#avery atwood

[shafershouse]

Books Read: 2018

January 

Carrie (Stephen King) 

reread

The Shunning (Beverly Lewis)

February

The Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo)

reread

March

The Shining (Stephen King)

reread

April

Survive! (Les Stroud)

May

Full Dark, No Stars (Stephen King)

reread

June

11/22/63 (Stephen King)

reread

July

5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman)

Four Past Midnight (Stephen King)

Catherine, Called Birdy (Karen Cushman)

reread

August

Insomnia (Stephen King)

September

Alice In Wonderland / Through The Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)

October

so much creepypasta

The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)

November

The Great Alone (Kristin Hannah)

December

Different Seasons (Stephen King)

reread

The Green Mile (Stephen King)

reread

An Anonymous Girl (Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen)

The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)

The Last Time I Lied (Riley Sager)

[outercrasis]

Don't Be A Stranger

Pairing: Bruce Wayne (Battinson) x gn!Reader

Word Count/Rating: 4.7k // PG-13

Warnings: references to canon-typical violence/injury

Summary: There's no mistaking that silhouette. It's him in your living room. The Batman.

It was pure chance. Anyone in Ms. Atwood's fourth grade class could have ended up with him as their pen pal. You're not sure you believe that the stars aligned just right or that fate was on your side anymore than it being a true, one-in-a-million fluke. Still, you're the one who ended up with Bruce Wayne as their pen pal.

You didn't know it was him at first. You were only given his first name and a non-descript address. The PO box didn't exactly scream the prince of Gotham. Sometimes you wonder if you would have treated him differently if you had known. There's a good chance you would have.

As young as you were, no one could forget the bold, block letters of the Gotham Gazette from early that September. THOMAS AND MARTHA WAYNE DEAD. The editor didn't even attempt to give it any flair. It was shocking enough on its own.

Your father had been devastated, a large supporter of Thomas Wayne's mayoral campaign. Your mother had regarded Martha as a style icon, in shambles over losing her favorite inspiration. You remember reading the byline about young Bruce surviving the ordeal, trying to comprehend what it would mean to suddenly no longer have parents.

It was news that rocked the entire city and the very next day it's all your classmates could talk about. Robbie Carter said his grandpa thought it was all a conspiracy, Monica Gibbs told you her dad was one of the first officers on the scene and that blood had been everywhere, and Avery Parker told everyone to shut up. You were glad Avery did, as the discussion had been making you start to feel queasy.

A few months later though, when your pen pal was assigned, the name Bruce didn't really click. After all, why would Bruce Wayne of all children be writing to someone in the Gotham Public School system?

Blissfully unaware of your pen pal's true identity, you wrote to him like you would have any other kid your age. You introduced yourself, telling him the important details like your favorite ice cream flavor and what you wanted to be when you were older. He was kind enough to not point out that an astronaut chef was an unlikely job.

His responses were a bit muted in comparison, but you didn't mind. It was clear Bruce was intelligent early on with his large vocabulary and varied topics. More than once you had to look up words in the dictionary or pull a reference to understand what he was talking about. Having to look things up sometimes was far better than a boring pen pal – like Andrew Clark who had a pal that only wanted to talk about a specific species of shark.

At the end of the school year with a parent's permission you could send your home address to your pen pal to keep the correspondence going. It took three days to get your mom to grant her approval and worth every extra chore you agreed to. Even more thrilling was that Bruce wanted to keep writing to you too.

Somewhere early fifth grade you figured out Bruce's real identity, not that he'd ever truly been hiding it. The pieces had been clicking together for a while but the clear mention of his bedroom in the Tower cinched it. There's only one capital T Tower in Gotham and everyone knows it belongs to the Wayne family.

You chose to not acknowledge it. Looking back on it you don't know why – it just didn't seem to make a difference. Bruce was Bruce, Wayne name attached or not.

You both kept writing consistently all the way through middle school. Considering the attention span of kids, especially pre-teens, it was a remarkable feat. From what you knew, you were the only one to keep in touch with your pen pal for so long.

For whatever reason your parents never chose to look over your letters and without a teacher's watchful eye, you could say anything. No topic was off limits. There was no judgment between you two. The bond was sacred, sharing every last thought and feeling. You normally made up for where he lacked in the feelings discussion, where Bruce had plenty of thoughts for the both of you.

High school was where things started to slip. You were caught up in keeping your grades high, extra curriculars, and the drama of who’s dating who. You’re not really sure what Bruce got caught up in – as far as you knew he didn’t even attend the posh boarding school for Gotham's elites. 

Needless to say, the established schedule fell apart a little. It certainly wasn’t once a week anymore but you did your best. Even when you didn’t get a reply for a while, you kept sending your letters. Someone had to be clearing out the PO box because none of them were ever returned.

Bruce’s letters came to a complete stop soon after graduation. It coincided with his widely-reported disappearance from Gotham, so you weren’t surprised, but it felt wrong to give up on your correspondence. A pen pal for this long shouldn’t end without a proper goodbye. 

You kept at it – the frequency of your post varying with the ups and downs of life. College brought exciting times but also a fair amount of strife. You kept Bruce up to date about everything. New friends, new partners, new addresses when you moved, celebrations of passing exams, excitement over what was on the horizon, grief at the untimely loss of your father, the burden of bills and low wages. 

While there weren’t any letters being sent in return, Bruce would find a way to pop up in your life from time to time. You’re not sure what he was up to in his world, but it was enough to know he was reading your letters. A surprise delivery of baked goods at your doorstep filled with your favorite confectionaries, a large anonymous bouquet at your father’s wake, a mystery deposit in your bank account when your bills became a bit too tight. 

You'd offer a brief thank you in your next letter, nothing that would embarrass him, but enough that it was acknowledged. After all this time you had a good idea of how to properly toe that line. 

Part of you wished for a real response. Even a short missive emblazoned on impersonal Wayne letterhead. You weren't ungrateful for his little gestures, but you missed his voice, his mind. Bruce had the most interesting way of looking at the world. You missed being privy to it – you hoped one day he would let you back in.

—

It's late when you get home. Clean-up at the volunteer shelter took longer than you expected, meaning your trip home was more nerve wracking than usual. Your apartment isn’t in the Narrows, but that isn’t saying much. Gotham isn’t the kind of city to have a truly “safe” neighborhood – the promise of violence just varies from borough to borough. You’d say yours provides an even 50/50 shot.

The mostly-empty subway cars are uninviting despite being the fastest and safest option. With less bodies crammed inside the tubes it means your chances of being targeted go up. Every squeak of the train track seems louder, every rattle a little more threatening. You keep a tight hold on your bag. The streets themselves aren’t much better. Moonlight barely reaches the street, blocked by the thick clouds, and streetlights are inconsistent at best.

You breathe a sigh of relief when you see your apartment door. Six stories up with two locked doors between you and Gotham's nighttime streets means you can finally relax. It's not really paranoia, more so staying vigilant in a dangerous city.

You flick on your small table lamp and fall into the couch. There's an attempt to fling your bag onto the coffee table, but it hits the side and it slumps onto the floor. Not a big deal. You'll grab it tomorrow. The comfort of home settles in, nearly tempting you to close your eyes right there on the couch when your stomach growls. Food, eating, important. Right.

Rolling off the cushions, you catch a small whiff of yourself. You don’t smell bad, but you’re not sure it can be said that you smell good. Your priorities quickly become apparent. Food, shower, then sleep. Anything else is tomorrow’s problem. 

Deciding what to eat is easy when there isn’t much in your kitchen to start with. Grocery shopping was supposed to happen yesterday, but with how busy your week has been there’s been no time. Luckily, there’s still enough to scrape together a serviceable sandwich. You eat it over the sink, not wanting to deal with a dirty plate and trying to keep the crumbs contained.

By the time you finish your sandwich, your eyes are half-open. Skipping the shower until tomorrow morning is incredibly tempting, but the idea of slipping into your sheets squeaky clean just barely beats it out. 

It takes a little time for your water to heat properly, the result of aging infrastructure and a half-caring landlord. In an effort to keep yourself awake, you pull out a pen and paper and begin to scrawl a new letter to Bruce. 

It's been nearly two weeks since your last one. You've gotten through the simpler details when the water has finally heated, abandoning the letter on the kitchen counter. 

The choice to shower was the correct one. There's immediate relief standing underneath the warm spray, the stress of your day-to-day melting away. The city's grime sloughs off of you, collecting in the tub. It eventually makes its way down the drain – a clogged pipe that you can do nothing about always leads to an inch of water for you to stand in.

You're nearing the end of your shower when a noise catches your ear outside the bathroom door. You quickly write it off. With an apartment six floors up it would take a worthless amount of dedication to find a way into your place. Any smart thief wouldn't enter the apartment with a light on either. It's nothing.

Rinsing your hair, there's another louder noise accompanied by a heavy grunt. There's no mistaking that. Someone has found their way into your apartment.

Panicked, you quickly grab a towel and wrap it around yourself. If someone is going to break into your place they aren't going to catch you completely naked. Looking around the bathroom, you quickly settle on the plunger for a weapon. It's not much but definitely better than nothing. The thought of the baseball bat perfectly nestled under the edge of your bed taunts you.

The shower is still running, but your water bill is the least of your concern at the moment. If you die in the next ten minutes you won't have to pay it anyway.

Inching towards the door, you mentally walk through your gameplan. Throw open the door, plunger raised, run at the intruder yelling, and rain fury down upon them. Hopefully they'll be so shocked by your deranged appearance that they'll immediately frighten and leave.

