met huh yunjin and have slowly started developing feelings for the idol. much to karina's dismay, she hates to see you have moved on, but deep in your own heart, you still can't help but feel as if maybe she has forgotten about you.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @captivq , @wonyoluvr , @yunalvrrr , @spritin , @babycubchae , @vnschldd , @sserafimez , @chaersly , @rosiehrs , @baldd , @bwljules , @jenaissantesworld , @jennasluma , @dream-chasers-things , @lcv3lies , @elyds , @archerheejin , @vnschldd , @skisk1 , @cfvgbhndun-new-blog , @silantryoo , @phamminji , @bzeus28 , @writingficsblog , @strangegirlcode , @uzumakioden , @noiacha , @sserabey , @archerheejin , @pindoris , @yourstrulytrissmerigold , @jisooftme , @yacii , @ddrummie , @justalittledissociation

[ 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 ]

[rrenzwrld]

secreto de amor IX

chapter 9! read chapter 8 here

i’m sorry yall!😭we’re slowly getting back to business

after you finished, you had decided to let connie take you to your appointment with his car. you’ve never been in it before but it looked really new, even had the smell and everything. but that could’ve also been because of the car fresheners he had strung up on the mirror.

once you got there, you texted the braider to let her know you were there. you’ve been to her quite a few times so the interactions were routine.

“welp, i’ll be back in about.. 8 hours.”

“8 hours?”

“it probably won’t take that long, she braids fast. i thought you didn’t have anything to do though?”

connie cleared his throat. “i don’t.” you didn’t really want him waiting in the car all that time so you asked if he could come in and sit with you. the braider approved before allowing you to enter the small shed.

you introduced connie to your braider as your friend and the two of them conversed while she started on your hair. since you weren’t much of a talker, you only had input for the conversation occasionally. when you hair was finished and it was time to leave, you reached in your purse to give her the cash but connie beat you to it.

“why did you do that?”

“do what?”

“pay for my hair. i didn’t ask you to do that.”

“i know, silly. i just wanted to do it.” you felt bad because you knew you would want to do something in return. when people did stuff for you, you just had a desire to return the favor even if they don’t ask or expect it. “i don’t want anything in return by the way. you have that guilty look on your face.”

“thank you.”

connie shrugged. “no problem. you hungry?”

the two of you decided on a burger place and since you didn’t wanna eat inside for some reason, connie parked in an abandoned parking lot and you two ate in his car.

“can’t believe you let me eat in this nice ass car. i must be special.” you smiled as you put fries in your mouth.

“you are.” you were joking but he wasn’t. you didn’t know what to say exactly so you looked away from him and out the window as you sipped on your sweet tea.

“anyways, you going home after you drop me off?”

“depends. do you want me to go home?”

you shrugged. “don’t really care. do what you want.” a smile crept into connie’s face.

“i guess i’m not going home.” he took another bite of his burger and a sip of his drink. you nearly smiled but fixed it right when you couldn’t realize why you were smiling. you probably knew why but didn’t want to admit it.

“cool.”

after eating, the both of you went back to the apartment.

“i hope you know i’m going to my room sooo, i don’t know what you’re gonna do.”

“we can’t hang out?”

“hang out?” you turned to him. you were about to be mean until you realized that you were working on being nicer to him because he wanted to get to know you more. sometimes you really hated making new friends.

“yeah, like watch a movie or sum.” you looked around before agreeing.

“sure. what movie?” connie took off his shoes by the door before plopping onto the couch and grabbing the remote. you followed suit.

“encanto!” you looked at him like he was crazy. you thought he’d say something you know kids haven’t seen a billion times.

“really?” his smile faded and you immediately felt bad about your reaction.

“yeah…what’s wrong with encanto? you’ve never seen it?”

“i have but it was a while ago—“

“well we’re watching it again c’mon.” he wrapped his arm around your shoulders to pull you in closer. you were gonna resist but you accepted it, resting on his chest throughout the movie.

you and connie sat through an unintentional disney movie marathon with one movie after the next. while you were awake and paying attention to princess and the frog playing on the screen, connie was steady dosing off.

“connie.” you nudged him and his eyes opened slowly. “you wanted to sit up here and watch movies and you falling asleep?”

“i-i’m not sleep…just resting my eyes.” you rolled your eyes as you looked back up at the tv.

“you wanna lay d—“ you were interrupted by his soft snores. you watched a bit as his chest silently rose and fell. his long eyelashes still and his left arm draped lazily over you while his other propped up his head on the armrest of the couch. you got up to go get a blanket before sitting back down and carefully moving connie’s body to where his head rested comfortably in your lap and you placed the blanket over the both of you before watching the rest of the movie. you fell asleep too after a while

you woke up the next morning before connie because you had to go to work that afternoon. connie was still sound asleep in your lap so you were careful not to wake him as you moved his head from your lap to a pillow before adjusting the blanket over him. although you weren’t too sure about connie and the person he was in the beginning, now you were starting to realize that he wasn’t that bad. just like he claimed.

you took a shower and did the rest of your hygiene stuff before putting on your clothes for work and heading out. on the way, you called jean.

“hey, i tried calling you last night.”

“what happened to hi? hello? good morning?”

“sorry. good morning, my darling sister!” jean raised the pitch of his voice and you instantly winced.

“don’t ever do that again. i was watching a movie with connie and we fell asleep.”

“…together?” maybe you should’ve kept the falling asleep with connie thing private.

“um.. we were on the couch and we just fell asleep.”

“together though?”

“yeah?”

“did you do anything else?”

“nope. just a movie.” jean had no choice but to trust you. if something happened, he couldn’t do anything about it until he got back.

“what movie?”

“encanto.” jean laughed.

“i bet he picked it out.”

“he did. but we watched a bunch of other movies too.”

“cool, i’m glad yall are getting along. you miss me yet?”

“not really.” you joked just to hear his reaction.

“liar.” you and jean continued your conversation until you arrived at the workplace.

you got home later that day to see connie still in the apartment, laying on the couch.

“why are you still here?” you asked as you took your shoes off by the door.

“why did you leave me on the couch last night like i was some whore?” he whined and got up from the couch, walking towards you.

“you were sleeping so good, didn’t wanna wake you.” connie didn’t know if you were trying to be sentimental on purpose but he liked it.

“sure. well if you want me gone so bad, i go to work later on tonight.” a part of you was relieved that you’d finally have the place to yourself again but the other part of you was a little sad because you were starting to like having him around a lot. which was weird because you thought you didn’t like him like that. thought.

“like actual work or…?”

“actual work. i work at amazon, remember? thought you were a good listener.”

