#cal is the biggest idiot

[girl-named-matty]

Two idiots in love 💕

Val - @savingsallow

[goosewriting]

Class is now in session

summary: reader is in university and starts taking a liking to a certain redhead.

relationship: college AU biker!Cal Kestis x gn!reader

warnings: cameo fest, mentions of alcohol, cal punches a guy, idiots in love 😩���, gets a lil spicy at the end 🫣 this might border on crack tbh

word count: 11k because i am deranged

A/N: this started out as an innocent college AU with jock!Cal, but my insta feed brought me back to the depths of biker guys x booktok girlies so this idea cemented itself into my brain and i just ran with it. this is 100% self-indulgent, packed with every trope i could think of, and got completely out of hand. i am not sorry. bon appetit :) 

[all masterlists] 🪶 [star wars masterlist] 🪶 [ao3]

(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)

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A/N2: please excuse the pacing at the start, it's a bit of a mess. but i promise it gets better! also i use college and university interchangeably here because i’ve personally only been to uni, so sorry if it's confusing ;;-;;

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As you’re leaving your first class at the new college, you think back to orientation week where you met Sabine. She’s the only one you know here now, other than Ahsoka, a friend from your home town who’s come to this university too for her masters. You have no idea how, but Ahsoka somehow managed to have you move in after her roomate left, so that you now share the flat, which you’re super happy about. At least one thing (or person) less to worry about.

In the class that just finished, you sat with Sabine, and she introduced you to Ezra, her friend from high school. So that’s now two people you at least know by name here. 

You hurry to get to your next class which is basically across campus in one of the bigger auditoriums, and it’s the biggest class by far. Sabine and Ezra don’t attend this one, so you don’t know anyone here. You look around as you cross into the room, observing how the students swarm in in waves, quickly taking their seats. Walking down to the middle row, you quickly scan the group, thinking who seems approachable to eventually start chatting. 

The class goes by rather quickly, being the first one and all, it was more about formalities than actual content. Someone had arrived just on time as the professor also walked in, a redhead that caught your eye, but the moment the class was over, he left quickly. In fact everyone leaves quickly, and you can’t help but be dragged along by the mass of people and you find yourself in the hallway, which just as quickly as it filled, is empty once more.

For lunch you meet with Sabine and Ezra, and you all get to know each other a little better. At first you thought they might be dating, judging by how close they seem, but they never mention it during your meal. If Sabine is willing to have boy talk with you, you make a mental note to ask her about it at some point.

In the afternoon, you start your job at the library. A tall and elegant woman, Shaak Ti, shows you the ropes, and soon you’re left to your own devices at the desk, doing some smaller tasks to get you started. Not soon after, Ahsoka comes by for a quick visit to say hi.

Your shift is almost over when someone comes up to the check-out desk where you sit. You hear them approaching, and as you lift your eyes from your work, you recognise it’s the redhead from today’s class. Putting on your best customer support smile and voice, you ask how you can help, and he says that the self check-out machine isn't working. 

How strange, you think, remembering how Shaak Ti showed you earlier how it works, and it did so just fine. But it’s quicker to just ring up his book now, and you could check the machine later. So you take the two books from him as well as his student ID and scan everything, doing your thing. You see his name on the ID: Cal Kestis. So that's what he's called. Maybe if you meet in class again, you could say hi. It would be super awkward if he didn't recognise you, though. 

Shaking away your thoughts for the moment, you repeat to him what Shaak Ti told you earlier about the borrowing of materials, the e-mail notice and that he can check the return date on his university account. Taking his books and card, Cal thanks you with a smile and leaves. Standing up from the desk after a moment, you go to the self check-out machine to see what’s wrong with it, trying to remember if Shaak Ti gave you the number for the technician. You try out the process several times with a random book and your ID and it works perfectly. Strange, you think again. 

By the time you get back to your dorm, which is a short bus ride away from campus, it’s already evening. You enter your room, grimacing a bit at how empty and lifeless it still looks. But you know you’ll be quick to decorate it and fill the space with your things to make it feel a bit more like home, albeit a temporary one.

Arriving at uni the next day, you get off the bus and walk towards the building. A motor bike passes you and parks in the designated area, your eyes unintentionally following the person, and you check them out a bit. The whole outfit, leather jacket and all, do look good, and you stare for perhaps a second too long. When the person takes off the helmet, you realise it’s the redhead from yesterday. He catches you looking at him and gives you an acknowledging nod and smile. Your head immediately turns the other way, cheeks burning at getting caught, and you walk away hastily, knowing this interaction will haunt you for the rest of the day since you could have just smiled or waved back instead of being so obvious. 

Back in the big class, he spots you again and gives a short wave and an unsure smile. This time you make sure to smile and wave back at him.

After lunch with Sabine, you’re at your locker, picking up some things, talking to her and Ezra who joined you as well. They both suddenly look over your shoulder behind you, and you turn around only to be faced with him.

“Seems like I keep seeing you everywhere,” Cal says, leaning sideways onto the lockers. “I think it’s time we finally get properly introduced, don’t you think?”

It doesn’t go unnoticed by you that he exchanges a look with Ezra, which you can’t really decipher, as you don’t know either of them well enough.  

“I’m Cal,” he introduces himself. “But I think you already knew that.”

You tell him your name, and as Ezra joins the conversation, it turns out they’re actually friends. 

“So how do you know him?” Sabine asks, her eyes going from Cal to you.

“ We share a class, and he came by the library yesterday,” you explain, taking a look at the time. “Which I actually should be heading to now. My shift starts soon.” 

Sabine gives you a strange knowing look too, to which you don’t know how to respond. But before you can ask what’s up, she says that Ezra and her have another class, so they leave.

Cal walks you to the library, claiming he has to go to practice and it’s on the way (its not). It’s a short walk but you’re racking your brain for something to fill up the silence. Unable to come up with anything better, you tell him that if he wants to check out another book, you can show him how to use the self check-out machine. 

“You said it was broken,” you say, tilting your head slightly in confusion. “But I checked and it worked just fine.”

“I know,” he responds after a second, and you turn to him with a ‘Huh?’. Smiling, he adds, “See you around.” 

And with that he leaves you by the library entrance, even more question marks circling in your mind. To your surprise and further confusion, you find that he didn’t leave you with just questions, but also a bit of a racing heart.

Finally the weekend rolls around, and Ahsoka is out with her best friend Rex and his buddies, so you invite Sabine over for a movie marathon and lots of snacks. Since it’s just the first week of class, you don’t have that many assignments yet, which you want to take advantage of while you can. 

As you’re both cosied up on the couch, you ask her about Ezra and if there’s anything between the two, and her face makes you laugh out loud. She says he’s more like a brother to her, since they’ve known each other for so long. But then she asks if there’s anyone you’re interested in.

You find yourself stumbling over your own words and end up somehow confessing to both her and your surprise, that you may have a teeny tiny crush on Cal. Sabine’s almost too excited about it and says you should tell Ezra so they can set you up on a date or something. But you make her promise she won’t tell either of them, to which she ends up agreeing. You don’t need the drama or the distraction; you just want to focus on classwork after all and survive one semester at a time. 

On Monday you have the big class again, and you stay after it’s done to ask Professor Kenobi something. Everyone is leaving the room, and he’s packing away his things as you approach his desk, starting to formulate your inquiries, but you see his eyes going past you for a moment, then looking at you again with a soft smile. 

“Why don’t you send your questions to my e-mail,” he offers. “Isn’t it your lunch break now? Wouldn’t want to hold you off, especially when there seems to be someone waiting for you.”

You blink a couple of times, then turn to look to the entrance door where, sure enough, Cal is waiting for you, leaning back onto the wall. He gives a short wave, which you quickly reciprocate, and you excuse yourself from the professor with heat prickling at your cheeks, telling him that you will do just that. 

As you reach the door, Cal pushes himself off the wall to walk beside you. Before you can ask him what he’s up to and why he waited for you, he talks first. 

“Are you eating at the cafeteria today? Wanna grab lunch together?”

You consider his offer for a moment, but then give him a short shrug.

“I’m not really super hungry and the menu today didn't have anything that I particularly crave, so I think I’ll just get something from the vending machine.”

“You sure? You shoudln’t skip meals, you know.”

“It’s fine, really,” you chuckle. “I’ll just get early dinner and I promise to eat something substantial.” “Yeah, you better,” he jokes, lightly pushing you with his shoulder.

Turning your face away to hide how flustered you’re getting at not just his playfulness but the fact that he waited for you, you reprimand yourself for a moment for getting your hopes up. Wanting to grab lunch with a classmate is normal! This is normal! Stop being weird, you tell yourself.

Just as you want to face Cal again to change the subject, you hear some voices from the hallway around the corner where the vending machines are. You think you recognise them, and you don’t know what on Earth compels you to, but you walk the few steps to take a peek. At the end of the hall, you see Professor Kenobi with a man. He’s tan, has broad shoulders and is very handsome. 

“Hello, my love,” Kenobi says in a low voice barely audible to you, and quickly leans in to kiss the stranger.

Your hand shoots up to cover your mouth before any sound of surprise can come out, and you quickly spin around, directly into Cal’s chest with an oomph.

“Wha–” Cal holds onto your shoulders to keep you from falling with how quickly you tried to recoil. “Whoa there, you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I feel like I just saw something I wasn’t supposed to,” you admit, hiding your face in your hands for a moment, then looking at him with big eyes.

This intrigues him, and Cal steps past you to take a look. 

“There’s no one there…?”

You look around the corner again as well, and the hallway is indeed empty.

“Prof Kenobi was just there a second ago, with someone else. Kissing,” you add the last part under your breath. 

“Oh?” Cal raises a brow, sounding strangely interested. “Well, let’s go see where they went.”

You shoot him an alarmed look.

“What? Why?”

But he’s already walking, looking over his shoulder and gesturing for you to follow with a playful smile. So you follow suit. You’ve never been to this part of the building, and compared to the bustle back where there were constant streams of people walking to and out of the cafeteria, here it’s surprisingly quiet. 

“I wonder where they even went,” Cal thinks aloud and stops where the hallway ends in a dead end. There’s several doors to the left, offices from the psychology faculty judging by the signs next to the doorframe. On the right there’s the big door leading to the staircase. There’s a paper sign stuck to it with tape that catches your attention, so you step closer to read it.

“Seems like the floors below are currently closed off because of repairs,” you paraphrase the warning sign. “So they must have gone up.”

You turn to look at him, and see realisation wash over his face, which quickly changes into a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Oh, is that where we are.”

“What do you mean?” you ask, narrowing your eyes at him in suspicion. 

“I heard that there was an off-limits floor in this wing. It’s been like that for years actually, not because they’re reparing something but because strange things happen there.”

You scoff, giving him an incredulous look.

“Didn’t take you for the superstitious type,” you deadpan. 

“I’m not.” He looks at the sign and back at you. “But c’mon, aren’t you a little curious? They say it’s haunted, but if you go there and come back out, then you’ll have good luck in… passing your exams.”

“...Did you just make that up?” you question, crossing your arms over your chest defensively and raising a brow at him. 

“...No?” Cal retorts, and it’s anything but convincing. Taking a step closer to you, he adds, “Come on, don’t you feel the call of adventure?”

“The only call you’ll feel is your emtpy stomach when you’re training,” you say, taking one last glance at the big door, then looking at Cal. “Shouldn’t you be having lunch right now?”

“I can eat later,” he shrugs. 

“I thought skipping meals was a no-no.”

“I can make an exception today. For both of us.”

Before you even have a chance to stop him, he pushes open the door to the staircase, and you see there’s a chain blocking the way to the stairs leading down, but he steps over it, looking back and offering his hand to you. 

You look up, listening for anyone who might be coming downstairs, but it’s still silent. Almost eerily so. You look at Cal’s face for a moment, and sigh in defeat, taking his expecting hand. He grins in victory. 

“You’re being a horrible influence, you know that?” you say with a playful smile.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little bad every now and then,” he points out with a wink, and you roll your eyes at him to hide the beat your heart just skipped. 

You both walk down the stairs, taking out your phones to use as a flashlight since it’s so dark. Cal pushes open the big door to the main hallway, and you’re hit with the typical smell of a basement; it’s humid and a little musky, but not necessarily unpleasant. You take a look around, and it’s a mirror of the floor above. The doors to the offices are open though, one is even missing the door completely, and Cal walks in without hesitation, so you follow him. 

You’re not normally one to get scared about things like these, especially knowing that the haunted story has probably started as a rumour that got way out of hand throughout the years. This section probably just got closed off because of a water leak or something. 

“One of the guys on the team told me that there used to be meetings of a secret cult down here.”

“Okay, now you’re just messing with me,” you laugh, and you point your light to him to see him. He blocks the light from his eyes with his hand but you can see the goofy smile on his face. 

“I can’t believe I followed you down here,” you say, taking a step towards him, but something behind him catches your attention. You direct your light to the wall, and he turns around to do the same. There’s a pinboard full of old notes and photographs. Looking at the small table underneath it, you can see a lot of the things that once hung on the wall have since fallen down, decaying. Inspecting the remaining notes on the pinboard though, you notice that there are many that seem newer, the papers are clearer, crisp, untouched by the humidity down here. Many of them are simply just letters and numbers, like… initials and dates? You’re about to take a closer look at what’s written on them when a reflection from the table catches your eye.

Directing your light down onto the table, you move away some scattered papers to reveal the object that was partially hidden beneath: a locket in the shape of a heart. You stretch out your hand to pick it up but Cal stops you.

“Maybe- maybe don’t touch that.”

“Why not?” you ask without looking up. You can faintly make out the engraved letters “P&A” on the metallic surface.  

“It could have lead. Or something.”

“That’s… a good point, actually,” you agree, and you retrieve your hand, your nose crinkling slightly in disgust at what could be lying around. “It’s the first time you’ve made sense since we got here. Who knows what else is here. Actually, we should leave–” You turn to where Cal was standing earlier, a couple of steps away, but you find him standing right in front of you now, caging you in between himself and the table behind you. He’s still holding his phone with the light aiming up, so his face is contoured in sharp white, highlighting the scars across his face. You had noticed them before, and thought they added character to his face. But now, with his eyes gazing into yours like that, momentarily flickering down to your lips and back up, you feel the urge to reach out and trace over them.

The air has completely shifted between you two, and your heartbeat quickens at the realisation. His free hand has somehow found its way around your wrist, and he’s leaning in closer ever so slowly.

You open your mouth to say something but you’re cut short by a sudden thud. You both flinch in surprise, aiming your lights to where the sound came from. You see a book, now on the floor, that hadn’t been there before, and a small cloud of dust settling around it. Aiming the light a little to the side and up, you can clearly see the spot where it fell out of the shelf, as there’s no dust on the wooden surface. 

“We should– I think we’ve overstayed our welcome,” you say after clearing your throat.

“Right.”

You quickly step around Cal and head for the staircase, swiftly walking up the steps and, after momentarily listening for any bypassers, climb over the chain. Cal follows closely, and you both pocket away your phones. You’re reaching out your hand to open the heavy door that leads back into the building, when he quickly grabs your wrist, holding your shoulder with his other hand to pull you away from the thin vertical window next to the door.

“Wait, there’s someone out there.”

“So what, we could have come from upstairs,” you say, trying to ignore the way your skin tingles where he’s holding you again.

He peeks through the glass, his eyes going wide for a moment, then stepping away again, a silly smile playing on his lips.

“It’s Kenobi. And he's not alone.”

You dare take a peek through the glass, and catch a quick look at Kenobi and the man from earlier, both coming out of one of the offices with slightly dishevelled hair. 

“If he sees us, we’re so dead,” you say under your breath and lean back away, out of view. On one hand, you’d definitely be in trouble because from the short time you’ve known him, Professor Kenobi seems like the type of person to be really good at reading others, so he’d definitely know you two were up to no good if he confronted you two, especially you; you’re not a good liar. But also he saw Cal waiting for you after class, so surely he’d think something was going on between you two. Then again, would that bother you? Is there something going on between you and Cal? Do you want there to be something? You’re not entirely ready yet to answer that for yourself, especially not right now after what happened earlier, whatever that was. He was totally going to kiss you, right? In a basement of all places?