You only manage to execute the first two steps of the plan – the shock of what you find stopping you dead in your tracks.

There's a man standing there, but it's not some random drophead like you thought. There's no mistaking that silhouette. It's him in your living room. The Batman.

Before you can really process the insanity of the situation he stumbles, landing hard on one knee. You rush over, terrified that the masked vigilante of Gotham is going to die here on your secondhand rug.

He's heavy. With more than half his dead weight falling onto you, it's a shock you don't completely buckle underneath him. 

"Come on, at least get to the couch before collapsing," you grunt, leading him over. 

His eyes are partially closed, clearly struggling to keep them open. He's breathing heavily with his suit half blown to hell. You have no idea what to do.

The most intense medical experience you have is shooting someone full of narcan to help prevent an overdose at the volunteer shelter – an experience you're not exactly eager to repeat. You weren't built for stitching up wounds and preventing infection. Clutching your towel, the realization that there is nothing you can do for him is crushing.

Water is becoming a puddle on the floor beneath you, your breaths becoming more ragged to match his with every passing moment. Something about your fear seems to awaken something in him.

"Front– pocket. Auto– injector. Thigh." Every word is a labor. It takes you a few moments too long for his words to click.

"Now."

The force of his words snaps you into action. You launch forward, frantically flipping through all his pockets to find the right one. Front pocket, honestly. He couldn't have been more vague. Eventually, your fingers wrap around something that looks similar to an epipen.

"Twist. Then–" he breathes in sharply, struggling for the next word. "inject."

You can do that you think. His armor is thick, but the fabric on his inner thigh thins a bit. With his sprawled position, it's easy to access. 

You twist the injector, watching the liquid turn royal blue before stabbing it into his thigh. He cries out slightly, his body tensing, before collapsing back into the cushions.

"Good job."

His eyes slide shut. His chest continues to rise and fall at a slow but steady pace. The mania of the last few moments washes over you, panic transforming into shock and confusion. How did Batman manage to choose your apartment out of millions? What the fuck.

You stand there looking down at him, suddenly realizing you're only in a towel and the shower is still running. A flush of embarrassment courses through you as realization crashes. There's only the barest hope you didn't flash him in all the commotion.

Drying off and changing as quickly as you can, you bring a clean rag and some warm water over to him. You're guessing whatever he asked you to inject him with is some kind of super-serum but you can't imagine being so filthy is doing any favors. The absurdity of this isn't lost on you. You're really about to clean up Batman's wounds.

It's a slow process. You take your time, periodically switching out the water. At some point you grab a different rag to clean up the torn edges of his armor as well, trying to keep everything as sterile as you can. You do your best – you're not exactly an expert at this.

Even as you clean him up it's difficult to come to terms with the fact that this is really happening. Following the aftermath of the Riddler a couple years ago, Batman went from freakish rumor to celebrated hero overnight. He still seemed more myth than real to you, but there's no question now. He is very real and seemingly very human. You hadn't been sure if the bat motif went deeper before.

You finish up and are left with the conundrum of what to do next. You're more exhausted than ever, but leaving him here just seems wrong. In the end you settle on dragging over your moon chair and grabbing a book. This isn't weird right? You're just making sure he doesn't die or convulse or something.

It was foolish of you to think you could stay awake. Between your preexisting fatigue and the adrenaline come-down, you don't make it through a paragraph before falling asleep.

—

The first few rays of sunlight streaming in your windows are what wakes you. There’s a moment of panic before registering that you’re just in your living room, safe and sound. You stretch and rub at the tight spot in your neck. Falling asleep curled up like that is never a good idea. 

Your eyes drift over to the couch and you freeze. He isn’t there. Had you imagined it all? Was last night actually some incredibly vivid dream or hallucination brought on by exhaustion? 

That’s the final straw. No more doubles that roll into volunteer shelter shifts. Your body can’t handle that toll anymore. You give another big stretch, your spine popping, and let out a small yelp when you turn to the kitchen and see Batman standing there. 

If last night seemed ridiculous then you don’t even know what to call this. What is there to say or think when the city’s masked vigilante is standing in your kitchen like he belongs there? And how the hell is he even standing after the condition he was in?

He doesn’t say anything. You’re not sure what you expected. You don’t know what to say either. It doesn’t even feel like he’s trying to psych you out or anything, he’s simply… quiet. His eyes return to your letter that he’s holding. 

“Hey! That’s private!”

You rush into the kitchen, pulling the letter out from his hands. Gotham’s protector or not, he doesn’t have the right to start reading your private correspondence. 

He doesn’t seem all that bothered by your anger. "Sorry, I probably shouldn’t read ahead."

You stare at him in slight confusion and wonder as the pieces click together. Holy shit. How did you not put it together before? It seems so obvious now – like you’re in the fifth grade again realizing your pen pal Bruce is Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Wayne is Batman.

Bruce Wayne is Batman.

His letters stopped years ago, but you would still venture to say you know Bruce Wayne better than anyone else and it all fits. More wealth than he knows what to do with, a desire to continue his father's legacy to improve Gotham, and a deep, dark scar left on his heart all too young. 

You always imagined he would start doing some serious philanthropy work, but you suppose this is in line with that. It's not all that shocking that he wants to do it with his own bare hands. Bruce has always wanted to do things himself.

In the eighth grade he told you about a computer he was working on, going into great detail to explain its complexities. It was going to be one of the most advanced systems ever designed once he was through with it. He also mentioned offhand how he nearly blew himself up with it. Becoming Batman seems right on target with that.

What doesn't make sense is why now? Why tell you at all, this many years in? He's let Batman remain a mystery to you for nearly five years. You didn't do anything new to gain his trust.

“I um, I think I need to sit down.”

You stumble back against your countertop looking for stability. From him showing up unannounced in your apartment to this, it’s all a bit much to take in. You’re grateful Bru-Batm-Bruce doesn’t immediately intrude on your personal space, giving you room to breathe. There’s a good chance you would have fully freaked out on him if he did.

You take measured breaths, careful to not let yourself spiral. Although, if there was ever an appropriate time to do so, this would be it. This is a lot to put on anyone, especially so abruptly. The answer to why Bruce couldn’t use his incredible intellect to plan this better will evade you forever.

Once you can trust yourself to not start panicking again, you look back over at him. You have no idea what comes next. This is not how you ever imagined meeting Bruce. You thought maybe one day he would begin to write back again, leading to the decision to meet for a coffee or dinner. It seemed realistic – a bit more adult. This feels like something out of a dream.

You close your eyes again, trying to take it all in. He’s still there when you crack them back open. To be sure, you give yourself a little pinch on your arm. If Bruce finds that odd, he doesn’t say anything about it. 

Needing to do something before addressing the elephant – or rather bat – in the room, you grab a glass down and pour yourself some water. It feels strange to ignore him, so you offer you uninvited guest water as well, to which he shakes his head no. It at least feels like a semi-normal moment in all of this.

From there, you wander back to your living room, taking up an end of the couch. Bruce follows, politely letting you lead the way. You wonder if he’s told many others or if he just knows this is best for you. You have absolutely no idea of where to begin.

“Um, hi I guess,” you venture.

You’re by no means an expert in the expressions of Bruce Wayne, but you’re willing to bet that’s the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Hello,” Bruce says.

“So you uh, you’re the Batman then? I feel like I should have been able to put that together sooner.”

“I would have been surprised if you did.” You’re not certain on how to respond to that. Your shock must come across clearly on your face, because Bruce is quick to clarify. “I’ve worked hard to keep people from putting the pieces together.”

Not many must know his true identity then. You can’t say it’s surprising, given Bruce’s usual habits about divulging personal information. 

You’re not too proud to admit that sitting across from him in his full suit, even as beat up as it is, is incredibly intimidating. The reason for the bat motif evades you, but looking at him helps you to understand more. He looks large in the suit, an imposing figure by anyone’s standard. His eyes stand out against all the black in stark contrast, the icy blue pinning you in place. It makes it a bit hard to think straight.

“Would you mind um, taking off the–?” You hope you’re not overstepping. He’s trusted you with his identity, but you’re not sure if that also means trusting you with his face.

Your breath hitches as his hands move. The cowl comes off in one fluid motion. 

You’ve seen photos of him of course, even recently, but being face to face is something else altogether. The tabloids have at least one thing right. He’s gorgeous.

His hair is long and in severe need of a brush after a night under the helmet, and yet it works. There’s black makeup hastily smudged all around his eyes, maintaining the contrast of his eyes. Stubble dusts his sharp jawline, drawing your attention to his plush lower lip. You’re not sure if this has calmed your nerves or made them worse. He looks like he was just dragged out of a gutter, which for all you know he might have been, and it’s as though he stepped off the cover of a magazine.

You suddenly realize you should say something more instead of continuing to stare. “I guess I can’t pretend it wasn’t really you after all this,” you half-heartedly joke. You’re not sure if it lands.

Bruce readjusts slightly on the couch, drawing your eyes back to his injuries. Whatever serum he had you pump him full of clearly did its job. The exposed skin still looks angry, but cuts are already stitching back together and there's no longer any active bleeding.

The state of his suit is something else. It looks like he was chewed up and spit back out only to be chewed up again. Massive holes are torn clean through, numerous singe marks across his chest. He's lucky to have not lost the pocket where he was keeping that emergency vial. 

“Are you okay?” you ask, “I was a little worried you’d die on me in the middle of the night.” 

“I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.” You think that was meant to be comforting.

