#but in time to join some folks on the next flight

[renabe4life]

Is... it really you?

[mydearzero]

𝐑𝐄𝐃 | 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

MASTERLIST

18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Summary: What once was an innocent crush on a coworker quickly turned into a full blown infatuation with your boss. She could reprimand you all she wanted, but did she have to wear red while doing so?

Contents: NO Y/N, fem!Reader, BAU!reader, unit chief!Emily, SMUT, coworkers, very slight dom/sub undertones, office sex, oral sex, grinding, fingering, power imbalance (boss), canon compliant violence, If I missed any warnings please tell me!

2.8K words

it's here folks, enjoy. let's just ignore that everything about emily screams woman lover to build tension okay. this was the quickest 2.8K I've written in a long time so uh yeah do with that info what you will (I'm horny for Emily) - nik

You hadn't had the opportunity to work with Emily Prentiss before she left the team to work for Interpol. You'd only just missed each other, you joining mere weeks after she'd left. 

Her reputation preceded her. The team was overly fond of her, even after having faked her own death. You'd seen a picture here or there, but nothing could live up to the Emily Prentiss who met you in New York for the Copycat Killer case. 

She'd been in a relationship with some guy Mark, so you'd really tried to look the other way. But when Hotch went on temporary leave during the whole Scratch situation, she volunteered to rejoin. The day she stepped foot in the bullpen, you knew you were in trouble. 

You could ignore the heat rushing to your face and your hands getting clammy. You could ignore the knowing glances JJ gave you. You could even ignore the digs Luke sent your way once he'd figured out something was going on. What you couldn't ignore, however, was the story Emily was telling while having had one too many drinks. 

"-and my girlfriend at the time freaked out. I tried to tell her it was a fake, but she was already halfway to crying in my arms." 

The words repeated over and over again in your head. 

Girlfriend. 

Her. 

She. 

You could handle an unattainable crush. Hell. Who hadn't had a crush on a straight girl at least once in their life? But knowing Emily played for both teams changed things. It made your irrational feelings rational. You completely lost the ability to look her in the eyes after that. 

You tried to not let your feelings get in the way of your job. The work the BAU did was too important to let that happen. 

It didn't last long. 

An adrenaline rush got the better of you while attempting to talk down an UnSub. But what were you supposed to do? He'd held a gun to Emily's head. One wrong move and it would've been over. You couldn't take that chance. 

Your ears were ringing as tunnel vision took over. The grimy scenery of the warehouse faded into the background. The dripping of the leaking pipes was deafened by your heartbeat. The UnSub's words were drowned out by Emily's haggard breathing. She was scared. 

You did what you had to. You took the shot. The man had dropped to the floor, but not before firing a storm of bullets in your direction, only missing by a few inches. 

While you'd been lucky nobody had been hurt, the same couldn't be said about the team's reactions to your actions. The flight back to Quantico had been short but tense. You wouldn't be hearing the end of this for quite some time to come. 

Though you knew the team would be on edge around you for some time, you hadn't expected what would happen on the very next case. 

"You're off the case." Emily's words were blunt. 

"What? Why?" You questioned. You'd expected to have to take a psych evaluation. Maybe even redo your gun qualifications. But to be put on the bench? Especially on a local case? 

"We've profiled this UnSub as highly unpredictable. I can't have you take uncalculated risks in the field. I appreciate all the work you've done so far, but this is where I need you to step back." Emily looked apologetic. 

"The last case was different! I can stay back here with Penelope. Just let me help, Emily, please," you pleaded. Damn your inability to be mad at her. You couldn't, not when she wore that damn red top that complimented her complexion (and boobs) so well. 

"I'm sorry. We'll talk when we get back." 

Penelope wouldn't let you into her office, so you resorted to catching up on paperwork at your desk. You could've left and taken this as a sign to get some free time. Yet you stayed right there, waiting. 

When Penelope finally left her office with her stuff, ready to go home, you knew the case was over. She asked you to late dinner, but you declined, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. She waved a short goodbye before stepping into the elevator, leaving you alone with your thoughts once more. 

It wasn't long before the elevator moved again, doors opening to reveal Emily Prentiss. Just Emily Prentiss. You frowned as she walked into the bullpen, nodding at her office, signalling you to follow her. 

"Where's the rest?" You wondered, walking through the door and taking a seat across from the desk. Emily shut the door and turned to close the shutters. 

"I sent them home. We'll debrief in the morning," was all she said. 

She gestured to the chair across from hers. You sat, unsure of what to expect next. 

"I think we need to talk about what happened in New York," Emily left it an open statement. She obviously expected you to do the talking. 

"I'm aware my actions didn't look thought through. And maybe they weren't. But I was worried about what he would do to you," you were honest about what had gone down. 

"Worried or not, there are protocols we need to follow. You put everybody in that room in danger by making that choice. How is that any better than having me potentially get shot?" 

You really tried to focus. It was a serious and consequential discussion. But it was at that moment you realized you'd never actually been alone with Emily. You rubbed your hands on your thighs, trying to rid them of their clammyness and the tension that built in your body. 

"I don't know," was your final reply. A weak one, at that. Emily searched your face for answers. She noted the sheen covering your skin and dilated pupils. You felt scrutinized under her gaze. She squinted, slowly leaning back and crossing her arms. 

You hadn't meant to look, but the action brought the red top back to your attention. Your eyes dropped to Emily's cleavage, if only for a second. Your mouth went dry as they quickly snapped back up to meet her now amused ones. A coy smile crept onto her face. Emily took a deep breath before speaking again. This time, you knew better, only looking in your peripheral at how her chest raised and fell. 

"You know, earlier, you mentioned the last case was different. How come?" Emily inquired. She'd caught that, huh? You felt trapped as you figured she'd deduced the real reason for your careless actions.  

You didn't speak as Emily rose from her chair, taking slow strides around the desk. She placed a hand on your shoulder, standing behind you and leaning over the other. Goosebumps raised on your arms as you felt her warm breath against your collar. 

"I think I know," she whispered in your ear. You unconsciously craned your neck, allowing her more access. Your heart beat rapidly. The hand on your shoulder slowly trailed down your arm, rubbing up and down. 

"Would you have taken the shot if it had been JJ? Or Spencer? Or maybe you would've taken it if it were Garcia. You're such great friends, after all," Emily's tone was taunting. The rising temperature of the room was quickly becoming unbearable. 

Her free hand reached for your chin, turning your head to face her. She cupped your cheek gently, admiring the sight of your desperation. She'd barely even touched you. Barely implied anything. 

"Is this what your strange behaviour lately has been about?" Emily asked. You bit your lip, not saying a word. She clicked her tongue, getting annoyed at your lack of response.  

"Is this not what you want?" She walked around the chair, standing in front of you. You couldn't give in. You wouldn't be able to stop. Not if she gave you a taste. Your hands remained firmly planted by your side as Emily did the unthinkable. She put her hands on your shoulders and draped her legs over yours, straddling you. Your eyes closed at the sensation of having her so close. 

The weight of her ass on your thighs was delectable. Her hands trailed down your arms, stopping when they rested on yours. She leaned forward, and you had to suppress a groan at the feeling of her chest pushing against yours. She took your hands and brought them around herself, planting them firmly on her bottom. Your entire body was on fire. 

"Look at me," Emily's voice was sultry. You opened your eyes tentatively, immediately dropping them to her lips, which were now dangerously close to yours. She didn't hesitate, kissing you roughly. Her hands came up to cup your face. You finally gave in, properly holding her on your lap as she fervidly kissed you. 

You moved your mouth away from hers, kissing down her jaw and sucking harshly at the skin of her neck. A timid moan came from her lips. You'd never heard a more beautiful sound. Her fingers started unbuttoning your blouse as you continued your attack, creating blemishes that contrasted with her pale skin. Once she got the blouse off, Emily's hands fondled your breasts roughly. 

"Shit, Em..." You sighed. You leaned back against the chair, admiring Emily in all her glory. 

"You look so fucking good in red, you don't even know," you groaned, tugging at the bottom of her shirt. 

"I do know," Emily raised her arms, allowing you to pull the shirt over her head. "That's why I wear it." 

"You drive me crazy, Prentiss," you finally admitted. 

"I think I know the feeling," Emily moaned, taking your hand and crudely stuffing it down her pants. Luckily the waistband was elastic, allowing you to feel the dampness of her underwear as you manoeuvred your wrist to cup her pussy. 

"Fuck... You don't know how many times I've imagined feeling your pussy," you confessed. "I've dreamt of the things I'd do to you." 

Emily groaned as you pushed her panties to the side, feeling the wetness against your fingers. The positioning of your hand might've been awkward, but you didn't care. Emily opted to go for another kiss as you started rubbing her clit. 

The soft noises she made while her tongue was in your mouth were otherworldly. Her hips ground against your hand, desperate for more friction. 

Emily hooked her fingers into the cups of your bra, not bothering to unclasp it, simply tugging them down to free your tits. She left a trail of open-mouthed kisses down your neck and chest before taking a nipple between her teeth. 

"Fuck- Emily," you whine. She brought her hand up to your other breast, pinching and biting your nipples in tandem. You retaliated by finally circling your fingers over her entrance, pushing two inside. 

"Oh! Ah- Fuck," Emily exclaimed, throwing her head back. You curled your fingers in the way you did to yourself while thinking of her late at night. Emily reached behind her, placing her hands on the edge of the desk, creating more space for you to do what you had to. 

Emily was becoming less coherent with every pump of your fingers. Your thumb hit her clit harshly with every thrust inside her pussy. Just seeing her come undone like this, on your lap, by your hand, was enough for you to drench your own underwear.

You brought your unoccupied hand to her naked waist, admiring her figure. You couldn't believe you got to see her like this after all this time you spent pining. Her eyes were closed as her chest heaved with heavy breaths. 

"Fuck, don't stop," Emily moaned. Her jaw was slack. Her knuckles turned white as her grip on the desk tightened. You felt her walls constrict around your fingers. You curled them in a come hither motion as you circled her clit with your thumb. 

Emily's arms shook as her moans turned into high-pitched whines, signalling she was getting close. 

"Shit! Oh my god," She exclaimed, followed by a loud moan of your name. It was like music to your ears. 

She rode out her high as she gushed around your fingers. Your free hand drew soothing patterns on her hip, working her through her climax. 

You carefully withdrew your hand from her panties, bringing your fingers to your mouth and sucking them clean. Emily let herself fall back forward, no longer having the strength to hold up her upper body with her arms. 

She took your fingers from your mouth, wrapping her lips around them and sucking seductively. She released them and pushed herself off your lap, tugging you up from your seat. She switched your positions, pushing you against the desk before getting on her knees. 

Emily reached for the button on your pants, undoing it and tugging it down. She tapped your ankle, signalling you to step out of them and spread your legs. It was a bit awkward with your shoes still on, but you made it work. Her fingers left a trail of goosebumps in their wind as she traced them up your leg to your inner thigh. 

She followed the path she'd just drawn with her mouth, hooking her teeth in the waistband of your underwear, laughing as she tugged them down. You smiled at her antics. 

Her mouth returned between your legs, licking a hesitant stripe between your folds. The kitten licks to your clit drove you crazy. 

"Fuck, please, Em," you begged, bringing your hands to her hair. You couldn't feel more lewd, tits out in your boss's office, said boss between your legs eating you out. The scandal of it all only turned you on even more. 

"Can't believe you put your whole job on the line-," Emily scoffed between licks. "-just because you wanted some pussy." 

"Not just some pussy," you moaned as she sucked on your clit. "Yours." 

"Such a horny little thing for your unit chief," Emily mumbled. The vibrations of her words added to your pleasure. 

Your grip on her dark locks tightened as she fucked your entrance with her tongue expertly. You had to put all your weight against the desk to stop your knees from buckling.

"F-fuck, Em. Oh my god," you groaned as she added her fingers to the mix. 

You dared to look down, only to be met with the finest sight the world had to offer. Emily gazed up at you through her lashes, dark eyes blown wide and amused. You could see her free hand was between her legs, stroking herself at the same rhythm she had with her mouth on your cunt. 

God, did you wish you had Reid's memory right about now. 

You didn't know how much longer you could last. Having had the pleasure of feeling her around your fingers, witnessing her expression as she came. It was enough to have you teetering on the edge. 

"Ah, fuck. I'm close," you whimpered. Emily moaned loudly, her pace increasing. Your hips bucked against her mouth, chasing the pleasure. Her hands came up to your sides, holding you in place. 

You had to withhold from forcefully pushing her head closer, desperate for more pressure, more friction, more more more. 

You balled your fists, throwing your head back. The knot in your abdomen tightened, threatening to snap any second. 

"Oh- shit, please." 

"Come for me." It was like she'd pressed a magic button, your climax immediately upon you as she spoke the words. 

"Emily!" You came with a loud cry, grinding your hips against her mouth. It was mindblowing. You'd never come that hard. Emily helped you ride out your high, careful to not overstimulate you. 

She rose from her position on the floor, hands never leaving your body as she got back on eye level. You searched her face for regret as both of you stood there, taking in the situation and catching your breath. 

She leaned in, placing a tender kiss on your lips. You smiled, kissing her back passionately. She helped you redress your upper body, all while never breaking the kiss. 

You separated to pick up your respective discarded pieces of clothing. The atmosphere was light. There was no unresolved tension as you had expected. A mutual understanding had been created. 

Emily grabbed her stuff and walked with you down to the bullpen. "Dinner tomorrow, my place," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," you agreed, putting your things in your bag. 

