#ch: ashlyn

[barbiesource]

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006) Dir. Greg Richardson

[hsmtmtsnet]

AN EPISODE A DAY → 4x08 – Born to be Brave

This is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

[hockeyforbabes]

Birds of a Feather Ch. 5

MASTER LIST

Content warning: making out but nothing crazy

Addie's POV

It's been a week since Luke and I both admitted we wanted to take a shot at something between us. So far both of us have been too shy to make any real moves.

It's been a week of stolen glances and secret touches. Both of us knowing a little secret we want something more. It was fun at first but now I'm itching for him to make a move. The waiting of will he or won't he is starting to drive me crazy.

This morning the boys' friends arrived at the lake house making it as chaotic as ever. Trevor and Cole were childhood friends of the boys but I saw them almost every year at the lake house so we had gotten to know each other.

"Who missed me?" Trevor yells coming through the door as Cole lugs both their bags behind.

"Nobody," I tease, "the house was so much quieter without you."

"Oh Addie I know you love me," he says giving me a hug and messing with my hair. Trevor has always played a bit of an annoying brother role.

Rolling my eyes I walk over to Cole giving him a hug, "No I missed Cole, he is much nicer and much quieter."

The boys make their way around the living room greeting everyone.

"Ok, so where are we bunking?" Trevor asks and silence falls over the room realizing we don't have enough beds.

"Did you guys really forget?" Cole asks.

Jack responds, "No it's just now that I have a girlfriend Trevor can't room with me, I guess the two of you could both stay in Luke's room he offers."

"No," Luke groans, "I love you guys but you both snore like a train, I can handle one but not two."

"Ok well why don't I stay with Addie, she has her own room," Trevor suggests.

Everyone turns to me and I start to shrug but Luke immediately shuts that down, "No I don't want to make her uncomfortable and she doesn't know you well enough."

"Cole and Trevor you can stay in the room Addie is in. I'll get the blowup mattress and sleep on the floor of my room. Addie, you can take my bed, is that okay?" Luke asks.

"Yeah that works," I agree and everyone goes back to talking.

The thought of Luke and I alone in a bedroom every night made my body hot. Sure we had sleepovers before, but that was before, and now things are different. Someone is bound to make a move now.

Noticing everyone else is distracted Luke leans in so only I can hear him, "I'm not sleeping on an air mattress."

Making eye contact with him I nod. Oh yeah, someone is gonna make a move.

----------

Later in the day we make it out on the lake and are all lounging on the boat.

As I sit at the front of the boat I feel Trevor sit down beside me. "So, why is Luke staring at you more than usual and why is he shooting daggers at me for talking to you alone?" He asks.

A small smile comes to my face and I drop my gaze down to my drink replying to him, "I don't know what you are talking about, nothing is different than before."

"Ok you don't have to tell me," he shrugs, "but when I catch you guys making out I get to say I told you so."

"Perv," I say giving him a little shove as he stands to leave.

Looking back at Luke I notice he is intently staring. Making sure no one is paying attention I send him a smile and a wink and the corners of his lips instantly begin to lift.

------------

That night when everyone is tired and showered we all lay on the couch watching a movie. Slowly people trickle off to bed. First Quinn and Grace then Jack and Ashlyn. Luke notices me starting to yawn and gives me a look saying you ready for bed and I nod my head yes.

Standing up Luke turns to the remaining boys and says, "We are gonna head to bed, be good."

As we walk down the stairs I hear Trevor shout, "Use protection!"

Rolling my eyes I shout back, "Separate beds!" then send Luke a sly smile which he returns.

As we close the door to Luke's room the reality of the situation sets in and I begin to panic a little. Do I change in front of him, or turn around, or leave the room, or do I go to the bathroom...

"Addie", I hear Luke's voice, "What's going on up there?"

"I need to change into my pajamas," I say, "and I didn't know what to do."

"Want me to turn around?" he asks.

"If you don't mind,"

"Of course not, whatever makes you comfortable," he says placing a kiss on the top of my head then turning to stand in the corner.

I change into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. When I look at myself in the mirror I regret not packing something a little cuter.

I let Luke know he can turn around and he pulls off his hoodie and his t-shirt.

Noticing my wide eyes he says, "These are my pajamas," gesturing at the shorts, "Is that okay?"

I nod my head but Luke isn't convinced, "I'm not expecting us to do anything, and if something makes you uncomfortable just say the word."

"I'm not uncomfortable Luke," I say then I start feeling a little bold, "and I never said I didn't want to do anything."

I watch Luke's face show a glimpse of surprise before he pulls himself together again.

"So you wouldn't mind if I kissed you again?" he asks.

"Not at all," I say.

He steps forward placing his hands on the back of my head intertwining his fingers in my hair and before I know it his lips are on mine.

