#but yeah TikTok is so different from here I’m always second guessing what I should post
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Oh my god, you have a TikTok account??? Drop your username
willgrahamsco.ck I don’t ever promote it here because I’m 98% less unhinged there due to it being TikTok. But I like doing the trends! I just wish people were more interactive on there because on tumblr people will like and rb and add funny tags.
Yesterday I posted a possessive hannibal slide so I’d appreciate if you guys went and liked it or interacted with it 🤠✨
#alex answers#comment if you’re from tumblr ❤️#but yeah TikTok is so different from here I’m always second guessing what I should post#because here I can say unhinged stuff and you guys will be like#yeah that’s just a cock post#there I will get banned 🫡
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His very own real princess (Pedri x Reader)
**I'm back with another imagine! This one was requested many moons ago and the anon who sent it might have forgotten about it so sorry 😕 but I got the inspiration for it and so I wanted to share it! I'm not so used to writing short format anymore so I feel everything could be a series. Let me know if you'd like this concept to be one! ☺️ And enjoy! ❤️**
Word count: 3675
Masterlist
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Being famous was not as great as people made it up to be. For Pedri, it meant leaving the house was too much sometimes. He had to deal with people following him and even getting in front of his car just to get his attention. He was asked to sign autographs and to take photos every couple of minutes. While he loved his fans, it could be a bit much. Especially when he could tell they were filming him so they could post the video on TikTok for a couple hundred likes. So, one day, he tried to avoid those people by going to a park. He could probably lose them there. There were so many trees and dogs that made it harder to move quickly around the area.
For you, it had been a bit different. Growing up your family wanted to keep you a secret almost. For security reasons…or so they said. So, naturally, you wanted to rebel against them and do the complete opposite. Still, it wasn’t until you turned 18 that you started to show up at official events. And now you were 20, you realised maybe your parents had been right all along. But you weren’t going to tell them that. Of course. So while some paparazzi were chasing you, you spotted a park and thought you could hide there for a bit. Maybe even call your chauffeur so he could pick you up and save you from the vultures.
“Oh! Sorry”.
Pedri turned to look at the girl who was apologising to him. You had bumped into each other and he hit you in the head with his shoulder without meaning to. He hadn’t even seen you there.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. Are you alright?”
And then, it happened. You looked up to see his face and you couldn’t believe who it was that you were talking to.
“Oh my God…oh my God”, was all you could say.
“I take it you know who I am”.
“Yeah, who doesn’t?”
Pedri chuckled. “I guess there are some lucky folks out there who don’t. But really, are you ok?”
“Yes, it’s fine. Just more shocked to see you here than anything else”.
Pedri smiled at you and you were trying hard not to swoon. Being hidden from the public eye meant you hadn’t been around a lot of famous people before. Your second cousins were way more used to this and always told you famous people were just normal people. To them…not to you. To you, famous people were…fascinating.
“I was planning on hiding here for a bit”, you said.
“Me too, but I don’t want to ruin your plan so I could leave…”.
Pedri started to look around, getting ready to leave so you stopped him. “You don't know who I am so that makes you good company. Perfect company actually. So you can stay. Also, you got here first”.
“Should I know who you are?”
“I guess not”, you shrugged. Not everyone followed your family. Thankfully.
“Are you a singer?
“Babies cry when I sing”.
“Actress?”
“Nope”.
“Influencer”.
“I only influence how much money there is left in my dad's bank account”.
You thought it was really cute how he concentrated, trying to guess. “Then…a model?”
“No, but I appreciate the compliment”.
“What compliment?”
“If you think I could be a model, then you think I'm pretty”.
“Well”, he started. “I like to invite pretty girls to eat or have a drink so…which one is it going to be?”
“There is an ice cream ban there…if you dare approach it”.
It made you laugh how Pedri looked around the area, making sure no one who could know him was there and then he turned to look at you again.
“What flavour?”
“One ball of coffee and one of vanilla, please”.
“Sounds sophisticated”.
“I guess you’re getting closer to my identity”, you laughed.
“What are you? A princess?”
“Nah, the princesses are my cousins”.
Pedri laughed before going to the ban to get the ice cream. The funny thing about being part of the Royal family was that it was so weird that many thought you were joking when you said that. But you weren’t. Not many people knew your parents but they still were part of the family so…they got attention. And now, you got the attention too.
“Here is your ice cream, your Majesty”.
“Thank you, Golden boy”, you joked back.
“Does that make me royalty too?”
“I guess. Football royalty so less hated than real royalty”. “Less hated? You clearly aren’t on Twitter”.
No, you weren’t. No amount of therapy would heal you after reading what people wrote about you or your family there.
Sitting down on the grass and eating an ice cream while chatting with Pedri was something that healed your mood. It was so nice to be with someone who didn’t know who you were but that also understood how you felt. Even if he didn’t know it yet.
“There are a lot of kids and parents around now. I feel no one will even look at us while we leave”.
You looked around and agreed with his assessment. “Ok, where should we go?”
“I don’t know. Wanna go walk near the beach? It’s usually where I end up when I go out. It’s not often I do but it’s nice to go there”.
“I like the beach”.
“Where are you from?”
“Well…it’s a funny question that one”, you sighed.
“How so?” “I was born in The Netherlands, then lived in Madrid for a bit, went to school in Switzerland and Wales and now I’m back in Spain. I go to different cities all the time. I like travelling”.
“Wow, that’s a lot. Was it a boarding school you went to?”
“Yeah”.
“Maybe you are a princess after all”.
You giggled and looked down to hide your blush. Yes, your life sounded very much like that of a princess. Even if about 40 family members needed to die for you to become one for real.
“I love this”, you said, looking around and feeling so…normal.
“Yeah? That’s good”.
Pedri smiled at you and you realised maybe it wasn’t so normal what was going on. Sure, you were on a walk like a normal person but you were walking with a very famous footballer. That didn’t happen every day. At least not to you.
“And I see pizza there. Do you want a slice?”
“I probably shouldn’t…”.
“But Pedri! Today everything is possible! You’re not a football player but just Pedro from Tenerife. And I’m not a princess”.
“What are you then?”, he asked, smirking.
“I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy…asking him to get some pizza”.
The excitement of the crazy afternoon made you lose a bit of the control you usually had and you grabbed Pedri’s arm to take him to the pizza ban. It wasn’t like holding hands but…once the physical contact started, you were both very aware of it. But pretended it was all normal.
After buying the pizza slices, you didn’t wait a second to start eating. You were so hungry and it wasn’t often you got to eat greasy pizza with your hands.
“That burns!”, you complained, opening your mouth and using your hand as a fan.
“Maybe wait a little to eat”.
“I was hungry”, you pouted and that made Pedri stare at your lips.
“You got some sauce on your mouth”.
“I think I have a mirror on my bag…”.
But before you had time to find it, Pedri used one of his napkins to clean your face. When you looked up at him, you noticed he seemed to have done that without even realising.
“Sorry”.
“No, don’t be. Thank you for not letting me look dirty while we walked”.
“Princesses have to always look perfect”.
“Exactly”, you told him, laughing.
But good things had to come to an end and soon Pedri started to notice people looking at him. That meant it was time to go home.
“I’m sorry. It just…that’s my life”.
“I get it”, you told him, wanting to explain to him how much you actually got it. “It was fun to spend some time with you though”.
“Would you like to do it again?”
“I would. But maybe somewhere more private”.
“Do you have Instagram? So you can follow me and we can talk about meeting”.
That made you pause. You had an official account controlled by people hired by your family but also a private one. So maybe you could use that one to follow him.
“Yeah. I’ll follow you later and send you a message”.
“Cool. See you…soon?”
You nodded, not knowing what to do. Should you hug him? But then all the people ready to surround him showed you that no, a hug wouldn’t be a good idea. So you said goodbye and left.
Pedri was entering the dressing room a couple of days after you met, not really looking at his teammates but at his phone. You two had been texting ever since you separated. And he was constantly checking to see if you had sent him a new message.
“Hello, your Majesty”, said one of Pedri’s teammates and it took him a second to notice he was looking at him.
“Sorry?”
“I just said hi to your Majesty. Would you like us to find a throne for you to sit on?”
“What are you on about?”
“Haven't seen the cover of the magazine yet?”, asked Frenkie.
“I haven't done any covers lately…”.
“The gossip magazine”, pointed out Lamine. “It’s all everyone is talking about”.
“I don’t get it. I haven’t done anything to be in one of those magazines”.
“How about going out with a pretty girl the other day? Paparazzi are everywhere. You should know that by now”.
So people had seen him when he was hanging out with you. Great. You didn’t seem like someone who’d enjoy the attention. But why make such a big deal out of him being seen with someone unknown?
“You also chose the wrong girl to date”.
“I’m not dating her but she's just a normal girl…”.
“Who's related to the Royal family. And here we were worrying about Gavi being the one who could become king”.
“I would have made a great king”, said Gavi, raising his chin proudly.
“You would have made a terrible king”, told him Fermín, shaking his head.
“What do you mean Royal family?”
Pedri was about to start freaking out. You joked about being a princess but…was it not a joke? What? He knew the princesses! Leonor, Sofía, Victoria, …none of them were you. So what the heck was going on?
“She’s like a second or third cousin of the real princesses but the media has been trying to find out everything about her in the last few years”, explained Pau.
“How do you know so much about that?”
“My mum loves the Royals. I live with her and she talks about it”, shrugged the youngster.
The jokes continued but Pedri didn’t care. He just kept thinking about how you had lied to him. And he got it in a way. It couldn’t be easy to be in your position but…you had spent two days talking to each other about a lot of personal stuff. Didn’t you trust him enough to tell him the truth?
When he finished training and picked up his phone again, he saw a text from you saying “I’m sorry”. A part of him wanted to ignore it but you didn’t deserve that kind of treatment despite your lies. So he asked you to meet instead. But you were in Madrid for a couple of days so it’d have to wait. You apologized multiple times and Pedri told you it was ok but…you weren’t so sure.
“What’s wrong?”, asked your cousin Sofía, who was a real princess.
“You saw the magazines, right?”
“Yes. Wanna talk about it?”
“I…we bumped into each other randomly and it was so good to meet someone who didn’t know who I was. You get it, Sof. If someone gets it, it’ll be you”.
“I do. Is he mad at you for lying?”
“Not really”, you said, frowning. “I expected him to be but he seems to understand why I lied. He also gets it”.
“I bet he does. So, what are you going to do?”
“We’ll meet when I get back to Barcelona in a few days”.
Sofía laughed looking at you. “That smile…someone is smitten!”
“How could I not be? Have you seen him? And he’s super nice too, not just handsome. But I fear I’ve ruined it”.
“Don’t be so negative. Let’s just get ready for the match and forget about your Barça boy for a couple of hours”.
It wasn’t a secret that the king of Spain supported Atlético de Madrid and a lot of people suspected his daughter Sofía did as well. However, it was very hard for her to attend matches without people noticing but she had become a bit of a pro at it. And now she was taking you to the match too.
The match was fun and Atleti won so Sofía was very happy. And you didn’t get spotted by anyone…or so you thought.
“Pepi!”, called Ferran when Pedri was entering the dressing room in the morning.
“What?”
“Your princess is a traitor, she doesn't even support you”.
“What are you talking about?”
“She was at the Atleti match yesterday with Princess Sofía. But I bet you can turn her into a Barça fan”.
Ferran’s wink didn’t stop Pedri from feeling so weird about this whole situation. Or more like jealous. What if you had your eye on an Atleti player?
But he could only stare at the photos in the article. After your meeting, he had only the memory of how you looked that day. Your private Instagram only had a handful of photos and a few were of your dogs. The official Instagram only had a few official photos and…even though that was you too, it wasn’t the you Pedri knew. The girl in the photos from the Atleti match was you. Laughing with your cousin and looking so happy.
The article…he didn’t like as much. After the photos of what the press called “a date” were published, they just assumed you were seeing Pedri. So what were you doing watching a rival team? It wasn’t as if you went to see a Real Madrid match, God forbid. But still…shouldn’t you be supporting “your boyfriend”?
“Hi”.
A few days later, you were back in Barcelona and Pedri invited you to have lunch with him. Finding a place where no one would see you was hard, but your family knew a few tricks to achieve that.
“Hey. It’s good to see you again”.
This time, you did hug as a greeting. Even if you had spoken only via texts, it still felt like you knew each other so well now. So a hug seemed like the right thing to do.
“I’m sorry about everything that happened. I just…I don’t know, Pedri. Being with you made me forget who I was for a second and I didn’t think about how this could affect you”.
“It’s ok. You know I get it. It’s the same for me. My every move is overanalysed. Though I guess being a princess is a bit more important”.
“Not this again”, you shook your head, laughing. “I’m not a princess. I’m a nobody, really. But the press was waiting for a moment like this. A scandal or whatever”.
“Eating pizza in public is very scandalous. I don’t know how your reputation will recover”.
You laughed at Pedri’s joke but also remembered what you had been told. “It’s not so much what I did but who I did it with”.
“Oh…ok”.
When the photos were published, your parents talked to you about all the reasons why you should stay away from Pedri. Before you even had time to say nothing was going on…at least not yet.
“It’s stupid. I told you I’m a nobody. But family connections dictate this or that…I don’t want to date a politician or another royal just because it’s what I’m supposed to do. I don’t have it as bad as my cousins. You know, the real princesses. But still…it’s boring. I want to be able to make my own decisions”.
“You don’t want to date a politician…but would you like to date me?”
Being so annoyed with your family and their restrictions, you didn’t realise Pedri wasn’t stupid and could easily read between the lines.
“You’re better than a politician so…”.
“Look”, said Pedri, grabbing your hand to hold it. “No relationship was going to be easy for me. I knew that. So…this doesn’t scare me”.
“Really? I was actually worried it would”.
“I could see it in your face”.
“Can you read minds now? Is that how you know where to shoot the ball?”
“No, that’s because I’m a generational talent”, joked Pedri, making you laugh. “But I mean it. I’m not scared. Are you?”
“Not as much as I probably should”.
“But…are you an Atleti fan? These are the important conversations we need to have before trying to date”.
“That’s my cousin. I don’t really have a team. So I might let you convince me to become a Barça fan. I already support Spain so…”.
“Even against The Netherlands?”, he asked. Your mum was Dutch so it was a fair question.
“Only if you play for Spain that day”.
And so you both forgot about what people would say, what people would demand from each of you and started to date. There was no need to hide since there were photos of your first date online already. Even if back then you didn’t want to admit it was a date.
Being together compensated for any comments or insults…but Pedri was starting to get a bit tired of his teammates curtsying in front of him and calling him Majesty. They did it with you too, which only made you laugh.
“I told you, guys. I’m not a princess”.
“No. Not officially”, told you Pedri. “But you are my very own princess. My queen even”.
Your blush made everyone laughed. It was so obvious to everyone how in love you both were.
However, the media was going to try to find anything that could make it sound like your lovely love story wasn’t so lovely.
Something your family always had to do was attend charity events. It was probably one of the few things you liked doing, since many of those events raised money for great causes. So when you were invited to one to raise money for cancer research, you said yes immediately. It being organised by the Atlético de Madrid foundation didn’t matter to you. But for the press…it was a different story.
“Hi, it’s nice meeting you”.
You turned to see it was Álvaro Morata, the player who presided the event, saying hello to you.
“Thank you, it’s nice meeting you too”.
“I heard about you and Pedri…sorry if it’s too informal of me to say this”. “It’s ok, don’t worry”.
“So…you two are really together?”
“Yes”, you said, blushing.
“Good. He’s a good guy. I’ll see you around the Spain matches then”.
“You will”.
Other players were there too and you were introduced to all of them. Mario Hermoso, Marcos Llorente, …they were all very nice to you. But it was a younger player you had to sit next to at your table. One that you hadn’t met before but that introduced himself as Rodrigo Riquelme. However, that wasn’t what his teammates called him.
“Should I call you Rodrigo or Roro?”
“I feel I can’t ask someone of your station to call me such a nickname”.
You laughed seeing the Atleti player blushing. “I don’t mind. I’m not really that important”.
“You are the most important person here”.
“Depends on who you asked”, you shrugged.
It was lovely having someone young to chat with at such an event. You were usually surrounded by old politicians and entrepreneurs who bored you to death with their conversations. So you had a great time…Pedri didn’t have as much fun seeing all the posts on social media talking about how his girlfriend was being too friendly with another player.
He knew it was stupid. You were just chatting with Riquelme. Pedri knew you now and realised that was how you talked to his friends too. That was how you talked to Ferran, for example. It was nothing like how you talked to Pedri.
But still…it wasn’t nice to see so many people doubting your relationship. And, what was worse, insulting you.
“You look unhappy”, you said when you met him again in Barcelona. “Is it because of the articles? Nothing happened with Riquelme. I swear”.
“I know”, he sighed, wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing your forehead. “I just hate how people will try to find any excuse to try and hurt us”.
“We knew it was going to happen…”.
“It’s not nice anyway”.
“But we’re fine?”, you asked, worried.
“We’re fine. I missed you a lot”.
“I know. I missed you too”.
Knowing Pedri trusted you was so important and you felt you needed to prove you were worth that trust. So, even though you knew you were likely to get in trouble, you forgot about protocol and attended his match wearing his shirt.
It wasn’t even the most important match but when it ended, you went as close to the pitch as you could and called Pedri so he could go meet you. Every one of his teammates that walked past curtsied and called you two “your Majesties”. But you didn’t care. You looked around, noticing the cameras were all pointed at you, and kissed Pedri.
“Making sure everyone knows you’re just my princess?”, he whispered.
“Yes. And while we’re at it, everyone can also learn you’re my prince”.
#pedri#pedri gonzalez#pedri imagine#pedri one shot#pedri x reader#pedri x y/n#pedri fluff#footballer imagine#footballer one shot#footballer fluff#footballer x reader#footballer x y/n
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Favorite Books of 2022:
Okay here's the positivity, I've split my list into New vs Rereads.
New:
Nona the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir - not over it, obvious answer, what more is there to say?
In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado - really clever and creative memoir, I'm currently rereading Her Body and Other Parties because I just love Machado's writing so much.
This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone - fun fact I originally read this because I'd gotten it for my friend as a late Christmas present last year but then read it before giving it to her, so it was the only one of my top 5 that I didn't own. Until this Christmas when I got it from my brother who, and I quote, 'googled what you should read if you like that lesbian space necromancer series' which is also 100% how I picked it out for my friend and also 100% true.
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt - the seminal dark academia text, I read 300 pages in a single day and I am already planning on going as Murdered Vermont Farmer using things already found in my closet for next Halloween.
The Fifth Season, by NK Jemisin - oh my god this was so good. Both an excellent example of how good second person narration can be and how satisfying good plot twists can be. I 'guessed' this one early and was so gratified as it developed.
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - what an unexpected delight for a book I essentially read because of BookTok drama. In case you'd already forgotten, the routine Classics vs YA drama took an unexpected turn in January when the first shot about how the booktok girlies should read Crime and Punishment was parried with 'um Crime and Punishment is a YA novel actually', and lead to 1) at least one Booktokker trying to read it and gifting us with their angry annotations like 'omg why is this book so bleak and depressing' (it's Russian Lit, there are so many memes about this) and 'um is this book really about him murdering an old lady' (yes that's the plot that's on the cover what did you think the 'crime' was), 2) a solid year of jokes, 3) me reading it sincerely and really enjoying it. So thanks booktok!
Ok, now onto the Rereads:
1. & 2. Gideon and Harrow - yup I read these both twice this year, still faves, still cry every time, not over them either.
3. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman - always a favorite.
4. Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel - This one for sure hit different after COVID, but is still so, so good.
5. Lord of the Rings - I really like my new 3 in 1 copy, it’s so pretty and drives home that these are really one extended story spread across 6 volumes rather than a true trilogy, so yeah I recommend a 3-in-1 edition if you are in the market for LotR books. It does make it rather heavy to carry around, but at least it’s paperback and I found this one wasn’t too hard to physically read.
Honorable Mentions: Dracula (Dracula Daily was THE MOST fun I had all year), The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (takes place in the What We Do In the Shadows Universe you cannot take that headcanon away from me, Dracula is the #Drama, no notes, a worthy successor), The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (excellent), The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (the amount of hate this book gets on Tiktok is unnecessary and kind of toxic, imo), Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover (Stover, why are you Like This? Why?)
If anyone has StoryGraph and would like to follow me/be friends, I’m on there under bereft_of_frogs, so please feel free to friend me!
The #Salt (aka my bottom 5 books of 2022 and a little mini rant on each) under the cut:
2. Rule of Wolves, by Leigh Bardugo - Another really disappointing sequel that made me wish I’d stayed a Six of Crows duology-only girlie. Though I did really like King of Scars, specifically for the continuation of Nina becoming a necromancer and infiltrating Fjerda. That part really fell apart in this book. A lot of things fell apart. It honestly felt sort of like Bardugo just wanted to be finished with this universe? Because a lot of things were resolved in really weird ways and really quickly. It also felt like it lost some of the interesting nuance in the worldbuilding that SoC had. And of course, she really showed off how bad she is at portraying the passage of time in her writing with this one. I was given the impression by King of Scars that it was taking place months at most after the events of Crooked Kingdom, and then out of nowhere it’s actually been 2 years so Nina can totally move on! But it still never felt like it had been 2 years and I feel like the end of the grief narrative was really abrupt and I just…couldn’t get into the romance because of how rushed that resolution was. I hope she’s done with this universe, aside from whatever extra writing/retconning goes on with the TV series - or at least, I’m done with this universe aside from the TV series. In future rereads, I’ll likely stick to my unofficial trilogy of Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom/King of Scars.
2. Rule of Wolves, by Leigh Bardugo - Another really disappointing sequel that made me wish I’d stayed a Six of Crows duology-only girlie. Though I did really like King of Scars, specifically for the continuation of Nina becoming a necromancer and infiltrating Fjerda. That part really fell apart in this book. A lot of things fell apart. It honestly felt sort of like Bardugo just wanted to be finished with this universe? Because a lot of things were resolved in really weird ways and really quickly. It also felt like it lost some of the interesting nuance in the worldbuilding that SoC had. And of course, she really showed off how bad she is at portraying the passage of time in her writing with this one. I was given the impression by King of Scars that it was taking place months at most after the events of Crooked Kingdom, and then out of nowhere it’s actually been 2 years so Nina can totally move on! But it still never felt like it had been 2 years and I feel like the end of the grief narrative was really abrupt and I just…couldn’t get into the romance because of how rushed that resolution was. I hope she’s done with this universe, aside from whatever extra writing/retconning goes on with the TV series - or at least, I’m done with this universe aside from the TV series. In future rereads, I’ll likely stick to my unofficial trilogy of Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom/King of Scars.
3. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by VE Schwab - This book is SO HYPED and for WHAT? I’m a big fan of lyrical, plotless writing, but that means actually having lyrical writing and no plot. This book just decided to do all the plot in the last 30 pages. So it was like 70% meandering, 30% rushed weird romance plot? And I’m sorry, I will NEVER be over the ‘not like other girls’ feminism of the main character. You cannot convince me that she would not have been in favor of the French Revolution. She’s an anti-clerical feminist but as soon as the Revolution happens it’s like ‘ew those peasant women are too violent, fuck all of them, I’m getting out of here.’ It’s a prime example of the hollow historical feminist archetype that is luckily starting to get some critique, where the main character fits perfectly with modern ideas of feminism, without the author actually having to put that much thought into their actual principles and how that fits into the historical context.
4. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, by Eric LaRocca - This one was just bad. Read like a first draft. Went nowhere, said nothing.
5. Nothing But Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw - I almost put this together with the above, because I think they had similar problems. Really under-developed, but at least this one had good writing. It was beautifully written, it just…went nowhere. The characters and their relationships were really surface level, and the intriguing premise just…never really went anywhere. Both I think get more hype than warranted because they’re rather short and they have striking covers. Both I compared to short films that a young/student horror director would send around to short film circuits or use as film school theses while they were working on developing and funding the feature-length project, but unfortunately that’s just not how book publishing works so we’re not going to get to see the fully developed works.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dead Space by Kali Wallace (just finished it, the flattest characters I think I’ve ever encountered in fiction), If We Were Villains by ML Rio (I had this rated higher and then I actually read The Secret History and was like…oh my God, this is so much worse, what a poor imitation), Winter’s Orbit (I feel real bad about this one but…maybe I just don’t like romance, but I could not stand how 50% of the book was just miscommunication), Lost Stars by Claudia Gray (still got 3 stars, but I think this one is just overhyped. If you want to know what reading this book is like, just watch the original trilogy, pause at any major plot point, watch the ‘are we the baddies?’ Sketch and then continue on), What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher (I also gave this one 3 stars, and I think it’s…really not that bad but I can’t stop thinking about the hubris of saying that you’re going to write a more fully fleshed out version of The Fall of the House of Usher and then add on a whole sub genre, 4 extra characters, another whole plot, and barely make it any longer)
#books#reading#my brother and his gf got me the little cat statue! and a mug that looks just like the void creature it is so excellent#thank you booktok drama for the crime and punishment rec that was truly your peak
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LMAOOO you know it o7 Im also fluent in typos so I just automatically read through them as I read
So real I think the most annoying thing for me is the differences in romanization LMAO I discovered it through the webcomic first and then I was sent an unofficial translation (lowk it might be the same one you read) and immediately forgot the names of everyone because the spelling threw me off so bad LMAOOO and then my friend was like “ykw I’ll just write it all out for you” but fr the entire story and develop is CRAZY
Wait PAUSE yukis the oldest after aiku??? No way…although now I kinda see/get it (I’m laughing I can see Niko hiding in a bush tailing yuki and his hair blends in…or imagine aiku SPECIFICALLY is like hide in this bush ur hairs perfect for it)
REALLLL LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!! It’s literally just because he seems super tough and also is fucking BUILT but otherwise those dudebros do not even compare to our respectful man Barou…
LMAOO my go to example of white haired fav is Inumaki from jjk…I guess it’s more like off-white haired characters? Because now that I think it’s not usually the pure white characters (like not gojo LOL) I’m trying to think of more examples but I’ve suddenly forgot everything else even though I’ve had this convo multiple times with some friends oops (I’ll admit Shinahs also my fav but kijas second LMAO) I’m ngl I feel like I haven’t seen enough content that has prominent enough characters who are like Karasu so maybe that’s why I’ve never found a trend for characters like him?? Or maybe I’m just blanking now but this is a long analysis session for another time
I JUST SAW IT I saw the nagi one first and fr thought “no way that’s so on brand” and then I realized it said WAS and kept scrolling but FRR I think by now we can just default to assuming we mean not the typical fanon standard because they’re lowk all ass takes…but yeah I was just about to ask if that meant chigiri long fic LOLLL guys Mira rarepair…chigimira….lowk I can also kinda see it….you could try going for another matchup (or a few and see what the general consensus is if there is one) or imagine a tiktok magically appears on your fyp in your time of need HAHA
LMAOOO I’m ngl that’s not a bad idea just to get people to stop harassing or just bugging you….but then again there’s some people who are still really persistent regardless it’s fr a dilemma
LOL wait that’d be a little funny like imagine they see aikus face and colors and they read the entire thing thinking “wait the reader didn’t even talk to aiku once”
BAROU NATION RISE but manifesting a fire edit gets on your fyp LOL I was just thinking though majority of the remaining character requests you have minus Nagi don’t have a very large pool of edits…trust I’m sure something will come up though…or maybe this’ll be a bfb situation perhaps
No those were my exact thoughts like they’re all so interesting…even aikus LMAO that I couldn’t choose like atp I was ready to make a poll for my poll response choices
ON FIELD ISAGI MOMENT I should use that phrase more often but I see that happening to like almost every poll I come across it’s actually kinda crazy…I wonder if it’s fr just something people treat as a running joke and do to just shit on people smh
There’s too many itoshi fans fr I am very impressed that Karasu remained second though!!! Karasu nation fr rising though I saw that ask while scrolling to read our convo guys this is kinda crazy!!!