"For now, go get your go bag out of your car," she instructed, locking the door to her office. 

"Why?" You asked as you walked with her to the elevator. 

"Because you can return the favour and have an early appetizer in my bed tonight." 

[windvexer]

disappointment anon, i didnt actually know you could create spirit doors i thought i just had to hope that the spirits heard me after i called them to me because i dont have clairsenses or good divination.. LOL but thank you for that post that was extremely helpful :)

Hi! In Traditional Witchcraft and other related practices, I think I especially want to say Fairy Faith, the idea that the practitioner has the ability to find, capitalize on, or simply create portals, gateways, and roads into the spirit world is a dominant theme.

The only time I ever see this referenced in 101 stuff is casting a circle! The concept in Traditional Witchcraft is more or less the same as a Wiccan circle, but we call it a compass. If a lot of your education is coming from online sources, you may be unaware that a primary function of a magic circle is to "join the worlds" and, as Kelden puts it,

On a deeper level, though, and most central to Traditional Witchcraft, the compass is a liminal place, a doorway through which we can enter into the Otherworld.

On one hand, the word compass is synonymous with the word circle, but it also denotes the well-known navigational tool used in travel. This second meaning makes a lot of sense in the context that Traditional Witches use the compass round to navigate and traverse the different realms.

Kelden, The Crooked Path, 2020 (emphasis my own)

For a spirit-working witch, the skill of learning where to find spirits and how to reliably call them is a skill which I believe is separate from brokering deals. I also believe that working with these gateways is probably a fundamental skill of witchcraft.

The witch has many tools at their disposal for creating gateways into the spirit world and walking back and forth between this world and the next, with new knowledge, allies, and powers.

Some of these gateways are physical locations, each of which may lead to a different place in the otherworld, or make it easier or more difficult to access certain powers.

A small, secluded cave half-filled with water at the bottom of a steep riverbank may be the ideal location to enter the Underworld, or commune with chthonic powers.

A tiny thicket formed by the arch of a rosemary bush where it tangles with the branches of a thorny rose may be an excellent location to leave tiny gifts for the Greenwood and commune with the green folk.

Much more accessible for many of us is indeed just the concept of crossroads, either a 4-way X or a 3-way T. These locations are long famed for being the meeting places of spirits, or ideal locations to leave offerings or broker spirit deals. The Devil Himself is often said to be haunting just such remote crossroads.

But these gateways don't just have to be found. The witch has the power to create them.

Exhibit A - casting a circle (or more accurately to say, laying a compass).

Also, I believe the creation of a spellcasting altar, if properly magicked and tended to, begins to become liminal in and of itself - it literally becomes a doorway to the otherworlds.

Certain human-made locations, like gas stations and grocery stores, are often considered to be gateways and have been used by some practitioners to fulfill spellwork.

Various charms and talismans can assist with creating doorways navigating the liminal, most famously the Holey or Hag stone.

Robin Artisson details several methods of understanding, discovering, creating, and working with such doorways, I believe in Witching Way of Hollow Hill, but especially in An Carow Gwyn, in the section called The Breaching Charms: The Gateways into Sorcerous Experience.

Daniel Schulke, at least in Viridarium Umbris, provides several sigils and charms for obtaining entrance into the otherworld.

Roger J Horne, in A Broom at Midnight, details thirteen "gateways" to spirit flight. While these are specifically methods of entering astral travel, any student of the concept of gateways and doors within witchcraft I think would benefit from studying the rituals within.

Speaking of astral travel, many common methods espoused include imagining that a person is climbing down the roots of a tree, or inside of the trunk of a tree and floating down like an elevator; or going down a well. All of these things are analogous to (or, the same thing as) mentally seeking out a gateway to the otherworld, searching in mental constructs of places in nature where gateways are commonly found or believed to be found.

Indeed, the concept of roads, gates, thresholds, and doors, is (I think) a vital contemplation to the understanding of Witchcraft itself, and it is upon these bedrocks that a great deal of witchcraft has been built.

[spaceacealex]

Trip report!!

For those that have been waiting, sorry! I got home and immediately had to go help with a family thing. But here it is!

First, was the obvious. We had to drop off the baby boy with my parents. He had a great time with the family and was very dirty, stinky, and sleepy when we got back.

So where were we? We went to see the eclipse! As many of you know, My wife proposed to me under totality in the 2017 solar eclipse. So she surprised me with time off to travel to this last one on 4/8!

We flew to Nashville, TN and rented a car so I could scratch my road trip itch. We visited her family in KY, then went up to Cairo, IL for the event.

THIS is the public library in Cairo. It's an absolutely darling building, built originally to be a library and still proudly serving that purpose. The gals who were manning the counter were sweet, knowledgeable, and so welcoming. They had goodie bags with moon pies and starbursts and collected the eclipse glasses when we were done with them so they could be sterilized and sent down to Mexico for the next eclipse. So lovely to talk with and they welcomed us to spend the eclipse on their lawn with some local families. So we did!

We had a little picnic, chatted with some of the families, and got to watch totality in a tiny little town with so much character I still smile just thinking about it.

Hopefully you don't expect us to have top tier eclipse photography lol, but these are great for us! I got to kiss my wife under totality and it was hella romantic.

Then I got to drive more....then Kara got to drive because there were a ton of accidents and the three hour drive back to Nashville took more than six hours. So uh, my motion-sick self was struggling with the stop and go traffic.

But when we got there, we had a great night and then day walking around Eastside Nashville and pointing out the arcades I was going to take Kara to that evening.

That didn't quite happen.

Because the first stop we made in the arcade crawl is where we stayed all night.

No Quarter, the pinball arcade I now have a hat for because it's so friggin cool. We got to do many cool things there. 1)They had excellent drinks and in true Oregonian fashion I got to try the local cider and judge it. (it was good!) 2) I kicked Kara's ass at pinball. Very important. 3) I got MY ass kicked at pinball by literally every other person in the building. Also very important. Because 4) I got to play in a pinball tournament hosted by Belles and Chimes, specifically for women and non binary folks!

How did I, notorious nerves-haver and not a multiplayer pinball player join this?

5) I got to meet Quinn Hills. You know, @quinnhills ? Yeah. I'm still so giggly about it.

Hi. This pic is me, many drinks in, just absolutely giddy getting to meet (and hug!!) one of my favorite artists.

She's so sweet, so kind, and asked if I wanted to join the tournament.

Remember: do what beautiful women ask of you.

I am still kicking myself because I dropped the cliche, "your music has helped me through some really hard stuff." I mean, its absolutely true!! But I had told myself I was gonna be more eloquent than that. Oh well. I would blame the cider, but I was super excited and nervous before that, so I think I'm just a little goofy.

Kara also was happy to meet the woman who's music I had been blaring for that whole six plus hour car ride back to Nashville, and she's agreed to play pinball with me at our home bar! Major win!

We stayed until one in the morning, Kara ordered pizza to the hotel, and we had safe flights back home the rest of the day.

It was such a fun trip and I'm still losing my mind at all the little bits of it.

When I stream next (soon) I'm sure you'll hear about all this again. Along with my breakdown of eclipse conspiracies I've spent far too much time analyzing. <3

[vivalas-vega]

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part one

hiiii part one hot off the presses. I’m officially starting a hate club for that guy from molecular biology if anyone wants to join. as always lmk what you think and if you want to be added to the tag list :)

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part one

add yourself to my taglist

prologue

word count: 4.5k

warnings: language, angst, blink and you’ll miss it mention of drugs, naval inaccuracies (is this how shit works in the navy??? no idea but it does in this world lol) sweet and sad smut, oral (f receiving), unprotected p-in-v (wrap it before you tap it folks)

The air was crisp as you strode across campus, a slight breeze ruffling your hair and sending a chill down your legs. It was a change in pace for you this time of year, back home you’d be sweating and praying for a respite but now? You missed it. You missed the heat that made the air feel heavy around you, missed the way the only thing that would cool you off was a dip in the lake and you missed the way Jake would tease you for your incessant complaining. You missed Jake… period. For eight years you were attached at the hip, never straying far and certainly never doing anything apart from each other. You’d been there to hold his hand in the hospital after he fell from his tree house and broke his arm, you’d been there to give him a pep talk when he struck out with Suzy Something in the seventh grade and felt too embarrassed to show up at school the next day,  you’d been there to celebrate him when he got into flight school… and he’d been there to give you his sweater to tie around your waist when you got your first period during social studies, to hold your hand and laugh with you when you were goofy on painkillers after getting your appendix out sophomore year, and he’d been there to tell you that you were crazy but really cool when you decided you were going to be a surgeon at the ripe age of twelve.

College was everything you had hoped it would be, you felt intellectually stimulated for the first time in your life… your small town hadn’t offered you quite the education you needed and you’d made do but now you were learning from the best among the best and you were soaking up everything like a sponge. You’d made friends, had a really good roommate which you knew was a miracle with horror stories you’d heard when sharing lunch with some classmates and you felt like you could see your future in front of you. You were at one of the best colleges in the country, one that nurtured your passions and challenged you daily and you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were currently laying down the foundation for the following twelve years of your education. This was all good, this was all more than good but something was missing. There was a Jake-sized hole in your heart and even though this was your idea it didn’t make it hurt any less, and knowing you had to tell him you were bailing on Thanksgiving was gnawing a hole in your stomach.

You brought your phone to your ear, not even checking the screen as you knew who it was… this was your designated phone time for the week and you sat on a nearby bench as you answered. “Hey, Jake.”

“Hey Jupiter, how are you?” he asked and you felt immediately settled hearing his voice on the other end, laughing softly as you heard the nickname he bestowed on you in elementary school after a science presentation you gave on the planet with sheer enthusiasm that just stuck. It might as well have been your real name now, your parents hadn’t called you anything else in ages and even your new peers used it after overhearing a phone call with you and Jake and you loved it… you loved that something Jake had given you all those years ago still stuck, even to people who didn’t know him or the backstory.

“I’m good, exhausted but good. How’s flight school?” 

“It’s good… exhausting but good,” he said and you weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or cry. You hadn’t quite figured out how to talk to each other yet. It had been months since you left and you’d hoped not much would change but that was a pipe dream at best and you knew it. Everything would change, even though you promised to remain best friends. How do you go from being so hopelessly in love with someone to friends without everything changing? “Excited for Thanksgiving though,” he added and you felt guilt tug at your heart as you were reminded.

“About Thanksgiving…” you started and you heard him sigh.

“Please tell me you’re still coming,” he said and now you were certain you wanted to cry.

“I uh… There’s this big project I’m working on right now, it’s solo but requires the work of at least four people and I’m drowning with it on top of all of my other classes… I was going to stay on campus over break to get ahead of it so it’s not hectic when I get back,” you tried to explain but you knew he wouldn’t buy it. You could work on your project anywhere, and he also knew there was no way that you were drowning, you were better than that. You managed stress and heavy loads of studying like it was nothing. 

“I get it, I just… I miss you,” he said and you sniffled as you wiped your cheeks. “Oh honey, please don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying,” you tried and you heard him chuckle.

“Yeah and the sky isn’t blue, sweetheart. It’s okay, really. I’ll see you for Christmas,” he said and you nodded. But you didn’t see him for Christmas… or for New Year’s and your phone calls grew infrequent. Once a week turned into every other week, which turned into once a month and as the completion of your first year of college came around you hadn’t spoken to him since Easter and hadn’t seen him since that day in the airport.

You felt awful, you really did, but you thought it was better this way… every time you heard his voice you wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in his arms and if you saw him now while it was still so fresh you didn’t trust yourself to uphold your end of the deal. And Jake knew this on some level, because he knew you better than anyone. He knew it wasn’t necessarily personal as much as it hurt, that you were just trying to protect yourself and in a way protect him too because he still wanted nothing more than to hold you and tell you how much he loved you. 

And so life went on… you still talked, maybe once every few months as you advanced through school and as he accelerated through his training program. You were doing exactly what you said you would, learning how to excel at your chosen paths but it didn’t feel quite as satisfying as you’d hoped it would. Near the end of your second year a call from Jake’s mom had you packing your bags, stealing clothes and shoes from your roommate despite her protests and sprinting to the airport in record time to fly across the country for his graduation. You thought it was silly at first, you’d told his mom you weren’t sure he wanted you there, that you hadn’t really talked in so long and didn’t know if it was your place right now and she’d all but called you stupid. Your place was beside Jake she’d said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and as you stood in the hotel room his parents had set up for you you’d made a mental note to call them more… you knew why you were keeping distance with Jake but there was no reason to keep distance with them, they were your family too and would do anything for you, even give up seeing their son at his graduation despite her insistence of ‘he knows how proud we are, and it’s not us he wants to see’. 

Which is why you were now standing in a crowd among other Naval friends and family in a beautiful dress and heels you’d stolen from Mary, overlooking a group of new pilots all standing at attention as someone spoke into the microphone but in all honesty you weren’t listening, couldn’t be bothered with anything other than finding him there in the second row looking so handsome in his uniform. You were sure he couldn’t see you from where you were standing off to the side, and as people began heading up to tap out their loved ones you leaned over to an older woman beside you.

“Is there a system for how this goes?” you asked and she looked at you with a fond smile.

“Not formally, but usually it goes row by row,” she answered. “Who are you here for?” She smiled again when you pointed out Jake and made a show of her disappointment when you confirmed he wasn’t your brother, “that’s my son over there, if you’d said brother I was going to set you two up… he is a lucky guy,” she said, looking you over and you chuckled.

