#footloose fic

[bradshawssugarbaby]

Hard to Forget - Willard Hewitt x Reader

A/N: I wanted to branch out the list of characters I'd write for and since Willard is a fave of mine (I have a soft spot for dumb pretty country boys oops), I figured I'd roll with it.

Inspired by I Bet You Think About Me and Betty by Taylor Swift;

“But now that we're done and it's over, I bet you couldn't believe when you realized I'm harder to forget than I was to leave”

“But if I just showed up at your party, - Would you tell me to go fuck myself, - I’m only 17, I don’t know anything.” “Will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends?”

pairing: Willard Hewitt (Footloose 2011) x f!reader

content/warnings: swearing, angst, Willard being a dummy, some pining, fluffy ending.

word count: 3k

“Willard, you can’t just go around kissin’ other girls and then telling me you love me, that’s not how this works!” 

“Well, maybe I dunno how any of this works, did’ya ever think that? Jeez, you’re puttin’ more rules on me than coach does for a football game, babe. Maybe I don’t wanna be in a relationship like this? I’m young, you know, I’m 19, I wanna be free and have fun while I still can. I’m gonna graduate soon and I wanna enjoy life before I get stuck workin’ a 9 to 5 somewhere. I know I’m not playin’ football when I get out, but I’m not plannin’ to be like everyone else back home and have a wife and kids and a dog before I turn 30.”

“Well then, maybe we should break up, Willard. Apparently according to you we were never anything to begin with, so it shouldn’t be too hard to call this off.” 

“Yeah, maybe we should.”

Willard’s words were like venom, stinging you as you walked away, hot tears threatening to overflow your eyes and stream down your face. You headed off to your dorm, trying your damnest to not let Willard’s indifference towards you get under your skin. You were determined to not let some country boy from a small town in Georgia break your heart, you were better than that. Before you left, you spun around on your heel and looked at him.

“Why don’t you go fuck yourself, Willard?” 

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Five years later, and you had long moved on from the cute Southern country boy who’d tried to break your heart. You’d completed your university degree in Education, worked your ass off, determined to be happy with or without your ex boyfriend. You and Willard never crossed paths again at university, and you were sure you’d never see him again. That was, until you had to return home for the weekend. Your younger sister had just turned 16, and your presence was requested, causing you to make the four and a half hour one way trip down to Athens to be there for her party. You’d moved to South Carolina after graduation, landing a job with a school district in Charleston where you were hired on as a first grade teacher. Once you arrived back home in Athens, the memories of Willard and your years at university all came flooding back. Complicating these, was when your tire blew on your car. You had to have it towed to the nearest mechanic.

When you hopped out of the tow truck, you lifted your sunglasses up from your eyes, resting them atop your head, squinting as you walked into the garage. A tall man with dark hair and a deep Southern accent with his back turned to you as he wiped his hands off called out to you. There was a sense of familiarity as he spoke, an uncomfortable feeling brewed in you as he turned around. You saw his face, and nothing about him had changed - the same hazel eyes, dark brown curls, the faint scars on his cheek and his chin now almost unnoticeable. His breath audibly hitched as he saw you. 

“Well...hi,” Willard chuckled awkwardly as he saw you, taking a moment to register everything that had changed since you’d left him.

“Hi,” You responded coldly, your arms folded across your chest as you looked at him, “My tire blew, I just need one replaced. No I didn’t have a spare, just charge it to my credit card when you’re done, ok?” 

“Well now, is that anyway to talk to your ex boyfriend?” Willard smirked playfully, that same godforsaken twinkle in his hazel eyes that always won you over before still clearly present.

“Ex for a reason, Willard.”

“Not a good one,” He admitted as he nodded his head slowly, “I-uh-I’ve been thinking.”

“After 5 years? Seems a little late.”

“Listen, darlin’, I was a stupid kid,” he began, nodding slowly, “I never wanted to hurt ya.”

“Well, you just did a damn good job of that without even trying, didn’t you?” You rebuffed his attempt to discuss further and handed him your credit card so he could put the tire repair on file with your card. 

“I’m sorry, ok?” He said softly, his voice barely a whisper as he spoke. 

“I’m not.”

“I probably deserve that, I’ll admit,” Willard sighs and shakes his head, “Let me make it up to ya, ok? Maybe I could take you for dinner some time? How long are ya here for? I can’t cook for shit still, but I remember you always loved going out to that place near the campus, I could take you there if ya’d like?”

“Thanks, but I have plans.”

“I haven’t even told you when it is yet.”

“Well I’m only home for a weekend. It’s my sister’s sweet 16.”

Willard’s face fell as he nodded slowly. He sighed softly and handed you your card back, furrowing his brow as he spoke.

“S’pose I can’t convince you then, can I?” 

“What could you possibly say to fix it after five years, Willard?

He frowned again before gazing up at the clock on the wall. He nodded slowly and turned his attention back to you before speaking again.

“I’m off in 10 minutes, if you wait for me, I’ll explain everything. If you say my explanation and apology aren’t good enough, I’ll back off and you can pretend you never even met me. I’ll even fix that tire for free first before you go back home.”

You weighed your options as Willard looked at you hopefully, almost as if he was pleading you to agree. You sighed and shook your head before pointing a finger at him.

“Don’t disappoint me, ok?

“I’ll do my damnest not to, darlin’”

After 10 short minutes, you observed as Willard punched out his time card and trodded off to the change room to discard of his dirty, grease laden clothes. He smiled as he walked out to you, wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt, his beat up old baseball cap from when you’d first met him now adorning his head. He laughed softly before turning to you once again and grinning.

“I’m impressed you waited for me,” Willard explained. 

As the two of you headed outside, you spotted his infamous beat up old pickup truck, looking as rough as ever parked outside. Willard grinned at you and laughed, “You used to love this truck, you know.”

“Yeah, when I was 19, I also loved country boys in cowboy hats who wiillingly broke my heart by kissing other girls while I thought we were dating exclusively,” You hissed at him.

If there was one thing you knew about Willard, it was that he didn’t give a single fuck if anyone didn’t like his truck. That truck was the only thing he loved more than his own mama, and Willard would spend every last dime he had to fix that awful thing just so he could continue cherishing it. He’d always been very set in his ways about everything. It was the reason why you’d split in the first place. He was so determined to “live freely” and “live his life” that he gave up anything he figured might have stopped him, including you.

“Listen, I’m sorry for what I did, yeah?” 

“So you’ve said.” 

“Just hear me out, ok? I was a stupid kid. I was 19, I didn’t know shit. I still don’t know shit at 24, but you know what I do know?” 

“How to count past 10 without taking your shoes off?” You retorted dryly.

“Hey now, I’m trying to be serious!” Willard laughed softly, “I know now that you never would have stopped me from doing whatever I had my heart set on. You would have encouraged me to just be happy. I appreciate that. I was just too stupid to pick up on that. I’m sorry I broke your heart. I also learned that you were so much harder to forget than you were to leave. Watching you walk away and hearing you tell me to go fuck myself gave me quite the ego check. And, I really did think you were the sweetest lil’ Georgia peach I’d ever met.”