The kiss starts off slow but when he tugs my hair to angle my face to meet his I let out a small gasp and he uses the opportunity to slip his tongue in my mouth. The kiss becomes more eager as he continues to work his hands through my hair and my hands roam his bare shoulders and arms.

Pulling back breathlessly I say, "I've been waiting all week for you to kiss me again."

"Yeah well I've been waiting to kiss you again since we were 16," He says kissing me again.

This time his hands are on my waist as he walks backwards towards the bed pulling me with him. Sitting on the bed he pulls me on top to straddle him. He looks up at me to check I'm comfortable and I nod before we crash our lips back together.

Both our hands are roaming each other's bodies as our kisses grow more desperate enjoying the feel of each other. His hands have found a place on my ass and I don't think he has plans to move them. Grabbing my ass he rolls my hips into his and I feel his hardness between my legs letting out a gasp.

I never thought kissing could be this good but the way we are moving in sync and our hips have found a rhythm have me on cloud 9.

With a groan, Luke flips us over holding himself over me. Kissing me he rolls his hips into me one last time before pulling away.

Letting his head fall into the crook of my neck he pants trying to catch his breath, "Baby we need to stop."

"Oh," I say feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"It's just if we don't stop, I don't think I'll be able to stop," he says still trying to pull himself together.

"What if I don't want to stop?" I say.

Hearing his breath hitch, he responds, "You are not making this easy." Letting out a sigh, he sits up, "I need to tell you something before we keep going."

Sitting up and moving beside him I ask, "Is something wrong? You're scaring me."

"No nothing is wrong," he assures, "Just promise to not judge okay?"

I nod and wait for him to speak again.

"Ok, I'm just gonna say it, I'm a virgin," He says quickly and then looks at me like he is expecting me to freak out, "I'm not like a freak or anything I just never found anyone I wanted to do that with."

Looking at his worried expression, I smile, relieved at what he is telling me, and then I tell him the secret I've kept: "I'm a virgin too, and don't worry I just never found anyone either. Why did you never tell?"

"I could ask you the same question," he asks, "but to be honest I just never knew how to say anything. You just assumed after I left for college and how was I supposed to tell you I never had sex because no girl could live up to the one in my head."

"And I do?" I ask.

"Addie, you are the girl," he says and his words sink in.

"You waited for me?" I ask for confirmation and he nods his head.

Not being able to stop myself I lean over and kiss him, this time slower. The kiss substitutes for the words I can't find.

Pulling away he asks, "So you don't mind that I don't know what I'm doing."

"Nope," I smile, "cause I have no idea what I'm doing, we can learn together."

"Only time learning has ever sounded appealing" he jokes going to kiss me again, "let's do some studying."

Dodging his kiss I say "Slow down there Lukie, I meant it when I said I was sleepy."

Laughing at his disappointment I tell him, "But maybe we can do some learning tomorrow."

"Deal, now snuggle with me," He groans motioning for me to crawl into his arms.

A/N: this is my first time writing any kind of smut of making out so I hope I did okay. Feel free to leave any comments or ask any questions on my page.

[candle-lamp]

Rereading SBG and writing what I notice: Episode 11-20:

- more Tyler being skeptical

- Ben really doesn’t like Tyler at first

- Ben drawing the phantom

- Ben getting creeped out by the photo, apparently always being creeped out by the supernatural 

- Aiden is really friendly to Logan

- Logan sleeping on the couch

- pretzel Ashlyn

- the weird dream sequence when they enter the phantom realm (I wonder if everyone else had a dream or if it was just Ash?)

- Tyler slamming the door in Aiden’s face

- Taylor worrying about their roommates

- phantoms can open doors

- Aiden wielding a spray bottle

- Ben worrying about Ashlyn

- Ben holding Aiden back from fighting more phantoms

- the gang is all running around in socks/barefoot

- Tyler comforting Taylor

- Aiden is the only one not shaking after the first encounter

- Aiden noticed Ashlyn’s arm

- when Ashlyn is calling out Tyler, Aiden stops smiling

- Aiden “go off queen” Clark

- Ashlyn tapping her foot

- Ben has first aid experience from patching Aiden up after "skateboard tricks, rock climbing, hiking, jumping off tall places"

- Ben blushing when complimented

- Ashlyn restraining herself from hitting Tyler

- we get to see Logan and Ashlyn's lockscreens (Logan: astronaut helmet with flowers, Ashlyn: ballet shoes)

- everyone getting sick after shifting back

- more Ashlyn foot tapping

- the group discussed going to Savannah several times previously

- ladybugs next to Ben (reference to canvas version)

