#chat: noah darling.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Offerings

a/n I would say don’t ask cause my brain works on its own accord. Thanks to @twilighttowayvision for listening to me yap and making me write this. 🤍✨🫧🤝🏻🙂‍↕️

summary: this is loosely based on worship. Our oc is a back vocalist for ST and her and the boys aren’t afraid to get handsy on stage. The problem however is that she catches an eye of another band. So when Noah from bad omen wants her to be the guest act in one of his shows emotions run high. Jealousy bubbles. Pretty white jaws get bloody.

warning: sexual tension, sexual behavior implications, brat goodness.

Sleep token boys x reader

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The pre-show prep had been slow today. Mostly because you had enough time to get most of the stuff up and running in the couple of days that you’ve spent here. Meaning that there had been no running around, no packed sound checking, and no feeling of needing to be at four places at one time. So you had made yourself comfortable on one of the backstage sofas. Scrolling through different group chats you had going on with the whole sleep token crew. 

That’s when you came across the endless links Espera had sent you. “Tell me that you’ve seen this,"  the message read, followed by heaps of emoji that made no sense. You frowned slightly, clicking on the first link. And it’s not what you expected. A moment of confusion turned into shock before a grin spread onto your face. You quickly sat up, pressing on another link. A video after video played on and on until you were biting your lip.

“What are you smiling at?”, the sound of a iii’s voice nearly made you drop your phone.“Nothing,"  you answered a tad bit too enthusiastically, instantly making your bandmate narrow his eyes at you. “Yeah, right. You look like a Christmas tree,"  iv he huffed, pulling a towel from over his head as he dried his curls. You could lie. You couldn’t if you were being realistic. Their bullshit radar was too good for that. A half-truth might do the trick. Might… “Girls sent over this video,"  you shrugged, glancing back at your phone and trying really hard not to let your cheeks flame. 

“Oh, no… another thirst trap of us,"  ii grinned as he too stepped into the room, reaching for the beverage fridge. “You don’t need to drool over us via screen, baby girl," iii he cackled, wiggling his eyebrows. Striking one pose after another. He flexed his muscles as if he was indeed attending a competition of sorts. You couldn’t help but cackle at him.

“Got the real deal in blood and flesh right in front of you, darling," iv plopped down on the sofa, next to you, leaning in suggestively. You pushed back at his chest. “Not self-obsessed one bit," he simply shrugged, that shit-eating grin shining bright. “Give me that."  You didn’t even notice ii coming to your other side before your phone was in his hands, fingers flying over the numbers on your lock screen. “Hey, no."  You moved to stand up, but iv wrapped his arms around your middle, bringing you back down. This time onto his lap. Arms snacking over your middle. “You all suck,"  you growled, knowing full well that they were going to be met with.

“Yeah, if I could, I would steal the Siren," the voice on the screen filled the room and you don’t have to know it all to notice the way the three of them instantly looked at one another. Piecing together everything that had been happening. “Have you seen her? Her vocals would fit into most of our songs."  A light groan left IV's lips as Noah’s voice continued to bleed into the background. iii’s arms were crossed over his chest. There was no gleam of amusement in his eyes. It’s ii who seemed delighted with this. But not in a you-go-girl kind of way. Oh no, he knew what shitstorm this was going to cause. And to help with your matters, Vessel and Esperas casually stroll backstage as well. 

“We’re working on getting her on our side; I’d die a happy man if she brought her worshiping to our stage."  That was enough to make Vess halt. “What the fuck was that?”, he huffed, walking towards ii, glancing at the phone in his hands. “Bullshit, that’s what that was," iii said, shaking his head, leaning back against the wall in frustration. "Oh, come on,"  the girls laughed in unison, “a boy has a crush." Your eyes grew big as you shook your head with a hiss, “Girls.”

“Has a crush, my ass!", iv practically growled, hands tightening on your thighs, but you were quick to peel his hands off you. “Now who’s being hypocritical?" You stood up, narrowing your eyes at him. He was annoying when he wanted to be. You knew that first hand “What is that supposed to mean?” Iv is quick to jump up too. You knew he was harmless, but his quick movement still made you step back slightly. “You go off to play with Oli, and no one says a peep about it,"  you wheezed through gritted teeth. “That is different," ii cut in, and you couldn’t help but gape at him. Of course, his shit-stirring ass would side with them. “Last time I checked, he can also grab iv dick, no NDA about that?"  you said, crossing your arms over your chest. Just made the mistake of glancing at iv, who was practically red with anger now, “You fucking...", but he didn’t get to finish the sentence before iii draped an arm around his shoulder, turning him around. “Cool off,"  he muttered, tapping a hand on iv’s chest. 

“Breather. Outside. Now”, Vessel pointed towards the door. And as much as you hated the pre-concert arguments, you didn’t want to drop this now. “Bark while you’re at it,"  you raised both middle fingers at iv, but the sight was short-lived as Vess stepped in front of you, gripping your jaw and pulling your face to meet his. "Y/n,"  it was barely a whisper, but the tone shift said it all. “We’ll talk about this after."  You want to fight back, but instead, you just nodded. Pushing past him to go get ready. Simply out of spite moving to quickly typed out a message to Bad Omen’s Instagram account. The likelihood of them seeing it, however, was low. Right…?

The concert ended up being only mid. The tension that usually had everyone grinding against one another. Pushing the possible limits had turned into a cold war. In moments like this, iv pride was bigger than him. You knew he wouldn’t blow off before the show started, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise that he pretty much avoided you like the plague. Leaving you at the mercy of iii and Vessel for the most part. So it was Vess who had you press against his chest until the black paint was smudging all over your back. Hand on your throat as he sang the lyrics of the songs straight into your bloodstream. Even the kiss that iii leaned in for felt off, so you didn’t push him. Didn’t push any of them. Not when your attempts of luring them out of their pissy mood was cut with a cold shoulder. But that didn’t mean that you weren’t frustrated about it. 

"Here," warmth spreads through your body as a familiar scent filled your senses. You welcomed it on most days, but today it only made your frown deepen. So with a shrug of the hand, you pushed the leather jacket off. “Don’t be a brat; you’ll catch a cold," iii grunted, forcefully wrapping you up in iv’s jacket. 

“Who knew you would be the one mending the bridges", you hissed out, taking another drag from your cigarette. iii tapped at his lips, and you quickly held the same cigarette out for him, letting him take a couple of drags in. “He’s pissed because he cares," iii said after blowing out the smoke. “We both know that he’s fiercely protective over people he lets in close." And you knew that. Knew that from all the tines his steal mask would slip. And you would be left with nothing but a needy man. One that’s constantly leaning into you or falling asleep on your shoulder. “You remember him after people started talking shit about Vess dancing”, iii pointed out, “He yapped about it for the rest of the night. I throw punches, iv talks, that’s his weapon”.

“You are all acting as if I’m about to sell my body on the highway," you huffed, shaking your head in frustration. “We found you first," iii nearly sang, snatching the cigarette from between your fingers. “Oh Jesus, it’s that fucking male ego,"  you growled, wrapping the iv’s jacket tighter around your body. iii extended one of his arms out. You didn’t need to be told twice, as you buried your face in his chest. “You are a whole package,"  he muttered under his breath, pressing his lips to the top of his head. “We don’t want you jumping ships." You pulled back slightly. “I’m not leaving you; it’s one concert from what I understood,"  you whispered, knowing full well that if they said no, you wouldn’t go. After all, they were your people. And the last thing you wanted was for them to feel as if you were replacing them in some way. “One too many, baby,"  he let out a sigh, “One too fucking many”, killing the cigarette with his foot before pulling you back into the warmth of the back room. 

The topic of those videos was dropped without bringing it up ever again. They don’t bring it up, so you did just the same. Until one night, your phone pings, and you couldn’t help the grin that spreads over your face. “Tell me that I can see your cute face tonight”, it read. Making you fall back onto your bed, as you silently screamed into your screen. You keep it to yourself this time. The least ears heard about the less hearts would break, but even as you were getting ready to leave, you knew that there was no way you could leave the apartment you all rented out without the boys noticing you walking down the stairs, and from the sound coming from lower floor, they were in the living room. In conclusion right by the staircase. But what was bitting another bullet after all?

"Okay, style icon," iii whistled as the sound of your heels made them all turn your way. You shot him a smile, “You like?" Twistling,  you gave them all a look at your head-to-toe black outfit, only a baby pink mini dress bringing contrast to the whole outfit. “Are you sure you girls don’t want us tagging along?”, Vessel asked, tilting his beer bottle your way. And here you were. Screwed all over. You had forgotten about girls going out tonight. Well, you were going out with them until you got that message, and then your brain blanked. “She’s not going with the girls," iv muttered, his jaw clenched as his eyes looked you up and down. Not the gentle kind of look. Oh, no. He was eating you with his gaze. Burning through your skin. Seeing into part of you, you didn’t want him to. Sending a shiver down your spine. “IV is right, I’m not."  You held your head up; you owned them nothing. Well, not fully true, but still. You were your own person. “Tell me that it’s not what I think it is," ii chuckled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Wipe that grin off your face," you grunted.

Silence fell over the room. ii kept his eyes on you challenging you to break first. But when you didn’t back away he leaned forward. Both inked palms firmly placed on the table. “Careful, or you’ll be whipping something else off your face and legs,"  he said, leaning forward. His blunt answer and forwardness took you off-hand because to get through the impenetrable wall of calmness that ii had built was impossible. It had been impossible. “Not yours to paint tonight,"  you shot them a smile, reaching for the bottle iii was holding before downing the last remaining liquid. “But I’ll send Noah your hellos,"  you smiled at them right as the sound of a car signaling outside of the window echoed, “Don’t wait up, boys." You waved them off over your shoulder. Feeling your heart hammer against your ribcage. The dizziness clouding your eyes. But you couldn’t turn back now. You couldn’t go there now when you knew they were boiling. This was good. This would give them time. Right…?

[russellsppttemplates]

Can I request Lewis with kids/family?

Cw: reader's pregnant

"Careful buddy, you don't want to hurt mummy or the baby", Lewis said as Noah jumped on you, cuddling up to your chest and kissing the exposed skin your two piece swimsuit offered.

"It's fine, Lew", you brushed it off, "but you could've hurt yourself, Noah", you warned, "you can't run around the pool like that, okay?", you checked with your son, kissing his forehead.

Lewis took the opportunity to capture the moment, sending it to the family's group chat before resuming back to look at you. He thought about how lucky he was, especially when he looked at your carrying your second child while holding your son.

"Are we doing dinner out or inside today?", you mused, "However you prefer, darling", your husband replied.

You ended up staying in, finally putting the pizza oven to use as you baked a variety of options, Noah loving to punch the dough and to make different pizza shapes, "Mummy?", he called as you looked at him, "me and daddy did this heart shaped pizza for you and the baby!", he offered.

"Thank you, boys!", you smiled, kissing Noah's forehead and Lewis' lips, "me and baby are really hungry so we should tuck into these!".

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)

[wileys-russo]

Okay! Actually last one just something quick! Mary joining you on a family day or you joining her family for the day (like day trip to a farm or like men’s footie game or smth idk) and just getting crazy baby fever seeing her playing with your/her nieces and nephews

family day out II m.earps

"are you excited to see your family love?" mary asked as she drove, squeezing your hand and flashing you a quick smile before her eyes focused back on the road. "i'm excited to see the kids. the rest of that lot, less so!" you rolled your eyes playfully as mary chuckled.

"come on baby your brothers aren't that bad!" mary defended and you gave her a firm look. "okay they can be a little bit much." the keeper admitted with a sheepish smile as she arrived to the field, starting to look for a parking spot.

"oh just you wait till you see them in action today." you chuckled knowingly, mary doing a lap of the block and finding a park a short walk away, reversing in. "sideline coaches then?" mary winced as she shut off the engine.

"sideline coaches. for six year old girls!" you shook your head with a smile, slipping out of the car and taking marys hand as the two of you started to walk.

she'd fractured a finger in training which meant she was being rested for the weekend when united were playing away. as much as you'd tried to convince her to go and watch she decided she'd rather spend the weekend with you given you'd been away all week on a work conference.

"pitch four?" you frowned in confusion your eyes scanning over the text from your brother, about a dozen seperate little fields littering the oval in front of you. "oh is that your mum? liz!" mary cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted causing you to wince as several heads swung to look at the pair of you.

"see! told you. come on baby." mary interlocked your fingers again, ignoring the mumbles of people clearly recognizing her as she pulled you over to where your family was. "mary! what a lovely surprise." your mum beamed wrapping her in a tight hug, you'd swear she liked the older girl more than you sometimes.

"she didn't tell you i was coming? typical." mary tutted as you shoved her, hugging your mum next as mary moved to hug a few more of your family members she'd met before. "mum!" you hissed, pulling your hand away as the woman held it up clearly inspecting for a ring.

"just checking darling." you rolled your eyes. "if i was engaged you'd be one of the first people to know." you chuckled, shaking your head and returning to marys side as she chatted with your brothers.

"no nicholas put me down!" you squealed as your eldest brother scooped you up off your feet into a bear hug and shook you side to side, your other brother james ruffling your hair aggressively as you shot them both a glare and they dropped you back to your feet.

"honestly a couple of children." you huffed fixing your hair making mary smile and pull you into her side, kissing the side of your head. "where's the kids?" you questioned, unable to spot your neice or nephews anywhere. "gracie's warming up with her team and the boys are...somewhere." nick frowned, admittedly not having seen them for a while.