You rolled your eyes as you tried to maintain your icy exterior towards him. On the inside though, you could feel your heart melt ever so slightly as he called you a Georgia peach - that had always been his saying when he thought you did something cute. He’d pat your cheek with his big hand, calloused from a combination of playing football and his studying to be a mechanical engineer, and grin at you as his thick as molasses Southern accent gushed at you. “Well ain’t you just as sweet as a Georgia Peach?” he’d always say. Half the time you figured he said it purely to make you blush. 

Willard took a step closer to you, his hazel eyes meeting with yours the way they had when you two had dated all those years ago. He sighed softly, almost happily as he saw you weren’t rejecting him this time around. His hand reached for yours slowly, his touch gentle and delicate, as if he was trying purposefully not to scare you away. He smiled softly as you allowed him to hold your hand, your lack of resistance giving him a glimmer of hope that you might have somehow found a way to forgive him. You would feel yourself wearing down against him, your cold, frozen exterior towards him melting away as he gently held your hand.

“Willard,” you frowned slightly as you looked down at his hand holding yours, trying to ignore the fact that your hand fit perfectly in his.

“Darlin’ I’m willing to do anything to prove to you that I’m not going to break your heart again if you give me the chance. I’ve spent the last five years realizing that those big dreams and aspirations I had in college weren’t going to come true without you. I never did make it out of college football, I never ended up travelling or leaving Georgia like I said I would, but, I mean, I do decently well for myself. When you left I realized you were what made me happy though - not travelling or football, or workin’ on cars. You. And when I didn’t have you to do all these things I’d dreamed of with, well, none of them seemed worth doin’ anymore.”

 You sighed softly as he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. You looked up at him, meeting those gorgeous hazel eyes you’d always loved, tears welling up in your own as you gave an understanding nod of your head. 

“Now, there’s my sweet lil’ Georgia peach,” he smirked as he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb. 

A rush of memories and a sense of familiarity came rushing over you as he spoke, calling you by the pet name that always made you weak in the knees years ago. You shook your head quickly as you tried to shake the feeling of nostalgia that was overtaking you.

“I should get going.” Your voice was soft-spoken, partially feeling guilty as you spoke.

Willard swallowed hard and nodded his head, trying to not sound defeated. He gestured his hand outward, pointing towards the street, forcing a hearty laugh and a big smile as he spoke.

“Yeah, might not wanna be late, your mama’d be so mad. Bet your sister wouldn’t be none too pleased either tho, would she?”

“No, I don’t suppose they would be. My sister’s party is supposed to start in,” You frowned as you looked at your watch and shook your head, “!5 minutes. Christ, I better start walking.”

“Don’t be silly, I’ll just drive you over. Sure your mama doesn’t want you wanderin’ your way around town to get home.”

You opened your mouth to argue but quickly closed it again. You knew he had a fair point, and you’d never make it there in 15 minutes by walking. Smiling, Willard opened the door of his truck for you, gesturing to the front seat for you to hop inside. You jumped up into the seat and nodded slowly as Willard took your bag out of your temporarily non-functioning car for you, placing it in the back. He climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the key over, the engine making its unique sputtering sound as it roared to life, the old engine sounding like it was clinging to life by a thread. 

“You know, I could fix ‘er, but I just…I dunno, the sound is sort of nostalgic for me, ya know? It’s comforting,” He chuckled.

You rolled your eyes and laughed as he drove towards your parents house. You directed him along the way, but once he found himself in the familiar neighbourhoods he used to drive through to pick you up all those years ago, he didn’t need your navigation skills anymore. He smirked as he pulled up out front of your parents’ home, watching as you hopped out of the truck. He raised an eyebrow as the crowd of your family members that was congregating outside of your garage. Willard waved politely to them, recognizing a few of their faces from family functions he’d accompanied you to years ago. He parked his truck and hopped out, smiling as he looked over to you.

“I take it you never did tell your mama the truth about why we broke up, did ya?” He whispered to you as your mom waved to him from the garage.

“No, I didn’t want to her to go sharpen her pitchfork to come after you with,” You smirked at him and shrugged your shoulders, “You’re welcome.”

As you came up closer to your family, you felt Willard put his hand gently on your back. Turning to you, he smiled softly and whispered in your ear gently.

“Sorry, just trying to make it seem like we didn’t quite break up as badly as we did,” he nodded as he let out a soft chuckle.

You nodded slowly in agreement and smiled at your family members as Willard joined you. He laughed as your dad wrapped an arm Willard’s shoulders, pulling him in to talk for a moment, as he would have with an old friend. Willard gave you an apologetic smile as he shrugged, not realizing that your family would have missed his presence so much. 

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A few hours later, Willard was still hanging out at the party, unable to make a quick getaway as your family members wanted to hear about all the things he’d done over the last five years. In a way, you were glad they were so welcoming towards him once again, happy to see that he was still considered family by your loved ones. You couldn’t help but notice the butterflies you got every time you saw him smile or laugh while he spoke, like he was genuinely enjoying himself, it showed to you that what he had said earlier about missing you had been completely heartfelt. 

As everyone started to head out, you met Willard on your parents front porch, smiling softly as he held your hand again under the warm glow of the porchlight beside the door. You could feel the gaze of your family members peering through the curtains at you, all secretly and silently hoping that one of you would give a sign that you were rekindling what you’d once had together. 

“Thanks for letting me stick around, I missed seeing everyone, I missed how nice your folks are,” Willard nodded, smiling brightly at you, his cheeks turning pink as he spoke.

“I don’t think they would have given me the option to send you home without staying, to be fair.”

There was an awkward silence in the air between you two as Willard’s eyes met yours. He bit his lip softly and laughed, shaking his head, his dark brown curls becoming perfectly tossed, his discarded baseball cap shoved into his back pocket from when he sat down for dinner earlier. 

“You know, I really wanna kiss you right ‘bout now.”

“Strangely enough, you’re kinda making me wanna kiss you right ‘bout now too,” you teased.

With that, Willard put his hands on your waist, pulling you in close for a kiss. His lips were soft, with a sense of hunger and passion added to the chemistry between you. You could tell just by how his lips met with yours that he’d been craving this for the last five years. That he’d wanted nothing more than to hold you close and kiss you under the porchlight like had so many times before. And if you were being honest, you’d craved it too all these years, as much as you hated to admit it.

“So, where does this leave us then?” You raised an eyebrow at him, “‘Suppose I can’t hate you anymore if I’m letting you kiss me like that, now can I?”

“Don’t suppose you can, sweetheart. Looks like you may have to agree to datin’ me again?”

“Is that so?”

“Now come on, my lil’ Georgia peach, don’t make me get on my knees and beg you to take me back in front of your folks. You know I will.”

You laughed softly and pressed your lips to his again, murmuring into the kiss as your lips touched. 

“Come ‘ere, country boy,  you’re mine now.”

