#did anything happen after everyone clapped?

[smonk-wonk]

Me after my lobotomy thinking trans women are respected more than cis women because my trash fucking opinion was very aggressively disagreed with by a Spooky Wooky Woke Mafia Anti Free Speech Liberal Feminist.

Like this probably didn't happen but I'll humor this totally real Tumblr story. If it happened firstly that's fucking stupid why did you lie about being a trans woman? Because you were that sure you'd get more respect if you lied about where you're coming from? "I don't remember exactly how I snuck it in the conversation" that's funny because I can't think of a way to appropriately fit that into the conversation without making it appear relevant to the conversation. So it's a good thing you established that to ensure no one questioned the fact that this wouldn't make sense to bring up. That is unless being used to somehow weaponize this identity that you're lying about having.

Also you're twisting the narrative to fit the way that you see trans women. They didn't see you as a powerful man with a superior opinion. A cis man giving their take on feminism speaking over everyone else would not be taken the same. This very real Liberal Feminist wouldn't likely, reasonably change her mind if she felt a "man" was speaking over her. In fact if you instead lied about being a cis man and said your pfp is your partner or some shit I don't see a reason why that would make her feel you more worthy of respect in that situation, reasonably. If your point was men get more respect you should've just done that- called yourself a man and seen how that went. Oh but that wouldn't fit this stupid fucking narrative that trans women are the enemy would it? The argument that they're equal to men would fall apart when they're not treated equally (they are not at all) wouldn't it?

Like you weren't being shit on for your opinion by a cis woman because you're a cis woman you fucking goofball. It's a shit fucking opinion acting like drag is this horrible disrespectful thing that perpetuates misogyny. That it's basically blackface but like, for women. Lobotomized take. And before "i DiDn'T sAy ThAt" it is describing it just as one would blackface, as if they are both problematic and for the same reasons. Blackface is what a caricature of an oppressed minority is. Yknow why though? Because it was always historically intentionally used to satirize and portray blackness as something to look down upon and laugh at and satirize. A caricature of women would be if the point was for drag queens to get up on stage and not feel good about expressing and celebrating femininity but rather act in an exaggerated manner that intentionally satirizes and makes fun of it and by extension, women. If you're going to call it a caricature of women then I can't ignore the parallel in that there is in fact a demographic that is very offensive to alter your appearance to imitate but doing so is also an offensive and oppressive practice. But the point of blackface is to be a satirical caricature of a group of people, which not the same point as drag. In fact it's the opposite and if you asked everyone at a drag show how they feel about women and femininity you would not get the same response as asking how they felt about black people and their community at a minstrel show. If you were wondering why your opinion is trash and makes no sense

But anyway, in this situation a change of tone from the other side would probably indicate that she began to consider that maybe you came from a place of perceiving this as transphobia because you lied during an argument and made your trans identity that doesn't exist relevant in said argument. I mean bringing it up in this conversation would imply that your identity as a trans woman has to do with how you feel here. Wouldn't be a stretch to think you were implying transphobia in sharing that honest detail because otherwise there's no reason to. Either way her reasoning kinda wouldn't matter because I can guarantee you it wouldn't have been "Oh shit a man, I'd better shut up and listen to him!". Which makes your point fall apart

They didn't respect you "as a man" because you weren't being seen as a man. Do you think if you debated with a cis man and said you were a trans woman he would respect you more than a cis woman but still regard you as a man? Do you live in a timeline where the only respected feminist voices are that of people who are designated male at birth and cis women are told to shut up about feminism and know their place? Anyway this one person who again probably doesn't exist but sure whatever, doesn't qualify as a large enough sample size to imply a generalization. That this is the Liberal Feminist Mindset.

Back when I had a Facebook account I once commented that I thought drag queens were misogynistic caricatures of women and this liberal pseudo-feminist came down on me very agressively like I was a piece of shit for thinking that and we ended up debating the pressure of femininity on women and I don't remember exactly how I snuck it in the conversation but I said I was a trans woman and her tone completely changed it was insane. She calmed down instantly, became super respectful, all of the sudden I was allowed to disagree and she understood where I was coming from, even though my arguments hadn't changed at all. All it took was pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman. No more snarks, no more personal attacks, no more rudeness. My friends saw the conversation and were bewildered as well. I was only allowed a feminist opinion if I pretended it came from a man. I was only treated with empathy and respect when I pretended I was a man. Ridiculous.

[kcrabb88]

It's truly wild to me how many people out there don't understand that the Star Wars prequels are a tragedy or how tragedies work.

Posts like "these are the Jedi failed movies" truly just make me shake my head. They're actually the "fascism wears a smile until it strikes you down and then it's too late" movies. They're the "the senate became corrupt and clapped in the face of genocide" movies. They're the "make people scared enough of war until they accept authoritarianism" movies. They're the "fear and possessiveness will tear you up on the inside" movies. The Jedi were the heroes of lore, people loved and looked up to them, looked to them for safety, and then too much got put on their shoulders on purpose by Palpatine, and also by a senate that didn't want to act (not you Padme and Bail and Mon, you're perfect). They were drafted and used and scapegoated, which is, you know, a tenet of the vast majority of authoritarian governments (Hitler and Stalin, for instance, might be on different ends of the political spectrum, but they sure both did scapegoat specific groups and commit mass murder, just differently).

When some people say "these movies are about the fall of the Jedi" what they mean is "the Jedi failed" but that's not what "the fall of the Jedi means." It means they were wiped the fuck OUT. Like, Jesus, in Rogue One Tarkin is talking about burning out the final MEMORY of the Jedi by blowing up the holy city in Jedha. Palpatine had to get rid of the Jedi because to get rid of the Jedi was to get rid of the final people standing in his way after he had already worn them out. His intention was not only to kill them, but to alter the galaxy's entire perception of them. To rip away hope. People are always looking for the Jedi to be Bad or nitpick their mistakes (because while other people are allowed to make mistakes, the Jedi never are). Palpatine made himself look like a benevolent grandpa who would keep everyone safe. And that, more than anything, is what gave him SO much power. He stole the narrative.

It's just like. Of course WE know what was going to happen! We know from watching the OT that the PT can only end in tragedy. But the characters don't know that! They don't have all the info! That's how a tragic story structure works. We see it coming and they can't.

Anyway. The Jedi are laser-sword wielding monks with psychic powers who just wanted to do what they could to help. The world would be better if more folks remembered that.

[vangelini]

Boyfriend For the Night | Spencer Reid x Reader

Part 2, Finale!!

Summary: During a night out with the team, you and Spencer find yourselves together at the bar. So, when a creep tries to pick you up, he tries his best to defend his best friend (by being MORE than just that…)

Tags: fluff, pining idiots, BAU!Reader, Fem!Reader.

Warnings: Alcohol consumption 🤷‍♀️

Words: 1.4k

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It was often, after difficult cases, someone on the team would shout out a suggestion of “what’s everyone doing tonight?” or “anyone wanna go get some drinks?” This time, it just so happened to be Penelope.

“Come on, you know it’ll be fun,” she pleaded to the boy genius packing up in the bullpen.

“I don’t know, Garcia. I’m not sure how much fun I’ll be,” Spencer gave a tight-lipped smile, putting another file in his over-the-shoulder bag.

“Pretty Boy, you’re plenty of fun,” Morgan jested, one arm around Garcia. “Plus, I think Pretty Girl is going, too,” he smiled.

Spencer knew that was your nickname, given affectionately by Derek. He mulled over it in his mind. At least, if you were there, he might have someone to talk to about common interests. You were, after all, the only one on the team that could follow along with his ranting, taking the chance to blab about your own latest interests, as well. “Fine, I’ll go,” he came to the conclusion that hanging out with team would probably be more exciting than rereading a scientific journal to the soothing sounds of Vivaldi. Plus, he would get to see you outside of work.

“Yay!” Penelope clapped her hands together, her blonde pigtails bouncing. “This’ll be so much fun!” She grabbed Morgan’s hand and started walking out of the bullpen. “See you guys there!”

—

You spotted him as soon as he walked in, grinning wide with a small wave.

“Spencer!!”

He laughed, waving back, in response. He scooted in next to you in the tight booth, his leg hitting yours. “What did I miss?” He asked, smiling at the team.

“Just hearing about Emily’s worst dates,” you smiled up at him, elbows on the table.

“Captivating,” he joked, a little stiff from the close proximity between the two of you. Spencer couldn’t deny that he was attracted to you. Well, he could, and he has been, ever since he met you. Sure, it earned him some teasing from the team, but you weren’t free from it either. ‘That’s just what happens when a man and woman are friends,’ he rationalized. But your relationship was closer than just friends. (Best friends?) It was hard to ignore the way you turned to him, when in a group, or how you always lit up when someone mentioned his name. And if Spencer was trying to hide how big his smile got when he got to rant to you about his favorite subject, or how much you two laughed about who-knows-what in the bullpen when the team wasn’t around, he wasn’t doing a very good job. And he certainly wasn’t doing a good job now, trying to keep his composure as you giggled next to him, as the conversation went on.

“Well, I’m getting another drink,” you spoke between a laugh. “Spencer, you wanna come with?” He looked up at you, standing with your purse over your shoulder.

“Sure,” he smiled, following you out of the booth and to the bar.

“I’ll have…” you leaned against the bar, tapping your chin in thought. “Whiskey and coke, please,” the bartender nodded. “Spence, you want anything,” he looked down at you, hands in his pockets. He squinted down at the little plastic menu that the bar had printed out.

“Just club soda, please,” he smiled shyly at the bartender. You stood up, leaning your hip on the counter.

“I’m glad you could make it,” you spoke to him, smiling.

“Me too.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Penelope, but I can’t hear about what she does in the bedroom with Kevin anymore,” you laughed at the end of the sentence. Spencer did, too.

“I know what you mean,” he noticed the way you messed with the zipper on your jacket as you spoke to him, a habit he picked up on quickly, when he first met you. “However, I think listening to Morgan talk about his one night stands is arguably worse,” he laughed.

“It’s SO much worse!” You hit him on his sweater-clad arm, playfully, a wide smile pulling up at your flushed cheeks. He laughed with you, putting his head down a little to hide the blush that bloomed up on his nose.

“Only about fifty percent of first dates result in a second one,” he continued, cracking his knuckles nervously. “there are ways to increase that likelihood, like a good first impression, or establishing shared interests early on,” he gained a little confidence. “actually, over sixty eight percent of successful couples report that they were close friends before dating,” he spoke the last part before he could think about it. After he realized what his words might have suggested, he closed his mouth, turning away shyly. You smiled to yourself, putting your head down a little. “That’s, uh, probably why Morgan hasn’t found someone yet,” he turned back to you, smiling tight-lipped. “At least ONE reason,” he laughed. His lips pursed gently, his chestnut hair dangling around his ears. You looked up at him gently as he loosened his tie, still laughing a little at his joke. Your eyes wandered toward his lips. He licked them nervously, glancing back down at you, eyes scanning your face.

You were snapped out of you Reid-filled daze when an unknown man spoke up next to you.

“Hey, pretty lady,” his voice was gruff and had an inflection that somehow communicated that he had never touched a woman in his life. “Can I buy you a drink?” You turned around to see a man no older than thirty smirking slyly next to you, leaning on the bar. He absolutely REEKED of cigarette smoke.

“I’m okay,” you smiled nervously, subconsciously moving closer to Reid. The doctor narrowed his eyes, a little put off by the advance.

“Come on, pretty girl like you, here all alone?” He advanced. “Let me buy you a drink,” he reached out to put a hand on top of yours, but Spencer stepped in.

“Uhm, actually, she isn’t here alone,” he ran his hand through his hair nervously, giving the man a tight-lipped smile. The man looked between you two, a confused look on his face.

“For real?” His voice came out like gravel, and he scoffed a little bit.

“Yeah, for real,” you grabbed Reid’s hand, squeezing it. “I’m here with my boyfriend,” his heart skipped a beat or two when you called him that. Boyfriend. He couldn’t help but smile proudly at the man.

“You’ve GOTTA be joking,” he slurred, laughing.

“No, she’s not joking,” Reid stood up straight, tucking his hair behind his ear. “And, actually,” he began, his tone changing to how it usually did before he went on a rant. “According to surveys, around seventy percent of women find unsolicited advances in bars to be unwelcome and uncomfortable, rather than flattering,” he pressed his lips together, shrugging a little while squeezing your hand. You couldn’t help but giggle at his attempt to scare the guy off. The man just stood there, confused. “Studies show that people decide within the first seven seconds if they're interested in someone. If you come off as aggressive or disrespectful, your chances plummet, which,” he looked back at you, smiling. “I think is what happened here,” he was proud of himself; you could tell.

“I don’t need your statistics, Einstein, I think-“

“Actually, Einstein had an IQ of about 160; I have an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and can read over twenty thousand words per minute,” this effectively wore the creep off, because he just mumbled an angry ‘whatever’ and walked away toward another group of girls.

You looked up at your friend and broke into laughter. He joined. “I cannot believe that worked,” you squeezed his hand a little, turning to face him.

“Honestly, me either. I figured he would either get bored and leave, or end up punching me,” he laughed out. “I may be in the FBI, but I don’t think I can handle a drunken bar brawl.” The bartender set the drinks on the counter in front of you and you gave him a small smile, grabbing yours. “The team’s probably waiting for us,” Spencer grabbed his drink, dropping your hand. You picked it back up, looking up at him.

“Just in case we come across any other creeps,” you smiled, a warmth running through the both of you.

“Good thinking,” he mused, squeezing your hand tightly, walking back toward the booth.

Morgan spotted the both of you, turning away from his conversation with Hotch.

“Oh? What’s this? Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl holding hands,” he crossed his arms. You rolled your eyes at the comment.

