#how old is gigi even would she be at a bar

[mastomysowner]

Japanese and Italians think alike

I recently finished reading the surreal mystery/horror manga Soil by Atsushi Kaneko, and I must say that I'm fascinated by the concept of foreign bodies. A few quotes from Some Explanations on Soil, written by the translator:

In other words, when people do disgusting, abnormal things, it creates rifts through which SHIT enters our world.

Italian horror writer Luigi Musolino's collection of short stories, Un buio diverso (A Different Darkness), deals with the same theme. It's framed with excerpts from the grimoire of worker-writer Enrico Bedolis (local Abdul Alhazred) The Science of Dead Environments.

To quote the intro: "Certain areas on Earth, due to their location and geometry, are affected by dark forces that bring energies of other dimensions into our world. Because the line between Here and There is very thin and is becoming thinner and thinner due to the unworthy behavior of the human race."

It was mentioned somewhere that Bedolis also wrote about the struggle between light and dark energies, but this is a horror book, so it's about SHIT. Does it get existential? Yeah. I liked the story Where the Lighters Go the most, so here's my translation:

One completely ordinary night, suffering from insomnia and feeling how strongly it was blowing from the old windows, Edo Taverna found out where the lighters go.

At two o'clock he got out of bed to smoke a cigarette - maybe it would help drive away the thoughts about work that were keeping him awake? And for ten minutes he wandered around the rooms looking for a lighter.

It disappeared somewhere. Lighters kept disappearing somewhere.

Edo had no doubt that he had placed the lighter with the stylized skull next to the TV. But it wasn't there.

Maybe in jeans? Not there either.

On the nightstand too...

Standing in the semi-darkness, Edo replayed the past day in his head. Well, of course, Gigi probably stole the lighter from him when, after work in the office, they stopped at the bar to drink a Spritz. Gigi had such a bad habit. But damn, to steal a lighter?..

“It’s not like I did it on purpose, I have something like kleptomania,” he even made excuses, this idiot. Edo mentally told him to piss off and promised that he would personally beat him to a pulp, and then continued the search. There should be more lighters in the apartment - the question is where, of course.

The house hides, but does not steal, his mother liked to repeat, and she knew what she was saying.

Edo rummaged in the corners of the sofa, in the drawers of the desk, even went through a stack of magazines lying on the toilet tank.

Nothing.

You can light a cigarette from the stove in the kitchen, but now this is a matter of principle.

Edo remembered that he had a blue lighter with white patterns - seems like he dropped it over the headboard a month ago, when, after sex with an overweight goth chick he met on Badoo, they shared a cigarette; the girl called herself an expert on Wicca, and spent most of the evening chatting about a strange book written by some Piedmontese worker. Listening to her talk made Edo sad, and he decided to return to the good old masturbation to Pornhub videos.

Deciding to move the heavy sofa away from the wall, Edo, with an unlit cigarette in his teeth, pulled the net on which the mattress lay with all his might. He thought that now he would see rags of dust, dirty napkins, boogers and porn magazines from the nineties.

Overall, he expected to find anything, but not what he found.

His head began spinning, the cigarette slipped out of his mouth and fell onto his leg.

“Oh my God. This is crazy,” he was amazed and squatted down, not knowing whether to laugh at his discovery or pinch his scrotum to wake up faster.

Behind the headboard, in the wall, there was a meter by meter opening. A square of darkness. Trying to find a reasonable explanation, Edo Taverna decided that, most likely, the bricks had simply collapsed - maybe water had accumulated in them, or maybe it was a defect in the building's structure.

Then he saw narrow, shabby steps going steeply down, and all his logical arguments went to waste. Edo hovered at the doorway for about two minutes, thinking about secret passages and medieval castles, and then took out his cell phone and turned on the flashlight. Carefully, from afar, he began to probe the hole with a ray of light, slowly approaching it, as if the opening could close at any second, and the plaster and cement could grasp his hand in a death grip.

Only the steps were visible, nothing more. It looked like they were made of stone, and the surface was covered with some kind of greenish web - either mold or rot. The passage seemed narrow, but there was enough space for one person.

– Hey! – Edo shouted into the darkness, but absolute, frightening silence swallowed his voice, not even returning an echo.

Swallowing sour saliva, Edo sighed, bent his knees and stepped over the threshold. Then he began to descend, bending down and feeling how low the ceiling arches were hanging.

Slowly, carefully, he descended lower and lower, holding his cell phone in front of him. The staircase was completely straight, without turns or landings.

Edo had been walking the steps for what must have been an hour, pausing every now and then to catch his breath and wipe the sweat that had dripped down his eyes.

This is impossible. Impossible because he lives on the fourth floor of a house in Rosella, a residential area of ​​Turin. Edo again tried to find an explanation for what was happening, but, realizing that it was useless, he decided to rely on fate, never ceasing to be amazed at its surprises. Curiosity and the feeling that something important was waiting for him there, at the foot of the stairs, turned out to be stronger than fear and the voice that whispered to Edo: “Go back, where are you going?”

After a couple of hours of descent, the lifeless light of the flashlight encountered a dim yellow glow coming from below. Edo turned off his cell phone.

Gradually the steps became gentler, and when they ended, Edo found himself in a short corridor that led to a huge hall.

The phone dropped out of his hands.

No, the hall was not just huge.

Never in his miserable life had Edo seen such a gigantic room as this butane-scented underground cathedral. The walls and ceiling were lost from sight. And on the shiny floor, as if made of obsidian, which instilled horror in Edo with its blackness, stood in a chain all the lighters that he had lost during twenty-five years of smoking.

Lighters that fell between the seats of the car, stolen from him on crazy teenage drinking sessions, forgotten in clothes taken to the trash heap, bought from a Moroccan in Liguria, the ones he used to open beer, light fires on the beach, from which he lit joints, heated hashish, multi-colored limited edition lighters, and finally those given away and lost - they were countless, especially lost ones.

They were all burning; the flames ran in coils to the center of the hall, merging into one huge, dazzling, yellow-blue fire.

Opening his mouth, Edo walked along the chain, recognizing each lighter, and felt that his eyes were blurring with tears. Each was associated with a certain moment in his life, and these memories floated before his eyes one after another.

Just like before death. Exactly as before death.

Edo walked for a long time until he finally reached the place where the chain originated. He saw a lighter with a stylized skull and extended a trembling hand to take it. But the metal slipped from his sweaty fingers, and the lighter fell right onto another, small one, which - exactly! - was taken from him at Milan airport in two thousand and two.

Domino effect.

Destroying the order, the lighters began to fall one after another and go out.

As if spellbound, Edo watched the play of light and shadow created by the running flames. Finally, the last lighter fell, and darkness reigned.

And at that moment, Edo Taverna suddenly saw that, in addition to lighters, the ghosts of all the losses of his life had gathered here in the dungeon, and he had lost a lot: self-esteem, the only woman he loved, youthful dreams of becoming a football star, buying a house, having children; he was overcome by remorse for lying, for saying too few words of support to his father while he was alive, for forgetting how to enjoy small joys, and for much, much, much more.

Very, very many losses, and all this awaited him here, in the dungeon, and all this had teeth, claws, tongues and eyes - bottomless, black, terrible, bloodshot, you can go crazy looking at them.

They were getting closer.

[littledots]

@caeruleums liked for a starter from tate!

go out! gigi said. it'll be fun! gigi said. that was the last time she was taking advice from a nineteen year old babysitter. though, in retrospect tate should have at least invited a friend out. she had been sitting at the bar for the last forty five minutes and she had no idea how to talk to anyone here. she was gigi's age the last time she was out partying, she was worried she didn't even know how to have fun anymore. she said she would give it an hour, how bad was it to bail fifteen minutes early? it was practically an hour right? tate stood up, about to pay for her drink and head home, when she ended up backing right into a stranger. "shit! oh, shoot! damn! fuck! sorry." she yelped, spinning around to see who she had nearly bowled over.

[canyouplzjust]

Leaving the Nostromo

Dear Diary,

We made it all the way to the airlock, staring (metaphorically) into the space between the ship and the space station before I realized we had no way to get from one structure to another. Maybe we could have orchestrated a space walk, but I never saw any magnetized boots. I don't know how 'Master' Max got from around this place, but we found his fan-made map of the Nostromo on the bridge so I know he was here. Can he track us here? How does he locate us when its time to fuck up our plans? There are a lot of higher level mysteries I'm trying to solve. I guess we are trying to solve them together, but I'll be damned if any of these players get to Max before me. He's mine. Oh, but! In the airlock I "remembered" that I had grabbed a canister of air back on the bridge, in an effort to say One Step Ahead, you might say. The rules say once per session, but I think I'm limited to once per in-game day. Whatever, I'm not going to court over it. Didi the Fool was the best choice to navigate the void of airless space with a lil tank of compressed air, because even though it was my idea, it was a damn foolish thing to do hahaha

We made it to the Center Station, a massive space station, and were greeted at the airlock Les hacked by a squad of security guards. Now, I know these guys aren't technically soldiers, but I know my audience, and I stepped forward to use my Voice to reassure them of our right to be there, and kinda glossed over questions I had no answer to. "Where did you come from," and "What are you doing here," seem forthright enough, but I didn't have a great answer, so I pleaded for these big, strong men to help us, and they sure did! They didn't even report our arrival to the internal security system. Nice.

We got to the main hub by foot, and Gigi somehow correctly guessed that it looked like Dark City, but I don't know what that is. I'm looking now. I looked it up, it looks INTENSE. First order of business is to get to a terminal so Les can get a layout and do some snooping. Seriously, what would I do without him? I used to wish my life was an indie movie, and I used to feel captured in little moments where serendipity would touch my life, and even if I was miserable, I still felt picturesque. Something to take me out of myself, ya know? Its not an internal memory of getting my tongue pierced all by myself, new in town and shit, but I could see it from the outside, and it made me love my hollow little life. Anyway, I felt a familiar disassociation in that moment, my back leaned up against an unfamiliar wall, one knee up - how very Jordan Catalano of me - watching the bottomless determination of a repressed woman manifest as one solitary drop of sweat on the brow of a man cut from marble and silicon. Neos are so fucking cool, seriously. When can I get an augmentation? Is that multi-classing? i'm getting lost here...

We needed some food and drink, so we wandered into a bar to find some. Didi and I put on the ole one-two strut and lo - a pair of men appeared to buy us drinks and mozzarella sticks for our friends. It was like riding a bike, being on a tag team with her. And Rory was jamming a stick into our wheels every chance she got. The guys, Temm and Brock, were understandably interested in her wings, but she wouldn't really take any questions and I know she wasn't scowling on the outside, but inside I think she was imagining all of us with duct tape over our mouths. The guys were cute, but we had to move on, so I got their numbers for later ;) and we found a hostel. We got two rooms.

I had been waiting for my henchman to show up, and I had my fingers crossed that he was here at this station. Les found an old friend of mine on the prison roster he downloaded, so we popped down to the jail to say heeeyyy. Rude awakening number one - the security at the prison had some sort of coin lock for Neos and they openly referred to Didi as "the Fool," how were we clocked by these normal looking NPC's??? And not to like, be a bitch, but I was alarmed that no other party members seemed to be like, alerted to the classist treatment. But that Neo lock was cool as shit, duly noted. Hardy was is good spirits (he's never been that chatty of a guy) and he did warn us about some horrific carnage happening on the Factory level of the space station. His entire faction, The Judges, was apparently wiped out in a mess of otherworldly carnage and human misery. "That's a bummer," I told him, "and don't worry, we'll spring you asap." In the end, it wasn't the kind of spring I had been meaning, and the otherworldly carnage - fuck I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Les and Didi dug up a shitload of data on the Station and found out it was being run by a Dictator named Corvath Kyball. Rory and I went to the market and managed to sell one of her rupees from Hyrule for quite a bit of money. I wasn't around when apparently MORPHEUS called Les again, told him to look for him on The Grid, and then gave Didi some fucking frameless sunglasses, whatever, they don't do anything besides just block the sun. Am I jealous? I think its in my nature to be jealous, especially of her. I think what happened next really illustrated that. I only point out the thematic foreshadowing of myself pouting about Morpheus because I realize the story about what happens in the bar perfectly illustrates it, and I'm not actually writing this, its just what I did.

Bored in our room, Didi and I called those cute guys from the bar and let Les and Rory know we were gonna go meet them. I'm easy, so I chilled a little and let Didi pick which one she wanted - she chose the skinny one with the multi-color mustache, so I focused on Brock, the muscular one, but like, we were all at one table. I don't recall who brought up her band, but the next thing I knew, the bar patrons were staring at Didi, gazing and whispering, and clearing some space on the stage for her to play a song. The boys stood up and pulled her towards the stage. She had been a star here, too, but we were only bandmates in Delray Beach, FL. Here she had been Didi and the Lost Boys, and the Jackrabbits didn't exist. I felt the anger like a fire alarm ringing in my head, and as I lifted my chin to watch her walk away, Didi held her hand out for mine, and motioned for me to go with her. I'm nothing if not a good sport, so I followed her to the stage, swallowing my pride in giant audible gulps, and we both picked up guitars. "I don't know a lot of your songs," I warned her, my tone audibly sullen. She smiled at me, literally beaming, and she said, "No, we're gonna do one of ours. You sing," and she practically bowed out of the way, motioning towards the mic. I've never loved her more. I stepped into the limelight and instantly felt 21 again, for the first time since coming back to DIE. I felt the growl in my throat as I sang lyrics to a song I didn't know I could recall. I felt the sweat building up and sticking to my skin, and I felt my hair come to life under the stage's glow. I don't know if it was DIE or magic or just being in a band with your old best friend again, but in a moment I had been transformed into apowerful creature I was once, in a dream.