[g1rld1ary]

Hello ml, i have binged all of your lifeguard!james series and wondered if the could be in a country bar with cowboy hats and low jeans or dressed as cowboys for Halloween ( not purposely matching ) I can see reader being all hot and bothered about james in overalls no shirt and a cowboy hat. Dont feel like you have to but i love these sm

- Hannah xx

lifeguard!james potter x fem!reader (COWBOY EDITION)

prev

wc: 1949

cw: hornyyyy, alcohol

me: i am FERAL for this ask like absolutely UNHINGED girl i loved it sososo much and i really hope you do too!!!! watched footloose as research and if anyone wants more cowboy/footloose content PLS just shoot me an ask or request because the obsession is back in full force. thank u so much for reading!!! <3

ALSO!! this is my 1 yr anniversary fic!!!!!! felt right to be my boy lifeguard!james because im crazy for him <3 thank u sososo much to everyone who's ever read and interacted with my fics i love u all soso much and am grateful for u all every day <333

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“shh, hurry up!” lily giggled as you snuck out her window, snorting as you landed heavily in the bush underneath. you flipped her off as you wiped the arse of your low-rise jeans, hopping over to marlene’s old car and sliding through the open window.

“are we picking up the boys?” you asked, taking the beer bottle offered by mary from the back seat.

“you mean are we picking up james?” marlene said with a sing-song trill and you turned out to the window to hide your smile.

“that’s not what i asked, was it?”

it was only a half-hour drive to the next town over, where your real favourite pastime lived. lounging by the public pool was fun and all, but nothing compared to maverick’s. maverick’s was a classic country bar, and the last saturday of every month was all-ages line-dancing all night. you went without fail.

you loved the atmosphere of the bar, the music, the crowds, the fashion. everyone dressed to the nines in cowboy attire, hats and boots dominating your eye line, though your group was no different.

you’d perfectly tailored your outfit to fit in with the crowd of dancers. skin-tight low-rise denim sandwiched between red cowboy boots and a red flannel just a size too small, tied up tight under the curve of your breasts.

“fuck!” you moaned, running your hands down your face as the girls all turned to look, “i forgot my hat!” the girls all burst out laughing, relieved there wasn’t an actual emergency.

“just come dance already,” lily grabbed you by the hand, leading you out to the big wood dance floor. you followed with no hesitation.

everything felt better when you were dancing. there were no worries, nothing to think about, no sadness or boredom to wallow in. when you were dancing, there was just music. just joy.

the song ended as if on cue, right when the gimmicky saloon doors swung open to four figures. you, however, were only staring at one.

james potter had never looked sexier. you said that every time you saw him, but this time it was really the truth. cowboy boots with washed denim overalls being the only thing covering his broad expanse of chest. on top of his dark messy curls rested a leather cowboy hat.

you could have sworn your legs should have been strong from dancing but your knees grew weak at the sight, mouth practically watering as you drank in the man before you. you laughed but were secretly grateful when mary jokingly supported your weight.

the boys sauntered over to you, all clearly feeling themselves in their cowboy getups — even remus looked confident in his double denim.

“hello there,” marlene crowed, laughing as they all did little spins to show off their outfits.

another song started and all your conversation was forgotten in favour of dancing, not wanting to waste the night you’d waited all month for. as each of your friends found their own space to move, james slotted in by your side.

“so you do this every month?” he asked, nervously looking around to see what other people were doing.

“every month,” you affirmed, already feeling yourself getting lost in the music.

“what am i supposed to do?” you could hear the rising panic in james’ voice as the choreography began to pick up, “i’ve never learnt these steps, how does everyone know them?” you couldn’t help but laugh at handsome, cool, lifeguard james potter freaking out because he didn’t know some dance steps. you laid a hand on his bicep to calm him down (and because it looked irresistible in the low light of the bar).

“the trick is not to worry — if you look closely, sirius hasn’t done a single right step this whole time, he’s just confident about it.”

james took your advice and you could see him starting to loosen up, which brought a pretty smile to his lips. he still looked to you for a guide of what direction to be travelling in, but you liked watching him have fun with it and laugh through all his stumbling.

he managed to make it through three whole dances before tapping out, and you skipped behind him over to the bar, still moving your hips to the music.

“what’s the problem?” you asked with a twirl to the song, watching as james cracked open his beer, “all those weights you lift not helping you with your moves?”

“it’s overwhelming,” james shrugged, catching you again unprepared for his unwavering vulnerability, “i’ve never been anywhere like this before, i feel out of my depth. how’d you guys find out about it?” you really, genuinely did feel bad that james was being honest with you and you were staring at his exposed chest, but it wasn’t your fault that he’d gotten sweaty from dancing and now it was shiny! you felt no better than a crow.

“believe it or not, a guy actually took me here on a first date once. it went terribly, like fucking awful, but i just fell in love with this place and the feeling. been dragging everyone else here ever since.”

“how does a guy screw up a chance with you? i mean, he takes you out dancing and still can’t show you a good time?” james shook his head like he was exasperated that some man he’d never meet hadn’t had a good date with you.

“he wouldn’t loosen up,” you hooked a finger around the strap of his overalls, pulling yourself closer to james’ seat on the barstool. “barely danced ‘coz he didn’t wanna look like a dork, and he wouldn’t tell me anything real about himself. i spent the whole night staring at other couples and wishing he was like them. unlike…” you stopped yourself by biting your lip shyly, eyes straying past james to the multicoloured alcohol bottles stacked against the wall of the bar.

“unlike?” he asked, then sensing your sudden nervousness, changed the subject, “your outfit’s missing something.” you cocked your head to the side curiously.

“yeah?”

“yeah,” he repeated, lifting his cowboy hat from his head, placing it on yours instead. you took the initiative to run your fingers through his messy curls, arranging them to cure his hat hair.

“d’you even know what that means, baywatch?” you asked, one eyebrow raised.

“nah, but i’m sure i’ll like it.”

james’ sharp tongue went un-reprimanded when your favourite song came blasting through the speakers: Fake ID. you gasped in delight, taking off towards the dance floor in a hurry, james stumbling along behind.

james sat out the first verse to get acquainted with the music, eyes trained on you. you, for once, were mostly unaware of james’ gaze, enraptured by the music and the energy around you. you lost yourself in the dance, body moving with muscle memory so you could enjoy the experience fully. james’ eyes couldn’t leave your figure, roving over the creamy expanses of exposed skin, observing appreciatively as you swung your hips in his direction with a quick wink.

remembering what you’d said about your failed date james took the dive and risked his dignity, hopping the barrier between him and the dance floor. in seconds he was next to you again, clumsily (but enthusiastically) following the choreography you were executing more gracefully.

“let loose!” you yelled as the choreography faded out, everyone around you turning and twisting to the music.

you left james to his own devices to twirl with mary, holding james’ hat on your head to ensure you didn’t lose it. you flung your arms into the air with glee, grinding against nothing when fingers interlaced with yours, spinning you quickly into someone’s hold. james. you released the alarmed breath you’d taken, raising an impressed eyebrow as james smoothly brought your hands up to rest around his neck, his own finding their way down to your hips.

you barely spoke, enjoying the music and the tension that thickened whenever the two of you were alone together. james’ eyes moved almost erratically, trying to take in every inch of you he could, and you weren’t much better. there was a thin sheen of sweat coating the miles of exposed, tanned skin james was showing off, catching the light and drawing your eyes toward it.

james let go of you long enough to get low to the floor, hands and mouth grazing your skin as he worked his way back up your body. you arched your back to swing away from him long enough to hide your blush at the sensations, straightening back up to push yourself even closer to your dance partner.

you’d practically fused into one being, all sweat and flying hair and moving limbs, both your hips moving in time with each other and the music in a way that wasn’t feeling strictly friendly. the eye contact between you was unwavering and you had to force yourself to keep it, refusing to back down from what james had started.

you were so close, millimetres apart. james’ plush, pink lips were practically already on yours, yet he hadn’t closed the gap. why? his heavy breath fanning your face as you danced and all you could think about was what it would be like to kiss james potter.

the song ended just as you’d made your mind up to close the gap and you pulled away with a start, lips only barely grazing his. the room applauded as the houselights came back on, a sign that the night of dancing was over. you cheered with them, still making eye contact with james.

the rest of your group broke up your moment, hooting and hollering and dragging you back to the respective cars. james twirled you one more time on the dance floor, landing with his hand slid into the back pocket of your jeans. you gasped with both surprise and delight at the unexpectedly smooth manoeuvre, letting him lead you back into the cool summer night air.

not quite ready to go home yet the group spread across the two cars, sitting on the bonnets and the grass in between. you stood still connected to james, who was leant against the driver side door. idle chatter passed about as you all praised the night, rehashing what you’d just lived through and how you already missed it.