“i am. want some noodles?” you offered, getting out bowls and noodle packs out on the counter.

connie shrugged. “sure.”

you and connie sat down and ate, then after you ate, you talked and watched tv with him until it was closed to the time he had to leave for work.

“y/n…” connie nudged you softly as you slept on the couch while he was on the way out. “i’m gone.” and with that he left. connie didn’t wanna leave you and all he could really think about was coming back to you when he got off.

by the time he came back to the apartment, you had gotten up from the couch to get in bed. he went to your room and knocked on your door before opening it slightly when you hadn’t came to it. you were sleeping hard so he went to jean’s room to sleep himself.

[the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf]

Paper Rings

James Wilson x peds!reader

description - there's never a break when you're a doctor, someone is always in need. No matter what you have planned for the evening.

Or

Wilson has a ring but y/n has a patient.

requested - yes

word count - 1.5k

authors note - obviously inspired by 'Paper Rings' by Taylor Swift. I am just falling in love with this story of this pair and I am looking forward to writing even more. But I would love to know how much viewership my fics are getting so please if you read it and like it - interact!

Masterlist

Requests open - here

-x-x-x-x-x-

*wilsons pov*

My hands just couldn’t stay still and felt the need to flick each finger constantly. Maybe they were nervous for what they knew they would be holding in a few minutes. I brought my hand down to my pocket, confirming the square shape that could be felt from outside the fabric.

I’d planned it all perfectly. Her favourite restaurant, the flowers. Even the new dress and shoes she currently adorned. She sat across from me looking as beautiful as ever. Her lips moved as she passionately discussed the recent case she’d been consulting on, but I couldn’t register any sound that escaped as I got lost in her eyes. I was mesmerised by her lips and the way they seemed to kiss each word that escaped them. Her hair looked unbelievably soft and I knew the subtle coconut smell that seeped through each lock. She was perfect. And she was mine.

“I’m so glad were doing this. As much as I love takeout and cuddling on the couch in sweats, it’s nice to dress up once in a while. Well, anything is better than scrubs.” She laugh melodiously.

“Well, you look very beautiful.”

“You think I look beautiful in scrubs.” She laughed incredulously.

“Well, you do, and super sexy.” I bit my lip thinking about my girl in those scrubs that fit her body like a glove. Hair scraped back, too focused on saving lives to worry about how it looks. It’s like knowing my girl is a superhero and seeing her in her costume; just so powerful and unbelievably sexy.

I’m knocked out of my thoughts when she leans over to caress my hand. “You need to stop that or we won’t make it to dessert.”

“I’m actually in the mood for something hot and sweet tonight.” She winked like the minx she is.

“I do have an ulterior motive for tonight.”

“If House walks in, I’m leaving right now-“

“No, he’s at a monster truck rally. I bought the tickets especially.”

“Good, we don’t need a repeat of last time. It’s like having a toddler with the humour of a 12-year-old boy.”

“Anyways as I was saying—”

A crashing sound reverberates around the whole restaurant and both our heads snap towards a table where a young boy had collapsed, pulling the table cloth with him. His mother jumps up to catch her son as he falls. She shrieks at the events that just transpired in front of her eyes. The mum yells and the dad announces to the restaurant…

“IS ANYONE HERE A DOCTOR?”

In perfect synchronisation, y/n and I rise to attention and both announce.

“We’re doctors.”

-x-x-x-x-x-

Y/n has just finished talking to the boy as the morphine takes him to sleep. She is still wearing her sleek black dress and red pumps, only now they’re covered by her lab coat. Is she trying to kill me. I join her, having also given up my dress coat for a lab coat. I couldn’t deny, we looked powerful together. Dressed to the nines, whilst saving a boy’s life.

“Simple allergic reaction.”

“Peanuts?”

“No, egg. I’ve never seen it develop this late.”

“Well, the parents are vegetarians so there’s a chance he’d never been exposed to it until now.”

“Thank god we were there.”

“No. Thank god you were there.” I lean down to kiss her nose as she scrunches it up. I love when she does that, she’s like a little bunny.

We walk towards the parents who have not stopped pacing since they entered the hospital. The mother hurriedly approaches us to meet us in the middle, whilst the father’s head remains hanging low.

“Mr and Mrs Carmichael, there is nothing to worry about, your son is fine now. He had an allergic reaction to egg. I’m going to write you a prescription for an epi pen but I recommend staying away from eggs altogether. Ooh I actually have an amazing birthday cake recipe that doesn’t use eggs in my office, I’ll go get it now.” I look on lovingly as she teeters down the corridor as fast as her heels could take her.

Mrs Carmichael laughs whilst wiping away the tears that fell in relief. Mr Carmichael shakes my hand whilst his wife composes herself once again.

“Thank you so much. Seriously, I mean I dread to think what would have happened if you and your wife hadn’t been there.”

“Oh she’s not my wife, but I’d really like her to be.”

“Well, we may have only known you guys for a few hours but I highly doubt she’d say no.” He patted me on the back and went to follow his wife who was slowly gravitating towards her sons room. I suddenly remembered that I was a doctor and had a patient.

“Oh yes, we want to keep your son in overnight for observation but you can take him home tomorrow.”

“Can I stay with him? I don’t want him to be alone when he wakes up.” his mother asked, her eyes never leaving her boy.

I soften my voice to reply. “Of course. I’ll set you up a makeshift bed.”

Mr Carmichael rubs his wifes back soothingly and guides her into the room.

“I’ll go home and make up a bag for you and him. I’ll be an hour tops.” He kisses her head and leaves her to sit down next to her son.

In that moment, I had never been more sure of what I was about to do.

-x-x-x-x-x-

I stand in the door of her office and I just watch on as she is standing on her desk trying to look amongst the multitude of toys and pictures on her shelves.

“I swear I saw the recipe just last week!”

“Honey, as much as I love this sight you’re gonna hurt yourself.” I make my way over and grip her waist to lift her down from the dangerous position. She grumbled but let me lift her anyway. I think she just likes it when I hold her, especially around her waist. She turns around in my arms.

“How are they?”

“The mum is gonna stay overnight and the dad went home to pack a bag for her.”

“We should get some sheets and pillows for her, she’s gonna be so uncomfortable.”

“Already done. She said it was comfy but I think she was just being nice.”

“Or 3 hours of pure stress worrying about her child meant hospital chairs and a few pillows did sound inviting.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I scanned every inch of her face to commit it to memory, as if it was the last time I’d ever see her face. She giggled, feeling bashful under my gaze.

“What did you want to say? At the restaurant, you were about to say something.”