"dad of the year mate!" you patted him on the shoulder, wrapping his wife alice into a hug as she appeared. "oh there they are! boys!" nick shouted loudly, waving them over from where they were off climbing a tree in the car park.

the twins raced over as you braced, both of them crash tackling into you as you stumbled with a laugh but hugged the eight year olds tightly. "thing one, thing two." you teased as they started to bicker over who was which number.

"oh you brought aunty mary!" noah spotted your girlfriend off chatting with your mum, your heart melting as both the twins faces lit up and they let go of you sprinting over to see her. "she's good with them." james smiled beside you, both of you watching as your girlfriend slung jack over her shoulder and sprinted off, noah chasing after her with a laugh.

"she's great with kids, really really great." you sighed, your mind drifting a little about what she would be like with your own kids. "oi ground control to major tom!" you were snapped out of it as your brother smacked your forehead harshly.

"noah, jack, come here please!" you called, noticing a small crowd of people had gathered around your girlfriend wanting photos, watching her face shift as she glanced nervously to the twins clearly not wanting them photographed.

she looked up and mouthed an apology as you waved her off, distracting the boys as she busied herself meeting and greeting the small crowd. "not every day a lioness comes to our dear little club." nick teased as you carefully watched to make sure mary was okay, simply humming.

you saw her excuse herself, pointing to where you stood with your family with an apologetic smile, the crowd thankfully respectful of her wishes and leaving her be as she made her way back. "superstar returns!" james teased her as you punched him in the arm, mary only chuckling and apologising.

"no need love, it's part of your job. you're a fabulous role model for the young ones!" your mum assured her with a soft smile before turning back to her conversation with your aunt, applause starting as the girls started to line up and you all took your seats.

mary tugged you to sit on her lap on the camp chair she occupied, kissing your cheek making you smile. "proud of you." you caressed her cheek with a tender gaze. "for what?" she smiled but with a hint of confusion.

"being you. my mums not wrong, you're a brilliant player but you're such a positive public figure too. you're changing the game and the world for kids like gracie and her team, and i couldn't be prouder of you for it." you promised, leaning in to peck her lips and grinning as her cheeks blushed bright red.

"right enough of that then you'll make me cry." she dismissed as you chuckled, settling into her as her arms wrapped around you and the pair of you cheered alongside your family as the whistle blew for the game to start.

your niece caught your eye on the sideline, face lighting up as she gave you an aggressive wave and a toothy grin. "mary! can you play please?" noah popped up beside you holding a football with a hopeful look.

"go love. it's a round robin there's a few games today!" you encouraged, standing up as mary kissed your cheek appreciatively causing your nephew to gag. "ohh watch out, i'll come and kiss your cheek next!" mary warned, chasing after him with a grin as you shook your head and settled back down.

~

"you did so good gracie! two goals!!" you cheered, sweeping her up into a hug, her team having won three out of their four games today and your brothers being surprisingly well behaved had meant for a lovely day out.

"we've gotta work on your celebrations." you teased, tickling her and placing her down as she raced over to greet the rest of your family. your nephews still playing with mary on a free field you smiled seeing how good and patient she was with them, having mediated many an argument between the twins today.

you waved her over as she caught your eye, catching one of noahs shots and challenging them to a race back, taking off and letting the boys win as all three of them returned.

"hello!" you grunted as noah launched at you, clinging onto your leg and looking up at you with puppy dog eyes. "what?" you laughed knowing he wanted something, catching mary squat down to hug gracie out of the corner of your eye once more melting your heart.

"can we pleasee have a sleepover at your house tonight? aunty mary said it was okay with her if it was okay with you!" he pleaded, hugging your leg even tighter as you chuckled and brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes.

"if your mum and dad say yes then thats fine." you agreed as he cheered loudly and raced off to check in. "can i come too?" mary appeared beside you with gracie in her arms, tickling her sides as you grinned at her little giggles.

"you aren't tired babe? you've been running around today more than mary does in a whole season!" you teased, your girlfriend pinching your sides with her free hand for the comment. "goal keepers are the unsung heros of the team." gracie repeated making your girlfriend grin.

"very true! you're so wise gracie." mary gasped squeezing her tightly before putting her back down. "mm wonder where she's heard that from?" you tutted, shaking your head at the taller girl who grinned.

"no idea? kid just knows how it is i guess!" mary shrugged feigning innocence, tugging your body into hers and pecking your lips a few times. "now now you two there's children about! save it for the bedroom." your brothers teased as you flipped them off, hastily dropping your finger as the kids appeared, all cheering happily that they were allowed to sleepover.

"are you sure you're right with all three of them?" alice asked worriedly, both you and mary assuring you'd be fine. "gives the two of you a night yourselves as well. go have a nice dinner or something!" you smiled, agreeing the kids would go home to grab their things and your brother would drop them off in a couple of hours.

"yeah. piece of cake! we love kids."

~

turns out, it was not a piece of cake.

"ah gracie don't touch that please, it's hot babe." you warned, quick to grab her hand where it reached for the stove top where you were attempting to cook dinner, but with three lively kids running about it was anything but.

"nope! noah don't chase your brother with that please!" you were quick to snatch one of marys trophies out of his grasp and place it out of reach. "why!" he whined with a huff, stomping his foot. "it's sharp buddy, if you slip and fall you could hurt yourself." you put firmly but gently.

"yeah and if you break my trophy mate i'll hang you upside down from the stairs by your ankles!" mary pounced on him causing laughs to ring out as he called for help and mary grunted as now all three kids latched onto her.

"i told you the ice cream was a bad idea mary." you warned her with a scowl, the keeper wincing apologetically. "okay! new plan." she yelled out, both boys dropping off of her as gracie remained hugging her leg tightly.

"football in the backyard. first one to score against me gets to choose what movie we watch after dinner!" mary clapped, footsteps thundering outside as they raced one another out to the goals and you sighed in relief at the sudden peace and quiet.

"smells divine. i love you!" marys hands grabbed your face, pulling you into a kiss and mumbling an apology against your lips. "mm better be earps. go tire em out!" with that you swatted her bum with the wooden spoon in your hand.

"excuse me there is children running about here young lady! cheeky." mary gasped playfully, stealing one more kiss before running out to the backyard. without them underneath your feet you were able to focus a little more on dinner, still watching out with a tender smile at your girlfriend messing about in the backyard.

as you started to dish everything up again you couldn't help but allow your mind to wander about what it would be like with your own kids with mary, the two of you had been together two years now and in your late twenties you knew it was something you wanted.

"dinner!" you yelled out the back door once everything was dished up and ready on the table. "ah! shoes off, wash hands and wash....faces?" you spoke with a puzzled look at the dirt smeared over all four of them, your girlfriend included.

"yeah look the game got pretty intense babe, i'm talking euros final sort of stuff." mary whistled as you hummed, just smiling in amusement as the four of them left their shoes outside and raced off to the bathroom to wash up.

~

"oh yes! wiggle those hips noah thats it, full rotation!" you laughed from the kitchen, watching on as mary stood on the coffee table clapping. your nephews and neice danced around the living room below her, fed, showered and changed after much argument and fuss.

mary again allowing them to have ice cream after dinner their energy levels had surged, so she was now giving them a dance class in an attempt to tire them out as you washed everything up from dinner.

"very good gracie! love it love it." mary cheered, the song changing as you sighed knowing the catchy childrens tunes would now likely be stuck in your head for the next week.

"okay! movie time, aunty mary is exhausted." your girlfriend announced, shutting off the music after another twenty minutes and collapsing onto the lounge with a dramatic groan.

"right! jack you won, what are we watching?" you joined them, grabbing the remote as your nephew pondered for a moment. "peter pan!" he announced after a few seconds.

"your dads raising you right, fabulous choice."

~

the movie almost finished you'd gently moved a dead asleep gracie off your chest and stepped out for a moment to take a call from your brother who'd returned from dinner, assuring him everything was fine.

you agreed to drop the kids off around ten the next morning, mary having already promised to make them pancakes once they woke up in an attempt to calm them down earlier after dinner.

wishing him goodbye you returned to the living room, your heart absolutely melting into a puddle at the sight before you as you did. mary was dead asleep on the other end of the lounge, noah tucked in between her legs, jacks head on her lap and gracie tucked into her side.

snapping a few photos on your phone with a soft smile you took in the sight for a few more moments, turning off the tv and gently moving to pick gracie up, the young girl stirring but staying asleep as you gently carried her upstairs to bed.

tucking her in you kissed her forehead and returned downstairs. "mary, love." you whispered, running a hand through the keepers hair who thankfully was quite a light sleeper, her eyes fluttering open.

"hi sleepyhead." you chuckled as she stretched, careful not to move or wake the twins. "can you grab jack and i'll grab noah please?" she nodded tiredly as you lifted your nephew with a slight grunt, his head slumping to your shoulder.

mary flicked off the lights as you both carried the boys upstairs, tucking them in beside gracie, the three of them easily fitting into the king sized spare bed, gently closing the door with a soft click.

"you do know we'll be waking up with at least one of them in here yeah?" you smiled knowingly as the two of you collapsed into bed after brushing your teeth, mary only laughing in response.

"hi." the keeper smiled as you pressed your forehead to hers, exchanging a few sweet kisses and i love you's before she reached over to flick the lamp off.

"mary." you started, the older girl humming, your back tucked into her front as her arms held you tightly. "seeing you with the kids today...you're so great with them." you admitted, rolling onto your other side to look at her.

"i love them, they're great kids." mary smiled softly, running a hand through your hair fondly. "do you think about having kids one day?" you blurted out suddenly, cheeks flushing red as her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sudden question.

"sorry that was very forward." you groaned, tucked your face into her neck in embarrassment as she only chuckled. "i do baby, all the time." mary admitted, nudging your head back out to look at her, soft smile on her features.

"really?" "really."

"so do i." you spoke, smile curling onto your own lips. "we could-" mary started but stopped. "no go on love." you encouraged, thumb stroking the curvature of her jaw.

"we could make an appointment to go speak to someone about everything, get some more information, if you wanted to." she hurried through her words, worried for your reaction if everything suddenly became real.

"i do my love, i really really do."

[nerdraging4point0]

Power Play // Chapter Eight // Hockey-Omens AU

Tropes and tags: RPF:AU hockey player romance, angsty romance, hidden relationship, forbidden relationship, smutty, MF, multiple POV. 

Content Warning: angsty romance, hockey player shenanigans, locker room talk, smutty, aggressive hockey players, PinV, MF relationship, possessive male, protective male.

This work below is fictionalized ideas and stories involving real people but does not directly reflect their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.

Taglist(click to be added): @ladyveronikawrites @poisongirl616 @shilohrosechicken @th0ughts-pr4yers @meliferafaerie @curse-bearing-hips @letmeadoreyoux @transparentwitchnightmare @darling-millicent-aubrey @moranastray @cookiesupplier @concreteemo @collective-heartbreak @littlefoxkota @somebodyels3 @thisbicc @jakeygvf21 @cind6547 @lma1986 @loeytuan98 @xxkittenkissesxx @darkmxgician @sammyjoeee @malerieee @embracethereaper42 @nerdywitch20 @graveatspeople @sacredthefran @dominuslunae @skulliecadaver-blog @anameunmusical @thatchickwiththecamera @missduffsblog @jessicafg03 @lilrubles @iknownothingpeople @talialovesmiw @deathofpeaceofmiiind @shaydayhere @wild-child-7747

As I shuffle from foot to foot, waiting impatiently, the massive sphere looms over me, slowly turning to showcase the etched lettering that reads Universal Studios. The brilliant water show happening just behind me provides a melodic backdrop, but does little to soothe my growing unease. Across the way, crowds of excited guests pour through the front gates, many already wearing silly souvenir hats or clutching stuffed animals they bought. Their joyful shrieks echo from inside the park. But here I remain, alone, checking my phone again for any word from Noah who is now 15 minutes late. It would have been easier to carpool but I was so adamant on it only being casual I thought a car ride together would push the boundaries-what was I thinking?  I crane my neck, scanning the constant stream of park-goers for any sign of them. Meanwhile, just down the palm-tree lined streets, casual shoppers laugh and chat as they drift in and out of kitschy gift shops and overpriced restaurants.

I stand conflicted, torn between listening to the voice in my head urging me to leave and salvage my pride or staying to enjoy the sunny day alone in the park. My mind races, replaying our last conversation where he promised to meet me here, yet now I wait aimlessly for a text explaining his absence. I shift my weight between feet, denim shorts swishing against my bare thighs as I kick at the sidewalk in frustration. Arms crossed, I glance around, taking in the groups laughing together on the grass while I wait solitary by the lot. With a huff, I turn to leave, chucks scuffing the pavement with each reluctant step. I make it only a short distance before pausing, a glimmer of hope making me pivot back. I fish my phone from my pocket, refreshing my notifications despite knowing the empty screen awaiting me. 

Noah: Hey, traffic was terrible. Got our tickets online meet me at the front gates. 

The text came in two minutes ago. When I was standing around contemplating my life choices, I feel like an idiot. Had he seen me stomping away? I take a deep breath walking down the red painted walk to the front gates. I spot him before he spots me, leaning on one shoulder against a palm tree closest to the ticket booth. 

His casual look is simple but it’s making my insides swim and spin in circles. The shorts are a classic neutral that matches anything, hitting just above his knees to show off muscular, tattooed calves. His socks and shoes are bright white, like he just stopped by the store to get them specifically for today. On top stands out a bold red hoodie with the hockey team's logo plastered boldly on the front, impossible to miss in a sea of people. His focus is downwards at his phone, hand absentmindedly brushing over short brown hair, drawing my eyes to the fresh cut he got just this morning. The ends are crisp and clean, neatly trimmed in a way that shapes his head, sharpening his look. 