Once again, you’re not really sure where to go from here. It feels like your life has now been turned upside down from when he first stumbled into your apartment last night. Simply patching up Batman would have been plenty to deal with and process, but now you know his identity too? Calling this whole thing strange is underselling it.

It peaks your curiosity though. 

“Why now?” you ask.

Bruce's eyebrows twitch upward for just a moment. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why tell me now? You've been Batman for a while and I can hardly remember the last time you wrote to me," you explain. "There's essentially no point in telling me so why? How can you even trust me?"

You wish Bruce wasn't so hard to read. It's nerve-wracking, unable to tell what he's thinking or feeling. It's also entirely unfair, knowing that your heart is on your sleeve.

"How long have we been writing to each other?" Bruce asks. You're sure the non-sequitur has a point, so you let it slide.

"Since we were nine. Although I'm not sure the past few years count as actual correspondence." 

"It counts," Bruce asserts, “Trusting you is the easy part. I’m sure my childhood secrets would have fetched a fair price to the right reporter."

Bruce’s mention of selling his letters off is the first time the thought has ever crossed your mind. It makes sense, you suppose. There were definitely times where that extra cash would have come in handy, yet it was never something you considered. You didn't ask for Bruce Wayne as your pen pal and he didn't ask for you – who are you to betray that sacred childhood bond?

“Still doesn’t explain why you’re choosing now to tell me,” you say.

“Your address was the only one I could remember last night.”

You've never been more touched and more concerned at the same time. You caution moving slightly closer to him on the couch.

"You still didn't have to tell me," you say. Bruce looks confused, so you press on. "You woke up first. You could have easily left and told me sometime later."

"Would you have preferred that?"

You think on it for a moment. "Well I guess not but-"

"You deserved to know," he interrupts. "I came here and you cared for me having no idea who I was. The explanation was warranted."

He's not really wrong. The explanation does and doesn't make sense, but what seems to matter most is that Bruce is so certain of it. There's not a single trace of doubt – you're not sure what to do with so much confidence in yourself.

You think back to all the years of silence from him. So many years where you filled him in on nearly everything in your life while learning none about his. Any sane person probably would have stopped writing. Any sane person probably would have changed his PO box and yet, neither of you did.

Sitting across from him now on your well worn couch, you suppose you have an answer for all his unsent letters. You know what he was doing. Sure, the details are missing, but you know and for now that's plenty.

Something more significant than childhood letters are shared between you now. Neither of you are unaware of the shift.

"I need to get back," Bruce tells you. "Alfred is probably worried."

You remember the name of his childhood butler from his letters. It warms your heart to know he's still a large presence in Bruce's life. He always seemed to have the young heir's best interests at heart. 

"Will I see you again?" you ask. You desperately hope this meeting isn't bound for more years of silence from his end.

Bruce slips his cowl back on. "I'll be in touch."

You nod, watching him walk across your small apartment back towards the window. The ever-present clouds in the Gotham sky should provide enough shadow for him to sneak away undetected. He's certainly had enough practice.

Bruce is half out the window when he turns back to you and asks, "Why did you keep writing?"

You don't have to think hard about your answer and give it almost immediately. "I didn't want you to be lonely."

His mask obscures most of his face. You hope that he's touched and not offended – the thought of growing up alone in that Tower just always struck you as empty.

Bruce gives you an almost imperceptible nod and then he's gone. You hope he won't be a stranger.

A week later, there's a letter in your mailbox.

Comments & reblogs are always appreciated 💕

Tagging a few people who seemed interested:) @skeletoncowboys @green-socks @nobodys-baby-now @moonlight-prose @autumnleaves1991-blog @1800-fight-me

[missperfectlyfinewrites]

ღ Plotting call ღ

I'm looking for more threads/plots with the following muses! Go under the read more, click primary/secondary to find out more about personalities but please don't hesitate to ask any questions too! Muses can be AU aswell, happy to change/alter things for certain plots! Like/comment and I'll message to plot things!

Primary

Aurora Atwood // assistant // submissive lean // Courtney Eaton

Avery Powell // dancer // submissive // Maude Apatow

Beatrice "Bea" Allen // wanna be dancer & waitress // submissive // Kristine Froseth

Belle Crawford // student & tutor (pregnant or single mom) // submissive // Bailee Madison

Daisy Kennedy // children's nurse // submissive // Madelyn Cline

Darcy Rodriguez // college student // submissive lean // Olivia Rodrigo

Elsie Tyler // diner waitress & trailer park baby // submissive // Ella Purnell

Everly James // broad way star // submissive // Sabrina Carpenter

Grace Henderson // ice skating coach // switch // Candice Patton

Lacey Andrews // adult video star // submissive lean // Natalie Alyn Lynd

Madeline Lawrence // princess // switch // Taylor Swift

Sadie Ingram // wedding planner // switch // Greta Onieogou

Tabitha Edwards // preacher's daughter // submissive // Maia Reficco

Secondary

Allie Jordan // influencer // submissive // Halle Bailey

Birdie Bennett // toy store owner // submissive lean // Melissa O'neil

Charlotte "Charlie" Beckett // actress // submissive // Kaia Gerber

Kaitlyn Rodriguez // psychiatrist // submissive lean // Melisa Fumero

Kennedy Watson // magazine stylist & party girl // submissive lean // Tilly Keeper

Olivia Rose // lingerie designer // switch // Cindy Kimberly

Saskia Hart // children's entertainer // switch // Taylor Swift

Talia Singh // exchange student & babysitter // switch // Natasha Liu Bordizzo

[palmviewfm]

mw counterparts?

this  list  got  a  little  bit  longer  than  anticipated.  as  there's  soooooo  many  counterparts  to  consider  choosing  from  !  so,  i  put  it  under  a  read  more  for  you  !

counterparts:  monica  geller, ross geller, joey  tribbiani,  chandler bing, janice litman, mike hannigan, ursula buffay, aria  montgomery,  emily  fields,  spencer  hastings,  mona  vanderwaal,  alison  dilaurentis,  caleb  rivers,  maya  st  germain,  toby  cavanaugh,  betty  cooper,  veronica  lodge,  cheryl  blossom,  archie  andrews,  reggie  mantle,  toni  topaz,  tabitha  tate,  quinn  fabray,  rachel  berry,  brittany  pierce,  olivia  baker,  layla  keating,  jordan  baker,  jaymee, spencer  james,  lucas  scott,  peyton  sawyer, brooke  davis,  quinn  james,  julian  baker,  anna taggaro, rachel  gatina,  blair  waldorf,  serena  van  der  woodsen,  dan  humphrey,  nate  archibald,  callie  adams  foster,  mariana  foster,  buffy  summers,  willow  rosenberg,  tara mclay, kendra young, faith  lehane,  cordelia  chase,  heather  mcnamara,  marissa  cooper,  summer  roberts,  seth  cohen,  angel, anya jenkins, ryan  atwood,  taylor  townsend,  elena  gilbert,  caroline  forbes,  bonnie  bennett,  stefan  salvatore, anna zhu, enzo  st  john,  sandy  olson,  betty  rizzo,  frenchy,  danny  zuko,  marty, jan, sonny,  jackie  burkhart,  donna  pinciotti,  eric  forman,  laurie  forman,  belly  conklin,  sloane  peterson,  ferris  bueller,  duckie  dale,  bianca  stratford,  kat  stratford,  patrick  verona,  mia thermopolis, sabrina spellman, harvey kinkle, libby chessler, barbie  roberts,  ken  carson,  jenna  rink,  allie  hamilton,  noah  calhoun,  brandon  walsh,  david  silver,  brenda  walsh,  kelly  taylor,  donna  martin,  conrad  fisher,  jeremiah  fisher,  steven  cokin,  taylor  jewel,  sarah  cameron,  jj  maybank,  john  b  routledge,  kiara  carerra,  pope  heywood,  cleo, topper  thornton,  prue  halliwell,  paige  matthews,  piper  halliwell,  phoebe  halliwell,  meredith  grey,  arizona  robbins,  jackson  avery,  callie  torres,  april  kepner,  derek  shephard,  alex  karev,  cristina  yang,  lizzie  stevens,  callie  torres,  jo  wilson,  addison  montgomery,  lexi  grey,  atticus  lincoln,  nancy  drew,  lucy  grey,  sam  montgomery,  austin  ames,  jen  lindley,  pacey  witter,  dawson  leery,  katherine  pierce,  rebekah  mikaelson,  hayley  marshall,  tatum  riley,  sidney  prescott,  casey  becker,  tara  carpenter,  samantha  carpenter,  beca  mitchell,  chloe  beale,  jessica  day,  winston schmidt, cece  parekh, laney  boggs,  dewey  riley,  gale  weathers,  georgina  sparks,  elle  woods,  francesca  bridgerton,  daphne  bridgerton,  penelope  featherington,  sookie  stackhouse,  karen  smith,  regina  george,  gretchen  weiners,  janis  ian,  cady  heron,  aaron  samuels,  dj  tanner,  stephanie  tanner,  marcia  brady,  cindy  brady,  greg  brady,  carrie  bradshaw,  cher  horowitz,  kirby  reed,  jim  halpert,  michael  scott,  kelly  kapoor,  pam  beesly,  peter  parker,  mary  jane  watson,  analise  keating,  olivia  pope,  tony  stonem,  effy  stonem,  joey  donner,  john  bender,  allison  argent,  scott  mccall,  lydia  martin,  olive  penderghast,  maggie  greene,  marty  mcfly,  bella  swan,  alice  cullen,  charlie  swan,  emmett  cullen,  jacob  black,  carlisle  cullen,  esme  cullen,  jane  volturi,  morticia  addams,  donna  and  sophie  sheridan,  lorraine  banes,  jennifer  parker,  sam  winchester,  luke  danes,  dean  forester,  tristan  dugray,  lane  kim,  paris  geller,  logan  huntzberger,  jeanie  bueller,  simon  basset,  kate  sharma,  colin  bridgerton,  shiv  roy,  gerri  kellman,  roman  roy,  olivia  benson,  clary  fray,  isabelle  lightwood,  jace  herondale,  simon  lewis,  daphne  blake,  shaggy  rogers,  velma  dinkley,  fred  jones,  cinderella, ariel, tiana, jasmine, tom  wambsgans,  kendall  roy,  greg  hirsch,  lestat  de  lioncourt,  louis  de  point  du  lac,  and  claudia  !

