#erm not sure how you want to play this as can see you have her as daughter oc but I play Athena as a virgin deity

[madridfangirl]

Dichotomy

(Jude Bellingham Blurb)

Set post the Girona away game (24/25). Jude texts with his gf after the match.

..................................................................................................

After the win, Jude skipped to the dressing room & found a message from his girlfriend.

'Riddle me something?'

He sat down in front of his locker & started typing.

'What? Also, no 'congrats' or 'you were amazing' or 'I'm proud of you'?'

'Congrats. You were amazing. I'm proud of you.'

'Gee thanks. Now, riddle you what?'

She sent him the two photos.

'How are these the same person? In a span of 5 mins? What is this dichotomy?'

'Erm what?'

'Like how do you go from barking orders on the pitch & dominating everyone (including your own teammates at times) to these toddler antics?'

'Toddler what?'

'You looked like my 3 year old nephew wrapped in those blankets asking for a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night.'

'Is that your way of saying I looked cute?'

'🤷‍♀️'

'IT WAS COLD AF! Like, you play half naked and tell me you don't need blankets after. Even my fingers were frozen.'

She could almost hear the whine even in his text.

'You even sound like my nephew now. Also, people would pay 10x the money to see you play half naked so stop being so dramatic.'

'Whatever.'

'Awww.'

'Don't do that.'

'You know what I do when my nephew throws tantrums like this?'

'What? Also, this ain't a tantrum.'

She refused to even address the second part of the sentence.

'I give him his favorite treats, snuggle with him under a cozy blanket, pamper him endlessly till he giggles and jumps on me happily.'

That got his attention.

'I won't mind that.'

' Yeah?'

'Yeah am hurt & cold & sad. Need some cheering up.'

'Sad? You just won the match AND the MOTM.'

'Those things can go together.'

'Ofcourse.'

'So I'll come to yours from the airport? Will be late in the night but....tomorrow is Sunday.'

'Yeah you can come.'

'Coool.'

5 seconds later he was typing again.

'Something was said about fav treats?'

'What do you want?'

'Hot chocolate. Some fries. And you.'

'Yes. Yes. And no.'

'?????'

'I'm on my period you loon.'

'Thought you were already done?'

'No it's still day 5.'

'Universe keeps conspiring against me.'

'Sure. Me having to go through this tremendous discomfort every month is universe conspiring against you.'

'Obviously.'

'Whatever.'

'Now who's being a kid?'

'Still you.'

'Seriously you're sure it's day 5?'

She could practically hear his whining ringing in her ear.

'I don't know how to answer that.'

'Fine.'

Jude packed up his bag & got on the team bus without taking a shower. The staff reminded him but he refused, saying he'd die if he goes near water right now. They just smiled back and let him be. But some teammates gave him some stick which he didn't give two hoots about.

What he did give two hoots about was being outmaneuvered by his girlfriend. Even against her he didn't like losing, not even remotely.

He sat in the back, watched the team celebrating upfront but refused to move (again, too cold). Pulling out his phone, he re-read the exchange and sent her a quick message.

'Riddle me this?'

Her curiosity was piqued.

'Yes?'

Jude went straight for the kill. Typing without gloves was an effort & he wanted to save energy.

'How come you like me all aggressive & dominant on the pitch but not in bed? What is this dichotomy?'

When she didn't respond for 30 seconds, he mock-teased.

'Earth to dove, you there?'

'You are...those things...in bed also.'

'Not enough.'

'So...what else would you...you know?'

'Naa would rather show you tomorrow night.'

'Maybe tell me a bit? So I can...wrap my head around it?'

'Telling is no fun. Doing is.'

'Judeee.'

It was her turn to whine. He smiled at the screen.

'I like it when you are a bit nervous & on edge. The sounds you make then>>>'

'You're insufferable. And shameless.'

'Sure. Getting on the flight in 5. See you in under 2 hours. Prepare the treats that are rightfully mine. Mwahhh.'

'BYE.'

'And dove?'

'What??'

'I love you.'

Just like that, all her irritation / nerves fizzled away. And she couldn't wait for him to come to her, so she could wrap him up in a blanket and spoil him silly.

..........................................................................

He deserves all the spoiling and pampering :)

Hope you liked it!

[kyunniebuns]

˗ˏˋ Pirate King! Jinwoo x Siren! Reader ◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ ˎˊ˗

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕘 𝕁𝕚𝕟𝕨𝕠𝕠˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

・┆✦ Entry : 032 ✦ ┆・

[ TW: Yandere Jinwoo, Violence , all Shadows Mentioned are in Human Form ]

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅ Part 1 || Part 2♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

╰┈➤ ❝ [ Across the oceans with the stars as my guide, my Bride, I will find you ] ¡! ❞

Jinwoo was a huge mommy's boy, that's for sure. But like any other son, he also idolizes his father to the point that he begs Il-hwan to take him out to his mini ship trips to which the old man humors the little boy and teaches him how to be a good sailor.

Il-hwan often took Jinwoo in his short trips, mostly just to let the boy be more physically active. After all, young boys oughta be active to grow into healthy and happy men.

Well... That was until Il-hwan lost sight of Jinwoo who wandered off into the island the little boy was accompanying him into to deliver some goods.

While poor Sung Il-hwan's heart was about to burst from his chest— His son meanwhile... Was busy getting heart eyes and butterflies fluttering in silly little tummy.

Jinwoo was your typical idiot child after all, he is reckless and wanders off despite his father's strict orders not to be 10 steps farther away from him.

He just got curious at the pretty little shimmering shells on the sand that seemingly created a path for him to follow.

So what does he do? Duh, he follows it.

As he does so, Jinwoo carefully picks up each shell so he can turn them into a cute little seashell necklace or crown for his baby sister who was just recently born. She's his little princess and he wants to make her as pretty as she possibly can because she is his baby angel.

While picking up the last shell, Jinwoo was startled and fell back when he heard a splash on the waters. He thought for sure that it is his father but instead he was met with a curious gaze peeking behind a moss-covered rock. The orbs were wide and beady, similar to his but more naive. Adorned on the stranger's head were several pearls acting like a glittering stars against the lovely wet strands.

Jinwoo had dropped all the precious seashells he had picked up, but was too distracted on your gaze that the sheepish boy cant help but fumble around on himself.

"E-erm..." Jinwoo speaks up, but soon panicked as he saw your frightened expression. "W-wait, no, no... Don't be scared! I won't hurt you, promise!"

He says, hurriedly lowering himself and then stretching his tiny palms out to you to show that he meant no harm.

Well, how could such bright and round grey eyes show hostility anyway?

So, you also started fumbling around, pushing yourself closer to the curious human and pressing his palms against yours.

Jinwoo seemed to have had his breath hitch when your skins had touched. He kept sputtering out nonesense, before his tiny little digits intertwined with your with his face red to the very tip of his ears.

"Pretty..." Jinwoo mumbles shyly.

It was an odd language to you, but somehow you could tell that this curious little human was very gentle.

And when you beamed, he grins right after.

Innocent and lovely smiles on both your precious faces.

Jinwoo tugs at your hand, leading you to the water so you two could play. He didn't seem to care at the fact that both of you are two different species. While he had legs that could walk and run, you had a lovely tail that you use to traverse the lovely oceans.

You showed Jinwoo the prettiest parts of the waters, while he in turn showed you some tricks he could do. From hopskotch to doing cartwheels and climbing trees just to see you beam as he swung upside down.

Your voice was soundless, and he understood that you did that to protect his ears. There were stories that a siren's voice can burst one's eardrums unless you are bonded to one.

Jinwoo didn't know how long he played with you, but he eventually became tired and just curiously stared into your pretty and dreamy orbs seemingly carved out of the milky way while your foreheads are pressed together.

He then feels a swirl in his heart, a faint, blue glow eminating from underneath the fabric of his shirt. The boy realizes the peculiar feeling, looking down at himself.

But weirdly enough, he wasn't a tad bit alarmed at the mystical sight.

Just as he was about to ask you— Il-hwan's panicked and booming voice echoed from the forest behind the both of you and it instantly scared you away.

Jinwoo helplessly watched you dive into the waters, instantly disappearing into the distant blue.

As soon as Il-hwan sees his little boy, he immediately embraces a dumbfounded Jinwoo who was seemingly too frozen to say anything at all.

"Jinwoo, son, what has dad told—...." Il-hwan pauses, his words disappearing in his throat as he sees Jinwoo's tearful face.

"M-my siren"

"Siren?" Il-hwan scrunches his forehead.

"Dad, my siren!" Jinwoo yells, his face completely panicked as he starts to cry. "My siren, dad my siren! You have to get my siren back!"

"Jinwoo!..." Il-hwan's heart breaks at his son's wailing.

Jinwoo for one was never an insolent or needy child, he had always been good and obedient. Even a bit more closed off than most kids, he's a shy boy who never speaks much. But seeing the state of the poor child this distressed made Il-hwan's heart tremble with sadness.

All he could do was cradle the small boy who kept begging for him to find his dear siren.

⋅ ˚ �� ‧ ଳ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ⋆ ౨ৎ ˚ ⟡ ˖ ࣪

Jinwoo could never really forget that day, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't. Not that he would want to anyway. It would be the same memory night after night.

The sight of that precious siren, how his father spent hours trying to console him a she had his mental breakdown about his precious little 'Friend'.

He would grow into a fine young man, too fine in fact.

The desire to meet you again burned in his heart like a flame dancing in the pits of hell.

Jinwoo wants to find you.

Jinwoo has to find you.

He needs to.

After all, he worked several years earning a reputation in the seas as a cruel tyrant. Not that he is really a villain, no, in fact— He was just passing by a bunch of bastards trying to hijack his ship— The ship he spent hundreds of golds on in order for him to pursuit your missing figure. The nitwits just couldn't sit down and shut up for once.

He spent all of his youth practicing and preparing, researching as much as he can about sirens.

Their habitats, their breeding routes, and their most known locations.

Jinwoo is not an idiot, he actually returned to the very spot he had met you in but found no signs of siren activity. Not even a path of seashells was laid out anywhere even as he circled the shore hundreds of times.

Frustrating? Yes.

But nothing was more frustrating than the fact that all these fucking hooligan pirates were trying to ruin his chances of finding your precious existence in these vast oceans.

He can't waste time playing petty mind games and bargaining.

Jinwoo's gamble is him trying to find a sliver of your trace.

And as he stood bloodsoaked atop of the remains he had mauled so grotesquely, his head tilted upwards with the most faded and lifeless purple orbs gazing at the pouring rain— He felt a sharp stab at his chest.

"Captain!" Beru wails, dropping his sword as he hurriedly assisted his master who had almost collapsed on the floor.

"My liege, you've pushed yourself too much" Bellion says as he took off his cloak and draped it over Jinwoo's figure who was still clutching his chest as if out of breath. "I beg you, captain, please breathe."

"I can't rest not," Jinwoo grits his teeth, moaning in pain as he feels another sharp stab in his heart.

It felt as though his insides are being burned alive, roasting him from within while his heart throbbed like it had a dagger embedded in it's flesh twisting so torturously slow.

Between death and this pain, Jinwoo would have rather chosen the afterlife if it weren't for the fact that he's so fixated on seeking for his precious siren.

His crew would gather around, panicking and attempting to be of help but to no avail

Since eventually, Jinwoo would have passed out from the agony he feels.

⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ଳ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ⋆ ౨ৎ ˚ ⟡ ˖ ࣪

"It's not looking good," Igris sighs, running his hand through his long strands after patching up Jinwoo's chest with a bandage. "His injuries are getting more severe by the day."

"Where did it come from?" Beru asks hastily, gritting his teeth. "Did my liege's siren curse him?"

"Far from it," Igris explains. "If the siren had indeed cursed captain, then there is no reason why his the skin directly on top of his heart would rot and create cracks like it's made of glass. The injury not only affects his heart, but also eats him from the inside out. The black ichor spilling out of the wound shows that this is a divine punishment"

"Divine Punishment?!" Beru bellows, his expression turning dark. "Our liege is a gentle soul, why would he of all the bastards of this godforsaken world would suffer such ailment?!"

"Beru, your temper." He sighs, pulling the blanket up to Jinwoo so that their captain could rest more easily. "He has not offended any god, nor is he being punished for his misdeeds."

He takes a deep breath, "It's the aftereffects of being seperated from their mate."

"Mate? But our liege is human?" Beru inquires, flabbergasted.

"Yes, but he has bonded with a siren" Igris scoffs, crossing his arms as if mocking Beru's lack of comprehension. "Our liege told us of the story, of how he met a lovely little siren his age when he was but a wee little lad. A glow suddenly emanated from his chest as if there was a star being planted in his body. That is a typical way for sirens to propose innocently. And our liege has wholly accepted the bonding ritual. Unfortunately, the siren had fled. Prolonged separation from one's mate can result in the symptom's our liege has been showing. His young body is strong hence why he could keep the injuries at bay most of the time. But it seems that our captain will reach his limit soon if we do not find that siren soon."

"...." Beru droops, feeling hopeless.

"Best we let him rest for tonight," Igris simply taps his shoulder, signaling for his colleague to leave the captain's quarters too.

⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ଳ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ⋆ ౨ৎ ˚ ⟡ ˖ ࣪

Jinwoo had woken up in the middle of the night, he was completely exhausted from the battle that took place in the afternoon.

He reached out and downed the mug of water waiting at his bedside before getting up and donning a coat over his shoulders to take a simple walk on the empty deck.

"Where are you, really?" Jinwoo sighs, bringing his finger up where a tiny little fish made of water playfully nuzzled his digit. "My darling bride, how am I to gift you all the treasures I've coveted if I cant even have you here, hm?"

Jinwoo had discovered that the little fish friend he had been secretly summoning from his heart was in fact a proof that he and the siren had bonded. If humans had their rings, sirens would have these little creatures as proof of sacramental union.

It was adorable, really.

Sure, one could say that he is only searching for the siren with the sole purpose of prolonging his life but that wasn't his goal.

No.

Even if the bond didn't exist, Jinwoo would still choose the same path as he does now.

If he dies, his siren would die too.

And as a stubborn, reckless and steadfast king of the pirates who even has power above the holy king himself— Jinwoo wouldn't back down in this.

So long as he sees a star twinkling above the unruly oceans, he will continue to sail in search of his precious bride.

꒰ A/N: Wont be making any fics for the next two weeks because exams yay but this will have a part 2 so dw and be patient xD... I'll let this marinate ꒱

ʚ(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭ .｡✧･ﾟ: ~♡ —! stories written by kyunnie; translations, reposts, plagiarism are strictly forbidden.

[hamiltonaf]

Veiled Emotions | Lando Norris

Part 1 | (Part 2)

Pairings: Lando Norris x BFF!Female Reader

Word Count: 2.8K

Warnings: Sexual tension | Slow Burn

A/N: Hello my lovelies. Apologies for the delay, I had a busy week and it was my birthday, so consider this a gift from me to you guys. I got a bit carried away, so I hope you loves enjoy .xx

(Y/F/N) - Your Friend’s Name

It was the next morning, and thankfully (Y/F/N) let me sleep in, and didn’t bother me to wake up early. I woke up in a pretty good mood until I turned to the side table and looked at my lockscreen to see I was flooded with message notifications from Lando, as well as a number of DMs reacting to my story last night.

 

I opened Lando’s messages first - it was just good morning texts and a spam of him saying my name to wake me up. However his last message said ‘(Y/N/N) I’m coming home later today. Are you busy today ? Call me when you see this ❤️’. Hmm I wonder what it’s about…

 

Before replying back I went through a few of my Instagram DMs. Some asking if it’s Lando, others asking for a better soft launch, though one DM caught my eye from João, the last person I would ever expect a DM from.

 

João

Hey beautiful… I know this seems crazy but would love to get to know you better. How about tonight after my match ?

 

Y/N

Hii ! We just started following each other… eager to see me already ? lol just playing. Sure ☺️

 

João

Was not expecting that to work 😂 but I’m glad it did. Are you free to come to my match at 6 ? Its at Wembley 👀

 

I yelled for (Y/F/N) and luckily she was in the kitchen which isn’t far from my room, “Girl something major just happened!” I said as I sat up against the headboard. “Omg is it Lando ?” She asked as she jumped in the bed beside me. “Yes and no, well not right now. So you wouldn’t believe this but João just DMed me asking if-“

 

“Babe slow it down and reverse. Did you just say João DMed you ? AND YOU ARE THROWING THAT OUT SO CASUALLY ?” She screamed in shock. “Erm okay sorry I guess for not making it a big deal ? Anywho, he wants to go out to tonight after-“ “YES !” She cut me off. “I didn’t finish my sentence” I huffed. “I don’t care, you’re going to whatever he invited you for” she smiled. “Well he first said to meet after his match, and now he’s inviting me to his match as well” I held my head in my hands. “I wish I had your kind of problems. A footballer and a f1 driver fighting for you ? The potential chance you have of being a football or f1 wag is crazy !” she squealed as she clapped her hands.

 

“I take it that I say yes to both ?” I raised a brow. “Absolutely !” She said in an obvious tone.“But I don’t know how I feel about going. I mean this is all literally happening bc his ex is dating my Lando” I sighed. “My ?” She teased with a smirk. “Oh my god what am I even saying” I said in shock as I shook my head. “This boy is making me lose my mind” I groaned in frustration.

 

“Okay jokes aside..I understand where you’re coming from. We don’t know what his intentions are and I get that you may feel uncomfortable. Why don’t you ask him if a friend can come with for the match so you have company” she suggested. “I can’t tell if you’re being helpful or if this is an excuse to come with me to a football match” I furrowed my brows. “Well mainly the first one but I won’t deny the second one” she pursed her lips. “I see how it is, oh well either way I’m not planning to go to this match alone. I’m just going to ask him if you can come with” I said as I opened the DM once again.

 

Y/N

I’ve never been, so it sounds like fun, do you mind if I bring a friend with ? 😊

 

João

Don’t mind at all. Whatever you say 😉 Will send you a pass and details in a few for the 2 of you. Look forward to seeing you.

 

Y/N

Perfect ! Thank you so much. See you later 🥰

 

 

“Okay done !” I smiled as I closed the app. “Great, now what about Lando ?” She asked curiously. “Oh yeah..about him-“ I started to laugh nervously. “Oh no. What now ?” She crossed her arms over. “So uhm, he’s coming back home today and well, he asked me to call him when I saw his message” I shrugged casually. “Did you call him ?” She raised a brow. “No ?” I furrowed my brows. “Well what the heck are you waiting for ! Call him right now because I wanna hear this” she yelled. “Okay fine jeez” I scrolled for his name and ringed him.

 

I cleared my throat whilst it was ringing, “Hey you’re finally up” he greeted. “Yeah I just saw your message. What’s up ?” my gaze lingered to (Y/F/N). “Well I’m flying back in a few hours..thought we should meet up, that’s if you’re free” he said hopeful. “Why does he sound shy ?” (Y/F/N) whispered. “Shh- Uhm yeah unfortunately I’m busy today Lan, maybe tomorrow ?” I pressed my lips together. “Oh I see..what are your plans ?” He asked. “Well João wanted me at his match today, and we’re going out after, so I have no idea what time I’ll be back.”