I don't know why I needed that and she didn't, and maybe I never will, but I fucking needed it. We brought the house down, and then cut out the side with our dates to find somewhere more private. The Factory level, perhaps? Their badges could get us in, we could snoop around, and then maybe get busy while we're doing it. The night was still young.

[thefallons]

What’s a guy gotta do to get a drink around here?

I am not capable of getting any cuter than this so if the bartender doesn’t look at me in the next minute, I’m out.

[khaleesiofalicante]

OK I GOT 5 HOURS OF SLEEP LAST NIGHT WHICH IS PRETTY OK IG (I did stay up to read the fic-) BOTH MY TESTS WENT LIKE SHIT, I HAD AN ANXIETY ATTACK IN PROGRAMMING CLASS BECAUSE BY TEACHER IS A LITTLE SHIT WHO KEPT ON YELLING AT ME WHEN I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING AND I SPENT LUNCH ALONE BUT AT LEAST NOW IM ALONE WITH MY LAPTOP SO YAYAYAYYA

first of all, this chapter right here is my comfort chapter from now on. i said what i said. I will be rereading it again and again just because i can. it was PERFECTION

here's me going crazy at 2 am yesterday.

MAGNUS' CHAPTER

LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO

AHHHHHHH IT'S THEIR ANNIVERSARY

SCREAM

oh

alec shaved his beard because it made him look older

RAFAEL WAS SO UPSET AFTER THE MEXICO ATTACK BECAUSE OF ANJALI RIGHT??

magnus and alec are the oblivious parents istg

“Are you decent?” Max yelled. “I don’t want to be traumatized again.”

“Hey! We agreed not to talk about that!” Alec yelled back.

Im not even surprised at this point

“Happy anniversary, bapa!” Rafael kissed him on the cheek and handed him the flowers.

“Where are my flowers?” Alec asked.

Rafael plucked a rose from the bouquet and threw it at Alec. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, son,” Alec mumbled.

IM WHEEZING

DAVID BAKES

“David made it,” Max said shyly. "

Oh,” Alec replied and then shrugged. “Well, the icing could be a little sweeter I think.”

Ever since Max started dating, Alec had become incredibly protective. Alec liked David of course – it was impossible to find someone who didn’t. But that didn’t mean Alec approved.

And it didn’t help that the blond boy was absolutely terrified of Alec.

ALEC STOP TEASING HIM

THE BOY IS ALREADY SCARED

“I don’t know,” Alec analysed the card. “David used too much glitter.”

“Since when do you have a problem with excessive glitter?” Max demanded.

ALEC

“I didn’t use him!” Max huffed. “He was thoroughly compensated for his efforts!”

“Compensated how?” Alec asked.

“Uh,” Max said. “With donuts.”

when i saw donuts i immediately thought of rose and luisa from jtv

iykyk

but should i continue the show? i got tired of jane continuously embarrasing herself

“You expect us to follow rules?” Alec asked in surprise. “In our own home? On our anniversary?”

The warlock boy grinned wickedly before leaning close to Alec.

“You better do it, or I will tell everyone about your secret,” Max whispered.

Alec blinked at that.

the secret...

I DONT LIKE HOW MANY THINGS POPPED INTO MY HEAD

is highschool musical that bad? i havent watched it. should i?

what if i cried

i just wanna hug alec??? but i cant say it'll be ok because it wont

“Is that why you are not attending?” Magnus grinned at his friend. “Or is it because you are terrified of Georgia?”

“That child is the reincarnation of Christopher Lightwood!” Ragnor complained. “I heard she made explosives out of demon ichor! Who makes explosions out of demon ichor?”

RAGNOR IS PROBABLY GETTING FLASHBACKS

THESE STUPID FUCKING BITCHES

how tf do you think we have survived huh??

medicine that's how

vaccines, anti biotics and what not

stop being close-minded and fucking do it

ok i know the risk is great

BUT OTHERWISE THEY ALL DIE

it was different for warlocks. The Shadow World was their universe. The nephilim kept it safe. At one point in their lives, they had learned to coexist with them, out of necessity and out of obligation.

And now here they were – working together in the name of friendship and love.

how things change...

what

say what

the causes are what

ok let's not jump to conclusions

im fucking crying wtf

alec doesnt deserve this shit

all he's done is make the world a better place

hes worked so hard on this

RAZIEL CAN GO FUCK HIMSELF

what am i supposed to say to my parents if one of them comes to check on me and im sitting here crying at 2 am

He didn’t want to believe in a reality that would punish Alec. Alec who only wanted to do what is good and right.

Alec was who was losing his hope and strength every passing day. Alec who was struggling. Alec who was turning to desperate measures to cope with all the stress.

please alec

no please

THE ANGELS ARE BITCHES

Because if Magnus found out Raziel was the one causing all this pain for Alec, he would march up to heaven and set the bastard on fire himself.

AND I'LL GO WITH HIM

KNEW THE SPY WAS LIVVY

AWW RAGNOR LIKES SELENA THATS SO SWEET

blue and gold

STOP IT IM CRYING AGAIN

The shadowhunter was a good influence on him. Magnus hoped Alec would see it sooner rather than later.

HUH

HUHU

HUH

omg

GIGI GETTING A SIBLING

“Max isn’t allowed to do a lot of things,” Magnus chuckled. “But he does them anyway.”

thats my boi

GASP

]THE NECKLACE

rafael is growing into the consul voice

they grow up so fast

nope nope he's still the little 5 year old

voice cracking what do you mean he's 20

im glad hes happy with mila. or is he...?

Magnus had deduced as much. Alec lived in his beautifully oblivious world. But Magnus noticed.

He noticed the hickeys. He noticed the late-night visits. He noticed the tense phone calls.

well thank god there's at least one non-oblivious person (alec i love you so much but you are very very oblivious)

“What’s stopping you then?” Magnus asked.

"2554 miles,” Rafael chuckled sadly.

me with all my online friends

probably more miles

Magnus tried to do the math but promptly gave up.

me

But Alec did lie though. Magnus pushed the thought away.

NOT NOW

LET ME LIVE IN PEACEFUL OBLIVION

HUSH

“Except melt it?” Rafael chuckled.

“Yes,” Magnus chuckled back. “As you can see, the bar is extremely low in the Lightwood family.”

AHHIUCCDSKUHDCV

i have no clue what the words describing the outfit are

time to google

OK PRETTY

Fifteen years. Fifteen years of loving and Alec still made his heart stutter.

dont do this to me right now I WILL CRY

“What the hell?” Max exclaimed. “Why are you all dressed up?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s my anniversary,” Alec chuckled.

Max-

Fifteen years. Fifteen years and Magnus still took Alec’s breath away.

HJCSDHJBJDHSGCDYGJVVC JHVDFYMJ

it's not funny MY EYES ARE WATERING

“Bapak is a good looking one in the family,” Rafael pointed out. “You are the chaotic one and I am the smart one.”

“What am I then?” Alec asked dryly. “A sack of potatoes?”

“You’re the sexy one,” Magnus grinned. “A sexy sack of potatoes.”

yes.

Alec grinned back and leaned forward. Magnus put his hands around Alec’s neck and kissed him. He kissed Alec with all the love he had inside his heart.

Just like the first time. Just like the hundredth time. Just like the thousandth time.

Because with Alec, every kiss mattered. Every single one.

muffled sob

“Stop making out, oh my god!” Max groaned.

Magnus sensed a pillow coming their way but Rafael caught it before it hit them.

“Max, stop!” Rafael scolded. “You will wrinkle dad’s suit and ruin bapak’s hair! I spent hours ironing both!”

why is max me when i see people display affection in front of me

ALSO RAFAEL HKUIUIDCSKIHUDFVHJDFVHU

“They are here,” Rafael said. “You two better look exactly the way you did when I left with Max or I will raise hell.”

IM SCREAMING

Selena was wearing a blue crop top with the words “MIND YOUR OWN UTEREUS” written in gold.

i need that top

DAVID'S SHIRT IS THE COLOR OF MAX'S MAGIC

AHH ISABELLE DOESNT KNOW SHE'S PREGNANT YET

The argument of “who gave the best gift” had started when Jace and Izzy had gotten drunk on vodka. It didn’t help that Alec had gotten drunk as well. All three Lightwood siblings had then proceeded to have an argument about who had the best spouse. The whole night had been drunken chaos. Magnus, Clary and Simon had let them have it since the Lightwood siblings had a tendency to carry the world on their shoulders even when nobody asked them. They rarely ever let loose ever since their worlds had plunged into sickness and demon attacks. Especially Alec. So, Magnus had let his husband be that 18-year-old boy again. The boy who got drunk and fought with his siblings and sang songs about Magnus’ pretty eyes.

OH MY GOD THE CHAOS

Georgia considered that. “I’m not allowed to melt it, right?”

“No,” they all replied in chorus.

LET GIGI MELT IT

SELENA IM SO PROUD OF YOU

“Dad,” Max said. “Can you keep a picture of me wearing this necklace in your office?”

“Why?” Rafael asked.

“I think it will piss off the boomers,” Max giggled.

“Nice!” Lexi grinned. “A downworlder wearing a shadowhunter heirloom? They will lose their heads. Uncle Alec, you must do it.”

“I will do you one better. I will hang a tapestry,” Alec chuckled.

YASSS I CANT WAIT FOR THE SHADOWHUNTERS TO BE PISSED

AWW THEY DIDNT KNOW THE NECKLACE USED TO BELONG TO MAGNUS

he actually gave to camille first-

Why couldn’t this boy just cause chaos during his travel year like the rest of them? Why did he actually study and do his research as recommended?

why would you NOT study and research during your travel year????

oh shit

well well well

david bby stfu

i love you but pls stop speaking for all our sakes

“Holy shit,” Max said. “It is expensive then!”

“Don’t pawn the ruby!” Rafael warned.

MAX NO-

OH THE STONE COMES FROM EDOM

oh no

pls dont fight

oh so i was wrong about magus confronting him from that snippet

all you need to know is im sobbing right now and grammarly is the only thing making this coherent

dont mind me just

NO I FORGOT ABOUT MAX AND DAVID

GET BACK IN THE ROOM YOU IDIOTS

don't do this to me at 3 am

OK THE DILF PART

thank you for adding light into my life again

(me while editing this: today really isn't my day huh? i just slipped in rainwater outside my balcony because I heard rain and ran there. now my knee and back hurt and I think I sprained (?) my toe-

ANYWAY

wait im gonna go check out the rain and then continue editing this

ok i got bored of the rain)

that made me laugh through my tears

“Objectively good looking?” Jace snorted. “Excuse you, but my parabatai is smoking hot! He is a freaking prize, okay? If we had a magazine for hot shadowhunters, you would be on the cover page. Every single issue.”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Alec interrupted. “Magnus, are you happy? Now all my friends have told me I am pretty.”

“I said smoking hot,” Jace corrected.

“We are not being biased,” Clary pointed out. “It is the general consensus, Alec.”

“It’s true,” Lexi said. “So many people have asked me for your number, Uncle Alec. And I would have given it to them if I wasn’t worried about being turned into a marshmallow.”

LEXI DUHDUGHUDFCUHKVDFUIKFDU

“Dad, I don’t know why you are so worried,” Max said in a bored tone. “You’re a told DILF.”

David choked on his champagne and Jace patted him on the back.

“What the hell is a DILF?” Alec demanded.

“Oh, I know this one!” Jace said excitedly. “It means Dashing and Irresistible Looking Father. Max is right, you are a total DILF.”

“Mr. Herondale-” David raised a hand.

“I heard one of the shadowhunters in their travel year calling me a DILF too,” Jace said proudly.

THAT IS NOT WHAT DILF MEANS OH MY GOD

“It’s not a rumour,” Selena spoke up and passed her phone. “There is a group chat at Scholomance just to thirst after you.”

add me to it

ALL THE COMMENTS I CANT BREATHE

“Alec Lightwood can run me over with a Maserati and I would thank him.”

“Give me that,” Izzy grabbed the phone and started giggling. “Petition for Consul Alec Lightwood-Bane to stab me with his mortal sword.”

“Isabelle!” Alec hissed, cheeks flaming. “Stop it!”

“I want one!” Jace grabbed the phone now. “By the Angel!”

“Read it!” the kids yelled in chorus.

“I would gladly let Consul Lightwood-Bane inspect my mortal instruments,” Jace chuckled and threw the phone at David.

David shook his head vehemently and threw it at Max.

“My body is just a hole for Alec Lightwood,” Max read out loud and started laughing so hard that he fell off his chair.

Lexi grabbed the phone and giggled. “I want the Consul to strip off my runes among other things.”

She passed the phone to Gigi, who looked at the phone and look at Alec.

“Uncle Alec,” the girl said. “This person wants you to crush them with your massive archer arms.”

“Give me that,” Rafael grabbed it now. “Aw, this one is a classic, dad. Alec Lightwood turned me gay.”

He threw the phone at Simon, who stared the screen and looked up. “Uh, I don’t think I can read this one out loud in front of the kids.

“Is this the one about the basement?” Selena chuckled and Simon nodded.

WHAT'S THE BASEMENT ONe

TELL ME

AWW GIGI AND LEXI PUTTING MAKEUP ON DAVID AND MAX RECORDING IT

google translator time

oooo Rafael's gonna talk with Mila

Magnus you're such a good father

seriously

“Sometimes things are just sad. So, you need to let yourself be sad.”

