#even though i saw brett a month ago it's not the same

[brettyimages]

it's ok babe...... six weeks until suede.....

[voidstilesplease]

Swords and Arrows

or That Summer When The Ares and Athena Cabins Finally Allied For Capture The Flag part 1 of 3

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(A Steo Demigod AU) || For @anonymous's prompt: "Scott as a Roman demigod instead of Greek" || word count: 2,647 || The Entire Demigod Series -> [AO3][Tumblr] (it's finally a working link tfg)

Stiles pulls back, "I was going to ask if you missed me," he says, face flushed and beaming. "But it appears I don't need to."

"You never need to."

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I.

"Why the long face, little brother?" Tara asks cheerfully, wedging herself on the bench between Theo and one of their half-siblings, and placing down her tray brimming with colorful food as opposed to Theo's bleak and half-empty one. She grins at Theo, but he's not in the mood to return the goodwill.

Theo pokes half-heartedly at the contents of his tray: a lonely sealed bag with a couple squares of ambrosia inside - the food of the gods - some cheese and two slices of wheat bread. "Don't call me little brother," he mutters with little heat, leaning to the table to whisper a request to his goblet, which immediately fills up with sparkling water.

Tara looks over Theo's head at Fred, their Head Counselor, sitting on Theo's other side. "He's not back yet?"

Fred shakes his head, wiping the bbq sauce at the side of his mouth. "Nope," he replies, popping the 'p' and catching on to the question without much elaboration. By now, there's only one 'he' that reduces Theo to a brooding and sulky man-child. "He hasn't answered Theo's last IM, too."

"Try the last five Iris Messages," Theo grumbles in annoyance. He turns to Tara, face contorted in a sour expression. "I mean, how difficult is it to take my call? He always has drachmas in his pocket exactly for this reason."

"He's probably busy disintegrating monsters," Fred says reasonably. Which, of course, makes sense. Monsters make the most infuriating and persistent roadblock of all. They make any journey twice as long for demigods - if they don't manage to kill you, that is. "Or, you know," Fred adds, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "maybe he's being an accomodating companion to the Son of Jupiter."

Theo grinds his teeth hard and fixes his head counselor with a death glare. Fred only shrugs at Theo's reaction, obviously aiming for the exact response, and chuckling through a bite of ambrosia. Theo has half a mind to punch him in the jugular. He doesn't need a reminder of who Stiles is with, thanks. Spitefully, he harshly impales a piece of grape from Fred's tray with the tines of his fork and shoves it to his mouth in the most menacing manner he can project.

It only makes Fred guffaw, spraying bits of food onto the table. The campers across from him slide their trays away protectively, shrieking an indignant chorus of "Fred!" as they make sure no stray bits made it into their platters. Fred raps at his chest as he reaches for his goblet, still laughing his dumb ass off while trying to wave his hand in apology.

Their neighbors also share their opinion on the appalling table manners of the Ares brood - spitting out food may slightly be a common scene from their lot, unfortunately.

Brett from the Apollo cabin throws corn kernels at Fred, a strange display of solidarity if you can believe it, while Ara, the half-Korean junior counselor of Athena cabin, gives the Ares and Apollo tables a look of disapproval. She's a pretty terrifying 15 years old, which is why Stiles is extremely fond of her. With Stiles gone to New Rome the first week back to camp, Ara is doing a kickass job taking over the head counselor duty. (But, to Hades with it, Theo would much prefer Stiles to be scowling at their table.)

"Okay, first of all," Tara says over the little chaos. "Fred, you're disgusting. Second," she holds Theo's chin to compel him to look at her, then smirks, "Stealing a piece of fruit is not a cabin 5-worthy intimidation tactic."

Theo opens his mouth for his scathing retort, but at the same time, one of Stiles's younger siblings points in the direction of the cabins. "Hey, it's Stiles!"

Many heads look up, but Theo springs to his feet instantly, scanning the area for Stiles. He catches sight of him almost immediately, bounding to the Mess Hall in his orange shirt, face bright under the camp's enchanted borders, as radiant as the last time Theo saw him four long months ago. Without much thought, Theo finds himself carried by his feet towards Stiles.

Stiles sees him coming too, and his smile broaden. Theo sprints, forgetting himself and where they are. They meet halfway, by the entrance of the Mess Hall, with Theo knocking into Stiles's open arms strong enough that it's a surprise they're still upright on the ground.

Theo squeezes him to make sure his mind did not conjure a Spectre to appease his longing. Stiles feels solid under his hands, if a little sweaty, and he smells as if he was run over by monsters. But underneath the grime, he catches the scent of Stiles's favorite body wash. He feels himself sagging in satisfaction.

Stiles pulls back, "I was going to ask if you missed me," he says, face flushed and beaming. "But it appears I don't need to."

"You never need to."

Theo doesn't know how long they stood just smiling at each other, but they break apart at Chiron's pointed clearing of the throat. It's not even in Theo's head to be embarrassed by his actions despite the cackling and many leering faces of the other demigods. Mr. D merely raises an unimpressed eyebrow, though the twinkle in his eyes can only be from amusement.

Chiron is sitting on his wheelchair today, hiding his horse's ass behind the illusion of human legs - why he still does it is a wonder - and rolls forward to them.

"Stiles Stilinski," he greets merrily, the lines of his eyes crinkling when he smiles. "Welcome back." Chiron gazes a little behind them, then, nodding kindly towards another boy Theo only notices, is standing patiently at a distance.

The boy, Scott McCall, son of Jupiter and a praetor of the Roman demigods' army, the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, steps forward to bow his head in respect of the centaur. "Chiron," he also acknowledges Mr. D who didn't bother to get up from the head table. "Lord Bacchus."

"Hm," Mr. D hums without correcting the demigod, sipping on his diet coke dismissively.

Theo doesn't hate Scott, but he also doesn't like him - strongly, irrationally, dislikes him. Instinctively, he shuffles closer to Stiles as if his boyfriend is going to dissolve into the Mist if he isn't close enough to pull him back.

Theo's been agitated since Stiles told him, a week prior, that he was flying to New Rome in California where Camp Jupiter is, the Roman camp, for a 'friendly' visit. Everyone's allowed to cross borders, but no one has really done so just to tour around. After all, the camps are on opposing sides of the country and monsters don't pause to consider not killing vacationing demigods.

A couple of times before last week, when Theo visited Stiles in his Manhattan apartment, he'd, out of the blue, mentioned the varied courses and scholarships that New Rome University offered, as Theo laid his head on Stiles's lap while the latter read. Theo hadn't minded it at the time, as Stiles quickly dropped the subject. But another month passed and Stiles mentioned it again, randomly, during one of their IMs, adding that he might check into the enrollment requisites. Theo started to worry, then.

If Stiles goes to New Rome for college, Theo can't follow him. He never even got to finish eighth grade. And Scott, he's one of the Romans, their leader, and grudging as he is to admit, one of Stiles's friends now the more he visits Camp Half-Blood. He will eagerly encourage Stiles, telling him of the countless perks that Camp Jupiter has. He will be as big a hero there as he is in Camp Half-Blood, and he can rise to praetorship alongside Scott if the Legion so wishes it.

Scott is not a bad person per se, but he wears the color and insignia of the place Theo might lose Stiles to. And if Theo blinks the wrong way, he might not see quick enough that Stiles is being whisked away to the other side of the coast, leading a life without him.

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After officially welcoming the son of Jupiter to the camp, feeding him, and getting him settled in Cabin One, the campers go about their daily routine of training.

The blade vibrates when it hits the shooting log, right on the marked spot. Then it disappears into thin air and reappears in Theo's hand only to be thrown back to the same spot. He does it repeatedly, unrelentingly, until Tara aims with his bow and hits his blade with an arrow to send both weapons clanging to the ground, a few meters away.

Theo heaves; he doesn't even know he's breathless just from throwing until then. Wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, he nods appreciatively at the bow in Tara's hands when his sister stands beside him with a smile. "If we aren't siblings, I'd mistake you for a daughter of Apollo."

"Please," she laughs, opening her palm, gesturing at the fallen weapons. Both her arrow and Theo's blade fly to her hands in a matter of seconds. "I don't want to light up like a glow stick while waxing poetry during a fight." Children of Apollo don't actually do those in the middle of a fight, but they do glow when they're healing, and they can make others speak in rhymes just for fun. Tara offers the knife back to his brother. "Also, we're children of Ares. By birthright alone, we should know to wield any weapon of war."

Theo takes the knife and snorts, "And yet, I suck at archery."

"I can't summon weapons out of thin air," She points out, grinning at him as she puts the arrow back to its sheaf. "I guess we just can't have it all or Zeus would be zapping us one by one."

Theo scoffs, leaning into position to begin throwing again.

"Speaking of Zeus," Tara says, a playful tone in her words. "Where's your favorite son of the Sky God?"

Theo spares her a glare before flinging his knife and burying it onto the battered practice log. He purses his lips before answering, "He's at the Big House with Chiron, Mr. D, Stiles, and the other head counselors." He clenches his fingers around the blade's hilt when it returns to his hands. "They're talking about a little orientation on New Rome University's scholarships and handing brochures and study guide for the DSTOMP." Theo doesn't bother hiding the acid in his voice from his sister. She'll recognize it anyway, even if he masks it with neutrality. He can't mask it with neutrality.

She quirks a brow, "You don't sound too eager," she notes. "Are you still jealous of Scott, little brother?"

"I'm not jealous of Scott," he says, gritting his teeth. "And don't call me little brother."

"Why are you so strung up, then, if you're not baselessly jealous?"

He finds his reply being interrupted for the second time that day, this time by a distant rumbling coming from the sky. All activities on the ground cease as everyone turns to the increasing volume of an invisible running engine. Theo scans the space above them, at first not grasping anything in motion, until a burst of light reveals a flying, glowing red bus coming down fast to the ground.

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Someone goes to alert Chiron as the rest of them scamper to the landing site by the amphitheater. The bus landed surprisingly smooth, despite its breakneck descent.

"Is that a Ferrari bus?" One of the campers points out.

Sure enough, the logo at the front of the vehicle, a black prancing horse on a yellow background, is of the famous luxury sports brand. But why would there be a flying Ferrari bus at Camp Half-Blood?

"Oh gods," Lori gasps somewhere on Theo's left. "Is that dad's sun chariot?"

As if on cue, the bus door opens, and a teenager who looks about Theo's age exits, wearing what he can only describe as a hipster look. He flashes a blinding grin - and quite literally at that, since they have to shield their eyes momentarily from the glimmer of his teeth - clears his throat dramatically, and announces:

"Hello demigods

The sun landed on your grounds

I am so awesome."

There's silence at first, then a series of enthusiastic applause from Brett and the rest of cabin seven comes next. The teenager bows theatrically, although Theo finds nothing extraordinary about what he just said. But soon, the others join in with half-hearted claps, recognizing the powerful aura suddenly seeping into their skins that could only mean there's a god among them - well, another god, aside from Dionysus, their Camp Director. And with the terrible haiku, there will be no mistaking who graced their camp today. The last time Theo had seen him, during the almost war on his first year at camp, the god had worn the body of a muscular mid-20's blond man. Now, it seems he favors to look even younger despite his four thousand years.

"Lord Apollo," Chiron's voice drowns out the applaud as he trots forward, now in his form as a white stallion from the waist down. "It's a pleasant surprise. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Mr. D isn't as warm. He snorts, rolling his eyes. "Oh, bother, what brought you here now?"

Apollo's bright persona doesn't falter as he gestures at the bus - that is apparently his sun chariot. Theo remembers the time when he almost drove Apollo's chariot, if the Hermes cabin did not snitch it from under their noses, and thus putting three cabins grounded after a severe prank war. He had to take Liam's dish duties and pay him just so his present for Stiles could be delivered in time for Christmas.

"I'm here at the request of my little sister." The god says proudly, as the door opens again, this time with grumbling teenage and prepubescent girls coming out from the bus. All dressed in the same outfit: silver jackets, silver camo pants, and black combat boots, and they carry at their backs a quiver of sharp silver arrows. They glance at Apollo with apparent distrust, standing as far away from him as possible, as the god continues, "To deliver her hunters safely while she's away on a personal errand."

Several demigods groan in displeasure at the news, and even Chiron's lips form a thin line, though he tries to smile through the tension. Mr. D seems to be delighted now, though, happier to see the strange, vicious-looking ladies than his own brother. Personally, it feels like an omen of danger. Mr. D is never happy unless something perilous is about to descend upon his campers - even if his own daughter, Malia, is among them.

"Thank you, Lord Apollo." One of the hunters says albeit she looks physically pained by her words. She stands at the front of the group, a silver ring headwear around her head, with bouncing black curls, a pointed nose, and a strong chin. The other hunters also look at her when she speaks. It's easy to recognize her as the group's leader. "And thank you, Lord Dionysus, Chiron, for accomodating the hunters of Lady Artemis."

Chiron nods at the girl, eyes softening with kindness born out of familiarity, "You're always welcome, Allison."

Mr. D laughs boisterously, then. Like his punishment has just been lifted and he can go back to Olympus and away from the brats, celebrating by getting drunk on wine after years of prohibition. "Well, at least, Capture the Flag this Friday seems more enticing now, don't you think so, Chiron?" He gives a wicked grin at his campers, not waiting for a reply, his change in demeanor promising a torturous next few days for the demigods. "Ready to lose the Camp Half-Blood banner to these little girls for the 58th time in a row?"

~•~

[the-cult-of-russo]

Push and Pull (Part 18)

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OC

Warnings: cursing, angst

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Daphne sat in a plush chair in front of a large solid wood desk. She was silent as she watched across to Mrs Grimes who was pouring over all of the evidence with silent rage. She'd gone through the file and was now on her fancy ass computer looking at the billion pictures she'd found. One of the large tinted windows in the room was cracked open, birds chirping from outside as a nice breeze came in. The weather was quite warm that day, the sun shining brightly as spring was well under way. Daphne had on a strappy black maxi dress with thigh high slits, her boots on and her deep purple hair was in two French braids. The most effort she'd put into her hair in a while. The nice weather had encouraged her to make an effort. 

She picked at her black chipped nails as she patiently waited for the older woman to look through all of the evidence. The silence was deafening and Daphne kept finding her thoughts drifting off. It had been two days since she'd last seen any of her new friends and Karen's words kept itching at her brain before she opted to ignore them. She’d had a few texts from Foggy checking in with her and thankfully she hadn't seen or heard from Matt at all. It was peaceful.

"That rat bastard! He's making a mockery of me, he's not even hiding it!" Mrs Grimes finally snapped. Daphne had sensed it was coming. She chose not to respond, not knowing what to say. Usually she would say a few mildly comforting words to her clients but Mrs Grimes wasn't heartbroken, she was just pissed at the blatant disrespect. Daphne couldn't blame her. Mrs Grimes stood abruptly, stalking over to the cabinet and pouring some drinks. She didn't ask Daphne, but as the glass full of alcohol that was no doubt the same price as a month of rent was placed in front of her, she didn't argue as she took a large pull from it. It was smoother than what she was used to but she wasn’t surprised since this wasn't the bottom shelf shit she was used to.

Mrs Grimes sat back down gracefully despite her building anger. She took a sip of her drink and looked like she was thinking things over. Daphne just waited patiently as she enjoyed her moment with the fancy scotch.

"I want revenge," the older woman said after a moment. Her voice was calm like it was the most casual thing in the world.

"Oh?" Daphne quirked her brows, curious where this was going. 

"He's making a fool of me and blatantly so. I want a divorce but there’s also another way to hurt him," Mrs Grimes mused softly. Daphne settled deeper into the chair, her curiosity burning.

"My husband has always kept the business from me, said I didn't need to be involved. But over the many years with him I've learned some things and he has no idea," she paused to take another sip of her drink. 

"My husband is a man in power. His job allows him access to a lot of private client information that in the wrong hands would be… catastrophic. But he's also a greedy leech, and I found out a few years ago that the Italian mob had been paying him. He's been selling clients information to them. Some of them would go bankrupt and others...well they just vanished, never to be seen of again. I think we're smart enough women to figure out where they went," she muttered tensely. The bottom of the Hudson no doubt. 

"Why are you telling me this?" Daphne asked bluntly. Mrs Grimes chuckled at her, seemingly enjoying the no nonsense approach Daphne often had.

"He's a criminal, assisting worse criminals to boot. I could take him down, get him locked away. His name would be tarnished and he'd have nothing left. After I divorced him obviously," she said carefully.

"Do you have proof?" Daphne enquired. Honestly, this was pretty big. The kind of thing Brett would like to hear. Mr Grimes would know all kinds of information they could use to try and get the Italians.

Mrs Grimes heaved a sigh and crossed a leg over the other.

"Not here. We have another house, he's stayed there more and more over the years and now I rarely see him. That's where he'd keep it all, in his study," she explained. Daphne pursed her lips. Another house? These fucking people.

"Can't you go and get it?" She asked pointedly. They couldn't do anything without that information and sending the cops to go and search would be useless. They'd need a warrant and she knew that would be difficult when it came to a powerful and wealthy man like Mr Grimes, who could easily pay people to sweep it all away. 

"Can I be frank with you, Ms Weaver?" She asked seriously. Daphne nodded, as if they'd been anything but during this unexpected conversation. 

"He's already taken the other house over. He has security and if I turned up they'd send me away. They have no respect. That's how I know where all his shady business goes down because I'm forbidden to go in there. I think he knows I know something. And I worry if I tried to force my way in, it wouldn't end well for me. All he'd need to do is say the word to the criminals he associates with and I'll be gone," she muttered bitterly. It did sound promising though that there was something in the other house worth hiding from his wife.

"How do we get it then? You're forbidden and it's heavily guarded, there'll be no chance," Daphne sighed. 

"That's where you come in," the older woman grinned. Daphne resisted the urge to roll her eyes and groan. Of course it was.

"My husband is throwing a ball next week, I'm not invited of course, but it's given us a way to get you in. It's mostly upper-class, no doubt some of the Italians, god knows who else. I can pull some strings, get you on the guest list. You can just say you're from a well-off family, no one will really care. But once you're in, you can try to get to his study and get what we need," she explained. Daphne was mildly impressed. It was a sneaky plan. But she also didn't like her part in it.

She stayed silent for a moment as she ran through the options. It was the only plan really, they didn't have another. She gave no shits about Mrs Grimes petty revenge on her husband but she did care about the Italians and this was another way in. That was the only reason why she was considering something like this when it could very seriously go ass upwards. Mrs Grimes watched her carefully as she mulled it over in her head.

"I know it's dangerous, which is precisely why I'm not turning up there. I will pay you handsomely for doing this and I know you can see it through," she pressed on. She scribbled something down on a piece of paper before sliding it to her. Daphne's eyes bugged out of her head for a moment as she saw how much the woman was going to pay her. Maybe it wasn't much since this was her life on the line if things went wrong but $8000 was a huge amount of money. She didn't really need it. She wasn't one for material things and she was fine how she was. She had a steady income that paid her well. She thought back to something Karen had said in passing the night she came over and it was similar to something Foggy had complained about numerous times to her. 