“The coast is clear,” Cal finally says, and your reeling mind can come to a halt again. He looks down at where his hand is still holding onto you, and quickly lets go, taking a step back, clearing his throat. “Sorry about that. Uh, after you.”

He holds the door open for you, and you walk through, dusting off your clothes of anything that may trace you back to the forbidden underground. Cal makes his way to the office he saw Kenobi come out of and inspects the sign, chuckling to himself.

“Ah, look at that,” he says, and you approach, seeing the name on the sign: ‘Cody Kenobi’. So the man earlier was his husband. 

“Get it prof, I guess,” you mutter more to yourself than to him, but Cal snorts at your comment.

“C’mon, let’s go,” he says, and you two make your way back to where you initially came from. 

Since Cal still has to get food, you part ways and he heads to the cafeteria. And just like that, you’re back at the vending machine, yet again plagued by the decision of what to get, as well as a million questions racing through your mind.

When your shift at the library ends that day, it’s already the late afternoon. It was pretty slow today again, you mainly just spent your time cataloging some new books and putting back returned ones to their respective spots.

As you’re approaching the bus stop, you can see the bus already there, so you fall into a light jog to catch up on time. Except that everyone is standing outside instead of being inside the bus. The driver is standing on the sidewalk as well, talking on the phone in an irritated tone.

“What happened?” you ask one of the people sitting on the bench.

“The bus broke down,” she explains with a tired sigh, pointing to where the engine door has been lifted, and you can see some faint smoke coming out of the vents. “The driver said we have to wait for the next bus.”

You don’t need to look at the timetable to know that at this time of day, the busses get more and more infrequent. You might as well walk home. It won’t necessarily be quicker than waiting for the next one, but you don’t want to just sit still for the next half hour. 

After saying your thanks to the person, you keep walking down the sidewalk to start your trek home. Luckily, there’s a pedestrian path away from the street that is actually quite picturesque to walk, partially going through the woods too, so at least you’ll have a nice view as you ruminate over the day’s events.

To get to the path leading into the forest, you take a shortcut through the parking lot, which to your surprise is not as empty as you would have imagined at this time. You’re not really planning on running into anyone, already lost in thought, so it takes you very much by suprise when you hear your name called out. You turn around to see Cal standing by his bike, waving to you. You wave back with a smile, which is quick to disappear though as you remember your interaction earlier. You just want to get home to crawl into your bed and wallow in self-pity for a bit, but the redhead calls you to him.

“I saw the bus broke down,” he says as you get closer, zipping up his leather jacket and tucking his helmet under his arm. “Need a ride home?”

No, you think, being near you is short circuiting my brain and I need to sort that out.

“I’ve never been on a bike before, though,” comes out of your mouth instead. 

“Well, lucky for you I’d be the one driving,” he says with a smile. “As a backpack you just have to lean into the curves, but there’s not much more than that.”

“Backpack?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s what we call the person sitting behind the driver.” You spot the faintest of blushes creeping onto his face, adorning his freckles. “So, what do you say?”

His face, full of expectation, leaning into childish glee almost, is impossible to resist. Heaving a sigh, you laugh a bit to yourself, throwing your hands up in surrender.

“You know what. Why not. We already went to a haunted room today, might as well get ‘riding on a motorbike’ off my bucket list today, too.”

“Great!” Cal’s face lights up at your positive response, and he seems to notice it and clears his throat to take his excitement down a notch. He moves to the side a bit so you can take a better look at the bike, telling you its name is BD-1, and doing the whole introduction thing where he points to you, then to the bike and back, saying your name, BD, BD, your name. You have to bite back a smile at how endearing you find that. After what happened today, it’s nice to see that he also has this cute side to him. Playing along, you greet the bike with a ‘Hi BD!’ and pat the handlebar as if it was a dog. Cal chuckles, and produces a second helmet seemingly out of thin air, presenting it to you.

“Wha– Where did you–”

“A biker never reveals his secrets,” he says with a wink, and puts on his own helmet. Your grips tightens lightly on the one you’re now holding as you avert your gaze from his visor. This guy will absolutely be the end of you.

Cal helps you put on the helmet, adjusting the buckle strap underneath your chin and making sure it’s comfortable but not too loose. Turning to the bike, he folds down some pegs on either side of the back wheel, indicating that that’s where you’re going to put your feet, then he gets on first.

“Once you’re on, you can either hold onto me or place your hands here–,” he shows you, patting the round, elevated part of the bike in front of him. “– on the tank.” 

Then he instructs you to hop on by placing one foot first to lift yourself off the ground and swing your other leg over. Holding onto his shoulders for balance, you do just that, tightening the straps on your own backpack (pun unintended) so it doesn’t move around once you’ll be on the move. You scoot in your seat a couple of times until you feel your balance settle.

“You good?” he asks, and you realise you’ll surely have a hard time hearing him once you’re driving, over the sound of the engine and the wind.

“Yup!” you reply, taking a shuddering breath that seems to resonate within your helmet, as you snake your arms around his waist, interlocking your fingers.

You feel his torso tense up ever so slightly at the touch, and he kicks up the stand. 

“If I pat your leg it means to hold on tighter, okay?”

“Got it,” you confirm, and he tests it out by patting the outside of your knee twice, and you lean even more into him, if that’s possible, tightening your grip. You just hear him chuckle, then start the engine. 

He makes a round or two on the parking lot so you can get used to the feeling, and once you feel more comfortable, he heads out onto the street.

As you’ve already mentioned at some point that you live at the dorms, he knows where to take you. You can tell he’s riding extra carefully, not zooming through in-between cars and making sure that the stops and starts at the traffic lights are smooth.

Because of the noise and the helmets, having a conversation is unfortunately impossible, so you just enjoy the sensations. The whistle of the wind rushing by you, the humming of the engine, which you can feel in your whole body, both through the bike itself and Cal. The way he taps your leg when you loosen your grip without noticing. At least it was on accident the first time. After some minutes you tried it again, slowly letting go, and his gloved hand was on your leg again, lingering this time until you held on properly. Then he placed his hand over both of yours, giving a light squeeze. Ah, did he catch on? 

Alas, the ride is already over by the time you feel like you really mastered being a proper backpack, and the bike slows down as Cal drives into the street of your apartment complex. 

Once he fully stops and kicks down the stand, he gives your arms a pat, indiciating for you to hop off. Misjudging the height and being slightly sore from the unfamiliar seating position, you don’t properly step onto the ground, your knee giving in and the rest of your body threatening to follow. But Cal is quick to catch you and bring you back to your feet without even having gotten off completely himself.

“You alright?” he asks, sliding off the seat completely, then taking off his helmet and running his hand through his hair. His red fiery hair, now messed up from the helmet… You really want to run your own fingers through it. 

At your lack of response, he leans a bit closer into your visor, repeating the question. You snap out of your trance with a sheepish laugh, trying and failing to undo the buckle on the helmet strap. Cal takes off his gloves and skillfully opens it, helping you remove the thing. You don’t even want to know what your hair looks like right now, so you try your best to smooth it out blindly. 

“I’m good, yes. Guess getting on is easier than getting off the bike.”

“It gets easier with practice,” he responds. “That is, if you ever want to ride again. You can. I mean with me. If you’d like.”

He looks around, the driveway is luckily empty, so no one can see him embarrass himself by stumbling over his own words. You can’t help the giggle that escapes you; he’s too cute.

“I’d love to, if you’ll let me.”

“Of course. You did good today.”

You look in the direction of your dorm, then down at the helmet you’re still holding.

“Guess you need this back, then.”

“I don’t have any way to carry it right now, so why don’t you hold onto that for now,” he starts, scratching the back of his neck as he leans back a bit to half sit on the side of the bike. “Besides, the bus might break down again. Why don’t I give you a ride to class tomorrow morning, too?”

By now your heartrate is absolutely out of control. How does he look so effortlessly cool? And he’s inviting you to ride again? Maybe more than once? 

You involuntarily hug the helmet to your chest, hoping the sound of your erratic hearbeat doesn’t echo through it and make it loud enough for Cal to hear. Taking out his phone, he suggests exchanging numbers so you can text him when to pick you up and he can tell you when he’s on his way. Taking it from his hands, you type in your number and call, hearing your own ringtone coming from your pocket, and give it back. You don’t see what he types in as your contact name as he’s quick about it, putting the device away again.

“See you tomorrow, then,” you say, swaying back and forth lightly on the ball of your feet. “Thank you for taking me home. It was fun.”

“My pleasure,” he says with a genuine smile. “And don’t forget your substantial dinner.”

With that, he puts on his helmet. As he gets onto the bike and kicks back the stand, you consider running up to him one last time to place a kiss on his helmet, but you find yourself paralysed by… what exactly, you don’t know.

“Drive safe!” you call out to him instead with a wave, as he drives onto the street. He gives you a two finger salute, tires screeching on the pavement as he takes off. Yeah, he was definitely being considerate of you when you were on the bike. 

You feel like you’re floating on a cloud and being pulled down by a gravity tenfold as strong, all at the same time. You’re clearly into him. It seems he’s interested as well. What’s holding you back? These and many other questions roam your brain as you try to fall asleep that night.

The next morning, as promised, Cal is waiting for you. This time he brings a proper biker jacket as well, which is padded in the important places. Where he got it from and how he knows your size, you don’t even bother asking, knowing he wouldn’t tell.

Despite the buses working just fine, form that day on it becomes somewhat of a routine. Whenever your schedules will allow it, he’ll take you to class and back home. You offer paying for gas since going by your place is out of his way, even though he insists it isn’t. He never takes you up on your offer.

Weeks go by in the blink of an eye, both of you getting more comfortable around each other, engaging in friendly banter bordering in flirtations, but never really crossing the line or making an actual move. Before you know it, exams are just around the corner, so the library is busy. Still, you manage to study in the slower hours. But you keep catching yourself looking at the entrance, waiting for a certain someone to walk in. 

After exams are over, Sabine and Ezra organise a well deserved party at her place. Her family is away for the weekend, but they were okay with a party as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. Ahsoka also invites a handful of her friends so there’s a decent amount of people of different ages. You have friendly chats with many of them, who also give you good tips on studying,  the best places to get coffee near uni, or tell you funny stories about the teachers. 

The party is where you meet Anakin and Padme, Ahsoka’s best friends aside from Rex, who are more or less the power couple at the university. They’ve been together since the first year and everyone knows about them. Even you have heard a lot about them; there are some wild rumours around. But you’re seeing them for the first time now, and you can’t shake the feeling that they look familiar. 

As you, Sabine, Ahsoka and the two are standing in the kitchen, sipping on your drinks, the conversation somehow flows into urban legend territory. That’s where Padme tells you and Sabine about the lovebird legend, saying that there is an off-limits room in the uni building where it is said that a couple died tragically as the ceiling came down on them. 

“Despite the tragedy, the legends still make people go down there to leave their pictures and love notes,” Padme explains. 

“Alleged tragedy,” Anakin interjects with a playful roll of his eyes. “If something had actually happened down there, they would close it off properly.” He turns to you as he sees your blank expression, which he interprets as being scared, and gives you a reassuring pat on the back. “Nothing happened down there, trust me.”

Except that your face went blank not out of fear, but because you finally connected the dots.

“Yeah, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Padme reminisces, linking her arm onto Anakin’s, who looks down at her with an adoring smile. “Even we went down to leave our own note, remember? And it seems it worked.”

“How could I forget,” Anakin laughs. “Initials, picture, locket; we did the whole package.”

The locket you saw that day in the basement comes to your mind. The engraved initials: P & A. 

Padme and Anakin.

And now you can also vaguely recognise their younger selves in one of the pictures you see on the wall.

Snapping back into reality, you look at Anakin.

“Is this… common knowledge?” you ask, fidgeting with the drink in your hands. “Does everyone know that’s what it is? Or are there some people who think it’s haunted?”

“Not really?” Anakin shrugs. “I don’t know of anyone who’s ever thought it was actually haunted. Again, the accident is just a rumour to make it more tragic.”

“Yeah, everyone who hears about the story knows people go there hoping to ensure a good love life,” Padme confirms.

“Huh, is that so…” you trail off, heat quickly rising to your face, visible to everyone no doubt, but you can’t be bothered to hide it right now. So Cal knew? He must have known, right? 

Sabine elbows you into the side, almost making you spill your drink. 

“What’s got you so flustered suddenly?” She narrows her eyes at you, full of mischief. “Don’t tell me, you want to go leave a note for you and you know who?”

That seems to get you out of your trance, and your head snaps back up, frantically looking around to make sure Cal isn’t anywhere near you two. But he’s actually nowhere to be seen, probably outside with his team buddies who are hogging the grill.

“Do you still need to leave a note when you’ve already been there with the person in question?” you ask at no one in particular, and Ahsoka exchanges a knowing look with Anakin and Padme.

“You what?!” Sabine whisper-screams. “How? When?”

“Uuh, a couple of weeks ago,” you say, suddenly remembering the other thing you saw that day. “Also, did you know Kenobi is married? And that his husband is part of the psychology department? They totally made out in the husband’s office.”

Sabine’s face morphs into several different things consecutively, first confusion at why you’re bringing that up now, then questioning why you even know that, then wondering if she even wants to know. 

“You know,” Padme interjects. “Obi-Wan and Cody Kenobi were actually one of the first ever couples to leave their note in the basement. If they’re still together, then it really must work, huh.” She leans in ever so slightly, lowering her voice as she asks you, “Why, is there anyone you’re interested in? Someone who wouldn’t happen to be here right now?”

You pull a bit of a grimace and look to Ahsoka, who had followed the whole thing with amusement but without intervening. Seeing your pleading look, she nods, indicating that Padme is trustworthy with these kind of things. 

“Yes, actually,” you reply in a small voice. “To both.”

Padme clasps her hands together in delight, asking if you’ll show her the person in question. Anakin just laughs, saying he’ll go find something to eat, and Ahsoka joins him. So it’s just you, Padme and Sabine left. You walk around for a while until you find your favourite redhead leaning on the open doorframe that leads to the yard, talking to one of his teammates. They’re all wearing their team jackets, and you can’t help your eyes roaming his body for a moment, enjoying the view. 

As if he could feel your eyes on him, he suddenly turns his head to you, and you get caught yet again staring. But this time you don’t look away in shame, you stand your ground and give him a smile and a small wave, which he returns, then goes back to his conversation as if nothing happened.

You turn back to the girls, both of them giving you a knowing smile and little giggles. 

“Oh, shut up, you.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Sabine says. 

“Your face said it all.”

“Yeah, as did yours,” she teases. 

You groan, burying your face in your hands. You might as well be on actual fire right now, as hot as you feel. 

“I’m getting another drink,” you say, pinching Sabine in the cheek and looking to Padme. “Please make sure she doesn’t embarrass me any further.”

Padme laughs but agrees, promising to keep an eye on her.

You walk to the kitchen, where a new group of people has claimed the space to have their conversation. You quickly refill your cup, excusing yourself from them with a polite nod, and leave through the other door, looking for a way outside to get some fresh air. But you find yourself in what seems to be the dining room. This house is so big, I think I might actually get lost here, you think, looking around for another exit. 

You turn on your heels when a guy, evidently drunk, approaches you. Givng him a quick once over, you find that you don’t recognise him. While this was a closed invitation party, unfortunately there’s always the few people who think it’s okay to just bring another buddy along who also brings their friend, leading to a handful of people that no one really invited or even knows. This is one of them. 

You intend to walk past him, but he takes a side step to block your path. Taking a quick step back to have some distance between you and him, you try the other side, but again he cuts you off.

“Can you let me through?”

“What are you doing here all alone?” His words are slurred, and he suddenly grabs onto your wrist with a strong grip.

“Wha–? Let me go!” The back and forth until you finally manage to get your arm free makes you spill your drink onto the floor.

He seems unfazed by this, grunting in annoyance and trying to grab you again, but you evade his movements this time, taking several steps back.

“I said back off! Leave me alone!”

Now he has you cornered against the wall, and you consider your options. He stretches out his hand again to take ahold of you, but before he reaches you, Cal has appeared through another archway to your right and grabs the guy by the collar of his shirt, pulling him away from you. Two of his football buddies follow.