 

“Hmm wow…I take it that you’re going for the Euros then ?” He asked. “Yepp that’s right” I replied. “Great, then I’ll see you later. Bye !” His tone changed. “Byeee” I said lastly as I ended the call. “Did you hear correctly ?” (Y/F/N) asked confused. “What ?” I asked even more baffled than she is. “He said he’ll see you later” she said. “Ohh, well maybe he means before we leave for the match” I suggested. “Oh yeah you got a point” she dropped the subject as our focus was on having brunch.

 

After brunch and trying to kill some time, I had a shower and started to hunt for an outfit. Thank god for (Y/F/N) as she helped me narrow down my options. The look we’re going for is I’m an up-and-coming wag, but I’m mainly just a friend.

 

As we were about to leave, I failed to mention that João sent a driver to escort us to the stadium. Nice touch. (Y/F/N) squealed and pinched me when she saw the car. “Girlll you can have Lando, I’ll take him” I stifled a laugh and tried to hush her before the driver heard us.

 

Upon our arrival at the stadium, we were then escorted by a team member named, Anna. She was really sweet, as she took her time to give us a tour. I was not expecting her to actually take us to the dressing rooms where I was tapped on the shoulder by João. “Hello” he said softly. “Hi omg we finally meet” I smiled as we then exchanged a hug. “About time” he nervously chuckled. “Yeah thank you again for inviting us” (Y/F/N) butted in as she started taking to him.

 

“Well thank you for accepting my invite. I hope you guys enjoy the match, and you’ll be cheering me on” he winked. “Of course !” (Y/F/N) smiled at him. “Sorry to leave so suddenly, I have a team meeting. See you later yeah ?” He said as he started walking backwards. “Yepp” “Goodluck for today’s match” (Y/F/N) added. He waved us off before he finally left. I gave her a side eye before Anna guided us to our seats and bid goodbye.

 

The stadium was full to capacity at this point, however, the match was only about to start in 15 minutes. I thought the view from the box would be a great time to post, but yet again, the fans beat me to it.

 

f1gossipgirl just added to their story

“I swear this girl doesn’t rest” I giggled as I liked the stories. “You look insane, bestie” (Y/F/N) said as she looked over my shoulder. As I continued to go through the stories, my jaw dropped at the caption.

 

f1gossipgirl just added to their story

“Ain’t no frikken way” I said in shock. “Bitch what the hell. Where is he ?” (Y/F/N) started to frantically look around us. As if on queue, the camera pans to Lando, and his face appears on the big screen. “Oh. My. God” we said simultaneously. “Call him right now” I huffed. “Is that a good idea though ?” Before she could reply, she grabbed my phone and dialled his number. “Are you insane ?” I said as she then shoved my phone to my ear. “Hey love” he answered.

 

“Hey you…so like when did you plan on telling me you’re here as well ?” I know him so well that I could tell he’s smiling on the other side, he’s enjoying this a little too much. “Well, I did tell you that I’ll see you later” he half laughed. “Are you stalking me ?” I asked playfully. “No” he scoffed. “Defensive… so you are stalking me” I giggled. “No no I mean I was actually invited, in fact I was going to bring you with me but someone beat me to it” he huffed. “Hmm okay keep telling yourself that” I smiled.

 

“Where are you anyway ? Why don’t you come here and give me company ?” He suggested. “I’m with (Y/F/N), I can’t leave her alone” she then shoved my shoulder. “I’m not a child, you can leave me alone !” she said lowly. “That’s fine, she can take the seat and you can sit on my lap.” Is he flirting with me ? I guess so considering how (Y/F/N) started giggling. “Haha very funny. I don’t think your girlfriend would like that”

 

“Girlfriend ? Where did you hear this ?” He asked. “Okay just forget about it, I’ll see you later. Byeeee” I said as I ended the call.

 

The match ended at 93 minutes with the score being 2-0 - Portugal had won, which is great but disappointing to see England lose.

 

(Y/F/N) and I stayed in place as everyone was leaving. “Can I escort you ladies to a private room so you can get comfortable until João is back ?” Anna suggested. “Yeah sure” (Y/F/N) replied. I followed behind their lead whilst I scrolled through my phone. “Avoiding me, love.” I looked up and I was met by Lando. “Oh hey you” I smiled. “Where are you off to ?” He eagerly asked. “Well, I’m following (Y/F/N) and Anna, she’s escorting us to a private room until João is done, but I’ll see you around” I quickly gave him a smile as I tried to walk past him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

 

“Wait. I feel like I don’t see you anymore these days” he pouted. “I could say the same for you. You’re in a relationship and now well so am I” I lied as I attempted again to walk past him. He yet again successfully pulls me back. “Can we just talk…alone and clear some things… please” he asked sincerely. I glanced over to (Y/F/N) and she nodded towards Lando, hinting I should go with him. “Okay fine.” I walked over to hug (Y/F/N), “Don’t worry I’ll cover for you” she whispered. “Thanks, I owe you” I said back softly. “Anna, thank you for helping this evening. If you’ll excuse me, I unfortunately have to go, but (Y/F/N) is here to accompany João” I smiled at her. She nodded with a smile.

 

I walked back over to Lando, “After you” he smirked as he stood aside for me to walk ahead. Once we were at the parking, he walked ahead of me to his McLaren as he opened the passenger door for me. “Have I told you how beautiful you look today ?” He asked as he leaned against the door. “No, but thank you” I gave him a small smile as he sat in the driver's seat.

 

“So I think let’s clear the air on the topic that seems to bother you” he said as he tried to hide his smile. “I’m sorry but it doesn’t bother me” I scoffed. “By saying it doesn’t bother you, means it bothers you” he smirked. “I think what bothers you is that I was invited to this match by João and I was supposed to be on a date with him after, so you followed me here to ruin my plans” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yet here you are, in my car. With me” he continued to smirk. “I only came here to ‘clear the air’ like you asked” I raised my voice.

 

“I love to see you get angry” he said as he leaned more into his seat to face me. The sexual tension in the car really got me flustered. “Lando, this is not funny ! Get to the point already, or I’m leaving” I huffed. “Okay okay sorry… so…are you actually dating him ?” he asked. “Are you serious right now ? You called me for this ? Are you trying to get information again for your girlfriend ?”

 

“Again with the girlfriend story” he laughed. “What is so damn funny ? Share the joke so I too can laugh” I rolled my eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend” he held in his laugh. “Wait what” I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks. “But I swear everyone and their mothers said that you’re dating her ? I felt like such an idiot being your so-called best friend because everyone knew this except for me” I argued. “Well sorry to break it you like this but you fell for the rumours like everyone else”

 

“But she went on this trip with you guys and-“ he cut me off. “Yeah because she’s friends with Pietra and besides that, I asked you to come with but you said no” he pouted. “Because like I told you, I didn’t want to be a third wheel” I sighed. “You wouldn’t have been a third wheel because you have me. If anything, she was going to feel like a third wheel because I’m closer to you… I was really hoping you were coming because I was so lonely, that’s why I video called you last night, but then you thought something else and cut the call on me” he called me out.

 

“I mean can you blame me with everything I’ve been hearing ?” I scoffed. “Now that that’s out of the way. Are you dating him ?” He asked as he leaned on the console between us. “What’s it to you ?” I grinned. “Oh come on, I answered your question, the least you can do is answer mine” he pouted again with the puppy dog eyes. “I guess you can say it’s a yes and no answer” I said playfully. He tilted his head to the side, “It’s either a yes or no” he said as he leaned closer towards me.

 

It started to feel really hot with all this sexual tension. I could feel the moisture and tiny beads of sweat start to form along my collarbones and my cleavage. It’s as if (Y/F/N) confident spirit took over me when I answered his question. “Well, yes I’m dating him if it means it bothers you and no, I’m not dating him..unless, you’re interested” I smirked as I tilted my head. He sniggered as he broke eye contact for a second before meeting my eyes again. He grabbed my cap and put it on himself backwards. “What are you doing ?” I furrowed my brows. “Something I should’ve done a very long time ago” he said as he entangled his fingers into my hair and closed the gap between us.

 

Our lips met in a rush of warmth, a collision of uncertainty and desire. The kiss was both sweet and fierce, a moment that felt like it could unravel everything we’d been avoiding. My hands wrapped around his neck and trailed into his hair, lightly pulling on it. When we finally pulled away, breathless, I found myself searching his eyes.

 

He bit his lip as he pressed his forehead against mine. “Wow” I said, my voice shaky. He chuckled softly, a smile spreading across his face. “Yeah, wow…always wanted to do that.”

 

I wasn’t done messing with him. “Then why didn’t you ? Oh right, you were so busy hitting on your ‘girlfriend’ that-“ he cut me off by capturing my lips in another kiss. He broke away to look at me, “You know you drive me insane sometimes, but it shows how much I love you when I can’t stop thinking about you or when I randomly smile at something you said” he blushed. “You already love me ?” I teased him. “Yes. Yes I do” he said as he gave me a quick peck. “Okay” I smiled. “Don’t you love me too ?” He pouted. “I’m still thinking about it” I pursed my lips.

 

“What is there to think about ?” He asked in shock. “I think I’m gonna need a little bit more of your lips on mine to decide-“ I tried to hide my laugh as he then cupped my face with his hands. “Is. This. Good. Enough. For. You” he pecked my lips after each word. I giggled at him being silly, “Okay okay, I love you too.” “Damn right you do” murmured as his hand moved to my neck and placed his lips on mine once again.

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Meet the parents

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles, day 13

Prompt: Family Dinner

Rated: T

Tags: Modern AU; No UD AU; Meet ugly; Fake dating; Fake identity; Past Stommy

Eddie straightens his tie for the twentieth time, running a hand through his hair to check his bun. The restaurant across the street looks even fancier than in the pictures on his phone. He feels stupidly out of place just standing in front of it.

He's just lucky nobody he knows can see him now.

He imagined making it big in the city, performing in sold-out clubs, not squeezing into a suit and playing jazz music for rich farts.

But apparently the place needs a guitarist, because the rich farts enjoy live music with their overpriced dinner. And Eddie enjoys being able to pay his rent, so here they are. He squares his shoulders, adjusting his guitar case on his shoulder and fixing his tie. Again. The manager said to be here on time.

“Hey! You! Yes, you, guitar guy.”

Eddie pauses mid-step. A young man has emerged from the restaurant and is now weaving through the throng of passers-by. Eddie’s sure he's never seen him before - not just because he just called him guitar guy, but also because he's pretty much exactly his type - sun-kissed skin and caramel hair and a boyish smile that makes his eyes hazel sparkle. Eddie wouldn’t just forget a face like that. And yet, the guy keeps jogging towards him, waving and smiling. He comes to a standstill just in front of Eddie, pausing to catch his breath. He's evidently never heard of private space, because he's close enough for Eddie to count the freckles on the bridge of his nose.

“Wanna earn two-hundred bugs?”

Eddie blinks.

“Erm, I guess,” his mile-a-minute mouth replies while his brain is still trying to parse through the situation. “What-”

That smile goes impossibly brighter.

“Brilliant,” says the guy. Then he kisses him.

It's over as quick as it started, and before Eddie has a chance to recover, the guy has linked their hands and is pulling him towards the restaurant.

“Name's Steve, by the way. Yours?”

“I- um, Eddie,” says Eddie. His lips are still tingling.

Steve smiles tensely.

“Alright, I-um-Eddie. For the next one-and-a-half hours, you smile and nod, and leave the talking to me, okay? Oh, and your name's Tommy.”

“Wha-?” Eddie squawks, but Steve has already pulled him through the doors and to a table overlooking the busy street.

“Found him! Mom, Dad, this is-”

“Tommy,” says the man sitting at the table. He holds out a hand, which Eddie is too dumbfounded to not shake. “So glad you’ve made it. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Yeah, um-” Eddie says, shaking the woman’s hand as well. She wrinkles her nose like his fingers are something gross, and he wonders frantically if he did anything wrong. Was he supposed to kiss her knuckles? Do rich people still do that? He doesn’t know, so he quickly withdraws his hand and pretends to be very busy settling into his chair. “Nice meeting you, Mr. …”

He casts a helpless look at Steve, because he never mentioned his last name, and he can’t very well call the guy Mr. Steve’s Dad, now can he?

“Oh, please,” says the older man, “Call me Richard. And tell me about yourself, Steve has been awfully secretive. I hear you study business economics?”

“Um,” Eddie looks back at Steve, who nods imperceptibly. “Yeah, totally, it’s great. I love business, man. And economics. Can't get enough- ow!”

Steve smiles sweetly, like he didn't just kick him under the table like some sort of demented mule with anger management issues.

“And you're a musician as well?” the woman chimes in, eyeing his guitar case curiously. Eddie's assuming she's Steve's mom, but what does he know? All he’s certain of is that his shin is still hurting and he doesn’t wanna get kicked again.

“He’s been taking guitar lessons,” Steve says with barely a hitch. “To have- … how did you put it, honey? A creative outlet when you want to unwind from work, right?”

“Right,” Eddie parrots. “An outlet. Undwinding’s very important.”

“Isn’t that lovely?” the woman gushes. “You’ll need to play for us under the tree this Christmas.”

Now, it’s Steve’s turn to look petrified. “I dunno, Mom. Tommy probably has other-”

Richard makes an impatient noise and flips open the menu.

“Come on now, don't be like that. Guess you’re joining us for Christmas, Tommy. Hope you like skiing?”

*

“Okayyy,” Eddie drawls. They’re standing in the parking lot, hand in hand, waving after Steve’s parents in their abhorrently expensive limousine. “Now spill. Who’s Tommy?”

“My boyfriend.” The moment the car rounds the corner, Steve withdraws his hand. There’s an unhappy scowl on his face. “Well, my ex, I guess. Who broke up with me via text message five minutes before he was supposed to meet us.”

Eddie whistles lowly. “Whoops, sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Steve says, pulling his phone from his pocket. “He's an ass. So, you wanna give me your number? I’ll transfer you the money and text you about Christmas.”

“Yeah sure, gimme a-” Eddie, already fumbling for his own phone, freezes and almost drops his guitar. “Hold on, what are you talking about?”

Steve gives him a look. “You heard my parents. They want you to spend Christmas with us.”

Eddie gawks at him. “So? I’m obviously not doing that. Just tell them Tommy and you broke it off, what’s the-”

“I can’t do that,” Steve blurts. “They’ll cut me off, and I need that money.”

Eddie almost makes a snide remark, but there’s this panicked look in Steve’s eyes again, and something tells him that this is about more than just a spoiled rich kid fearing for his inheritance. He sighs.

“I want a thousand bucks,” he says. “I’ll need to cancel Christmas with my uncle, so I think that’s a fair compensation. Plus, I’m not going on any skiers.”

More holiday drabbles

They shake on it, and just like that, Eddie finds himself with both a new job and new plans for the holidays.

[anaconamor]

just friends? or more? - jude bellingham x reader.

quick sum: interviews and late night talks. but it’s always hard to see your best friend leave for his away games. no matter the distance or duration.

wc: 3k | masterlist | jude's masterlist

psa🗣️: happy new year everyone, hope everyone is doing okay! 🤍 mixed a request with my own imagination. this was supposed to be a small blurb but I ended up writing more. best friends to lover trope 🫂 🧟‍♀️ hope you enjoy! 🤍

“it must be an excitement to see him play at this level and talent?” the journalist asked you, to which you nodded and smiled. “it’s quite a pleasure honestly. it’s what he’s always wanted and we couldn’t be more proud,” you replied calmly not knowing where exactly to look at. 

your eyes glanced from her, to the camera and then jude who was walking back from the tunnels. “recalling all his goals from this current season, which one has been your favorite? could there be a sort of muse to inspire and motivate him to this level?” she asked curiously, leaving you thinking. 

“my favorite probably, okay wait actually i don’t know if i wanna say because i don’t want to get dragged, but it was special to see him win his debut here in the bernabeu, even if it was a tap in,” you laugh, “his goal against napoli and barcelona are one for the books as well.” you kept glancing behind her to see jude standing there cockily, arms crossed with a smirk plastered on his face. 

“as for a muse, i’d say himself and the people around him whether it’s friends or family even the fans. with the constant support and wins, seeing how the team reflects, how he can do more. overall i think it’s just him and the healthy mentality he has,” you say shyly, nodding your head as you spoke, jude then decided to intervene. 

“erm excuse me? this is my interview,” you say in a teasing manner, stepping on your tiptoes to reach his hug. “i apologize. just wanted to come over and say hi,” jude says playfully making everyone smile. “we were just asking y/n about if there could be a certain muse to make you perform at this level. is there anything you would like to say about that?” the journalist asks. 

jude scratches his brow and looks down smiling, “well to be honest there is someone…but for privacy reasons or maybe to not jinx it, i’ll keep it hidden… they’re truly wonderful and inspire me to do my best every time,” he says with a huge grin looking down to you where you stand. your eyes connected and for a second maybe he was dedicating this to you? you thought. 

as the journalist wrapped up her interview the two of you teased and joked around, answering her questions politely and respectfully, making sure to wish her the best of luck and a small be careful. the thoughts of him having a ‘muse’ still didn’t go away from your head.  if he was referring to you or if there was someone he had yet to tell you about. 

jude was always private with his life, but around you he couldn’t stop yapping, always with a smile in his face when he spoke about him. but this had you questioning just a bit, if there was more to your close friendship. to his longer and more intense stares towards you, his touch on your waist when out together, always asking to stay longer and cuddle. 

it wasn’t just you who had noticed it, his teammates as well, often teasing both of you especially jude as you would hear it when he called you after training. don't even get started on the media, replays, and many comments on the two of you when together, always asking if you were dating, or saying they lived for your friendship.

there was something different and you couldn’t avoid it any longer, being left confused with your feelings. it began to feel like love. you can’t love your best friend, you couldn’t take a risk like that.  

“you’re awfully quiet? something in your mind? i know something’s up so don’t say it’s anything,” jude remarked, squinting his eyes. you let a soft chuckle out and turned to face him, “i’m just tired… also i was reading some of the comments from our interview,” you lied offering a quick smile and showing him your open instagram page. he raised his brow and got out the car. 

you trailed behind him to where you were greeted to a quiet home. jude quickly slipped on some slides and dropped his bag in the mud room. you took of your shoes and walked into the kitchen to prepare some dinner for the two of you. as you glanced around you felt jude hug you from behind, his face leveled next to yours making you jump. “fridge is full?” he asked.