“Oh, your son is very handsome, I’m sure he’s doing just fine,” you replied and she nudged you when they began on the second row and you took a deep breath… it was now or never and you certainly couldn’t leave him up there the last to be tapped out wondering where the hell his family was. As you walked towards him you wondered if he’d noticed you or not, if he did he wasn’t showing it… not until you made eye contact when you got close enough and despite not wavering from his position you saw it in his eyes and broke out in a dead sprint towards him, tapping frantically on his shoulder so you could throw yourself at him and he caught you with ease, lifting you so you could wrap your legs around him. You sighed breathing in that scent that was so Jake as he spun you in circles.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, pulling back slightly but not allowing you to put your feet on the ground just yet… he’d gone almost two years without holding you and he wasn’t ready to let go. 

“Your mom,” you answered, unwrapping your legs and sliding down his front, but you kept your arms securely wrapped around his neck. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” you said softly and he looked at you incredulously.

“Why wouldn’t it be okay? This is all I could have asked for,” he said and you flushed as you hid your head in his chest.

“I missed you.” 

“I missed you too, Jupiter.” The crowd had thinned out now, families all making their way out to continue on with their graduation celebrations for the day and you turned when you felt a hand on your shoulder, coming face-to-face with the mom you’d chatted with earlier telling the two of you to squish together so she could take a photo. 

“Here,” she fished a pen and paper from her purse to hand to you while she allowed you to look through the candid photos she’d taken of your reunion and you grew misty as you flicked through them, and you eagerly wrote down your phone number and email for her to send them to you.

“Thank you so much… I didn’t even think about photos,” you said, giving her a big hug and congratulating her son before they left and you looked up to Jake with bright eyes.

“Leave it to you to make friends anywhere,” he said and you just smiled.

“Thank god for her honestly, if I didn’t have a singular photo to send to your parents I’m sure they’d cancel my flight home and tell me to figure it out,” you laughed.

“When do you go home?” he asked tentatively and it felt weird to you, the two of you referring to Stanford as home. You supposed it was now… you barely returned to Texas anymore, spending a few weeks over the summer before heading back to campus to take summer classes… you didn’t need to, not in the slightest but if they were offered you were going to take them, you were on track to graduate early and you’d take what you could get with how many more years of schooling you had ahead of you.

“Day after tomorrow,” you replied and you thought his face was going to crack wide open with the grin that spread across his features.

“I get you for two whole days?” he asked and you nodded, laughing as he hoisted you up and spun you around again. You took him by the hand and led him out to the parking lot and to your rental car and he whistled when he saw it, “god my parents love you,” he joked.

“This was actually my parents, mom pitched a fit about the idea of me taking cabs with strange people in a strange city,” you laughed as you got in and you twisted in your seat to look at him beside you, just taking him in and reveling in the fact that you were here with him, in the same time zone, in the same zip code. You wanted to reach across the console, grab him by the collar of that uniform and press your lips to his but that wasn’t allowed anymore and you needed to push past it. 

“Alright, graduate, where to? What’s your favorite lunch spot, or where’s a fancy place you’ve always wanted to go but were saving for a special occasion?” you asked and he just chuckled, directing you to a food truck only five minutes away and as you sat on a picnic bench in the parking lot you listened to him catch you up on all of his training. You watched as he enthusiastically detailed his first time flying solo, the time he flew through a bird strike (and him explaining to you what that was) and how every time he accomplished something new he thought of you. You told him all about your classes, which professors you loved and which you hated, and you told him about how Stanford kids might be the cream of the crop but they know how to party better than anyone and how you missed him at every single one.

“Better than our senior year bonfire?” he asked and you laughed.

“Doesn’t even hold a candle, if you thought watching me do beer bongs and dance on the hood of your truck was peak amusement just wait until you watch the kid who got into every Ivy League and MIT do blow and sneak into the athletic pool.” 

“I can’t wait to come visit you one day, you’ll have to show me around your fancy campus and take me to one of these infamous parties,” he said and you smiled softly.

“Name the day cowboy, I’ll be ready to give you the full Stanford experience.” He began to rattle off a list of things you could do today but… you just didn’t want to do any of it. You drove him back to base and followed him through the narrow hallways to his bunks where he collected a few of his necessities, listening attentively when he pointed things out as you went before navigating back to your hotel. When the door shut behind you a weight settled over you, sure this was what you wanted… to just go back to your hotel room, put on a made for tv movie and hang out with him but suddenly it felt overwhelming. You hadn’t been truly alone with him since the night before he dropped you off at the airport almost two years ago now and that was a thought that made you want to break down and cry. It had been two years and now you didn’t know how to behave alone in a room with him.

“I’m going to get out of this uniform,” he said softly, kissing your cheek before closing himself in the bathroom and you sighed as you sifted through your duffle bag, pulling out a pair of shorts and one of Jake’s old t-shirts… one you’d stolen forever ago and it was one of many you slept in every night. You sat tentatively on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do with your hands or your body in general and you grabbed your phone to check in with both of your parents… letting them know the graduation was amazing, sending some selfies you took at lunch and promising to send the photos from the tap out ceremony once you got them. 

You wondered what you would talk about now that you were all caught up on school and flight training… Do you ask him if he’s seeing anybody? Do you tell him about the ill-advised one night stands or that boy from your molecular biology class you went on a few dates with? This was uncharted territory and you didn’t really like it… things were never uncharted with Jake before, you never once worried about what you would talk about or what to do, it all just flowed so easily. You’d been so lost in your thoughts staring at the painting on the wall you didn’t even notice the bed sink beside you as he sat down, not until there was a hand on your knee pulling you back to reality and you turned your head to face him. 

“What are you thinking about?” he whispered, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear and looking down at you with concern in his eyes. 

“Nothing and everything,” you responded and he nodded, understanding what you meant. He shifted up the bed and pulled you with him, creating space for you to settle into his side. You exhaled in relief when his arms wrapped around you and you felt grounded listening to the steady thud of his heart in his chest. “I’m sorry,” you whispered and you felt his arms tighten around you.

“What for?” he moved to prop himself up and hooked a finger under your chin to make you look at him. 

“Pulling away… getting distant, it’s not fair.” you said feeling your throat grow thick with emotion and he just shook his head.

“We still talk, we’re just busy… and that’s a good thing, Jupiter, even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.” Looking up at him and feeling his hands on your hips as he watched you so carefully had heat prickling up your spine and if you focused solely on him long enough you could convince yourself you were back home in your bedroom and not in some hotel room in Annapolis but you were. Jake was different now and so were you but the feeling that settled on your skin and had your hands crawling up his chest was exactly the same. His grip on you tightened as he pulled you into his lap and you settled onto him with your thighs straddling his hips, your eyes fluttering closed as you leaned down to press your forehead against his. You missed this, the closeness, feeling like you were the only two people in the world with your bodies pressed against each other. 

“Jake…” you muttered and he nodded against you, hands trailing along your sides and you felt desire tingling in your every nerve ending.

“I know, Jupiter… I know,” he responded, and you were certain he could feel your heart threatening to hammer out of your chest. Your lips ghosted against his, testing the waters and you nearly moaned at the sensation as he gently pulled you closer to envelop you in a kiss. It was slow and deliberate, he took his time in opening you up and tasting you… if all you had were these two days you were going to make it last, make it count before you returned back to school and before he went on to do what he’d trained for. You experimentally rolled your hips against his, moaning into his mouth when you felt his hardening length beneath you and he pushed you onto your back to settle above you as he placed open mouthed kisses along your neck.

“Jake,” you started but he silenced you with a kiss. You suddenly wondered if this was a bad idea, if you were just prolonging the hurt but you didn’t know if you could stop now that you had started.

“I know… we can stop,” he kissed along your jawbone and you arched into him as he pressed against your core, “tell me to stop.”

“Don’t… please, don’t,” you sighed and he continued to kiss down your body, pushing that old t-shirt of his up to kiss between the valley of your breasts and you pulled it off as he landed between your legs, gently pulling them apart as he nipped at the soft skin of your thighs. He pulled your shorts and underwear off in one fluid motion, tossing them somewhere behind him as he continued to kiss around your core, sucking and marking you as he went. Your breath hitched as he licked a stripe through your folds and he groaned against you as he tasted your sweetness.

“Fuck, angel… missed you like this,” he muttered against you as he focused his tongue on your clit and pulled moans from the back of your throat. You bucked against him and he steadied your hips with his strong hand, keeping you in place as he worked you up the way he always did. He took his time, slowly pressing one then two fingers into you and massaging that sweet spot inside you that had you seeing stars, muttering praises as you careened off the ledge and into your climax leaving you writhing beneath him. “So beautiful,” he said as he kissed back up your body and you pulled him into you to taste yourself on his lips.

“Missed you,” you whispered against him, reaching between you to line him up at your entrance.

“Sweet girl, always were so needy,” he said as he pushed into you and bottomed out in one stroke. Your moan was broken as he filled you so completely and you shuddered as he began gently fucking into you. You moved your hips to match his pace and he pressed your hips into the mattress to still you, “I’ve got you, honey.” He whispered into your ear before kissing along the delicate skin of your neck. You wrapped your legs around his waist and he groaned at the new angle, your hands were gripping his bicep and resting on the side of his face as you gazed up at him and tried to soak in every moment of this… every rock of his hips and every sweet sound that fell from his lips. It wasn’t enough, it never would be, but right now it would have to be. “Not gonna last, angel,” he muttered and you nodded, stroking your thumb along his cheekbone.

“I know,” you replied, chest heaving as you pressed yourself as close as you possibly could. You felt warmth coat your walls and you rubbed your hands along his back as he softened inside you and as he gazed into your eyes you went to say something but he just shook his head.

“Don’t say it, sweetheart.” He brought his hand up to wipe the tears from your cheeks and you nodded as he pulled out of you. He was gone in an instant, disappearing to the bathroom where he reemerged with a wet cloth that he used to gently clean you up and he pulled the blanket over you as he climbed back into bed. You tangled yourself with him as your breathing steadied and you wracked your brain with what to say next… nothing felt quite right, you couldn’t say what you wanted to. It wouldn’t be fair, not to you and not to him but it didn’t make you want to say it any less. It was right there on the tip of your tongue and had been since you first saw him earlier this afternoon but you couldn’t. 

“I don’t-” you started, but cut yourself off as you tried to figure out where you were going with that sentence. “I don’t know what this means.”

“I know, I don’t either. We can’t- I can’t… I’m leaving next week,” he said and you stiffened beside him. You knew it was coming, knew it was inevitable, this is what he had been training for but it didn’t make the knowledge of him shipping off somewhere to do things that gave you nightmares any easier to stomach. 

“Where?” 

“I can’t tell you, Jupiter, you know that…”

“Do you know how long?” you asked and you felt him sigh, you knew you weren’t going to like his answer.

“Three months, maybe more.” he replied and you nodded, feeling fresh tears prick at your eyes and you gripped him tighter, as if you held on just a little bit more he wouldn’t be leaving, going someplace unknown and putting himself into danger. 

“Okay,” you whispered, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t okay, none of it was. You wanted to drop out of school, kidnap him from the Navy and hide away, go someplace warm and tropical and just be safe together. 

“It’s going to be fine… day after tomorrow you’re going to go back to Stanford, you’re going to keep blowing me away with how damn smart you are and you’re going to go to parties with your friends, and for me you’re going to go on dates, and when I get back stateside I’m going to come visit and you’ll show me your new life and everything is going to be okay.” he said and you couldn’t stop your tears, your frame shook as you clung onto him and he just soothingly rubbed your back and held you tight.

“You’ll be safe?” you asked and you felt him nod above you.

“Of course, honey… wouldn’t put you through that,” he said and you believed him. Even though you knew he had limited control over whether or not he made it home safely you believed he would try. 

And he did try, for those three whole months he was gone he kept you in the back of his mind through every training exercise in preparation and you were at the front of his mind when he was flying the mission. He wouldn’t make his mom call you and tell you the unthinkable, he couldn’t… not when you were already doing so much for him. You were holding up your end of the bargain, excelling in your classes and letting loose on the weekends, you even gave that guy from your molecular biology class another chance. You were trying, and so was he and you were making each other damn proud in the process but that didn’t make it any simpler… It didn't stop the two of you from thinking back to that hotel room in Annapolis, it didn’t stop you from longing for you to be done with school and for him to receive a permanent station, but still you tried anyway, because you promised.

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taglist: @mamaskillerqueen @clancycucumber230​ @the-romanian-is-bae @dempy​ @alldaysdreamers @zzsloth 

[ofstoriesandstardust]

chapter 5 - same boat (b.r.b)

a/n: this chapter has been months in the making and i owe it to both @struggling-with-delia​ and @gretagerwigsmuse​ for sitting through all of my thoughts. this aligns itself pretty closely with graduation blues. i hope you enjoy! 

summary: A Navy gala and a run-in with people from their past forces Rooster and Sunshine to confront their feelings. 

partially inspired by lizzy mcalpine’s “same boat”

main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist | flight risk masterlist | chapter 4 - past mistakes | chapter 6 - hate to be lame but i might love you

folks who wanted to be tagged: @justanothermagicalsara​ @fangirl-316​ @herladyshipxx​ @parker-natasha​ @myhomeworksnotdone​ @pulisvertz​ @lass-that-is-gone​ @frenchtoastix​ @coco-loco-nut​ @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy​ @torresbarnes​ @supernaturaldawning​ @you-had-me-at-dead-welsh-kings​ @katiemcrae​ @gretagerwigsmuse​ @the-winter-marvel33​ @some-lovely-day​ @unordinare​ @hotch-meeeeeuppppp​ @annedub​ @hope-love-equality2​ @coyotesamachado​ @hopefulinlove​ @mak-32​ @daisyhollyxox​ @loveforaugust​ @earth-to-lottie​ @sometimesanalice​ @cheezit-bradshawseresin​ @blairfox04 @none-of-your-bullshit​

warnings: swearing, angst, jealous Bradley, i picked a dress because i wanted to make one singular joke about Beauty and the Beast, i have a personal vendetta against men named Noah i’m sorry, i have so many head canons about the UVA years and this chapter is just teeming with bits and pieces of them,

word count: 4,939

"Sunshine?” He calls, buttoning the second pair of cufflinks on his dress blues as he walks out of his bedroom. “You almost ready to go?”