YES

SAY IT LOUDER

THEY ARE UNDER THE BED

AHHH MAX AND DAVID

DAVID CALLED HIM MY ANGEL IN FRENCH

Alec and Magnus hiding under the bed and spying on them is just-

Jace had tried to give Max the shovel talk and had gotten a little too emotional.

of course, he did smh I love him so much

“David doesn’t need a shovel talk,” Alec smiled. “He knows what would happen to him if he hurts my son.”

David gulped. “You will throw me into the silent city?”

“I will ask me husband to portal you to hell,” Alec said – Consul Voice. “We have relatives there.”

the beloved relatives yes

“Goodnight,” Jace gave them a salute. “Have fun inspecting Magnus’ mortal instruments.”

JACE

OH SO THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT SMOKING

damn it

oh my god guys he said he'll stop smoking

just lemme have this moment

my boy's lungs will be intact

HIS LUNGS WILL BE OK

“I can’t wait to see all the messages on the chat after that,” Magnus giggled.

Alec looked up. “I’m more than a tall glass of water, Magnus!”

SCREAMING

In his dream, he saw them again. But they weren’t smiling this time.

what

wait

THE PROPHETIC DREAMS

nope nope nope

Nah I don't know what you're talking about

haha

damn, I think I really hurt my back...

OK BUT THE IMMORTALITY ANGST???? WAS SO SO GOOD???? I know it makes me cry but is it bad that I'm always so excited for angst written by you because of HOW GOOD it is????

"When I die I will love you from my grave" I NEED THIS ON MY FOREHEAD OH MY GOD I LOVE THESE TWO SO SO MUCH

alright I need to get something for my back and my knee (I'm home alone so this will be fun)

OK, I THINK THE NEXT CHP WILL BE ANJALI'S POV I JUST FEEL IT!!! I miss my girl so much I hope she's doing ok. Jaime too...

I'm rereading all of these chapters after chapter 10 because why not. Bye!!

OKAY I AM GLAD YOU LIKED IT BUT I AM ALSO DEEPLY WORRIED ABOUT YOUR HEALTH.

I hope your knee and back feels better soon!

also fuck that teacher yelling something doesn't make people understand it any better ugh dumb piece of shit anyway screw that person.

I hope you get some good rest and recovery from this rollercoaster of a day.

Take care!

[random-fandom1]

Pepper thought it was good idea to go away for a few days. A few days away to herself, she deserved it right? Not much could go wrong, could it?

Well, let's just say you can't underestimate the avengers...

- ⴵ -

Day 1 of Peppers absence

Most of the over 30 year olds (minus Clint and Scott) were doing their own thing. Tony and Bruce were inside their labs doing their thing, Natasha, Steve, Sam and Bucky were sparring in the training rooms, and the rest of them were doing their own adulty things. They were sticking to their own routines, because why would they have to change them? Its not like Peppers absence was to make them less 'mature'

That left a majority the under 30s (with the addition of Clint and Scott and minus Bucky, Loki and Valkyrie) to run wild. The loss of the mature adults meant they could go free. Peter, Yelena, Shuri and Wanda had a spa day. They all took turns painting eachothers nails, doing the others hair and just full out pampering eachother. Scott, Clint, Pietro and Carol looked on in disgust because that's so girly, right? Well that's what they thought until they were dragged into the action as well. Scott and Pietro were enjoying themselves as well after 20 minutes but Clint and Carol despised it. For this reason, they came out looking like Barbie dolls. All pink makeup, bows, frills. Blackmail pictures were taken.

They all got together at 5, Bucky and Loki cooked dinner for them all (The famous Gigi Hadid vodka Pasta) and they all watched Star Wars before going to bed.

- ⍟ -

Day 2 of Peppers absence

Peace didn't stay for long. It lasted a day.

It all started at 6am the next morning when Peter and Bucky were awoken from their sleep, entangled in one another, soaken wet. Clint quickly retreated back into his vent, not fast enough for the two enhanced not to spot him. That was how the prank war began.

Next Vision gave Wanda one of her favourite flowers, which then proceeded to spray her in the face

Shuri and Val replaced Steve's shampoo with lime green hair dye (Tony said he was his big leprechaun)

Yelena turned the water to freezing cold when Natasha was having a shower

Teams were made by 10am. It was almost the same divide as yesterday. Peter, Bucky, Shuri, Val, Carole, Scott, Yelena, Wanda, Loki, Pietro and Sam made one team. They called themselves the Young Avengers. The other team consisted of Steve, Natasha, Clint, Tony, Vision, a reluctant Bruce, Thor, Dr Strange and Nebula.

To say it was a mess was an understatement. By the end of the day the training centres were covered in water from a water balloon fight that went on around 12, Stonys bedroom had been filled with balloons, Yelena had managed to vandalise Clints secret tunnels, Natasha had in turn played an audio recording of Yelena having a pretend interview with herself in the shower around the compound. Bucky, Sam and Peter had covered Thor in honey and then put feathers on him. Loki then enchanted him to run round like a chicken for 2 hours. Tony had locked Pietro in heavy shoes, stopping him from running away and dyed his hair neon pink. Peter had posted embarrassing videos of the other team That wasn't even half of what happened.

They called a truce around 11pm, not before Nebula had managed to fill Scott's room with Baskin Robins uniforms

- ᗢ -

Day 3 of Peppers absence

Day 3 was just, surprisingly, wholesome. Everyone was recovering from last days war and decided to just order a shit ton of food and relax. Tony didn't even go to the lab! They all cuddled up on the couch and watched movies all day.

Tony and Steve were on one couch, Bruce and Thor were on another, and Wanda and Vision were on another showing little PDA. But on the other side of the room, Peter and Bucky as well as MJ and Shuri were sprawled across two differnet couches, showing off quite alot of PDA. Close to an unbearable amount of it. Peter was sat on Buckys lap, mouthing at his neck like a baby and Bucky was running his hands all over his body in a slow, gentle manner. It wasnt a sexual thing (Peter would be mortified to do that with his parents and family sitting right there), ot was more of a cmofort thing. MJ and Shuri had no shame. None. They were full on making out. It made nearly everyone around them uncomfortable.

Nether the less, the day was spent eating junk food, having a Harry Potter marathon (Peter tried to suggest Star Wars but was quickly shut down by nearly everyone else). Of course by the end of the day, the place was a tip. Pizza boxes scattered around the room, popcorn all over the couches from Sam and Buckys popcorn fight, pillows turned upside down and a huge pillow fort made by Yelena, Shuri and Peter around the middle of Goblet of Fire. Missing the only mature mature adults, they left it as it was and retired atthe end of DHPt2.

- ⎈ -

Day 4 of Peppers absence

The day before Pepper was to return was havoc.

To start it off, they had no food. None. Pepper normally ordered all the food on the large whiteboard in the kitchen every 2 weeks, and now with her gone, no one actually placed it. Steve and Natasha had to run to the grocery store in the morning, leaving hungry hero's with high metabolisms to get cranky. They ended up getting only 2 boxes of cereal and a loaf of bread. For 20+ people. For a whole day.

Second of all, no one actually stuck to their bed time for the past few nights. It started off with Shuri snapping at Peter, Peter snapping at Bucky, Bucky snapping at both Sam and Steve, so on and so fourth. Eventually everyone ended up as cranky as the last person. Silence surrounded the compound as everyone migrated to their own spot to calm down. It was so quite that you could hear Clints terrified screams from the kitchen as he tried to disturb a sleeping Peter, who was in his own made cobweb in the corner.

Third, when a majority of people calmed down, the power went out. Not even the back up worked. Turns out no one checked the battery so it blew. Tony and Bruce were there for 3 hours trying to fix it while the rest of the avengers played board games in the main room.

Things were falling apart

- ⎊ -

Day 5 of Peppers absence

Today's the day Peppers meant to be coming back, but her flight got delayed due to weather and she wouldn't be back until late that night. This left another day for the avengers to slowly lose their minds.

It started off like Day 1, until it hit 12pm. Thats when Natasha called them all to living room and demanded a games night. A party nighy where they all get drunk and party like teenagers

It started off with never have i ever, and oh did some things come out, especially about the baby spider of the group. When Tony asked if anyone had ever done the dirty in front of their family/friends, a very embarrassed Peter and a wolfishly grinning Bucky took a shot

Next day played truth or dare. This led to a hot makeout session between Scott and Sam, a half naked Steve and a head standing Vision.

Then it just went downhill at around 6pm. A drunken group of earth's mightiest hero's was just getting started, and by 9pm, they were fucking hammered.

That's how Pepper found them.

Vision was still spinning on his head to the beat of the music in the corner; Loki, Natasha, Tony and Clint were taken shots at the bar; Yelena and Peter were twerking on the coffee table with Bucky, Sam and Shuri cheering from under them, Bucky laying the occasionally slap to Peters arse; Bruce was writing furiously in a notebook; Steve was having a heart to heart with Wanda, both of them crying about how much they lived their families; Thor was of course munching on his emergency poptarts as they still hadn't gotten their food delivery; Pietro was running around Valkyrie so fast that it hurt to look at; and Dr Strange and Nebula were no where to be found

Pepper just slowly backed out of the room, wondering if the plane had gone back to the airport yet

[mhdiaries]

SDCC 2015 Djinni “Whisp” Grant Diary

⟡ ⧗ ⟡ ⧗

It’s amazing how different the world looks when you’re the one in charge of it. I don’t mean the whole world, of course, just the one that exists inside the lantern. Now, instead of criticizing - which I used to do a lot of - I have to actually be responsible. I think my first decision will be to return to my original shadow look because I want my unlife to change from the inside out, not the outside in. 

⟡ ⧗ ⟡ ⧗ ⟡ ⧗ ⧗

I think I still have a lot to learn about being a djinni; mostly because when I was “shadowing” Gigi, I didn’t pay very good attention to the things she was telling me about the job. I think my jealousy made me deaf to everything except what I wanted. So, now I have a lot of catching up to do. Good thing there’s an instruction book, and an even better thing that I have a lot of time on my hands since it’s a five thousand-volume set. At least it’s interesting... well, most of it is, anyway. The legal and warning sections are full of fine print that I’m sure would make any monster who needed sleep - which I don’t - go completely comatose. Something that I learned today, which I should have already known, is that the number of wishes a djinni can grant is based upon how many years they have been a servant of the lantern. I’m only allowed three to begin. I hope whoever finds me doesn’t feel like they’ve been ripped off. Hmmm... I wonder if I should say, “You only get three, don’t waste them.” Well, the next volume seems to be full of things a djinni can and cannot say, so I guess I will find out. Just hope it’s not in the fine print.

⃞ ⧗ ⧗

There is a clock and calendar on the wall of a small storeroom deep in the basement of the lantern palace. It is the only place inside the lantern where the passage of time is recorded. I used to go there when I was a shadow and watch the time pass when Gigi was out granting wishes. At first I thought it was fascinating, but over time my fascination turned to resentment as I watched the hours and days go by while Gigi was out seeing the world. Once, when she was gone, I got so angry I tore both the clock and calendar from the wall and destroyed them. I can’t believe I was such a.... brat. Somehow I thought this would make Gigi feel bad about not taking me with her when she left, but when Gigi returned and I led her down to the room so I could gloat over what I’d done, the clock and calendar were back as if I had never touched them. I look foolish, and felt worse. Gigi kindly told me that the clock and calendar used to be in her room, but she moved them to the basement because it made her feel lonely to see the time passing. She said that they were part of the lantern, and even though they could be moved, they could not be destroyed. I think that was the moment when I realized that I was a part of the lantern, too, and I began to wonder if one day Gigi would lock me away as well. That’s when I began plotting to overthrow her, take over the lantern, and then the world. Gigi, of course, would never have done that to me, but I guess that it just shows how much a shadow knows... 

⟡ ⃞ ⧗

I am on volume 1,753. This volume could be titled When Wishes Go Wrong, and in it I found a story about the perils of wishes made in anger called The Princess and the Captain. It’s about a vampire queen who uses her last wish to punish her youngest daughter who has fallen in love with the captain of the guard, a commoner. The queen, whose word was law and tolerated no questioning of it, is displeased by their affections and forbids them to ever be together. The princess argues that the captain is her one true love, but the queen is unmoved and not only strips the captain of his rank but threatens to have him banished from the kingdom forever. So the princess agrees to forsake the love of her unlife... yeah, right... and, of course, that doesn’t last long. They are soon found out and brought to the throne room.

Now the wrath of the queen was great and she ordered her djinni’s lantern be brought to her. He was the oldest and wisest of all the lantern djinn and had been in the queen’s service for a thousand years. 

“Ninety and nine wishes have I granted you oh queen, and there is but one yet left,” said the djinni.

“Listen well, then, servant of the lantern. Since my daughter and my former captain of the guard understand neither the nature of obedience nor the unbridgeable gulf between royalty and those of common birth, I wish them to be forever obedient and forever apart!”

“But my queen....” said the djinni.

“Would you disobey me as well?” she raged.

“Be it then as you wish,” replied the djinni.

The the djinni clapped his hands and there was smoke, a flash of light and the sound of massive iron doors swinging open and then closing with a deafening crash. When the smoke cleared, the princess and the captain were gone, and in their place two lanterns stood... a hand’s width apart from each other. 

“Forever obedient - forever apart,” said the djinni and with those final words, both he and the lanterns disappeared.

The rest of the story tells how the vampire queen, being filled with remorse, leaves the throne and spends her unlife searching for her daughter’s lantern. There are, however, two footnotes at the end of the story. The first reads.