“Some weirdo tried picking me up, so,” you held your intertwined hands up so they could see. “Reid is my boyfriend, for the night,” you smiled, taking a sip of your drink. It was, supposedly, just for the night, but Spencer liked the sound of that.

And, admittedly, so did you.

(‼️💕IF YOU LIKED THIS, REQUESTS ARE ALWAYS OPEN💕‼️)

[phant0mth1ef]

more of bakugou x support course reader!

after you’d fixed his gauntlets, he realized just how much you’d improved them as he was training in class one day, noticing how they’re able to withstand his blasts as if nothing had happened, and noticing that you etched the word dynamight onto the rim of the silver at the bottom of the grenade shaped gauntlet.

he found himself in the support course work room once again, looking aroundbto see if he could find you to, well, somewhat thank you and ask if you had any other recommendations to add to his costume.

his shoes hit the floor as he was able to fully see the room during the day, watching as the students shuffled around and didn’t just casually cater to someone standing in their doorway, they were too engrossed in their own projects.

he grabbed one’s shoulder as they tried to speed by him, almost dropping the poor boy as his items fell on the floor.

“where’s extra #1?” he asked, his eyes squinting at the boy who just wanted to grab his things and go.

“who?” the boy squeaked.

“extra #1!” he whisper shouted as the confusion on the boy’s face never faltered.

“…”

“l/n.” he finally gave up, realizing the boy wasn’t gonna understand what he meant.

“oh! she’s currently over at mirko’s agency! she designs support gear for her y’know! she’s so talented.” the boy gushed as bakugou swore he saw a slight blush on his cheeks before pushing him forward and letting him go, walking out the door.

he normally wouldn’t do this. but oh man did he really need that support gear today! the boy was walking around town looking for the number 5 hero’s agency, even stopping some people on patrol to ask!

he was outside the doors, watching with anticipation as he looked inside, watching power loader scold you, a sheepish smile on your face.

bakugou opened the doors, a soft music playing in the background as he caught the end of your conversation with the teacher.

“and get your grades up or i’m taking your keys to the lab!”

you put a hand behind your neck as you looked towards who had just walked in the door, a look of confusion on your face as you spotted the blonde hero in training.

you had grease on your face and dirt covering your arms up to your elbows, and yet he didn’t find himself completely repulsed, just fascinated.

“bakugou? what’re you doing here?” you spoke, a large screw in your hand as you waved him over.

“i, uh, i need your help with something.”

you nodded.

“d’ya have anymore recommendations for me? like to add onto my hero outfit? i liked the way you messed with my gauntlets.

“you came all the way over here to ask me that?” your tone was questioning, and your face wasn’t having any of it.

“listen! i’ve got a mission soon and if you do have anything to add i want it on by then! got it, extra?!” he got defensive quick.

“are you forgetful or do you just like to piss me off?”

he was stubborn, you were stubborn.

the perfect match for one another!

“tch. y’know what i don’t even know why i bothered coming out here! clearly you’re just an egotistical asshole.” he turned around.

“fine! then go! i’m not exactly asking to design your support gear anyway! bitch.” you said with pride, although you whispered the last part.

as the door jingled, signaling his exit, you could hear footsteps approaching from behind you.

“well well well, seems like we’ve found someone with enough spunk to finally match yours!” mirko clapped, announcing that out loud to everyone who was sitting in the lobby.

“tch. he wishes.”

“i dunno, the way you were talking to each other, i’d say there’s some romantic tension there, aren’t i right akari?” she turned to her assistant who nodded.

the next day bakugou showed up to the lab, just sitting there waiting to be acknowledged, although you blatantly ignored him the whole time he was there, going on with your day while people from his class walked in and were instantly assisted, even deku.

he would sit there and wait. and that’s all he’d do. day after day for a whole week before you finally begun to notice him sitting there.

“alright i can’t focus with you huffing and puffing in the corner over there!” you dropped your tools, clanking against one another as they hit your workspace.

“i don’t want to help you. but you’ve got persistence. i’ll give you that.” you said as you grabbed some things from a drawer, shoving them into his chest.

“what’s this?”

“a mix of different things. smaller compact grenades that pack a bigger punch than your other ones, these are ear plugs that’ll allow you to hear without damaging your hearing further, this is a roll of tape. for you to shut up.” you gave a chesire grin at the last one.

surprisingly, he chuckled. he didn’t think he’d ever find someone who… “matched his freak,” as mina would describe it.

he also found himself liking the feeling of sitting there and watching you in your element, so much that he begun to come in after classes just to chat with you while you worked.

you weren’t as bad as he thought, he wasn’t as bad as you thought.

you could get used to this.

[eddiethebrave]

secret admirer part eleven

922 words

one two three four five six seven eight nine ten

Tuesday and Wednesday go much the same. Steve doesn’t watch Eddie at lunch anymore. 

That’s where Eddie does most of his staring, though. Steve wonders if Eddie felt like this knowing Steve was watching him. He hopes not. He feels like he’s on fire. In a bad way. 

He can’t help himself but go over everything he did, trying to find where he gave himself away, but he comes up blank. Anything he shared about himself in the notes could’ve been from anyone. 

He didn’t hint at it whenever he actually spoke to Eddie, either. 

The only thing he can think of is that he delivered the notes at the same time every day, barring the one time he was late. Eddie must’ve figured it out; saw him one morning. But he thought of that beforehand, too! The only door unlocked then is the gym door because no other sports or clubs meet that early. If Eddie were there, someone would have seen him. 

Then there’s art class. Steve gets whiplash from all the staring at lunch to business as usual in class; Eddie acts like nothing is out of the ordinary. That is to say, they hardly speak to one another, but when they do, they’re friendly. 

Come Thursday. Carol is out sick, so Steve has no distraction from the boy next to him. He can’t even try to convince himself he isn’t tuned into Eddie’s every movement. 

That day, the worst thing that could possibly happen, happens.

“Next to you, you’ll find your partner for this month's project. Go ahead and get acquainted, you’ll be spending a lot of time with one another.” 

The person on Eddie‘s left turns away from him to pair up with the person on their other side and Steve's stomach drops. He waits for Eddie to request a new partner, but he just drums his pencil on the table noncommittally. 

Steve would just put them both out of their misery and ask the teacher if he can wait until Carol returns to school, but he doesn’t want Eddie to think he minds being partnered with him, especially if Eddie isn’t going to be the one to interject. 

Steve has no reason to be upset with Eddie and, loath he is to admit it, he’d take any chance to be around him. Even now that he knows Eddie doesn’t want him in the same way. 

That’s another thing that’s been nagging him. Eddie was fine with H before he knew it was Steve - liked him even. Then the staring happened, and he took off the ring. 

There’s only one explanation: Eddie doesn’t like Steve. 

You’d never guess it, though, not with the way he turns to him and grins. “Well, would ya' look at that.”

Steve smiles hesitantly. “Hey, man.”

The teacher claps her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, alright.” Once everyone has quieted down, she hands each of those in the front row a stack of paper to distribute to their respective columns. 

“This is the project outline. In a moment, I’ll dismiss you to read through it with your partner. After you’ve done that, you’ll notice there is a brainstorm worksheet on the last page. Now, you only need to complete one of these for the both of you…”

Once she’s done giving directions, Eddie turns to Steve. “Do you wanna read or should I? Or separately?”

Steve doesn’t even have to think about the answer. “You.” There’s not really an option there. Not only does he get to hear Eddie’s voice for a prolonged amount of time, but he doesn’t have to stutter his way through reading, or watch as the words seem to evade him? Yeah, Eddie can read, no hesitation.

Eddie nods and clears his throat before starting. Steve reads along on his paper and finds it much easier than if he’d had to read it on his own. 

The concept is pretty straight-forward. They’ll each have to make a portrait of themselves and the other, collaborating orally while not seeing the other’s work. Even when they’re finished, they have to turn in the projects without the other seeing. There will be an exhibit in three weeks before they go on spring break where all of the portraits will be displayed.

When Eddie’s finished, they flip to the worksheet. “Okay,” Steve says, “I’ll write since you read.”

Eddie hums his approval, and they get started. 

At the end of the hour, the teacher tells them to hang onto their packets and take a moment to schedule time outside of school to meet. There will only be one day a week dedicated to the project at school.

Steve clears his throat. “So, I- uh, I’m free most days. When works best for you?”

Eddie tilts his head to the side. “What, no court activities? Responsibilities?”

Steve hesitates. “You mean basketball? I mean, we practice in the mornings and there’s a game next week, but other than that…” Steve trails off once he catches sight of Eddie’s amused look. “What?” He asks, immediately self-conscious.

Eddie waves him off. “Nothing, nothing.” Steve frowns but Eddie keeps talking. “How about Mondays and Wednesdays, right after school?”

Steve chews on his lip before nodding. “Yeah. Where are we meeting?”

Eddie thinks for a moment, drumming his pencil on the desk again. “Uhh, how about we decide that during class those days?”

“Sounds good.” Steve holds up their project outline/brainstorm worksheet. “I’ll just hang onto this.”

Eddie chuckles. “Honestly, man, that’s probably for the best.”

twelve

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sorry if i missed anyone!!

[acheronist]

ahem. I present to you: the peglar papers (the unofficial visual transcription), my freak pet project that's taken over a lot more of my life than I would like to admit!!

the idle thought of "I wish I could read these damn pages more clearly" took hold of my brain and wouldn't let me rest until I had traced over every page within the wallet and uhhhhhhhh. well here we are. the process of actually editing the scans to darken the script, tracing over it all, and then documenting the damage stains and holes on each page etc took about total ten months-ish to evolve into this monstrosity, so I'd appreciate it if someone could clap!!! I've been working really hard on this niche ass project for a long time!!!!!

anyways........ this is (nearly) every page available on the royal museum greenwich's online collection, AFTER I spent an agonizingly long time picking through each mark of the incredibly faded victorian cursive. (I've still yet to do henry's printed navy ID paper. It's in such bad shape, there's really not a lot I can confidently make out and all attempts thus far are incomprehensible 😔👍)

I anticipate there are some mistakes & misreadings in here somewhere, but I truly did use my very very very best efforts to stay faithful to what the marks upon the page looked like as they were made. I really hoped to get a typed up / deciphered transcript done as well, but unfortunately I don't have the time for such a thing right now due to The Rest Of My Life Is Still Happening, so this will have to do for now!! someday I will have a pdf and a transcript available, but everyone will have to bear with me until then.

Feel free to use these for.... whatever.... you need them for? If anyone else wants to take a stab at deciphering the backwards pages, or type up anything to make it more readily available and understandable, I'd love that and would love to see that!!!! very very much!!!!! as much as the ghost of tom armitage and I enjoy being the active crypt keepers for henry peter peglar (february 22, 1812 – c. 1849), it'd be lovely to have extra help with working out what the fuck he was saying in some parts 🫶 ok sorry for the long post, thanks for reading, mwah

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Finish Line || LS2

Summary: A farewell fic to Logan because I'm a sookie and miss him already. Pairing: Logan Sargeant x fem!reader (living in America) WC: 4k

Summer Break 2021

Your mother always said, “Nothing good is easy and nothing easy is good.” To an eighteen year old fresh out of high school you thought she was referring to studying and exam results, not the more impactful experiences you would face once the red brick walls were left in the rear view mirror. 

It would only take a matter of weeks to learn the real meaning.

Loving Logan wasn’t easy but it was impossible to stop the feeling of falling that came soon after meeting him. From the moment you met there was an indescribable connection but the paths of your future were heading in completely different directions and you knew at the end of summer you would say your goodbyes.

In the meantime you would enjoy what the weather had to offer and what better way to emancipate yourself from the innocence of youth and broadcast to the world that you were an adult than a girls road trip to Miami? You may not have been old enough to drink but that didn’t stop the college guys on summer vacation from keeping you and your friends well supplied. 

Looking back, it only proved how young and naive you were. 

“Dalt, I really shouldn’t be here,” Logan complained as a red cup was thrust into his hand. “I could get in so much trouble for this.”

“Relax, bro, you’ll be fine.” His older brother clapped him on the back happily. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The beach house was right on the waterfront and Logan stepped out onto the white sand to dip his toes in the warm water. He didn’t know who’s family the place belonged to but Dalton seemed to know everyone by name. It only made him feel even more left out and he thought maybe he should have just stayed in England for the summer break. 

The house was stifling with the humid temperatures compounding to a sauna with all the bodies inside. The beer had started off cool but it had warmed in your hands and began to taste disgusting so you abandoned it into the hands of a stranger passing by who swiftly chugged it back before shouting the Greek alphabet you assumed was the name of his frat house. You had certainly bitten off more than you could chew and debated catching a Greyhound bus home where you felt safe but you wouldn’t ditch your friends who were absolutely in their element.

The beach wasn’t like any you had seen before arriving in Miami. The sand bars were tiny pockets of islands and each property seemed to be its own space divided by narrow canals that lead to dry docks for their expensive boats. 

“Mind if I join you?” you asked the stranger who sat in the sand at the water's edge. It was impossible to ignore each other’s presence when the rising tide had left such little space.

“It’s a free country,” he said with a small smile, his palm quickly swiping away the picture he had drawn in the sand. 

“I don’t know about that. Sometimes it feels like a prison. Sorry, that was really morbid.”

He laughed and tipped his head back to the sun that still beat down despite being late in the afternoon. “You’re not wrong though. I love coming home, but sometimes I’m glad I don’t live here anymore. I don’t know how to fit in with that,” he said looking back at drunken revelers who had stripped down to their swimwear despite having no inclination to actually enter the water. 

He looked like the rest of the guys there: tanned skin over a toned body and dirty blonde hair hidden by a cap he wore backwards. The southern drawl also confirmed the fact he called this place home. 

“Where do you fit in then?”