"Yeah, just give me a minute.” She calls back from behind the closed guest bedroom door. 

“No worries, we’ve got time.” 

He lets out a deep breath as he sticks his hands in his pockets, trying to shake the nerves from his shoulders as he leans up against the wall next to the door of the guest bedroom.

Galas and banquets gave him nerves even at the best of times, even after years of Navy service. He was sure he could think of a million better ways to spend the night than with his superior officers and men with higher ranks he wasn’t even sure he’d reach. 

But tonight Sunshine was joining him, and for however nervous he was, he was sure her nerves would be triple. The scrutiny and pressure on them to sell the lie tonight had been growing tenfold in the days since Ice and Maverick had found out and he knew his friend shouldered a lot of it. 

“Shit.” He hears from the other side of the door, pulling him out of his thoughts. Pushing himself off the wall, he knocks on the door. 

“Everything good?” 

There's the sound of something fumbling and then the door unlocking. “Yeah, just...” The door opens, catching him off guard as he takes in the flowy yellow material. “Can you do the clasp on the back of my dress? I can’t seem to get it.” You’re turning around before he can even respond, which is fine by him, because he’s not so sure he has words at that moment. 

You pull your hair to one side, revealing the partially open back. He fumbles with the clasp, fingers itching to run themselves over your spine and shoulder blades as he straightens out the straps at the top of the dress. He takes a deep breath at the thought, stepping back. You let your hair fall to the side as you step back, doing a little spin. “So? What do you think?” 

His eyes look over you, brain going fuzzy at the sight of you in the dress. “You look...” 

Wow is the only word his brain is supplying him with at the moment. 

You must mistake his silence for dislike of the dress, because you’re talking again before he can try to clear the fuzziness from his brain to give you a proper answer. “Is it too much? God, I told Phoenix that yellow wasn’t a good color but white felt too much like a wedding and black felt like a funeral and Navy blue just felt like overkill even though Phoenix reminded me that technically to everyone else we’re married and Hangman told me the other one looked like a nightgown-”

“Hangman saw the dress?” He asks abruptly at the thought that Jake saw you in the dress before he did. Helped you pick it out even. 

There was a little prickle of jealousy at the back of his throat at the thought, causing him to cough and clear his throat. You shrug. “Kind of. Phoen- Nat-” You amend, taking a little pause as you take a breath clearly meant to steady your nerves, “-Nat was helping me try on a bunch of dresses and she sent that one to him for a second opinion. It was vetoed obviously. You’re the first person to see this one.” You say, finally looking back up to him. 

“Yellow’s definitely your color, huh?” He jokes, still feeling a little fuzzy looking at you in the dress that hugs your hips just right. 

You let out a small laugh, letting your hair fall to your back. “Definitely one of my favorites. And it has pockets.” 

It’s his turn to give a little laugh as he watches you stick your hands into the pockets of the dress just to show him. “You and your pockets.” He says, shaking his head, thinking back to the dress you wore the night you met Uncle Ice for the first time. 

“Hey, I won't buy a dress without them.” You look up at him, clasping your hands together behind your back. “You sure it’s okay?” You ask, biting your lip. 

He nods, taking a step closer to you. “You look...” He swallows, his throat suddenly feeling dry. “Perfect.” He whispers. “You look perfect.” 

-

Bradley’s hand slips into yours as the two of you enter the large ballroom. You take in the bar in the far corner of the room, the countless tables along with the long banquet table filled with refreshments. You spot Coyote, Payback, Fanboy, and Bob near the bar, one of the few people already there. 

Bradley squeezes your hand as the two of you walk towards them. Payback spots you first, waving a hand in greeting as the other men turn to face you. “Hey man.” He calls, nudging Bradley as the both of you reach the group. “You clean up nice.” 

Bradley lets out a little chuckle. “You too, man.” 

“Your hair looks nice Sunshine.” Coyote comments. You reach up, brushing your hands through it as you feel your cheeks warm. 

“Thanks, Bob did it.” 

The four other men swivel to the lanky man, who shrugs awkwardly. “I have four sisters. It comes with the territory.” 

Fanboy turns back to you, taking in your dress one more time before letting his eyes flicker to Bradley as he lets out a little chuckle, shaking his head. “You know, the two of you kind of look like Beauty and the Beast, with the yellow and the blue.”

You tilt your head in consideration of his words. “You know what... I’ll take that. Belle always was one of my favorite princesses growing up.” 

“Really?” Bradley asks in surprise, crossing his arms. 

“Yeah.” You shrug. “Always saw a lot of myself in her.” 

He raises an eyebrow. “I don’t follow.” 

You take a step closer to him, a teasing smile on your face as you resist the urge to reach out and place your hands on his waist. “You know, loner, always has her head in a book-”

“Sounds like someone I knew in college.” A voice says from behind you, causing you both to turn. 

“Eli?” Bradley questions, arms falling to his sides, at the same time your eyebrows furrow, letting out a quizzical “Bailey?” 

The two smile at you from where they’re standing a few feet away. Your eyes travel down to their clasped hands, the glinting diamond on Bailey’s hand, as Bradley clears his throat. “What- what are the two of you doing here?” 

Eli smiles. “I work for the Navy now.” 

“Since when?” Bradley asks, confusion clear in his voice. 

Eli shrugs. “For a while now. Went back to school for a Masters in Computer Science after I decided my Business degree was useless. Now I do all the Navy’s high-tech, classified coding shit.” 

“And we’re married now.” Bailey says, letting Eli’s hand go as she easily slides into his side. 

“What?” The two of you almost shout, earning you a sidelong look from the bartender, who’s a few feet away. 

Bailey snorts. “Now you know how the two of us felt when you told us you got married.” 

“But you hated the military.” You say, still struggling to catch up the news. “Like... it was one of your core values to never date within the military.” 

She shrugs, leaning her head on Eli’s chest. “Well, what can I say? You make sacrifices for the one you love. And hey, the health benefits aren’t too bad either.” 

Bradley takes a half-step towards you, reaching out for your hand, before you both realize that she’s not making a subtle dig at the two of you, but rather that she really just enjoys the benefits. 

“Anyways, you gonna introduce us, Bradshaw?” Eli asks, waving a hand to the four men behind you. He glances at them, clearing his throat. 

“Oh yeah. Guys, this is Bailey and Eli, friends of ours from UVA. Eli, Bailey, this is Coyote and Payback, and his WSO Fanboy, and then my good friend Bob.” The men give variations of nods and raised hands in greeting. “Met them on a special detachment a little while ago. We’re stationed out here permanently.” 

Eli raises his eyebrows. “Oh, so you’re one of the sons-of-bitches I had to get dressed up to celebrate?”

“That’d be me.” 

“You know, I didn’t actually think the two of you’d stay married.” Bailey says. You swallow as Bradley squeezes your hand. “Thought you’d crash and burn like every other too-fast military marriage. Guess I was wrong.” 

“Never thought I’d hear you say those words.” Bradley remarks, eliciting an eye-roll from Bailey. Coyote claps Bradley on the shoulder. 

“Hey, I think Maverick’s here.” 

Bradley sighs. “We should go say hi.” He nods to Bailey and Eli. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you.” 

The group of you walk over to the table that Maverick is occupying with Hangman and Phoenix. You’re quick to slip down into a chair next to them, Bradley following as he sits on the other side of you, arm coming to rest on the back of your chair. “Uncle Mav, this is Eli and Bailey, friends of Sunshine and mine from UVA. Eli, Bailey, this is my godfather and instructor Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.” 

Maverick offers them a small smile, reaching out to shake their hands as they sit at the table, along with the rest of the crew. “Pleasure to meet you both.” 

Eli returns Maverick’s handshake enthusiastically. “Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’ve only ever heard good things about you. You’re kind of a legend around these parts.” Maverick chuckles, waving a hand. 

Hangman leads forward, smirking. “So you guys go all the way back? You must have some embarrassing stories for us about Bradshaw?” 

Eli chuckles, shaking his head. “Bro code, man. I ain’t telling you shit.” 

“I’m not a bro. One time, Bradley threw a snowball at her head.” Bailey states. 

Maverick turns to stare at him, eyebrows raised. “Brad.”

“She threw one at me!” Bradley defends. 

“Only after you threw one at me.” You say, nudging him. 

Bradley rolls his eyes as Bailey chuckles. “I’m not the one who has all the embarrassing stories about Bradshaw, but I could tell you plenty of embarrassing stories about Sunshine, if you wanted.” Her tone is light, only meant to tease. 

Nat raises an eyebrow. “Spill.” You nudge Natasha’s knee with yours as she offers you an amused smile. 

Bailey chuckles again, shoulders shaking. “Okay, let me think. One time, she dated this really awful guy who was mediocre at best. The really embarrassing part was that he truly believed to his core he was John Lennon reborn - and she still put up with him until he dumped her 4 months later.” 

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “That’s your embarrassing story? My shitty ex-boyfriend?” 

“What was his name, I can never remember. Nate? Nathan?” Eli asks, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

“Noah.” Bradley supplies, causing you to swing your head towards him. 

“Why do you remember that?” 

He shrugs. “He was a dick.” 

Eli snaps his fingers, nodding. “That was it. He was an ass. I lost track of the amount of times we’d be at Tommy’s apartment and you started crying.” 

“He broke my heart!” You say defensively, cheeks warming. 

“He was gross.” Bailey comments. “At least you finally ended up with someone half-way decent, like Bradshaw.” 

“I still can’t believe you guys stayed married.” Eli says, shaking his head. “I could’ve sworn Brad had a girlfriend when he went to Top Gun. I feel like I saw a Facebook post about it.” 

Ah, the infamous Top Gun girlfriend. 

Bradley narrows his eyes. “No, I didn’t Eli. And shut up.” 

Eli ignores him. “Why can I never remember anyone’s name? It started with an L, I swear.” 

“Lily.” Nat coughs.

“Yeah, Lily! What happened to her?”

Bailey nudges Eli. “Be quiet.” She hisses. 

You roll your eyes, ignoring Eli’s comments about Bradley’s ex-girlfriend, although it does make you squirm that you now have a name for someone who had previously just been a mystery figure. “If we’re talking about surprises, I feel like we should talk about the fact that the two of you got married.” You say, eyeing the pair across the table from you. 

“Less surprising than when you and Bradshaw got married.” Eli mutters, fixing his jacket. “Get a phone call from Brad one day going, ‘Hey Sunshine and I got married! Can we throw a party?’” 

Bradley stands up abruptly, chair skidding across the floor as all eyes turn to him. “I’m going to get something to drink. Sunshine, do you want anything?” You nod, as he moves away from the table, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. 

“Did you have to bring up Noah?” Eli says quietly. “You remember how much he hates that guy.” 

“You were the one who brought up Lily-”

“Bradley hates Noah? Why?” You interrupt their whispered bickering, suddenly confused. 

Eli raises an eyebrow. “C’mon, Sunshine, you’re a smart girl. That guy was an ass and Bradshaw was always so clearly enamored with you. He was jealous.” 

You want to protest, ask them what are you talking about he wasn’t jealous, but quickly remember that they don’t know you lied about the reason you got married in the first place. Of course to Eli and Bailey, Bradley’s dislike (because you wouldn’t classify his distaste for your ex as hatred) appeared as jealousy. 

You clear your throat. “Right. Well, why don’t you fill me in on everyone else? What has everyone been up to since graduation?”

Bailey tilts her head, thinking. “Well, let’s see. Kade’s up in your neck of the woods; he’s in D.C. Doing some work on Capitol Hill, I think, although I can’t say he enjoys it all that much. And Madison disappears into the wilderness a lot, I hear from her like... every seven months or so when she re-appears from wherever she’s been? Blake is in Montana, I think? Oh, and Tommy and his kids are out in New York. Ever since the divorce-”

You waved a hand, shaking your head. “Wait, divorce? He and Ella got divorced?” 

Eli nods, confirming your question. “Yeah, Ella and Tommy got divorced about seven or eight years back. They’re great as co-parents, though. El has the kids for the school year out here since she works some fancy corporate lawyer job in LA. And Tommy gets them during the summer since he works out in Manhattan.” 

Your chest aches, hearing about all of your old friends who’s lives had moved on without you. “It’s good that he’s done so well for himself.” 

Eli nods. “Yeah, we all visit them during the summer, to give Tommy some time off. The kids love their aunts and uncles. It’s actually how me and Bailey came together.” 

You want to return the fond smile Eli has on his face, thinking of their little family, but your chest still feels tight, making it difficult to breath. “I think I’m, um- I think I’m gonna see if Bradley needs any help with the drinks.” 

“We’ll try not to say anything too embarrassing about you or Bradshaw.” Eli calls as you turn, striding towards Bradley. 

He’s leaned up against the side of the bar, chatting with one of the bartenders as more and more people trickle in to the event. He catches sight of you walking towards him and something must show on your face because he frowns, standing a little straighter. 