“so, little lady,” james exaggerated a terrible southern accent, “you gonna tell me what all that fuss is about my hat?” the group had finally started moving, the click of car doors pervading the otherwise now quiet night.

“you’re outta your depth, baywatch,” you produced a cocky grin, “save a horse, ride a cowboy.” james’ surprise gave you leave to skip back to marlene’s car and slide through the passenger window.

she’d just put the engine into drive when james called after your car, “is that a promise?”

your laugh carried back to him through the wind as marlene pulled out onto the road back home.

[mythmerth]

daily I-can’t-believe-how-incredible-footloose-is post. this author writes banger after banger. how am I still on edge after 500k words into loaded march, how the fuck do they do that. I would read ten billion stories from them if I could. footloose, wherever you are, I owe u my life

[teengirlvogue]

hot take: okay so be real and really think. no judgement here btw if there was a fictional character you think you could genuinely pull who would it be? me personally i think probably jake seresin simply just cause i love to argue and he’s definitely the argumentative type. or willard hewitt from footloose. can’t exactly explain why but i feel like we’d get along.

[green-socks]

Teenage Dream

Pairing: Willard Hewitt (2011 version) x f!reader

Summary: Moving back home turns out more exciting than you'd thought when you run into Willard, your crush from way back.

Words: 2.2k

Warnings: rated M: car sex but not explicit, only mentioned. Aged up Willard so he's mid to late 20s in this!! They're at a bar but no one's actually drunk.

Notes: I don't know if anyone but me is into this but I just wanted to hear it for the boy. Give the boy a hand!! I love him so. Much love, as always, to @a-reader-and-a-writer for betaing and for putting up with my booty-calling ass at all times <3

If you've seen the video of Miles dancing to footloose while driving, that's 100% grown up Willard, just so you know.

Moving back to Bomont didn't feel nearly as bad as you once had thought it would. Getting out for a few years felt good, sure, and seeing more of the world even better. But now it just felt nice to return home and be closer to your family. Besides, your work allowed a remote position, so it didn't much matter where in the world you were as long as the job got done. And Bomont allegedly had great internet these days, so you figured why not.

Your friend Iris from school had also moved back two years ago, so you knew there was at least one good friend there waiting for you already. It would be nice to catch up with her and be closer again.

And what better way to catch up than go out to the closest bar (which was in the next town) where the clientele wasn't exclusively well over 55. It was a good bar. They had great cocktails and gave discounts to anyone who sang karaoke, so the people were generally in great spirits.

Around midnight, after a couple of drinks that provided an unnecessarily vivid throwback to your teenage years and a powerful duet of I Will Survive, you were on the hunt for some water.

Stumbling right into the solid chest of an actual tall drink of water wasn't on your mission plan but you were willing to roll with the punches. Only before you even had the chance to raise your head and see who the chest belonged to, the man happily shouted out your name.

"Wait– Willard?"

(It really shouldn't have surprised you that in this corner of the world you always had a chance of running into someone you knew.)

That face you recognized. That face hadn't changed basically at all in the nearly ten years that it had been since you last saw him. The rest of his body was what didn't compute. The Willard from school had been tall too, obviously, but also kind of lanky with long flailing limbs. The Willard in front of you now was huge, with broad, strong shoulders and biceps that– okay yeah you were staring. But seriously, that t-shirt had to be a size or two too small.

The man himself fortunately seemed oblivious to your gawking, and instead wrapped you in a quick but enthusiastic hug.

"Great to see you! I heard you were back but didn't expect to run into you just yet. What's it been, nearly ten years? Man, time flies," he prattled on, releasing you and looking you over as if he was cataloging if anything had changed.

"Good to see you too," you finally managed, looking up at him. "Yeah, I moved back just three days ago. But you never left, did you?"

"Hey, I went to college!" He pouted in mock offense. "But yeah, then I came straight back. Big cities freak me out." This time he pretends to shiver. "If I need to experience the wild world for a weekend I go stay with Rusty, but otherwise I'm good here."

"Oh, how is she doing? I haven't seen her in years either."

"She's doing great! She lives with her girlfriend Annie now, and they have a really cute dog," Willard said excitedly.

You knew that Rusty had a girlfriend through Iris who was the one in the loop for all gossip and followed everyone on social media, still keeping up with everything. You hadn't bothered with that so much, but it was still nice to hear these updates. You hadn't been that close with Willard or his gang, but you had some classes together and became friendly enough that way.

"How about you?" you asked. "You and Ren still going strong? Still do everything together?" You smiled a little teasingly because this one you already knew the answer to. You had heard that they had mostly taken over Ren's Uncle Wes's car shop, and apparently business was going so great people came there from out of town in search of better service.

"I accidentally put on his shirt tonight because our laundry keeps getting mixed up. Does that answer your question?" he deadpanned, making you laugh.

"That explains it. I thought your arms looked about ready to burst out of that shirt."

You immediately snapped your mouth shut, feeling embarrassed. Why would you point that out?? He brought up the shirt and your mind immediately went there again, but you didn't need to say it for crying out loud.

Thankfully Willard only laughed. "I know right? I don't understand how it keeps happening, it's not like we even have the same size most of the time. You should have seen one time I put on his sweatpants to run to the store, I thought I was gonna get arrested for public indecency or something!"

You choked a little bit on your water at that mental image.

"I'm sure the old ladies at the market were quite delighted," you chuckled.

Willard snorted. "Yeah, I got some looks alright, though I wasn't sure if they were into it or if they thought I needed Jesus."

The two of you continued catching up, moving farther to the edge of the dancefloor where you could talk without having to shout. You had no idea how much time had passed until Iris came to knock on your shoulder. After greeting Willard, she turned back to you, pulling you aside to talk a little more privately.

"How would you feel about me staying here in town for the night? We can totally head home together, but I have a chance to get laid if I stay here. Maybe you could get a ride with Willard?"

"You wanna go and have a sleepover with Alex?" you teased her. You knew Alex was her regular companion here, that she was kind of hoping would turn into something more, so you couldn't begrudge her.

"Could I?" she tried a half apologetic, half pleading smile. "You and Willard seem to be hitting it off." Her eyes were pointedly looking in the man's direction, who was still hovering a few feet behind you.

"Speaking of which. You didn't warn me he looks like that now!" you hissed. She was the one who was supposed to relay all the interesting knowledge to you!