Forgot to mention earlier too but I found some more kiyora voicelines that I’ll send in via a separate ask so it’s not buried in here
- Karasu anon
no literally differences in translations always piss me off that’s why it’s so hard to read manhwa because they’ll change shit from chapter to chapter 😭 like the main character’s name will literally change in between scenes or smth…i think another thing is in the novel they use the full name (so like kim dokja or han sooyoung) when referring to characters but in the webcomic they don’t?? like it’s just dokja or wtvr and it felt v weird to me i did not enjoy it plus from what i remember of the webcomic it doesn’t feel as deep as the novel because you’re not literally in the main character’s head which is so integral to the plot!! ofc no hate to people who like the webcomic but truly it was not for me
YESS i’m pretty sure yuki’s the oldest of at least the relevant og bllkers!! since barou has a june bday, shidou is july, and karasu is august (and the rest aren’t 18 yet) meanwhile yuki is may i think?? LMAOOO NO BECAUSE IMAGINE AIKU MAKING NIKO “HACK THE MAINFRAME” (request to follow reader on insta) and it’s like niko typing furiously and then she accepts his request and he’s like “i’m in” all serious and stuff 😭 niko and aiku number one oaeu duo like one thing abt them they will get it done every time 🤩 very much so cousin energy there…yk like the one cousin you only meet at the family reunions once every five years but your vibes are insanely matched so you always get along crazy well…that’s oaeu aiku and niko
barou is a sweetheart at his core that’s what they conveniently miss!! if anything they should be glazing kaiser (tbf a lot of them do) he actually kinda gives dude bro energy…especially in those glasses i just know bro is in comments sections being all “erm actually” and having ness like his comments to hype him up
okay honestly i looked at panels of nagi and shinah side by side and uhhh yeah…i do have a bit of a type…it’s either pale messy wavy haired soft eyes or it’s dark haired sassy jewel eyes (like shinah and nagi vs megumi and karasu) LMAOO tbh my second fav was hak especially because the bodyguard trope is my absolute fav (to be a princess guarded by a handsome man who’s in love with you but you’re royalty and engaged so he can’t do anything about it except defend you even/especially if it kills him 😩) but kija is a king as well!! tbh i also liked jaeha a lot honestly they all slay
HAHAHA I SAW THE NAGI AND I WAS LIKE WOAH?? very real but at the same time even when i’m writing for nagi i tend to make the reader character a lot softer than me…in the sense that she almost ends up taking on that reo-like role of rlly looking out for nagi?? not to that extent but definitely still way more than i personally would ever do for ANY man 😭 the exception is peregrine reader because she’s on a diff level entirely but her nagi is also kinda different than canon nagi because (crazy spoilers for peregrine ahead because i need to talk abt it with someone even though i haven’t written for it in ages) he realizes while they’re dating in high school that he doesn’t care that being with her is a hassle because he loves her so much he wants to be with her anyways…very diff from the typical “oh reader is the only person nagi doesn’t find a hassle so he loves her 🤩” trope ik but it just felt better/more equal to me…it’s not her making his life easier so he stays with her out of convenience it’s him actively choosing her despite it being out of his comfort zone 🥹 for example one of the things that’s kind of being hinted at in peregrine is the whole hakuho scholar thing which is how reader gets to go to college in america but one of the big reveals is that she actually wouldn’t have made it because only the top two students get it and the top two were reo and nagi 😰 and nagi needed it because he got invited to play for some fancy european team (reo didn’t hence why he went to college w reader as well) but couldn’t really afford to go so he also needed that scholarship to be able to live an easy life like he wanted/planned…however he realizes how important leaving japan is to reader so even though he doesn’t want her to go and needs the scholarship he purposefully fails his exams so she can be the number two student thereby dooming himself to playing for a random japanese team and actually having to work hard 😕 and then the reason he quits soccer (the scene in the first chapter where he doesn’t score the goal) is because he realizes he doesn’t care about playing soccer anymore and just wants to be with the reader even though she’s in literally another country (and then he finds out she’s engaged EEK) so he gives up his career for even a CHANCE at seeing her again because his team would never let him go if he doesn’t straight up fail and quit and become useless…and then it turns out she’s going to marry kira so it didn’t matter…UFNFMSKXJDKSM SORRY peregrine rant i actually think abt that version of nagi so often like THAT’S who i mean when i say i would marry him!! yes he’s still lazy and goofy and emotionally stupid (my fav scene that i’m yet to write for the fic is when reader is about to leave for her flight to america and there’s a thunderstorm and instead of…yk…CALLING her or smth nagi literally BIKES across the city at top speed and almost dies just so he can tell her not to leave him [she still leaves him] because he could never ask that of her before as he didn’t even know he cared that much) but at the end of the day he is also a d1 piner in his own way 😭 that was a lot but anyways long story short nagimira with a strictly canonical interpretation of nagi would not work in the slightest but nagi with a little bit of miraverse zest is def a strong contender for number one bf award
HAHA honestly i can see chigiri as well!! we actually do have quite a lot in common plus we are both so slay we would be a very cunty couple 🤩 okay wait i just remembered this because of the entire peregrine rant i went on but after i posted one of the chapters where chigiri is being a bestie someone sent me an ask basically thanking me because i’m the first person who hasn’t made chigiri annoying in my fic HAHAHAHA i was like uhhh thanks i feel like i wrote him pretty normally though?? so miraverse chigiri is fandom approved ✅ idk if i could do a long fic for him though ngl as much as i love him he gives very strong platonic soulmate vibes for me 😩 but who knows tik tok always comes through so maybe i’ll be inspired
no yeah some people will start prodding the story…imagine i just pull out manga panels of karasu or smth i wonder what they would do 😭 and HAHA FR “wait why did aiku spend the whole fic trying to get her w someone else??”
BAROU NATION LET’S GO to be honest it’s more audios than videos that get me going…for example the kiyora fic was inspired the arctic monkeys audio in that one nagi and isagi edit i have saved so even though the video itself had nothing to do w him i was still able to get to work because of that!! so tik tok will definitely still clutch up at LEAST for the to be determined longfic SKFHSJSBA
YES KARASU NATION i think this blog is probably followed by like every karasu fan which is why he got so many votes 😭 no complaints though i love that man fr…and yeah people will always act the fool online i’m afraid 😓 HAHA itoshism is too strong though i fear 😩💔 also OOH more kiyora!! that’s so fun hehe i look forward to reading them
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hii can i request bestfriends heeseung and y/n who have never done anything together but one night while having a sleepover things just go in that direction 👀👀👀 (using prompts 8 & 12 please🥺)
A/N: this is such a cute concept i love it (u didn’t specify who says what so i chose lol i hope thats okay, I also made hee a soft dom)
Warnings: oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), unprotected sex, cock warming
Word count: 3k
You tap lotion onto your face as Heeseung pulls his sheet mask off. He pats the remaining product into his skin.
“You don’t even need that,” you roll your eyes. “Your skin is already perfect.”
“Jealous?” he teases.
“Yes, I one hundred percent am.” you admit and he chuckles.
You finish up in the bathroom and then plop onto your bed. Heeseung leans over you and grabs the remote on your nightstand. He clicks to Bojack Horseman as always then lays down next to you, scrolling through his phone.
You kick him in the shin. “Gimme some space.”
He frowns and sprawls himself on top of you. “What, you don’t wanna love on me?”
You laugh and try to push him off. “I feel violated.”
He rolls away, chuckling.
You’re scrolling through tiktok together when a video of someone joking about porn comes up. You cackle and Heeseung looks at you.
“How do you know about that?” he asks, wide eyed.
“What do you mean?” you ask awkwardly.
“Do you watch porn?” he asks and you turn away from him, giggling.
“That’s a very private question.” you say, covering your face with your hands.
“So you do!” he exclaims and he’s blushing too.
You guys talked about sex occassionaly, only when you were sharing stories about hook ups though.
“What kind do you watch?” he says, only half joking and you punch him in the shoulder.
“That’s an extremely private question.” you say.
“I thought we were for lifers.” he replies and you laugh.
If he were a female friend you wouldn’t hesitate to tell her all of this, but for some reason he made you shy. You still remember when you became aware that he was a guy. It was the summer before tenth grade when he grew three inches, his voice dropped, and his shoulders began to broaden. It was the summer you became more aware of his masculinity and ever since then, things kind of changed. Not for the worse, things are just different now.
You continue to scroll when another scandalous tiktok comes up. It said something about wanting to be dominated and taken control of.
You groan. “Why do I keep getting these things?”
“The for you page gives you things that it knows you’d like.” he remarks and you scrunch your nose at him. “What? I think it was pretty hot.”
You choke. “You’re a bottom?”
“No!” he guffaws. “I meant to be the giver in that situation.”
“Ohhh,” you say, trying not to get too embarrassed. The thought of him doing that to someone drove you a little insane.
“Are you?” he asks and you shove him.
“You weirdo.” you accuse and he holds his hands up.
“I just think best friends should know these things about each other.”
You shrug him off and turn your phone off. “I don’t trust my phone anymore, let’s watch yours.”
You scoot over to him and rest your head on his shoulder.
He scoffs. “I thought you wanted space?”
“Are you complaining?” you tease.
“Of course not.” He fake yawns to get his arm around you and you cackle.
He taps a gentle beat onto your shoulder while scrolling through instagram. You can’t help but tense up in his embrace. He had been a bit more touchy than usual lately; random hugs, playing with your fingers, adjusting your clothes, and tying up your shoelaces whenever he could.
“Wow I do not like this.” he says at someone’s prom outfit.
“Me neither,” you frown. “It’s kind of outdated.”
“When’s our prom?” he asks.
“I think in a month.”
“We’re going together right?” he asks and your heart skips a beat. You figured that you’d go together but him asking you made you anxious.
“Yeah,” you try to sound confident.
“Are we gonna coordinate our outfits?” he lightly squeezes your side and you squeal.
“But we’re not going as a couple.” you say and he rolls his eyes.
“So? It’d be weird to show up together with mismatched outfits.” he says and you nod in agreement. “Do you have an idea of what you wanna wear?” he asks.
“I think I wanna go more simple and do black.” you say and he groans.
“You always wear black dresses.”
“And? I look hot in them.” you defend.
“You’re right you’re right.” he accepts defeat and you giggle.
As the night goes on you slowly slump further into Heeseung’s side. At one point his arm goes numb so you scooch in front of him and rest your back against his chest. You’ve gotten used to being so close to him, and at this point you just wanted more.
His arms are wrapped loosely around you as you watch Coraline on the tv. He reaches up to run his hand through his hair but instead punches you decently hard in the boob. You yelp and hold your chest.
“Ahh! Sorry sorry!” he holds your shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
You can’t help but laugh through your pain. “Trying to make me lose a boob or something?”
“Noo, no I’m sorry, forgive me.” he asks, sounding genuinely worried.
Sure you were exaggerating your reaction, but what’s wrong with having a little fun with him.
You elbow him in the side and he cries out.
“Revenge.” you say with a smug smile.
He waits a moment before grabbing your waist and flipping you onto your back. He’s always stronger than you would’ve guessed. You yell as he climbs on top of you and begins to tickle your sides.
You kick around and try to push him off but he won’t budge.
“Get off, I’m dying!” you cackle from his relentless tickling.
“You asked for it.” he says.
“I thought we promised no tickle fights?” you grab a pillow to protect yourself but he’s quick to chuck it away.
“I had my fingers crossed.” he jokes.
You muster all of your strength and hook your leg around him to get him onto his back, a trick Jungwon taught you.
Without thought, you climb on top of him and pin his hands down. It take you a moment to realize what position you’re in. You both freeze for a second before bursting out laughing.
You fall onto your back, holding your chest.
“What the hell was that?” he asks, laughing. “Some fifty shades of gray type of shit.”
You kick him in the shoulder. “I’m sorry!” you say through a fit of giggles. You try to push yourself up but your legs are bent in a way that makes it a little tough. Heeseung assists you and pulls you up into a sitting position by your waist.
You’re still giggling a bit when you feel his nose brush against yours.
“Hi.” you whisper and he waits a moment before gently pushing his lips against yours. Your heart leaps into your throat but you try to stay calm as possible.
He pulls away (to your disappointment) and looks at you with wide eyes.
“Fuck, I’m sorry-” he says and before he can finish your hold his face and kiss him back. His arms snake around your waist and he pulls you flush against him.
You can’t believe that this is happening. You wonder if all the things you’ve fantasized about would happen tonight. Of course not, you’re crazy, you think. But you could already imagine with hands adventuring your body, touching you just how you like it.
Your fingers dip into the back of his shirt collar. You’re barely touching his skin, but it still feels so special.
His lips move to your cheek, then your jaw, then your neck. Your breath becomes increasingly ragged as his kisses become more open mouthed and messy.
He looks up at you. “Is this okay? Like do you want this?”
You nod eagerly and he smiles. “Cute.” he says to himself.
He gently rests you onto your back and traces your waist before pushing your top up. He peppers kisses all over your stomach and ribs before getting to the band of your bralette.
You blush. “I would’ve worn something nicer if I knew this was gonna happen.”
He shakes his head. “I like it, it’s pretty.”
You tug your shirt over your head along with your bra. He lets out a small gasp and you rush to cover yourself.
“Wait, no no.” he pulls your hands away.
“You’re making me shy.” you turn your head away and he chuckles.
“So perfect.” he says before softly kissing your chest.
You let out a small moan while running your fingers through his hair.
He slowly runs his tongue over your nipples while rubbing your sides. You can feel wetness starting to pool in your underwear.
You instinctively swivel your hips, looking for some kind of stimulation and he smiles.
“Do you need something?” he asks teasingly and you feel your cheeks heat up.
“Yeah,” you answer.
“What is it?”
You shake your head out of embarrassment.
“Well you’re gonna have to tell me or I’m just gonna leave you like this.” he says nonchalantly and you sigh.
You swallow your pride. “Touch me, please?”
“Attagirl.” he says and tugs your shorts off. “Show me how you like it.”
Your eyes widen. “Huh?”
“You heard me,” he says. “Show me first.”
You breathe in nervously before sliding your hand into your underwear. You circle your clit once and do your best to hold in a moan. He pulls your underwear to the side to watch you.
“Do you think about me when you touch yourself?” he asks. “When you’re home alone and it’s late at night?”
You nod sheepishly and he smiles. “What do you imagine?”
“I’m not telling you,” you blush. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. If you tell me, I'll tell you what I think about too.” he suggests and you accept the deal.
“I-I imagine my fingers being yours,” you swallow thickly.
“Mhm,” he encourages you while gingerly kissing your thighs.
“And,” you hesitate for a moment. “I imagine your tongue on me, and you filling me up. What about you?”
He smiles. “I imagine touching you like this,” he rubs his hands down your thighs and reaches up to pinch your nipples. “I imagine kissing you here,” he kisses your inner thigh, “and here,” he kisses you so close to where you need him the most and you quiver. He grabs your hand and pushes your fingers into his mouth. Your eyes widen and he smirks. “You taste good.”
You nearly cum just from seeing and hearing that.
“I imagine doing this.” He lowers his head and licks a gentle stripe up your pussy. Your thighs snap around his head and he pushes them back open.
“Relax sweetheart, let me make you feel good.” he says before delving into you. Your back arches off the bed right away and your fingers find his hair. Goddamn he’s good.
He circles his tongue on your clit, hungrily but still gently.
“Fuck,” you exhale and he smiles.
He pushes a finger into you with ease and soon adds another. You roll your hips against his tongue as his fingers pump in and out of you. You whimper as the overwhelming pleasure runs through your body.
“Oh my god,” you squeak as your legs begin to shake. Already? You think.
His fingers stay at a steady pace as he messily sucks on your clit. You tug at his hair and he moans into you.
“Please don’t stop.” you beg and he obeys.
Your hips begin to lift off the mattress and he pins you down, keeping you in place. Your orgasm pours through you like sweet syrup, leaving you trembling under him.
He comes up to kiss you, letting you taste yourself. You wipe your juices off his chin with your thumb then lick it off.
He watches you in awe. “God you’re hot.”
You pull his hoodie over his head and push him onto his back. Your fingers trace his shoulders, then his waist, and every muscle on his torso. You kiss him down to the band of his sweats before pulling them down along with his Calvins.
His cock springs up and hits his lower stomach. You slowly kiss up his shaft then waste no time getting him in your mouth. He hisses and caresses your hair.
He hits the back of your throat every time you bob your head but you don’t care. His head drops back with a tempting moan.
“Fuck you’re good.” he says with a small smile.
You stroke the inches you can’t reach with your hand.
You wish you could imprint this image of him in your mind: his head lulling back, his adam's apple bobbing every time he swallows, his brows furrowing, his mouth parting open. You’re almost tempted to take a photo.
You take him all the way into your throat and swallow around him. The moan he lets out sounds better than a song.
You look up at him and watch him rake his hand through his hair. His abs contract every time you come down on him.
“Just like that,” he purrs, sending heat straight to your core.
You feel so dirty with your spit dripping down your chin but at the same time, it feels so good.
“Such a good girl,” he coos. “Sucking this cock so well.”
You nod at him and he smiles.
“Come here,” he pulls you into a position where he can reach you better and squeezes your ass. He tenderly traces his fingers down your spine before slowly pushing two fingers into you. You whine on his cock and he smirks.
“Still so wet.” he says while slightly curling his fingers, you jolt and he chuckles. “Feels good huh?”
You nod and he pets your hair. “Keep going, that’s it.”
His fingers pick up the pace as your sucking and licking becomes more sloppy.
His moans become more desperate and when he expects you to pull off you keep your head down, taking his cum down your throat.
“Did you just swallow?” he asks you, still breathing heavy.
You nod with a smile and he pulls you into a passionate kiss.
He flips you onto your back, eagerly kissing down your body before lining himself up with your entrance.
“Fuck me please,” you exhale and he smiles.
“Of course,” he pushes into you and you whine from the feeling. He stretches you out just right. “God you have good pussy.” he moans and you giggle.
He leans down to kiss you and you whimper into his mouth.
“Don’t stop,” you plead and he kisses your neck, sucking and nibbling to leave a hickey. “People are gonna see.” you say and he smiles.
“That’s the point.” he says. "Don’t you want people to know how good you are for me?”
You blush and nod.
“Give me one too sweetheart.” he says softly while leaning over you.
You rub up and down his sides while gently biting and licking at his neck, leaving a pretty red blush on his neck.
His fingers trail down to circle your clit while grinding his hips into yours. Your eyes roll back as he does so and he smiles. He can’t stop thinking about how captivating you are. He can’t take his eyes off you. Which gives him an idea.
He grabs your jaw and turns it to the mirror next to your bed. “Look at yourself.” he says.
Your heartbeat quickens, not used to seeing yourself in this state.
“Look how good you take it.” he says and you can’t deny it, you look hot as fuck.
He looks at you watching his cock disappear in and out of your cunt. You drag your hands over your waist and go to roll your nipples between your fingers.
His fingers are so slick on your clit from your juices and everything feels so good that you can’t really believe it.
He grabs onto the headboard for leverage and he looks so fucking good like this. Ever since he turned your head to the mirror, you can’t look away. You only turn to face him when your legs begin to shake and the fire in your stomach starts to dance.
“Please don’t stop,” you say with sparkling eyes. “I’m close.”
“Cum for me sweetheart,” he says right by your ear. “Be good.”
That alone sends you over the edge.
You’re back arches and your eyes roll back as your orgasm surges through you. He moans into your neck as he releases into you. You’re still pulsing around him when he finishes.
He kisses your cheeks as you come down for your high. “You did so well princess.”
You can’t help but cling to him and he chuckles. “I have to pull out of you eventually.”
“I like the way you feel.” you whine and he smiles.
You opt to cock warm him. He lays on his back and pulls you on top to straddle him. He gently pushes into you as you lay on his chest and enjoy the feeling.
He strokes your back and kisses your shoulder for a bit before he starts to subdtley thrust up into you.
You give him a look and he smiles at you sheepishly. “Wanna go again?”
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— doing their eyeliner at 12AM
includes: bakugou, kaminari, kirishima, and hawks
warnings: suggestive (LOTS of making out)
a/n: did i write this just because i love doing my eyeliner and i really want to sit on a guy’s lap while i do his???? maybe. but that’s none of your business 🙄☝️
bakugou katsuki
it’s canon that he wears eyeliner and even if it wasn’t,,, he’d still try it at least ONCE
in this case you had to ask him
well more like beg him
“babe please, i promise i’ll make a good work!”
“how? you suck at doing yours”
you scoff before punching his arm, making him let out a hiss as he glares at you
“i don’t you idiot, now can you shut up and stay still for a second?”
of course he ends up giving in bc come on, he’d do anything just to make you happy and if that meant letting you put makeup on him at 12AM because you thought he’d look ‘pretty’ then so be it
bakugou doesn’t voice out any of this though
instead, he keeps complaining and even tickles your sides from time to time just to get on your nerves
“bakugou,” he frowns when his last name falls from your lips, not liking how it sounded at all. “stop fucking moving or i’ll stap your eye.”
“tch, stop telling me what to do, dumbass.”
but he does stop
after all, he didn’t really want you to get mad at him
he entertains himself by tapping his fingers against your thighs to the beat of the music playing from your speaker
his touch makes butterflies flutter in your stomach, but you ignore them and continue to draw on his eyelids
you decide to keep it simple; just a very defined line that’s not too thick, but enough so that it’s visible
“okay, i’m done”
after you put the eyeliner down and notice bakugou’s eyes were focused on you, you completely forget how to breathe
the black makes his vermilion eyes look even brighter and in contrast with his blonde hair...he simply looks beautiful
he takes your silence as a bad sign and thinks you probably did fuck up, but when he looks at himself in his phone camera, the makeup looks fine to him so,
why the heck weren’t you saying anything?
“what is it? do you not like it?”
didn’t like it? couldn’t he see you were practically salivating bc of him?
“uh no, you look really good actually,” you look away before continuing, not trusting yourself to look at him while you said the next words. “you look pretty”
bakugou is a little surprised by the compliment, but he wastes no time before teasing you
he leans in, and once he’s close enough, he takes your chin so you’re looking directly at him
a smirk takes over his lips when your eyes avoid his
“what’s got you so shy?” he teases
“i’m not”
“then look at me”
you didn’t want him to know how big of an effect he had on you, so you turn your head around and face him, even tho you’re flustered beyond belief
his eyes slowly look down at your lips and then back to your eyes, making you a little anxious as to what could happen, but bakugou decides to drags it out
just to have some fun of his own
he places one of his hands on the back of your neck, gently pulling you forward until your noses are almost touching
the other one caresses your cheek softly, then his fingers slowly trace out your jaw, eyes still stuck on your own
it’s infuriating really
the way his fingers carefully touch your lips, applying a bit more pressure on his thumb that’s touching your lower lip so he can open your mouth ever so slightly
the way he acts as if he has all the time in the world, as if he could do this all day
and you know he can
but you don’t
so you lean in to close the distance with a deep kiss
it’s messy and sloppy; his tongue clashing with your own as his hands roam all over your body to feel you
you end up sitting on his lap, lips still connected and hands all over each other
you pull away, chest heaving as rough breaths leave your mouth and smirk when you notice bakugou is looking at you
his hair is messy thanks to your gripping and the eyeliner fits him so nicely
for a moment you almost can’t believe he’s your boyfriend
“have i ever told you how handsome i think you are?” you ask him with a goofy smile on your face, fingers playing with the ends of his hair
“hm, once or twice but you can always remind me again”
“let me just show you”
he quirks an eyebrow at your implication, licking his lips as his eyes darken
“oh? bold, aren’t we now?”