“oh yeah. i went grocery shopping and brought the necessities! refilled the fridge, got toothpaste, and i also got you those scooby doo cookies you love so much,” your hand interlocked with his that was around your waist as you pointed to the cabinet above you. just then you realized how close the two of you were. 

it felt like you had moved in, and shared a house together. you never ever had shared a bed, but for the past month you had, waking up with jude on top of you or your back next to his chest. having breakfast daily together and him waiting for you to come back from uni or work. hanging out more than usual, cuddling more than usual. the his and hers titles applying to the two of you, when brushing your teeth, your mugs, sharing clothes, having your shoes aligned by the door. 

jude felt you tense asking what was wrong but you shook your head, “after dinner, i might go home,” you tell him watching the smile disappear from his face. “what? why? do you want me to go with you? you should just stay it's already late, i want to you to stay” jude insisted, making up different reasons as to why you should stay the night. 

it’s not that you didn't want to be with jude tonight, you did, to feel him hold you and kiss your head at night. but the thought of acting like a couple, with no label, with your best friend made you freakout, because what if how you felt wasn't how he did? what if you read the cards wrong and it was only you who fell over heels for your best friend? what if he didn't love you like you did? 

“i’ll think about it, i said i might go, still debating, i haven't seen the roomies in a while and we want to have a girls night,” you said trying to calm the panic that overtook his body. “i don’t mind joining, you guys just do spa night, drink wine, and talk, i’ll be like one of the girls…” jude shrugged jokingly, making your eyes roll playfully. 

“okay decide what you want to eat so we can start cooking,” you recalled, grabbing a pan and heating up some oil. jude played his old songs playlist, singing along to the songs you remembered, your arms wrapping around his shoulders as he led you to dance in the middle of the kitchen, his soft brown eyes never leaving yours as he sang happily. would this be what it felt like to be a couple? 

the tv show played softly on the background, jude fast asleep on your chest letting out small snores. he refused to let you leave as the time you had finished eating and talking was super late, leaving with no choice but to stay once again. it felt like home, jude felt like your home, they way you fit perfectly in each other's arms. you turn the tv off, squinting your eyes in confusion as you saw his phone ping. 

jocelyn:

thanks for the other day! hope we can see each other again, had so much fun! 

your heart sank looking back at jude who was still sound asleep on your chest, feeling your eyes burn with tears and your stomach sink further down. you controlled your breathing, feeling stupid and naive for actually believing and falling for him. it wasn't his fault, it was you for letting yourself believe there could be something. you would never be his, there was already someone else in his life to fill your spot. 

you were able to manage to sneak off the next morning without a word or budge from jude, feeling trapped and claustrophobic around him when he hugged you from behind. you couldn't stop thinking about his words from yesterday's interview and his ‘muse’, the way his touch still burned on your skin, the way he hid a girl from you. it felt like you were the other woman even though you had no clue who she was. 

you fiddled with your keys, opening the door to a silent home once again, darting straight to your room where you fell onto your beg with small whimpers and sobs, crying over a boy. you weren't able to sleep last night, so you didn't even feel when you fell asleep, forgetting about reality for the day. 

jude was left confused and curious as to why you weren't there, next to him. he called and called, texting you over and over again, becoming worried when there was no response from you. he was unable to focus during recovery and training session, thinking of how you suddenly left, and how distant and tense you were yesterday. he wondered if you had school, or if you something came up with your roommates. 

jude wanted to hang out before he had to travel away for the weekend. spend as much time with you. his head should be focused on winning and on the team to advance in the ‘copa del rey’ but he couldn't when he hadn't heard from you. 

jude was deep in. as every day went by his love for you grew more and more, knowing it could be risk for your friendship. he had the urge to just yell out how much he loved you, how badly he wanted to call you his, to finally stop playing around and put a label. it was hard to read you and that killed him more. feeling hopeless and desperate, he called again quickly listening to your voicemail. 

you had jude’s head spinning, heart skipping beats at the thought of you, and he was left with no choice but to show up the day before he left at your doorstep. your eyes frantically roamed jude who stood with a serious look on his face, almost shutting the door at him out of nervousness. jude let himself in, turning to you quickly brows drawn in. “is there a reason why you are not answering your phone?” he asked seriously, no taint of playing around. 

“i needed to catch up on some uni work. i have so much to do still, and i wanted to focus on getting the hard part out first,” you say unsure, as his brows draw in with bewilderment. 

“but yet couldn't answer one phone call from me?”

“jude-”

“i’ve been left worried, thinking if you were okay after you randomly left without saying anything? i don't like you shutting me out y/n, i understand you were busy but a text even would’ve taken me out of my misery,” jude huffed letting out a sign of disappointment, walking to the couch and staring at your study layout. books and books, open pages of your notes, and your laptop that sounded louder than usual. 

“i just wanted to give you space and time for yourself. i don't wanna seem clingy or attached because all we've done for the past month is be together at house. i just thought you might’ve wanted to do something else with your teammates or other people,” you say embarrassed, daring to spill the girls name from the other night. 

“well you thought wrong, the only person i want to be with is you. i wanted to see you before i left tomorrow,” jude said with a small frown, hands digging into his hands. ‘the only person i want to be with is you’ should have not stung like it did, the ache in your chest as you heard him say that, bitting your lip to hold back the tears that wanted to build up. though you were stronger than that. 

“what about jocelyn?” you asked carefully being met with a quiet jude, giving you a questioning look. “what about her?” maybe it was the way he had said it or the fact he was upset but you now regretted bringing her up knowing it had triggered something. “didn’t she mention-” you were cut off by jude.

“jocelyn is my stylist when i’m here in madrid. she invited me to have brunch with her and her girlfriend when you were taking a midterm this week. I didnt mention it because it was a fast meal, just food and talking,” jude said. you felt utterly stupid and left more embarrassed than before, wanting to punch yourself for quickly making up assumptions instead of asking for clarification. 

“oh.”

“wait.. how do you know about jocelyn? did you think something else?” jude asked, lifting his head from his hands. you rubbed your shoulder anxiously not knowing how exactly to respond, “you mentioned her the other day, i just assumed,” you lied quickly, “also i saw her message the other night i stayed over.” jude had caught you, and now he wasn't going to let the opportunity to go to waste. “

“so that's what this is about?” 

“i don't know what you're talking about…” you shrugged quickly, dismissing his tone. 

jude ushered you to come over, and like a puppet you quickly followed his request. you stood in the middle on his legs that were spread, shifting your weight from one foot to another, contemplating what to say or where to look. “you thought jocelyn meant something else to me didn't you…” jude asked to which you nodded slowly. 

“would have it bothered you if it did? if she did mean something to me?” he asked softly, watching as your eyes looked around and landed on his, you let out a small “yes” in a quiet tone, jude smirking. 

“well, it’s a good thing you don't have to worry about that. jocelyn doesn't mean anything, and the only person who does to me is you,” jude spoke softly, you shuddered a breath as you felt his fingertips trace from your calves all the way up behind your thighs, making you lose balance and grip his shoulder to regain it. “jude-” you warn again, but quickly gulp as he repeated his actions. 

“the way you smile, the way you hold my hand, the way your eyes glimmer when you let me rant about anything. i love it all. the only person who makes me feel like that is you… all i want is you, y/n. to have and to hold, to love and cherish, to protect and kept by my side forever,” jude gripped your thighs and pulled you onto his lap where you gasped. 

“can’t you see that? hmm? can't you see how much i love you? how badly i want to make you mine and call you my girlfriend officially? they say it's forbidden to fall for your best friend, but who cares about those rules when what we have is real. a genuine love.” 

your lips pursed open, letting out a shaky breath before speaking again. he had that effect, leaving you breathless even if it was a small action. “this whole time i thought i had it wrong, and that it was just me who saw the sudden shift in our friendship. who felt the feelings. i know it was wrong from me to have assumed that when i have no right, but i thought there was someone else,” you reply. 

jude’s hands roamed your thighs, making you relax to his touch, “it drove me crazy two nights ago as i rethought our whole friendship. it felt not weird but it felt like we were living a life with no label placed, acting like a couple because we just felt the need to or we had just gotten that close. not only did it confuse me but also scared me, and it made me distant,” you continued. 

“what you feel here,” you pointed and touched his heart, “is what i feel here,” you then pointed to your heart, which was beating like crazy not only at revealed feelings but also the proximity you two were. “i want you to know that i can't stop thinking about you no matter where i am or if i’m this close to you,” you reassured him and yourself. that this was reality.  

“you have no idea how long i’ve waited to hear you say that… to say that you love me. everyone could see it, everyone teased us for it, but we were scared. but i’m not scared to take this risk, because it means i get to have you here and forever. to love you,” jude said making your eyes go glossy. 

“is this actually happening?” you laughed and sniffled, “because if it's not and i’m dreaming i’m going to be mad,” you say. “it's all real, i could pinch you if you want, to make you believe it? or i could kiss you to seal our relationship?” jude offered with a huge grin, making you raise your eyebrow. “you haven't even asked me to be your girlfriend yet,” you remark. 

“my beautiful y/n… do you want to be my girlfriend?” instead of replying, you sealed your answer with a kiss. a kiss that sealed also promises and your love forever. jude’s lips molded into yours, tugging him closer by his broad shoulders as his hands delicately rubbed along your thighs. he tasted like honey, not having enough by how gentle and passionate he was being with you. “my jude. my jude forever,” you say still kissing his lips as he smiled into it.

“i love you princess.”

[nahoney22]

Happy Birthday 🌊

🫧 pairings: Hunter X Female!Reader

word count: 1.8k

prompts: none

A/N: For a special someone for their birthday. Happy birthday @photogirl894 ♥️ 🎂

It’s your first birthday without your loved ones nearby, however Hunter has a little surprise in store for you.

warnings: Safe for work, Fluff, Light Angst, Reader Missing Family, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, The Batch Being the Sweetest, Present Giving, Surprise Birthday Celebrations, Female Reader, Not Proofread.

“So, I heard it’s someone’s birthday today?”

The voice is like a warm caress, and you spin around in the pilot’s chair, a soft smile already forming. Hunter stands in the doorway, his arms crossed, and that ever-gracious smirk playing on his lips. Stars above, how could one man be so effortlessly handsome and charming at the same time? His presence alone sends your heart into a wild rhythm.

You try to hide your bashfulness, a difficult feat given Hunter's heightened senses. You often wonder if he can hear the way your heart skips a beat whenever he talks to you, or if he can sense the blood rushing to your cheeks. “Hmm, I’m not too sure,” you say, pinching your chin in mock contemplation. “Remind me again?”

He chuckles, a sound that feels like a soft embrace, and walks towards you, placing a caring hand on your shoulder. “Happy birthday, trooper.”

His touch sends a warmth coursing through you, and you grin, though he quickly notices the smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes. His brows furrow slightly, a sign of his genuine concern. “Something the matter?”

“It’s just… it’s my first birthday without seeing my friends and family, so it feels a bit, I don’t know, different? I guess.”

It had been almost a year since you last visited your home planet. Being a medic for the squad meant you were always on call, patching up the boys and tending to Omega’s scraped knees. You loved your job and the Batch, especially one member more than the others. But celebrating your birthday without your other loved ones felt tougher than you had anticipated.

Hunter moves to the chair beside you, using his foot to gently spin you around to face him. “I guess it would be quite strange,” he acknowledges, leaning forward. “But we will make the day work, huh? Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, and Echo want to take you out for breakfast this morning. Maybe go for a walk on the beach too.”

The thought of the boys offering to take you out for breakfast is sweet, but you can’t help the slight disappointment. “And you and Omega don’t want to come too?”

He shifts, suddenly looking a bit nervous. “Oh, erm, I just have to do some data logs and boring stuff, and Omega said her stomach hurts this morning.”

In an instant, you panic and stand. “What? Is she okay? Why didn’t she tell me?” You start to walk away to find her, your medical and nurturing instincts kicking in. But you’re stopped by a gentle hand grabbing hold of yours.

A warmth spreads up your fingers as you look down at the hand intertwined with yours, then up to the gentle eyes they belong to. “She’s okay, just sleeping.”

Your breath catches in your throat, unsure how to respond. Why was he holding your hand? Why hadn’t he let go yet? “O-Oh, I see.”

He smiles, another one of those smiles that often turn your knees to jelly. “I’m sure you’re going to have a great birthday,” he says fondly.

Your heart swells, a mixture of emotions swirling within you. Hunter’s presence, his touch, his words—they all have a way of making you feel seen and cherished in a way you hadn’t felt in a long time. You had liked him for the longest of time and you had a somewhat naive hunch he felt something for you too. You had seen the way he acted with women before and it was never the way he was with you. You didn’t want to get your hopes up but you couldn’t miss the way he looked at you.

Hunter’s hand lingers in yours, neither of you seeming to want to let go. The warmth of his touch sends a gentle thrill through you, and you find yourself completely lost in his eyes. Memories flood back: the countless times he had stood by your side, his protective nature, the soft, caring words he had for you after tough missions, and the gentle way he always made sure you were okay.

He steps closer, his eyes never leaving yours. You feel your heart pounding in your chest, breath hitching as the space between you seems to shrink. His face is inches from yours, and you can almost feel his breath when—

The moment is shattered as Wrecker bursts into the room, his loud, jovial voice breaking the spell. “Hey! Happy birthday!” he bellows, his enthusiasm filling the cockpit.

You and Hunter quickly pull apart, standing back as though caught doing something you shouldn’t. Wrecker’s massive arms envelop you in a bear hug, lifting you off your feet momentarily.

“Wrecker!” you laugh, your cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and lingering warmth from the almost-moment with Hunter.

The rest of the Batch filters in, each offering their birthday wishes. Echo’s smile is warm and genuine, Crosshair gives a nod of acknowledgment, and Tech adjusts his goggles as he speaks. “We should get going before all the good food spots are full. I’ve done extensive research and compiled a list of optimal breakfast locations.”

You chuckle and nod, grateful for the distraction. As you prepare to leave, you give a shy wave to Hunter. He returns it with a nod and a smile that makes your heart flutter once again. Once you’re gone, Omega peeks into the cockpit, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Is she gone?”

Hunter nods, a small smile playing on his lips. “Let’s get to work.”

Breakfast is a yummy affair, filled with so much laughter juice nearly snorted out your nose at one point. With Tech having done his research, he led you all to a place where you could indulge in a variety of good dishes—crispy hash browns, fluffy pancakes drizzled with syrup, and a savoury omelette loaded with anything topping you could think of. Wrecker, of course, devours his food with unabashed enthusiasm, while Tech critiques the menu with a meticulous eye.

After breakfast as promised, the group of you heads to the beach. The sun is warm on your skin but a little too hot later on which meant you had to buy a straw hat by one of the nearby stalls, and the gentle waves lap at the shore.

As you lay on the sand, you watched on as the boys engage in light-hearted banter which soon lead to Wrecker and Crosshair ending up in a playful scuffle, each trying to push the other into the ocean. Their laughter is infectious, and you can’t help but join in, feeling a lightness you hadn’t in a while. But, the longing for your family was still there.

As the day winds down, Echo announces we need to return to the ship.

As soon as you step inside you’re greeted by the sight of decorations, a table laden with gifts and, and the people you love most in the galaxy. Your friends and family. Along with the Batch and Omega, who beams at you with pride.

Emotion wells up within you, your eyes watering instantly and you rush to your loved ones, pulling them into a tight embrace. “I can’t believe you guys are here!”

Echo approaches Hunter, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Good job.” They both watch you wipe the tears of happiness from your eyes.

That evening, the festivities of your party slowly start to dwindle. The campfire that was made crackles gently, casting a warm glow on those around you.

After the games, laughter, and a satisfying barbecue, presents are exchanged. You always felt shy when receiving gifts and today was no different. Though you were very grateful.

Tech hands you a crafted gadget, its sleek design and functionality immediately appealing to your practical side. Crosshair, true to his stoic nature, offers a high-quality knife with a subtle smile, acknowledging its usefulness. You weren’t much of a fighter but maybe you could ask Hunter to teach you one day…

Echo gives you a beautifully bound journal with a smooth leather cover and crisp pages of flimsi. He knew you liked to make notes on your adventures and this just adds a more personal touch. Wrecker’s gift, a massive stuffed animal, brings out delighted laughter from you though the others weren’t too impressed with where it’ll fit on the ship.

As the night settles, Hunter catches your eye from across the fire and nods towards the lake. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

Curiosity piqued, you nod and follow him away from the glowing campfire and the soft chatter of your friends. The path to the lake is softly illuminated by the last hues of twilight. The sun has dipped below the horizon, leaving a trail of purples, pinks, and deep blues in the sky, reflected beautifully on the still waters of the lake.

The environment is serene, with the gentle rustling of leaves in the evening breeze and the distant sound of creatures stirring. The cool air carries the subtle scent of pine and freshwater, wrapping around you. Hunter walks beside you, his presence steady and calming which is what you always felt.

“Thank you for the surprise,” you say, your voice soft and sincere. “I promise not to ugly cry again.”

Hunter chuckles softly, the sound blending harmoniously with the natural ambiance. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Are you wondering where your gift from me is?”

“Not at all, you already did so much!” You say quickly, hoping you hadn’t come across ungrateful at all. But he reassures you as you both come to a stop, away from the view of the others.

“It was nothing, you do so much for us so it’s only fair I do something in return.. but I do actually have a gift for you.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small box. Opening it, he reveals a stunning bracelet, an intricate mix of different shades of blue stones, woven together in a delicate design on a silver band. The twilight’s remaining light catches on the bracelet, making it shimmer softly.

You’re momentarily speechless, the beauty of the bracelet and the thoughtfulness of Hunter’s gesture leaving you stunned. Smiling gently, Hunter takes your hand, his touch warm, and slips the bracelet onto your wrist. “I don’t know how to thank you,” you whisper, emotion thick in your voice.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Hunter replies, his voice filled with warmth. He pauses, his eyes holding yours with a quiet intensity. “But maybe we could finish what was almost started this morning?” His tone hopeful

You didn’t expect him to bring it up again, in fact you momentarily forgot about it, but his words send a thrill through you. You nod, a shy smile playing on your lips. Hunter steps closer, his hand gently cupping your cheek. The touch is electric, sending a pleasant shiver down your spine.

The kiss is soft, slow, and tender, a sweet exploration of emotions that were long felt, but never spoken. The galaxy around you fades, leaving just the two of you in this perfect, timeless moment.

When you finally part, Hunter’s eyes are filled with warmth and affection. “Happy birthday, beautiful,” he whispers, his breath mingling with yours.

Your heart swells with happiness, and you realise that this birthday, surrounded by love is one you will cherish forever.

Tags: @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @jesseeka

@theroguesully @ladykatakuri @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @staycalmandhugaclone

@ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet t @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog

@pb-jellybeans @nunanuggets @sleepycreativewriter @erellenora @zippingstars87

@ezras-left-thumb @the-rain-on-kamino @lamiliani @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi

@greaser-wolf @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420

@ladyzirkonia @thesith @raevulsix @cw80831 @knightprincess @crosshairlovebot @whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder @mysticalgalaxysalad @yunggoblin @imalovernotahater @sithstrings @the-bad-batch-baroness @lulalovez

[heartfullofleeches]

Erm.... But what if cc is the femboy yan to slasher darling........ Hear me out now....