- Tyler stomping off, turning around, and grabbing Taylor

- Ashlyn acknowledging Tyler's point about doing outside activities

- Aiden wanting to know where Ash's ballet studio is at in case of emergencies

- The Banners sharing popcorn

- Ashlyn's parents flipping her over the couch to interrogate her

- Ben also crouching down when Aiden comes around the couch

- Ashlyn's parents playing cards with Aiden and Ben

- props to Ash's mom for getting her hair up dang, if she was in the phantom realm Ashlyn wouldn't have needed to cut it

- clothes pile in the twins' room

- Logan's grandpa calling him "son"

- his grandma noticing when he started being anxious

- he was previously in an astronomy club but quit

- Logan can easily lie and deflect, which is probably why his grandparents didn't do anything about him being bullied

- Aiden/Ben (unclear whose room) has a minifridge

- Logan has small succulents in his room

- the panel of Taylor and Tyler (you know the one)

- Ash foot tapping, also I feel like I should've mentioned this before but she has freckles literally everywhere

- once something is interacting with in the shadow dimension, any changes in the human realm don't affect it, which includes the gang's bodies bc "injuries that happen here can be felt but not shown in our world and vice versa". does this mean their aging is going to be much slower in the shadow dimension?

- also (from what I gathered) time does seem to pass in the shadow dimension even when they aren't there bc the phantoms will move, how much time is another question

- Taylor and Tyler hide together, Aiden and Logan are together, and Ashlyn and Ben are both alone

- Ashlyn where are your shoes

- freaky ass phantom at the end of ch 20

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Now that I have your attention:

[hallucinateonpaperspines]

How long has Ash been with the cons as of last ch ?

Ashlyn has been MIA for about three days at this point (as of chapter 35) but she will remain MIA for a month or two before her status is confirmed.

[beautyinthemoonlight1124]

Storm. Ali gives the mostly English Bulldog puppy to Ashlyn for her birthday in October 2040. Part 20, Ch 27

[kingxlinkwrites]

PERSONAL FIC: Edge of a Knife Ch.1

Got a touch of GID/whump in here, but even if not, it's writing, so here it goes! I'm slowly working on this Supernatural fic, but feel free to read and ask questions if you have any. owo

Also, Lyn and Christian belong to @resonantcrimson <3

Content warnings for ENTIRE fic below. Content warnings for THIS CHAPTER in tags.

c/w: swearing, literally all things supernatural, emotional trauma, violence and physical trauma, character death

Summary: It all started with a paycheck. Lyn wants to find the Winchesters, her brother Christian is dying, and Gage has no idea what he's getting into. He certainly didn't know just how wild things would get upon actually finding the Winchesters, but things never seem to slow down once he and Lyn track the brothers down. It only gets weirder from there, but somehow...none of them can seem to stay away from each other for long.

--

“Well, that was fucking gross,” Gage comments idly as he wipes a glob of mud off of his face.

“What’d you expect?” Ashlyn—no, Lyn—replies, making a face when Gage flings the mud at her. “We went through a creek bed after a storm to get here. It’s supposed to be gross.”

“Correction, you made us go through a creek bed after a storm.”

“You wanted to go in the front, guns blazing, and probably get us killed, so yeah, I wanted to go through the damn creek bed.”

Gage sighs heavily as he starts to climb up the short cliff to the place in question. It was an old mansion, supposedly haunted by something very territorial, which shouldn't have been an issue…if the local kids would just stop agitating the fucking ghost. After the sheriff’s office locked up the gates, the only way in was through the muddy creek bed and up the cliff wall behind the massive building.

It’s not worth arguing with Lyn, he thinks. He just wants to get the job over with. She paid him enough to keep him going for another week or two, if he was careful, just to find these fucking Winchester brothers for her poor, sweet, stupid brother.

Sure, Gage felt bad for the little dude, lying in a hospital bed, probably on the verge of death…but the fuck did that have to do with him?

“This way,” he mutters when he reaches the top of the cliff, Lyn close behind him. “Door’s…open. Be ready.”

Lyn gives a short nod. Together, the two creep towards the open door, just in time for a body to come flying through it, slamming into Gage’s chest and knocking him back towards the cliff’s edge.

“DEAN!” A voice shouts after the body, perfectly in time with Lyn screaming for Gage.

Gage, on the other hand, hits the ground hard, skidding across the wet grass and wrestling with the aggressive figure on top of him. “Would you fucking cut it out—“ Gage starts to snap before the figure grabs him by the face, covering the smaller man’s mouth with one broad hand.

Gage has a split second to look up at the other man, able to take in his features for only a moment. He has the face of an angel, Gage thinks distantly, but there’s a fucking devil in his eyes.

The stranger lifts Gage’s head by the grip on his face and slams it back down into the dirt several times. Gage’s vision goes black, punctuated by Lyn and a third man screaming bloody murder.