Daphne blew out a sigh, downing the rest of her drink.

"I have a counter offer," she proposed, a stern look on her face. Mrs Grimes nodded to hear it.

"I'm risking my ass by going in there. I have history with the Italians and one slip up, I'm bleeding among sharks. If I do this for you, then when you get the divorce, you hire Nelson and Murdock for it. You pay them the same amount you were going to pay me. And if you like their services, which I'm sure you will, you'll recommend them to your friends. But just so you know, they won't represent genuinely bad people, so be careful who you send there," she gave the older woman an expectant look unsure of what she should say. 

"I know you would have gone to some fancy ass lawyer to get it done but these guys are good and they care about their job. So much so that most of the time they take on cases for barely any money or none at all. They need that money and you need the evidence. That's my only offer," she added with a stern face. She could have taken it for herself, but why? She didn't care about it. But Foggy, Karen and even reluctantly Matt did care. She hated how despondent Foggy would get when he worried about the firm. How they were in the negatives. How he wasn't sure how much longer they'd be able to stay open. They couldn't even afford to pay Karen which is what led her to the Bulletin in the first place. And while she didn't like Matt and she'd never seen him or Foggy in action, she'd heard nothing but great things and praise about them at the station. Not everyone had money for a decent attorney, but that didn't matter to them. Everyone deserved that help. She had a chance to help with that and she was running with it. 

"Deal," Mrs Grimes settled with a nod. Daphne was a little shocked by how easy it was but then again she guessed she really wanted to nail her husband to the wall. She leaned over shaking hands with her before she grabbed her backpack and got ready to leave.

"Here. This is what I owe you from the investigation you already did. And I’ll pay for you to get a dress for the ball so you don’t stand out too much," she handed her $1000 in cash and Daphne stuffed it into her bag, watching as the woman scribbled something down on a small piece of paper. 

"I'd recommend these stores. Tell them I sent you in and it’ll be taken care of. It's a very grand affair, tell them it's a ball and they'll pick some things for you to try. I'll also put you down with a plus one on the guestlist. It might be a little less… conspicuous if you took someone with you," she murmured, gesturing to Daphne's purple hair. She squinted in slight offense but took the piece of paper anyway and put it in her hoodie pocket. 

Once again the driver had been instructed to take her home. She opted for him to drop her off down the street. Now she knew the Italians were involved in this somehow, she didn't want to chance people knowing where she lived. She didn't know if Mr Grimes was having his wife monitored or not. When she did finally arrive home, she was hot and tired. The sun was glaring through her large window by the fire escape and she opened it letting in some air since she didn't have AC. She kicked off her boots and lay on her back on the couch. She tried to run through how the night at the ball would go but there were far too many variables. She just had to hope for the best. It should be busy and filled with self important people who wouldn't think about looking into who she was too closely. Once they were all distracted, she could slip away and leave, hopefully without incident. 

She thought back to Mrs Grimes' advice on bringing someone and she grumbled. It would make her look less noticeable and if she was alone there was every chance guys may approach her to talk. She wanted to slip under the radar as much as possible. Having a date would fix that but she had no one. She wouldn't ask Foggy. Not only because he was in a relationship and it was weird even as friends, but because of how dangerous it was. She refused to ask Brett. She decided not to tell him about the intel she had until she got the proof. He wouldn't approve of her doing this and if the cops got involved prematurely then the evidence would get destroyed. Mrs Grimes would also most likely disappear and she refused to have the death of another client weigh on her conscience. 

The only person that kept coming to mind was Matt and she hated it. He would be perfect. The unassuming blind man, no one would suspect them. He also had his super senses that would prove to be incredibly useful and if things got hairy she knew he'd have her back. It would risk him exposing himself if it really came to it and he had to fight but that was the worst case scenario. She really just didn't want to speak to him though. The last time they spoke had really pissed her off and she'd been enjoying the peace of him not being around lately. Did she really want to disrupt that? As useful as he would be by her side, she didn't want to do that to herself. They'd have to blend in as a couple, dancing and being nice to each other. She didn't need the headache. 

She came to the conclusion she was better off going on her own and saving herself future annoyance when it came to the vigilante. She lay on her sofa for a little while just too tired to move. She wasn't sleeping much at all and she'd found herself going to Fogwell's gym everyday the last two days to take her frustration out on the punching bag. She always made sure to go at a time when Matt didn't tend to go so she didn't run into him. She wondered how long it would be before she burnt herself out completely.

A rhythmic knock sounded at her door that let her know it was Foggy. He usually did a weird little knock when he came to see her.

"Come in," she called from where she lay. The door opened and she glanced at the door as Foggy walked in.

"What is this? You're just too lazy to open the door and greet me now? That hurts," he pouted. She laughed but made no move to get up as he waltzed over and flopped into the armchair. 

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr Nelson?" She yawned softly into her hand.

"A weird thing just happened. We got a phone call from a Mrs Grimes, a real wealthy woman. She asks us to help her with her divorce. Her husband's a cheat and into some illegal things apparently. She says someone recommended us to her. She paid us $4000 dollars up front with another when it's all over with. $4000! Can you believe that?!" Foggy asked incredulously. 

"That's a lot of money," she murmured in agreement.

"Yeah… funny thing though, Karen seemed to recognise her name. Mrs Grimes is the name of your client and her cheaty illegal husband is the guy you've been spying on…" he trailed off, waiting for her answer.

"Small world, huh?" She smiled at him.

"Seriously? You think I don't know you had something to do with this giant heap of good luck?" He scoffed. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes a little before settling into a sitting position.

"Fine, you got me. She wants some extras for her case and offered me a lot of money. Money I don't need but I know you guys do. So I made a deal with her that you'd be her lawyers and she'd pay what she would have given me," she explained. Foggy still looked stunned and he shook his head.

"What does she need you to do that costs that much?" He asked bewildered. She sighed, wiping a hand down her face wearily.

"Oh god, is it that bad?" He asked hesitantly.

"Kinda. But since I just practically gave $8000 to keep your firm in practice, I expect no lectures from you when you hear it," she asserted with a raised brow. He nodded reluctantly, not able to argue with her. 

"The illegal stuff she said about her husband? He's in bed with the Italians. He sells them client information. She said that some of them ended up bankrupt and some just went 'missing'," she did air quotes and Foggy's jaw gaped a little.

"Holy shit," he breathed.

"She wants to get back at him for cheating. She said he humiliated her with how blatant he was about it. She wants to expose him, get him locked up but she needs proof and she wants me to get it. It's a whole complicated thing… but yeah. I'll be going to a ball Mr Grimes is throwing next week undercover and I need to sneak into his office at some point and look for proof. Some of the Italians might be there and who knows who else so I'll be dressed up and acting as a rich bitch," she blew out a breath after her attempt at explaining. 

Foggy blinked at her for a moment.

"I really want to tell you that this is a bad idea and you shouldn't go. But I agreed no lectures and you did just basically help us keep our doors open at the firm. But I will say that I'm worried. Very worried," he muttered tensely. 

"I'm honestly nervous too. But if it goes well then I'll be fine. I'll be extra careful and if it seems too hairy then I'll get out of there. I promise," she reassured. She meant it too. Mrs Grimes refused to go herself because of the risk so she'd get it if she had to duck out and try something else. 

"Okay�� I guess I'll just have to accept that," he said reluctantly. She was happy he wasn't fighting her on this because it was already stressing her out.

"And you can't tell Matt," she pointed at him. He frowned deeply and sighed.

"What do you mean I can't tell Matt? He was there when Karen made the connection, you don't think he's gonna be curious about the amount of money?" He asked incredulously.

"Just tell him it was what she was paying me for the normal investigation. She's got more money than sense. He'll have to believe that. I really don't need him butting in with this, not when Mrs Grimes already thinks I should take someone with me to the ball," she huffed.

"Okay now I'm just confused. Wouldn't Matt be the perfect person to take with you?" He asked with furrowed brows.

"If he wasn't a dick then yeah," she glowered. Foggy nodded, leaning forward with his arms on his knees as he looked at her.

"I don't know what went down after I left the other day, but this feels way worse than normal and I don't like it,"he mumbled forlornly. She rubbed her temples and raked her teeth over her lower lip as she stayed silent. 

"Was it what he said? About Mr Lee?" He questioned gently. She'd almost forgotten he'd been there for that remark. Her lips stayed firmly sealed as she glared at the coffee table, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Talk to me, Daph. You and Matt are both my friends and it's hard being in the middle like this. He's done nothing but mope around doing his Catholic guilt thing since you last saw him and you seem miserable. I care about you. I'm not gonna sit here and force you to like him or even spend time with him, but I want you to talk to me," he implored. She took a deep breath, mulling over if she should tell him. But he’d wore her down and she found her mouth opening anway.

"His words really cut me deep. They hurt me and I didn't expect that. We've said a lot of shit to each other since we met but that was just… it was cruel. And I get it, he was scared and he lashed out. He said sorry and I actually believe him. But I'm mad at myself. I'm mad because I let him in somehow without realising it. I gave him the power to hurt me with his words. I'm mad because somewhere along the way something changed and I actually care about what he thinks of me," she whispered without looking at him. She almost felt ashamed to get it all out, lay it all on the table. But Foggy wasn't Matt. Being vulnerable around him wouldn't get her hurt.

Foggy scratched his chin, looking at her sadly. 

"I wanna say something and I don't want you to interrupt... I think that maybe you need to come to terms with the fact that feelings are involved in this thing with Matt," he started. She opened her mouth to protest but he shot her a look, promptly snapping her mouth closed. 

"You both can deny it until you're blue in the face, but it's there. It's always been intense with you two. Since the moment you met, up 'til now. No matter what emotion it is, it's strong. And there's a fine line between love and hate," he added.

"I don't love Matt!" She protested, unable to keep quiet at that ridiculous notion.

"Maybe not love. Not yet. But something. You both get under each other's skin so easy because you both care about what the other says. You get hurt when he's genuinely been a dick and he's hurt because he knows he's hurt you. I get it's weird and complicated with you both. And now there's intense sex thrown into the mix and its all blurry. But at some point you two stopped being mere annoyances to each other and denying it is just making things worse," he frowned. She clenched her jaw, really not wanting to be part of this conversation. 

"Matt's been through so much in his life. Like a rigorous amount of bullshit and I sometimes don't know how he keeps going. And he's lost a lot of people one way or another. He shields himself because he's scared. He doesn't wanna get hurt again. But you… I think you got to him. I think you chipped at the armor he wears and that terrifies him. So his only way of dealing with it is being an asshole to push you away. And something tells me you're exactly the same way," he murmured. 

"You don't know me," she snapped without meaning to. He looked hurt and nodded.

"Fine," he stood up and walked to the door. She scrunched her face up feeling like the worst person ever. Foggy was the last person she ever wanted to hurt and her chest felt tight.

"You know what? No, it's not fine. You're doing it right now and I'm not biting!" He frowned, whirling  back around and pointing a finger at her. She lowered her head like a scolded child but took it because she deserved it.

"I'm not saying you guys are in love or that anything will come out of it. But I know my best friend more than anyone and I know when someone's affecting him. And I've seen it with you two from the start, even if you both refuse to admit it. But what I'm saying is that maybe it's time you both just stop. Stop with the angst and the bullshit because you're only hurting yourselves. Try to be friends or something. Anything’s better than this endless loop you're both on," he groused and she stood up to face him.

"I'm not like you, Foggy. I can't just… I don't know how to connect with someone. The only way we became friends was because it's you. You just have this way about you and it's so easy to be around you. And I've tried with Matt, I've shared things with him, personal things and he threw them back in my face. So yeah, maybe I do shut down and I'm not easy to be around for him but it's because he makes it impossible. There is no way out of this endless loop. You told me that me and Matt are a lot alike and honestly I think you're right. Which is why it would never work being friends or anything else with him. I know he can be a great guy, I've seen it. But he's not that guy with me," she frowned. 

Foggy hung his head and nodded.

"I just think… if you guys moved past this crap, you could make each other really happy. But I'll drop it," he relented. She stayed silent as her emotions were all over the place. She didn't know what to think any more. 

"We're all going to Josie's tomorrow night to celebrate the money thing. Karen really wanted you to come as a thank you… but no pressure," he murmured quietly.

He gave her a hug before he saw himself out and she just stood there for a moment. She couldn't help but think back to what Karen said and how similar it was. She had no idea why people seemed to think there was something there with them both when they couldn't even manage to be friends. They were both hard headed and stubborn and lashed out when someone got too close. That wouldn't make anyone happy. But she couldn't deny the fact that Foggy had some points that rang true. Because it had turned into something somewhere along the way. If it hadn't then she wouldn't have been hurt by his words and she would have brushed them off like so many times before. Maybe feelings were involved but she had no idea which ones. She wasn't used to having them.

[anna-justice]

Bulletproof -  Brettsey

Summary: When a routine call goes sideways, Sylvie is caught in the crossfire.

Warnings: Mentions of blood and gore, gun violence…

Requested: No

…

Matt sat in the waiting room of Med, his turn out coat abandoned in the chair next to him. The energy in the room was hectic, chaotic even. Not too far away, Severide sat with his arm wrapped around a panicked Stella. Herrmann was asking the desk nurse for updates every five seconds accompanied by Cruz while Ritter and Gallo shared a hushed conversation. Mouch was seated next to Chief Boden, both of them sharing the sae far off look. All of firehouse 51’s second shift was there, waiting anxiously.

As Matt watched his friends and colleagues worry, all he could think was that all of this was his fault.

…

3 hours earlier

…

Sylvie sat at the common room dining table with Cruz, they were discussing his ideas for future marketing for the slammigan. She listened intently, she had been a part of the project since the beginning.

They were interrupted by the bells ringing, “Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Multi-vehicle accident. East Main and Mulwood.” Everyone sprung into action, heading to the rigs. Mullins, her most recent partner, was already in the driver's seat when Sylvie arrived, so she jumped in and they followed squad 3 to the accident.

When they arrived the scene was buzzing. There were people everywhere, some from involved cars, others just trying to find out what was going on. Matt scanned the damage, assessing in his head. His focus was immediately pulled to a car with the entire front folded in on itself. He motioned for Severide to follow him. There was a victim in the drivers seat that was unconscious and had a gushing head wound, they needed to get him out as soon as possible.

Sylvie watched her captain’s next move, trying to guess if would need her assistance or not. Assuming her duties as PIC, she had instructed Mullins to check on the victims from the fender bender at the back of the crash, they just had a few scrapes and bruises that she knew she could handle on her own.

Matt turned to Severide, “We aren’t going to be able to get him out of the front.”

Severide nodded and turned to Cruz, instructing him to garb Brett and a backboard.

Matt reached the back of the SUV, lifting the trunk. When he opened it he found duffle bags, duffle bags full of money. “Severide! We’ve got a situation…” He said, turning around. But before he could even realize what was going on, a blur of blonde hair rushed in front of him. There was a loud pop and the figure in front of him screamed, falling back.

“Brett!” Someone called and Matt jumped into action, the initial shock wearing off. He lowered Sylvie gently to the ground, “Mullins get over here!” Everyone was rushing around him, but his focus was entirely on her. The bottom left corner of her shirt was dark red and Matt quickly discarded his dirty gloves to apply pressure.

He checked her pulse and felt a slow thud against his fingers. At least she was alive. “Sylvie?” He asked in a panicked voice. “Mullins! Help!” He screamed, unaware that she was already nearing them.

There were other paramedics as well and Matt was pulled away, forced to watch her bleed from afar. After what seemed like forever, they had her stabilized enough to move. Matt followed them, insisting that he ride with her. Once they pulled away from the scene, he wrapped his hand around hers and fought back the tears. Matt wasn’t usually an emotional guy, but Sylvie Brett, the woman he had been in love with for months, was shot.

…

Matt’s knee bounced as he waited. He still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. All he knew is that Sylvie was shot and he froze. He was rendered useless, he couldn’t move. Hell, he could barely breathe. He watched her bleed from the bullet that she had taken for him.

It wasn’t hard to put together. Obviously the victim that they were trying to get to had been involved in a robbery, but he wasn’t expecting there to be a second guilty party. Matt had found the money, Matt called Severide over, Matt was the one with the gun pointed at him. But Sylvie jumped in front of him.

When Hallie died he would have traded places with her in a heartbeat, to save her. When Gabby was a candidate, he was terrified every call of him coming out of whatever building was burning and her not. He would give anything to go back in time and make sure that Sylvie was far away from the danger that he didn’t even know was coming. He saved people, it was his thing, but she had saved him and now she could possibly pay for it with her life.

Herrmann walked back to the group looking defeated, he had struck out on finding any new information once again. He sat down next to Matt, leaning forward onto his knees so they were at the same eye level. “It wasn’t your fault.” He said.

Matt clenched his jaw, Herrmann said that like he hadn’t spent the last three hours trying to convince himself. However, every time he comes back to the same conclusion: the bullet in Sylvie’s stomach was meant for him. Despite his internal feelings, Matt nodded, wanting to spare himself the continued conversation.

It wasn’t a secret that he loved the thrill of fire fighting, everyday was different and everyday brought a new challenge, but he had fallen into a pattern of expecting the next day to arrive. You would think that at this point he wouldn’t assume that everyone would make it home everyday, but Matt and his foolish optimism forgot that some days. Today was a terrible reminder of that and he was convinced that if Sylvie didn’t make it, that his world would in fact stop turning. If there was no Sylvie, there was no tomorrow.

The realization hit him like an 18-wheeler. He had spent the last few months waiting for the right moment to tell her, ever since she came back to Chicago. There were so many times that he almost did: Cruz’s wedding, the night that she opened the letter from her birth mother, the day he drove her to Rockford. But everytime he convinced himself it was too soon and that he didn’t need that dropped on her on top of everything else, especially now that Julie was gone.

Maybe it was selfish or inconsiderate, but Matt vowed to himself that he was going to tell her the next time that he got the chance. If he got the chance.

Several agonizingly long hours later, he looked up to see Dr. Halstead walking towards him. He stood immediately. “Hey guys,”Will sighed out, glancing at all the anxious looking firefighters. “Sylvie is going to be fine, they removed the bullet with little complication. She’s been sleeping off the anesthetic for a few hours now and Matt, she’s asking to see you.” He explained. Matt’s head shot up at the sound of his name. “You can follow me.”

Without hesitation, Matt followed Will to her room, shamelessly rushing inside. He stopped at the sight in front of him, there were tubes coming out of her arm and several monitors attached to her. She gave him a week smile, “You’re okay.” She said.

Sylvie let out a breath when she saw him, he was fine. Even though she was very aware of the fact that she kept him from getting shot, she had no clue what happened after she passed out just a few moments later.

“Yeah Sylvie, I’m fine.” He scoffed, moving to stand by her side. “What were you thinking?”

Sylvie shrugged to the best of her ability, “He was going to shoot you.”

Matt shook his head and grabbed her hand, “He shot you. Sylvie you could’ve--”

“But I didn’t.” She said, squeezing his hand. “Look at me Matt,” She ordered and Matt looked at her, eyes glassy. Sylvie’s heart leaped out of her chest his broken expression. “I’m fine.”