Oh, I'm hearing you, chief- Being an incubus, Slasher Darling probably sees that witch who tore their heart into pieces in C.C as she was their first and only love - making him their prime target. C.C, bored out of his mind, decides to try out college life with a big emphasis on the parties. Pretty girls get more free drinks from his experiences so he decides to play the part dress wise. He gets a ton of attention from wandering eyes, but manages to develop a crush on his slasher of all people. Call him crazy, but something about those little "love letters" he receives strikes a different cord with him.

"You're so pretty.... Sometimes I wonder if you're that pretty on the inside too.... Would you let me check?"

"When I'm done with you I'll make sure nobody ever finds you. You'll be with me forever....I promise to take good care of you."

"You remind me so much of her.... but I think you might be prettier. Maybe that's why I want you so bad."

What a freak~♡ If Darling wants him so bad, all they have to do is climb through his window. He leaves it open for that exact reason. He has no clue who this other girl is, but he really wishes they'd stop bringing her up when they're trying to flirt - everything else they've written has been some of the most romantic shit C.C has ever read.

If Darling is ever able to get their hands on C.C, they won't be able to kill him by normal means. C.C falls more in love with Darling as they cradle his "lifeless" body in their arms. Imagine their horror when the body hidden in their apartment arrives for class the next day, and worse, walks right up to them and kisses them. C.C never paid them much attention before the "murder" because he knew it only drew them closer to him. Now that they've had such an intimate and passionate night together how can he ignore his lover?~

-

"You....but I..... You should be.....Was that all a dream?"

C.C pulls down the collar of his oversized sweater - purple marks kissing the pale flesh of his neck.

"Got the bruises to prove otherwise, babe. Pretty rude of you to leave me hanging after all that foreplay, but I'll forgive you if you visit me again tonight~ Maybe I can "stab" you with my knife this time?~"

Wh....What does she mean by that? It's at the same time Darling figures out that pretty girl they've been stalking cannot die that they realize....maybe he was never a girl in the first place.....and is now hunting them instead.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Anonymous Request: James and Regulus meet before Sirius succeeds in setting them upon a blind date.

Chaos ensues.

Jegulus - Rated T - Nonmagic AU

-

“So…erm…come here often?”

The man behind Regulus in line at the coffee shop jolted him out of his thoughts with the rather awkward and overused line, making him raise his eyebrow in amusement. “Really? That’s what you’re going with?” he asked derisively before he could stop himself.

And he really should have. Stopped himself, that is. The man was beautiful. Tall and fit, with dark hair and golden skin, hazel eyes glittering behind wire-rimmed glasses. But the man didn’t seem put out. He shrugged and smirked, murmuring, “Well, you answered, didn’t you?”

Regulus chuckled. “Fair.”

“Should I have gone more forward? My best mate loves the line, ‘Is there a mirror in your pocket? Because I can see myself in your pants,’” the man grinned, cringing just a bit. It was adorable.

Regulus resisted letting out a shout of laughter and wrinkled his nose. “Surely not. Ask me an intelligent question and maybe I’ll pay you some notice,” he advised, trying to keep a straight, unbothered face.

The man nodded, tapping his finger to his chin, pondering that. Then his face lit up. “What's your favorite Taylor Swift song and why?” he asked, as if presenting the most amazingly deep pickup line in the entire planet.

Regulus stared. Who was this man? ”That’s what you’re going with?”

“If you tell me you don’t like her, we really can’t go on a date,” the man shrugged, looking serious for the first time.

Regulus sighed dramatically. If this was how he wanted to play… “Don’t Blame Me.”

“For not liking Taylor? I have to-”

“No,” he interrupted, smirking. “That’s my favorite song.”

The man’s eyes grew as wide as his smile. He looked positively thrilled with Regulus’s answer. “Ah. Beautiful and smart.” Without asking, he plucked Regulus’s phone out of his hand and tapped at it before returning it to him. “Are you free on Saturday?”

Regulus nodded, trying to feel more angry that the man had taken his phone, but unable to feel any sort of negative emotion. Only a bit dazed.

“Brilliant! Pick you up at eight.”

It was only after the man left that Regulus looked down at his phone.

New Message: James: Is that a phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? 😀

-

He was late. 

He’d spent all day thinking far too much about his coffee shop boy, James, and the way his eyes and smile and voice made Regulus’s stomach do funny things. He’d resisted the urge to text back, trying to regain a shred of dignity, finding that he had far more self-control when James’s laughter wasn’t ringing in his ears. But he was daydreaming, and it made him.

So he was the last to arrive for his dinner with Sirius, and when he walked distractedly up to the table, he had to do a double-take. And then a triple-take. Because there he was:

“Reg! This is James!” Sirius called, smiling in a way that said ‘behave or I’ll skin you alive.’

James, of course, looked just as shocked as he did. Which was good, really. To see him taken off-guard. It leveled the playing field.

“I’ve been telling you about him,” Sirius continued obliviously. And he had been. He’d been begging Regulus to go on a blind date with him, actually: James, Sirius’s best mate since school. Who he was convinced was perfect for Regulus.  How had he missed this?

James let out a chuckle, regaining his composure first, and offering Regulus a hand. “Regulus? Nice to meet you,” he grinned.

“And you,” Regulus replied after a moment, shaking James’s much bigger hand in his own. Gods, it was lovely.

“I’m sorry to spring you two on each other like this,” Sirius said, not looking sorry at all. “But you kept avoiding each other. And I really think you need to go on a proper date.” He paused and looked at James beseechingly. “What about Saturday? Aren’t you free?”

James met Regulus’s eyes, and it looked like he was struggling not to laugh. “Actually…I have a date,” he said, smiling. “And I’m very much looking forward to it. No offense, of course, Regulus.”

Regulus caught on quickly and tried to shrug good-naturedly. “I actually have a date, too. He’s a bit presumptuous, though. Don’t think it’ll work out,” he commented, proud of himself.

James threw him a humorously indignant look. 

Sirius let it go for a bit, obviously put out that they already had plans, but still cheerful as ever. He began prattling on about work and recent parties, at first unaware of the way James was blatantly staring at Regulus, grinning like he was seeing a piece of art in a museum.

But after he grew a bit more comfortable, the two began joking back and forth, talking about pickup lines and Taylor Swift, laughing at the way Sirius was clearly confused about how he was missing something, some inside joke they had, but how was it possible when they’d never met?

It took about twenty minutes for Sirius to comment on it. The way James was looking at Regulus. The way they laughed back and forth. 

He huffed and looked at them both with a frown. “Listen, I’m not an expert at this shit, but I think you two should cancel your dates on Saturday. It’s clear I’m a third wheel, here,” he complained lightheartedly.

“D’you think I should?” James asked Regulus, smirking at him playfully.

Regulus nodded and advised sagely, feeling giddy, “Better let him down easy, though.”

James grinned and took out his phone, sending a quick text.

Half a second later, Regulus’s phone dinged. He took it out an read dramatically: “When do you think Sirius will figure out we’re already going on a date,” he recited, eyeing Sirius, who looked thoroughly confused. “Dunno,” he said, turning to James. “We could snog. Maybe then he'll catch the hint.”

It was difficult to decide who was blushing more: Sirius or James.

[syndrossi]

I was going to leave this as a comment on the ask you just answered, but it was getting too long, so, new ask it is: As amazing as Jon and Rhaegar being twins is, there have been many ideas/thoughts on how to squish Dany into a Resonant AU just for fun. Do you have any you especially enjoyed thinking about or think are plausible? Her being their eight-year-old reborn triplet would obviously be fun. I do think her being from yet another universe where she hasn't met Jon yet makes the most sense, so that all three of them are on sort of an even playing field coming into their new circumstances. (Maybe even one where she hasn't hatched dragons yet, that way when she gets a dragon egg with Jon and Rhaegar, it's just as exciting for her as it is for them? Or a verse where she never meets Jon at all, and instead saved the world with Aegon/Young Griff and/or Rhaenys?) I like the idea of her being reborn into the younger!version of Nettles too, thus being their little sister instead of their triplet. I feel like the dynamic shift with a very pretty and Valyrian-in-appearance yet natural born little sister could get real fun and interesting in the Red Keep very quickly, especially since they really do need more girls in this family... All that said, I think my absolute favorite idea for Dany that has been suggested so far is probably the one with her showing up unexpectedly in an au of Reverberate AU where Daemon is shocked at receiving three babies instead of two. 😂 If you DO write a drabble with her in it, I'd vote for this one. I can just see Daemon's shocked pikachu face at being handed THREE babies when he was expecting two...

I think the Resonant set-up but with triplets is the most popular suggestion, but also the least plausible to me. A triplet live birth is so exceedingly rare that people are going to talk about it, and I feel like word would reach Daemon eventually and he'd put two-and-two together. Plus, they'd be an attraction any time someone visited the Gates of the Moon, and TWO Targaryen colored children out of three is going to be nigh impossible to keep under wraps.

So an "early Nettles" relationship (if you ascribe to the theory that Nettles his bastard) would work better for sure. Perhaps he has a dalliance with another lady in Rhea's court before Elys arrives, or perhaps it's with *gasp* a commoner, so she is baseborn. I think it's easier to "hide" a bastard if the mother is a commoner, but a noble lady would have SOME means at least. Perhaps Rhea learns of it as well and "handles" the matter, fuming, to further clean up Daemon's messes so as not to deal with the political inconvenience of her husband's outright infidelity.

So here, Dany would be slightly older than the twins, physically, but they'd be near enough in age to be basically triplets. Maybe on Rhea's deathbed, she's like "by the way, asshole, you have ANOTHER illeg--erm, I mean you have an ACTUAL bastard child living in Gulltown."

As you said, it's an interesting scenario because a) you have the tension of Viserys wanting a proper legitimate princess so he'll have to legitimize her (even if she's *le gasp* baseborn!), and b) the bastard-by-association fears with Dany and the Velaryon boys. And Jon and Rhaegar of course ready to spring to her defense for anyone who dares try to confront her about her bastard roots.

My preferred "which Dany makes the jump" is also a 14-16-year-old version. I think it's cleaner if she isn't the mother of dragons yet, as that's a rough (and complicated) set of bonds to have broken, and she gets to share in Rhaegar's wonder. Plus Jon gets to be double the big brother! Though in terms of maturity, a 16-year-old Dany who hasn't yet gone back to Westeros and has been struggling with the politics of Essos is also a fun midpoint between 14-year-old Rhaegar and 19-year-old Jon. She would feel more like the Dany people are familiar with than her very innocent/naive fourteen-year-old self.

I'm with you where my personal favorite would just be Daemon, all confident in his prediction of twins to the point of commissioning a double-sized twin-dragon-head cradle, getting flummoxed by triplets and spending the next three years terrified of something happening to Dany. (Once she survives their first year, his suspicion probably falls upon the Spring Fever that killed Elys.)

It's probably the least satisfying for people who want to read Dany-with-the-boys, since I'm betting they want the payoff of them being able to converse and seem more like their canon equivalents, vs the much more blended outcome you get in Reverberate, where the boys (and Dany) act somewhat more like their physical age, especially early on.

I'm definitely far more likely to write something along these lines in a oneshot, since the character relationships/dynamics get exponentially more complex whenever you add a new one to it. With the original Resonant trio, there are four main dynamics to follow: Jon+Daemon, Jon+Rhaegar, Rhaegar+Daemon, Jon+Daemon+Rhaegar. With Dany, on top of those four, we now also have Jon+Dany, Daemon+Dany, Rhaegar+Dany, Jon+Dany+Rhaegar, Jon+Dany+Daemon, Rhaegar+Dany+Daemon, and Jon+Dany+Rhaegar+Daemon, aka SEVEN more. It's not so bad in a oneshot, where you don't have to cover the development of all of those--it's generally just a snapshot of their relationship at a certain point in time.

[peachhcs]

being oblivious | the wonder years

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

the guys find out will knows samy & demand to meet her!

word count: 1.9k

i’m writing this as if they were 16 so that’s why the dialogue might be kind of silly, but anyways. i imagine them being very fan girly about meeting samy & also excited so here’s their origin story :) p.s. i’d love any prompts or ideas for little blurbs or imagines for them so if you have any send them my way :)

au masterlist

the boys agreed to a slow and lazy sunday with the first day of ntdp practice tomorrow and no one wanted to be too bent out of shape. drew and aram's voices were the only ones filling the living room as they argued over mario kart together while everyone else just tuned them out. will was splayed across one of the chairs mindlessly scrolling through his phone when someone nudged his leg.

the blonde's gaze found ryan's whose eyes were wide with disbelief. "what?" will mumbled as ryan flipped his phone so his friend could see what made him look so surprised.

his screen was a photo of will and samy hughes standing next to one another at the beach with wide smiles. not understanding ryan's shock, will raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"you know samy hughes?" ryan finally got out. his words caught the attention of the rest of the guys sitting around them. their heads spun in will and ryan's direction, waiting for a response.

"uh..yeah? you guys didn't know that?" will wondered, gazing at everyone else.

"no? how do you know her? do you know luke, jack, and quinn too?" ryan continued, excitement now in his voice.

"we're family friends. we grew up together. i grew up skating with her brothers," will had to laugh. he for sure thought it was common knowledge that their families were close and spent every summer together since they were babies.

"you're lying," ryan countered, disbelief on all of his features.

"no, i'm not. you see the picture. that's obviously me," the blonde chuckled while the rest of the guys started crowding around to see the other pictures ryan had dug up from mrs. smith's facebook account.

"why on earth would you keep this information from us?" aram muttered.

"i didn't know you guys didn't know. i dunno. it's not that big of a deal," will shrugged some, falling back into his chair.

"not a big deal? are you serious? you're family friends with some of the best hockey players in this country," ryan exasperated.

this was quite amusing to will. sure, he knew how popular the hughes family was, but it never really mattered to him and he never really thought about it until now. he's always just hung out with them every summer and that was so normal for will that he didn't realize it was a big deal to other people.

"wait, ann arbor is like..thirty minutes from here. do you think we'll ever run into samy?" drew exclaimed after the realization. a few of the other guy's faces lit up too and they all looked to will for an answer.

"uh..i don't know? maybe?" the boy shrugged. he didn't really know what samy did during the school year besides go to school and play soccer.

"wait. do you think we can meet her because you know her?" ryan's head popped back up.

"erm..i don't know. maybe?" will mumbled.

"what do you mean maybe?" gabe raised his eyebrow and suddenly will felt like some teacher with kids surrounding him waiting for answers like the guys were surrounding him with wide eyes at the idea of meeting samy hughes.

"i mean..we're close, but not that close. she hung around with grace a lot, so i don't really know how she'd feel about a bunch of guys wanting to hang out with her," will shrugged again.

"dude, you know samy hughes and grew up with her and you're telling us she doesn't wanna hang out with you?" aram deadpanned.

the blonde rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh, “okay, i’ll ask, chill out.” the guys grinned, pumping their fists at the idea of meeting samy.

will immediately got a response after sending a brief text samy’s way. she was very much up to the idea and agreed to talk to her mom about letting them drive down to ann arbor for the day. after some more final arrangements, will, gabe, ryan, drew, and aram were all stuffed into a car together driving the 30 minutes to samy’s house.

the entire car was filled with excitement and chatter as they discussed samy and her brothers. will just kept to himself, still thinking how amusing all of this was and how much these guys were simping over samy.

they rolled into the driveway and will spun around in the driver’s seat, “just don’t be too weird, okay? don’t make her uncomfortable.”

“roger that, smitty,” ryan teased making everyone snicker but will. the five boys clamored out of the car and followed their friend up to the front porch, letting will do the honors of knocking.

some footsteps could be heard until the front door swung open and a very smiley samy stood before the five boys. all of them but will suddenly became shy under the girl’s bright smile. “will!” the girl exclaimed and immediately pulled the blonde into a tight hug.

“hey hughesy,” will chuckled as he squeezed her back. the two embracing missed the looks that came from will’s friends as they watched the interaction unfold.

“come on in. jeez, i can’t believe you’re gonna be in michigan for the next two years with me,” samy continued talking as she led everyone into the foyer.

“i bet you wish it was grace instead,” the blonde teased making samy roll her eyes. “whatever. it’s so cool to meet some of you guys. i guess you already know who i am,” the brunette chuckled as she turned her attention to will’s friends who still stood silently and awkwardly behind them.

“it’s nice to meet you. i’m ryan, that’s gabe, drew, and aram. we kind of begged smitty to meet you,” ryan spoke up, sticking his hand out. samy giggled as she happily shook ryan’s hand.

“wow, i’ve never had fans before. it’s always been my brothers,” the girl smiled.

“don’t let the ten year old girls hear you say that,” will mumbled. samy flushed before ignoring his comment.

“is that will?” a new voice came into the mix. the boys looked up and saw mrs. hughes walking towards them with a large smile on her face. the older woman tugged her arms around will’s frame, squeezing the boy tightly much like samy did.

“hey mama el, it’s good to see you again. thanks for letting us come over,” will chuckled.

“of course, anytime. you know you’re always welcome here now that you live 30 minutes away. i know i’ll be expecting a lot of visits from you. all of you, actually. our home is your home. my boys have all been through the dev program, so we know what it’s like,” ellen smiled towards the other guys.

“i’m sure that’s the only reason why they came over is to see quinn, jack, and luke’s baby photos,” samy giggled in a teasing tone. some of their faces flushed in response.

“come on, i’ll show you guys around,” the girl started further into the house leaving the boys no other option but to follow her.

after the extensive grand tour of the hughes family home, the six sat around the deck enjoying the remaining bits of summer weather. “what are you guys most excited about for the dev program?” samy wondered, trying to get to know everyone else some more.

“probably just getting to hang with these guys all the time. we’ve all gotten pretty close already,” aram chuckled as he reached over to tussle up drew’s hair. the other boy squirmed away, quickly fixing his hair.

“new people, new place, new coaches. lots of things to start learning,” ryan added in.

“is it weird being away from home? my brothers never had to go far since we already lived here when they all did it,” samy wondered and most of the guys nodded.

“for sure, but it’ll be a good experience, you know?” ryan said and samy nodded.

“well, at least you guys have one more friendly face around here. you’re all welcome to come to my soccer games this season too,” the girl quickly beamed.

“right, i forgot you switched sides,” drew said.

“if you guys ever play with her, you better hope she’s on your team,” will cut in making samy flush and the other guys chuckled.

“uh oh, she better than you at soccer?” gabe snickered, pushing at will’s shoulder.

“she’s better at me in everything,” will nodded.

“remember that time i scored 3 goals on you and luke on the ice? ugh, i still think about that day and how you two had to pay me each $10,” samy laughed.

“don’t remind me. you cheated anyway,” the blonde crossed his arms, eyeing the girl beside him.

“i did not! you guys were just mad a girl was better than you at your own sport,” samy quickly defended herself.