“Hey, everything okay?” He asks once you reach him. 

You give a half-shrug, talking the drink he slides across the bar to you. “Eh, I just... I made the mistake of asking Bailey and Eli about what everyone’s been up to since graduating. Did you know Tommy got a divorce?” 

“Tommy was married?” 

“Apparently.” 

“To Ella or...” 

You nod. “Yeah. According to Eli, they got divorced seven or eight years ago. I knew Tommy had a couple of kids, just from social media and stuff, and I just... you know it sucks to hear how their lives all moved on just fine without me in it. I’ve always known it but to hear them say it out loud....” You pause, taking in a deep breath. “It just kinda hurt, which maybe is silly but-”

He shakes his head, reaching up to place his hands on your shoulders. “It’s not silly. I know how close you were to them.” 

“I don’t know about close, I think the only reason I started getting invited ‘round was because Bailey felt sorry for me after Noah dumped me.”

He frowns. “Well, even if that was the case, which I don’t think it was, I’m glad she did because it brought you to me.” 

The words make your heart flutter in your chest as you look up into his eyes. You struggle to come up with the words to respond, a certain vulnerability appearing in the air as the two of you stand there. 

“Sunshine-”

“Lieutenant Bradshaw.” 

Bradley’s eyes tear away from yours as he looks up to who’s addressing him. You turn to see two men in uniform standing there as Bradley hands move back up to rest on your shoulders. 

“Admiral Simpson, Admiral Bates, it’s good to see you, sirs.” Bradley says as he adjusts his posture. “This is my wife.” He says, introducing you to the two men you recognize by name as his commanding officers. 

A flash of surprise crosses Admiral Simpson’s face at Bradley’s introduction of you as his wife, but it disappears as quickly as it comes, the man schooling his features into a more stoic expression, reaching out to shake your hand. 

The conversation that progresses over the next few minutes becomes distant and fuzzy—something about Bradley’s accomplishments despite using unorthodox methods—as Bradley thumbs begin to slowly rub along your shoulder blades. Your back is pressed to his chest as he talks, making it hard for you to breathe as you focus on what is probably a subconscious movement of his. 

At least, you think it’s subconscious. 

-

“Hey.” 

You look up to see Nat standing in front of you, offering you a small smile. “Hi.” 

“Needed an escape?” 

You shrug, eyes flickering back to the big wooden doors of the ballroom. “Yeah, I just needed a breather. It’s been just... overwhelming and the nights not over yet.” 

The night had been full of talking to official after official, being in close proximity to Bradley, as you both talked about your lives, trying so hard to sell a lie to these people. The night was far from over, with at least another hour and the drive back to the house awaiting for you. 

It had been a lot, to say the least.

She nods, sitting down next to you. “Yeah, I get that. Sometimes I tell people I have to go use the bathroom just to get away for a few minutes.” 

You chuckle. “Yeah, I could see that.”

“Actually, I’m glad I found you out here though because I wanted to talk to you.” 

You raise an eyebrow, adjusting your dress as you pull your legs up to sit criss-cross on the bench. “Yeah?” 

She nods. “Yeah, I just... I just wanted to say I’m sorry for naming Lily earlier. I- I didn’t know if you knew about her and I- it was wrong of me to do that, especially since I don’t think you guys ever told the truth to Bailey and Eli.” 

You shrug. “It’s okay. I- Admiral Kazansky mentioned something a few weeks ago about her and it’s not fair for me to get jealous or insecure considering Bradley’s not even interested in me, you know?” 

She takes a deep breath, looking at you for a moment as she clearly evaluates her next words. “You know, in the years I’ve known him, Bradshaw has had a handful of long-term partners. Lily is just one of them, and I remember her well because she was at our Top Gun graduation. He and I shipped out on deployment together not long after, and she dumped him two months in. They dated for almost a year and a half, year and seven months. And he... he was never really torn up about the loss of his partners, especially not Lily, despite that fact she loved that boy so much. They all truly loved Rooster but he was never able to fully commit to them.” 

“If he wanted to get a divorce he could’ve just told me, I never wanted to stand in the way of his happy ending.” You mutter, shifting uncomfortably at the thought that you had been the reason he’d never settled down. 

She shakes her head. “No, that wasn’t it. I mean yes, he couldn’t legally get married to them, but marriage was never the issue. I don’t even think he ever talked about marriage as possibility with most of them. It was... How do I put this?” She says, pausing as she thinks for a moment. “No matter how much they loved him, he was never able to bring himself to reciprocate. No matter how much he enjoyed being with them, he’s never really loved them.” She swallows, reaching out to take your hand. “And I’m not saying these things to hurt you or bring up his past partners. I’m telling you this because despite his past relationships in the years I’ve known him, I have never seen him look at anybody the way he does you. He looks at you like you hung the moon and stars just for him, like he’d give you the whole world on a silver platter if you asked him to.” 

The words make your throat tighten as tears prick at your eyes. “Nat, I really don’t- He and I- Looks mean very little when actions don’t line up.”

She tilts her head. “I agree, however, here’s the thing about my best friend.” She squeezes your hand, offering you an amused smile. “For however much I love him, he’s actually a very stupid boy.” 

Her words punch a laugh out of you, causing you to bow your head. “Maybe so. But sometimes I just think that if we were meant to be, we would’ve been by now, you know?” 

She hums, face skeptical. “Maybe. But in the years I’ve known him, he’s always lived life with an extreme amount of caution. I don’t think this is any different. I just don’t think he wants to hurt you. I just... I know that half-happy isn’t enough for you anymore and I know that friendship isn’t enough anymore either.” 

You carefully remove your hand from hers, shrugging as you fix an already straightened strap on your dress. “It’s not that I’m half-happy or that friendship isn’t enough but I just... when this is all said and done, he has no reason to be my friend anymore, you know? He might say we’ll still be friends but I know that’s more to not hurt my feelings than anything else. I won’t talk to him this time next year and his life will have moved on.”  

She sucks in a deep breath. “You really think that?” 

“It’s just a fact, Phoenix. Everyone’s lives move on without me in them; his is no different.”

She opens her mouth, a determined look in her eye making it clear she intends to argue with your words, but whatever she wants to say is interrupted by the ballroom doors opening, revealing a frustrated Bradley followed by Eli trailing after him. 

“Eli, for the last time, you’re mad about something that didn’t happen.” Bradley says firmly, turning on his heel. Eli pauses, eyes flitting between you and Bradley. 

You know an instant exactly what they’re fighting about. 

“I should go intervene.” You mutter to Phoenix, standing from the bench and striding towards Bradley and Eli. 

You’ve just barely taken Bradley’s hand again when he takes a deep breath. “Eli, we were brothers, man. And you tossed that all out for something that never even happened. So yeah, sorry that my feelings are still hurt all these years later.”

Eli shakes his head, eyes gazing over you for a moment before they return to Bradley’s. “You could’ve just told me man.” 

“He did, Eli.” You protest, feeling the need to defend Bradley’s actions rising in you. 

“No, he didn't. Because we tried for years to get the two of you together, waited for years for the two of you to figure your shit out and I find out you went and got married over a phone call. As your best friend, I thought I would’ve been there. But the two of you kept us in the dark until after it was all said and done, because fuck your friends right?” 

Eli’s chest heaves as he and Bradley stare at each other for a moment before Eli shakes his head, walking towards the exit. The two of you stand there for a minute more as you look up at Bradley cautiously, the tic in his jaw straining against his skin. You’re struck with the thought to reach up and smooth it out, causing you to shake your head. 

“Bradley-” You whisper softly, breaking the silence. You aren’t sure what you’re going to say, anything that will make him feel better, make up for being the reason him and Eli aren’t friends anymore. 

“Do you want to go dance?” He asks, cutting you off before you get the chance to say whatever is was that was meant to comfort him. 

You swallow at the thought of being so close to him, so intimately. “Why don’t we just go back home?” 

You realize your Freudian slip after it’s already out over you mouth and mean to take it back, to say the house instead of home, because it’s not your home, when Bradley nods, exhaling through his nose. 

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

-

The car is quiet, Bradley having turned the ignition off as the two of you sit there. You’ve been sitting there long enough that you’ve already reached down to slip off your heels, not wanting to wear the death traps any longer. 

“You okay?” You ask quietly, looking at the way the moonlight reflects of his face, somehow making him even more handsome then he already is. 

He shifts, shrugging, as he finally looks over to you. “I think I’m still just processing the fact that Bailey and Eli got married.” 

You let out a laugh at the words. “No, me too.” 

“No, because what the fuck was that? They were at each other’s throat for all of college, how in the world were they the ones to end up together?” 

You laugh harder, nodding your ehad in agreement. “Don’t forget about the fact that Bailey’s probably going to rip Eli a new one for bringing up Lily because as far as they know he just revealed that you cheated on me.” 

“I know! What was that?!” He shakes his head, a grin spreading across his face. “I mean, they got married when all they could ever do was tolerate each other for...” He pauses, something clicking in his brain. 

“For what?” You prompt, curious about what conclusion he’s come to. 

“For us.” He mutters. 

Something heavy settles in your chest at the thought. 

He shakes his head, clearing the thought from his head. “We should go inside, it’s late.” You nod, slipping out of the car and following him inside the house. It’s only after the front door is shut and locked that he speaks again. “Thanks for coming tonight.” He says, standing by the door to the living room. 

You turn from your spot on the bottom step, meeting his eye. “Of course.” You say, offering him a soft smile. 

A comfortable silence settles in between the two of you and with that, a change in the air. You look at him, really seeing the way he’s looking at you, like there’s something more he wants to say, and for a brief moment, you wonder what it might be like to tell him. To say it, to put it out there, lay everything on the table. 

I love you. 

The words feel heavy on your tongue. 

He watches you carefully, wanting to invite you into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, to not let the night end just yet, to say all the things he’s never said, to finally voice all the feelings he’s kept so hidden for so many years.

To talk about all of the things you need to talk about. 

He understands now, maybe more than ever before, that the two of you have never really been just friends. 

But as he looks at you, he hesitates. Is this what you really want? He didn’t want to trap you in the house if you didn’t return the feelings, the divorce not yet finalized. 

The words feel heavy on your tongue as you watch him suddenly hesitate. The visible look on his face is enough to make you pull back from your fantasies, from your hopes. It’s enough to make you want to dash off into your room, no, the guest room, because this isn’t your house. You are only a guest. 

“Well, I think I’m going to go to bed.” You whisper. 

He sighs, nodding. “Good night, Sunshine. Sleep tight.” 

[somethingclevermahogony]

Find Four Lines

Thanks for the tag @kaylinalexanderbooks!

Rules: find four lines in your WIP that match the prompts, then change ONE prompt for the next people!

Once again I am completely ignoring the "line" part of this haha

a line about music

As the beer flowed music was played, the sound of ethereal drums and harps which neither Narul nor Ninma could see. Unseen lips and fingers blew pipes and clapped. The spirits danced and spun and cried out to the stars and the moon above. Narul and Ninma joined in, emboldened by full bellies and strong beer. They danced and sang many a song, songs of kings and gods, of demigods and dragons. When Narul pounded his feet the trees shook and the birds took flight. Ninma leapt and twirled, her golden circlet sparkling in the firelight. She could see strange people watching from the shadows, folk with horns and skin like moss. They watched in silence, judging, but Ninma did not care, she danced, sang, laughed, roared, screamed, and cried without care or shame.

a line about pain

A beast stalked the hills and cliffs which overlooked the valley. It crawled across the earth, its rot and malfeasance scattered the lesser creatures before him, sent the birds to, and the lizards to their holes. He had shed his skin of skin of bronze already, ripped it and the arrow from his body and had cast them in the dust. He was on the hunt, his sharp-eyes waited desperate for his prey. He gripped his spear in anticipation. Zatur shuddered, breathed in deeply, his body shook, his body screamed out in constant pain.

a line about relationships

Istek grumbled and nodded. He came by the flower tying naturally even with one hand. As the pile of flower ropes and crowns grew in front of him, he told stories about his adventures on the Green Sea, stories of sea monsters, pirate kings, distant lands where the people are made of clay, and most excitedly about meeting Sihunu and Dati. When the old sailor spoke of his loves it was as if some invisible hand smoothed the wrinkles on his face and once more ignited the fire behind his eyes. They had heard these stories before, but Jani listened all the same for the stories would change ever so slightly with each retelling. Ninma continued to knot the stems but between flowers, she would cast glances at Jani, at that small smile of his, the way it made his eyes squint and twinkle. In the short time they had come to know each other she had fallen in love with that smile. Jani noticed her staring.

“Can I help you?” He teased.

a bittersweet line

He felt the cold water, lapping at his skin, his face, his nose, his mouth. He thought about his friends, the adventures he had been on, the life he lived, and those that now awaited him. These thoughts kept the chill at bay, kindling a warmth deep within his chest. The watery world around him faded, darkened, and then all drifted away like a half-forgotten dream.

Tagging @winterandwords, @elizaellwrites, @paeliae-occasionally, @illarian-rambling Your lines will be: a line about food, a line about pain, a line about relationships, and a bittersweet line

[mrbexwrites]

OC Deep Dive

Tagged by @finickyfelix here - thanks buddy! :D

Passing the tag onto @queen-tashie @arowanaprincess @akiwitch @pure-solomon @sarahlizziewrites @mjparkerwriting @mjjune @surroundedbypearls @words-after-midnight and leaving an open tag for folk who'd like to join in :)

Working on Blood Union so Mavis is currently at the fore, so I'll answer for her :)

What common/uncommon fears do they have?