“Which part of ‘back off’ do you not understand?” he growls at the guy, letting him go with a shove. “Get lost.”

“And who do you think you are? You’re interrupting–” the guy starts, grabbing Cal by the shoulder and turning him around, but before he can even finish his sentence, Cal clocks him in the jaw, and the guy falls to the ground ungracefully, landing in your puddle from earlier with a grunt. The two other guys that arrived with Cal grab him, one arm each, and carry him away, probably outside to kick him out. 

Cal turns to you, shaking the hand he hit the other guy with. 

“Are you okay?” he asks as he approaches you, wanting to hold your arms, but his hands only hover over you as he looks you over for any injuries. 

“I’m– I’m okay. Thank you,” you croak out, blinking repeatedly to process what just happened. Cal gingerly holds your wrist up, inspecting it. You can already see some dark marks forming where the guy before had grabbed you. Cal’s thumb strokes over the inside of your wrist soothingly, his eyes finding yours, and you’re unable to look away. He’s about to say something when voices call out to you. He turns around to see Sabine, Ahsoka and Ezra approaching.

“Are you okay? What happened?” she asks, seeing the puddle on the ground just in time and walking around it.

“Some guy was really drunk, he grabbed my arm and–”

“And I punched him,” Cal finishes.

Sabine raises a brow at that, giving you a look.

“Ugh, I’m so sorry,” Ezra apologises. “I told everyone to not just show up with random people. This shouldn’t have happened.”

“Ezra, it’s okay. Really guys, I’m fine.” You swallow down whatever is trying to bubble up, be it a nervous breakdown after a scary situation or just the fact that Cal saved your bacon. Shoving it all into the back of your brain to deal with later, you smile at your friends. “The jerk is dealt with, it’s all good, really. Now let’s go back to enjoying the party. I heard you have a karaoke machine?”

“Yeah,” Sabine says and gives you a questioning look. ‘You sure you're okay?’ At the insistence in your own eyes, she nods. “Okay then, let’s go sing our lungs out. C’mon, guys.”

Ezra apologises again before following Sabine. Ahsoka asks you if you’re sure you’re good, you insist that yes everything is fine, so she leaves as well.

You look to Cal with a grateful smile, about to head out as well, but he stops you.

“Uhm, actually, I’ve been meaning to ask,” he says, again scratching his neck in that adorably shy manner, and your breath might or might not have hitched there. “Next week we have a big game against another school team. Do you want to come? And possibly cheer for us?”

“I was wondering if I could ever go to one of your games,” you reply sincerely, smiling up at him. “I’ll cheer for you.”

“For my team or for me specifically?” he remarks with an inquisitive grin, but to your relief, the music from the living room hits your ears before you can even come up with a smooth reply.

“Oh, that’s my jam, c’mon!” You hook your arm around Cal’s and drag him to where everyone’s waiting, both of you laughing. 

— — — — —

The match is intense. You don’t really know all the rules, but you can feel the tension in the air.  

You cheer for Cal from where you sit on the bleachers with Sabine, Ezra and everyone else, all of you shouting and cheering. You haven’t even entirely recovered from the karaoke session, so this surely isn’t helping your vocal chords, but you don’t care. 

Every now and then he looks up from where he is on the field, searching for you in the crowd. He pats the outside of his knee twice when he does, and every time you can feel the rush of heat and giddiness crashing over you. It’s the same gesture he does when you’re on his bike. It’s like a secret signal between the two of you. You don’t care about biting back the giant smile on your face or trying to hide how flustered you look every time he spots you among the audience, and Sabine catches on.

The timer on the giant screen counts down the last seconds of the match, both teams are tied. Cal goes into the offensive, and they make one heck of a play, scoring the last point just before the timer buzzes. Everyone in the audience stands up cheering, clapping, whistling. You as well.

As the announcer wraps up the game and the players leave for the changing rooms, Sabine and you head down to the entrance. Many are already leaving, since the match is over, but friends and family of the players are waiting for them to come out to celebrate.

Sabine and Ezra exchange curious looks with each other, and Sabine elbows you into the side.

“So?” Ezra asks. 

“So what? “ you retort. 

“Are you gonna make a move?” Sabine chimes in. 

“On Cal?”

“Who else!"

“I don’t know…” you respond, unsure. “I don’t want to read too much into it–”

“Ohmygod,” Ezra groans as he shakes you by the shoulders. “You’re both so smitten with each other, it’s starting to be unbearable to watch.

You laugh nervously. Does he really think that? 

“Guys! Here they come,” Sabine interrupts you two as she spots the winning team.

Ezra lets go of you after one last shake, and you all turn to face the players, now showered and changed back into their normal clothes. 

Cal’s eyes roam the space until they find yours, and you think you might go blind by his smile. He’s positively glowing. You’re just expecting to maybe hug him, congratulate him on the win, and then you’ll all go get food together as you’ve planned.

Instead, Cal doesn’t slow down as he approaches you, throwing his arms around your torso and lifting you into the air, spinning you around a couple of times. You hold on to him with a squeak of surprise, and he laughs so heartily, you’re actually glad he’s holding you in the air, because your legs surely would have given out.

Once gently placed back onto the ground, you just kind of look at each other, until Ezra loudly clears his throat, and Cal quickly lets go of you. After you guys say your congratulations to Cal and the rest of his team, you head out to the restaurant. It’s nearby so you decide to walk, the weather is nice even though it's the evening.

The rest of the night, you and Cal seem to tiptoe around each other, like there’s suddenly an invisible line that has been drawn, and you’re both waiting for the other to cross over first. You exchange smiles, glances, accidental touches followed by apologies.

Once the food is gone and the adrenaline starts depleting, it’s time to head home. Cal offers to walk you home, since you’re still relatively close to the dorms. Anakin drove to the game, so he takes the rest back with him in his car.

After you say your goodbyes to the group, not without getting some definitely non-inconspicuous looks from your two besties, it dawns on you that once you’re home, Cal will be stranded there. You bring it up to him, and for a minute you actually consider offering for him to stay the night, but you’re actually not mentally or emotionally prepared for that. So you’re glad when he says he doesn’t mind, he’ll just get a cab or something when he's there, since he got a ride with his coach to the game today and didn’t ride his bike. 

You’re walking down the street in comfortable silence, surrounded by the darkness that's already taken over the sky. You look up expecting to see stars, but you’re disappointed to see clouds. In fact, dark, low hanging clouds, threatening to spill over any moment. 

“Huh, when did it get this stormy,” you wonder aloud, and as if on cue, a gust of wind picks up, sending some leaves and debris flying over the street.

“I’m pretty sure there was no rain announced today–” 

The moment Cal says that, it comes pouring down all at once. 

“What the–! Argh!” you groan in frustration at the sudden downpour, but Cal just laughs, taking your hand as he pulls you away.

“Come on!”

You let yourself be led to take shelter under an awning. You look down at yourself, already soaked even though you were exposed for mere seconds. The sound of rain hitting the ground drowns everything else. You look out with a pout, knowing you’ll have to wait out the weather to get anywhere. 

Suddenly you feel a weight on your shoulders. You look to the side to see Cal placing his varsity jacket on you, and you’d be lying if you weren’t welcoming the warmth. Given that today was supposed to be a clear night, you didn’t really have that many layers, so you gladly slide your arms into the sleeves, hugging yourself. 

Instead of letting go completely of the jacket though, Cal keeps readjusting the collar, tugging on one side so that you turn until you’re fully facing him. A droplet of water falls from his hair onto his cheek. You uncross your arms, slowly bringing your hands up to his forearms, shyly holding onto them. 

“Can i kiss you?” he asks without looking away. And you couldn’t have even if you wanted to, it’s like his ocean eyes held yours in a tight embrace, unable to move. You don’t answer immediately, despite every fiber in your body screaming yes!

“I’m scared,” you finally say in a small voice, almost getting drowned out by the raging rain. Cal’s head backtracks a bit in surprise. 

“What of?” 

“It’s silly,” you pout again, this time looking away, but his hand finds your cheek, bringing your gaze back to him.

“You can tell me,” he assures you. You let out a sharp breath of frustration at yourself. 

“I’ve just… never felt like this before,” you admit. “I'm scared of how much of an effect you have over me, I suppose, and as such making a fool of myself. I want you to like me, so badly.”

Cal tilts his head slightly to the side, offering a warm reassuring smile.

“I can assure you, I feel the same way about you.”

“I don't believe you,” you retort with a scoff. “You always look so collected and confident and just generally cool.”

“On the outside, maybe. But trust me, I'm freaking out on the inside. Check for yourself.”

He takes your hand and places it on his chest, leaving his hand on yours. His heart is beating at a quick pace. The moment you look up again and meet his eyes, the pace picks up. In the faint light you can see a blush spreading on his face, heart pounding against his ribcage, with yours to match.

“Same here,” you say.

“I know,” he replies with a bit of mischief, his other hand on your cheek moving down a bit to your neck, where you now know he can feel your pulse. 

You know he’s still waiting for your answer, but you decide to tease him. Just a bit. Besides, this question has been burning on your tongue for what feels like an eternity now.

“When we went down to the basement, you knew it wasn’t haunted, right?” you ask, and he has to adjust to the sudden change of topic, looking surprised at first, then laughing heartily. You continue, “You knew it was a thing that couples do?” 

“Ah, you got me,” he replies with a light shrug. 

“Did you plan the whole thing out from the start?”

“Actually, no.” He looks away for a moment with a faint smile, thinking back to that day, then meets your eyes again. “I did want to go there with you but didn’t know how to ask. Then I saw you at the vending machine, and the whole thing with Kenobi happened, and it was just too good of an opportunity to pass.”

“I can’t believe I got played like that,” you say with a dramatic sigh. “You know, had you told me back then that you liked me, I would have gone willingly to the basement to leave a note.”

“Guess I was scared, too.”

“That’s fair,” you say, your hands coming up to his face to hold it properly now. You smooth your thumb over his cheekbone, and he leans into your touch. “Well, now that that’s sorted out: yes, yes you can.”

Cal leans in, catching your lips in his, and he holds you so tenderly, you might as well melt down and get swept away by the rain. Your whole body burns, and you grab a fistful of his shirt in an attempt to pull him closer. His hands travel down your arms to snake around your waist between his jacket and your damp shirt, holding you up as you involuntarily put more of your weight on him, the legs under you threatening to give in completely. 

He breaks the kiss and pulls back only enough to pepper your whole face in little kisses, making you giggle.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” he remarks, trailing kisses down your jaw, then coming back up to place one last kiss on your lips, which you chase after as he pulls back again, and he chuckles.

“We should get going,” he says, taking your hands in his. “The rain stopped, we should get you home before you catch a cold.”

“Right,” you mumble, still trying to come down from the high of that kiss.  

You start walking down the street hand in hand, and you swing them back and forth between the two of you. You’re almost at your place when he gets a call. Taking his phone out, he picks up and puts it on speaker; it’s Anakin. He asks if Cal needs a ride because of the sudden rain.

“You’re asking now?” Cal laughs. “Well, you sure took your time.”

“I assumed you were… occupied.”

Your face burns up yet again, tips of your ears on fire, as Cal shoots you a funny look.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” he says into the phone.

“Oh my god–!” you squeak, hiding your face in your hands as you hear Padme’s cheering in the background. “But yes, please come pick him up. Or he might get sick. We’re both soaking wet.”

Cal holds back a laugh, and you grab onto his wrist to bring the phone closer to you.

“From the rain! Soaked from the rain!” you say firmly into the phone. “Geez...!”

After some more snickers, Anakin and Cal coordinate where he should pick him up. It’s just a street over from your dorm, so you have to part ways there.

“Let’s go somewhere this weekend,” Cal suggests as you’re hugging him goodbye.

“Like where?”

“I’ll show you one of my favourite spots. How about that? Bring your helmet.” 

“Ooh, roadtrip with BD. I’m in,” you agree.

Cal leans in to leave a lingering kiss on your cheek, but before he can pull back completely, you sneak in a peck on the corner of his mouth. Even in the darknes, the streelight the only source of illumination, you can see the furious blush on his face. If it were up to you, you’d kiss him until the sun comes back up, but the both of you really need to take a warm shower and get to bed. 

“It’s a date then,” Cal says with a wink and takes a couple of steps back, waving at you, then turning fully to walk towards the pick-up spot. 

“Yeah, a date…” you whisper to yourself dreamily.

— — — — —

True to his word, Cal takes you to his favourite place. You packed some food and drinks for the road, then headed out. By now you’re far more comfortable on the bike, so you can actually enjoy the view as well. The farther away you get from the city, the more you’re surrounded by forests, farms and you even cross a lake. Starting to gain elevation as he drives up the meandering narrow street, you arrive at a vantage point of sorts. There’s a small parking lot by the road, with a public restroom and some picnic tables. You two get off the bike, walking to the fence which feels to be right at the edge of the cliff, showing a fantastic view into a giant valley.

Your date takes its course; you eat, you chat, you even remembered to pack some cards so you play a couple of rounds on the table. 

When it’s time to head back, you’re packing your things, both of you standing by the bike.

“So, how’d you like it?” he asks.

“It’s beautiful,” you reply, letting your eyes roam over the landscape once more. You arrived here in the early afternoon, and now the sun is just about to set. 

“Anything else you’d like to do before we head back?” 

You think it over. You already ate, took some pictures, enjoyed the view. There’s really not much else to do here. But then a thought occurs to you.

“I, uhm…” For some reason you get shy with your request. “Is there any way we can sit on the bike facing each other? Not to drive, just to chill here a little longer. I’d like to see the full sunset.”

His brows rise in surprise, the slight blush on his cheeks not escaping you, and you wonder what it was about what you’re asking that caused it. 

“Sure. Here–”

He grabs you from underneath your arms, picking you up as you wrap your legs around his waist. He holds you like you weigh nothing, and swings one of his legs over the bike to take a seat like he normally would, placing you onto the tank. You unwrap your legs so that they’re hanging over his things, and that’s when you realise you just asked for you to straddle him. Not that you’re opposed to the result. 

You try finding your seat on the round tank, but you slip down further into his lap, now fully sitting on him. 

“Whoah, sorry,” you try to scoot back up but you’re essentially stuck. “Is this okay? Should I move back?”

“Don’t worry,” he says, looking to the side for a moment as he holds you by your waist, trying to hold you still, and he clears his throat nervously. “This is every biker’s dream, believe me. Are you comfortable?”

You hum in positive response, trying to accommodate to the position in his lap by squirming a little, and his grip on you tightens again. You hear him take a sharp breath though his teeth. 

“Ah, sorry…” you say as you realise what you’re doing. You place your hands on his chest, trying to hold still. For a moment you just sit there, looking at each other in silence, both of you starting to relax into each others’ holds. 

Then a gust of wind picks up, ruffling up his hair. Golden hour hits him just right, the fiery red strands on his head shine gold and copper in the sunlight, his hundreds of freckles seem to glisten on his skin, begging for you to trace over them with your fingers, his ocean eyes now have a hint of green and specks of gold in them, darting up and down as he studies your face as well. Your heart all but bursts at the sight.

“What?” he asks after a while, chuckling. 

“You're breathtaking,” you blurt out in full honesty, holding his face, wondering how it was possible for such a beautiful human being to exist? And he chose to be with you?

Your answer definitely takes him off-guard, as his face blushes violently, from his neck to the tip of his ears. He can’t hold your gaze, looking to the side. It takes a couple of attempts to form a proper sentence.

“You can’t say that with such a straight face, damn,” he laughs nervously. He leans his forehead on your shoulder in an attempt to hide his burning cheeks, but you cup his face and bring him back up to look at you.

“Besides,” he adds after a moment, “You only say that because you haven’t seen yourself. If you think that of me, then you’re nothing short of ethereal.”

So much for watching the sunset. You can’t take your eyes off of him, and his words pierce your very heart, but in a good way. Not really knowing what to reply to that, you kiss him instead, burying your fingers in his hair. 

Cal reciprocates just as intensely, and you can’t help but arch your back into him, thus rolling your hips into his, to which he groans. Your brain is instantly turned to mush, your body now in charge. He tilts his head to the side, his tongue tracing over your lips, and you gasp as you grant him access. Right now, Cal tastes like honey and cool mornings and the pine trees surrounding you. Your senses are on overload, your skin burns as Cal’s hands slip underneath your shirt, slowly travelling up your back, pressing you into him even more.