“Hey,” he says as I close the distance between us looking up at me  from behind his shades, “Sorry traffic was a killer, sometimes I am afraid my old ‘09 car is gonna crap out on the freeway.”

"No worries," I say self-consciously, as I begin tugging at the hem of my shorts and shirt in a futile attempt to cover more of the bare skin I had purposely chosen to flaunt just moments before. I'm not sure why I suddenly feel so exposed and vulnerable, wishing I had worn something more modest, but his intense gaze is making me painfully aware of just how little clothing I have on. As if sensing my unease, he reaches for my hand, gently interlacing our fingers together and giving me a reassuring squeeze. With a warm smile, he leads us towards the mobile ticket booth at the park's entrance. I watch as he smoothly pulls up the e-tickets on his phone, which the attendant scans before snapping bright yellow paper wristbands onto each of our wrists. 

"Have fun!" she chirps cheerfully, waving us through the turnstile into the park. Still holding my hand securely, he guides me into the bustling crowd of families and thrill-seekers.

We scatter around the amusement park, darting from ride to ride but never fully committing to more than one at a time. Most of our time is spent waiting in the snaking queues, chattering away about anything and everything to pass the time. We debate our favorite movies - the epic adventures we could watch over and over and the cheesy romcoms we secretly love. We groan about the overhyped blockbusters that left us bored and disappointed. 

The line stretches on endlessly, filled with eager witches and wizards of all ages clad in Hogwarts robes and brandishing imitation wands they had purchased at the souvenir shops. They jostle against each other, craning their necks to see how much longer the wait will be, too caught up in their anticipation to pay heed to personal space. I pull in on myself, trying to avoid the constant bumps and shoves from the overly enthusiastic crowd. Mumbling half-hearted apologies, they repeat the same motions over and over as they surge forward whenever the line moves an inch. Their reckless abandon grates on me, fraying my nerves until I'm overwhelmed by the suffocating press of bodies. Just when I think I can't stand it any longer, I feel Noah's hands encase my shoulders before he pulls me back against his chest. He crosses his arms around me, enveloping my tiny frame within the safe harbor of his embrace. Sheltered there with his chin resting atop my head, the chaotic crowd no longer seems so oppressive. 

The hours fly by in each other's company. I walk slowly as I munch on the Minon Cafe nachos I purchased trying to get a generous amount of cheese, onions and barbeque on one chip. The savory blend of flavors bursts across my tongue with each crunchy bite. Noah stands next to me watching me munch on my food, his lips occasionally curving into a soft smile as he finds amusement in my puffed out chipmunk cheeks struggling to contain the mouthfuls of nachos. I return the expression with my own cheeks puffed out to maximum capacity, my mouth so full of the delicious tex-mex treat that I can barely chew let alone speak. The boys rush up to us without warning, their sneakers scuffing along the pavement. Two gangly teen boys with all the awkward acne and scattered facial hair that comes with puberty stand before us, the shortest one flashing a braces-filled smile as he and his lanky friend try to catch their breath after jogging to catch up with us.

"Hey man," the shorter one greets Noah, a slight lisp detectable as he speaks, "Love the hoodie. We're big Rooks fans." His eyes light up with admiration as they fixate on the sports team logo emblazoned across Noah's chest.

"Oh thanks," Noah replies, his smile broadening as he briefly glances down at the jacket he is wearing despite the intense heat, acting as though he had no idea he was sporting the coveted team merch.

"Whose your favorite player?" the other kid asks eagerly, practically bouncing on his toes. Noah shakes his head and I swear I see a little blush rise in his cheeks, his modest nature taking over. He reaches up and slowly removes the sunglasses from his face. As his identity is revealed, I turn back to look at the boys and see their starstruck expressions morph into sudden realization of who it is they are actually talking to.

The boys ask Noah for photos and autographs. He happily obliges, flashing his pearly white smile for selfies and signing various items. After a few minutes, the boys scamper off, thrilled with their interactions. Noah slides his sunglasses back on and turns to me with a grin stretching ear to ear.

 "You seem to be a popular player," I joke as I toss my trash and brush the chip crumbs from my hands.

 "It's not often I'm stopped without the team around," he admits with a casual shrug. "Puck bunnies usually," he adds. I involuntarily cringe at the mention of that term, memories of my reckless youth flooding back. I was quite the rebel in my teen years, making a string of poor choices with some of the players on my dad's college team. While I was never in it for the money or fame like those so-called "puck bunnies," I'd still made decisions I wasn't proud of, motivated by little more than teenage hormones and lust. 

"You would think," Noah continues, "Being here there would be more popular celebrities to see than me." He shrugs off the comment trying to lighten the mood. I shake off whatever it is that bothers me and force a smile.

 "Maybe they are all hiding," I say pointing to the studio tour ride. Just below the theme park are the studios where they often are filming - it's entirely possible celebrities of all types lurk below us without us knowing. Noah's face brightens at my suggestion and his eyebrows raise behind his sunglasses. His excitement is palpable as he takes my hand and drags me across the park to the escalators, paying the extra toll for the ride. I can't help but grin, caught up in his enthusiasm. We hurry onto the trolley, Noah helping me into the far back seat.

We're squeezed into the very back seat, thighs touching, the tour guide going on about the studio and celebrities we might see roaming around. I'm not even listening. I’m too focused on Noah’s arm draped behind me. His fingers drift lightly over my arm, barely making contact, but it's enough to make my heart race.

As the trolley trundles along through the winds and curves, I turn my head to gaze out the large open sides of the tram, feigning distraction while my mind races. I'm scanning the scenery with unseeing eyes, lost in a vivid daydream. In my fantasy, we sneak away from the crowds flocking through the park and slip into one of its shadowy alcoves, hidden from view. He presses me against the rough brick wall, his strong body pinning mine as his hands roam my curves. Our breaths grow ragged with anticipation and I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out as he drives himself into me, right there out in the open where anyone could happen by. My heart pounds at the illicit thrill even as my inner muscles clench around him. Just then, his deep voice breaks through my scandalous reverie.

 "You hungry?" As I turn back, our noses brush in sudden proximity and instinctively I recoil. But his arm around my shoulders tightens, holding me close so that our lips nearly meet. I swallow hard, nodding my head dropping my  eyes down to stop myself from staring at my own reflection in his black sunglasses. 

“Here or downtown?” His free hand comes between us, his index finger tapping my nose before dropping down to cup my chin and tilt my head up to look at him again. I see myself staring back from his dark sunglasses, the faint sight of his eyes behind them, and I know I'm done for. 

Noah’s POV

“Mmm, fuck, you’re so good to me, aren’t you little fox?”  The subtle music from the shops of studio city provided the backdrop as we found a secluded corner shielded by palm trees and trash bins. My hands gripped her hips tightly, bracing her against the brick wall as I moved rhythmically, struggling to keep my shorts from falling. Her body pressed hard into the wall with each thrust as I hit that sensitive spot inside her, eliciting muffled moans from behind her hand clasped firmly over her mouth. Her nails dug sharply into my shoulder, urging me on as my tempo increased. We were lost in the moment, oblivious to anything but each other and the risky thrill. The distant chatter was drowned out by her gasps of pleasure, spurring me to quicken the pace. 

“Fuck, I’m almost there baby.” I brought her down on my cock she rotates her hips to meet me with each thrust. Fuck. I can't get enough of this girl, she has me absolutely addicted in every way. From the moment I wake up, she is the first thought that crosses my mind. I find myself constantly daydreaming about her throughout the day, picturing her smile, her laugh, the way her nose crinkles when she's focused. I can't go five minutes without needing to touch her, to feel her soft skin under my fingertips. Her presence soothes me, excites me, consumes me. I want to talk to her all the time, hear her voice, her thoughts, her dreams. I've caught myself staring at her apartment balcony, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, longing to see that cute, sleepy look she gets when she's just waking up. I'm not proud to admit it, but I'm utterly infatuated. When we're together, it's electric - the sex is mind blowing, earth shattering, unlike anything I've ever experienced. I can't get enough of her body, the way she feels, tastes, smells. She has me completely intoxicated, addicted, obsessed. 

“fuck me, please.” The rhythmic panting in my ear spurs me on, driving my movements with an intoxicating urgency. Lost in the moment, I'm only dimly aware of footsteps approaching in the distance. But I cannot bring myself to stop, not when we’re so close.

Her skin is flush against mine, damp with perspiration from the sweltering summer air. As our foreheads meet, her face contorts in ecstasy, lips forming a perfect ‘O’ while her eyes roll back. She tightens around me, her body quivering. I wish I could freeze this instant, to imprint the exquisite sight of her unraveling in my mind. I come with one last thrust and we stand there, muscles shaking, breath heaving. 

I catch my breath quickly waiting for her thighs to stop shaking before I am setting her down slowly, shielding her as she steadies on her feet, trying to bend at the waist and lift a shaky leg through her denim shorts. 

Her delicate hand feels light in mine as I gently pull her out to the shopping center, people glance our way and I see her cheeks turn red. People have no idea what we just did, but I do and seeing her shy like this, I find it cute. I spot the burger joint and we slip inside and find a cozy booth by the window. The waiter takes our order - a juicy burger and fries for her, just a cold beer for me. As we wait, she becomes utterly engrossed in the football game blaring on the massive flatscreen above the bar. I watch her eyes light up whenever her team makes a big play. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I find myself getting drawn into the game too.

In the back of my mind, I can't help thinking about my own team - how in just a couple days I'll be back on the ice with them, immersed in the sweat and adrenaline of competition. Part of me itches to be cleared for practice again, to feel the smooth feeling of the ice beneath my skates, to hear the swish of the net as I sink a perfect shot. But a larger part of me knows I'd rather be right here, in this moment, with her. For now, the game on TV is just background noise. The thing that has my full attention is the way she smiles at me from across our little booth, eyes shining, cheeks still flushed. This is where I'm meant to be.

[collapsedglasshouses]

WOULD YOU SAY I'M WORTHY || FOUR

PAIRING: Noah Sebastian x OFC ; slight Nick Folio x OFC

DIVIDER ART WORK BY @saradika-graphics

SUMMARY: When Eden meets Noah, her life is anything but perfect. Her heart is far more broken than Noah can even guess at this point. Will he be able to mend the wounds he hadn’t caused?

WARNINGS: angst, fluff, eventually smut, mentions of grief/loss, mentions of alcohol consumption, mentions of mental health issues, mentions of illnesses

A/N: This was sitting in my drafts for way too long, bc I kept editing and editing... But we're gonna ignore that c:

TAGLIST: @measuredingold @cncohshit @lma1986 @missduffsblog @cookiesupplier @thescarlettvvitch @bngurngheart @dream-machine-love @arkiliastuff @vinyardmauro @lacktoesandtoddlerants @princessmarshmallowx @circle-with-me @thisbicc @xxkittenkissesxx @malerieee @smoke-in-diamond-shape @thatgirlforever5 @veronicaphoenix @justeli6

If you wanna be added to the story's taglist or to my taglist in general, leave a comment or message me privately!

MASTERPOST || MASTERLIST

CONTENT WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE! PLEASE DON'T READ IF IT BOTHERS YOU TOO MUCH. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND WE SEE EACH OTHER IN ANOTHER CHAPTER/STORY! ♡

When Eden woke up on the couch in Nick’s room, it took her a moment to realize where she was. Her consciousness snapped fully into focus when she heard Nick turn in his bed, now facing in the direction of the couch. Sitting up slightly, she glanced at him. A strand of his dark hair had fallen onto his face as she gazed over his sleeping form. She was aware that it might have seemed a bit odd to be caught staring at the boy in front of her, but there was something about his presence that eased her. She didn’t know if it were his reassuring smiles or the casual chats she had with him over the last weeks at work, she just really liked being around him. Perhaps that was why she had agreed to go to the party, despite her aversion to such gatherings, especially since it happened to fall on her birthday, a celebration she typically hated too.

As Nick stirred, Eden instinctively shifted in her position, wary of being caught in her reverie.

“Are you awake, Eden?” Nick's voice broke the silence.

“Yes,” she replied, faking sleepiness.

Nick propped himself up on his arm, smiling warmly at her. “You know, I’m proud of you.”

A blush crept on Eden’s cheeks. “Why’s that?”

“We may not know each other too well, but it means a lot to me that you came to the party,” Nick explained.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Eden replied, a hint of falsehood in her words. “I actually quite enjoyed it.”

She wasn’t entirely lying; despite her discomfort in large crowds, she had found solace in her conversation with Noah outside.

“That’s actually nice to hear.” Nick answered her with a bright smile that she could just mirror. He was so sweet, she didn’t even know how to act.

Right as Nick was about to say something else, there was a knock on the door next to Eden that Nick answered. One of Nick’s bandmates, Jolly peaked inside the room with closed eyes. “I hope you all are clothed, I’m coming in.”

“Oh shut up, man.” Nick answered him and let his head fall onto his pillow, but Eden caught how his cheeks turned a slight pink tone.

“Good morning, love birds.” Jolly said with a grin on his face, but Eden came to the rescue. “You realize I’m laying on the couch about six feet away from Nick.”

“Doesn’t mean you slept there, darling.” Jolly answered with a wink in her direction that made her roll her eyes.

“I just wanted to know if you want something for breakfast, Noah and I are heading out to get something edible.” He continued but right as Eden was about to answer her phone rang. She recognized the ringtone and almost fell of the couch grabbing her phone.

“I need to get that.”

With that she slipped out under the blanket and left the room.

“So, when are you finally confessing that you are head over heels for that girl?” Jolly teased his friend that was still laying in his bed.