In addition to her fears of failure and not living up to James' impossible standards, Mavis' deepest, darkest fear that she will never tell anyone, is that she is worthless and unlovable. I hope that, over the course of her arc, she learns that she's not- even if I do have to put her through the wringer to learn this lesson. She's a stubborn OC...

Do they have any pet peeves?

People who chew with their mouths open. Mavis is of the strongest opinion that she can kill these people on sight. A bit extreme...sure, but Mavis isn't someone to do things by half measure!

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

A weapon (usually a knife or a crowbar), camping supplies (in case of a quick getaway!) and medical supplies.

What do they notice first in a person?

Weak points; Mavis is checking you out for a limp, how you weight bare, how you hold yourself, and is willing, ready & able, to use it against you and make you eat concrete (or whatever flooring surface is around!)

On a scale of 1 to 10 how high is their pain tolerance?

An 8 or 9; she's had a tough life, and been conditioned to withstand a lot by James. You'll very rarely see her cry or show pain, so if she is, you know it's bad.

Do they go into flight or fight mode when under pressure?

Fight; 100% fight. See fondness for crowbars and violence to solve problems.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person? 

She comes from a nuclear family with two parents and a twin brother. But due to circumstances, she only grew up with her father, James. Whilst he was her only biological family member that she physically grew up around, she was always surrounded by other demon hunters and considered them family. Despite everything she's been through, Family is the most important thing to Mave- even if she'll never admit it.

What animal represents them best?

Honey badger- small, vicious, unstoppable force of nature, willing to take on something far bigger than they are. Doesn't know when to quit...etc etc

What is a smell they dislike?

Corpses, tobacco and unwashed feet. Yuck!

Have they broken any bones?

Of her own, or others? Either way, the answer is 'yes' and 'lots of them'.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Average height with unruly hair. Scowls a lot, and gives off hostile vibes. Don't approach unless you have no other option. Will be surly when spoken to and doesn't make eye contact either. Usually wears a leather jacket, old t-shirt and jeans.

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

A bit of both; Mavis will sit up until the wee hours due to a lifetime of keeping watch, but will also get up at the crack of dawn after a couple of hours sleep. Does that make her a night bird, or a morning owl?

What is a flavor they love and a flavor they hate?

Will go absolutely go feral for fresh fruit- oranges are her favourite. Whilst she will eat pretty much anything, because you can't be fussy when you never know when your next meal will come, Mavis isn't keen on rabbit, or other strong game-y flavours.

Do they have any hobbies?

Her all consuming need to gain her father's approval is the only thing that she has time for. But, I think after some character development and time away from James, she'd probably enjoy macramé or some other kind of craft to keep her hands busy

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Punch to the face! Don't sneak up on her! She doesn't like surprises; they put her into her fight-mode.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

She has several piercings in her ears so that she can wear enough silver through her body to not be possessed by demons.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Mavis didn't have a formal education, so her handwriting is very messy & childish- like a 7 year old's.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Frustration and worthlessness.

Do they have a favorite fabric?

Brushed cotton- like you'd find on a vintage t-shirt

What kind of accent do they have?

Mavis has grown up on the road, so she has a Scottish accent, but no particular dialect to pin her down to a specific place.

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

RACHEL = ALUCARD has been added to BlazBlue Entropy Effect!

Rachel has been added as the first DLC character for Entropy Effect. She's granted for free to players who had the game during the early access period, or otherwise roughly 5USD.

While playing her so far, I've found her Drive Silpheed, specials Ivy Blossom, Tiny Lobelia+Sword Iris, George XIII, and her Astral Clownish Calendula all implemented as moves in this spinoff; each with their own creative (and honestly, fun) upgrades unique to this game.

Rachel also comes with some unique mechanics new among her Entropy Effect cast peers, such as the option to upgrade her dash into true flight and some complicated, fighting-game style inputs that lead to some crazy moves- like granting Rachel access to the Tsukuyomi's perfect defense for a short time!

I was very skeptical of Entropy Effect when it first came out, especially with the current climate around ArcSys, Mori, and the future of BlazBlue- but after having played this game through multiple stages of development, and joined the discord to get to know a little about the folks making the game, I can confidently say that this game is being made by people who genuinely love BlazBlue. The attention to detail in this game is amazing. Fighting game fan first, or lore fan first, any member of the BlazBlue community will find something enjoyable here.

While not yet confirmed, the next character planned to be added seems to be Naoto Kurogane. Please look forward to it!

[celestiall0tus]

Miraculous Salvation - Chapter 1 - Separate Worlds

Beginning || Previous || Next ||

            Kagami strolled beside her mother, Tomoe Tsurugi. The summer sun cooked her. Silent curses tore through her. She should have stayed in her school uniform, but took a chance and switched into a black, long-sleeved crop top, black military pants, and boots. Though she hadn’t expected Tomoe to take a detour to a park. They normally returned home at this time. She had attempted to ask Tomoe but was ordered to keep quiet.

            Kagami let out a quiet sigh as she looked around. The park filled with people as schools let out for summer holiday. Children ran around with siblings and friends in the carefree summer afternoon. Teenagers laid out in the shade or strolled along the walkways, engaged in conversation. It mirrored the adults that passed through the area. It reminded her of the functions she attended with Tomoe, but so much more.

            Kagami was forced to mingle with Paris’s modern day “nobility” due to Tomoe being a major CEO and herself the heiress to Tomoe’s empire. She had to interact with other heirs and heiresses to their family empires and fortunes. She didn’t enjoy the mindless business talk that she endured during those times. Not like now while she listened to her peers prattle on about their lives, idle conversation about flights of fantasy, and scandalous gossip. The snippets she heard were far more intriguing than the chatter of the privileged.

            “Eyes forward, Kagami. Keep your mind focused,” Tomoe ordered.

            Kagami opened her mouth to protest, then resigned. She kept her eyes forward and attempted to block out the chatter, but she still caught snippets. Girls squealed over the latest release of advertisements from the Agreste brand that featured Adrien Agreste, the Agreste heir and poster boy. Boys and girls whispered about a girl named Marinette and the appearance she’d be making at the park soon. The whispers soon took over all the conversations she heard.

            Kagami tilted her head as she listened to these conversations. They varied to praise of admiration for her gentleness and kindness, declarations of love for the vision of beauty she was, to devote worship for the goddess they claimed her to be. She was no stranger to these whispers as she heard them about Adrien, but these put him to shame. She wondered what kind of person this Marinette was to put the fabulous Agreste model to utter shame.

            Kagami was broken from her thoughts when she bumped into Tomoe. Fear and bile rose and caught in her throat. She stepped back and stood at attention.

            “Kagami, what has you distracted?”

            “I was just listening to people’s conversations.”

            “Kagami, I don’t care if you eavesdrop, but don’t waste your time with these common folk. They don’t have anything worth our time.”

            “Forgive me, Mother. I heard Adrien’s name and became lost in thought.”

            Tomoe hummed. She gave a small nod while she continued to a bench under some shade trees. She placed her cane on it and took a seat. Kagami followed suit and sat beside her.

            Kagami looked forward while she stole glances at Tomoe. Tomoe didn’t say another word to her and bowed her head. She frowned, assuming that Tomoe was meditating. Annoyance bubbled near the surface being out in the park while they could have done this at home like they usually did.

            “Clear your mind, Kagami. Your annoyance is distracting me,” Tomoe remarked.

            Kagami frowned and sighed. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, joining Tomoe in meditation. She attempted to clear her mind, but the buzz of the crowd kept her attention. She cracked open an eye as a bizarre group of her peers charged into the park.

            A short girl with wild, red blazing hair and tattered clothes and a tall, muscular guy with the sides of his head shaved and a small, stubby blonde mohawk lined the top of his head. The two tackled and fought as they each attempted to get the upper hand but were evenly matched. Behind them, a dark-skinned guy with an orange baseball cap, t-shirt, and shorts ran around the duo and hit the fountain.

            “Woohoo! I win!”

            “No fair, Nino!” the girl yelled.

            “It’s totally fair, my dudes. One must only use their brain to get the upper hand.”

            Kagami scrunched her face. She didn’t like how Nino talked. Something about it rubbed her the wrong way. Just like the countless other times she heard other teens speak just like him.

            A small group of younger teens approached the girl and asked about Marinette. The girl snarled, uttered every curse under the sun, then flipped them off before the group was sent running.

            “Easy, Alix, they’re just her fans,” the guy said.

            “I don’t fucking care, Kim! Is she fucking here? No. So, don’t fucking bother me about it.”

            Kagami’s eyes widened as she processed Alix’s outburst. She was no stranger to such ruthlessness, but not one so crass. Sure, she’d heard other people swear, but nothing like that Alix girl.

            A girl with short blonde hair in a sleeveless white button-up shirt, pink skirt and stockings, with brown boots stood in front of Alix. She crossed her arms and glared down at Alix.

            “Be nice, Alix. You don’t have to speak like a sailor to give them a simple answer.”

            “Off my back, Rose. You’d get fed up too if people constantly asked where is Marinette.”

            “No, I don’t. I--,” Rose started.

            A tall girl walked up and placed a hand on Rose’s shoulder. She had waist-length raven black hair with the ends and a section of hair over her right eye dyed purple. She wore a black short dress with sheer, puffy sleeves, stockings, and platform combat boots. She held an umbrella that shielded her from the worst of the sun’s rays.

            “You do get tired of hearing it, you just know how to hand it in a diplomatic manner,” the girl said.

            Kagami had to focus on the girl’s whispery words to hear them. Something about the girl sent chills through her but intrigued her. She had seen many pale girls like this one that dressed in all black, but none had an air about them like this girl did.

            “Hey, Juleka. Where’s your bro?” Nino asked.

            “Arriving soon. He got caught up at home.”

            Kim scoffed. “Oh yeah? What’s his excuse this time? Which guitar is he bringing?”

            Juleka looked down at Kim with a menacing glint to her exposed eye. Kim gulped and backed away. Juleka huffed and moved to sit at the bench next to Kagami. Rose trotted over and snuggled up to Juleka under the umbrella. Kim and Alix ran off while Nino sat in the grass at the base of a shade tree.

            Kagami blinked. Such a bizarre group of people. Typically when she saw large groups of friends, they were all alike, but not these people. She could understand that like attracts like, but all of them were so different. How did they become friends? How do they maintain such a friendship with a wide array of individuals? Especially when none of them seemed to share anything in common.

            “Kagami, what has you distracted still?” Tomoe barked.

            Kagami flinched. “It’s-.”

            “Honestly, Kagami, I expect better of you. This is far from the first time you’ve mediated with me in public. You should be able to focus better than this.”

            “Mother, I-.”

            “Enough. I don’t want to hear your excuses. We’re staying here until-.”

            “Pardon me,” Juleka said.

            Kagami turned to look at Juleka, who stood before her and Tomoe. Tomoe kept her head bowed, but her attention was on Juleka.

            “My sincerest apologies. I’ve no doubt that it was my friends that distracted your daughter from her mediations,” Juleka explained.

            “I see. I appreciate your forwardness, but I must ask you and your friends leave the area,” Tomoe said.

            Juleka smiled. She signaled Rose, who signaled Nino. He smiled and pulled out his speakers and put his music on full blast. Kagami sneered at the nightclub music choice while Tomoe covered her ears. Tomoe opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when Alix and Kim returned.

            “Yo! Is it time to party? Where’s Mari and the snacks?” Alix demanded.

            “On the way, Alix. She should be walking up with Bridgette any moment now,” Juleka said.

            Alix let out a triumph roar. Tomoe growled and grabbed Kagami’s wrist.

            “Let’s go, Kagami. I won’t have you near such horrible delinquents. Your parents should all be ashamed of you all.”

            Alix and Kim smiled at the remark and Juleka giggled.

            Tomoe snatched her cane and dragged Kagami behind her. Kagami looked back at the strangers. All had moved on from her except for Juleka, who smiled and waved goodbye. She attempted to wave back, but Tomoe yanked on her arm. She stumbled but caught herself.

            “Honestly. Such foul children. What is this city coming to? Let’s go home, Kagami.”

            Kagami perked up at the declaration. She turned back, her eyes settling on Juleka. Did Juleka know? Was Juleka as in-tune as Tomoe to emotions and picked up on her feelings? Or did Juleka take a shot in the dark? She wished she could find out, but she’d never seen those teens again. Not if Tomoe had any say in it.

            Kagami sighed silently and resigned herself.

~~

            Luka sat at his desk as he worked tirelessly on his music. Pages of music were scattered across the surface as he attempted to piece together his first song. He shook his head and crumbled up the piece he was working on. He threw it at his wastebin that overflowed with scraped drafts. He huffed and leaned back. He stared at the ceiling before he looked over at the guitar that hung on the wall over his bed.

            It was the first guitar that Luka had owned, given to him by his mother, Anarka. On it was her signature. His mind wandered back to the day that she signed it. She told him how she used to work alongside rock legend, Jagged Stone, back in the day. How she helped him with everything. She wrote his songs, music, and performed with him. She was a true wonder woman. She was in the fast lane to success, but she gave that all up for him and Juleka.

            Phantom guilt struck Luka’s heart. Anarka could have made it big, but she gave it all up. She had traded a life of fame and luxury to raise him and Juleka, a pair of bastards, in a houseboat docked in the Seine. Even if she seemed to enjoy this life, it didn’t make sense to him. How could she give up all that skill and experience for a life like this?