Finally breaking for air, Cal kisses your jaw, your neck, biting where your pulse is, and if you could still hear yourself, you’d probably be embarrassed about the noises you’re making. 

Then he pulls back rather suddenly, you notice his jaw is tense but you notice his dishevelled hair more, as well as his puffy lips, and the dazed look in his eyes which you’re surely sporting yourself too. You’re both panting, trying to calm your breathing. His hands slide back down and out of your shirt, staying on your thighs instead. 

“Maybe,” Cal says between breaths, “Maybe we should take this somewhere… else.” 

You run your hand through his hair in an attempt to smooth it out. 

“I think Ahsoka is out for the rest of the night,” you say, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. 

He raises a brow at you. You give him an innocent smile. 

“Let’s head back then,” he says, picking you up again like before, this time to get you off the bike. 

You finish packing up everything, hop on and start your way back to the dorms. All the while, his hand is either on yours or on your leg, lovingly stroking the side of your thigh. 

His biker gear really does suit him and you like how he looks in it, but for once, you can’t wait for him to take it off.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

🐥 taglist: [link to join in my pinned post!] @dybynyght, @galaxtic-writings, @kalea-bane , @soka-writes-things, @padawancat97, @riddikulus-obsessions, @optimisticprime3, @starilicious, @ivelostmyabilitytoeven, @alternatescififandomelover, @lovelyygirl8, @cathyket, @wildefire, @ghostkestis, @reckoning-star, @wyvernthekriger

[annieqattheperipheral]

At 1hr 21min:

Started typing... Kept typing lol here you go, natemac interview recap:

Nate still has to go train at sid's gym

So nate makes batherson come to his gym

Vail camp: used to have them, paused for covid, better and chill, no one knows them (tried them before in toronto and montreal), not busy. Training at 9000ft. Afterwards do treatment or golf.

Attendees: mcdavid, marner, sid, skinner, hall, tysbarrie, matty tkachuk, bennett, hanifin

McDavid: i don't see him much, I've gotten to know him thru these. I'm like a kid watching him, it's just fun

Matthew Tkachuk: "and he's doing his thing 😂"

Cale's wedding: "i shouldn't say a showman but when he gets into his moods he's a fun guy. likes to dance, have a good time, when his wife's around, definitely loosens up more and it's just the boys around"

Went to Wimbledon this summer. Did not wear a top hat

Lighter recovery training both this and last summer: just trying to take miles off his body is key. Light gym days "is that it, Andy?" But feels good now

Cale: "first nhl game, aggressive and calling for pucks, to do that at 19yo is impressive. The confidence that he has. Quieter off the ice. Super sure of himself on the ice. He's special. He'll be the best defenseman ever"

A bit about why he works with his sports psychologist and will always continue working with her "we're so dialed in on our body, why is no one taking care of their mind" "the minute you think you're good, you're not"

Is offended that "ball hockey players claim nhl players can't play ball hockey. is that true?" ("I've rollerbladed my entire life!!") (I need to see fanart of that btw pls ☺️)

Idiot boys tell him it's on feet not on rollerblades (chiclets cup talk "what is the chiclets cup?")

Nate asks who the best ball hockey player in the world is. Answer: "nose face killah" "who?" "he looks 20x uglier and a big nose" and Nate responds "so he's got like my nose" they all compliment his nose😌

Nate redirects the convo to roller hockey

On sid's $8.7: in July he told him "you're not gonna sign for 8.7 are ya c'mon. and he was like ahh idk I'll see" he's taking less to be team friendly

Sid still grinding in the summers. While Nate had his recovery summer he looks like a joke in comparison to sid

The pressure of being captain for team canada for upcoming 4nations & Olympics must be part of what's driving him

"he doesn't look 37 in any way" Yandle: he doesn't have any kids. Nate: must be it! Must be the key

Landy: feels like 10yrs when he last played and lifted the cup. Misses him

Mikko: "he's shockingly big. Says he's 6'3", seems like he must be 6'5". His head is this fuckin big"

"old school. Stretches for like an hour a day. The most flexible guy"

Avs "get so many national games. Know we're not the biggest hockey market but mikko should get more recognition. Super underrated"

Cal ritchie: he did the whiffing thing at vail camp. Everyone thought he whiffed and then he did it again. Nate tried it to do it today, can't do it. Awed by what the kids can do

Nate can't do the Michigan either

His trainer has trained a lot of downhill skiers, you have to be fearless, so training in the pool relaxes your mind. Keeps mum about what he does in the pool. No he does not wear a speedo😞

Lehky's dad vs. mikko: "mikko had a 4 or 5pt game, was fired up, said that to media, then apologized to lehky like 3min later. They're really good friends"

Went to Europe this summer: no one really knows me in america, especially there. Like being off grid, wake up to no texts bc of time change, super relaxing

Was tempted to go to worlds last season (omg what!!!!) avs were out 2nd round. Sid was bugging him and schenner about it (biz: "if you go I'll go kind of thing?" 'Yea")

They were all going to go but nate pooped out "played 105 games, lost to Dallas, was devastated"

Cogs: met him thru Andy at vail. Lit up when it was brought up about trading for him in '22. He is management now. Around the rink, always in the gym, hands in his pockets, walking around, talking to guys

"isn't he good at impressions?" "Yea he's a great storyteller he's so good"

"the league is evolving really quickly right now so it's good to have a bridge" like cogs who recently played bw team and mgmt

Communication is better in the league. Players aren't terrified to talk to GM like he was as a rookie when seeing sakic. Thinks it's important for players to know where they stand. Old school players think fear can be good, yea sure, but you can't scare ppl into playing well for over 8mos, 82 games. Prefers this new way

Mitts: super comfortable, quieter, came to a team where he knows nobody, he looks great, expecting an awesome year from him

Faceoffs: lmaaooo still saying he needs to practice that. Hurts his wrist when he practices them. Needs to be around 52. Was at 46 last season

No league bonus$ for winning the Hart

MacKinnon Crunch cereal released in 2021. It was frosted flakes + he picked the flavour, he liked it! (I NEED TO TRY THIS)

Tim hortons: sidnate want to do an ad with marchy where he messes up ppls orders and they sit him down to teach him what to do (omg they're coming up with sketches lolll) "Marchy needs to be nicer on the ice to be more marketable" 💀

Bedard: hard worker, on the ice 1.5hr after everyone, ice is so snowy can't even move on it

Preseason games, re: all these preseason injuries: doesn't agree with veteran rule (how many mandatory games they have to play) but important for prospects and rookies, you need to be able to evaluate them, they can look good in practice but different story in games.

For vets, you want to play hard, show a good example "played one last night, lost 6-1" and" you see the doughty laine injuries and it's like i could throw my season away for a glorified practice essentially is all it is"

"You're in your game jersey but it doesn't mean anything"

"it's a fine line, i like playing them, 1 or 2, i don't need 6"

Teams are making $1-3mil per preseason game (probably only leafs habs etc)

Listens to a lot of podcasts, likes learning (about self-help, longevity, recovery, nutrition, etc), always has since he was a kid. Liked going to Popeyes (nutrition supplements chain store, like GNC) with his dad looking at protein powders etc lmao

"idk I'm just into it. Definitely love learning, there's a lot i don't know. I feel like a dummy listening to these guys"

Asked about "policing food". He laughs. Omg the laugh is sooo lmaao. On whit saying rumours of him strangling lehky last season for eating a snickers "nooo. Stop it. Stop it. That's not true. (*laughing! laughing!🙃 *oh we are having fun!*)"

"Trying to mellow out a little bit. Definitely see some shit i get mad, try to keep it to myself. ... Eat what you want but when you're at the rink ... I just think the least you can do as a pro athletes is be in shape."

On how nhl of the past, players would be drinking pepsi in-between periods: "a little sugar during a game isn't too bad, it's all good" (i swear his voice is different at this part bc he is internally combusting😂)

4nations/team Canada: Wants McDavid & Sid 1c/2c. Doesn't think they've played wing, doesn't want them to

Himself 3c or wing. Has played wing at other national events. Doesn't love left wing. Prefers right

"should i tell sid to play wing?" Paraphrased: you're Ted Lindsay & MVP, still at his gym, you gotta get something out of this

"he could be 50yo and I'd still slide over" 😏

"nova scotia line (sid, nate, marchy) would be pretty cool at Olympics or this feb (4nations)"

Marner: "he looks awesome... You hear all this negative stuff and then you get on the ice with him you're like how could anyone be negative about this. Admire how good he is, bc ppl chirp him a lot. Him and McDavid were flying around together in Vail"

[valscodblog]

Howdy there, partner! 🤠

Congrats on your first request bbg. Your writing is so freaking juicy i wanna marry it 🤑 Seriously, your Valeria fics? *Chefs kiss*

anywhos, request? Do you write for Kate Laswell? Would you be willing to write something fluffy of Kate coming home after that one time she smoked on-screen, only to be met with her pant-pissingly-scary-wifes scolding?

aaaggghhh take that you lovable bastard. Thank you for your time 🫂

–Jooseboxxe 🧃

FUCK YESSSSS, PLEASE SEND ME SOME SHIT FOR KATE MY BABY, i love her so much it's not funny anymore. she is me, i am her-

ANYWAYS! (so sorry this is such a late reply omfg)

"SMOKING AGAIN?" Kate Laswell x Black!F!Reader

Warnings: CRRRACK fluf, bc yes. Some cussig bc my addicted to it (better than drugs, kids.) uhmmm 13+ fic, AND ANYWAYS IF UR YOUNGER THAN THAT GET TF OFF OF TUMBLR???? WHAT THE FUCK!???

a/n: WHY AINT THIS WOMAN REAL AND MARRIED TO ME??? TF??

"Hey, Katie, welcome ho-what's that smell?"

and cue Kate Laswell, this head strong, very intelligent, very pretty, and very calm and collected woman, starting to Tremble.

"It's uhmm, from John. He was smoking in office again and I-" "Kate, im no idiot. You had a cig, didn't you?" and Kate nodded. "Dishes, landuray, gardening, bathroom, and you have to sleep on the couch for a month." Kate's mouth fell open, "I-Im not sleeping on the fuckin' couch, Y/n!" "Oh really?"

cue the biggest stare down Kate's ever had with her wife.

"I made myself very fucking clear when I told you no more smoking. I said so right after we said out vows, before we even kissed! I told you no more smoking and yeah, you said sure and kept your word, but this is the fifth time since you started with one four one that you smoked, Kate!" Y/n said at the speed of light, and Kate had to reply it in her head three times just to understand the first sentence and nothing more.

"Listen, Babe, I-" "No. I'm putting my foot the fuck down, Kate! Your done! I'll call John myself and tell him. Fuck-I'll cal everyone in one four one to tell them!" and Kate laughed. "You don't even have their numbers, Darling." "I'll find them!" "How, Baby, how?" "You leave your laptop open all the time!" "Like i'd risk writing down their numbers in my laptop."

"Oh, fuck you!" and Kate laughed even more, "Gladly, My Dear. Just-" "Not like that, Kate!" and finally, her wife laughed with her. And they just laughed for a good three minuets before Y/n said, "As much as I hate your habit...I'm happy your home, Katie." and Kate pressed a soft kiss to her wife's forehead. "Me too..."

"you're still sleeping on the couch though."

"Baaaabe, c'mon!"

[crow-with-a-typewriter]

Time to actually do a writeblr intro, wow this took me forever to make.

HI! I’m Crow, I like writing sometimes & wanna post about how I write sometimes. To do that I gotta have a place where people can have summaries of my too many projects. So, here

Most of my projects (except for War & Wings) take place in Cievia, a high fantasy world that I’ve been working on for 5 years now and love immensely.

[ ] means the name hasn’t been decided yet; a placeholder name

Novels

The Wanderer’s Guide

A somewhat academic-style, whimsical story of two best friends accidentally creating the first ever encyclopedia (and leading a decrepit world into a new golden age).

It’s a platonic love story as these two idiots (affectionate) travel the world together, gaining a comprehensive understanding of demonology, metaphysics, and the structure of the universe while on their roadtrip to go everywhere and experience everything in the world. That roadtrip just ends up longer than expected when they keep unintentionally helping wayward gods. And being the only witnesses to the death of the King of Heaven. And then fixing heavenly bureaucracy. And getting into underworld legal drama. And making a child from scratch to repopulate humanity. Y’know, usual roadtrip things.

A lot happens when a cartographer/scholar and a wilderness guide decide to be best friends, okay?

Wanderer’s Guide will be a multi-book series that sees everything in Ceivia in its lowest state. Zipping Dragonfly (cartographer & scholar) and Cal Ipse (wilderness guide) go through Heaven, the Mortal Plane, and the various afterlives out of a youthful desire to see the world, and it’s their need to help the people & gods they encounter that makes the world start to slowly recover. It’s a very domestic and hopeful story and it’s easily my biggest project.

Themes on what the different kinds of love look like & how they often overlap, the ability or lack thereof to feel an emotion doesn’t make you evil, learn from history or be doomed to repeat it, it’s never too late to try to get/be better, evil is a matter of perspective, and organizations can and should change with changing times.

[To Adapt]

A sort of side-sequel to Wanderer’s Guide? It follows the stories of two side characters as they reconnect and start traveling together.

It takes the perspective of Isal, a former major god who was out for the count for a solid two eras and is now back with no family left, his people barely remembering him, and without most of his power. Isal, when brought back, is greeted & taken care of by Lutt, a major enemy of his back in the day. Lutt has fallen from grace too; the civilization that worshiped him is gone. Lutt, once the god of rulership and an advisor to kings, is now the god of stories & wandering minstrels with almost no worshipers at all. The story follows the two as Isal relearns how to be a nobody, and tries to figure out a new domain for himself.

It’s borderline a philosophical dialogue, with the two constantly debating with each other. The big question is about betrayal. Isal used to (and might still) be the god of betrayal, so he has opinions about it. Lutt thinks it’s a neutral thing, whether it’s good or bad is determined by who you’re doing it to, and some forms of betrayal are the right thing to do no matter who you’re doing it to. Isal thinks that it is awful in all forms. Betrayal can be justified or necessary, but it is always morally wrong.

Lots of grappling with immorality and what it means, how you handle outliving people you love, and what to do if it all gets dull or tired.

Empire of Nixarian

This one is about the slow expansion of an empire on a very cold continent, told from the perspectives of the emperor, the emperor’s advisor(and lover), a runaway slave from a neighboring kingdom, and a small group of soldiers at the front line. It takes inspiration from the reigns of Qin Shi Huang and Wu Zetian.

The perspective of the emperor deals with internal workings and politics of the palace, as well as his dubious sanity. The emperor’s advisor has a lot of focus on the politics of the demons and spirits of the frozen landscape, ensuring the safety of his emperor, and managing his own demonic nature. The ex-slave’s story focuses on the magic system as she learns it and uses it to maintain her freedom. The soldiers’ story shows the horrors of the front line & the love of found family, used as contrast to the goings on of the palace.

Themes of how mental illness doesn’t make you a bad person, who the ‘hero’ of a story is is subjective, the nature of family & romantic relationships, and whether trying to live up to a legacy is worth it.

Web Comics

War and Wings

War & Wings is a story meant to play with the stereotypes & tropes of Fae King x Spunky Peasant Woman romances.

It’s a political drama & romance between a former nobleman and a fae queen.

A nobleman, named Ivan, was taught levitation magic by his sister (before she left) as a child (only women are allowed to learn magic). He wanted to spend his days in archery, romance novels, and practicing magic in secret, but he had to get married to secure the family line. He delayed marriage as long as possible, and when he couldn’t delay it anymore at home he joined the army as an archer.

At the border of the fae lands, [Queenie] has united all the clans of her people under one banner. She is leading them to conquest into human territories to have a place for her own people away from the constant threat of dragons and other great beasts. She has conquered a decent chunk of human territory, and is in the process of renovating a crumbling fort into a palace city complex.

While at war, Ivan and others are captured by [Queenie]. Ivan is picked out to be a palace servant. Plot ensues as Ivan finds he actually enjoys being a servant and the power he wields by influencing other servants and blackmail.