[tanneradell]

Rules: 10 CHARACTERS/10 FANDOMS/10 TAGS

Tagged by: @narcobarbies

tagging: @taiturner @pousscys @texasbama @eddiediaaz @bakerolivia @peeta-mellark @andialmostdo @pousscys and anyone else??

9-1-1 on abc: athena grant nash

all american: olivia baker

all american homecoming: simone hicks

the oc : ryan atwood

grey's anatomy: jackson avery

one tree hill: brooke davis

the rookie: aaron thorsen

living single: maxine shaw

wild cards: max mitchell

chicago fire: stella kidd

[ruinedbycatastrophe]

----- not today, after all you're just a man.

katie / age thirty two / central time zone selective / multi / indie / mid to low activity all muses are 18 & older / open to shipping excluding two ( shipping based on chemistry/good vibes; memes are to send for funnies ) memes from non mutuals is fine / will write with non mutuals oc friendly this will be updated more often than the muse page probably.

what’s a title that a goddess could lend if i'll never sleep at night?

link to my muses page / rules / memes list of muses for mobile under the read more / italics are by request or testing ( * means they are unshippable/single ship )

TV SHOWS & MOVIES

911 & Lone Star: Judd Ryder Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Spike & Drusilla Bridgerton: Anthony Bridgerton Chuck: Sarah Walker & John Casey Grey's Anatomy: Mark Sloan & Jackson Avery The OC: Ryan Atwood One Tree Hill: Nathan Scott Reign: Sebastian "Bash" de Poitiers Supernatural: Sam Winchester Teen Wolf: Noah Stilinski & Chris Argent Firefly: Simon Tam & Malcolm Reynolds VIDEO GAMES

Final Fantasy VII: Cid Highwind Final Fantasy XIV: Urianger & Emet Selch Final Fantasy XV: Gladiolus Amicitia, Clarus Amicitia, Regis Lucis Caelum, Cor Leonis, Ravus Nox Fleuret, Ifrit & Nyx Ulric Pillars of Eternity: Aloth Corsifer & Edér Teylecg & Woden Teylecg

MIXED MEDIA

Fables|The Wolf Among Us: Bigby Wolf The Witcher: Geralt of Rivia

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

OC: Nikky Wesson*

D&D/BALDUR'S GATE

DND: Nikitia 'Jackal' Ulric ( Human Fighter )* ( about ) & Garrick 'The Craven King' Ulric ( about ) BG3: Karlach & Gale Dekarios

[midnightsaboteur]

BOXED MUSES - January 2023 Update

What are ‘Boxed Muses’ on this blog?

Boxed muses are characters I’ve written in the past who are not currently part of my active, open roster.

They can have this status for several reasons, such as them not having had any active threads in a while, or because I currently lack a writing muse for them.

Hence, they are 'in the box' rather than dropped outright.

What does this mean for characters on the list?

Firstly, I’m always very happy to take any character 'out of the box' at any time if you want to write with them! This applies whether you've written with them before, or if you want a new ship!

These characters are not available generally or publicly for 'open use' but they are available on request.

To this end, I'm also happy to do private threads on Discord with any muse from this list, or do 'one-off' threads with them at any time.

I may reblog inspo/pictures for these boxed muses whilst in the box, and they may come out of the box if I find a strong muse for them again.

The ‘boxed’ muses are:

Colt Adams - 31, heterosexual, mechanic, Austin Butler

Abel Archer - 33, heterosexual, vice detective, Stephen James

Lysander Atwood - 26, bisexual, actor, Nico Greetham

James Bond - 39, heterosexual, 00 agent, Various

Xander Coeman - 28, heterosexual, app developer, Danny Griffin

Georgia Covington - 29, pansexual, lawyer, Florence Pugh

Ramon Delgado - 45, pansexual, private detective, Edgar Ramirez

Silas Fitzgerald - 41, pansexual, cabal leader, Ben Barnes

Troy Hamilton - 35, bisexual, vineyard owner, Drew van Acker

Atticus Harding - 31, pansexual, bartender, Nico Tortorella

Holden James - 43, heterosexual, academic, Dave Annable

Oberon King - 29, pansexual, homicide detective, Will Poulter

Othello King - 39, bisexual, archaeologist, Wilson Bethel

Romeo King - 35, heterosexual, con artist, Aaron Tveit 

Myles Kinnaman - 31, pansexual, tattoo artist, Machine Gun Kelly

Nicholas Langston - 37, heterosexual, politician, Daniel Sharman

Dana Lockridge - 34, bisexual, DEA agent, Phoebe Tonkin

Antony Lockwood - 38, heterosexual, police inspector, Ed Skrein

Callum Macfarlane - 42, heterosexual, British PM, Sam Heughan

Jayson Masters - 29, bisexual, trainer/fighter, Gavin Leatherwood

Domenico Palance - 28, pansexual, Italian mob heir, Cody Christian

Raymond Palance - 52, heterosexual, Italian mob boss, Joe Manganiello

Reggie Prentice - 32, homosexual, escort, Daniel Sharman

Brody Reynolds - 32, bisexual, personal trainer, Zac Efron

Oliver Reynolds - 29, heterosexual, FBI agent, Ben Hardy

Avery Russo - 24, pansexual, busker, Shawn Mendes

Rocky Sheehan - 32, pansexual, pastry chef, Jeremy Allen White

Axel Thiel - 28, homosexual, footballer, Matthew Noszka

Dino Varga - 28, bisexual, footballer, Billy Magnussen

Grey Winstanley - 34, heterosexual, lawyer, Theo James

OTHER, OLDER MUSES

I also have muses who I’ve previously written and have dropped. Again, this is either due to a combination of not having a writing muse for them and/or no active threads.

If you previously wrote with a muse who doesn’t appear on either my muses page or the boxed list above, and you’d like to write with them again, please let me know, and I’d be happy to bring them back!

[jxrm]

book log - 2024 (so far)

diva by daisy goodwin

the heiress by rachel hawkins

only if you’re lucky by stacy willingham

the chateau by jaclyn goldis

just stay away by tony wirt

the other mothers by katherine faulker

middle of the night by riley sager

the disappearance of astrid bricard by natasha lester

every time i go in vacation, someone dies by catherine mack

the last caretaker by jessica strawser

just for the summer by abby jimenez

house of glass by sarah pekkanen

the mayor of maxwell street by avery cunningham

first lie wins by ashley elston

the phoenix crown by kate quinn

murder road by simone st. james

the fury by alex michaelides

happiness falls by angie kim

the house of last resort by christopher golden

run rose run by dolly parton

the chalice of the gods by rick riordan

there should have been right by nalini singh

the mysterious case of the alperton angels by janice hallet

darling girls by sally hepworth

the pieces around us by leigh fields

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the teacher by frieda mcfadden