His shoulders shrugged as he picked at a desiccated chain of Neptune’s necklace that had washed up on the beach. He busied himself with plucking each individual bead off the seaweed and flicking it back to the water. “I don’t know.”

“Okay, well, what did you want to be when you were a kid?”

“A Formula One racing driver, or a fisherman.”

You buried your toes in the sand, wiggling them to dig deeper where it was cooler. “I thought the all-american dream was to be an astronaut?”

You met his blue eyes and saw the amusement that sparkled in them. “I’m afraid of heights,” he admitted with a grin before he held out his hand. “I’m Logan.”

“I think we are beyond names here, I already know your hopes and dreams,” you teased, shaking his hand. 

“But I don’t know yours, yet.”

“I can give you my name, but as for hopes and dreams, I have no idea what I want to be. I’m still trying to figure that out.” You realised his hand was still in yours and gave it another small shake. “I’m Y/N.”

As the sun fell below the horizon the party grew larger and soon it spilled into the slice of paradise you had carved out with Logan. Sand was kicked up as two guys tackled each other to the ground and Logan threw a protective arm around you before they could crash into your side.

“Back it up bro,” he said as he rose to his feet and pulled you up too, tucking you in behind his back. “You could have hurt somebody.”

“Aw, Sargeant, is that your girlfriend?”

Logan ignored them and turned to check you were alright. His eyes scanned over your body and slowed on their ascent before he cleared his throat and met your eyes again. “Do you want to get out of here?”

You scanned the crowd and spotted two of your friends dancing and the other sat on some guy's lap, smiles on all their faces. You couldn’t disappear and make them worry but you didn’t want to stay as the party only grew more chaotic. “Yes, please, I’ll just tell my friends I’m leaving.”

You weren’t going to attempt to get amongst the gyrating bodies so instead headed to Dakota. The guy sitting beneath her noticed your arrival first and grinned at Logan as he stepped in beside you, his hand resting on the small of your back. “You’re leaving aren’t you? Well, you lasted longer than I thought you would.”

“You two know each other?” you asked. 

“Only since birth,” Logan answered. “This is my brother, Dalton. Dalton, this is Y/N.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” you said before turning your attention to your friend. “I’m going to head off, Kote. Logan said he can drop me off at the apartment after dinner.”

“Are you sure? I can take you back if you want.”

You laughed and leaned into Logan, enjoying the warmth that came as his arm curled around your waist. “I’m good, someone needs to make sure those two get back.”

You both looked at the twins who had found dance partners and knew the rented 4 bedroom apartment was probably going to double in residents by morning. With a resigned sigh that she didn’t really feel as the group mother, Dakota nodded. “I’ve got them, you two have fun.”

The wink she sent you off with made your cheeks heat but you hadn’t actually planned on doing what the action implied. Of course Logan was attractive, and the thought of taking him to your bedroom was one that had you melting, but you were quite happy just enjoying his company too. 

“Are you hungry? I know this great spot but it’s a bit of a drive from here.”

Out in the street where the sounds of the thumping bass couldn’t reach your stomach rumbled and you smiled sheepishly. “Just a little.”

The restaurant he knew was on Key Largo, about an hour south of where the party was in Miami Beach and you were amazed by how many bridges had been built to connect the keys. It would have felt a bit scary driving over the ocean if it wasn’t for Logan recounting stories of growing up in the state. It was a good distraction to listen to the fondness in his tone as he remembered fishing off the now-closed piers that he pointed out. 

“I think this is where you fit in,” you said as he cruised along the highway in his pickup truck, the radio quietly playing an RnB station in the background. It was warm enough that the window was down and the breeze blew his hair back like a runway model.

He glanced across the car and lifted a questionable brow. “In Florida?”

“No! Behind the wheel. You look, I don’t know, comfortable? No, content, that’s the word.” 

On the beach Logan had shared how he was halfway through the season of Formula 3 in Europe and had hopes to join an F1 team in the future. It was also when he mentioned returning to the country he currently lived in, four thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Despite only just meeting him, you felt the four week countdown arriving like a dark storm cloud.

Those four weeks flew by almost as quickly as you fell in love. 

Summer Break 2024

The soy milk screeched and you winced at the sound before saving the new girl, and the coffee, from the machine. Thankfully it wasn’t scorched as the shop was already full with the busy morning foot-traffic and you wanted to keep it flowing for the customer’s sake. 

“Soy latte with a shot of hazelnut?” A hand went up and you passed the takeaway cup over. “Have a nice day.”

You looked at the next order stuck to the bench and immediately searched for the customer, a smile splitting your face when you found him. “Baby, you’re home! Why didn’t you call?”

Logan ducked under the staff counter and met your embrace with strong arms that pulled you to your tiptoes. “I called, but you must have been busy here. God, it’s good to see you, sweetheart.”

You checked your phone in the pocket of your apron and saw the missed call before slipping it over your head. “Marie, can you keep an eye on everything?”

“Yeah, course, hun, take your time,” the part time barista said with a wave. “Welcome home, Logan.”

“Thank you.” 

You dragged Logan eagerly through the swing door that stated ‘staff only’ and past the break room to the disused office at the back. “I’ve missed you so much,” you managed to say between the desperate kisses you shared as he kicked your door closed. 

“Missed you too.”

Your hands reached beneath his shirt and he chuckled breathlessly as he caught them before they could move any further. “Tempting, sweetheart, but not here.”

You pouted as you draped your arms around his neck instead and held him tight. “I have the studio booked in 20 minutes, did you want to come?”

Logan rolled his eyes at the stupid question and didn’t bother to answer as he tucked his hands into the back of your jeans and buried his face in your hair. “You smell like blueberry muffins,” he hummed happily. 

“I can steal one,” you offered but when you pulled away he quickly pulled you back with a shake of his head.

“Diet.”

You grabbed the flesh on his abdomen, feeling the hard muscle beneath. “You’re perfect, baby, one muffin isn’t going to change that - but it will make you happier. Go grab a seat in the staff room.”

You walked him back down the hall and let him settle into the couch while you grabbed a muffin from the front counter. Most of the rush had quickly cleared and with the lull in orders you made him his favourite drink. 

“You spoil me, sweetheart,” he said with a gratefully smile as you placed the plate and cup on the coffee table. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you.” You sank into the couch beside him and watched him pick apart the muffin, finding all the blueberries to eat first. He could feel your eyes on his hands as they fiddled with crumbs but before he worked up the courage to explain why he caught a flight two days earlier than planned. “What’s going on, baby?”

He exhaled a heavy sigh and wiped his hands clean before taking yours. “I think it’s over.”

Your heart cleaved apart and your ears started ringing as your world came crashing down. There was only one semester left in your art programme before all the plans the two of you made would come to life - plans that started with moving to England with Logan. Plans that were crumbling down.

“It’s over?” you repeated as silent tears streaked your face and your hands slipped from his.

Horror bled into Logan’s features and he snatched your hands back, placing them over his chest where his heart beat rapidly with panic. “Not us, never us,” he rushed with a harsh shake of his head. “Fuck, sweetheart, you are my everything.”

You sagged with relief as he wiped your eyes but the relief was short lived as you understood what he meant and the phantom pain in your chest returned. “Have you spoken to James?”

He nodded and leaned into your touch as your palms ran up his chest to cradle his face. “It’s not good.”

To hear the defeat in his voice was something you never wished to hear again. It was a sound that no 23 year old should make, he was too young to feel the immense pressure he was under and a weaker man would have been broken by it. But Logan was strong, mentally and physically - he would recover from this, you would make sure of it.

“Come on,” you whispered as you rose to your feet and tugged his hands. 

“Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“But you have class.”

You grabbed your handbag from your locker and tossed him the car keys. “This is more important, and I can paint anywhere.”

—

The drive to Miami took most of the day and the frown on Logan’s forehead seemed to soften as the arid air turned humid and the paddocks turned to swamp before he sped through Alligator Alley. The top 40 charts played quietly on the radio and Logan hummed along with the ones he liked while he held your hand on your thigh. 

A contented sigh of relief exhaled from deep in Logan’s chest as the sunset and the city lights illuminated the horizon. Though he was tired to his bones, just the sight of his home was enough to rejuvenate him and he sat up a little straighter before taking the exit that would lead him to Fort Lauderdale. 

Madelyn and Daniel were already expecting Logan and the front door opened before he could turn the engine off. It had been a while since they last had Logan home and you felt a little guilty since most of his returns to home soil were to visit you instead, but they didn’t hold it against you. Madelyn was just happy that there was someone who loved and supported Logan as much as she did.  

It was immediately clear that she wasn’t aware of his current struggles as you saw him hide behind a confident smile as she asked how everything was going. 

“I don’t want to disappoint them,” he admitted as he closed his bedroom door after dinner. 

You placed your bag on the floor and took a seat at the headboard before patting the spot beside you. Logan flopped down on the bed and rested his head on your thighs while his long legs hung over the edge, looking up as if you had all the answers. 

“You could never disappoint them, Lo, they just want you to be happy. And, you're worrying about things that haven’t even come to pass. We don’t know what the second half of the season will bring.”

“I know you are being reasonable, but I can’t help thinking this is the end. Everyone else thinks so too.”

“You mean everyone on X, formally known as twitter,” you said with a roll of your eyes that made him chuckle. “How about no social media for the whole break? Just disconnect from it all for four weeks.”

“And what happens at the end of the break?” he asked quietly, sensing deja vu from the last time he asked this three years ago. It was an eerily similar state too with his head on your legs but you were on the white sands instead of a bed. You had already fallen in love but he was due to fly back to Europe and you would be getting in the car with your friends and heading home. He had forever changed you that summer.

You combed your fingers through his hair as you relived the same memory. “We will be grateful for the time we had together.”

A smile tugged at his lips and he sat up so he could pull you onto his lap. “I’m not letting you go again.”

“I should hope not,” you stated as your knees settled either side of his thighs and you reached into his pocket to fish his phone out. “Now say goodbye to this, I am having you all to myself.”

He plucked the phone from your fingers and tossed it to the side table before putting all those glorious muscles to good use. The room spun until he caged your body beneath his and he gently kissed his way across your collarbone. “You already have me, sweetheart.”

–

A sick twisting feeling gripped your gut as you waved goodbye to Logan through misted eyes. No matter what you had said, you could feel his stress growing as the break came to an end and now he was going back alone. You wished you could go with him.

The drive back to your apartment was too quiet but you couldn’t listen to the radio because the songs he would have hummed to would only make you miss him more. It always took days, weeks even, to reacclimate yourself to the loss of his presence when he left. It never got easier but the memories made were worth it.

The days dragged by as classes began again and the repetitive routine of life was reestablished. Finally it was the weekend and you could curl up on the couch and watch Logan’s practice on F1TV while you were surrounded by paintings of him. There were two new additions that had come back from Miami, one capturing his happiness as he reeled in a bluefish and the other capturing his perfect features as he sunbathed shirtless, that one was purely indulgent.

“Oh no, Sargeant has taken a big shunt into the barriers there.”

Your feet slammed to the floor as you jumped out of your seat and stumbled closer to the tv as if you could reach through it and help, but you were helpless to watch as Logan remained in the car in the middle of the track - red flags waving. 

“Come on, baby, get out of there,” you begged as you heard his radio saying he was okay, but then the back of the car ignited into flame. You were screaming for him to get out as George’s car rolled by, his hands gesturing wildly for Logan to get out too before he finally was free of the seat harness and jumping out over the halo. 

You finally breathed a sigh of relief but it didn’t last as the camera cut to Logan leaning on the barriers, his head hung in defeat despite the helmet hiding his face. You knew your boyfriend better than anyone, you knew exactly what was going on inside his head and you knew you had to do something.

The credit card Logan had given you years ago had been left discarded in the back of your underwear drawer. He said it was for you to use but you had never been with him for the money and even as a broke uni student you hadn’t used it once. But this was an emergency, and if you were ever going to use it then you could be damn sure it was going to be spent on him.

One quick email was sent to your professor begging for an extension due to a family emergency before you packed a bag and booked the first flight out to Amsterdam.

With shaking hands you typed a message: I’m so glad you got out of there, baby. I’m on my way and I love you so much xxx

You knew he wouldn’t be able to reply for a little while since he would have to get back to the team garage, and there would be other responsibilities first like having a medical check and debrief, but you sent it anyway along with the flight numbers so he knew where you would be and when. It was going to be a long day with the 13 hours of flights plus the change in timezone but nothing was going to keep you from getting to Logan before the race tomorrow.

–

A stranger with a whiteboard greeted you at the airport and the exhaustion of the trip faded away when you reached the paddock with a pass in hand and stepped into the Williams garage. Bodies of mechanics moved in sync as they rushed around the car preparing it for the race that was due to start in a few short hours but it was one man that was standing among them that drew you closer. 

“Lo,” you greeted softly behind him on raised tiptoes. 

A wide smile split his face as he turned to embrace you, lifting your feet off the ground as he buried his face in your neck. “Hellow, sweetheart,” he breathed against your skin before inhaling the familiar scent of your perfume. 

Your hands tightened on his waist as he pressed a kiss to your temple. “Are you okay?”

He pulled back and his smile faltered. “I’m better now that you’re here.” 

You reached up to trace the curve of his cheek where his smile had been but his team principal called his name before you could feel the shadow of his beard on your palm. “Can I borrow you for a minute?” he asked Logan before spotting you, a flicker of surprise on his face. “Hello, Y/N, it’s lovely to see you again.”

“You too, James,” you replied politely before stepping out of Logan’s arms and giving him a little nudge in the right direction. “I’ll wait over in hospitality.”

Logan spent what time he could with you, reassured by the feel of your arms wrapped around his neck and your cheek pressed to his as you sat on his lap in the single chair that furnished his driver room. The thin walls did little to dampen the noise of the motorhome and the crowd beyond but for a few minutes Logan could forget it all and the pressure that came with it - until the clock ticked away the precious minutes alone and reality returned.