“Oh yeah,” I was jerked back into reality. “I wanted to say that I never in my life thought I would meet anyone like you. As sweet as you, as kind as you, as smart as you. And, even when I met you, I never in a million years thought I deserved you. I know my history doesn’t exactly give me a stellar record, but I think on some level I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. For you. So—” As I finished, I began to feel around my pockets. The less I found, the quicker I checked. Damn it! My jacket was still at the restaurant.

A lightbulb went off and I sprinted away to look in her craft boxes. After a few minutes I turned back towards her. I got down on one knee.

“Dr y/n y/l/n, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” I presented to her a ring made out of two pink and red pipe cleaners twisted together.

Tears fell down her face and mixed in with her soft giggles.

“Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!” She threw herself down onto me so we both tumbled to the floor. She was on top of me, and we both scrambled to fit the pipe cleaner ring on her finger.

“I’m sorry it’s not a proper ring. It was in my jacket that I left at the restaurant, but I couldn’t wait a second longer without asking you-“ She met my lips in a deep kiss.

She pulled away ever so softly and whispered.

“You could have asked me with paper rings, and I would still marry you Dr James Wilson.”

“So, about dessert?” I raised my eyebrows suggestively.

-x-x-x-x-x-

We were cuddled up on her office couch, our bodies covered up with a single sheet. She admired the ring that still sat on her finger despite our activities.

“Just think soon we’ll no longer be Dr y/n y/l/n and Dr James Wilson and we will become Dr y/n y/l/n and Dr James Wilson.”

“No Wilson?” I laughed whilst stroking the smooth skin of her arm.

“That MD and PHD is mine, you’ve got your own.”

-x-x-x-x-x-

[dirty-bear-rick-sanchez]

I have some kind of mixed feelings about part 2 but some things I appreciate under the cut (messy and non-linear):

I love that we’re getting more content from the other team leads this season and also that we’re seeing interactions between them that we haven’t seen before? Like Glenn and Myc bonding over looking different in the first episode? Brett and Andre defending Gigi in that episode? Brett and Andre friendship in Rontagion?

This kind of falls into the top one but Reagan and Gigi becoming gal pals and Reagan having her first ever female friend? I love it

Also the Reagan and Brett dynamic is top tier this season. Brett is so supportive of Reagan and I also love that they’re allowed to be so affectionate but still platonic friends (no offence to Breagan shippers, it’s just not my cup of tea and I just love Reagan and Brett and platonic besties).

Myc being a nerd who ran away from the other mushrooms because they were mean to him is a great backstory. Tropey? Sure, but I love it.

I also love that Ron actually says he would’ve liked Reagan to confess to him in the broom closet (like she originally planned) - they really are good for each other

Andre fucking his own clone is great. Honestly he was just an icon this season

I thought it was actually nice to get some actual development of Reagan and Tamiko’s relationship this season. It’s nice that their relationship is considered salvageable (not so keen on how they handled the thing with Rand but I did like that Reagan still put her foot down and sent him to Shadow Prison X)

The dynamic between Rand and JR this whole season is great and I love their college flashback as well.

JR definitely lost the games on purpose every year so he could be humiliated by kissing the ring in front of everyone (you’re telling me this man doesn’t have a humiliation kink?)

Also the dynamic between Rand and the head of the Illuminati was great and the second we had the reveal of Ron also controlling the head of the Illuminati I just knew what was coming but I still loved when it happened anyway (the kiss)

I don’t know if I should admit to this one but I definitely found it hot how Rand was being humiliated in front of everyone at the games

Brett having a secret passion for puppets is adorable and I love it

Also the Hand family ranking their children every year is hilarious and extremely in character. Made me feel so bad for Brett, I love it, 10/10

I like that we’re getting recurring appearances from minor characters like Mothman, Grassy Noel, Kate (and RepliKate, what a great name)

The fact that Myc’s dream timeline was one where he was pregnant is fucking adorable

You’d better believe I cried when Reagan forced Brett to his own dream timeline and when he returned because he made notes on his poster

Also at the reveal that Reagan saw the only way for Ron to be happy was for them to break up and chose his happiness over their relationship. Also I know some people weren’t fans of Ron because they felt like he was unnecessary/rushed but honestly having a gender-swap of the typical ‘female love interest is just used as character progression for the male protagonist’ felt pretty progressive. I also liked how he was shown to be similar to Reagan and actually had his flaws presented similarly to hers (e.g. not getting on well with people) even though female characters are often hated for the same flaws that are excused or even enjoyed in male characters

I have to admit that the end scene with the robes ‘how could she? After all, she’s only human’ was fucking cool

I loved everything about Alpha-Beta this season

And finally, thank fucking Christ that Ron wasn’t revealed to secretly be Reagan’s brother or something because as an RnM fan I can’t take much more incest at this point

Side note to that last one: fun little theory that Ron is actually a clone of Reagan (one of them can be trans, as a treat) and it was revealed and that’s what actually lead to the clone fucking discussion at the start of that one episode but they erased their own minds and everyone else’s and let Andre take the fall (either it was intentional and they set that up as a distraction or it was unintentional and Andre just happened to be fucking his own clone anyway, take your pick)

[dearestkong]

reflections // starting the summer term 🌷💌

(feel free to skip … just a lot of rambling about changes of mindset, i’ll sum it up later in my new pinned.)

it’s been more than a month since I’ve started this blog, and I’m really really glad that I did. not because my productivity has spiked or my anxiety has diminished or whatever (though there have been positive effects), but because just attempting to start something like this meant that I was no longer willing to suffer and rot in private. i talked about the “hole of dysfunction and self-hatred” in my old introduction: for so long, that hole was my best-kept secret and my greatest shame. being competent and ambitious was an aspect of my personality, and I couldn’t handle the idea that it wasn’t true.

but then…. dearestkong emerged!! and I started being completely transparent. telling strangers about every day of self-destructiveness. it was a good form of accountability, sure, but it was also a means of telling the truth. this blog has been a way for me to say: i’ve been struggling, and it’s not a fluke or a “flop era” or something entirely disconnected from the high achiever i used to be. the girl fighting off inertia and the girl seemingly doing everything with ease are the same person.

🌷☆彡

my posts have been getting more optimistic recently, and that isn’t a fluke, either. lots of things have happened: i’ve realised how many people support and believe in me, i started taking medication for a problem i’ve had for a while (it’s crazy how the world seems so much brighter now?!!?!), i started writing in my diary again. i’m now 27 days clean from a self-destructive behaviour (this blog isn’t about my relationship with that, but in the early days i used to make a note of relapses and just the fact of acknowledging it felt so freeing to me. it wasn’t something to hide anymore, but a fight i was making progress with.)

this seems like a rapid evolution for such a new blog, right?! but in the next six months, i’m going to be applying to university. i’m about to undergo some of the most rapid evolutions of my life.