[Queenie] ends up finding out about his skill with levitation & the power he wields as a servant. She makes a deal with him. He will be her personal servant (a position of safety), and he will turn his network of servants into a network of spies for her. He agrees. Romance spirals from there.

I enjoy this one a lot since the story is kind of a story of villains? [Queenie] and her flying menace of a lover Alfe (Ivan starts calling himself Alfe) are very antagonistic to very hero-coded adventurers who are trying to stop them from continuing their conquest.

Medium To Be Determined

[Wandering House]

This one is mostly just vibes right now. Inspirations from Howl’s Moving Castle, the Kidnapping of Persephone, and Baba Yaga.

A traveler is lost in a blizzard when he finds a manor. He breaks in and makes himself warm by the fireplace. At some point he eats food there. He looks for people but he can’t find any, but things keep getting fixed up and arranged like servants are working around the manor. At some point the traveler meets the master of the manor, who is determined to keep him there for some reason, probably loneliness. The master of the manor is up to some spooky shit and the traveler goes “Nope” and tries to leave. He can’t, doors won’t open and when he finally breaks a window to leave he ends up back at the manor anyway.

He does manage to get away at some point, and manages to stay away for a while by actively dodging the place no matter how often it appears on the road. He gets forced back eventually.

The manor is full of spirits that work as servants :]

[Protect the Heir]

I have a better grasp on this one.

A snake demon & an enchanted soldier are desperate to protect the last surviving heir to the royal family until she reaches maturity.

The guard has been through many surgeries, removing his bones to be placed in weapons so that he’ll be able to control them with his mind. So many bones have been removed that he’s missing an arm, his feet are mostly metal, the remaining arm is in shreds, and his jaw got replaced with metal so he can’t speak. He is the princess’s protector and the only person she has other than her godmother, the snake demon. The guard is an older brother to the little princess; she adores him.

Revolutionaries think that the demon and guard are manipulating the princess, or are going to puppeteer her, or otherwise hurt her so they kidnap her. The snake demon stays behind as regent to keep the place running, the guard goes to steal the princess back.

This one will probably be a comic but I haven’t decided yet.

[tealfling]

As Coren, tiefling Storm Sorc: She LOVES them. Probably utterly smitten just walking up on them arguing in the Grove in a way that only siblings that truly love each other would argue.

I haven't completely worked out all her back story yet, since she's my newest fav, but I feel like she's also a tiefling orphan. So she's just naturally drawn to them in a relatable way.

But when Coren/Tav decides to side with Lia in a "Obviously, you need to stay. Put those blades & spells to use to help each other," way, the ladies just click. Lia finally has someone that gets it and is willing to push back on Rolan with her? Instant ride or die sisterhood forever. It takes two seconds of Lia watching Rolan & Coren interact before she has an "eew gross"/ "they were made for each other" revelation. Becomes their biggest shipper and bullies Rolan the second Coren is on sight. Affectionately, of course. Coren and Lia are besties.

Cal probably becomes endeared to Coren when he pulls her aside and thanks her for stepping in before Rolan & Lia said some things they would regret. He's softer than his siblings, and loves them both dearly so it's hard to be in the middle. Coren finds his sense of humor adorable. Cal maybe bigger and maybe older that Coren, but he has "beloved little brother" energy. She'd let him get away with murder. When Cal tells Coren, after the defeat of Larry Pickle, there will always be a room at the tower for her, it's the first time anyone has ever offered her a room, a place of her own. (He beat Rolan by like a minute bc Rolan was waiting for a private moment to offer her his room...) Coren would cry and Cal would panic thinking he broke her, then Lia would give her a hug (and eye the guys like 'get in here you idiots'). Group hug.

Honest to gods, Lia says something along the lines to Rolan like, "What's the point of calling this place Sorcerer's Sundries if there's no sorcerer living here?" She says it loudly too, in front of everyone. Rolan blushes and Coren just smiles with a shit eating grin.

Coren will just move her stuff into her new room from the Elfsong while she stays to "help Rolan work on the canon" and never spends a night in that bed.

To the people of the great and mighty holy rolan empire

How does your tav get along with the siblings?

[wandyrlust-a]

hunt athalar supremacy is him being the love interest with brown eyes.

[lost-on-kamino]

Wish them well

So this is a little something after Cal broke my heart with unexplain the unforgivable... and then gaeasun broke my heart a second time with The Two Hundred... and THEN EPS WITH EXHALE THE PAINT FUMES So i’m joining the pile but with a different side of things... Batchmates wondering where one of their own is...

A Metro(nome) squad fic where Beat is ready to scream, Tacet is silently murdering and Pitch lives up to his name Also on Ao3 The little song i was listening to which is our dear Corrie is singing at the end...

- There was silence.

 Beat would usually love silence between the constant relief missions but… this silence wasn’t at all settling her mind. It had been ages since Rhythm had reported in, which had coincidently been when the 104th were joining the chase for Commander Tano, the falsely accused bomber.

Where was her Vod’ika.

The one she had left when she was transferred over from the Coruscant Guard to the 104th under General Plo, the one who would drop a new playlist over the date and cheer up the chat room, the one who sent pictures of the two natborn children he had made friends with over their pictures and art.

Beat knew he was still around, after all; he didn’t leave the chat. One of their rules within Metro Squad had been:

If you were going back for Kamino, you’d remove yourself from the Metro Squad Chatroom to signal the others to look for you, they were siblings and siblings all together even if one of them had gone.

However… Rhythm had just stayed silent.

LUCKILY for her… she knew two Idiots on Coruscant at the same time… despite Pitch muttering about the Guard and Fives, though repeatedly tagging Rhythm to get the Guard’s view in regards to the matter. She didn’t care about the damn time for them, while she predicted it would be about early morning for the two. She had requested a bit of privacy which Commander Wolffe had granted before calling, knowing Tacet would have their Comms on fullblast. She waited a few moments before stopping the call and typing into the chatroom.

[Heart skipped a Beat] Wake up sunshines, I know you two fuckers are on Coruscant

[Silence is Golden] Of course

[Loud Blue Screaming] It’s early… you know the time here… Why you doing this

[Heart Skipped a Beat] I want you two to check on @[Continously Talking]. He’s not responded and it's been ages since… THAT.

[Loud Blue Screaming] Why?

[Heart Skipped a Beat] Because you two are on Coruscant and you should check on him; Idgaf if you’re pissed off at the Guard about Fives, Grow up.

[Loud Blue Screaming] I’m not! I know the others are tense but I’d never drop Rhythm and his buds like that!

[Silence is Golden] You’d be breaking the Biggest rule

Beat leaned back on the crate as she looked at Tacet's message. Chord. They all promised Chord they would watch his Twin as they watched his body leave their sight and into the ashes. They’d watch his Twin. Pitch was the youngest but they always knew Rhythm was the one who’d be hit by everything the hardest, yet he tried so much to cheer others.

[Loud Blue Screaming] We’ll get up now… should be about time his usual shift starts up.

[Heart Skipped a Beat] Please… Let me know if he’s safe. At least for those he’s connected with; Lenta, Agi, Vite, Kiibuna, the Dead Men….

[Silence is Golden] Understood

Beat looked away from her Comms and sighed. Always her to get the others motivated, but when Mae poked her head in and glanced over her, she pouted.

“What’s wrong with you” Beat paused as she brushed a tear away.

“Nothing… not yet… Just hoping for some good news.”

-

Tacet had stretched quietly as Pitch finished off pulling on his armour, looking back. The two had ended up renting a room to actually sleep around in proper beds than the barracks. Soon the two headed out quickly while avoiding the stares of the general public as they walked towards the Coruscant Guard headquarters. Pitch yawning to himself as Tacet rolled his eyes; his fault for staying up to watch that damn holo-drama. The medic and ARF trooper entered the doors and noted how… quiet it was. Like… the lack of Guard members actually roaming in their own base… there were colours of orange and blue instead. This threw Pitch off, why wasn’t he contacted? Tacet frowned before quickly approaching the 212th member on the desk. “...Ah… ahhh” He quietly tested his voice. “...Excuse me.” Pitch however looked around more as he knew his brother would quietly claim the information, knowing Rhythm, he’d be in the Medbay.

He missed the horrified look upon his quiet brother’s face and the drop of his helmet. But the medic kept going along as he continued to move along fast. He noticed two troopers exiting the Medbay with a Coruscant guard member and for a moment, he didn’t notice the Guard’s face for a moment but froze when the familiar freckled face and scars passed by him. He quickly turned and grasped the Clone’s wrist, startling the three. “....Rhythm?” “...Pardon?” All colour drained from Pitch’s face. “...I am CT-2895… I am in the process of moving back to my cell after a Health Check as the Guard have been arrested for misconduct....” “...No… You’re joking… You’re Rhythm… My Vod…. My Ori’Vod.” Pitch shook his head. CT-2895 frowned. “You have the wrong guy…” Pitch shook his head again and looked to his fellow 501st. “No… That’s my VOD. What the Fuck happened here!?” He demanded. “...We were just given orders to escort to medical checks, if you want something, find the Captain or Kix… You know they deserve this after what they tried to do with Fi-” The Trooper didn’t finish his sentence before he fell to Pitch’s punch. “No… You shut up!” He moved again to grab at CT-2895, no Rhythm, as Orange flashed and grabbed his arm as Tacet shook his head. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Pitch?!” The trooper grumbled. “I’ll report this to the captain…” Pitch leaned towards the Trooper, his buddy pulling him away from the enraged medic. “Be sure you do! I want a word with him and why I wasn't involved with my OWN batchmate!” Pitch threatened as the trio continued to press on as Tacet held onto Pitch. “...It’s Rhythm… But… He’s Retconned…” Pitch frowned. “I recognise that formation of freckles, I swear to Kriff.” Tacet looked down. “There’s reports 200 went out and 200 came back wiped… After the hunt for Ahsoka Tano…” Tacet responded to him. “Rhythm… may have been one of them… But Commander Cody and Captain Rex have all the records and we can’t check them without their permission… Unless…” “...Unless?” “....We have ONE person…” Pitch stared at Tacet, who sunk his head, shaking it exasperated and tired. “Rhythm’s shadow.” The two looked at each other before nodding. - What Olly would have suspected was a change of the Guard of his cell, considering his containment needed to be… a little re-enforced. What he hadn’t expected to see… was his Guard open the door before a brick hit his helmet, throwing him into the wall. Tacet stepped into the room, hand tightly clenching the Brick, face blank as Pitch stared almost in horror. “....Wow, remind me never to piss you off.” Olly raised an eyebrow as Pitch checked over the clone as Tacet stepped in, throwing the brick to the side, causing a small dent into the wall as the 212th member looked over the Riot Trooper. Red Alert perked up from his spot, face likely complaining about the MULTITUDES of issues caused by this. “...What do you want?” Olly muttered. “...Answers… about everything.” Tacet responded quietly before moving to his knees and sitting. “...About the Vod you obviously didn’t care for?” Olly glared towards the two as Pitch winced. “...Rhythm means more to me than the 501st… Tacet is the one holding me from going to Captain Rex and fucking punching the snot out of him…” Pitch muttered. “I mean you could do something alternative.” Olly suggested as Pitch grunted. “I’d be willing at this point.” “...Enough… Why did 200 go away and come back reconned… Pitch… almost had an altercation with some troopers over him… I assume… he was one of the ones… who…” Tacet spoke wincing. “Why is he still talking, I know his vocals are still off.” He shook his head before switching to something more comfortable. Tacet smiled weakly. /Pardon/ Tacet’s hands shook twice in a peace formation as Olly read it. /Things are… Odd/ Olly moved his right hand across his chin in a pointed motion. Tacet frowned, folding his arms for a moment. He rubbed his knuckles together.

/Brother?/

Olly’s hands paused. And Red Alert took over. “Order from the top… they requested 200 Guardsmen who were involved with the chase to be re-conned… Rhythm was in the Communications center. He was part of them… all wiped and Returned… Fox put their names as memorials…”

Pitch shrunk a bit. “A few people have been told about everything here… I know a few selected to help Rex after… THAT. Me and Tacet knew nothing. We didn’t even know the Guard were arrested or what happened to Rhythm-”

/You didn’t check/ Olly motioned his hand, pointer to his eye and pinkie to his lips and thumb out as Tacet scowled. /Make it up. Please./ Tacet’s hand shook as Olly twisted his body away from the two, anger rising. They should have known. Red Alert looked over to his taller trooper before looking back.. “You have no time until they check on the guard… You need to know where they’ve likely got Fox’s things… Rhythm… Rhythm left a message for you guys…” Red Alert spoke up as Olly turned quickly back, feeling betrayed by his fellow Riot Trooper. But Red Alert knew… that these two would try their darndest to look into it. “Olly, I know you don’t care anymore but Rhythm was their Vod… they made this effort here. Let them make their decision…” Olly grunted as Red Alert shook his head. “There were others but… Find Fox’s things and find Rhythm’s message to you… I assume your Sister asked you… and knowing her; she'd be waiting until she can come back to Coruscant immediately.” “...You know Beat… She was a Corrie before the 104th.” Pitch sighed before standing up. “...So I guess we’re breaking into the Investigation for Rhythm.” He nodded. “I might be re-conned but then I can join Rhythm at least… He doesn’t deserve to be alone like this…”

-

Little did they know… CT-2895 sat in his cell and looked at his arm. The Blue medic… and Orange ARF trooper… They seemed familiar and distraught at him… No matter… He leaned back quietly, before murmuring words from a long ago lullaby he saw in a dream of a caring mother and her two children;

Well come and well met, my brave little spark How long you've wandered, burned bright as a star Oh, I have awaited you patiently all this time Past every fate Now sing with me once more, share of your life Far greater than memory, its loss and love words cannot hold Boundless the tale overflowsAnd carries your light out to sea

[the-kings-tail-fin]

Strip is such a comfort character XD he seems like someone who just doesn't want to bother to do anything anymore, which I dont particularly blame considering what a tiring life he's had and just want some dang rest, but does he ever react like getting really scared and jumpy like any normal person (or car lmaoo) or get visibly excited? The biggest reactions I've seen from him is just widening his eyes or angry, what exactly is his mindset?

SUCH a comfort character, ugh I just love him so much. <3333

I think his lack of notable reaction to most things we get to see in the movies is just due to his experience. He's been there, done that, a million times. It's not so much that he doesn't care to do anything anymore - he's still highly competitive and outwardly involved in the sport, even in Cars 3 as a crew chief - he's just seen it all at that point and there are no new surprises, annoyances, and so on in the Piston Cup world. (Noteworthy moment - when Lightning and Cruz jointly win the Florida 500 at the end of Cars 3, he's definitely surprised - he's not seen that before.)

He clearly cares enough to approach Lightning after the 2006 Dinoco 400 and give him some much-needed advice, even if it's all in vain at the time. If this kid is the future of the sport, it's worth a shot. But even there, he's very level-headed and aside from the slight "listen here you idiot" tone he starts out with (direct insult and all), is still friendly and good-willed towards his competitor.

I would imagine that at the track, his second most frequently experienced (and expressed) emotion is frustration. See exhibit A, a split second before Chick sends him to his near-death experience in LA. I would imagine this sort of frustration, while he knows how to deal with it, continued to surface when Cal came on the scene and Strip had little to no control over similar things that happened to his nephew on the track. He's not above saying a few choice words when the occasion calls for it. (I'm still waiting for my Piston Cup Radioactive, @whipplefilter - I will wait forever if I have to.)

He does get excited, say, when Cal's a few laps away from getting a win. When anything could go wrong and each lap lasts an eternity. Internally, he's even more excited than when he was racing and winning. But he's also got a great poker face, and won't show anything at all under the checkers have waved. To do anything before then would jinx their luck. But after? There's no reason to hide his excitement and how proud he is of Cal. He damn near fell off the pit box when Cal got his first win.

But, most of the time, his default mindset is best described as mellow and content. He's had the best sort of life and career a racecar could have, and getting to continue that in various ways is a true gift he's not taking for granted. Sure, there's frustration when his racer gets a DNF. There's excitement and happiness when Team Dinoco gets a win. But on a typical race weekend it's usually "we did our best, we're moving on to next week" and letting it go. Because life is much bigger than any one moment.