“learned from the best”
“fuck yeah you did”
to keep it short, you guys didn’t sleep a lot that night 🏃♀️🏃♀️
kaminari denki
he was DEFINITELY the one that came up with the idea
something just tells me he probably spends 90% of his time scrolling through tiktok
and if he feels like it, maybe he’ll even posts some of his own
so it’s no surprise that he’s caught up with all the trends and challenges
and even dances (which surprisingly, he’s damn good at)
i’m guessing you guys already know what i’m trying to get at
he had seen way too many tiktoks of couples doing their partner’s eyeliner and he thought it was the coolest thing ever
not only was he curious to see how the makeup would look on him, but he also just wanted an excuse to spend more time with you
he had been thinking about it for a few weeks now, but couldn’t seem to find the perfect moment to ask you
until one night you guys were having a sleepover on your dorm and a video of said trend pops up on his ‘fyp’
you’re cuddling, your head against his chest as his fingers trace random pattern on your back, when he brings it up
“hey babe?”
you hum in response, eyes fluttering open to look up at kaminari
he smiles before pecking your lips, thinking about how beautiful you look all cuddled up next to him
“do you think you could do my eyeliner real quick?”
the question takes you by surprise,
tho you’re used to yout boyfriend being quite spontaneous and random at times, so you don’t really question it
instead, you nod and move out of the bed to get the makeup product, which sits on your vanity
“where should i sit?”
he asks you once you walk over to him, but you simply smile before taking a seat on his lap
you position your legs on either side of his hips so you’re in a straddling position and kaminari almost forgets all about the makeup because of this
but can you really blame him?
you just look so perfect like this
he has to physically stop himself from flipping you over and kissing you all he wants
and you giggle when you notice a pout forming on his face
“what’s wrong?”
“nothing”
“you sure?”
“yeah, just hurry up and do it so i can kiss you”
you laugh, “yes sir”
when you start, he can’t help but giggle at the feeling and you have to hold his face in place so he would stop moving
he gets used to it after a while
almost even falls asleep from how soft your other hand felt on his cheek
since you know kaminari likes to be a little extra, you attempt to draw a lighting bolt right below one of the lines
it’s not the best, but it looks decent enough so you decide to leave it there
but when you finish, you feel like something is missing; like it could be better
then you have the fantastic idea to use eyeshadow
kaminari feels you getting up from his lap and he whines
“where are you going?”
“hold on, i’m feeling inspired right now”
“okay?”
he doesn’t understand what you mean at all, but he lets you be
you take a random eyeshadow palette and make sure it has a nice black color on it
then you reposition yourself on his lap
“open your eyes and look up”
he does as he’s told and you proceed to put some more black on his lower lash line and waterline (not too much)
when kaminari doesn’t feel your touch on his face anymore, he looks down at you with a smile, which inevitably makes you smile too
“how do i look?”
you chuckle lowly, examining his eyes once more
he always looks gorgeous, but the eyeliner just...makes him hit different
and the fact he’s wearing one of his chokers doesn’t make it any better
he looks straight out of alt tiktok
“you, my beautiful boyfriend, look very attractive”
he smirks at your teasing tone, “oh? is that so?”
“i’m afraid it is”
he doesn’t even bother looking in the mirror because all he could think about was kissing you
and that’s what he does
he holds your face with both of his hands before pulling you in to kiss you
his lips feel hot and so does your whole body when he grips your hips
after a few more kisses, he pulls away and looks at you with excited eyes
“can i do yours now?”
you chuckle at his cuteness before nodding and letting him draw on your face
it’s not perfect, but hey! baby tried his best and that’s all that matters
besides he looks so proud of himself, telling you how cute you look and how lucky he is to call you his
“you look soooo pretty! i mean you always do, of course, but you look even prettier which i didn’t know was humanly possible yet here you are”
he ends up going on a rant about all the things he loves about you and you’re pretty sure you have hearts in your eyes by the time he ends
“i love you”
“i love you too, my pretty girl”
kirishima eijirou:
this man has absolutely tried on eyeliner at least once in his life
has it been good? probably not
but he likes it and thinks it looks very cool
sometimes you do yours and kirishima lives for it
he likes the way it compliments the shape of your eyes and how happy you get when you get the line right from the first try
whenever you’re getting ready and he’s with you, he doesn’t take his eyes off you
a smile spreading across his lips when he sees you bite down on your lower lip in concentration, your fingers skillfully tracing the marker on your eyelids
and that’s when the idea pops in his head
he ponders on it for a while tho, not sure how to bring it up or if you’d be up to do it
it takes him a few days before he asks you and when he does, he looks all nervous
you’re both hanging out in his dorm cuddling as you just finished watching a movie
a yawn leaves your lips and you stretch your arms, looking at the time on your phone screen
it reads 12:33 AM
you hum, moving your head up to look at kirishima from your place on his lap
he looks down at you and offers you a sweet smile before placing a quick kiss on your lips
“i should get going,” he pouts at your words, his hold on your waist tightening so you couldn’t stand up and you giggle, turning around completely so you’re facing him
you wrap your hands around his neck to pull him closer, just until your lips touch
you teasingly smirk at him before kissing his cheek and he frowns
“what? don’t you like my kisses?” you pout at him
kirishima scoffs at your stupid question and grabs your jaw gently, looking you in the eyes
“stop being a tease”
you roll your eyes, “you’re so impatient”
nevertheless you comply and connect your lips with his, your hands now slightly massaging his nape
he hums against your mouth, prompting you to keep going
before things can go any further tho, you pull away
he huffs childishly, not liking the way you kept leaving him hanging
“i seriously should get going,” you press one last peck on his lips. “don’t wanna risk getting caught here”
“then just stay the night”
“baby i already did yesterday”
“uhh your point?”
you chuckle, “good try babe”
you attempt to stand up but once again your boyfriend stops you from doing so
you open your mouth to ask him what’s up
but he beats you to it
“actually, i wanted to ask you something” he’s looking away from you and that makes you a little nervous, not having a clue about what he wanted to talk about
you nod, silently telling him to keep going
“could you...do my eyeliner?” a blush creeps onto his neck, his eyes still not meeting yours and you think he looks adorable. before you can answer him, he talks again. “but i mean only if you want to cause’ i know it’s kinda hard so it’s okay if you don’t but i think i’d be really cool and-”
“oh my god eijirou it’s okay!” he finally shuts up and looks at you with big eyes
“it is?”
“hm, i’m more than happy to do it,” he lets out a sigh after hearing your comforting words and you kiss his nose. “besides you’ll look super manly”
if kirishima was already head over heels for you, then now he just wanted to straight up marry you
you got up and started to look around in kirishima’s bathroom drawer since sometimes you left some of your stuff behind just in case
luckily, the eyeliner was there
after you took it, you sat in front of kirishima once again, your legs crossed and you moved closer to him
he kept still and let you get comfortable, looking down at your lips briefly when you got a bit too close
“close your eyes”
and so he did
like i mentioned before, you’re a bit experienced with this since you practice on yourself quite a lot
so it doesn’t take you too much time
the line you drew was a bit thicker than normal but not too much
and instead of doing a straight line, you did it a bit more upwards
“and done!” you say happily while retracting your hand from kirishima’s face
he opens his eyes and offers you a grin
the action is small and meaningless, but it somehow makes you nervous
the makeup really suits him and you can’t help but admire him for a while
by admiring i mean shamelessly checking him out
of course he notices it
and he teases you about it
“does it look good?”
“yeah,” you answer while looking away, trying to hide how flustered you are. “really good”
he hums before placing his hands on your waist and sitting you down on his lap, making you look at him with a surprised expression on your face
one of his hands stays on your waist while the other travels up to hold your face
you let out a heavy breath at his actions, feeling your heart thumping against your chest
his fingers caress your cheek softly and you lean in to his touch, loving the way he was always so gentle with you
without any warning, kirishima smashes his lips against your own
your eyes widen for a moment, not expecting this at all, but you close them when you feel his tongue touching your lower lip
you open your mouth and let him take the lead, a whimper coming out of you when you feel his hand wrap around your neck, pressing slightly
he pulls away with a smirk, both of your chests heaving from the lack of air
“still wanna leave?”
you sigh while moving your head, yet a smile was evident on your face, “i guess i can stay”
“atta girl”
takami keigo (hawks):
another one who canonically wears eyeliner !!
unlike bakugou (who does his eyeliner to cover up the gap between his mask and eyes), keigo does his solemnly because he thinks it looks good on him
wait, let me rephrase that
he knows it looks good on him
it’s part of his morning routine, he does it every time before going to work
so sometimes while you’re both getting ready for the day, you see him doing it
you open the bathroom door sleepily, barely managing to keep your eyes open
you walk over to the sink next to keigo’s and splash water on your face to wake yourself up
beside you, keigo smiles at your antics
he thinks you look the cutest in the mornings, especially when you’re grumpy
feeling his eyes on your figure, you turn around to face him with a raised brow
“why are you looking at me like that?”
“like what?”
“like i have something on my face”
he laughs at your attitude and walks over to place a kiss on your cheek
his lips feel warm against your cheek and it makes you smile
“good morning to you too” his says teasingly
“morning birdy” your tone matches his and he rolls his eyes playfully before pulling away from you to finish doing his eye makeup
you brush your teeth quickly while thinking about what you were gonna have for breakfast, and whether keigo had time to eat with you or not
once you finish, you place your toothbrush on its place and look over to your right
only to be met with the number two hero doing his eyeliner
in one hand he holds a feather of his against his eyelid, as if to help him do a straight line, and with the other he holds the actual makeup product
he has a concentrated look on his face, his brows slightly furrowed
and you look at him with nothing but adoration in your eyes
he looks so effortlessly beautiful
his golden locks are messy, yet perfectly in place and his wings rest by his side
he has his hero costume on, except for his coat
meaning his muscular arms are in full display for you to see
you don’t realize you’re staring until keigo finally finishes the second eye, and puts down the eyeliner
he smirks at you through the mirror and you look away, embarrassment clear on your face
“come on, i made us breakfast”
instead of teasing you, like you thought he would, he simply grabs your hand and leads you to the dining table
your heart swells for the man and you look at the two plates in awe, “you did this?”
“is it so hard to believe?”
you roll your eyes before turning around and kissing him, a soft “thank you” leaving your lips as you pull away
that morning you can’t help but keep stealing glances at your boyfriend’s flawless eyeliner
and later that night, when you’re both cuddled up in each other’s arms watching a movie, you get the sudden brilliant idea
“hey babe, can i do your eyeliner?”
keigo doesn’t even question you, he just nods before pressing a kiss to your neck and you giggle happily
you stand up to get the eyeliner from your shared bathroom and once you return, you take a seat right in front of him
“do you even know what you’re doing?”
“shut up, i do my makeup too, you know?”
keigo laughs, “i’m just teasing baby”
“you’re mean”
he leans in towards you, pulling you closer by your hips until his lips hover over yours
unconsciously, your eyes look down at his lips, wondering whether he was gonna kiss you or not
but being the little shit he is, keigo doesn’t
“you should hurry up,” his lips are still inches away from yours, but he doesn’t plan on closing the gap any time soon. “i wanna finish the movie”
this fucker
you clear your throat and move away from him, enough so that you can actually do the makeup, but his hands stay on your hips
you try your best to do it the exact same way he does it
a sharp, straight line that covers part of his outer v and also a small portion of his inner corner
giving his eyes a cat like shaped form
to add your own touch, you draw two small hearts on both sides of his cheekbones
“m’kay, you can open your eyes now”
and when he does, your breath literally hitches in your throat
of course it’s not the first time you’ve seen him wearing eyeliner
but your faces are still close and his amber eyes are stuck on yours and you just feel like you’re about to explode
your reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by keigo and he smirks
“i take it you like how it looks?” his tone is flirty and it makes you snap from your trance
you smile at him, softly tracing the two hearts with your fingers, “hm, you look lovely”
“oh really?”
“yeah”
“not as lovely as you, i bet”
and before you can even disagree with him, he presses his lips against yours
you let out a soft moan when he moves you so you’re sitting on his lap and his tongue explores your mouth ever so passionately
keigo takes his sweet time kissing you, taking in every little sound you make and the way your hips slowly move against his thigh
when you pull away, your lips are swollen and you have some spit coating them
which is enough to make keigo go crazy, but before actually doing something, he takes the eyeliner on his hand
you furrow your eyebrows at his action
“what are you doing?”
“well it’s my turn now”
“why do you oh so suddenly want to do my eyeliner?”
he smiles, leaning down to whisper in your ear, “because i wanna see how it’ll look when i make you cry it off”
your eyes widen at his words, but you make no attempt to stop him
keigo kept his promise and he indeed made you cry all of your eyeliner off 😁👍🏼
#bnha imagines#bnha headcanons#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#mha x reader#bnha oneshots#bnha fluff#bakugou x reader#kaminari x reader#kirishima x reader#hawks x reader#mha imagines#mha oneshots#mha fluff#bnha smut#mha headcanons#bnha x reader#bakugou katsuki#kaminari denki#kirishima eijirou#takami keigo#bnha hawks#bnha#mha
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One kind of intern
(A/N): This was requested by @greenslifestuff :) It took me a week or two because I had to interact with my friends in order to get the inspiration I needed 😅 Summary: The team gets to work with a gen z teenager. Let’s see how that goes.
Warnings: Swearing and gen z humour
Wordcount: 2k
✨Masterlist✨
___________________________________
“Team, this is (Y/N) (L/N). She will be interning for the upcoming three months alongside this team. (Y/N), these are Agents Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, David Rossi, Derek Morgan and Doctor Spencer Reid and our Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia”, Hotch introduces a teenage girl to his team like this happens every day.
“Wait Hotch, we don’t get interns. What is she going to do, no offense, but getting us coffee or what?” Morgan eyes her suspiciously. She looks like any teenager grabbed from the street. A band t-shirt, a torn pair of jeans and a cup from starbucks in her hands. Nothing you would expect to even enter a federal building.
“No offence taken, Agent Morgan. I know having an ugly pickly bitch working with professionals seems weird. It’s just I have summer break and I thought it would be a good thing on my resumé if I already interned in the FBI, because I just graduated and I wanted to go to the academy this fall. But if you wanna do a vibe check with me first, that’s fine by me. Whatever floats your boat.”
The room falls silent. Then out of all sudden everyone turns to Garcia, who puts her arms up in defense. “I don’t even know half the things she said, ask her yourself.”
That’s how the BAU gets their first contact with Gen Z culture and let me tell you it is a wild ride, so buckle up your seats, drink your tea up because we aren’t going to make any stops.
“(Y/N), I need you to come with me. We are going to the M.E. getting the latest reports from our last case”, Morgan tells her while passing her desk. In the blink of an eye the teenager is ready, putting her denim jacket with various pins and bits of patches on.
“Derek, can we get starbucks on the way back? The pumpkin spiced latte is back on their menu and I am on withdrawal. Pleaaaaaasseeee”, she looks at him with a pouty face. Morgan smiles. “Ok, under one condition: We both get one, take awesome pictures and send them to the group chat and then we act like we didn’t get them anything, but we actually buy them their usual.” He got the hang of it pretty fast. “Deal, Sis.”
While they are in the car on their way to the M.E. the agent groans. “Ugh, road work ahead.” “Uh yeah, I sure hope it does!” Morgan eyes her from the side. His whole demeanor says ‘old and confused’.
“What was that, kid?” But (Y/N) begins to laugh. “Don’t you know vines? Short dumb and funny clips people made?” It’s safe to say that this afternoon he learns to speak in vines, getting on Rossi’s nerves because nothing makes sense anymore.
“Ok, I heard you wanted to become a profiler. So I thought I would show you some old cases and then you try to figure out the profile. I’ll present them to you like I do to the team, alright?” JJ and (Y/N) sit in her office, safe from curious eyes. “As right as the law, Ma’am.”
“Good, this is a case from several years ago. It happened here in D.C. Three men were murdered execution style in the middle of the night in an alleyway. They were all from different backgrounds. The only connection between them was that they were evicted for some form of sexual harassment or assault. The UnSub also had a signature: A shot into their groin while the men were alive.”
Unfaced by the presented facts (Y/N) pops a piece of gum into her mouth. “It do be like that.”
“What?” “I mean, it’s obviously a woman. She experienced any harassment or assault herself. She also has excess to the files, I assume she works as a paralegal, since most of them are women. Female serial killers are extremely rare, but they are better organized. The only thing left to say is good for her getting revenge.” The blonde looks at the teenager with wide eyes.
“I-I guess but you know you can’t say anything like that to Hotch, do you?” She asks concerned. “JJ, I’m dead inside, not dumb. I know this.” But the agent shrugs. “Good. Though I really want to see his face.” “Mood.”
Penelope Garcia is the closest one to relate to Gen Z culture, since a great part of her time is spent on the internet. She happily learns about all the phrases and their meanings as well as the newest trends and hypes.
“Purp is sus, I tell you”, is heard from the lair into the hallway. Spencer and Derek look at each other with concern on their faces. “Do you think they are alright or do we have to-” “IT’S A SELF REPORT I SWEAR PENNY! YOU WORK WITH PROFILERS IN GANDALF’S NAME!” Spencer’s question is answered by that.
“Baby girl, crazy girl, are you doing good? Do you need help or something?” The older one asks warily. But it’s drowned in another screaming match. “I TOLD YOU PURP WAS THE IMPOSTER BUT YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM I VENTED WHEN I DIDN’T! I WANT ALL TIKTOKS I SENT YOU BACK!” “YOU DON’T DARE TO REVOKE MY TIKTOK PRIVILEGES!” “WATCH ME GARCIA!”
“Whoa girls, what about taking a break?” Morgan tries to diffuse the situation. “Yes, I think JJ got new pictures of Henry and Emily brought cookies this morning”, Spencer adds.
The girls, who mere seconds ago were ready to jump each other's throats, look at the other one. “You get the cookies and I go to JJ, deal?” (Y/N) asks. “Deal!” Without sparing the boys another glance they run out of the lair. Their devices are still lit up. A red figure shines into their faces. ‘AMONG US’ is written underneath it. “I think we get too old for this stuff, don’t we Reid?”
Spencer always thought he was young. Of course, his mind is older, but physically he is not that old. But the intern proves him wrong. And boy is he wrong.
“Spencer, is there anything interesting to know today?” (Y/N) takes a seat on his desk, distracting the genius from his paperwork. It is a common occurrence for her to go to him to ask for a fun fact.
“Do you wanna learn something about sloths?” His knowledge (or the writer’s) on this subject is astonishingly big.
“Spill the tea, sis.” “Did you kn- What? But I don’t have tea to spill. And I don’t wanna spill anything, I-” Reid rambles in confusion.
“It’s just a saying, Spencer. There is no deeper meaning to it then ‘Tell me everything about it’. You know, it’s mostly used for gossiping, but I don’t really like to gossip. That’s why I use it in a different context. You got it?” (Y/N) explains it to him in a soft manner, knowing her generation can be complex.
“Yeah, I think I do. Thank you for telling me. I really like the phrase. It has a nice ring. What about you spill the tea about all the phrases you know and I tell you some things from my knowledge?” “I think you got yourself a teacher, genius. But now tell me about the sloths, I love them.”
A few days later Rossi catches her doing some weird moves. “Are you having a seizure or what is your problem, youngster?” Even though he tries not to show it, David took a great liking to (Y/N), thinking of her like a granddaughter. Still, most of her actions confuse the hell out of him.
“I’m practising a dance for tiktok. My friends and I worked on a choreo we wanted to film later. Come here, I can show you.” And that’s what she does in the conference room. The teenager walks him through every move of the choreo, explaining the meaning to it and how it correlates with the song.
“And then you move your arm like that. Exactly like that! You did a great job, David! Are you sure you don’t want to come with me later? We can make you your own account and name it ‘Grandpa-on-tiktok’. You can promote your books over there and it’s a way to float with the trend!”
Seeing her this excited Rossi can’t do anything but agree to the idea. Also, he secretly liked doing the dance thing. It made him feel young again.
“(Y/N), you said you graduated this summer. But your file said you are 16?” Emily asks her one boring day filled with paperwork and countless cups of coffee. “It is what it is”, she mindlessly answers, too focused on filling out the work in front of her.
“I mean yes but how?”
“Emily, smart people exist. I know, coming from me hits different, but here we are.” Finally (Y/N) puts her pen away looking at the raven haired woman.
“What are you talking about? I can’t really follow you.” The more the intern says the more confused gets Emily.
She sighs. “I don’t want to leave you on read here. I kind of am smart somehow. Apparently I was smart enough to skip a grade or two. But it’s no biggie. Many peeps do this, so I don’t sweat it.”
“Even though I feel like you are selling yourself short here, I know you are an incredibly intelligent person. Someday you will be an awesome profiler and any team will be lucky to have you. I really hope we will be the lucky team. But I’m still not sure if this is what I should say in this context.”
“Emily, you are goals. This fam is squad goals. I really hope to be a part of this someday”, (Y/N) admits. “I’m sure Hotch will do his best to get you on the team, you became a great part of it. I can’t imagine a future without you.”
Sadly Prentiss has to get used to a time without the team’s beloved intern. On her last day (Y/N) knocks at Hotch’s door.
“Hey, I wanted to say thank you. The time with you and all the others was amazing and I learned so many useful things for not only the academy but also for my daily life. I really had a glow-up here”, she says after coming in.
Hotch motions towards the chairs in front of his desk. “Take a seat, (Y/N). I got something for you. See it as a compensation for not getting paid for your internship. You really did great work and a better job than some agents, who are doing theirs for many years already but don’t know half the stuff you do. You are a valuable member to the team.”
“Wait, you speak in presence tense. I leave you all this afternoon, you know that, do you?” But the Unit Chief only gestures to a white envelope on his desk. Quickly the teenager takes it and reads it.
“Are you serious Hotchner? Because I will cry you a river if you joke”, she threatens him.
“I’m dead serious, (Y/N). Even though half of your talks are difficult to understand, the other half is twice as useful and important. Additionally to that, you are like a fresh breath of air that the team needed. That’s why a place here will be available for you as soon as you graduate from the academy. I trust you that you will pass with flying colors, I had to promise that to Strauss.”
“Of course, Hotch. I swear on my Animal Crossing Island that I will do my best and more. Thank you so much”, she leaps into his arms.
The others watch the interaction from the bullpen, pretending to not get teary eyed. Their favorite Gen Z Kid will come back to them after all.
Taglist:
Spencer Reid
@calm-and-doctor
#spencer reid x reader#spencer reid x teen!reader#penelope garcia x reader#penelope garcia x teen!reader#derek morgan x reader#derek morgan x teen!reader#david rossi x reader#david rossi x teen!reader#aaron hotch x reader#aaron hotch x teen!reader#emily prentiss x reader#emily prentiss x teen!reader#Criminal Minds#criminal minds fanfiction#x reader#reader insert#x teen!reader#jennifer jareau x reader#jennifer jareau x teen!reader
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All that’s left | Bucky Barnes
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader
A/n: This is my first time writing something based on a video I found on TikTok, it’s not exactly the same, but it is kinda the idea. I hope you like it and please let me know if you might want a part two. Also, I apologize if you find some errors, im doing my best since English is not my first language. Anyway, happy reading!!
All that’s left masterlist
Pt. 2
Warnings: angst, mentions of injuries (broken ribs, cuts, dislocated shoulder)
Word count: 2.5K
Summary: She still can’t get used to the feeling of being left behind by the people she once called family. After being hurt, she decides that she will give them a chance, and when they failed, she then makes the decision to disappear and start brand new. Of course, she leaves a letter that will left the team standing in the dark, and with more questions than answers about a lot of things, while discovering that she has more of one past that she let to know.
The sound of the rain hitting against the window of my living room was the only thing that could be heard in the silence of my apartment. I looked over my desk where the paper is waiting for me to pick up the pen and get this over with, but somehow, somewhere deep inside of me, a part is waiting, holding on to the smallest of hope that maybe, just maybe, he is going to come knocking to my door asking why the i haven’t showed up to the compound for the last three days, or why i didn’t text nor call the rest of the team. I wanted to see if they would notice my absence so I left the compound on Thursday. I got the answer to my question when Sunday arrived and my inbox was clear; no one noticed. Today is Tuesday, my apartment is thirteen minutes away, fifthteen if you literally fly or speed up, but still, no one came or text.
To be honest, I'm not surprised, that doesn’t mean it hurts less though. I know i should probably think this through instead of making the impulse decision of grabbing my things and get the hell out of here, going somewhere i can start fresh, somewhere i can start over and get a chance to get over all the things that happened, find people that actually cared for me, or maybe not finding anyone at all and die alone.
I stand up from my bed and go to my desk, it’s time to get this over with. I start writing the only thing that they get to keep.
“Dear Avengers, You’re probably wondering where I am, or you just don’t care, maybe you don’t even find this. If someone from the building finds this, keep it in case they ever come looking for me; thank you. So, this is it, this is my goodbye. You should consider yourselves lucky, given the fact that none of you even deserves a goodbye because you are the ones causing it. I could tell you the reason why I'm leaving, and you know what, I will tell you. I chose to trust you. The one thing I feared the most was trusting people, but when I joined the team, I thought ‘well, maybe i can trust them, they are my team’, guess what, I was wrong. You should really look out for your teammates Stark, oh, and by the way, you might want to look deeper into why the operation that saved those 30 civilians on may 20, didn’t go south, you might even discover its the very same reason of why i didn’t showed up in the compound for a week, yeah, they were busy torturing the information out of me for a week; information that, by the way, i didn't give, hence why the operation went great. Something even more funny, is that behind every mistake, every wrong that each one of you have ever done, I’m the one that suffered the consequences. Don’t believe me? Then you might want to do your homework, because dear teammates, I’m the one you couldn’t protect. By the time you find out the things you’ve done, I will be long gone. I'm very good at disappearing, Natasha (once she figures it out) can confirm that. I wish things would be different and we could be… family, but that’s never going to happen; not anymore. As of now, there will be no record of my name ever existing, everything that once belonged to me, will be burned, and as of me, well, I am no one.”
I fold the piece of paper and put it in the envelope, once sealed, I write down the word my name in the center so they know. I take a last look at my apartment. Everything is intact, the furniture that came with it is the same as always, the only thing different is that it seems empty without all my belongings. I grabbed my luggage and exited the apartment and then went downstairs.
“Hey Richard” I say to the man that is in the reception like I always do
“Hey miss, what can I do for you?”