While any djinni old enough and powerful enough to have accumulated 100 wishes could have certainly fulfilled the “letter of the wish” by turning the princess and the captain into djinn, the queen’s wish never specifies whom they should be obedient to or apart from; thus it is just as likely that the princess and captain of the guard were made forever obedient to the love of the other, and forever apart from the queen herself.

The second footnote reads,

If, however, the princess and the captain were indeed both turned into lantern djinn, then the queen herself is probably still looking, because you do not find a lantern. It finds you.

7th of July

Today my lantern was found and I was summoned for the very first time! I thought that I would be ready when it happened, but I was completely taken by surprise. In fact, I had just put my hair up in a towel and was getting ready to apply a beauty mask when a voice thundered through the inside of the lantern, “You are summoned!” Note to self: find preference settings and change voice from an “In a world...” kind of intonation to something less ominous. Anyway, I put on my “game face”, took a deep breath, and hoped the monster I was about to be serving wouldn’t be able to tell that I was nervous. Guess I shouldn’t have worried too much about that, because when I said, “I am the djinni of the lantern, what is your wish?” the monster who summoned me almost fainted. He is a vampire... of sorts... and by his clothes it looks like he’s seen better days. He didn’t wish for anything tonight, so I suppose I’ll have to wait before I am allowed to grant my first wish. Now I’m more excited than nervous.  

8th of July

“You are summoned!” I thought I had it fixed, but now the voice sounds like a zombie using “baby talk”, so instead of ominous it’s just irritating. More importantly, I finally got to talk to the monster who is currently in possession of my lantern. His name is Kieran Valentine, and much like me he is trying to keep his present and future from being defined by his past. We talked for hours and I think that even without wishing for one, I’ve found a friend. It was good to be able to talk about what we’d each done in the past and not feel condemned. I think going forward it will help to know that we’ll both be cheering the other on to succeed. Speaking of wishes, he still hasn’t made one yet... but I’m good with that. 

10th of July

“You are summoned!” Ack! No, I’m right out on it blasting through the lantern like an opera singer. It still needs work, I may not have learned everything I should have from Gigi, but one thing I did pay a lot of attention to was the way that wishes work. When a djinni grants a wish, a force is released: a force so powerful that it can remake the very fabric of reality in order to fulfil its purpose. It is also a force that needs specific instructions or else it will interpret what you’ve wished for, and sometimes the results get lost in translation. Sadly, I am not allowed to give hints or coach monsters in how or what they should wish. It isn’t that I don’t want to: it’s that I physically can’t. Gigi one told me that she tried to tell a monster how to word a wish and her mouth literally closed shut and wouldn’t open until after the wish was granted. So, all that to say, I knew that KV’s first wish was not going to turn out how he hoped it would. I’m just happy that he had a “rescue wish” left, otherwise...

12th of July

I really feel bad for KV. He’s already used up two of his three wishes with nothing to show for it. I tried to tell him how sorry I was but he wouldn’t even listen. He even said it was completely his fault, and that I had nothing to be sorry for. I really hope he thinks hard about his last wish.

1st of August

“You are summoned!” Ooh, I like this version. It sounded like I was being called to the front door to meet an old friend. I’ll keep it. KV used his last wish today. He wished that we could always be friends. I think that would have come true regardless of whether or not he wished for it, but I thought it was so unselfish of him to use his last wish like that. I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to be fulfilled until I was holding my very own iCoffin with KV’s number programmed into it. The best thing, thought, was that I had full bars everywhere I went inside the lamp! Being able to have a friend to talk to even when I’m inside the lantern is so much more than even I could have wished for.

[ellewritesfix05]

Watch This - Chapter III: Forever Yours

Characters: Demon!Dean x Soulless!Reader

Word count: ~3.3k

Warnings: basically porn, I mean there’s some plot but SMUT (so 18+ only young’uns!) — oral (male receiving), choking, fingering, p in the v, unprotected sex (duh, protect yourself), language, show-level violence, jealous!dean

A/N: here lies the 3rd and final part to what was supposed to be a 2-part adventure 🤗 

Catch up on this series -> Watch This Masterlist

📸 cred: to rightful owners!

Here’s my full Masterlist if you’d like to read more!☺️

Your eyes widen in surprise and anticipation. If he’s not done with you, you can’t wait to see what else he has in store.

Two weeks. That's how long it’s been since Dean last touched you.

After your little session in the backseat of dead old Fester’s car, you and Dean headed back to the bar where Crowley was waiting. After hearing you and Dean had killed “the client,” Crowley had a fit and basically broke up with Dean. It was all very dramatic and you couldn’t wait for it to be over, you wanted to get the rest of the punishment Dean had promised.

But after Crowley left with his goons, the Knight had suggested food and drink, to which you begrudgingly agreed, only to return to the bar and have him drink until well past closing time. And that was two fucking weeks ago.

No matter what you had tried in the last 14 days — anything and everything from offering to suck him off to quite literally walking the room around naked — he never gave in. And it’s not like you could force him either. The man is strong, even more so now that he has the Mark of Cain and demon magic coursing through his veins.

So now, on day 15, you decide enough is enough. If Dean doesn’t want you, you’ll find someone who does.

The bar to which Dean decided to drag you tonight is bustling with activity. You pull the short skirt of the skin-tight dress you chose for the occasion down your thighs as you sit on the high stool next to Dean. He’d complimented your figure when he first saw the dress, something about looking pretty for him. Little did he know, you did it as a benefit to whoever would be your next lay, not him. The fact that he rejected your advances after his short compliment only cemented the idea in your mind.

Besides, it’s not like you and Dean were exclusive. If anything, he made sure you understood that whenever he got the chance to shamelessly flirt with every waitress and stripper you’ve come across so far.

Scanning the crowd, you take a sip of the whiskey you ordered. Dean is oblivious as he is clearly making eyes at the bartender. She, of course, is returning that silent desire and you really can’t blame her. As you’re about to give up on your search, your eyes land on him, your perfect target.

Standing on the opposite side of the bar, he catches you checking him out and winks. Perfect, he’s willing to play your little game. Funnily enough, he seems to have a physique that is very similar to Dean’s; tall, broad-shouldered, arms that you could just lay between for ages and never tire. His chocolate-brown eyes bore into yours, beckoning you to him. Looking over to Dean, who’s still sweet-talking Gigi the bartender — ugh, Gigi — just grunts at you when you say you’ll “be right back.”

Fine, Winchester, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.

You sashay your way to the pool tables, looking at the brown-eyed man and motioning for him to follow you. He downs the last of his drink and walks over. You sneak a glance to where Dean is sitting, only to find him gone. Unsurprisingly, so is Gigi.

You roll your eyes, anger and jealousy coursing through your body. He won’t touch you, won’t let you go anywhere without him, won’t even let you leave his side, and still has the nerve to go fuck some random bitch while expecting you to what? Wait for him patiently?

“Anyone ever told you you’re the most beautiful woman in the room?” A pleasantly deep voice interrupts your seething train of thought. You plaster on a smile, fully taking in the man in front of you.

“Heard it once or twice,” you reply. The man chuckles, and grabs a pool cue from the table next to you.

“You play?” he asks.

Grabbing the other cue, you lie, “never have, but I’m open to learning if you’re willing to teach me.”

“It’d be my pleasure… “ he stretches a hand out, silently asking for your name.

“Y/L,” you place your hand in his, “and you are?”

“John.” You like that name. It’s the name of a good man, dependable.

“Nice to meet you, John.” A smile plays at your lips as he places a soft kiss to your knuckles. This will be so much easier than you thought.

John sheds his leather jacket before moving to start the game, sloppily explaining the rules but you don’t care much. He breaks, and when it’s your turn to play, makes himself comfortable behind you. As he places a hand on your hip, and the other on your arm to line up your shot, you feel the warmth of his body pressed up against you. It’s been so long since you had any sort of contact from Dean that this oddly intimate position with John makes your pussy tingle with anticipation.

As his breath moves some strands of your hair, you look up to the spot on the bar from which Dean had left; expecting it to be empty but somewhat startled when you see two dark green orbs staring at you with such intensity, you’re surprised you haven’t spontaneously combusted.

You don’t know how long it’s been since Dean got back from wherever he went, but now he’s back and clearly not happy to find you in the arms of another man.Still, you can’t find it in you to care.

You snooze, you lose, Winchester

The anger and frustration within you burns hot, and you find yourself relishing in the fact that Dean hates what he’s watching — his woman being touched by hands that aren’t his. You smirk up at him, winking to let him know you’re enjoying the feeling of John behind you, and he can’t do anything about it.

Dean’s eyes grow even darker, nearly black, although not because he’s a demon, and the glass containing his precious whiskey shatters in his hold. As John guides your arm, you mess up the shot and pout at your prey in fake disappointment. His hand ventures up to brush against your cheek, you lean into the touch and that’s when everything goes to hell.

John’s hand suddenly disappears from where it had been cradling your face as he is pulled backward by a very strong, very pissed off Dean. He slams John’s face against the pool table, only to turn him over and deliver a punch to the poor guy’s face. And another, and another, and so on until his face is covered in blood. The other patrons scream, some try their best to hold the demon back but they can’t. Dean is a man possessed, he barely notices the other men grabbing at him, all he is focused on is beating the man beneath his grip to a pulp — completely entranced. As are you. Perhaps someone with a soul would feel guilt, some sort of sense of responsibility for the life of the man you’d chosen as prey, but you can’t. All you feel is the need for Dean’s touch. Your body is on fire, every nerve standing at attention, impatiently waiting for him to finish his little tantrum and show you who you belong to. But, being stubborn by nature, you decide not to show it. If Dean was so bothered by you with another man, it means he still wants you; and if he still wants you, he can damn well work for it.

As Dean stops his attack for a second to look over at you, you use the opportunity to wink at another guy that’s watching the scene with no concern. He doesn’t look as good as John did, but it doesn’t matter, you just need a target to make a point to Dean — you don’t care whether he kills John or the next hundred men you flirt with, you’ll just find another.

Looking back at Dean, you see something in him snap, and he throws a barely-breathing John down to the floor. He stalks towards you, his eyes and stance meant to be intimidating but you stand your ground.

“We need to talk,” he whispers and doesn’t wait for an answer before grabbing you by the arm and dragging you out of the bar. His tight grip is painful but you bite your lip to hold back the whimper that threatens to burst out of you. Sirens are heard in the distance and you realize someone must’ve called the authorities in hopes of stopping Dean’s attempted murder. He opens the Impala and throws you in the backseat. You land unceremoniously, shooting daggers his way but secretly more turned on than you’ve ever been. Putting the car in drive, he races out of the parking lot, the tires squealing against the concrete.

You remain silent, as does he, but you can see from the way his jaw clenches and his knuckles whiten from the tightness of his grip on the steering wheel, he is furious with you. He doesn't need to say anything, you already know you fucked up and are going to be paying steeply for it.

Screeching to a halt at the hotel’s parking lot, Dean gets out of the car and you follow. He doesn’t look back to you as he makes his way to your room, but you know he expects you to be right behind him. As soon as you close the door behind you, he sheds his flannel, tossing it to the floor. You stay by the door, waiting for whatever Dean has planned.

Back still facing you, his voice breaks the deafening silence, “what the hell were you thinking?”

You stare at him from where you stand, the way his shoulders heave as he breathes erratically, too upset to control it. This is the part where you should probably make some sort of apology or excuse for your behavior, but you made it this far, what’s a little more?

“What do you care? It’s not like you’ve been paying much attention to me in a while, anyway.”

Dean turns to face you, and if you thought you’d seen him angry earlier, it was nothing compared to now. He stalks toward you, jaw clenched so tightly you’re sure he’s about to break his damn teeth. Stopping just inches before you, he reaches up and places a hand just under your neck, fingers brushing against your collarbone. It’s the first time he’s actually placed a hand on you in 15 days, and your skin immediately responds — goosebumps rising everywhere, the ache and tingle in your cunt back stronger than before.

You look up at him, realizing that if you push just a little bit more, you may just get what you’ve been needing for weeks. The corner of his lip twitches, and you’re so focused on it, you yelp in surprise as his hand wraps around your neck and pushes you backward, slamming you against the hotel room door.

“What the fuck did you just say?” He seethes and you try to regain your breath. His fingers tighten in place, just enough to make it difficult to suck in air as his other hand cups your sex, “you weren’t getting what you wanted so you decided to whore yourself out?”

With every word, his grip on your throat tightens a bit more until it cuts off your air almost completely. Gasping, you claw at his hand, to no avail. The fingers of the hand resting on your cunt begin to move, rubbing your folds through the thin cotton layer of your panties. His forest-green eyes are boring into yours, and your vision starts to fuzz. Your eyelids begin to close as your brain begs for oxygen, and suddenly your throat and pussy are freed. You gasp desperately, landing on the floor as he steps back.

“Fine, you want to be treated like the slut you are, you got it, sweetheart.” As you regain full consciousness, you feel two strong hands wrap around your arms. Dean lifts you harshly, only to drag you to the bed where he throws you back down. You roll over, surprising Dean when you don’t cower in fear, but laugh instead.

“You’re nothing but talk, Winchester. I should’ve known, you never were one to keep your promises.”

Dean smirks, a twinkle in his eye as he walks to the opposite side of the bed. He leans forwards and grabs you by the shoulders, roughly pulling you towards him until your head hangs off the edge of the bed. Your breath catches in your throat, your eyes in line with his crotch. He drags a thumb across your lips before dipping it in your mouth, forcing it open as his other hand removes his belt. Pulling his cock free, he brushes the tip along your lips. You know you should fight him on longer but the truth is, you love everything about this.