🌷☆彡

for so long, i’ve had this vague and unspecified dream: “doing the best” “working my hardest” “impressing my teachers”. now my dream has a name and a face and admissions results attached to it and it’s making me so scared that i want to throw up. when i was in the depths of the hole i couldn’t stop seeing my life as a binary. either i get in, or i don’t. and if i don’t, what the hell is the point of living?

38 days later and i feel a little differently. i am someone who has climbed out the hole of inertia and lived. i have done many things and they’ve all turned out fine— great, actually. i have reason to believe that things will go well.

i still have a pretty nasty relationship with myself, lol. it makes me really happy when people on this blog interact and talk, but they’re all so nice and it makes me feel a little fake. in reality i’m standoffish, awkward, and often mean. i coast by on intellectual abilities while slacking off. i’m a judgemental egoist who is sometimes self-destructive. all of that is true—>

but at the same time, i still have this crazy belief that i deserve the best. it’s literally an overflow of egoism ;;;; there’s nobody i’m more in love with than myself. i think of the girl i’ll be in the future with such affection, and i don’t want her to feel ashamed or resentful of me. she deserves to have her hopes fulfilled!! she deserves the brightest, the best that i can give her.

in conclusion: even if i don’t like the person i am at the present, i have to do it anyway. 1 because there’s no other option and 2 because i love the person i’ll be in the future too much to stop.

🌷☆彡

so from now on, the purpose of this blog is changing slightly. it’s no longer “get out of the hole and survive” like it used to be. we’re past that, we’re already surviving.

now, the aim is to “do my best so my future self can live with no regrets”. that’s not very concise but I’ll work on it.

let’s do this! 加油！

[revserrayyu]

2.2 Penacony thoughts [part 5]

**Major story spoilers** as we’re finished the main story here. Going to be chatting even more about Acheron and our time in the Horizon of Existence, the real final boss, as well as all cutscenes that follow, so if you haven’t finished the whole story yet, I encourage you to come back and read this all later if you wish to do so after you experience everything for yourself first.

I gotta start off by saying that I absolutely love how this scene looks. Yeah it’s upsetting to learn that Acheron’s companion here is actually dead, but all the rain falling upon that red glow is just really nice to look at. Of course Acheron is slaying as usual too. I even dig the shadowy look of this man despite his circumstances.

Is Acheron kinda of like a grim reaper of sorts? At least that’s the feeling I’m getting when she says she’s guiding lost souls. And correct me if I’m wrong, but he is the one who wanted flowers on his grave, right? He just doesn’t remember I assume? It also seems that “Acheron” is just a river and I vaguely remember Acheron mentioning one during her conversation with the “Dreammaster” inside the park.

So I guess this is what all that red text meant? It wasn’t something we should have feared but a way to guide us forward, onto the right path? That’s how I’m interpreting it. Anyways, name drop reveals that this man was actually one of the Nameless buried at Dream Flux Reef.

Soon enough we arrived at the Horizon of Existence with Acheron and I’m like 99% sure this set of questions she asks us are close to the same exact ones she spoke of when we met her inside that first dream. I wish I remembered my choices to her questions from back then, because with the game only giving us one option to choose for each question, I wonder if it’s giving us the same option we picked when we first answered her because that would be amazing.

SHE. SAID. THE. THING!!! Acheron real name confirmed!!! Even though it’s pretty much what we all expected from the very beginning, it’s great for it to finally be true and not be a total secret.

A big ol’ cutscene begins and it reminds me of how little we actually received about Boothill, like yeah he shoots that fancy relic bullet up into the sky because he’s the only Galaxy Ranger around who can do so, but he didn’t do much else? I mean I absolutely enjoyed seeing him interact with Dan Heng and everyone else but to not even get the chance to fight a battle with him seems weird after 2.1 gave us the chance to really use both Acheron and Aventurine and test our their gameplay whenever we switched to their perspectives. Same thing happened with Robin too. We walked around as her and Boothill for brief moments but that was pretty much it, making the switch seem kinda pointless to me.

I got no words for this. It’s just an incredibly beautiful screenshot of her. I’ll never get tired of seeing all that red whenever this monochrome world takes over. Makes me regret skipping her every day but next time I’ll pull her for sure.

Yet another line she told us during our first encounter with her. Also, if this is the last time we see her in the story, I’m gonna be sad.

The crew!!!! I’ll admit it does look a little silly that we’re only armed with a hat while everyone else has a reasonable weapon, but I love each one of us so much!! It felt perfect for me to have Himeko in my team during the upcoming fight too.

While I figured we were gonna be blessed with Robin’s appearance and one of her songs during the fight, can I just say that I was not expecting the assist mechanic to be the mother-forking Express?? I had joked somewhere sometime ago that if Pom-Pom were to ever become playable, that their ultimate would be running the enemy over with the train and color me surprised, because that’s pretty much what happens!!

So the final battle itself went pretty well. Took a bit more damage than before but still an easier fight overall than how Aventurine’s went for me. I knew I didn’t have to bring in our dear gambler in since the fight itself granted us shields, but his helped me just fine along with all those follow up attacks.

I think my Trailblazer managed to do pretty well too? I stressed so hard to break that 145 on speed to access that secondary buff of the Talia planar ornaments, so that’s why other stats may be a bit lacking. At least I have break effect at 197%.. is that reasonable?

Anyways, as much as I adore Serval, I had to use the train to deliver the final hit.

Pfft, ain’t no way. Sunday is really over.

Look at us protecting March, aww!

Trailblazer pulls off some last minute talk-no-jutsu to get through to Sunday’s head and with a heartfelt embrace from Robin, I think it’s time to start crying.

C’mon, look at how gorgeous this is!! Such a beautiful sunrise to witness after all the chaos is over.

Surprisingly, the credits roll again only this time it actually feels like a proper ending to the story. It even lists Acheron’s true name, yet March still remains a mystery. When will we ever learn? Who knows.

Final cutscene of the patch begins and what do you mean Argenti saved Aventurine??? When and how and why didn’t we get to witness such a moment with two of Star Rail’s most beautiful men!

Aventurine betting his own life once again.. oh dear, you never learn. Then again, it seems you never lose either so, go ahead sweetie. Go get that promotion you so rightfully deserve!

This scene also bums me out a little because I was really hoping we would actually get to see Jade arrive in game this time around, but it seems we’ll have to wait even longer. Cutting it a bit close to her release with it being in the same patch but at least she’s phase two. I’m pulling for her day one though. I don’t care what happens in the story, it won’t change my mind about her! (to be fair, I’ve seen some leaks about her gameplay and, oh my god..)