And then he’s out.

[mayasdeluca]

One of your Anon was very confused. They said Chad Michael Murray ex wife said he cheated on her with Sophia but the only ex-wife Chad had was Sophia and he cheated on her.

They weren't married but Chad was dating Erin Foster and living together and he cheated on her with Sophia at the time. She spoke out about it recently (it coincidently ended up being right around the same time this stuff with Sophia/Ashlyn came out)

[hsmtmtsnet]

AN EPISODE A DAY → 4x06 – Trust the Process

You gave these universally strange children a space to be themselves.

[hockeyforbabes]

Birds of a Feather Ch. 4

MASTER LIST

A/N: It's a bit of a short chapter but don't worry chapter 5 is coming very soon.

Present- Addie's POV

Sitting on the floor surrounded by the contents of my suitcase thrown around I let out a sigh. I've never had this much trouble getting ready in my life, but I'm 90% sure my best friend just told me he wants me and I'm not sure how to process it.

On one hand, I'm scared and don't want things to change. Our relationship is special, why risk it? On the other hand... I think I might want him too. I don't know. I'm confused.

So now I sit here on the floor with no idea what to wear because now I know that he is looking and I want him to like what he sees.

I didn't pack with the intention of impressing anyone. I need help. Quickly pulling out my phone I text the only person who can help me right now.

Me: SOS!!!

Grace👑: What's wrong?!?

Me: Luke basically just admitted he has been flirting with me and that he is ready to start going after what he wants

Grace👑: FUCKING FINALLY

Grace👑: What's the emergency tho?

Me: I wasn't prepared for this and now I have nothing to wear.

Grace👑: Ah I see, come to my room, I'll kick Quinn out for a minute.

Running up to the top floor I make it to Grace and Quinn's room in record time.

"Woah there, calm down I'm here to help," Grace says seeing my frantic state.

"My world feels like it just got flipped upside down, help me look pretty," I beg.

Going through her suitcase I try on multiple dresses before we find the right one. It's a simple red sun dress but it compliments my tan well. The hem falls a little short on me as I am taller than Gracie but I like how it shows off my legs and plus it-

"You're tits look amazing Addie," Grace says coming behind me in the mirror, "I'd so wanna tap that if I were a dude."

"That's not the point of the dress," I say laughing, "but thank you."

Heading back downstairs to finish my hair and makeup I have a small pep in my step. Having a crush is fun.

----------

"Addie we are about to leave!" I hear the boys shouting.

"I'm coming!" I respond walking up the stairs.

Everyone is slightly dressed up since we are going into town for dinner at one of the restaurants on the pier.

The girls see me first both telling me I look pretty and I return the compliment. Next, I turn to Luke and I see him before he sees me. He's wearing a navy polo that is tight across his chest and biceps like maybe he has grown since buying it. Paired with the polo is a pair of khaki shorts that are just short enough for me to get a good look at his strong hockey thighs.

Finally Luke turns to look at me. He gives me a once over with a small smirk before his eyes bounce back to my chest and his cheeks turn red.

"Ready for dinner Lukie," I tease him lightly knowing he isn't focused on my words at all.

Before he pulls himself together Jack groans, "Yes I'm starving let's go."

"Wait how are we driving there are 6 of us and we only have 5 seats at most?" Ashlyn asks.

As I'm about to suggest we split up Luke answers, "Addie can just sit on my lap," and with that, he walks out to the car.

Everyone looks around and gives a shrug as they are okay with the plan and we all quickly follow. As everyone piles I remain standing outside the car.

"Are you sure I won't hurt your leg Luke?" I ask quietly.

"Yes, I'll be fine come on," he says grabbing my waist and putting me on his lap with ease.

As we start the drive into town the car fills with chatter. I wiggle a little to get more comfortable before leaning back into Luke and he puts his head on my shoulder and his arms around me.

Turning to face Luke I say, "You know we could have just taken my car?"

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't get to hold you," He says squeezing me tighter.

I smile at him appreciating his sweet words. Soon we pull up to the restaurant and all get out of the car.

As I follow everyone into the restaurant Luke gently grabs my wrist and pulls me back from the group.

"I just wanted to tell you that you look amazing in that dress," he says with his voice low, "I can hardly keep my eyes off you."

With that, he places a kiss on my temple taking me by surprise, and then walks into the restaurant as I'm left there dumbfounded.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present- Luke's POV

I'm such a fucking idiot.

As soon as I admitted to Addie I had been flirting with her I regretted it. Then I just had to keep talking and I told her that I was going to start going for the things I wanted. Then I kissed her head when I got out of the car.

I was supposed to take this whole making-a-move thing slow. I don't even know if she is interested too. The last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable with my advances.

