#for some reason i think these two have so much chemistry

[tossawary]

I'm only on Episode 5 of "Teen Wolf" and it's hard not to think about Stiles/Derek due to the pairing's influence as a fandom juggernaut throughout the 2010s. It has, over the years, occasionally made me intensely curious as to what was actually in the source material to spark this, versus how much of it was the migratory slash fanfiction fandom stuff.

I don't have... super strong opinions of them from the source material yet? I don't really think they have positive or negative chemistry at the moment. Their interactions are hampered by the fact that I think Derek Hale is currently kind of incoherent as a character, apparently not allowed to actually talk to anyone due to contrived drama reasons, preventing him from connecting naturally on an informational or emotional level to Stiles or Scott. Derek's backstory is still murky and largely unknown. Derek's personal goals here are also a little unclear. Some of this will be cleared up as the season goes on.

I do think that I personally would enjoy Derek more if he had actually been only a few years older than Scott and Stiles, as Stiles says in the first episode, and actually looked it as well. I think that Derek being younger, being another "teen wolf" at 19, would have 1) put him on more even footing with Scott, and 2) made him come across as more of a scared, cornered animal, lashing out at the Argents and stumbling around lost without his family/pack. Like, the traumatized lone wolf thing is apparently what's happening with Derek anyway, but I do think all that would be better communicated to the audience if Derek looked younger and more pathetic and was allowed to snap at / talk to people more and with purpose.

If Derek was younger, I also think that he would function as a better mirror / foil to Scott. Here's this kid who was born a werewolf (unlike Scott), had a big and loving family (Scott has a single, loving mother and an apparently better-absent father), and is now orphaned and homeless and friendless (unlike Scott). It would also make Kate look even more vile and I'm good with that. I know the writers are going to absolutely miss the opportunity to have Scott and Derek's relationship have some more positive give-and-take. Scott has a lot to offer Derek! Scott's kind heart is one of my favorite things about him so far!

Anyway, back to the Stiles/Derek stuff. Yeah, I would also like Stiles/Derek or Scott/Derek more as concepts if Derek was younger. Right now, from the actual canon material I've seen, disregarding the knowledge I've picked up over the years regarding Derek's life, Derek is mostly giving me Angel from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" vibes. And I really did not like Angel and especially not Angel/Buffy.

One positive thing I will say for Stiles/Derek is that I can absolutely see where the ship originally came from. Stiles does have some very queerbait-y lines with the "am I attractive to gay guys" humor. Derek is conventionally attractive. Derek and Stiles are the only two people in on the "Scott is a werewolf" problem, helping him out, and there's maybe a dash of "pair the spares" to it, but these two people are actually interacting and cooperating to solve problems together. And "I got you arrested for a murder you didn't commit" / "you need to cut off my arm" is a hell of a starting point for a ship. That's honestly great stuff. That's a level of freak that might generally inspire me to invent chemistry for a pair of characters, just to figure out how to make that relationship work.

In conclusion, I don't personally ship it, but I get it. I totally see where it came from.

[essycogany]

Sonic And Amy Are A Unique Couple

This is a quick Sonamy rant /ramble session. With a few added clarifications too. Enjoy!

This couple is more unique than you’d think. It’s cool if anyone disagrees. I'm all for a polite debate and respect your opinion. But if you're willing to hear me out, I'll be willing to explain myself as clearly as possible. Great? Awesome! Let’s get started!

Amy doesn't want to change Sonic. I will scream this until I'm not able to speak any more that Amy loves Sonic for who he is. She always has but it wasn't until IDW that she expressed it out loud. Still one of my favorite moments between them.

Does that make their relationship unique? Not really. What makes their relationship unique is what Amy loves about Sonic is kind of the reason they're not a couple yet. Sonic is an ongoing force that can’t be stopped or changed. Of course, he’ll allow someone to join him on a race, but he still keeps going. Not to say Sonic won’t stop to smell the roses (pun not intended) but he’ll do it on his own time. Amy always likes to take advantage of those moments and best of all, Sonic doesn’t mind. Even during their old chases, he’d slow down for her. Says a lot about the connection they have but there’s more

Their chemistry is…something for lack of a better term. Their back and forth is so interesting to me. Sonic does like Amy back. Notable examples here but to put it shortly, Sonic doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to romance. Sometimes he’s not into it and other times he’s chill. Sometimes Amy is ecstatic and other times she's bashful. I'm looking at you Sonic X.

Every time Amy’s occupied, is when Sonic wants her the most. Amy on the other hand wants Sonic to enjoy his freedom. Neither of them stops to think about how maybe they can have it both ways.

I'll also mention romance isn’t about “being tied down.” That paints romance as if it’s some kind of chain being rapt around your neck or being forced to be with the person. That is not romance. It’s keeping someone hostage. Something Amy would not do. Every time she’d joke around about marrying him Sonic didn’t take it seriously. Heroes included.

Sonic’s line in Heros: “Amy knock it off. There's no time to play!” Dude knows Amy was messing with him. She was written to be girly, childish, adventurous, and cartoony. No, it wasn’t always executed well. Hello, Sonic Freeriders Amy! But I think this scene summons it up the best.

Important thing to mention as well is Sonic is an outspoken and honest character who rarely lies. It’s either you get the truth or you get nothing. He’s not the type to spare people’s feelings either, so if he had a problem with Amy in the past, he’d tell her directly. I do think she'd also stop if he genuinely told her to. The last thing Amy would want is to tarnish their friendship because of her actions. This loyal girl is so sweet.

Not to mention this is a popular trope in Japan too. The trope was what their relationship was based on.

Back to my original point Sonic and Amy aren’t a traditional couple. That’s a good thing. If they became canon their relationship wouldn’t change if they got together, but also they don’t need labels either. Romance isn’t or shouldn’t be a burden on you. That’s not how love works and that’s not what Sonic believes Amy to be. If that’s the case he wouldn’t be friends with her. Whether you ship Sonic with Amy, someone else, or no one, there should be no doubt Sonic values her friendship.

I’ll also add that Amy is just as up for an adventure as Sonic is. It’s why she loves him so much. They’re a power couple and love going out to travel, so there’s no staying in one place for these two.

In Sonic Adventure 2 you can tell Amy’s intuition when it comes to Sonic. Close to the end, she saw him looking a bit down and noticed his mood shifting a bit. “What’s the matter, Sonic?” “Oh, it’s nothing.” She knows him so well. I don't know what connection they run on but it’s inspiring.

These two don’t have a typical girl/boy relationship. I know some people say, “Well, why can't Sonic and Amy stay friends? Not every male and female relationship needs to be romantic.” You're 100% correct. Here are some examples.

The difference between other relationships is that Amy was created to be a Minnie to Sonic’s Mickey. Which is why these two are treated differently compared to others. Including in merch. There are more examples but I digress. The point is this specific pair is always going to have nuance even if they’re only friends. It doesn’t stop until Amy doesn’t love Sonic and even if it shouldn’t define her, it should still be a part of her. She might work without romance, but we already have other amazing female characters for that.

No one’s obligated to ship them because of this of course. Again, your opinion is still valid, and I will always stick to that point.

Last but not least is their friendship (or situationship) as a whole.

The funny thing is their friendship is what makes their romance the most compelling. The appeal to Sonic and Amy’s dynamic is how much platonic energy they have. Romance doesn’t always mean you need to be lovey-dovey. With Sonamy it’s their powerful friendship that makes the (somewhat not platonic) interactions memorable. You don’t have to choose romantic or platonic. It can be both. I wouldn't be a Sonamy fan if I didn't think their relationship was plain. I'm here because of how different they are.

And I love them to bits. Look at this panel and tell me it isn't running with situationship fuel.

Another fun detail is in recent years despite knowing Amy still loves him, Sonic hugs her back. Even the moments in Sonic X he carries her are moments he offers to. Even when it wasn't necessary.

Can’t forget about the recent asking Amy out to a dinner panel in IDW. He's never done that before. There's a familiarity between the two of them however you look at it. I LOVE them for it.

His moments of genuinely being excited to see her are not due to some development but because Sonic’s passion for Amy has noticeably increased. Why am I bringing these up? It’s because one thing that hasn’t been talked about when it comes to romance is actions. Sure, Sonic doesn't fully confess his feelings to her outwardly. But why do you have to be obvious and in your face when it comes to loving someone? In Japan, love is mostly shown through what you do more than what you say. That stuff can happen there but it doesn't always have to. The “Sharing an Umbrella, Amy,” line in Frontiers carries a lot more weight when you think about the implications.

Please read this post by @egalitarian-tomboy if you're interested in the implications of Sonamy in Frontiers.

The up-to-interpretation view of whatever they have together is the main reason I and so many people ship them. It’s not the fact that they are close, but the progression of their closeness. To make a long story short, the appeal of Sonamy is the fact that they don’t have to be traditionally romantic to be an interesting couple. Amy represents expressive love and Sonic represents emotional love.

Stay creative! 💜

[fanfic-obsessed]

A mating of the soul

Here is another one that requires some careful build up beforehand. It has been on my mind for a while and I think it has finally percolated enough to release into the wild to find its forever home. 

As always, ignore any part of canon that contradicts this, for I certainly am.

So this one is going to take some necessary world building facts, then some world building cultural implications, and finally some actual build up to get to the scenes in my head.  Buckle in folks, the ride is about to begin. 

World building Facts

Soulmates: Soulmates exist, with all the regular mythology and usage as in our world (the universe is saying that we should be together).  However the reality is much different.  Soulmates are two or more people who make a vow during a highly specific ritual that carries over through every lifetime after (This relationship can be platonic, familial, romantic, even adversarial).  This ritual has been lost since before any writing was invented, no one can even be sure that this ritual originated on earth. Part of the reason for that is as part of the ritual itself, the participants sacrifice their knowledge of how to do the ritual. 

Getting down to the specifics, in the initial ritual all the participants (2 or more people) make a vow of some kind. This vow is unique to the pair or group, and in making this vow there is a mystical bond created between the participants, making them soulmates in that life and every life after.  In every life after the soulmates will find each other, and know each other (though specific memories of those previous lives will be of the feelings rather than the events), and they have a choice. They may make the vow, unchanged since it was first made, again reaffirming the bond for that lifetime. They may choose to stay connected but not reaffirm the vow for that lifetime (for instance if they met each other late in that life and one or all the partners have other commitments for the lifetime that mean they cannot keep the vow). They may also choose to dissolve the bonding entirely, painlessly. 

Should the soulmates reaffirm the vow, and one of the soulmates breaks that vow in that lifetime, a phenomenon called bondrot occurs. Bondrot is excruciating pain for the soulmates that did not break their vow, the magic of the ritual trying to encourage the complete shattering of the bond. Should all soulmates in a bond break the vow, not only is the bond forever broken but the former soulmates will live with an unspecified pain of something missing, in every life thereafter.

Magic: A quick note about magic in this universe. Magic functions a bit like chemistry or medication, in that different magic can mix and have strange reactions to each other. Any magic user above rank amateur (like any doctor worth their license) will not cast magic on a person where they do not know all the magic affecting them. 

For the purposes of this, the Lazarus Pit counts as magic. So does the Soulmate Ritual, no matter how many lifetimes ago the ritual was cast. 

World Building Cultural implications  

Now this next bit are not actual facts. However there is a culture that has grown up around these reincarnated soulmates. Even though most do not actually have solid memories of their past lives, they do start to recognize each other through the centuries.  Enough that in the past 200 years or so, there has been a small town of soulmates that has sprung up with enough magic that it is not tied to any one place but is accessible from all over the world. One pair of soulmates in this town have figured out how to bring forward more of the knowledge they have gained about Soulmates over their many lifetimes, and are the foremost experts in Soul based magic. 

Not every soulmate grouping lives in this town, but most come in contact with it in their lifetimes and certain cultural norms have developed. 

The Vow: Every group of soulmates guard their vow and it’s wording with everything they are. The only people who know the wording of the Vow are the people that swear it. Though no one actually knows, most soulmate groups believe that the initial ritual was created by some form of slaves, fearing that they would be separated from their loved ones.  Thus they keep the working a secret so that no one will be able to induce Bondrot or force the bonds to break. 

Current Lives: There is a tendency throughout all the soulmates to be somewhat disconnected from the people in their current lives. No one can really tell if the disconnect comes from the soulmates (not forming connections in the current life because they have connections already) or the non soulmate (that they can sense something strange so never form that connection) or some combination of both.  Because of this disconnect soulmates tend not to talk about being soulmates with anyone in their current lives.

Death: Soulmates do not see death as an ending, and in some cases is the answer to a problem (particularly if that problem is related to Bondrot). Most of the time, once one member of a soulmate group dies, the others die within about 6 months. Generally enough time to put their affairs in order. 

Now, almost three pages in, it is time to build the specifics.

One, Jason and Tim are soulmates. It is and was a romantic relationship.  They reaffirmed their vow (The vow they made was swearing to never willinging kiss another-further reinforcing the idea that the initial ritual was designed by slaves) two months before Jason died in Ethiopia, but had not told anyone in the batfam that they knew each other. 

Tim started to get his affairs in order, but realized that Bruce was losing his shit over Jason’s death. Thus decides that, before he can join Jason he needs to get Bruce back into better mental ground, still never letting on who Jason was to him. By the time Bruce is stable, Red Hood has been revealed as Jason. But here’s the twist. 

Jason comes back, digs himself out of his grave, and is thrown in the Lazarus Pit by Talia. Talia wants him to forge him into a weapon against Bruce, to an extent. She wants to break down Bruce’s psyche so that she and Ra’s can mold Bruce into the heir to the Demon’s head.  If her plan had gone as it was supposed to, Jason would have been wielded to kill Tim and Dick then killed by Bruce (in the midst of a grief fueled psychotic break) only to be revealed as Jason Todd as he died. Talia would then swoop in to the Broken Bruce with the lure of a remaining son (Damian). Bruce would follow after her for the sake of the only child he had left and she would mold him into the person she wanted him to be. 

This is not what happened. And where Magic enters. 

In the first place, there is no way that Jason does not recognize Tim, Robin costume or not. And Jason has no problem with his soulmate being Robin. Second, death does not mean the same thing to Jason as it would to most, and he’s aware of that.  He’s a little irritated at the Joker for murdering him, but despite the fact that he has no clear memories of his past life he is pretty sure that the Joker is not the only person to murder him (also to a certain extent does not feel traumatized/surprised that the Joker- an unrepentant murderer- murdered him). He is more betrayed and pissed at Sheila but she ends up dead. Jason is also very aware that Bruce has tons of trauma regarding death, so does not come out of the Pit thinking that Bruce should have killed (thus triggering the destruction of the core of Bruce’s being) the Joker.  He also outright, and vocally, disbelieves Talia when she tries to say that Dick deliberately missed his funeral.. 

In short Talia is not able to weaponize Jason after the Lazarus pit. So she finds a magic user. Later opinions will say she found an idiot of an amateur magic user, who she has cast a memory spell on Jason. It is a spell to suppress his happy memories from before his death, and to increase his anger toward Bruce, Tim, and Dick to a very specific level (so he does not go kill Bruce outright).

The Soulmate ritual is soul magic. It is ancient and, save for Bondrot and the bond breaking, is unbreakable.  However it does not need to be broken to be affected. If a person’s memory of making The Vow, and the memories of the person they made the vow to is suppressed, then how will Jason even know there is something to break or that he has. 

The Lazarus pit is magic of the body and mind. It heals and hurts and causes madness that is supposed to fade after a time. It saturates and causes instability, but is supposed to drain from the flesh.

The final spell cast is one of the mind and the emotions.  It is cast to be permanent, but not in the same way that Soul magic is permanent (it lasts unto death or being broken not it lasts unto eternity).  It is meant to exist on the surface and shape a person, but not meant to penetrate deeper. 