“Well, I'm leaving, for good. If someone comes asking for me, my friends, you tell them that you haven’t seen me. Oh, I left a letter for them upstairs, could you please make sure that it gets to them? Only if the show up, do not sent it”
He looked at me a little sad and confused.
“Oh, well, you will me missed miss, I hope you find happiness and yes, i promised i will make sure they get your letter”
“Thank you Richard, for everything, oh, and this is for you” I handed him an envelope with some cash. He looked like he was about to say something about how he couldn’t accept it but I cut him off. “Please, just take it, please”. He sighs but takes the envelope.
“Thank you miss…”
I smiled at him and then turned around to grab a cab. I'm supposed to be in the airport in 30 minutes. Once in the airport, the only thing left is to start again, be someone brand new.
*3rd person POV*
Friday morning was a little colder than usual in the avengers compound, everyone on the team was up and in the kitchen having breakfast. Everything was normal, until someone noticed that someone was missing.
“Hey guys” Bucky said right before taking a bite of the pancakes Wanda made earlier for everyone. “Have any of you seen y/n?”
The team stayed quiet, realizing that they haven’t seen her for quite a while, not until Barnes brought it up.
“Uh… maybe she took a trip?” Steve broke the silence while the rest started thinking when was the last time they had seen her.
“No, she was here when we arrived from the Jersey mission, it must have been like what, two days, maybe three?” Tony said. Bucky could feel his insides burning and twisting.
“No… that was eight days ago” Vision intervened. The avengers felt like someone just blew up the white house. Her teammate was missing for eight days and no one even noticed. Bucky was the first one to react by getting up and running to her dorm, only to find it exactly the way it was when he last saw her. He searched her dorm looking for something out of place that could tell him that maybe you were in trouble and that he has to come save you, but he is left desperate when he doesn’t find anything.
“She’s not here, everything is intact” He informs once he is back in the kitchen.
“Everyone” Steve calls out, “get dressed, we’re going to look for her. Let’s start in her apartment”
The team leaves to change their clothes and next thing they know, they are in her building. Without saying a word to the receptionist, they all made their way up to her apartment.
“Hey! wait-” he goes unnoticed because the avengers are already on her door. Wanda knocks on the door.
“Y/n? You there?” no one responds. “Y/n come on, don’t be mad at us” Natasha says.
After a few seconds they all start to worry when the door is unlocked, and they worry even more once they see the apartment completely empty.
“What the-” Bucky says
“Where are her things?” Wanda asks to no one especifically
“Where is she?” Thor says
“What the hell is going on?” Tony says a little louder
Bucky storms out of the empty apartment and goes to the man in the reception
“What the hell happened to apartment 108, where is y/n y/l/n?” he asks with worry and anxiety in his voice.
“I’m sorry, but, who are you?” the man asks the rather intimidating group of people in front of him.
“We’re the Avengers man” Peter says and the man suddenly realizes and his face changes from a confused one, to a sad one that makes the team’s stomach drop.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t…” he sighs, “She left me indicated to give this to you” he hands them an envelope that looks like it's been sitting there for a while. Bucky stares at the envelope like it's some kind of nuclear weapon that if you touch it, it could kill you. Wanda notices, grabs the envelope and stares at the paper in her hands.
“When did she leave this?” She asked
“Three days ago”
“And why didn’t you send it to us?” Tony asked, getting angry at the poor man.
“Because she specifically said to handed it to you, if you ever came looking for her”
Bucky could feel the tears in his eyes start to form.
“She said that? `Ever’?” Bucky asked almost to himself. The man slowly nodded. Natasha could feel how her stomach started burning from the guilt and the pain of not noticing that her friend was missing for eight days, little does she know that the entire team felt exactly the same.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y pull the records on the mission on may 20 and also show me the status of y/n on that time” Tony said to the AI and after a few seconds later, pictures of the building that that was about to be blown out by HYDRA with 30 civilians inside showed up. While the avengers were sitting in the conference room looking at the pictures, the AI started talking.
“Mission of may 20. Information was given that HYDRA kept 30 civilians inside the building with the intention of blowing it up with them inside. Source of the information unknown. The Avengers came to the building and successfully rescued the civilians safely moments before the building was blown up. Agent y/n y/l/n was on an undercover mission on a HYDRA facility at the same time, the communication was lost three days before the civilians situation, and around the same time, the information about the building was given anonymously the very same day that communication with Agent y/l/n was lost; Agent y/l/n returned a week later. Medical record found, access denied”
“Override, Tony Stark” Tony said after a good couple of seconds, the pieces starting to fall in place.
“Access complete. Medical records of Agent y/l/n on may 27th. Access restrained: Agent y/l/n. She presented with several cuts all over her body, three broken ribs, a second grade concussion, a sprained ankle and a dislocated shoulder. Patient refused treatment and was only given medication for the pain”
The seconds were passing and no one in the room would break the silence. The pieces were starting to fall in place, Tony felt nauseous. He yelled at her for being irresponsible for staying a little longer than she should have in the undercover mission, given the fact that she checked in on june 10th, meaning that she waited two weeks for her injuries to heal enough so that he could yell at her for not being good enough. He fell down to his chair, feeling like if he stayed up, he might throw up.
“She was the one that gave us the information about the building” Sam broke the silence. “She was the one that got tortured, and still managed to pass through the data so that we, could be the heroes while she was the one that got beaten up”
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, where is she?” Natasha asked the AI, and it responded after a few seconds.
“No information found”
Natasha frowned, Bucky looked up to the screen to see the red sentence. It only made him want to scream more.
“What does ‘no information found’ mean?” Bucky asked on the edge of falling apart.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y” Steve called
“No information available” it said this time.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, look for y/n y/l/n” Tony said, thinking maybe he needed to check what was wrong with the AI.
“No records found for y/n y/l/n”
“Detail,” Stark said.
The AI showed what it said before, there was no record of her name, it was like it never existed. No phone number, no mail address, no nothing, just a little picture of an abandoned building or mansion somewhere in the world.
“Wait” Natasha said, “I know that building, F.R.I.D.A.Y, do a close up on that picture”
“What is it?” Wanda asked
“It was where The Red Room used to operate” tha AI responded
“Why does it appear related to her?” Bucky asked, fearing the answer
“The picture was taken when a girl escaped The Red Room in 2002, she eliminated four people on the way, the age or who it was is still unknown” the AI responded.
“Oh god…” Natasha whispered but Bucky manage it to hear it
“Natasha, what is it?” he asked
“2002, that’s three years after i managed to escape, there was a girl, we were some sort of friends, i promised that i was going to get us out of here, but i couldn’t take her with me so i left her. Two years later I contacted someone on the inside so that I could get to her and plan her escape, but she was angry at me and said that she was fine, a year later she did escape, killing four people on her way” Natasha explained. Everything makes sense now, why she looked familiar, why she had exactly the same skills as Natasha. The team noticed it too, but they assumed it was because she had trained very hard to be an avenger.
“What was her name?” Vision asked.
“Eliza” Natasha said
“Wait a minute…” Bucky said, lifting her head looking at Natasha. “Was that her real name?”
“No, she didn’t wanted to say her real one” Natasha said
“Eliza, that’s y/n’s grandmother’s name” Bucky said and the room fell into a silence where you could hear the wind outside.
“In the letter…” Steve started, “She said that you could confirm that she was good at disappearing completely once you figured it out, so, does this mean that…”
“Y/n is Eliza” Natasha concluded
“She was in The Red Room” Bucky added.
“She said in her letter that all of us did her wrong,” Sam said, “how are we supposed to know what the hell we do to her? She’s been in the team for what, two and a half years? And just now we realized that she was the one that gave us the data that saved 30 people and got her tortured, and that she was trained in The Red Room like Black Widow here. What else are we missing?” he added.
“Guess there’s only one thing we can do” Steve said, looking at Tony.
“And what’s that?” Wanda asked
“We find her”
#avengers#bucky barnes#imagines#marvel#bucky barnes angst#bucky x female reader#the red room#natasha romonova#tony stark#steve rogers#wanda maximoff#peter parker#hydra
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happier than ever // hp x reader
words: 1.7k
warnings: breakup, talk of the war, angsty asf, i think that’s all but as always lmk loves! :)
a/n: based on happier than ever by billie eilish,, italics are flashback/song lyrics
a/n ii: i do NOT like nor do i promote billie eilish in any way at all. but the song is trending on tiktok and i thought it’d be a good fic idea
it was the biggest argument the two of you had ever had. the one that resulted in the end of your relationship. you regretted every single second of it. you knew that he was trying. that he just wanted to help. he was trying to make a better world for himself. for everyone. for you. for both of you. so you could have the future you always talked about.
but lately he wasn’t around. he had a lot of responsibilities, you understood that. but you were his girlfriend. and lately he wasn’t being much of a boyfriend. you tried to push it away when he called rain checks on your dates. or when he was late because it “slipped his mind.” or when, sometimes… he didn’t even show at all.
it was your final straw when he showed up three hours late for your anniversary dinner. it wasn’t even your true anniversary… that was two weeks ago. but he had missed that because he was at hagrid’s hut with ron and hermione. you pushed it off with a shrug and a small smile. no more than a “it’s okay harry, i promise. i know you have a lot on your plate right now,” as you kissed his cheek and retreated to your dorm for the night.
but that night… that night you just had so much pent up anger. you were sick of it, truthfully. and you flipped out. “why’re you so dressed up, love?” the question would usually have made your heart sink. but by now you were used to it. now you just scoffed. you were numb to the hurt of him forgetting.
“had an anniversary dinner with my boyfriend. but it seems like he forgot… again,” you spoke plainly.
“darling i’m so sorry you have to believe me,” he implored.
“it’s fine harry. really,” you shrugged as you blinked back your angry tears.
“we can… we can reschedule. tomorrow i promise,” he bit his lip hopefully.
“no. it’s fine,” you shrugged.
“okay. if tomorrow doesn’t work, we can try next week maybe?” he tried again. you shook your head again. “okay well if not next week then i’m not sure. i’ve got army meetings and ron, mione, and i have plans with hagrid. plus we’ve got the end of years coming up so i have to study. when do you want to reschedule for?”
“i don’t harry,” you answered, finally letting the dam break. two tears fell slowly down your cheeks. “i don’t want to reschedule. or try a different day because there won’t be one. it’ll just be the same thing all over again. you’ll be late. if you even care to remember that we have a date at all,” you spat bitterly.
“yn, i’m trying,” harry quickly became defensive at the venom spitting from your tongue. “i’m doing my best really, can’t you see that? i’m trying to save the world here, you’re not making it easy by being so clingy,” he spat ruthlessly.
“then let me make it easier on you, harry. you never have to worry about me again,” you offered a sad smile as you turned and began to walk away.
“you’re breaking up with me?” the sea-eyed boy was dumbfounded.
“yeah. i’m making saving the world easier on you. you won’t have to worry about a clingy girlfriend anymore. go do what you need to do and save the world harry,” you told him. “too bad you couldn’t save your relationship as well,” you sniffled as you retreated to your dorm.
it hurt you to leave harry. but you both needed it. two years of dating and an even longer relationship… and it just all went to shit. it exploded right before your eyes.
you spent the following weeks buried under your covers. sobbing your little heart out, when you weren’t in class. you knew what would come of breaking up with hogwarts’ golden boy and the savior of the world. the dirty looks. the whispers. however, what you didn’t expect… was for the whole wizarding world to hear about it.
what you didn’t expect was for the front page of the daily prophet to read in big, bold lettering: “THE BOY WHO LIVED: HEARTBROKEN.” you read through the article by rita skeeter and you were fuming. she had called you “cold” and “heartless.” and much, much nastier words that you couldn’t even repeat, all of which were completely untrue.
harry had made you out to be the bad guy, of course. the golden boy could never do anything wrong. you scoffed as you picked up the paper and stormed your way to the great hall. all conversation at the gryffindor had died down as their eyes locked on you, storming over to harry. “you LIAR!” you screamed as you roughly shoved his chest, throwing the paper down in front of him.
he raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the article. “i see no lies here,” he shrugged, causing ron, ginny, and hermione to stifle a laugh. you rolled your eyes at this. “you’re nothing but a cold. heartless. bitch,” he spat ruthlessly.
“as if! harry that’s you! you’re cold and you’re heartless! you don’t care about anyone but yourself, oh chosen one,” you spit right back.
“cold and heartless when i’m saving the world?” he raised an eyebrow as he scoffed.
“please cut your little bullshit ‘i the chosen one am saving the world’ ploy. it’s nothing but bullshit! neville could save the world just as well as you can,” you shook your head. “you’re nothing without your title harry. absolutely nothing,” you growled. you saw red. nothing but red. you were positively pissed. anger was the only thought processing in your brain. “you’re an entitled brat harry. who never sees himself in the wrong even when you break hearts.”
“then i guess we’re one in the same, aren’t we, yn?” he snarked.
“oh please. you wish harry. i don’t relate to you. i could never relate to you. cus i would’ve never treated me as shitty as you did,” you shook your head as you spoke. crossing your arms defensively as you prepared to tell the chosen one all about himself.
“i treated you so shitty and yet, i still work my ass off to continue to save your life along with everyone else on the planet. right,” he scoffed.
“cut your bullshit harry. stop with the savior of the world shit. you scared me half to death with all of the dangerous shit you did. you stick your neck out and swim oceans for people who wouldn’t even step over a fucking puddle for you! you think these people care about you? they don’t! you’re a pawn in their little war. that’s all you’ll ever be!” you scoffed again. “i don’t even know why i’m wasting my breath. you only ever listen to your fucking ‘friends’ anyway,” you put air quotes around the word as you forced yourself to keep your tears at bay.
“so what if i’m a pawn! i’m helping! you’ve had everything handed to you on a silver fucking platter you’re entire life! you’d never know what this life feels like!” he shouted back.
“that’s your problem harry! you never see anyone’s problems but your own! you weren’t even aware of the fact that you made me miserable! for weeks you made me miserable. i couldn’t even tell if i still had a boyfriend or not!” you harshly rubbed your nose on the sleeve of your robe. “i wish it wasn’t true, but now that i’m away from you, i’m somehow happier. at least i know you don’t love me anymore instead of having to wonder every night,” you shook your head.
“we’re done yn! you made that very clear when you left me after forgetting one date! why do you care so much!” he yelled.
“because it wasn’t one date harry it was multiple! hogwarts was my home harry! and you made me hate this school!” you shouted.
“so what?! we’re over yn, i’m moving on and handling it in my own way! you should too!” his face was red and the vein in his neck was protruding. all eyes in the great hall—including those of the professors’—were on the two of you.
“no! cus i don’t talk shit about you all over the daily prophet or in school for that matter! i’ve never said anything bad about you!” you yelled at him.
“well why not? apparently you have every right to since i was such a horrible boyfriend for trying to make a better world for the two of us to have a future in,” he scoffed.
you rolled your eyes and decided upon not wasting your breath at his use of that defense yet again. “cause that shit’s embarrassing harry! you were my everything and all you ever did was make me fucking sad!” you rubbed at your nose again, nearly positive that the tip of it was now rubbed raw.
“i’m sorry that you feel like i was so terrible to you. i’m sorry that i couldn’t save our relationship like i saved the world like you said,” he shook his head.
“oh don’t try to make me feel bad harry! i have a whole laundry list of good and bad things about you. but at some point the good stopped outweighing the bad,” by now the inevitable had happened and tears had begun to spill slowly over your lash line.
“really? cus it sounds like you have nothing but bad things to say,” he snarked with a small scoff.
“i mean i could list all the times you showed up on time, but it’d be empty because you never did. you ruined everything good in my life, harry. and you always say you’re so misunderstood but you’re not! you’re just a heartless, selfish, asshole!” you shoved his chest roughly. “just fucking leave me alone! and keep my name out of your mouth,” you rolled your waterlogged eyes as you walked away.
once you were in the safety of your dorm, you let it all out. you slid slowly down the closed door and pulled your knees to your chest, releasing all the sobs you held in during your screaming match. your heart broke for the second time in less than a month. you choked over sobs as your stomach twisted in pained knots, matching the feeling of your heart thumping behind your ribcage.
your everything was gone. but somehow… you were happier than ever without him.
#harry potter x reader#marauders x reader#harry potter x y/n#harry potter x you#harry potter angst#harry potter#harry potter fanfiction#angst#hp fandom#hp#hp angst#hp x reader#hp x you#hp x y/n
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I don’t really know him
ok so I’ve had this idea in my head forever. basically you’re a famous singer and go on the ellen show.
also, here’s the art I imagine for the album cover. Just some simple art I made up!
the podcasts I mention are ones I actually listen to, and here’s the link to those!
conspiracy theories
in our time
warnings: like one swear word?
word count: 2.1k
"It's so good to see you, Y/N!" Ellen smiled warmly at you. "Yes, you too," you beamed, shifting in the white chair. "I've been wanting to be on this show forever, you have no idea."
"Really?" She laughed. You nodded. "It's really an honor." "Well, we love to have you," she smiled again. "So what have you been up to these days?" "I've been pretty busy," you informed her. "I've been working a lot on my music." "Oh? Do we have a third album coming sometime soon?" You smiled, offering a small shrug. "I can neither confirm nor deny." "Well you can't just leave us with that!" You laughed. "I will say there is definitely a third album in the works. I'm saying absolutely nothing about the timeline, though," you said, making the motion of zipping your lips. "Really?" She leaned forward, intrigued. "Could we possibly hear some details of this album?" "I've already said too much," you sat back in your chair, grinning. "Well, if that's all you're going to say..." She looked at you expectantly, as if you would just crack and spill all the details. You just smiled, shaking your head. She sighed dramatically. "I guess we'll move on." "I think that's wise," you nodded. "I did want to talk about your second album." She pulled out a record, the big album cover being shown on the screen behind her as well. "I really enjoyed this, by the way. It's very good." "Thank you," you said, your face heated up at her compliments. "It's good to know people liked it. I really put myself out there for that one." "You did!" She said, looking back down at the artwork. "It was very personal." You bit your lip, nodding. "It was definitely a lot more so than the first one, which was kind of scary, if I'm being honest." "Yeah, well that's understandable," she nodded. "Was there a certain someone these songs were written about? I couldn't help but notice some of these are very much... love songs." You smiled again. "I'm afraid that's another question I can neither confirm nor deny." "Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that." You nodded, trying to keep the flush off your face. There definitely was a certain someone those songs were about. They were about Harry. Every single one of them was about him, and you knew for a fact the songs on his newest album were about you. No one else knew, though. You two had done a good job keeping your relationship secret. It was annoying at times, but neither of you wanted to deal with the stress of the public trying to know every detail of your relationship. "Now, it's time for a few burning questions," she said, setting the album down in front of her. "Oh, delightful," you sighed playfully. "Oh, quiet, this will be fun." "Will it?" you joked, but leaned forward nonetheless. "Definitely," she picked up a stack of cards. "First- what is your favorite food?" "Ooh, I have to say alfredo. Or... like, fudge." "Fudge?" "Yeah, it's super good." "Good to know," she laughed, looking at the next card. "What is your lockscreen?" You had to bite your tongue to keep the smile off your face. Truthfully, it was a picture of Harry. He had his hair up in a clip, looking like a little tree on top of his head. But obviously, you couldn't say this. Thankfully, you had left your phone in your dressing room, so there was no way anyone would see. "My dog," you lied. This had been true for a long time; at least until you started dating Harry. "Aw, that's cute!" You nodded with a small smile, thinking of how cute your lockscreen really was. "Who is your favorite musician?" "Uh... I don't- like, as a person? Or their music? I could go a lot of directions with this," you chuckled. "Let's just go with... as a person." "Oh boy, there's quite a lot of those," you smiled. "I really admire a lot of people, truly. A few that come to mind, I guess... Megan thee Stallion, obviously-" You were cut off by loud cheering. You grinned out at the audience, laughing at their excitement. "See, they agree," you gestured out in front of you. "I just love her energy. And Lizzo, one hundred percent. I've gotten closer with both of them in the past few years, and I cherish their friendship. They're both wonderful people. Oh, I've met Taylor Swift a few times, and I love her so much, she's so kind." "Wow, you're moving up in the world," she smiled. "I don't know," you blushed again. "Don't be so humble, you're one of the big names now!" "I don't really like to think of it that way," you admitted. "Honestly, I just like making music. I'm so blessed to be able to do what I love." "And we're blessed to be able to hear it," she said with a sincere smile. "What about the other way? Who do you like, for their music specifically?" "Um, I'm into a lot of different stuff, I don't really have a specific artist or genre I like," you lied again. Lately, you had only been listening to Harry's music. "Really?" She seemed surprised. You nodded. "There is one, though, Charlotte Sands. I actually first heard her song, Dress, on TikTok and got really into more of her stuff." This wasn't actually a lie. You liked the song when you first heard it, and even more when you found out who it was about. "Oh, I've heard Dress! It's a very nice song," Ellen nodded. "But next question! What do you do when you can't sleep?" "I usually listen to a podcast." "What podcast do you listen to?" "Conspiracy theories. But not like, in a weird way," you laughed. "And also not to sleep." "Not to sleep?" "No, they're too interesting for that. When I'm trying to sleep, I listen to one by the BBC. I just play it really quietly so it's just background noise." "Interesting," she nodded. "But I'm more interested in the conspiracy theories. Not in a weird way?" She laughed. "No, not in like a crazy way," you clarified with a smile. "Like, I'm not super into them, but I'm kind of like, who knows?" You finished with an exaggerated shrug. Ellen laughed, along with the audience. "Well, it's good to know it's not in a crazy way." You nodded, still smiling. "But speaking of conspiracy theories..." She paused, leaning forward. "Harry Styles." You nodded, waiting for her to continue, and laughed lightly when she didn't. "Yes? What about him?" "Well, just what's your opinion?" You chuckled, raising your eyebrows. "My opinion? I don't really have an opinion, I don't really know him," you lied again. You most definitely did know him. "Well, just on what you've heard. He won a Grammy recently, did you know this?" "I did know this," you nodded. "And I don't know, I've heard he's a lovely person. I do like his music, actually." "Really? I thought you two were close. Judging from these pictures," you looked behind you, eyes going wide when you realized what they were. About a month ago, you and Harry had finally gone out together for the first time. It had been a simple outing; you had gone into a coffee shop to get some drinks. Harry had sat at the table while you ordered, then you walked out before him with both cups. He followed you a few minutes after, meeting up at a corner down the street. You tried to take as many precautions as you could so you wouldn't be spotted together, and you had really thought it worked. You had both been wearing masks, so you didn't think anyone would notice. Since that was so long ago, you thought you had gotten away with it. Apparently not. There was no denying that it was you and Harry, and there was no denying the love in your eyes as you looked at him. He was the same; he looked absolutely infatuated with you. "Um," you shifted in your seat, turning back to face Ellen. She had an excited grin on her face. "I always thought you two would be cute together." "Did you?" You asked, trying desperately not to blush more than you already were. You really didn't know how to react. You had been so careful, or so you thought. How had this picture not been leaked sooner? Ellen must have had this planned for a long time. She nodded. "So, it seems you do know him pretty well. Care to give us any more details? Are you two... official?" "Unfortunately, I think you know what I'm going to say," you managed to smile again. "I can neither-" She spoke over you. "Confirm nor deny, yes, I know," she sighed playfully. "Next question, then!" Once the interview was over, you rushed back to your dressing room. Just as you expected, you had at least 22 texts from Harry. Sighing, you unlocked your phone to read them. "Shit" "I'm so sorry" "I have no idea how they got that" "I know you wanted to keep this secret" "I'm so sorry they found out" "How did they get those?" "Why weren't those released earlier?" "Did Ellen plan this?" "She must have planned this" "I'm so sorry" "You were right, we should have been more careful" "I can say we're just friends if you want" "I can do an interview with Ellen next week" "I can lie" "I'll say whatever you want" "I'm so sorry" "This is my fault" You couldn't help but laugh, imagining how panicked he was while typing these. You weren't even that upset. You knew your relationship would come out sometime. Not wanting to make him suffer any longer, you tapped the call icon. He picked up on the first ring, not even saying hello before he was apologizing. "Baby, I'm so sorry, I feel awful, I know you didn't want anyone to know, but it's ok, I'm going to get an interview soon and I can-" "Harry," you cut him off. "It's ok. Really. I knew this would happen sooner or later, it's ok." "Really? You looked upset earlier." "I was flustered," you laughed. "And a little shocked. But I'm ok now. It's fine, I promise. Besides, now we don't have to hide all the time. We can go out in public if we want to." You could practically hear the smile in his voice when he answered. "Finally, I can take you out on a proper date, just like you deserve." You grinned. "Sounds perfect. I'm actually leaving here soon, do you want to meet at the coffee shop?" "I'd love to." "See you soon, then. Love you!" "I love you too." -----
“Really, though? “I don’t have an opinion, I don’t really know him?” A little rude, if I’m being honest.”
You laughed, swatting at his shoulder playfully across the table. “I didn’t know what to say! I panicked. I wanted to say “Oh yeah, Harry? I’m actually in love with him. He’s my favorite person in the entire world, and we’ve been dating for a year.” But I figured that was a little tactless.”
“Maybe a little,” he smiled, blushing at your compliments. “I can’t blame you, though. You probably handled it better than I would have.”
You laughed. “It was really hard! Every single question. She asked who my music was about. It’s about you! She asked what my lockscreen was. It’s you. She asked who my favorite artists are! Again, you.”
“Oh yeah, very sneaky with that Charlotte Sands song,” he chuckled. “A good hint. Do you think anyone will catch that?”
“Oh, definitely,” you smiled. “Your fans are literally the FBI.”
“Sometimes,” he agreed. “But they can’t be that good, since none of them found out about us.”
“True,” you nodded. “They’re losing their skills.”
“Oh, tragic,” he pouted. “Whatever will we do without being stalked every minute of our lives?”