“If you had-I would never have been able to forgive myself.” He admitted, gripping her hand for dear life. “Please, next time let me take it.” Sylvie laughed, “Contrary to popular belief, you aren’t bulletproof, Matt Casey.”

Matt smiled, and leaned to run his fingers through her hair. “Neither are you, Sylvie Brett.”

“I don’t know, I think I handled it pretty well.” Matt laughed along with her brushed his thumb over her cheek.

Sylvie’s breath caught in her throat at his actions. She realized that taking a bullet for the man you loved was probably not the most effective way to convey your feelings, but she was praying that it worked. “I need you to promise me that you will never do anything that stupid again.”

Sylvie sighed, taking a leap of faith. “I will never promise not to protect you if I can.”

Matt’s heart skipped a beat at her words and his eyes flickered between her eyes and her lips. Throwing caution to the win he leaned down to press his lips to hers, it was gentle ad perfect and better than anything he could ever have imagined. He pulled away slowly, beaming at her eyes fluttering open. “Did that convince you?” He smirked.

Sylvie cinched her eyebrows together, “I don’t know, I might need a little more persuasion.” Matt oblige, lowering his lips to hers again, this time with a little more passion. Sylvie reached up and threaded her fingers in his hair and Matt sat on her bed to steady himself, his hand resting on her cheek. When they finally came up for air, Matt leaned his forehead against hers. He reached up and pressed s chaste kiss to it before sitting up. “If I knew getting shot was what it was going to take to get you to kiss me, I would’ve gotten Halstead to hit me with a through and through a long time ago.” She joked.

Matt chuckled but shit her a fake glare, “No, never ever again, I can’t take it.” Their gazes locked once again and Matt uttered the three words that he had been thinking for months now. “I love you, Sylvie.”

Sylvie grinned and reached up, pulling him down to her. “I love you too.” She said, before kissing him with everything she had in her. Which wasn’t much, she had taken a bullet for him and she was sure that he was never going to let her forget it.

…

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing Brettsey, so tell me what you think! I love them together so much and I cannot wait for season 9. Thank you for reading!

[tomthesoftie]

i won’t say i’m in love

a/n: based on the song ‘i wont say im in love’ from hercules,,, this just came to mind because i needed to write something, so i hope you enjoy it... meg is the best disney princess no doubt, after facing all that heartbreak, though 

warnings: fluff, infidelity, pinch of angst, acceptance 

italics are song lyrics

masterlist

If there's a prize for rotten judgement I guess I've already won that No man is worth the aggravation That's ancient history, been there, done that!

Years ago, you dated Brett, an asshole who cheated on you for over half a year. The two of you had been high school sweethearts. You were convinced that you loved each other, especially since he chose to go to the same college as you. Though, that all changed when you had found him in bed with a blonde you’d seen around campus once or twice.

From then on, you had sworn to yourself that you wouldn’t fall in love with anyone else. You walls were up and they weren’t coming down anytime soon. You wouldn’t allow yourself to go down that same path again.

Who'd' ya think you're kiddin' He's the Earth and heaven to you Try to keep it hidden Honey, we can see right through you Girl, ya can't conceal it We know how ya feel and Who you're thinking of

No chance, no way I won't say it, no, no

You swoon, you sigh Why deny it, uh-oh

It's too cliche I won't say I'm in love

Then, you met Tom. He was a sweetheart and treated you with such kindness, you drew into him.

Your best friends could see right through you. Although you were denying it, you were clearly falling for the British brunette.

Once, Tom had entered the room while you were giving a presentation and you began stumbling over your words. The presentation became a flustered mess after his arrival, and to your dismay, Tom sat in front of your seat. For the rest of the class, you sat behind Tom, swooning.

“C’mon, Y/N, it’s so obvious! You like Tom,” one of your best friends, Valentina, teased.

Blushing, you replied, “No, no I don’t.”

I thought my heart had learned its lesson It feels so good when you start out My head is screaming get a grip, girl Unless you're dying to cry your heart out

The day you accepted the fact that you were falling for Tom, you thought back to Brett. In the beginning, Brett treated you like a princess, but in the end he tossed you to the side, as if you were nothing. Tears filled your eyes and you shut out any thoughts of either of the boys.

You keep on denying Who you are and how you're feeling Baby, we're not buying Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling Face it like a grown-up When ya gonna own up That ya got, got, got it bad

Valentina and Erza didn’t believe a single denial you’d told them. They were glad to see you opening your heart to someone new. It was quite obvious that your crush on Tom wasn’t going to end anytime soon. 

“You’re going to have to face the reality someday, Y/N/N,” they explained as you walked to your next lecture.

“I can wait,” you picked up your pace, walking farther away from the two.

“You’ve got to own up to it,” Erza said, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Yeah, you’ve got it bad,” Valentina appeared by your side once again. 

No chance, no way I won't say it, no, no

Give up, give in Check the grin you're in love

This scene won't play, I won't say I'm in love

“No chance, no way,” you shook your head in denial, “I won’t confess anything.”

“Give up, it’s so obvious. The grin on your face is practically screaming ‘I’m in love,’” Erza rolled her eyes.

“Nope,” you dashed to your lecture, leaving Erza to laugh by herself.

You're doin' flips read our lips You're in love

You're way off base I won't say it

She won't say she's in love

Get off my case I won't say it

Girl, don't be proud It's O.K. you're in love At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love

Days turned to weeks, that turned into months. Valentina and Erza wouldn’t stop bothering you about Tom. You tried to get them to believe they were wrong, but they wouldn’t give up. You had to block out any romantic thoughts of Tom, knowing you would fall even harder.

“Hi, Y/N. Valentina and Erza, is that their names?” Tom approached you, and you nodded in response, “They told me you wanted to hang out some time, kind of like a date.” The two of you were blushing.

“Uhm, if you want, but can we take it slow?”

“Yeah, of course,” he rubbed the back of his neck, letting a curl fall in front of his forehead, “See you in class?”

“Yeah, see you,” you smiled gently.

You finally allowed yourself to accept that you were in love, but you wouldn’t say it out loud.

[demivampirew]

Keep Calm and Go to London chapter 44

Previous Chapters in the masterlist

Triggers: (fluff overload (?) ); crying (happy tears, though), talking about work related long distance relationship; talking about drug abuse and alcoholism and murder (related to a movie role); anxiety and talking about past break up.

Tag list: @mary-ann84​  @yespolkadotkitty​ @constip8merm8​ @iloveyouyen​  @wondersofdreaming​ @alyxkbrl​ @solariumss​  @sweetybuzz25​ @thethirstyarchive​ @agniavateira​   @honeyloverogers​ @hell1129-blog​   @lunedelorient​​  @michelle-1185​​  @madbaddic7ed​​     @summersong69​​ @kaatelyyynn​​ @henrythickcavill​ @wolvesandhoundshowltogether​ @desperate-and-broken​ @peakygroupie​  @ivvitm1109​  @the-soot-sprite @whyyoudothistomecavill @thevelvetseries @thetaoofzoe @thereisa8ella @darkbooksarwin​

Ticking tocking like a bomb Throws me back to when I had you closer Skin to skin we get it on Without the love I feel you going bolder You can promise castle, treasures, babies I don't care 'Cause right now you're just enough for me I want you near Like a fairytale to feel your breath right on my neck You remember what I love so baby take me back Turn down the lights down low and kiss me in the dark 'Cause when you're touching me baby I see sparks You make my heart go You You, you make my heart go You You, you make my heart go

To the rhythm of Hillary Duff's Sparks, you dance around the Airbnb as you cleaned the place. It was your free day from the set, so you decided to spent it the best way you could. Time truly flies in an incredible speed, at a moment you and Henry were kissing when the clock hit midnight and it was officially the new year and next you were back on London; he went back to The Witcher set and you soon got into another plane going to Washington when your next project was set to film.

Not only a month had passed since the last time you were together in the same place, but also Valentine's Day was around the corner. This was going to be your first celebration together as a couple, but unfortunately, you would have to settle for a zoom celebration. So you needed some cheerful music to lift your mood.

On the bright side, you finally got what you've always wanted since you started to act: be in a movie with Meryl Streep. She was beyond lovely and she was mentoring you a lot about acting and the film industry. You had a vast experience when it came to the music industry, but film was still quite new to you even if you have acquired a reputation there as well - all those big awards you got from your previous roles and a big fanbase was a powerful combination for success when it came to movies. As for music, you were a great musician with lots of fans but it wasn't that what made you a force to be reckoned with; it was the fact that the songs and albums you wrote and produced were all complete successes; you 'discover' some of the biggest selling artists and you made a lot of money for the rich bastards that control the industry which made you irreplaceable for them.

Another thing that you loved about this project, besides working with Meryl and the script that was quite interesting and gave you a lot of space to grow as an actor, was the fact that you got to work again with your friend Anne Hathaway.

She was a big part of your rise to success. She was your co-star on your first movie role that you seek even in you had no previous experience in acting, but thankfully the director saw something in you, especially good chemistry between the two of you since her character and yours were lovers caught in a toxic relationship due to your character's drug abuse and alcoholism which ended up with your character in jail for killing her lover. That role landed you your first big award which got you quite a prestige: your first role and you won an Oscar for it.

You were preparing lunch while dancing to Blackpink's DDU-DU DDU-DU when the doorbell rang. It was Anne who arrived to have lunch with you.

- Hi, babe! How are you?- you greeted her. Even if you were in the same movie, you did not share many scenes, so you mostly hang out outside the set. - Hi, sweetie! I'm great, you? I brought your favourite dessert! -she replied handing you a bag with pastries.

- Good. Thank you so much, you shouldn't have bothered!- you told her as you closed the door and walked to the living room.

Hanging out with her was as easy as breathing. When you're famous, more often than not you have to be careful with the things you shared about your life because you never knew who could be trusted to keep information private. It would often happen the someone, even if doing it unconsciously, they could share personal information that you did not want out there. With Anne, that wasn't an issue. She could be trusted and she was a loving friend who would listen and give great advice.

After a long conversation about work and her family, you shared with her that you were missing Henry more than you should. That in the past weeks you were experiencing a lot of anxiety because you feared that this time apart would Henry decide on ending things with you like he did a few months before, because he thought it was the best and because he couldn't handle the distance between you two and that was hard for you too. Anne shared her own struggles with being apart from her husband and her child for work. "It's never going to be easy to be apart, but it gets bearable with time," she told you, "if your love is pure, nothing will stand in the way of you two," she assured you.

Anne was one of the few friends who know about your struggle with coming with a decision about having children. What you liked about talking with her about that subject, was that she did not try to sugarcoat the struggles of being a mother. She opened her heart and talked freely about the issues she would have sometimes, but at the end of the day, her son meant the world to her.

During and after dinner you continue the chat, laughing as if you were two teenagers. Friendship is a powerful antidote for heartache and being homesick.

After she left, you picked up the phone and realized that you missed the chance to have your good night call with Henry, because of the time difference and the fact that he went earlier to bed because he needed to be up at 3 am for work. He had not called because when you didn't reply to his texts he realized that you still were busy hanging out with Anne. He promised that you would talk the next day, leaving you his wishes for you to have fun and assuring you that he loved you deeply. You sighed, sad to know that you would have to wait to talk to him and to be honest, anxious that he might have thoughts again that you should be apart because of the lack of time to be together.

You sat on the couch and opened your Instagram account to see what was going on with your friends. As soon as you opened the app, you saw that Henry had shared something on his stories. You clicked on the icon of his profile picture to see it: he shared four photos of you and every single picture was accompanied by the lyrics of a fragment of a song.

In the first photo, in which you were kissing his cheek and he was laughing because of the tingles, he chose the song Die A Happy Man by Thomas Rhett " You're a saint, you're a goddess, the cutest, the hottest, a masterpiece. It's too good to be true, nothing better than you. In my wildest dreams. And I know that I can't ever tell you enough. That all I need in this life is your crazy love. If I never get to see the Northern lights. Or if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower at night. Oh if all I got is your hand in my hand. Baby I could die a happy man yeah".

In the next one, he was the one kissing your cheek while your hand touched his face. The song he selected for this was She's Everything to Me by Bradley Presley "She's the voice I love to hear. Someday when I'm ninety. She's that wooden rocking chair. I want rocking right beside me. Every day that passes. I only love her more. Yeah, she's the one. That I'd lay down my own life for. And she's everything I ever wanted. And everything I need. She's everything to me. Yeah, she's everything to me. Everything I ever wanted. And everything I need. She's everything to me."

The third one was one of you hugging Kal and the chosen song was In Case You Didn't Know by Brett Young "In case you didn't know, Baby I'm crazy 'bout you. And I would be lying if I said, that I could live this life without you. Even though I don't tell you all the time. You had my heart a long, long time ago. In case you didn't know, you've got all of me, I belong to you. Yeah you're my everything".

The final photo was the one of your New Year's kiss, taken by his nephew Thomas - of course, as most teenage boys he reacted like it was too cheesy, but he took it in exchange of your promise that you'll reward him with an autograph of one of his favourite musicians, Slash, who you knew. The song he paired it with was You Make It Easy by Jason Aldean. "Yeah I'm down for life, you got me wrapped around your finger. And I like it just in case you can't tell. You make it easy. Lovin' up on you. Make it easy. With every little thing you do. You're my sunshine in the darkest days. My better half, my saving grace. You make me who I wanna be. You make it easy. Stealin' kisses undercover babe. I see forever when I see your face. And I swear God made you for me".

You were on tears and with a huge smile that made your face hurt. Anne was right, your love was pure and there was nothing it could destroy it, not even distance.

[cracked-pean]

In Case You Didn’t Know

Characters: Derek Hale, Female! Reader, Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall, Allison Argent, Lydia Martin, and Slight Mention of Melissa McCall.

Word Count: 2,238

Warnings: None. Just Fluffy stuff.

Masterlist

A/N: This is one of my favorite songs and I couldn’t help myself. Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave your thoughts and feedback.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

The party was in full swing. Allison and Scott in the middle of the dance floor with a Stiles that looked like he was on a sugar high, and Lydia and Malia dancing together beside them. Everyone was gathered together to celebrate the happy couple on their wedding day. Allison and Scott had only been engaged for a few months but couldn't wait till next year.

[Y/N] had just stepped out of the crowd to go to the bar and get a drink. She turned around to face the venue and let out a happy sigh. Everything had been so beautiful, from the reception, to the decorations, to the cake. [Y/N] wasn't a fan of the whole wedding thing. Mainly because she just never had any luck in the love department and the one person she had eyes for was not here.

"What you got there?"

A voice to her right spoke. She glanced down at her drink, "It's a- you know what, I don't know," she chuckled. "Whatever it is it's st-" she glanced to the stranger and was taken by surprise.

"Oh my god, Derek," she quickly set the drink down and embraced the man.

"I thought you weren't gonna make it. They all said you wouldn't," he returned the action and gave a laugh.

"As if I was gonna miss this celebration and reunion."

The gang had all been busy. Stiles was in Virginia,  Quantico to be exact in the FBI. Lydia was off at MIT. Malia took off the second she graduated, apparently she finally got to go to France. Allison and Scott went to school together, got their degrees and somewhere in between got engaged. With Scott being alpha, he couldn't leave the town unprotected. So, Allison being the best that she was stayed behind with him. [Y/N] had stayed in Beacon Hills as well. With her helping run her family's restaurant, she couldn't be happier. As for Derek. He had gone back to New York, needing a new change in scenery. To say it's been a long time since they all were together was an understatement. It had been 3 years. With the distance and busy lives they lived, they still managed to stay in contact and act as if nothing ever changed. She saw the couple almost everyday, with them having to walk past the restaurant to and from work and the occasional dine-ins. Sometimes they went out on their days off together and had a few drinks.

[Y/N] pulled away from him with a grin on her face, "Wow. When did you get here? Have you seen the guys yet?"

"Haven't been here long, just a few minutes, I saw you near by and made my way over. And no I haven't." She blushed at that.

"Well, we'll have to change that. C'mon let's go to them," she gulped down the last of her drink and grabbed his hand to lead him through the crowd.

Wasn't long for the group of friends to notice [Y/N] and the person trailing behind, "DEREK!" They all greeted him with hugs and smiles.

They spent a good while dancing together until they decided to take a break at their nearby table. They all conversated about what they had been doing in the last few years, making jokes and laughing at some crazy story Stiles was telling about his co-worker, Spencer.

After a while, [Y/N] decided to get everyone a few shots and made her way to the bar. As she waited for her order, she began nodding along to the music and mouthing the words.

"Thank you," [Y/N] took the circled tray and turned to walk back to the table, only to almost bump into Scott's mom.

"Shit, sorry Melissa."

"Wow, got enough there?"

[Y/N] laughed and motioned to the table near the front, "I hope so. It's for that crazy lot I call friends."

"Ah, of course," a smile with a small pat on the shoulder from her, [Y/N] excused herself and made way back.

"Alright guys, this round is on me," she said happily as she set the drinks down on the table.

"[Y/N/N], this is already paid for," Scott mentioned.

"Shh, let me have this," she shushed him.

-

Time had flown by. It was nearing the end of the party and people began to leave little by little.

[Y/N] was off to the side at a nearby table talking to a few folks while swaying a bit to the soft songs playing. Her back was towards the others so she didn't notice the glance Derek threw her way with a smile.

The man always had a soft spot for her. He would never admit his feelings towards her to himself. Always thought she didn't feel the same, and was scared of getting close to her. Back then they had a totally different lifestyle. With him trying to figure himself out as to what he wanted to do with his life, all the bad guys they had to face and it just not being a good time to get close to anyone like that. The male just suppressed the feelings. That's why he left for New York. Time away gave him a sense of direction to figuring out what he wanted and who he wanted to be with. Derek realized that he shouldn't let other things stop him from his happiness. He wanted to have a life, build a family and just be surrounded by his friends again. He wanted [Y/N] by his side through it all.

Lydia took a small glance at Derek noticing his gaze was not focused on the conversation going on at the table. She followed his gaze and a smile grew on her face. [Y/N]. Those two. The redhead silently grabbed everyone else's attention and nodded her head to what she was referring to. They all playfully rolled their eyes at them. A fond smile was plastered on the former alpha's face.

Lydia, being the one she was, decided to take the lead. She gently placed a hand on the man's arm.

Derek snapped out of his trance and followed to who the arm led to. He made eye contact with the banshee and then realized the whole table was looking at him.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'. You look like a love sick puppy." Stiles spoke.

Derek scoffed, "I do not."

His cousin mimicked the sound, "Yes you do. Why haven't you told her how you feel already?" she questioned.

His eyes grew wide. They knew? That was a dumb question, of course they knew. They knew everything. There was no point in hiding it, the whole group was on to him. He rubbed the back of his neck gently and looked down at his feet. "I don't know. Just haven't I guess."

Lydia took a seat next to him, "You think she doesn't feel the same, but she does," she assured him.

This caught the werewolf's attention. "She does?"