“Could you finally stop? I do not have a crush on her.” – “So, you just stop by a random bar multiple times a week because… you’re an alcoholic?” Jolly wanted to know but Nick simple rolled his eyes and got up from the bed.

“Get out of my room and get me a coffee or I might kill you on the spot.”

Jolly just giggled before leaving his room again. Nick’s thoughts shot right back to Eden. She looked stressed when her phone rang.

Nick quickly got ready and headed downstairs. First, he was met with Noah, already wearing a jacket and ready to go out.

“Have you seen Eden?” Nick quickly asked.

“She’s outside on the phone.” Noah answered him honestly. Noah had thought about following her outside since he saw the worried expression on her face but when he dared to give her a second glance and she was on the phone with someone, he kept his distance. He caught himself sometimes staring outside the window. Eden looked stressed. Worse than she already had been. Noah knew something was going on inside of her, but he also knew he didn’t know her well enough to get into her business.

“Maybe, you should wait for her.” Noah suggested and Nick nodded heavily.

“I’ll bring you a coffee and a croissant or something.” Noah mumbled before patting his friend on the shoulder and heading out with Jolly.

It didn’t take long until Eden stepped into the house again. Nick noticed how glossy her eyes were.

“I’m really sorry, but I need to go.” She mumbled under her breath, scared to let her new friend know she had cried.

“Are you sure, you can drive?” Nick asked with a caring voice while Eden hugged herself.

“Yeah… Everything is fine, but it would be nice if I could borrow some clothes. I can’t go back home, and I don’t want to wear that dress again.” She really tried her hardest to not let her emotions show. She was slowly going insane.

“Sure!” With that Nick ran upstairs and searched for a pair of joggers that she could wear and her purse. When he came down again, he saw Eden biting her nails in impatience.

“I know they are a tad too big, but I don’t have anything else for you.” Nick said while handing her the clothes.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Eden whispered and ran into the bathroom downstairs to get dressed. As soon as she was ready, she came back and stood in front of Nick for a second, awkwardly looking towards the door.

“Thank you for having me. I guess, I’ll see you at work sometime.” She mumbled before hugging him tightly. She wished she could stay, she really did. But reality called.

When Eden stepped outside, she took a deep breath. The cold November wind was howling as she walked to her car. She tried to block out any negative feelings that started to come up as she started her car. It took her about an hour to reach her destination but when she was there, she felt nauseous. She knew she should have come here more frequently but her heart just couldn’t take it.

She walked through the entrance of the hospital and was quickly met with the girl at the reception.

“Uhm… I’m here because of Dylan. Dylan McAdams.” She said, her voice not more than a broken whisper.

“Oh yeah, we called you about an hour ago right?” – “Yes.”

“Follow me, I’ll get you to his room.” The woman in front of her told her with a faint smile on her face. Eden knew she tried her best to keep a positive attitude. She knew this was all a façade. It was bad.

She walked behind the nurse that didn’t walk into the intensive care unit, to Eden’s surprise. Her heart sank with each step. Before they could even reach his room, they were met with another nurse.

“Eden! It’s good to see you again.” The nurse said calmly and touched Eden’s shoulder for comfort. She was here so many times they were on first name basis.

“Layla.” Eden only answered and forced a smile on her face. Layla noticed and her smile dropped a little.

“We need to talk to you about something.” The nurse said and Eden closed her eyes for a second. She didn’t know what to expect anymore.

Layla guided her to a room that had a desk and chairs in it. A simple office. Dr. Johnson was already in it.

“Is he dead?” Eden blurted out before Layla could even close the door. She needed to know.

“Please sit down, Eden.” The doctor in front of her said calmly, while Eden was starting to panic.

“Please tell me he isn’t dead.” She pleaded with the man, and he sighed.

“You know, Dylan has been in a coma for a long while now.” Eden nodded at the doctor’s statement.

“We’ve been checking his brain functions daily.” The doctor continued. “We need to inform you that we sadly haven’t been able to track any brain function for the past 30 hours. Dylan is brain dead.”

Eden’s breath caught in her throat. It felt like her soul left her body and she was now staring at the scene from above. Everything felt unreal. She felt like someone put cotton wool in her ears. She saw the doctor spoke up again, but she couldn’t hear it. This couldn’t be real. She forced her eyes close for a second, hoping when she opened them again, she would wake up on Nick’s couch. This wasn’t happening.

Layla noticed how stiff Eden became and grabbed her shoulder softly.

Eden couldn’t hear a thing the doctor said. Everything that happened in the last couple of months playing in her head. She gave everything up to be here. To care for him. Everything started to feel useless. She knew he wasn’t in the wrong. He was ill. He was so ill. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal. Like Dylan gave up on her.

“Can I see him?” She blurted out, stopping the doctor’s monologue about how to continue, mainly because she couldn’t even hear it anyways.

“Of course, Layla can discuss the formalities with you.” The doctor answered. Formalities. As if Dylan was an object.

Eden felt numb when Layla directed her out of the room.

Machines beeped softly in the background as Eden entered the room. The setting casted a sterile glow over the scene. When her eyes met Dylan’s frame, she couldn’t hold herself together any longer. Tears started to run down her face.

As Eden stepped closer to Dylan’s bed, she tried her hardest to suppress her cries. There was a mixture of hope and reality in her eyes. Dylan laid there, motionless. He was hooked up to various tubes and monitors, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmical pace that wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of the ventilator.

“Oh Dylan…” Eden cried out with a trembling voice and reached out for his hand, gently taking it in hers. Her fingers traced the familiar contours of his palm as guilt washed over her. She hadn’t been to the hospital in quite a while since Dylan had fallen into a coma. She was distracted with moving to California to be closer to him and since he wasn’t even conscious, she had tried to get her life together for some time. She regretted not visiting him more frequently.

She leaned in close, her breath hitching in her throat as she studied his still and pale face.

“Can you hear me, love? It’s me… Eden… I’m here… Please, wake up and tell me this is a joke, Dylan.” She whispered as tears ran down her face.

She pressed her lips to his forehead, her touch tender yet desperate. But Dylan didn’t move. He didn’t open his eyes and smiled at her like he used to. He remained unresponsive and she started to realize she would never see his smile again.

“Dylan, please. I can’t do this. Please come back to me.” She exclaimed, her voice broken, and her eyes fixated on his closed eyes. His expression was empty.

Eden’s heart ached with longing as she gazes down at him, grappling with the harsh reality of their situation. Slowly but surely, the realization dawned upon her, and her grip tightened on his hand as if she searched for a flicker of light.

Eden knew he was gone. She knew the Dylan she had met in Highschool, the Dylan she fell in love with, the Dylan that was by her side for the last decade, wasn’t here anymore. She knew the only thing bonding him to this world was machines attached to him.

She wondered how it could come to this. She wondered how they ended up like this. In this nightmare.

She was reliving the day of the diagnosis like it was her personal living hell. She remembered how his headaches started and how they were slowly but surely getting worse. She remembered how his demeanor shifted. How he became darker and more aggressive. She remembered how she begged him to get it checked out by a neurologist. She remembered how he cried in her arms for hours after they told him he had brain cancer. She remembered every surgery he underwent. Every chemotherapy. Every sleepless night in that hospital. She remembered how mad her parents were when she told them she sold her and Dylan’s home to move to LA to be closer to him. She remembered the last time he kissed her and told her it was going to be fine.

Nothing was fine. Dylan was dead. Her husband was dead.

“Eden?” Layla asked carefully, causing the woman to jump a bit. Eden nodded.

“I know this is incredibly difficult for you, but there are some decisions that need to be made about Dylan’s care.” Layla’s voice was soft. She was good at her job, Eden knew that. Layla was by their side the whole time. Every time Eden accidently fell asleep on the hard hospital chairs, she would wake up to a coffee and wrapped up in a blanket. She knew this had been Layla’s work and she was thankful for every second with her.

“What are the options?” Eden asked, her voice almost being gone from crying.

“The machines are keeping Dylan’s body functioning, but there is no hope of recovery. We need to discuss the options, such as withdrawing life support or considering organ donation.” Layla informed the woman in front of her. It broke Layla’s heart. She had seen a lot of things during her time as a nurse, but Dylan and his wife had grown close to her. She knew Eden avoided the hospital in the last couple of months, but Layla couldn’t be mad. She wanted nothing but for Eden to move on. She hoped Eden could move on from this.

Eden’s breath caught in her throat again, her mind reeling with the enormity of the decision before her. She looked back at Dylan again. His face peaceful yet devoid of life and she knew that she couldn’t keep him dangling in this world for much longer.

“Thank you, Layla. I understand… I need to make a call… Can you leave me alone for a second?”

“Of course, take your time.” Layla answered Eden before quietly leaving the room.

With a heavy heart, Eden leaned in close to him once more, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek before letting go of his hand for a final time to make the most difficult decision of her life.

She needed to call his brother. She needed to call Ryan.

PART FIVE COMING SOON

[whatitsdecending]

Chokehold: Pt. II

Vessel x Reader x Noah Sebastian

Finding yourself in a strange predicament between two men who had once shared your body at the same time. One with a tight grip on your heart and the other you just can’t seem to let go of.

A/N: thank you for the love on the first part! I decided to continue this an actual fic, rather than it just being a one shot. I will put this out here now:

I do not know anything about Vessel than what everyone else knows, all of this is fictional and made up by me.

Word Count: 4.4k

Content warning: none, fluff for this part and some cutesy moments

—————————

Two months had gone by and it was now November. You were in the lull between tours, the time where you get to sit at home and get extremely bored. You loved being on tour since you did something every single day, even on the off days.

This time around though wasn’t all that boring. That time three months ago where Noah had introduced you to Vessel was really sticking around. Vessel had given you his number, asking you to call him whenever you could. And you did. You never missed the chance to do so, calling him the next day early in the afternoon once the buses had arrived at the next place Bad Omens was performing. It only rang three times before he answered, the croak of his voice being used after he’d been asleep peaked your interest.

From that day on, you two either texted all day until you were able to schedule a time to call. The schedule you were on compared to his was a little difficult to find time where the both of you could sit down and chat.

Getting off tour made that so much easier for you. He’d call you up almost everyday around 2pm your time, even if he was in the UK he didn’t care how late it was for him in comparison. Every call you will talk until he falls asleep, which usually ends up being around 7pm for you. You’d hear the soft snores coming from his end of the line, signaling to you he was asleep.

“Goodnight Ves, sweet dreams.” You always say before hanging up. A small smile remained on your face as you began your nightly routine, something which you’ve caught yourself doing every time.

For hours you’d talk about anything and everything, it felt much different than the long talks you and Noah would have. Usually those talks with him would end in a hookup, but nothing else. You knew what you and Noah did was just casual, no strings attached. But sometimes you wished he’d just sit and listen to you talk for hours on end, let you rant about the crew who are pissing you off on that day or about the book you’d just finished reading.

But Vessel does. And you know he’s listening to you because he’ll ask you a follow up question on something you mentioned minutes ago. You longed to be able to see him again, to have these conversations over dinner instead of the phone. Whatever piece of him he left in you on that day remained and wouldn’t allow you to let go of the idea of him.

Which is why when your phone began to ring promptly at 2pm, your heart swelled at least twice its size. You hit the green answer button on the screen, then hit the speaker button.

“Hello darling.” His voice echoed into the room from the speakers.

“Hi Ves, how are things?” You asked, turning your focus on the pile of dirty laundry in your basket.

“Oh you know, same old same old. It’s getting quite boring doing the same thing everyday.” He sighs. “I wish I could just bounce around on stage right now and kiss my bandmates.” The laugh that erupted from you was loud and hearty, earning a chuckle from Vessel. “Maybe even kissing you.”

“Oh well now you’re just out of your mind.”

“Why’s that?”

“It’s impractical right now, the idea of you kissing me.” He was silent for a moment, clearly thinking of what to say.

“I don’t think so. It could certainly happen sooner than you’d think.” Now you stood in silence wondering exactly what he meant by that. A notification popped up on your phone, a text from him. You clicked it and gasped at what it was: a plane ticket to London.

“Ves.. what is this?” The shock ran through your body to the point your hands began to shake.

“I did some research and realized there’s a good amount of time between when I go back on tour and Bad Omens does. I bought you a plane ticket to come and stay with me for a while before then.” There was a tone of hope in his voice, you could tell he really wanted you to be there with him. “Y/N I really do miss you, even if we’d only seen each other once in person. Talking to you everyday has only exaggerated that feeling.”

You didn’t know what to say. Well, actually more like you didn’t know how to express what you wanted to say. Your thoughts ran millions of miles per second through your mind. What exactly did he want if you went? Would it just be absentminded fucking like you already did with Noah? Or would it be something more? Soaking up each other’s presence, completing activities the other picks out for fun. Would it actually feel like something was there rather than nothing at all?

“Yes.” After all the thought you’d put into a reply, a simple yes is all that could come up with.

“Yes?”

“Yes Ves. I would love to spend time with you before going on tour again. I think we both really need it.” There it is, slowly coming out of you the more the conversation moves along.

“I’m glad you’re on board. That makes my life a little easier now.” You could tell he was smiling on the other side, just from the cheekiness of his response. “Also I apologize for the late notice, you should probably get packing now and find your passport.” You quickly found the plane ticket again and realized the departure was for tomorrow.

“Oh you dick!” You exclaimed, running over to the closet that stored your two suitcases. Vessel laughed over the phone at the sound of your struggle, clearly enjoying the stress he just put you in.