Though you can’t see him, you can almost imagine his expression. The way his lips part, tongue dashing out from behind his teeth as he opens your mouth further to push his dick in. He doesn’t do it gradually either, just slams himself in until he feels himself hitting the back of your throat, thrusting in and out repeatedly at his own pace. You gag and salivate uncontrollably, unable to control anything from this position but also unwilling. Your hands travel to your core, which is now screaming for attention. Your own fingers pull at the hem of your dress, moving your ruined panties aside to provide some relief to your throbbing clit.

Dean’s pace quickens, his cock now painfully depriving your body of air. Still, you can’t help the moans fighting their way through.

“That’s it, baby. Choke on my cock, like the good little slut you are.”

His hands find their way to your breasts, kneading and squeezing. His fingers pull at the fabric until it rips right down the center, your tits spilling free as you’d decided to forgo a bra tonight. Your back arches as he pinches your hardened nipples. Your own fingers fasten their pace, making figure-8’s around your sensitive bundle of nerves before dipping into your dripping hole.

Suddenly, Dean’s hand grabs your wrist and he pulls your hand off your core. You whine in protest, but moan in pleasure as his hand quickly replaces yours. Thick fingers enter your pussy, quickly and harshly he pumps them in and out. Soaked in your slick, the sounds of his fingers fucking you and the palm of his hand hitting your clit just the right way are nearly enough to make you come undone.

“So fucking tight for me.”

The elastic in your core stretches, your hands wrap around Dean’s thighs, pulling him further down your throat. His breathing becomes erratic, his hand in your core speeds and the second he groans, the elastic snaps and you’re overwhelmed by the electricity traveling through your veins. Your body convulses with such strength, Dean’s cock flies out of your mouth and you feel hot, thick streams of liquid land on your chest.

You gasp for air, your high slowly dissipating and you barely hear Dean move. You try to lift your head to see where he’s gone but your muscles refuse to listen. You feel the bed dip by your legs and a breathless scream erupts as you get pulled back down to the other side of the bed. Your eyes focus just in time to see Dean tower over you. His forearms cage you as he pushes your legs apart with his own, opening you fully to him. You instinctively try to slide away but he’s far too strong and you’re far too weak.

“Dean, wait,” you huff but it’s useless, that damn smirk returns and he looks you straight in the eye as he slams his still-hard cock into you. You cry out, eyes fluttering shut, breathing hard as you feel his arms move beside you. Suddenly, you feel a strip of leather beneath your neck make its way around. You open your eyes to see Dean put the belt through the buckle. Holding the slack strip in hand, he pulls slightly and you feel the leather tighten around your throat slightly.

“This is what you were begging for, whore. Now shut up and take it,” he hisses as he begins to thrust deeply into you at a brutish pace.

Your over sensitive core begs for a break, but Dean’s pace is unforgiving. You grab onto his shoulders, meaning to push him away but when his head dips to place open-mouthed kisses on your shoulder, pulling on the belt, sucking on your pulse point, you can’t help but pull him closer. Your hands travel to his back, feeling every muscle ripple as his hips snap, fucking you with such ferocity you just know you’re going to feel this for days. Your moans turn to screams restrained screams as the belt tightens and releases. Dean grunts as your nails dig into his back. The familiar coil begins to tighten once more, you hold on to Dean as if he’s your lifeline. He lifts his head to look at you.

“You want to cum, don’t you, sweetheart?” Dean whispers as he slows his pace, yet still maintaining the depth of his thrusts.

“Please!” You nod desperately, tears beginning to pool in your eyes.

“You want to cum so bad you were willing to let some other asshole into this tight,” thrust, “little” thrust, “pussy,” thrust.

He’s teasing you now, barely holding back his own release but still holding his power over you.

“I’m sorry,” you cry out. You need him to speed back up. You need it like you need air in your lungs.

“I shouldn’t even let you, you need to learn that this body is mine, and only mine,” he begins to pick up the pace again. Choosing to take the belt around your neck off, he places a soft kiss just under your earlobe, “say it.”

“I’m yours, baby. Only yours. Forever,” you try to roll your hips up to meet his.

His hand wraps your leg around his waist, the new angle at which his cock hits your cervix making you see stars.

“That’s fucking right,” his hips are snapping against yours. The coil is so tightly wound, you taste metal in your mouth as you bite down on your lip forcefully.

“Now cum on my cock, babygirl.”

With one last vigorous thrust, you come undone. Your eyes roll back, wave after wave of electricity travels through your entire body. Dean quickly follows with a grunt, his hot seed painting your inner walls as his lips suck yet another mark on to the soft flesh of your neck.

He collapses on top of you for a moment, you’re about to wrap your arms around him when he pushes off the bed. Leaning up on your arms, which are shaking as they struggle to hold you up, you watch him get dressed.

“De?” You prompt, “where are you going?”

“Out, and when I get back you better be here. I don’t like repeating myself, try to piss me off again and I’ll rip your fucking throat out. With my teeth.”

He walks out the door and you drop back on the bed. It’s tempting to disobey, but you’re so spent and satisfied all you can do is laugh. Reaching up to brush your fingertips gingerly against every mark on your neck and shoulder he’s left behind, you smile. It’s not the best arrangement, having to do everything he says, yet in this moment you decide — you wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

If you’d like to join one of my taglists, let me know here! 💜

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@deanwanddamons / @hobby27 / @spnchick1996 / @briagallen / @downanddirtydean / @vicmc624

Dean Sweethearts Taglist ♥️

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[twelve-twelve-eleven]

I’ve Had Enough - Rafe Cameron

caution: rafe x reader, drug addiction, swearing, children, teen pregnancy, yelling, flashbacks on “doing it” with rafe and the aftermath, vomit, kinda toxic relationship??

a/n: OKAY WAIT HIII. This is my first ever writing piece and i literally thought about this idea while i was falling asleep. it will probably be absolute SHAT, so don’t be surpirsed if it is. plus, my spelling and grammar is doo doo.  i dont know that much about cocaine addiction, im trying my best jsyk! lets pretend that rafe isn’t a murderer, and that rafe and you are +18.

Part 2  Part 3

words: 1.1k

outline: rafe and you moved in together after your second child was born. but of course, rafe’s addiction didn’t ease up. in fact, it go worse. you finally broke out after having to deal with it for more than 2 years.

“baby!” you yelled out from you and rafe’s bedroom, holding your head in your hands to try and focus on the schoolwork on your desk. no response came back as marie, your 1 year old daughter, kept on crying. you scoffed and pushed yourself up, walking into the living room where you last saw rafe. as you went through the bedroom door frame, you saw rafe bent down above the coffee table, a snorting sound coming from him. anger filled your body. 

“rafe!” you yelled out, louder to get his attention. he whipped his head up, white powder littering under his nostrils. you stormed up to him as he looked around, getting familiar again with his surroundings. you leaned in and looked into his eyes, recognizing the symptoms. you shook your head and sat up as rafe finally looked at you. you stormed into the crying baby’s room, looking at your 4 year old son, spencer trying to shush her. you leaned over the crib rail and took her into your arms, bobbing her up and down.

rafe was a hook up that you didn’t know would turn into a future relationship because of a child. rafe saw you at the boneyard and immediately took a liking to you. he wanted to get into your pants, see how you moaned and how you screamed his name, he wanted to know every single curve of your body like the back of his hand. what was surprising was that you were a pogue, and he was a kook. to be honest, you were kinda tipsy, so things weren’t registering right. all you remember was a heated make out session behind a tree, then you woke up naked in rafe’s bedroom. rafe didn’t spread about what he did to you, which was new of him. he felt something different about you. he wanted to make a relationship with you, he wanted to know other than how you were in bed.but he never told anyone about it, even you. y’all went on hooking up here and then, from time to time. 

until, you started feeling sick when you went on the HMS Pogue. you didn’t get motion sickness at all, so you just thought that the food that you ate was bad. but then, it started to happen everyday. you running to the bathroom every morning you woke up to spill your guts. you started to get scared, and avoided rafe at all costs. you still hung out with the pogues, but had to sneak away to the bathroom every time you felt it coming. you felt the need to take a test, and so you did. surprise, surprise, it came out positive. you panicked and didn’t tell anyone, still not having any contact with rafe. the first people to find out were the pogues, kiara noticing your baby bump. telling them who the baby daddy was was hard, since y’all didn’t like the kooks at all. they were very disappointed, but said they would support you all the way through.

“calm down baby, you’re okay.” you shushed marie tenderly and walked out her room. rafe now had his arms spread across the back of the couch, slouching in his seat. “you still have kids, rafe.” you said. he grumbled and threw his hand up, bending it. as you went into the kitchen to get formula, you heard a sound come from the living room. you turned around and saw rafe leaning up against the bar, separating the living room from the kitchen and dining room. you huffed and walked over to rafe, helping him to the couch once again. “you need to stop, this is getting out of hand.” you lightly put him down back where he was. “don’t tell me what to do.” he mumbled back. you pulled back, pulling marie close. “what did you say?” your eyes narrowed at rafe. “don’t tell me what to fucking do!” he yelled out, his face turning red.

“i take care of this fucking family while you go to barry’s with our rent money to get more drugs!” you yelled, not holding yourself back. all the anger you built up after multiple times seeing rafe like this finally showed. the continuous screams from both of y’all were drowning out the scared cries of your children. tears were streaming down your face, but you stood still, holding marie closer. as rafe was screaming at you, you felt a grip on your leg. you quickly looked down, a tear dropping onto the carpet. there you found spencer hugging your leg as tight as a 4 year old could. seeing him like that, screaming and crying, tore up a piece of your heart. you knew they shouldn’t have heard this, seen it or be anywhere need it. so, you didn’t let rafe finish what he was talking about. you went into you and rafe’s room and grabbed your phone and your car keys. he stepped into the door way, still expressing his thoughts loudly. your vision was blurry from your tears, but you quickly wiped your eyes with your extremely shaky hands to see what you were doing on your phone. 

“what are you doing?” he asked, cutting off what he was last talking about. “hey baby? whats up?” the female voice said. “who is that?” rafe said, stepping closer to you. “get back, rafe!” you exclaimed out. “y/n, what is happening?” her tone became concerned and worried. “mom, i can’t anymore.” you replied, your voice cracking. “y/n, talk to me!” yelled out rafe. you sniffled, and tried your best to go around rafe’s size. spencer’s hand was in yours, holding onto your finger. “baby, please!” he begged as you slipped past him. “can you please meet me at ihop?” you asked, walking toward the door. “y/n, please don’t do this! we can talk it out, just please!” rafe grabbed your waist, turning you toward him. “don’t touch me!” you cried out, jiggling the front door handle. the expression on his face showed the guilt he had just put on himself by how he acted. “yes, yes i’m on my way right now.” she said before ending the call. you finally got the door to open, and you quickly slipped through. you put the phone in your back pocket, ignoring rafe’s begs. “w-where are we going, mommy?” spencer asked quietly, still crying. “don’t worry about it, baby.” you said, your lip quivering. you pulled him up into your arms, and his tiny head turned around. 

“what about daddy?” he said. “he’ll be fine, but we’re going to see gigi, okay?” you said, looking at him. he looked at you and nodded his head slowly, tear streaks going down his cheeks. a sob left your lips, seeing your child that scared and hurt. he’ll be fine, he’ll be fine.

OMG WAIT IM SCARED. PART 2??? I HOPE THIS IS GOOD IM SORRY IF ITS CRAP <3333

[crygimethydgoode]

Lover’s Fantasia Chapter 4 (Crystal Methyd x Gigi Goode RPDR12) New York

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32286397/chapters/80839384

Summary: February 2020 brings Crystal and Gigi to Las Vegas for the season 12 premiere, and New York City for press week. Meanwhile in Amsterdam, Crystal and Gigi are learning to trust each other again. 

but for you darling id do it all again

July 9th, 2021

Amsterdam

“You know... a year ago I would’ve killed for this with Crystal,” Gigi whispered on FaceTime with Symone.

“Oh, believe me, I know,” Symone laughed, and Gigi couldn’t help but smile.

“But it’s... it’s not what I thought it would be like. You know?” Gigi asked. Symone just cocked her head, waiting for her to continue. “The little weekends we had together were so desperate and fleeting. We felt like we had to make the most out of every minute because that’s all we had. But now we... well- it feels like we have all the time in the world here. And we’re just... taking our time. Becoming friends again. I think... trusting each other again. I don’t know. There’s no pressure. It’s just us in Amsterdam. It’s nice,” Gigi explained. “Don’t tell Hunter,” she added, and Symone started to laugh.

“Oh you know I won’t! You could tell him though. He won’t be mad,” Symone said.

“I know,” Gigi sighed. “He’d just be… I don’t wanna worry him.  I’ll tell him when there’s something to actually tell him, you know? Right now, me and Crystal are just learning to exist together.”

“Right,” Symone nodded. “Well, Rosy and I are happy for you. We’re glad you’re getting a second chance. And you know Gigi, while being with Crystal again isn’t what you imagined, that might be a good thing. Maybe this will be even better.” Symone said softly, and Gigi hated that her chest ached, hated that her stomach was fluttering. Hated that she felt hopeful again for something with Crystal. When she voiced this to Symone, she was met with a sympathetic smile.