“I have to score a point today,” he whispered like he was confessing a sin and he tipped his head back to stare at the roof. “No point, no seat. That's the deal.”

“Can they do that with your contract?”

“They can do whatever they want, sweetheart. I’m lucky they let me go this long without contributing.”

You cupped his face and tipped it forward so he was forced to look you in the eyes. “There are more ways to contribute to the team than just scoring points. You spend hours in the simulator every week so they can get their precious data.”

“And then I go and cost them $250k when I crash,” he laughed humorlessly and dropped his forehead to yours. “I think this is it. I’m tired and it’s so hard to enjoy it now. That’s the worst part out of all of it. I used to like my job, it was all I wanted to do.”

Your thumbs caught the tears that clung to his lower lashes. “What do you want now?”

“I honestly have no idea, I just know I want to be wherever you are.”

A knock at the door interrupted the promise you were going to make and someone in a William’s shirt said it was time to head back to the garage before ducking back out of the room.

“I love you” you whispered between the kisses you traced across the bow of his lips. “I want you to go out there today and forget James and points and all that stuff and just enjoy the race. I have watched you give everything to this team but today I want you to be selfish, okay? Enjoy it out there or it’s all for nothing, no matter the outcome. And when you get out of that car I will be waiting for you, arms wide open.”

Logan closed his eyes and exhaled a shuddering breath before he captured your lips in a passionate kiss that left you both breathless. Resolute and proud, he stood up and placed you on his feet before grabbing his cap and slapping it on his head. “I’ll see you at the finish line.”

[prncessjaeger]

eren and his mystery cheerleader gf! ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

syp: no one believed eren had such a pretty gf…until now

trin speaks!: be mindful i might have errors. it’s normal.  

“so where’s your so-called "girlfriend" at? or did you make this one up too like the last time-”

“oh fuck off, connie, that was one time, and i was 12!” the rest of his friends surrounding him laughed at his embarrassment, (apparently he was the only one without a girlfriend so he made up having one…like i’m talking fake messages and everything.) currently, they were at a rival school’s basketball game since you didn’t go to their school and of course eren decided to come and support you…but his friends armin, connie, and onyankopon tagged along with him, wanting to see who his “special lady” was. “so is the game gonna start or…?” “uh, i think? it just turned 6-” armin was cut off with a set of claps and loud stomps from the side of the bleachers, cheerleaders could be heard shouting a set of words while the boys ran out through the middle of them. parents, children and other spectators could be heard yelling in excitement for the intense game that was yet to happen. 

eren looked around to spot you, finding you sitting on the bottom bleacher scrolling on your phone, and the boys traced his eyesight, “bro no way you date that girl sitting on the bottome row?” “huh?” connie pointed at you, “her? she’s toooo fine to be dating you-” “hey?! what’s wrong with me?” “-she should be dating me!” everyone around him rolled their eyes, “if anything she should date me, black love is the best love-” “right, but she’s entitled to date anyone she dates, besides we don’t know her,” armin was received with blank stares from all three of em while ignoring eren’s mumbling claims of, “i’m the one dating her,” soon or later it was halftime, which was a break time for everyone.

the dance team began to perform and all the cheerleaders went their separate ways. connie and armin went to concessions and onyankopon was talking with a girl he’d just met, so eren searched and searched for you, until he felt a pair of cold, soft hands hindering his vision. “guess whooo~”

“my beautiful baby i’d hope?” you kept his eyes covered as you moved infront of him, then removed them happily, “well you hoped right! hi eren!” you hugged him and sat next to him, leaning into his arms, “oh wait- you see our new uniforms?” “yes, its looks amazing- they added glitter to the school letters?” your curls shooks as you rapidly nodded, “yes! and the other sports coaches complained about it, wanting the letters to be unisex but i mean, glitter is glitter, and THEN the coaches made us run 5 laps before the game because someone left their bow at home, and now…” he turned towards you so he could listen to you better, and once the buzzer went off, you had to bid your goodbye, “you taking me home?” “you think you could ride home with sasha - i have the guys and i don’t wanna make it too crowded, i’ll get you once you get home?” your slight frown turned upside down and you noddied happily, “okay! see ya!” you waved enthusiastically and he waved back, sighing in content. “who’re you waving at?”

“my girlfriend?” they all stared at eren for like 5 seconds, then bursted out laughing at him, “oh man eren, you are too funny!”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

after dropping his friends off, eren sat outside your home, waiting for your arrival and decided to do something that’ll hopefully get into his friends head that he’s actually dating someone. he smirked at his phone, editing up his caption and nearly jumped hearing his car door open, seeing you in his hoodie and some cute grey shorts, “hey baby,” you kissed his cheek and saw his phone, “uhh why are you…?”

“you’ll see.”

[hopelesslydevoted2paige]

GET HER BACK! || PAIGE BUECKERS

summary — after a week, nika invites you to go out with the team, giving paige an opportunity to make ammends

pairings: paige bueckers x fem cheerleader!reader

word count: 822

warnings: none

authors note: hii heres part 2 of casual!! i was gonna use ivy by frank ocean for this butttt i wanna save that for a more gut wrenching fic maybe series 🤓 ENJOY!!

part 1

It was a week since the events that had happened with Paige and you guys haven’t talked since.

Paige did try to reach out the next day, calling you multiple times but you refused to answer.

It was currently three in the afternoon. Your team had half of the court to use for practice while the other half belonged to the women’s basketball team.

“Alright, let’s run it one more time!” Your coach yelled as you all got into position.

The whole routine, you could feel Paige’s eyes on you. Her eyes scanned your body, watching your every move.

“Alright girls, let’s take five then get back into it right away!” Your coach clapped as everyone scattered towards the bleachers, trying to take advantage of the break.

You sat on the bleachers, trying to catch your breath before sipping your water.

“Hey girl!” Nika greeted as the whole team walked up to you. Including Paige.

You smiled warmly at her. “Hi! How’s practice?”

“You know coach, always up in our ass during the season.” You both chuckled. “You were great out there! Right Paige?” She nudged her shoulder forcefully.

“Yeah. You were amazing.”

You smiled awkwardly. “Thanks.”

KK cleared her throat. “We were wondering if you wanted to go out with us tonight?”

You hesitated. “I don’t know-“

“Come on!” Aaliyah butt in. “We miss you.” The rest of the team agreed behind her.

You sighed, giving in. “Alright. Just send me the details later.”

“I was also wondering if we could talk?” Paige whispered as her teammates cheered and conversed on their own, the two of you going unnoticed by the others.

“Paige, I don’t think-“ You were cut off by the sound of your coach’s whistle.

“Did I say five hours?! Wrap it up and let’s run it again!”

—

“Hey Y/N!” Nika greeted you, giving you a warm hug. You could tell she was already tipsy.

“Hi Nika.” You giggled, making eye contact with Paige as you returned the hug. You could see her jaw clench once her teammate started to rub your back.

You were going to have a lot of fun with this.

You sat next to Nika, grateful she got the imaginary memo as she wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

“Y/N!” Azzi spoke up. “You guys have nationals in a few weeks don’t you?”

You nod eagerly. “Coach has been pushing us a lot lately, we might have to be sharing the court a lot more for the next few weeks.”

“That’s fine with me!” Nika smirked. “I get to see you a lot more then.” She pulled you closer with her arm.

“Nika, you are so drunk.” You giggled, playing with her hair in hopes that Paige would notice the two of you.

The blonde wasn’t having it. She stood up and stomped towards the two of you.

“Y/N, can we talk?” She clenched her jaw.

“Uh-“ You faced Nika who motioned for you to go. “Yeah whatever.”

You stood up, following Paige to the exit, smirking to yourself.

Paige turned to face you. “Since when were you and Nika a thing?”

You scoffed. “Is that all you have to say to me?”

“No! I just-“ She groaned. “Nevermind. I wanted to apologize for everything I said that night. I didn’t mean any of it.”

You stayed silent for a few seconds. “Was that really what I meant to you? Just having fun-?”

“No!” She put her head in her hands. “This past week has been hell for me. I missed you so bad and I didn’t even realize the effect you had on me until all my friends pointed it out.”

“But-“

“Let me finish. You can say anything you want if your opinion stays the same.” She runs her fingers through her long blonde hair. “You actually cared about me, about my feelings. You were there for me when no one else was! You made me laugh and feel like I was actually worth something. And all I did, was make you feel like you were taken advantage of, and I am so fucking sorry. There’s no one else for me Y/N. Just you.”

You were in shock. You couldn’t process the words that just came out of her mouth. “Paige, I- I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.” She took a step back. “You can take all the time you need. I’ll still be here waiting-“

You cut her off by wrapping your arms around her neck and kissing her with all your emotions.

You could feel her grin as she kissed you back, pulling you closer as she wrapped her arms around your waist.

“Be my girlfriend?” She grinned.”

“I gotta think about it.” You teased, furrowing your brows to make it look like you were thinking.

Paige rolled her eyes. “What a tease.”

“Should we go back inside?” You asked once you both pulled away.

“We can go to my dorm. I think I might kill Nika if she puts her hands on you one more time.”

“You were jealous!”

“No I wasn’t!”

[nurse-floyd]

Unexpected Arrival - Part 2

Pairing: Max Verstappen x reader

Warnings: none. Pure cheese!

Part one here

After unexpectedly giving birth in Max’s driver room, you get used to life with a new baby!

Tagging: everyone who wanted a part 2 - @vivwritesfics @shelbyteller @madd1115 @dreamerrosie @mbioooo0000

Lando came further into the room and leant at your side. “How the hell did you keep this quiet?” He gently ran his finger over the little girls cheek.

You shook your head, still not understanding the situation fully yourself, still in shock.

Max looked between you and Lando, torn between what to do. He didn’t want to leave you and his newborn daughter, but he also knew he had duties to fulfill. Truth be told, he didn’t give a shit about the trophy and podium ceremony, nothing else really mattered in that moment other than his family.

His team manager appeared at the door then, alerted by the commotion and whispers. He crouched in front of the pair of you, staring at the baby clutched to your chest, “I heard the news but I didn’t believe it! Max, we can get the podium done now and then you’re free. Debrief and media duties can wait.”

He looked at you and then his daughter, ”I have to go, but I’ll be right back,” he promised as he leaned in and placed a kiss to your temple and a gentle kiss to the crown of your baby’s head. “I won’t be long.”

You nodded, understanding he still had stuff to do and no one could have expected this. You didn’t even know how you were going to announce it to the world, however you knew it probably wouldn’t be a secret for much longer with Lando knowing. If he had it his way, he’d probably announce it like the birth from the Lion King.

Lando helped Max to his feet, giving him a clap on the back before he pulled him in for a hug, “congratulations, mate.” With a hand on each other's backs, they walked out of the room and you were left alone with the medics.

One of the medics replaced the space Max had just left, “we need to get you to the hospitals now.”

”No,” you said firmly, “I’m not going without Max.”

“There’s no sign of bleeding and both mom and baby are stable, so we could wait?” the other medic suggested.

You turned your attention to the TV that was still playing in the background as you heard the podium ceremony begin and the tannoy announce the winners. You didn’t care who was in the room with you, all that mattered in that moment was your daughter. Cuddling her closer to your chest you explained what was happening on screen, not that she knew or understood anything that was going on. ”That’s uncle Carlos, he’s in third place,” you explained, “and that silly man there is uncle Lando, you’ve already met him. Don’t listen to a word he says.”

Then Max appeared on screen, his smile wide as he climbed on top of the podium. “And that’s your daddy, he’s champion of the world. He loves you so much already, more than you’ll ever know.”

The Dutch National anthem played and you couldn’t describe the look on Max’s face, it was a moment you wanted to capture forever in your mind. Lando absolutely covered him in champagne, celebrating more than his win, although the rest of the world was yet to find out about your little miracle.

Max practically ran back to your side, he rushed around cleaning himself the best he could and changing into a clean pair of jeans and sweatshirt while the medics got you and your daughter secured on a stretcher.

Suddenly it dawned on you that the moment you stepped out of those doors, the cameras would be on you, Max and the baby. Call it motherly instinct but you wanted to protect your baby at all costs, this isn’t the introduction you wanted for her to the world.

You didn’t have to worry though. That girl had an army behind her and she didn’t even know it. Lando stood at the door, a grin spread across his face. Sure, he’d told the entire grid, but as you were wheeled out of the drivers room, an army of Ferrari red, papaya and blue stood shielding you from any prying eyes. Sure, the news was out but you and Max had just that little while longer of it just being the three of you until you were ready.

Call it pregnancy hormones, but you couldn’t help it as a tear escaped your eyes. The trip to the hospital was quick and before you knew it you were there. With you and the baby checked over and safe, the three of you were left alone in the room.

Max was on the bed with you, his arm wrapped protectively around the pair of you. His eyes were filled with so much love as he stared at your daughter.

“She’s perfect,” you said as she gently fussed in your arms.

She stilled quickly enough as Max ran a finger up and down her cheek, “shh, you’re okay baby.”

“We need to think of a name. We can’t keep calling her baby!”

Now that was a whole other issue. Most people had at least 8 months to think of a name, and now you had to name this little stranger.

“What about Amelia?” you suggested.

The pair of you looked down at her but she didn’t look like an Amelia.

“How about, Lily?” Max supplied this time.

She gave a little gurgle at that.

“Well, I think she likes that!”

“Lily Sophia Verstappen,” you added the middle name.

“It’s perfect,” Max replied, his voice full of emotion as he pulled you both closer.