As far as Talia is concerned, the memory spell worked as intended, Jason no longer remembered most of his good memories from before his death and wanted to kill ‘The Replacement’. She noted that Jason’s pit madness did not seem to be fading like it should be, but cared very little about it. After all, it would not hurt her plans.  

She released him on Gotham to become The Red Hood. 

When Jason attacked Tim at Titan’s Tower, Tim realized quickly that something was wrong. He managed to knock Jason out and call ‘Doc’, a member of the soulmate group that was the foremost authority in soulmates and soul magic.  Doc was able to examine Jason, read the magic laid on him and their interactions. The magic had combined into a horrific Gordian knot, making it impossible to undo any of the magic without breaking any of the rest (and with that shattering both Jason and Tims souls and sending them into an eternity of agony).  They also could not tell Jason what was going on, for fear that the knowledge would put pressure on the memory spell (which was poorly applied besides), thus back to shattering it and  their souls. Though Tim and Doc discuss death as a reset, they cannot be sure that the magic will not follow them into the next life and make things worse.

Tim makes the decision to not tell the rest of the Batfam either, correctly deducing that they would never be able to leave it alone. He maintains the status quo, never letting on the pain he was feeling as Jason, not remembering their vow, breaks it often. He tell no one about his deeper relationship to Jason. 

Now we have built enough to arrive at the scenes in my head, set a few years after Bruce returns from the Timestream. The Bats (Batman, Red Hood, Nightwing, Red Robin, Black Bat, Batgirl, Robin), two lanterns, along with Zatanna and Constantine are captured by some weird new villain who has a device, decidedly running on science and not magic, that is supposed to transform suffering/ bad memories into  power for the villian. The villain had already drained one of the Lanterns, who was from off world, into a near catatonic state. 

The villain, who doesn’t get a name, they are not important enough, takes Jason to put in the machine, also plugs himself in and turns it on…

Only to begin to scream, which is not what happened the first time. The magic acting on Jason reacted badly to the villains machine.  For the villain. 

The distraction is enough for the group of heroes to break out and capture the villain. Tim goes right to unstrap Jason. 

Jason wakes up and calls Tim by a name the Bats had never heard (a nickname that had stuck around through each lifetime) and as Tim goes still, Jason apologizes over and over for what he was doing, saying that he can feel himself being dragged under again.  After a small amount of time Jason goes silent and when he speaks again it is clear he does not remember anything after being strapped into the machine. 

Later, during the debriefing in the Cave with the Bats and the two magic users (the lanterns had left to get the injured lantern medical care), Damian brings up Jasons strange words after the machine was turned off. Damian goes to say what Jason had called Tim, but Tim interrupts, saying that if Damian attempts to speak that term, Tim would rip his tongue out and feed it to him. Completely serious and threatening in a way that is unusual.  

There is a bit of back and forth while Tim tries to not have to answer any questions, Jason is very confused and irritated, and the rest of the table is only mildly less confused. Finally Tim does convince them that saying the wrong thing would have disastrous consequences (Dick: What’s the worst that could happen? Tim: You shatter the minds and souls of multiple people and send them into eternal agony), but they convince him that it is better to give them, including Jason, as much information as possible. Tim insists on calling Doc to explain things.  He also turns to Bruce and goes “Doc knows me as a civilian, we can either invite him to the Cave, and disclose our identities to him, or we can invite him to the Manor and Constantine and Zatanna can stop pretending they don’t know who we are.”

Batman decides to receive this Doc in one of the manor’s sitting rooms. 

Doc arrives, Tim gives him a brief overview of what went on. Doc then surprises everyone by asking Tim if he had any additional pain (since Tim is bearing all of the pain from their Bondrot, he would know better if the machine had done anything to make the bond unstable).  When Tim says no, Doc nods to himself and murmurs that they then have time to do things right. He looks at Jason and asks if he was ok with the rest, barring Tim, knowing what was going on. Dick tries to interject but Doc says that without Jason and Tim’s ok, none of them were learning squat. 

Jason does decide that he is okay with the bats and the magic users knowing whatever was going on. Doc nods and goes “Alright, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to do a quick spell to give an overview of what is going on. Mostly to establish my bonafides with the magic users, so that when I explain the sheer fuckery going on we don’t waste time with what I should or should not know. Then I will tell you what the parts that I safely can.” Jason starts to look even more irate “What I do or do not tell you has nothing to do with your abilities. But I will not risk a 80% of unending agony for your ego. After I explain I will do a slightly deeper check, then you will choose someone, not Tim, to make decisions on your behalf, I cast a spell to ensure that they will make choices with your long term interest at heart, then you and Tim will go somewhere out of earshot so that I can give a more complete explanation.Then see if we can plan on where to go from here.”

Jason let Doc do the overview spell (specifically created to not interfere with other magic), the results of which appear in triplicate on letter sized paper on a nearby table. The Doc goes “The long and short of it is, at some point after your cam out f the Lazarus Pits some moron of an amateur magic user cast a spell on you which interacted weirdly with both the Pit and another piece of beneficial magic that, if broken, is going to result in that eternal agony. Because of the interaction between the magic we can’t remove one without breaking the others. Too much information about the spell effects will cause your mind to break the spell and lead to the aforementioned eternal agony.”

With that Doc moved on to a verbal check with Tim. Things like likelihood of nightmares for Tim tonight (Tim: 100% Jay saw me completely for 1 minute 19 seconds before fading); Tim’s current pain level (Tim: 9.3 out of 10; Doc: That’s lower than I thought. Tim: 1 minute 19 second) and other questions that no one had the context for but the answers were still concerning.  

After that Jason picks Alfred to speak on his behalf, Doc behinds Alfred to make decisions for Jason’s long term welfare no matter Alfred’s feelings on the matter (on the off chance that Death is brought up as an option again). After Jason and Tim are out of earshot, Doc hands Constantine and Zatanna the most recent result of the spell, also summoning the previous results as well to give a more complete picture. 

The first thing Constantine said was agreeing that the memory spell was cast by a moron.  Then he gets a little pale when he sees the Soulmate magic that is affecting Jason. 

Doc explains Soulmates, that Jason and Tim are Soulmates in this sense, and what exactly the combination of magic on Jason is doing. He also mentions in this explanation that killing Tim and Jason had been discussed but put aside and that Jason had broken their vow (one of the contextless questions asked) three times in the last week. 

All of the bats, including Damian, are a little distressed to realize that the only reason that Death was not still be considered as an answer was that they did not know if the convoluted magic would follow Jason into the next life. Also Bruce and Dick were having a bit of a crisis in the realization that Bruce’s breakdown had prevented Tim’s death before they ever met him. 

Though Black Bat is not particularly well versed in magic, she is the one (while peering curiously over Zatanna’s shoulder) that points out there is a difference between the most recent results and the ones from previous overview spells cast. Doc looks and realizes that the machine had shifted something in the spell, in that telling Jason the vow he made would no longer shatter the spells. From the readings it was clear if Jason and Tim made their vow again, it would reestablish their bond, free of the other magic.  

There is still a risk. There was about a 20% chance it would not work and the act of Tim (because Tim is the only person who remembers the Vow) telling the vow to Jason would shatter them both. 

Doc (who had previously, extensively, discussed Tim’s wishes on the subject with him)and Alfred (bound by magic as well) decide that 20% is worth the risk, to Batman’s vocal displeasure.  The call JAson and Tim back in. Because of the way that the machine shifted the magic, they cannot tell Jason what he is vowing or why. All they can say is that Tim is going to tell you a vow that you will have to make, and that should fix things. 

Tim gets no explanation either, but goes along with it. He does insist that they find a room big enough that they can be in sight, but far enough away that no one can overhear their vow. 

They say their vows again (‘I swear not to willingly kiss anyone but you’) and it works, reestablishing their bond. It does not fully break the other spells, though that will come naturally with time.  But the bond being reestablished is enough for Jason to gain some of the knowledge he has again about soulmates and realize exactly how much pain he has been causing Tim.

Jason and tim, now holding hands, say goodbye to Doc (after another brief check to make sure things are as astable as can be) and go to leave to head to Tim’s Nest. The batfam expresses vocal displeasure with that. Jason goes ‘both of us are due about three panic attacks…each. We need to feel completely safe to do that, and the manor has not been safe for us for a long time’.

I have no idea where it goes from there, but anyone who wants to pick it up and run with it is welcome.

[violasghost]

The Exes and Oh’s of Chenford-The Rookie 7x06 Review

So, they went there! I wasn’t sure if they would. With past history, was kind of thinking it would be a tease and maybe there would be a kiss and then one of them would get cold feet and poof, we’d have to be tortured for a while longer. But guess now that they did cross that bridge, I’m kind of experiencing mixed emotions as a result.

On the one hand, Chenford is sizzling! I mean c’mon, everyone can see it. Hell, even my mom who is a casual viewer walked in the room when the gala scene was on and happened to notice Chenford and questioned off handedly when she saw them acting awkwardly around one another, ‘I thought they were a couple?’ in reference to Lucy and Tim.

And honestly, that said, Exes aside, they really do act like a couple, do they not? If a casual bystander were to observe them leaning in speaking to one another or intimately gazing across the room, they would likely assume they were an item or at the very minimum, very close. So, packing that little observation aside—we still have our purple elephant in the room. The thing they dare never to speak of the big reason for the breakup. Don’t know why its so taboo. I’m hoping this will be explored down the line, and the writers have not decided to gloss over everything and just treat them like two horny exes, since we still don’t have any answers as to really—why? (Other than, perhaps it may have brought it more ratings because it creates more drama and added bonus-drives the Chenford fans nuts.)

I think what frustrates me (and it’s not just this episode, this has been building slowly over time) and don't get me wrong, I did appreciate the many lovely intimate moments between Lucy and Tim and Melissa and Eric did not disappoint in the slightest (they did phenomenal with the material they were given), but the part that is missing, that has always been missing, is communication. They had a few opportunities to open up and maybe even dive a bit into the postmortem of their relationship. Like at the ‘Turn in your Ex’ booth. The writers could have easily cut out one of the many ‘grumpy Tim’ clips in lieu of one heartfelt admission from either Lucy or Tim about something they were feeling they felt short on when they were a couple, even if it was something funny/annoying about what they thought about the other. Then they get to the surveillance van, another close intimate moment—and another opportunity missed for some kind of personal admission of true feelings; and when Lucy is sipping the glass of wine at the Gala and they have a moment to kind of reflect and pause and still, nada about their personal feelings, and then lastly it’s the morning after and they both walk away awkwardly—yeah I get it was weird and they are both afraid to go there, but someone’s gotta crack (my money’s on Tim doing it first btw).

There were heaps and tons of longing looks, angst, all that. So much I almost wonder where was this Tim and Lucy in S6 when they were quarrelling all the time? S7E6 version of Tim and Lucy was flirty, sexy, and had chemistry off the charts (chemistry has never been their problem), but as far as talking about their feelings go, I’m sorry but Chenford gets a big fat ‘F’ from moia. There has been no improvement since their breakup and really no resolution or growth shown to prove they are ready for Chenford 2.0. (SPOLER CHAT: Wasn’t there an interview awhile ago from Eric saying Tim was doing the work and going to therapy or something?) Maybe that’s still coming up, but this really needs to be shown, and I think this needs to 100% be his focus if he ever wants to have a chance of getting back with Lucy. And honestly, I think our girl Lucy needs to own up to her feelings too and stop hiding behind what’s comfortable and safe and confront it head on. I still have hope for our star-crossed duo, but I think they have to get their sh*t together first. They can both pretend that they are focusing on their careers or whatever, but they both have some growing up to do emotionally and mentally if they ever want to be in a real adult partnership and relationship.

Taking a step back, I truthfully go back and forth on the better scenario, because although I do like the other characters, I’m sorry but Nolan and Bailey got married what less than a year ago and their romantic scenes are pretty much non-existent at this point, so perhaps allowing Lucy and Tim to play in the kiddie pool is a good thing, for now? I mean some of what they are doing appears pretty immature for where they were couple-wise, but they are getting a lot more action and screen time this way. I guess we as the Chenford-nation can’t always get everything we want. But we are getting lots of sexy time and angst. And when we want more, we just turn to fan fiction, right? 😉

For the other characters, my heart went out to Miles. He really did try his best to be honorable and be there for his girl. I hope he finds someone soon. Actually, I kind of saw a small spark between Miles and Celina, not sure if anyone else saw that but they might be kind of cute together, no?

I did like Nolan and Bailey having a rare fight. It was refreshing to see the perfect couple with flaws. Kinda feel for Nolan on that one though, but also Bailey since she was the one who had to deal with her psychopathic ex. I think Nolan was smothering her though, making her stay at Lucy’s place and all. It was her way of having her own power, so it was understandable. And yey-Jason’s dead, end of that storyline, so even better. Thanks Malvado!

I love Wesley and Angela but Wesley dude, needed to relax a bit about the detective, man Wesley was really obsessed with that guy. Yeah, he admitted he had sexual fantasies about Wesley’s wife but it was in the confidence of his therapist and Wesley has to trust Angela to know she wouldn’t act on it and Angela is totally capable of defending herself. Anyhow, stupid macho behavior IMO.

Looking forward to next week. Also really hope when Tim tells Nolan “Don’t screw up like I did with Lucy,” that maybe not right away but at some point, Nolan tells Tim back that, “It’s never too late.”

And just cause I couldn’t resist, leaving the below gif here too because Viva la Chenford! <3

[petitepatateuwu]

Have some rants about my fav Sonic ships

Trust me when I say this is not what I intended to do for Valentine's day, but my access to the proper materials for my next big project is currently fairly limited, so instead have this (I didn't think I had so much to say I got a bit carried away 👉👈). This is heavy with aro/ace/aroace discourse because as an aroace myself I cannot help it, and huh, reminder that this is just for fun and everyone's opinions are accepted around here as long as it's respectful :3

Espilver is so wholesome I am willing to temporaly remove the aromantic label I put on both these guys. And when an aroace person is ready to drop this label for a ship you know it has to be good. (They're still both asexual idc tho)

I am prone to shipping Sonic with pretty much everyone (elligible for that at least) while thinking he's the biggest aroace mood ever (but I know I am not alone on that one)

Since I've started posting Sonic fanart, there has not been a SINGLE sonadow ship art, but I still really love this ship. Like it's mostly what got me into Sonic in the first place but I don't want to draw it (honestly I think my mind is just drawn to less popular things, I mean sonadow is already everywhere on my dashboard)

Because (except for espilver) my top ships are sonjet and surgamy, I'm basically shipping your two main hedgehogs who are sometimes implied to have feelings for eachother in a gay relationship with a green person with spiky hair and an attitude, and I thought it was funny because it was NOT on purpose xD

Speaking of sonjet I have like three different timelines existing in my mind with this, because I love the "they never dated but they are definitely exes now"/"they tried smt some time ago it didn't work out" narrative, but also the one where Sonic can be the perfect boyfriend and respond to Jet's needs and issues I imagined for him, and also the one where Jet is a total girlfailure of a man who tries to rizz up someone who has zero clue.

I have thought over and over about Blaze ships and my mind just blocks it. At first I thought it was just Silvaze because I was overprotective of my Silver's orientation (when I first saw it I thought "yeah he's aroace", and I'm not a fan of shipping a guy and a girl just because they interact with eachother and are close). But it's everything. Sonaze? I mean she blushed around him on several occasions, so what? I feel like she's just not used to social interaction. Blazamy? I see the fluff, I see the awesome lesbian couple (and I'm an Utena fan, I gotta love the pink/purple yuri), but it doesn't light up anything in me. Are they any other Blaze ships? Idk, but I can't see her with anyone romantically. Never has a character given me so much aroace vibes that the very forces of nature are preventing me to ship her.