"Yeah dude. We all see the way she looks at you. Heart shaped eyes and all. Same way you look at her," the alpha pointed out.

He glanced back at the girl in time to see her toss her head back in laughter. He smiled.

Suddenly,the familiar tune to Brett Young's 'In Case You Didn't Know' began to play through the speakers.

Allison laughed, "Now if that isn't a sign, I don't know what is," she spoke referring to the song.

Lydia gave his knee a pat, "Go and ask her to dance. It is her favorite song after all."

Derek looked at his friends, all of them giving him a supporting look. He rubbed his clammy hands against his things and took a deep breath. He stood up from his seat and began to make his way to the girl. He could hear the small cheers from his friends as he walked away from them. When he got close, one of her friends made a gesture towards her to look behind her.

Confused, [Y/N] turned only for her to smile at the man in front of her. Derek.

"Hey."

"Hey," his heart was beating rapidly and hard against his chest. He gets the pack were having a laugh at how nervous he is. Now or never. "Would you like to dance?"

Shock with a hint of fear took over her. Dancing. Dancing with a partner was something she couldn't do. Let alone with the man she has had a crush on for years. She'd make a fool of herself.

"I-I can't dance," she said quietly.

He gently took her hand,"It's ok, I'll teach you," and slowly began to lead her away from the table and  to the open floor. 

Donnie shot a look of surprise to her friends as they walked past them, only to be met with smiles, a few winks and a thumbs up from Lydia.

Once on the floor, Derek turns towards her and softly places her left hand on top of his right shoulder, places his right hand on her hip and let's his left grab a hold of her right. They were close in proximity and began to sway to the song.

Derek could hear her heart thumping loudly and leaned his head beside hers. "Relax, you'll be fine. Just follow my lead."

She let out a breathy laugh and nodded, "Right, sorry. First time jitters."

After a few moments of letting her get the pace of the dance, he broke the silence.

"You know why I came back?" He spoke near her ear.

"For Allison and Scott's wedding, right?"

"Yeah, but not just for that," he closed his eyes, "It's because I wanted to see you again."

She froze for a second. Me. She thought. He came back for me? What the hell?

"I don't understand. Why?"

The confusion in her voice made him laugh a little. The next verse in the song was just too perfect and Derek sang along to it.

"Baby I'm crazy 'bout ya,

And I would be lying if I said that I could live this life without you.

Even Though, I don't tell you all the time.

You had my heart a long, long time ago. In case you didn't know."

Tears began to well up in her eyes. No, it couldn't be. She thought. This is too good to be true.

"That smooth motherfucker," Malia spoke.

"Gotta admit that was pretty good," Scott chimed in.

The other three looked between the two. Obviously they were eavesdropping on them. For safety reasons of course.

"What? What did he say?"

"Did he tell her?"

Both Allison and Lydia asked their friends.

"He basically confessed by singing to her the last verse that just played," said with a smile.

Stiles whistled softly, "Damn, who knew he had it in him."

"Derek," [Y/N] said softly.

He just gave her hand a small squeeze.

"I've liked you for a while now. Even when we were running around chasing bad guys and solving cases," he began. "But, I wasn't in the right head-space to act upon them. We had so much going on that I didn't think it was the right time to start something I wasn't ready for yet. Besides, I didn't think you liked me then."

She let out a small laugh while wiping a few tears off her face. "You're a werewolf that has super hearing and is like a lie detector, smells emotions and is able to tell what the person is feeling, and you couldn't determine My sense of emotions."

Her comment made him smile, realizing that she too returned his feelings. "Like I said. Wasn't all there," he pulled away to look at her.

The song was nearing its end. Donnie brought both her arms to rest on his shoulder and interlocked her fingers behind his head. She placed her forehead against his and closed her eyes, trying to soak up this lovely moment.

"I suppose not. But I guess, it was a good thing I didn't act upon mine either. Who knows how we would've turned out."

With Derek's hands now at her waist, he softly rubbed circles with his thumbs at her sides, "A few rough bumps here and there but still good." He opened his eyes and placed his thumb and index finger underneath her chin, so she could look back up at him.

"[Y/N/N], I know this is long overdue. But, would you please be mine?"

She looked into his eyes. The eyes she fell in love with back when she first saw them in the open forest. The same eyes that always gave her compassion and strength. The same eyes that are now showing her the same love she has felt towards him in the past few years.

With a soft graze of her lips to his she whispered the answer.

"Yes."

As the last line and note played out. They're lips met.

A noise of loud cheers and applause erupted from the pack and family.

"FINALLY!" Stiles shouted.

Derek smiled against the kiss as [Y/N] laughed lightly.

"Were we that bad," Derek asked, leading their way back to their table hand in hand.

"Yes, it was disgusting," Malia faked gagged.

"Oh shush," [Y/N] smiled as she leaned into Derek's side. He smiled and gave the top of her head a kiss.

Maybe weddings weren't so bad after all.

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 22

Friendly reminder to please Like and/or Reblog. It helps more than you think! :)

WARNING: Cancer (Zoey can’t catch a break, can she? When it rains, ir pours)

A/N: This chapter was written before the news of Chadwick Boseman. That being said, the news of his passing brings such devastation at a time that is already upsetting. Chadwick wasn’t just an actor, he was a husband, son, friend, and so much more to many others. He dedicated his life to doing better and being better, and in that, I believe he has succeeded. He was resilient, kind, smart, and a true king. He is a true representation of what a HERO is. May he Rest In Peace. 

Word Count: 3,575

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

PLEASE let me know what you think

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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:

“Zoey, get up. We fell asleep.”

The gentle nudges at her side made Zoey groan at the unwanted agitation. She wouldn’t consider herself a morning person. She rolled onto her side to face Harry, his curly mane in disarray, and his eyes still puffy from sleep. He always looked like a child in the morning which she found endearing. But, still half awake herself, Zoey couldn’t quite get a grip on what he was saying. 

He repeated himself, “It’s already 9 AM. If they come to wake us up and see us in the same bed, we’re screwed.”

Screwed? That was harsh. I mean, sure, they hadn’t quite figured out what was going on between them, but aside from Rory, she didn’t see the big deal in their friends knowing what was happening. The thrill of sneaking around was fun, but how long did he expect that to continue? Did he expect it to continue? Or was it going to end as soon as she got on the plane to go home tomorrow? Maybe that’s why he didn’t answer her question last night. What would happen when the vacation was over? 

It was far too early to be over-analyzing. Wordlessly, she slipped into a satin floral tie-front collar dress and white shoes. Zoey felt his eyes on her as she got dressed, but she was still too irritated at his poor choice of words and the sudden wake-up call to pay him too much attention. Besides, he was still naked and she knew that if she turned to look at him she’d forget what made her so annoyed in the first place. His tattoo-riddled body tended to do that to her. 

She brushed her teeth while Harry quickly pulled his clothes on and she peeked out of the room. The coast was clear. Zoey waved him over and he hurriedly snuck passed her, slinking into his room next door to change. Just as Harry had suspected, everyone was already up and finishing breakfast. 

“Oh, Zoey. Good, you’re up. We were just about to wake you,” Nancy grinned, “I guess we just need to wake Harry.”

“I think I heard him talking in his room,” Zoey lied, walking over and helping to get dishes out, “He’ll probably be down soon.”

Sure enough, Harry walked in only minutes later. They took the food outside and talked, but the mood was much different than their previous breakfasts together. Everyone was aware that this was their last breakfast together in Italy. No one was thrilled to be leaving tomorrow morning. Zoey made sure to take extra long looks at the view and tried hard to pay attention to every little thing anyone said or did, scared that she’ll forget this moment. She wanted to take in everything. Every little breeze, scent, change of light when a cloud passed over the sun. She wanted to remember the sounds of the birds mixed with the laughter of her friends and the way the sun cast a golden glow on their cheeks. 

A year ago this wasn’t possible. A year ago she had nothing. No friends, no job, a declining relationship with her boyfriend, in constant pain from the car accident, and saw no hope in her life improving. She had come a long way. And that wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Jess’s parents and the people she was with. 

She looked over at Harry who was laughing at something her little sister had said and her heart melted, even more, knowing how well he got along with Katie. He even seemed to be on good terms with her parents, having talked to them a few times since being here and hearing them say how well he kept them informed. It seemed weird that he knew her parents without her introducing them, but she wasn’t mad that she got to skip the awkward introductions. 

Then, her mind began to wander. It’s Harry Styles. Harry Styles knows her family. She’s been sleeping with Harry Styles. It doesn’t hit her often that she is friendly with a celebrity, but when it does, it always blows her away, yet she still feels silly for thinking that way. Celebrities shouldn’t be put on a higher pedestal than anyone else. But to her, he was the exception. He just WAS a better person than anyone she’d ever met. And for him to be in his life and know her family was something beyond comprehension.

Was it weird that he knew her family? Was it even weirder that she’d never seen them interact? She never had any intention to introduce her parents to him. She never thought there would be a need. They were only friends, after all. Her parents didn’t need to know everyone she talked to. She had no problem keeping her friendship with Harry a secret. His life was a bit chaotic after all. But things were not getting more serious between them. At least that’s what she thought. 

She began to panic. How was she supposed to act now? Should she talk with her friends and let them in on what’s been going on? Should she talk to Rory? Should she continue to take phone numbers from her patrons at work? Should she be less flirtatious (within reason, because she still needed to get those tips)? What about holidays with family? When they ask her if she’s seeing someone, should she say yes? Would she tell them she had a boyfriend? Did she even have a boyfriend? Would Harry come to Philadelphia for Christmas, or would she go to England? Or would they even celebrate together? 

Maybe she was thinking too much into it. Maybe Harry didn’t want to make things official with her. But if not, why did he act so jealous of Marco and Brett? He couldn’t have her all to himself if he wasn’t going to make things official. She wouldn’t be Rory 2.0. Zoey was certain of her feelings towards Harry. As scary as a relationship with him might seem, she was willing to take the risk. She knew it was too soon to put a label on anything, but she also knew that he needed to figure it out before they got to the point of no return on their friendship. It would be easy to chalk this week up to a ‘crazy vacation high’, but he needed time to process.

The plans for today was to walk around the streets of Italy some more, in a less populated area so that Harry could feel comfortable, and, at 4 PM, they’d go to a vineyard owned by one of his friends for a private tour of the grounds, home-made pizza making, and some wine to end the night. Having a nice, relaxing night sounded like the perfect way to end their vacation.

While on a stroll through a quieter part of the outskirts of the city they found out through online news articles that Harry and Zoey were spotted shopping in Trastevere the day before and even though she was recognized as Rory’s friend and the girl he was spotted with months ago that his fans immediately shot down as ‘just friends’, the tone in the article seemed to be more suspicious this time around since they were seen alone together in a different country together. This admittedly delighted her, although she acted as though it was funny and amusing so her friends wouldn’t catch on. 

There were a few instances while walking along cobblestone paths and stopping at local street vendors that Harry had nearly grabbed her hand. He’d always play it off by just tugging at her arm to show her something or make up a random quip, but it was getting harder and harder to hide their affection which just confused her even more. How, in a matter of a week, did they go from being strictly just best friends to unable to keep their hands off of each other? 

Andy was the only one that seemed suspicious and he made it obvious that he was onto them as they dragged behind the rest of the group, linking arms and sipping some tea as they strolled. 

“Don’t think I don’t see the eyes you two are making at each other,” he whispered, “You wanna tell me anything?”

Zoey took a sip of her tea, desperately trying to regulate her breathing and avoid blushing, “No, I still have no clue what’s going on,” she admitted, not entirely lying, though failing to explain everything. She needed to talk to someone about this. Normally she’d talk to Harry, but seeing as though it was about him and every time she tried to talk he was every bit as confused as her, it wasn’t much of a help. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to nag him but would need to see how everything played out once they got home and had time to think separately.

The day continued as normal and the group made a brief stop back at the house to drop off the items they had purchased on their outing before heading over to Harry’s friend’s vineyard for the tour and pizza making. After the few incidents where Harry almost grabbed Zoey’s hand, he made a conscious effort to avoid being near her and stuck beside Nancy and Rory for most of the shopping trip and even during the tour of the ground, terrified he’d make Zoey uncomfortable by making his interest in her too obvious while still being concerned that he was moving too fast or making the wrong decision in trying to pursue his best friend. A voice in the back of his head kept repeating, ‘This isn’t going to work’ over and over again as it did with any new development in his love-life. 

Occasional glances over at Zoey who listened intently during the tour while laughing and smiling with Katie and Andy made his heart flutter. Every time he looked at her she seemed to radiate warmth from within that hypnotized him and he found that he needed to forcibly pry his gaze from her. How did she do it? How could she completely captivate him without any effort or knowing? 

Once the tour was over they were taken to the main house kitchen and gathered around a large workbench where they began their pizza-making. The Italian man laid out all of the ingredients for the dough and taught them how to properly knead and roll them out. Everyone was laughing at each other. Harry’s wasn’t turning out too badly, but he couldn’t say the same for everyone else. Flour was everywhere by the time toppings were decided upon and they carefully placed their pizza in the wood-burning oven and were given the okay to wander the house and grounds by the owner while their pizzas cooked. 

Andy and Rory headed in the direction of the front yard while Nancy, Katie, and Zoey headed towards the back gardens. Harry quickly caught up to them, tugging at the back of Zoey’s dress. She turned, still smiling at something Nancy had said, and her eyebrows raised at the sight of Harry.

“Oh, hey. Long time no see,” she joked, and he knew she was referring to him practically avoiding her all day, “Are you joining us?”

“Uh….yeah,” he stuttered, noticing Nancy and Katie’s eyes on him now. 

They continued walking further into the garden, different types of trees spacing out between batches of rose bushes and other foliage. He wanted to talk to her alone, but he didn’t know how to make it too obvious. Luckily, like always, she seemed to know what he was thinking and dragged behind her roommate and sister while Katie talked some more about her friends at home and how excited she was to be starting college soon. Nancy was too busy giving her advice and a pep talk to notice.

“You okay?” Zoey whispered, looking up at him with her dazzling navy blue eyes.

Her look seemed to calm him down and he nodded, “Just haven’t spent much time with you today. I’m going to miss this when we leave tomorrow.”

Zoey nodded solemnly, glancing to make sure her sister and her roommate were still too preoccupied, “I’m kind of sad that it’s over. It feels like all of this is ending.”

“All of what? The vacation, or…?” Harry trailed, but by the look she gave him, he understood it to mean whatever was happening between the two of them. And he couldn't lie, he was afraid to leave for that very reason. He wanted to stay in his little vacation bubble where he and Zoey could continue what they were doing without too much fear of the outside world interfering, only worrying about their small little friend group finding out. But that’s not how life worked for Harry Styles. It could only be hidden for so long. 

Before he could say anything, a phone began to ring. Katie and Nancy both stopped, reaching in their pockets and pulling out their phones, but it wasn’t them. Zoey looked next and he looked over her shoulder to see ‘Michael’ displayed on the screen. To his satisfaction she declined the call and slipped it back in her pocket, muttering an apology to the two girls when her phone rang again. Harry remembered what she said the last time her ex called while he was in the room. Michael normally didn’t try to reach her multiple times in a row unless it was important, so Harry knew she’d answer.

“Go on, I’m right behind you,” Zoey nodded to them and they continued walking. Harry, though, stayed right by her side. And when she realized he wasn’t going to walk away, she rolled her eyes with a smirk and answered the phone.

“Hey, Mikey. What’s up?” she asked, her voice going up a few octaves. She felt a bit awkward to be talking to her ex-boyfriend while the guy she had been sleeping with was inches away, but she figured the conversation would be quick and he was probably only calling because her birthday had just passed.

“Hey, Zo-bo. Sorry I didn’t call on your birthday. I was trying to avoid reaching out, but I felt like a dickhead,” he laughed.

Zoey chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “It’s fine.”

“So what did you do? Anything fun?”

“Yeah, I’m actually in Italy right now. My friends surprised me with a trip and flew Katie out, too.”

“Oh, no shit? Italy? That’s amazing and so nice of them.”

“I know, I was so surprised. We head back home tomorrow, I’m sad to be leaving. But I’m glad Katie got to come with.”

“I’ll bet. You’ll have to tell me all about it,” Michael said. And then there was silence. She knew Michael well enough to know that that’s not all he wanted to say. There was something else on his mind that was bothering him and he was trying to find the words. And like clockwork, an uncomfortable muttering began, “So, that’s not the only reason I called.”

His voice sounded serious. More worried. And a lump formed in her throat, afraid of what he was going to say. “Is everything alright?” she asked, warily. But she knew it wasn’t. Something was wrong. Harry seemed to notice her discomfort and so did the two girls as they stopped walking, turning to face her.

“It’s my dad. He, uhm,” his voice was shaky and he tried to hide it by clearing his throat, “His cancer. It spread.”

Zoey’s mouth fell and her heart dropped. This was the last thing she expected to hear. Zoey wasn’t around when Paul had gotten his diagnosis, but he had undergone aggressive treatment right around the time they first started dating. She had seen the toll it had taken on their family and the impact it had on how they treated each other with so much love and respect. It brought them closer together. Paul had an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer and was lucky enough to have been doing well under treatment. And although they were warned that growth was a possibility, she had never expected it to have gotten worse so quickly. It had been five years since the diagnosis, but she was under the impression that he was getting better.

Zoey didn’t know what to say. Throughout their relationship, she had gotten extremely close to Paul. She even called him Pops. The thought of something bad happening to him seemed almost too much to handle. She still wasn’t over Jess’s death, how would she handle Paul? She didn’t want to assume, but by the sound of Michael’s voice, she knew that it was serious. He wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t. And although she didn’t want to ask, she knew she had to.

“How bad is it?” 

Michael cleared his throat again, “They’re giving him three months.”

Zoey’s vision went spotty before it went black and her knees trembled, grabbing onto Harry’s arm so she wouldn’t fall. Instinctively Nancy and Katie lunged forward, grabbing onto her waist and arms to offer even more support, everyone still unsure what was going on. So many questions ran through her mind. How? How did it come back so quickly? How did they not catch it sooner? How had it become so aggressive that he was only given three months to live? Had he not been going to his appointments like he was meant to? Knowing how stubborn Paul was, she considered that likely.

“He’s here if you want to talk to him,” Michael offered.

“Yes. Please,” Zoey said, regaining her strength and standing up straighter.

Harry, Nancy, and Katie shared concerned and unsure glances at each other until Zoey spoke again, her voice changing tones, more childlike and warry, “Hey, Pops. How are you feeling?”

Harry noticed Katie’s expression change. She no longer seemed confused, but her concern only seemed to grow. Pops? Who was Pops? She knew that’s not what she called her dad, and only one of her grandfathers was alive who she called Grandpa. Besides, why would Michael be with her family? He could see the beads of water forming at her waterline and worried what was going on. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good news. He tried his best to listen as Zoey continued to speak.

“Thank you, yes I’m having a great time...I know, I’m sorry it’s been so long….I miss you, too….”