The next day you were allowed home, well to your hotel room until you could take Max’s jet back, both with a clean bill of health. Your hotel room was filled with gift baskets from all the teams on the grid. There was a red baby grow and a teddy wearing a Ferrari shirt from Charles and Carlos, a Red Bull onesie from uncle Checo. There was a papaya coloured baby grow that you knew you’d have to put the baby in to send pictures to Lando. You basically had a baby grow or bib from every team on the grid, which you knew Max would begrudgingly put her in (he loved it really). You may be biased but the stuff from your Red Bull family was the best, a kangaroo plush from Danny, Yuki got you the most beautiful decals for her room that wasn’t even set up and of course the mini race suit onesie from Checo.

After a few days of it just being the three of you and you’d settled into a routine with Lily, you were ready to announce Lily Sophia Verstappen to the world.

[fanfictionismyaddiction]

Six Times Toto Pushed His Luck (part 2)

Part 1

word count: 879

Pairing: Toto Wolff x wife!reader

Summary: The normally quiet and sweet wife of Toto Wolff shocks bystanders when she sternly calls him "Torger," leaving everyone stunned as they realize even the formidable team principal isn’t immune to being put in his place by his wife

______________________________________________________________

Before the first time it happened, people only saw you and Toto as the perfect, balanced pair. You were quiet, a bit reserved compared to Toto’s larger-than-life presence in the paddock. You were the calm to his intensity, often standing by his side, offering him a reassuring smile or a gentle word during stressful race weekends. To most, you were the sweet, soft-spoken woman who somehow managed to keep the fiery team principal grounded.

Everyone saw how protective Toto was of you, always keeping you close at events, his hand either on your back or holding yours. People admired your dynamic—Toto the fierce, intimidating leader, and you, the gentle, supportive partner.

So when the first “Torger” slipped out of your mouth, it was like the entire room stopped. It was so out of character for you to call him anything other than ‘Toto,’ and the sharpness in your voice made everyone do a double take. The calm, sweet woman who always seemed to balance him had suddenly put her foot down.

It was a shock to the system, especially for those who had never imagined anyone telling Toto Wolff what to do, let alone his wife. The first time you called him ‘Torger,’ eyes widened, mouths twitched, and no one quite knew what to make of it.

1. Monaco Apartment - Breakfast Disaster

The kitchen was now a smoky mess, and as you scolded Toto with the sharp “Torger!” the housekeeper, who had come in quietly to clean, froze in the doorway. Her eyes widened, and you could see her fighting back a smile. She quickly turned on her heel, retreating out of the kitchen, probably off to tell the rest of the staff that even Toto Wolff could get a dressing down in his own home. Later, while cleaning, she whispered to you, “You know, no one ever dares to call him anything but Toto… except you.”

2. Silverstone Garage - Headphones Drama

The garage had fallen silent when you called out “Torger” after his headphone slam. The engineers sitting nearby all exchanged looks, their mouths twitching like they were trying not to laugh. You heard one of the mechanics murmur, “Did she just call him… Torger?” as they shuffled to continue working, pretending not to notice the whole thing. By the end of the race, there was a quiet joke spreading through the team—someone had taped a label on Toto’s locker that read “Torger’s Headphones – Handle With Care.”

3. Vienna - The Overpacking Incident

When you called him “Torger” in the bedroom, you didn’t realize that one of your neighbors, an old friend of his, had arrived to take you both to lunch. He overheard the exchange through the open door, and when Toto stepped out to greet him, his friend gave him a smug grin.

“Well, well, Torger. Overpacked again, have we?” he teased, clapping Toto on the shoulder.

Toto groaned, clearly annoyed that the name had slipped outside the confines of your home. For the rest of the weekend, his friend made sure to drop “Torger” into every sentence just to watch Toto’s jaw tighten.

4. The Paddock - PDA Overload

The moment the word “Torger” escaped your lips in the paddock, you could almost feel the collective stares of everyone around you. The grid was busy, but you noticed Christian Horner smirking from a few feet away. Within minutes, the Red Bull team had gotten wind of the incident, and by the time you made your way through the paddock, Max Verstappen threw in a casual, “Hey, Torger,” with a grin as he walked past. Even some of the photographers were chuckling.

That evening, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t resist a tease. “Torger? That’s a new one. You’re in trouble when the full name comes out.”

5. Home Gym - The Training Competition

When you called him “Torger” in the gym, you didn’t expect anyone to hear, but you had forgotten about the trainer who was supposed to drop off a new set of weights for Toto. He arrived just in time to hear you threatening to send him to the couch. The trainer stood in the doorway, visibly amused.

“You alright there, Torger?” he asked, barely containing his laughter.

Toto shot him a look, and the trainer raised his hands in defense. “Hey, I’m just glad I don’t have to compete against her,” he added, snickering as he left the room.

6. Baku - The Meltdown

The moment you unleashed “Torger Christian Wolff” in the hotel room, Toto’s rant came to a screeching halt. Unfortunately for him, his team had been lingering just outside the door, waiting to discuss strategy. You could hear muffled voices as they clearly caught the name. When Toto opened the door, calmer but clearly embarrassed, the team members were trying (and failing) to act casual.

One of the engineers, James, gave him a sly grin. “Torger Christian, huh? We’ll make sure to update your office nameplate.”

By the time you returned to the paddock, the teasing was relentless. Christian Horner, of course, couldn’t resist. “Torger Christian Wolff,” he greeted, his tone mock-formal. “Nice to meet the man behind the legend.”

Toto groaned, running a hand over his face. “You’ve created a monster,” he muttered to you with a smile.

[mylifestylearedilfs]

⇢ ˗ˏˋ joost klein x singer!reader ࿐ྂ

ੈ✩‧₊˚ ESPRESSO : fluff ; imagine ; all is fictional ; joost is such a babygirl here ; english is not my first language

, , ,

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐ WHEN JURY ANNOUNCED YOU as a representation of your country, you couldn’t be happier. since your childhood, you were a fan of eurovision, only because you loved the idea that every country could show off their culture, beautiful language etc. you weren’t the most extrovert, so the thought of being filmed almost every second, having to take part in those interviews— which most of the time wasn’t even that necessary — stressed you out.

but someone decided to send you a literal angels, every contestant were just amazing, helping you with stress before performing at pre-parties. but your main partners in crime were nemo, bambie, your two baby girls marcus & martinus and your favourite person in this world — joost klein.

they all were your shoulders to cry on. you even created a group chat for your little eurovision gang. and let me say, you cried a lot during some pre-parties, both from laughing & crying. you couldn’t believe that you met that beautiful and amazing people, you were super grateful for that.

, , ,

today was the last pre-party before semi-finals, for you personally it was also a very important event, because you wanted to create a bond with your audience, and all the music parties before real contest were a must. that’s why you wanted everything to be perfect about your performance. but then you were woke up by a sharp pain in your throat, you started to panic immediately. when you tried to sang whatever song you had in mind in that moment, all you could hear was rasp voice and in this circumstance it wasn’t this sexy type of rasp.

as you walked into cafeteria, where almost every contestant were eating breakfast before rehearsals. when you saw bambie & nemo a big smile appears on your face. even if your mood were dead today, they will always make you smile no matter what. with loud sigh you sat down at the table, saying quick ‘hello’

“hi babe, what happened to your precious voice?” bambie asked and you just hided your face in your hands.

“i guess i just screamed too much at your performances and now my voice said bye bye everyone” you joked and they just laughed, but then nemo sat down next to you and bring you to side hug.

“so you won’t be performing today?” bambie asked with worry tone, they knew how much you wanted to take part in every single evening.

“did i heard something about no performing?” you heard well known voice and second later you felt his hands on your shoulders.

“our little singer is mute for today unfortunately” bambie said, as joost sat next to you.

“i don’t even want to hear about this, of course you will perform” he said with such a lightness in his voice, and everyone else send him questionable looks.

“but i barely speak, there’s no way i can sing today” joost just laughed at your comment.

“who said anything about singing, honey?” after seeing more confused looks, he just added “you will see, now let’s eat” he clapped his hands and took some fruit out of nemo’s plate.

, , ,

right now you finally were on last pre-party, the atmosphere was fantastic as always. everyone was getting ready to show, without that much stress as at the beginning of this project. you admired how people that were shy and very formal to each other now can be a hundred per cent themselves. also watching them growing as artists was another great experience, sometimes you felt like a proud mother, especially when it comes to your safe group. at this point, you didn’t even care who would win, because in any scenario you would be extremely proud of your friends.

joost told you to get ready for the concert as usual, you didn’t even question him anymore, because you knew that he wouldn’t tell you anything, so it was pointless. you wore your stage outfit and patiently waited for your turn, right now at the stage you could see your favourite twins, even if you couldn’t sing, you still loudly supported them, but only with your applauses.

finally it was your turn to go on stage, but right before your leg touched the floor, joost showed up with his iconic blue suit, he took a microphone and started talking;

“hello everyone! i know you’re all waiting for our amazing y/n, but unfortunately she won’t be give you guys proper performance today, but good for her - i’m here” he said smiling, as the crowd just laughed, then he invited you at the stage and you were loudly welcome by audience. joost handed you microphone that was turned off and you heard the beginning of your song. a few moments later instead of your voice, you heard joost who were holding a phone with the lyrics of this song.

you couldn’t believed what was happening, all you did was laugh, when you heard how he tried to mimic your singing style. but then you realised, that you should start to lip syncing, and that’s what you did.

everyone, the audience & the contestants started laughing, but also singing along with joost. that was officially your best performance at all eurovision pre parties.

when the song ended, you turned on the microphone and said shortly “you’re crazy” shortly after you heard his response “anything for you, honey”

[gavisfanta]

UNUSUAL SURPRISE- GAVI

summary: after gavi left the spanish camp during the world cup some people get scared, but he returns with an unusual surprise.

warnings: shittalk?, not proofread

"Where's Gavi?" Pedri looked around the table after he found the empty chair which was Gavi's place.

"I don't know, ask Lucho." Ferran answered and Pedri immediately looked to their coach.

"He'll tell you himself." Enrique shortly answered and then went back to typing something on his ipad. Something specific about the spanish coach is that every day, he eats an apple for breakfast and drinks a cup of orange juice. The boys have never seen him eat anything else before lunch.

So after Luis had told the boys that Gavi was 100% gone and he's gonna tell them himself, Pedri wanted to call him. Yet it doesn't matter how many times they tried to call him, it always went to voicemail.

Gavi's phone was turned off and nobody knew what he was doing, Ferran was afriad that he might have gotten an injury or he's sick.

"He wouldn't have left then, we have a whole medical team here!" Ansu threw his hands in the aur as he stood up and made his way over to the table where all the flod was. He grabbed an apple and then went back to sit down.

"Well, the best we can do now is wait." Pedri shrugged his shoulders and zoned out. Ferran shook his head, they were obviously worried what happened to their teammate, but Pedri was right, if Gavi wasnt picking up, they had to wait.

"Hey Sergio did you hear that Gavi left camp?" The newsreporter in the tv said. The whole Brazil squad sitting infront of it, waiting for the game to begin in 20 minutes.

"Yes I did hear, but I sadly don't know why." The other guy named Sergio answered.

"Well fans are worried for their starkid, maybe he picked up an injury, it also may be something with his family. Footballers have done this before during an international tournament." The other guy began talking but Rodrygo shook his head as he leaned closer to Vini.

"Good that that shithole is gone, hm?" Rodrygo nudged Vini's shoulder as he laughed. Both Real Madrid players looked at eachother and smiled.

"No more Wonderkid for him." Vini answered and laughed, however he soon received a hit on his shoulder. As he turned to look around he saw Raphinha sitting behind him.

"I know you dont like him but there's no need to talk about him like that." Raphinha leaned forward and ltold Vinicius. He wanted to open his mouth again but decided not to, so instead he just turned around and looked at the tv.

Not even two days later as the Spanish team was sitting at breakfast, they heard the door open. Every member of the staff was at breakfast so everyone suddenly shut up and looked at the door. To their surprise it was nobody other than Gavi himself, a wide smile spread on his face.

"Hola." He smiled and then Enrique stood up and went to hug him. While he did that he whispered into his ear: "Congratulations."

Gavi just returned the smile and looked at everyone while his coach stood besides him.

"Well, I think Gavi owes everyone an apology and an explanation to why he disappeared so suddenly." Enrique said and everyone began clapping their hands. Gavi cleared his throat, he hated talking infront of so mamy people, especially when he saw the camera running in the opposite corner, but he decided to bite through it.

"First of all, I'm sorry I disappeared so quickly and that I didn't answer any of your phone calls. But I have a perfectly fine explanation." Gavi explained in a loud tone so that everyone could hear him. "I don't know if some of you guys have noticed, that you didn't see my Girlfriend in like 6 months," He stopped for a second and most people nodded their head. "That isn't because we broke up, thank god, but I'd like you to meet someone." Gavi said and then turned around to look at the door where you walked in, a newborn baby in your arms, his eyes closed and peacefully sleeping. Everyone gasped as they saw you stand next to your boyfriend, with his child in your arms. Gavi looked at his son proudly and then put his finger up to his mouth. "He's sleeping." He said just loud enough.

Many of his teammates faces were covered in huge smiles and they just looked at the baby in your arms. You then looked at Pedri and saw him smiling while both of his hands are pressed against his cheeks, then you turned to Gavi again.

"I'll go back now, you talk to them."

"Okay, I'll go to the hospital after we're done eating." Gavi explained to you and you nodded your head. You turmed around one time to everyone and waved your head with a huge grin on your face.

Most of them waved back, they waited until the door closed until everyone jumped up and ran towards Gavi.

Gavi laughed as everyonenwent over to him and congratulated him.

"Hermano this is insane!" Pedri smiled as he shook Gavi's shoulders back and fourth.

"I know, I know." Gavi answered with a smile and hugged Pedri.

"How did you keep this a secret?" Ferran asked, everyone was still smiling, everyone was more than happy for Gavi.