Vectilla activates my brain chemistry like crazy. TF you mean the only "sega-approved" ship is between two grown ass people who are not even part of the main character group? And one is a single mother too? Like it's very simple but it's already a norm breaker in my opinion. Though usually a bunch of male characters have their own personally-crafted love interest, they fall in love for no reason and the love is immediately reciprocal because of course it is (*cough* looking at you ninjago). I think it also work because both Vector and Vanilla have their own things going on, and the romance is just a nice plus. And since Team Chaotix is already the peak of Sonic found family, it's also cool to think about the shenanigans with the children (aka Espio, Cream and Charmy). I am a strong Vectilla shipper and I will make you care about them >:)

[transfagore]

I need to write aro4aro lydia/marin

[oh-cramity-its-amity]

its so weird to read some of my old fics (do NOT do it but i'm just being hypothetical rn) and reading it. like who even was this person?? i completely was in a haze back in 2020. i literally was posting 3 chapters a day. A DAY. what in the WORLD was that shit.

anyway i remembered some STUPID sappy shit and i didnt remember if i'd put it into a fic or not BUT I FOUND IT.

She and Hope had been dating in secret for months anyway, and any attempt to go talk to Ryan only filed her disposition of displeasure upon knowing that she couldn’t tell anyone, Molly especially, it destroyed herself mentally. They couldn’t really go anywhere near the school, always having to lie to everyone about having projects together when Molly wasn’t around them. It’d consisted with 9 PM - 2 AM intervals of being able to actually see each other. Hope would sneak through her small bedroom window with a portable record player and whatever she had gotten from the vintage record store downtown, and Amy would always fall asleep around eleven because of her internal clock. She would always wake up to find a single sticky note stuck on the edge of her desk whenever she woke up to her alarm the next morning. One of them, Amy still had tucked inside of her phone case, a heavily detailed human heart, with blue and red ink sketched onto a neon pink sticky note, there was a caption that headed the small paper reading the phrase over every now and again makes her almost melt every time. “You have my heart.”

yeah idk why the fuck but i thought of this fucking idea again today and i was like "omg did i ever put that heart note thing in a fic???" yeah you fucking did.

all that to say ME AND WHO???? imagine. thats so fucking.... RAHHHH.

[waywardsalt]

Your recent post about post-PH AU stuff got me curious: why would Linebeck not like Tetra? Is it something specific to the continuity with hum!Bellum or more of a common thread present across several/all your takes on Linebeck? It's an interesting idea that somehow never crossed my mind as a possibility, and iirc you haven't talked about it before, too.

i think it mostly boils down to him not taking kindly to having to interact with another captain, especially not one who used to have link on her crew and might encroach on his authority when the two crews work together. it's really just the most relevent to post-ph with bellum present, and bellum doesn't actually have too much of an influence on the way linebeck feels about her (bellum is the one who really hates her, he's a liiiiittle pissy that he never got to take all of her life force, and he never really spends the time with her to... not hate her at least a little).

i think there is a slightly through line between my aus of linebeck and tetra not being on good terms??? tetra isn't present in a ton of aus (usually not included if there's a big focus on just zelda), but i think in the ones where she does, their paths don't cross often. i know she's in the space au and the crimson king au, and i think linebeck has more or less the same feelings abt her (being that she's a little annoying but ultimately no someone he really pays attention to until she's actively causing problems or something) tetra tends to be more important with whatever link's got going on in aus. most of the time i just think linebeck and tetra generally aren't on good terms.

otherwise they just dont get along in my mind as captains who probably step on each other's feet a lot and maybe dont like each others crew much (i dont really think linebeck would be toooo fond of her crew either, and tetra is def going to feel some kind of animosity towards bellum even if he doesnt come clean abt his identity to her) and operate too differently

[astronomalyy]

Thinking about the lifespans of Dungeon Meshi elves... The fact that they're completely unnatural alters my brain chemistry, because you can tell just how haphazardly the demon implemented their wish. They live five times the length of tall-men, so they age at a fifth of their rate. It's simple maths and the implications are terrifying. No wonder their birth rate and population are declining - their early development is so slow that at the age of two, they're still unable to stand.

They don't reach adulthood until their eighties. What does the infant mortality look like? How many elves succumb to illness or injury before they're fully mature? It only takes one accident to lose the child you've been raising for decades - and could you bring yourself to care for another? Add to that the implication elf culture has no idea how to process grief... just look at the way the Canaries treat Rin after the death of her parents. They're callous and insensitive and detached - part of that's racism, but there's also an element of pure cold ignorance. They don't even recognise the emotion on her face.

And that's just scratching the surface... does elven memory accommodate their extended lifespan? Once you reach two hundred or so, do the years start blurring together? Kabru mentions that their temporal awareness is remarkably poor.

Two years feel like a few months. Their lives are longer but not fuller. They're older but not wiser than the short-lived races, and most refuse to understand this. Those that do grasp it are interesting - namely Otta, who's ostracised for pursuing half-foot women.

A 30-year old elf is a young child; a 30-year old half-foot has entered middle age. Otta is in the equivalent of her late twenties. She knows that her elven lifespan makes her no more mature than a half-foot - but she also acknowledges that it creates a rift between herself and her partners, and not just in the eyes of society. 'She dumps them as soon as they pass 30', but probably not for the reasons Lycion assumes. For this to be a pattern, decades must have passed - it's possible Otta doesn't want to watch them die as she herself barely ages. No doubt some of her previous lovers have already passed away. In the end, all living 400 years accomplishes is leaving them out of sync with the rest of humanity.

Marcille's perhaps the best example. As a half-elf, she's got 95% of her life ahead and the thought terrifies her. She's going to lose everyone she loves, over and over and over again, and this cycle has barely even started. She runs at a different pace. This context adds so much to her dynamic with Falin in earlier chapters.

Marcille loves her! She's scared for her! Maybe even of her! She's grown attached to a short-lived girl who she met as a kid when Marcille was a teaching assistant! Biologically and developmentally, they're the same age, but chronologically she's twice as old as Falin! Considering what happened to her mother, is history repeating itself? Her feelings towards Falin are tangled and messy and fascinating. They're also more than a little homoerotic, which makes Marcille's infantilization of her friend all the more interesting. It feels like her way of resolving their power imbalance, of remaining a responsible (former!) authority figure... but it's also a coping mechanism. She's frightened by the ways Falin is maturing and changing - aging - and keeping her mental image of her friend as young as possible is her way of denying the march of time that's destined to sever their bond.

Marcille's dream of lifespan extension would remove the need for this obfuscation, render them equal... only, they already are! This desire is imposed onto Falin, but it's primarily for Marcille's benefit. Watching her fight for a world nobody wants, for reasons both selfish and altruistic... it's as tragic as it is understandable. I love this manga.

[james-bucky-barnackle]

I mean?

Synopsis: On a press tour with your co-star Sebastian Stan, the interviewer asks you a question about another film he did and the answer surprises him.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Actress!Y/N

Word Count: IDK I'm too sleep deprived to count.

A/N: Bro I am on a resurgence. Might just fuck around and continue writing more fanfics or whatever.

It’s another busy day promoting your new movie with Sebastian, The Road Trip. It's a funny romcom about two best friends going on a long trip to see another friend who your character is dating. Interestingly enough, the guy who plays him is Chris Evans. The interviews are currently being done in pairs, and you're with Sebastian.

You've always been candid, speaking your mind without feeling shy. Deep down, you're a bit of a pessimist, accepting things as they are. When you first heard from your agent that you were cast in The Road Trip alongside Sebastian Stan and Chris Evans, you laughed hysterically. The idea that you, an unconventional beauty, were chosen to be on screen with those two seemed surreal. You never really think about dating co-stars, which helps with acting in general. The media is impressed with how chill you are around A-list actors, and even though it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, the industry has started promoting you to that list.

The interview has been going on for about 15 minutes when another journalist joins, mostly asking about the experience of working with the cast.

“It’s my first romcom, can you believe it?” you say.

“First?!” Sebastian stares in mock disbelief.

“I know, right?!” You feign surprise.

The interviewer continues, “How does it feel to do something lighter and a bit comedic for once?”

“You mean, a movie where no one dies?” Sebastian covers his mouth at your response.

“I mean essentially,” the interviewer laughs. “Wait, no one dies?!” They nudge you playfully.

“I mean, I’m not sure, no spoilers,” you say, breaking the fourth wall and looking into the camera. Sebastian cackles. “It’s definitely refreshing. It feels like going to school for some reason. Like I don’t want to miss a class just because I might miss something wild happening.”

“What?” Sebastian glares. “What school did you go to?”

“I mean, aside from the learning stuff…” You grimace. “It’s fun, honestly. I’d love to do more romcoms. It’s very down-to-earth and just resonates with you so much. I don’t wanna get too cheesy, but I’m such a hopeless romantic—this is my jam.”

“Sebastian, how’s your experience working with Chris again, this time outside of the Marvel universe?”

“Wait, this isn’t in the Marvel Universe?!” you butt in. Sebastian again, fakes a loud gasp. You two laugh. This interview feels like it’s going nowhere.

“It’s totally fun, as Y/N mentioned—it really is like going to class. But most of my scenes are with Y/N, so she’s like the lab partner I’ve never had. Chris was always texting us, checking which location we’re going to be at, making sure we’re scheduled on the same day. It’s fun when we’re both on set.”

You nod in agreement. “Yeah, we’ve got a good rhythm going. It’s like having a little family on set. Plus, Chris is always the one who brings snacks, so that’s a bonus.”

Sebastian laughs. “Oh, absolutely. Chris and his endless supply of trail mix.”

The interviewer chuckles. “Sounds like you all have a great dynamic. Was there a favorite scene you both enjoyed filming together?”

You think for a moment. “I really loved the scene where we’re stuck in the car during that rainstorm. It was so chaotic, but we had a blast improvising and just playing off each other.”

Sebastian nods. “Yeah, that was a good one. The rain machine was going full blast, and we were just trying not to crack up the entire time.”

The interviewer smiles. “It sounds like it was a lot of fun. And the chemistry definitely shows on screen. Speaking of different roles, Y/N, Sebastian’s been in the movie Fresh where he plays a sociopathic killer who preys on lonely women pretending to be a genuine guy.”

“I don’t like where this is going,” you say, laughing, as Sebastian shakes his head.

“Would you, like Noa, fall prey to Steve’s antics?” This question gets a louder laugh from Sebastian as your face shows pure shock. You hold him back with your hand and say,

“I’ve thought about this, to be honest,” you start, looking at Sebastian as he raises his eyebrows, impressed.

“Oh, you have?”

You laugh and continue, patting his thigh and looking back at the interviewer. “Me and my friend talked about it a while back. And it’s frightening because I would’ve probably ended up on a chopping block.”

“Noooo!” Sebastian shouts, “I was rooting for you.”

“No! But, like, you are incredibly good-looking and charismatic. It would be hard not to give my number at the grocery aisle.”

He tilts his head at your response. “Surely not good enough to get yourself killed?!”

“You’d be surprised how far I’d even go,” you say, as the interviewer laughs with you both. “Oh god, I need to call my therapist,” you add, ending the topic with the three of you gagging.

“Might just have to talk to mine too, after hearing that.”

You can already feel TikTok saving this clip and turning it into a meme.

You notice, after you call Sebastian good-looking, he’s been eyeing you sideways and biting his lip. As if he’s suddenly gone bashful. You can’t help but feel a boost in your ego. Could it be that Stan is shy? You make it a point to tease him for the remainder of the interview.

“What’s something funny or unexpected that happened on set?”

“Oh, there were so many moments,” you start. “One time, we were filming this really serious scene, and out of nowhere, a bird flew into the set and landed right on Sebastian’s shoulder.”

Sebastian laughs. “Yeah, I had no idea what to do. I just froze, and then Y/N started making bird noises to try and get it to fly away.”

You laugh, nodding. “It took a good ten minutes to get back into character after that. Everyone was cracking up.”

The interviewer grins. “That sounds hilarious. It’s great to hear that you all had such a good time. Speaking of moments on set, were there any funny or awkward moments while filming the more romantic or intimate scenes?”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Oh, plenty. Like the time we were shooting that kiss scene in the rain, and Y/N kept slipping on the wet pavement.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Hey, it was slippery! You were the one who can’t stop laughing during takes.”

Sebastian laughs. “True, true. But come on, we both know it was because you were so nervous about kissing me.” You notice him biting back.

You gasp in mock offense. “Excuse me, I was not nervous! I was just...distracted by how ridiculously good-looking you are. It’s hard to concentrate when you have that face right in front of you.” He smiles uncontrollably again, feeling defeated by your nonchalance. He wonders, how are you so good at this?

The interviewer laughs, clearly enjoying the banter. “So, who do you think had the hardest time keeping a straight face during those scenes?”

You both point at each other simultaneously, then laugh.

Sebastian leans back, shaking his head. “Definitely Y/N. There was this one scene where we were supposed to be having this deep, romantic conversation, and she just couldn’t stop giggling.”

You nudge him playfully. “Well, you weren’t helping with all your ad-libs! You kept whispering things like, ‘Is that your stomach growling or are you just happy to see me?’”

Sebastian laughs. “Hey, I was trying to lighten the mood! And let’s not forget the scene where we had to stare into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity. I swear, Y/N, you blink more than anyone I know.”

You smirk. “Only because I was trying to avoid getting lost in those baby blues of yours.” At this point, Sebastian was laughing hard, but feeling nervous at your jokes. He secretly wished it were all real, his ears were red and hot. He’s already thinking of how to approach you after the interview and get himself out of the friend zone which he didn’t even thought he’d be in, having found a new interest in you. 

The interviewer looks between the two of you, amused. “It sounds like you both had a lot of fun with it. Do you think all that chemistry will translate to the screen?”

Sebastian nods. “Oh, definitely. I think our off-screen dynamic really helped make the on-screen relationship feel more genuine. Plus, Y/N here is an amazing actress. She made it easy.”

You smile, feeling a bit bashful. “Well, Sebastian’s not too bad himself. It’s hard not to enjoy working with someone who’s so talented and, let’s be honest, ridiculously attractive.” 

Here she goes again .Sebastian grins. “Right back at you. But let’s be real, we’re both just incredibly good-looking people trying to make a movie here.” The internet is gonna have a field day.

The interviewer laughs. “Sounds like a tough job! Any last funny or romantic moments you’d like to share?”

You think for a moment. “There was this one scene where we had to dance together. Neither of us are professional dancers, so there were a lot of missteps and toe-stepping. But it ended up being one of the sweetest scenes because it felt so real and unpolished.”

Sebastian nods. “Yeah, that was a great scene. It was supposed to be this perfectly choreographed dance, but it turned into us just goofing around and having fun. I think it really captured the essence of our characters' relationship.”

The interviewer smiles, clearly delighted by your stories. “Well, thank you both for sharing these wonderful moments. It’s been a pleasure talking with you.”

As you and Sebastian leave the interview room, you head towards the lobby where a few other cast members are mingling. The energy is still high from the fun and laughter of the interview. Sebastian nudges you playfully as you walk.

“Hey, remember in the interview when you called me incredibly good-looking and charismatic?” he teases, a mischievous glint in his eye.

You roll your eyes, grinning. “Oh, come on. Don’t let it go to your head, Stan.”

He chuckles. “Too late. I’m pretty sure I’m going to bring that up every chance I get now.”

“You would,” you laugh, shaking your head. “ It’s not like I was lying.”

Sebastian stops walking, turning to face you. “Well, thank you. And for the record, you’re pretty incredible yourself. Both on screen and off.”

You feel a warm blush creeping up your cheeks, putting a palm to your chest as if to continue the gag. “Thanks, Seb. That means a lot.”

He smiles, his eyes softening. “No, really, it’s been really great working with you. I think we make a pretty good team.”