“I’ll hang up so you can get to packing. Just make sure you text me when the plane is about to take off and I’ll figure out the best time to get you. I’ll see you tomorrow darling.” With that he hung up. You stared at the two empty suitcases in front of you, the bigger one that you only brought along for a tour. You decided it’d be smart to just pack it like you were leaving for tour, then the other one being everything else you wanted to bring.

At the point in which one suitcase was completely full, you had a moment of realization: why the hell did you just agree to go across the sea to a country you’re still very unfamiliar with, and stay with a man whom you’ve talked with on the phone way more than in person. Plus, the time you spoke in person was so minimal because he fucked your brains out.

It certainly was not your brain making the decisions today.

As you sat here staring at the suitcase, it truly put so much in perspective for you. Vessel clearly meant something more to you than you’d thought. He’s had enough of an impact on you in these past two months than anyone you’ve ever met. The universe really works in strange ways and you wonder if Noah’s little fantasy was actually just some sort of strange fate for you.

Or you were going crazy.

—————————

You stood in line at TSA in the airport, watching each person take their personal items and put them into the buckets. It was painful how long you’d been in line and each new person that goes through the process makes you wish it was you. Traveling wasn’t exactly your most favorite thing in the world, but with your job you had to do it, so at this point you just grew numb to the entire experience.

After another fifteen minutes you were finally making your way to the gate. You had enough time to get there so you didn’t rush, but the anticipation of knowing you’re one step closer to seeing Vessel made your legs move in a hurry. The gate already had a lot of people waiting, seeming like it’d be a full flight. How lovely, you thought, I see babies.

Like every flight you’ve ever been on, the boarding process was always the worst. You’d wish you could shove past everyone taking their sweet time putting their carry ons in the bins and just get to your seat, but you decided being kind and helping a few people out would make the experience more pleasant.

As you watched out your window seat while the plane taxied on the runway, you reached for your phone to shoot a text to Vessel:

Hey, the plane is about to take off. See you soon xo:)

You switched your phone into airplane mode as the plane began to shoot down the runway. The friendly feeling of your stomach dropping when the plane lifted into the air put a smile on your face. You were really doing this, some people would run away from an opportunity like this but you decided you had to run right to it with open arms. The flight might be a long one, but in the end, it’ll be worth every second.

—————————

“The time is currently 8:43 pm GMT, the temperature outside is 46° Fahrenheit. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to London.” The pilot said on the overhead speakers when the plane landed, a sigh of relief leaving your body. Landing was always the rough part for you, you’ve seen too many documentaries.

Your phone came buzzing back to life the moment you turned airplane mode off, texts from multiple people popped up and lots of work emails flooding your notifications. You glanced at some of the messages, mostly just your parents asking if you’d landed yet and sending you cute messages. Vessel had sent you a heart in reply to what you sent him before take off, which you immediately sent him a text letting him know you landed.

Then the name you hadn’t seen in a while was there… Noah had tried calling you but resorted to sending texts.

N: Hey, you okay? I’m being sent straight to voicemail each time I call you.

N: Y/N you’ve got me a little worried, you good?

N: If I did something please let me know I don’t mean to seem like an asshole.

You sighed at the messages. Out of all days, he decides to talk to you today. The one time you weren’t going to be able to use your phone for a long time and were actually happy about it. You quickly shot him a text back just as the plane was being parked at the gate.

YOU: Hey I’m sorry I didn’t respond. I was DND for a while and needed some time away from my phone.

N: Shit dude you gave me a heart attack, everything good?

YOU: Yeah! I needed one of those technology detoxes today, you know?

N: I understand that completely. Whenever you get the chance will you give me a call? I miss talking to you.

YOU: Of course, but I gotta get back to my detox. Call you later xo

You stuffed your phone into your pocket deciding to ignore the rest of whatever he wanted to say. Your mind focused on what you were here for, getting to Vessel as quickly as you could. You became extremely grateful the people in this airport knew how to walk fast and weren’t stuck behind any slowpokes. The impatience you had was becoming worse the closer you got to the baggage claim, you think if these people were moving slow you’d mow them down like a damn eighteen-wheeler.

The escalators that lead down to the baggage claim came into view and as you stepped onto one of the steps, you searched the room below to see if you could spot Vessel. About midway down, you noticed him standing further back in all black, he held a small sign that said your name on it and a bouquet of flowers. The smallest gesture he could’ve ever made yet it made your heart flip-flop.

Your feet made contact with the ground and you were running to him. He opened his arms wide for you, letting you leap up and hug him tightly. The familiar warmth and his scent that you’d picked up on that day two months ago was still there, putting a wide smile on your face.

“These are for you.” He put the bouquet in your hand after you’d placed yourself back onto the ground. He had a shyer demeanor about him this time around, it seemed like he was nervous you’d actually come to London to see him. Whatever the case may be, you thought it was sweet. The Vessel you’d met was very different from the one standing in front of you. Despite the different circumstances, you actually preferred this version of him.

“Have you been waiting long?” You asked when you headed to the baggage claim that was only a hundred or so feet from the escalators.

“Maybe an hour or so?” He said with a questioning tone. “I can’t quite remember, I just sat in my car for a while until you texted me that you had landed.” His hand rested at the small of your back under the backpack you’d brought as a carry on, guiding you through the crowded area. “Which bags are yours?” You got to the carousel that was unloading the baggage from your flight and watched for your two suitcases.

“Oh, sick they’re coming out together.” You said and began to reach for them, but Vessel had already begun to lift them from the conveyor belt. “Oh you didn’t need to do that.”

He smiled down at you. “I don’t mind at all, plus you’ve had a long day. You gotta rest those arms of yours.” He started walking towards one of the doors that lead outside when he laughed. “I just realized that made no sense, I just needed some excuse to take your bags for you.” You laughed with him. It didn’t even register in your mind that his sentence made no sense, in fact the jet lag was already hitting you hard. At this point you just wanted to lay down and sleep for an entire day.

You step outside and the chill November air of London hits you like a ton of bricks. The air pierced through your sweater and left you to shiver. The idea to check how the weather would be here when you arrived completely slipped your mind while you packed yesterday, though it would be common sense it’d be cold here in November.

You shadowed behind Vessel, letting him lead the way to where he’d parked. It wasn’t too far of a walk from where the two of you had exited, you were just excited to have the heat blasting on you. Luckily you remembered not to go in the right side of the car this time around, you’d embarrassed yourself pretty bad the last time you visited the UK.

“It’s not too far of a drive to my house from here.” Vessel says as he puts one hand behind the headrest of your seat and begins to reverse out of the parking spot. You couldn’t help but watch his face as his brows furrowed a bit while he pulled from the spot, he bit at his lip with concentration. “I wanted to make you some dinner if you don’t mind. Unless you’re dying hungry then I will happily stop somewhere.” The mention of food took you back to reality, the reality where the last time you ate was at 5am your time.. with the time change you cannot remember how many hours ago that was.

“What do you have in mind for dinner?” You ask, eyes wandering out the window as all the streetlights lit up the road.

“Uhh..” He trails off for a moment, the smallest chuckle escaping from his mouth. Your head whips around to see him trying not to laugh, his hand covering his mouth as his chest heaves with every laugh he stifles. “Spaghetti.” You couldn’t help but burst out laughing, a chain reaction spreading between the two of you as he started laughing just as hard as you were. The car was full of your laughter and the snorts that you cannot help once you start laughing this hard.

You began to calm down, wiping the tears that had fallen down your face. “I have no idea if that truly was that funny or I’m just so jet lagged that everything is hilarious to me.” Vessel patted your thigh lightly as went back to focusing on driving rather than crashing from laughing so hard with you.

—————————

After twenty minutes you were pulling into a long driveway, covered by bushes that lead to a home surrounded by forest. You couldn’t see much in the dark but from what you could see, it was a beautiful older home with a lot of charm to it. There were some lights strung up around the outside, and a wreath that hung on the front door.

Vessel took your suitcases from the trunk and you followed him up the steps of the porch, letting him unlock the door and gesture for you to go in before him. The aroma of sweet cinnamon and pumpkin filled your senses, lamps were the only thing lighting up the rooms in the house but added to the calming atmosphere.

Your curiosity got the best of you the second you noticed the corner of the piano in the living room, drawing you in to see the beautiful instrument upclose. Your eyes grew wide when the floor to ceiling bookshelf came into view, expanding from one wall to the other filled to the brim with books. The piano left your mind as you moved to look at his collection, your fingers running over some of the hardcovers of books you’ve always wanted to read. As basic as you were with your favorite, you pulled The Giver by Lois Lowry out of its respective place. You admired the clear love that Vessel has given this book, some of the creases in the pages from him reading it over time and the breakage in the spine of the book.

You put the book back into the place it was originally and continued gawking at his collection. There was a stack of books on a table near the bookshelf that caught your attention, when you moved closer you realized all these books were ones you’d talked to him about over the phone. You felt that pull in your heart, the familiar tug you always felt whenever somebody remembers such small things.

“I knew you’d come in here.” His voice echoed from behind you, startling you out of your trance. “You like it?” He stepped into the room with a smile plastered on his face. “You boasted about how much you loved those books, I couldn’t resist going to the bookstore the next day and buying all of them to read.”

“I’m going to be in heaven here. This collection is what I aspire to have one day.” Your eyes wandered over the bookshelves again, still trying to process the fact that this was an actual thing he had in his home. “It’s amazing, Ves.”

He smiled softly. “Thank you, I appreciate it. I set your things down in the guest room. If you want to get settled I’m going to get started on the spaghetti.” He trailed off to the kitchen, the sounds of pots clanging and cabinets opening and shutting filled the silence of his home. Your feet pulled you away from the room you’d grown to love, leading you to the stairs where you went to find the guest room.

There were paintings hung along the walls of the hallway, each one depicting a beautiful scene. You knew you’d spend some time staring at them and trying to understand the meaning behind it, but tonight your brain was too exhausted to even try.

A door was opened and light flooded the hallway from the room, you assumed that would be the guest room. Luckily you were right because your suitcases were left in the corner of the room and your backpack rested on the bed. It was a cozy room, not too heavily decorated but also not incredibly bland that it drove you nuts. Vessel clearly had a love for the Victorian style, many antiques littered his home and enhanced the coziness even more.

There was a bathroom connected to the room, a little more modernized than the bedroom itself but still had that same feel. It was lovely. Your hands smoothed over the large porcelain tub that sat in the corner of the bathroom, a window that overlooked the forest in front of it.

You began to unpack a bit and put your clothes away into the dresser, setting aside a pair of your pajamas to change into later on. The smell of red sauce flowed into the room and your stomach twisted into a knot. You were absolutely starving and the way the spaghetti was smelling you knew you’d be devouring it.

After a little more unpacking you decided to head back downstairs to see how close dinner was to being ready and if you could help in any way. As you stepped off the stairs the sound of Vessel’s voice caught your attention, he was singing along to the music he was listening to. His velvety voice was much quieter than you've heard it while he performed on stage, but it was rather beautiful this way.

You rounded a corner and walked into the kitchen, the sight of him putting together two plates of the spaghetti and singing was something that pulled at your heart again. “I was just about to call for you, dinner is served!” He exclaimed as he set a plate down at the table. “Do you want any cheese on yours?”

“No thank you.” A smile tugged at your lips as you sat down, waiting for him to come over with his plate and sit with you. “This smells so good, Ves.”

His eyes lit up as he smiled at your compliment. “Thanks, I tried my best to make it halfway decent.” He sat across from you and stared for a bit. “I’m waiting to see what you think..”

“Oh! Sorry.” You reached for the fork, twirling a bunch of spaghetti with it and placing the food into your mouth. It was delicious, probably some of the best spaghetti you’ve had in a long time. After finishing your bite you gave him a nod of approval. “That was amazing. Where did you learn to cook like that?”

He smirked as he chewed his food, twirling the fork in the pasta. “Cooking shows became one of my favorite things to watch during Covid, so I decided to get my shit together with my cooking and learn to do it properly. Now I actually enjoy it.”

“Do you bake as well or just cook?”

“I don’t bake, it seems like fun but I’ve never really had a reason to.”

You gasped in a dramatic fashion. “You’re telling me you don’t enjoy baking brownies at 2am for no reason at all?” He rolled his eyes at your little performance, a smile on his face that told you everything you needed to know. “We can have a 2am brownie baking party. Just not tonight because I feel like I’m about to fall over in exhaustion.”

“We’ll save it for another night.” He wiped his face with the napkin. “Did you find the room alright? I realized as you went upstairs that I didn’t tell you what room..”

You raised a brow, the same shyness from earlier was back. “Ves?” He glanced up at you and hummed a response. “Are you nervous that I’m here?” He hadn’t expected that question, so as the expression on his face went from shock to slight embarrassment, you could tell his brain was moving a million miles a second.

“Well… erm- to be honest I don’t have many guests over. Only my bandmates come to visit but they only ever stay for a day or two.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “This kind of company is new for me. Especially for how long you’re staying…”

“I’m a wonderful guest.” You placed your hands underneath your chin and put a big smile on your face. “Just ask anyone who has let me stay in their homes for a while.”

“Alright get me that list and I’ll make some phone calls.” Vessel chuckled, standing up and grabbing your empty plate. He walked over to the sink to start on the dishes, turning on the music again and humming quietly.

“Do you want a hand?” You asked as you stood from the table.

He shook his head and turned to look at you. “I’ve got it, you should go get some sleep Y/N you look exhausted.” He turned back to the sink and you watched as his arms flexed each time he put some force to scrub the dishes.

“Alright..” You couldn’t lie, the jet lag was hitting you hard at this point and the lack of sleep you got the night before has made itself very known. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!” He responded as your feet shuffled back upstairs to your room. It was very quiet up there adding even more to your exhaustion. The set of pajamas you’d laid out before had quickly replaced the clothes on your back and you tossed them to the floor, making a mental note to clean that up tomorrow.