            Luka made a promise to Anarka after that day. He would follow in her footsteps. He’d become a famous musician in her honor and to carry on her legacy. He smiled as he remembered the pride that was in her eyes. He worked tirelessly since then. He learned to play the guitar, violin, and keyboard, with his eyes set on more. He trained his voice for years to be able to sing his own songs, but that was where he was failing her. He could read and write music notes, but not lyrics. He could always hear the words so clearly but when it came time to write them down, there was nothing.

            Luka didn’t know what he was missing. He listened to all the legends and their classics. Listened to their works and absorbed the meanings and messages of each song. He had even uncovered Anarka’s old works and studied them. Yet, no matter what he did, nothing came to him. What was it that he was missing? What did he lack to make songs just as Anarka and so many others have before him?

            Luka shook his head and looked back at his work. He would figure it out. Nothing would stop him. He grabbed his phone and played some of Jagged Stone’s old songs and worked. He worked until the sun set and Juleka returned.

            Juleka pushed open Luka’s door and peeked inside. He was hunched over his desk, working on his music. She sighed and snuck in. She crawled onto his bed and laid her head down.

            “No rest for the wicked, Brother?” Juleka asked.

            Luka jumped and turned off his music. He turned towards Juleka with a panicked look on his face.

            “We need to get you a bell or something, Jule.”

            “Dear Brother, I have plenty of bells. Though they are best saved for my rituals. Don’t need to taint them with unnecessary energies and spirits.”

            Luka sighed and stared at his papers.

            “Brother? What’s wrong?”

            “Do you think it’ll take a ritual for me to write songs?”

            Juleka shook her head. “I told you. You don’t need rituals to find your muse. You need to do that on your own. Let it come to you.”

            “How? How do I make it come to me?”

            “You can’t. It comes and goes as it pleases. And what you’re doing certainly isn’t helping.”

            “Then what can I do?”

            “I don’t know. Maybe take a break?”

            “I can’t.”

            “Brother, something has to give. If you keep going like this, you’ll never find your muse and you’ll never be a songwriter.”

            Luka didn’t respond.

            “Look, I know. You want to live up to Mom’s legacy, but how’ll she feel seeing you push yourself to the point of literal mental strain and exhaustion over something like this?”

            Luka sighed. “Alright. You win. What do you suggest?”

            “Well, I brought dinner home. Mom isn’t back yet, but she can always heat hers up. We can start there. Maybe have a little jam session after we eat?”

            Luka smiled. “I’d love that.”

            “And maybe tomorrow you can hang out with all of us? We’ll be here so you either can sit in here, or join us.”

            Luka grimaced. “I don’t know about that.”

            “Oh, c’mon. It’ll be fun. Everyone will be there. Even Marinette.”

            Luka’s eyes widened slightly. His heart raced as a sweet melody played in his head. He covered his mouth and looked away.

            “I don’t know.”

            “C’mon, it’ll be fun. You can hang with all of us, rub elbows with other artists, and finally meet Marinette instead of, y’know, being a little bitch.”

            Luka huffed.

            Juleka giggled. “Don’t worry. Marc does the same thing with everyone. So, what do you say?”

            “We’ll see.”

            “I’ll take it. Now, let’s eat. You have to be hungry.”

            Luka’s stomach growled in response. Juleka blinked and laughed while Luka looked away.

            “Alright, let’s go.”

[chaletnz]

First Stop, Cartagena!

My trip has begun at long last, with the unfortunate circumstance that I broke my ankle snowboarding just three weeks ago. Now I’m in the walking boot for at least another week or two and then can move to my extra supportive ankle brace and then probably just a supportive compression sock after that. I had been okay walking around at home with the boot but wearing an 8kg backpack made things more difficult with the additional weight. I found the airport currency exchange to buy my first Colombian pesos and waited an uncomfortably long time behind a guy with an ankle monitor. With the bag secured I could join another long uncomfortable line for my ritual airport Panda Express before boarding. I slept most of the flight to Atlanta and then joined yet another line for a Caribou coffee during the layover until finally I was on the final leg to Cartagena. We were disembarked onto the tarmac into the heatwave and then hit with a welcome icy blast of air conditioning when we got inside the terminal. I joined the regular line having missed the signs for the disabled line and after 30 painful minutes on my feet I asked the attendant if I could switch. He was very kind and asked the next people in line if they would mind if I went next as I had already waited a long time in this line. These folks were the same ones I had sat beside on the flight so they were happy to let me go ahead of them. Once I was safely in Colombia I connected to the limited wifi and summoned my driver Jaime who took me into the city to my hostel. Surprisingly the Spanish conversation flowed pretty well, I could find a lot more words to carry the conversation than when I had tried to talk to the taxi driver a year ago in Cusco. Jaime told me how it’s the 491 year anniversary of the city of Cartagena and how safe it was to walk around the city. When I checked into the hostel they’d assigned me a room that was still dirty because I’d asked to choose a bottom bunk. I put my card on the bed I wanted and then put all my unneeded things into one of the lockers, I’d also snatched a towel from the cleaning trolley left unattended outside the room. With some shorts on I felt immediately a lot better and started off with a walk to the clock tower for a look around. There was a band setting up to play and a lot of people milling about, trying to sell their wares or tours. Surprisingly most seemed to leave me alone which was great! The exchange rate at a nearby cambio was pretty good so I changed some USD to pesos and carried on walking to Plaza de Bolívar which was a shaded park. It was still much too hot even in the shade so I walked down further to Plaza de Santa Domingo and walked into the first cafe I saw hoping for air conditioning. It was San Alberto Boutique Coffee Experience and there were about 10 people working there to 4-5 customers. Unfortunately there was no air conditioning but it was too late, I had been seated with a menu already! I went for the paraiso which was a blended frappe iced coffee and was delicious - tasted like I was on holiday! On the way back to the hostel, I stopped for a chicken and potato skewer - he definitely charged me gringo prices though. He gave one away to a guy in a wheelchair so I wonder if he charged me for two and gave one to him. Around 4:30 (three hours after landing in the country) I had my first offer of weed and cocaine (“we have the best blow bro”). Instead I went for a limon juice which was a refreshing lemonade basically. I bought a mixture of coconut sweets on my way back to the hostel and stopped at a bakery to buy a pastry for the next morning. One last stop for a fresh bottle of cold water and I was ready to go to bed by late afternoon! Luckily the room was still empty when I arrived back so I took a shower in the clean bathroom, and organised everything ready for leaving early for my tour the next morning. As I was drifting off two girls arrived in the room but they got ready for a night out and left soon after. The last dorm mate arrived around midnight and turned on the light, and the girls arrived back at 2am.

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

So, let us say, for the dork squad (general). They meet a girl who seems to know all about them and who they are. A fan, so to speak! And she knows so much about them. She mentions a 'thank you' for all the souls they've sent, but really...when are THEY going to end up punching their ticket? Maybe they notice something like tapetum lucidum flashing in her eyes at the wrong angle. And then they start seeing her everywhere. They're being followed. Or hunted. Can they keep Death from her dues?

So to clarify there is a romantic spin on this and girl means young woman adult in this occasion (I asked). While I figured most people would know, it helps being clear. That being said. Death becomes her.

Tw: murder, child abuse (mentioned in past tense)

Scarecrow

- For a moment he's ready to tell her not to bother with the little charade. That he has other things to deal with rather than some young woman with flights of fancy in her head. Then he sees the flicker of an animals eyes looking back at him.

- It shakes him to his core, at first. She disappears and he's left with many thoughts. The afterlife? What does this all mean...? She said she was a fan. Of him?

- Then he keeps seeing her everywhere it seems. At one point he finally just sits down in the park at night, waiting for her to join him. Once she does he asks plainly, "Is it my time?"

- She hums, "Not necessarily. Not unless you wanted to go. I'd take you by the hand to the rotting dark right now if you wanted."

- "I don't. I have things that need to be done first." He says simply. She shrugs. Worth a shot!

- "Then I wait." She smiles, "You don't mind me waiting in sight, do you?"

- It strikes him as an odd question. Would she still be waiting, just unseen, if he wished it? To that he shakes his head, "I don't mind much. You've seen it all, have you?"

- "Of yours? Yup. Ever since your granny. Big pause after that, though." She tilts her head. A "simple" mix-up of medications by a young Jonathan Crane took care of all that easily.

- Death continues, "People should cherish their lives. And the lives of others. She didn't cherish yours much."

- His silence answers the insinuation. When she leans on him, he seems surprised. It's comforting, somehow. She softly sings an old folk song he knows quite well growing up where he did.

-"O death... O death... won't you spare me o'er another year?"

- His eyes close. His voice, ragged and not quite as pretty- joins hers.

- It's the first of many intimate moments between them.

Mad Hatter

- Nervous laughter, what the fuck. Look, he's spooky in his own way, incredibly so but this is a whole other level. Her eyes shining like that when a truck went by scared him deep into his soul.

- The rest of it doesn't really process or register until later. The souls HE'S sent? Oh dear, oh no, oh... fuck. Jervis, dear boy, you're really in it now. But- but- he hasn't even met his Alice!

- The next few times he sees Death, he outright tries to ignore her. Smiling, watching. Tries to make tonics to send him to Wonderland in an attempt to forget... to not think about her... Even there he still seems to see her.

- Eventually she's walking beside him and he says pointedly, "I cannot go with you, I need to..." He looks upset.

- "Find your Alice?" Death asks, "Haven't you tried that already? There's been a few souls delivered that way. A lady killer." Her eyes narrow on him and he feels faint.

- "It wasn't like that! It wasn't-" He stammers, "Everything just keeps..."

- "You're not meant for this world. These people. I understand. Always feeling like you don't belong." She says, "I'm not taking you. Yet. You can stop being so worried. I told you, I'm a fan."

- He stops as she continues to walk. A hopeful look in his eyes, "Do you... perhaps... like Alice in Wonderland?"

- "I love it. I had a long conversation with Mr. Carrol when he passed about the books." She looks so proud of herself, "Do you want to hear?"

- It takes him a moment, but he offers his arm, "After you, dear lady!"

Riddler

- You're joking. You can't be serious, right? What a cute little prank. He gently pats the young woman on the head and tries to walk away as quickly as he possibly can.

- The tapetum lucidum was what bothered him the most. Whatever that was, she wasn't human.

- He gathers himself and the next time he sees her he approaches her oh-so-smug, "If you're really Death, then who was the first person I killed?"

- Smiling, cute as a button she'll respond, "Your father. You set up a very complex web of information that made him think he was going to get the payday of his life if he went to a certain spot. A certain spot you set up with traps. The moment he entered his hand into the cuff for the key, you gave him options to stay trapped and starve or risk bleeding out by cutting his hand off. Like an animal. That hand that hurt you so often, right?"

- Edward's face goes white. He's never told anyone that. She doesn't even need to tell him how as a young man he made it look like a burglary gone wrong afterwards. He gets the message. Seeing her around afterwards makes him paranoid.

- He's going to use her fan status- or try to. You think he's witty? Clever? Let him tell you all about it. Behind the scenes on his most brilliant and sometimes fatal traps! He figures if she won't stop following him the least he can do is talk his way out of this.

- People have done it for eons in stories about Death, haven't they? What he's not ready for is the sweet way she listens. And comments on his stories. She doesn't even necessarily judge him, not the way a regular person would.

- fuck, he's caught feelings. Disgusting. But he can't quite help himself with how he leans in with that smarmy grin and charming voice. Pity him, oh Death, spare his mortal soul! What great offerings can he give in penance for his... Mistress?

[invisibleraven]

[ COAT ] for Luke/anyone because he has that comfy-ass looking giant flannel thing.

Luke grinned as he penned the last notes to the song he had been struggling with all day. He hummed the melody to himself, only to be interrupted when his phone rang. He scowled, but when he saw Reggie's number he picked up.

"Hey Reg, how's Georgia?"

"Luke..."

Luke sat up, hearing the tears in Reggie's voice, the beep of machines in the background. "What's going on babe?"

"MeeMaw... she had a stroke. It's touch and go right now. I-I already called my folks, but they're not able to get a flight until tomorrow afternoon," Reggie said, breaking down in a sob.

"So you're at the hospital alone?' Luke asked.

"For now," Reggie replied. "My uncle was here, but he went home, be with my aunt and cousins. I stayed. I... I don't want her to be alone."

"I'm so sorry Reg. Anything you want me to do?" Luke asked.

"No, I'll be alright. Just needed to hear a friendly voice right about now," Reggie said. "Drowns out all the machines here."

"She'll be okay Reg, I know she will be," Luke assured him, even if he knew the words were empty. "You call me the second anything changes, okay?"

"Sure," Reggie replied, though his voice sounded hallow. "Thanks Luke."

"Any time babe."

The call ended, and Luke worried his bottom lip. He hated the thought of Reggie sitting alone in the hospital, next to his ailing grandmother and dispassionate doctors. Sure his uncle would be back in the morning, but Luke also knew that Reggie wasn't close to the man, and he had never been a fan of Reggie's old man. Join the club really, but he doubted he was going to be much comfort.

It was only mid afternoon in LA, and Luke glanced around his room. Grabbed a few things to shove into his backpack and started heading downtown. He'd left a note for his mom, but he knew she'd understand, she loved Reggie like her own, and the last thing Emily Patterson would want was Reggie spending the night alone in the hospital.

Sure, by the time the bus got to Georgia, half the night would be gone, but dammit if Luke wasn't gonna be there for Reggie when he needed him.