“I think so too,” you agree, feeling a flutter in your stomach, you realize he’s actually serious now. There’s a moment of silence as you both just look at each other, the playful teasing from earlier now replaced with something more tender.

Sebastian breaks the silence first. “So, what do you say we celebrate wrapping up the promotion tour? Maybe dinner tonight?”

You raise an eyebrow, teasingly. “Is this your way of asking me out, Stan?”

He grins, a little sheepishly. “Maybe it is. What do you think?”

You pretend to think about it for a moment, then nod. “I think it sounds like a great idea.”

“Perfect,” he says, looking genuinely pleased. “I’ll pick you up at eight?”

“Eight it is."

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[moonstruckme]

Thawing Out

collab with @ellecdc

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16

cw: modern au, smut mndi, chronic pain mention, I always feel like my confessions are awk so sorry if you think this one is too

note for minors: a lot of this chapter is smut, but you can read up until the red line without worrying about it. There's no summary this time because it really is just smut for smut's sake and all the character development happens before it starts, so you won't need it for the plot. There is one vague mention of boners before the red line (sorry it's just for a laugh), but that's it

poly!wolfstar x fem!reader ♡ 3.2k words

You catch on quickly to what’s happened between Sirius and Remus. What you don’t understand is why they’ve interrupted it to come talk to you. And how you could be wrong twice—do they cancel out if you were truly right the first time? 

Clearly, the chemistry you’d felt between Remus and Sirius wasn’t imagined. You’d convinced yourself you must’ve gotten your wires crossed—otherwise why would Remus have kissed you?—but evidently they’ve come to some sort of agreement. Are they here to ask for your permission? Intra-team fornicating: approved. 

You’re not sure if you wish they’d waited until they were less hard to pop by. 

“Um.” You keep your eyes very intentionally on the boys’ faces. “What’s up?” 

Sirius looks almost nervous, skittish even, but Remus’ hand wraps around his to pull him closer to your doorway. Your heart does something funny in your chest. 

“Could we talk?” Sirius asks. 

“Er…yeah. Of course.” You step aside, letting them into your small room. Remus sits politely on the edge of your bed, giving you deja vu from the night before, while Sirius makes himself comfortable further back. He leans his side into your pillow where it’s propped up on the wall. 

“We were talking,” starts Remus, “and I told Sirius about what happened between us.” 

Your next breath seems to come slower. Unwillingly, your gaze flits to Sirius, but he looks impassive, only like he might be scrutinizing you in turn. You look back at Remus. “You did?” 

“I did,” he says gently. “But it wasn’t—” 

“Babe,” Sirius interrupts, “don’t look so freaked. What’s the matter? And why are you still standing there?” 

You realize you’re hugging yourself around your middle, standing awkwardly in front of the bed. “I’m not sure it’s meant to hold three people,” you say weakly. 

Sirius snorts, whatever nervousness he’d arrived with vanishing. Sirius has always been good this way; he can only ever panic when no one else is, but the second you’re panicking too he’s all ease. 

“Don’t be silly.” He pats the space between himself and Remus. It’s as ample as the bed allows, which isn’t saying much. “It’ll be fine. Anyway, it’s your bed.” 

You can’t think of a good reason to argue. Something in you calms as you settle in between them, Sirius’ hip touching yours and the warmth of Remus’ body on your other side. It’s familiar, safe. 

“Are you upset?” you ask Sirius. 

His brows pinch. “Why would I be?” 

“Because…” You cringe. “Aren’t you two…?”

“There’s been a lot of confusion, I think,” Remus says kindly. “But when we were talking, we both sort of came to the realization that we fancy each other…and you.” 

There’s a dense pause. 

“And me?” you echo. 

Remus’ lips tilt slightly. “Yes.” 

“As in…” You rub your eyes, dumbfounded. “Sorry, I did just wake up.” 

Sirius laughs. Remus too, reaching over to rub your knee like he can’t help himself. 

“For the record, I didn’t plan any of this,” says Sirius, “but if I had, I’d have done it exactly this way. It’s very gratifying to finally disturb your sleep schedules the way you pricks have been doing to me all these weeks.” 

“Oi,” Remus chides teasingly, reaching over you to push at Sirius’ thigh. You marvel at this new easiness between them, now given even newer context. “Anyway, we thought we’d come see if you might be interested.” 

“In…you.” You rub your lips together, looking between them and noticing Sirius’ gaze has fallen to your mouth. Unless you’re terribly mistaken and you’ve got it all wrong, this means he fancies you as well. Your partner, your best friend. 

The idea isn’t as upsetting as it ought to be. 

Do you fancy him too? You’ve never thought about Sirius in that way. You love him, of course, but you’ve never taken the time to parse out if it might be a different sort of love than the kind between friends. And as for the rest—well, who wouldn’t be attracted to Sirius? You’re only human. 

“In both of us, yes,” Remus confirms patiently. 

“Is that something you’d be into?” Sirius asks. 

Your answer leaves you on a breath, thoughtless but true. “Yeah.” 

“Yeah?” Sirius grins. 

You nod. You’re suddenly fixated by the way his cupid’s bow flattens out when he smiles like that. It’s something you’ve noticed a thousand times before, but now…

“Yeah,” you say again. “Um…what do we do?” 

Remus chuckles. “I don’t really know. I’ve not been with two people before.” 

“Believe it or not, this is a first for me as well,” Sirius says lightly. 

“Right,” you laugh. It breaks up some of the apprehension in your chest. 

“If you want to,” Remus’ voice softens, “I suppose you could start by kissing him.” 

You look at him, then at Sirius. For the first time, something like insecurity flashes across his face. 

“You don’t have to,” he says quietly. No longer the brazen flirt, but the kind, considerate boy you know. “It’s okay.” 

“I know,” you reply. 

It’s like he’s afraid to touch you until you get to him. You steady yourself with a hand on his jaw, your other pressing into the mattress as you lean towards where he’s reclined against your pillow and bring your lips to his. 

You know all the ways that Sirius moves, and even this new, completely uncharted part of him is consistent. Sirius’ kisses start out slow, probing, feeling out what you like and what he can do, but then he gives himself over to it. His hands find first your hips, urging you closer to him before one slides to the small of your back. Greedy fingers curl in the fabric of your pajama top. 

You make a small, accidental sound in the back of your throat when his teeth tease your bottom lip, and Sirius pulls away. You’re both breathing hard. 

Sirius stares at you for a weighted moment before his eyes drift behind you and he huffs out a laugh. “Enjoyed that, did you?” 

You look over your shoulder, and Remus is watching you both with a low flame burning in his gaze. He flushes a tad at the question but his expression doesn’t change. He leans forward, kissing you, tasting Sirius on your lips. 

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The three of you don’t need to speak much to communicate. Remus pulls you back into him, his length hardening against your ass, and Sirius follows. He kisses Remus over your shoulder with a relieved sort of sigh. All the while, his hands are roving your thighs, pushing up your pajama shorts until they crease and pinch at your crotch. 

You exhale and tilt your head to the side when Remus drops his lips to your neck. “We have a competition tomorrow,” you remind them both. “We ought to be resting up.” 

You feel Sirius’ grin as he brings his mouth to yours again. “Yup.” He nips your bottom lip. “I’m aware this is a bad idea.” 

“I’m afraid I can’t condone it,” Remus agrees, one hand covering your ribs while the other sneaks down to tease the waist of your pajama shorts.Your poor shorts are being attacked from both sides. “How far do you want to go?” 

Sirius pulls his lips from yours to watch you think. They still tingle, and you rub them together unconsciously. His eyes darken. 

“You drive me mad when you do that,” he says. 

“Do what?” 

Sirius’ mouth kicks up at the corner. He brings his thumb to your lower lip, pressing down on it gently. His own lips are swollen and gleaming prettily with spit, eyes nearly all pupil. Remus’ hand strokes lazily at your side. 

“I want to go as far as you guys want to,” you say without breaking Sirius’ gaze. 

His grin widens, and he looks at Remus, shrugging. “We could just go until somebody says stop.” 

“Alright,” says Remus. One of his hands leaves you, finger hooking in the waist of Sirius’ trousers. “Can we take these off, then?” 

Sirius isn’t shy, but you didn’t think he would be. He sits up on his knees and pulls them down, letting Remus help them over his ankles before they’re discarded in a heap on the floor. Remus gets rid of his too, and then you’re staring at the outlines of both boys through the far thinner material of their underwear. 

Remus ghosts a touch over Sirius’ cock, making the other boy’s expression pinch with want, before pulling down the waistband. Lithe, graceful muscles and hip bones curving inwards. Sirius curses as Remus’ long fingers wrap around him. 

Remus pumps slowly, his own arousal an insistent heat at your hip. You find your attention torn between the feeling of his body against your backside and the sultry droop of Sirius’ eyelids as he watches Remus work his cock. 

“Doesn’t he look pretty?” Remus murmurs. 

It takes you a second to realize he’s speaking to you. “Yeah.” Your mouth feels dry. You swallow, and watch as Sirius’ eyes flit up to the motion. “He always does.” 

Remus hums in agreement, pressing a light kiss to an exposed bit of skin beside the neckline of your top. “Do you want to try, lovely?” 

You turn your head to look at him. Remus’ eyes are glued to Sirius. “What about you?” 

A chuckle, and another soft kiss to your shoulder. “I’ll be alright.” 

Remus waits until your hand is around Sirius’ shaft, pumping a couple times against his own fist, before letting go. You choose a slightly less languid pace than Remus had. Sirius twitches in your grasp, taking your face in his hands and setting his lips to yours with a muffled groan. 

Behind you, Remus moves closer until his length is pressed against your ass. One of his hands steadies you by the hip while the other dips below the waistband of your shorts, palming you through your underwear. You shift, and he hisses when you move against him. 

You turn your head on instinct, Sirius’ lips smudging across your cheek. “Sorry.” 

“It’s alright.” Remus’ voice is breathy, amused. “You just surprised me.” 

“What’d she do?” Sirius is never one to be left out of the loop. 

“Just backed into me.” 

“Oh. Gorgeous,” he smiles, turning you by the chin to capture your lips again, “who wouldn’t want that?” 

Their praise soon has you devolving into a thoughtless, sensory creature. Sirius’ hands caress your face and neck and Remus’ fingers brush your panties aside to toy with your cunt. Every movement of your hips makes him push more insistently against you. Your shirt comes off, Remus dotting your shoulders with sweet kisses. Your grip tightens on Sirius’ cock, and a low, needy sound tears out of him. 

“Fuck, that’s it, sweetheart. Just like that.” 

Your heart flutters at the endearment, but you don’t let your movements stall. Soon he’s pushing his hips into your hand, kisses turning messy and desperate, your own sounds harder to suppress as Remus bullies your clit with two fingers. You’re glad to know at least Sirius’ room is empty on your other side, because you’re beginning to wonder how thick these walls are. Remus pushes his length into the crease between your asscheeks through your shorts, Sirius’ cock beginning to twitch in your hand, and you press your lips together to contain a sound that promises to be both loud and mortifying—and the bed collapses. 

You fall backwards onto Remus as the cardboard on his end gives out, sending all three of you to the floor. Sirius’ teeth knock into yours and Remus catches you around the waist with both hands, keeping you from fully sitting on his hard cock. 

“Fuck.” Sirius brings a hand to his mouth. “What the fuck?” 

“Oh, shit.” You scramble away from Remus, onto the floor. Both boys look at you in alarm. You’re looking to where Remus’ leg is bent underneath him, not at a terribly cruel angle, but still— “Your hip. Is your hip okay?” 

“Oh.” Remus glances down as though he’s forgotten it himself, realization dawning over his features. 

“Fuck,” Sirius breaths, remembering as well. His hand moves toward Remus but lingers in the air, afraid of hurting him. 

“It’s…yeah, it’s okay,” says Remus. His eyes meet yours. “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.” 

Sirius’ brows pinch, but his hand makes it the rest of the way, rubbing tentatively over Remus’ hip joint. “Are you sure?” 

Remus shifts slowly, sitting up off his knees to move closer to Sirius. “I’m sure.” A little smile graces his lips. “You worried about me, Pads?” 

Sirius’ face splits in the sort of grin you can only ever surprise out of him. “Fuck off,” he laughs, pushing Remus away when he tries to kiss him. Remus catches Sirius’ hands, his own smile unfurling slowly, almost unwillingly. It makes his eyes crinkle at the corners.

“How sweet,” he hums, smug. 

You find yourself smiling at them both, your heart a balloon in your chest. 

“Okay.” You give the mattress a little tug. “In that case, could you guys get off?”

“What’re you doing?” Remus asks. Both he and Sirius move. 

“Having this on a slant doesn’t seem like a good idea, so I’m moving it.” 

It should be awkward, this break in the tension, but maybe it’s because you’re so used to working as a team that it isn’t. You all get the mattress situated on the floor, and then you’re dragging Remus’ underwear off, his hands moving kind and doting over the lengths of your arms. He inhales a small breath as Sirius takes his cock into his mouth. 

You watch Sirius’ lips move up and down his shaft, his eyes dark and growing shiny as he takes Remus as far as he can. You aren’t quite sure how to contribute, but when you rub the inside of Sirius’ thigh tentatively both boys moan. You take that to mean you’re on the right track. 

The muscles in Sirius’ back flex as he raises and lowers his head between Remus’ legs, mouth growing wet with spit and slick, and it’s not long before Remus’ fingers are curling in Sirius’ hair, curses spewing from between his lips in a Welsh accent you’ve not heard before. You can’t help but follow them back to the source, kissing Remus just before he cums down Sirius’ throat. He grips you by the arms with something like desperation. You’re happy to stay as the tension unwinds from his body, until his hands are moving down you, smoothing across the skin just above the waistband of your shorts. 

“Are you planning on keeping those on all night?” 

It’s Sirius who asks, his gaze sultry as he watches Remus’ finger skim just underneath the fabric covering your ass. He wipes the corner of his mouth with a thumb. 

“How’s this?” Remus suggests. He pulls you gently into his lap, situating you between his legs with your back against his chest. Again, you can feel the impression of him pressed against your backside. 

Your voice comes out weak. “This is good.” 

He chuckles, soothing a hand down your side while Sirius grins. Sirius’ fingers grasp the elastics of both your shorts and your underwear. “Okay?” he asks you. 

You nod. 

He takes his time working them down your legs and off your ankles, his eyes locking on your exposed cunt and the arousal Remus has coaxed out of you already. Remus, too, is watching over your shoulder. His fingers gravitate back to it, dragging slick up through your folds idly, almost worshipfully. He kisses behind your ear. 

“Fuck, you’re lovely,” says Sirius. 

Both boys’ gazes stay glued to your cunt as Sirius positions himself over you, pushing into your warmth. You bite down on a small sound. Remus tuts at you, his hand spreading reassuringly over your navel. 

“You can do better than that,” he chides. “Don’t think we don’t want to hear you.” 

Sirius holds your hips as he sinks into you. His fingers dent your flesh, and you marvel at the fact that you’ve wasted so much time not doing this. That you’ve ever been in a room with either Remus or Sirius and managed not to kiss them dizzy. You’re not sure you’ll be able to manage it again. 

Remus draws slow, tight circles around your clit with his finger. You arch your neck back onto his shoulder, and Sirius groans as you tighten on him. 

“God—you’re so perfect,” he says hoarsely. “You feel so good.” 

Your reply gets lost on a lewd sound as he drags his cock along your walls. Remus kisses you rewardingly in the soft skin underneath your ear. “There you are,” he says. “Good girl.” 

Warmth unfurls through your gut. 

Sirius grins whatever reaction must show up on your face, his hands migrating to your ass as he thrusts into you. As he gets rougher, so do Remus’ ministrations to your clit, his slow circles turning quick and jagged. You feel yourself tighten on Sirius in little flutters that have him gripping you tight enough to leave fingerprint bruises. 