[ironhoshi]

you asked for prompts... well here is is tired-me's prompt: pillow(s)! or blanket fort, up to you what you wanna do with the pillows

Pillows! Pls enjoy some antics of time traveling gremlin children. This fits in "They Don't Care About Us."

⭐⭐⭐

There were always casualties during war, that was the law of the galaxy. No matter how hard each side tried to fight without them, something was always lost. Boba stared at the latest causality and couldn't help wondering just how extreme the fallout would be. Pillow down covered nearly every surface, a blatant sign of the fierce war that had just taken place. Anakin looked horrified, Striker was trying not to laugh, and Cal was practically doubled over in his mirth. 

They were all karked. 

BD let out a low whistle in warning. He tensed at the sound of footsteps outside the door, warning far too late. They were caught, but the question was by who...

"Boba, I need you and-" Jango glanced up from his datapad and froze. Calculating eyes took in the destroyed common space before settling on each of them for a few seconds. He could feel the judgement. His fingers twisted in the corpse of the pillow he was holding, its innards spewed over Anakin. Feathers stuck up from hair on all of them, except Striker. Striker was still working on growing his hair out from the military regulation cut he had been sporting. 

Boba was kind of jealous at the moment. Feathers were trapped in his curls and tickling the tops of his ears.

"We can explain," Ani began, clearly ready to act like an adult in the situation. Boba rolled his eyes while Striker and Cal both hid their faces behind some surviving pillows. This was going to be a real shipwreck.

"Oh? Can you?" Jango clicked the datapad off and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you see what happened was this bird flew in here-" Boba groaned loudly before he could stop himself. Anakin was such an idiot! No way buir was going to believe that!

"Anakin," Jango said in a tone that called for silence. 

"Sir," the padawan managed to croak out.

"Shut up."

Boba couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that escaped him. He slapped his hands over his mouth, pillow casing falling to the floor at his feet as he did so.

"We were working on tactics," Cal piped up from behind his pillow.

"I see." Jango's foot began to tap against the floor. A sort of muted echo ricocheted around the room. "And who suggested using the pillows?"

"Feemor, sir," Striker said easily enough. "He said it was prudent for this training."

Jango froze before a soft string of swears left his mouth. Boba got the feeling that Myles was about to get a nasty holocall from his Mand'alor. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from making a witty comment about swearing. They all already swore more than they should considering three of them were children again. He was positive Cal actually knew more swear words than buir. 

"I'll deal with the jetii. You," Jango pointed at each of them, "are going to clean this up before Kenobi sees it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Lek." "Yes." They all sounded half ashamed and half amused. The punishment wasn't that bad.

"Oh, and Anakin? You get to go help the Wookies do bug control since you lied."

"But Jango-"

"No argument or I add more on. Don't test me."

Boba had to stifle a laugh at the series of complex emotions Anakin's face went through. He still wasn't the biggest fan of the di'kut, but this current version? Wasn't the worst. 

[annakareninalookalike]

Diary Entry 2

Hey guys, sorry I skipped a day, but these last few days have been low key insane. 

Tuesday did not go according to plan which caused me to binge very badly- like I went hay. The issue was that i was supposed to come into lab for only an hour and study for my midterm and final the next day. Instead, my lab mentor gave me so many fucking tasks, I stayed in lab for close to 7 hours. Additionally, I have been low key trying to get over my ex so that has been a little rough, so i went and got so drunk that I texted that man who albeit was very nice to me 

But I am obsessed with him so that sucks bro. I need a literal ANA coach like good god i am incapable of being held accountable 

I genuinely dont know why I put up with any of it. I attend an Ivy League but I am the biggest idiot that I have ever met like good god can I just be an academic whore..

Anyways, I got drunk and texted my ex and got up the next morning slightly hangover

I ate high calorie restriction the entire day bc of my final and midterm and then went running afterwards because i am paranoid 

Bio Lab Final technical went so well… I am legit just such a girlboss in stem 

Chem Midterm- eh which is not good bc I NEED a good grade to maintain my grades

Also all of my friends are humanities majors and it shows guys: my roommates get to leave a week early because of no finals and her final project is writing fanfiction for twilight 

Anyways, I am getting back on my diet and workout plan:

To be honest: I still haven't found like an actual schedule that works- I might sit down when I have some free time and figure it out

Here is the plan for today:

Discussion Section 

Small Meal: max 200 cals for lunch 

Sushi with my Big Sib max: 400 cals (i am so excited i love her so much)

Go over last bio unit/ study for the bio final 

Go to lab 

Email (chronic emailing fear) i am not posting this until i send these goodman emails 

Update i did not each lunch- gonna pray that i dont binge 

The plan is to go to bed early…

I am so nervous for my chem grade eeeek 

i am trying to figure out if this works for my final week studying:

No breakfast, 300 cal lunch (prepacked sandwhich so i dont lose spot at the library) and then soup dinner (87 cal)

also veganism low key sucks balls when u have an eating disorder

[imagintheworldaway]

Together

Anonymous asked: Hello! Can you do a Harryxfem! Reader where people see how Harry looks at the reader (calorie challenge- rematch (time stamp 27:17)) and the reader is so oblivious to Harry’s feeling for her because he broke up with his long-term ex last fall and she doesn’t want to read deep into it and just keeps telling people that they’re just friends even though everyone can see past the bull crap and keeps shipping them because they’re very similar and meant to be and after months of Harry pinning after her he tries to move on and go on dates (which fails but she doesn’t know that it’s not working out for him ) so she starts seeing someone and magically somehow end up together and become the “it” couple because of how blunt and honest they are. Sorry that was long! Hope you can write it thanks!

A/N Good gosh this is a long one. I hope you enjoy! Requests are open 

Sitting on the sofa next to Cal, snuggled in a mountain of blankets in Harrys apartment whilst the boys filmed a video was always fun. They were filming the 100,000 calorie challenge and it was JJ, Vik , Cal and Harrys turn to be eating the calories. We were sat watching JJ as he revealed he had absolutely failed the challenge to everyones surprise. The boys all started to complain as I giggled at the failure which was JJ right now. I felt a slight nudge on my side and Cal not so discreetly nodding towards Harry, I looked over at him and smiled but he averted his gaze from me and buried his head into the massive bear still complaining at JJ as it was revealed he had messed up the challenge even more by starting before the official time. 

After JJ’s little mess up they decided to make the fried mars bars, and I feel as though even saying it is cause for disaster. The boys were all crowded around the counter, just making a mess really, not much surprise there. I was happy in my own little world scrolling through instagram with the boys chatter in the background when I started to smell something burning and a mass amount of smoke from the boys. “Oh my god you idiots” I said matter of factly before grabbing the pan and holding it out the window, not wanting the apartment to stink of burnt mars bars as the guys tried to switch off the fire alarm. 

Once everything had calmed down I started to clean up as the boys ate the left over chocolates. “ you don’t have to clean up Y/N” Harry said to me as he bought over a plate to the sink. “Its ok I don’t mind, something to do at least” I smiled up at him. “You sure? I feel bad” he said scratching his shoulder and giving me an awkward smile. “I’m sure, go enjoy your food” I giggled pushing the boy away from me slightly. I finished up the washing as the boys chatted over their takeaways trying to figure out how many calories they were up to. I popped the remaining dishes in the dish washer and popped it on for the boys. 

Once they had finished Cal and I bid the boys goodbye and hoped in an Uber, we lived in the same apartment complex so it made sense that we shared rides just about everywhere. “Soooo” cal started tapping his his legs to the beat of the song that the Uber driver had popped on for us. i gave him a questioning glance as I sent my text to Harry, informing him I had popped the dish washer on and for him not to forget about it. “When are you two finally going to get together” Cal said peering over my shoulder and trying to take a peek at my texts with Harry. I just scoffed switching off my phone and turning my head to look at Cal. “Look he got out of a long term relationship not even six months ago, he just needs a friend right now, and that’s all I am, a friend, plus even if he hadn’t just gotten out of a relationship, well I don’t think he’d be interested in me anyway, like I said I’m just a friend” I shrugged to Cal giving him a half smile trying to cover the sadness which was evident on my face. “I don’t know Y/N if you ask me, or well any of the lads he looks at you like your a gift here gracing us all with your presence. like your some type of angel, he likes you, he really does, he’s just scared to ruin what you have” Cal stated as we hoped out the uber and made our ways into the lift. “Well I don’t want to sound rude, but I didn’t ask Cal, I don’t need my hopes being brought up just for it all to be speculation.” I stated matter of factly. “This is me, I’ll see you later yh?” I questioned Cal who just pursed his lips and nodded to me giving a small see ya. 

I really wasn’t trying to be rude but I had had my heartbroken so many times, and I don’t want to start getting my hopes up about Harry if it is just all speculation and some sort of narrative the lads were making up for themselves. I slumped down on my bed and posted a selfie on instagram asking people what they want to know about me. I wasn’t a huge YouTuber but I did have a large instagram following meaning the questions flooded in within an instant. There was the usual that I answered such as my favourite colour, what am I having for dinner, best place I had ever visited and so on. After a few more generic questions someone asked what my favourite picture was. I scrolled through my camera roll and found one of Harry and I at winter wonderland. we were both wearing Santa hats and he was giving me a piggy bag as I held onto a large teddy he had won me moments before. I captioned it ‘Christmas with my Bestfriend, look at how goofy he looks @wroetoshaw’ I giggled as I posted the pic remembering that day. it was a rare day off for the both of us and with Harrys break up still fresh I decided we should go to Winter Wonderland and just have fun. Which we did, it was one of my most treasured memories with him. He had taken his breakup so hard that I felt it was important that he had a friend around who could take the crying and emotions, someone to just cuddle with and forget about the world. And over the past few months I realised that my feelings for Harry had grown, but he was still hurting and there was no way that I was being any boys re-bound. 

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to blaring light through the blinds of my lounge. I groaned to myself before getting up and trudging to my bedroom to sort myself out. i looked at my phone and I had a few texts from Harry. I smiled as I read them. 

‘Thank you! Almost forgot, you are honestly the best Xx’

‘You alive???? Xx’

‘Good night Xx’

‘Like the insta pic’

I furrowed my eyebrows at the last text. It was sent only minutes after the goodnight text and it didn’t have any of the kisses we usually put on the end of our texts to each other. I also hadn’t got a good morning text from Harry, that was particularly strange because I have always gotten a Good morning and Good night text from him for the past few months with out fail. I just shrugged it off before replying, 

‘Haha no problem! I fell asleep as soon as I got home I’m sorry :( wanna meet up later? Xx’

I smiled at my reply before going to my bedroom and changing to look more presentable. I checked my phone and it was almost lunch meaning Cal was coming over to film a video with me. just as I re adjusted my hair for the a millionth time I heard a knock on the door signalling that cal was here. “Hello stranger” I smiled letting him into my apartment with the array of crisps and snacks he had in his arms. We were filming a British corner shop mukbang whilst answering twitter questions. As Cal settled himself in my studio I helped by opening the array of snacks and cans of drink that he had bought for us. “Hey really weird question but have you heard from Harry today?” I questioned trying not to sound so desperate as to the whereabouts of the boy. “Uh yh messaging me all morning, think he’s got something on tonight. He not told you?” Cal looked up from the array of junk raising his eyebrows at me as I just shook my head in disbelief that he was ignoring me. As we settled in our seats and I turned the camera on I sent Harry a quick text. 

‘Hey have I done something wrong?? :( Xx’ 

The video was going amazing. Cal and I just naturally bounced off of each other and the questions the fans were giving us were quite juicy. “Alright, alright, I’ve got one. Y/N has Harry asked you out yet or is he still being a melt? From @CalFreezy” I giggled at the question and raised my eyebrows at Cal. “These are meant to be from Fans” I retorted to Cal telling him off a little. “Yh Freezy is your biggest fan he’s always nattering on about you and talking about you moving in with them when Harry gets the guts” Cal defended himself causing me to burst out laughing. “Well we all know Harry and I are friends, I love him very much but that’s as deep as it goes” I replied to Cals previous question from Freezy, slight sadness barely evident in my voice. “Is that the only thing that goes deep” Cal stated before bursting out laughing at himself and falling back in his chair ultimately falling off of it causing me to laugh. “Well that’s it for today guys thank you for watching and thanks to this idiot for joining me” I smiled at the camera before shutting it off and helping Cal from the floor. 

“You really need to stop that you know? You can’t force anything to happen” I said matter of factly towards cal as he nibbled on some Pringles. “You see Y/N I’m actually Cal from the future and I’m just stating facts” he gave me a cheesy grin as I tutted at him and rolled my eyes. I was taken out of my trance by a text from my phone. “Alright ditch me for lover boy” Cal called after me. I opened my phone to see it was from Harry but it wasn’t what I was expecting. 

‘Hey Y/N, we shouldn’t hang out anymore it makes Belle uncomfortable.’ 

“Cal what the fuck is this” I shouted to my friend. I heard the thudding of his feet and turned around to show him the message I had just received. He furrowed his eyebrows. “Belle Belle Belle Oh Belle, her really?” Cal scrunched his nose up at me. “Ummm elaborate, who’s Belle?” I pressed for him to release more info to me. “Oh Harry went on a date with her like three weeks ago, looks like it worked out, well for them I guess” Cal shrugged piecing the different parts of the puzzle together for me. “Oh, wow, so he is just gonna drop me like that, like I’m, I’m nothing, like i wasn’t the one there for him when he was mourning over his last breakup. Well that’s a kick in the teeth” I said starting to sniffle, tears threatening to break their way out of my eyes and my mood instantly dropping to nothing. “Hey no don’t cry” Cal said engulfing me in a hug, which I gladly melted into. “If he couldn’t see what he had with you then that boy is more blind than we all thought.” Cal reassured me rubbing my back. “Plus your make up looks too nice to cry it off” Cal said catching a stray tear from my face and making me giggle a little. “Oh Cal why can’t we fall in love?” I questioned sniffing and straightening out my clothes. “Because that would be like fucking my sister and that’s weird” Cal stated making me giggle. 

I don’t think anyone could quite get their heads wrapped around the fact that Harry was with someone new, especially because that someone was not me. For the next month I got fans tweeting me asking if Harry and I had broken up or if he had gone crazy. I also got sorry looks from my friends. Always being placed in the furthest seat away from Harry, always given excuses as to why I couldn’t come to shoots. It sucked majorly. And the worst part about all of this is everyone felt like they had to tread on eggshells around me, as if I wasn’t a fully grown woman who could handle these situations. 

I knocked on Simons apartment door before he opened it replying to someone about something. “Oh Y/N you alright” he said quickly closing the door a little. “Yh Talia said I could pop round and grab my camera that she borrowed.” I said smiling at the lanky man. “Oh yh well um come in, just be careful yh” Simon nodded at me. I furrowed my eyebrows and just nodded at his comment following him through to the living room. And as soon as I saw the tall figure sat next to Harry with an unimpressed look on her face I realised why Simon gave me such a warning. “Heyyyy Y/N Is here” Ethan called standing up giving me a hug making me giggle a little. “Yh Talia knicked my camera again” I stated smiling at the girl who blushed a little realising she still hadn’t returned my device. “Oh so that’s Y/N” a snotty voice said causing everyone to quiet down and all eyes turning in her direction. “Yup, the one and only” I smiled back at her trying to be as nice as possible. “Belle right? Nice to meet you” I smiled back at her trying to make conversation in the silent room. I rocked back and forth on my heels for a while, Belle gave me a good look up and down, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips as if wanting to comment something. Before she could I saw Harry whisper something to her and she scoffed. “If I have an opinion I’m going to say it. And I have many about her” Belle said loud enough for everyone to hear whilst pointing at me. “Here I found it” Talia smiled at me handing me my camera before noticing the mood of the room. 

“Ok well, I will be off then, lovely to see you all and to meet you Belle” I stated the last part through gritted teeth before spinning around and making my way to the door. “Even worse from the back” I heard Belle try and whisper to I presume Harry. I stopped in my tracks and raised my eyebrows. The audacity of this girl, how dare she disrespect me in front of all my friends. I turned around to meet her eyes with a sickeningly sweet smile on my face. Before I could say anything though Talia butted in. “You know what, you do not talk to my friend like that, I have barely known you a month and I am so sick of you already, please leave before I do or say something I regret” she smiled at Belle joining me by my side and linking arms with me. Belle just looked around at everyone, with everyone just averting their gaze and waiting for something big to happen. All she did was huff, grabbing Harrys hand and storming out of the apartment with him. 