"Well, I mean, he doesn't do anything for me. I didn't think it was important," she shrugged.

"But you know I was super into him in school, obviously he does it for me!"

"That was ages ago! I'm barely into people I liked two years ago let alone in school!"

"But it's Willard," you gesticulated broadly with your hands, hoping to emphasize the point.

"Alright, fine, I understand. But we're getting off track here." And with that Iris side-stepped you to talk to the man himself. "Hey Willard, could you take her home tonight? I'm staying in town, but I trust you to keep her safe," she smiled sweetly, playing all innocent.

You noted three things. One, she used the words take her home, and you were definitely going to kick her for that later. Two, Willard didn't even need to be buttered up, because of course he would help an old friend. And three, he honest to god puffed out his chest at Iris telling him he was trustworthy. Even tipped his hat, giving her his word that he'd take care of you.

Goodness gracious, you might not survive this night.

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble? And that you're good to drive?" you wanted to check.

"I've only had one beer tonight, I'm cool. And it's no trouble at all, I promise," he smiled.

With that, Iris took her leave, but not before giving you a hug, demanding you check in later, and threateningly muttering something about crushed testicles to Willard. He looked appropriately nauseated.

Clearing his throat a couple of times, Willard turned to you again. "Uh.. uhm, do you want to go home right now or, uh, do you wanna dance for a bit?"

"I could dance for a bit, yeah!" You were so proud of yourself for sounding totally cool and normal.

The dance floor was unfortunately packed because the night was at that point where everyone had had just the right amount of liquid courage to let loose.

But no one let loose like Willard.

You had never before danced with a guy, or anyone really, who was so willing to absolutely tear up the dance floor with no regard to how it looked. Of course, Willard looked fantastic – Ren was a great teacher after all – but more important was the fact that he was genuinely having fun with it.

It was infectious. Not just to you, but to the people around you as well, though it seemed Willard was unaware of the effect he had.

You were breathless with laughter, and sweaty as hell, but you didn't mind. That is until the song switched to something slower and sensual, and Willard held you so close you knew he could feel your sweat-soaked back. What had started as an overexaggerated "sexy" grind making you laugh wasn't that funny anymore. It had morphed from a joke into something actually hot, and you were breathless for a whole different reason.

Before you could get too in your head about it, the song changed again, this time to an upbeat rock song. You continued dancing, but the energy from before was gone and the crowd on the dancefloor was thinning, so you noticed another need taking over.

"I'm kind of hungry, would it be okay to leave now?" you asked, shouting up to Willard.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

You wanted a burger. So that's what Willard got you.

The night air felt exceptionally lovely after the sweaty bar. You ate your burgers on the bed of Willard's truck, because he was surprisingly strict about not getting a mess inside the car.

On the drive home, you talked more about what both of you had been up to in the last almost decade, while still jamming along to the radio. There was no stopping Willard.

"In college Ren dragged me to cheerleading tryouts. He had that gymnastics background and thought it would be fun, but, honestly, back then I thought that cheer was just for girls. I obviously don't think that anymore." He rolled his eyes – you did too. "Anyway, I got sucked into it. Now I coach two teams, so that's a lot of my free time spent with that. It's gotten pretty popular in Bomont lately!" he gushed.

"I don't doubt that, with you coaching," you chuckled.

"What do you mean?" He glanced at you.

"You know, 'cause you're so likable. You're the kind of person who gets others excited too, and I'm sure you're a really great coach."

"Oh. Thanks."

Willard was trying to hide his smile, but there was no hiding that blush. You thought it looked adorable.

As the conversation went on, you moved from trading stories to light flirting and playful banter, the mood in the truck relaxed but cheerful. At one point you made Willard laugh so hard he had to pull over to an empty lot not too far from home to avoid crashing. After the last giggles subsided into quiet hiccups, you just continued talking. It took you nearly thirty minutes of conversation to realize that a) Willard never started the car again and you had just been standing still in that same spot where he pulled over, and b) you two had drifted closer to each other while talking, so much so that Willard's face was mere inches from yours.

Which made you realize your gaze kept dropping to his lips a whole lot. They just looked so.. kissable. You'd always thought so. His lips looked so soft and plump, his smiles so warm, that you desperately wanted to lean in and get a taste.

It was nearing two am but you were wide awake, nerves alight with excitement from Willard's proximity.

And unless you were much mistaken, his pupils were fairly dilated, looking at you just now.

"In my experience, if someone looks at your lips a lot it means they want to kiss you," Willard murmured quietly.

You couldn't even bother to pretend to be embarrassed about getting caught.

"Yeah, I think that's true," you breathed, looking into his eyes that were now boring into yours.

"Do you think it's true or is it true?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Yes, I want to kiss you."

"Oh thank god," Willard groaned and cupped your cheek, pulling you in the rest of the way.

-

2:24 am

"Should we stop? You said you don't want your truck to get messy," you panted.

"I've had a shift in priorities. I no longer give a shit about my truck," he murmured into your neck without even stopping the movement of his hips.

-

Your text to Iris at 2:59 am:

I may have just lived a teenage dream of mine and fucked Willard Hewitt in his truck. Now home ok. Talk tomorrow❤️

You fell asleep immediately, and let the responding reaction gifs and exclamation points be tomorrow's problem.

[flowercrowngods]

Please a little peak of winter soldier or your ideas on it!! I need to expand on my obsession with your writing since I still need to mentally prepare for the time travel one 🤍🤍

hdhdhd please lower your expectations love 😂🤍 but here, as you wish, some kas!eddie winter soldier-esque thing 🫶 (cw blood and violence obviously)

Steve barely feels the impact when his body hits the floor, muddy and rotten and decaying as it is. He barely feels anything anymore, has gone numb even though he’s sure he’s still crying. There is not enough strength in his body to keep a hold of his bat, and watching it fall from his hand doesn’t feel real.

It’s a movie. This is a movie. A bad dream, a nightmare. One he can’t wake up from. One he refuses to wake up from. Not without Eddie.

An earth-shattering scream cuts through the dark, leaving Steve stunned and groaning as the creature’s cry sets alight his body, making him feel every cut, every bruise, every bleeding wound that start to make him feel lightheaded.

He tries to reach for the nail bat, his movements slow and sluggish, his head pounding, his body in agony, and his heart shattered and shattering still.

A foot lands on his wrist, making him cry out with a force he didn’t know he still had left in his body. A sign of life. A baby’s first cry; a terrified boy’s last scream.

The creature — Kas, as the kids call him, but they’re wrong, they’re wrong! It’s Eddie, it’s Ed, it’s—

Steve, he hears Robin’s voice echoing in his mind as he watches Eddie bend down to lift the bat, his face contorted with rage and determination. That’s not Eddie. That’s not the boy you—

I don’t care. If there’s a chance he’s still… It’s been months, Bobbie. He’s— It’s Eddie! I can’t… I can’t just… Let me try, okay?

“Eddie,” he rasps, bile rising in his throat as he does. Or maybe it’s blood. He coughs, attempting to roll onto his side but Kas only crunches his wrist underneath his foot, nearly overwhelming Steve with the pain that makes his vision go black for a second, two, three.

He blinks away the blood, sweat and tears, and looks up to meet eyes that used to be the prettiest, deepest brown he’s ever seen. Big, pretty doe eyes. But what he sees are the eyes of a predator.