“Fuck, like that, yeah. Just like that, baby.” 

Your lips part at the pet name and Sirius’ eyes flick up to yours like he’s surprised too, like he’s let slip something he didn’t mean to. But you say, “come here,” and he goes, leaning over you to let you take his face in your hands and kiss him until you can’t breathe. 

Remus feels your high approaching before you do. His free hand smooths over the inside of your twitching thigh. 

“Are you close?” he asks you. 

Sirius parts his lips from yours, looking down to see the confirmation on your face. You give it.

“Good,” he says, picking up his pace, “good, sweetheart, that’s it. Cum for me, yeah? I’ve got you.” 

You nearly bite your lip in half when you do, Remus tsking amusedly and kissing your neck while the tightening of your cunt threatens to send Sirius over the edge as well. He starts to pull out of you, but you grab his hand. 

“It’s okay,” you manage. “In me.” 

“Really?” he asks in a strangled voice. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I wanna feel it.” 

That’s all it takes. Sirius’ expression pinches like you’ve said something cruel as he thrusts into you one last time, a shock that reverberates through you as he warms you from the inside out. He’s rigid for a few seconds before tipping forward, his head to your shoulder and to Remus' chest, which you’ve slipped down without noticing. His breath fans softly over your skin. 

Remus rubs your thigh comfortingly and with his other hand pets down Sirius’ hair, cupping his flushed cheek. “Alright, love?” he asks. 

Sirius’ blush seems to worsen. “Yeah. You?” 

“More than.” Remus kisses his head. 

It’s only after a few seconds of silence that you realize Remus’ question was posed to the both of you. 

“That was…” you shake your head, at a loss “...fantastic.” 

“Yeah?” Sirius nudges his nose into your skin. “I thought so.” 

Remus’ chuckle rumbles through all three of you. “Cocky,” he says fondly. 

“And decent enough with it, by all reports.” 

It starts up a round of sweet, half teasing kisses Sirius pretends to want to escape despite making no real efforts to do so. You give and receive plenty of your own, until not just your lips and shoulders but many other parts of you are wet with spit and slick. You fall asleep all three on a twin mattress on the floor, your head on Remus’ chest and Sirius’ arms wound around your middle. It might be the best sleep you’ve ever had.

[tothegirlwiththemousyhair]

Kiss me!

<3

Logan Howlett x Reader

2 times Reader and Logan almost kiss, and the first time you actually do!

Themes: Fluff so sweet you'll need to check your blood sugar levels after this, kisses, cursing, pining, Wade meddling (love this annoying dude)

Word count: 2133

Notes: Title is from 'Kiss me' by sixpence none the richer, and this is written as Logan right after Deadpool and Wolverine. Enjoy <33

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You’d met Logan around a week after he moved in with Wade. You’d already met Wade a short while after you first moved into the same floor as him, he accidentally stabbed a hole into your door, and made up for it by getting you bunny slippers. After Logan moved in, you ran into Wade in the hallway and started going on and on about how you absolutely have to meet his grumpy roommate. After about ten minutes of his begging, you finally agreed. So he planned a gathering with all the people he knew, including you.

First interacting with Logan at the ‘gathering’ was definitely more intimidating than Wade had described it. The two of you were sitting on either end of Al’s couch in absolute silence for about 5 minutes until you finally gathered the guts to introduce yourself. To which he replied, “Logan.” You spent the next half an hour trying to pry a conversation out of him when he finally started actually talking to you. Or Logan’s idea of talking. Towards the end of the interaction all you could conclude was ‘He may or may not hate me!’, completely unaware that he actually wanted to meet you too, also as a result of Wade’s incessant whining.

For the next couple of weeks, all your time spent with Wade or visits to his apartment, slowly also became time spent with Logan. You started visiting the two of them more frequently, having lunch with them. Before, you usually didn’t spend this much time with Wade but your hours spent around him multiplied when Logan was in the mix. It was no secret you were attracted to him, and honestly who wouldn’t be? The lowkey flirting between the two of you, the small interactions, fleeting touches, it all made the chemistry between you extremely obvious to everyone except you two. Even blind Al could see it.

About a month into the obvious crush you had on eachother, Wade started to get bored by both of your pining states. It was extremely obvious to everyone around you that the attraction was most definitely mutual, but you were both hesitant to take any action no matter how much you craved it. So Wade meddled. 

He decided to set up lunch at a pizza place two streets away with the two of you then proceed not to show up himself. Pretty basic idea but he thought it’d work. And to be fair, it almost did. The two of you arrived, tried to text Wade who was ‘occupied’, decided to order your lunch, and flirted the entire time. After having paid, the two of you walked to your building when Logan walked you back into your apartment and you invited him in. It was his first time in your apartment and Logan tried not to be too obvious that he was taking in every detail he could. You made coffee while you and Logan spoke. For some reason, the conversation never moved out of the kitchen. You spent about thirty minutes talking in the kitchen, leaning backwards on the counter while Logan stood in front of you, until he suggested the two of you move to the couch. You agreed of course, and while speaking, the space between the two of you began to close, and Logan began to open up about the X-men. How guilty he felt, the part he considered to have played in their deaths, carrying the weight of his own actions with him everyday. “Lo, that wasn’t your fault. Your only crime is accidentally not being home at the wrong time, at least I think so. I don’t think you’re the ‘worst’ wolverine.” The reply came out of you quietly, praying you wouldn’t offend him and make him close back in on himself. 

Instead, he leaned in closer, “I’m glad you don’t think I’m the worst, bub” his thanks wouldn’t have been heard if you weren’t this close together. “How could I ever?” you whispered out, the gap between you being so small that he could feel the breath from your whisper on his lips.

And then your phone rang. Ofcourse, it was none other than Wade.

The moment was violently torn apart, obviously, especially with the ringtone Wade had set for himself being the ‘bake a cake x break it down’ remix. You scrambled to pick up your phone, only for Wade to ask you if he could borrow slippers from you in a week. After you hung up, the conversation between you and Logan had obviously fizzled out, and you said your goodnights before Logan left.

It was obvious from Logan’s pent up tension when he got home that Wade’s little plan hadn’t worked. So instead of being a normal human being and letting the two of you figure it out, he decided to try something a bit more direct. And a bit more straight out of a creepy rom-com.

You and Wade’s apartments shared a wall, so he could hear into your house at times. He also had a spare key. So, he waited until he could hear you getting into the shower and asked Logan to get him a pair of socks he apparently ‘forgot’ at yours a couple days earlier. Logan was hesitant, but any excuse to see you was great enough for him. He knocked on your door at least three times (even though Wade told him you ‘might not be home’ and to go ahead anyway.) After the fourth knock he could’ve sworn he heard you singing past the door, so he just headed on in. About thirty minutes were spent searching for the nonexistent socks that Wade told him were in your living room. Honestly if it wasn’t for him being near you, he would’ve just given up on the socks but he went on and on until you came out of the shower. In just a towel, you slipped out of the bathroom and your soul almost left your body when you saw a huge man hunched over, checking underneath your couch for something.

“Lo, what the fuck are you doing??” Was all you could think to say to the sight in front of you, and hoped that if he noticed the obvious blush on your cheeks, he’d just amount it to the hot shower you’d just finished. “Y’know what, don’t answer, I’ll get dressed and be back out in a sec.” Logan remained frozen in place while you disappeared into your bedroom and put on a tank top and shorts in record time. You backed out and Logan was standing in the middle of your living room, still in a state of pure embarrassment. “Right- Wade sent me here to get a pair of socks of his, do you know where they are?” You tell him you haven’t seen any socks laying around, but you help him look around either way. About ten minutes into searching, the two of you sit down on the floor of your living room in defeat. You laid down on your backs, the conversation between the two of you being worth the growing back pain. You told Logan how you had met Wade, the bunny slipper apology, everything. Again, the two of you ended up so close to each other, he could fully appreciate the cinnamon-honey scent of your shower products. Then of course, as luck would have it, your table broke.

The faulty leg you had propped up with an old book you never liked finally fell apart, landing the table’s top part onto your foot. You had barely registered where both the pain and the sudden noise came from, jumping from your position on the floor in pain. The moment was yet again vaporised, especially because Logan panicked hearing you hurt and had reacted before you could even properly get up. He insisted you lay on the couch while he got you frozen peas from your freezer. Logan placed the pack on your ankle where the tabletop had landed and sat next to you, checking with you and making sure that nothing hurt more than a bruise should. After about an hour he was content knowing you weren’t seriously injured, and excused himself from your apartment. 

Again, the visible tension when he returned was evidence enough for Wade that something foiled his plan.

After that, Wade finally gave up.

A week after the failed sock attempt, Logan couldn’t sleep. It was 3 in the morning, the weather was nice, there was absolutely no noise around him apart from the occasional street noise. He was in perfect sleeping conditions, but for no clear reason he couldn’t get himself to sleep whatsoever. He had also tried every single possible remedy for insomnia. He drank warm milk, he ate a sandwich, he tried listening to very calm music, etc. While sitting in the dark, considering going for a walk to waste some energy, he heard a couple of small noises from your apartment. He did of course consider seeing if you were awake earlier but out of concern that he might wake you he decided against it, but now that he could hear your light footsteps walking around there was no harm in going to you. He put his slippers and a jacket on, he already had a white tank top on underneath and his pyjama sweats. 

Logan knocked ever so gently on your front door, a part of him genuinely nervous. Nervous over what it is that he’s going to say when you open the door. Does he make up some bullshit excuse, lie, tell you he just couldn’t sleep? Before Logan could decide what to say you opened the door, wearing a concerned look on your face. “Hey, Lo, you ok?” Both the sight of you in your pyjamas and your voice tear him out of his thoughts. “Just wanted to see you.” The sudden bout of honesty surprises you a bit, and you move aside to let him in.

You sit down on your couch, crossing your legs and patting the spot next to you. He hesitates for a moment before taking his place next to you. “Why are you still up, bub?” If it weren’t for the close proximity between you two right now, you wouldn’t have even considered telling him. “Couldn’t sleep, just stayed up thinking.” ‘about you’ are the unspoken words that haunt the air around the two of you, not needing to be brought to life to be known. You and Logan quickly go from topic to topic, the dim warm lighting helping. Eventually you land on the topic of music. “Haven’t listened to much recently.” Was all it took to get you to get up, pull him up too, and put on one of your favourite songs. “C’mon Lo, dance with me a bit.” 

He went along and danced with you to the song you picked, one hand in yours and the other on your waist the entire time. He was watching you in awe, seeing you like this felt like a privilege only the luckiest could be granted. Relaxed, humming and giggling to one of your favourite songs. When the song ended, you and Logan stayed intertwined for a couple moments before sitting down on the couch again, this time far closer to each other. You were still giggling a bit, so close together that Logan could see the glint in your eyes and to him it looked like the warmest light ever. As your giggling came to a stop you realised he was staring at you, the eye contact in that moment being more intimate than anything you’d ever experienced. Logan gently closes the space between the two of you, both your lips immediately finding relief in each other. Your hands cupped his face gently, while his wandered on your waist and the small of your back. You stayed in that state for a while before splitting to breathe. “Do you want to stay here tonight? Not to do anything- I mean just sleeping in my bed, only if you’d like of course-” Logan interrupted you before you could spiral any further, “I’d love to.”

Both of you got up, quietly walking to your room. Logan removed his jacket, placing it on your chair before crawling into bed with you, and pulling the blanket over the two of you. Quickly, you burrowed into his chest, his arms wrapping around you in turn and his head resting atop yours. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head before gently whispering, “Good night, bub.” You press a peck to the crook of his neck, “Good night, Lo.”

It goes without saying that the morning after has more than enough kisses to make up for all those missed chances. 

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thanks for reading!! <3

[ashprince-of-bel-air]

A Late-Night Session.

A/N: I'm not gonna lie, this is purely self serving one-shot, I'm sure I dreamt about this so I wanted to write it.

Summary: You were part of the Hellfire crew and had just finished your most recent campaign, Eddie invited you over for the night after the rest of the club had left.

Warnings: reader is afab. It does include smut so 18+, both the reader and Eddie are at least 21.

Eddie slumped back into his throne with a smile, he had been in charge of this story for a while, and it had finally come to conclusion. The cheers from the rest of your party made Eddie smile enthusiastically, you could not help but look at him, you loved seeing how happy DnD made him. Eddie’s smile was intoxicating to you and was pretty much the only reason you attended the weekly Hellfire meetings at this point. Yes you had enjoyed DnD in your younger years but now all you went for was the enigmatic leader, Eddie Munson. He was so energetic and passionate, you had never met a dungeon master like him. You were almost sad that your current campaign had ended, hoping he would come up with another one so you could all play together again and you could be in his company.

You all cheered wildly at the end of the campaign, your group being victorious against Asmodeus. It was a difficult campaign, but you and your team made it through, celebrating your win thoroughly. The night of your win was a wild one by DnD standards, you all ate too much and tried not to drink yet in front of the younger players, you could do that later. The young ones spilled out of the room, leaving to catch their rides early into the night. The older ones, like Gareth and Jeff, left a little later leaving you to clean up, not that you minded. It left you and Eddie alone, this was something that you had become used to, each week everyone would have a reason why they could not stay and help clear up. You did not mind though, you enjoyed your private time with Eddie, just the two of you, it was the favourite part of your week, you both flirted with each other, but neither would be brave enough to make an actual move. There had always been a palpable chemistry between the two of you, it was obvious to everyone that saw you together, however you both seemed to tiptoe around it.

This week, Eddie told himself it would be different, he would ask you back to his place and he would finally make a move against you. It had burned up inside of him each day he saw you that he did not act upon his attraction to you, he wanted to claim you as his before anyone else had the chance to. The air was quiet as you had both started to clear the chairs and cards away, you never wanted to interrupt Eddies workflow, he had a system for how he worked, and you respected it. You both tidied up in silence for a while until Eddie’s deep voice broke the silence between you.

“So, Y/N…. You got any plans for tonight?” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he asked, he wanted to seem cool and confident, but his current form was betraying him, you turned to focus on him and your heart melted. He looked so cute and anxious that it made you smile.

“Eddie, I’m actually flattered that you think I have any sort of social life outside of DnD” You joke and smile softly at him. Eddie had always loved your playful nature, he had often wondered why you were not more popular than you were, you seemed so approachable and enigmatic to him, you were due to leave for college this year and he wanted to try and shoot his shot before you left and found someone whilst you were away.

“Well, I don’t know what you get up to in your spare time, Princess” You turned back around to stack the chairs away but you could almost feel the smirk that was plastered on his face, he was the only one that was allowed to call you Princess, you hated hearing the name from any of the other guys but Eddie got a free pass with it, for some reason the name coming from his lips made you blush and go warm, the way he called you it was almost as if he knew what effect he had on you.

You rolled your eyes at him playfully as you finished clearing up, you walked over to him. “Well actually, Munson, I don’t have any sordid plans tonight, why do you ask?” you chuckle at him, trying not to be distracted by those big brown eyes of his. They were your biggest weakness; he could commit any crime known to man but if he looked at you with his big brown doe eyes you would melt. Many a time you had to tell him playfully “You put those big brown eyes away mister” because you were annoyed at him and did not want him to worm his way out of a telling off.

Eddie had finished collecting up any figures and cards that were laid out on the table as he replied to you. “Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come to mine for a drink. My uncle is away for work, so I have the trailer to myself?” He tried to seem smooth as he asked but his heart thumped wildly in his chest, he had never been this forward with you, but he wanted to try his chances with you, the moment he met you he was enthralled with you.