“whatever. we’ll get our redemption this year,” will huffed. the girl just rolled her eyes and the two once again missed the looks from everyone else.

the entire time they’d been there it was nonstop flirting from both samy and will. they expected the two to be close, but they didn’t expect the amount of teasing and very painfully obvious to everyone but them flirting. will’s cheeks reddened anytime samy poked fun at him and they saw the way samy’s gaze lingered on the blonde when he wasn’t paying attention anymore.

no one said anything until they were back in plymouth that night. all of them kept glancing at the blonde, wondering if he’d say anything, but nothing came from him as he stretched out on the couch and started scrolling through his phone.

ryan eyes bounced from gabe’s to aram’s and then to drew’s. will didn’t realize the silence until he noticed the guys lingering by the entryway occasionally glancing at him.

“what?” the boy laughed, confused by their behavior.

“you and samy are a lot closer than you led on,” ryan started causally as he leaned down on the couch.

“i guess. she’s like a sister,” the blonde chuckled, clearly not understanding the deeper implication trying to be made. the family zone. it definitely did not look like a sibling relationship to the guys.

“a sister? you flirt with her like she isn’t,” aram finally got to the point, a teasing, shit-eating grin on his lips as he took one of the chairs.

“flirt with her? what the hell are you on about?” will grew confused.

“dude, be so serious right now. there’s no way you don’t see it,” ryan laughed.

“see what?” now will was getting frustrated with the laughter coming from his friends.

“you guys were literally flirting with one another the entire time, it was disgusting. there’s no way you haven’t had feelings for her or some shit,” aram cut in again.

“for samy? no way. we’re friends. we always have been. i could never see her like that,” the idea even made will shudder. all he had ever seen her as was another sister to get annoyed at and bother him whenever he was doing something.

“mhm,” gabe mumbled.

“jesus, you guys are so annoying. i kind of regret bringing you along,” the blonde rolled his eyes, refocusing his attention on his phone.

“you say that, but i give it a year at the most and then you’ll realize what we’ve been saying was right all along,” ryan snickered with another annoying grin. the other guys nodded in agreement.

the only thing will could do was ignore their comments because none of them were true. him and samy were like brother and sister. there were no feelings nor would there ever be.

[themultifandomgal]

Tommy Shelby- Ex’s

Tommy and I were young when we got married and had our daughter. After the war and I got divorced, but we promised that we would stay friends for our daughter, which we have done. I still get on really well with Tommys family, often going over on a Sunday for lunch.

Tommy ended up remarrying a woman named Grace while I remarried a man named Oliver. Things were great for years, until Oliver started drinking and Grace passed away.

"YN!" Oliver shouts from the living room

"Yes dear" I smile coming out of the kitchen drying my hands with a tea towel

"Where is my whiskey?"

"I thought we should eat before..."

"Fuck sake woman just get my drink!" Oliver shouts. Wanting to keep the peace I silently walk back into the kitchen and find a clean glass to pour some whiskey into.

I walk back into the living room where my husband is sat while my daughter is sat on the floor with some dolls

"Sophie I need you to start to tidy up soon. Dinners almost ready"

"But mamma I don't wanna have dinner"

"Hmmm I think you'll change your mind when it's in front of you"

"Sophie listen to your mother. Tidy up your shit"

"Do you have to swear in front of her?" I raise my eyebrows

"Your ex probably says worse" Oliver downs his drink and hands me the empty glass "get me another one" I take the glass off him just as the phone rings

"Sophie tidy up now" I tell her before leaving to answer the phone

"Hello?"

"YN hi"

"Tommy how are you doing?" I ask him. I know it's been hard for him since Grace was killed leaving him to parent their son

"I'm ok. I was calling to ask if Sophie would like a play date with Charlie tomorrow?"

"Erm sure"

"It will have to be at yours. I have a meeting here"

"Tommy..." I sigh

"I know I know. I'm sorry, please?"

"Fine" I give in way to quickly. I always have with Tommy. He says I say how high

"Thank you YN"

"Yeah yeah. I'll see you tomorrow"

"I'll drop him off about 11"

"Ok see you then"

"Bye YN" I place the phone down and make my way to the kitchen

"Who was that?"

"Tommy"

"Of course it bloody was"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's always phoning you" Oliver argues

"He's the father of my daughter. Of course I'm going to speak to him a lot"

"I just think it's to much" I roll my eyes at Oliver and take his glass into the kitchen. I don't realise he's behind me until I turn around and end up face to face with him making me gasp and drop the glass on the floor

"Fuck sake woman. You are a fucking disgrace" he slaps me across making me jump backwards hitting the cupboards and hurting my back. I place my hand on the cooker which instantly burns my hand

"Mamma?" Oliver turns around and now I see my daughter looking scared

"Go tidy up your dolls then go wash up for dinner"

"Mamma your hurt. Oliver hurt you"

"Listen here you little brat...."

"Sophie now please!"

"Ok mamma" once she leave I run my hand under the cold tap

"Are you insane. Sophie saw that. She will tell Tommy and if he thinks your harming his daughter then he will...."

"What kill me? The big bad Thomas Shelby" Oliver laughs

"Can we just have dinner please?" I sigh not having the strength to argue.

Dinner is quiet, Oliver drinks his drink slowly barley eating anything.

I clean up after dinner while Sophie goes to play with some bricks

"For fuck sake girl pick up this shit I nearly broke my fucking neck!" I hear Oliver shout. Immediately I drop what I'm doing and make my way towards them

"Mamma!" I hear Sophie shout and run in between Oliver and my daughter which earns me a slap across my face. I send Sophie up to bed and I follow up not far behind after I tidy up leaving a glass and bottle of whiskey for Oliver downstairs.

The following day there a knock on the door and Tommy walks in without me telling him to

"Daddy!" Sophie yells running over to her dad who scoops her up with ease

"Hi Soph"

"Mamma daddy's here!" Sophie shouts and I walk towards them and give Tommy a small hug

"Hi Tom" Tommy kisses my forehead before I pull away

"YN! Where the fuck is my drink!" Tommy frowns at me and I shake my head a little

"I'll be back in a minute" he then pulls my arm gently towards him and looks at my hand wrapped in a bandage

"What happened?"

"Just burned myself cooking last night. Don't worry about it" I walk away from Tommy to my husband and take his empty glass in my hand. I go to pour some whiskey when the glass slips out of my hand smashing all over the floor

"Your so fucking incapable woman!" he yells now striding over to me. I hear Tommy tell the kids to stay put as he makes his way to me

"What's going on here then eh?" Tommy pulls Oliver away from me "go wait in the car with the kids love. I'll be there in a minute"

"Tom..."

"Now YN" I nod my head and turn around leaving Tommy and Oliver alone.

We arrive at Tommys and not long later Tommys brothers and aunt arrive

"YN love how are you?"

"I'm ok"

"What happened?" Arthur asks

"Oliver hit mamma and she hurt her hand last night because of Oliver"

"Right Poll stay here with YN and the kids. Boys let's got"

"Where are you going?" I ask frowning

"No one hurts my family and gets away with it. We'll be back soon" and with that Tommy and his brothers leave.

[lovewillthaw-j]

Moana 2 thoughts

I just watched Moana 2 and wanted to share my thoughts. It's all spoiler-y so I've put it after the break.

Apologies if my thoughts are disorganized!

1. Moana is really pretty! Has she gotten prettier? Her hair seems even nicer now! I kept looking at her all the time. Animation has gotten really good. But honestly I didn't love the new white gown as much the old one.

2. Overall the movie won't be one I remember as a great movie, but I think the strong points help to balance the weak points and there's enough surprises and emotional beats to keep the movie from being really bad. I would rate this movie as better than Wish (I really didn't like Wish)

3. Simea really reminds me of little Anna! She helped carry parts of the movie, both humorously but also in an emotionally moving way. The sisterly bonding was touching to see, as well as the parallel of Simea discovering the Water and puling Maui's ear!

4. If you think about it, 3 characters "died" and were resurrected. Maui's tattoo buddy was the first (it was quite heartwrenching to see the little guy go), then Maui got zapped by Nalo (honestly, from a bad guy/boss level perspective, why did it take so long for Nalo to zap Maui? Isn't it obvious that one should take out the demigod first?) and then Moana. Moana's death was quite moving, how Maui was crushed when he couldn't revive her.

5. I appreciated having more of the Tokelauan and Samoan language songs by Opetaia Foa'i. The tunes and the timing of the songs were well done and added an authentic layer to the soundscape.

6. I like the dream sequence when Moana was nearly zapped by lightning. It was really nicely done and I recognized Tautai Vasa as one of the dream/vision characters from the first movie.

7. I thought it was cute that the Kakamora were explained and they weren't villains as suggested by the trailer. I liked how that one badass Kakamora joined them.

8. The portrayal of marine life - a. The teeth that made up Maui's "chains" - I had recently visited a marine shell shop and seen some taxidermied puffer fish and shark's teeth. Not sure which one Maui was trapped in but it was cool to me. B. The blobfish was featured in Moana 2!

4. Plot isn't great. I think it's well known that moana 2 wasn't supposed to be a movie but a Disney + series. The movie storyline has problems. Simea just exists. Her parents are unchanged and play a peripheral role. The trio of crew members just exist. Loto just exists, no backstory. Moni just exists and he just magically knows all the legends from just looking at tapestries. The new big bad, Nalo, has no backstory. He's just angry against humans and makes storms. If you wait till the mid credit scene, Nalo is given a physical humanoid form which was very jarring to me as he was a cloud for most of his appearances. Compared to Te Ka from moana 1 who was humanoid throughout.

I actually know about this fish and it's not green... Nor poisonous... Lol. C. The Whale shark, I liked it that Tautai Vasa's spirit animal was a whale shark. That was cool, I like whale sharks.

What wasn't so great?

The "portal" thing that the main team used which rocketed them to Motufetu is so confusing. What is this portal? Where does it come from? How did Moana know the chant to open the doors to the portal?

The biggest disappointment was Matangi, the secondary antagonist. Firstly, there's no backstory. Is she 1000 years old??? Why can she fly and walk upside down? Why is she living in a CLAM, with bats? The bats are INSIDE the clam??? Huh? When I saw the trailer I assumed she was in a cave of some sorts. Why do bats live in a clam?? BTW, when the Kakamora were unable to go past the clam, I thought - Erm, u could just sail around the clam??

Next problem - it was confusing whether she was good or bad! She imprisoned Maui (how is that possible? How is Maui weaker than her?) so, that makes her bad, right? The next thing we know, she's with Moana alone and it seemed like Matangi was "seducing" Moana to the dark side. The song Matangi sang, convinced me that Matangi was tricking Moana and was about to trap her like how she trapped Maui. She kept saying "there's always another way" and "get lost" to Moana which made me think she was convincing Moana to "stray" from what Moana was supposed to do/meant to be etc. (like the song The Other Side in Greatest Showman) The music of the song sounded devious and thrilling. At the end, Moana agrees with Matangi and I thought, aha, now Moana's in trouble, Matangi's going to reveal her true colours, Moana's trapped now. I thought she was trapped in that pink sphere/bubble. So far so clear. BUT then, it turns out that Matangi is GOOD and she was HELPING moana??? I was soooo confused! It was all contradictory. Sorry if I missed something somewhere.

I might have missed something, but it seems it wasn't clearly explained why a human has to touch the island in order to break the curse. It suddenly became a thing and I don't remember getting a clear explanation about it.

Why couldn't water help again? I mean, plot device yeah... It was already in Moana 1, water can't help when the plot says so. Because honestly the water could have made the air bubble (like it did in the dead moana scene) and brought humans down to the island.

That's all for now, sorry for long post!

[mydarlingclaudia]

if you want, you can bite me

note : erm dark content. divider is from @/toastray. this is really just for me and it's really short so

wc : 1.1k

desc : "in sickness and in health" extends to the undead, too. cannibalism and gore, angst idk, no dialogue, established relationship, fem!reader, post re6!Chris

He’s your little secret, just for your eyes only.

Only your eyes.

He came back home from a mission all wrong; said he had a pounding headache and a cough, but failed to mention the bite mark on his bicep that seemed to turn be turning his blood black as it bruised, you had only found out about it the next night when he was getting dressed for bed. It was already bad by the time you saw it, Chris had told you he thought it was just a bruise, that he doesn’t remember getting bitten, you couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.

The BSAA would’ve kept him for themselves if they had seen the bite, you just aren’t sure if they would’ve had him killed by the end of the hour or keep him as an experiment.

While you paced the room in tears that night, Chris sat silently on your bed with his head in his hands, not even sure what to do with himself. He knew the right thing to do was leave, either to head straight to HQ or just kill himself so you wouldn’t have to deal with being quarantined, maybe the better thing to do would be having you kill him after he turned. But he knew he couldn’t ask that of you, it would kill you as it would him.

You knew the risks that came with his job, you remember all the times he’s come back to you looking like death. But it was serious this time, you couldn’t just take him to the hospital if it turned out the bruise on his chest was hiding a broken rib beneath it.

You gave Chris all the medicine you could, pressed gauze to his gums when they started to bleed even though he was scared he’d end up biting you, tried to soothe that pounding headache he said he had, all either of you wanted was to slow down his inevitable fate.

You’re not sure what Chris told his sister (if he even did tell her), he didn’t tell you the excuse he made up for his bosses, those would all be repercussions you'd have to handle on your own. The plan you came up with on your own be to kill Chris when he inevitably try’s to eat your brains, then… you’re actually not really sure what’s supposed to happen after that. You definitely can’t sneak a dead body out of your apartment building and fit him in the back of your car, you’re too scared to call HQ and tell them their esteemed captain got bit and no one knew until he tried to gnaw your fingers off.

So until that happens, you get to keep him.

He can’t really bite you if you keep him muzzled, right?

You’ll feed him raw meat, keep him locked in the bathroom, try to ignore the awful groaning noises he makes.

He’s still handsome to you, even with his bloodshot eyes and grey skin, you’ve almost tricked yourself into thinking he’d know not to bite you if you let him back into bed. You’re not sure if he’s in pain or if there’s some part of him that’s still thinking, maybe that’s why you still play with his hair and try to rest your head on his shoulder.

There's this awful feeling that's been pooling in your stomach whenever you have to leave for work–been growing for the past two weeks, really–that you'll come home and your apartment will be destroyed and Chris is no where to be found or dead in a puddle of his blood. The thought always makes your heart clench, and you're unable to get the image out of your head until you unlock your door and see him laying in the tub where you had left him.

It makes you feel all jittery, it's paranoia.

It's the way the smell of rotting flesh and raw meat fill up your apartment and the way your eyes always sting with tears, the way the other side of your bed is ice cold when Chris is really just locked behind your bathroom door at all hours of the day, how you're crazy enough to even be doing this in the first place.

Maybe it's a good thing this was supposed to be Chris's vacation time.

But one slip-up on your end, and everything's over.

Maybe you shouldn't have stared at him for so long when you unlocked the bathroom door and he stumbled over to you, maybe you shouldn't have let that plate of raw pork sit on top of your bed and maybe you shouldn't have sat next to Chris when you took off his muzzle so he could kneel and eat.

Maybe if you hadn't been looking at him like a lovesick fool, you would've pulled away when his hands that you had duct taped together reached out to pull you towards him.

Then you wouldn't be standing here over your kitchen sink working up the courage to slice the skin he had bit into off of your arm.

Your hands twitch as you press the knife above his bite, it's faint, but deadly still. You'll feed it to him, of course you will, but this really cannot become a regular thing or else you'll end up looking the same as him soon enough. But you bite down on the rag you had put in your mouth and slice; slow and shaky. The cut is uneven and bloody, the stench as putrid and metallic as any other wound, Chris won't complain about his cuttings.

Disinfectant and bandages are quickly thrown over the cut while you choke back the bile in your throat, as if you let it air out for another second it'd make Chris come crawling to you.

Instead, you go to him, offering more dinner.

He eats what you've given in three bites, you sit and watch from the same spot. He eats messily and chews loudly, there's bits of you stuck in between his bloody teeth.

Your hands still shake when you put his muzzle back on and cup his jaw, you'd like to say he looked sorry for biting you, but he really just looked like the monsters he'd told you about. There's nothing you can do about it, he can't hold you against his warm body and nuzzle against you, at best he could stop squirming for two seconds and let you cuddle against him. The best you can do is kiss the front of his muzzle as you lock him back up in the bathroom and try to figure out how to fix the missing chunk of flesh from your arm before he decides he wants more.

[thedirtygridd]

PRE-SEASON TRAINING TURNS DIRTY WITH CARLANDO AND YOURSELF.

WARNINGS - 18+, strong sexual content. Lots of sweat.

Summary - You’re just gonna want to start reading when I say it has a LOT of sweaty Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris involved.

There he was. The man of your dreams. Running around the track, you noticed his sweat glistening off his olive skin. The sight of him made your mouth water. You wanted to feel every indentation of his muscles. You wanted to feel his sweat on your skin. You wanted to taste him.

He finished running around the athletic track. The small stadium was empty, and only Carlos, Lando and yourself were there. They had hired it out for the evening, for their pre season workout training.

Carlos had just finished doing 5K around the track, while lando was setting up to do some boxing training.

“Come over here and box with me carlos!” Lando shouted

You sat on the sidelines and watched, still admiring the view of the sweaty Spanish hunk.

You craved him.

They began boxing with each other. You heard landos boxing glove slap on the chest and Abs of Carlos. The sound almost sounding wet as he did it. You had never felt so jealous of a boxing glove…you wished that was you.

“Fuck it’s hot” lando complained, while stripping his own tshirt off.

You were taken by surprise at the sight of lando with no tshirt on. He was much, much musclier than you imagined. His body just as good as sainz’s. You immediately began to crave his body too.

As they boxed, you noticed their muscles tensing up - every punch exposing a different muscle in their arm, or chest.

Carlos’s abs looked incredible.

The boys both exchanged playful talk to one another.

Carlos mentioned “you’re such a pussy. Hit me harder”

Before lando added “haha! A pussy! At least I don’t actually have one”

“Oh yeah?” Carlos replied smugly before adding “then what’s this?”

His hand slid into his shorts and immediately whipped out a lengthy, girthy cock.

You stared in shock. Did Carlos really just whip out his length in front of both of us?

Lando was quick to respond. “Well look at this then”

He responded by taking out his own length.

They both glanced at one another, weighing each others cock sizes up

“I get a lot bigger when I’m hard” added lando. “I’m a grower for sure”

“That’s what they all say lando. I’m Latino. That’s Spanish for big fucking cock” replied Carlos while smirking

“Oh sure, I bet your girlfriend can’t even feel it when you’re balls deep inside her” lando responded

“Well my girlfriend is on the other side of the planet at the moment. But we could try with -“

They both stopped and turned to you. They have each other a nod of approval and then Carlos called you over.

“Hey, lando and I are just wondering, who’s bigger?” Carlos asked

You blushed. “Erm….well you’re both muscly!” You replied

Up close, Carlos looked even sweatier. You could see beads of sweat dribbling down his muscly chest and in between his abs.

“We don’t mean muscle. Although that could be another test for us” lando replied.

“Okay then how about this? We’ll both stand here and you can weigh up who is bigger and better with all parts of our body” Carlos said before adding “starting with our feet”

Carlos smirked as he pulled off his training shoes. Lando did the same.