She was trying her best to put on a brave tone, but Harry heard the cracks in her voice. It was hard to be jealous of whatever kind of relationship she had with Michael and whoever ‘Pops’ was when she was so obviously distressed.

“Yes, I’m supposed to be leaving for LA tomorrow, but I can change my flights and head back home with my sister….No, don’t worry about it, I’m sure my boss will understand….I love you, too, Pops….Yes, go get some rest, could you put Mikey back on the phone?.... Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

What could be so bad that she had to change flights and go back to Philadelphia? Harry tried to search Katie’s eyes, attempting to see any hint or clue of what was going on, but it didn’t seem to have the same impact that it did with Zoey. He could almost always tell what Zoey was thinking, but it didn’t work for her sister. 

Zoey updated Michael on her plan to change flights and head back home, “She’s not supposed to be landing until 10 PM tomorrow, but I can come over first thing the following morning.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’m sorry for all of this. I didn’t mean to ruin your vacation.”

“Stop, you didn’t ruin anything. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”

“Thanks,” he sniffled. “Is Katie there with you?”

“Yeah, she’s right here.”

“Maybe I should let her know what’s going on. Can I talk to her?”

Zoey knew that Michael and Katie kept in contact. Even though they weren’t super close to begin with, he was still a part of her life for a long time and always treated her nicely, bringing her little gifts for valentines day or Christmas so that she’d feel special, and always talking to her like an adult, which Katie always appreciated, especially considering their parents treated her like a child. 

Zoey extended her phone towards her sister and Katie quickly grabbed it, pulling it to her ear, “How bad is it?” she immediately asked. Katie was smart. She knew what was going on. 

A small gasp was audible as she listened to Michael speak and Zoey looked up into Harry’s eyes. There it was. The spark he always had with her that let him read her mind. He knew she wanted to talk to him alone. It was something that she couldn’t have an audience for. Nancy seemed to understand that this was serious, and she knew that Zoey only felt comfortable talking to Harry about serious things, so she nodded and whisked Katie away to give the two of them some privacy. His heart ached for her. Whatever it was breaking her heart and although he didn’t know what was going on, he knew that she was going through more in such a short period than most people can handle. 

KEEP READING

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Taglist for Somebody To You:

@thurhomish , @stilljosiegrossie , @odetostep , @apples2019 , @stylesmioamore , @inyourhaven

[selfignitingimagines]

Brett- Siren Song

Request: Hi if it’s not too much to ask can I request a Brett x reader imagine? I want it to be like where the reader is a siren and she’s having trouble learning to control her voice but Brett is just being super fluffy. They’re not dating yet, but they admit feelings to each other sometime during the story and they kiss and make things official and just fluff fluff flufffff! Thanks!

Brett was wandering through the halls, on his way to lacrosse practice, when he heard the voice. It was soft and sweet as it drifted through the school, and something about the sound was intoxicating. The melody was enough to pull him away from his intended path and toward the chorus room.

When he paused outside the door, he peered inside. While he didn’t recognize the voice, he definitely recognized the person sitting at the piano.

Brett had seen you around school, and while he had never heard your voice, something told him he should have. It was enough to make anyone fall in love, purely from the sound. 

As if you could feel his eyes on you, you suddenly stopped singing. You turned around to find him staring at you through the little glass window in the classroom door. He stood there, blinking, and your eyes went wide. You raised your hand in a quick, embarrassed wave and moved away from the piano. You usually hated to sing in front of people, and the fact that the lacrosse team captain had been listening in caused you to freak out a little.

Brett watched you gather up your sheet music with a dumbstruck look on his face. His hand was resting on the doorknob, and he was just about to go in and try to talk to you when someone called his name. 

“Brett! What are you doing?” His coach was calling from down the hall. “You’re supposed to be setting up for practice!”

Brett looked back into the classroom, but you were already heading out the door on the other side of the room. He watched you disappear with disappointment in his eyes, and then reluctantly headed toward the locker room.

-----

The next time he saw you, he was behind you in the cafeteria line. It took him a few seconds to recognize you from the back of your head, but once he did, he reached out to tap your shoulder. 

“Hey,” he said, as you turned. 

“Oh,” you breathed, blushing as you recognized him from earlier that week. “Hi.”

“You have an amazing voice,” he breathed. “I mean, I’ve been going to a lot of the plays and talent shows this year. How have I never seen you there?”

“Uh, I don’t really like to sing in front of people,” you told him. “Stage fright, I guess.”

“But you have nothing to be afraid of,” he insisted. “Seriously, you’re awesome.”

“Hey, the line’s moving!” someone called from behind him. 

“Well thanks. That’s really sweet,”  you said with a smile, turning back to grab a tray as the line moved forward.

Brett frowned. He was totally screwing this up.

He took a deep breath and grabbed a tray of his own, trying to work up the guts to ask you the question he had been thinking about all week. He looked down at his sneakers, took a deep breath and blurted “Will you go out with me?”

“Uh…you okay, son?”

Brett went beet red as he realized he was staring into the face of an elderly lunch lady. In the time it had taken him to gain the courage to ask you on a date, you had already paid for your food and moved out of the line. 

“Sorry,” he stammered, quickly buying his food and heading back into the cafeteria. 

To his disappointment, you had already disappeared into the throng of other students. Brett’s shoulders slumped, and he dejectedly headed toward a table of his teammates. 

-----

“I think I messed up.”

Lydia and Malia looked up from their  textbooks, sharing a look of concern. You were splayed out at the end of Malia’s bed, aimlessly flipping through the pages of an American Lit textbook. 

After a run in with supernatural assassins a few months before, you had become close friends with Scott McCall and his pack. You had more in common with the girls, including one agonizing English class, so you sometimes met with them to study. 

“What do you mean?” Lydia asked, closing her book with a thump. 

“Well, I was staying after school at Devenford the other day,” you explained. “I was singing in the music room, and I didn’t think anyone was there-”

“When you say singing…” Malia began. 

You began to pick at her fraying comforter. “I may have gotten a little carried away.”

“Y/n,” Lydia groaned. “Did someone hear your siren song?”

“It was an accident!” you cried. “And at first I thought it didn’t have any effect on him, but I saw him today, and the look in his eyes...”

“Who heard you?” Lydia asked. 

“Okay, so here’s the thing. It was Brett Talbot, so it actually isn’t that bad...”

“Brett?” Malia repeated. “Satomi’s Brett? The one who hates Liam?”

“Well, yeah,” you said, scratching the back of your neck. “But, he’s already a werewolf, so does it matter?”

“Of course it matters,” Lydia told you. “He’s never going to leave you alone, Y/n. And he’s gonna drive himself crazy-literally-trying to get you to love him.”

“I mean, he is pretty hot,” Malia remarked. 

Lydia shot her a glare. “Do you know why sirens were so feared in mythical lore?”

“No,” Malia told her with an eye roll. “But since you pretty much have an encyclopedia in your head, I’m guessing you do.”

Lydia reached forward to grasp your hand. “Sailors used to throw themselves off ships for sirens, Y/n. And if they didn’t, they were slowly driven mad. The same thing is going to happen to Brett if we don’t figure out how to reverse this.”

You felt cool, icy dread creeping over you. 

“I don’t know how to control it,” you whispered, horrified.

Lydia sighed and gave your hand another squeeze. “We’re going to figure it out. Besides, I think we could all use a break from studying.”

Thirty minutes later, you were sitting in the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic, perched on Dr. Deaton’s exam table. Malia and Lydia sat patiently in the plastic chairs against the wall. 

“So he overheard you singing?” Deaton asked. 

You nodded shamefully. “Yeah.”

“Was it any particular song?”

“A Thousand Years by Christina Perri,” you said, flushing slightly. 

“It had to be a love song,” Malia said with a roll of her eyes. 

You groaned. “So how do I fix it?”

“It’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is sing the song backwards. Using your siren song, of course.”

You shared a disbelieving glance with Lydia and Malia. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Deaton promised. “Just make sure he hears you.”

-----

You stayed after school the next day, intending to camp out in the music room until Brett passed by on his way to lacrosse practice. When you got there, you were surprised to find him already waiting for you. 

Shocked, you stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. 

“I figured I would find you here,” he said. “I really need to ask-”

“Can I sing for you?” you blurted out. 

Brett blinked, but before he could reply, you began to ramble. “I really need to practice this piece, and uh, it would mean a lot to me if you were the first one who heard it.” A grin broke out across his face. “Okay.”

You let out a quiet sigh of relief and quickly made your way to the piano. Brett crossed the room to sit in a chair across from you, and you felt your heart began to pound. Even though you knew this was necessary, the thought of singing in front of him on purpose terrified you. 

Finally, you just closed your eyes and began to play. When Deaton first told you to sing the song backwards, you were a little lost. Then he explained that, because you had a supernatural ability to manipulate notes, all it would take was a little focus. As you opened your mouth, you realized he was right. 

The notes rang out high and clear, echoing through the music room and washing over Brett. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, letting himself get lost in your voice, but when it stopped, he felt like he was waking up. 

He sat there blinking in the chair and looked around, finally meeting your eyes. 

“Uh, hey,” he said. “What just happened?”

You shrugged. “I was playing and you came in to listen.”

“Oh.” His eyes landed on the clock on the wall, and he suddenly jumped up. “Shit. I’m going to be late to practice.”

You nodded, feeling your shoulders slump with relief. Brett scooped his lacrosse bag up from the floor, but as he turned to leave, he paused. 

“Hey,” he said, turning around. “I know you might not know me, but uh, I think you’re really cute. Maybe I could take you out sometime?”

You froze on the piano bench, panicking for a second and wondering if Deaton’s trick had really worked. Then you realized that Brett looked completely different from the way he had a few days ago. There was no glazed over look in his eyes, no yearning on his face. He was staring at you with hope, and maybe a little nervousness. 

You smiled. “Sure.” 

Brett grinned, his blue eyes shining. “Okay. I’ve gotta go, but I know where to find you, right?”

You nodded and watched him slip out of the music room. “See you around.”

You waved as he disappeared down the hall, letting a grin break out across your face. As soon as you were sure he was gone, you whipped your phone out of your pocket and started to text Lydia and Malia. They had already been bugging you for updates since the end of the school day, and this would definitely require a celebratory girl’s night. 

You got up from the piano and went to search for some new sheet music. After all, you were going to be spending a lot of time in the music room.

[tiesandtea]

Suede in Ray Gun (US), issue 45, April 1997

The London Suede... English voodoo Wherein we learn of the ecstacy of being Suede By Michael Krugman

RG: It's refreshing to not hear the "We're going to tour America and everyone will love us" lip service that most English bands spew about making it here.

B: I'm just honest about it. In almost every other country in the world, we've had quite a lot of success, and it just hasn't happened in the States. Maybe it's something to do with the basic make up of the band that just grates with American music. Maybe it's the fact that we haven't had a successful tour there.

RG: That's true. All of the tours here were troubled in one way or another, what with Bernard's father passing away, or Richard having just stepped in. In many ways, we've never gotten to see the real Suede.

B: No, you haven't really, which is a shame, cos you missed out on something good. It's kind of down to us really, it's our problem. But I think that's pretty much true about a lot of English bands. They fuck up in the States. It's nothing I'm going to lose much sleep about at the moment, though.

A in-depth interview with a US alternative music magazine Ray Gun, conducted in November 1996. Full transcript from Suede Scrapbook (sent in by Elizabeth) under the cut. Scans including photographs by Donald Christie can be viewed here on the Richard Oakes Fans fb page.

It seems an eternity (in pop terms, at least) since Suede were declared the best new band in Britain, one week before the release of their first single. Since that time, so much has happened, both from without - the phenomenon that is Britpop - and, more importantly, from within. Suede v1 were a heavensent combo of genius guitarist and larger-than-life flashboy in Bernard Butler and Brett Anderson. Together they led Suede through two magic records, the eponymous debut and their daring masterwork, Dog Man Star. Then, as quickly as they had arrived, they were gone, split in a burst of still-not-clear acrimony.

Or so it seemed. When Butler bolted, Brett, bassist Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert weren't yet ready to call it quits. They took the high risk of replacing the best guitarist of his generation with an untested 17-year-old with a gift for mimicry, both musical and physical. Young Richard Oakes had to put up with endless "Brett's Little Dick" jokes, even as he proved his abilities on the Dog Man Star tour, a surreal time on the road that saw the band come closer together as people than they ever had before. With the question of “what's the point?” still in the air, Suede went away again, this time to refigure out their purpose and place in the post-Oasis universe.

Two years later, they've finally returned, and, lo and behold, they're as special as ever. With Coming Up, Anderson & Co. have created a chrome and steel cityscape of broken hearts and souls, resplendent in youth and lust and the pursuit of Ecstacy. The sound is vintage Suede, glamtastic guitars swirling, though Oakes and new keyboardist Neil "The Lizard" Codling have substituted a more consise Pop! vibe for Butler's manic virtuosity. The record proves once and for all that Suede are still as vital and vibrant as ever.

Backstage at the Manchester Apollo, a distracted Anderson and Gilbert sit down to talk, their minds not on the inquiry but on the imminent first gig of a long tour. Once the conversation starts, Anderson, known to his bandmates as His Lordship, comes alive, the legendary haughty veneer replaced by a candidness and a big-chested pride that comes from knowing just how good his band Suede really are.

Ray Gun: I suppose we need to start with Bernard's departure. Is there a stock answer? Do we not talk about it at all?

Brett Anderson: I've got a sheet with the stock answer.

Simon Gilbert: There's not a lot too be said. That was three years ago.

Brett: It's ancient history. The only time we ever think about that whole episode is when people ask us in interviews. It's like this bizarre thing that was in the past.

RG: Well then, why don't we talk about Richard? How did he join up?

S: He actually wrote in when he heard Bernard had left the band. He actually wrote in to the fan club, sent in a tape. We heard it, thought it was amazing and got him in for an audition. By the first song - he played "Heroine" - it sort of clicked.

B: That whole period was pretty strange, cos we were touring an album where one of the members who had co-written it with me had pissed off. It was quite frustrating and quite difficult at times. Which I got through with a lot of good will and a lot of positivity, but it was quite hard work. A lot of people had sort of thought, "Awww, the band had collapsed." We had to tour the album. It's just what you've got to do when you're in a band. For one thing, I was really proud of the album. I thought it was a fucking great album, there's a lot of songs on it that I really wanted to play live. I spent seven months writing the fucking thing, and when you put that much work into it, I was living it night and day, you just want people to hear it.

RG: Dog Man Star fell between the cracks in a way. It was overwhelmed by the very public split between the band and Bernard, and more importantly, it is a remarkably adventurous second album that came out at the same time as Britpop began to get more and more generic. Do you feel it went over people's head?

B: Yes and no. Commercially, it did. It wasn't commercial for a couple of factors. Not just because of its musical obscurity or whatever, cos it wasn't that musically obscure-

RG: It was complex.

B: It was complex, yeah. It was a combination of that and losing the guitarist. A lot of people thought the band had split up. A lot of people had a lack of confidence in the band because of that. And it was unfounded because, you know, most people experience backlash because they've made a shitty record, or cos they're not very good anymore. In some senses, Dog Man Star is probably the best record we've ever made. So yeah, it went over some people's head, and it was a difficult record to sell, but I think it was quite a landmark record. I read various snippets of things and people talk about bands trying to make their Dog Man Star. The record has definitely got a character which can be translated to other people's records. It's got a very sort of serious, epic, complex sense, d'you know what I mean.

RG: No matter what tension was going on in the studio, it remains a very brave album, in that you were a relatively straightforward pop band and you made a record that the 14-year-old segment of the audience would invariably be baffled by.

B: That had always been the idea for Suede. We'd be pushing it all the time. We've always had a sense of adventure in the music. It's a very difficult thing for people to get their heads around, cos we tend to write in a very similar, what, when it comes to singles. Like, stylistically, there's not much difference between "Trash" and "The Drowners." They're heady, poppy...a rush. If someone just looked at our singles, they'd say, "Oh this band hadn't progressed at all." But if you listen to any of the albums, we always try to change stuff around. And making Dog Man Star just seemed like a natural progression from the first album. We wanted to do something that was really really out there. And that sort of spirit of adventure has been killed off by Britpop, in a way. I think the good thing about Britpop is that it readdressed songwriting, but I think the bad thing about it is that it promoted safeness in music. And at the time of Dog Man Star, we could've written an album of tracks like "The Drowners" and "Animal Nitrate", we just didn't want to. Cos, you know, you're given a power, you're given a platform, you might as well do something that'll fucking prick up their ears, d'you know what I mean.

RG: Suede were the band that kickstarted the Britpop thing, not unlike what Nirvana did in the US with alt-rock. That is, taking a previously indie sound to the charts. Do you feel responsible for all this?

B: Yeah, totally. If you look at all of this chronologically and historically, Suede were the first band to do that. The kind of things that are in early Suede songs, talking about specifically English culture, not sort of singing songs about, y'know, rockspeak, d'you know what I mean? Just sort of bad cliches. So, not speaking rockspeak, talking about specifically English culture, which we were definitely the first band to do. Before Suede, there was a real confusion about what being in a band was all about. I mean, we came on the scene, we were so specific about what we wanted to be. We wanted to be Suede. And all the other bands around were just without a clue, just a joke. There were all these awful bands that didn't know how to write songs. I don't want to slag a load of bands off cos they're a load of crap. Just these bands that couldn't play, couldn't write a song, had no focus about what being in a band was. And Suede came along, and that's why we stuck out like a sore thumb, cos we had a certain sense of style, which no one else had. I'm not talking about we bought our clothes from fucking Armani or whatever, but there was a sense of what we were. Which was something beyond crappy student hair and shorts.

RG: But then just as you released your masterpiece, you got lost in the wake of Blur, Oasis, etc.

B: Well, yeah, we did, because of the simple fact that we'd lost a member. It would have been a completely different story if he'd stayed in the band. At the time it was quite frustrating, but I think, looking back on it, it was the best thing that could've happened. Cos I don't think we are considered a Britpop band. The same way that you wouldn't call the Stone Roses a baggy band, even though they started it. They're kind of beyond it by doing it in the first place, d'you know what I mean?

RG: Did you feel a sense of competition in making Coming Up? A need to prove yourselves?

S: There's probably an element of that, but it wasn't something we consciously had.

B: One of our strengths is that we don't particularly get influenced by what's going on around us. Some people might say that's a failing, cos you're not taking stuff in. I think Suede have definitely always had their own sense of style, they always had their own direction. I think there was a definite desire to refocus what we're about, cos I think with Dog Man Star, it went very experimental, we went in all directions everywhere. What you want to do is bring it all back to the central thing, and refocus on what the essence of the band was.

RG: That's the thing about Coming Up. It's Suede distilled to down to it's very nature. There's no wanky bits on this record.

B: Yeah. It was really important just to cut out all the dead wood, not have anything that didn't work. I wanted to make the sort of album that would work the first time you listened to a band. You don't have to like Suede to get into it, d'you know what I mean? It would just work on its own terms.

RG: In a sense, it was your first album. For any number of reasons, this Suede is not the same Suede.