“Maybe we could, you know, just live like normal people for a day.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
#Harry Styles#harry fanfiction#harry styles x reader#harry styles x you#harry styles x you fanfiction#harry styles x reader fanfiction#harry styles x y/n#harry styles/you#harry styles/reader#harry styles/you fanfiction#harry styles/reader fanfiction#harry styles/famous reader#famous!reader#singer!reader#one direction#one direction fanfiction
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Country College (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine; Part of AU-gust)
A/N: Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee link here.
Also, here's the playlist of songs I listened to while writing this and some of these songs are actually mentioned in the imagine in case you guys wanted to listen while reading: Country College AU playlist.
I went on vacation and I swear, this entire imagine was based on stuff I did in Tennessee and country songs I listened to while there.
Anyway, enjoy!
"You got everything?" Jay asked you at six in the morning.
"For the last damn time, Jay, yes, I have everything," you answered as you jumped in the passenger seat of his truck and put your backpack at your feet and your tumbler of coffee in a cup holder.
"Jesus. I was just asking because I will not be turning this truck around," he said as he moved around the basket of snacks in the backseat so that the two of you could reach them easier. "Someone's cranky."
"Yes. When I finally got to sleep at 12:30 last night and had to wake up at 4:30, I'm gonna be cranky. Please tell me we're stopping for coffee."
"You already have coffee," Will said as he walked up to the truck. "Why do you need more?"
"Shut up. I know for a fact you drink way more coffee than I do, Mr. Med Student."
"Jesus, Jay. You sure you're gonna be able to put up with her for eight and a half hours?" Will asked.
"I dunno, man. Maybe I'll make her ride with you," he joked.
"Yeah, no way in hell that's happening," Will said.
"In all seriousness," Jay started, "stop for coffee in about an hour and a half?"
"Sounds good to me," you agreed.
"Same here. I only have to ditch you guys when we get like eight hours in," Will said.
"Gonna be weird not having you on the drive down, man," Jay mused.
"Yeah, but at least we can meet up at the rest stops and we'll be in the same state."
"Are we gonna go?" you asked. "If you two were just gonna talk, I could've slept for an extra ten minutes."
"Holy shit," Jay muttered. He turned to Will. "Guess we should get going then."
"Yeah, see you in an hour and a half. Don't piss off the driver too much, Y/N."
You rolled your eyes. "Goodbye, Will."
Will got in his car and Jay got in the driver's side of his truck.
"Eight and a half hour drive plus traffic," Jay started as you both pulled out of the driveway, "so how do want to split it up?"
"I'm tired and I wanna sleep and I don't want to drive through Knoxville because I have no idea where to go," you answered as you pulled your headphones out of your backpack.
"Okay, Miss Sassy Pants. You can drive in the middle, through Kentucky. Might hit traffic, but we'll hit traffic in Tennessee, too, so we'll both have to drive through it. Just please, do not crash my truck."
"Relax. I know how to drive. Just make sure Will stays on your ass the entire time so we don't lose each other."
***
"And, we're officially in Kentucky!" Jay announced. "Time to change the music. At the next rest stop, we'll pull over and go to the bathroom and grab some lunch."
"Jay! You can't be on your phone while you're driving!" you yelled as he reached for his phone in the cup holder, which was also acting as the GPS...even though Jay claimed he could get there without it.
"Y/N, I'm fine. I've done this for three years now. I think I know what I'm doing."
"If you say so."
He turned on a song you didn't know.
"Got a truck, get it lifted," Jay started to sing.
"The hell is this?" you asked.
"Country music. Gets changed from pop to country the second we cross the border into Kentucky. Now, shh. This is a good song. You'll like it. It's upbeat."
Jay drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and sang quietly to Redneck Be Like by Thomas Rhett as he drove while you listened. He was right. It was a pretty good song.
"All day in the sun, always havin' fun, always gettin' stuck in that muddy river. Always got a buzz, always double cup..."
"You'll know the next one," Jay promised.
"And you know this how?" you asked.
"Because it's on Tiktok. When we get there, Adam and Hailey are gonna have to teach you some southern culture."
"So, I'm gonna need a definition of southern culture."
"You'll see when you get there. Now listen. I know you know this part."
Yeah we fancy like Applebee's...
Jay was right: you did know this song. It was Fancy Like by Walker Hayes.
"On a date night," you sang along. "Got that Bourbon street steak..." Jay joined in. "With the Oreo shake. Get some whipped cream on the top, too. Two straws, one check, girl I got you. Yeah we Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam..."
Five minutes later, you pulled off to a rest stop with a McDonald's nearby. Jay and Will filled up their vehicles while you ran inside to go to the bathroom. Once you were inside McDonald's and at a table eating, you asked Will if it was true that he and Jay always changed it to country music when they crossed the border into Kentucky. Will said yes, so you knew you were in for a long car ride. Then, you and Jay switched so that you were now the one driving and you were off again.
***
Hours later, Will took a different exit to get to Nashville and gave you and Jay a salute to tell you goodbye when he changed lanes and then took the exit.
"Not long now," Jay told you. "You excited?"
"Yeah, but a little nervous," you replied.
"Oh, don't be nervous. They're all really nice. And you've already met Hailey, so that helps."
"Yeah, she was nice. She had a cute little southern accent, too."
"One of the many reasons I fell in love with her in the first place."
Before Jay left for a weekend last summer to meet Hailey halfway and then stay in a hotel for a weekend to spend time with her, he finally told you the story of how he and Hailey met.
"Hey, we're goin' to the marketplace," Adam said on the first weekend of their junior year. "You and Will up for it?"
"Uh, Will's studying like normal. I'm up for it. Kim coming, too?" Jay asked.
"I promised her ice cream, so yeah, she's comin'. Baby, you ready?" he yelled down the hall.
"I'm coming, Adam!" Kim yelled back and then walked out of the bathroom.
"Let's go and make some bad decisions," Adam stated, causing Jay and Kim to laugh.
"We can't even buy alcohol yet, you dummy," Kim said.
"I may be a dummy, but you love me." Then, Adam gave Kim a kiss on the cheek.
"Please stop before I puke," Jay said and made a gagging face.
Adam rolled his eyes. "Let's get outta here."
***
Kim was laughing at a horrible joke Adam made while he had his arm slung around him. He had taken off his signature cowboy hat and had let Kim wear it because she forgot her sunglasses. Adam said he felt naked without it on.
They were walking towards Kilwin's when Jay spotted it: a homeless guy next to a blonde who couldn't be more than college age.
"Man, look," Jay pointed.
The three walked faster.
"No, this is for my friend back at the dorm," the girl explained.
"Lady, I'm hungry. Can I please just have your leftovers?" the guy asked.
"I'm sorry you're hungry, but this is for my friend."
The guy reached for the food.
"Hey, that girl sits behind me in my women and the law class," Kim stated.
Jay, Adam, and Kim took off on a run.
"Hey, baby," Jay said and slung an arm around the girl. He leaned in close to her. "Just go with it," he whispered in her ear. "You got Anna's food?"
"Yeah," the girl said hesitantly. But then, she realized that this guy was trying to help her out. And, he was pretty sure that the girl with him sat in front of her in her women and the law class. "Yeah, I've got her food."
Jay raised an eyebrow at the guy and then looked at Adam as if asking the man to try the two of them.
"Alright, well y'all have a good night now," he said and then turned around and walked away.
Once the man was a few shops down, Jay took his arm off of her. "Sorry about that. Just thought you might need some help," he said.
"Was greatly appreciated, thank you, uh..."
"Jay."
"Jay, well I'm Hailey. Nice to meet you."
He didn't miss her cute little southern accent and he loved it.
"You getting ice cream?" he asked.
"No, I uh was just textin' my roommate to tell her I'd be back soon."
"Well, I-- we'd feel much better if you came into Kilwin's with us. Just so that creeper doesn't come back."
Hailey smiled and agreed.
Kim and Hailey started talking about their class while Adam and Jay ordered their ice cream. Then Kim ordered.
"You want anything, Hailey?" Jay asked.
"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you, though."
Jay nodded, but then turned to the worker. "And can I also get a single scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone, please?"
"Sure thing." As she scooped it out, Hailey looked at Jay and he just shrugged.
When they got to the cashier, Hailey pulled out some money and tried to hand it to Jay.
"I've got it," he said.
"But--"
"Hailey, it's fine. I can pay for a little ice cream."
She loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.
"Okay." She took her ice cream cone.
"Hey, Hailey," Kim began when they walked out of Kilwin's. "Do you have friends you need to meet up with?"
"No, I was just gonna head back to my dorm," she replied.
"Oh, did you drive?"
"No, I walked. It's only like a twenty-minute walk from the sophomore dorms."
"Well, after all that, I'm pretty sure we'd all feel more comfortable if you rode home with us."
"I don't know..." Hailey trailed off.
"Those dorms are only like five minutes away from the house we stay at. And, it's on our way there anyway. Please, just come with us."
Hailey sighed. It would be a lot faster than walking. "Okay."
Then, they finished their walk to Adam's truck and the two girls got in the backseat and the two boys got in the front.
And that is how Jay Halstead met the sweet Georgia peach that is Hailey Anne Upton.
***
Jay, Adam, Will, Kim, and Hailey were all at a sports bar one Saturday night in October. It was loud, it was rowdy, everyone was going crazy over the football game on tv, and Hailey was totally over it. And Jay noticed.
"Hey," Jay whispered from his seat next to her. "You wanna get outta here?"
She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "You'd wanna leave and not finish the game?"
In the past two months, Hailey had been spending a lot of time with Kim, and by default, she had been spending a lot of time with Adam, Jay, and Will. She will admit going over to their three-bedroom house they all rented together was a lot better than being stuck in her small dorm with her roommate. So, she went over there quite a bit to study with Kim. And, turns out she and Jay were both law studies majors, so they had a lot of the same classes, but they were in different sections, so they did a lot of studying together, too. And, she knew like most college boys, Jay loved his football. Not as much as Adam, but he watched it whenever one of his teams were playing. Which, was Chicago or Tennessee.
"Yeah," Jay started, "it's kinda loud in here anyway. And, it's just Tennessee playing. I'd be more likely to stay if the Bears were playing."
"Okay, let's get outta here. I know a great little diner we can go to for milkshakes. Pretty sure they're open until 11 and it's only 10, so we should be able to make it."
"Adam," Jay said over the game. Adam turned to face Jay. "Me and Hailey are gonna get out of here. I'll see you back at home."
"See you," Adam said and then turned back to his game.
"Guess we know where his loyalties lie," Hailey laughed.
The two of them stood up from their chairs at the table.
"You better get my friend home safe, Halstead!" Kim yelled.
"Yes ma'am," he said, borrowing a line from Adam. "You've got nothing to worry about."
Then, the two of them made their way out of the local sports bar and to Jay's truck.
***
"You've gotta be kiddin' me," Hailey said as the two of them walked up to the diner. "They're closed. Closed at 10 and not at 11. I'm really sorry, Jay."
"That's okay. Got anywhere else you wanna go? Or I can just take you back to your dorm if you want?" Jay suggested.
She sighed. "Just take me back I guess."
The two of them walked back to Jay's truck and got in. Hailey gasped at the song that was on the radio.
"What?" Jay asked, quickly turning to look at Hailey.
"This is my favorite song!"
Lights go down, wheels go around. I'm taking you home. Hoping for a slow song to come on the radio now.
Slow Dance in a Parking Lot by Jordan Davis continued to play through the speakers of Jay's truck.
"What's it about?" Jay asked.
"Slow dancing in a parking lot."
Jay listened to a few more lines and then decided to turn up the radio and jump out of the car.
"Jay, what are you--"
But he was already at her side of the car and pulled her door open.
"Dance with me?" he asked, sticking his hand out for her to take.
"What?" she laughed as a huge smile grew on her face.
"You said the song's about slow dancing in a parking lot and we're in an empty parking lot, so, why not recreate the song?"
Hailey laughed once more and shook her head and then grabbed Jay's hand. He helped her out of his truck and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist and they swayed to the music.
"Slow dance with you. Spinning you round by the Walmart sign and moving our feet over the painted white lines. Getting close to you. Making the most of whatever we got, even if it's just slow dance in a parking lot," Hailey sang quietly.
"Spin," Jay said as he held his hand up.
"What?"
"Spinning you round just like the song says."
Hailey laughed and reached for his hand and did a spin.
"Beautiful," Jay complimented.
"Yeah, right. That's was probably the messiest spin known to man."
"Well, um, it was beautiful. You're beautiful, Hailey."
She was glad it was dark so that Jay couldn't see the heat that rose to her cheeks.
"You're somethin' else, but thank you." She rested her head on his chest as they swayed to the rhythm of the rest of the song.
The song ended and the broadcaster started talking.
"Can I kiss you?" Jay asked.
"What?" she pulled away from his chest.
"I asked if I could kiss you. Was that too much? You know what, just forget--"
"Yes, Jay, kiss me," Hailey smiled and then she and Jay both leaned in.
It was just a peck, but it was their first kiss and despite it being in a dark parking lot late at night, it was still magical.
"You know," Jay began once the quick kiss was over, "there's a Walmart across the street. What do you say we go grab pints of ice cream from there and then you can show me your favorite country songs?"
"I'd like that. Adam didn't show you enough?" she asked.
"I've only got like thirty I like. I need to expand my horizons."
"Okay, let's go."
They held hands in Walmart and then picked out their respective pints of ice cream. Then, they went back to the parking lot of the closed diner and Jay plugged in the aux, allowing Hailey to show him her favorite country songs while they ate their ice cream from the pint and even shared with each other.
Hailey knew nobody would have a first kiss story like that.
Then, at the beginning of the winter semester, Hailey's roommate decided not to live in the dorms anymore. Hailey couldn't afford to pay for a dorm all by herself, so Kim offered to let her stay with her, Jay, Adam, and Will. So, that's how she ended up living with her boyfriend and sharing a room with her best friend, Kim Burgess.
"We're here," Jay announced. "Well, actually, we're a few streets away, but that's one of the lecture halls on your right."
You looked out the window to see a big red and brown brick building with white pillars on the steps. There was also a white sign telling you what building this was.
"Wow," you said in awe. "It's like those old-fashioned colleges. I love it."
"Well, we'll give you a tour and help you find your classes sometime this weekend before classes start on Tuesday. That way, you aren't getting lost on the first day. But, we'll head to the house for now and get all unpacked."
"Sounds good to me."
Five minutes and a few back roads later, you pulled up to a simple two-story brick house.
"Alright, let's get our stuff out and get inside," Jay said.
You stepped out of the truck and started grabbing some stuff out of the back seat.
"I'll jump in the truck and hand you the suitcases. Think you can grab them when I hand them to you?"
You nodded.
"Halstead!" you heard someone shout and you and Jay both whipped your heads around to see Hailey and Adam walking out of the garage and toward the two of you. Adam, well who you assumed was Adam, was carrying two cowboy hats and he and Hailey each had one on themselves.
"Catch!" Adam said and threw one to Jay where he was standing in the box of the truck. Jay easily caught it and placed it on his head.
Adam walked over to you. "And one for you, darlin'," he said as he placed the hat on your head.
"Thank you," you said. "But I thought Kim was darlin'," you said. It'd make sense because if this guy was in fact Adam, then he and Kim were dating.
"You didn't tell her?" Hailey asked Jay.
"Didn't think there'd be a need to." Jay shrugged.
"Tell me what?" you asked.
"Well, Adam calls every girl darlin'," Jay explained. "It's just normal for him. And, down here, you're gonna get a lot of huns, sweeties, and sweethearts. A lot of waiters and waitresses do that here."
"And what do they call you two?" you asked, motioning to Jay and Adam.
"Sir," they said in unison.
"Oh, and you'll occasionally get a ma'am," Hailey added. "But, that one's rare because we don't look old enough to be called ma'am."
"Okay. And, uh, not to be rude, but what's with the cowboy hats?" you asked.
"It's a tradition we just started last year," Adam explained. "We unpack, wear cowboy hats, and drink moonshine. Oh, I'm Adam by the way, darlin'."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N."
Jay handed you a suitcase and you set it on the ground. Then, you did the same thing with two more suitcases.
You grabbed your backpack from the front seat, your duffle bag from the back, and your two suitcases.
"Here, I can take those two for you," Adam said.
"Oh, okay," you said and then allowed him to take the two suitcases from you. So this is what Jay meant by southern hospitality since Adam was from Tennessee and all.
"Jay, lemme take your suitcase," Hailey said.
"Baby, I've got it," Jay argued as he jumped out of the box of his truck and closed the tailgate.
"The hell you do," she argued. "I see all your other stuff in the backseat and that basket of snacks you gotta carry in, too. Just lemme take your one suitcase."
"Let 'er take the suitcase, Halstead. Best to listen to your lady," Adam said.
"I like Adam already," you laughed.
He let go of one of the suitcases and tipped his hat. "Thank you, darlin'."
This caused all four of you to laugh and then you all went inside carrying both yours and Jay's stuff in one trip between the four of you.
***
"Shine in the fridge?" Jay asked after you and he had brought all your stuff to your room.
"Shine, Jay? How southern do you get when you're here?" you asked.
"Oh, he gets pretty southern, hun," Hailey said.
"See?" Jay asked as he pointed to Hailey. "Told you you'd get called hun."
"So, Adam's thing is darlin' and Hailey's is hun?" Hailey nodded. "And it's because you're from Georgia and he's from Tennessee?"
"That's right, darlin'," Adam confirmed and then turned back to Jay. "Yeah, shine's in the fridge. And Kim just texted and said she's on the way back with pizza."
"You got apple pie flavored shine?" Jay asked.
"Hang on. I'm just gonna grab 'em."
The three of you sat down on the bar stools at the counter and waited for Adam to pull them out.
"Alright," Adam started after he put the bottles of moonshine with sip lids on the counter. "We have peach for Miss Georgia Peach." He passed the peach bottle of moonshine to Hailey. "We've got apple pie shine for me and Jay. We've got strawberries and creme for Kim because that's her favorite." He turned to you. "And for you, I got you blackberry because it's not that high of a proof, so it's not that strong." He slid the jar to you.
"Nuh uh," Jay said quickly and grabbed the bottle.
"What the hell, Jay? Give it back! Adam said it's for me, not you!" you argued.
"Last I checked, you're only eighteen."
"Last I checked, Dad's not here. And I know for a fact you drank before you were 21, so pass me the blackberry shine, please."
"I'll take the first sip and then you can have it." He made sure the straw part was open and then he took a sip. "Adam, that shit's like a chaser compared to the apple pie one."
"I know. That's why I got 'er that one," Adam said.
You heard a door shut.
"Pizza's here!" Kim announced.
She walked into the kitchen with three boxes of pizza.
"I got us three pies," she said as she set them down on the counter. "We got one pepperoni and green olive, one supreme, and one meat lovers." She turned to you. "And you must be Y/N. I'm Kim. I see Adam already got you started on that Tennessee moonshine."
"Nice to meet you," you said. "You're from New York, right?"
"Yup, not New York City, though. More upstate."
"Of course she's from New York, Y/N!" Jay exclaimed. "Who else would call pizza a pie except for a true New Yorker?"
"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, Jay."
Jay raised his bottle of apple pie moonshine in a fake cheers and then took a sip.
"Now that's the strong shit I need to start off this semester right," he announced and then set the bottle down.
"Oh, and if your brother didn't tell you yet, he turns into a borderline alcoholic when he's at school," Kim told you.
You laughed. "He didn't tell me that, no."
"Better than being a caffeine addict like Kim and Hailey here," Jay argued.
"Shut up," Hailey said. "You know you're a caffeine addict during finals week just the rest of us."
"I was a caffeine addict in high school, so we'll see what happens," you shrugged.
Kim grabbed a stack of paper plates and set them on one of the pizza boxes. "Dig in. Oh, Y/N, did Adam get you the blackberry flavored moonshine?"
"He did. Haven't tried it yet because Jay has yet to give it back to me."
Kim quickly reached down and grabbed the jar of moonshine.
"Hey, Kim! She's only 18!" Jay protested.
"So? I know you drank an insane amount during your freshman year. So shut it." Kim popped open the sipping lid. "Taste."
You took a sip. It did taste like blackberry, but it was also sort of strong, but it didn't burn your throat that bad like you had read in books that alcohol did.
"This is actually pretty good."
"I know, right? And, me and Hailey will let you try ours when we help you unpack," Kim said. "But, do not try the kind the boys have because it's nasty."
"Baby, I don't know what you have against apple pie moonshine, but it's good," Adam said and then took a sip of his moonshine. Kim rolled her eyes. Adam leaned across the counter. "The New York in her is coming out, darlin'."
"Oh, shut up," Kim said and reached over to steal Adam's cowboy hat off his head.
"Baby, now I feel naked without it," Adam argued and tried to reach for the hat.
"Sucks for you. Now eat your pizza before it gets cold."
***
"Morning," Jay said when you walked into the kitchen the next morning. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good. it's nice not having to share a room with anyone like you and Adam, and then Hailey and Kim have to. It was fun having them help me unpack last night, though," you said.
Last night, Kim and Hailey had helped you unpack and when you mentioned that you didn't really know any country music, Hailey pulled up all of her favorite country songs to play for you. You especially liked Girl in a Country Song by Maddie and Tae. They showed you the music video for that song and it was about how, in most country music videos, girls had to dress up in little skimpy outfits and have the boys just stare at them all day. So, in their music video, they changed the roles, and the guys had to dress in skimpy clothing in the music video. It was pretty funny and the song was catchy.
"Let me guess," Jay began, "Hailey showed you some good country music?"
"Yup. The songs she showed me were pretty good, pretty upbeat. Didn't sound like a cat being put in a blender like old-fashioned country, so I guess that's good."
"What do you have against old-fashioned country, darlin'?" Adam asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"I dunno." You shrugged. "Too slow for me and I just don't like the voices I guess."
"You know what we ought to do, Jay?" Adam asked and Jay raised his eyebrows, silently telling adam to continue. "We should show her all the songs that are mentioned in What's Your Country Song."
"Wait, wait. I think I know that one. I think Hailey played it for me last night. Is it the one that mentions Chatta- Chatta..."
"Chattahoochee?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, that funny word. What even is that anyway?"
"It's a river that runs through Georgia," Jay answered. "Pretty sure Hailey used to go tubing down it like we're gonna do today."
You furrowed your eyebrows. "We're going tubing? Like behind a boat?"
Adam laughed. "Christ, Jay! Do you tell her anything?"
"He doesn't," you answered. "So, explain, one of you."
"Alright, I'll do it," Jay said as he poured milk on top of a bowl of Raisin Bran. You looked at him intently. "What we do is, the first Saturday that we're all together before school starts, we go on tubes and float down the Tennessee River. We bring a cooler full of snacks, sandwiches, booze, and water, and a waterproof speaker and we just have a fun time. Oh, and this year, you're the DD."
"Me?" you asked as you pointed to yourself. Jay nodded. "But I don't know where to go! I haven't even been in Tennessee for a full 24 hours yet!"
"Kim's like the mom of the group," Adam supplied. "So she'll still be pretty lucid and could probably drive if she needs to. But, she'll at least be able to give you directions on how to get back here."
You sighed. "Good. That makes me feel a lot better."
"Where are the other two girls anyway?" Adam asked. "They're usually up a lot earlier than we are when we go on the river."
"I think they were a little buzzed last night," you said. "Might still be sleeping."
While you were unpacking, you took a few sips of your jar of blackberry moonshine, but not a lot. You'd never really drank before, much less drank moonshine and you didn't really feel like puking from being drunk or having a killer headache from a hangover...at least, that's what you thought happened from what you had read in books and seen in movies and tv shows. But, Kim and Hailey had each finished like a quarter of their jar, so they had been buzzed last night. They weren't drunk because they could still walk in a straight line and knew what they were talking about, but they did have little dopey smiles on their faces while they helped you unpack.
"She's right," Kim said as she and Hailey walked into the kitchen. Hailey's hair was wrapped in a towel, alerting you that she had just taken a shower. "Adam, can you grab me an Advil?" She took a seat on a stool and put her head in her hands. "My head is fucking killing me. I didn't even think I drank that much."
Adam laughed. "You do this every semester, baby. First shine of the year and you always drink a little too much." He handed her the pills and a cup of water and Kim quickly washed the pills down.
"I just need some coffee," Hailey announced.
"We know, you don't get hangover headaches," Kim groaned.
"Yeah, but I feel exhausted all day. Everyone goin' for coffee? I'll make a bigger pot if that's the case."
Everyone said yes and Hailey started on the coffee.
***
"Okay, we got the tubes, the speaker, swimsuits are on, we have the towels, cooler," Jay rattled off as the five of you sat in his truck. "Anyone double-check the cooler?"
"I did," Hailey said. "We got water, the same shine from last night, some white claws, the sandwiches me and Kim made for everyone, chips, and a few other snacks."
"And I threw in a little first aid kit with bandaids, alcohol swabs, Neosporin, and other stuff. And I've got the sunscreen, too," Kim said.
"See, what'd I tell you, darlin'?" Adam asked as he turned around from his spot in the passenger seat. "Kim's the mom of the group."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Kim said. "It means I'm responsible and prepared."
"Those two would get so damn sunburned and dehydrated if it weren't for Kim," Hailey said as she pointed to Jay and Adam in the two front seats.
"Thanks, Hails," Jay replied sarcastically. "Real nice."
"You're welcome," she said with a smile.
You leaned your head against the window. You were supposed to get stuck in the middle, but seeing as you got car sick easily, Kim said she'd switch spots with you.
"You okay?" Kim asked.
"Yeah, just, Jay really needs to turn on the AC before I throw up from motion sickness and how damn hot it is in here."
"Least you got that cowboy hat to puke in if you need to," Jay laughed as he reached for the AC. "You better not puke in my tuck or you will be walking home."
Adam smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Jay exclaimed and took one hand off the wheel and rubbed the back of his head. "The hell was that for?"
"Dude, be nice! Look at her!" Adam exclaimed.
Jay looked in the rearview mirror and saw you leaning your head against the window with your eyes closed and pinching your nose. You groaned.
"Here," Jay said and tossed you a blue bottle of Gatorade from his cup holder. "Drink this. Get you some hydration and electrolytes."