They both stood there with their feet in front of you. At first glance they both looked as big as each other.

“You really want me to decide who has the bigger feet?” You asked

“Yeah, then we’ll do biceps and then….we’ll you’ll see” Carlos added

You took Carlos’s foot into your hand and placed it next to landos to try see the difference.

“Erm… you are both simil——“ before you could finish, Carlos started moving

“Fuck this …. Let’s play instead” he said

He pushed you onto the floor and immediately placed his foot onto your face. You didn’t know what to do. What was going on?

He smothered his sweaty, masculine foot all over your face. The smell almost hypnotic. He rubbed it all over you, while lando pulled down your dress and began licking you out.

What on earth was going on

“Suck them” Carlos replied. “There’s nothing better after a long workout”

You took his big feet with a hand and began licking them. You took his toes into your mouth when you realised you were actually enjoying it. The taste of his sweat, the smell of his scent. The feeling of his toes in your mouth , as lando licked you out.

It was disgusting. But because of that…it was deliciously sexy.

“Oh fuck yeah you enjoy that do you dirty girl?” Carlos asked as he continued to flex his toes In Your mouth.

“Here…taste these now” Carlos added

He leant down over you and placed his sweaty , hairy armpit in your mouth. His scent was overpowering. You felt your juices pour out of you as you took in his scent. You came all over landos pretty face, but he continued to lick you out while you worshipped the Spanish hunk.

Your face now a combination of sweaty feet and sweaty armpits. You had never ever experienced anything like this before.

“My turn now lando” Carlos shouted, while pulling lando away from you. Carlos was quick to get into position, laying down on top of you, allowing you to wrap your arms around him.

He slid his hard, throbbing cock inside your tight hole. He fucked you relentlessly.

You had never been treated so badly by a guy before (but in a sexy way). You felt dominated and you loved it. Your hands gripped onto his sweaty back as he fucked you.

In the meantime, just as you caught your breath. Lando slid his just as hard cock inside your ass. Both guys now fucking both of your holes.

You were completely filled up with rock hard meat.

It didn’t take long before you heard them both moan “we’re gonna cum”

And then just like that you felt a warm, gooey fluid shoot inside both your holes simultaneously. You noticed how hard Carlos’ abs became as he tensed while filling you up.

They both pulled out of you slowly. You felt the warm liquid ooze out as they retreated.

They both sat down beside you, out of breathe. The scene of Carlos’ sweat still on your face. A smell like nothing else.

“Fuck. Let’s do that again” Carlos said while getting back up on top of you.

[missmarveledsblog]

Off that perch ( Natasha trace x Female!Reader)

Summery : After some advice from rooster and jake y/n mitchell ask nat out to lunch only she thinks it just a friendly outing meaning y/n need to make it more special and clear the air or will she back down and stay on the perch of friendship .

warning : miscommunications , goofy fun , rom com vibes .

They stood peaking in the door , like a bunch of children trying to catch adult conversation  , whispering to each other . That how rooster and phoenix found the famous dagger squad rolling their eye at the childish scene but peaked in nonetheless wanting to see what was so big , what was so interesting .  there she was at mav side as he was explaining something and pointing to the jets as the womans head nodded  or when cyclone said something and she began pointing at the other side of the room and the two men now nodding to whatever she said .  the three looking around only to spot the group standing there looking like deers caughting headlights .  

“ dagger squad come meet your new mechanic “ cyclone called as the walked more into the room still a little off being caught . 

“ your new engineer actually “ she smiled brightly . “ its nice to meet you all name’s y/n “ waving to the group as mav introduce them  only for one to stand forward , flirty grin on his face. 

“ hangman darling but you can call me jake” 

“ you don’t need an introduction to bradley  “ mav laughed . 

“ kids grown up huh , least you didn’t get your dad’s looks” rooster pulled her into a hug .

“ yeah having another mitchell  no need to remind me “ cyclone winced as seem to be a pain in his ass multiplied . 

“ the best of best comes with a price old man.. Don’t worry they got medication for it “ she patted his arm as the other hide their amusement . 

“ i’ll get her started “ mav snicker leading her over as cyclone walked out muttering something under his breathe and really questioning his life choice or why mitchell seemed to come into it . 

“So  yeah  tables over here and tools her it close to the parts and inventory and also not in the way of you guys “ she held up her hand in framing out the vision of her idea  as her father nodded .

“ good job kid   what do you need ?” he asked. 

“ erm i write a list “ she winced . 

Getting on with the day  while dagger squad was doing some basic flight maneuvers for the recruits, y/n was deep into making the makeshift engineering station, seemingly the last one was deployed and one before that retired so  civilian contract was better case .  of course anything that was fast and full of adrenaline seemed to be hereditary only for it was the working of them , she love seeing what made these machines do what they did . so while girl when she was younger were playing with barbies and dolls she wanted tool and hotwheels or when she was a teen they were doing cheerleading she was in shop class getting greasy and oil all over her .

Just like her dad minute she got on the road it was in the form of two wheels a bike she bought cheap and worked to make it the most beloved creation .   inching to get working she got the station ready  it was for big repairs  while she could be closer to make sure if she needed to get to a jet she would be right there  an idea she was surprised cyclone even agreed with the whole thing giving what her dad told her she thought it was going to be more of a push then an easy yes . although he did come in and out of the hanger to check the progress .  It was also surreal meeting the dagger squad, people her dad constantly gushed on about it was sort of intimidating to see them in person but instantly that dissolved at the friendly welcome .    Each one of them made it out their way to make her first day a welcoming time  and Bradley well was Bradley so that helped .   she was even able to get started on paybacks jet , he noticed a rattling sound  during the take off  turned out  one of the brackets on the wheels were loose.  

For first days it was pretty great and hell  easy on the eyes too . 

In the blink of an eye the first few months went by as she sat  in the hard deck friday night  on the stool just watching them play. She couldn’t help it over time it was harder and harder to stop fawning and melting in her seat . of course they were all attractive and hot in their own way but their was a reason Pete mitchell never had to worry about his daughter getting in trouble with boy .. simply she wasn’t attracted to the male species . she was lucky with her father  being who he was accepting as he was which was more could be said about her mother  almost 15 years since she first came out,they hadn’t spoken and when they did it was to ask if she got over the ridiculous notion .  it wasn’t a notion it was her sexuality  one he father accept straight away whether he thought it was a phase or not the same would go for her grandmother  which ironically was her mothers mother . giving her father a choice of career didn’t always mean they were together   so she was in her grandmother's care instead of moving her around all the time . even though her dad was away a lot, he made sure keep in contact , make up for loss time it was a pretty good relationship  and with her grandmother meant the stability and being able to finish her education and not starting a new school a hundred times a year .. ok maybe not that many time but with maverick mitchell it wasn’t far off .  coming to top gun and working with the dagger squad was great but shit she was head over heels for natasha trace.   The brunette female aviator was  a dream come true , from the no nonsense  to her strong willed attitude. The way she care so much for her friends and those around no one could stand an absolute chance to not fall for her.   She couldn’t help it not the first time when she saw how easily phoenix could take on the guys , her confidence not cocky or overbearing more humble and relax .  she often get lost in the woman's presence only for rooster to bring her back to earth . 

“ your drooling again” he chuckled as she turned her head with scoff hiding the way she had to make sure she actually wasn’t indeed drooling. 

“  i wasn’t drooling” she huffed out before her eyes looked back to the pool table glancing at phoenix talking to bob  when their eyes met she would smile and y/n had a goofy grin right back . 

“ jesus your worse that bradshaw” jake drawled making her glare at the man . 

“ HEY” the both yelled .  “ i’m way cooler than he is “ she scoffed. 

“ ok that maybe a little true , but hey you sit on a perch  “ he chuckled. 

“ am i suppose to know what that means “ she looked between the two men. 

“ look ask her out and just go from there  , hangman right as much as that pains me to say but jesus christ be an adult “ rooster chuckled  leading her over toward the two people .  before pushing her completely and heading to the bar. 

“ hey woah nice of you to drop by literally “ nat snorted catching y/n 

as the woman glared at the man she considered to be like her big brother before she turned so close almost melting into the chocolate brown eyes that almost felt like home . “ y/n … hello” nat laughed waving her hand  . 

“ erm wanna go for lunch tomorrow … with me … just us “ she smiled weakly wondering what the hell was wrong with her. 

“ of course girls day right “ . 

“ yeah girls day totally what i meant man i cannot think… today cause i’m tired “ she wince already feeling the  shit hangman was going to give her for this she could already feel the blondes eyes on her burning into her skull and the smirk on his lips . “ cool yeah i’ll text you later” she smiled heading back over  toward where jake and bradley were. 

“ hey  this is good maybe you’ll finally tell y/n your in love” bob whispered as nat was willing her heart to stop beating so fast. 

“ shh she’ll hear you and plus it just friend thing it not a date .. sadly “ nat sighed looking over smiling when y/n hit jake in back of the head. 

Y/n was still excited when she woke up even though it wasn’t the date she’d imagine or fact that it wasn’t actually a date because the beautiful lady she was talking to made her brain short circuit  in the short time of her request to even ask properly but today she would be ready taking some of jake and bradley advice to make it the best date / non date ever even  taking her car a cherry red corvette that she inherited from her grandmother  it was a thing of beauty  . she  sang along to the radio before stopping , maybe she was a little like Bradshaw, only she wasn’t partial to wearing the Hawaiian print like he was even though he had gotten her some .  she wore nice blouse and black high waisted shorts  it wasn’t too casual or overly dressy nice in between , make up was the same a soft glam  pulling up outside phoenix as beeping .  she was grateful for the sun glasses she “ borrowed “ on bradley because in that moment she was no better than a man as she hungry let her eyes roam . it was completely different from the head to toe khaki and tight bun she was used to seeing nat wears . her hair down soft wave to it and the dress  that came to her top of her knees almost vintage feel to the outfit and shit it made y/n hand sweat and her heart beating wild in her chest and when she smiled at her fuck she felt her knees get all shaky .  

“ hey nice ride “  the door opened . 

“ yeahhh … thank you it was my grandmothers she gave it to me when she kicked the bucket “  she smiled internally wondering what the fuck was wrong with her and maybe ask if she was dropped on her head as a baby. “ you look beautiful by the way , stunning .. you always look beautiful though “ she babbled as nat chuckled. 

“ thanks you look beautiful like always too” almost shy smile as pulled her belt on only occurring to y/n she should of got the door for her being all sweet and chivalrous but she could make up for that . 

The drive wasn’t too bad, nerves subsiding slightly as y/n  was able to actually converse getting to know the female aviator more and more which only fed the feelings she was harbouring .   learning that nat had a older brother , her father was in the navy  , her mother a school teacher both were apprehensive when the baby of the family join the navy as a aviator but now both very proud .  she learned she also adopted a cat giving the more permanent station and fact that she when she was deployed it was someone to watch  it for her. Which in turn y/n new found love for felines were expressed . y/n told her about growing up with her grandmother and Mav leaving her mother out not even thinking of it to be honest it was like she always done and no one ever really commented . 

“ your mom not around ? .. sorry that was probably insensitive “ nat wince realising it was probably for  a reason . 

“  no it’s cool , we haven’t spoken in  15 years she can’t accept me so their no point trying to force her she got two new step kids and husband the last  i heard “ she shrugged it stopped being sore subject a long time ago only reason she never spoke of the woman was she was never really  cross her mind . 

“ accept you what  did she want you to become a doctor or something” nat asked confused just as the light all clicked on in y/n head. 

“ oh you didn’t know huh ?”  she chucked nervously. “ no my mom  is homophobic and well having a gay daughter although does it count since i’m dead to her til i stop this nonsense” she laughed. 

“ you’re gay ?”. 

“ uh huh ,  it was hard coming out but my grandma and dad made me know i was loved no matter what so it’s not too bad” y/n  smiled fondly . 

“ my dad didn’t accept it at first just like the navy  but came around even goes to the pride parades to show he’s an ally “ nat chuckled. 

“ my dad too although i swear that man is more involved than he says i seen him and my uncle ice it’s a running joke with me and my aunt sarah that their the married couple really  or they were “ she sighed. 

“ i’d say it surreal to have the hall of fame as a second family “ nat smiled sweetly like a shift in the mood  a more comfortable feeling washing over the two . 

“ oh it major boots to fill hence why i never joined the navy , knowing it was big, big shoes to fill but hey i didn’t stray far from it “ she snorted  thinking of the sheer irony.  “ plus i think the navy got all it need with aviators as good as you  “ she winked . 

“ well thank you and with you looking after the jets well we are unstoppable “ nat winked back  making y/n cheeks flush. “ interesting cute though” she muttered . 

“ we’re nearly here hope you like italian “  y/n mused trying to gain so control over herself . 

Pulling up to the restaurant y/n rushed out of the car making her way to the other side opening the door  and holding her hand making it a bit more extra effort in the action  and making up for no doing it when she first  arrived to collect the woman even holding her arm out  as nat took it . escorting her into the restaurant with almost proud smile with such a woman on her arm til the were led to the table she was one that pulled the chair out before taking her own seat. 

“ so hows it going settling here  , your dad said you lived in chicago before you came here?” nat asked . 

“ oh i love it here it feels more like home than home did , i don’t’ know if that even makes sense “  

“ it does i know that feeling i never thought i would settle somewhere used to temporary stays but here it never felt temporary so when we got asked i think we all jumped at the chance “  nat shook her head  thinking how mad it really was how they all agreed this was their home now . 

“ you met anyone ?” y/n blurted out. 

“  not yet” she smirked . 

“ oh you seeing someone ?” sort of said in the tone. 

“ i got my eye on someone , someone who’s very good with her hands , hot as fuck and not in the navy but not far from it “ she raised her glass  a knowing grin on her face as it took y/n minute . 

“ well maybe i do too , wanted to ask her on a date but she thought it was a friendly outing” she shot back . “ what flowers do you like… you know for the next date?” she smiled more confidently . 

“ hmm something wild but beautiful “ nat mused  the air definitely taking a more pleasant undertone . 

“ well lets order  cause i got more planned for rest of this date  that was secretly always a date not gonna lie “ she smiled more victoriously .  “ off that perch and swoop you up “ she winked picking her hand up and kissing her hand . 

let me know if anyone wants a part two ( it will be 18+)

[the1975attheirverybest]

Being Funny In A Foreign Language

Chapter 9- “I Know A Place…”

A/N: the penultimate chapter. I hope you like it but let me know what you think either way.

Warnings: mostly smut I think. Scenes strung together with a loose thread of plot. Some mentions of mental illness but nothing too detailed?

———

“What do you mean?” Matty frowned, stepping aside to let her into the room.

“What happened to your guitar, Matty? I haven’t seen you play it in a while.” She crossed her arms as she spoke.

He could tell that her tone was accusatory. Clearly, she must know something. But unless he can somehow find out what she knows, he has no idea how to respond.

“To be fair….” He turned around, not wanting to look her in the eyes as he lies to her. “I haven’t played that thing onstage in— fuck, maybe seven years now!” He walked into the living room space and Amelia followed closely behind.

“Yeah, but you always have it around. When you’re writing, when you’re doing work for other people…you always inevitably circle back to it.”

Ordinarily, Matty would feel touched and excited by how well she knew him, but at the moment, their intimacy made it difficult to lie to her. His efforts to deflect were not yielding the results that he’d hoped for. He began to pace nervously around the room. “What’s this ab-bout, anyway?” his voice cracked, momentarily, but he regained control of the calm pretense. “ Do you, like, need a guitar? I could recommend a few instruments if you tell me what you need it for.”

“Oh for fucks sakes!” Amelia sighed, looking up at the ceiling in frustration. She couldn’t believe the nerve on him. The fact that he was willing to feign ignorance disappointed her. But she wasn’t sure if the she was disappointed in him for trying to lie, or in herself for thinking that he wouldn’t. “why’d you give it up?” She asked, bluntly. “Why did you give that guitar to Marcus Fontana? And why’d you keep it from me? Why wouldn’t you tell me about it?”

Oh, fuck. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I- erm, he- wanted it. And…I wanted something from him. Seemed like a f- fair trade?” That was the truth. As vaguely put as possible. But still truthful.

“You gave it up to get Joshua and I into the event, didnt you?” Amelia was overcome with emotion as she spoke. “Don’t lie to me, Matty. I already know.” She paused, on the verge of tears, taking deep breaths. “He mentioned something about it when we saw him. I knew right away, but….it seemed impossible. Too grand a gesture. You love that thing more than you love some real people that you know in your personal life. You wouldn’t just do that for a stupid exhibit.” She shook her head, as if objecting to what he’d done. “But, I just talked to Joshua. You did do it, didn’t you? You gave your guitar up for-“

“For you.”

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could think to stop himself. And now that they were out there, he felt immediately terrified. The silence scared him more than anything. The longer it went on, the more significant and dramatic his confession became. He needed to say something. Anything at all to make this moment pass.

“Is that what you came here to hear me say? That I gave it up for you? Fucks sakes! Alright. I gave it up for you. I- I- I gave up my guitar, one of a handful of my prized material possessions, so that you could go to this thing that you were dying to go to. So that you could have the experience, and meet the artists, and see the art that you have always loved and wanted to be in the presence of. There! I’ve said it. Happy now?”

Matty felt his legs begin to shake as he stood there, so he resumed his pacing to hide the fact that his knees were barely holding him up.

“W-why?”

“What’d you mean why?” He stopped again? in the middle of the room, turning to look at her with furrowed brows. A look that she was more than familiar with. Usually, it’s the look he would have on his face right before calling something, or someone, ‘stupid’ or ‘a fuckin dickhead.’ “‘Why?’” He scoffed. “Because I love you, Amelia.”

“No-“

“Because I fuckin love you. I’m in love with you and I would do anything for you. To see you smile. To know that you’re-“

“No, no. Stop.” Amelia shook her head repeatedly as he spoke. “No, no, no. Stop….stop it. Just- stop talking!”

Of all the ways that Matty has fantasized about confessing how he feels, the many scenarios that he ran in his head time and time again, he never once imagined her response to be “no.” It seemed improvable at the time. Now that it was happening, it felt like a huge oversight.

“You don’t love me!” She yelled, her eyes welling up with tears. “You don’t. Surely, you don’t. Surely you haven’t….felt that way about me and kept it from me. Letting me date other people. Letting me think that- that how I felt about you was unreciprocated, something that I needed to get over to save our friendship.”

Matty took a few steps towards her. “Amelia, it’s not like that at all-“

“Isn’t it? Really? Since- since when?” She stepped back the closer that he got to her.

“What?”

“Since when? How long have you felt this way?”

“Does it really matter? Love isn’t….its not something you can measure-“

“You’re not going to Matty your way out of this one. So just- just stop. Answer me. How long?”

“I- don’t know.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I can pinpoint a moment where I went from liking you as a friend to-“

Her eye rolls told him that he’d be better off not finished that thought. He considered her question a moment, in a genuine attempt to respond.

“Since we first slept together.”

“That’s was…” she paused, trying to count the time in her head.