“Jesus Y/N what did you do to make him choose her, she’s like an angry controlling goblin” Ethan huffed as soon as we all heard the door close. “Hey, I got cut off a long time ago, ask him not me” I giggled before thanking Talia and leaving the apartment to go home. 

I was lounging around my apartment, Ethans words spiralling around my head. I decided tonight was for me. I popped on my favourite movie and rummaged through my freezer finding some ben and Jerrys and starting to scoff down the tub. This sofa must be super man or something because I had soon fallen asleep, I was only awoken by loud continuous knocking at my door. I regained my focus and gaged my surrounding before wrapping a blanket around myself and making my way to the door. As soon as I opened it I was pulled into a bone crushing hug. “I’m so fucking sorry, its you its always been you, I don’t know what I was thinking, I just needed someone to fill the void and she was ok for a week but I need you. You are all I need, all I want, please forgive me I love you” as much as I just wanted to melt into his arms I pulled my self back so that we were an arm lengths apart. “You best come in” I sighed. I finished the teas and made my way over to Harry, passing him his favourite mug of mine. I crossed my legs as we sat at opposite ends of the sofa in silence. 

“What about Belle?” I broke the silence, harry whipped his head up to look at me. “Look I’m so sorry she was a mistake and I should never have even given her shot. She’s so nasty and I could never forgive myself. This past month without you has felt like my heart was ripped in two. I’ve been so miserable and then when I saw you today I felt like I had been given a new chance at life. I get it if you hate me but I need you so bad and I cant live without you.” Harry opened his heart to me for the second time that evening. “You’re such a dummy Harry” I said with a sigh placing my mug on the coffee table. Harry looked at me as if he was broken by the words I just said. I just shook my head at him before leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his lips. The moment seemed to last forever. It was like in the movies when time slowed down and fireworks erupted around the couple who after all their trials and tribulations finally found each other. “I can’t help but love you Harry” I whispered only inches from his face as I pulled back for air, a sly grin on my face. Harrys arms snaked around my wait brining me into him for another soft kiss. i leant my head on his chest listening to his heart, thumping like it was going to break out and slap me in the face. “So what now” harry mumbled into my hair. I leant up so my eyes met his. “Well you will ask me on a date to a nice restaurant where we end up getting a little too drunk. Then we walk along the Thames, watching people walk by when at the perfect moment when the city goes silent you ask me to be your girlfriend and then we come back here and spend the night together. But with a little more physical activity than were used to” I grinned at him causing him to chuckle. “So you forgive me?” He said looking at me with pleading eyes. “God yes I forgive you, I could never be mad at you” I smiled at him. How could I? I did truly love him and it was as simple as that. 

After a few months, and the date Harry had promised, we told our friends and announced to our followers that we had finally decided to get together. apparently it was quite obvious as the boys had started taking bets as to when we would tell them about our new relationship. The fans seemed to love it as well, always receiving amazing and supportive comments on all of our posts and videos that we did together. Although we were young I think people saw how care free and happy we made each other. Most importantly how much we loved each other.

[getsojaded]

late nights || calum hood

word count: 1.4k+

warnings: slight mention of cheating

a/n: hi so my twitter tl was talking about bff calum one day and this kinda just popped in my head so yeah enjoy homies <33

—

“It’s three am babe, why’re you still up?” Calum answered the phone tiredly with his eyes heavy, and his voice raspy. “C-Can you open your d-door?” He heard back in response, immediately getting to his feet and throwing his nearest shirt on. He quickly rushed downstairs, opening his front door and seeing his bestfriend, teary eyed with a sad smile on her face.

“Babe, are you okay?” Many thoughts fillled Calum’s mind as he tried to figure out what she was doing here in the middle of the night, with tears streaming down her face. She was crying too hard to get a single word out, and the sight of it made Calum’s heart ache. He pulled her into the tightest hug ever, her burying her face into his neck as he felt her small body shake against him, him filling the silence with it’s okay’s, don’t worry’s, and i’m here’s into her ear.

“I’m sorry to b-bother you.. but he came home from the club like 10 minutes ago, with some o-other chick and I just-” She managed to get out before bursting into tears once again. 

Calum knew exactly what she was talking about the moment she said he. She was talking about her boyfriend, who Calum was not the biggest fan of to begin with. Maybe it was the way he had such an attitude the moment he first met Cal, or maybe it was the way he told his girl he wasn’t allowed to see him again (but she continued to see Calum, which enraged her boyfriend even more.).

Or maybe it was his feelings towards her that made Calum never like him from the start.

“Oh babe, I am so, so sorry,” He rubbed his hand on her back at an attempt to soothe her. She shook her head lightly, pulling away from Calum. “No, no, it’s not your fault. Sorry for waking you up.” She responded, wiping her tears and taking a deep breath. “It’s alright, I’d rather much be up at three in the morning if it made you feel better. He took her hand and walked the both of them towards his kitchen. “Do you want tea? Pancakes? Both?”

She laughed at the gestures the boy in front of her was trying to make. “I don’t need anything Cal, it’s okay.” Cal shook his head, taking his kettle and filling it up with water. “Nope, I’m making you some tea. It’ll help you sleep.” 

While he was waiting for the water to boil, the room was silent. A comfortable silence though. She saw Duke laying on his little bed, and bent down next to him and scratched behind his ears softly. When Cal turned around seeing the sight, his heart filled with warmth and a small smile appeared on his face. I could get used to seeing that every night, he thought to himself, but snapping out of his thoughts once the kettle popped, indicating that the water was ready. 

“Two milk, one sugar, right?” He asked, turning towards the girl who was currently walking back towards the island in the kitchen, her nodding in response. Cal made his way towards her, placing the mug in front where she sat and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She took her arm and wrapped it around his waist, letting her head lay on the side of his body. 

“Everything okay?” He softly asked as she took a sip from the mug. “Do you wanna talk about it?” She looked up at him, his heart instantly aching at the sight of her bloodshot eyes and her drained face. 

“No, there’s not much to talk about, it’s just that,” She took another sip of tea. “It’s just something I have to get over myself y’know? And you know I’ve never been the best at being on my own, and maybe that’s why I kept him around for so long.. I just, was scared of what I would do once I was alone.”

“You know you’re not alone babe,” His grip tightened on her shoulder as she pulled him in closer. “You have me. You know you’ve got me by your side whenever you need it.” 

“I know Cal, I know. And I can’t thank you enough for that. You truly are one of the best things to ever happen to me. I love you so much,” She responded, getting up from her chair and standing up to properly engulf him in her arms. His head rested on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her body, sighing. “You don’t need to thank me, I’m happy to be around you, I love you.” Calum told her, knowing that his words meant so, so much more. She pulled away, interlocking her hand with his as she took his hand and interwined it with hers, finishing her cup of tea. “I think I’ve bothered you enough for tonight. I’ll head out now, thank you for letting-” 

“No, I’m not letting you go back to that asshole. Stay with me tonight.” He cut her off, gaining quite a bit of confidence. Maybe it was the jealousy kicking in. “Are you sure?” She asked questionably, her head turning to the side. “You aren’t bothering me whatsoever, of course you can stay the night.” 

Her quiet okay made Calum’s heart jump in excitement, as she slipped off her jacket and set it on top of one of his chairs, then following him upstairs to his room. He threw her a shirt and a pair of sweatpants, with her quickly changing in the bathroom. She came out, seeing Calum without a shirt on and a pair of sweats as well. “Is this okay? Do you want me to put a shirt on?” 

“Cal, this isn’t the first fuckin’ time I’ve seen you shirtless. Also, I’m single now apparently, so it doesn’t even matter anymore.” She laughed, hopping into his bed and turning her back away from him, sighing. “Goodnight Cal.” “Goodnight babe, sleep well.” And with that, the lights were turned off and the only thing you could hear were Calum’s soft snores. 

Unlike Cal, she didn’t go to bed right away. In fact, she was up for a good half hour after he had fallen asleep. Her mind wouldn’t stop racing with thoughts, and her emotions got the best of her. Her eyes began to well with tears, and before she knew it, she was shaking in the bed, attempting to hold back her sobs. Fuck, stop crying, you idiot, she thought to herself. All of a sudden, she heard the lamp turn on and Calum asking her, “Are you okay?” 

She turned to face him, his face instantly filling with worry. “Yeah, sorry, I just couldn’t stop thinking. Sorry for waking you.” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, smiling at Calum once she was done. “Goodnight again, sorry.” He hated seeing her upset, whether it was over some assignment, her losing MarioKart, or in worse situations, a boy he hated. He loved making her feel better and knowing he was the reason for her smile. 

“C’mere,” He sighed, pulling her closer to him, her obliging and laying her head in the crook of his neck. She wrapped one arm around his waist, hugging him like a teddy bear. He kissed her forehead softly as she nuzzled a little bit more. “You comfy?” Calum asked. She nodded her head, her breathing becoming heavier by the minute. “Yeah.” And with that, the lamp was turned off again.

It was quiet for a little bit, the only thing being heard were their breathing and Calum’s hand running through her hair. The silence was broken as she spoke up, “Cal?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for always being here for me. I know I’ve never been good at expressing my emotions, aside from crying, but words truly can’t explain how much I appreciate you being my best friend. It means a lot, and I’m sorry I haven’t told you that more.”

Cal’s heart fluttered at her little statement, hoping she didn’t feel his heart beat faster. He felt his face warm up and a grin appeared on his face, silently thanking himself for turning off the lamp when he did. “It’s not a problem at all. You’ve been there for me countless times, and it’s only fair if I do the same for you. I’d never leave you in the dust even if I wanted to.”

“I’m glad I have you in my life, Cal. I got so lucky stumbling across you.” She yawned, rubbing her eyes before closing them. 

“Get some rest, you deserve it.” “You too Cal, thank you. Goodnight, love you.” She responded, before falling asleep almost instantly. 

“I love you too, you have no idea how much I do,” He sighed, turning off the lamp and closing his eyes, a bittersweet feeling filling his body.

[lostjulys]

LIL CAL????? STUPID IDIOT MOTHERFUCKING LIL CAL??? GODDAMN FOOL TIME FUCKING MEAT EATING RAT OLD BASTARD SHITHEAD AVATAR OF THE WHORE BIGGEST FUCKING LOSER PUPPET IN THE CIRCUS LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN MOTHERFUCKING LIL CALIBORN STOP PINNING ME WHEN I TALK ABOUT LIL CAL I HATE HIM SO SO MUHC WHAT IS HIS FUCKING DEAL WHY DID HE DECIDE TO FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT IS HE DEAD????????? NO HES NOT HE'S A FUCKING PUPPET IS HE A BASTARD??? HE SURE FUCKING IS MANS GOT SUCH A VISCERAL FUCKING EFFECT ON ME NOT EVEN IN THE ROOM I'VE SEEN THAT FUCKERS FACE WAY TOO MUCH AND HE'S GOT THE WORLD'S SHITTIEST LITTLE BEADY BLUE EYES GE T AWAY FROM ME IF I WANTED TO GET INTO HEAVEN AND GOD SAID LIL CAL IS WAITING INSIDE I WOULD PISS ON GODS FEET FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GETTING SENT BACK DOWN IF I HAVE TO DEAL WITH LIL FUCKING CAL ONE MORE FUCKING PANEL IN THIS WEBCOMIC NOT ONLY WILL I CLOSE THE TAB I WILL DELETE MY BOOKMARK I WILL HAVE TO REREAD THE WHOLE THING OUT OF SPITE AGAIN JSUT FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ABLE TO SKIP ALL THE TIMES WHEN HE IS MENTIONED OR ALIVE. (IS HE ALIVE HE'S A /FUCKING PUPPET/.) I KNOW EXACTLY WHY I HATE HIM SO MUCH HE'S GOT A CREEP INSIDE OF HIM I AM MAD BECAUSE I AM ANGY HE BETTER HAVE SOME FUCKED UP BACKSTORY TO EXPLAIN ALL THIS IF HE'S JUST SOME SHITHEAD PUPPET I'LL GO HAM BETTER HAVE HAD SOMEONE MAKE HIM KILL A MAN BECAUSE IF HE DIDN'T IM GONNA MAKE HIM. PAYPAL.COM/IFUCKINGHATELILCAL STORY'S NOT EVEN ABOUT HIM EXCEPT GODDAMN IT KINDA IS HUH VAGUELY MENTIONED WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE MAYBE LIKE IDK A PUPPET FRIEND AND I LOST IT. WHERE THE FUCK IS CALIBORN IF HE'S STILL ALIVE I'M GOING TO SO DEEPLY WISH HE WASN'T. CRUSTY OLD FUCKING CHERUB I'LL PUNCH HIM AND HIS SAD FRAIL PUPPET BODY WILL DISINTEGRATE UNDER MY MEATY FIST AND HE WILL FLAKE APART UNTIL NOTHING IS LEFT EXCEPT ONE FINAL FUCKING GOLD TOOTH TITLED POORLY DRAWN YAOI OR SOME SHIT I'M NOT BREATHING IM HYPERVENTILATING AT THIS POINT I HOPE HTERES A DATE GIVEN FOR WHEN LIL CAL DIES OR WILL DIE SO I CAN MAKE IT A REMINDER ON MY PHONE EVERY DAY ONCE A YEARI WILL SEE IT AND DO ANYTHING BUT PAY RESPECTS TO THAT FUCKED UP PIECE OF SHIT PUPPET.

[shewhospeakswiththunder]

Perhaps you’re feeling bored at home or, if considered an “essential” worker like me, you need a little fun and stress relief. Here is my masterpost of fic recs from my two years of reading so far. Maybe you’ll find something new, or reconnect with an old favorite. Either way--

Enjoy! 😷💕

Reylo Fics that Deserve All the Love

Near Kinsman by englishable

Englishable is just one of the best writers I’ve encountered in fandom. This historical western mail order bride AU is top notch quality.

The Masochism of Self-Defence by greyorchids

The Reylo dynamic in this Boston PD AU is steamy, but also heartfelt. 

So Much Thin Glass by walkingsaladshooter

Never knew I loved modern day Gothic AUs until I ran across this one.

Heaven Forbid by DarkKnightDarkSide

I was stunned by the author’s creativity in this Priestlo fic. So smutty. So... inventive 😉🔥

Sonder by deathbyhumidity

Two strangers passing each other by on the train. Soft, dreamlike, somber, poignant. Modern AU.

And Still I Would Remember by Inmyownidiom

A Victorian era AU of two souls that parted and come crashing back together.

So, You've Decided to Glamour a Human Girl. by selunchen

Faeries AU! Ben, a fae, and Rey, a human. Shenanigans ensue.

Live Long, and Prosper by SaintHeretical

For the Reylo Trekkies. Hell, even if you don't do Star Trek, read this. PHENOMENAL.

Mr. Solo & Miss Wellfound by LinearA

“Regency/Victorian AU, Ben sees Rey's stockinged ankle by accident.”

Diyari by Nervoustouch

Modern archeologists AU. Snarky banter with dashes of Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Sahara vibes.

Drawn to the light of your burning sorrows by Kyriadamorte

The Mothlo AU you didn’t know you needed. Both gritty and soft.

Crown Glass by RebelRebel

Fantasy AU, with lots of beautiful imagery and engaging character dynamics.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA

NYC Jewish Leia and Ben. Skillfully layered plot, nuanced characterization. Smut is HOT.

By the Shores of Varykino Lake by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

Unhealthy dynamics, definitely read the tags. “There’s a lot of fucked-up-ness”, in the author’s own words. But it’s good writing. Fair warning.

Let Me Put My Darkness In You by ArdeaJestin

Canonverse. Hux is an insufferable, pompous ass and Kylo Ren writes terrible, melodramatic poetry.

Wintertide by Zabeta

Whimsical and primitive in turn, this lives up to the style of a true fairytale AU.