"It was so hard." Gavi laughed out as he shook his head. "She didn't wanna leave the house after like 5 months of pregnancy cause she was scared someone's gonna see her." He laughed and Pedri couldn't help but smile too.

"How is she even on her feet just two days after giving birth?" Ferran asked, simply amazed by how fast you recovered.

"Bro I have no idea, I told her to stay a day more but she wanted to show him to you guys." Gavi explained further.

"What's his name?" Morata asked and looked at the midfielder.

"Can't tell you guys yet." Gavi shrugged his shoulders and then began walking backwards.

Many of his teammates told him to stay but he went outside where his dad was waiting for him together with his sister.

"How did it go?" His dad asked and patted his sons shoulder. Gavi smile couldn't have been wiped off of his face by anything.

"It went amazing," Gavi said and looked around before shifting his gaze back to his father. "Where is she?" Gavi asked after he noticed that you werent around.

"She went to the car to feed him, don't worry, she's fine." Aurora calmed her brother and he nodded his head while pulling out his phone for a second.

"The posts will go online in 4 minutes." Gavi mumbled under his breath. There were posts scheduled for his account, revealing that you gave birth to your child. Of course you and Gavi have talked about announcing it, you both thought it was the right thing to do before someone sees you two walking around with a child.

But after all of you had arrived at the hotel you were staying in, Gavi went to your room with you.

While he held his child in his arms, shaking him to sleep, he looked at you with a smile. "I'm so proud of you." Gavi mumbled, but just as you would've gotten time to respond there was a knock on the door.

"My god why is that child sleeping in your arms? Here, I'll take care of him." Gavi's mother hurried over to her son, taking her grandchild out of his arms and leaving the room. You smiled a little as you watched her close the door again.

"She's-" Gavi scoffed while shaking his head, he smiled as he walked closer to you and kissed your temple. "But I'm so proud of you amor."

"Why are you proud?" You laughed out and ran your hand along his jaw, caressing his soft skin.

"You're not normal, why are you walking around two days after the delivery. You shouldn't be on your feet, your body needs to rest." Gavi said and grabbed your hand as he walked you over to the bed.

"No, Gavi I'm fine-" You began but he cut you off before you could've finished your sentence.

"No you go back to sleep now." He mumbled and then kneeled down besides you while kissing your cheek.

"I love you" You mumbled while running your hamd through his hair.

"I love you more." He answered with a smile on his face.

[webslingingslasher]

hii!! can you do one where situationship!peter like yells at trouble or something along those lines or is like embarrassed to be seen w her (i jsut wanna read something angsty 😭😭)

no rush ofc!! hope u had a good new years 🎀

added these two asks together <3

what do u think that frat!peter would do if he made trouble cry, like it was his fault

-----

when peter got a congratulatory clap on his shoulder with a 'heard you got cuffed up. good for you, man.' he brushed it off. peter had a good guess on why someone made that connection, he's been a little handsy with you at parties, and on campus. it's a natural thought.

when peter got nudged by a member of another frat, and a 'congrats, bro. she's a hottie.' he felt confused.

the third time it happened, while at his own house, peter finally asked what was up. 'where did you hear that?' a punch to his arm, 'your chick. she's telling everyone you're her boyfriend.'

and that? it made his blood boil.

'she's lying, i'm not dating anyone.' the brother's eyebrows raised, 'oh. i mean, i guess she told ja-' peter spoke up louder, 'she's a fucking liar.' the brother leaves it alone.

peter was almost pacing his floor while waiting for you. you've brought it up a thousand times, he's made his opinion very clear, and yet you're going behind his back and telling everyone he's the one thing he's not.

you don't notice his distaste, reaching out for a kiss you're dodged. peter wants to scoff at your pout, no wonder you feel sad, your boyfriend refused your touch.

'anything you wanna tell me, trouble?'

you're immediately taken back by his tone. 'anything that might get back to me?' you have a sinking feeling you know what it's about, you didn't know it would be whispered about, but you should've.

but, you won't put your foot in your mouth yet. 'i don't think so.' peter lets out a dry laugh, 'no? there's nothing that you did that makes you look fucking crazy?'

you swallow hard, is that what he thought of you? if so, he's wrong. 'i'm not crazy.' peter throws his hands up, 'really? okay, let's see if we can figure this one out together. i'm not your boyfriend, but apparently you're telling people i am. is that supposed to make you look sane?'

it's downright mean. 'you're being very condescending right now, peter. i don't like it.' peter's loud with his next sentence. 'just how i don't like being called your fucking boyfriend?'

your world comes crashing down. how could he be so brutal with such ease. it's so harsh you can't swallow back your emotions.

tears blot at your eyes while your lower lip trembles. 'is the idea of being with me that bad?' peter feels as crushed as you look. once it starts you can't stop, and to break down in front of peter, after he just called you fucking crazy, makes you dehumanize yourself.

you huff small breaths and try to wipe away the tears as they fall. you struggle to say your words without pausing to gasp. 'you didn't even... ask why.' it brings a new wave, he's being silent and you think it's over and final and you didn't get a chance to plead your case.

'i need... to leave.' you can't breathe, you can't even feel your feet when you move. you don't make it far because peter's in front of you and using his chest to back you up.

'alright, alright. just stop crying, okay?' peter doesn't know what to do because he's never actually made a girl cry that hard, or at least in his face, making him aware of his actions and how he could've tried to approach this in a calm way.

'you hate me,' you gasp, 'and you think i'm crazy,' another gasp, but this time you're scooped into his hold. 'stop. please, stop. please stop crying.' peter thinks if he squeezes you hard enough he could piece the parts he ruined back together.

'i'm sorry. i'm so sorry.' peter doesn't know what he wanted, but it wasn't a pleading apology coughed out between sobs. fuck, he was mean, wasn't he? 'stop it, trouble. just breathe, alright? it's done, okay?'

oh, peter's shit at this. you cry even harder, 'i know we are. i'm so sorry, i'll tell everyone i made it up and... and you-'

'we're not done. the conversation is done. just please stop fucking crying.' peter can't stress it enough because he feels so guilty he's about to start crying in solidarity.

'no! not until, not until you hear-'

'i'm not going to listen to anything until you can say three words without holding your breath.' it's useless, 'i think i'm dying.' you don't know how, but you're held even tighter to his chest, 'you're not dying. you're upset because i said mean things.'

you're able to take a deep breath, it feels good. 'you did.' peter can finally relax, you're not on the verge of passing out anymore. 'i know. i was really mean, wasn't i?'

'yeah.' fuck, he really, really hates how miserable he made you. peter cares about you, it's the one thing he makes sure to tell you, but he doesn't think you talk to the people you care about that way.

'i promise i'm not crazy, i just-'

'you're not crazy and i should've never said that.' you try to keep your face tilted down when peter pulled back, but he was adamant on having you look at him.

'i'm so sorry, okay? i was caught off guard by all these comments today and i took it out on you. you're right, i should've asked why. but i didn't, and i'm sorry.'

'jackson ruth got all weird and touchy at his party last week and i just blurted out that you were my boyfriend so he'd leave me alone and i swear i didn't mean for him to have it spread.'

you hate that you made him ashamed, maybe you said that part out loud too because you think you saw something break inside his eyes.

peter softly cups your face, any stray droplets cleared with a brush of his thumbs under your eyes. 'i'm not ashamed of you, i'd never be ashamed of you. you're my baby.'

hook, line, and sinker.

'you are always allowed to use my name if you need to, i promise. i was a dick and i made you cry and now i feel like shit that i made you feel like shit, and now i feel even shitter because i'm somehow making this about me.'

you wrap your hands around his, you'd rather him keep his hold. you feel special. 'do you mean it?' peter nods softly, he leans down for a kiss. it's warming, your chest blossoms wide.

if you were fucking crazy, hypothetically, you'd claim the accusation boldly when he says 'on everything i love.'

[ohbueckers]

WHAT’S MY NAME? so i surrender to every word you whisper, to every door you enter i will let you in.

THIS IS PART SEVEN! pairing, paige bueckers x tutor!oc. notes, part seven is here by popular demand (the length makes up for the wait). just had to go through and edit some things :) eight will take me a bit idk but it’ll be here! warnings, angst, pure blondie delusion, cliffhanger.

paige could still hear the voices of a crowd as she made her way out of the locker room, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the edge of her jersey. the win had been good, but it felt hollow, like something was missing. and it was—liana wasn’t there. not at the game, or even just with her. not that she expected her to be, not after everything. she hadn’t heard from her since that night, and the silence was a way deeper knife than any of her strung apologies could be. it was like waiting for a storm to pass, but every day it only got heavier.

paige hadn’t said much to her teammates about the fight, but they weren’t stupid. they saw it in the way her game had shifted, the extra edge in her drives to the basket, the way she zoned out when they were all hanging out after practice. it didn’t help that she was still smiling, making jokes like everything was okay, but they surprisingly didn’t prodde, maybe scared of her snapping.

paige could feel everyone’s eyes on her. and as much as she’d proudfully like to say they didn’t know anything, they did, because her team knew her better than anyone. kk clapped her on the back, aaliyah gave her a knowing look, and azzi offered a casual, “we’re heading back before we go out for food. are you gonna come?” her voice was soft, like always, giving it her best attempt.

paige almost said yes, ready to lose herself in the noise of her teammates, in the laughter and teasing that usually took the edge off. but the nagging weight in her chest had her hesitating. “nah, i’ll just catch y’all later,” she muttered, forcing a half-smile and a shoo of her hand that indicated they could celebrate without her.

they didn’t push. kk just raised a brow and shrugged, as if to say ‘your loss,’ before leading the others out of the locker room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

moments later while packing up her things was when she heard it—her name, soft but unmistakable.

“paige.”

she turned toward the voice, her brows immediately furrowing as naomi stepped into the hallway from around the corner. of all people, she was the last person paige wanted to see right now. especially here. especially after everything. if she was honest, she hadn’t wanted to see the girl again the day after meeting her.

her back was half turned before she fixed her posture, taking a deep breath as if it would ease any of the tension in her body. “what are you doin’ here?”

naomi stalked towards her, hands in her pockets as a lanyard hung out of one. paige wasn’t even sure how she’d managed to get back here, but it was quite literally the last thing on her list of worries.

“i came to talk to you about liana.”

paige’s stomach churned at the mention of her name, scoffing despite that. “i ain’t tryna’ hear it. you don’t have to speak for her. she sent you here?” she didn’t think liana would stoop that low.

naomi’s eyes widened for a second before her expression shifted, hardening. “no, she didn’t send me here. she won’t even talk to me. i had to find out from mara what happened,” she explained, and paige could feel her shoulders drop a bit. it felt like less of a set-up. “i came because i care about her—because i know that she cares about you more than she ever will me.” she took a step closer, crossing her arms.

paige’s eyebrows furrowed, sizing her up. “you knew?“

naomi nodded, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips, like that was the stupidest question paige could ask. “yeah, i knew. we all knew. liana’s not good at hiding it. she’s never been good at lying about how she feels, but she’s good at avoiding it.” naomi had her head slightly tilted as she talked, and paige felt like she was on the outside of the greatest inside joke. this was the girl who really knew her through and through, just not on the same level paige did. she knew how she reacted in certain situations, her basic instinct, and paige had to find out the hard way.

“ted’s was the biggest giveaway. the way you looked at her, the way you looked at me.” she paused, her voice dipping slightly. “you didn’t even try to hide it. i saw it all over your face. and the crazy part? i don’t even think liana noticed it, but i did. i knew you were already in deep.”

paige’s jaw clenched, the memories of that night coming back in a rush—how she’d tried to keep it cool, tried to pretend like the sight of naomi standing next to liana didn’t make her blood boil. she barely knew her then.

“i’m not here to give you shit for it,” naomi added, almost like she could sense paige’s growing discomfort. “i just… i get it. i know what it’s like to want her so bad you can’t think straight. to feel like if you don’t lock it down now, someone else will.”

paige shifted her weight, eyes narrowing as she shrugged. “so, what? you’re here so i can feel sorry for you?”

naomi shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “nah. i’m telling you this because you’re acting like it’s just you. we were both pushy, both in the back of her head telling her things. shit, i know i wasn’t going down without a fight.”

paige stared at her, leaning against the wall now as she sighed. she didn’t want to think that she had any part in making this mess harder for liana, but the way naomi was breaking it down? she couldn’t ignore it. maybe it’s what she needed.

“you’ve been at her just like i was,” she continued, her arms folding over her chest as she stepped forward again, her voice low. “both of us trying to win her over, making her feel like she had to pick. liana’s not the type to make quick choices, and when she’s backed into a wall like that, she freezes. it wasn’t because she didn’t know what she wanted, but because she didn’t wanna hurt anyone.”

paige stood there, frozen in place, fists clenched at her sides. she wanted to argue, wanted to snap and tell naomi that she didn’t understand, that liana had been stringing them both along. but she couldn’t. she didn’t know why she couldn’t.

the locker room felt stifling, and it wasn’t the sweat. the weight of it all had dropped onto her shoulders at once, and all she felt was a strange numbness creeping in. history was more than just years; it was the moments that shaped someone. and no matter how many nights paige had spent with liana, no matter how deep their connection had felt in the moment, history still stood between them like an immovable wall.

she’d been so confident, so fucking sure of herself. too sure of herself. paige had been too focused on what she wanted, too consumed by her own feelings to recognize what it was doing to liana. pushing her, pressuring her.

this wasn’t just about liana not choosing. it was about paige making it harder for her to even want to choose.