He spent the ride writing; song after song, munching on snacks and reading the novel they were supposed to have done for summer reading. Luke wasn't the biggest book guy; his dyslexia saw to that. He much preffered having Reggie read him the books; he did the best voices. But Reggie was spending the summer with MeeMaw, so Luke was left on his own. Even if Reggie read it aloud to him over the phone as much as he could before the long distance charges would start to hurt.

Luke fielded a call from his mom who chided him for running off, but he could hear the fond smile in her voice when he told her why, promised to put some money in his account for a flight back, and told him to hug Reggie extra tight for her. For all the fights him and his mom got into about his grades, the band, and music in general, Luke would never deny how much his mom loved him or his friends.

When the bus finally stopped in Georgia, it was late, Luke was stiff and tired, but he kept going. Found a cab who would get him to the hospital, and the fee was a joke compared to LA cabs, so Luke willingly paid it. Even if it meant putting off buying new guitar strings or street dogs for awhile, Reggie was worth it.

He shivered as he got out of the cab, remembering Reggie mentioning that Georgia was going through an unseasonal cold snap right now, so he pulled on his warm flannel. Went into the hospital and froze. He had no idea where to go. He was overwhelmed by the sound of machines, the smell of antiseptic, the people bustling here and there, even as it was after midnight. He cautiously approached the check in desk.

"I'm looking for a room number for Chavalah Cassidy?" he asked politely.

"Sorry sweetie, visiting hours are over, family only," the receptionist said.

"I'm looking for her family actually," Luke responded. "Her grandson Reggie is my boyfriend. I came all the way from LA so he wouldn't be alone. Please."

"Look hun, I sympathise, I do. But I could get in real trouble if I told you she was in room 225." The woman winked at him and he gave her a grateful smile, heading down the hallway.

Thankfully this place wasn't a maze like the County General in LA, but Luke still got turned around once or twice, finally ending up on the right floor and headed towards the right room. Which had no Reggie.

Luke hoped against hope that he was just getting a snack and not gone back to the big empty farmhouse for the night. He looked down at MeeMaw and sucked in a breath. She looked so small. He had met her a couple times when she visited LA, seen her on a handful of video calls when Reggie visited in the past. She had ben a bright, vivacious woman, and Luke suspected it was her that Reggie took after rather than any other relative.

"Luke?"

He turned, and there was Reggie, looking tired and pale, on the verge of tears. Luke opened up the panels of his coat, and Reggie rushed in, hugging him tight around his waist. Luke hugged him back, rubbing over the cool skin of his arms, wondering idly where Reggie's own beloved flannel or leather jacket were.

"You're here," Reggie whispered.

"Of course I am babe," Luke said, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Couldn't let you be here alone."

"Thank you," Reggie breathed out. "I spoke to the doctors a while ago, she's doing better. Waiting for her to wake up to see how bad it is."

"And we'll be here when she does," Luke assured him. Held up the book they were assigned. "You wanna pick up where we left off to pass the time?"

Reggie let out a wet little giggle. "Sure. Chapter five?"

Luke nodded and pulled him down onto his lap in one of the terrible hospital chairs. And with Reggie's soft voice narrating the book, the sounds of the hospital disappeared around them. And when Chavalah woke up, she joined in reading. Her voice was a little slurred, her movements slow, but the doctors were hopeful she would make a full recovery, given time.

"Thanks for coming," Reggie said around a yawn as they laid in his bed back at the farmhouse later that day.

"How could I not?" Luke whispered back, running his fingers through Reggie's hair.

"Love you," Reggie slurred, falling to sleep soon after. Luke grinned, resolving to return the sentiment when they woke up before heading back to the hospital.

And maybe tell his mom to hold off booking him a ticket home, because right now he was right where he needed to be.

[slytherin-0]

Note : hi ! This is my first time writing a fanfiction, I’m apologizing if it’s bad. (English is not my first language)

Warning : Mention of smoking, Mention of drinking, teenagers being drunk, mention of w33d, smoking w33d. (That’s all I think !)

"Want a hit ?"

Ray x f!reader (metal lords)

Listen to this song while reading for a better experience.

I always hated parties, because I know that when I’m at a party I start drinking more and more because I’m too stressed, and then I ended up like a mess I front of everyone, but here I’m I at the welcoming party of the popular guy from the school, they made that for the new school year, when a group of girls told me if I would come I didn’t had time to tell them no that they were already gone, I didn’t have the choice, when I entered in the music was already blasting my ear, it was a group playing, they were not the best, but it was not bad, Mollycoddle huh ? What a weird name, it was just the start of the party and people were already drunk and high, vibing to the music, and I was there standing with my beer, trying not to spill it one someone by accident, I started looking at each member of the band, my eyes wandered on every one of them until my eyes stopped on the drummer, he looked totally off, he was for sure not sober, he raised his head and our gaze meet, I immediately looked away, I tried to leave but the enter was blocked, they were too drunk to understand anything, I goes outside on the balcony to take some fresh air, after a couple of minutes someone joined me on the balcony, when I turn my head I recognized the drummer, he had a lighter and a joint in the hand, he looked at me with a little grin and he nod in my direction, I smiled faintly looking at the horizon, it was dark, the lights and the moon being the only natural light, even outside the sound of the party could be heard, I heard the faint noise of the lighter and the joint burning, while looking at the sky, I finally heard his tired, and husky voice.

"Want a hit ?" He says, I turn my head and I told him yes, he give me is joint and when I took a puff I immediately start coughing, I give it back to him, and he chuckles, "Damm sweetheart I didn’t wanna to ruin your lungs…" his lips curved into a soft grin. "It’s okay don’t worry it’s my fault" I replied to him as I look back to the horizon. "My name is Ray yours ?" I look back at him in the eyes, I have the same feeling when I look at him in the eyes the first time, I smile softly and I simply say "I’m Y/N" he nod softly and smile, we start talking and talking hours became minutes, minutes became seconds with him everything was better, the time was going more and more faster, the music was now quiet the party was already over, he looked at me and he smiled, his joint is now finished "It was great meeting you Y/N… but before you go I have a question." I turn my head and I look at him, my full interest is now on him "Do you have a boyfriend ?" I chuckle at is respond and I shake my head, a big smile is now on is face, before he leaves he said "It was nice meeting you sweetheart see you next time" he wink and he goes back into the house.

——————————————————————————

Hi sorry ! If it’s short… i hope you enjoyed reading and thank for reading also I have 19 hours flight so maybe I will write a part 2 ! Request are always appreciated and welcome !

[burnwater13]

Grogu wondered how Cobb Vanth had managed to deal with life on Tatooine without having a creed to fall back on. When you compared him to a Mandalorian or a Tusken, the Marshal seemed to have a pretty flexible view on life. Maybe his creed was just practicality. The ‘if you can’t fight them, join them’ creed of people who had to do too much heavy lifting all on their own. 

That fit with his past. He said he fought the mining collective and that must have been hard. Having the Mandalorian armor helped, but it wasn’t like it was a complete set of armor. A couple of vambraces, a cuirass, the pauldrons, the helmet and of course the flight pack. Just enough to make a difference. 

But he hadn’t been able to find a better way of dealing with the Tuskens until Din Djarin had shown up. Grogu found that funny. Just like he’d never had the black melons either. How do you live on a planet your whole life and never try the fruity milk they produced? Or learn to work with the indigenous population? 

Fortunately Cobb had learned how to do those things. More or less. He hadn’t been happy about it and the Mandalorian had to show him how it could be done. But after that, Cobb had done pretty well. Grogu had been impressed because his experience was that humans just didn’t learn that quickly. Even with a lot of motivation. Cobb was special. 

He must have been pretty special because the Mandalorian was willing to have Cobb look after Grogu if things had gone bad with the Krayt dragon. But then the Marshal had noticed Grogu right away and thought that children should be protected from violence. Din Djarin hadn’t worried about that as much. Of course he had known that Grogu had seen worse and was likely to see worse again. Two men just being at crossed purposes initially wasn’t all that dangerous. 

Until he considered how every Mandalorian thought they were the only ones who should have the beskar armor that Cobb happened to be wearing. It wasn’t like Cobb had been the one to take the armor from a Mandalorian. That had been someone else’s fault. Grogu was pretty sure it wasn’t fair to have people inherit the problems of another person that way, but then the Mandalorians didn’t think it was fair that anyone would take their armor and they were at an impasse. 

But then the Krayt dragon showed up and they all had a problem. Marshal Vanth, the Tuskens, the town folk, even the Mandalorian. A problem they needed to solve by helping each other. It was a good thing Cobb Vanth wasn’t tied to some creed that would have told him not to help people who had once been enemies. Or one that told you to hang onto a thing because it was more important than the people around you (looking at you Mandalorians). 

So the deal was struck. Cobb would give up the armor if Mando helped with the Krayt dragon. The Tuskens would stop attacking the town if the the town folk helped with the Krayt dragon and didn’t draw first blood the next time anything happened. Cobb agreed to all that. Grogu was impressed. But then what did the Marshal have to lose? Everything? 

Yup, actually. Cobb took a huge risk, but then sometimes that’s the best choice. Ignoring the problem didn’t make it go away. Arguing about the problem also didn’t make it go away. You just had to work to solve the problem and do what needed to be done. Cobb had done that and Grogu was impressed. If only the Jedi had been better at that sort of thing. But then he wouldn’t have come to Tatooine and met Cobb… well, maybe the next Jedi would be better at that.

[imsfire2]

WIP whenever meme

I'd not come across this one before and don't know the rules, so apologies if I'm doing it wrong! Tagged by the lovely @captastra and I am assuming from the name that this is about posting a piece of a WIP at some stage in its development at some point.

So, hoping I've got that right, and thanks for the tag!! and here's the opening of my long-half-finished summer cricket league story.

Setting is in the Guau-guau 'verse, which features the Rogue One crew as everyday people in west London. This is for @thenewleeland by the way; long-promised, maybe one day soon to be delivered!

The cricket match

In Re. yr. interest in local club league, the email was titled.  Bodhi blinked at his phone screen.  In Re. yr.  He tried to remember when he’d last seen a wording like that.  Informal in a way, but the informality of – what – his grandparents’ generation?  It made him weirdly uncomfortable.

As he opened the email, Luke came into the sitting room of their flat carrying the tea tray and Jyn began hastily sweeping papers and books off the table.  Bodhi read quickly and started to swear under his breath, and they both looked round.

“What the - Bo, are you okay?” Luke sounded completely taken aback by the strong language. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh fuck, fuck,” Bodhi said again. “I’ve made a total cock-up.” He rubbed the back of his neck, wishing he could undo the impulsive action of a few days ago that had led to this.

“Why, what’s going on?” Jyn asked. “Is something wrong at flight school?”

“What?  Oh no, nothing like that.  It’s about cricket.”

“You’re dropping f-bombs over the cricket?” Luke smiled. “Aww, honey, it’s just a game.”

“It’s about our little team.  I think I – I think I may have got us in deep shit.”

His fiancé and sister exchanged a glance and blinked at one another, like actors in a comedy, before Jyn came over and sat down beside him on the sofa. “Talk to me, Bodhi.  Is it Ealing council?  If we’re in trouble for paying ball games in the park or something, remember that’s on all of us, not just you.  No-one told us it was against the rules.”

“We didn’t ask,” Luke pointed out.

“Yeah, well, everyone plays sports there all the time so I don’t see why we should have to ask when—"

“It’s not the council,” Bodhi interrupted. “It’s – it’s all my fault.  Remember we were talking about if we could maybe join the local club league next year, if we could get a full team together?  I – I contacted them.  Just to ask.  It’s about that.  It’s a formal invitation.  From the captain of the current title holders.  To a, to a, like, a challenge match, to test if we’re good enough.”

“Blimey,” Jyn said. “A challenge?  Straight off the bat, if you’ll pardon the phrase?  That’s a bit over the top, isn’t it?”

“He suggests we have a friendly limited-over match one weekend.  And then he goes into all the details about requirements and allocated drinks breaks and whatnot and it all gets terribly formal and oh shit, it’s just - I’ve really fucked up so badly.  I should never have asked.”

He handed her the phone and she read while Luke poured him tea, and opened the biscuits.

“So,” Jyn said, accepting a mug and then a hobnob “this WH Tarkin brackets Captain close brackets wants to have a 40-over match one Saturday between his team from – Empire Gyms, hah! – and us.  The sides to provide one umpire each and tea to be at Empire Gyms’ expense as being the senior team.  Crikey, how ridiculously formal.  He makes it sound like a duel.  Okay, who’re we going to field then?  Bags I bat at number four.”

“Jyn, come on, we’re no way ready to play a formal match, we’ve just been knocking a ball about and having a laugh.”

“We’ve been challenged,” Jyn retorted. “By some pompous old buffer who thinks the local club league is his baby.  Talk about a big fish in a small pond.  He sounds so smug.  Someone should show him the little folks can play too, thank you very much Mr Tarkin.”

“Jyn, no…” 

“Jyn yes.  Seriously.  We can’t just get all British and embarrassed and say we didn’t mean it.  We’ve been challenged to a fight, we have to turn up at least.  Bodhi, come on!”

“Tell her she’s nuts,” Bodhi implored; but Luke was grinning at his future sister-in-law’s excitement.

“If we don’t even show up, then for sure, we’ll never get into the league,” Jyn went on. “If we give it a bash then at least we’ve taken a chance and had a go.”

She passed the phone to Luke. “Read it.  Tell me I’m not over-reacting.  This bloke sounds so bloody old-school, and really possessive.  It’s like all local cricket is his domain and none shall enter the realm without his say-so.  I want to punch his nose already and I haven’t even met him.”