Boothill unexpectedly enters the room after knocking out the two IPC guards outside the door and we’re left with yet another cliffhanger. Definitely not as strong as a final scene as the previous two versions but no way a random name drop could match a sudden surprise death either.

And finally, that’s all for now. Penacony remains to be a story full of mysterious twists and there’s plenty more to see.. hopefully. We still have no clear idea what happened to Firefly, then there’s all those bombs Sparkle was handing out to everyone, we still have to officially meet Jade and see what she and Topaz have planned. Sunday and Robin were last seen falling from the sky so they gotta land safely and I haven’t a clue if we’ll even see Acheron again. Here’s hoping 2.3 ties up all loose ends and gives Penacony the finale it deserves!

[archiveikemen]

Xeno Main Story: Chapter 5

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

After getting ready, Xeno-san and I headed for the event venue. 

…

(This is the first time in my entire life I’m attending a party on a ship. Everything looks super luxurious…!) 

The other attendees were also celebrities. 

(That’s the lead actor of “Strange Game”, and that person over there is a famous industrialist who often appears on TV.)

(As expected of a big-shot director… he’s able to invite so many celebrities to his party.) 

The venue of the premiere event felt like a new world to me, but this place was filled with a different kind of splendour.

(It’s like I got transported into a movie. I feel like this isn’t somewhere I should be…) 

I was so nervous, my legs turned to jelly. 

Xeno: Oi, pull yourself together. 

Rina: P-pardon me, but this is my first time being in a place like this… 

Xeno: You’re here together with me, so is there a need for you to be this afraid? 

Xeno-san said firmly while looking into my eyes. 

Xeno: As a staff member and my escort… your only focus should be on doing your job well. Do you understand, Kawanaga? 

Rina: Eh!? 

Xeno: What? Why do you look so shocked? 

Rina: Because you just called me by my name…! 

(All this time, he’s only been calling me Aegis.) 

Xeno: Of course I did. You’re here as a staff member from the main office. 

Xeno: I can’t say the company name Aegis Public Holdings in this setting. 

Rina: I- I see. 

Even though he merely did that out of necessity, it made me happy for some reason.

(He still remembers my name…) 

Xeno: Anyway, don’t think about anything unnecessary. Just remain by my side and behave. 

Rina: Okay, I understand. 

… That was how I gathered my resolve and pulled myself together. 

Xeno-san and I walked towards the party’s host, Director Smith. 

Director Smith: Hey there, Xeno! You came! 

Director Smith was all smiles and spoke in fluent Japanese. 

Xeno: It’s my honour to receive your invite. 

Director Smith: We’ve only met once at the event venue, but I just knew I had to have a nice chat with you no matter what! 

Director Smith: I love Japan and have mastered the Japanese language, so feel free to be casual with me! Hahaha! 

Xeno: Then I shall. 

Xeno-san maintained his usual calm demeanour towards the boisterous and extremely enthusiastic director. 

(He’s able to remain this calm despite interacting with such a famous director…) 

Male Invitee 1: I’m looking forward to hearing the series’ theme song. 

Female Invitee 1: I wasn’t expecting to meet you here at all. I’m going to brag about this to all my friends! 

Male Invitee 2: To think you were able to engage exe Creed for your work. Impressive, Director. 

Female Invitee 2: Xeno-san, please shake my hand. I’m a big fan! 

(Wow, that’s a lot of people gathered around Xeno-san and the director.) 

All the celebrities wanted to chat with Xeno-san. 

(As one would expect from a member of a globally renowned idol group…) 

Amidst the crowd,  a foreign woman approached. 

(She’s so pretty. I’m guessing we’re about the same age?) 

???: About time you introduced me to him, Papa! 

Director Smith: Right. Xeno, this is my daughter Emma. She’s a huge fan of yours. 

Emma: Nice to meet you, Xeno! 

Xeno: It’s nice to meet you. … Your Japanese speaking skills are very good too. 

Emma: I learnt it just for you! 

She had always dreamed of meeting Xeno-san someday, and so she desperately studied the Japanese language. 

Director Smith: It was my first time seeing my daughter working that hard, you know? 

Emma: That’s how amazing he is to me! Seeing Xeno physically standing before me feels like a dream! 

Emma: I went to see you on your recent tour too! It was truly wonderful! 

Xeno: Thank you.

Xeno-san’s face remained expressionless as he gave a non-committal answer. 

Even so, Emma-san didn’t seem to mind. Instead, her face turned red with joy. 

(She really is a fan…) 

Emma: Hey, by the way— 

She cast a glance in my direction. 

Emma: … Who’s that girl behind you?

… Maybe it was just me, but her tone sounded rather cold. 

(Am I being watched?) 

Director Smith: She’s a beautiful young lady. Is she your girlfriend, Xeno? 

Xeno: No, she’s only a staff member from the main office. She’s accompanying me for today. … Right, Kawanaga? 

Rina: Y-yes. Thank you very much for the invite. 

I hastily bowed my head. 

Emma: Hmm… 

Emma-san’s eyes continued staring at me with an evaluating look. 

(Ughh, this is uncomfortable.) 

… But this might be an unavoidable situation. 

(Since she’s a fan of Xeno-san, she’d feel bothered by the presence of a woman by her idol’s side, even if the woman was a staff member.) 

Emma-san is the director’s daughter, it’ll cause trouble if I were to offend her.

(I can only be quiet and bear with it.) 

Emma: … She’s kind of an eyesore. But, oh well, it’s fine if she’s just a mere ordinary staff member. 

Emma: I’m really super thankful you could come today, Xeno. 

Xeno: Don’t mention it… 

Emma: While I did hear that Papa invited you to the party, I was sceptical about whether you would really attend. 

Emma: exe Creed must be very busy. 

Director Smith: Hahaha, he did reject the invitation due to being busy with work at first. But I’m glad he still came in the end. 

(… That sounds kind of thoughtless. Clearly, it was difficult for Xeno-san to take some time out of his hectic schedule for this.)

Director Smith: You really are so popular. I’ve seen Emma’s crazy passion for you, but I honestly have never thought it was to this extent. 

Emma: That’s because you only listen to old records, Papa. You’re not familiar with the latest music. 

Xeno: Is that so? 

Director Smith: I don’t know the details, I only know that you guys are the idol group Emma likes. 

Director Smith: But I heard about the large amounts of praise given to you by the general public around the world. I thought it’d surely become a hot topic if I had you guys sing the drama series’ theme song. 

Director Smith: And like I mentioned earlier on, I’ve always loved Japan. 

Director Smith: If there’s any Japanese artiste working hard on the world stage, I absolutely must support them.

Director Smith: That’s why I offered you the opportunity to sing the theme song this time. I hope you’ll do your best. 

Xeno: Yes, I’ll perform to the best of my ability. 