You turned off the lamp in the room and was comforted by the darkness that encompassed you. The sheets were silk and the comforter was heavy, it reminded you of the ones hotels always had. You slipped underneath the covers and laid there for a bit with your eyes open. Eventually you glanced at the clock on the bedside table, 11:24pm it read. You sighed and laid back against the pillows, sleep pulling at your eyelids and drawing them shut.

[bapydemonprincess]

Imagine in Book of Circus, instead of going off to the Phantomhive manor to collect souls once she's freed from her confinement, Grelle Sutcliff goes directly to Noah's Arc Circus, knowing by now that something is afoot there if Will is going there himself instead of sending some other canon fodder reapers out. (also yes she is aware she would have gotten it if she hadn't messed up)

BUT she quickly uncovers the DEMON and his BRAT out there too, and quickly schemes a way to intercept... without getting caught by WILL of course...

So so can have a chat with her darling demon...

AND THUS...

A parody of this classic scene happens via Grelle in Phillip Carlyle's place and Sebastian in Anne Wheeler's place!

[sugarsnappeases]

HI KARA!!!

🥺 🧐 👀

HI BABYY!!!!

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

good question!! i think i always go AAAAAA when my precious darlings suddenly realise that their feelings aren’t one-sided, again i feel like this is fairly obvious idk it’s a bit of a classic moment but i love it so much

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

tbh not really!! like if things are set in a specific time period i’ll vaguely look things up but most of my work is just set in unspecified times and i normally write about things i know about already so not so much ALTHOUGH i do look up like a lot of stupid questions no matter what im writing so ig maybe that counts as research??

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

ooohhh this is tricky bc i’m trying to think of one that i haven’t already screamed at you but i have a wip which don’t think ive told anyone about actually!!

it’s quillkiller… duh but they’re exes and bella is in jail bc of reasons i’m not gonna disclose but the general gist is no one wants to pick up the phone and help her out but she calls rita as a last resort, even though they haven’t spoken in like two years since they’ve broken up and she PICKS UP!!!! she picks up and she comes and gets her and they have this big chat in the car on the way home but yeah that’s the general vibe it’s kinda ‘dial drunk’ by noah kahan vibes?? but like not entirely i’m not sure

[frickingnerd]

My Favorite Characters

⋆˖⁺‧₊ ANIME ₊‧⁺˖⋆

A Condition Called Love

Saki Hananoi

My Hero Academia

Katsuki Bakugou

Mashirao Ojiro

Mirio Togata

Rody Soul

Keigo Takami

Koichi Haimawari

Oboro Shirakumo

Soga Kugisaki

Number Six

My Dress Up Darling

Marin Kitagawa

Wakana Gojo

Oshi No Ko

Aquamarine Hoshino

Sk8: The Infinity

Reki Kyan

Kojiro Nanjo

⋆˖⁺‧₊ CARTOONS ₊‧⁺˖⋆

Miraculous

Adrien Agreste

Chat Noir

Luka Couffain

Felix Fathom

RWBY

Pyrrha Nikos

Jaune Arc

Oscar Pine

Yang Xiao Long

Qrow Branwen

James Ironwood

She-Ra

Catra

Adora

The Owl House

Hunter

⋆˖⁺‧₊ BOOKS ₊‧⁺˖⋆

Anne Of Green Gables

Jerry Baynard

Diana Barry

Gilbert Blythe

Percy Jackson

Leo Valdez

Hazel Levesque

Luke Castellan

⋆˖⁺‧₊ VIDEOGAMES ₊‧⁺˖⋆

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim

Ei Sekigahara

Shu Amiguchi

Nenji Ogata

Iori Fuyusaka

Ace Attorney

Apollo Justice

Phoenix Wright

Miles Edgeworth

Klavier Gavin

Kazuma Asogi

Ai: The Somnium Files

Moma Kumakura

Kizuna Chieda

Iris Sagan

Kuruto Ryuki

Danganronpa

Nagito Komaeda

Kokichi Ouma

Kazuichi Soda

Doki Doki Literature Club

Rantaro Amami

Yuri

Natsuki

Final Fantasy

Tidus

Cloud Strife

Yuna

Zack Fair

Cissnei

Fire Emblem

Dimitri

Sylvain

Claude

Ferdinand

Sain

Gray

Berkut

Conrad

Chrom

Kingdom Hearts

Xion

Hayner

Ventus

Terra

Aqua

Master Detective Archives

Yomi Hellsmile

Nier

Aphex Logan

Desuhiko Thunderbolt

9S

2B

10H

Persona

Shinjiro Aragaki

Ryoji Mochizuki

Yosuke Hanamura

Goro Akechi

Ryuji Sakamoto

Project Edens Garden

Wolfgang Akire

Diana Venicia

Steins;Gate

Tales of Vesperia

Makise Kurisu

Yuri

Estelle

The Legend of Zelda

Link

Zelda

Mipha

Sidon

Sooga

Groose

The World Ends With You

Nagi Usui

Shoka Sakurane

Rindo Kanade

Neku Sakuraba

Xenoblade Chronicles

Alvis/A

Poppi

Crys

Taion

Shulk

Reyn

Rex

Malos

Noah

Ys

Fiona

Dana Iclucia

Yufa Gamberg

Zero Escape

Sigma

Diana

Junpei

Akane

Santa

[sunshine-on-marz]

Sometimes I forget that man is called noah

It would be clipped and all over socials for a sec, you'd have a ship name and it would maybe trend on twitter or tumblr but the community would go crazy

I feel like foosh would send u a particularly cute edit he saw of the 2 of u just to aww at u again

🎸anon

Ahhh!!

*on a stream*

“Y/N BABY LOVE HONEY ANGEL DARLING”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT NOAH?”

“C’MERE”

“WHY”

“C’MERE”

“NOAH BROWN”

“PLEASE”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT”

“PLEASEEEE”

You eventually say fuck it and go see

You’re immediately enveloped by a blanket and two strong arms, you squeal and flail but foolish just uncovers your face and kissed you

“Sorry babe, chat made me”

[esoutherngolf]

Golf Nation Now Available on VIZIO

Golf Nation Now Available on VIZIO WatchFree+ and On Demand NBTV Channels’ video entertainment network Golf Nation is set to officially debut its Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) golf-lifestyle channel on VIZIO (NYSE: VZIO) Smart TVs. Millions of VIZIO Smart TV users will be the first to stream Golf Nation programming at no cost on WatchFree+ channel 612 and on demand. Golf Nation content was initially previewed in December 2022 on GolfNation.com as a groundbreaking video-on-demand provider of entertaining, commercial-free, golf-lifestyle shows. In the inaugural season of original shows, the following episodes are produced by NBTV Studios and range from five to 30 minutes: - Ambush with David Feherty – Hidden camera hijinks with golf’s most comedic figure - Three Courses – Travel to play, eat and drink with influencers Gabi Powel, Hannah Leiner - Golf Unseen – Adventures to exotic golf locations with cultural experiences, hosted by Carolina Romero and Mike Mason (nine-time X Games medalist) - Tee Shots – Drink, chat, swing, repeat hosted by famous mixologist Bill Binder - Versus – Rotating golf celebrities and influencers compete head-to-head “We are excited to premiere Golf Nation’s line-up of curated content on VIZIO Smart TVs,” says Greg Barnard, Director of Content Acquisition at VIZIO. “And thanks to a major brand sponsor of the channel, Golf Nation will be featured on the VIZIO Home Screen at launch, helping VIZIO users discover live and on demand content at the beginning of their TV viewing experience.” “Thanks in large part to VIZIO, Golf Nation will boast one of the largest golf-oriented audiences in the U.S.,” says Nick Buzzell, Chairman and CEO of Golf Nation. “The significant distribution lift excites our brand partners who authentically sell products featured in our shows.” Golf Nation started with a built-in audience, as more than 60% of Spirits Network viewers indicated a passion for golf. An investor community darling, Golf Nation’s thesis attracted backers Mark Bezos (HighPost Capital), David Nichols (former President of K-Swiss), John Esposito (Chairman of Whistle Pig and former CEO of Bacardi North America), Mindy Grossman, Partner at Consello and former CEO of WW International (Weight Watchers in partnership with Oprah Winfrey and CEO of HSNI, parent company to Home Shopping Network). Company leadership is equally strong, with former President of the PGA of America Suzy Whaley as President, sports media veteran Noah Coslov as GM, Kim Weinstein as President of NBTV Studios (producer of Golf Nation original shows), and golf marketing PR and visionary Rich Katz as an advisory board member. All shows are watched and live perpetually on golfnation.com, its Android app, and Spirits Network, parent company NBTV’s first entertainment vertical.  In upcoming months, they will be available on Golf Nation iOS app, Apple TV and additional streaming services. Read the full article

[the-graves-family]

15. Suppressed Suffering | "I'm fine."

There’s something wrong with him.

Alright, that’s a little too vague. Everyone knows something’s wrong with Aaron.

Context.

His chest hurts.

It’s been hurting for a while. He’s been feeling like shit for just as long, too. Stuff that used to be easy has him out of breath, and it’s fucking embarrassing. Sometimes just standing up makes him dizzy. 

Aaron’s very good at ignoring things like this. As long as he can do his job, no one will bother him. He’ll get up in the morning, push himself through some exercise, go to work, come back home, sleep, and do it all again the next day.

When there is somebody else in his life that takes notice of every time he has to stop for a breather, though, that’s when it becomes a problem.

“Darling, are you sure you’re alright?”

Well, fuck.

Noah squeezes him slightly, and Aaron has to stop himself from wincing, feeling his heart flutter. It’s a lot less pleasant than it sounds. He can’t make a big deal out of it. His boyfriend must have noticed him rubbing at his chest, like that was going to help with the pain.

“Yeah, babe, don’t worry,” Aaron tells him, turning slightly in his arms to kiss the older man. Hoping that it will distract him from the situation.

It almost works.

“Love— hmph.” Noah doesn’t get another word in before Aaron is deepening the kiss. It’s really hard to focus on his concern when they’re doing this. Some part of him knows his boyfriend is doing this on purpose, to distract him. It’s so very effective, though. “Aaron—”

Aaron doesn’t want to talk about it. Recognizing something is wrong is admitting to weakness, and he can’t have that. Everything’s fine. He probably just overexerted himself at the gym a couple of weeks ago.

Talking about it would make it real.

Everything’s fine.

Noah’s hands let him go and push slightly against his shoulders, which makes him pull away. That never used to happen before. He doesn’t understand how Noah does this to him. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that all of this isn’t real. “Darling, we need to have a serious chat. Please?”

Aaron makes a face and turns around, sitting up fully on Noah’s lap.

“Don’t get cross with me,” Noah pleads, reaching out to stroke a thumb over his cheekbone.

Aaron’s heart skips a beat.

It hurts.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he tells the older man with an unhappy noise, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yes, you’ve been saying that for a while, but I’ve seen you in pain before, love. I know what it looks like.” Noah’s touch is gentle, and Aaron leans into it. He really doesn’t want to have this conversation, and his boyfriend knows that. “Just, tell me what’s wrong. Did you get hurt at your job? You don’t have to hide things like that from me.”

Aaron blinks, and looks Noah in the eye. The man is always so… sincere. The thought that he genuinely likes him is still foreign. The mere concept of Aaron liking him back is almost alien. But he can’t let that cloud his judgement.

“It’s nothing, babe, I promise.” He puts on his best mask, and looks at Noah with wide, earnest eyes. The other man usually can’t last long against this face.

“Well, if you say so, darling.”

There it is.

Smiling, Aaron kisses him briefly and starts to untangle himself to get up, ignoring how the pain in his chest flares. “I’m going to the kitchen, do you want something?” He needs to get up and walk around a little bit, see if it stops hurting. Fuck, it hurts really badly.

“No, love, thank you.”

“Alright—”

The last thing he hears before his world fades to black is Noah calling out his name.

[the-magnificent-hacker-ns]

Good job Nightshade!!

No problem! All in a days work darling!

[arvinsescape]

Too busy.

A/N: I am so sorry this took a while to get out, but here it is! I hope you all enjoy, it is based off a request that @tomhollandlol sent me and I hope you also enjoy and thanks again for your patience. I did change a couple of things but stuck to the basic concept, I hope you don’t mind 💕

Request: Angst one shot, they have 2 kids together, different scenarios, he never pays attention and does something else and is always too busy.

Warnings: Bit of swearing, mentions of sex.

W/C: 4.2K

This last six months had been the hardest she’d ever had to go through, in her entire six years of marriage to Tom, this had been the hardest. Having two kids on top of that didn’t make it any easier, she felt alone, more alone than she had in her life, she was bringing up two children, seemingly on her own. Their eldest was almost four and their youngest was nine months old and teething, which meant she cried a lot.

Tom had been there for most of their journey, he shared the work load and it made life easier but this last six months haven’t ben the case. He became busier, he had two projects going at once and whilst she would happily make allowances for his career it was becoming too much for her. She hated the assumption that things should be easy because she was a stay-at-home mum but that was far from the truth. The children were so young that they needed her constant and undivided attention.

She was struggling to give two children her undivided attention and recently she’s become run down, completely running of fumes. She lives her life in a constant state of tired, she barely does a thing for herself, hell even a shower seemed like a hard task half of the time and Tom? Well half of the time she wasn’t a hundred per cent sure exactly what it was he was doing. She wondered how he hadn’t noticed, how he hadn’t seen the tiredness she constantly displayed.