Matty, of course, already knew the answer. “Ten months and two weeks.” He stated.

The confirmation overwhelmed her. Tears finally spilled from her eyes. This was vindication. This was proof, that this whole time, it wasn’t all in her head. The subtle touches, catches in his voice, the way he looked at her sometimes, whenever he thought she wasn’t looking, these ephemeral, impossible things that had, up until Matty, only existed in romance novels; they were all real. She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t projecting her own unrequited love for him onto their interactions. But this was also frustration. Betrayal. The worst lie of omission.

“So you lied to me.” She shook her head, tears still streaming down her face. “You- you lied to me and you humiliated me. When I told you I loved you….you did every thing that you could to make it clear I was a hysterical hormonal little girl. Orgasm-drunk and confusing lust for love. I literally asked you to look into my eyes and tell me the truth and you lied through your teeth.”

Matty was shocked by the conversation that he found himself having. Was this a nightmare? How does him finally telling her how he feels turn into this. “No, no, no! I didn’t lie! I-“

“Even after you did all that…” she laughed in disbelief, “I came crawling back to you. I, I fell for it all over again. The whole ‘we’re just friends who sleep together’ act. Fuck- I’m such an idiot.”

“There was no crawling! You’re not an idiot!”

“Oh yes there was. There was. I was going to break up with Joshua for you. I told you I’d do it and you said no. And it’s my fault for letting you.”

Matty lunged forward placing his hands on her shoulders, looking into her tearful eyes. “Amelia,

Listen to me-“

“Don’t touch me!” She backed away, out of his grasp. “You claim you love me. I can’t believe you’d do this to me.” She placed her hand on the door knob. Looking back at him, unable to recognize the person standing in front of her. “You let me go on believing things that weren’t true. Every moment that we’ve spent together as friends, you were feeling something else. Was any of it ever genuine or ….”

“Amelia, wait. Please don’t leave. Stay. Let me explain!”

“Save your breath.” She turned around, opened the door, and walked out without looking back.

***

Amelia swiped her keycard, her hotel room door blinked a green light, indicating that she’d successfully unlocked it. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and remain there for the rest of her life. In fact, with tear stains still on her cheeks, she was mentally drafting the contents of the text that she was going to send Tobias and Patricia to let them know that she wouldn’t be joining them for work today.

“Oh my god, Joshua!” She yelped, nearly startled as she walked into the room.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.” He said, zipping up one of his suitcases.

“Wait, what?”

“I didn’t wanna make this awkward. I was counting on you being with Matty right now. Thought I’d pack and leave while you were out.”

“No, no! Don’t be ridiculous. You stay. I’ll get a different room.”

“You don’t have to do that. It’s okay. I’ve already started packing.”

She walked over to him, placing her hand over his to stop him. “Please. It’s the least I can do.”

Joshua never could say no to her. Relenting, he smiled and nodded. “Fair enough. You did cheat on me.” He couldn’t help himself. “Sorry. Regretted that as soon as I heard myself say it. I’ll ummm….find a flight out soon. Just need a couple of days to get my shit together.”

Amelia looked down at her shoes.

“ I know I have no right to say this, but, I’m gonna miss you.”

Joshua chuckled. “No you won’t. You and Matty will get so wrapped up in each other that you’ll forget about my existence as soon as I’m outta here” he walked over to the coffee station and poured some water into the coffee machine.“Which is how it should’ve been in the first place. What are you doing back here, anyway? Why aren’t you gazing into Matty’s eyes right now?”

Amelia sat at the edge of the bed that they once shared, her head hanging low. “Not sure I wanna gaze into his eyes ever again.” She mumbled, just clearly enough for Joshua to hear.

“What? You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“Joshua, please-“

“Woman! We broke up so you could ride off into the sunset with him. Not- not whatever this is!” He threw his hands up in the air in frustrated. “I swear to god…..”

“He lied to me, Joshua! He- I can’t trust him. He kept things from me. He had every chance to tell me. Every time that we were alone he could’ve brought it up and he chose not to. That’s not the behavior of someone who wants to be with me.”

“Yeah, I won’t comment on the cheating cuz….what I have to say is unkind. But, I swear on my nana’s life, Amelia, if you let this man go one more time…”

Amelia laughed. “Don’t bring your nana into this!”

“I’ve seen the way that he looks at you. I tried to write it off, ignore it, pretend it wasn’t there, but I know what I saw. Matty Healy loves you so much that he- well, he made friends with me! Helped me surprise you! Just between you and me, Amelia? I’m not sure that I would’ve done the same if I were him.” Joshua smiled. “Then again he WAS fucking you this entire time so I don’t know maybe he just pitied me.”

Amelia thought back to every moment that she and Matty had spent together recently. His declaration of love now painted them in different colors. Every time that he begged for her to hold his hand as she hurt him. Any time that he freely gave her control, insisting that he wanted whatever she wanted. That he would try anything she wanted him to try and put himself

Through whatever she wanted to inflict upon him. Any time that he would seemingly gain new life whenever she called him a good boy or praised him in any way. And all the times that he would ache in desperation for that praise, send himself into a frenzy, if she withheld any words. Bend over backwards trying to earn her approval. All of it felt so different now. It felt familiar because she’d experienced all of it herself. She knew what it was like to feel what he’d felt. After all، that’s how she’d felt with him. Back when they first started their undefined sexual relationship.

“Hear the man out” Joshua spoke again, redirecting her attention. “You owe it to yourself. Maybe you’re upset with him. Maybe you don’t trust him, or whatever. But you love him. So, at least give it a real shot. That way, if you decide you don’t want him anymore, you’ll at least know you tried. You won’t wonder for the rest of your life. And you won’t date other men while secretly sneaking into his bed at night.”

Amelia’s face felt red with shame. “And I’m so, so sorry about that. I- will apologize to you for the rest of my life, really.”

Joshua poured himself a cup of coffee. Then poured some for her as well.

“You owe me this, Amelia.”

“Excuse me?”

“After what you’ve done to me. I’m invested now. You can’t let my broken heart be for nothing.“ he smiled, playfully. “What? Too soon? I’m trying to be the bigger person here.”

Amelia let herself fall back on the bed, grabbing a pillow and covering her face with it, she groaned loudly.

***

Adam pressed the “pause” button, feeling his knees wobble as he stood up for the first time, in, longer than he’d care to admit. He answered the door to a stoned Matty, eyes bloodshot, pacing nervously by the door, biting on his fingernails.

“Matty?”

“Can I- erm, I can’t sleep.” He looked down at the floor, feeling stupid for coming here. “Could I hang out here for a bit?”

Adam nodded, placing a hand on his friend’s back as he walked into the room.

“You hungry?”

Matty didn’t seem to hear him, immediately drawn to the video game on the screen. “Is this new?”

“Yeah, yeah. Picked it up the other day in New York.” Adam decided he was going to share his snack, anyway. “Matty! Stop fucking with - don’t! No!!! You’ll ruin my high score. You’ve no idea how long it’s taken me to get here!”

“I have some idea.” Matty pointed towards the circle of crumpled candy wrappers and empty bottles that had accumulated around Adam’s seat.

Silently, Adam walked over to his backpack and produced an extra controller, plugging it in and sitting by Matty’s side.

“no word from Amelia, still?” He asked, carefully, as if treading on ice.

“Nope.”

Adam waited to see if he’d elaborate. But the terse response was his cue to restart the game. He knew Matty well enough to know that if he wanted to talk about it, he’d say more.

***

“Amelia, please! We should talk.” Matty trailed after her as she moved from room to room backstage, giving a helping hand wherever needed. Not that it was her job to do so. They had crew members for that. But she needed to busy herself with something, anything at all, to avoid a conversation with Matty.

“I miss you.” He stated simply and concisely.

“Matty, please,” she stopped in her tracks, her back still towards him, “don’t do this.”

“I’m not doing anything. I wanna talk.”

“Not right now. Im busy.”

Before he could object, Ross and Adam rushed over, “c’mon mate we’re gonna be late!”

Matty heard them but refused to budge for a moment. Hoping that the urgency of time might compel her to soften. She just looked at Adam and Ross apologetically. Reluctantly, he allowed his friends to push him in the direction of the stage, but his eyes remained on Amelia until he could no longer see her.

****

The restaurant lights felt too harsh on his tired eyes so he put his sunglasses on inside as he walked in. They only shielded his vision for a few moments though. Soon enough, he saw his reflection in a mirror on the wall and he decided that he looked too much like a rockstar, so the glasses had to go.

The hostess walked him over to the table where his party had already arrived. Ross, Jamie, George, Charli, Adam, Carly, and a few friends of friends who happened to all be in the same city at the same time, and, of course, Amelia.

The whole night felt like an out of body experience. Perhaps being hungover from the previous night was already a bad start. But Matty had ended up next to Carly, putting him directly across the table from Amelia, with a perfect view of her every move. he spent his night alternating between glancing over at Amelia, wishing that she’d look in his direction or that he would at least get a hint of how she night be feeling , and asking Carly about things back home, the baby, and catching her up on some tour highlights. By the end of the night, he was exhausted and disoriented. He felt embarrassed for even entertaining the idea of sticking around, waiting to see if she would approach him. But, if he was being honest with himself, he wouldn’t bare it if he did stay behind only for her to walk past right past him, without acknowledgement. so, after dinner, he excused himself and rushed back to the hotel, crawling into bed instantly.

Yet, once again, he found it impossible to fall asleep.

It had been several nights since Amelia stopped coming by and getting into bed with him. He’d grown accustomed to having her there. He missed the smell of her hair right up against his nose as they desperately pressed their bodies together, the feeling of her arms around him helping to soothe him to sleep. Who would’ve thought that he’d see more of her when she was in a relationship than when she’d finally broken up with Joshua.

He entertained the option of drinking again. But the very notion felt pathetic. So, he ended up in George’s room. Asleep on the floor long after he should’ve gone to sleep.

***

Tobias, Patricia, and Amelia’s eyes were glued to the door, impatiently waiting for Matty’s arrival. It had been too long. Tobias has already shuffled and reshuffled the papers that were in front of him several times. Patricia clicked her retractable pen rhythmically and tapped her fingers against the table. Even refilled everyone’s coffee as they waited. Amelia, on the other hand, dreaded seeing him.

To everyone’s surprise (and Amelia’s relief) when the doors burst open, it was George who appeared in front of them.

“Matty’s…well, he’s asleep. I- think he needs it, so I’ve turned off his alarm. I’ll fill in for him.”

Their check-in was cut short, only going over the essentials to make sure the stage building would be ready by the time that they needed it to, and confirming with everyone that the now well-oiled, machine-like system that they’d developed after a year and a half of this tour was going according to plan.

“George? Umm….How’s he doing?” Amelia asked as they made their way to the exit.

“As well as can be expected of someone who has confessed their love for their close friend of many years only to have their heart crushed, stomped on, and shredded.”

“That’s not fair.” Amelia felt like her own heart was being shredded.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” George smiled softly. “He’s….don’t worry about him. We’ve got him. he’s rotating between each of our rooms every night, so we’re keeping an eye on him.”

Amelia nodded. “Good, good.”

“Can I just ask, just between us, what the fuck are you doing?” Once again, George had let his tongue go.

“Pardon me?”

“He told you that he loves you. Do you have any idea how much work that took him?”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “Of course you’d say that. You’re on his side!” She sighed. “I need time, George.”

“Time for what? The two of you have been obsessed with each other since- since- for as long as I can remember.”

“It shouldnt be work. Telling someone that you love them. It isn’t supposed to be this hard, don’t you think? Besides, he- he lied to me, George! He kept things from me. He made decisions for me. Assumed what’s best for me and what relationship I want to be in, and reached the conclusion that I wouldn’t want to be with him, all on his own. Without ever mentioning it to me. Do you really think that’s a good start to a relationship?”

“Has it ever occurred to you that those decisions he made, though misguided, have more to do with how he feels about himself than how he feels about you? Look- this conversation doesn’t make any sense. You should be having it with him. Not me.”

“I’m trying. But he has this….effect on me. I don’t know how to say no to him.”

“Then don’t. Say yes to him. Or for fucks sakes put him out of his misery.”

Amelia shrugged in defeat. “So, like, kill him? Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?…sorry. I was just making a joke.”

***

Amelia watched from the side of the stage as Matty held up the tech workers by hogging one of the machines. He wriggled cords, pressed buttons, and turned dials on the soundboard with a deep confused look on his face. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck me. Fuckin hell.”

“Matty?” She hovered over his shoulder and he crouched down to check the wires that he’d already check on seconds ago. “What’s going on?”

“I can’t get this thing to work!” He jammed it into the outlet.

“Oh, I’ll …go get George.”

“No! Don’t do that!” He caught himself being a tad too angry and paused, deliberately adjusting his tone. “I’m…trying something. He won’t like me messing about. Ruining his….psychotic ‘system’ that he’s so protective of.”

She laughed, in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Well, maybe I can help?”

“You can’t. It’s- too complicated. You wouldn’t understand.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right. Cuz I’m a certified idiot.” She turned around. “My bad. Won’t try to be helpful again.”

“Wait, what? Amelia! That’s not what I meant!”

“Fuck off.” She yelled out as she made her way out of the room.

***

Amelia set her book, face down, onto the duvet slowly, careful not to make any noise. She hadn’t ordered any room service, or contacted the front desk to send anything up to her room. She checked her phone for any texts or missed calls from anyone who might have tried to reach her through other means first, but nothing came up. This is why she hates being a woman, traveling solo, in strange places with dubious door locks.

She tiptoed over to the door, taking a peek. Shaking her head and cursing under her breath, she opened the door.

“Matty, what’re you doing here?”

He leaned against the doorframe. “Full disclosure: I’m a little bit buzzed right now. Not like off my tits or anything. But I’ve had a couple of drinks. if you send me away, I’ll understand.”

“Come in and be quiet. It’s late.” As always, she never could say no to him.

“I- I just wanted to come over here and say I’m sorry. I can’t stand the thought of you being angry at me. It makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t sleep at night. I feel so- I don’t even know.” He shrugged, feeling suddenly helpless after making a dramatic entrance. His confidence was deflating as he looked into her eyes. He took a few hesitant steps, and, to his surprise, she didn’t back away.

“What I’m about to say…. I probably wouldn’t say completely sober,” he stepped even closer, more confidently now. “but- I think- the fact that you’re upset with me means that you love me, too. You love me, still. If you’d moved on by now, this wouldn’t be so difficult. You’d just….gently let me down and we’d move on.”

Amelia felt tears prickling her eyes.

“I get it. I’m a dickhead. I just wanted to be perfect for you. I wanted to wait until things were perfect. Not while I’m in the middle of a public crucifixion. I- I’ve ruined everyone who’s been associated with me. I mean, you’ve seen the Charli and Rina nonsense. And Jack, and..people I haven’t spoken to in ages….im on this insane tour where I try to mother a naked body double of myself onstage every night for some reason.” He giggled at his own words. “And- well, you know my state of mind. I just didn’t want you getting caught up in all that. I didn’t want to bring you down with me. I promise I wasn’t trying to hide things from you or make you choices for you. I- I just wanted to spare you the burden of…well, me.”

He looked her directly in the eyes, gently holding her by the shoulders. “I love you, Amelia. Forgive me?” He whispered, wiping a stray tear away with the pad of his finger. “Yeah? Say you forgive me please?” He dipped his head down, his nose brushing against hers. “Love me? Please?”

He kissed her lips. Her eyes fluttered shut, leaning into him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His kissing grew desperate, whining and moaning into her mouth. She bit his lower lip, her hands roaming the hair on the back of his head.

He pulled away, regretful that his lungs couldn’t hold out even longer, and smiled against her lips.

“So, does this mean.. that I’m forgiven?”

Instead of responding, Amelia pulled him into her bed. She leaned further back the more that he inched closer, kissing her once more, until she was lying flat on her back and he was hovering over her.

Their clothes quickly discarded in a heap by the foot of the bed, Matty kissed up and down her body, hungrily, his breath hot against her skin, as he whispered “I love you” and “I’ve missed you” over and over like a prayer. His fingers ran down her sides, raising goosebumps all over her skin, his hands would find her breasts as he kissed below her stomach, and grab her hips as he kissed her neck, she was a mess by time that he’d dipped below her waist.

“May I please taste you?” He asked, softly, glancing up at her through his eyelashes.

“God, what’re you waiting for?” She pushed his face down between her legs, perhaps a little too aggressively. Matty’s chuckle was muffled by her skin, she felt the air of his breath in her core and throughout her whole body.

“Oh- fuck- that’s…so good.” She sighed, her eyes closed, a smile on her face.

Matty made quick work of sucking and licking into her, just the way that he knew she liked. Her body jumped abruptly when she felt his mouth on her clit, moaning unabashedly.

The wet sounds that his mouth made of her cunt, coupled with her moaning and whining, made Matty lightheaded with arousal. His own hips pushed instinctively into the bed as he attempted to steady hers.

“M-matty?”

Amelia tapped his shoulder when he didn’t seem to hear her. “Matty, honey?” She paused to admire the blissful look in his eyes and the glistening of his face. He was growing more eager to please her by the second, losing all sense of himself, sinking into submission.

“I- umm…need you inside me. Can’t wait any longer.”

Still panting, Matty nodded and propped himself up quickly, anxious to do as she says.

“Oh. Erm….condom.” He whispered, looking around for his discarded jeans.

“Check the nightstand, baby. It’s closer anyway.”

Matty fumbled and slipped in his attempt to slide over to the side of the bed, his entire body shaking and anxious. Amelia giggled at the mess that he’d been reduced to.

“You stay put, I’ll get it.”

“I can do -“

“Don’t you dare move okay?”

She handed him the packet, noticing that his receiving hand was trembling, she scanned his face carefully for a moment. “It’s okay. I’ll do it.”

“Sorry.” His cheeks turned read as he watched her roll it onto him.

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

It always amazed her how their bodies responded differently. For Amelia, being with Matty was freeing because it felt safe, steady, the unpredictability never worried her because at the forefront of her mind was the fact that, no matter what happened next, it was never going to hurt her. Matty’s desire, on the other hand, was different. Intense, wild, almost frenetic.

She clutched the duvet with her fists as he pushed into her, watching him throw his head back and groan in pleasure. All the anticipation that had him shaking had now come to a head. His body overwhelmed with stimulation from

Head to toe he remained perfectly still for a moment.

“Fuck…you’re so-“ his words dissolved into a gasp of pleasure feeling her stretch around him. “Tight.” He finally let out, smiling.

“Perfect for me.”

She’d forgotten just how perfectly their bodies fit together, how precise the movement of his hips could be, how well he’d knew her movements and preferences. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into her chest and feeling the weight of his body on top of hers.

Matty buried his face in the space between her neck and her shoulder, moaning and whining into her ear as his hips rolled against hers. The sound of his voice and the shockwaves of pleasure overtook her.

“M-matty, I’m gonna cum.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before he felt her clench around him, her body straining against the weight of his.

His own pleasure followed closely after, feeling her cum all over his cock was just enough to tip him over the edge.