What he sees is a face contorted with rage, with fear, with confusion. With pain.

Eddie’s hand around the nail bat shifts as Steve speaks, the nail studded shield falling from his other hand. Steve thinks about reaching for it, but what good would it bring?

“It’s okay, Eddie,” he rasps, wheezes, swallowing around the taste of iron. “The kids are safe. And you’ll be, too. They’re k— killing him. It’s okay. We’ll get you home.”

Kas screams again, his wail calling through the night, but there’s no one left to answer. No one but Steve, who whimpers.

He raises the bat. Ready to strike. And Steve knows. Knows that this is it. Distantly, he hopes that Eddie isn’t aware enough to witness this. Hopes that Kas’s memories won’t turn into Eddie’s when this is all over.

“It’s okay,” he croaks. “I—“

And then, with another pained, agonised scream, Eddie strikes.

🌷 credits go to @steveshairychest for giving me the brain worms for this scene way back when with this

[heartsoulspiritelite]

Can people please write more Ren McCormack/ Willard Hewitt (1984) fics on ao3 pleaseeeeeeeeee I need more so bad!!!!

[ash5monster01]

Ashley my love. I recently reread your masterlist, YOU ARE FANTASTIC. Just needed to shout that out =) I've got an idea for a story. Don't know if you like it but I give it a try, especially after discovering that Miles Teller is on your character List????? Omg yeah. Here it comes:

Miles and reader are best friends since for ever and always more than happy to film together. Her excitement is marred by a new regisseur who gives her instantly a bad feeling (guy is flirting with her, gives her creepy looks and stares whenever he gets the chance). The whole situation is getting worse when gets touchy and handsy and when he corners her when she's alone. The creep harasses her and even threatenes her that when she's not dating him or be more friendly to him he will end her career. Miles notices that there's a change in the behavior of his normally bubbly sunshine best friend. Got more details in my mind, but that doesn't mean that you have to use them in any way!!!!!! I imagine that Miles and her always sharing an apartment when they're together, so he notices her sleeping not well, hearing her having nightmares. But she always brushes him off. One day he finds her having a panic attack behind her trailer (the creep just touched her rough and claim her dating him)....yeah well I need some good angst, drama, some hurt and an protective Miles, a fluffy end mayhabs?!

Love ya girl, it would ne fantastic if you let me know if you like my idea

Not Yourself

Pairing: Miles Teller x FemReader

Warnings: 18+ due to heavier themes, mentions of SA, abuse, depression, language, control issues, gaslighting, fluff

Summary: Being best friends for a long time can be like wearing rose colored glasses, ignoring the fact that feelings can change, touches can become more, and love can evolve into an entirely different thing. Some people ignore these signs for their entire lives but when Miles notices you’re not the same bubbly girl anymore he discovers a sad truth and in the midst of it all he can’t deny how he feels about you any longer.

a/n: I've had this request for ages and I am so sorry, I am busy literally all of the time and try to keep up with my own series and requests all the time. plz enjoy now that it is finally here xx

word count: 3,038

Masterlist

It’s been three weeks. Three weeks since you stopped smiling as much, since you stopped looking him in the eye, since you stopped laughing at his jokes, since you stopped spending time with him, since you had a full night of sleep. He had heard you, crying, having nightmares, your sobs barely muffled by the door. He wished he could figure out when it all changed. Everything was fine. You both landed another project together, found a perfect apartment to use while filming, you had been so happy. It was the two of you against the world like always. Yet now it’s as if the sun didn’t shine and because of your broken smile the world couldn’t really thrive.

Being an actor in this industry was hard, you had heard the horror stories, yet you still took it on knowing you had your bestfriend by your side. From highschool plays until now you were continuing to face the craziness of this job head on. Luckily enough with him by your side, landing new projects together left and right. You figure you had gotten too comfortable, too blind with happiness to see the warning signs, too scared to say no when one of the producers had asked you on a date. You figured one date couldn't hurt, that you could just go and keep your job, make up an excuse to get out of a second date, but it was too late. You had let him in and now he held the power. He held more weight in the bustling world of show business and now his threats of debunking your career were enough to scare you silly.

It was supposed to be the fun part of the date, the walking you to the doorstep, pink cheeks hidden by the dark of the night and revealed in the glow of street lamps, a shy kiss shared under the porchlight. Instead it was a tight grip around your wrist, back pressed into the hard brick of the home, wide eyes, as he threatens to end your career if you don't date him. Then you finally realize all that flirting and staring he had done on set was more creepy and forceful than anything. Blood pulsing through your veins you agreed, a harsh and unwanted kiss forced upon your lips. You waited till he got in his car and left before breaking down in tears on the front steps. You had promised yourself you wouldn't be one of those Hollywood horror stories and yet here you were, blindsided, and completely alone. You couldn’t even tell Miles, the keeper to every secret and embarassing story in your life. Once you realized this you waited until the living room lights turned off before entering the home and hiding in your room so he couldn't see the heartbroken look on your face.

Now it had been three weeks of this torture. Unwarranted touching and kissing all over set and it was as if nobody noticed or they ignored it for their own benefit. That broke you more than anything. The only person to inquire about your change in demeanor your best friend Miles, but you denied him every time. Assuring him everything was okay even though it definitely wasn't. Your only safe place was your room at night, but the abuse had followed you into your dreams, nightmares startling you awake until you were too scared to fall sleep, tears taking place of sleep. So you learned to live with the pain, but the thing about holding everything in means it dulls the parts of you that shine brighter. It’s harder to smile when something so heavy sits on the weight of your shoulders. You just prayed nobody would really notice.

Opening your trailer door you were prepared to make it to set, thankful you were a good enough actor that your emotions hadn't tainted your performance. Least expected as always, the strong grip curled around your wrist, and practically tugged you off the trailer steps before pulling you around and out of sight of anyone passing by. Your heart instantly quickened and suddenly you were slammed against the cool metal of the trailer before his large hand wrapped around your ass. You let out a shaky breath due to the close proximity and he snarled in your face. Barring his teeth like a wild animal and you were instantly fear stricken, frozen in place, and prepared for more trauma to add to your plate. Another nightmare brewing just at the edge of your fingertips, not even your work place safe from the abuse.

"You look good today, just for me?" his hand squeezed tighter, heavy breaths landed on your face. Your stomach churned with disgust over his weird attraction towards you. "Bet you sat in that makeup chair, begging them to make you look good so I could have something to see"

His other hand finally let go of your wrist, wrapping around your neck, the coolness of his rings practically stinging you by the touch. You shuddered as his face closed in, warm mouth landing on your neck as he left wet kisses, devouring you like a meal in the worst way. You prayed it would be enough, that he would leave, but then his hand was gripping your chin, mouth landing againt your own, and tongue shoving inside your mouth despite how hard you tried to keep your lips closed. Tears burned at the back of your eyes but you knew not to let them fall, to not give him the satisfaction. After what felt like hours he finally let go, backing off with a sly smile on his face. Hiding your shuddering body he pointed in your direction.