You took a few sips and then handed the bottle back to him. "Thanks."
"Mhm."
Kim moved the vents so that the AC was blowing on you more. "That help?"
"Little bit, thanks."
"Think you'll be good to go down the river?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, because then I won't be trapped in a hot box going sixty down the road!"
"She's right about that," Adam agreed. "You'll be lucky if you go five miles per hour, darlin'."
"Alright, so the motion sickness should stop. Thank God."
"Just rest your head against the window and listen to some country music," Jay said. "Speaking of that, who's controlling the music on the river?"
"I got it," Adam volunteered. "Everyone give me a song and I'll get the queue started."
***
You had been going down the river for about half an hour now and had finished a bottle of water and eaten a banana, too. You felt fine now. Adam was right, you were going slow enough that you didn't get sick, and you also weren't in the backseat of a truck.
"Hey, Kim," you started, "can you pass me my moonshine?"
"Mhm," she said. You guys had tied a cooler to a tube, which was then tied to Kim's tube. Because, the boys figured that between the five of you, she was the most responsible. They toyed with tying it to your tube because you probably wouldn't get shitfaced (like the boys most likely would) since you were underage, but you had never gone tubing down the Tennessee River before, so they decided on Kim. "Here, Hailey, hold my white claw."
She passed Hailey her drink and then maneuvered the cooler towards her, opened it, and handed you your moonshine.
"Thank you," you said and popped open the sip lid and took a sip. "Ahhh."
"Hey, drink it slow," Adam warned, turning towards you and practically yelling over the music. He and Jay were in front of the three of you girls so they could tell you if there were a ton of rocks coming or if it was super shallow coming up. "Heat makes getting drunk a lot easier because you keep drinking it because you're so thirsty."
"I don't think that's how it works, man, but whatever you say," Jay laughed.
Another song started.
"Hey!" you yelled. "I know this song!"
"Yeah, because it's old as hell," Jay laughed.
"Shut up! I like it!"
Baby you a song you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise. Down a back road, blowin' stop signs through the middle every little farm town with you.
"And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit, would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it. Baby you a song, you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise," the five of you sang Cruise by Florida Georgia Line while holding your drinks in pure happiness.
Because of this, you didn't notice Jay drifting off to the side toward the trees.
Jay let out a sinister laugh as he got closer. "C'mere, buddy, c'mere." The black snake stuck his tongue out and hissed. "Yeah, I know, you wanna scare Y/N, too." Jay held his hand out toward the snake. "I'm nice, I promise." The snake slithered and went up on Jay's hand and started up his arm. He turned once most of the snake was on him. He started using his other hand to paddle himself back toward the group. "Y/N!"
You turned and looked at him. You saw the snake on his arm and tears pricked your eyes. "No! No!" you shouted.
Snakes were your biggest fear and knowing that they were in the river that you were in right now was absolutely terrifying to you. And, with each paddle, Jay and the snake were coming closer and closer to you.
"Jay, please, please!"
Adam turned and looked at Jay and then back to you. "She scared of snakes?" You quickly nodded as tears ran down your face. "Jay! Stop! She's terrified!"
Jay laughed. "No!"
He was coming closer and closer to you.
Adam quickly paddled over to you and went in front of you. "I won't let it go near you, darlin', don't you worry."
"Uh huh," you said and grabbed onto Adam's arm in complete and utter terror.
Unknown to Jay, Hailey was making her way to him. But, she was behind him, so Jay couldn't see his girlfriend coming up behind him with her empty bottle of white claw raised high in the air.
He felt it before he heard her.
"Don't." Smack on the head with the empty can. "You." Another smack on the head with the empty can. "Do." Another smack on the head with the empty can. "That." Last smack on the head with the empty can.
"Ow!" Jay yelled. "Hails, stop!"
"Put the fuckin' snake back and stop scarin' the daylights outta your little sister or I will keep smackin' you, Jay!" Hailey told him.
"Fine, I'll put it back," he groaned.
"Hailey, keep that can raised above his head. If he tries to come back here, hit 'im again!" Adam yelled.
"You got it!" Hailey said. "Hear that baby? Your head is gonna come in contact with this 'ere empty white claw can again if you don't get a move on."
"I'm going, I'm going," Jay grumbled.
"Good, then you won't get smacked again."
"Just for all that," Adam started, "you wanna pick the next song, darlin'?"
"Can you play Better Dig Two by The Band Perry?" you asked. "That counts as country right?"
"Sure does, darlin'." He started messing with his phone. "Comin' right up."
"I told you on the day we wed, I was gonna love you 'til I's dead," you started to sing. "Made you wait 'til our weddin' night, that's the first and the last time I wear white."
"Snake's gone! Made sure he put it down and I even watched it slither away!" Hailey announced. "Put me in the ground, put me six foot down," Hailey joined in after she had finished yelling over part of the first verse.
"And, as for you, Jay," Adam started over the music and all of you singing. "You don't get to pick a song for the next hour."
"Son of a bitch," Jay muttered.
"Hey, you brought this one on yourself, buddy. So just sit back, relax, listen to our music choices, and enjoy your shine."
***
One week later
"And we're here!" Adam announced as the five of you pulled onto a long dirt driveway. "You ready to ride some horses, Y/N?"
"I dunno," you said. "I've never ridden a horse before."
"Oh, Adam'll make sure you're super safe," Kim reassured you.
"Okay, so whatever horse I ride won't buck me off?"
"Oh no," Adam said quickly, "we'll put Jay on Buck."
"Like hell you will!" Jay argued from the backseat.
Despite the studying the five of you had to do, you were at Adam's childhood home. Adam's parents had rented a cabin in North Carolina for the weekend since it was Labor Day weekend and needed someone to watch the five horses they owned.
His parents used to own a riding place with multiple horses, but since their kids got older, they stopped doing it because they were getting older and couldn't give the tours anymore. So, they sold most of their horses, left five so that their kids could ride them with their friends, but still kept the house and the land. Whenever Adam's parents went out of town, either he or his sister would come and stay over at their childhood home and take care of the horses. Seeing as his sister was married and just gave birth to a daughter, this left Adam. And, luckily for him, his parents were fine with some friends coming over to help Adam out.
"Relax, man," Adam began, "I'll ride Buck."
"Wait, is he called Buck because he bucks people off?" you asked.
"You would be completely right, darlin'. Which, would be the reason I'm riding him and neither of you four will be doing that."
Adam put the truck in park and you got out of the passenger seat. Yes, you had ridden in the front because Adam said you could because of your motion sickness. Jay wasn't too happy, but it was Adam's car, so therefore it was Adam's rules.
You got inside the house and it had two extra bedrooms, one of which was Adam's childhood room and had an extra twin bed in it for when his friends wanted to sleepover (Because, in Adam's words, it was only girls who shared beds at sleepovers and he said guys didn't do that, so that's why there was the extra bed). In his older sister's childhood room, there was a full-sized bed, so Hailey and Kim would share the bed and the boys said they'd move a couch into that same room for you to sleep on.
Adam opened the fridge once all of you had put your stuff in the rooms that would be yours for the weekend. "Ooooh, y'all, my mama left us some food!"
"Oh, he southern southern now," Kim laughed and walked over to the fridge. "What'd she make?"
"Let's see. We got fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread, gravy, biscuits, grits, tater salad, peaches that she canned herself, and apple pie. She must really miss me if she cooked this much!" Adam laughed after he rattled off the food his mom made for all of you.
"Mama's cookin', paper plate, and tater tater salad," you said, quoting a song Jay had played on the way down here that you had taken a liking to and had added it to a playlist and been listening to it a lot the past week.
"Did you just..." Adam trailed off.
"She did!" Jay exclaimed.
"Is it that hard to believe that I know more than two country songs, y'all?" you asked.
All four of them gasped.
"She's southern! She's southern, y'all!" Hailey yelled.
"What?" you asked as you looked around at your brother, his girlfriend, and his two friends in confusion.
"That was yer first y'all, hun!" Hailey told you and pulled you into a hug. "Yer a regular southern belle now."
"Next thing you know, girl's gonna be fallin' for cowboys," Adam said.
"Aw, hell nah," Jay said. "Ain't no way she's datin' a cowboy. No way."
"Shit, Jay just went southern southern, too," Adam laughed.
"What can I say, when my girl goes hella Georgia, I go hella Tennessee," Jay said.
"That made zero sense, baby, but okay," Hailey said. She turned to Adam. "When we ridin'?"
"We can go right now if you want. Everyone good with that?"
You all nodded and then Adam told all of you to put on your cowboy hats.
***
"This 'ere's Maddy," Adam said before he helped you onto the horse. You put your feet in the stirrups. "They feel good? You can reach 'em well?" he asked.
"Yeah," you told him. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, darlin'." He turned to Jay, Hailey, and Kim. "You three remember how to get on the horses since we rode so much last year?"
"We're good," Jay said.
"Hey, baby?" Hailey asked and turned to Jay. He turned to look at her. "You think you can help me on 'im? Pretty sure Diablo's gotten a lot bigger since I rode 'im last."
"Yeah, sweetheart, I got that."
"Did he just..." you trailed off and looked at Kim.
"He did," she confirmed. "She turns into sweetheart around this time every year. Jay gets really southern after only being here a week. Might also have something to do with Adam calling me sweetheart sometimes and he just picks up on it."
Jay helped Hailey onto the huge horse named Diablo and then got on his horse. You were riding Maddy, Adam was riding Buck, Jay was riding Sinbad, Hailey was riding Diablo, and Kim was riding Atta'Boy.
"All y'all need to watch me now," Adam announced from the front. All four of you gave Adam all your attention. "Well, mostly Y/N because she's never ridden before." He paused. "To make your horse stop, just give the reins a little tug. To turn, hold the reins on your right side, and pull towards your right hip, like this." He demonstrated and pulled the reins like he told you and Buck's head turned to the right. "And turn left, do the same thing on the left side. To make them go, just flick the reins a little bit, but they're pretty well-trained, so you shouldn't need to do that. But, if they still won't go, give 'em a little kick. I promise you won't hurt 'em. But, most of all, keep at least one hand on the reins at all times. Oh, and they will try to eat on the trails, but they ain't supposed to, so try and get them to stop by pulling up on the reins if you can.
"Any questions? Everyone sure their stirrups and saddles are good?" Adam finished.
Everyone answered with a chorus of "yeses" and then the five of you were off...that was until Maddy decided she was hungry about a quarter-mile (400 meters) in.
And, to make matters worse, you were in the mountains (because everyone is in the mountains here) and Maddy was bringing you closer and closer to a small ravine.
You did not want to have the experience of trying to control your horse and deciding whether or not to jump off or not and possibly being rushed to the hospital.
"Maddy!" you yelled and tugged up on the reins. Nothing. "Maddy!"
"Pull hard!" Jay yelled from behind you.
"I am pulling, Jay!" you yelled back. "Come on, Maddy!"
Shit, she was still moving towards the edge and trying to eat more.
"Pull to the left!" Jay yelled. You pulled. Nothing. "All the way around! To your left hip!"
You did so and she moved. Finally.
"Now straighten out the reins," Jay told you. You did. "And give her a kick to move."
You did and she continued walking...this time with a huge branch and leaves hanging out of her mouth because she had gotten herself a nice little snack.
"What's with all the yellin'?" Adam asked as he turned his head around and had Buck slow down a little bit. Then, he saw Maddy. "Maddy stop to eat? She acts likes she's starvin', but I promise you she's not."
You kept going and then you started going down a hill.
"Lean forward when going down a hill," Adam yelled back to all of you, "and lean back when going up a hill."
You started going down the hill and kept trying to maneuver yourself so you were in the middle of the saddle. You felt like you were leaning too much to the right, so you kept trying to fix it, but with Maddy still walking, it was kind of hard.
You clenched your stomach muscles to try and pull yourself back to center, but it wasn't working. You tried to push up with your left foot because you were leaning to the right, but that wouldn't work either.
"Just hold on tight, Y/N," Jay told you. "Adam!" Jay yelled as you kept leaning to the right and pulled the reins a little harder to make sure that Maddy would stop.
"What?" Adam yelled back.
"We need a little help back here!"
Adam turned Buck around and he got halfway to you and stopped next to Hailey and Diablo.
"She's fallin' off, you big dummy! You gotta go!" Adam yelled. He flicked his reins. "C'mon, go!"
It was like Buck knew what was going on because the minute he lifted his head up and saw you trying to stay in the saddle, he started coming towards you.
"Buck, stay," Adam said sternly and jumped off him. He walked to your right side. "Now, I'm gonna push your saddle to the left and I need you to lean the same way, okay?"
"Lean to the left?" you asked.
"Yup," he confirmed. "One...two...three."
He pushed up and you leaned to the left, which allowed the saddle and you to be re-centered.
"Can you reach the stirrups okay, darlin'?" he asked. "Or do you need 'em a bit higher?"
"I think I need them a bit higher," you answered. "I thought they were fine, but I guess not."
"That's okay. That's what I'm here for. Take your right foot out."
You did as he said and then he adjusted the stirrups and helped you get your foot back in. Then, he did the same for the left foot.
While Adam was adjusting your left stirrup, Maddy was curious about what was in his first aid bag that was attached to Buck's saddle.
"I ain't got no treats in there, you fatty." He put his hand on Maddy's head. "There's nothin' in there for you. Get out." She started chewing on a drawstring that was on the bag. "Okay, I guess you can chew on that."
"So, to get her to turn, do I just pull like this?" you asked and showed Adam.
"Yes, but put your hand further down the reins when you do that. Works better like that."
"Okay, thanks."
"And, if she keeps tryin' to eat, pull up hard--but not too hard and far that you make her walk backward--and if that doesn't work, give her a quick kick. I promise you won't hurt this little fatty right here."
"Okay, awesome."
"You good?"
"I'm good," you confirmed.
"Okay, so if you ever need to adjust yourself, just grab this 'ere saddle horn." He put his hand on the stub on the front of the saddle. "And put two hands on it...unlike me, and then just push down with your foot on which side you want the saddle to go. Pretty simple."
"Okay, got it," you said.
Then, Adam jumped back on Buck and you were off again.
***
You and Kim were sitting up on the bed in Adam's older sister's childhood room that you were staying in and watching a dumb comedy when Adam poked his head into the room.
"Both you up?" he asked.
"Yeah," Kim answered. "Why?"
"Well, I want to go to the rope swing, and Jay and Hailey both fell asleep spooning while watching some shitty movie in the living room, so do you two wanna go? I'm bringing alcohol."
"Adam, it's like 11 o'clock at night!" Kim laughed. "We won't even be able to see the water!"
"Honey," Adam laughed. "I'll leave the headlights of my truck on! I'm not that stupid to have us jump in blind!" He paused. "You two in?"
"Sure," Kim agreed and then turned to you. "Y/N?"
"Why the hell not? I'm in college, let's go!"
"Alright, I'll let you two get changed and I'll grab the towels and the booze," Adam said.
"Adam, if you're the one driving, you cannot drink a ton!" Kim told him.
"I know! I'll just take like two shots and use moonshine as a chaser."
"You got more moonshine?" you asked.
"Holy hell, Adam," Kim agreed.
"Where do you two think I was the past hour? I went into town and grabbed a few flavors. and, I got both your flavors, too. So, y'all can't yell at me. Now, get changed so we can go before Jay and Hailey wake up and decide they want in on this, too."
***
"You good to sit in the back, Miss Car Sick?" Adam asked you.
"Yeah, you said it's only like a five minute drive, so I'll be fine. Thanks for asking, though," you answered.
"No problem, darlin'."
Then, the three of you were off to this rope swing to jump into a river in the middle of the night.
Five minutes later, Adam threw his car in park and left the radio and headlights on. The three of you got out and Adam grabbed the booze and shot glasses and then you followed him around to the back of his truck. He handed the stuff off to you and Kim to hold while he flipped his tailgate down. Then, he used the flashlight app of his phone to see as he poured each of you a shot of gummy bear flavored vodka.
"Cheers to late night decisions and possibly bad decisions!" Adam toasted.
The three of you clinked your shot glasses together and then took the shots.
"Shit. That was strong," you coughed.
"Chaser, chaser," Adam said as he flipped open the sip cap on the blackberry moonshine.
He handed it to you and you took a few sips.
"Compared to that shot, this moonshine tastes like nothin'," you said.
"See? Told you it had a low proof!" Adam exclaimed. "Now, do you two want me to go first so I can show you how it's done?"
"That might be a good idea, yeah," Kim agreed. "You've only brought me here during the day and it's been over a year, so yeah, you go first, cowboy."
"Oh, that reminds me." He took his signature cowboy hat off. "Hold this for me, will you, sweetheart?" He held the hat out to Kim and she took it from him. "Thank you. Now, watch and learn, ladies, watch and learn."
Kim laughed. "Whatever you say, babe, whatever you say."
Adam walked up to the edge of the river and waded in the water to grab the rope. You and Kim stood on the edge of the river and watched as Adam dragged the rope with him as he stood on a rock, which was right below the tree that the rope was tied to. Then, he cinched the rope between his feet and jumped up and swung forward.
"Yeehaw!" Adam yelled.
Then, after a few seconds, he let go of the rope and fell into the river.
The rope dangled back and forth until Adam grabbed it and dragged it in with him.
"Who's next?" he asked as he held the rope out.
"You wanna go, Kim?" you asked.
"You sure you don't wanna go before me?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Go ahead," you said.
"You nervous, darlin'?" Adam asked you as he took his hat back from Kim and placed it on his head.
"A bit." You looked down at your feet. "Are there snakes in there?" you practically mumbled.
"Oh, darlin'," Adam said with a wave of his hand. "I can promise you that there's no snakes in there. You've never seen a snake in there have you, baby?" he asked Kim.
"Nope, no snakes. I promise. Now, I'll go, and then you gotta go because it's so much fun!"
Kim grabbed the rope and then made her way up onto the rock. She did the same thing that Adam did and soon it was your turn.
"I'm stealing your aux, babe," Kim said as she walked toward Adam's truck.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why you can't just listen to the radio like we've been doing, but go ahead, baby."
Kim walked over to the truck and changed the input to aux and then quickly pulled up Spotify. From there, she pulled up the song Like A Lady by Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum. She turned the volume all the way up on her phone, plugged it into the aux, and hit play.
"Lady!" came out of the speakers as well as the opening chords.
You gasped as Kim came running back to you and Adam.
"How'd you know this one of my favorite songs?" you asked.
Ever since Hailey had played it for you on your first night in Tennessee when you were unpacking and sippin' on moonshine, you loved this song. It was all about feeling like a lady while wearing jeans and drinking and being comfortable with yourself and not needing a man.
"Y/N, I follow you on Spotify. I can see what you listen to. Now, go get to it, lady!" Kim cheered.
You smiled and turned around. You walked to the rock and climbed up on it just before the chorus. You grabbed onto the rope.
"'Cause I feel like a lady," you sang loudly to the music. "Sippin' on tequila with my Levis on."
You clamped your feet around the rope and jumped.
You felt weightless for just about one second and then you let go of the rope and fell into the water with a splash.
The water wasn't freezing, it was a little cold, but it was still decently comfortable. You started swimming back to the shore and grabbed the rope when it swung back toward you.
"Hell yeah!" Adam yelled as he ran up to you and took the rope so you could pull yourself up onto the river bank. "You did awesome! Did you like it?"
"I loved it! Let's do it again!" you yelled.
"See?" Kim said. "I told you that you'd love it!"
"I propose a celebratory shot for Y/N's first time jumping off the rope swing!" Adam said and the three of you headed back to his truck to have more booze.
And that is how you learned that you didn't get hangover headaches like Kim, but got hella tired the next day just like Hailey. But, a little hangover (despite not being old enough to legally drink) was all worth it because of how much fun you, Kim, and Adam had.
***
Months later
"Welcome to Chocolate Moose, everybody!" Adam announced and fumbled with the lockbox to get the key.
Since it was exam season, there was a tradition that started during the winter semester of their sophomore year that was where they'd all go up to a cabin (each cabin had a name and yours was Chocolate Moose) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which was an hour away from school, to go study without the temptation of parties and the libraries that were packed as hell and barely had any seats open because everyone and their mama had decided to study there.
He unlocked the door and opened it.
You walked in and were in awe. When you walked in, you saw a small kitchen complete with a stove, oven, microwave, and pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, mugs, and silverware stored in cabinets and drawers. There was also a small pantry to your right the minute you walked inside.
Off of the small kitchen were the living room and the dining area. There was a circular wooden table with six chairs and there was a tv and a couch that folded out into a bed. Right next to that was a bedroom with a bathroom, which also had its own tv in it.
And, if you walked to the end of the living room, there was a door that led to the first-floor deck that overlooked the Smoky Mountains. On the deck was a wooden table that matched the wood of the deck and six stools, so it would be a nice place to study or eat breakfast or sip coffee in the morning.
The stairs to go to the second floor were above the table (so the table was tucked beneath the second set of stairs). When you got up there, there was a pool table, a bubble hockey table, another couch that folded out into a bed, and a coffee table in front of said couch.
To the right of the couch and coffee table was a California king-sized bed with a trunk in front of it which held the bedding for the pull-out couches. Then, there was a dresser with a mirror to the side of the bed and a closet. There was also a full bathroom with a washer and dryer and a dressing table (so tons of counter space and two mirrors) upstairs as well.
And, there was another deck on the second floor. This one didn't have a full-sized table, but it did have two chairs with a small table between, and a small couch complete with a bunch of throw pillows on one end of the deck. This deck too overlooked the beauty that was the Smoky Mountains.
"Who's that?" you asked fifteen minutes later after you had finished touring the cabin and figuring out sleeping arrangements.
It had been decided that Adam and Kim would take the first-floor bedroom and that you'd take the pull-out couch on their floor. Hailey and Jay would sleep upstairs and you wondered why you couldn't take the upstairs couch like you wanted to because Jay was quick to tell you no.
You knew they weren't gonna try to do the nasty up there since there was no door shutting the upstairs off from the downstairs, so you had no idea why he wouldn't let you sleep on the pull-out couch upstairs.
"Who's that?" you asked again while looking out the kitchen window.
Then, you saw a head of red hair in the driver's seat and rushed out the door to where the person parked their car.
"Will!" you shouted as he got out of the car. "I missed you!" You wrinkled your nose at what he was wearing: a pair of blue scrubs.
"I drove here right after I got off a twelve-hour ED rotation," Will told you. "Hence the scrubs."
"I would give you a hug, but who knows what kinda bodily fluids have been on those."
"Good choice. We'll postpone the hug until after I take a quick shower and change."
Adam, Kim, and Jay came outside and said their hellos to Will, and Jay took Will's backpack, making a joke saying that it felt like he stuffed a ton of rocks in there.
So, now you knew why you couldn't sleep on the pull-out couch upstairs: Will was sleeping there.
***
"Fuck!" you yelled as you felt a bee sting you on the upper part of your left inner thigh.
"What?" Adam asked.
You, Adam, and Kim were outside at the table on the first-floor deck studying while Will was upstairs studying and Jay and Hailey were studying one of their law studies classes at the kitchen table together.
"The fuckin' bee stung me!"
"Well, you were swattin' at him, darlin'," Adam said, which earned him a smack to the arm from Kim.
"Because he was between my legs!" you argued. "What was I supposed to do? Let him fly up my shorts and sting me there? Oh hell no!"
You got up and walked inside.
"Will!" you shouted the minute you closed the door to the deck.
"Y/N! Keep it down!" Jay scolded. "We're trying to study!"
You had made it up the first set of stairs and leaned over the railing. "Well, I just strung by fuckin' bee, so I think I can yell a bit, Jay! Will!"
"What?" he said and ripped out his headphones when you got all the way upstairs. "Med school's no joke, you know!"
"Well, what do I put on a bee sting?" you huffed.
Will sighed. "Hold on. They asked me to be the one who brought the first aid kit and I'm glad I did."
He got up and then came back with a bottle of lotion.
"Put this on it. Should cool down the stinging. Tell me if it gets worse or starts itching."
"Okay, thanks."
You put it on and hoped it would be better soon.
***
Okay, so this bee sting wasn't getting better. It was actually getting worse.
It had been itchy all day and you were currently shaving your legs in your shower. You felt the place where the bee had stung you and it was swollen as if someone had shoved a disk the size of an Oreo in your leg at the place the bee had stung you.
You got out of the shower, got changed, and walked out of the bathroom where country music was blasting and Jay and Adam were playing a friendly (okay, so maybe not so friendly) game of pool.
"Hailey, is my bee sting supposed to be super itchy?" you asked as you sat down on the couch next to her.
She and everyone else was drinking one of their two allotted white claws. Yes, during finals week you had all decided there needed to be a daily cut-off for alcohol so that you could all get your shit done. And, it helped keep everyone accountable since everyone in the cabin was only having two per day...and you weren't spending a ton of money this weekend on alcohol.
"Um, none of mine have ever been," she said. "Will!" He turned to look at her from where he was sitting and intently watching the pool game...mostly to make sure neither Adam nor Jay cheated. "Her bee sting supposed to itch?"
"Not unless she's allergic to bees...and she's not." He stood up. "Go lay on the bed and let me take a look."
"Oh, fuck no! I am not letting my brother look there!"
"Y/N, I'm a med student. I've seen a helluva lot more than a bee sting on your inner thigh. You can even go put on some short spandex if that would make you more comfortable."
You currently had on loose-fitting shorts that you knew would fall back to expose what underwear you were wearing if you let Will take a look. "Actually, I think I'll go do that," you said.
You quickly grabbed a pair of spandex from your suitcase and went back into the bathroom and changed into them.
"Y'all check for a stinger?" Adam asked.
Will must've filled him in when you were changing your shorts.
"Shit," Will cursed. "I knew there was something I forgot to do."
"What kinda fuckin' doctor are you if you forget to check something like that?" you asked Will rhetorically. "Hailey, I'm gonna need that empty white claw bottle to smack Will over the head with like you did to Jay on the river."
"Sorry, hun," Hailey apologized. "I ain't finished with this 'ere can yet."