I spend almost the entirety of dinner silent, blaming it on being tired from the day. When it's time to go the boys say they are gonna take their girlfriends shopping which leaves Addie and I alone and for the first time in our friendship I don't know what to do.

Before I can overthink too much Addie says, "Do you wanna walk down the pier?"

Nodding my head we take off side by side looking out at the water as I get lost in my thoughts of what to do next.

Halfway down the pier Addie shakes me and yells, "Luke!"

Confused I ask her, "What's wrong?"

"I've said your name like ten times, you are off in space," she explains, "Is everything okay?"

Embarrassment taking over me I tell her the truth, "I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have been so forward earlier and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable Luke you don't need to freak out," she tells me.

"I just don't want to mess anything up," I sigh, "I was serious earlier when I said I'm going after the things I want, and you are one of them. If you don't want that though tell me now, tell me to stop before I go too far and we can remain best friends forever. If I have a shot though Addie... I'm taking it."

Watching her eyes widen as she takes in my words I prepare myself to be turned down. Then she does the unexpected.

Standing up on her toes she places her hands on my cheeks and kisses me. A kiss so soft and light I'm not sure if I dreamed it.

Pulling back to look at me with wide eyes realizing what she just did she starts to back away. Before she can get far though I am the one leaning in this time pressing my lips to hers.

It's not a crazy kiss, but our lips move slowly together and I feel like I am floating.

After a moment we both pull away suddenly aware of our very public location.

Staring at each other she is the first to speak, "Luke, you have a shot. We can give this a shot."

My face breaks out in a grin I can't contain, "That's all I need."

Walking back to the car our hands brush each other's the whole way. Neither of us brave enough to make the move but both wanting contact.

The car ride home is less eventful but as I hold her there in my arms, enjoying the weight of her against my chest I just keep smiling. I have a shot.

[ginaporterr]

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL: THE SERIES | 3x01 – Happy Campers

[nixiesrec]

pls this is perfection, their dynamic is so cute! beginning to end, i love every single word of this <3 i am such a sucker for a good family dynamic, their interactions were so fun!

parachute - one shot

prompt(s): dealing with his father during career day left him spiraling down with no parachute to land ej and his thought process safely. luckily for him, someone unexpected cushions the fall pairing(s): familial! oc! joel caswell x ej caswell fandom(s): high school musical: the musical: the series genre(s): lil angst, mostly fluff warning(s): cash caswell, college talks (if there are any more, please feel free to point them out!) other notes: i'm alive ! now for storytime: i got sucked into newsies in between watching hsmtmts episodes every week, which made me think about how north high should have done newsies if they strived to win, then i dreamt of jeremy jordan as zack roy and said goodbye to canon as we know it. so not only is season two rewritten in my head, but i have a storyline for season four with no context on our summer season. with that being said, i indulged in newsies and gave into my love for ben fankhauser. so meet my oc joel :) lmk your thoughts, questions, and everything in between ! it keeps @bright-molina, @lxncelot, @amortensie, and myself alive

from being the co-captain of the water polo team, to the treasurer of the associated student body, to the record breaking senior star of east high’s theatre department, ej caswell was known best as salt lake city’s resident boy next door. but if anyone actually knew ej caswell, they’d come to realize that his achievements were just surface level compared to who he really was. so who was the real ej caswell? truth be told, that was a question not even he knew the answer to. but he did know that he needed to get away, leading him onto an empty road with no destination set in stone. or so he thought, until he pulled over just a few feet away from a little green house. he took in the warm feeling of home that instinctively spread through his veins; a feeling he could never get in his own household. yet this comforting feeling wasn’t enough for his uneasiness to wash away into the tide of accumulating problems on his plate.

groaning loudly, ej snatched his things from the passenger’s seat. he was able to keep his facade up long enough to drag himself to the patio. once the door closed, it was like his body was being controlled by a mind of its own. the lafayette green walls painted with vintage vinyl records, the bookshelf filled to the brim with jubilant journals, and even the succulents besides the kitchen windowsill; while they were the things that normally made him happy, he couldn’t help but ignore the simpler things in life while he spiralled. sighing in relief, he finally made it to the room that served as his sweet escape. but ej’s conflict was far from over.

shrugging off the outer layers of his outfit, the facade crumbled before his feet as his jacket hit the floor. he paced around in his socks until it felt like he wore a hole into the floor, for while he had managed to settle down his mind, his body was as active as an athlete’s. still itching to do something once more, he plopped down onto the queen sized bed. while moving to press his back against the wall, and bouncing his legs, he grabbed the first thing he could; the thin neck of the acoustic guitar on his bedside.