“I can’t imagine how confused you must be. I mean- you two have a lot of history. A lot of shit you’ve gotta work through. And that’s okay. Okay?” Symone tried to stay positive, smiling sweetly.

“Okay,” Gigi whispered. “I just don’t wanna get my heart broken. Again. You know?”

“I know,” Symone said softly, and there were tears in both of their eyes. Old habits die hard. “You look out for yourself. Always put your happiness and well-being first, always. You’re too smart, too strong, too beautiful. You are Gigi Mothafuckin Goode! You’ve got this baby.”

“I’ve got this,” Gigi’s voice cracked, and she swore there were happy tears in her eyes. “I miss you,” she whispered. “Anyways. Crystal, Jaida, and I are going to a sexy leather club tonight, so I’ve gotta go. I love you, bye!” Gigi hung up and started to get ready for the night.

Apparently, Jaida had found a section in Michelle’s Amsterdam guidebook talking all about these gay bars where everyone was clad in leather and heavy piercings, and she insisted on everyone going. Michelle declined, using the time to FaceTime with her husband and daughters, who would hopefully be coming to visit soon. Gigi was hesitant to accept as well, but Crystal and Jaida were both so excited, and she didn’t wanna miss out. Besides, the guys will be sexy, Gigi will be drunk, and Crystal will be... Crystal. Why not?.

So Gigi got ready and went down to the coffeeshop to wait for Crystal and Jaida, hovering by the door. Then she felt her phone buzzing and looked down to see Jaida calling her.

“Hello?” Gigi said into the phone. She immediately had to pull it away from her ear, the pounding music was so loud.

“GIIIIIGIIIIII IM DRUNK!” Jaida screamed, and Gigi let out a small laugh.

“I can hear that,” she chuckled.

“I'M STILL GONNA COME TO THE LEATHER BAR, BUT NOT FOR ANOTHER LIKE... HOUR AND... LIKE AN HOUR AND A... NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS! I DON'T KNOW! I’LL MEET YOU THERE, I PROMISE! I LOVE YOU!” Jaida yelled, and hung up without getting a response from Gigi.

“Okay then,” Gigi said to no one, putting her phone back in her pocket.

“What?” Crystal said, coming down the stairs. Gigi tried not to look at her for too long, admiring her mullet that had been piled into a messy bun on her head.

“Jaida is at some club, she’ll meet us in a couple hours,” Gigi explained, giving Crystal a knowing grin. “I like the hair, by the way. Very main character of you,” she couldn’t help but add, and her grin only got wider when Crystal let out a loud laugh, leading them outside.

“I want my look to scream ‘my mom sold me to be One Direction’s sex slave’, you know?” Crystal quipped as they began to walk down the bustling Amsterdam street.

“‘Ello luv, I’m Harry. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Gigi said in her best Harry Styles voice, and they laughed the rest of the way to the club, reminiscing about all the shitty One Direction fanfiction they read in 2012. And then they arrived at the club, and Gigi’s smile immediately fell from her face. “Oh,” she whispered. “This place looks...” she trailed off.

“Scary,” Crystal said, and Gigi quickly agreed. The place in Michelle’s guidebook had unfortunately closed due to COVID-19. So Crystal looked up “Leather gay Amsterdam” on Google and they just walked to the first address. But Google maps took them down three different narrow side alleys, into a side of town neither of them had been to. The street was dimly lit, and Gigi couldn’t help but feel like Harry Potter in the second movie, walking past all the dark wizards in Knockturn Alley. Weird example. It was scary. “So should we- should we go in?” Crystal asked, voice small.

“I guess,” Gigi replied, completely unsure of herself. And so they went into the bar together. Once they got through security and were inside, the first thing Gigi was able to process was the music pounding through her ears, making the floor vibrate. The second thing Gigi noticed was Crystal tightly clinging to her, and Gigi knew she was holding Crystal back just as tight.

“Are you okay?” Crystal yelled into Gigi’s ear. The music was so loud, Gigi could still hardly hear her. “Do you feel safe? We can leave if you want to,” Crystal said, and if Gigi weren’t so scared, her heart would’ve melted.

“Do you want to leave? Are you okay?” Gigi asked.

“I’m asking YOU if YOU’RE okay,” Crystal retorted, and now they were both smiling, despite the glowering man who was standing in the corner of the room with a whip.

“Well, I’m okay. Are YOU okay?” Gigi asked.

“Yes! I’m good. If you’re fine, I’m fine,” Crystal said and held out her hand. Gigi took it, putting on her bravest face. They decided to go to the bar, knowing they wouldn’t get through the night sober. Three tequila shots and two Rum and Cokes each later, Crystal and Gigi were getting less and less nervous about the club. Everyone was actually really nice, and the bartender was funny and knowledgeable about all things Amsterdam. Needless to say, Gigi was actually enjoying her night. Until some ripped, picture perfect dreamboat came up besides Crystal, immediately starting to chat her up, complimenting her hair and outfit, and- no way he just had the audacity to comment on her ass in those jeans. And Crystal was- fucking blushing. Great. Gigi sat rigid at the bar, staring directly at the wall ahead of her, refusing to look in Crystal’s direction. Gigi knew she had no claim over Crystal, knew Crystal had every right to be flirting with this guy. But it didn’t mean Gigi had to be happy about it. And then she heard the dreaded words.

“So... Can I buy you a drink?” The man asked Crystal. Gigi could feel Crystal’s eyes on her, knew that she could see the way Gigi’s shoulders had tensed up, the way Gigi was waiting with bated breath to see what Crystal would say.

“Oh uh... no thanks. I’m good with my friend here. It was nice meeting you though! Have a good night,” Crystal said kindly but firmly. The dude stalked off, but Gigi remained staring at the wall, trying to seem disinterested in everything. She could hear Crystal saying something, but pretended not to hear, instead drinking some random hard cider that the bartender put in front of them. “Gigi!” Crystal exclaimed, nudging her shoulder.

“Wha...?” Gigi said, trying to act clueless, faking a yawn. But she knew. “Did your boy toy leave?” Gigi asked nonchalantly, and Crystal was trying to hold back her laughter, and utterly failing. “Shut up,” Gigi giggled, and they were both laughing now, drinks in hand. “I’m surprised you rejected him. He was hot,” Gigi said once she was able to collect herself. Crystal gave her a funny look, slowly sipping her drink.

“Gigi... with everything going on... how could I be interested in him?” Crystal asked, and what the fuck did that mean? Maybe it meant that they were too busy in Amsterdam to worry about hooking up with random Dutch dudes. Or maybe it meant that Crystal wasn’t looking for anything like that with anyone, and she was just trying to focus on herself this summer.

Or maybe, just maybe, it meant that Crystal still wanted Gigi. Maybe Crystal wasn’t going to break her heart after all. Or maybe they were both just drunk and Gigi was reading into things too much. She never got the chance to ask that night, because right then, Jaida ran up to Crystal and Gigi, obviously plastered.

“HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY BITCHES!”

February 2020

Las Vegas

“We’re in Vegas bitches!!!” Jan screamed. Everyone cheered along with her. Finally, season 12 of Drag Race was premiering and the whole cast was reunited in Vegas. It also just so happened to be the first time Gigi saw Crystal since November.

“I’m trying to get over her, I am,” Gigi said to Hunter one day after scrolling through old pictures and videos of her and Crystal in L.A.

“You set yourself up for failure, Geege. You’re not gonna get over Crystal if you’re driving to Venice Beach with her at three in the morning.” Hunter was right. Gigi was trying to get over Crystal, but deep down, she didn’t want to. Because why would she want to? After all, Crystal was… Crystal.

“Well it’s not like I can avoid her, she’s one of my best friends and-” Gigi paused, biting the inside of her cheek. “And when I’m with her all my common sense just goes out the window,” Gigi felt Hunter’s stare but didn’t look up at him.

“When do you have to see her next?” Hunter asked.

“The premiere, in Vegas,” Gigi said, heart dropping just thinking about seeing Crystal again.

“Great. I’ll come with you,” Hunter said.

“What?”

“I’ll come with you, I will come babysit you and make sure you don’t do anything dumb like sneak out of the hotel in the middle of the night and walk the strip with Crystal,” Hunter explained. “I also just really want to go to Vegas.” Gigi was offended at first, she could take care of herself, but then she realized it truly wasn’t the worst idea.

“Okay,” Gigi agreed. And so the two boarded their plane to Vegas.

“What are you not going to do?” Hunter asked as they walked to the restaurant everyone was meeting at on the Vegas strip.

“I’m not going to do anything that could make me fall for Crystal-”

“Gigi!” Just then Widow, Heidi, and Crystal, who were also walking towards the restaurant from the opposite direction, spotted Gigi and Hunter. Everything Hunter had told Gigi on the plane ride left Gigi’s head because there was Crystal.

There was Crystal, who was running to Gigi, completely leaving Heidi and Widow in the dust. And Gigi couldn’t see anything else but Crystal, running towards her at full speed as Gigi felt her feet start running towards Crystal too. They collided, and the world was suddenly screaming in color once again.

“I missed you,” Crystal whispered, and Gigi melted into the hug. Hunter couldn’t even be mad at Gigi, he just ran up and pulled Crystal into a hug of his own before they all entered the restaurant together.

But now they were on the party bus, with all of the girls from season 12. Gigi sat between Hunter and Crystal, which sort of felt like having an angel and a devil on each shoulder. She wasn’t sure who was which.

It didn’t take long for Crystal and Gigi to slip into their old ways. Sitting together, Crystal’s shoulders and legs pressed against Gigi’s, both of them giggling messes. “Canoodling” is what Jackie had called it when she would tease them in the vans.

“Why am I not surprised?” Jackie joked, pointing a finger at Crystal and Gigi, who both were blushing. Hunter gave Gigi a subtle nudge.  

‘You’re setting yourself up for disaster’ she reminded herself.

“Crystal, why didn’t you bring Paul? We’re all dying to meet him,” Jan said. Gigi clenched her jaw, Hunter gave her a look. Crystal let out an awkward chuckle.

“Someone had to stay home and watch Tictak,” Crystal said.

“Don’t your parents live in the same town? Couldn’t they watch your cat?” Jaida said, stirring her drink.

“Uhm-”

“Alright ladies, we all know Paul is really shy, let's move on,” Widow said. Crystal let out a sigh of relief.

“I agree because I have a few more questions for you two,” Jaida continued, crossing her legs and turning to Crystal and Gigi. Gigi felt as if they were being interrogated. “We all know you had your get together in November. We all saw you two cuddling in the back of those vans, or in the Werkroom, or the green room. We just wanna know if there’s a little something going on, that’s all,” Jaida said. Gigi’s breath hitched in the back of her throat. Luckily, Hunter jumped in.

“Believe me, I was with these two in LA. The only thing they did was try not to fall while dancing,” Hunter joked. Everyone started laughing and Gigi hoped that was the end of it all.

Of course, it wasn’t.

“So you guys haven’t even like... kissed or anything?” Jan asked.

“You meddling fuckin kids,” Widow murmured under her breath. Gigi’s face was burning, could they tell? They could definitely tell.

“No?” Crystal said.

“Kiss...kiss...kiss...” Rock M. started chanting. Fuck. Dahlia, Nicky, and Aiden joined in. Of course, Brita, the loudest one there, had to start too. Suddenly everyone was chanting “kiss” like they were in high school and playing spin the bottle. Gigi looked at Crystal, ready to spill out an apology and say they didn’t have to kiss. But much to Gigi’s surprise, Crystal was laughing along with them.

She looked at Gigi and shrugged. Gigi looked back at Hunter who gave her the look he always gave right before she was about to do something dumb. He was clutching Gigi’s arm, his eyes screaming “Don’t you fucking dare,” Gigi just looked back at Crystal, a grin on her face. Gigi removed Hunter’s hand from her wrist, and grabbed Crystal by the waist.

“OH FUCK THEY’RE ACTUALLY DOING IT!” Heidi cackled. Crystal put her hand on Gigi’s face, leaned in, and kissed Gigi. It was soft, light, and utterly perfect despite being surrounded by their season 12 sisters. The kiss lasted a second too long, lingering. Lighting coursed through Gigi, who couldn’t even hear the eruption of cheers, she just fought the urge to kiss Crystal again. Crystal pulled away, giggling but blushing. Jan, Jaida, and Jackie waved their fingers together in the middle of the bus. Gigi could feel Hunter’s pointed stare but didn’t care all that much because she just kissed Crystal Elizabeth Methyd. And god, it was fucking magical and the only thing Gigi wanted to do for the rest of her life. Crystal buried her head in the crook of Gigi’s neck, face burning.

“That’s Vegas, baby!”

Amsterdam

“This is the best idea I’ve ever had!” Crystal giggled, walking through Jaida’s apartment door with all of her and Gigi’s makeup. After passing around a bottle of Dutch Gin, Crystal suddenly suggested that she and Gigi do Michelle’s makeup, each of them getting 1/2 of Michelle’s face.

“Y’all have fun, I’m gonna keep dancing!” Jaida cackled as she danced to the non-existent music. “I fuckin love this song!” Gigi just laughed, mind extremely foggy. She hadn’t drunk that much, had she? The bottle was passed so many times she lost track around her fifth swig. All Gigi knew was that Crystal was glowing. She had been staring at her all night, and really didn’t mind if Crystal noticed. Who cares? Gigi was in Amsterdam, and the only voice of reason in her life was time zones away.

“Okay! Michelle, I am going to do the classic Crystal Elizabeth Methyd face. Gigi?” Crystal prompted, a wild grin on her face.