"I'll hit him!" Jay yelled, putting down his pool stick and grabbing his empty can.
He hit Will on the arm with the empty white claw can as hard as he possibly could.
"The fuck?" Will yelled. "Why'd you do that?"
"I dunno." Jay turned to Adam. "Why were we hitting Will, again?"
"Holy shit," Adam muttered to himself. "Because he forgot to check Y/N's bee sting to see if the stinger was still there."
"Oh, okay. That was stupid, Will."
You laid on the bed and let Will look at the spot the bee stung you. Then, he put on a pair of gloves and pulled out a pair of tweezers.
"Hailey?" he called. She looked up expectantly. "Can you come over here and hold up a flashlight? I think I found the stinger."
Hailey got up and turned on the flashlight on her phone and crouched down next to Will.
"That good?" she asked as she finished positioning the phone so the phone's flashlight was pointing directly at your bee sting.
"Yup." He looked up at you. "Now, I'm gonna put one of my hands above the bee sting, that way you won't be able to see the tweezers go in. Sound good?"
"Mhm. At least this is better than when Jay tried to attack me with a snake!"
Will laughed. "I bet."
Five minutes later, the stinger was out and Will told you to put Neosporin and a bandaid over it just so you didn't keep itching it because he told you the itchiness wouldn't go away immediately.
"I need a drink," you said after you were all done.
Hailey handed you a raspberry white claw from the mini-fridge next to the couch and you popped it open.
"Thanks," you said.
"You're welcome."
"Everyone shut up!" Adam yelled. "This is Jay and Hailey's song...well, they didn't exactly meet at a bar and Hailey wasn't drinking a white claw, but it was a Saturday and those two did ditch us. So, dance you two!"
They tried to object, but Adam dragged Jay over to Hailey and Kim pushed Hailey up off the couch and towards Jay.
"Sittin' over there in the corner, baby, I saw pretty red lips workin' on a white claw," you all sang along to Single Saturday Night by Cole Swindell. And, you'd be lying if you said that this song didn't remind you of the story that Jay had told you about the first time he took Hailey out when she was bored one Saturday night in a sports bar. "Shakin' to a little Shook Me All Night Long. And I thought, man, what a beautiful sight."
You smiled. Four months ago, there'd be no way you'd know this song. But, thanks to your brother's friends and his girlfriend, you knew so many more country songs. But, most of all, if your first semester of freshman year was any indication, you were going to have the time of your life going to college here in Tennessee.
A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading! Again, please remember to like/reblog and comment because I love reading all your comments and seeing that you voted because that means you enjoyed reading the imagine! As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.
Taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl@dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88
#jay halstead#will halstead#imagine#fanfic#fanfiction#jay halstead imagine#will halstead imagine#jay halstead fanfic#jay halstead fanfiction#will halstead fanfic#will halstead fanfiction#halstead sister#halstead sister imagine#chicago pd#chicago med imagine#chicago med#chicago pd imagine#halstead brothers#halstead bros#adam ruzek#kim burgess#hailey upton#upstead#burzek#au-gust#writing#writer#my writing#au#alternate universe
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I don’t want you like a best friend - Andre Burakovsky
A/n: Sooo, I wrote this as some kind of gift to my best friend because she loves Andre and she was trying to get me on his train (I guess she did?). She’s always hitting me with “no but you should definitely write about Tito/Andre”. Here’s your piece @skarsgardswiftie I hope you like it! <3 I love you sm Also, a huge shout out to @sebs-aston for proofreading this with such an attentive eye! You’re amazing, liv!
Requested: yes / no
Word count: 1.9k
Warnings: brief mention of alcohol
Summary: you’re friends with Andre, but things are about to change after you create a TikTok account and start doing challenges that may lead to news between you and your favorite hockey player.
When it comes to capturing a moment you’re usually the person your friends think about, not simply because you’re always carrying a camera -mainly because of it-, but because you’re great with what you do -either photos or videos-. That’s also why your Instagram profile has more followers than an ordinary girl would and it’s the only place people can find you -besides e-mail-. However, that changed when your best friend -Callie- convinced you to create a TikTok account. You, of course, hated it, but she had the perfect opportunity -you were a bit tipsy, all your friends around, sunny weekend and so it goes.
“Mikko, do you think I’m pretty?” You direct the camera to his face while looking expectantly.
Saturday evening rolled around, the hot weather forcing your friends either to the inside of the pool or under the sunshade and their hands busy with cold drinks. It was a happy day, everyone was around, and you were enjoying the vacation. You had met half of the Hockey team as soon as you moved to Colorado and Erik, your and your brother’s hometown best friend decided you needed to know his crew and the city around. Six months later and you knew pretty much everyone and everything.
“Of course I think you’re pretty” he gives you a confused look before you turn to Tyson giggling.
“Josty, do you think I’m pretty?” you ask and he looks straight at the camera “I would give you 5 out of 10 cause you’re bro.”
You laugh and turn to Andre this time.
“Andre, do you think I’m pretty?”
He seems taken aback by the question and unlike Tyson, he stares at you. “Of course you’re pretty.”
You keep to your task and last but not least is Nathan, he’s sitting at a table while working on some drinks and you take him by surprise by jumping in front of him. “Mac, do you think I’m pretty?”
He rolls his eyes playfully and turns his attention to you for some seconds before looking at his drink again, “I would one hundred percent date you if you were not my sisters’ best friend”
And then your time is over.
“So you’re a tiktoker now?” Erik sits beside you and Nathan just as you uploaded the video. He raises his eyebrows and you roll your eyes lightly, “you know I hate TikTok, but it’s fun, so…”
“She’s gonna end up famous there too”, Andre announces leaning his body on the table and motioning for Nathan to refill his drink. Your eyes roam on his big hands grasping the red cup, his cheeks red from the sun, and the way you could see his dimples when he smiled at you, his hair messy in a cute way.
“Why do you think that?” now he has three pairs of curious eyes staring at him.
You almost chuckled when his point finger scratched his chin. His skin glowing, “I mean, you’re funny and cute…cute girls get famous on TikTok” he reasoned.
“Is this your best, Burki?” Erik asks and for the way his lips were tight against each other you knew he wanted to laugh.
“C’mon, let them be,” Nathan said after giving the blond American a new cup, and before you could ask what was the matter Callie was calling you at the door.
Your best friend started a rant about how she was going to get Chinese take-out for dinner and when you told her she should get Thai too -because it was Andre’s favorite- she started another rant about how you should tell him you’re in love and how it was cute the way you two functioned but also annoying. All you could do was savor your drink and mentally play a Taylor Swift song while she went on, “I mean it, y/n! Just tell him already…”
“Have you seen Andre?!” you whisper-scream to her and Callie sights rolling her eyes, “what about him?”
Swallowing the last sip of your drink you start to draw doodles on the glass with your fingers, “I’m just y/n, he’s Andre Burakovsky”. You usually were not insecure about your looks, but it was Andre, and the fact that he was a famous and good-looking hockey player made you question how in heavens he would like you back. Hell, you were not even sure how you two ended up in such a close friendship, he always being so affectionate and listening to everything you had to say. Your friendship seemed like the most you could take from the interaction. You knew he was ‘just Andre’ too when all your friends were gathered, but being ‘just Andre’ was as amazing as being Andre Burakovsky the hockey player.
“You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met, y/n, and I don’t mean considering only your looks, but everything. You’re funny, smart, and always so attentive with everyone, you listen to everything and always have nice things to say, don’t you ever doubt your value, you hear me?” Callie’s words make you sit up straight in the stall and your eyes water.
“In my defense, this is not me crying, this is tipsy me having an emotional moment”, you joke and it’s seconds before the two of you are laughing the way you used to during a John Mulaney show.
…
It was night when you unlocked your phone only to find a bunch of notifications from TikTok, some of the comments from fans about how happy the boys seemed, but most were about the way Andre looked at you when you asked the question. According to the most liked comment “this is clearly a friends to lovers, mutual pining, unaware love and slow-burn situation” which made you giggle but also replay the video a dozen times trying to figure out if there was really something there and you were the unaware one.
Needless to say, you weren’t able to reach a conclusion, but it felt different when you excused yourself to take a shower after spilling wine in your shirt and you felt Andre’s eyes on you all the way to the stairs. His hands on your shoulders felt heavier and the way he was attentive whenever you needed a refill or wanted a bite of food seemed more intimate and caring than ever.
Hitting the shuffle button, you chose your Taylor Swift playlist before entering the shower. The cold water cooled you off a bit, it was almost like washing out part of the alcohol in your system, but your tipsy mind kept finding evidence that Andre liked you back.
You went through your clothes finding a floral summer dress and sipping on your wine while brushing your hair. Your body was still feeling hot and at this point, you didn’t know if it was from the sun on your face or the alcohol in your system, but when you heard the first notes of “Dress” playing you knew you were going to do something stupid, especially because your cell phone was one arm away. If someone asked you where the idea came from you wouldn’t know what to answer, and usually thinking about how you didn’t have an answer was enough to make you give up on some stupid ideas...not this one though.
Reaching for your phone you unlocked it and walked to the body-length mirror in the room you were sharing with Callie. It took less than 2 minutes to snap a picture and send it to him and it took him less than 1 minute to answer it.
‘Woah’
‘You liked it?’ you sent back
‘Yeah, you’re looking good, cutie’ he answered just as fast, before sending a red heart emoji.
‘I don’t want you like a friend’
‘and I only bought this dress so you could take it off’
It was the exact line Taylor was singing when you reached the send button. You saw the dots appearing and disappearing and your body sobered up even more than before.
“Fuck!” you almost voiced. How would he look at you after this? Could you pretend you confused him with someone else? Of course not, he was the only Andre you knew! And everyone knew better you were not the bold flirty type.
That was it, your secret was spilled just like your wine on your shirt earlier, but now you wouldn’t be able to clean off the stain.
Would he believe it if you told him it was a prank to your new TikTok account?
You were lost in your thoughts before three knocks on your door startled you. And there he was when you pushed the door open. Standing with his hands inside his pockets and his hair still messy, he stared at you. It took maybe five minutes before he spoke, but it felt like an eternity considering his intense eyes studying you.
“You’re looking even better this close” for some reason his voice is low like he didn’t want anyone to hear and pop the bubble of the moment.
You feel your body getting hotter, pretty sure your face is turning even redder, so you reach your hands to both of your cheeks. That gets a giggle out of Andre and you instantly move them to your back, your eyes now staring at his bare feet.
All you wanted to do was bury yourself on a rabbit hole until Andre lost his memory, or you lost yours. You were thinking about the possibility of a secret society -Alice in Wonderland style- inside the rabbit hole that you could live in forever when Burki extended his hand, his palm facing you, silently asking you to put your hand in his. So you did. And it was only a blink of an eye before his body was closer, almost touching yours.
“You’re not that drunk, are you?” he questioned.
You shook your head no and he moved his hand to your waist as a message that maybe -and only maybe- he wanted to be close too. So you moved your right one to his large shoulders.
“I’m glad you’re not drunk…”
“I’m just a bit hot and bothered” and dying out of shame! You screamed inside your head.
“Oh sure you are”, he replied with a small smile playing at the corner of his pink lips. Your brows raised in confusion and before you could ask, he answered, “hot. You’re hot”.
“Does it mean you’re gonna take my dress off?” you have no idea when you got so bold, but Andre seemed amused with everything.
“No, not tonight. You’re not drunk, but you’re a bit tipsy, I don’t want to start things like this” his fingers are in your cheekbone and you lean into him. “I’m gonna kiss you though, can I?”
His lips, so different from his hands, were soft and hot. They found yours timidly, exploring the space while his body welcomed yours closer, he took his time before his fingers were in your hair and his tongue caught your lips.
It felt good.
Like never before.
For some seconds you wished to be able to capture the moment and save it forever. Repeat it in your head every day.
Andre played with the strings of your dress, slipping it off your shoulders and you got into your tiptoes to peck his lips one last time.
“So...I take you really liked the dress?”
“I actually like you, the dress is a bonus” he shrugs and you giggle before finding yourself wrapped in another kiss.
#andre burakovsky#andre burakovsky imagine#Colorado Avalanche#hockey imagine#mels writing#nathan mackinnon#tyson jost#erik johnson
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hello i hope you are having a good day/night was wanting to ask if you did write any other games before this one or did you publish stories or something,,, i am trying to work on an IF but this is my first time and i do write but i have never published anything i also usually get bored fast and just yeah your story is so so good and you put a lot of effort and work into it just wondering if you have any tips or advice like the thought of publishing something is terrifying and i don’t know if i can do it i just don’t have faith in myself
i have not published anything before this!!!
i worked as an editor in college for our creative writing club/group and do technically have credit for that as we did publish an anthology together but i never submitted anything myself to be published, i just helped behind the scenes.
ive always done a bit of writing here and there for myself, and have had story ideas brewing in my mind but nothing i’ve ever gone out and finished or anything. kinda just writing for myself before this. technically i’ve always been much more of a reader than a writer.....
and like. i worked on the tnp prologue for...hmm.....maybe a month before i published it on the forums? part of that was simply mental illness x LOL i got fixated and it wasn’t healthy and i also already had a lot of the story beforehand because it was going to be a dnd campaign... but that’s not the point. i wrote the prologue and was kinda just sitting with it before biting the bullet and posting it. and i didnt really read a lot of interactive fiction before this last summer. i just happened to follow an artist that was into it and that was how i got introduced to everything and realized it was something i could just do!!! and that it would be a cool way to share a story and get feedback
i published my demo in august and like...whew if u read the first version of the prologue u get a veteran’s discount. it wasn’t BAD but it needed a lot of work. it sucks getting criticisms and that’s definitely...a big thing to get over in the beginning. the mortifying ordeal of sharing ur writing. but it’s helped me A Lot and tnp is only as good as it is because i decided to share it and subject myself to the mortifying ordeal lmao
also getting bored is something that happens! it just does. all creatives get bored with their work sometimes or just move on but it doesnt make u any less of a writer or artist or anything. there’s that one tiktok by ghosthoney....taking a break even if it’s for years doesnt take away from the fact that you’re a creator.
my biggest tips are just. first things first you just gotta go for it. just start writing, even if you don’t publish it. don’t feel like you NEED to publish stuff, especially if you’re not ready, and never feel like you need to ‘rush’ or anything. you have all the time in the world to write at ur own pace. and while i can’t promise u that one day you’ll wake up and just be like “i’m ready” a la spongebob...there will definitely come a day where u just make that jump. that’s what i did
second is try not to compare urself to others too much, especially when it comes to like...numbers? so like word counts, followers, updates, etc. like everyone writes at their own pace and some ppl are fast as hell whereas others take a lot longer and it’s just something that is personal. don’t compare the attention someone else might get to what you get - some ppl just have more vocal audiences than others and it doesnt mean ur any less appreciated. also being on the internet be sure to set ur own boundaries, what ur comfortable with, etc.
and again...publishing stuff does take courage and you gotta be ready for feedback. some of it will be genuinely helpful...some of it will not. and especially with IF, people might try and pressure you to make things a certain way. that was one thing i wasn’t really expecting? and sometimes as i said suggestions are actually helpful, because you really can’t think of everything on your own and another set of eyes helps round out choices, but there are also some that want things to go in a completely different direction and you got to make sure it’s actually something YOU want, something that fits the story, and not just something you’re doing to please readers.
the tone and setting of tnp and the fact that i have a bit of a more defined mc makes some of the suggestions i get just....not good LOL and you just got be ready to filter that kind of feedback
and with writing to publish, keep in mind that people’s tastes are unpredictable. you can almost never guess how people will react or what they will like, and something not being immediately popular doesn't mean it's bad or you should change the way you're writing, though you will want to keep ur audience in mind. and as for your audience, you may not attract the people you expect, and there’s really no way to control that - but again setting your own boundaries is most important, first and foremost.
posting stuff publicly is really just a wild card. there’s no one universal experience - it’s unpredictable, it’s scary, it’s hard, but it can also be really really rewarding
i also will say i got lucky that about a month and half? maybe? after i published my demo i joined an authors server that has been a HUGE help. i could totally hit u with that if you’re interested!! having a group of authors to talk to that “get it” is very nice. definitely try to interact with and follow other authors you like - in my experience they almost are always down to answer questions and offer help :-)
#SORRY THIS IS SO LONG OML.....#i hope..this helped a little at least.....sorry for my rambling 🤡#feel free to ask more questions too#ask#anonymous
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Something Domestic
Pairing: Bucky x reader
Summary: You never thought your life to be grand, but you never saw as absolutely terrible either. You were always happy with the things you had, but the one thing that you always wanted was to find love. Little do you know love is just two steps away, and across the hall.
Square Filled: Neighbor AU @marvelfluffbingo
Warnings: super cute fluff, anxious Bucky, shy reader, slight smut, implied smut, slight angst 18+ ONLY
Word Count: 3573
A/N: This originally was going to be a platonic Sebastian Stan x reader fic, but I got inspired to do something else. I was somewhat inspired by a TikTok POV called Two Lost Souls by hlovesmarvelpov which is where I got the idea to write what life was like for Bucky in Romania. I want to give credit to @nix-akimbo whose art I used in the collage for this story. Pics are linked here, here, and here. Other images we're found off of Pinterest, but the collage is mine made on Canva. Everything in italics is 3rd person POV of Bucky’s thoughts. This is not beta read, so all mistakes are mine.
Enjoy!
I never knew where life would lead me. I knew I wasn’t going to find something to do to make me rich. All I really wanted was to find a good job that paid me enough to get by. Living in Romania was an absolute dream. It was so beautiful, and it was always so interesting. Everyday felt like a new adventure. At the market you never knew who was gonna show up, or what was going to happen.
One day while at the market, just shopping for some fresh produce to restock my apartment with for the week, I saw an interesting looking man. I had never seen him before, and he definitely didn’t look like he was from around here. Something about him drew me in, but I was too shy to approach him to say hello.
I was definitely at that age where I was ready to look for mister right, and finally settle down. I seemed to have met every guy in this city, and none of them were to my liking. They all seemed very bold, manly, and had egos bigger than some of the buildings. That wasn’t really something I was looking for, and to be fair it was probably just part of their personalities, no judgement there.
There was something about this stranger though that was different. Yes, he was very handsome and buff, but he looked very shy and reserved. Not something I was used to, and that probably contributed to why I was so attracted.
He seemingly glanced my way, and I turned to look away. I knew I must have been staring and I felt awkward about that. So, I quickly finished up my shopping and ran home. I really hoped though that I didn’t make him think that I found him creepy. Damn my shyness, and anxiety.
It had been a few days since I saw the stranger at the market. I was walking down the street to my office when I happened to pass him by. He seemed to pause his gaze for a quick second before looking away. I walked past him at a decent pace, hoping he would make the first move to say hi, but alas, he did not.
The week went by, and it came time for me to head back to the market to restock my produce for the week. I ended my shopping spree and turned to head home when I ran right into someone's very muscular chest. I almost fell back when the person grabbed my arm, catching me.
“Are you okay, miss?” The person asked, speaking Romanian.
“I am fine thank you.” I looked at the person, and it was the stranger I saw last week.
“You’re welcome. Sorry I knocked you over.”
“Please, don’t apologize. I was the one who bumped into you.”
“At least allow me to help you carry your groceries home.”
I nodded and handed him a bag. He gestured for me to start walking, and I led him to my apartment complex. “My place is a bit messy, I wasn’t expecting anyone to come over to see it.” I said, going to unlock the door.
“Don’t apologize, I won’t go in if you feel uncomfortable.”
“I feel bad having you follow me all this way, and not even offer you a snack or something.”
“You’re too sweet. I’m okay, doll. I’ll stay out here. It also wasn’t too out of the way for me.”
“Are you sure?” I reached my hand out to take the bag he was holding.
“I’m sure,” he handed me the bag and turned to walk away, “and if you need me, I live just across the hall.” He walked over, unlocking his door, and opening it.
I almost fell back in shock. How did I not know this man lived across the hall from me? I surely would have seen him walking out. He turned and smiled at me before walking into his apartment. I tried not to look shocked, but all this time I had no idea he was living just 5 steps away.
I close my door quickly and go to put my produce away. I tried to keep the stranger off my mind, but that seemed like an impossible task. Then, I thought of the perfect idea, I would invite him over for dinner. I wanted to get to know him, I needed to. Put all these wandering thoughts to rest.
I made us a lovely dinner of chicken and potatoes. I set everything up to look somewhat nice, and go to knock on his door. When I went to open my door to walk out, he was standing there ready to knock on my door.
He had a bouquet of different assorted flowers. I give him a small, shy smile as he hands them to me. I, of course, take them and find a vase to put them in. As I put them in the water, I look over at him, and he looks kind of sad.
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you expecting someone? I didn’t mean to come off straight forward. I just-”
“I wasn’t technically. I was going to ask you if you wanted to join me for dinner?”
“Really?” He perked up, and I nodded my head, “I was going to ask you the same thing. A home cooked meal sounds better than one you can get at any restaurant.” He chuckled.
We sat down, and talked for hours. He avoided some of the questions I asked him, but I wasn’t going to push him for answers if he didn’t want to answer them yet. We laughed, joked, and just enjoyed each other’s company.
“I realised that I never asked for your name, doll.” He spoke up.
“My name is Y/n. I never asked yours either.”
“I guess we both figured it would come up eventually. My real name is James, but you can call me Bucky.”
I smiled as I thought of what a lovely name that was. I didn’t ask why he preferred Bucky over James. Something in me wanted to make him love it, adore it. I wanted him to treasure his given name as I was right now.
The night came to an end much to our dismay. I didn’t want to say goodnight though. I wanted him to stay, which wasn’t like me at all. I usually said yes to one date, and that was that. I don’t know what was different about Bucky, but he brought out a new side of me. He intrigued me, and I had to know more about him.
“Until next time, doll. Promise you won’t bump into another guy before then?” He chuckled.
I giggle, “I promise. You’ll be the only guy I bump into now. At least that’s my hope.”
He kissed my cheek before walking to his door, and I could have sworn I was flying. If that was the way it felt when he kissed my cheek, what would it feel like if he kissed my lips.
~*~
Over the course of three months every Sunday Bucky and I had dinner together. We started with switching off, but slowly Bucky had been taking over our Sunday night dinners. Tonight when I went over I realised that I was slowly moving into his apartment.
“You okay doll?” He asked, looking at my far off look.
“Yeah. I just realised it looks like I’m starting to take over your apartment.”
“That was one thing I was going to ask you about tonight.”
“I’m so sorry, I’ll pick up my stuff and take back to my place i didn’t-”
“Not that. I was going to ask if you wanted to move in together. It doesn’t have to be in my apartment, and I know we’ve only been together for a few months, but-”
“You want to move in together?”
Bucky just nods slowly, and I rush to hug him. I no longer had to wonder what it would feel like to be wrapped up in his arms. I no longer had to feel that lonely feeling I felt after our Sunday night dinners. I tried to keep my mind from racing with all the things I had wondered about.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Bucky chuckles, squeezing me back.
After dinner, we walked over to my apartment to get some extra blankets and pillows. I hoped I hadn’t rushed him into this by slowly looking like I was trying to move myself in on my own. I hadn’t even realised that our hangouts had left with me leaving my belongings all over the place.
“My place is your place now.” He spoke up, placing the blankets he was carrying on the bed.
“I didn’t rush you into this did I?”
“No. I know it seems quick, but I just get this feeling when I’m around that makes me not want to take things as slow as we probably should.”
“I was worried I was rushing you into things. I didn’t even realise that I was leaving things over at your house.”
“No. I have been planning on asking you for a few weeks now.”
I smile as we curl into bed together for the very first time. He was warm, and I felt safe laying in his arms. Laying there for the first time in a long time, I fell asleep almost immediately.
~*~
It has been 6 months since Bucky and I started seeing each other, and it has been the best 6 months of life. Even the last 3 months have been amazing. I have enjoyed every minute I have spent with Bucky. He is sweet and kind, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better. He had my heart in his hands, and I didn’t want it back.
The only thing that was strange is he didn’t talk about his life at all. He wanted to hear all about my life, but he wouldn’t speak about his life prior to coming to Romania. I knew he originally came from America because we both switched from speaking Romanian to English when we are alone.
“Is everything okay, doll?” Bucky asked, tearing me from my thoughts.
“I was just thinking.”
“About what? You know you can tell me anything right?”
“Tell you, yes. Ask, no.” I kind of snapped as I stood up to put my plate in the sink.
“Is everything okay?” I could hear the panic in his voice, and I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I knew I had to say something, or it would eat me alive.
“I just don’t get why you want to hear all about me, but avoid questions about your life. I get it if you don’t want to talk about it now. I just don’t like it when you dodge it altogether.”
“Okay I understand that, and I’m sorry.”
Bucky really was sorry. He didn’t want to scare her away with the horrors of his past. He wanted her to know more about him. He wanted her to know that he is way older than what she may think he is. That he fought side by side with Captain America during WWII.
He couldn’t get the words out though. He would lie awake at night trying to figure out how to tell her. Even on the nights when he found it hard to sleep, and he couldn’t lay there anymore, he wanted to wake her and just spill all the stories.
He found warmth and comfort in her, but he didn’t want to haunt her with his past. He couldn’t taint such an angel like her, no matter how bad he wanted her to know. To hear her voice break just a little as she expressed how she felt broke him.
“You don’t have to be sorry. I just want you to know that it hurts me a little whenever you don’t give an explanation.”
“I want to tell you all about my life, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’m sorry.” His eyes went down, and my heart broke for him.
“James, look at me please?”
Bucky loved when she called him James. It was like she was trying to teach him to love his given name, and it was working. It rolled off her tongue so sweetly, and it came out so easily. He couldn’t help but obey when she asked him in that sweet tone of hers.
“The fact that you want to is enough for me right now. I’m not upset,” I smile sweetly at him, and walk over, placing my hand on his, “I don’t want to push. When you are ready, my love, I will be here waiting to listen contently.”