almost like muscle memory, his calloused fingers strummed the melody to a song about a dream of no more running and no more lying. half heartedly humming the lyrics, it was like he was suffocating under the pressure. ej was living trapped under a future that never wanted to be his. he shook his head fervently as to rid himself of the thoughts before they could manifest themselves into his mind once more. with a large sigh, the playing momentarily came to a stop. leaning his head back onto the wall, ej just wanted to close his eyes and go; and that’s exactly what he decided to do.

hours had passed by like minutes as ej unexpectedly fell into a slumber. the resting of his mind and heart from the exhaustion only cut short when the booming baritone of ej’s ringer startled him into a wake. with a whine, ej kept his eyes closed as he sluggishly maneuvered around the instrument still in his hold to feel for the annoying device. as soon as he found it, he brought it to his face with one tired eye open to see the contact super friend 🎼 awaiting his answer. the fatigue wore away in an instant as he realized who was calling. straightening up, he didn’t even need to adjust to the low dusk light seeping into his room when all he could focus on was the blank stare he was giving his phone. the device continued to beg for ej’s attention, but there remained a sense of hesitance on his part to give in. even after his rest, the intrusive thoughts still lingered.

as the call faded to black, ej began to hate himself for feeling unsafe around one of the only people he could truly feel safe around. finally rebelling against himself, he made an attempt to call back. while his fingers were ghosting over the button calling out to him, a slam of the door and several soft thumps cut him off. ej’s eyes widened while he tried his best not to freak out. standing up with shaky breaths, his hero complex began to spring into action.

silencing his phone and pocketing it with ease, he scanned the room for any form of weapon. his old sports equipment was, unfortunately, donated to the local thrift shop just the week before, leaving only his heavy acoustic guitar as the only practical weapon lying around. his heart hurt thinking about the damage the sentimental instrument would ensue, but sucked it up in order to save his life. grabbing it, he stepped lightly as he carefully perused the halls. he made it to the living room with no threats in sight. while staying behind the furniture as an extra precaution, he noticed how quiet it had gotten; almost too quiet. his intuition caused him to tread more carefully than the time he had to avoid an ex that wasn’t over him just yet.

keeping the instrument lifted above his head, out of the corner of his eyes were several suitcases. before he could make his way out of the corn maze consisting of couches and coffee tables, another slam of the door caused ej to jump and a figure to emerge from the shadows. instinctively, ej swung and hit pure air until the familiar wardrobe and thick black rim of glasses gave away his identity. softly dropping the instrument onto the loveseat, ej screamed.

“joel?!” the man in question whipped around at the sound of his name. in an instant, his tired eyes shined like the stars when he caught sight of ej. the boy’s smile widened, unable to resist engulfing him into his arms. practically melting into him, joel chuckled at his enthusiasm before settling into the embrace himself. they both drank in the moment until ej was able to bring himself back to reality. pulling away, he slapped joel’s shoulder. “i almost hit you with my guitar! and what are you doing here? shouldn’t you be at work or something?”

“you have nothing to worry about. my job is super chill and they’ve got three other directors on standby. i’m absolutely certain they can survive at least one day without me.” joel quipped. ej watched as he twisted the thick los feliz class ring. catching ej staring at his hands, joel created a barrier as he held his hands behind his back. ej squinted in suspicion, letting the gears turn in his brain. although he appreciated joel’s sudden appearance after the day he had, he knew there was more to the story than he would let on.

“it still doesn’t explain why you’re here. did my dad send you or something?” ej pushed for an answer. crossing his arms, he craved nothing more than a taste of transparency. noticing his voice grow bitter at the mention of his father, joel swiftly shut down the idea with a shake of his head.

“as if i’d listen to cash.” he scoffed. “i came here on my own terms. when i was on the phone with ashlyn last week, she mentioned you guys having a career day coming up. to be frank, i didn’t think cash or dennis were going to show up. so as a last resort, i offered myself as a backup presenter. but as you can see, i didn’t make it in time considering my flight was delayed.” he gestured to his luggage scattered around him. ej grew baffled while the words settled into him. all throughout his life, ej never expected anyone to go at such lengths to see him and ashlyn. yet joel did it time and time again, and it never ceased to offer a burst of joy within him.

“so that’s it? you flew here in the hypothetical situation that neither of our parents would show?” was all ej could muster.

“well someone has to be the stable family member; mentally and physically.” joel joked, in an effort to lighten the mood. and it worked as ej cracked a smile. joel nodded towards him, “but you look like you could use a bit of stability. you wanna talk about what’s going on inside that big head of yours?”

“i was actually thinking of calling you to talk about it earlier…before you broke into your own house of course.” joel rolled his eyes and grinned halfheartedly. slinging his arm over ej’s shoulders, leading the boy to the living room furniture.