“May I-“

“Yes, go on, Matty. Cum for me.”

His face in the crook of her neck, she felt his thrusts grow harder, less intentional, he moaned out her name as he let go.

They both almost fell asleep in the perfect stillness, basking in bliss. It was a long time before either one of them made a move. It was Matty lazily turning his head to kiss her neck.

She smiled at the gesture, wrapping her arms around him.

“So, I think we have a lot to figure out now.” She mused.

Matty lifted his head ever so slightly to look at her. “Wanna figure it out over some dinner?”

She chuckled, her chest rising and falling under his. “I don’t think this conversation is the kind you wrap up over dinner. Unless you’re planning a very long feast. Which doesn’t sound too bad actually. I’m starving.”

“No, I know. But, we can start it over dinner. No rush, right?”

***

“Give me your phone.”

Matty blinked rapidly, looking down at Amelia’s open palm. she, on the other hand, stared right at him with an unwavering gaze. “Hand it over, Healy.”

“No.” He enunciated dramatically, trying, and failing, to his the grin on his face.

“What did you just say to me?”

Matty giggled, his sweet, melodic laugh almost wearing Amelia down. “Let me see, hmm….i believe I said ‘No.’”

“Alright, you leave me no choice. If I count to three and your phone isn’t in my hand, I’m gonna make sure you can’t take your shirt off and slut around onstage for the rest of the tour without the entire world seeing what I’ve done to your body.”

Amelia’s words sent a thrill through him, but he was adamant on winning this round. “That…sounds kinda hot, actually.”

Amelia burst into laughter. The sound of her voice always made him happy, even if he was rather confused at the moment.

“What? What’re you laughing about? Oi! Knock it off!”

“Sorry; sorry. I was just picturing the look on Jamie’s face when you took off your shirt and revealed big, bright red marks all over your chest and back.”

Matty rolled his eyes, groaning dramatically. “Fuckin hell….fine, fine. You can have my phone. Delete whatever you like, I’ll just download the app all again tomorrow.”

“Bitch, please. Do you think I was born yesterday?”

Amelia unironically calling him ‘bitch’ amused him endlessly. “What- did you just call me?”

He asked in between giggles, but she was too engrossed in her work.

“Alright. So, I’ve changed your Twitter password. Now I’m going to delete the app. On to Instagram….”

“Fuckin hate you.”

“You love me.”

“I do.” He admitted without a fight.

“It’s for your own good, you know. Alright, I’m done with Instagram. Now, I’ll change your Apple ID Password.”

Matty plopped down on the bed dramatically. Whining and kicking his feet. “You’re no fun! What if I want memes! Hmm? What then?”

“Use google.”

“What am I? a hundred years old?” He sat up quickly, offended by her suggestion.

“Here.” She handed him his phone back. “Don’t worry. I’ll text you memes every day. Unless of course I found out that you’ve been googling yourself.”

The petulant act crumbled away as soon as Matty’s eyes met hers. He smiled instinctually, already forgetting what it was that he was complaining about moments prior. He leaned in, kissing her lips, his eyelashes tickling her skin.

“Thank you. I know you’re trying to help.”

***

Matty’s naked body was drenched in sweat, his lips swollen, his thighs shaking almost as hard as the vibrator that Amelia had strapped to one of them.

“A-Amelia? I’m- ohhh… I’m dizzy.” He pulled against his restraints, too weak to even make them rattle.

“It’s cuz you’re so desperate.” She smirked.

“Please? I- I don’t know how much more I can take….feel like I’m on the edge of- of-“ he exhaled a puff of hot air “passing out.”

“That’s fine by me.”

“Fuck! Wh- what?”

His shock amused her. “Tell you what, let’s make a deal.”

“A-anything you want just please let me cum.”

“You’ve got two options. You get to cum right now-“

“Yes, yes! I choose that one, yes- let’s do that one!”

Amelia chuckled, “hold on let me finish. Hear me out.” She sat down on the bed to be at eye level with him. “You can either cum right now BUT then I won’t touch you for a whole week. ORRRR…you get another ruined orgasm and we carry on as usual.”

“What? Jesus fuckin Christ! Why?! Why- why won’t you touch me?”

She shrugged. “Which option do you want?”

Matty stared blankly ahead, more sweat pouring down his body, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He felt the pleasure that he’d been warding off for ages rise up again. His legs trembling.

“Co-could you- erm- turn it off so- I can think for a bit? Please?”

“Nope. You gotta think with the vibrator on you.”

He let out a pathetic whine.

“So…if I cum, you won’t touch me for a week…does that mean-“

She took mercy on him and finished his thought for him, “it means no sex, no hugs, no hand-holding. No physical contact of any sort.”

“No- no cuddles?” His eyes widened.

She laughed, taken off guard by his surprisingly endearing concern. “No cuddles.”

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, attempting to scrape some focus together to weigh his options. “If- if I let you ruin my orgasm- when- uhh” he paused, his eyebrows shooting up, “oh god. I…think I’m gonna-“ he swallowed whatever moisture had remained in his mouth, his lips sticking together.

“If you choose a ruined orgasm nothing changes. Might let you cum tonight. Or it might be next week. Or next month. We just carry on with what we’re doing.”

“Oh god. I can’t! I can’t choose! You choose for me!”

She watched his stomach tighten as he did his best to repress his pleasure. “What’s the fun in that?”

He attempted to smile but his confused state of mind and loss of control over his body made it difficult.

“Okay…okay. I - I choose- no orgasm. Don’t wanna cum. Ruin it if you want. Or- or keep edging me. I won’t cum. Promise.”

“Awe, really?” She rushed over to him and pulled his dangling head back so they could lock eyes. “Are you sure about that? You look ready to give up.”

“I’m sure. No orgasm.”

He felt high on the sensation of her hand cupping his face and was never more certain of a choice in his life. He’d never willingly give up a week of that.

Amelia reached over and untied his left wrist, helping to bring his hand down to his lap.

“Here’s the best bit,” she smiled. “You get to ruin your own orgasm.”

“Beg your fuckin pardon?”

There he was. Defiant and dramatic as ever. The matty that she knew was still in there. She giggled.

“Mhm. You heard me. Whenever you’re ready. You take away your own pleasure.” She stepped back. To give him space and to get a full view.

“Why? Can’t it just be you? Please?”

“I wanna see if you’d have the guts to do it.”

He thought about her words for a second, responding with a weak and small voice “ I’d do anything for you.” He resigned himself to his fate and brought his hand down to the bottom of the vibrator. His shaky fingers circling the control buttons to make out which button was the one he was going to need. “G-gonna, Erm- count out loud. For you.”

She nodded.

Matty counted slowly, breathlessly, on the count of 3, he let go, getting ready to cum, and just as his body began to relax, he turned the toy off, the vibrations stopping abruptly.

He screamed in pain his hips reflexively thrusting forward, chasing the nonexistent stimulation. His cock twitching involuntarily, his own cum hitting his face.

“Fuck! Ow! Hurrrtsss so- much” a high pitched whimper left his lips. His hard cock, sensitive, twitched slightly. He fought the sting of tears in his eyes.

Amelia attempted to act calm about it, but a piece of her hated seeing him in so much pain. Even when it was pain that he’d agreed to and that she enjoyed. She rushed over to him, too quickly and worriedly for someone who was meant to revel in putting him through this.

“Hey, Matty…” she spoke softly, hesitantly approaching the bed, unsure if he wanted her close or if he needed a minute.

“I- did it.” Matty whispered, his voice slightly strained from his earlier crying.

She was relieved to hear him, hurrying to kiss his lips. “You did it. You did so fuckin well.”

“Yeah? I was good?”

“You were the best!”

He sighed, relieved. “Okay. Good. Cuz I’m quite competitive.”

Amelia laughed silently, shaking her head at him.

“Right. Let’s untie you here…” she reached over to undo his right wrist, and then his ankles.

“Are we finished?” Matty asked with a soft tone that almost melted her heart.

“I think that’s enough for tonight. You’re drained.”

Amelia and Matty sat side by side, his spinning head resting on her shoulder. Every once in a while, she would nudge him and bring a water bottle to his lips, urging him to take a sip and replenish the fluid that he’d lost. He lacked the energy to express his gratitude but Amelia knew he was thankful anyway. He didn’t need to say anything.

“Matty? Can I ask - I mean… you were on the verge of busting like a few times tonight. Why- why didn’t you choose that option?”

“You don’t think I wanted to?” He laughed.

“Well, why didn’t you? I gave you the chance.”

“Didn’t wanna go without your touch for a whole fuckin week.” He stated simply as if it was the most obvious truth.

“Dirty boy.”

He smiled. “Nah, I don’t mean that sexually. I mean this…right now. Just…being able to touch you and feel you touch me.” He nuzzled into her.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Amelia.” His heart nearly jumped out of his body hearing himself say those words. “But…erm…Sexually is nice too, don’t get me wrong…”

***

Matty ran across the airport terminal, his backpack bouncing along, weighing him down. His feet doubled their speed as he got closer and closer to catching up with her. Finally, he tapped her shoulder, quickly intertwining their hands together.

Amelia jumped, startled. She turned around to find Matty’s hand in hers, his other hand offering her a bouquet of flowers.

“Are those for me? When did you-“

“Flower shop over there.” He kissed her cheek, his arm reaching over to take her suitcase.

“Thank you…wow. What’s the occasion?”

Matty shrugged. “Dunno. Saw a family buying some for…I presume someone that they’re picking up or whatever. Figured why not. You deserve flowers too.”

“That’s sweet of you, Matty. Did you have a good flight?” She squeezed his hand.

“Would’ve been better if you’d sat next to me.”

“I…know. But I figured you have a hard time with flights and….i don’t know. Maybe you’d want some space. Hann always seems to know what to do when you’re overwhelmed.”

Matty nodded. “It was good to hang out with the boys, yeah. But I wouldn’t have minded having you there. Did you have a good flight?”

“Perfect. Had dinner and a drink, put on a face mask, went right to sleep.”

Matty’s eyebrows shot up. “You and I handle travel very differently.”

***

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?” Amelia stood over him, lighting the candles one by one and gleefully watching him squirm.

“I- fucked up.” He winced in anticipation of anything happening to his bare chest.

“Be more specific.” She clicked her tongue.

“I’ve been ignoring all the rules. For over a week. I haven’t…really had a good nights sleep or a proper meal in ages.”

“And I warned you.” Amelia felt her frustration regain its power as she thought about his recently actions.

“I’m sorry.”

She smiled. “You’re not. But you’re about to be.”

Matty whined, squeezing his eyes shut.

Molten wax pooled in the middle of the candle, Amelia tilted it, holding it over Matty’s chest and watching the liquid tip over the edge and drip down onto his skin.

“Oh FUCK!” He hissed, his body jumping at the sensation.

“Eh. That wasn’t too bad. I should do it over your nipples now.”

“What- no! Please- OH MY- fuckkkk. That HURTS!” He yelled.

“Breathe, Matty, breathe. Open your eyes. Look at me…. There you are. Prettiest boy. Listen, you know you can tap out, right?”

He nodded, his pained expression relaxing gradually.

“Okay. Just checking. Now, gotta do it to your other nipple.”

“Christ! That- is-“ he gasped, his body shuddering in pain.

The more his tolerance built up, the more aggressive Amelia got with her wax, drawing shapes of different sizes and colors all over his chest? stomach, and circling the tattoo right above his hip. She had him crying and apologizing in no time. But it wasn’t until she’d asked matty to turn around so she could torture his calfs and underside of his knees that his worst pain hit him.

“Matty?” She called out to him as she set down her candles. “Matty, love, look at me, please.”

His sweat and tear cover face turned towards her. The look in his eyes told her all she needed to know.

“How’s your pain right now?”

“I’m fine.”

Amelia remained quiet. giving him a chance to change his answer. She repeated her question, again “how’s your pain right now?”

“Keep- keep going. I can take it.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes before getting up to blow the candles out. “You’re not getting this are you?”

Matty had to admit that his head was foggy with pain, Adrenalin, and the desperate desire to atone for his mistakes, but still, he felt he’d done nothing wrong.

“I’m tapping out.” Amelia announced. “I’m calling red. We’re done. This is over.”

Matty sat up quickly, his head spinning from the sudden movement. “What? Why! What have I done? I’m sorry! Amelia, please! I don’t wanna make more mistakes-“

“You haven’t made any more mistakes. That’s the thing, Matty. It’s the same mistake that you keep making over and over again. You burn yourself out, neglect your own wellbeing, just to accomplish the things that you think will make you worthy of the most fundamental needs.”

Matty felt her words like daggers to the heart. He knew this about himself. But he liked to pretend that it worked for him. Listening to Amelia lay it out for him so bluntly felt like a betrayal of confidence.

“You did it all week when you ignored sleep and food and rest to squeeze in every bit of work possible. And you did it just now by forcing yourself to take more than you can handle to make me happy. I pushed your limit on purpose. To see if you’d tap out. And you didn’t. But I know you were in pain.” She broke her own heart as she spoke. “I’ve - never - seen you writhe and bite down on the bedding so hard before.” She sighed, disappointed that her excitement had yielded the exact result that she knew it would. “I can’t have you treating yourself so poorly. And- honestly, we can fuck around with pain like this if I can’t trust that you’ll safe word out of the situation whenever you’re no longer having fun. I punish you so that you don’t have to punish yourself. What you’re doing, forcing your body through….its never gonna work.”

She watched him tug at the duvet nervously and knew that he was overwhelmed. She wished she knew how to help him process whatever was going on with him. The fact that this was reaching levels of concern beyond her capacity to handle scared her. He needed more help that she could give him.

***

Tonight’s show was amazing. Amelia spoke softly, running her fingers through his hair. She was half certain that he’d fallen asleep with his head in her lap.

He hummed in response, proving her wrong. “Was, wasn’t it?” He mumbled, his words slurring, voice laced with sleep.

“You wanna go to bed?” She suggested

“Wanna stay with you.”

“The idea is that…well…I’d be in the bed with you.”

Matty smiled, taking a deep breath and mustering all his leftover energy to open his eyes slowly. “Hi.” He looked up at her. “I just mean…we haven’t had a chance to spend time together in a minute. Just us.”

“I know. But you’re tired. Which is understandable. You put on a great show. I can’t imagine having any energy left after that…’People’ performance.”

A slow, self-satisfied smile grew on his face. He blushed at the compliment. “I was pretty good, wasn’t I…”

“You all were.”

Matty sighed, relaxing further into the bed. “The thing about us, Amelia, is that-“

“You just keep getting better baby?”

Matty chuckled loudly, his whole body shaking as he laughed. His sleepiness definitely made everything seem funnier. “I love that you can read my mind.”

***

Amelia’s heart pounded in her chest as she shuffled out of bed, rushing to the door. She checked to see who was knocking at her door at this ungodly hour. Relieved that it was Matty, she opened the door quickly.

“What on earth brings you-“ the look on his face rendered her instantly speechless. “Matty what’s wrong?”

“My head is- I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking. I’m so anxious. I can’t sleep. Brain feels so full. Like it’s going to explode.”

She didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around him and pull him in for a tight hug. “It’s okay. You’re okay, Matty. Breathe, my love.”

She gently guided him into the bedroom, rubbing slow circles into his back.”

“Oh, fuck. You were asleep weren’t you? I woke you up didn’t I? I - I shouldn’t have come here, I’m sorry…I’ll - I’ll leave.”

He made an attempt to pull away, but Amelia held on to him, perhaps, too aggressively, “no! You’re not going anywhere”

She held his hand, leading him around the room, to bed, urging him to sit down. “Stay here. I’ll turn on the light and get you some tea or something.”

“Don’t want any tea, Amelia. I just…I want….”’

“What do you want?”

“I want you. Just you.”

She slid into bed next to him, letting him toss and turn, and wiggle around until he got comfortable. When she was certain that his nervous energy had stopped simmering, she pulled him into her chest listening to his breathing mellow as he l focused less on what was going on inside his head and more on the feeling of her skin against his.

In the harsh light of day, Matty’s panic felt even worse. like a hangover without the reckless indulgence of the night before. He knew he couldn’t continue to feel this way for much longer.

“I think I need help.” He suddenly announced, breaking the silence in the room as Amelia had busied herself with arranging their room service breakfast.

“What do you mean?”

“Professional help.”

“Oh. O-Kay. Umm…that’s good! It’s good, right?”

“I have no fuckin clue.” He spoke slowly, his voice getting lower and lower with each word.

This didn’t seem like breakfast conversation, so Amelia let go of the cutlery and sat on the bed next to him.

She held his hand in hers. “It’s good, Matty. This is good. It’s the right thing to do.”

“I don’t know that it is. I don’t think im the sort of person who does well with relinquishing control to the authority of others.”

She couldn’t argue with him there.

“The very notion of therapy depends on someone having privileged access to my brain. Knowing more about me than me. Does that not sound utterly absurd? That’s fuckin mental!”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way. They don’t know more about you than you do. They just know more about whatever….psychological disorder you’ve got and they know ways around it or whatever.”

Matty rolled his eyes. “What if- what if that’s not true. What if ‘disorder’ is just a word for weird. Like, weird isn’t always a bad thing.”

“No, no.” Amelia shook her head. “Respectfully, nope.” She squeezed his hand “you are more than just your fucked up brain. And the fact that you identify your entire existence with the thing that’s hurting you is proof that you’re fucked up, kinda.”

“Right.” Matty nodded along.

“Look, you always say that you don’t want to be the kind of person who thrives off of drama, right? You refuse the idea that an artist needs to be fucked up in order to make great art, right?”

“Of course.”

“There’s always this notion that…like…the best artists were great because they were mentally ill. That’s not a thing. Except in tv and film where like characters must suffer to think great thoughts. People always say “oh maybe Van Gogh was a bit crazy but he made great art because he was crazy. That’s just not true! The guy cut off his ear!!!”

Matty giggled. “Gonna cancel you for using the word crazy by the way. Just wait until I tell Twitter. I’ll get myself uncanceled by feeding you to them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Or your example-“

“Right. The Burroughs thing. I’d rather his wife have lived than have read Queer. I get it. I get it. You think you’ve bested me with my own logic. Ugh. Fine.”

Amelia’s face lit up. Proud of herself for disabusing him of his misconceptions. “Fine? Really? As in, you’ll try therapy?”

“I’ll fuckin try. But if they put me on pills and I lose my sparkle, it’ll be your fault.”

“Please. If it were possible, your sparkle would’ve faded a while ago.” She reached over to kiss him.

That kiss was the final push that he needed. Matty waited for her to go into the bathroom after breakfast, and he pulled out his phone.

“Hey, Louis, you alright? Mhm. Right, so, listen. I’d love to chat — maybe I’ll call you back later— but I’m in a hurry. I just wanted to ask if you’ve spoken to mom and dad? And they’re fine with it? Right, no. It’s better if you deliver it. I’ll just fly you out whenever. Text me some dates and stuff. We’ll get it sorted. Okay, cool. Cheers, then. Talk to you soon.”