Director Smith: Please don’t fall below my expectations! Hahaha

Xeno-san looked indifferent as the director gave a satisfied nod. 

… But I can’t seem to get over what he just said. 

(Because his daughter is a fan. Because they’re popular. Because they're Japanese artistes…) 

(Are those his reasons for engaging exe Creed? That’s to say, does the director himself have no interest in them?) 

My pent-up feelings were growing heavier. 

(… I get it now. I finally get why the director was so hell-bent on having Xeno-san attend this party.) 

(It’s not just his overbearing personality. He looks down on exe Creed.) 

(Anyone who knows what kind of group exe Creed is would never utter such nonsense.) 

I stole a peep at Xeno-san. 

Xeno: … [poker face]

Although there was no way he wouldn’t figure out what the director was driving at, his facial expression showed no sign of anger or restlessness.

I didn’t know what he was thinking.

(Xeno-san’s calm about this I guess…)

An image of him working late into the night emerged in my mind. 

(He only cares about the results… he doesn’t know how amazing and charming exe Creed are, and he’s getting in the way of Xeno-san’s hard work.) 

Rina: … Those words… 

A flame kindled in the depths of my heart, I could no longer hold myself back and took a step forward. 

Xeno: …? What’s wrong, Kawanaga?

Rina: Director Smith… exe Creed’s capabilities go far beyond your imagination. 

… By the time I realised it, the words had already escaped my mouth. 

Rina: They won’t fall below your expectations. Instead, they’ll definitely give you results that greatly surpass them. 

The director, Emma-san, and Xeno-san looked at me in shock. 

Xeno: What are you—  don’t say anything unnecessary. 

Rina: I know. But… please let me say it. 

Rina: Letting people know about exe Creed’s charms is also part of my job as a staff member. 

Xeno: … Your job, huh. 

(I want them to properly get to know exe Creed, because they’re genuinely that amazing.) 

With that sentiment in mind, I stood before the directors present. 

Rina: exe Creed isn’t trapped in this box called Japan. They actively perform on stages beyond the borders, and their talents are acknowledged on a global scale. 

Rina: This is proven by their position in the worldwide charts and the great success of their recent tour. 

Director Smith: Hm… I’ve indeed heard good reviews about them. 

Rina: That’s right. exe Creed has captivated hearts all around the world, and Emma-san is one of those who were charmed. 

Emma: Y-yeah. exe Creed is the best. They’re always showing us cool and flawless stages…

Rina: Yes, they’re always perfect. This is because as professionals, they treat every gig with the highest level of sincerity. 

This was like when I gave my presentation at the company… except that my words are coming out more smoothly than back then. 

(I’m not one of exe Creed’s fans.) 

However, through doing my research on them, I knew of the many ways they’ve challenged the norms. 

(They’re all very amazing individuals… so why do they lack of a human-like feel?) 

(That’s because they’re too perfect. So perfect, it’s scary at first.) 

exe Creed was overly perfect and gave people the impression that they lacked humanity. 

Especially Xeno-san, who was the most robotic of them all and was as cold as ice. 

Xeno: … [poker face, not upset]

I glanced briefly at Xeno-san to see him staring silently at me. 

The reason why he let me state my honest opinion was definitely because he knew I was being dead serious. 

(I once found it unbelievable that someone who lacks humanity like him could be so attractive, however talented he may be.) 

(… But after watching Xeno-san, I’m starting to understand.) 

That was surely because Xeno-san was more sincere about his work than anyone else. 

Everyone knew of his overwhelming sincerity. 

Rina: Xeno-san is one of the best vocalists in exe Creed, he’s also an outstanding stage director and performer. 

Rina: Once he’s promised to get something done, he’ll absolutely have it done completely flawless.

Rina: THIS is exe Creed. Their song will, without a doubt, take “Strange Game” to greater heights. 

Rina: They’ll greatly surpass your expectations of them and show you results beyond imaginable!

Clenching my fists, I spoke from the bottom of my heart. 

… I came back to my senses and realised that the director, Emma-san, and everyone else around had their eyes fixed onto me. 

Xeno: Kawanaga…

(… I might’ve gone too far. It was preposterous of me to give my opinion to a director who’s a giant in the industry.) 

Now that things had come to this, I was breaking out in cold sweat… but I had no regrets. 

Director Smith: Hm, I see. So exe Creed is that impressive, huh. 

Director Smith: Perhaps you were right that I didn’t quite understand exe Creed’s capabilities. 

Rather than furious, the director looked more amused. 

Director Smith: In that case… I want to hear Xeno’s voice that has captivated the entire world. 

Rina: Eh!?

Xeno: You want me to sing… here?

Director Smith: Yeah. That way, I can understand what she said too. Come, sing for me, Xeno! 

Rina: P-please hang on a second. He’s still a professional artiste after all…! 

(What is he talking about all of a sudden? This is too much!) 

Male Invitee 1: Is he going to sing!? 

Female Invitee 1: How wonderful to have a chance to hear Xeno’s singing! 

(Ahh, everyone around us is getting excited. What should I do? All because I ran my mouth, now Xeno-san has to…!) 

Xeno: Understood. 

Xeno-san responded calmly, paying no mind to my panicking and the excitement around us. 

He then walked to the middle of the deck and stood at the centre of the crowd… 

(Xeno-san…!) 

[cookie-nom-nom]

[“But I’m not even human.” 

Miles shrugged. “Human is as human does.” He forced himself to reach out and touch her damp cheek. “Animals don’t weep, Nine.”

She jerked, as if from electric shock. “Animals don’t lie. Humans do. All the time.”

“Not all the time.”

“Prove it.” She tilted her head as she sat cross-legged, her pale gold eyes were suddenly burning. Speculative. 

“Uh, sure. How?”

“Take off your clothes.”

“Wot.”

“Take off your clothes and lay with me as humans do, men and women.” Her hand reached out to touch his throat. The pressing claws made little wells in his flesh.

“Urp?” choked Miles. His eyes felt wide as saucers. A little more pressure and those wells would spring out red fountains. I’m about to die. 

She stared into his face with a strange, frightening, bottomless hunger. Then, abruptly, she released him. He sprang up and cracked his head on the low ceiling and dropped back down, the stars in his eyes unrelated to love at first sight. Her lips wrinkled back on a fanged groan of despair. “Ugly,” she wailed, her clawed nails raked across her cheeks, leaving furrows. “Too ugly. Animal. You don’t think I’m human.” She seemed to swell with some destructive resolve. 

“No no no!” Gibbered Miles, lurching to his knees and grabbing her hands and pulling them down. “It’s not that, it’s just— how old are you, anyway?” 

“Sixteen.”]