A soft blush crept upon your face as you responded, pretending to be interested in something else to hide it from him. “Sounds good to me chief.” You would love nothing more than to be alone with him in his trailer, you had spent time alone with him after each DnD session but being alone with him in his trailer was different, it was more intimate and was something that you had craved, you wanted a chance to be with him in an intimate setting, you were not sure what you would do but you wanted the chance nonetheless.

A smile erupted across Eddie’s face, you had actually agreed to spend time together, just you and him. His nervous sweaty palm ran through his hair trying to tame the wild curls somewhat. “I’ve got some good films we can watch whilst we have a drink, it’s completely your choice” his voice was slightly nervous as he spoke, he wanted to make sure you enjoyed your time with him. You chuckled and shook your head at him. “I was more than happy with the idea of free drinks, don’t give me the stress of choosing a movie to go with them”.

The final bits of the gathering were cleared away as Eddie chuckled, he spun his car keys in his hand and nodded his head towards the door. “C’mon then Princess, I’ve got a few beers with your name on them.” You rolled your eyes playfully at his smile, trying to hide how much it made you weak at the knees. You followed him outside and made yourself comfy in his truck, you had been in it many times, but this felt different, you felt there was a tension in the air between the both of you. The ride to his trailer was mostly uneventful, filled with pleasantries, asking how you both were and how he was doing with work and whatnot, he told you that he was adamant that he would graduate this year, 86 was going to be his year. It was not long until you pulled up outside of his trailer. The gentleman he was, Eddie made sure that he quickly walked around to open the car door for you, eliciting a playful eyeroll from you.

Eddie opened the door to his trailer, inviting you in. Giving you a playful bow before escorting you in, you had been in his trailer many times and he did that stupid bow every time. “So, you want a drink yeah?” Eddie called from the kitchen as you stood in the living room adjacent to it.

“Yeah sure thanks” You were not overly bothered about having a drink, but you just wanted an excuse to spend time alone with him. You both took a seat on the sofa an made yourself comfy, Eddie sat there, his legs wide apart and holding his beer bottle between his legs. You decide to test the waters and softly and drape your legs over his and lay down on the sofa, pretending to be nonchalant about it. Eddies eyes went wide as he felt your legs drape over his waist, his hand instinctively landed on your thigh. You were wearing criminally short shorts in Eddie’s mind; how could he resist touching you.

Eddie groaned internally as his hand rested on your bare thigh, he squeezed it softly causing a soft moan to emanate from your lips. You felt his rings dig into the flesh of your thighs and you could not help but moan against the feeling of the metal digging against your skin. The soft moan caused Eddie to grip your thigh even harder as he leant towards you with a smirk. “Are you okay, Darling?” His hand started to stroke further up your thigh and rested just beneath the hem of your shirt, his fingertips grazing the skin of your stomach, waiting for confirmation that you wanted more from him. You blushed at the fact you let the audible moan slip from your lips, it was hard to catch your breath knowing where his hands were on your body, desperately wanting them to explore further. Eddie leant towards you on the sofa, his hand ever so slight trailing up underneath your shirt, feeling his calloused palm against the soft skin of your waist.

“Cat got your tongue sweetheart?” He purred, that stupid smirk on his face caused your heart to flutter, but you would not be bested by him. You leant forward and left barely any room between his lips; he could feel your breath hot against his face. “I’m more than okay, Munson” You could sense that this was your opportunity, if you were ever going to get him then it was now, you held your composure despite your heart feeling like a jackhammer in your chest, trying not to look into those deep brown eyes that were now raking over you.

Your response and eagerness to lean closer to him was all the confirmation that Eddie needed, His free hand came swiftly to the back of your head and pulled you into him, your lips crashing together. You felt yourself moan into the kiss as his hand on your waist squeezed the delicate skin there, it felt like bliss as his hand gripped you and pulled you closer. You lost yourself in the kiss and moved closer to him, your aim to straddle yourself over his lap on the couch. An aim that Eddie did not stop you from achieving, he let out a throaty groan against your lips as he felt you move onto his lap, his hands devouring your body hungrily, he wanted to feel all of you. His lips released yours and found your neck, placing wet open-mouthed kisses along your neck and collar bone. You back arched towards him, wanting him to explore all of your body with his mouth and tongue. Your hands travelled up his arms until they reached the base of his neck, where you slowly tangled your hands into his soft curls and gripped softly, pulling yourself against him even more.

Eddie was in heaven, he had you on his lap and his mouth was exploring your body, he craved more though, he had wanted you from the day he first met you and this was not enough. His lips found your neck again and his voice vibrated against your skin. “Fuck…. I need you, Princess” His deep voice against your neck made you groan into him desperately, you needed him just as bad as he needed you. You gripped your hands tighter into his hair and kissed along his jawbone, your voice soft and breathy as you spoke. “Eddie…. please.” His eyes rolled back in his head at your breathy plea and gripped your thighs roughly. Eddie regained his composure slightly and positioned his hands under your thighs. He stood up from the sofa, lifting you with him and carried you towards his bedroom down the hall. You wrapped your legs around his waist and carried on kissing along his jaw and neck, now feeling his excitement thick against your thighs.

He dropped you roughly on his bed, resting on his forearms above you on the unkempt bed with pure lust in his eyes, he had wanted you for so long and now you were here in his bed, he would make sure that you enjoyed it and would want more from him. His plump lips found your neck again, his teeth grazing against your skin causing you to moan softly and grip his hair, spurring him on even further as he nipped his way down to your chest. You helped him swiftly remove your t shirt, laying bare chested before him. Eddie’s eyes laid on you half naked form, fuck you were beautiful to him, he needed just a moment to commit this vison to memory before his lips found your skin again. He kissed along your breasts, his teeth teasing you and nipping at your soft delicate skin. You felt him suck at your soft skin, leaving his marks upon your body, this aroused you even more, knowing that he was claiming you as his, knowing that he wanted nobody else to touch you.

The kisses along your breast and stomach were sloppy and desperate, until he reached the waistband of your shorts, you looked down and could see his beautiful eyes, asking for permission to remove them, a soft nod from you was all it took, and he quickly took them off and threw them on the floor. His teeth now grazed against your inner thigh, and you moaned desperately, he was teasing you and he knew it.

“So needy Princess, good girls wait patiently” You felt his smirk against your thigh as his tongue roamed your skin, wanting to taste every inch of you. Your hips bucked towards him involuntarily, you wanted him to relieve you of the heat that was swimming in your lower stomach, you were desperate for his touch. Finally you felt his lips upon you, you were already soaking wet for him, a fact that made him chuckle against you as you felt his tongue against your clit, moving in slow languid circles to torture you further Your soft moans were like music to his ears, whilst his hands roamed your skin, his big calloused hands finding your breasts, squeezing them causing your back to arch further into his touch.

“Eddie….” You moaned softly as he continued to tease you, you wanted to feel him and let him relieve you of the pressure building inside of you. He smiled and left one final kiss against you, lifting his head from your thighs, you could see your juices dripping from his face and thought he had never looked sexier. In one quick move he removed his t shirt and leant his body against yours, revelling in the feeling of your breasts against his bare chest now. His lips found yours again, kissing you passionately as he tried desperately to undo his jeans. You could feel his thick length against your thigh through the denim of his jeans so when you felt him bare against you, you moaned desperately. You had imagined what Eddie would feel like many a night, you craved it desperately, even pleasuring yourself over the thought, something Eddie did over the thought of you as well. Eddie steeled himself and took a deep breath, he had wanted this for so long and he would savour the moment, he held his cock in his hand and swiped it against your wet folds, chuckling to himself at your desperate moans. He loved seeing you so desperate and needy beneath him, knowing that he was the one causing you to come undone like this. He slowly pressed his throbbing tip into you, feeling you stretch around his girth, squeezing his eyes closed as he felt how good you were around him.

A deep breathy moan escaped your lips as you felt him inside of you, you had been with other people before but you were not used to this size, it was almost sinful how good he was making you feel just from pressing slowly inside of you. “Fuck…..” Eddie whispered as he felt himself stretch your cunt, you felt so good already and he wasn’t sure he would last too long at this rate. He started to thrust a slow and steady pace, one that felt torturous to you, your hips bucked against him as you wanted to feel him thick and fast against you. “Baby…. Please I can’t” He whispered against your neck, he wanted to, so badly he wanted to fulfil your desire and drill into you.

“Eddie… I’m so close… please” your voice desperate for him now, your nails digging into the skin on his back, he looked at you, your eyes almost in tears because you were so desperate for him now. His hands gripped on your hips, pulling you even closer to him, as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, he wanted to be close and hear your moans for him. He pounded into you roughly and after a few thrusts he felt your walls clench around him tightly, your moans were like heaven to him, he told himself that he would commit that sound to memory. One more thrust and he was spent, he felt himself tremble inside of you as he collapsed on top of your body, leaving soft wet kisses on your neck.

You were both laid together, sweaty and gasping, feeling the afterglow of your orgasm. Your hand softly stroked Eddie’s hair behind his ear, loving how the fringe of his hair was slick against the sweat of his forehead. You looked deep into his deep brown eyes and smiled, you both felt happy and at peace in each other’s arms.

Eddie finally rolled off the top of you, laying beside you he pulled you into his arms, stroking the soft skin of your back affectionately. You both laid there silently for a while enjoying each other’s embrace until Eddie spoke up, hooking a finger under you chin pulling your face up to look at him. “So, is this going to be a regular after session thing or not?” You rolled your eyes playfully at his smirk, answering him with a deep kiss. You knew this would be more than an after-session activity.

[irisintheafterglow]

satoru got his big break with the library desk employee. so what? university!suguru lost the bet, sure, but for some reason his interest in you didn't leave his mind. he'd known his best friend was crushing hard since the first time they'd entered the library and the pretty student smiled at satoru from behind the front desk.

i think i'm in love. suguru, hunched over a chemistry textbook, glances at satoru from the corner of his eye.

it's literally their job to make you feel welcome, genius.

but what if they, like, truly love me? he's dumbfounded by his friend's rose-colored delusion.

you're a doofus.

he continues thinking about it long after the study session concludes (a one sided session, since satoru insisted how he could woo the front desk assistant for the next two hours) and follows his normal routine of heading to the rec center to blow off some steam. he barely thinks twice about scanning the barcode on his phone at the entrance gates when the hairs on the back of his neck stand stick-straight. someone is watching him.

he scans the lobby and finds a pair of eyes across the floor, halfway hidden by a large counter for the member services desk. the eyes disappear before he can register who exactly was staring and you hope he didn't spot you as you duck behind the safety of the counter. suguru narrows his eyes but doesn't think twice about it.

the following week is when he makes the bet and hatches his plan to get satoru to shut up and take some of his money in the process. it felt like an easy victory: suguru knew he wasn't terrible looking, and you must've been interested considering how much you stared at him. he wasn't big on the school's dating scene and reserved his limited energy for whatever makeouts he found at his frat house's parties; to him, winning your naive affection would be a piece of cake. all he had to do was get your number and satoru's money would be his. simple enough, is what he thought.

but for the life of him, he could not catch you.

since the day he caught you staring, he noticed every time he entered the gym that you were looking and would duck away before he could so much as blink. at first, he lingered and waited for you to pop back up from behind the counter, but ended that strategy when he was asked if he was loitering on the property. the one time he approached the counter, you had conveniently disappeared to throw the intramural jerseys into the dryer...for the ten minutes he was waiting around for you to return. again, he was accused of loitering and forced to move on.

any progress with the rec worker? satoru whispered as he browsed for an interesting-enough looking book that he can make up small-talk over. he picks up a random one, something about technological advancements in ancient china, and tucks it under his arm.

i wish, suguru lamented. it's like they know i see them and are purposefully avoiding me so they don't have to talk to me.

i told you, i'd give you 'worst resting bitch face' if we could choose senior superlatives in high school, satoru reminds him with a thoughtful expression. also, you're in a frat! frat guys' reputation on campus isn't exactly the cleanest.

you're saying i need to look nicer? he examines his hoodie decorated with large iron-on patches of his frat's greek letters. it didn't look too dirty, he'd run it in the wash just last sunday...

i'm saying you need to look friendlier and less like a fuckboy.

oh. makes sense.

that's rich coming from you, suguru counters without acknowledging that maybe his friend was right. if he was going to woo you and hopefully knock down satoru's ego a few notches, he needed to be a little less...frat-like?

wordlessly taking the advice, he skips the loud philanthropy week shirt and opts for a plain muscle tee for his next gym session. black shirt and grey sweatpants shouldn't be too arrogant, right? he even practices his smile in the toothpaste-stained bathroom mirror until it's warm enough to save the titanic from the iceberg. tying his hair back so you can see all of his friendly face, he doesn't give you a moment to duck away when he steps through the doors at exactly 5:30pm.

he turns his head as soon as he steps into the air conditioning.

you're already staring.

he stares right back for a moment before pulling the corners of his mouth up ever so slightly, just like he practiced.

you gasp slightly and he thinks today is the day that you finally let him approach you.

unfortunately, his clothes, hair, face, and smile are enough to induce a nosebleed.

fuck!

by the time he rushes to the counter, eyes wide with panic, you've already shuffled away into the back and another worker informs him of your bloody-faced status. a little coyly than to go unnoticed, he notes to himself, but accepts his loss anyway and plans how to try again the next day.

after two weeks of putting on his plainest clothes, tying his cleanest hairdos, practicing his warmest smiles, and hurrying his fastest steps to get to the counter, suguru is absolutely ashamed to report that he's made zero progress.

interestingly enough, other girls at the gym had started to notice his changes in behavior and wardrobe, but he couldn't muster any energy to return their flirtations as they brush their fingers against his exposed biceps. all he could think about is you, and the way your eyes seem to sparkle when he meets them from across the lobby. he's snuck glances at the pens you abandon when you escape, the stickers on your water bottle, and the way you wear a special button on your uniform shirt every friday. you seem to always have a granola bar wrapper lingering on the desk, the same flavor each day but changing every week. he was learning so much about you without ever uttering a word, and it was killing him.

when satoru announces triumphantly that he finally got a date with the library attendant, suguru doesn't even blink. with his lack of progress, it was only a matter of time before his plan ultimately backfired and satoru was the true, smug winner of the bet. still, despite the earnings paid and the yapping continued, suguru wanted to talk to you. he wanted to learn about your interests, your goals, your life. he wanted to solve your mystery that he'd unknowingly forced himself into, and he'd be damned if he didn't at least get your name before the semester ended.

after months of waiting for you to talk to him, he swallows his pride and goes to the gym half an hour early.

"hi," he says carefully while you finish up whatever was on your computer screen.

"hi there, how can i help y--" when you finally meet his eyes, your practiced smile drops into pure shock and you take several moments to snap your face back into place. "i...um...how can i--oh!" you whirl around to your nearest coworker at a whiplash-causing speed, rambling quickly about how you forgot to inflate the volleyballs for the playoffs or some bullshit. thankfully, your coworker just blinks at you and then says that they can take care of it, patting your shoulder reassuringly and giving suguru a knowing look. before he knows it, it's you and him, just the moment he's been waiting for, and he has no idea what to say.

"i'm sorry that i--"

"i was wondering if you--"

you both tumble over your words at the same time and he chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. his bicep flexes with the motion and he catches your eyes rake it over. fearful of another nosebleed, he drops his arm abruptly and blurts out whatever words he can before you can scurry away.

"get dinner with me."

"i-i'm sorry?"

"i was wondering if you wanted to, you know," he shrugs sheepishly and is suddenly glad that none of his friends are there to tease his embarrassment, "get dinner sometime."

"you want to go on a date with me," you echo in disbelief. he nods slowly like any sudden movement would frighten you. "but...but why?"

"i think you're really pretty," he replies simply.

"but i've been hiding from you for the past--"

"two months, one week, and four days," he finishes for you before he can think about what he's saying. "i mean, not that i'm counting." your face finally breaks its shell of surprise and you burst out laughing. suguru thinks it's the best sound he's ever had the privilege of experiencing.