"Keep that pretty little mouth shut" he sneered and then he was gone, leaving you behind the trailer in a broken heap, heart racing, and life ruined. Once you could no longer hear his footsteps you were on your knees, tears free falling as sobs raked your body. You couldn’t control it as the panic rushed through, anxiety closing your airways, as you tried to wrap your mind around what had just happened. Unexpected and harmful all the same. You were late for your scene, but as the panic attack set in you had no part of you that could care.

As for Miles he knew you'd never be late to a scene, you didn't want to be one of those dramatic Hollywood stars that let the fame get to your head. So when it had been ten minutes and you still weren't there the panic set in. He told the director he was off to find you and before he could protest Miles was out the door and running to your trailer. Without knocking he forced himself inside but you were not there, sighing he walked back out and that’s when he heard a cry. Just not any cry though, the same ones he had heard from your bedroom every night. Bending down he looked under the trailer to see you were behind it, a heap in the gravel as you cried your eyes out.

"Y/N!" he was around the trailer in a flash, dropping beside you as he cradled you in his arms. You cried against him, barely aware he was even there. He found tears seeping out of his own eyes as he tried to determine what was wrong with his best friend, his oldest friend, the girl he loved more than anything in the world.

"Miles" you finally cried, gripping onto him like he could disappear any second, and he found himself lifting his head, trying to calm his heart and he let it settle in that something was really really wrong.

"Y/N I want to help you but I need you to tell me what’s wrong" he finally said, pulling you close and rubbing a hand through your hair.

"I will, I promise, just not here. Please not hear, when we're home" you begged and he heard the desperation in your voice, the fear that strangled you from telling him the truth he needed three weeks ago.

"Okay, at home. You can tell me then, just please calm down" he cried and you nodded againt his chest, counting your breaths like you had practiced. He held you through it, silent as he allowed you support while you did what you needed to do. Finally you gave him a nod and he helped you to your feet. He wished you would tell the directors you were sick, that you’d do the scene tomorrow but he knew youd be mad that he suggested it so he walked you that direction anyway, wiping tears from his eyes and painting a fake smile on his face and he realized that's exactly what you had been doing the last three weeks.

After that you both had been jittery getting through the day. Finally the director called it and awkwardness enveloped you as you collected your things and headed towards Miles Bronco together. He did his best to keep silent as he drove you through the busy LA streets, driving towards the safe haven you both shared. Miles did his best to keep his mouth shut as he locked his car and unlocked the apartment door. You were very clealry distraught and he watched as you dumped your things on the kitchen counter, the weight of the world crushing you into the ground. So he moved towards the couch, very obviously leaving the seat open beside him for you to take and start explaining yourself. You knew not to fight it, you had made a promise, and you never broke a promise with Miles.

"I'm not taking anymore bullshit Y/N, I want the truth and all of it right now" he finally broke the silence as you took your seat beside him. Hugging a pillow to your chest, tears lined your eyes as you finally told him everything from the beginning. Miles did his best to not get angry and interrupt as you told your truth, the weight of the news much heavier than he expected.

"For three weeks, that's almost a whole month Y/N" guilt bloomed through your body and he pressed his head in his hands, trying to not let the anger consume him. Yet as he thought of how angry he was he was able to recognize the jealous pull. That some bastard got to kiss you without permission when he's been wanting to kiss you the way a real man should since college. He had never realized that he had hid that from himself all these years, denied himself of recognizing his attraction towards you. Stopped himself from loving you, and maybe if he didn't do that this would've never happened.

"I was scared he would hurt me, we were always alone" you told him, wanting him to know that you wanted him to know but sometimes fear controlled you in ways you couldn't explain.

"I was right inside that first night, I could've come out and stopped him" Miles argued and that’s when it hit him. The front porch, the doorbell, his phone. His eyes widened and you watched as his thoughts danced across his face.

"What is it?" you asked and without answering he rushed to his room, plugging in his phone as he opened the app that could hold the key to everything.

"Don't worry Y/N, I got a plan" sighing you let him hide out, making yourself some dinner. and trying to go to sleep despite knowing a nightmare would awake you soon. Yet when you woke up Miles was snoring softly beside you in your bed. A wave of calm rushed over you and you scooted closer before falling alseep again, the first real rest you had gotten in a long time.

When you woke up to your alarm he was no longer there, his car not even in the driveway. You figured he had early scenes and you had forgot. So you got ready, tried to slow your heart as you made your way to set, trying to prepare yourself for another day of torture. Yet before you could be called to set a knock sounded at your door, a worker telling you that you were needed in the table read room, a meeting with the show runners. Realizing that you were more than likely going to be fired you allowed a few tears to fall as you made your way in that direction. Your situation did not look good as you spotted the director, all the producers including your own abuser, and Miles all sat around the table.

"We're glad you could join us Y/N, have a seat" the director told you and you nodded, scurrying to the open seat beside Bradley.

"Usually we don't call meetings until production time John, what is it" one of the producers asked the director and John gave you a soft smile.

"Miles came forward to me today with some information I think we can't ignore" he finally said and your heart doubled in speed as you realized what he had done, started a battle you would never win without any evidence. "Mr. Conway here has been harrassing Y/N for the last three weeks, threatening to debunk her career if she told anyone"

"Oh this is bullshit and you know it" Conway said, but everyone clear as day could see the fear across his face.

"Miles has also provided evidence" John said before clicking the screen, ring doorbell footage of the first night appearing on screen. Miles hand wrapped around your own, knowing this would be tough to watch. It was hard for him to watch himself, crying the moment he realized you sat outside in tears waiting for him to go to bed.

The group watched as you and Conway approached the door holding hands, they all watched as his smile turned into a growl as he shoved you against the wall, fear clear as day on your face and he got so close you were breathing each others air. "If you don't agree to dating me I will proceed to make your life a living hell, you'll never be hired ever again, people will think of how trrible you are, your fans will hate you, after tonight your mine and if you tell absolutely anybody it’s game over, you'll never amount to anything ever again"

Then they all watched as you frantically nodded and he forced himself on you, you clearly trying to push him away. Then they watched him harshly release you, walk to his car, as you clearly sobbed on the front porch. John ending the video before they could see anymore, you clearly distraught from reliving that moment.

"We're going to allow Y/N to decide if she wants to press charges and I am fully prepared to pause production if you aren't willing to immediately terminate him" John informed them and you felt your heart warm over at the thought of him protecting you.

"We understand completely, Conway you’re fired. Have your things packed by the end of the day and be expecting a court order coming your way" relief washed over you completely as Conway sat there, shock all over him. Miles pulled you into a hug, Conway leaving the room with profanities falling from his mouth.

"We're sorry for this Y/N, if you need anything at all we're here for you. We will also testify in court if you choose to go in that direction" you nodded as they also got up and left the room. John placed a comforting hand on your back before leaving as well, a true hero in this situation.

"I can't believe you came forward for me" you told Miles, still hugging him like your life depended on it.

"I had too, your my bestfriend. I love you, I have always loved you" Miles told you, pushing some hair out of your face. Losing you was never an option.

"What if your plan didn't work?" you asked and he shrugged.

"Then I was quitting the movie" he told you earnestly and you smiled, pulling him tighter into your hug.

"I love you Miles" you told him and he smiled before pulling back a little.

"I know this probably isn't the right time but after all this I figure you deserve to know that I'm in love with you Y/N. I love you in that more than best friend way and after this whole disaster you deserve to know that beause you deserve to be loved the right way" for a moment you were shocked, allowing his words to sink in because there was a moment you considered you and Miles. You just figured he'd never feel the same so you brushed it off, ignoring it for the sake of your friendship.