“I’m... I’m gonna make you orange,” Gigi giggled, pouring out way too much foundation onto the back of her hand. “Shit.” Gigi just smeared it onto Michelle’s face. “Hope you don’t like that shirt too much.”

“My turn!” Crystal took her foundation stick and began to smear it all over Michelle’s face. Michelle couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“How were you two the runners up?” She laughed, causing everyone to start laughing.

“Because Ru is obsessed with me and Gigi is talented,” Crystal giggled.

“Hey! You’re both talented. My daughters came for my fucking head when I read you for your makeup,” Michelle said.

“Oh shit you're a mom, that’s right! What’s that like?” Jaida asked, now dancing with a houseplant.

“Well, it’s a pain in the ass. But I like to think my two girls turned out okay,” Michelle laughed. “No, it’s rough. You know I’m honest...”

“We know!” Jaida, Crystal, and Gigi all said.

“Shut up you bitches! As I was saying, it sucks sometimes. You try to know what’s best for them when in reality half the time you don’t know what’s best for yourself. One day everything’s fine and the next they hate you, and you don’t even know what you did wrong. And all you can do is replay your conversations in your head trying to figure out what you could’ve possibly said to strike a nerve like that. But it’s worth it, you know? I love my daughters more than anything, they truly are my world. It’s worth it,” Michelle said, and Gigi wasn’t even paying attention to what makeup she was doing on Michelle. She was watching Crystal, who was smiling softly while listening to Michelle talk about her daughters.

“And of course, my husband is the fucking best. Seriously, I could not do it without him. He’s the cool dad. Like, when the girls don’t want to talk to me they’ll go complain to him and he’ll try to explain it all to them, that I probably wasn’t trying to be a bitch. I’ll go to them, I’ll apologize, and we’ll move on. The same thing with my husband. It’s not worth it to linger on petty little fights, it’s not, because what’s the point? You’re mad at me, I’m mad at you, then we never talk about it? I hate that shit.” Gigi desperately tried not to look at Crystal, heart in her throat. “It’s a waste of time ladies, don’t stay mad at the people who matter the most. Especially when you’re supposed to be raising two teenagers with that person,” Michelle laughed. Gigi looked over at Crystal against her better judgment. Gigi had never wanted kids, ever. Mostly because she wasn't sure if she would ever find the right person to have kids with. But as Gigi watched Crystal gently blend Michelle’s makeup, being as careful as possible to not get it in her eyes, it didn’t seem like the craziest idea. Gigi added that to the list of things NOT to tell Hunter when she called him tomorrow. She focused back on doing Michelle’s makeup, which didn’t look all too bad, mostly because Gigi was drunk.

“Gigi, what the fuck are you doing to Michelle’s face?” Jaida asked. Gigi hadn’t realized, but she heavily contoured Michelle using an orange eyeshadow. Her eyes were orange, her cheeks were orange, her lips were orange- Michelle was basically completely orange.

“I-Uhm- I did the Crystal Methyd... Method, if you will and tried to be a little more abstract,” Gigi tried to defend the monstrosity that was Michelle’s makeup.

“She looks like Donald Trump!” Crystal giggled.

“Am I really drunk or does Crystal’s side actually look good?”

“Oh Jaida, I have done my makeup drunk so many times, it’s easy,” Crystal said.

“Okay, well, can y’all be done? I’m getting tired of dancing alone, this houseplant can only make me feel so much,” Jaida said. And so they all got up and danced with Jaida, sans music. And when Crystal wrapped her arms around Gigi’s neck, and Gigi held Crystal by the waist, swaying side to side, she couldn’t fight back her smile.

“What?” Crystal asked, a smile also growing on her face.

“Nothing, c’mere,” Gigi whispered, her hand finding its way into Crystal’s curls. Her phone buzzed. Hunter.

“Tell Hunter to shut up,” Crystal chuckled. So Gigi put her phone in the empty coffee pot, not sure what else to do. She returned to Crystal’s side after a moment, who was looking out Jaida’s window at the shining street below them. And Gigi knew better than to reach out and grab Crystal’s hand, but she did. And a certain line was crossed. A line Gigi was desperately trying to avoid crossing. A line that Gigi had blurred before, a line that maybe had always been blurred. There was no coming back from this, there never was, was there? Crystal squeezed Gigi’s hand.

“I don’t know if I can walk up all those stairs,” Crystal whispered.

“If...if we crawl into Jaida’s bed... maybe she’ll go crawl into ours,” Gigi suggested.

“Gigi Goode. You’re a genius.” And so they tiptoed across the living room, as if Jaida wasn’t only a few feet away, and crawled into her bed. Gigi pulled the covers over their heads, hoping Crystal couldn’t see her blushing. “Goodnight,” she murmured.

“Goodnight,” Gigi said, but neither of them made any move to go to sleep just yet.

“Gigi?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember your first night in New York? With Jan and Jackie?” Crystal asked. Gigi tried to make out her expression in the darkness.

“Yeah. Yeah, I remember,” Gigi whispered.

“Yeah, me too. I miss it.” Crystal rolled over, leaving Gigi with nothing yet everything to say. Gigi sat there for a moment, not sure if she had struck a nerve, or hurt Crystal in some way.  But then Crystal grabbed Gigi’s arm, lacing it around her waist, lines blurred.

February 2020

New York City

Hunter had suggested that Gigi fly into New York later at night.

“Why?” Rosy asked.

“Because if you fly in later, you won’t have to see Crystal-” Hunter began to explain.

“Why wouldn’t she want to see Crystal?” Symone chimed in.

“I just think it’s best that you try to see Crystal as little as possible during press week,” Hunter said.

“But... but why?” Rosy asked again. Gigi watched as Hunter grew more and more frustrated.

“Because when Gigi is with Crystal she does dumb shit like kissing her,” Hunter shot Gigi a piercing look. He still hadn’t dropped it. Gigi couldn’t really blame him though, she never did listen to Hunter.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Rosy butted in. “Please explain to me how that’s a bad thing.”

“Because Crystal has a boyfriend-”

“Okay! I’ll fly in later, it’s fine,” Gigi interrupted, desperately wanting to end the conversation. Besides, there was no reason to start another fight with Hunter after she literally kissed Crystal right in front of him.

And so Gigi arrived at the JFK airport at 10 pm and took an Uber to the hotel. She decided that Hunter was right. It was better that Gigi tried to avoid Crystal as much as possible this week, because every time she saw Crystal in person, it just made her miss her more when they inevitably had to go home.

This was for the best. This was for the best. This was for the -

“Gigiiiiiiii.”

What was that?

“Gigiiiiiiii,” A faint voice called from down the hall. Gigi heard the sound of footsteps running down the hallway.

“Crystal! Slow down!” Another voice called.

Then Gigi heard an all too familiar knock, and her heart was in her throat. And though Gigi knew Hunter would be pissed, she grinned as she ran to the door. She opened the door and there Crystal stood, eyes glossy, cheeks flushed. She was obviously drunk.

“Gigi!” Crystal jumped into Gigi’s arms, Gigi could smell the alcohol on her.

“Hi!” Gigi laughed, holding Crystal close.

“Hello! God, I missed you.”

How many times have they said that to each other now? Countless times over the phone in the dead of night, at the airport, in Vegas.

“I missed you too.”

“Crystal? CRYSTAL?!” Gigi heard someone calling. Moments later, Jan walked by.

“She’s in here, Jan!” Gigi called. Jan entered the room, her frustrated expression immediately disappearing when she saw Crystal and Gigi in their embrace.

“I turned around for one minute and she was asking the front desk what your room number was– She also had three Margaritas,” Jan said, walking into the room. Crystal finally released Gigi from her hug, and Gigi didn’t want to admit how cold she felt. Luckily, Crystal held onto Gigi’s arm, resting her head on her shoulder. “Well! It’s your first night in New York, we oughta do something,” Jan said, plopping down on one of the chairs in the hotel room.

“I could do your makeup!” Crystal giggled. And Gigi felt as all the walls she spent the past three weeks building up crumbled to the floor yet again.

“Oh my god! Jackie was coming to meet us here anyway. She got this god-awful wig yesterday, I’ll have her bring it!” Jan squealed, already whipping out her phone to text Jackie. Okay. This was happening. And Gigi couldn’t be mad about it.

“Fuck it,” she said. Crystal cheered.

“Okay! I’ll go get my stuff!” Crystal ran to the conjoined door in Gigi’s room.

“Is your room next to mine?” Gigi asked.

“Of course, where else would it be?” Crystal giggled. Gigi let out an exasperated laugh. Of course. Moments later, Crystal returned with all her makeup. All. Her. Makeup.

“Jackie is on her way!” Jan announced. Crystal sat Gigi down on the bed, they sat facing each other, legs crossed. Gigi felt her heart pounding as Crystal held Gigi’s face in her hands, smearing on the foundation. Sometimes, Gigi would catch Crystal’s eye as she was blending out her foundation, and Crystal would fight back a smile. Gigi was sober, but she felt light headed. Crystal’s hands gently tilted Gigi’s face in a thousand different directions, before letting out a frustrated sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked.

“I can’t get the right angle...” Crystal whined.

“Have her lay down,” Jan tried to offer casually, but Gigi could hear the mischief in her voice.

“Smart! Gigi lay down,” Crystal said. Without thinking, Gigi laid back on the bed. This was fine. Gigi was fine. Crystal Methyd was just inches away from Gigi’s face, leaning over her as she laid in bed. Crystal was still clearly frustrated. “One second, I’m not messing up this eyeliner.” Without any warning, Crystal kneeled on the bed before throwing a leg over Gigi’s torso, straddling her. She lost her balance in the process, so Gigi grabbed the side of her legs to steady her.

“Thanks,” Crystal blushed. Gigi couldn’t find the power to rip her hands away. God, was it only three weeks ago when they kissed on the party bus? Why did it feel so long ago? And why did Crystal keep smiling at Gigi like that? Gigi’s heart was in her throat as she held her breath. She had seen Crystal up close before, of course, but this was so different. Crystal made this funny face when she focused. Her eyes squinting, her lips pressed together tightly, brow furrowed. Gigi found herself grinning without even realizing it.

“What?” Crystal asked, a smile tugging at her lips. Gigi started giggling.

“You make a face when you’re focused, it’s cute,” Gigi admitted, chest burning. She ignored Jan’s gasp from across the room. Gigi had forgotten Jan was even there, sorry Jan.

Crystal sat up straight, placing a hand on Gigi’s chest. Dear God, please let her heart stop pounding.

“Well, you’re making a face too,” Crystal said, leaning in close to Gigi's lips.

“Oh really?” Gigi cocked an eyebrow, “what face am I making?”

“I... I don’t know how to describe it...” Crystal whispered. She was too close.

“Your eyes are shining,” Jan called. Thankfully, someone knocked on the door. Jan ran to let Jackie in.

“Jesus Christ, what did I miss?” Jackie said, seeing Crystal straddling Gigi.

“A lot,” they all responded. Crystal finished up Gigi’s makeup quickly but hesitated before climbing off.

“I have this stunning wig for you!” Jackie waved around the gigantic red wig she had brought. “Okay, done!” she said after pinning the wig. Crystal clasped her hands over Gigi’s eyes and walked her to the mirror. When Gigi saw herself in the mirror, she immediately burst out laughing. Of course, Crystal had painted her like a clown.

“Now we’re both clown queens!!!” Crystal giggled, leaning on Gigi’s shoulder. Gigi’s chest burned, and she saw Jan and Jackie whispering to each other out of the corner of her eye. “Smile Gigi!” Crystal said, snapping a picture and posting it. The four of them ended up spending the night on Gigi’s bed, laughing until 2 am. Crystal fell asleep on top of Gigi, and Jackie and Jan took that as their queue to leave. Gigi didn’t bother to wake Crystal up, just tucking her in under the covers and laying down with her. Gigi’s phone buzzed 3 times.

Hunter : I don’t even know what to say.

Rosy : HAHAHAHAH FUCK HUNTER YOU’RE DOING GREAT SWEETIE

Symone : Rosy and Hunter are fighting again. Please come home soon.

Gigi just turned off her phone and tried to sync her breathing with Crystals, wondering where the sun would find them in the morning.

Amsterdam

It was the sun cutting through Jaida’s window that ultimately woke Gigi up. She was instantly greeted with a splitting headache. What happened last night? Why was she in Jaida’s bed? Why was Crystal wrapped in her arms? Gigi saw the empty bottle of Dutch gin on the floor next to the bed. Oh. So that’s what happened last night.

Memories of the night before came flooding back. Jaida and Crystal dancing around the apartment, Crystal and Gigi doing Michelle’s makeup- god, where was Michelle? She probably went to her apartment. It was easier to walk across the hall than up another flight of stairs.

Gigi reluctantly unwrapped her arms from around Crystal and tried to ignore the sudden chills running over her body. It didn’t take long for Gigi to locate her phone which was left in an empty coffee pot. She had a few texts from Hunter but ignored them. He probably wasn’t awake anyway. Gigi desperately searched Jaida’s drawers for anything that could get rid of her awful headache.

“Who needs this many gummy vitamins?” she whispered to herself, pushing bottles to the side. Nothing.

“Gigi...” a groggy voice called. Gigi turned around to see Crystal stretching her arms out towards her. And for a moment, Gigi’s hangover disappeared. She walked back to the bed, sitting down next to Crystal. Crystal wrapped her arms around Gigi, burying her face in Gigi’s neck. And Gigi’s heart dropped, when was the last time she had done that? “Why is it so bright in here?” Crystal murmured into Gigi’s neck.