x by jack croxell

iron flame by rebecca yarros

the only suspect by louise candlish

throwback by maurene goo

the housemaid is watching by frieda mcfadden

zara hossain is here by sabina khan

slice by angie caedis

the ways of the dead by neely tucker

orphan train by christina baker

a court of silver flames by sarah j. mass

come and get it by kiley reid

the drowning woman by robyn harding

when i bleed: poems about endometriosis by maggie bowyer

the house in the pines by ana reyes

only say good things by crystal hefner

the mother-in-law by sally hepworth

daughter of mine by megan miranda

lore olympus: volume four by rachel smythe

this time it’s real by ann liang

anna o by matthew blake

the girl with the louding voice by abi dare

where the forest meets the stars by glendy vanderah

a friend in the dark by samantha m. bailey

the wife app by carolyn mackler

howl’s moving castle by diana wynne jones

the spanish love deception by elena armas

divide by jessa russo

lies and weddings by kevin kwan

the foxhole victory tour by amy lynn green

dying to tell by keri beevis

my father, the panda killer by jamie jo hoang

the wedding party by l.r. jones

girl gone mad by avery bishop

starter wife by bethany lopez

the queens of new york by e.l. shen

theater lovers by ciara blume

once upon a broken heart by stephanie garber

the surrogate mother by frieda mcfadden

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

don’t forget to write by sara goldman confino

the next girl by carla kovach

the paradise problem by christina lauren

ivy league liars by grace costello

every summer after by carley fortune

the ballad of never after by stephanie garber

a curse of true love by stephanie garber

the devil’s storybooks by natalie babbit

expiration dates by rebecca serle

the murmur of bees by sofia segovia

growing up hadley by dana harp

the vacation by john marrs

rum punch regrets by anna kemp

the five-star weekend by elin hilderbrand

people to follow by olivia worley

the treasure hunters club by tom ryan

you shouldn’t be here by lauren thoman

trophy wife by bethany lopez

seven summers by paige toon

veridian sterling fakes it by jennifer gooch

the friendship club by robyn carr

women of good fortune by sophie wan

the smuggler’s apprentice of guatemala by lachlan page

this summer will be different by carley fortune

natural selection by elin hilderbrand

the passengers by john marrs

asap by axie oh

island of shadows by christopher kvintus

swan song by elin hilderbrand

lore olympus: volume five by rachel smythe

blue hawaiian by carla luna

the villain edit by laurie devore

hermione granger and the order of the phoenix by sara baines-miller

the hotel nantucket by elin hilderbrand

bummer camp by ann garvin

pink glass houses by asha elias

cut and thirst by margaret atwood

the exception to the rule by christina lauren

#crimetime by jeneva rose

incidents around the house by josh malerman

the mistress by valerie keogh

kiki’s delivery service by eiko kadono

when we were friends by jane green

the honey-don’t list by christina lauren

worst wingman ever by abby jimenez

the perfect couple by elin hilderbrand

home is where the bodies are by jeneva rose

the only good indians by stephen graham jones

roar by cecelia ahern

the wedding people by alison espach

look in the mirror by catherine steadman

fit to die by daniel kalla

uglies by scott westerfield

hideaway by nicole lundrigan

the fortune teller by natasha boydell

crazy rich asians by kevin kwan

the wish by nicholas sparks

how the penguins saved veronica by hazel prior

the plus one by s. c. lalli

the haters by robyn harding

china rich girlfriend by kevin kwan

rich people problems by kevin kwan

the haunting of moscow house by olesya salnikova gilmore

[havithreatendub4]

#Into the Woods #film #Colleen Atwood #costume designer #article #cameos

[themovieblogonline]

FROM Season 1 Episode 2: DEEP DIVE and Reaction

Thank you thank you thank you. If you’re here then that means that you’ve successfully taken the FROM Challenge. I’m your host, Anthony, and I will do my best to be your guide in this “IDK WTF is going on show” FROM. We are here to break down and recap FROM Season 1 Episode 2 of this incredible show and provide a deep dive and close analysis of all of the clues and symbolism in the show to get a better understanding of what is happening. We're picking right up where we left off last week with Jim, Kristi, and Sheriff Boyd stuck in an RV overnight with the people creature monsters closing in on them. This week's episode is titled “The Way Things Are Now” which is a tough pill to swallow as our family struggles to comprehend just how much their world has changed.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MinIGkJoBtQ FROM Season 1 Episode 2 The phrase "the way things are now" is a common expression used to describe the current state or condition of things. It is a general observation about the present circumstances or situation. The phrase itself does not have a specific origin, as it is a natural way of referring to the current state of affairs. There are various instances where similar phrases or concepts are used like in the dystopian novel "1984" by George Orwell, the phrase "the way things are now" could be related to the oppressive and controlled society depicted in the book. Similarly, in the TV series "The Handmaid's Tale," based on Margaret Atwood's novel, the phrase could be associated with the oppressive regime and the bleak reality faced by the characters. In FROM it feels like it's just a way to highlight the dark and mysterious reality that people find themselves in when getting stuck in this town. Synopsis: FROM unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest; including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down. The series stars Harold Perrineau (Lost) leading an ensemble cast that includes Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace, The Affair), Eion Bailey (Band of Brothers, Once Upon a Time), Hannah Cheramy (Under Wraps, Van Helsing), Simon Webster (Strays), Ricky He (The Good Doctor), Chloe Van Landschoot (Charity, Skin), Corteon Moore (Utopia Falls), Pegah Ghafoori (The Perfect Wedding), David Alpay (Castle Rock), Elizabeth Saunders (Clarice), Elizabeth Moy and Avery Konrad (Honor Society). New series regulars joining Season 2 include Scott McCord (East of Middle West), Nathan D. Simmons (Diggstown, This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Kaelen Ohm (Hit & Run, Eumenides Falls), Angela Moore (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Maid), AJ Simmons (Reacher) and Deborah Grover (My Next Door Nightmare, Jann). Read the full article

[dandylion240]

Avery Atwood for @legendofsim's Paradise BC

Age: 20

Avery has always considered his step father as someone to look up to. He first met him when he was a little kid after Castel jumped into the ocean to save him from drowning. He used to call him Achoman (Aquaman) his all time favorite superhero. The happiest day of his life was the day he walked his mom down the aisle on her wedding day. Castel is more than his step dad he is is dad, the man he looks up to and hopes to emulate.

They live in Hidden Springs where Castel has recently set up a subsidiary company. Avery has no interest in taking over the family business and would just as soon let his younger brother take over the business while he pursues a career in music. However as a compromise with his parents he has agreed to go to college.

For his recent 20th birthday his parents have sent him to the resort for the summer. The plan was for him to have a few months of fun in the sun, no school, no responsibilities. Upon arriving at the resort he found out they were looking for a singer to entertain the guests at night. Wanting to work on his showmanship he applied and got the job. Now he hopes that maybe there will be some famous people there who might be on the lookout for new talent.

Avery is a pushover for anything cute and cuddly. He has helped raise money for shelters and would adopt every animal in need of a good home. He was the kid who was always bringing home animals to be tended.

He dislikes water. He's fine as long as his feet can touch the bottom but once his head goes under he panics. He knows all too well how it feels to drown and can't quite shake the fear that it could happen again.

He's quick to take offense of anyone talking badly of his step dad. He knows Castel isn't perfect and he's heard all about his failed relationship with Blair Gray. Castel has told him multiple times to always be honest with anyone he intends to start a relationship with. So far it's proven to be good advice. He just wishes his past girlfriends had also been honest with him in return.

Traits: athletic, virtuoso, star performer, handy, animal lover

[legendofsim]

Contestant #3: Avery Atwood

Created by @dandylion240!

[missperfectlyfinewrites]

ღ Threads wanted for the following muses. Like this post & I'll reach out: ღ

Also happy to answer any questions about them too, a lot of their info is in my head!

AURORA ATWOOD | mid twenties | personal assistant | submissive | c.ourtney eaton fc | ➡️ sweet, kind, loving, helpful, soft, sensitive at times.

AVERY POWELL | mid twenties | professional dancer | submissive | m.aude apatow fc ➡️ talented, kind, shy off stage, hates confrontation, innocnet.

CHARLIE BECKETT | early twenties | actress | submissive | k.aia gerber fc ➡️ trying to break away from sit coms, sweet, kind, hard working.

DAISY KENNEDY | mid twenties | paedatric nurse | submissive | m.adelyn cline fc ➡️ anxious, sunshine, family trauma, innocent, shy, absolute angel, can be virgin.

EBONY SPENCER | early-mid thirties  | artist / baker | switch | a.merica ferra fc ➡️ careful, creative, enjoys down time, more of an introvert but still very capable.

EVERLY JAMES | early twenties | broadway star | submissive | s.abrina carpenter fc ➡️ sweetheart, bubbly, perky, giggly, bright eyed.

GRACE HENDERSON | early thirties | ice skating coach and “doer of all” | switch | c.andice patton fc ➡️ kind, protective, charitable, generous, goes above and beyond.

HARPER WEST | mid-late thirties | public defender (mom depending on thread) | older sister to hazel | switch | b.lake lively fc I ➡️ works too hard, fashionable, confident, capable, protective.

OLIVIA ROSE | mid twenties | lingerie designer | switch | c.indy kimberly fc ➡️ fun, sweet, misses her family, works hard.

POPPY YOUNG | mid twenties | nurse | switch | m.adison bailey fc ➡️ hard worker, quiet, sweet, a go-getter.

[palmviewfm]

mw counterparts?

we've got quite a few options for you ! here's  some  counterparts  that  we'd  love  to  see  being  used  for  inspo  ! 

monica  geller,  ross  geller,  chandler  bing,  joey  tribbiani,  susan  bunch,  carol  willick,  janice  litman  goralnik,  mike  hannigan,  jim  halpert,  pam  beesly,  ted  mosby,  jackie  burkhart,  donna  pinciotti,  eric  forman,  laurie  forman,  jade  west,  cat  valentine,  andre  harris,  beck  oliver,  shaggy  rogers,  daphne  blake,  velma  dinkley,  kim  possible,  aria  montgomery,  alison  dilaurentis,  mona  vanderwaal,  emily  fields,  spencer  hastings,  noel  kahn,  caleb  rivers,  toby  cavanaugh,  elena  gilbert,  katherine  pierce,  caroline  forbes,  bonnie  bennett,  tyler  lockwood,  hayley  marshall,  rebekah  mikaelson,  stefan  salvatore,  elijah  mikaelson,  edward  cullen,  rosalie  hale,  esme  cullen,  carlisle  cullen,  alice  cullen,  jacob  black,  jessica  stanley,  beca  mitchell,  chloe  beale,  audrey  posen,  sarah  cameron,  kiara  carerra,  jj  maybank,  john  b  routledge,  pope  heyward,  cleo  anderson,  frances  'baby'  houseman,  brenda  walsh,  kelly  taylor,  donna  martin,  andrea  zuckerman,  valerie  malone,  brandon  walsh,  dylan  mckay,  david  silver,  steve  saunders,  dixon  wilson,  annie  wilson,  naomi  clark,  erin  silver,  brooke  davis,  peyton  sawyer,  haley  james  scott,  lucas  scott,  rachel  gatina,  quinn  james,  clay  evans,  mouth  mcfadden,  skills  taylor,  alex  dupre,  millie huxtable, julian baker, marissa  cooper,  summer  roberts,  anna stern, seth  cohen, zach stevens,  taylor  townsend,  ryan  atwood,  luke  ward,  lexi  grey,  arizona  robbins,  cristina  yang,  atticus  lincoln,  derek  shepherd,  jackson  avery,  cher  horowitz,  regina  george,  gretchen  weiners,  cady  heron,  karen  smith,  janis  ian,  damian  haynes,  heather  chandler,  heather  duke,  heather  mcnamara,  veronica  sawyer,  lorelai  gilmore,  luke  danes,  logna  huntzberger,  jess  mariano,  derek  forester,  lane  kim,  dave  rygalski,  sookie  st  james,  daphne  bridgerton,  simon  basset,  claire  standish,  allison  reynolds,  brian  johnson,  samantha  baker,  austin  ames,  samantha  montgomery,  joey  potter,  jen  lindley,  dawson  leery,  pacey  witter,  peter  parker,  mary  jane  watson,  fiona  gallagher,  lip  gallagher,  faith  lehane,  cordelia  chase,  willow  rosenberg,  prue  halliwell,  paige  matthews,  piper  halliwell,  leo  wyatt,  cole  turner, theo raeken, malia tate, liam dunbar, cora hale, isaac lahey, allison argent, scott mccall, hayden romero, jordan baker, olivia baker, layla keating, spencer james, stiles stilinski, lyla garrity, and tim riggins !