Half of the mums at school had noticed, she saw it in their looks of pity when she arrived with her son, looking run down and disheveled because she couldn’t make herself look presentable. She didn’t have the time because either her baby would need something or her four-year-old which left no time for herself in a morning.

“Tom?” She shouted as she bounced Ava on her hip.

“Yeah?” He shouted back from where ever he was in the house.

“Can I get your help please?”

“Y/N, I’m busy.”

“You’re always busy.” She muttered to herself as she gave up and tried to soothe Ava on her own whilst making Noah’s lunch.

**

“Tom, I’ve just cleaned there.” She spoke, almost in disbelief as she watched her husband place his golf clubs in the middle of the hall.

“I’ll move them in a bit.” He shrugged. “I need to read over some stuff.” He said as he wandered down the hall and into his office. She couldn’t help herself as she flipped him off on his way, thankful he couldn’t see.

**

“Tom? Is there any chance you can take Noah to school tomorrow? I need to take Ava to an appointment and I don’t wanna be late again.”

“I can’t darling, I’m busy.” He answered, eyes on his laptop.

“Tom, please? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” She tried and Tom looked up at her.

“Y/N/N, I am really busy right now. Just take Noah into school earlier and then you won’t be late.” He said and she looked at him in disbelief.

“Right, yeah, okay.” She huffed and left his office, shutting the door with enough force to let him know she was upset with him.

**

“Daddy! Look what I did.” Noah screamed as he made his way through the door.

“I’ll have a look in a bit my love, I’m busy at the moment.” Tom answered and their son huffed in response.

**

“Daddy!” Noah shouted as he ran into his father’s open arms. “Can we go for ice-cream?” He asked excitedly.

“Ask mummy, I have some work to do.” Tom said and Noah visibly deflated.

“She already said no, she’s too tired.” Noah mocked his mother’s voice.

“Well I expect she is tired.” Tom said, they never bad mouthed each other in front of the children. It wasn’t something either of them did.

“Why? She doesn’t work.” Noah folded his arms over his chest and Tom looked at him in a scalding manner.

“That’s not nice. Your mummy works really hard to make sure everything and everyone is okay. Don’t talk about her like that.”

“But she doesn’t do anything. She looks after us, my friends mummy works and she’s fine. Everyone at school has said it, she has nothing to be tired about, that’s what my friend’s mummy’s say.” Noah huffed, he had a bit of a temper streak. Tom’s heart plummeted, where people really shit talking his wife? To the point his son had become subject to it.

“That’s enough now Noah.” Tom said as he set his son down.

“Whatever. You’re always too busy and mummy’s always too tired. You’re both boring.” He snapped before running into his bedroom and slamming the door. This made Tom’s heart shatter, they were both trying to do the right thing. Tom really contemplated his life choices and in hind sight he wished he’d done something sooner, especially with the conversation he was about to have that evening.

**

“Tom, you are never here.” She exclaimed, a small comment having sparked an argument that had her struggling to keep her voice down.

“I’m busy. Look in a couple of months I’ll be here.” He said and she huffed folding her arms over her chest.

“You’re always busy Tom. I can’t remember the last time you put us first.”

“I’m doing this so I can take some more time off, Y/N, I don’t wanna be that guy but I earn the money, I can’t just stop working.” He snapped and she felt her anger rise in response.

“That’s bullshit,” she hissed out and he was taken aback by her tone. “You were in some of the biggest movies going a few years back. We are not struggling for money, that is some bullshit excuse for the fact that you’re not around.” She hissed, voice laced in nothing but venom.

“Look, I have a week off starting tomorrow, I don’t need to be anywhere and I won’t have any responsibilities, I can help.” He offered and she sighed, anger leaving her with nothing but defeat.

“I hope so.” She shrugged and Tom looked at her carefully.

“What do you mean?” He asked, there was something in her tone that scared him.

“I mean,” she sighed. “I can’t keep doing this, I’m tired and I need more from you.” She didn’t sound angry just tired and Tom felt his heart drop.

“Meaning?” He asked tentatively.

“Meaning, I can’t carry on doing this and next time it’s going to be a very different conversation. A conversation about us that I really don’t want to have but it’s come to that.” She sighed out before turning on her heel and leaving Tom with his thoughts. His heart shattered, had he really been so neglectful?

Tom was free for a week, which helped slightly because their son was always itching to spend time with his father. She thought this would mean that she got a little respite after their conversation the previous night but that’s not how it panned out.

“Y/N?” Her husbands voice echoed through the halls and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his tone. She shouted back her location within the house and few seconds later he appeared. “I need you to look after Noah.” He said, their son hot on his heels, she furrowed her brows.

“Why?” She couldn’t help but asked and Tom gave her a sympathetic look.

“I need to get some of this work done and as much as I love him he’s distracting me.” Tom spoke and she couldn’t help but huff, it was always something.

“I thought you were off this week?” She couldn’t help but ask, tone clipped and she instantly regretted using it in front of Noah.

“I was but then my agent emailed this morning and I now have a load of work to do.” He said, there was a sadness laced in his tone but she didn’t care. She passed him feeling bad about it, she needed him to put them first and recently he hasn’t.

“Fine, whatever.” She grumbled out a response and Tom felt awful, he could see how tired she was, he wouldn’t deny that. But these two projects were taking over and he felt just as tired trying to keep up. To anyone else looking in they would have said the couple needed to sit down and have a chat but of course relationships are more complex than that and the couple were still waiting to have said chat.

“Baby, I’m sorry.” Tom spoke and she sighed.

“It’s whatever Tom. He has some schoolwork he should be doing anyway.” She said, tone defeated and Tom sighed before nodding and making his way back into his office. He wanted to say something but he was afraid to start an argument in front of the children, the two had agreed that their arguments would be kept private, the children didn’t need to know about them.

She spent the afternoon trying to split herself between helping Noah with his math’s work and Ava with her teething. Noah was a bright child when it came to English and Art but Math’s? He was no good at and required a lot of help. She found herself growing frustrated the more she went through the work, she felt guilty but she was so tired she couldn’t help it.

“No, Noah. I’ve shown you this now. Come on, you need to work with me.” She said and instantly regretted the words.

“Mummy, I am trying but I don’t get it.” Noah said back as Ava burst into another flood of tears. She jumped up from her seat, Noah making a noise of annoyance at her actions. She scooped Ava into her arms and rocked her, it was making no difference, the ache in the child’s gum causing ample discomfort.

“Ava come on, shh, it’s okay. Calm down.” She said as she hastily scanned the living room in search of her teething ring. Her eyes landing on the object and she hastily picked it up before handing it to her daughter. She placed the ring in her mouth and instantly her screams calmed to small cries. Once she was settled enough, Y/N placed her back in her high chair and proceeded to help Noah.

She was tired by the end of the evening, her only job being left was to put Noah to bed and he just wouldn’t settle either. He wasn’t great at bed times, he was an alert child who found it hard to switch off for the day.

“Mummy, can we please have another story?” He asked and she felt herself deflate, all she wanted was to have a bath and go to bed.

“But sweetheart, I’ve already read two.” She tried to reason and Noah threw his book onto the floor which made her sigh out as she retrieved it.

“Please mummy? I’m not even tired, can’t I just play with my toys?” He asked, arms folded across his chest and she wasn’t prepared for what was to come next, signs of his temper tantrum approaching and fast.

“No sweetheart, you have school tomorrow.” She sighed out and she watched as her sons face turned into a rather sour expression.

“So? I’m not tired. How can I sleep if I’m not tired? You’re supposed to read to me.” He said and she sighed.

“Baby, mummy’s tired herself okay.” She said, she really didn’t have it in her to stay awake much longer.

“Then get daddy to read to me.” He huffed and she nodded before standing up and making her way into her husbands office, a soft knock pulling him from his work.

“Come in.” Tom’s voice spoke, eyes still trained on his emails.

“Tom? Can you read to Noah please?” She asked, hopefulness lacing her voice, her husbands eyes finding her tired ones. There was something about the way she looked tonight, the way she looked like she was struggling to keep herself stood that reality hit the man hard.

“Of course baby.” Tom said as he stood and he didn’t miss the flash of shock grace his wife’s face. He felt immensely guilty, he hadn’t been there for past six months and he could see what that was doing to her. “Have you eaten?” Tom asked and she shrugged.

“Bits but I’m not hungry.” She said as she rubbed at her red and tired eyes. Tom felt like an utter dick, he’d taken on too much and left his wife to pick up the pieces.

“You should eat.” Tom said and she shrugged.

“I just want to go to bed Tom.” She whispered out and he nodded in response before making his way over to her and kissing her forehead before pulling her into a hug.

“Then go sleep love. I’ve got Noah.” He spoke and she felt relieved, completely and utterly relieved, she didn’t even want the bath anymore, that could wait until tomorrow. She didn’t miss the excitement in her sons voice as Tom made his way into his room and she smiled before practically face planting the bed and falling asleep.

**

It was eight o clock in the morning when she woke, she felt sluggish as she grabbed for her phone and looked at the time. Heart beat picking up far too quickly for her bodies tired state.

“Shit.” She exclaimed as she rushed out of bed and into Noah’s room, only to find the bed empty. “Noah?” She shouted as she ran down the stairs, her mind was racing, she was running late. How had she slept for so many hours? And how had it gone interrupted?

“In here mummy.” Noah shouted back as she raced into the living room.

“I’m sorry, I’m up, I just need to get changed and then we can set off for school.” She rambled as ran into the kitchen to sort out his breakfast.

“Darling, slow down.” She heard Tom’s voice and she spun around to look at her husband, he had bags under his eyes and his hair was a slight mess. How could he still look so good? She wished she could look as good as he did, even tired.

“What?” She looked around the kitchen, evidence that Noah had already had his breakfast. His school bag filled with the books for the day and his packed lunch.

“I’m gonna take him in. Go and chill out.” He spoke as he pulled her into his chest and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you.” She sighed and Tom nodded.

“I’ll take Ava and then you can get some rest if you need it, I’ll be back soon. I’ll do the shopping, should be an hour or so.” Tom spoke and her heart soared at his words.

“Did Ava sleep through?” She asked, realizing she’d not been woken up by her crying last night.

“Yeah, a few times. I slept in there, wanted you to catch up on some sleep.” He admitted and she could have cried with the happiness the revelation brought her. “We need to talk when I get home.” He spoke and she nodded. “Okay, well I’ll see you in an hour.” He said and she nodded before kissing her son good bye and making him promise to behave.

**

An hour and a half later and she’d had a relaxing bath, one that she was more than thankful and ready for. She’d even managed to have a hot cup of tea, a stark difference to the cold ones she was used to. She’d even managed to read a chapter of her new book, she still felt like she could sleep for a while but overall relaxed and content.

“Hey.” Tom said as he leant against the doorway to their bedroom. She placed her book down and looked at him.

“Hey,” she said somewhat awkwardly, she wasn’t sure how this conversation was about to go.

“I’ve just put Ava down, will probably give us a good hour or so.” He spoke and she nodded. “So,” he sighed. “We should talk.” He continued and she nodded again, words not being able to find her, she needed to know how he feeling, what he was going to say first.

“I’m sorry, I want you to know that. I’ve been so wrapped up in what I’ve been doing that I haven’t noticed what I was doing to you. I’m so used to you being the one who has everything together, who know exactly what to do that I thought you didn’t need my help as much as you do.” He started and she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out before he beat her to it.

“I know that’s not an excuse, it’s poor on my behalf and I’m sorry. You and the children, you mean everything to me. All I want in life is for you guys to get everything you want and need and I’m sorry that I’ve been the way that I have, there are no excuses.” He said and she felt her heart lift, the two could fix this, fix what has been happened. “But I need something from you.” He spoke and she furrowed her brows as she waited for him to continue.

“I need you to be honest, I need you to tell me what it’s been like to be you. I don’t want you to spare my feelings, I want you to let it all out. I’m listening now, darling, I need to know what this has done to you, how I can make it right.” He said and she nodded slightly before sitting up in bed properly, her back against the head board as she carefully played with her wedding ring. Tom sat carefully on the edge of the bed, he needed to hear what she was about to say.

“Tom, you’ve just not been here.” She started with her biggest problem. “Even when you are in the house it’s like you just expect me to do everything. You expect your clothes to be washed, dried and ironed, you expect your dinner on the table and I never used to mind. You would always say thank you but recently you haven’t and it made me wonder whether or not you just expect it of me, that it’s my job.” She started and Tom kept quiet, he wanted her to continue.

“Tom, you used to be so attentive.” She said as she reached over and took his hand in her own. “You always used to be here, know when I needed help without having to ask. I don’t mind doing all of those things for you, I really don’t but when you don’t get a thanks it feels a little like you’re being used.” She continued and his heart shattered, he would never intentionally use her, he loved her, loved his family.

“That brings me onto the kids, Tom they need so much attention. They want me to split myself in two half of the time and I can’t, it’s impossible. They both need so much from me and given Ava teething I don’t even get a full night’s sleep. I am constantly trying to run off energy that I just don’t have. It wasn’t so bad when Noah was a baby, we took shifts, you helped. Recently though Tom, it’s been me that gets up and tends to her, me that sacrifices sleep.”

“I know that might sound selfish but when you have a partner, a husband who’s supposed to help with all that it gets tiresome. I found myself getting so angry with you, I wanted to be you, I wanted to bury my head in paperwork and think of nothing else. There were days when I honestly wanted nothing to do with you, I didn’t want to be around you because everything little thing you did angered me.”