"so, just to be clear," you confirm when you've caught your breath. "i've been avoiding talking to you because seeing you look so good gives me nose bleeds. and now you want to get dinner with me?"

"i can bring copious amounts of tissues just in case, but yes." his expression becomes gravely serious, like he was giving you a request on his death bed. "please, say yes."

if it meant seeing how brightly you smiled when you finally murmur a yes, he would go through the entire bet with satoru three times over.

here u go @damb-it <3 hope you like it - sincerely, a library guest services attendant

[everythingisromant1c]

p1: chemistry read w/ co-star!james

co-star!james potter x actress!reader

summary: before filming can start, your director has to ofc find the perfect person to play your love interest, + what better way to do that than to have a chemistry read?

a/n: i will not pretend to know anything abt film/tv production so this is more than probably innaccurate 🙏 also this first one is not my best work but dw more drama will ensue. <33

full series - masterlist

You'd wanted this job more than anything. You'd worked harder than anyone you knew to kickstart your acting career and knew this opportunity was just the way to do it. When your agent called you about an audition for the lead role in a new show titled 'South Bay'—a drama named after the L.A. region itself—and gave you a sample of the pilot script, saying you fell in love with it wouldn't be a stretch. And after those few months later when you'd received the call that you'd gotten the part, it was safe to say you were walking on clouds for weeks afterward.

Your amazing director Minerva had cast you first and foremost, knowing your role was key to the show's success, and you'd already built a strong relationship with her after just a few weeks of knowing her.

After casting you, she'd informed you that the show's next order of business was finding someone to play your character's—Cassidy's—love interest, Aaron. When she'd told you that initially, you didn't think anything of it. But when she told you they already had gone through the first round of auditions for the role and that it was time for the infamous chemistry reads, you had to try your hardest to stay completely calm.

Aside from the fact that you'd soon be meeting the person you'd have to spend hours working with every day for God knows how many months, you also knew that the casting directors were going to be looking extra careful at the romantic chemistry you were supposed to have with the actors they brought in. You willed yourself not to get worked up when the morning came for the chemistry reads with the men auditioning for Aaron, and reminded yourself that your role in the show was already secured. Yet, for some reason, you were still on edge.

Luckily, the casting directors had narrowed down their options from the hundreds of actors who had come to audition for the role of Aaron originally to just a handful, making your job much easier. By the time noon came around, you'd already read from the script with three different candidates.

Just as you'd expected, they each had done a close-to-perfect job in their auditions. Your personal favorite was the second actor you'd read lines with, a sandy-haired guy named Remus who you thought was a really nice person as well as actor. It was important to you that the person you were going to have to pretend to be romantically interested in was a person you at least liked, and it was all too easy to imagine working with someone like Remus.

You'd expressed your thoughts to Minerva when she'd asked for them, and she nodded in agreement—a good sign—before the two casting directors beside her were calling for her attention.

"This next one, Minerva," cooed the curly-haired woman you knew as Poppy from next to her, "we think you're going to like."

"Am I?" she asked, lips curling up.

"Oh yes. When we saw him we knew right away we had to bring him in for the chemistry reading." Poppy nodded to you. "He looks promising. And he certainly has the background; his parents are Euphemia and Fleamonet Potter."

The other casting director hummed in agreement, not hiding their impressed and widened eyes. "Not to mention, he has that accent."

You had to fight your expression from turning sour. A Potter? If there was one thing you didn't appreciate in the world of acting, it was nepotism. After working so hard and starting from the ground up to get your acting career where it currently was, the last thing you wanted was to have to see your director swoon over some guy just because of who his parents were.

Nonetheless, you had faith in Minerva to pick the person who truly deserved the job. You watched her nod at the two women beside her, intrigued nonetheless. She waved a hand over to the security guard by the door in the corner of the room.

"Bring Potter in?"

The burly man nodded and exited the room briefly, and not a minute had gone by before he returned with the man you assumed was the young Potter in tow.

You subconsciously stood up straighter when you saw him, trying to push away any premeditated opinions of the man approaching. Brown curls and a genetically gifted bone structure you could see from feet away, he walked into the room confidently with reason. He immediately offered the security guard who had brought him into the room a handshake, and you watched as the tall brick wall of a man lit up with a bright smile from the gesture. Potter then rolled out more charming words of greeting to the director and casting directors, and you took the opportunity to scan him over in more detail.

With an interest you couldn't explain, you saw that he was strikingly handsome in the kind of way you'd expect the son of two celebrities to be; he was wearing a black t-shirt that clung to him flatteringly, with that sort of movie-star quality you knew audiences always swooned over. It didn't help that the moment he walked in you saw each of the directors turn to each other with raised brows and suggestive smiles that only widened when he introduced himself, charmingly posh British accent and all. You had to fight back from rolling your eyes at their reactions.

"James," greeted Poppy, standing up from her seat to give the man a handshake.

"Poppy," the man regarded, and you felt your eyebrows raise at the fact that he was already on a first-name basis with the head casting director.

She sat back down after a moment, keeping her attention on the man—James—as she spoke. "James, this is Minerva McGonagall, the Director of South Bay."

"I'm such an admirer of your work, Mrs. McGonagall. My parents took me to see your adaptation of Henry Shay's novel about three times when it first came out."

Your parents, you thought internally with some distaste; the famous actor and actress power couple. You had to stop yourself from shaking your head.

"Please, just Minerva," the director responded warmly, and you noted that she hadn't told any of the other actors to call her by her first name. "And thank you."

Poppy nodded happily before she held out an alarming hand towards you. "And let me introduce you to the wonderful actress who is going to be playing South Bay's leading lady Cassidy Ward."

You plastered on a smile and introduced yourself as plainly and confidently as you could, definitely not feeling suddenly conscious of your appearance as his warm-colored eyes raked over you.

James took that second to scan you over before realizing with a simmering feeling in the planes of his chest that there was something special about you he couldn't make out, something that had him wanting to greet you with more than a handshake. He refrained, thankfully, not saying anything after you finished introducing yourself for a second you felt was a beat too long, before scrambling to hold out a hand to you.

"I'm James. James Potter," he said as if you hadn't been already made aware of his last name. "It's an honor to get to meet you."

You didn't know why but his clear flattery only made you more uneasy of him, knowing it was something he'd probably gotten used to pulling out to impress whatever important or famous people he was busy meeting through all the connections he probably had.

You stopped yourself in your tracks; you were being unfair. You'd only known the guy, if you call it knowing him, for under a minute. Shaking off the odd feeling that was creeping its way into your stomach, you shook his held out hand with a polite nod, though that didn't the prying feeling inside you go away.

"Alright." Minerva clapped her hands together, looking between the two of you. "We're just going to do a read-through of scene number thirty-four, Episode three." She motioned towards the camera crew set up behind her, them shooting her a thumbs up.

She turned back around, looking between you and James pointedly. "Remember, your characters Cassidy and Aaron are the only two characters in the show who have known each other for longer than just a few months. They're close. That connection has to be visible, however you want to show that to us."

You didn't know why, but you felt uneasy. You nodded at Minerva regardless, seeing the supportive but anticipatory look behind her eyes as she glanced between you and the man now standing in front of you like you held the answers to all her problems.

James looked surprisingly calm and collected, like there was nothing in the world that could make the James Potter nervous. The more you looked at him and the confident set of his shoulders, the more you thought that was true.

Your director smiled. "Whenever you're both ready."

You nodded, taking a breath in before turning to James. "Where were you last night?"

You watched as James reacted to you in character, his strong brows pulling inwards. "What do you mean?"

You momentarily were taken aback by the almost effortless switch in his accent, but pushed the thought aside. "Last night. When everyone else was at Ryan's party. Where were you?"

He shrugged slightly. "I was in my dorm."

"Really? Because I knocked on your door and no one answered."

"I must've been sleeping. Why do want to know so badly?"

"I don't know, maybe because half the football team got caught last night breaking into the Dean's office."

"You don't think I did that, do you?"

You stared at him and then down at the floor. James—or Aaron, really—shook his head at you, his tone dropping. "I can't believe this."

Then he turned away from you and, as the script had told you to, you grabbed his wrist softly.

"Aaron, wait," you called, and the connection of your fingers to his arm had them tingling with a certain kind of teeming energy, though you didn't let it show on your face. "Of course I don't think you did it. I just don't know what to think. We're supposed to be best friends, yet you won't even tell me where you were."

James let a second pass before he said his next line, and it was like you could see his character's inner turmoil flickering through his mind restlessly when he said, "You want to know where I was, Cassidy?" You nodded. "I was talking with your Professor."

"Professor Brown?" you frowned. "Why?"

"I was trying to get him to let you submit your final thesis late."

"What? You know he told me I couldn't because-"

"Because of me." He paused dramatically, stern jaw working. "The only reason you missed the deadline was because you were helping me when I got too drunk to even make it up the stairs to my dorm."

"That's ... that's really nice of you, Aaron, but you know how Brown is-"

"He's letting you turn it in late for full credit."

"What?" You widened your eyes. "How did you ..."

"I told him how it was my fault you missed the deadline. And I told him about how good of a student you are, how you've never turned in anything late once, not even when we were in high school. But most importantly," he took a step closer to you to hold your hand, something you noted wasn't in the script but made your fingers flood with feeling. "I told him what a good person you were. How kind you are. Even to idiots like me who get black-out drunk during finals week."

You blinked at him, letting a smile overtake your face for a moment. "You really didn't have to."

"I did."

He squeezed your hand and, even if it was only acting, the way he was looking at you so meaningfully made something in your chest tighten excitedly. You didn't have to act when you shifted your gaze to the ground nervously. Why the hell were you nervous? "I don't know how the hell you got him to say yes."

"Well, I also have to wash his car for free for the next six months, but that's just a small detail."

You let your jaw drop. "I can't believe you'd do that for me."

"Of course I would." James took another step closer, still holding tight onto your hand and not breaking the immobilizing eye contact he'd established with you the whole while. "I'd do anything for you, Cassidy."

He nodded slowly, truly looking invested. Then, in a beat as short as a breath but one that must've felt like minutes to you as you stood there unmovingly, he leaned forward. All you could do was blink as his handsome—ugh, handsome—face neared yours before tilting itself to the right, where he left a soft but lingering kiss on your downstage cheek.

Then he pulled away again, the distance between you maybe a few inches smaller than before, before finally whispering, "Anything."

That definitely was not in the script. Your eyes blinked in an alarm that surely was no longer in character, but James looked unbothered, something you were finding was his natural state of being.

You felt your mouth go slightly dry at the intensity behind his eyes as he looked at you, but the last thing you could do was look away now, so you stayed rooted in your place in front of James as you waited for your signal to break character. Waited and waited; you felt dizzy.

"Cut!"

Minerva immediately clapped, the casting directors doing the same, and you felt like you could finally breathe as you dropped James's hand that was still holding yours and turned away from him, not sparing the man a second glance for nervous reasons you couldn't place. Maybe it was because of the fact that the feeling of his stupid lips was still lingering on your cheek.

Your director's tone was neutral when she said, "Great job, you two," though you watched as she turned passionately toward the two casting directors and they began speaking in hushed tones.

You shook your leg subtly as you waited, an antsy habit that you couldn't identify the current cause of, and you felt James lean down next to you, something that sent a nauseating feeling of déjà vu through you.

"Don't worry," he whispered lowly, taking your mannerisms as a sign of distress. He noted that even when frowning you looked extremely pretty, though at his words you left his lips your frown only deepened. "You did great."

You turned to him in confusion and some offense, trying to keep your voice hushed as you asked, "Excuse me?"

He shrugged a shoulder, eyes flicking over your figure for a split second that you definitely noticed. "You just looked tense, is all."

You stared at him blankly, not knowing what he could possibly be implying. Was he saying your acting looked tense? That you didn't look sure of yourself? Like you weren't already the lead and that he was the one auditioning? 

You fought the urge to say that maybe you looked tense because he'd just kissed you on the cheek out of nowhere, and stayed defiantly silent. When you didn't say anything back he let his lips turn up into a lopsided smile that you were sure must work on all the ladies, almost a smirk, and he nudged you in the shoulder a bit like you were old friends. Who was this guy?

Whatever you thought he meant by the statement, you didn't get to say anything back, because Minerva had pulled away from her conversation and was staring expectantly at the two of you. You did your best to soften your expression away from offended and back to neutral.

"Well," she said, turning to the man beside you. "Thank you, James, for coming in."

"Thank you," he responded, tipping his head politely. Then he took a step forward and shook each of the casting director's hands, and you watched with a foul taste in your mouth as their lips visibly fought against fond smiles.

When he turned back around, he held his hand out to you as well, and you regarded it for a moment before shaking it like you did at the start of his audition, though this time it was definitely against your will. His hand was warm and smooth, like he hadn't worked a day in his life, and you hated the fact that you even noted how it felt at all.

Like he knew you didn't enjoy his presence, he smiled at you with something knowing shining in his eyes that you hated before he took his leave, the door to the room shutting behind him.

"That was ..." began Poppy, shaking her head slowly, "Perfect. Just perfect."

You couldn't help the way your lips parted almost exhasperatedly. "Really?" You hoped you hadn't revealed your surprise in your tone.

"Yes," Minerva responded instead, also seeming to be in awe. "Wow." She gestured with her hands exuberantly. "It was like I could see the show coming to life right in front of me."

"Not to mention the chemistry between you two." Poppy tipped her head at you, smirking as she fanned herself. "I mean, wow."

You bit down on the inside of your cheek to keep from saying anything you'd regret. Your throat felt dry. If you heard one more 'wow' from any of their mouths in reference to James Potter again you thought you were going to lose it. You tried to keep the premonition out of your voice as you bravely asked, "So, do you think you're going to cast him?"

Minerva paused for a moment in thought before answering you. "I mean, he was the last actor we're considering for the role, and I think he was the best we've seen today." She looked between the two other casting directors who nodded agreeingly at her words. "But I'd like to know your thoughts."

You blinked at her. "My thoughts?"

"Well, yes," she answered plainly. "He's going to be playing your love interest. And I like to hear my actor's opinions."

You pursed your lips at her words, feeling flattered but also not knowing how you were feeling at the prospect of having to work with James all the time. Although, deep within you, something was nagging at you—something you absolutely did not like—and telling you your answer.

The truth was, the scene you acted out with James felt realer, had come to life more than it had with any of the other actors that day. Maybe it was because he'd taken such liberties with the role, sure, but regardless, he did a great job. The thought made you hate yourself when you finally took a breath in to speak.

"He ..." you began unsurely, and then sighed. "He was great. Really great."

"Perfect!" Minerva clapped her hands together again, and something in your stomach churned. "We'll make contact with him as soon as possible." Her eyes twinkled as she regarded you. "I can't wait to have you two leading South Bay. I have nothing but hope."

"And," Poppy added, "it'll be great for publicity having a Potter in our cast."

The two other directors at the table nodded and murmured in agreement, and you fought from sighing. You thought of the days you'd spend on set with James Potter, of all people, not only having to get along with him but connect with him, with someone who clearly thought they were above you, enough to reassure you when you had already gotten the lead role. And then you thought of what it would be like to release South Bay to the public, your first leading role, only for Potter's undeniably charming face to be the audience's main focus. It left a sour feeling in your mouth.

But it wasn't just that horrible premonition that annoyed you; you didn't know exactly what bugged you about him in particular but you knew it hadn't gone away with his formal handshake or well-practiced manners. In fact, that'd probably only worsened the feeling.

But there was nothing you could really do about it now. At least, not if you planned on keeping your job. You were a professional, you knew that. But that didn't mean it was going to be easy to maintain that title. You really did sigh then, and something rooted in your gut told you it was going to be a long year of shooting.