“she just needs space,” naomi tried to reason.

space. i can do space.

saturday had rolled around quicker than paige had expected, marking the first, and last, free weekend before winter break that the women’s team didn’t have a game. for once, she wasn’t preoccupied with back-to-back practices, game tapes, or flight schedules. instead, tonight was about blowing off some steam, if the movie theatre counted. it really just sounded like sitting in a dark room, the only light coming from a screen the blonde had no interest in.

liana had somehow managed to stay out of paige’s mind, or at least out of the forefront, which was something she wasn’t used to. she’d been busy enough for it to be a constant distraction. she couldn’t even imagine what her life would look like right now without ball. probably ridiculously lonely.

naomi had pointed out the ugly truth: both of them had been pushy, both of them had backed liana into a corner, and that made everything more complicated. paige couldn’t shake the guilt of it, the realization that she hadn’t made things any easier. that talk had stuck with her, circling her mind, especially during the silence. who would’ve thought out of the three people involved in this situation it would’ve been naomi to come forward and be the most mature, the most real after finally coming to terms that she didn’t have liana anymore, and now neither of them did.

paige tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as she navigated through the city, her friends packed into the car. the drive was a little further out from storrs, the glow from the passing streetlights flickering over their faces. ice sat shotgun, occasionally glancing over at an oddly quiet paige, while aubrey, kk, and nika were laughing loudly in the back, talking about how expensive the movie theatre had gotten.

“what’s wrong with you?” ice said through a breathy laugh.

paige shrugged, shaking her head and keeping her eyes ahead. “i’m good.”

ice’s smirked widened, tilting her head up in the blonde’s direction. “nah, you ain’t good. you’re thinkin’ about her, aren’t you?”

paige shot her a look, but didn’t deny it.

the car rolled to a stop at a red light, and kk leaned forward from the middle, draping her arms over the front seats. “it’s been, what? a week since y’all talked?”

“five days,” paige muttered before she could stop herself, and the moment the words left her mouth, she winced, bringing a hand to drag down her face. here it came.

kk smirked, clearly amused as she glanced back at nika and aubrey. they’d all agreed to come out tonight, but it felt more like a paige patrol. operation make sure our captain gets out of her head and has some fun, even if there was absolutely nowhere to go, nothing to do. “five days, huh? you really got it bad if you’re counting like that.“

paige exhaled sharply, having a staring contest with the light as it turned to green. she pulled away, the engine humming softly as they continued toward the theatre. “don’t act like i’m the only one keeping track,” she said, throwing a pointed look at kk through the rearview mirror.

her grin widened. “girl, boo, you definitely are. we’re also down a tutor, by the way. now i gotta sit through trig without liana breakin’ it down for me.”

paige scoffed, rolling her eyes, yet the joke made a smile come through. not a very large one, but it was there. “maybe if you actually locked into those books, you wouldn’t need a tutor.”

ice and nika instigated, letting out some low-pitched ‘ooh’s.’ “alright, alright. pipe down, ms. five days,” aubrey teased through a laugh.

they always had a way of lightening the mood, even when everything felt like a mess. five days. it sounded so ridiculous when they put it like that, like she was counting down the seconds since she’d last talked to liana—because she was. and that fact stung more than it should’ve.

“and you’re definitely the only one keeping track,” nika threw out.

and if that was some veiled implication that liana hadn’t been thinking about her, it had definitely weighed heavy on paige’s mind for the rest of the night.

honestly, she’d checked out the moment she got in the car.

the ride back from the movie was quieter, everyone winding down from the night. paige kept her hands steady on the wheel, just like before, eyes flicking between the road and the dashboard. she wasn’t sure she even remembered half of the movie, her mind a big mix of half-formed scenarios of good and also bad things.

she tried to focus on the conversation around her—kk, aubrey, and nika talking about their favorite parts of the movie, ice was scrolling through her phone—but paige was just waiting for something, anything, to happen. her knuckles were turning white against the black leather of the wheel, and that was when her phone lit up on the dash.

a notification. a text.

liana.

paige’s mind went blank for a second. she furrowed her eyebrows, her heart pounding a little harder now as her eyes shot up to the rear-view mirror, hands instinctively moving to pull the cord out of her phone, disconnecting it from the car’s bluetooth system before anyone else could see. she swallowed, flipping it over so her case was on display in her lap as she adjusted her posture, turning to lean her arm against the car door.

it buzzed two more times.

she hadn’t seen any contents of the text. in fact, she had absolutely no idea what it said the entire drive back to the dorms, and it was eating at her.

God, why now?

she couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was waiting for her on that screen was going to change everything, again. it always did. paige had learned that with liana, nothing ever stayed simple. it hadn’t been simple from the very beginning.

but right now, all she wanted was to look at that damn phone.

as they approached the dorms, paige tried to keep her expression neutral, the same way it had been nearly the entire night, though her mind was anything but calm. the moment they pulled into the parking lot and everyone began gathering their things and climbing out, ice turned toward her, eyebrows raised. “you comin’ up?”

“yeah, in a bit,” paige said, her voice casual, even though her insides were in knots. “i gotta take care of something real quick.”

ice raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press the issue, and paige was glad nobody else did either, probably too tired to be their usual nosey selves. “alright, don’t take too long.”

once they were gone, paige let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, hand moving up to begin stroking her chin. she proceeded to lean back, hips thrusting upward as she got more comfortable in her seat.

paige wasn’t dumb—at least majority of the time. she knew how this would go before even seeing what she’d said. but she was also way past thinking logically when it came to liana. way past this whole space ordeal.

before she could take too long to dwell on it, knowing it wouldn’t make much of a difference, she turned her phone over, swiping up to reveal her messages.

I wany you to come over.

Want**?

Miss you so much.

she licked her lips, leaning her head back against the headrest, staring blankly at the ceiling of her car. she must’ve been at a party, somewhere with alcohol. paige could tell by the way the texts were written. liana wasn’t a partier—that much had always been clear. so the fact that she’d gone out tonight could only mean one thing—liana was trying to forget about paige bueckers.

paige let out a sigh as she typed out a response, only to delete it. she tried again. then deleted that one too. she couldn’t think straight.

her chest tightened, and without thinking, she opened the car door and stepped out into the cool air. she could feel her body moving on autopilot, her mind too crowded. she huffed, gripping her phone in one hand as she stared at liana’s messages again, specifically the last one.

Miss you so much. she could practically hear the words in her voice, all whiny and slurred. the thought didn’t make her decision any easier.

her thumb even hovered over the call button, swallowing hard. she shouldn’t be doing this.

finally, she made up her mind.

she tapped on the message thread and typed, her fingers moving almost without permission. I’ll be there soon.

she wasn’t strong enough to say no.

amara pulled the door closed behind her, pausing for a moment outside of liana’s door. she’d stayed long enough to make sure her friend was okay—liana had seemed fine, at least physically. emotionally, though? she could tell there was more to it, and that she’d never understand her situation. they hadn’t talked much on the ride home from the party, and liana had been quiet, introspective, and distant in a way amara wasn’t used to seeing. she had that look in her eyes too. the one that told her she wasn’t going to let the night end without doing something reckless.

amara sighed, adjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder, shaking her head as she made her way down the hallway. she cut out the lights and opened the front door, only to freeze when she spotted a familiar figure standing just a few feet away.

paige bueckers—liana’s paige—was standing there, hoodie drawn tight, sweats clad to her long legs, and hair pulled into a slick bun, face tight as she exhaled, shoving her phone into her pocket. she looked kinda rough, like the past few days hadn’t been great for her, but it was also kinda a given. of course she hadn’t been okay. neither had her friend.

amara’s lips pressed into a thin line as she crossed her arms over her chest, and suddenly, paige felt like she was in some interrogation room. “what are you doing here?” she waved her hand dismissively then, quickly correcting herself. “actually, i know what you’re doing here. why are you here?”

paige blinked, her jaw tightening as she stuffed her hands deeper into her hoodie pockets. she hit me up, what do you think? but that wasn’t the answer amara was looking for, clearly. “because i can’t stop thinking about her,” paige muttered, her voice low, almost defensive. she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “that’s why i’m here.”

amara narrowed her eyes like she wasn’t buying it.

“amara, c’mon,” paige finally said, her voice a little rough around the edges. “you know how this is. you really think i’m just gonna sit back and do nothin’ when she texts me like that?”

amara uncrossed her arms, leaning back against the wall with a heavy sigh. of course it’d been her doing. “i don’t know what i think anymore.” her eyes softened for a second, then hardened again. “but i’m just wondering—are you even thinking? about what this is doing to her? or is this just about you?”

the question hit like a punch to the gut. paige’s chest tightened, her mouth going dry as she stepped back. is this just about me?

she hadn’t thought about it like that. not fully. every time she tried to step back, it felt impossible. like she couldn’t give her the space she needed even if she tried. but maybe that was the problem. maybe she was being selfish, showing up here, knowing they hadn’t figured anything out yet. knowing this would only complicate things more.

her voice dropped, almost a whisper. “it’s not just about me.”

amara stared at her for a moment, like she was searching for something in paige’s face, the way she let the words fall from her tongue. then she shook her head, turning toward the hallway. “i hope you’re right, paige.”

as she walked away, the blonde stood still like a statue, like she couldn’t move even if she wanted to. but as her eyes traveled up to the door, the gold 2c staring back at her, there was no way she was turning back around.

big mistake.

she turned the knob, walking in without a second thought, not bothering to cut on the lights. she slipped her shoes off, taking a look around as if she could really see anything, but she knew this place—she’d spent enough time here to know her way around. everything looked the same, just as expected, except for the blanket and bed pillow on the couch. amara must’ve been keeping her company.

paige sucked in a breath and quietly made her way down the hall. when she reached liana’s door, she hesitated, fingers gripping the knob tightly. she wasn’t ready for this—was she ever? the door was cracked open, just enough to give her a glimpse of light spilling out from the bathroom.

she could hear her moving around, the sound of water running in the sink before shutting off. paige stood there, waiting, watching as liana emerged, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and sleep shorts, her hair still damp from what was probably a shower.

the blonde stepped forward, her hand still grasping the door knob like her life depended on it. “why did you call me?” she asked.

liana blinked, startled at first, before recovering with a nonchalant shrug as her eyes wandered to the ground. “i texted you.”

paige’s brows knitted together, clearly not amused. it the most unserious answer she could’ve found, like she was brushing it off. “liana.” her voice was completely serious, the type of tone the girl fell weak to everytime.

“i don’t know, paige.” liana stood there frozen for a moment, her guard still up, eyes darting to the floor. even as the words left her mouth sternly and full of attitude, they sounded empty, like a weak defense that wouldn’t hold. she’d clearly sobered up since being home, suddenly regretting the texts she’d sent. well, almost.

paige stepped closer, forcing liana to face her. “yes, you do. you always know.” her blue eyes were on lock, refusing to let her slip away this time. “even when you don’t wanna say it out loud. so what is it?”

why did you call her? liana let the question float around in her head. she knew the answer. she’d said it. it was painfully simple, and that’s what made it so hard. you miss her. you wanted her here. but wanting paige and letting herself have paige were two very different things, and she didn’t have the strength to deal with the consequences.

paige wasn’t making it any easier. she never did, really. but she couldn’t fucking help it—she was losing her patience, and the worst part was that she didn’t realize when she was doing it. why is she always holding back? why can’t she just admit it?

“i called you because…” liana started, her voice barely above a whisper, but the words just hung there, incomplete.

“because you wanted me here,” paige finished for her, taking another step forward, her breath now mingling with liana’s. her heart was pounding in her chest, but she masked it well. she couldn’t let liana see just how much this meant to her, how badly she needed to hear her say it.

liana’s eyes flicked up to meet paige’s, and for a second, she let her guard down. just for a second, but it was all the blonde needed. “i wanted you here. but that doesn’t mean it was the right call.”

there it was again—she was fighting. it was exhausting, the constant tug-of-war between what liana felt and what she allowed herself to act on. paige’s jaw tightened as she fought back the urge to let out a frustrated sigh, taking a look away instead. she knew she should’ve expected it—the guarded responses, the hesitation—but every time liana retreated, it hurt just a little more. because this time, paige could feel it in her bones.

this was the end of the line. they weren’t going to get another shot after tonight.

“always fighting, huh?” paige let her head hang low for a moment. a dry chuckle slipped out, and when she lifted her eyes again, liana was there, standing as rigid as ever, face set in stone, arms crossed tightly like she was trying to hold everything in. “you say you want me here, but the second i’m close, you act like you don’t. like you can’t. God, liana, i may be pushy but you’re impossible.”