B: It wasn't 'til we started writing the album, and Neil came along really, and the second phase of Suede really took off. Cos then it was really a new band. It wasn't just like the same instruments and stuff like that. I did feel as though Neil and Richard sort of combined to take it into a completely new form. No one could say, "Oh, they're just trying to replace Bernard," or whatever, it was a completely new feel to the band.

RG: The record seems to be influenced by real things, by friends and family, by being a person and not a pop star.

B: Definitely. It wasn't something I did consciously, but I did definitely retreat from all that. I pretty much retreated from the pop star shit really. I just got completely disillusioned from it and didn't particularly feel like going to the Squirrel's after show or anything like that, d'you know what I mean?

RG: As the scene became more celebrity oriented, you were noticeably absent.

B: We have this image of being this band of blokes that are kind of like obsessed with our hair and like, the superficial side of it all, and there's nothing further from the truth. I'm just so disinterested in the Face side of being a pop star.

RG: You certainly know how to use it to your advantage, though.

B: Well, sticking it in front of a fucking camera, if your face is going to be on the cover of a magazine and 100,000 people are going to read it, you don't want to look like you're just woken up, do you?

RG: The characters on Coming Up are like a chronicle of the modern drug-taking lifestyle.

B: Virtually everyone in London, a huge section of the people I know, are just complete rave heads and complete weekenders. There's this whole culture, this weekender culture, where you work throughout the week and on the weekend they just go completely insane. They're just popping pills like there's no tomorrow. And there are a lot of those sort of people on the record, yeah.

RG: And yourself? You've got a reputation as someone who enjoys a bit of chemicals.

B: No more than anyone else, really. I've always had too much of a focus on what I'm doing to ever slip too much into it. I've always almost used drugs, in a way, rather than let them use me. I've used them, yeah, (A), to let off steam. Who doesn't? When you're thinking all day, you need to just be blank for a couple of hours. And (B), to sort of like stimulate your mind sometimes. But when you say something like that and people get the wrong end of the stick. You get headlines like "BRETT PROMOTES DRUGS TO WRITE." Which is absolute bollocks. I'd say quite the opposite. I'd say it actually deters you sometimes, it actually stops you from thinking. But, y'know, when you're taking drugs and fucking hammering yourself into the ground for 15 years, which I have been doing, you actually get a sense of how to use them. There's a total difference between some 16-year-old taking drugs, and taking fucking Ecstasy for 15 years now, d'you know what I mean? So I know exactly how my body reacts, I know exactly how my mind reacts, I know exactly how to use it rather than let it use me.

RG: To be honest about it. Too many people go, "Don't do drugs" or "Drugs are the greatest!" whether they mean it or not.

B: I'll tell you what. We're doing this interview for the States, and I think there's so much fucking dishonesty about drugs in the States. It's one thing that really pisses me off. It's fashionable to say that you used to do it and you don't do it anymore. It's fashionable to be in rehab. All you have to do is say you're in rehab and make the right sort of music and you've got a hit record. And it's got nothing to do with your music, it's got to do with this society of people who go to rehab. It's absolute utter fucking bollocks.

RG: It's the culture of apology, the idea of saying, "I'm better now."

B: Exactly. Especially when it's saying, "Oh, I'm a rock 'n' roll and cool because I used to do drugs. I'm not a complete square. But I've given them up now, so I'm a good guy." Why don't you be fucking honest about it and say what you do and what you don't do. It's a load of fucking lies. It's all over the world, but it's extremified in the States, cos, y'know, everything's extremified in the States.

RG: Seeing how you've been so honest on the subject, did Damon Albarn's much-quoted comments about you being some kind of junkie piss you off?

B: I just don't like people commenting on what I do. I'm willing to talk about anything, but when other people start passing judgement on me...

RG: I want to talk about the more common Suede images, things like electricity and diesel and the sea and so forth.

B: There's a definite language that I like to make my own. I like to use words - not repetitively, I've never overused a word or phrase. The most used one is like, "hired car," which I've used about three times. I quite like establishing your own kind of language, and almost like, putting a copyright on your language, so when someone comes along and uses a word like that, then you can go, "Ah, that's one of my words," d'you know what I mean?

RG: So if someone writes about, say, the motorway...

B: Then I'll slam them into court and sue their asses. Seriously, that's why as a lyricist I have a style, like I have as a singer. I think lyrically speaking, words are generally pretty barren at the moment, and I think it's important to have a bit of pride in what you do and take it seriously.

RG: The imagery you use creates a very vivid world, albeit one that is very modern and very cold.

B: I try to put a bit of warmth in it as well. I don't see the world as this pointlessly bleak experience. There's a lot of optimism I have for life. Living in London is really exciting every day. I like to write about things that have got a timelessness, that's quite important to me. I don't like writing about things that are just of the moment. I tend to choose things like electricity or something like that, specific things that are part of the modern age, the modern age being something that happened about 96 years ago and that'll carry on for another hundred.

RG: Is there are Suede tribute band like say, No Way Sis?

B: Yes, actually, in Canada. They're called Snide. They come from London, Ontario and they do Suede and the Sex Pistols, so that's really cool. That's the only one I know, though I think there's a couple in Australia as well.

RG: Does the singer try to look like you? That's always the funniest part of those bands.

B: Yeah, like a cross between me and Johnny Rotten, if there is such a thing.

RG: Do you really want to make it in the US? Do you care anymore?

B: Not really, no. To be absolutely totally honest. I've been over there three times, three big tours, worked really hard, and at the end of the day, maybe there's just something about Suede that just doesn't connect with the American mentality. If they like the record, then they like the record. Your role as a musician is kind of like being this conquerer, and I find that really unhealthy. Everyone's always talking about breaking territories like they're fucking Alexander the Great.

RG: It's refreshing to not hear the "We're going to tour America and everyone will love us" lip service that most English bands spew about making it here.

B: I'm just honest about it. In almost every other country in the world, we've had quite a lot of success, and it just hasn't happened in the States. Maybe it's something to do with the basic make up of the band that just grates with American music. Maybe it's the fact that we haven't had a successful tour there.

RG: That's true. All of the tours here were troubled in one way or another, what with Bernard's father passing away, or Richard having just stepped in. In many ways, we've never gotten to see the real Suede.

B: No, you haven't really, which is a shame, cos you missed out on something good. It's kind of down to us really, it's our problem. But I think that's pretty much true about a lot of English bands. They fuck up in the States. It's nothing I'm going to lose much sleep about at the moment, though.

RG: The thing with Suede is that you are pretty much a band of outsiders. In many ways, so are the kids that listen to you. Perhaps more so.

B: Totally. We do get a certain section of our audience that, you know, the Suede gigs they're coming to are the only times they've been out this year. They come in slippers, d'you know what I mean? Slippers and a dressing gown, rubbing their eyes like they just got out of bed. But yeah, we do attract a lot of people that are attracted to the band for unusual reasons, or are inspired by the band when they wouldn't be inspired by other people. It's not your run of the mill interchangeable "another band" kind of thing, and that's something I've always been determined not to be, "another band." It can sometimes be hard work, because you pretty much play on your own field, and you're pretty much cutting your own grass and making your own headway. It can be quite lonely, but it's a position we've always wanted.

[hailey-halstead]

Risk

here’s another upstead fic!!! it’s a longer one! i finally have some brett and casey ones in the work as well 😊 also i cross post my fics on ao3: im corgidaisies there! as always i don’t own a thing! going to go watch this is us now 🤪

——————

“Hey, Rojas, how was your day off— Ah!” Hailey was a few steps inside her apartment when she noticed the sight in front of her. It was Rojas and Atwater, completely naked in the middle of her living room.

Besides the fact she was shocked to see the two of them having sex, it being right in front of her in her open apartment was even more appalling. “What the hell?!” She yelled, slapping her hands over her face, while also closing her eyes for good measure. Extra precautions needed to be taken as she did not want to take any chances at experiences that dreadful sight ever again.

“Hailey! I’m so sorry!” Rojas at least had the decency to sound abashed, but it didn’t make up for the fact she wasn’t doing this in the privacy of her room.

“You have a bedroom, Rojas!” Hailey took a step back with one arm reached out behind her trying to find the doorknob.

“I know! We just got carried away—“

“Just... go into your room now.” Hailey turned around after she found the door knob and quickly opened the door, eager to get out of her apartment.

“Hailey, you don’t have to leave!” Rojas protested. Hailey could hear Atwater whispering, but he was too quiet for her to be able to decipher what he was saying. She bet he was not agreeing with Rojas though.

“Vanessa.” Hailey used Rojas’ first name to show that she really meant what she was saying. They both became silent. “I can’t stay here because I both have the urge to throw up and clean everything in sight right now. So it’s best if I leave.”

“Um, yeah I get what you mean. If you want though, you can pack a bag—“

Nope. Hailey was not going to do that. The faster she got out of the apartment the better. Besides, she always kept a spare bag in her car.

“Don’t do anything on my table!” She yelled before shutting the door behind her. She let out a breath of relief now that she was no longer in the same room as Atwater and Rojas, but as soon as it faded she realized she had no idea where to go.

Jay would be the best bet, and the place she would be the most comfortable. In the back of her mind she wondered if he was in the same situation as Rojas, having a woman over at his place. The thought made her stomach twist unpleasantly.

She ignored it, as she has been for what it seemed like months now. While she felt reluctant to call him, she did it anyways, pulling out her phone and scrolling through her contacts.

She pressed down on ‘Jay Halstead’, and put her phone up to her ear. As it rang, she started to walk to her car, pulling her keys out of her purse with her free hand. If Jay was busy for some reason, she’d just have to find another place to stay for the night. Because her place was not an option.

She was unlocking her door when Jay finally picked up. “Hello?” He said, thankfully not sounding like he just woke up. However, he did seem tired.

“Hey Jay,” Hailey couldn’t help but smile at the sound of his voice. They only saw each other a few hours ago, but somehow she could never get enough of him. Which was good, since they spent so much time together as both partners and friends. “Can I stop over?”

“Sure.” If he was wondering why, he didn’t say anything.

She reworded herself. “I mean, stay overnight. It’s a long story—“

“Hailey, you wouldn’t come over for no good reason.” Jay interrupted her. “It’s fine.”

“You don’t have anyone over too, right?” She joked, thinking of Rojas and Atwater, but it fell flat on the other side.

“Uh, what?”

Hailey sighed, realizing the joke went over his head. It was really too late for the both of them. They had a late night and will be having an early morning wake up tomorrow too. “I’ll explain when I get at your place.” She explained, starting up her car.

They both said their goodbyes, as Hailey started to drive. She threw her phone onto the passenger seat and focused on the road in front of her.

—————

She was at his door for barely a moment before it swung open. Jay looked down at her, a beer in his hands.

Hailey barely got out a hello before he shoved the drink in her hand, and put her bag over his shoulder. “Thought you needed it.” He called over his shoulder as he was walking back into his apartment. She followed him, taking a swing of her beer as she went.

Once the bottle left her lips she let out a loud sigh. Alcohol was a welcoming sight, but still didn’t wipe away the disgusting events she had witnessed. “I’m going to need a lot of these to clear my mind of what I just saw.” She moaned, collapsing down on a chair and taking another sip.

His hand reached out and tried to grab her drink, but she was quicker and kept it out of his grasp. “That’s concerning.”

She rolled her eyes. Once he heard why she was acting like this he would understand. “I walked into my apartment and saw Rojas and Atwater, completely naked, having sex.” Just saying it aloud made her want to gag, so instead she had more of her beer.

Across from her, Jay was silent. He was taken aback, no doubt, as he would have had a snarky quip if not. Either way, it almost made the whole experience worth it for Hailey because seeing Jay speechless was incredibly amusing.

“I feel obligated to give you all the alcohol you want now.” He said, still looking shocked and now quite disturbed. “I did not need that image in my brain.”

“We’re partners, Jay. We have to go through it together.” She said mournfully, reaching across the island to mockingly pat his shoulder. “Why else did you think I came here?”

Unbeknownst to her, the question entered them into uncomfortable territory. Territory they tried to avoid at all costs, in order to keep everything the same, their partnership and friendship, instead of risking it all.

Silence transpired. Hailey searched through her mind for words, to say anything to get them out of this awkwardness. The fear of these situations were never of not finding something to say, but saying what they have been hiding for so long.

Jay finally found his words, to Hailey’s relief. “Free alcohol.” He said with a grin, raising his glass.

She saw how his eyes flickered down to her lips before he spoke. But like they both always did, ignored the action. “Free alcohol.” She echoed, clinking their drinks together.

Hailey thought that was that, but Jay’s face became serious again. “You don’t ever need a reason to come here, you know that right? This door,” He gestured with his head towards the door. “is always open.”

“Same to you.” Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. “Well, you probably shouldn’t without at least a heads up to Rojas.” She added with a roll of her eyes.

“And you?” His fingers were fidgeting against the side of the counter, but the cocky grin on his face showed a different story.

“Hm?” She wasn’t sure what he meant. Which of course meant giving into his bait.

She would never admit it to him, but she enjoyed his shit-stirring. She enjoyed anything that made him feel light and happy and not trapped in his demons.

“Will I need a heads up from you? I really don’t want to see Adam’s bare ass—“

Months ago she wouldn’t have had appreciated a joke of this nature, but her and Adam have moved on completely. Honestly, sometimes she forgot she dated the guy. Still, she wasn’t expecting those words to come out of Jay’s mouth.

“I’m happily single, thank you.” She loudly interrupted, so she didn’t have to listen to whatever Jay said next. Happily single. Did she just say that?

She pushed onwards with the conversation, knowing full well she could play too. “And what about you then?” She countered back, as Jay rose an eyebrow as if to say ‘bring it on’. “You won’t have any drug users over?”

Jay, who was taking a sip of his beer, choked on his drink at that comment. “Touché.” He said with a chuckle. “You’re always one upping me, Upton.”

Some alcohol still remained on his face from him choking on it. More specifically, his bottom lip. He seemed to realize it, because the tip of his tongue came out of his mouth to swipe it away. Her mind begun to wonder further, if she could still taste the alcohol on his lips—

“Hailey?”

The sound of Jay’s voice jolted her back to earth. “Hm?” She made a noise of acknowledgement, not trusting herself with words.

Somehow, her partner took her behavior to mean something else entirely. “Are you tired?” He scratched the back of his head, looking guilty now. “I didn’t mean to keep you up..”

Hailey could barely constrain herself from making a face. It truly amazed her how clueless Jay could be at times.

But it was a good diversion, not to mention half-true as she was tired, so she took it. “Yeah, I’m sorry.” She rubbed her eyes for good measure. “It’s been a long day.”

“Don’t I know it.” Jay got up and walked around the counter, heading towards the hallway. “Let me grab some sheets and blankets.” He said, reaching out to briefly touch her shoulder before he walked away.

Once he was gone, Hailey let out a soft groan and downed the rest of her beer. She didn’t know how much more of this dancing around she could take.

She got up herself, reaching for her bag against the bottom of the chair. “Everything’s good how it is, Hailey,” She told herself as she headed towards the bathroom to get changed. “Don’t screw anything up.”

Work and Jay were too important for her to risk.

[msjr0119]

The Greatest Show

“A Million Dreams”

A new 9 part series- all chapters are based on each song from ‘The Greatest Showman’

Characters belong to Pixelberry except MC - Amber Smith-Beaumont

Warnings: Swearing, sarcasm 😉, smut

Tags - using combined tagged list, if you want to be removed please let me know 👍🏼

@annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @drakesensworld @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @pedudley @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @dcbbw @qammh-blog @nz1091 @beardedoafdonutwagon @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @indiacater @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @princess-geek @jared2612 @desiree-0816

*****

Liam wandered back through the ballroom after his talk with Amber, providing fake smiles. Thinking back to his childhood he had a million dreams that he had dreamt up with his closest friend the Scarlet Duchess.

Liam and Olivia had always been close due to her parents dying young- Constantine had basically taken the young woman under his wing.

Every night I lie in bed

At night time as a young man, Liam would go to his private quarters- laying in bed realising that this country was going to be all of his- due to his brother’s abdication.

The brightest colors fill my head

Whilst laying in bed, he couldn’t sleep- instead he would imagine all the positive things regarding becoming the king. Never thinking about negative thoughts.

A million dreams are keeping me awake

The thoughts kept repeating in his mind, every night. Imaginary adventures of him as king, Olivia as his Queen and Wife- the possibility of children. Something he had looked forward to.

I think of what the world could be

Thoughts regarding how he could be a great king, nothing like what his father is as the present king.

A vision of the one I see

His vision of the future, may be different to others- but he was the next in line, everything decided would be in his hands. It was his turn to create the future, one that only he could see.

A million dreams is all it's gonna take

Keeping his mind open to all the dreams he had imagined- in a way his future seemed clear.

A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

A million dreams that he would make reality with Olivia- that was until they found out about her parents. It was then forced upon him to complete in a social season, as his brother previously did.

He had promised Olivia that as Leo was the crown prince that their dreams would become reality. How wrong was he? Even though Constantine had allowed Olivia to participate in being a suitor- he had made it quite clear that Liam couldn’t choose her as his future Queen. Maybe I should listen to Ambers advise- So just play the game, seem interested in me and the other ladies- then when it comes to your coronation just say her name. It’s simple. Seeing Amber resuming her position along her ‘sponsors’ he took the opportunity to find Olivia and take her somewhere private to explain what his father had said to the newbie.

“Liam, we cant be seen like this.” She said in a seductive manner whilst stroking his arm.

“I know. But I just need to explain something about Lady Amber.”

“You’re falling for her?” Olivia’s eyes were green with envy- paranoid that he would sway.

“No Liv! You’re the only woman for me. My father has asked her to ‘woo’ me.”

“So?”

“But she isn’t interested. There’s something about her- she’s hiding something. She doesn’t want to be here, my father is holding something against her. She suggested to play it fair between everyone then at the coronation just say your name. Rather than marry politically and have the traditional Cordonian marriage. It makes sense. If we can have her on our side, nothing matters.”

“Are you sure she will agree to it? Because if she doesn’t I’ll have my daggers ready to slit her throat...” Liam shook his head, whilst laughing. “However big, however small. Let me be part of it all. Share your dreams with me Liam. You may be right, you may be wrong with decisions. But say that you'll bring me along. To the world you see- to the world I close my eyes to see.”

“Liv, our million dreams we made as children- will become a reality. I love you, you are my future Queen. A million dreams is all it's gonna take. A million dreams for the world we're gonna make. For the world we're gonna make- as King and Queen Of Cordonia. I love you. Sneak into my quarters later.”

*****

“So Amber, are you ready to do the Cordonian waltz with Prince Liam?” Drake smirked at her.

“Ready, it doesn’t mean I want to.”

“Can you even dance?”

“Of course I can, I have Beaumont blood in me. Can you?”

“Nah, I’m not into all that fancy shit.”

“Same, gotta keep up appearances though.”

“What are you hiding? Why are you here?”