“Are you sure?” Miles hoped that this doubt wasn’t a symptom of the last few weeks of abuse.

“Positive Y/N, it took a lot of self control to not kill that asshole” you found yourself giggling through tears, a wide smile on your face for the first time in a month.

“I love you in a more than a best friend way too Miles” you grinned at him and he smiled arms pulling you close again.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, wanting to make sure it was okay since that asshole never did.

“Yes, please” and he didn’t need any more confirmation before his lips were on yours. Instead of holding your breath like you had been for the last three weeks you inhaled him, breathing his air like he just filled you with life after the past month of torture.

A kiss to redeem every bad one, a kiss to start the healing process, and start finding yourself again. Which you had a feeling would be better than ever considering you had finally allowed yourself to love Miles in a way you always wished you could. This time you didn’t have to look out for the warning signs because you had Miles to protect you, and look for them too.

[1shadowhole]

Hey do you know if Mushroomtale has any socials? I’ve been trying to find some for the past HOUR. They’re tumblr no longer exists but their redbubble does??

Hello! Yes, their previous Tumblr disappeared, which sent me into a state of numbness for a second.

However, in July, a fanlore page was created for her, and all links to her socials are there, and the tumblr is up under a different name. Here's the link:

This is the link to the article, which has the archived old Tumblr and other useful links, other than a brief rundown of her reasons in case you weren't there to see her explain:

I had to use the archived version of her LJ to save to my computer all her beautiful drawings since I had a hard time finding them anywhere else, so if you go to the Wayback machine you can even find that.

Hope this was helpful!!

[eskawrites]

sooo last year i wrote my robin gets vecna'd fic as a self-indulgent birthday gift to myself, and seeing as it's basicallyyyy my birthday week again, i think it'd be neat if you give it a read (or a re-read) <3

[angel-bubbles]

wip wednesday!

since i missed @bicyclepainting's tag for tidbit tuesday i figured i would jump on it today instead :3 y'all remember a couple months ago when i was talking about david in a cowboy hat?? behold a sneak at my line dancing fic hehe

----

“It’ll be fun!” Angel’s voice echoed around the two of them as they dragged the end of the word out. David looked down at them skeptically which only caused their scheming smile to grow.

“I think our definitions of fun are different.”

Angel was leaning haphazardly against the wall of their bedroom pulling their beat-up old cowboy boots on while David watched from the door. He hadn’t ever seen them in this outfit, to be honest he didn’t even know they owned boots like that. To his credit, Angel kept them in the back of the closet safely tucked away in a box so they wouldn’t get lost or tossed.

Once they got their jeans situated they popped up and walked over to the mirror, not missing the way David’s eyes followed them carefully. 

They nodded in approval at the sight of their outfit before spinning on their now heeled foot to get a proper look at him. When they saw that he hadn’t moved even a little bit from his post in the doorway they threw their head back and groaned, giving him the best puppy dog eyes they could muster.

“Come on, I already told Sam you were coming!”

“Oh I know, you haven’t stopped talking about it all week.” Angel sighed and finally made their way towards him.

His shoulders were stiff and his eyebrows furrowed, but when his eyes met with theirs there was a certain softness in them. They took a few steps and wrapped their arms around his neck, staring up to meet his gaze.

“If you really don’t want to go, you don’t have to. I know it’s not really your thing.” They said softly. “I can always say something came up. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.” David sighed at their reassurance, letting the stiffness from his shoulders loosen as he gently placed his hands on their hips.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go I just-” He cut  his sentence off with a frustrated growl and shook his head. “I don’t know any of the fancy dances or anything. I’m gonna look stupid.”

leaving an open tag since i know most everyone shared yesterday hehe but feel free to tag me in your creations!!!

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

I've fallen down the Beaksloose rabbit hole and all I have to say is ONE OF THEIR SHIP NAMES IS GYARK LMFAOOOOOOO

[hillerska-official]

Lia Has A New Hyperfixation :)

[mythmerth]

this is the only correct response to Merlin and arthur being separated

(excerpt from We Are All Diamonds by Footloose on ao3)

[aftercamlann]

ACBB 10th Anniversary Recs: Evil Overlord, Inc.

Our first rec comes from chaosgenes, shana-rosee & paintedpigeon!

Title: Evil Overlord, Inc. Writer: Footloose Artist: mushroomtale Ship(s): Merlin/Arthur Rating: Mature Word Count: 137,922

Summary: Merlin is a recent graduate with a double doctorate in metaphysics and physics. Arthur is a low-level paper pusher with a desk in the sub-basement of MI5. They live in a world with ridiculous laws and restrictions against anyone who might be supernatural in any way, shape, or design.

Merlin has huge debts looming over this head, a few quid left in his bank account, and no job prospects. Arthur is pushing thirty, in a dead-end job with no chances of promotion to fieldwork agent, and is thoroughly bored with his life.

One ill-advised Craigslist advert, five pushy mates, one nosy all-knowing sister, and a hacked email account later, Merlin and Arthur take the world by storm.

(Or, more precisely, they take over the world.)

Link: FIC & ART: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11774844/chapters/26547306

Why chaosgenes recommends this ACBB: Out of the 3-4 ACBBs I've read, this is my fav because it's one of the most unique fics I have ever read and that I still remember even years later. I liked how Arthur and Merlin are older in this one, each facing a career slump, and deciding that the best thing to do is to team-up and threaten their nation. When I recall this fic, it's of Merlin suddenly appearing on the Queen's throne looking every part an intimidating overlord (but we all know he's really sweet at heart and not evil at all). If the word count scares you, at least look at the art as the clothes are stylish and Arthur is in glasses <3 Why shana-rosee recommends this ACBB: When I saw the post asking for Big Bang recs, this was the first fic that came to mind! This story is so funny and charming! Merlin, as the reluctant Overlord, is so funny. I love how the author uses the position to make lasting good in the story. And I love how Arthur worms his way into Evil Inc and Merlin's heart! Why paintedpigeon recommends this ACBB: It's just all-round amazing. Excellent plot, worldbuilding and characterisation, and the writing is amazing. Want to rec an ACBB fic yourself that you feel deserves some more love? Feel free to send us your rec through our 10th Anniversary Rec form!

[eddiediaaz]

Hello, I would love to get all your Merthur fic recs/bookmarks 👉🏽👈🏽 I have been scouring AO3 but I’m sure I’m missing some really good ones!!

oh hiii! omg okay well i haven't read merthur fics in quite a bit of time, so these fics are mostly all very old, but here we go! also i've mostly read modern aus, i hope that's your thing hehe.

we are all diamonds by footloose

the student prince by fayjay

hotel camelot by orphan account

awake by cori lannam

The One Where Their (Mother) Tongues Get Acquainted by emjayelle

And like the cycle of the year, we begin again by katherynefromphilly

there are no gays in football by malu_3

This Silly Ol' Dance Is Perfect for Two by slantedknitting

nobody moves, nobody gets hurt by leandra

a summer in delphi by rotrude

Arcane Asylum by newkate

also: please read the warnings and tags properly, some of these fics have ao3 archive warnings and deal with heavy subjects/tropes