“of course. well, now you’ve got the real deal. come on, i have a feeling we’re gonna need to sit down for this.” ej made a move to jump onto the large lounge couch with joel right behind him, taking a seat at the edge of his feet. once the two felt comfortable in their spots, it didn’t take long for ej’s thoughts to run wild. no detail was left behind as joel nodded along, adding his own commentary into the conversation. wrapping up his worries within the duke debacle, ej sat up abruptly to wrap his arms around a pillow to seek out joel’s words of wisdom.

“how did you do it? find the courage to just turn down duke so casually and pursue what you really wanted?” he asked. joel pursed his lips at first, opening his mouth and closing it with a frown. staring distantly, he did that repeatedly until ej put it to a stop. clapping his shoulder, he attempted to capture his attention. “hey joel? you good?” he straightened up and quickly nodded in response.

“yeah. yeah sorry. i was trying to come up with something poetic about my departure…but i got nothing. to be completely candid with you; i had no idea what the hell i was even doing. heck, i still don’t know what i’m doing half the time!” joel explained as he flailed his arms in the air.

“aren’t you literally a poet? you’re supposed to be philosophical and great at advice like all the time! there has to be something you can give me.” ej raised, with an eyebrow.

“ej, i’m suffering from a common writer’s block. leave me alone.” joel huffed playfully. ruffling ej’s hair, his perfect do slipped through his fingers. ej’s nose scrunched up as he pushed joel’s arm away and hit him where it hurt most; his age.

“maybe you’re just suffering from memory loss.” he teased. joel gawked, letting out a noise of offense.

“i’m only thirteen years older than you!” caught up in the moment, joel ultimately declared war. grabbing a pillow from the closest seat, he began to swat at his nephew. ej’s shrill shriek was heard for miles as he retaliated. laughter filled the air as more pillows were thrown and egos were hit, ej’s worries melting away. as the senior surrendered to catch his breath, he realized that he didn’t need advice; he needed someone to lean on. and joel was that someone. while his uncle was distracted cleaning up any remaining evidence of their altercation, he sent a grateful glance his way. his train of thought broke when the wind was knocked out of his chest by another pillow. fluffing it up, he laid it down on the neighboring loveseat. as joel called for his attention, he hummed to let him know he was paying attention. loudly clearing his throat, ej finally looked up to see him pushing his glasses up and a firm look painting his face. “i know i don’t have any wistful words for you. but if you’d like my opinion, i think that you should confront your dad as soon as possible. as welcome as you are here, this isn’t something you can simply walk away from.” ej knew he was right. but a part of him didn’t want to leave just yet.

“so i’m not welcome enough for the traditional joyous joel caswell welcome of free dinner and a movie marathon?” ej asked cheekily. joel instantly saw through his ways, sending him a glare.

“i see you. that’s a distraction. you’re distracting me and you’re running.” he deadpanned.

“just think of this as a quick pitstop then.” the senior shrugged. joel gaped slightly, running a hand over his face in bewilderment.

“fine. you get free dinner and one movie. you’re on your way home after that.” joel compromised, waving a finger in his face.

“perfectly fine by me. you wanna order the food while i choose the movie?” ej beamed. coming to an agreement, they began to part ways to ensure a smooth hangout. while ej picked onward with no doubts, before joel had gotten the chance to pick up his phone, a noisy whir in the wind lulled them away from their evening plans.

“did you plan on inviting anyone over?” ej denied doing so. sauntering over to the windows, joel pressed a finger to his lips. ej nodded, picking the guitar once more. poking his head through the sheer mesh curtains, joel could faintly make out the model of a bright orange beetle leaving his driveway as soon as they came. the unfamiliar vehicle didn’t arouse suspicion in any way which earned a sigh of relief from the man. letting his guard down and turning to let ej do the same, he shot him a bewildered look when he zoned in on the stringed instrument in the senior’s grasp.

“you have got to stop weaponizing my guitar like that.” joel commented.

“i hate to say it, but if i feel like my life is in danger? all bets are off.” mentally taking notes to buy his nephew a baseball bat in the near future, another knock and the familiar ringing yell of ej’s name from behind the door had him tightening the grip on the makeshift weapon. “like right now.” walking over fearlessly, joel caught a glimpse of red hair and snickered.

“it’s just ashlyn, eej.”

“yeah, the same ashlyn who’s had it out for me since i accidentally shredded the sheet music to her newest song! she’s just gonna wanna talk to me about this as payback and it’ll be torture.”

“you know what? i’m gonna let her in.” the smirk could be heard in joel’s voice from a mile away when he made a move to unlock the door. ej’s eyes widened, dropping the guitar on the couch with a thud. he immediately lunged forward trying to stop him.