“I owe that moron for something I did many moons ago. It came and bit me on the ass. Sooner this thing is over the better. Sorry my phones ringing, if Maxwell asks just tell him it’s Daniel- he will know what you mean.”

Daniel, shit! She has a boyfriend. She’s not safe here- she’s going to cause a scandal.

****

Staring at her phone, she didn’t answer straight away- wondering what lame excuse she could use this time without getting her head caved in. Brett wasn’t stupid- she had began to lie to him about her whereabouts just to see her friends. He was jealous of the friendship she had with Daniel- that jealous, that she made a new Facebook profile and blocked Brett immediately to keep in touch with her friends and family in secret.

“Hey baby. What’s up?”

“Where the fuck are you? Are you in bed with Daniel? Is he lying?”

“No, I’m not with Daniel. I have never slept with him. He’s a friend. If you must know, I’m with my cousins- in Co- Canada. I’ll be back soon baby. They came into some money and invited me along. Everyone needs a vacay right? I’m missing you. I love you Brett. But I have to go.”

“Amber! If you are not back in New York by tomorrow- you’ll be wishing you hadn’t left!” Hanging up abruptly, she felt as if she was about to hyperventilate. Tears began to stream down her face.

“Hey. Are you okay?” He asked softly.

*****

Drake stood smirking at Liam, talking to all the women. Kiara came upto him after her talk with Liam. Since they were children, Kiara had become fond of the commoner- almost suffocating him every time she saw him. He hadn’t seen her in a year or so- when he witnessed her walking towards him he had hoped that someone would rescue him.

“Bonjour Drake. Ca va?” Ca va fuck off kiara!

“Hello Ki. You’re looking well.”

“As are you. You become more handsome every time I see you.” Stroking her hand along his arm, he didn’t want to make a scene but wished she would just leave him be.

“Erm thanks. You should really stay with the other suitors.”

“What like the Beaumont’s suitor? Apparently she’s their cousin, but I think they are lying. She doesn’t act noble.”

“Not everyone wants to be noble Ki.”

“I’ve been watching you, you’ve not kept your eyes off her.”

“Yes because she is a newbie. I need to suss her out for Liam.”

“We know that’s not true Drake.” Before Drake could respond by spouting more lies Maxwell and Bertrand came bounding over. Thank fuck! Surely she will leave me alone.

“Lady Kiara, it’s so nice to see you.”

“You too your grace. Au reviour.”

“Where the fuck have you two been? She’s annoying and I’m stuck on my own with her!”

“The more important question - where is amber?”

“She’s on the phone to Daniel- her boyfriend I assume?”

“Shit!” The brothers said in unison.

“What’s up?”

“She’s not on the phone to Daniel, she’s on the phone to her arsehole boyfriend Brett!”

*****

“Hey. Are you okay?” Wiping her tears, she didn’t want to show herself up.

“Er yeah I’m fine.”

“I’m Prince Leo, you probably won’t remember me. I’m around eight years older than you but shhh don’t tell anyone.”

“You look good for your age, remind me to buy you a zimmer frame for your next birthday your highness.”

“Hey cheeky! Remind me to suture your lips together to keep that sarcasm in that American mouth of yours.”

“Good come back.”

“Are you coming back inside? You look cold.”

“I’m fine, it’s a bit stuffy in there. Full of stuffy nobles.”

“You’re a noble too.”

“Like hell I am. Noble blood yes. I’m not an heir or anything like that. I’m a bit rusty with the noble lifestyle. I only had Max, Bertrand and Uncle Barthelemy teach me when i was younger. But it’s easy to pick up right? Especially if it’s only for a month.” Uncle.. hmm okay Amber. Their family is more dysfunctional than mine and Walkers. None of them have a clue.

“I’m sure your COUSINS will teach you all you need to know.” Emphasing the word cousins- he wished that they all knew the truth.

“Yeah, they’ll take me to the other side. The dark side of being a noble.” Winking at him, he liked her sense of humour.

“There you are! What has he done to you?”

“Hey I’ve done nothing!” Leo exclaimed defending himself.

“Not you! Amber a word inside now.”

The brothers escorted her inside, Drake and Leo following shortly behind. Standing in a corner they were arguing with her discreetly. Before she stormed off abruptly. Maxwell ran upto Drake- out of breath.

“Buddy, could you go and check on her? No one notices that you’re at these events anyway- so you won’t be missed. We are going to have to say that she’s jetlagged and talk to Connie, Regina and Liam.”

“I’m not a fucking babysitter Max!”

“Please. I’ll buy you a crate of beer? Whiskey?”

“Fine!”

*****

Knocking on the door, she answered crying assuming it was Maxwell and Bertrand.

“What are you doing here?”

“Apparently I’m here to babysit you.”

“I don’t need babysitting Drake, thank you but no thank you.”

“If you want to talk or bitch about nobles I’m your man, and I have whiskey.” Waving the bottle around, her eyes widened, her lips curled up.

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“You didn’t give me chance to.” Allowing him into her room, she pulled two tumblers out. Wiping her make up off- she was ready to collapse on her bed.

“Could you unzip my dress for me? It’s doing my head in. I’m usually a legging and hoody kind of girl.”

“Erm sure.” Unzipping it, she stood out of it in front of him. Gulping - he knew he had to avert his eyes.

“Amber, you do know I’m stood here right? You could have warned me so I could have turned away- given you some dignity and privacy.”

“What’s up Drake? Haven’t you seen a girl in her underwear before? Oh god you’re a closet gay aren’t ya? I’ve never had a gay best friend.”

“I’m not gay... I’m totally into women. Can you please put some clothes on.”

“Okay okay. Chill out. You sort the whiskey out and I’ll get dressed.” Returning the lounge area, she had pulled her hair into a loose pony tail. Wearing a crop top and shorts, she was ready to let her hair down and act normal behind closed doors.

“Hey, why don’t we ‘Netflix and chill’... you guys have Netflix right?” Drake nearly choked on his whiskey.

“You do know what that means?”

“Yeah, chill out and binge on Netflix series.”

“You really should dye your hair blonde to match your personality.”

“Why?” Scowling at him, she was beginning to dislike his personality.

“It’s an euphemism for sexual activity. You know like casual sex.....”

“Oh god. I say it all the time. No wonder my friends back at home have stopped talking to me. Shit. You learn something new everyday. Imagine if I said that to Bertrand.”

“He’d have a heart attack and be put in an early grave.”

The two of them spoke about their experiences in the states, both having a lot more in common than they knew about. They had finished a full bottle of whiskey before they knew it.

“If you get any spare time during the social season, I’ll take you to the stables and go for a ride with you.”

“I’d like that. Thank you for cheering me up. You’re a great guy- not the miserable bastard that Maxwell describes you as.”

“Just wait until I see him. Goodnight Amber.” Kissing her on the cheek, he left the room.

She’s fine, no need for babysitting. I’ve left her now. See ya tomorrow Beaumont.

Thanks Drake, they fell for the excuse. See ya tomorrow buddy.

*****

Drake returned to his room, he was unsure what to think about Amber. He enjoyed her sense of humour, he believed she was beautiful, he had never held feelings towards a woman before. Due to growing up around nobles, they all criticised him due to the lack of title. Amber however had only just met him and had called him a great guy. Thinking about her made his cock twitch- feeling guilty, he released his manhood. Shit. Walker she’s here for Liam, even though she has a boyfriend. What is up with you? Holding his cock, he gently rubbed up it up and down gradually increasing his speed, eventually spilling his seed all over his hand. This must never happen again, he thought. A million dreams are keeping me awake.

[lululawrence]

lululawrence’s April 2019 Fic List

Click here for previous months’ fic lists

Guess who’s back, back again... I actually wrote that when I drafted this post a month ago and I’m keeping it cause it’s funny ahhaha So this month has been a ride, hasn’t it? I’ve read some amazing fic though, so I’m super excited to talk about it with you! I read quite a few from the Shake Off the Dust collection as well as fics from the beginning of round 2 of @onedirectionbigbang and other various things as I tried and failed to keep up with all the new fic coming out haha We are so blessed to have so much amazing fic. So, without further ado, here are the fics I read and loved this month!

Hazy by @nikogda / nikogda This fic was written for me because I was anxious one day and they saw a post referring to it and they wrote this as a soothing fic for me and lemme tell ya, IT WORKED. It was so soft and... well... hazy. haha I loved it. A great fic to come back to on a rough day, for sure!

Keep Your Hands Up, So I Can See by @goodmorningtoyouuniverse / GMTYUniverse This fic was such a great HP AU! It was enemies to lovers with a touch of misunderstanding and frustrations and just all the good things with cameos by some of our favorite characters from the original series! I loved it very much a lot. It threw me into the world and made me smile quite a bit.

it's in his kiss by @disgruntledkittenface / disgruntledkittenface This is where Maggie took what she wrote through requests on ask and posted them to ao3 for the kiss meme and lemme tell ya! There’s some ships she wrote that I never felt a desire for, and she wrote them so perfectly that I almost started shipping them hahahaa Each chapter is it’s own little world and it pulled me in so entirely that they felt like full fics! How does she do that in such few words? I dunno. But they’re all glorious. Every last one. Defo a great read when things are hard too, i’d read a chapter when I had a moment and it made my busy, stressful days so much better.

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by @allwaswell16 / allwaswell16 I think this one was written for the short fic fest, and I loved it so so much! She describes Harry’s movements as “giraffing about” or something like that and I will never stop laughing about that. Add to it that Harry in the fic legit thought Louis was a mannequin and I just DIE. It’s amazing. Such a silly, fun fic!

Soju (소주) by @gettingaphdinmomo / gettingaphdinlarry This is a Shiall fic that just drew me in. It has such a visual and atmospheric pull to it, like all of her fics do, and it makes you almost feel as if you’re somehow there. I dunno how she does it, but her magic is worked for sure with this fic and I had to just sit there, and process when it ended. A fun, short fic to easily get lost in.

Just Go With It by @rainbowsandlovehl / rainbowslovehl (Larrymateforlife) This fic!!!! Meet Cute heaven! It was light and fluffy and awkward and silly and I loved it so much and for real this Brett character was TOO MUCH. hahahahaha With the added fun of the little jokes like talk of organic guacamole etc and I loved it so much. It was the smile I needed.

All I Want Is To Fall With You by @2tiedships2 / 2tiedships2 Mel keeps posting fics that are so fun! How does she do it? This time the crew takes on a ski trip and Louis has to deal with stupid alphas staying in the same cabin without knowing about it beforehand and of course nothing goes to plan! That’s half the fun, though, right? Besides. The alphas aren’t that bad. haha

Do You Wanna Ride by @phd-mama / phdmama She wrote this fic for @justalittlelouislove and I screamed reading it the whole time. I took so long reading it because I kept stopping to scream and share how uncomfortable I was over the obvious awkwardness and sexual tension and it was just SO SO SO GOOD. The embarrassment just gahhhhhhh I loved it.

Strawberries & Cigarettes by @dimpled-halo / dimpled_halo A year later I FINALLY read this and I loved it as much as I knew I would. I wanted pain, and it gave it to me! It gave me pain and healing and a gorgeous story. It was such a great read, I’m so so happy I finally had the time to dedicate to it because it was just. So much of everything I love.

Let It Down by @red--special / red_special This fic has also been on my to read list for ages and I am also so so happy I got to read it finally! It was such a great fic and so much fun and so sexy and funny and awkward and I wanted to bask in it a little longer. It was so so good. hahahaha I keep thinking about the tattoo and I can’t stop giggling. Just do yourself a favor and read this fic. haha

Like A Siren In The Night by @crazyupsetter / whoknows This is an a/b/o fic that I could not get enough of or read fast enough. It’s historical, though that doesn’t play a major role, and the playing with the world building was SO MUCH FUN to read. The way their relationship developed as well was just DELICIOUS. I loved every second of it.

please forgive me if my lips quake by @disgruntledkittenface / disgruntledkittenface Girl direction! With a cat! I was heart eyes the entire fic and once again, such feeling was evoked in it that I wanted to just sit and enjoy it for awhile longer. Sigh. What pure enjoyment! I loved it.

I was the King (tonight let it go) by @sadaveniren / SadaVeniren I... Okay listen. lollll I didn’t write this obviously, but it felt like such a self indulgent read I almost wished I had? If that makes sense? It was everything I love. I LOVE the emotional side and thought behind BDSM. Like, that’s most of what makes it so so so interesting and fascinating for me to read, and Sada gave that to us with this fic in DROVES as well as the fighting against natural inclinations etc etc etc. It was just a fab fic and I loved so so so much of it.

Failure to Launch by @all-these-larrythings / Rearviewdreamer Michelle has a way of taking things I don’t know about and making me love them so so so much. This film was one that many I knew loved and I felt mainly meh about it, but I knew if Michelle wrote it I would love it, and I WAS RIGHT. She took all the things I was not fond of in the original and twisted them so it still referenced the original source, but made it so much better. I loved it so so so much because it was so very much like the original film, but also very much her own. 

Come Home to Me by @pocketsunshineharry / ishiplouis I wanted pain, and pain was what I got. I cried and I kept waiting and waiting for things to come together again and they finally did! But WOW the pain leading up to that! It was amazing how much was harnessed in it. I will say, please beware the tags. Some heavy topics are handled in the fic - including some depression/anxiety etc - so please be safe with that. A great read, though! 

fondre ton absence by @scrunchyharry / scrunchyharry OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I just. I’m a sucker for WWI and WWII period anything. It’s one of my favorite periods in history for the social, political, militaristic, just EVERYTHING historically. I find it fascinating and I adore it. I was both excited and wary how this would go then, knowing how much I love it. Well. I cried the entire way through and was in awe of how the time period and everything was handled. It’s an amnesia friends to lovers wartime period-typical homophobia acknowledging fic which basically means it is my dream fic. I cannot rave about it enough, much less the incredible art that was done by @whenthebodiesspeak!!! It was STUNNING and yeah. Just. Amazing. A masterpiece.

An Unbalanced Force by @kingsofeverything / FullOnLarrie MAROLD HAROLD with art by @goodmorningtoyouuniverse! I cried a few times during this one and it was such a realistic and beautiful and comprehensive view of a relationship, of adulthood, of trying to find love again after, just... all of it. It is a study of flawed individuals trying to make do and learning where their lines are and it is gorgeous. I loved it so so so much and I keep randomly thinking about it. A great fic and worth the wait and teasing she gave us over the months! hahahaha

That's What I'm Here For by @taggiecb / taggiecb ANOTHER DREAM FIC, ANOTHER FIC THAT MADE ME CRY! I cannot rave enough about how this big bang has kicked off, like, I just truly cannot. @noellehenry did a gorgeous moodboard for it as well, and I just. Demisexual farmer Louis who has been on his own for so long he just. Hardly knows how to be social anymore and Harry has to come and teach him and I’m about to give away spoilers so I’ll stop but this fic is so close to my heart, okay? I love love love love love it.

To Carry Onward by @londonfoginacup / LadyLondonderry THIS LITTLE FIC!!! I keep yelling, I know. Sorry not sorry. But for real it’s 500 words and just...so full of love and longing and mystery and hope and I cannot. I love Emmu’s words and worlds and this is no exception.

A Spell and A Spark by @dinosaursmate / dinosaursmate It’s out in the world! This fic was everything I needed when I read it. I was having a really rough time, and I would get to the end of those days and get to read this fic and it soothed me, cheered me, and took me away to another world. It was so much fun and just pure joy to read. And then the art that @londonfoginacup made for it! It was such a great combo of writing and art. Another wonderful fic for big bang!

{insert acclaimed artist} was never even in love anyway by underthesunlight This is the first of several fics I read from the Shake Off the Dust collection and it was such a fun read. It was domestic and silly and soft and it made me smile.

Primtemps by @londonfoginacup / LadyLondonderry She’s just so good, isn’t she? I finished this fic and almost immediately went back to the beginning because I wanted to read it again. It’s so soft and you could almost SMELL what she was describing. It was a perfect read of a perfect day and it made me long for the days in the past that I’d had like it. Glorious.

Taking Care of You (Is My Favorite Thing) by @allthelarrylovex / cherrylarry Niam! Not usually my pairing of choice, but I loved it so much. I also very much identified with the shitty allergies aspect of it as I am dealing with that myself at the moment, so it just had me sitting there nodding like IT REALLY DOES SUCK BABES I GET IT hahaha

You Keep Me Warm by @crinkle-eyed-boo / crinkle-eyed-boo (KimmieRocks) I’ve not read Own the Scars yet, but I still read this despite it being a time stamp, and I’m so glad I did. I loved it and it made me smile. It also made me want to read the original, so I can’t wait until I have a chance to!

Love's Gentle Spring by @laynefaire / Layne Faire (HisDarlin) This is also a continuation! It’s a fun addition to her spring drabbles from last year, which are not necessary to read in order to enjoy this, though it does add to the fun hahaha I loved that little series so much and was very very glad she made this addition!

Housewives of Our Lives by @homosociallyyours / homosociallyyours I’ve never watched any of the housewives shows, but that didn’t matter. As usual Megan wrote a fic that had me wanting to be their friend and hang out with them as they did these ridiculous things because it sounded like such fun. I loved it as well.

A Larry Limerick by @kingsofeverything / FullOnLarrie I know this was mostly silly and to be funny, but I enjoyed it so I’m including it here hahaha

sun, here it comes by @louandhazaf / YesIsAWorld and It's been a long, cold, lonely winter by @kingsofeverything / FullOnLarrie I’m putting both of them here, because if you haven’t read them yet you should. They are two sides of the same story, and I fully recommend you read them in the order I listed them too haha I did and it was wonderful and delightful and basically all things good. SO much fun.

just me, him, and the moon by HazHas4Nips This was cuuuuuuute! I don’t even know what more to say, I just keep sitting here and smiling thinking about it. So I guess if you want a fic that makes you smile, this is a great little one. 

Spring Break by @allwaswell16 / allwaswell16 This fic came out of a partially true story and it was so much fun to finally be able to read what Anitra did with it haha I was giggling and loving it so so much the entire way. As usual. Can’t go wrong.

What's Mine is Yours by @uhohmorshedios / yeah_alright This fic is listed as a Narry fic, and it is, but it’s Narry friendship which made me giggle so so so much! hahaha It was so funny and the way Harry was described and Niall’s just...almost annoyance? I can’t even explain. It’s so much fun. 

Latching Onto You by @reminiscingintherain / reminiscingintherain This fic is pure fluff. Fluff and silliness and all things sweet and good. I was trying to find the best way to describe it and the first thing that came to mind was it was a bowl of sweet dessert and I finally realized it’s a parfait. It’s got layers, but all of it is sweet and soft and yummy. hahaha SO if that sounds like something amazing in a fic, then you defo wanna give this a read! 