[bblairxe]

HEARTBREAKER | A.A

jock ! abby x cheerleader ! reader — ch . 1

⋆·˚ ༘ * synopsis : you and abby, are total opposites. you’re a cheerleader into sci-fi and music, while she’s a jock who parties and keeps a “roster.” after an awkward start, abby’s inconsiderate habits make living together tough. but as you spend more time together, you start to notice a different side to her, leading to a surprising compliment that leaves both of you questioning your feelings.

⋆·˚ ༘ * warnings : mentions of cheating, alcohol, weed usage, smoking, tension, and swearing.

wc : 3.2k

note : finally got the first chapter out !! i’m so happy and i can’t wait to see what you guys think about it. this was based on a request an anon made (yk who you are sweet girl !) but i just added a lil twist to it. also should i make a tag list for you all? lmk ! another also, the warnings apply to each chapter not the whole series. so it will switch up a bit! yes, there will be eventual smut for you freaks of nature . .

no one would guess you and abby are room mates, you’re complete opposites. you’re into astrology, sci-fi, poetry, music, and cheerleading. abby’s all into jock shit like basketball, socializing, parties, and ‘having a roster.’ the only real reason she is the non committal type was because she went through a bad break up, typical.

so when you found out she was your roommate you were shocked.

you were half way through unpacking when you hear the door burst open. a tall, muscular girl strides in, lugging her duffel bag over her shoulder. “hey,” she said setting the bag down with a thud. “you must be my roommate? i’m abby, abby anderson.”

your brain stalled for a couple reasons. one, because who the fuck bursts through the door like that? no knocking or anything? two, because she’s absolutely gorgeous. her long french braid flowing perfectly down her back, her muscle shirt showing off her perfectly contoured biceps. three, because it took a couple moments of staring until you realize that’s the abby anderson from your chemistry class. aka the girl who would constantly pester you for answers, and literally only talk to you if you knew the answer to the easiest question ever. worst of all she had a nickname for you, big brain.

“oh. uh, hi. i didn’t know you were my—“ you stutter.

“they didn’t tell you? classic.” she smirked, holding out her hand.

you shake her hand back before returning to putting your clothes away. you feel a pair of eyes burning into you causing you to turn around slowly, meeting abby’s eyes. “i know you from somewhere, i just can’t figure it out.” she says while squinting her eyes and tapping her foot.

“uh well, i was in your 10th grade chem class. if that helps anything.” you sigh, then zip up your suitcase. she stares at you for a beat longer until a light bulb turns on in her head.

“oh, right!” she exclaims, “you’re that girl, um, what’s the name, big brain?” she questions softly. thinking you wouldn’t hear, but really, you heard every word. you give her your name then she snaps her fingers like she knew what it is was.

in all honesty, you didn’t like abby that much. she would always goof off in class and never really cared about anything besides herself, popularity, and basketball. on top of that she was always a bitch to your best friend which was her ex and even though abby cheated on her, abby believes she didn’t do anything wrong. on the contrary, she was a bit nicer to you at times but she still purposely bumped into you in the halls or made some stupid remark after you answered a question correctly.

abby kept trying to make conversation with you. if you were going to live with her for this semester and the next, you’d have to learn to like her, right? wrong. over the course of the past month you’ve came to the conclusion that she is the worst person to live with. she doesn’t clean up behind herself, she’ll stay up late with that big bright ass fluorescent light on, and worst of all, she’ll blast some music and if you tell her to turn it down, she’ll turn it up louder. she is completely insufferable.

you were coming in from cheer practice, and coach was on your ass the whole time. yes, being team captain came with a lot responsibilities but gosh. all you wanted to do was just take a nap for at least 3 days, but we all know that’s not possible.

when you opened the door, you tripped over her basketball bag, earning a snicker from abby. who was also blowing out smoke, making the room reek of marijuana. “do you mind?” you shouted, over her blaring music. abby’s only response was an ‘oops’ before she went back to scrolling on her phone. frustrated, you kick the basketball bag except, it hurt you more since your foot came in contact with her metal water bottle. this earns another laugh from abby and at this point you were fed up.

you storm over to open a window, letting some fresh air in. “seriously abby? you couldn’t even bother to open a window?” you snapped, coughing while you feel the smoke starting to burn your throat. “what if someone smells that? then i’ll be in trouble because we both know you can’t take account—“

“it’s just weed, relax. besides i have the fan going, i’m using the smoke buddy, and i have about 3 candles lit.” abby states with an infuriatingly calm expression. “what the fuck ever anderson. just don’t blame me if you get caught up in shit. i had a horrible day and coming back to this is not helping.”

abby rolls her eyes before taking another long hit from her joint. “sounds like a you problem.” she muttered under her breath. a big part of you wanted to storm over there a smack the joint from her hands and watch as she turns into a ball of fury. but you hold back on that thought and decide to be the bigger person instead.

you ignore her comment entirely, too drained to argue. instead, you drop onto your bed with a heavy sigh, reaching for your skullcandy headphones. slipping them on, you crank up the volume, determined to drown out her annoyingly good bad taste in music. scrolling through your streaming app, you find the new show you’ve been hooked on and hit play, letting the familiar episodes pull you in. before you know it, the soft hum of dialogue and the warmth of your blankets lull you into a deep sleep.

“hey .. wake up — big brain c’mon i got shit to do.” a faint voice calls out in your dream, “fuck, how deep of a sleeper is she?” you jolt awake with the feeling a big thud on your bed. you gasp out looking around only to find a familiar blonde, muscular, blue-eyed woman staring at you, abby.

“jesus, what time is it?” you mutter out, voice still soft from the nap. “10 o’ 5. so i have a girl coming over and there’s no telling what will be happening. but! there is a 9/10 chance it won’t be appropriate for your poor innocent eyes.” abby taunts.

“okay so, why can’t you guys take that shit somewhere else. i’m tired.”

“well because i’ve been to her dorm and it’s not the best place to .. ya’know. so i figured ours would be much better because it’s more clean and comfortable.” abby rants out, “oh, i also got these pine smelling candles, smell ‘em.” she shoves the candle into your face, giving you no choice but to inhale. you cough, completely overwhelmed but everything that’s happening. you’ve been given absolutely zero time to process anything since you’ve been abruptly woken up by abby.

“yeah, yeah smells lovely.” you say putting your hand between your face and the candle to create some distance. “i know right. i’m setting the mood—candles, stars, the whole deal. way classier than her busted dorm. trust me, she’s gonna love it.”

“if you say so abby. i’ll just be hanging out with caroline.” you state. getting up from your bunk and the name makes abby twists her face in disbelief and confusion.

“caroline? like caroline from 10th grade?” you give a small hum implying that she’s correct. “oh god! could you have chosen anyone else to be friends with? i mean what about lucy? she was great!” abby says, still ranting while you began putting a nice outfit and fixing your hair. “very crazy and obsessive but she was definitely sweeter than caroline.” she points out.

“abby, mind you, you cheated on both of them. with each other at that.” you finish, turning to look at her pointedly. her smug expression falters for half a second before she recovers with a lazy shrug.

“details, details,” she mutters, waving her hand dismissively. “besides, we were young and stupid back then.”

“abby that was 2 years ago.” you deadpan, texting caroline you’re on the way.

“okay, but caroline? she’s literally the worst. she still posts those cringy motivational quotes on her story, doesn’t she? the ones with sunsets in the background?” abby scoffs, leaning back against the wall and crossing her arms, the candle still in hand.

“so what? maybe you could start reading them. could make you less of a douche, but we both know that’s not possible.” you say, before walking out the door. getting a glimpse of abby flipping you off.

you hop out the black suv, and thank your uber driver. going to meet caroline outside the diner, her wide smile already visible through the glass windows as she waves you over. the place is cozy and bustling, neon lights buzzing softly above the door. it’s one of those 24-hour diners with vinyl booths and a faint smell of coffee and syrup in the air—a spot you used to go to after late-night study sessions in high school.

“oh my gosh, it’s been forever!” caroline squeals, pulling you into a quick hug the moment you step in. she smells of strawberries and she has her signature bombshell curls. “you look gorgeous, how’s college life treating you?”

“thanks caroline, you look great too.” you reply with a grin, sliding into a booth. “and boy do i have a lot to tell you.”

a waiter drops by to take your orders. you order your favorite milkshake while caroline orders a strawberry milkshake, classic, and a large plate of fries.

“so,” caroline starts, leaning in with a mischievous grin, “you got anybody on your mind? a dorm mate, perhaps?” she wiggles her eyebrows, and you can’t help but giggle at her antics.

“oh, you have no idea,” you say, preparing for her reaction. “yeah, you will never believe who i’m dormed up with.”

“tell me, girl. wait, is it ellie?” she asks, a hopeful tone in her voice.

“worse. it’s abby. abby anderson.”

caroline’s mouth drops open in shock, her eyes widening. “like the cheater, jock, absolute bitch, abby anderson?” she blurts out, her voice rising a little too loudly.

the diner falls eerily quiet for a moment as everyone turns to glance at your table, and you quickly look around, embarrassed. caroline, on the other hand, slams both her hands onto the table with a loud thud, completely oblivious to the stares.

“yep, and she’s just as douchey as you remember.”

caroline shakes her head, still in disbelief, “i mean how are you even managing that? i thought you guys were enemies in high school.”

“i wouldn’t say enemies, i just really didn’t like her because of what she did to you and i guess she picked up on that.” you shrug. the waiter finally appears with your milkshakes and fries. in which coraline immediately indulges in.

“man that’s so .. weird. i didn’t even know she was going to that college as you. last time i checked she was going out of state!” she throws her arms in there, knocking some fries over in the process.

“right, also she had such a big glow up. her muscles are,” you make an okay symbol with from hand while nodding. “let me pull up her insta.” you show her photos from her highlights. in the photo, abby’s sitting up on a bench press, her forearms resting on her knees. her hair’s pulled into a braid, and sweat glistens on her toned arms. she’s wearing a fitted tank top that shows off her muscular build, looking effortlessly strong with a focused expression.

“oh shit,” coraline says with another shocked expression, “she’s hot as fuck.”

you agree with her before taking another sip of your milkshake and putting your phone back into your pocket.

“yeah, you gotta get that.” coraline nods almost immediately.

you nearly choke on your milkshake. “what — no. absolutely not, she drives me insane.”

“riiiiight.” she deadpans, popping another fry into her mouth.

“plus that’s your ex who also cheated on you. that would be breaking girl code and that’s wrong on so many levels.” you state the obvious.

“pffttt, girl. i only dated abby because i used her to get over dina,” caroline says casually, like it’s no big deal. “i just needed someone to fill the void. so she did just that, until she didn’t.”

you look at her with an unconvinced expression.

“babes, i will literally set her up with you. it’s like a match made in heaven. like listen,” caroline clears her throat dramatically, leaning forward and adopting a storytelling tone. “the wondrous, beautiful, show-stopping cheerleader captain falls in love with the bad girl, heartbreaker, hot, captain of the varsity basketball team. they had a bad start in high school, but who knows what college would bring them to? it only gets better from here, folks!”

you both erupt in laughter, nearly choking on your drinks at caroline’s antics. “god, you’re insane,” you manage in between giggles. “also! since you mentioned dina, did you know her and ellie are back together?”

caroline’s eyes almost bulge out of her head as she slams her hands on the table yet again. theatre school really brought out the dramatics in her, huh? “how could she! that was literally supposed to be the girl i’m supposed to be married to,” caroline exclaims with a gasp, clutching her heart like she’s about to faint.

“caro, you and dina have been on and off since freshman year in high school. she had to move on at some point.” you give it to her straight, even though it probably wouldn’t change her perspective.

“yes, but that’s my one true love. you know this!” she says, her voice rising dramatically as she leans back in her chair. “how could she just move on like that? i was literally planning our entire life together! kids, dogs, the whole shebang!” she waves her hand around like she’s narrating a soap opera.

you both crack up again, the kind of easy, unbothered laughter that only best friends share. life’s a mess, but it’s better with someone like coraline to spill the gossip with.

unfortunately as much as you wish you could talk to her all night long, she brings up how she needs to get back to her cats and yell at dina for moving on. you give your best friend a hug goodbye and a promise to call her later. now all you need to do is get back to the dorms—except you don’t have a ride. you’d taken an uber to get here, but the fares have skyrocketed, so that’s out of the question. your best friend already left, and there’s no way you’re calling her back after she just left, that would be a major inconvenience. that leaves you with only one option: abby. and you’re already dreading it.

you dial her number and give her a call. “hey, uh abby? can you give me a ride?” you ask.

“huh? what fuckin’ time is it?” she mumbles, her voice extremely groggy and low.

“midnight. i don’t really have a car, i ubered here and i don’t have the funds to get back.”

you hear abby release a loud groan from the other line, “no shit, if you did you wouldn’t have been calling me.”

“yeah whatever. can you just come get me, please?”

it’s silent for a moment and you’re starting to feel like it’s a no. you’re wrecking your brain to come up with more ideas. walking was out of the option you’re 20 minutes away for fucks sake and it’s chilly. you obviously can’t ask a stranger for a ride for safety reasons. everything feels like it’s at a loss until, “jesus, fuck. yeah i’ll come get you. send me the location.”

“thanks abs! i really appreciate it soso—“

“yeah, yeah send it. i’ll be on my way.” you hear shuffling from the other line before she hung up. rude, you thought no goodbye or anything? but then again this is abby anderson we’re talking about, in what world would she have manners?

you sat outside for about 25 minutes until you hear a loud honk, scaring you out of your daydreams. you realize it’s your ride and come walking towards the car. “thanks again abby, i’ll make it up to you.” you say with a smile, hopping into the passenger seat.

“yeah, you better.” is all she says before turning up her music and driving off.

the two of you sit in silence, watching the city lights blur past through the window, until abby’s voice cuts through your thoughts. “so, caroline? how’d that go?” she asks, her tone casual, but there’s a spark of curiosity in her voice.

“it was fine,” you reply flatly, not in the mood to entertain her smugness.

“really? she didn’t bring me up?” abby presses, a smirk tugging at her lips as she glances your way.

“it was great actually and we did a lot of catching up, and no she didn’t.” lie.

“right, so if you were catching your friends up on your life. you wouldn’t talk about your hot, amazing, sexy roommate?” abby questions.

“no, because believe it or not the world doesn’t revolve around you, anderson.”

her eyes linger on you for a moment longer, the glow of the streetlights catching the freckles scattered across her face. “guess not,” she murmurs, almost to herself.

the two of you lock eyes, and for the first time, you really take her in. she’s wearing blue and black plaid pajama pants, a black muscle shirt, and a pair of light blue shark slippers. your gaze drifts to her face, where the soft red glow from the traffic light highlights her freckles, making them look like sun-kissed constellations. her hair is loose for once, cascading over her shoulders instead of pulled back in its usual tight braid, and it hits you just how pretty she really is.

but you’re not the only one who’s getting lost in each other. you feel her gaze glide over your body, looking at all your perfections and imperfections. you can’t help but start to feel self conscious about yourself. you’ve never had a close moment with abby like this due to the picture you’ve painted for yourself. so you feel pressure into ending the moment, “lights green anderson.”

you hear her mutter something under her breath, but you can’t quite make out what it is. she steps on the gas causing you to jerk back and get lost in your train of thoughts once again.

once you arrive back at the dorm, you go to set up your shower caddy. you feel so groggy from everything that happened today and you just want to wash it all down. before you turn to leave, abby stops you by saying, “you have beautiful eyes, you know? like the kind of ones you can get lost in for hours.”

her words hit you hard, making your heart falter. there’s so much weight to them, but does she mean it the way you think she does? unsure how to respond, you fall back on your usual defense. “it’s too late to be corny, abby,” you mutter, before shutting the door, leaving both of you alone with your confused emotions.