“I’ve been so tired, my mind is never where it should be. I’m always doing stupid things because I’m so tired. I never feel like I get anything back from you. I’m too tired to have an evening to myself when they have gone to sleep, I just want to sleep myself. I’m always running around after them, something you barely do anymore, sure you play with them but when was the last time you had to deal with one of Noah’s meltdowns?”

“I get that you have a lot on, I get that two projects keep you busy and if we didn’t have kids it wouldn’t affect me as much but we do and it does. I need you to be there for me Tom, I can’t keep doing this alone, I can’t.” She ended her rant and Tom felt awful, he was so angry with himself, she didn’t even sound angry anymore. She sounded like she’d accepted it and she was just tired with the situation, somehow he wishes she was screaming at him right now.

“I’m sorry princess. There are no words, no excuses for what I’ve done. I’m sorry I made you feel like that, it was never my intention. You mean the world to me, you and the kids. Things are gonna change, I promise.” Tom said, he knew now that actions spoke louder than words, it wasn’t what she wanted him to say it was what she wanted him to do.

“On top of all of that Tom, I can’t remember the last time we did anything as a couple. Most of the time I’m asleep when you get to bed, I can’t remember the last time we touched each other, it’s just draining. It all adds up.”

“I know darling. I promise things are gonna change. Why don’t you pick a film and I’ll be back in a minute?” He said and she nodded as she flicked the TV on and got herself comfortable in bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a day in bed. Tom returned almost ten minutes later and she wondered where he had gotten to.

“Where did you end up?” She asked as he made his way into the bedroom, two bottles of water in hand.

“Well, I grabbed these, I made sure Ava was still okay and the baby monitor is working properly and I had to send a couple of emails.” He admitted and her heart dropped, after everything she’d just said? He took in her expression as he placed the water down and jumped into bed with her. “Not like that darling, I’ve passed one of my projects onto Harrison and Harry, they’re gonna finish it up.” He said and she relaxed. “I promised things will change and they will.”

**

“Daddy!” Noah shouted as he ran to his father, who was there at the school gate to pick him up, Y/N right there next to him. It had been a while since they both picked him up. Ava was a little more settled today which made things a little easier.

“How was school?” Tom asked enthusiastically and then almost cried when he realised how long it had been since he asked that question.

“Amazing!” Noah gushed as he looked at his mother. “Mummy, you look so pretty.” He spoke and she laughed.

“She always looks pretty.” Tom defended her and Noah nodded.

“Yeah, but she looks extra pretty today.” Noah said. It had been a while since she was able to put effort into her appearance and she felt better for doing it. Even if it was only a nicely picked out outfit and tamed hair. “Can we go for ice cream?”

“You my boy have an obsession.” Tom laughed as he poked his son playfully. “But yeah, I think that’ll be a good idea.” Tom said as he looked to his wife who nodded in response. She didn’t miss the looks of jealousy thrown her way when they saw her with Tom.

“So what did you do this afternoon?” Noah asked his parents as he was being strapped into the back of the car.

“We watched a film.” Tom stated, it was an absolute lie, they’d gotten half an hour into the film before Tom had his head between his wife’s legs. It had been a while since they’d done anything like that and when they both realised that fact. When they both realised how long it had truly been since they’d done anything, they spent most of the afternoon catching up with each other’s bodies. In between tending to their baby of course, they both felt energized after their endeavors between the sheets.

“Was it good?”

“Absolutely amazing.” Y/N answered as Tom slipped into the driver’s seat, she took his hand in hers as she held it in her lap.

“Can we watch another film when we get home?” Noah asked excitedly.

“Sure, how about we go and spend the afternoon doing something fun and then we can go out for tea, go home and watch a film?” Tom suggested and Noah fist bumped the air.

“Yes! Does this mean you two aren’t going to be boring now?” Noah asked and Y/N and Tom found themselves laughing.

“Yes, this means we aren’t going to be boring anymore.”

[mayflowers07]

Some fun facts and behind the scene notes about the ICBTOYC series because the next update is taking a bit longer then I would like, so here’s something to hold down the fort:

The title of the series comes from a lyric in the song Brother by NEEDTOBREATHE and Gavin DeGraw. It’s sort of the theme song of the series in my eyes and if you check out the song, you’ll understand why

Actually all of the fics have a song that inspired it. For most fics, the song’s lyrics ended up in the title, but some didn’t- Doc’s is Brother by Matt Corby, Iskall’s is Belong by X Ambassadors, Etho’s is False Confidence by Noah Kahn, Keralis’ is Two by Sleeping at Last, Cub’s is Guillotine by Jon Bellion, False’s is The Fixer by Brent Morgan, and Zedaph’s is Dreamland by Glass Animals

My favourite quote from the whole series so far is a tie “Apolllo you bitch, I never wanted this gift of prophecy. Take it back you coward” and “Mumbo tried to stop him and Ren just straight up barked at him, Mumbo looks so offended”

Some very early foreshadowing that may have been missed is that in Iskall’s fic, they say that Jevin doesn’t go with them to the party because he doesn’t like big public spaces. Jevin doesn’t like those spaces because- as we learn in his story- he hates his body and constantly feels different and judged

Speaking of Jevin’s fic, in it Wels says “we all have our own demons” and Hypno says “your brain has a way of distorting the world against you,” both of which are foreshadowing their own stories later on

In Cleo’s fic, False tells her “I’d give you all the time in the world if you needed it.” This is a direct quote of what Xisuma tells False in her fic, showing how what Xisuma told her and how he helped her really stuck with her and how she wanted to help Cleo in the same way

Yes, I do have the fics for Pearl and Gem planned out. It might just take a bit before we get there

Many people noted that ‘Zed’ was acting out of character in Hypno’s fic, but eagle-eyed readers may have been able to figure out that it was actually Ex before the reveal because Ex (under the disguise of Zed) tells Hypno in chat “you need help and I can’t be the one to give it to you” which is very very similar to when he told Zed in his fic “You need help from people who can give you what you need, constant support and love. I’m really not in a position to be that friend for you.”

The whole thing with Helsknight’s first episode did actually happen in this AU, it just never made it into the main series because no one used the code during it. The reason Wels didn’t use the code during it was because he was scared that no one was going to answer if he did, just like last time. This is also why Wels is so quick to trust Ex, because he thinks Ex is Xisuma’s Hels equivalent and Hels hermits are basically the darkest, most hidden away part of a person’s mind. Wels thinks X is the best person he knows, and there’s no way X could be that evil, so Ex can’t be that bad himself. Neither the assumption that Ex is a Hels Hermit, nor the assumption that Xisuma doesn’t have dark, twisted thoughts is correct.

Here are some alternative versions of stories that I almost wrote before I changed them for whatever reason: Keralis’ was going to be about him feeling like the other Hermits assume he’s stupid and getting upset by this before I fully started fleshing out the Ex storyline and decided to link it in, Scar was going to be the Vex fic instead of Cub, False’s was about her getting struck by lightning and nearly dying during MCC training and Cub having to use the code for her then feeling guilty about what happened in a two-parter (this idea later developed into Joe’s and Cleo’s), and Hypno’s went through many changes, first being about him feeling forgotten and alone because of a prank someone played on him, then being about him having a psychotic disorder and experiencing depersonalization and derealization

The reason Beef’s fic went how it did was because I knew I wanted a Canadian to get hypothermia for the irony but I had already picked Etho’s prompt so it ended up being Beef, which I think is hilarious

And in Beef’s fic, the reason he says his favourite song is Here Comes the Sun by the Beetles is because of the lyrics “Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter, Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here” and “Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting. Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear.” Think of this as gentle foreshadowing from me that everything was going to be okay by the end: the winter may have seemed cold and lonely and almost deadly for Beef but the sun was going to eventually come and a happy ending was on the horizon

3rd life is canon in this world but because it’s a permadeath AU, instead of it being a murder game, it’s essentially a giant game of lazar tag

My favourite fics in the series are Beef’s (was super fun to write) and Mumbo’s (still relatable af and a message I often have to remind myself)

[wagner-fell]

“So then Catra writes on this note ‘hey Adora’ and Adora is like ‘grrrr’ and so they do this whole passive aggressive dance where you could have cut the sexual tension with a knife. Oh, and then-”

“I. Hate. History. Class.” Mari slammed their plastic lunch tray onto the table.

“Oh thank god,” said Kevin. Listening to Mari rant was much preferable to hearing about the Princess Prom episode from Astrid. Again.

Blessica hit Kevin and gave him a pointed look.

“I mean it’s bad enough I have to write essays about fucking colonizers. But now I have to sit next to this white-ass American boy? No thanks.”

“You know,” began Astrid, “if you wanted, I could kill this new guy for you with, oh I don’t know, werewolf po-”

“No!” they all shouted in unison. Astrid was mundane with the gift of the slight but she didn’t think of it like a gift. What was the point of being able to see this fantastical reality if she couldn’t be a part of it? What was the point of having three werewolves as your best friends if they refused to turn you into one?

Blessica tried to tell her that, as a downworlder, she would face a lot of discrimination. But what kinda excuse was that? Astrid was a Korean lesbian who, for most of the time, lived with her single mother. At least this branch of marginalization gave her freakin’ superpowers. The only superpower Astrid currently had at her disposal was not having to date men.

Astrid angrily took a bite of her cinnamon roll and Mari followed suit. Blessica tried to pat her arm but Astrid swatted her away.

“American?” Kevin asked. “I don’t remember any Americans. Is he new?”

Mari nodded through a mouthful of baked goods. She tucked her tie into her black-and-white uniform sweater vest so they didn’t stain it. Normally she wouldn’t have bothered but laundry had been a living nightmare lately. They promptly realized that her sweater vest was also going to get food on it. In removing it, their stomach flashed briefly. She stuffed it in her bag and set an alarm on her phone so they wouldn’t forget to put it back on before the lunch bell rang. Like that time Miss Yang made them jelly doughnuts and she got detention for a week. Mari really hated this school sometimes.

When she looked up to see half the surrounding area staring at them, they looked down at her collared shirt to see if she had gotten fresh cinnamon bun gooeyness on it already.

Astrid laughed. “It’s because you exposed your six-pack.” She moved her fork around in circles, making sure the ranch covered each piece of lettuce in her salad. Astrid loved ranch. She kept a gigantic bottle of it in her bag at all times. “You know, one time this guy asked me if you got them tattooed on. Cause girls can’t have abs and all that bull.”

“And what did you tell him?” asked Mari, amused.

“No.”

“Thank go-”

“I told him the truth. That the only tattoo you have is of Consul Lightwood’s face on your ass.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“The world deserves to know.”

“You're a hazard to society.”

“Awwwww. Mari! I love you too.”

Astrid smiled and shoved a mouthful of salad into her mouth as Mari rolled their eyes.

“Holy shit,” said Blessica, staring at something over Mari’s shoulder. “That is the second hottest man I have ever seen.”

Kevin glanced in the direction she was looking at then back to her. “What? Who?” he asked at the same time Mari drawled, “second hottest, who’s the first?” with a single eyebrow raised.

Blessica blushed as Kevin continued his search. “M-magnus Bane. Obviously.”

“Riiiiiiiight,” said Astrid, looking between her and Kevin.

Blessica blushed deeper. “Shut up.”

“Wow,” said Kevin. “That him?” He pointed and this time Mari turned around…to face Kit fucking Herondale.

Blessica, still red in the face, nodded.

“Wow indeed,” agreed Astrid.

“Aren’t you a lesbian?” questioned Blessica.

“Blessie, darling, I may rather suck on a cactus than suck on a dick but hotties can admire their fellow hotties. Gender is irrelevant in this scenario.”

Mari slammed their hands down onto the table. “Ladies! We are better than simping, even just hottie wise, over an American, white boy! We have standards! And Kevin! I know that” disgust dripped from her voice, “is your type, but resist!”

He rolled his eyes. “Jesus. You hook up with two blonde nephilim and suddenly it’s your type.”

“Yes,” said Astrid slowly, as if explaining something to a very dim child, “that’s how it works.”

Mari felt like they were missing something. Her three friends began discussing where they wanted to go tomorrow for Blessica’s birthday but they were stuck on Kevin’s statement. Something about it wasn’t quite right. It took her longer than she was proud of to figure it out.

“Wait, hold up, did you say nephilim? Kit is a Shadowhunter?!”

They all exchanged a look. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t you see the Mark on his hand?”

Mari turned back to him again. He was sitting by himself at a few tables, scrolling away. And on the hand holding his water bottle… was a voyance rune, clear as day. How did they miss that? “What is a Shadowhunter doing here anyway?”

Kevin shrugged. “Perhaps he’s here to check out London’s up-coming werewolf. I hear she’s a hazard to society.”

Astrid’s head shot up. “Really?!”

“No, sorry sweetie,” interjected Blessica. Astrid finished her cinnamon bun with an annoyed ‘hmph’.

They chatted more about Blessica’s upcoming sixteenth birthday before Kevin came up with the dumbest idea ever. Which was an extremely difficult title to earn amongst the 11th years at St. Lucy’s Academy.

“We should invite the Shadowhunter.”

Mari scoffed. “The whole pack’s gonna be there! Like hell they would let a Shadowhunter crash it.”

“Oh please. Once they lay their eyes on McDreamy, they’ll all forget about his angel blood.”

Astrid gasped. “Is that a Grey’s Anatomy reference? Are you finally watching it?” They all ignored her.

“I think it might be fun,” said Blessica. “And it’s my party so…” She stood up and walked over to Kit’s table, Kevin right behind her.

Astrid picked up her salad with one hand and her second cinnamon bun with the other. “Come in,” she said. “What’s the worst that can happen. You fall in love?”

“Haha,” said Mari, slinging her bag over their shoulder and joining the others.

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