“what?! no! you’re supposed to be on my side-!” his protests went unheard, falling silent with joel in his arms when the door clicked open. untangling himself from him (hitting faces and several limbs in the process), he made a move to lean against the wall. they watched as she typed away at her phone. glancing at each other, the two stifled a laugh awaiting for her to notice them. with a large sigh, she pocketed the device.

“i’m surprised. you didn’t even try to deny that you were here-” readying herself to speak, she cut herself off when she realized that the tall, bespectacled man in her presence was definitely not her cousin. her eyes widened, a grin growing on her lips once the shock dwindled. “wow hi. you’re…not ej.”

“no, i’m not. but i am going to order food if you’d like to come in.” he encouraged her to enter the humble abode. ashlyn entered gingerly, but not before attaching herself to his side as a warm welcome. eagerly returning her affections, ej pouted at the lack of attention from his favorite (and only) cousin.

“why don’t i get a hug?” ashlyn opened her mouth, most likely to list the numerous issues ej had on his plate, joel gave her a tight squeeze and spoke in place of her.

“weren’t you just cowering in fear at the mention of her name five seconds ago?” he furrowed his eyebrows. ej was taken aback by the intensity of his gaze to go along with it and nodded slowly.

“don’t you have takeout to order or something?” ej emphasized. feigning exasperation, joel attempted to bring ashlyn to the coffee table in hopes of distracting her with the takeout menu. but when she requested that she talk to ej for a moment, he knew there was nothing more he could do. clapping ej’s shoulder, he made his exit all while the senior’s eyes darted frantically across the room in hopes of finding an opportunity to avoid the conversation. it felt like his feet were planted to the floor and a rain cloud hovered over his head when ashlyn’s honey brown eyes stared into his soul. but the gloomy mood left as quick as it came when she pulled him into a bear hug.

“you’re on thin ice, but we’ll talk later. and just so you know, i love you anyway and you’re gonna be okay.” offering one last reassuring smile, ashlyn left ej alone to gather his thoughts. although there were no thoughts to consume when his cousin’s boisterous laughter echoed throughout the living room. with stars in his eyes, he watched as joel and ashlyn lit up the room. ej grinned to himself as he couldn’t help but think about how fortunate he was to have them. the feeling of freefalling with the fear of no parachute dissipated with every second he spent with them. as long as they were there, he didn’t need a parachute to cushion the fall and the pain of his hurt. and it didn’t matter in that moment who ej really was or needed to be. because ashlyn was right; as long as he had his small family to lean on, he was gonna be okay.

[hallucinateonpaperspines]

wait you Said that in the next ch we Will see how Ashley is fearing and arachend kidnapping june but doesn't that happen later in the timeline after shadowzone and operation: breakdown. Did the timeline change or did you change the order of events ?

That’s a future chapter of this little arc cluster, not the immediate next one… because my notes for the next one are mostly jibberish and feels that would give away too much too soon for my taste. But yes, canon is changing, there will be a drastic one and a minor one in the next chapter in particular and I’m curious if you guys can figure it out before the plot points it out.

For the most part until season 2 I will be following the canon timeline. This is basically my slow burn divorce with canon. Ashlyn is my legal team and she hasn’t shown up to court yet.

[harristops]

honestly tho i have to admit, ash not posting anything about ali or having sloane in a krieger jersey is kinda sus. ali definitely goes all out but it doesn't even seem like ash puts the same effort in. kinda weird considering that she was the so-called 'romantic'. ali deserved better.

Ok I'm going to answer this as calmly as I can because this ask is ticking me off quite a lot.

Ashlyn and Ali are real people with lives just like us. They have an infant daughter whom they love and cherish. I don't think they care as to what the fans want when it comes to content involving their lives, nor should they.

From the looks of it, Ash was probably alone with Sloane, and taking care of her daughter is a priority over doing an IG story or post. I can't imagine how hard it must have been her to not only be away from Ali for non-injury related reasons, but also to miss the first win of their regular season. When you go to the Pride twitter account, so many "fans" are commenting saying that the Pride only ever loses because Ash plays or that she's washed up and better as a stay-home mom. It's constant, unnecessary hatred.

Now think about Ashlyn, who is protective by nature. She originally posted so much about Sloane but then she did that one IG story while Sloane was being changed and so many people commented and said she's a ch*ld m*lester for posting it. I don't blame her one single bit if she doesn't want to post about her personal life. She probably knew it's better if she sticks to doing IG stories instead so no one can comment.

All this woman has ever wanted from life was a family. She has been through so much and faced so much vitriol from fans and non-fans alike. Give her a break and let the woman be a mother in peace. Let her enjoy her family without tearing into her because she wasn't providing "content". Criticizing her career is one thing, but don't say Ali doesn't deserve her because she didn't post a pic of Sloane in a jersey. That's mad messed up, anon.