[softiedancers]

All TDA Best Dancer Titles By Studio

Mini Female Best Dancers:

2 Wins

Larkin Dance Studio (Kelsie Jacobson 2021, Savannah Manzel 2020)

The Rock Center For Dance (Crystal Huang 2019, Kiarra Waidelich 2016)

Stars Dance Studio (Kya Massimino 2021, Diana Pombo 2016)

1 Win

Project 21 (Gracyn French 2019)

Michelle Latimer Dance Academy (Elliana Walmsley 2018)

Evolve Dance Complex (Cami Voorhees 2018)

Center Stage Performing Arts Studio (Brightyn Brems 2017)

Prodigy Dance And Performing Arts Centre (Hailey Bills 2017)

Limitless at Master Ballet (Avery Gay 2015)

Joanne Chapman School of Dance (Jezzaeyah Slack 2015)

Club Dance Studio (Brynn Rumfallo 2014)

Westchester Dance Academy (Kayla Mak 2014)

Drewitz Dance Productions (Tate McRae 2013)

Murrieta Dance Project (Talia Seitel 2012)

CC & Co. Dance Complex (Leara Stanley 2011)

Mini Male Best Dancers:

2 Wins

Murrieta Dance Project (Aedyn Bekker 2019, Artyon Celestine 2016)

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre (Hudson Pletcher 2018, Joziah German 2014)

Stars Dance Studio (Michael Cash Savio 2021, Brady Farrar 2014)

1 Win

Danceology (Jacob Barrow 2021)

PULSE Dance Centre (Keenan Mentzos 2020)

Woodbury Dance Center (Ian Stegeman 2019)

companyONE (Anthony Lagrega 2018)

Club Dance Studio (JT Church 2017)

Elite Danceworx (Stefano Bonomo 2017)

The Dance Zone (Jonathan Paula 2016)

The Rage (Gavin Morales 2015)

Art & Soul Dance Company (Tristan Ianiero 2015)

Southern Strutt (Joey Britt 2013)

Dance Empire of Miami (Jamaii Melvin 2012)

Talent Factory (Travis Atwood 2011)

Junior Female Best Dancers:

3 Wins

Club Dance Studio (Bostyn Brown 2016, Jaycee Wilkins 2015, Kalani Hilliker 2013)

2 Wins

The Rock Center For Dance (Crystal Huang 2021, Kiarra Waidelich 2018)

Larkin Dance Studio (Ali Ogle 2020, Ava Wagner 2018)

YYC Dance Project (Bella Klassen 2017, Tate McRae 2015)

1 Win

Evolve Dance Complex (Cami Voorhees 2021)

The Pointe Performing Arts Center (Keagan Capps 2019)

WESTSIDE Dance Project (Addison Leitch 2019)

Master Ballet Academy (Avery Gay 2017)

Danceology (Emma York 2016)

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Center (Emma Sutherland 2014)

RT Dance Academy (Sophia Lucia 2014)

Jean Jeigh Academy of Dance (Payton Johnson 2012)

The Dance Centre (Jayci Kalb 2011)

Junior Male Best Dancers:

3 Wins

Stars Dance Studio (Nicholas Bustos 2020, Brady Farrar 2017, Parker Garrison 2016)

2 Wins

Performing Dance Arts (Jackson Foley 2018, Murphy Lee 2015)

Elite Danceworx (Stefano Bonomo 2019, Findlay Mcconnell 2014)

1 Win

The Base Dance Center (Cooper Macalalad 2021)

Woodbury Dance Center (Ian Stegeman 2021)

Vlad's Dance Company (Timothy Zvifel 2019)

Canadian Dance Unit (Jonathan Paula 2018)

Art & Soul Dance Company (Tristan Ianiero 2017)

Just for Kicks (Holden Maples 2016)

Center Stage Performing Arts Studio (Carter Williams 2014)

JCSOD (Julian Lombardi 2013)

Dance Town (D'angelo Castro 2012)

Dance Unlimited (Jonathan Wade 2011)

Teen Female Best Dancers:

2 Wins

The Rock Center For Dance (Savannah Kristich 2021, Kiarra Waidelich 2020)

Club Dance Studio (Bostyn Brown 2019, Simrin Player 2014)

Elite Danceworx (Kelis Robinson 2018, Jazzmin James 2012)

1 Win

Project 21 (Dyllan Blackburn 2021)

Dance Town (Ruby Castro 2019)

YYC Dance Project (Tate McRae 2018)

WESTSIDE Dance Project (Megan Goldstein 2017)

Stars Dance Studio (Quinn Starner 2017)

Dance Industry Performing Arts Center (Emma Sutherland 2016)

Denise Wall Dance Energy (Morgan Higgins 2016)

Elevation Studios (Lucy Vallely 2015)

Jean Leigh Academy of Dance (Payton Johnson 2015)

The Dance Centre (Jayci Kalb 2014)

Murrieta Dance Project (Christina Ricucci 2013)

CC & Co. Dance Complex (Sarah Pippin 2011)

Teen Male Best Dancers:

5 Wins

Elite Danceworx (Joey Gertin 2018, Findlay Mcconnell 2017, Julian Elia 2014, Zenon Zubyk 2013, Kyle Patrick Clark 2012)

3 Wins

Stars Dance Studio (Brady Farrar 2021, Logan Hernandez 2015, Ricky Ubeda 2011)

1 Win

Larkin Dance Studio (Caleb Abea 2021)

The Rock Center For Dance (Easton Magliarditi 2020)

Performing Dance Arts (Murphy Lee 2019)

Westlake Dance Center (Holden Maples 2019)

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre (Joziah German 2018)

Danceology (Ryan Maw 2017)

The Company (Sage Rosen 2016)

Dance Town (D'Angelo Castro 2016)

Company C Dance Club (Graham Feeny 2015)

West Coast School of the Arts (Lex Ishimoto 2014)

Senior Female Best Dancers:

3 Wins

WESTSIDE Dance Project (Ell Horan 2021, Lucy Vallely 2018, Alyssa Allen 2014)

2 Wins

Larkin Dance Studio (Ellie Wagner 2019, Taylor Sieve 2016)

Elite Danceworx (Kelis Robinson 2020, Bianca Melchior 2011)

1 Win

Westchester Dance Academy (Kayla Mak 2021)

Stars Dance Studio (Vivian Ruiz 2019)

Denise Wall Dance Energy (Morgan Higgins 2018)

Club Dance Studio (Simrin Player 2017)

Jean Leigh Academy of Dance (Payton Johnson 2017)

The Dance Centre (Jayci Kalb 2016)

Columbia City Jazz (Ashley Green 2015)

Elite Danceworx (Jazzmin James 2015)

Dancemakers of Atlanta (Brianne Sellars 2014)

The Dance Studio of Fresno (Miriam Gittens 2013)

Center Stage Performing Arts Studio (Jenna Johnson 2012)

Senior Male Best Dancers:

2 Wins

Elite Danceworx (Findlay Mcconnell 2019, Kyle Patrick Clarke 2015)

Columbia City Jazz (Michael Hall 2015, Daniel Gaymon 2011)

1 Win

Danceology (Alex Shulman 2021)

Center Stage Performing Arts Studio (Jaxon Willard 2021)

Prodigy Dance And Performing Arts Centre (Joziah German 2020)

Dance Town (D'Angelo Castro 2019)

The Rock Center For Dance (Christian Smith 2018)

Vlad's Dance Company (Michael Novitski 2018)

Artistic Fusion Dance Academy (Timmy Blankenship 2017)

Denise Wall Dance Energy (Wyeth Walker 2017)

West Coast School Of The Arts (Lex Ishimoto 2016)

Dance Unlimited (Jonathan Wade 2016)

Leeming Danceworx (Keanu Uchida 2014)

Southern Strutt (Zelig Williams 2013)

Stars Dance Studio (Ricky Ubeda 2012)

Most Best Dancer Wins Total

Elite Danceworx (15)

Stars Dance Studio (13)

Club Dance Studio (9)

The Rock Center For Dance (8)

Larkin Dance Studio (7)

Prodigy Dance And Performing Arts Centre (6)

WESTSIDE Dance Project (5)

Center Stage Performing Arts Studio/Dance Town/Danceology/Murrieta Dance Project (4)

Columbia City Jazz/Denise Wall Dance Energy/The Dance Centre/YYC Dance Project (3)

Art & Soul Dance Company/CC & Co. Dance Complex/Dance Unlimited/Evolve Dance Complex/Jean Leigh Academy of Dance/Project 21/Southern Strutt/Vlad's Dance Company/Westchester Dance Academy/West Coast School Of The Arts/Woodbury Dance Center (2)

[choicessa]

Shaken (M!Raleigh x MC)

Pairing: M!Raleigh x MC

Words: 4100 (~ 23 minutes)

Summary: Raleigh and MC broke up a few months ago and now they meet again at the party, Raleigh being engaged and MC being brokenhearted. How will they handle seeing each other again?