“quit doing that, paige.” liana’s mouth moved before she could stop it. frustrated. annoyed, even. “just let it be what it was.” she scrunched her face up, eyes hardening as if she was trying to push the hurt away, to shove it down where neither of them would have to deal with it. paige would’ve dwelled on her tone, the way she said it if she wasn’t so focused on what was said.

liana took a half-step back, and the blonde was right there with her. “let it be what it was?” the blonde repeated almost immediately, squinting at the words like she had to wrap her head around it. they sounded so final. “that’s it? just like that?” her voice cracked.

liana met paige in the middle, eyes and body, her eyes narrowing, body stiff as if bracing for impact. she knew if she wanted paige to believe her, to accept what she was saying, she’d have to hold her ground, really look at her. her lips pressed into a thin line, her jaw clenched, but there was something fragile in the way she stood—like she was holding herself together by the thinnest thread, and the wrong word, the wrong move would unravel everything. “yeah. just like that.”

paige stepped even closer, closing the distance liana was so desperate to maintain, the distance that had always existed between them, even when they were at their closest. skin to skin. her voice came out low, gravelly, raw with emotion as she reached out, her fingers grazing liana’s arm, a touch that begged her to stay. “stop.” the word was a plea. “stop pretending like it didn’t matter. like i didn’t matter.”

liana swallowed hard, and it was becoming harder to stand on what she said by the second. she wasn’t as unreadable as she wanted to be. paige could see it written all over her face, in the way her lips trembled just slightly, in the way her chest rose and fell unevenly as if she was struggling to hold herself together. “it did matter,” liana murmured, but it wasn’t enough.

paige leaned in closer, so close now that their foreheads almost touched. liana took a quick glance at the blonde’s lips, pulse racing, and paige could feel it—feel how badly liana wanted to keep pulling away. but she also felt the way liana’s body betrayed her, inching toward her despite the words she was about to say. “then why you acting like it don’t now, huh?” paige’s voice softened, but the urgency never left. she tilted her head, licking her lips. another glance down.

liana let out a shaky breath, her hands hovering in the space between them like she was deciding whether to push paige away or pull her closer. “we shouldn’t,” was all she said, the words weak, lacking conviction. her voice was strained, barely audible, like she was saying it just for the sake of saying it, but they both knew it wasn’t what she wanted. another glance down—and they lingered there a little too long before she caught herself, biting her own in an effort to distract herself.

paige edged closer, her lips brushing liana’s jaw, teasing but not quite kissing. not yet. “but you gon’ tell me you don’t want to?” she dropped her voice to a whisper, her fingers tracing a line up liana’s arm until they rested at her neck, her thumb skimming the soft skin just beneath her ear, right over her tattoo. “tell me you don’t want it.”

she couldn’t fight it anymore—the tension, the heat, the way paige’s body pressed against hers like she belonged there. and maybe that was the problem. maybe that’s why she couldn’t let herself have it. but God, she wanted it. she wanted her. she wanted paige so badly it hurt.

she shut her eyes. her breaths came out uneven as her hands instinctively gripped the hem of paige’s hoodie, her fingers tightening around the fabric like it was the only thing keeping her upright. she swallowed hard, eyes opening to meet paige’s, searching for a way out, for anything that could stop her from doing what she knew they shouldn’t. but paige’s eyes—those piercing blue eyes—were fixed on hers, pleading for something.

liana’s voice wavered as she managed to get out the words she thought she was supposed to say. they were so close it was almost inevitable at this point. “really shouldn’t…” her tone lacked conviction, though, and paige knew it. they both did.

paige didn’t move back; instead, she leaned in even closer, lips brushing the corner of liana’s mouth now, teasing, tempting. “we shouldn’t,” she repeated, her tone almost mocking, like she was weighing her options. her hand slid from liana’s neck to cup her jaw, fingers threading gently through her hair. “but you want to.”

liana’s lips parted slightly, lolling her head back as she leaned into paige’s touch. her lips were right there, hard not to look at, close enough that all it would take was one small movement, and she could have her. could taste her again. and for once, liana didn’t have the strength to fight it.

“paige…” her voice broke, barely audible, but it wasn’t a protest. it was a surrender.

the blonde could barely get any words out, too focused on the way liana’s lips moved. she moved her hand further into her hair, grasping for more of her. “just one more night,” paige whispered. the heat between them was thick enough to suffocate. “let me have you for one last time, baby. promise i’ll—“ paige trailed off, almost breathless, unable to finish the thought, because deep down, they both knew—what she was about to promise, she might not be able to keep.

“…i’ll make you remember.”

[ladykailitha]

Sir Steve, Knight Protectorate

Welcome to the little story I was working on during my move! Just a fun little thing to keep my writing streak going without have to dive into my heavy hitters.

The original idea is here.

I originally planned to go farther than the original idea like season 2-4 but as I was just needing something lighthearted it became a short little story three chapters long that might get turned into a series of What if's.

Summary: After the events surrounding Will Byers and his return to life, Steve has decided he can't control anything in his life but school, so he seeks to put a stop to the bullying. Cue Eddie getting heart-eyes over popular King Steve protecting his little sheepies. So he decides Steve needs a knew title. Sir Steve, Knight Protectorate will work just fine.

~

Steve was still reeling from actual fucking monsters and shit. And he actually had to go to school the following Monday like none of it had happened.

Fuck, they didn’t even offer therapy, just NDAs and money to keep their mouths shut. He had no doubt that the Byers family and Nancy had the worst of it, so he wasn’t even mad that she broke up with him.

He got it more than most people that she needed to time to grieve the lost of her best friend, be with family and hold them close for awhile.

It sucked.

Steve wasn’t going to pretend that it didn’t, because it absolutely did. But he understood. He told Nancy that if she ever needed a friend to give him a call.

His temper was short and his capacity for bullshit was low, that was the only reason he could come up with what happened that Monday morning.

He walked into the hall that held his locker to his books for the day when he saw Tommy H. having a go at some freshman. Like this kid still looked like he was in elementary, he looked that little.

“Knock it off, Hagan,” Steve huffed. “There is no reason to be harassing this kid.”

Tommy turned around and got in his face. “What’s it to you, Harrington? I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

“Dude,” Steve said, stepping forward instead of back like Tommy thought he would, “why are you so angry all the time? Chill out.”

Tommy’s head reared back as though he’d been struck in the face. He pushed Steve away. “Again, what’s it to you? You want to be friends again now that Miss Priss is finished with your scaly ass? Because where was my loyalty? We’ve been friends for years and you threw it all away for some piece of ass!”

Steve didn’t even stumble, he just crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You know what you did was over the line and you did it anyway. Because that’s the problem, Hagan, isn’t it? You don’t know where the fucking line is, do you?”

Tommy frowned and tried to push him again, but Steve just let his body slide with the motion and it didn’t even hurt. Tommy stared at him for a moment before stalking off down the hallway to his own locker. Steve just shook his head and went over to the kid who Tommy had been bullying.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked gently, helping him pick up his books. “If he does that again, you come running for me. I’m Steve, Steve Harrington, just ask around, someone will know how to find me, yeah?”

The kid nodded and took the books back from Steve before he took off in a tear. Steve sighed and he put his hands on his hips like a disappointed mom.

He looked around the hall to see everyone staring at him in shock. And that was when he realized what he had done.

Last week, he might have called Tommy off, but not really done anything about it. But he had not only called Tommy off, he put him in his place, and then helped the kid.

Yeah that was quite the turn around. So he just did like he would have done at basketball game.

He clapped his hands together once, nice and loud to make sure everyone was paying attention to him even more now.

“Right,” he said loudly. “Nothing more to see here. Move along now.”

They stared at him in even further shock now.

“Come on,” Steve said impatiently. “Move along. Shoo!” He waved his hands in front of him, trying to get them leave, but it was like herding cats.

Someone slammed their locker and that broke them out of their trance allowing them to move about their day like that didn’t just happen.

Steve looked around and saw Eddie Munson leaning against his locker, with his arms crossed. A locker, Steve was pretty sure was open when he walked in that morning.

Huh.

That was certainly interesting.

~

Eddie had been having a rough morning. He spilled milk on his only clean pair of jeans. He was going to do laundry after school. He was! He just didn’t do it over the weekend because he had gotten a new book. A book that was currently being painstakingly dried out by Uncle Wayne with an old hair dryer, because Eddie dropped it in the sink. Then he almost forgot his homework and had to run back for it. He had managed to get to school on time, but Tommy H. had decided to chose violence that morning against a nerdy little freshman literally next to his locker.

He promised Uncle Wayne that if Tommy started something that he wouldn’t fucking finish it. He needed to graduate from high school and as it much as it sucked ass, he had to look the other way.

So imagine his surprise when Steve got in Tommy’s face and almost threw hands with the guy, telling him to back off. What was even more surprising was how quickly Tommy stood down.

But that wasn’t the last of Steve Harrington’s surprises, oh no...

He helped the kid gather up his stuff and offered himself as a white knight if Tommy did it again. But by then Harrington had drawn quite the crowd, but instead of soaking the attention like the full tilt diva the asshole jock most certainly was, he had tried to disperse the crowd. Like the attention had made him uncomfortable.

So he thought he’d throw the king a bone and slammed his locker shut. The loud noise startled the populous out of their stupor and sent them packing. He was more than a little shocked to see that maybe Steve had figured out who had rescued him.

And wasn’t that a kick in the head.

By the time he got to lunch news had spread that that morning’s incident was only the start of the king’s campaign to clean up the hallowed halls of Hawkins High. According to ye ole rumor mill, Steve had broken up a fight, called out two accounts of bullying, and stopped a class from rioting when the teacher had a medical emergency.

What was even more surp– he needed to find another word. Shocking. Astounding. Astonishing. Mind-boggling.

Anyway Steve sat down next to Carol and Tommy. Like even the great ex Nancy Wheeler dropped her fork, flabbergasted.

Tommy and Carol exchanged a glance.

“What are you doing here, Harrington?” Tommy growled. “Why don’t you sit next to your girlfriend? Oh that’s right she dumped your ass.”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “You made a valid point, we have been friends for years and I’ve decided I’m tired of running away from my problems.”

“And what,” Carol sneered, “we’re one of your problems now? Fuck off, Steve.”

Steve threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on his knuckles. “You didn’t use to be this way, you know. You used to be the sweetest girl and I’m trying to figure out if it was Tommy that made you this way or if you turning into a bitch is what made Tommy become such an ass?”

Tommy and Carol’s heads rocked back in unison. Tommy moved to stand up to hit him, but Carol pulled him back down.

“If we bother you so much why don’t you leave and stay gone?” she asked, low and menacingly. “We don’t need you, you need us. We made you king.”

Steve threw his head back and laughed. “No, you really didn’t. You need someone to keep you from your worst selves. And that’s what I’m going to do. You could be good.” He slid a piece of paper over to Tommy. “This is Miss Chen, the school counselor’s office hours. You will make an appointment with her by the end of the day.”

Tommy threw it on the table. “Fuck off, Harrington. You can’t make me.”

Steve leaned forward on his elbows. “Actually you’ll find that I can. After all they’re still trying to find the culprit who put the smoke bomb in the garbage in the principal’s office last year.” He slapped the table for emphasis. “It would be a real shame if they learned it was you.”

Tommy blanched and gulped heavily. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would,” Steve confirmed. “I know too much about you to have you go against me.”

Carol folded her arms and huffed. “Like we don’t have information on you, too.”

“Do you though?” he asked, sitting back in the chair and lazily stuff his hands in pockets. “I was never directly involved in any of it. Including the buying of weed for all those parties.”

This time Carol’s color drained. “Shit.”

“So this how it’s going to go,” Steve murmured. “You two have become my pet projects. I’m going to see if you can be reformed. Become better people. And to do that, we’re going to have to be friends again.”

Carol frowned as she twirled her hair around a finger. “Why are you doing this, Steve? I mean really. When you think people aren’t watching you, you get this haunted expression. It’s a little freaky, honestly.”

Steve sighed. “I have learned the hard way that running every time things get tough will only lead to worse consequences and I hate to see you come to harm because you realized the same thing too late.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I do care about you guys, of course I do. But this behavior is frightening. What if you hurt someone so bad that they took their life or they died because of your direct actions? Do you really think you could live with yourselves?”

“Tha–that can’t really happen, can it?” Carol asked, holding up her hand to stall Tommy from scoffing.

Steve shrugged nonchalantly. “That something you really want to test?” He leaned forward again on his elbows. “Having someone’s blood on your hands?”

They were both thinking it but Tommy beat Carol to it. “Is this what this about? Barb Holland? You know that wasn’t your fault, right?”

Steve turned his head away.

Carol slapped her hands on the table on either side of her tray. “If that’s what Miss Priss said, blackmail be damned, Steve, I’m going throw hands, do you understand me?”

Steve’s head snapped her direction. “What?”

“Look,” Tommy said, “what happened to her was a shame, but you did everything you could to make sure she was okay before we went in to dry off.”

“Like, she wasn’t even supposed to be there that night,” Carol said, nodding. “That’s all on Nancy. Don’t carry her shit too, just because you loved her. You tried to include Barb and she was rude.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath and nodded, choking down tears. “Thanks, guys.”

“I suppose,” Tommy said with a put on sigh, “we could be nicer. I guess.”

Steve threw back his head and laughed as Carol shook her head. He stuck out his hand. “Friends?”

Tommy shook it first and then Carol.

“Friends,” they agreed.

~

Eddie wasn’t able to hear what Steve and Tommy and Carol were talking about, but whatever it was it had ripples that quivered through the halls of the school.

Word had it that Tommy was seeing the school counselor and Carol had stopped making snide comments in passing.

Like, you could tell Carol was fighting back every nasty word that came to her head, as Steve would nudge her side and she would whisper to him what she was thinking instead. You could tell she was still being nasty but at least it wasn’t aimed at the target anymore.

But there were starting to be other changes too.

The basketball team was the worst of the jocks when it came to harassing the masses, but when Steve caught one of the members bullying someone, the next day, the guy was too tired to start shit.

So Eddie decided it was time for a little research and that meant actually going to PE. Fuck, he hated high school.

He dragged his ass to PE and the coach merely raised an eyebrow, but wisely said nothing. He knew why Eddie was there. Same reason as all the other kids that never came started showing up.

Steve Harrington.

The coach blew his whistle to call a foul and the kid who had been fouled immediately got up and in the other guy’s face.

Faster than lightning, Steve was between before the coach could even take a step toward the mounting trouble.

“Come on, Kenny,” Steve was saying soothingly. “It was fair play, you were just in the right place at the wrong time. Walk it off, then take your shot. You’ve got this.”

Kenny glared at the other player, but did as Steve suggested. Steve turned to the other player and patted him on the chest, murmuring something Eddie couldn’t hear, but the other guy just nodded and took his place on the line.

Eddie laughed out loud when Kenny biffed both shots and the other team got the ball. He didn’t know enough about basketball, but he could still appreciate a good strategy when he saw it.

As the game wore on, Eddie was starting to see the pattern emerge. If it was malicious, Steve would be up in the guy’s face telling him to knock it off and to play clean. If it was a good play and the fouled player was pissed, Steve would calm him down and praise the other team.

It was almost freaky how well Steve seemed to know the difference. And Eddie loved freaky.

~

Part 2 Part 3

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