Face Your Fears by @sadaveniren / SadaVeniren I’ll be honest, I finished this one around 2 am after a very long day and had to wake up too early again this morning, so I still haven’t fully computed this fic lollll Just know the pain is real, it is glorious, the journey the characters all take and the way Harry and Louis’ relationship grows is so incredible, I just... this fic is everything I’ve wanted in an a/b/o since I started reading a/b/o almost five years ago haha 

And that’s my very long fic list from this month! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did if you give them a try. And please remember to leave nice comments and kudos for the authors who work so hard to gift us with these stories! Happy reading :D

[deepwoundsandfadedscars]

What about manhandling with Klaus and a worried Diego? :D

I am so sorry this took so long, I had a bit of a crisis and got the same prompt but with different characters, so I wanted to get both done before posting either since I didn't want anyone to think I'd left them hanging. Thanks for your patience!

Diego looked up from Patches desk as movement at the door caught his eye. Brett and his partner entered the bullpen and headed towards the holding cell, pushing a gaudily dressed lanky man between them. Diego groaned as he recognized his brother. It’d been months since he last saw Klaus, his hair longer and the hollows of his cheeks were somehow even deeper. From across the bullpen, he couldn’t tell if the dark marks around Klaus’ eyes were bruises from a fight or lack of sleep.

“Stay,” Brett said, pointing at the floor in front of Klaus as though he were a dog. Klaus was so out of it he didn’t react at all, swaying unsteadily exactly where Brett left him as the officer moved to a desk to grab a form. He looked over his shoulder and laughed. “This dudes so out of it, I don’t think he even knows he exists right now.”

Diego clenched his jaw as Brett’s partner waved a hand in front of Klaus’ face to no reaction and both officers laughed uproariously. “He’s spaced!”

Diego studied his brother as Brett bent over the desk to scribble something down on the form. Klaus looked awful, gaunt and sick, like he hadn't eaten a proper meal since the last time they had seen each other, four months ago when Klaus had dragged Diego into a waffle house across town and convinced Diego to pay for it too.

He was broken from his thoughts as Brett straightened and pointed towards the hall at the other end of the bullpen and the officer holding Klaus pushed him forward, too hard for his intoxicated state and he stumbled forward. Unable to get his feet under him or his hands in front of him, his head hit the edge of the solid bench running down the length of the room. Diego felt his stomach drop as Klaus didn’t make any attempt to move, his floppy curls covering most of his face as he lay on the floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Diego demanded as he stalked across the office. His hands itched to reach for his knives, but he restrained himself. That’d only cause more problems.

“Oh, does the vigilante have a soft spot for drunks?” Brett mocked. “Go away Diego, let us do our jobs.”

Brett turned back to the crumpled form of Klaus, grabbing him harshly by the shoulder. “Let’s go asshole, to the drunk tank with you.”

Klaus was up in a split second, screaming bloody murder as he ripped Brett’s hand off of his arm with one hand and nailed the police officer right in the nose with the other. Diego shoved past Brett as the officer stumbled back, his hands desperately trying to contain the blood that gushed out of his nose.

“Klaus! Klaus, it’s me,” Diego said, wrapping his arms around Klaus’ shoulders as his brother started to crumble again. They wound up on the floor, Klaus half lying in Diego’s lap, his hands tangling in DIego’s jacket as he blinked his eyes wide to focus on the face in front of him. His face broke into a smile as he realized who was currently holding him.

“Diego! Oh brother, it’s- uh, it’s good to see you!” He rest his head on Diego’s shoulder, surrendering his safety to his brother. “Man, feels like… years… since I saw you last.”

“Four months, but ok man.” Diego pushed Klaus’s hair back, trying to get a look at the wound just on the edge of his hairline that slowly seeped blood. He tried to focus entirely on Klaus, tuning out the yelling and cussing coming from Brett and Patch telling Brett to back off.

“Diego, they’re so loud, they won’t leave me alone,” Klaus whimpered. His eyes were squeezed shut and the muscles tight across his jaw as he clenched his teeth together. Whether he was talking about the screaming officers or the voices in his head, Diego wasn't sure, but either way it was best to remove Klaus from the area.

“It’s alright, I got you bro, lets get you home.”

"Diego, do you know this guy?" Patch asked, leaning into their space.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take care of him. Can I take him?"

Patch glanced over her shoulder where Brett was being herded away, still yelling. "Probably for the best. I'll distract them," she said before turning her back on the two brothers.

"Ok man, let's go." Diego said, hoisting Klaus to his feet. Klaus slumped against him, his arm draped over Diego's shoulder and only barely helping stay upright.

"Diego…" he slurred.

"Yeah, man?"

"Can we get waffles? Ben likes waffles."

Diego's chest tightened at the mention of their deceased brother's name and he nodded.

"Yeah, man. Whatever Ben wants."

[pbwsports]

Is Tua Tagovailoa ready to become Miami's biggest star since Dan Marino?

Leaps into swimming pools. Emotional moments of jubilation. Tears of joy. Fifteen words delivered by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- "With the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select Tua Tagovailoa" -- elicited all that plus a belief the moment will change the Dolphins' franchise forever.

Over the past month, there has been an innate buzz burgeoning nationally, but especially in South Florida, that can be summed up as a Tua frenzy. An 11-minute fan-generated YouTube video provides a visual.

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"Tua is far by himself -- never seen anything like this buzz from a draft pick here. There's no close second," said Dolphins color commentator and radio host Joe Rose, who played for the franchise alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino from 1983 to 1985. "We have a rock star here in Tua. This team has been in mediocrity for so long. It's lacked the Dan Marino star power, the Ricky Williams star power. Tua's the next guy in that group."

Despite the love, it's too early to crown Tagovailoa. He hasn't even played an NFL game. Tagovailoa's arrival is defined by hope and hype.

Even in his first month as a Dolphins quarterback, it is clear that if Tagovailoa lives up to expectations, he will be the face of South Florida sports for a while.

How will Tagovailoa manage the pressure, the buzz, overwhelming positivity, eventual negativity and everything that comes with being hailed as the next big thing in a city starving for its latest sports superstar?

"The great thing for Tua is Dan Marino retired 20 years ago," Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon said. "So it's not like he's following right behind a legend like Aaron Rodgers following Brett Favre or whoever follows Tom Brady. He just has to be himself. He can't be Dan Marino. Just be yourself and rely on the people around you."

'It's going to be Dolphins town'

A Mount Rushmore of athletes who have led South Florida pro teams probably starts with Marino and the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, but the initial expectations weren't as high with either legend.

Wade remembers it wasn't until after he led the Heat to their first championship in 2006 that he became the face of South Florida sports. He returned to Miami and hopped in his convertible with a buddy. Fans sighted him and rushed the car. He couldn't drive another block.

"I looked at my friend and said, 'Yo, this is different,'" Wade said. "I enjoyed it. But I knew it would never be normal in this city from that point on. I had to get used to being a celebrity. The perks were great, but the non-privacy was not so great."

"Wade County" was born and didn't slow down. His presence remains large in Miami, but since he retired following the 2018-19 season, there has been an active-superstar void.

Enter Tagovailoa.

"He's a hell of a player. Miami, especially at the QB position, really needs that. They need a leader. They need a player," Wade said. "To come in as a young player and win a game in the second half of a national championship game -- that shows some grit, that shows some balls. People have to really believe in you. Miami needs that. The Dolphins need that. Even though I'm a [Chicago] Bears fan, I was rooting for them to get him because Miami needs to get back to where the basketball program is."

Wade's advice to Tagovailoa centers on how to handle fame; the future Hall of Fame guard says he would often deal with anxiety when he left the house. He felt the need to always be on as D-Wade even when he wanted to just be Dwyane. Wade said even though he wasn't expected to "save the franchise," once he became a fan favorite, he had to "figure out how to enjoy what you worked hard for, but keep a level of sanity at the same time."

The last 5th overall pick to Miami did some cool things. Congrts @Tuaamann can’t wait to watch your journey.

3,032 people are talking about this

Wade is optimistic Tagovailoa will lift the Dolphins to a place they never reached while he was with the Heat.

"If the Dolphins get it going, it's going to be Dolphins town. We did as much to make it a basketball town as possible, and Miami Heat is there to stay. But let's not get it twisted: Florida is football. Once they get their s--- together, they are going to be big and bigger," Wade said. "But those Heat guys -- Bam [Adebayo], Tyler Herro -- are going to battle him for it. He's got to earn it.

"How you put yourself in that conversation is doing something great, something that people have never seen before, and obviously winning."

Marino was a 'rock star'

Tagovailoa passed his first test by eschewing his college No. 13 -- Marino's number in Miami. Instead, Tagovailoa is paving his own path by becoming the first Dolphins QB to wear No. 1.

"I understand No. 13 is retired, and it should be. Dan Marino, he's the GOAT. He's like the mayor out there, and I have much respect for him," Tagovailoa said. "I just want to have the opportunity to go out there and compete."

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Every quarterback who has arrived in Miami has been met with some mention of Marino, and Miami has started 21 quarterbacks since the Hall of Famer retired in 2000. The Dolphins haven't had a Pro Bowl QB since then, which marks the NFL's longest streak.

So while the expectations might seem unwieldy for a 22-year-old quarterback coming off a serious hip injury, this isn't just any NFL city. He's coming to a franchise that is thirsty for a star QB, and fans have been waiting on Tagovailoa for more than a year.

"When I got down there, the Miami Dolphins were Dan Marino's town and team. It's still that way," former Dolphins great Ricky Williams said. "I was a running back, but no one has even come close to eclipsing the success that Dan had in Miami as a quarterback. Even more so than what I experienced, Tua has the potential to be a big part of what it means to be a Miami Dolphin for a long time."

Williams had a great run as the face of the Dolphins. Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and Ryan Tannehill did, too. But none of them have the national pull Tagovailoa has now.

Tua Tagovailoa is a star in Miami already.

147 people are talking about this

Rose says he remembers the buzz around Marino being relatively subdued when he arrived. The Dolphins, coming off a Super Bowl XVII loss, were led by their "Killer B's" defense, and they selected Marino with the No. 27 overall pick when he fell to them in the 1983 draft.

By the end of his record-setting 1984 MVP season, Marino was a superstar.

"When we went to New York, I saw the phone calls we got in our hotel room. I saw what movie stars and celebrities came around. People wanted to be around this guy," Rose said. "We didn't have the media and social media that they do now, so it could be a lot more hidden. He was big stuff. He was a rock star."

Marino is the standard, but Tagovailoa doesn't have to reach that level to be remembered in Dolphins history. As Moon and Wade have stressed, he just has to focus on being himself.

Why D-Wade is looking to Tua to be the leader the Dolphins need

Dwyane Wade expresses his thoughts on the Dolphins drafting Tua Tagovailoa and gives some advice for playing in the city of Miami.

Work, gain respect, then build the brand

Moon knows all about highly anticipated arrivals. After five Grey Cup titles in the Canadian Football League, Moon signed with the Houston Oilers and became the NFL's highest-paid player in 1984.

With stars such as running back Earl Campbell and linebacker Robert Brazile already in Houston, Moon was conscious of veterans believing he was too full of himself. Moon's response was to work hard, including lifting weights with the offensive line.

"When people came in the building, I was already there. When people left, I was still there," Moon said. "Yeah, I had a lot of attention, but they saw my work ethic. When I got on the field, they started to see I could really play. What you're trying to do is gain respect, and I think Tua will get that, too, because of his work ethic."

Showing that work ethic and building camaraderie with teammates could prove to be more challenging for Tagovailoa this offseason with virtual meetings instead of in-person practices. But Tagovailoa has reached out to many of his Dolphins teammates via text messages and phone calls.

The other balance Tagovailoa will have to maintain is his unique marketability with Moon's advice "to go in there with your head down and work."

Tagovailoa, who signed a four-year, $30.3 million contract, has endorsement deals with Adidas, Hulu, Muscle Milk, Verizon, Wingstop, Gillette, Lowe's, Bose and Call of Duty. He recently signed a multiyear, exclusive memorabilia-and-collection deal with Fanatics. He also has a documentary in the works detailing his journey to the Dolphins.

Tua Tagovailoa taking photo with young Dolphins fan — Riley — who hopes he lands in Miami. Many other Dolphins fans do too.

60 people are talking about this

Agent Ryan Williams and Athletes First have handled Tagovailoa's marketing demands, and he has immediately become one of the NFL's most well-known young players. The people love the former Alabama quarterback, and that has shown up in the numbers. Tagovailoa is the top-selling NFL player in terms of overall merchandise sales since May 1 across the Fanatics network, which includes NFLshop.com and online team stores -- above Tampa Bay's Brady and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Moon remembered advice he was given by his agent, Leigh Steinberg, who also represents Tagovailoa: to take things slow on building your brand and try to avoid reading the headlines or social media.

"I just want to make sure that he doesn't try to get too far ahead of himself. Football is what butters his bread," Moon said. "If he doesn't do well on the football field, everything else will go away. Knowing a bit about Tua, he'll be fine."

Tagovailoa showed humility throughout his college career. He has a connection to family and a desire to give back.

"I'm honored that the fans think so highly of me. But I haven't done anything, yet," Tagovailoa said. "What I did in college can't translate to the NFL. It's a clean slate. I've got to go out there and earn my respect and earn the trust from my teammates."

Thank you to @MiamiDolphins for making this dream come true for me and my family. It's in my heart to give back to the communities that have raised me. Plans are underway to start charitable outreach efforts in Hawaii, Alabama and Miami. Stay tuned, stay safe. Go fins! Blessed! https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/1260223696674881539 …

We have signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, defensive end Curtis Weaver and long snapper Blake Ferguson.

2,754 people are talking about this

'The guys in that locker room'

The idea of becoming a star before even taking an NFL snap might be enough to make Dolphins coach Brian Flores' head spin. A champion of competition and team-first mentality, Flores probably doesn't care how many jerseys Tagovailoa sells as long as he produces on the field.

"The world will make you think that you're this superstar. And maybe you are, but it doesn't really matter," Flores said last November regarding any particular player's growing success. "The only thing that matters is the guys in that locker room."

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But there is an element of stardom Wade alluded to with which Flores probably will agree, and that's winning. The New England Patriotsbecame an NFL dynasty with a star quarterback because of their winning records and Super Bowl titles. The allure of Tagovailoa's star power will be embraced should the Dolphins become title contenders year in and year out.

Before worrying about the celebrity, the more timely concern revolves around when Tagovailoa will get on the field. Some argue he should be an immediate starter, while others suggest a redshirt 2020 season. The most likely result appears to be somewhere in the middle.

The Dolphins are in Year 2 of a dramatic rebuild, but Flores always wants to win. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the veteran incumbent, has the upper hand in securing the starting role for several reasons, thanks to his comfort in offensive coordinator Chan Gailey's scheme, his success guiding the Dolphins in 2019 (to five wins), his leadership in the locker room and a lack of a true offseason.

But Tagovailoa is also eager to learn under Fitzpatrick, saying on draft day in April that he wants "to understand the kind of person he is ... nitpick him, ask him how he goes about preparing for a defense ... and just being able to question him."

Fitzpatrick vows to be Tagovailoa's "biggest cheerleader," but he won't hand him the starting job in 2020. Tagovailoa probably wouldn't want it any other way, because when football returns, he will get the opportunity to prove his worth.

Once Tagovailoa hits the field, the hope is he gets to become the greatest version of himself instead of being constantly compared to Marino. That weight is too heavy.

But becoming the long-term face of the Dolphins and South Florida sports? That's well within Tagovailoa's grasp. Source - ESPN

[valentinaonthemoon]

Ok, I have my notes, my bad gif, and the few screenshots I remembered to take, here we go.

Agents of SHIELD 1x01 - Pilot

Aw, I still miss seeing Deathlok on the show! I remember reading Deathlok comics a couple of years ago. I loved that series so much that every month I couldn’t wait to read the next one.

All I’m saying is that, if they made a Deathlok spin-off, I’d watch it.

I made A bad gif of Ward because he stood like that for three whole seconds and it was hilarious, and I’m not able to upload it right now but wait for it, anyway

I remember an interview during season 1 where Brett Dalton said they really went to France and he had to drive a motorbike even though he wasn’t very good at it. (I cannot provide the source right now, sorry everybody)

After season 1 there haven’t been many episodes shot in other coutries, have they? I know 4722 Hours was shot in the desert, but still in California. Season 1 had Canada, and this shot of France. Do you think they favoured less travel for more CGI? It certainly would have saved money. I’m not complaining at all, though! 

Also, you know what’s weird? I miss Brett Dalton on the show!

He was a Carlton Lassiter-esque type in the first half of the first season, then he became evil, then a lonely psychopath, then he died, he became more evil, and died again.

I understand completely why they couldn’t use his character more than that. Still! He’s a great actor, and this show wouldn’t have been the same without him.

COULSON SHOWING UP FROM THE DARKNESS! THERE HE IS!

I didn’t have tumblr in 2014 but I had a kind of diary and this is what I wrote about episodes 1 and 2: “Coulson is alive! And I started shipping Fitzsimmons” LITTLE DID I KNOW!

8 minutes and 33 seconds in, Ward is already up for killing someone. WOW.

“Fitzsimmons is not clear for combat”, mentioned for the first time as a singular individual, so OBVIOUSLY when I first saw them I was like: ok, these two come with their own ship name. I am allowed to ship them.

“Agent Ward here is almost too fit.” Did Iain De Caestecker write this? Remember the “He is an Adonis” interview? A CLASSIC.

Skye fangirling over meeting Mike because he’s a hero, and two years later, or so, SHE will be the hero AH, YES, WE APPRECIATE PARALLELS AND A GOOD ORIGIN STORY

Phil saying to Melinda “I just need you to drive the Bus” in retrospective got a little bit angsty all of a sudden. They’ve been partners for years, she had her own moral battles, he continued in another field. Like, of course, if Coulson asks, May can’t say no. If there’s to fight, she’s there. The Cavalry. Of course she’s not only going to drive the Bus. Season 6′s ending was proof enough.

This team has had the worst times since the beginning of the show, and yet, they managed to always come back to each other, and find in each other the family they all had to leave behind. It’s really sweet, and look, I got myself emotional.

THE SCIENCE BABES!! (already bickering)

“If you want to be in the field, Agent Fitz, you have to get your hands dirty” - “No, I do not”

Aww, they grew up so much!

VERY IRONIC how Ward answers “world peace” to Skye’s “What are you after?”

Jemma: “Who’s got it?” - Fitz: “Uh, Bashful” - Jemma: “Aww!”

Did I mention I love them?

Ward on truth serum is still a riddle to me. Unless that wasn’t truth serum at all, there’s something that doesn’t totally convince me in that particular scene.

I know that he was too good an agent to fall for a bit of serum, and Skye obviously didn’t ask the right questions, but...

I wonder if they used the truth serum in 1x19, with Koenig’s lie-detector, would Ward have said the truth then?

Fitz becoming flustered when talking excitedly to other human beings is a #mood.

I knew Mike wasn’t going to die, but I still gasped when that other guy shot him in the shoulder.

And May coming to the rescue!!!

The scene after Mike is saved and everybody is looking at each other smiling and relieved feels like the ending of a 2000′s drama series’ episode AND I LOVE IT.

Also LOLA is still The Perfect Car.

Thank you for reading this if you did!! What did you think?

I’ll get back to you with more of this during the week. 💖