Warnings: A bit of swearing

He was with her.

Ruby took a sip of her drink, trying to ignore the shaking of her hand when she raised the glass to her mouth. She swallowed the liquid, welcoming the familiar feeling of warmth spreading throughout her body right now and she sighed, heavily, her eyes almost involuntarily moving and stopping at the couple, standing at the other side of the room and grinning widely.

Of course he was with her.

When she agreed to attend this party, Avery warned her that he may be there, that it is almost impossible to avoid seeing him there. So she knew the risk, she knew it since she accepted the invitation, she knew it when she was getting ready for the party and she knew it when she was leaving the limo and entering the mansion.

The only thing she wasn't prepared for, was the sight of him with her. Ruby clenched her hand around the glass, squeezing it as hard as she could, still being unable to turn away, to look anywhere else, but not on them. Yet she was hypnotized, her eyes following every gesture, every smile, every kiss they exchanged, greeting guests, smiling, their hands laced together.

Why was she even surprised? They were inseparable after all.

One month ago huge news appeared all around the media, shocking practically everyone and especially the people who knew him – Raleigh Carrera got engaged. To no one else but Becca Atwood. She was a model, a rising star of Pictagram and, apparently, the hottest body of the summer as some thirsty people called her. Her face was everywhere, her huge smile, probably being the result of hundreds of visits to orthodontists, was on almost every billboard in the city when the newest cosmetic brand asked her to be their face. Someone would call her perfect, long blonde hair, falling in perfect waves onto her shoulders, her big blue eyes, always accented with a thin line drawn at her upper eyelid with eyeliner, her full lips, perfectly shaped, always covered with red lipstick and she, tall, slim, with an almost impossibly small waist, self-confident, tempting, shining, being perfect.

At the beginning it all started just like always – she and Raleigh were spotted together, holding hands and soon all kind of media was filled with their photos, posing together, exchanging kisses, making out, dating, spending together every second of their lives. She was just another star they have found for him, another gossip they created, another girl threw right into his arms...

Not so long ago she was that kind of girl...

With an annoyed snort she emptied the glass, in one gulp swallowing the rest of her drink.

Now it wasn't a good time to remember that...

She shot a quick look at the waiter who approached her, offering the tray to her. Ruby thank him with a nod of her head and weak smile and put down her glass there. For a moment she looked after the waiter, mingling among the guests, tray perfectly balanced in his hand. And then she sighed, again, once again looking left, her earrings swaying lightly with the movement of her head.

They were still there...

The corners of her lips dropped when she moved her gaze across two figures standing not so far from her. She was wearing a tight red dress, with a deep cut, showing her perfectly shaped leg every time she barely moved, her hair as always curled into waves, falling onto her shoulders. Almost unconsciously Ruby reached out to her own hair, touching them and with sadness realizing how bland she must have looked, compared to someone like Becca. The girl laughed, throwing her head back, and soon she was leaning down, whispering something to Raleigh's ear, his lips raising in a smirk, almost like she was telling him the best joke ever.

He was wearing the same black tuxedo as always, the sight of him, dressed up like this, bringing a soft smile to her lips and once again awaking something inside her, that kind of emotion she thought that was long gone. But it was enough to see him, even if just from the distance, to burst out, all of the tames crashing down when she couldn't stop this familiar feeling of being drawn to him, this warmth pooling in her chest, when he was like a magnet, pulling her closer and closer. Yet no matter how much she wanted to move, to simply walk over to him, how much she wanted to throw her arms around him, and bring her lips to his in a kiss, she knew she couldn't.  

She has lost the right to do this a long time ago.

The warmth in her chest was quickly replaced by the heavy burden, in her stomach, when she was flooded with sadness, with despair, now remembering just how much she had lost, how many memories, how many nights she spent on crying, putting all of her emotions into songs, dozens of songs that she has written late at nights, those songs she kept on humming in the shower, yet the songs that were never meant to be heard by any other ear.

After all, it was all for entertainment, why would she tell anyone just how real was her pain?

She knew she should simply look back, that she should turn around, grab another drink, go mingle with other guests, and pretend that he is not here. She should have fun, dancing and partying with her friends, she should drink as much as she could, not caring if she's drunk or not, she should do things she will regret later and live like there's no tomorrow. How long should she be drowning in her sorrow, in her pain, over a man that she knew will bring her nothing but heartbreak?

She looked up and at that moment heart stopped beating for a second in her chest.

Because he was looking right at her.

His dark eyes locked with hers, a look of surprise, like he would never suspect to see her here, like he was shocked that she was standing there, almost within the reach of his hand, just on the other side of the room. He blinked, once, twice and then his gaze started to move, slipping across her figure, lower and lower, before he returned to her face, the look he gave her, showing her every little emotion he was hiding, every little word he'd like to tell her and he couldn't.

And she couldn't stand it anymore.

Without a word, Ruby turned around and left the room, the door shutting close behind her back when she ran into the garden, further and further away, just as far as possible from this house, from this party, from him.

Why was she thinking she could do it? Was it her pride that blinded her, making her think that she could stand being in the same room with them, without a single emotion? Was she really so naive, thinking that agreeing to this will give her the closure? Was she that stupid, lying to herself that she could look at him without missing him as much as she did right now?

A single tear fell from her eye, falling across her cheek and Ruby wiped it away angrily, not caring if this careless gesture will ruin her makeup or not. She will never be as perfect as Becca, so what was the point of trying and pretending? Another tear and another angry gesture of getting rid of it, until finally she sighed heavily and sat down at the nearest swing. And as soon as she did, she took a deep, ragged breath, before letting it go, slowly, her eyes closing.

The noises coming from the party were barely noticeable here, the only sounds she could hear were crickets and the soothing noise of trees and bushes being moved by the gusts of warm wind. She was finally away from all of this... She took another deep breath, much calmer now, and let the air out, listening to the sounds of the night, getting lost in them, letting the serenity of this place, of this night wash over her, letting all of the thoughts to go away. The swing was rocking slowly with every move of her feet, when she was gently pushing it, front and back, the wood creaking just so slightly under the movements and gentle wind messing her hair.

At least now she knew that she wasn't ready, at least now she knew that no matter what Avery was telling her, she still needed more time to heal, more time to forget, more time to learn how to live with the broken heart... Or somehow learn how to heal it.

„Hi, Ruby.”

For a moment heart stopped in her chest, when she heard the voice right behind her back, the voice that she would recognize everywhere, the voice that still haunted her in her dreams, the voice that she could still remember whispering her name, softly, sweetly, with adoration, when not so long ago they were laying together in bed, hands intertwined, the voice...

His voice.

She swallowed hard and turned around, slowly, oh, so slowly, until finally, she dared to raise her eyes and look at the man standing in front of her.

Shit.

She really hoped that she will be safe here, in the garden, far from other guests, when the party was in a full swing inside Ozone's home. And most importantly she was hoping that he won't find her here and she wouldn't have to deal with any kind of confrontation. Especially after running away like a fool, in front of him...

Karma was a bitch, wasn't it?

And why did he have to look so fucking good?

Although she had seen him in this suit dozens of times before, he was still capable of taking her breath away, especially when he was standing so close.

Too close.

„Raleigh.” She said finally, surprised just how casual her voice was.

Maybe all those hours she had practiced with Fiona, learning how to be someone she was not, truly helped her to hide her real thoughts? Helped her pretend that she was always fine? Even when she wasn't.

„I wasn't sure if you will be here tonight...”

„Well, it's Ozone, of course, I couldn't miss it in a world." Ruby managed to smile.

„Yeah, that's true.” Raleigh nodded, looking down at the drink he was holding in his hand.

Tequila, probably, Ruby thought to herself.

They were standing there for a moment, this uncomfortable silence between them, even though not so long ago every moment they have spent together were filled with hushed voices, excited whispers, sweet words, when they couldn't stop talking. And now?

Another thing that has changed and will never go back to what was before...

"May I sit down?" Raleigh pointed to the swing and Ruby shrugged, looking back from him.

She knew she should have said 'no', that she should cut him off, maybe even stand up and run away yet again. But her whole body wanted nothing more than to tell him 'yes', to have right there, next to her, his warm body being so close, within the reach of her hand... This time he made the decision for her and after a moment of hesitation he approached her, sitting on the swing, right next to her.

And then there was this silence again.

This embarrassing silence she couldn't stand at all.

„Well, I think I should congratulate you?” Ruby cleared her throat.

„Congratulate me?”

„On your engagement of course.” She said, before biting her tongue.

Shit.

Raleigh's face fell and his shoulders slumped when he looked right into her eyes. And at that moment she could read everything from them. Regrets, pure hurt, and even more regrets when his eyes found hers.  

Idiot.

She was such an idiot.

„Raleigh... I'm sorry... I...”