——

Miles instantly recoiled, cracking his head on the ceiling again because those who didn’t learn history were doomed to repeat it, as Commodore Tung was fond of reminding him. Immediately her eyes narrowed, a snarl creeping over her sharp teeth. “You don’t think I’m human enough,” she accused, voice still husky from disuse. “I knew it.” Her claws slipped back up to the scratches on her damp face, and he jolted forward, batting them down again in a reckless manner. 

“No, it’s not that,” Miles insisted, eyeing the way her claws were curling into fists about the same size as his entire face. “You’re a child! I can’t do that.”

“My life expectancy was barely a few years. The rest of the projects have been long dead.”

“Well, it’s still wrong in human years, which is the point. There’s plenty of other tests for humanity, anyways.” Sex was by no means the epitome of human existence. “What about Socrates? Human choice motivated by the desire for happiness? Or, oh, what was that test for AI centuries ago? The Tuning Test? That would work too.” He didn’t remember what it actually entailed. “There’s many tests. You yourself said only humans lie. By your own logic, lie, ergo, human. Human is as human does.” That’s what he’d meant it to be applied to, anyway. 

Her eyes narrowed. “None of those prove your belief to me. I still like my test.” Well, naturally. [Sixteen. God. He remembered sixteen. Sex obsessed and dying every minute.] 

[“Aren’t you a little young for this?” he tried hopefully.] She started a protest, but he continued. “It’s illegal. There. I applied human laws to you.” Probably a first for Jackson’s Hole. “I also just offered you a job, and regulations ban interrank romantic interactions.” No matter how much he might want to with one particular Eli Quinn...

The power dynamic was entirely wrong, between his age and rank and the fact he was beginning to suspect he was about to rescue this girl. Or, hell, look at it the other way, at the underlying threat that he must prove he believed her human or die. It was a messed up power imbalance from nearly every angle. 

A crumpled look crossed her wolfish features. Miles tried to console her. One for it being the Vorish, gentlemanly thing to do, and two because while he thought it unlikely she’d kill him at this point, he still didn’t want to increase his chances. “I’m probably the first nice face you’ve seen in a while. Don’t settle for me simply since I got here first. There are plenty of suitable partners once you get out of this basement. Which, reminder, we’re in a hostile environment surrounded by enemies. We still need to escape.” 

Moroseness slumped her features. “It’s impossible. I stopped trying years ago. And…” a shudder ran down her strong back, ears flattening. “...they don’t like it when you try,” she said lowly. “They wouldn’t do this to me if I was human.”

“Eh, actually they would. I mean, I’m human, and I’m down here, aren’t I? I’ve been deemed subhuman before. It hurts when they think it’d be a mercy to ‘put you out of your misery’.” He was going to strangle that scientist.

She gave him an odd look, scrutinizing him more thoroughly. “You don’t look like Jacksonian work. And you said you’re human. Why isn’t that enough for them?” 

Miles spread his hands wide, a wry expression crossing his features. “Ah, but I’m a mutant. A weakling. A curse from God upon my father’s house for every sin they can think to lay at his feet. They will find anything and everything they can to hold against you, Nine, no matter what it is that makes you different. Eight feet tall or four foot nine, unmatched strength or bones of glass; they will despise you either way. Well damn their notion of being born wrong because I intend to be ten times the man they ever could be.”

“Then it’s hopeless.” 

“If you want it to be handed to you, yes. You can’t rely on someone else to give you your humanity, because that implies they can revoke it at any time. It’s a value you have to find within yourself.” It sounded like some pithy Betan advice he would’ve picked up from his mother. “With your test, you wanted your body to feel human. But what about your soul, Nine?” He paused. “No, we need a name for you. I can’t be calling you a number like some type of lab rat.” Something strong and pretty, like her. He fell into that well of old earth philosophy he had initially fallen back on. Socrates, the Greeks, the like. When he finally found the name, it seemed perfect for the girl called a monster and trapped deep in the heart of a labyrinth of labs. Wasn’t Miles intended to be some blood sacrifice to her as well? And hadn’t the minotaur been a child when he was imprisoned for life? Punished for the crime of being born, just like them. “Taura,” he breathed. “I think I shall call you Taura.”

She went still, enraptured. “A name.” Tears welled in her golden eyes. “No one has ever given me a name.” 

“I’m not giving it to you. I’m letting you take it, to seize it, to make it your own. As much as I’d like to, I can’t give you your humanity either. That’s all up to you. Break free of every cruel moniker hurled at you. Monster, mutant– who cares what any of them think!? Prove them all wrong and never look back. That’s what I did. So here: I may reject your test, but I offer my own. I believe you’re ‘human enough’ because I believe you’re worthy of freedom, of a future, of a name. I certainly can’t give any of that to you, but I sure can help you try.” Something sparked in her gilded gaze, the tantalizing offer she’d likely never been given before. It was a hope doused quickly, but it had been there at all. Miles had a chance of relighting it, of fanning the flames. 

“You really think so?” Uncertain, her fangs twisted into a guarded frown. 

Miles batted aside a twinge of guilt. It wasn’t just because she was his only shot of escape, and it certainly wasn’t for a particular scientist whose neck he wanted to wring. This was because Taura didn’t deserve to be trapped in a basement eating rats for the rest of her tenuous life. He might have needed her, but she needed him, too, if only for a little while. 

“I don’t make offers I don’t intend to provide. So, care to escape with me?” He held out an arm, almost ridiculously formal, and she took it, choosing to trust him if only hesitantly, if only for that little spark of hope still in here somewhere.

[spiderculechronicals]

Cute of the day, May interacting with the other Peters. And Wade bringing up the elephant in the room they didn't notice yet... in case this gets seen in isolation, keep in mind Peter 1 is only loosely based on Tom and he is almost 21!

___

“Hey we’re back!” Peter 3 called out, “I hope it’s okay we left the door unlocked, uhhh we figured… you’ve got a Spiderman for protection, so, yanno… built in alarm system and all that. Ooh I smell soup!”

Peter 2 followed him in and smiled as Peter 1 scrambled up to him and wrapped his arms around him. “Oof! … Hi, baby… good talk?”

“Mm-hm,” Peter 1 nodded and nuzzled in for a kiss, long and sweet and just a touch of desire. “S’gonna be okay. Love you so much.”

Peter 2 blushed, returning the kiss and letting his hands fall to Peter 1’s lower back. “Mm… love you too.”

“… Aw, May is right… you are too skinny…” Peter 1 fussed gently, feeling him over. “Come eat now.”

“Wha…” Peter 2 huffed, “I mean… okay.”

Peter 3 chuckled. “Aw! … wait, what… did she say anything about me?”