Bucky’s heart sighed in relief. He was worried that he had mucked everything up. He cared too much about her to let himself ruin things. If she wasn’t content with his response he would have told her everything. If it meant keeping her happy, he would give her the world.
~*~
My conversation with Bucky seemed to have gone well. He slowly started to open up little by little. He was a bit vague, but at least he was trying. The first time he actually opened up a little was the first night I had noticed he was having a nightmare.
He was tossing and turning in his sleep, and I began to worry. I had heard never to wake someone up from a nightmare, so I sat there till he shot up. He was covered in sweat, and breathing heavily. He went to lay back down not realising I was already awake until I turned on the light. He looked over with sad, apologetic eyes. I just laid my hand on the small of his back letting him know everything was okay.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn't, I was already awake.”
I caressed his cheek, rubbing my thumb against his cheek. He slowly leaned in, and I followed until our lips came together. Sparks flew between us, and I felt butterflies. His lips were soft and gentle. The gentle kiss though soon turned into more.
Bucky was gentle and slow. Making sure he wasn’t pushing my comfort level, and made sure he wasn’t hurting me. It felt amazing, and was the best night ever. I hoped that with Bucky and I becoming so intimate he would see that no matter what, I wasn’t going to go anywhere.
Bucky wasn’t sure how Y/n would feel if he initiated the kiss, but she put just as much passion into it as he did. He pushed into it more, and she returned it. Before he knew it he was on top of her naked body. He made sure he didn’t push her to do something she didn’t want to, but he could tell in her eyes she had been waiting a long time for this moment.
He made sure to be as gentle with her as he possibly could, but the urge to be inside her was too much for him to bear anymore. The room was filled with their moans as their bodies were connected so intimately.
Bucky felt that everything was going to be okay between them after that night. He held her as tight as possible after that, and was able to sleep through the rest of the night. Maybe he was worried about nothing. He felt like he could do anything now as long as he had her by her side.
~*~
“James, will you run out and get some fruit for me?” I hollered from the kitchen.
Bucky came into the room as he finished getting dressed, “anything specific you want?”
“No, just something I can turn into jam. The stand has been doing really well, and I’m running low on fruit.”
Bucky smiled as he walked over to me kissing my cheek, “anything for you, doll.”
Bucky left shortly after that, and I started to package the batch I had already made. Once I finished jarring what I had, I went to the walk-in pantry we had and started to shelve them. I thought I heard the door open so I called out to Bucky, but I got no answer.
“Everything alright out there my love?” I walked out of the pantry to be met by a man dressed in an all blue outfit. He was carrying a shield on his back that was red, white, and blue with a white star in the center.
He was looking through our kitchen, and I began to panic. I had no idea who this man was, or why he was in our apartment. I couldn’t find words to say when he noticed me.
“Where is Bucky?”
“Why do you want to know?” I asked, speaking in Romanian.
The man just turned around and looked at the top of the fridge. He pulled down a book, and that’s when I felt a hand on the small of my back. I jumped slightly at first then I realised it was Bucky behind me.
The stranger turned around, and saw Bucky. He started asking weird questions like if Bucky knew him, or why he pulled him from a river? All of it was so confusing and worrying to me. Before I knew it we were being attacked by the police.
Bucky took off and I tried to follow him, but the stranger told me to stay put. Once the fight took the streets, I tried to follow on foot. By the time I got where I thought they would come out of, they were being surrounded. Bucky was being shoved to the ground and handcuffed.
“James!” I yelled, rushing to him, and fighting the blockade of police.
They shoved me back, but I fought back harder. It was no use though as they loaded Bucky into a huge truck. I felt like my world had just come crashing down on me. Everything that happened this last year all came flooding back to me. I knew I had to get Bucky out of there. He was an innocent man, and I knew as long as we had each other, there would be nothing we couldn’t conquer.
~*~
Y/N tried to move on as best she could, but her heart felt empty. The day they took Bucky away in handcuffs was the day her heart left her. She closed her stand in the market, and went back to her dead end job. She moved out of their shared apartment because the thought, or even smell of him was too painful.
Y/n thought that the love of her life was gone forever. She even thought about moving away permanently, but loved the city too much to do that. The once bright and bubbly girl went back to her old reclusive self before she met him. No one had ever put the light back into her. Her smile was gone, and she hardly ever laughed anymore.
She was returning home from work one night, and decided to take the long way home. She wandered towards her old apartment complex as she often did. Ignoring the weird looks she got from the people she passed by, she kept her eyes to the ground. That was her mistake as she was lost in thought when she bumped into a muscular chest, almost falling to the ground.
A firm gentle hand grabbed her arm kept her from falling, and she fought back tears as she remembered her very first full encounter with Bucky. “I’m sorry, I should have been paying attention.” Her voice broke as she fought back the pain, not wanting to look the stranger in the eyes.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry I almost knocked you over.”
“Please don’t apologize. I was-”
“The one who bumped into me?”
Y/n heard the man chuckle and almost felt like she could hear Bucky behind the chuckle. She gained enough courage to look up at the stranger who she bumped into, and the person she saw was not who she was expecting.
“You okay doll? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She didn’t even hesitate to jump into his arms. It was the reunion she waited almost two years for. He picked her up and held her tightly as if he let her go, she would disappear. Y/n nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck taking in his scent.
“I’m sorry I left you. I-”
“It’s not your fault James. You’re back, and that’s all that matters.”
Bucky pulled away slightly from the hug to look her in the eyes. He pulled her in for a soft, gentle kiss. For the first time since that terrible day, Y/n smiled into the kiss. Now that they were back in each other’s arms, she finally felt like her heart was put back together.
She didn’t care what happened, she was just happy to have him back in her arms. She was happy he was safe and sound with her again. The light in her eyes had returned, and Bucky felt like he was falling in love with her all over again. The world could throw whatever it wanted at him now. He had his girl back, and he felt like he could overcome anything as long as he kept her by his side for the rest of his life.
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i could probably hit your baby mama
summary: Fred's death has been really hard on everyone, especially his pregnant fiancée. George creeps into her room in the middle of the night to retrieve something, and due to darkness combined with her grief, she mistakes George for Fred.
pairing(s): Fred Weasley/ f! Reader (past), George Weasley/Angelina Johnson
wc: 1573
warning(s): pregnancy, grief/mourning
a/n: Oh my god the tone of this story so does not match the title, but I couldn't help myself. I can’t believe I let a TikTok song about sex inspire me to write a grief fic.
ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30626528
You had been having a really hard time lately. Anyone could have guessed that. It was to be expected. Being in your third trimester of pregnancy was hard enough; it was infinitely harder when your partner had passed away. You didn’t have time to pause and mourn, your life was so hectic now. You had doctor’s appointments, maternity shoots, brunches and parties to accept your pregnancy. The doctor’s appointments were obviously a must, you would never dream of missing them, but the photos and parties? There was nothing you wanted to do less. You didn’t want to celebrate. Fred was gone. If it was up to you, there’d never be another party in the whole world ever again. But the Weasleys and all your friends wanted to celebrate and they were mourning too, so you didn’t want to let them down.
The only person that had the same mentality of not wanting to move on and bring happiness back into their life was George. Sure, the others had lost a friend, a brother, a son, and that was devastating. But George and you had a bond with him that far surpassed that. George had immediately closed Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes (you had to convince him to not sell the space altogether) and locked himself in his room all day, only opening the door to talk to you or Angelina. Hell, Angelina practically had to force feed him in order to get him to eat. You felt like acting the same but it seemed for some reason, most likely your pregnancy, the others expected you to act differently. They wanted you to be the carrier of a beam of light at the end of the tunnel. And you supposed they were right, the twins you carried in your womb (you had never realized before you got pregnant how big the jump in percentage of carrying a twin pregnancy would be when twins ran in the family) were the one joy in a tragic situation. But that was them, not you. You wanted to stay in bed and cry all day. That luxury, however, was not provided for you. Therefore, most of your crying was done late into the night.
It was close to 2am when George ventured out of his room one night. He didn’t like to be up when other people were around, lest they see the mess that he had devolved into. He creeped into Charlie’s old room that he had let you have. He was bored out of his mind, having read every book and comic in his room, so he was hoping that Charlie’s would have left some interesting books to read. Something about dragons, maybe, or really anything besides a silly romance novel.
George tried his best to be silent, but as he tiptoed around your room, the floorboards creaked. George cursed under his breath and looked over to you. Sure enough, you were stirring.
“Sorry, I’ll be gone in a second. ‘M looking for a book.” He whispered, hoping that you would go back to sleep and that would be the end of the conversation.
You sat up, bleary eyed. “Fred?” You had always been the best at telling the twins apart but between the darkness in the room and the desperation to see your fiancée again, you mistook George for Fred.
George didn’t say anything. His heart broke for you. He knew he should say that no, it was him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so.
“Am I dreaming? Do you need to tell me something, is that why you’re in my dreams?” Your words dripped with hope and desperation.
George hesitated before affirming, “Ye-yes. That’s right.” He felt extremely awkward but you sounded so excited to be able to communicate with Fred again that he couldn’t bring himself to let you down.
“I missed you.” Tears ran down your face. “Only a few more weeks and then our babies will be born. The doctor said it’s a boy and a girl. I would have named the boy after you but I know George and Angelina want that to be their first son so I’m letting them have it. He’s really torn up, you should visit him too."
“I, um, yeah, I’ll talk to him.” It felt strange talking about himself like that. It was heartwarming, though, that even in this moment, you were thinking about him.
“Good. Just so you know, I remember what you said in our sixth year about not wanting me to move on if anything ever happened to you. And I’m not gonna.”
“That was just a joke, you don’t have to do that. I want you to be happy.” George tried to answer the way that Fred would.
“I would have only been happy with you. I love you. I wish you hadn’t left me to go help Harry and them. I know it’s selfish but I don’t care.” You shook as you sobbed. George walked over to your bedside and put his hand on your back.
“I had to do what I had to do. They needed me there.” George found himself getting choked up on his own words. He felt the same way as you, he wished Fred had never come down to Hogwarts that day.
“I know you would say that. What did you want to come here to tell me?”
“Just that I love you. And you’re gonna be a great mom.”
“Oh, Freddie. I know you wanted a big family and now we’ll never have that. She leaned her head onto George’s chest. “Every day is so hard” You admitted.
“I know, I know.”
“Come to bed with me.” You reached for George’s hand.
“To like, have sex?” George looked around the room frantically, not meeting his eyes with yours. Fred would have certainly jumped at the chance if he was there, but he was not Fred. George wanted you to be given peace but he could most definitely not go that far. Fred would probably find a way to strangle him from the afterlife and Angelina would cut his dick off.
“If you want,” you giggled “Or we could cuddle. Then you can feel my belly. It’s huge now, way bigger than when you last saw me. Hopefully you still think I’m pretty.”
“Of course you’re pretty. Here I-scoot over.” You made room for him.
He laid down and placed his hands over your baby bump. “They’re already kicking!” He said, in genuine surprise.
“Yeah, body movements during the day lull them to sleep. At night is when they’re most active. It’s a pain in the ass, really. But I’m just glad they’re healthy.”
George nodded. He looked at the ceiling, waiting for you to go to sleep. Then he could finally go back to his room.
Unfortunately, you were full of questions and affection. You wanted to get Fred up the speed with what had been going on with the people close to him. You babbled on and on about how tore up everyone was. How Charlie couldn't bring himself to leave the country again and slept on the couch every night, how Ginny slept with an old flannel of Fred's every night now, how Percy felt utterly responsible for his death and tried everything he could do to redeem himself, putting out new flowers at his grave each day and going to every single doctor's appointment with you (and read every pregnancy book under the sun, making it his mission to give you all the unsolicited advice he could think off, which annoyed you to no end). It took about an hour before you finally fell asleep, and as soon as you did, George gently removed his hands from you and got up out of the bed, before scurrying back to his room. He slammed the door behind him and faced his sleeping girlfriend.
“Angelina, you will NOT believe what just happened.”
***
At sunrise the next morning, George made another rare appearance. Molly was so excited to see him, even though he hadn’t showered for days and looked ragged. She ran over to give him a hug, which he gingerly accepted. He explained he wasn’t up to make small talk, he was going outside to visit the makeshift grave that their family had made for Fred. He wasn’t actually buried there, but the whole family felt better having the symbol of him at the Burrow and hoped that his spirit had followed. Molly was disappointed that her son didn’t want to stay up with her and talk, but she understood he was in pain and let him go.
Upon reaching Fred’s grave, George laughed nervously.
“So…” George began. He felt silly, what if Fred’s spirit couldn’t hear him? What if he was talking to nothingness. “I almost hit your baby mama last night.” He tried to make a lighthearted joke. A light drizzle started almost simultaneously with his words. He didn’t think that it was supposed to rain today.
George laughed, taking the rain as a response from Fred. “I’m sorry, mate. Just trying to make a joke. You know I wouldn’t.”
“She really misses you. Hell, we all miss you. I wish you had become a ghost instead of moving into the afterlife. But it’s okay. Although if you still change your mind and do that, go right ahead.” George’s voice cracked and a tear ran down his cheek. “Please.”
#fred weasley#fred weasly x reader#george weasley#angelina johnson#george x angelina#harry potter#harry potter fic#hp
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Outside chapter 25: What Comes Next
And here it is, the final chapter. It's been a wild ride, y'all, but more on that in the next chapter. Also can anyone guess who the sequel will involve? There's a hint, though it'll be a while before I get to it.
Stacy chopped the vegetables for the upcoming stir-fry as Scout watched from the other side of the sink. Will was working on measuring out the rice, hopeful that this time it would be the right amount. Scout hoped for another rice-explosion.
Rice cooker started, Will washed his hands and headed down into the basement. Nick and Riley sat in cages along the back wall, tied up and gagged. Riley glared at him as he approached, but Nick stared into space, unmoving and unseeing. Will came up to the cage and poked the Puppet's face with a pen, and on finding no reaction took the artist out of his cage, manually closing his eyes as he went.
Will laid the body on the table, untying him an removing the gag before wrapping him up like a mummy. Wrapped up in fabric and bound with silver infused rope, he was laid gently into a velvet lined box, that was closed and locked up tight with a key and code. It was placed on top of the box that held Mortimer, right next to the one that held Daisy. Right next to the many other boxes lining the wall.
Will finished checking in with the other dolls and toys, finding no change or escape attempts. He went to leave, but stopped first to look at Riley. She was obviously tired, no longer struggling against the ropes that bound her. Instead she opted to give a death glare, which he returned with a steady stare.
"You're next, you know." He told her quietly. "Don't worry, you won't get a different treatment from the others." She just glared harder, and he went back upstairs, heading back for the kitchen.
"Nick's gone dormant." He told Stacy quietly as she cooked the vegetables and rice in a pan. She frowned and nodded, but didn't reply beyond that. Scout was on the table, messing with the forks, and neither of them wanted to bring it to her attention. As he went on to stop the Puppet from her tower building, Stacy breathed a sigh of relief.
'Three down, just one more left.' She sighed in relief as she scooped the food onto four plates. 'It's almost over, then.' She set them up on the table while Will went off to find Canon. He returned quickly, no Puppet in sight.
"Yeah she's still up there, and not coming back down. But she did yell at me to go away this time, so I think we're making progress." He said, taking a seat. Stacy dumped the food that would've been Canon's into a tupperware before taking her own seat.
Scout, true to form, had already started stuffing her face. She stopped briefly, swallowing her mouthful with some difficulty. "I don't even know why you fucking bother. If she wants to be miserable, let her be miserable. Better than having her bothering me all the time." Another scoop of rice went into her mouth. "Why are we eating this again? It's fucking gross."
"We have to have at least two nights where we eat real food." Stacy told her. "It's healthy."
"It's. Gross." Scout repeated. "Didn't you make a cake? Where is it?"
"Cake comes after dinner. Eat your rice." Will told her. And, with some grumbling, the Puppet continued to shovel the stir-fry into her mouth.
"My Dad wants me to come home for Thanksgiving." Stacy said, after a few minutes of silent eating. "I think I should probably go this time, rather than just call."
"Might be a good idea." Will agreed. "Doesn't Danny need to, uh, do something anyways?"
"That's another reason I'm going. And why Scout is coming too."
"What? Ew no I don't wanna go." She dropped down into the chair behind her. "I like this house."
"It's just for a few days. Besides, I want you to meet my brother. It's important."
"How important? Also isn't he the one who can't hear? That's weird." Scout commented, peering over the edge of the table like some sort of gremlin.
"Yes, and yes he is weird but not because he's deaf." A pause, as Stacy realized something. "So don't tell him that that's why he's weird."
The two stared at each other, long enough that Will sighed and reached over to pull the Puppet back up onto the table. "Finish your food so we can get to the cake already." He grumbled, stabbing into a larger piece of carrot. "Also has Lisa gotten back to you on that project she's working?"
"Not yet, but apparently it's been more difficult than she thought. Neither Stitch or Bonzai are cooperating, and Scout doesn't even want to know what she's working on." Stacy side-eyed her Puppet, who glared right back.
"I want no part of that crazy bitch's plans!" She insisted, and was met with two sighs.
"You don't even know what it is." Will pointed out, and got a handful of rice in the face for his trouble.
"I don't fucking care. It involves fabric, and I don't fucking trust her!" She went to grab another handful of rice, only to find her plate gone, and Stacy halfway to the sink with it and the other two plates.
"Who wants some cake?" She asked with false cheer, holding the pan and a knife up. Scout cheered, and Will just sighed, though with a small smile.
-----
Lisa sighed heavily, pulling at her hair as she stared down at her notes. Nothing seemed to be working, though not like she could even test her theories with nobody cooperating with her. Even Stitch, who had agreed to help, and been swayed into not helping by Bonzai.
Finally, she stood and swept the notes into a folder, shelving it for the time being. She had classes to plan for next year, and should probably get on that. She grabbed a fresh notebook and opened it up. 'I wonder is Stitch would be willing to come with a few days out of the week.' She thought as she started on the plans. 'She's not that creepy, and isn't as loud as the others. And kids always love a Puppet.'
A light smile crossed her face as she thought of vague scenarios and sketched in small notes on where the Puppet could fit. She wasn't sure if her supervisor would even allow it, but it was nice to fantasize. Unfortunately, her fantasies were soon broken by a loud crash from the living room.
'Oh what did those three do now?" She stood and left her study, to find the little train Mason had set up crashed into a wall. Her roommate was doubled over laughing behind a camera, while Stitch and Bonzai were arguing. She leaned against the wall, watching the scene.
"I hope you got some good shots, cause it's time to clean this up." She told them, and instantly he sobered up.
"Aw, come on Lees, they love the train. Just look!" He pointed to the two Puppets, of which Stitch was actively strangling her brother.
"It looks like they're trying to kill each other." She leaned down, scooping the Puppets into her arms. "Besides it's gonna be time for bed soon, and I don't want to trip over this again tomorrow morning."
"Ugh, fine." He pulled his phone out and snapped some pics so he could put it back together later. He then started grabbing track pieces and putting them into a nearby bin. Bonzai let out his own groan, just now noticing what was going on.
"Hey wait don't put it away!" He struggled, but couldn't break Lisa's hold on him. "I wasn't done with that! Stop!"
"Ah but my Host has spoken. You are done with it." Stitch intoned smugly, to be met with a hard glare. He was ignored as Lisa carried them to what had been a guest room, but was now set up as their room. Not much had really changed about it, save for there being more toys and some kids' books around. It was mostly a temporary place for them, that had become permanent.
"You guys really gotta clean this place up." The blonde muttered as she stepped over things to put them in the bed. Bonzai tried to escape the second he was let go, but Lisa grabbed him again and almost forcibly tucked him in beside his sister. He crossed his arms and sulked while Stitch looked far too happy to be fussed over like that.
"Glad you're enjoying this humiliation." He muttered.
"It is only humiliating if you dislike such actions." Stitch whispered back as she watched her Host put away some of their things. "Personally, I feel like this was an optimal outcome. Look at her, cleaning for us."
"Well I wasn't done playing with Mason." He grumbled, just loud enough that Lisa heard.
"What were you guys doing, anyways. I saw Mason had his camera set up." She said, coming to sit down on the bed with them.
"We were making a movie! With fun action sequences and a train chase!" Bonzai told her excitedly. "It was totally awesome!"
"He told us he would put it on the internet when he was finished." Stitch told her, and Lisa frowned briefly before covering it up.
"That sounds so cool!" She said. "I can't wait to watch the finished thing. I bet it's gonna be awesome!"
"Hell yeah it is!" Bonzai agreed, and received a small pat on the head for it. He quickly brushed her hand away while she gave Stitch an identical pat, then stood to leave. Turning the light off as she went, she made sure the door was tightly shut before heading back to the living room.
She took a deep breath. "You're going to put them on YouTube?!" She whisper-shouted with a squeak.
"Uh, yeah? I'm not gonna make a whole ass movie just to let it sit in the camera." Mason told her, putting the last of the track pieces in the box.
"You can't do that! What if somebody sees? Oh man we're gonna get in so much trouble!"
"Lisa, relax. Stacy made a whole TikTok account for Scout, and nothing's happened to them." He pointed out.
"That's Stacy though! She has, like, supernatural luck or something! We're gonna get caught and they'll be taken away!"
"Look, Lisa, it'll be fine. And besides, the movie's not done yet. There's plenty of time to see if Scout gets caught because of TikTok or not." He grinned, which faded at the hard look Lisa was giving him.
"If anything happens to anyone because you put that video on YouTube, you're dead." She told him, but he just grinned back.
"Fair enough." He said. "But don't worry so much. It'll be fine, I'm sure of it!"
-----
Sammy walked into his half-dark apartment, not bothering to turn on any other lights. His backpack fell to the floor with a heavy thump as he wandered into the kitchen for a soda from the fridge. Drink gotten, he opened it up as he wandered into the living room, sitting on the couch and lighting up a joint.
He blew out a mouthful of smoke, barely noticing as Bit appeared on the couch. She crawled over to lay her head in his lap, letting out small coughs occasionally. He stroked her hair absentmindedly, slowing down as his mind drifted with the smoke.
"You need to stop doing that." Bit mumbled, coughing again as Sammy finally passed into a weed fueled haze. She got no reply, so she sighed unhappily.
She'd been expecting something... more with Sammy once they got back. And her siblings seemed to have gotten that, even if Canon was being a weird bitch about it. But all she got was a Host that left her alone for days at a time, only to come home and smoke himself into oblivion. And then he'd leave again the very next morning.
He didn't talk or play with her like the other Hosts did with her siblings. It was almost enough to bring her to tears when she was left alone in the dark apartment. Almost. She never actually cried from it(not like she'd admit it, anyways).
She was tired of the taste and stench of the smoke, however. It made her cough, and smelled worse than anything in the Studio. She wished he could get through one day without smoking. She knew that the next time they all met up, she was going to stink.
-----
Stacy brushed her hair, sitting on the bed next to Scout, who was deep into playing an old Gameboy that had been found in a box. As soon as her hair had been tied back into a braid, she lifted the Puppet into her lap and gave her hair a few quick strokes with the brush.
"Okay, it's bedtime now. Save the game and turn it off." Stacy said, putting the brush away. She unhooked her prosthetic and set it down beside the bed, in easy reach for the next morning.
"Can't save can't pause gotta keep playing." Scout mumbled. Her Host sighed before grabbing the game and pausing it, then plugging it into the charger on the side-table. The Puppet reached for it, but was held in place as Stacy turned off the light and laid down.
"Bedtime is now, Scout. Will's already asleep." She muttered as she settled down, and Scout finally stopped fighting it. Stacy would go limp soon enough, anyways, and then Scout could go back to playing.
And, just as predicted, once Stacy was fully asleep it was easy to squirm out of her loose grasp and grab the Gameboy. She settled into the corner of the room to play, when she noticed a light go by the open door.
Too low to the ground to be anything but Canon, Scout eased through the gap between the door and door-frame. She followed her eldest sister to the kitchen, just in time to see her pull the tupperware of gross rice out of the fridge. It landed on the floor with a thump and she pulled the lid off to shove the cold leftovers into her mouth.
"You know that tastes better warm, right?" Scout asked, and Canon jumped, then hunched over her food and glared at her sister.
"Shut up and go back to your Host!" She hissed before chomping down on another mouthful of food. Hunger satisfied for now, she put the lid back on and hefted the container back into the fridge. She then closed the door, plunging the kitchen back into darkness.
"C'mon Canon, Will's worried about you. I think." Scout scratched her head. "It's honestly hard to tell with him sometimes."
"I. Don't. Care." Canon said simply, pushing past Scout in order to get back to her hiding place.
"But he's your Host!" The elder sister paused, leaving Scout feeling safe to continue. "Everyone else likes their Hosts! Did... did something happen or-"
"Just because the rest of you are happy to be pets doesn't mean I am." She stated. "They'll all get bored of you eventually, so don't drag me into your delusions." And then she vanished, leaving Scout with a rebuttal dying on her lips.
"Well, fine then! Be a bitch, see if I care!" She grumbled as she made her way back to the bedroom in the dark. She Jumped onto the bed, crawling under the blanket and up against Stacy.
"We're not fucking pets." Scout muttered. "They care about us. Stacy cares about me. I know she does." She sniffed, burying her face under the covers. "Why does she have to be such a bitch about it?"
-----
Somewhere far away, in a different, rainy city, sat a small building. Out of that building, through the boards covering the door, a tiny figure made of wood squeezed out, dragging an envelope with him. Holding it over his head, he raced to the nearby mailbox sitting at the corner. It took some work, but he was able to climb up and stuff the letter he was carrying inside.
And just in time, too, as a flash of lightning showed a stark white figure about the size of a child standing just inside the doorway. Thin strings wormed their way out through the boards, attaching themselves to the puppet's limbs. It screamed, a high-pitched, sharp sound as he was dragged back inside.
The rain continued to fall as the city slept on, completely unaware.
#outside#hello puppets#fanfiction#scout#canon#stitch#bonzai#bit#riley ruckuc#nick nack#stacy stein#will carson#lisa montgamery#mason kamiya#sammy davis
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