The Forty Thieves by PoetHrotsvitha

Peaky Blinders/Gangsters AU. Rey starts as Ben’s bartender and ends up as so much more.

I Said to My Soul, Be Still by LinearA

Dark!Rey takes her man. 🥵🔥💕

Hux's Rousing Pep Talks by Riels_shorts

This fic is hysterical. It’s not Reylo, and I don’t care. My list, my rules.

It's All I Can Do To Leave You Alone by TazWren

Office AU. Silly, spunky, with a bashful Ben. 

Sip the Honey Sweet by dietplainlite

Anne of Green Gables-esque/Edwardian era AU, the title really says it all.

The Pull to the Light by HarpiaHarpyja

Entrancingly macabre. This modern/fantasy/monsters AU catches your attention from the get-go, and never lets you off the hook.

lay then the axe to the root by sciosophia

All the Bronte goodness, plus smut.

The Golden Age by TourmalineGreen

Golden Age of Hollywood AU in which Ben is a jaded actor in serious need of an image fix, in the form of fresh-faced actress Rey.

Never Be Your Curse by Kate_Reid 

Kylo Ren is a go-go dancer in this AU. That was enough to get my attention 😘

Gallows God by Killtheselights

Bursting with deliciously grim imagery, an intelligent take on Norse mythology.

Thunderstorms, Clouds, Snow, and a Slight Drizzle by aNerdObsessed

Who doesn’t love an ugly sweater Christmas party? Ben Solo, that’s who. All the nostalgic wintertime feels in this modern AU.

Though My Soul Has Set in Darkness by englishable

It’s not long, but it’s good. A lyrical dive into the mindspace of child Ben Solo. A true gem. Also not technically Reylo. Still don’t care.

I Dare You by tinylittlebrain

Daredevil Kylo has pissed off ER doc Rey Kenobi for the last time. Spicy!

stuck in colder weather by redbelles

Professor Ren stops grad student Rey from biking home in a snow storm. And takes her to his home. You can guess where this goes 😉

Between Sky and Sea by nessalk

Serious Indiana Jones vibes with a Caribbean flair. Painstakingly researched, and moments of true beauty and joy.

But Before Tomorrow by Kate_Reid

Such good writing. Canonverse.

The Sword of Prince Hector by englishable

Exploration of what redemption might feel like for Ben, canonverse. 

if compassion be the breath of life, breathe on me by Victoryindeath2

All the angst and unknowns that we were left with in the wake of TLJ are soothed in this canonverse piece.

build a ladder to the stars by redbelles

An exploration of events post-Crait. Fantastic, beautifully written.

nor are we forgiven (which brings us back) by TolkienGirl

Both Kylo and Rey get to see what life would have been like if they both got exactly what they thought they wanted after TLJ. Fascinating read. 

Forsworn by Erulisse17

This Mando/ST crossover has everything you could want--action, witty banter, space romance! So much fun!

Reylo Favorites & Classics

One Shots

59 Minutes by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

For Science by KyloTrashForever, ohwise1ne

He Made It Through the Wilderness (somehow he made it through) by LovesBitca8

light carries on endlessly by lachesisgrimm (olga_theodora)

Grey by ocjones

The Idiot's Guide to Flirting by Violetwilson

High School/College AU

I Caught Fire by KyloTrashForever

Mountain Springs High School by animal

Epithumia by pontmercy44

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth

Office/Workplace AU

Sensual Storytime by andabatae

The Food of Love by LovesBitca8

Historical/Dystopia AU

Hiraeth by Ferasha

a manner of virtue by neonheartbeat

The lamb's thirst by animal

Wanted by Inmyownidiom

She Who Would be Queen by sasstasticmad

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives

ABO

Knot My First Time by KyloTrashForever

Canonverse/Canon-divergent

variations on a theme of you by diasterisms (Reydar)

i will be the wolf by diasterisms

Sky Marked Souls by AnonymousMink

The Death of Kylo Ren by nymja

World In My Eyes by sasstasticmad

i'm always in this twilight (in the shadow of your heart) by diasterisms

Catch Me I’m Falling by violethoure666

Sword of the Jedi by diasterisms

You'll Be the One to Turn by postedbygaslight

Dark Crown by Violetwilson

Harry Potter AU

Nocturnal Studies And Other Peculiar Magic by WaterlilyRose

Otherwise Modern AU

Pretense by Celia_and

Insta-heart by slipgoingunder

Serotonin and Dopamine by pontmercy44

The Elusive Mating Dance of the Porgus Adorabilis by andabatae

Hanging by a Moment by crossingwinter

WAR DOGS by fulcrumstardust

miles from where you are by Mooncactus

Charcoal by luvkurai

Stay by jeeno2

coarse and rough and irritating by frak-all (or_ryn)

Blades Crossed by the-reylo-void (Anysia)

Embers by sciosophia

Mitan, Midi by animal

Janus by englishable

Say My Name by Graendoll

Thank You for The Music by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

darling, so it goes by akosmia

This is the Sign You've Been Looking For by RebelRebel

Broken Things by midnightbluefox

One-Night Stand by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

The Rebel Side of Heaven by jeeno2

On The Bumpy Road (To Love) by violethoure666

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by Like_A_Dove

I’d Like My Obituary to Hint at a Sequel by Violetwilson

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson

Not Reylo, Still Awesome

Gingerflower/Gingerrose, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico 

Between Sand and Sea by Brit Hux-Tico (birchwoods01)

If Ever I Would Leave You by Weddersins

Her Yellow Rainboots by Weddersins

Merrical, Cal Kestis/Merrin (Jedi: Fallen Order)

The Stars Alight by FlyingMachine

Heavy Ice by FlyingMachine

Caltrilla, Cal Kestis/Trilla Suduri (Jedi: Fallen Order)

No One Else by xanderwilde

call it what you want by xanderwilde

tear you to pieces by xanderwilde

Dramione, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter Universe)

Now Is A Gift by SenLinYu

Sex and Occlumency by Graendoll

Zutara, Katara/Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

oracle bones by an orphaned account

Fics by Me

Virtue Ethics

Reylo College AU (completed)

Dr. Ben Solo, adjunct philosophy professor and part-time martial arts instructor, discovers a young woman in his Intro to Philosophy course whom he thinks may not actually be enrolled at the University.

Chiasmus

Reylo Role-reversal canonverse AU (WIP)

Scourge of the galaxy, Kira Ren, is tasked by the First Order to eliminate the last of the Jedi. When she captures hotshot podracer Ben Solo to extract Luke Skywalker’s location from him, things do not go according to plan. 

This Dance of Light, This Sacred Blessing

Snapshots of a modern Reylo AU. Smutty, prosey one-shot.

Listen Up, Kid

Canonverse Reylo Post TLJ one-shot

The ghosts of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's past are back to haunt him with a vengeance. A well-meaning, familial kind of vengeance. Or, A Star Wars Carol.

Ben’s Body

Reylo Modern AU (completed)

Rey is an up and coming sculptor specialising in human shape and form. Her new next door neighbour has a body to die for and she's determined to preserve it in marble forever. Now she just has to convince dashing and reclusive Ben to model for her. Preferably naked.

Growin’ Up

Reylo High School AU (completed)

Ben Solo was supposed to only be ruining his own life with his bad decisions. Rey Niima was just trying to pay attention in class. Both get stuck in detention.

Seven Texts, 2 AM

Reylo Modern AU, smutty one-shot

Ben has good reasons not to have sex with his neighbor, Rey. She has other ideas.

Song of the Forest

Reylo Fantasy/BatB/Fairytale AU (completed)

Once upon a time, a girl with an unknown past appeared on the doorsteps of a lord’s manor, and now the forest at the edge of the lord’s property is calling to her.

A Season of Frost & Warmth

Modern Reylo P&P AU (completed)

When Ben shows up to a Halloween party with no costume, it only confirms Rey’s certainty that he is the world’s biggest jerk. Until it comes to light that maybe... he isn’t. 

Follow Me Home

Modern Werewolf Reylo AU (completed)

Rey gets stone drunk and brings home a big cute husky she found in an alley. The next morning, she finds a naked man built like a fridge sleeping on her living room floor, and no dog in sight.

The Gentleness That Comes

Reylo Modern AU one-shot

Underground boxer!Ben is resigned to his life of violence, until he meets a pretty new bartender one night.

Unlikely, Unbidden, Unbound

Gingerflower canonverse AU (WIP)

General Hux is imprisoned by the Resistance when the First Order falls. He had known his death was coming, it was simply a matter of course. He’s disappointed to learn the Resistance has other plans, and an unwavering policy of giving people second chances.

@thereylowritingden @reylofic @nancylovesreylo @grlie-girl @lilia-ula @greyforceuser @tazwren @mhcalamas

[clumsyclifford]

for the prompt list i hope it's ok to do a combo bc 70 & 85? 👀 (idk why the text is weird i think it's bc i had to copy paste the emoji since i'm on desktop skjfkdjs) anyways it's for whatever pairing you think works best :) -megs <3

omg yes a combo! aka challenge mode. my favourite :) ALSO! i took advantage of this open-ended prompt to write ! my very first ! cashton prompt fic ! this is so exciting i love it here. finally completing the set thank you for allowing me this moment

read on ao3

-

Calum treks into Ashton’s room around midnight. The light from the hallway spills into the room until Calum pulls the door shut behind him, probably worried about waking Ashton. Considerate of him, but unnecessary.

“I’m not asleep,” Ashton says.

Calum exhales. “You’re telling me you went to bed an hour ago and you’re still awake?”

“I was reading for a bit,” Ashton says. “I’ve only just moved to the falling-asleep stage. And obviously I have not yet been successful.”

Calum hums an acknowledgment. “Do you, um…can I…”

“Yeah, always,” Ashton says, shifting onto his back to watch Calum. “You don’t have to ask, Cal. I’ve already told you it doesn’t bother me.”

“But you don’t like sharing with Luke or Michael,” Calum says quietly. “I don’t know, I’m just making sure.”

Ashton is grateful for the dark room to hide his blush. “Yeah, but I don’t mind if it’s you.”

They both know it’s different, but neither one will be the first to admit it. This is how they communicate for now, in shared sheets and heavy implications, never saying what they mean, trusting the other person will get it anyway.  

“Okay,” Calum says. “If you’re sure.”

“Next time you ask me I’m just going to ignore you,” Ashton says as Calum pads his way over to the bed. 

“You’re a monster,” Calum says. “You put me in an awkward position here. If you ever wanted to come sleep in my bed you’d probably feel awkward too.”

Ashton purses his lips. “Well, that’s what you get for always going to sleep after me.”

“Mhm,” Calum hums, too knowingly for Ashton’s liking.

“But to be fair, I’ve never asked you if I could sleep with you. Whereas you’ve asked me many times, and I’ve said yes every single time.”

“Still,” Calum says, crawling under the covers and propping himself up on his elbow. It’s hard to see him through the darkness, but Ashton can feel Calum’s eyes carefully trained on his face, maybe seeking his eyes. 

“You want to sleep in your bed?” Ashton asks, raising his eyebrows.

“No!”

“I mean both of us.” Ashton’s face flushes. “I’m just asking, like, would you prefer that. If you didn’t have to feel awkward asking me.”

“No,” Calum says. “Honestly, no. I don’t mind asking. Anyway, I like that you keep saying yes.”

He’s smiling. So is Ashton. 

“Alright,” says Ashton, shaking his head a bit. “Come on. It’s late.”

“It’s really not that late,” Calum says. “Mike’s still up.”

“That’s the worst argument for it not being late. Michael is up until three in the morning.”

“Luke might still be up.”

“He most certainly is not.”

“You never know. Luke’s unpredictable. A wild card.”

Ashton laughs. As if Luke could ever be a wild card. As if he could ever be anything other than unwaveringly, consistently Luke, the biggest creature of habit Ashton’s ever met. Second only, maybe, to Ashton himself.

Calum pulls the covers up and snuggles up to Ashton, reservations gone. “Mm, you’re warm,” he mumbles.

“You are not,” Ashton says, tensing up. “Motherfucker, Calum Hood. Wear a jumper.”

“I’m not cold!” Calum presses his face into Ashton’s neck. 

“Not to you you’re not. Stop it!”

“Sorry,” Calum says, though he doesn’t sound sorry.

“I see how it is,” Ashton huffs, shifting to press closer to Calum, because whatever he says, a cold Calum is better than no Calum at all. “You just use me for my warmth. I’m the guy who keeps the bed warm.”

“Not true,” Calum says, pouting. “I like cuddling.”

“You never cuddle with Luke or Michael. Now I know why. They don’t go to bed early enough to be warm enough for you. I’m just your personal space heater.”

“First of all, Michael hogs the blankets, and he knows that’s why I don’t cuddle with him anymore.” Ashton laughs. “But anyway that’s not it at all. Stop fishing for compliments. You’re not a last resort. I never check their rooms.”

Maybe he’d been fishing a little bit, but the payoff is worth it. “Good,” Ashton says. Being pleased about that might say too much, but Calum has put himself on the line just saying it, so they can call it even.

“I thought we were sleeping now,” Calum says, slinging an arm over Ashton’s stomach. “Be quiet.”

“Don’t shush me in my own bed.”

“Be quieeeet,” Calum sings in a hushed voice. “It’s time to sleeeeeeep.”

“I’ll kick you out.”

“No you won’t.” Calum hums, a quiet, contented noise, and Ashton can feel his smile against his collarbone before Calum turns his head. Ashton stretches out his arm, forcing Calum to lift up his head for a moment before returning it to rest on Ashton’s bicep, cheek pressed against Ashton’s shoulder. Ashton feels warmer than before. He wonders if Calum can feel that on him. If Calum feels that too.

“What were you reading?”

“I thought you wanted to sleep,” Ashton says wryly. 

“I changed my mind. I want to talk.”

“You just want me to talk.”

“Okay, same thing. I fall asleep faster when you talk.” Calum shrugs a shoulder, moving his hand to rest against Ashton’s chest. Through Ashton’s thin t-shirt he can feel the heat of Calum’s palm, the way his thumb moves just so to smooth out the fabric before settling.

At some point they’re going to have to address this. Ashton has a sneaking suspicion that if he doesn’t say something, nothing will ever happen. Calum feels awkward asking to sleep with Ashton despite the blanket permission Ashton has granted him repeatedly. There’s no way he’ll bring up something like this.

Dance around it? Sure. Like motherfucking Fred Astaire. But never face it head-on.

It’s on the tip of Ashton’s tongue to say something, say anything. Ask a point-blank question, maybe, like why do you only ever want to sleep in my bed?, or just say the truth. Confess how he feels and hope Calum is brave enough to do the same. Hope Calum feels the same. 

It’s late enough, and Ashton is tired enough, that he can’t see it backfiring. Maybe it would go well. Or at least maybe it wouldn’t go badly. Maybe Calum would smile and say me too, you idiot, I’ve been waiting for you to say something; maybe he’d pick up his head and give Ashton that cheeky smile Ashton’s come to expect from him, and maybe he’d kiss Ashton, taking the warmth off Ashton’s lips to keep for himself. 

Maybe he’d just sigh that happy sigh of his and say let’s talk about this in the morning, cuddling closer to let Ashton know that this isn’t a soft rejection, just a rain check for when they’re both more awake. Ashton could take that.

But as much as Ashton is sure there’s something here, he can’t bring himself to say it. It’s easy to be confident right up until he needs to be confident. 

(And it could always go wrong. It could. It could.)

“You calling me boring?” Ashton teases softly, but Calum just huffs an exhale.

“You know I’m not,” he whispers. “Please?”

Ashton brings his hand up to tangle into Calum’s hair, and Calum gives his happy sigh and cuddles closer, just as Ashton had hoped. “Okay,” Ashton murmurs. “Sure. Goodnight, Cal.”

“‘Night, Ash.”

Ashton smiles. They can talk about it another day. Tomorrow, maybe. “You wouldn’t like this book,” he starts. “It’s by an old white guy, and I know you hate those.” Calum breathes a quiet laugh. “Well, he’s not that old…”

Calum drifts off as Ashton describes the premise of his book, going slack in Ashton’s arms, breathing slow, and Ashton presses a kiss into his hair. 

One day he’ll do it when Calum is awake, but not today. There’s always tomorrow.