“Just that you look twenty-seven?” Peter 1 shrugged. “I think she thinks you’re handsome but is aware that it’s a little weird to say it…”

“Nice…”

“There’s a British actor who kinda looks like you I know she likes.”

“… Really? Also, what do you think of this actor…?”

“He’s… just a guyyy? He’s a good actor… seems friendly, I dunno. I don’t really… have a reaction?” Peter 1 shrugged again.

Peter 3 sighed. “Pull up a picture, I have to see.”

“Eh, kay…” Peter 1 pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a bit. “Ummm… there.” He held it up.

“The fuck! That literally looks like a picture of me…! What are you talking about?? Tell me I’m right, look at this. That’s just Me.”

Peter 2 looked at the screen. “… I can see the resemblance. Play a clip where he’s talking, you said he’s British…”

Peter 1 scrolled and tapped Play on an interview clip.

Peter 3 shook his head and blinked hard. “Oh I don’t like that at all…”

Peter 2 scrunched his nose. “Yeah he doesn’t look as much like you when he’s talking. Nice smile, though.”

Peter 3 squinted. “I’m so convinced you’re fucking with me. That’s just literally me…! But British! Which is weird!”

Peter 2 shrugged.

Peter 1 squinted. “Wait. I think I figured it out.” He opened his phone camera and snapped a quick shot of Peter 3’s face. “… okay wait one more. Do a headshot.”

Peter 3 rolled his eyes and then rubbed a hand over his face, then did a pose. Peter 1 snapped it.

“Better. Okay, pulling you up side by side…” Peter 1 fiddled with his screen, finally getting the two pictures tiled on the screen together.

“This is just proving… my… oh fuck. I see it.” Peter 3 clapped a hand over his mouth. “We’re mirror twins… super freaky.”

“Dude his birthday is ten days after ours…”

“Whaaaat??? Shit, he was born the same year as me, too. Aw hell… this kinda messes with my plan of becoming a cam boy…”

“Your what now?” Peter 2 gave him a look.

“Soup is ready! There’s peanut butter sandwiches now and tuna melts are five minutes out.��� May called them to the table.

“Aw yis!” Peter 3 squeaked, hustling to the table. “Are there pickles?”

“No, just brine. I can text Wade but if he’s already on his way back he’ll just turn around again, do you want that?” Peter 1 said.

“… so ask him where he is first, if he’s still at the store, then mention pickles.” Peter 3 winked and shot him a finger-gun with a mouth-click sound effect.

Peter 1 hummed and started tapping. Peter 2 patted his shoulder and went to sit at the table.

“Looks good, thank you so much.”

“It’s my pleasure. I know the typical first meal meeting the family is supposed to be something special or fancy, but, well. I figure with Peter’s appetite multiplied by four, this is better anyway.”

“It’s perfect.” Peter 2 smiled sincerely, a tinge of bittersweet feeling behind his eyes. May felt a tug at her heartstrings and leaned over, kissing the top of his head.

“You’re welcome any time, Peter.”

Peter 2 swallowed a lump in his throat and smiled, nodding.

Peter 3 blushed and swallowed a bite of sandwich. “I’m a feral child. I’m so sorry, what… what are my manners…”

May laughed, “Honestly, I take it as a complement. You feel at home.”

“I… I really do.” Peter 3 smiled.

“Welcome home, Peter.” May squeezed his shoulder and ruffled his hair.

Peter 3 sniffled and blinked, wiping his eye quickly. He tried the soup. “Mm!... s’good. Thank you.”

Peter 1 walked over to the table and took a seat on Peter 2’s lap, “Wade’s almost back…”

“Aw, pickles. But also yay, Wade! But aw…” Peter 3 sighed.

“But he actually did get pickles already…” Peter 1 giggled as Peter 2 just accepted his presence and continued eating, settling an arm around his waist.

“Oh snap! Haha aw look at you two being adorable right now... Cuties.” Peter 3 grinned.

“I’m so tired right now all of a sudden,” Peter 1 sighed, resting his cheek on Peter 2’s hair.

“D’you want to go lie down for a bit?” Peter 2 asked, rubbing his hip.

“… I know you mean me go lie down by myself… so not really…” Peter 1 said quietly, trailing his fingers down Peter 2’s arm. “I’m ok being a barnacle right now…”

Peter 2 chuckled. “How about you sit in your own chair and eat, and then we can see about nap options. Hmm?” He patted his hip. “I don’t mind you sitting on me, but you should eat too, and I’m thinking there’s a good chance of hot tuna and cheese ending up on my sweater in your current spot…”

“Wwfff… fine.” Peter 1 slumped into his own chair, but scooted it as close as possible next to Peter 2’s.

May placed an oversize mug of soup and a plate with a hot tuna melt in front of Peter 1. “There are a couple storage tubs on the bed in your old room, but it’s still made up. If you want to move the stuff aside, you can lay down there after lunch.” She kissed his hair. “And yes I mean both of you…”

Peter 1 blushed. “Thanks, uh…”

Peter 3 giggled. “Keep the door open! Clothes on, you two!”

Peter 2 huffed, “I don’t need a reminder on how to behave…”

“Nahhh I know but… the forbidden high school bedroom make outs can sneak up on you…” Peter 3 winked.

“Knock Knock it’s the milk man!” Wade announced, letting himself in. “I got just a few other things, I promise I didn’t go crazy… aw look at the happy Parker Posse! Should I take a family photo?”

“… Wade… that… that makes this kinda sound like… incest-y… don’t say it like that…” Peter 1 cringed.

“Ohhh… wait is this the first time anyone is pointing out that part?” Wade quirked an eyebrow. “Because the TVA gave Loki massive shit for hooking up with one of his variants… I mean whatever I would literally bang my actual self in the sci-fi-clone scenario, what the hell is self-cest, that’s just masturbation, keep your puritanical ideas to yourself, kna’mean? If Lady Deadpool put her giant titties in my face, I would totally motorboat. I bet they look like actual cantaloups under the suit… with the… texture…”

“Wade, would you like a mug or a bowl for soup?” May interrupted, redirecting. “I’ll put the groceries in the kitchen. And then after lunch we can take a group picture with all of us, I think that would be lovely.”

Wade looked at her with a twinge of sudden tenderness and loss. “Mug, please. Thank you, Ms Parker. Sorry, May. Um. Sorry… Uhm…” He looked across the table at his Peter. “… it’s kinda like she had a sister we’re meeting for the first time, huh, Pete?” he added softly.

Peter 3 sniffed. “Yeah… yeah, kinda.” He pulled out the chair next to him and patted the seat.

---

(I'm so annoyed the italics don't stay in the formatting and also it looks like if I try to add them back in I can't isolate them? Working on it...)