„Naah, that's okay. I guess I kinda deserved it, huh?” He scoffed, taking a sip of his tequila.

„No... You don't deserve any of this... I know it wasn't your choice, so I could shove those congratulations up my...”

„Yeah, yeah, I get the picture." Raleigh snorted and for a small moment the tension was gone, he was smirking and she was relaxing when this one terrible joke seemed to crush the first layer of the wall they have put up this evening. "It's fucked up, you know?"

"What?"

"This." He made a gesture with his hand, almost like he was trying to embrace the whole garden. "Me, at this party, with my fiancee on my shoulder, pretending I am the happiest man on Earth." He scoffed, shaking his head.

"It is all arranged?" She asked, even though she knew the real answer.

Well, she hoped she knew the real answer.

But she'd rather hear it from him, she'd rather get the confirmation that it was all done against what he wanted, that it was all done simply for the public, that it was all just a huge lie and he was a victim.

"Of course it is." Raleigh sighed heavily. "They just called me one day and told me they arranged this cruise, rented a boat and I am supposed to propose..."

„You couldn't say no?”

„And what do you think?" Raleigh snorted. „They tell you to date, your date; they tell you to get engaged, you get engage; they tell you to break up and you..." He hung his voice suddenly, before shooting her a glance. He really had to go that way, huh? „...you break up...” He finished finally, taking a sip of his drink.

„Don't you think it's too much? How far should we allow them to go? To control our lives like that?”

„You know damn well how this works, Ruby.” He snorted again. „You want fame, you want recognition, you want a good press. So you do what they say. You have to allow them or you're out.”

„I still think it's not fair.”

„Nope. Nope, it's not.” Raleigh took the last sip of his tequila and sighed. "Nothing is fair in this life..."

Ruby said nothing and the silence fell between them once again.

„Do you ever think about it?" Raleigh asked suddenly, straightening, the swing swaying slightly under the force of his sudden movement.  

„About what?”

„How our lives could look like if they weren't dictated by the others? If we could choose where to go, who to date?" He looked down at the empty glass in his hands. „Do you ever wonder..." He hung his voice, suddenly refusing to finish his thought.

Because what was the point?

He knew damn well that his dreams were never meant to happen, that his hopes were nothing more but hopes of a naive man, the one he apparently still was. They had no future together, it all ended when their PRs decided they're outdated, that no one cares about them dating so they have to break up. Their relationship was over, just like that, just because someone said so and thinking how it could have been was nothing more than a pure torment.  

So why bring it up?

„Yes?” Ruby's voice brought him back to reality and he looked at her.

Her dark eyes were shining in the dark garden, a reflection of a moonlight twinkling like stars when she was looking at him, eyes wide opened, with such vulnerability, silently asking him to finish his thought, to give her a reason to torment as well.

„What if... What if... We could become real?”

Echo of his voice disappeared between the bushes surrounding them and suddenly there was nothing but silence.

Ruby blinked, once, twice, her eyes averting from his face and looking somewhere over his shoulder, almost like she had found the most interesting thing there.

And her thoughts became restless.

How many times she has been through this one 'what if', how many hours she has spent fantasizing about them being together, not because someone told them, but because they wanted to, on their own terms; how many sleepless nights when she was letting tears fall from her eyes and sink into the pillow under her head when she was crying after the man she had lost, a man that was never meant to be hers. At least not in the way she'd want him to be. How many dreams of his arms around her, how many fantasies of his kisses, his smile, his warmth, his body right next to hers...

And the harsh realization that it was never meant to be.

They were never meant to be.

„Yes...” She whispered finally, yet still refusing to look at him. „More often than I'd like to admit...”

She could hear him take a ragged breath and then the clink of the glass hitting the ground when she simply dropped it from his hand, not caring if it can shatter of not.

And only when he whispered her name she dared to look at him.

„Ruby..." His voice trembled when he spoke her name again, his hands reaching out to her, clasping her palms between his, with that strange, unspoken desperation. „I want you to know that... What we had... It was real for me." He confessed, looking down at their hands, fingers lacing together, almost like they were taught to do this and only this. „They could have initiated it, but... I have never felt like this with anyone ever before and I probably never will again..." He looked up at her and knit his eyebrows at the sight of teardrops appearing in her eyes and threatening to spill. „There isn't a day when I wouldn't regret that we never had a real chance..." He drew in a ragged breath, reaching out to her, his trembling hand placing on her cheek. „And there isn't a day when I am not thinking about you..." With a sad smile he brushed away the first tear from her cheek.  

She knew it was wrong, she knew that if someone would spot them here, no matter who, another star, singer, actor, a random paparazzi – their reputations would be destroyed. And she had enough drama in her life for the last few months, a new scandal wouldn't look good in her resume. But...

He did feel so good.

Her body once again was acting against her rational brain, when she leaned into his touch, her eyelids fluttering when she closed her eyes, covering his hand with her own, pressing it stronger to her skin, the warmth so familiar, so good...

„If only we could...” She started to speak, but her voice cracked and gave up, refusing to emit a single sound more.

Raleigh leaned even closer, pulling her near to his body until their foreheads finally touched. She could feel his warm breath on her mouth, the air he let out with his every breath softly touched her skin, drying the tears streaming down her face. She shouldn't be crying, she hated herself for that, especially that she was mourning the loss of something she never truly had in the first place. Yet tears were falling, one after another, marking her dress, marking the sleeves of his suit, the familiar saltiness on her lips when she licked her mouth, suddenly so dry.

He was so close.

She could see this almost invisible scar at the side of his face, the one loose hair strand that fell onto his forehead, the way his dark eyes scanned her face, unable to look back when he seemed mesmerized by her, drawn to her by this invisible force. She blinked and Raleigh noticed one lonely teardrop now glued to her dark lashes and he wanted nothing more than to kiss this place, get rid of this tear, to make her happy again, to see her lips lifting in the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. But he wasn't the one to do this anymore, was he? He lost his right to do that when he had lost her... A sigh escaped his lips when he looked down to her mouth, his thumb now agonizingly slowly stroking her lower lip, her warm breath tingling his skin. Would it be so bad to taste her, one last time? Would it be so terrible to give her the proper goodbye, the one she had always deserved? Would it be so selfish to kiss her, just this once? Her mouth parted slowly under his touch, a small sigh escaping them and with it an almost inaudible noise when she whispered his name, like a prayer, like a request, like a favor, asking him to do what they both were craving for.

And then he closed the gap between them and his lips found hers.

He kissed her slowly, tenderly, with no rush at all, when he was savoring the taste of her lips first time in months, trying to prolong this moment as much as he could, when he wanted to memorize every little detail of her. The way her lips moved against his, answering to his kisses, the way her hands wrapped around his neck, fingers tangling between his strands; the way she tasted, the sweetness of her vanilla lipstick now on his mouth when he kissed her again and again and again.

They knew they had to be careful, risking someone spotting them, yet at the same time it seemed like the whole world around them disappeared, shrinking to nothing but this serene part of the garden and the swing they were sitting on. Raleigh arms wrapped around her waist, finding a comfortable place on her back when he pulled her body closer to his, their chests colliding and a soft gasp escaping Ruby's lips at the sudden impact. But he silenced her with yet another kiss, more desperate, more hungry this time when his tongue slipped between her lips, asking for permission, the one she happily gave him. Her nails scraped the base of his neck causing him to murmur with delight, until it turned into a moan, full of pleasure when she gently tugged at his hair. He dragged her even closer, his hand moving down, across her back, lower and lower, finding the cut at the side of her dress and slipping under it, his warm palm almost burning the skin on her thigh where it rested, squeezing her gently, yet hard enough to make her sigh. Ruby wasn't sure for how long they stayed like this, kissing, touching, wrapped into each other embrace, none of them wanting to be the first one to stop this.

Until finally they had to, their lips parting, their bodies moving away, yet their eyes still locked onto each other.

„Well...” Ruby cleared her throat. „It's definitely a better break up than last time...”

Raleigh snorted with laughter and his longing gaze moved across her face once again, almost like he was trying to memorize every little detail of it.

„I truly care for you, Ruby.” He confessed. „I want you to know that.”

„I know.” She smiled sadly, cocking her head to the side. „And I care for you, Raleigh.”

„Even though I am a flirt, rebel, and a heartbreaker?" He raised his eyebrow, a familiar smirk appearing on his face and Ruby felt her self smiling as well.

„Yes.” She assured, reaching out to him, tenderly brushing away a few strands of his hair from his forehead. „So this is goodbye, huh?”

„Well, we'll see each other at parties like that, so...”

„You know what I mean...”

„Yeah... I know...” They sat there, in silence, the swing swaying gently under their movements, their hands still locked together, fingers laced, when in this silence, this stolen moment, they were saying their silent goodbyes, none of them wanting to the first one to break this apart.

Until finally Raleigh sighed and stood up, pressing one last kiss to her lips, a sad smile lifting corners of his mouth.

„See you around?” He asked, taking a step back, but still unable to let go of her hand, the grip of it around her palm only increasing.

„Yeah. See you around.” Ruby nodded, finding last remnants of strength to smile.

If her grimace could have been called a smile...

Raleigh took another step back and another, the hold of his hand around her weakening with every step he was taking.

Their fingers started to separate, unable to stand the distance so big, the warmth of his hand disappearing from hers.

One last longing look of their eyes, one last sad smiles on their faces, the last brush of fingertips against each other.

And then he was turning around, disappearing behind the nearest tree, the sound of his steps slowly disappearing in the distance.

And just like that...

He was gone.