“Because we’re really hungover,” Gigi chuckled.

“Oh...oh yeah. We are, aren’t we? My head hurts,” Crystal whined. Gigi’s hand found its way into Crystal’s curls.

“I couldn’t find any ibuprofen, and I don’t know if it’s safe to drink the tap water here-”

“The drinking water in Amsterdam is like a delicacy,” Crystal told Gigi.

“How do you know that?”

“I obviously did research before I came here.”

“But you didn’t know that weed was legal?”

“I thought it was illegal in Europe...”

“Holy shit. And you didn’t sneak any-”

“I thought I could do a tolerance break or something. Shut up,” Crystal giggled. Gigi’s hand was still in her hair. Crystal’s arms were still wrapped around Gigi. And in the deep depths of Gigi’s brain, she wished they could just sit like this forever. And then Crystal was looking up at Gigi, a soft smile on her face, and Gigi couldn’t rip her eyes away. “How do you look so pretty hungover?” Crystal asked. Gigi’s heart dropped. She was just hungover, maybe she was even still a little drunk, but Gigi’s face was burning.

“Help...” a voice called.

“Shit. I forgot about Jaida,” Gigi said, immediately standing up. Thank god for Jaida.

“I’m in the bathroom!” Jaida groaned. Gigi and Crystal walked in to find Jaida laying in her bathtub. “I... I think I wanted to go swimming last night but fell asleep trying to turn on the faucet.” Gigi and Crystal both laughed despite their headaches.

“Scoot over,” Gigi said. Jaida made room for Gigi and Crystal to join her in the bathtub. Gigi couldn’t help but blush as she tangled her legs with Crystal’s. Jaida and Crystal both rested their heads on Gigi’s shoulders.

“I’m never drinking again,” Jaida whispered. Gigi scoffed.

“That’s what we said last weekend.” And they all burst out laughing, the cool tile against their backs making the hangover a little more tolerable. Gigi knew in a few minutes she would have to get up and start her day. Gigi and Crystal would have to crawl their way up to their apartments, and it would suck. Gigi would have to call Hunter and lie when he asks if she had been hanging out with Crystal. And Gigi would feel guilty, but not that guilty.

In a few minutes, they would have to get up and start their day, but for now, Gigi just sat sandwiched between Jaida and Crystal, and it was enough. The sound of the door opening snapped them all out of their trance.

“Jaida? Are you dead?” Michelle called.

“We’re in here!” Crystal said. Michelle entered the bathroom, also looking like a complete mess.

“I’m too old to sit in a fuckin tub” Michelle muttered, sitting on the toilet seat again. “We’re never drinking again,” she whispered, and Gigi, Jaida, and Crystal all started laughing.

“Stop making me laugh! It makes my head hurt worse...” Crystal laughed.

“God, Jaida, why did you even have us come to Amsterdam anyway?” Gigi joked.

“It wasn’t even her idea,” Michelle laughed.

“What?”

“Yeah, it was Widow’s idea actually,” Jaida admitted. Gigi’s jaw dropped. Of course.

New York City

The crowd erupted in cheers after Crystal finished performing “Womanizer” by Britney Spears. Gigi was sitting with Widow, who just so happened to bring her dab pen. Needless to say, Gigi was just a little bit fucked up. She and Widow had just returned to their seats after running up to the stage to give Crystal tips, and Gigi couldn’t stop smiling, and Widow could see right through her.

Granted, it wasn’t hard. Gigi could only imagine what she looked like. Starstruck. Crystal had completely entranced her yet again, and it was getting harder and harder to try to cover it up. Crystal ran back to Gigi and Widow, grinning.

“How’d I do?” She asked, trying to catch her breath.

“Absolutely amazing,” Widow said.

“You were fucking radiant, Crystal Elizabeth Methyd,” Gigi giggled, she could feel Widow watching her like she was trying to understand Gigi.

“I know! I just wanted to hear it from you guys,” Crystal said, and then “I’m gonna go to the bathroom to get out of drag, I’ll be right back!”

“Do you need help?” Gigi asked, already standing up, knees wobbling a bit. Shit, maybe Gigi was higher than she thought.

“Not so fast Miss Goode, I want to chat with you a bit,” Widow said, helping Gigi down into her seat. Widow was also crossed, she had bought her and Gigi both a few drinks along with sharing her dab pen. Widow was basically the best.

“Oh-okay,” Crystal said before skipping off to the bathroom. Gigi turned to Widow.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, stirring her drink.

“Listen, you’re not fuckin subtle. We all see how you look at Crystal. It’s cute. Jan, Jackie, and Jaida eat that shit up,” Widow started.

“I don’t-”

“Gigi. Don’t even try...” Widow trailed off.

“It’s just a crush,” Gigi whispered, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Widow. “Besides, she has Paul, so it’s kind of hopeless,” she added. Widow shifted and opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, then closed it. Gigi turned to her, pleading for her to say something, anything.

“Look-” Widow began. “Crystal has been a friend to me for many years, I’d like to say I know her pretty well. And... and I’ve met Paul, and he’s a great fucking guy. He’s funny, he’s kind, he treats Crystal well-”

“Yes, this is comforting,” Gigi deadpanned.

“Let me fucking finish,” Widow laughed. “Because Paul... Paul is just Paul. But Gigi, you are just you. ..”

“And Crystal is just... Crystal ,” Gigi breathed, words slurring. Widow nodded slowly.

“There’s something that lights up in her when she talks about you. Believe me, I sat next to that bitch on the plane, she talked more about you during that plane ride than I’ve ever heard her talk about PAUL,” Widow just shook her head while studying Gigi. “I don’t think she even knows it yet, Gigi. I don’t. But she will. She’s going to watch the show back and she’s going to realize it, believe me.” Gigi’s entire body was buzzing, she couldn’t even hear all the thoughts running through her head, the only thing she could make out was Widow’s words

But she will. But she will. But she will.

Just then, Crystal came back from the bathroom.

“Okay, so Gigi I just had the craziest idea. I checked Google maps and it’s only like a thirty minute walk to the Empire State Building!” Crystal said, grabbing Widow’s dab pen and taking a hit.

“Didn’t we literally just go there for press?” Widow asked, raising an eyebrow. Crystal just rolled her eyes, playfully glaring at Widow.

“Yeah...but it’s nighttime. And the city is like...brighter at night... and-”

“Okay, you don’t really have to defend yourself. Have fun ladies,” Widow shot Gigi a subtle wink. “You hold onto that dab pen. Be careful with it though, it’s Sativa.”

“You’re the fucking best! Is that a shot? I’m taking it,” Crystal said, downing a shot Widow had just ordered. “Here!” Crystal reached in her pocket and gave Widow some loose $1 bills. She grabbed Gigi’s hand and practically pulled her out of the bar. They were instantly greeted by the stinging cold. “It’s fine! Just a little chilly!” Crystal said, hugging herself.

“Yeah, we-we will warm up once we start walking,” Gigi said, instantly regretting leaving her jacket at the hotel. Gigi felt bad for Crystal who only had her thin-ass pink bomber jacket. They began their walk to the Empire State Building, passing Widow’s pen back and forth, hoping to breathe some warmth into them. But it only made things worse, because the higher they got, the slower they walked, and the longer they walked the colder they got. Gigi’s teeth were chattering, so were Crystal’s. They tried to have conversations, just to keep their lips warm, but nothing was helping.

“G-g-Google maps says we’re halfway there...” Crystal shivered, stopping to check her phone.

“It’s... it’s 1:30, we left the bar at one... we’ve been walking for half an hour, and we’re only halfway there,” Gigi whispered. “That means we have another half an hour to go,” Crystal just whimpered and put her head in the crook of Gigi’s neck. It was freezing, so why was Crystal’s face burning?

“I don’t think I can make it, Gigi. Can we... Can we just go back to the hotel? We can order room service or something... it’s so fucking cold,” Crystal giggled. Gigi just laughed. “What?” Crystal muttered, Gigi felt her smiling into her neck. She suddenly wasn’t as cold.

“I was really worried you were gonna make me walk all the way,” Gigi admitted. Crystal playfully nudged her, taking out her phone.

“Okay... so there’s a train station a few minutes away... and if we take the... yellow one... uptown? There’s a stop that’s right next to our hotel. Okay.” Gigi should’ve known better than to trust Crystal with directions, but she was so cold she didn’t even think to question it. They found the subway station pretty easily, and it only took them ten minutes to figure out how to buy tickets. Finally, they found themselves waiting on the platform, hands shoved deep into their pockets. “I’m sorry,” Crystal said. Gigi turned to look at Crystal, who was looking at her feet.

“Why?” Gigi asked.

“This was supposed to be a fun night... we were supposed to see all the lights and... it was supposed to be a fun night.”

If only Crystal knew. If only she knew that all the lights in the city couldn’t match the way she shone. That Gigi wouldn’t be able to rip her eyes off of Crystal for even one second if they did make it to the Empire State Building. That Gigi would much rather look at Crystal than a stupid skyline any day. If only she knew.

“Hey,” Gigi said instead, grabbing Crystal’s hand. “It was a fun night, any night with you is fun.” God, that was cheesy. Gigi realized it as soon as it left her mouth. But Crystal was grinning, and Gigi grinned right back.

The platform was pretty much empty, only a few other stragglers like Gigi and Crystal stood waiting for the subway. Suddenly, the platform started buzzing as the sound of the train slowly grew closer and closer before halting in front of them.

Crystal and Gigi were instantly greeted with a comfortable warmth that wrapped them both up. Their subway cart was empty, and Crystal refused to sit down. She tried to keep her balance, gripping onto the poles to steady herself. Crystal's eyes were red and squinted, her glasses were barely staying on her face, and her curls were wild from the wind, and she was a sight to behold. Gigi felt as her heart did somersaults.

But she will. But she will. But she will...

The subway jolted forward, and Crystal nearly fell. And for some reason, that looked really fun to Gigi. So Gigi stood up, and also nearly fell. They both erupted into giggles, and soon they were holding onto each other for support along with the poles. And then they were dancing? Or at least trying to dance despite constantly trying to trip over themselves, and Gigi didn’t even realize every time the subway stopped. When the occasional person entered their train cart, they both held back their laughter, shooting each other mischievous looks. Their faces were close, and they were both just grinning at each other as if they should’ve known better.

“Next stop, Coney Island,” the intercom said. Now, Gigi didn’t know much about New York, but she was pretty positive Coney Island was in Brooklyn.

“Umm Crystal, give me your phone,” Gigi said. Crystal, who hadn’t connected the dots, lazily handed Gigi her phone, circling the pole. Gigi checked Google Maps, they were heading in the opposite direction of the hotel. She looked at the map in their subway cart, praying that she was wrong. Of course, she wasn't.

“Crystal... Crystal I think we took the wrong train,” Gigi muttered.

“No...no we are heading uptown,” Crystal defended.

“Yeah... no. We are heading downtown. Like, way downtown. Crystal, we're in Brooklyn... that’s basically a different state. We’re going in the opposite direction of the hotel,” Gigi explained slowly. Crystal buried her face in her hands.

“Oh god, what do we do?” Fuck. Crystal was crying. But of course she was, she was crossed and she was... well, she was Crystal. Gigi grabbed Crystal’s hands.

“We’re just going to have to get off at Coney Island, and then we will... I don’t know we’ll figure it out.” And so they got off at Coney Island, and Crystal stopped crying, but she didn’t drop Gigi’s hand. Not even when they were greeted by the nipping cold.

“Wow,” Crystal exhaled, looking out on Coney Island. It was a ghost town. Absolutely nobody was there, which made sense considering it was almost March. The orange streetlights aluminized the streets, allowing only enough light to see. They crossed the street together hesitantly, not exactly sure where they were even heading. They just needed to move, they needed their blood to get pumping. Crystal was shivering, it had somehow gotten colder than before. The only fixture they could see clearly was the Wonder Wheel, so they just started walking towards that. They found a bench and tried to ignore the cold as Crystal tried to figure out what subway they had to get on.

“I’m not a big city girl, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Crystal giggled, desperately trying to shed light on their shitty situation. But Gigi wasn’t even annoyed, because she worshipped these stupid little inconveniences with Crystal.

“Let’s just get an Uber,” Gigi shivered. Crystal cupped Gigi’s hands in her own.

“C’mere,” she whispered, breathing hot air onto Gigi’s hands, then rubbing them together. It was such a random gesture, and Gigi wasn’t sure if Crystal was aware she was even doing it, but Gigi melted.

Crystal rested her head on Gigi’s shoulder as Gigi found an Uber who would be there in a few moments, and Gigi wrapped her arms around Crystal when she started to shiver.

“Hey,” Crystal whispered, burying her head in Gigi’s neck. Gigi hummed in response, eyes feeling heavy. “Nothing tonight went to plan,” Crystal giggled, wrapping her arms around Gigi’s torso.

“No... no it didn’t,” Gigi chuckled.

“But I don’t think it matters all that much,” Crystal yawned. Gigi took out Widow’s dab pen and held it out to Crystal, who accepted it, beaming up at Gigi. And there they sat miles away from their hotel, under the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, holding onto each other for warmth. And though the bitter air was freezing, Gigi had never felt warmer as the words echoed through her head.

‘But she will. But she will. But she will’

Amsterdam

“You will never guess what I just FINESSED for us,” Crystal sang, walking out onto the balcony, holding something behind her back. She had mysteriously left fifteen minutes ago, claiming she had ‘business’ to attend to.

“What?” Gigi asked, slightly scared. Crystal just mischievously smiled at her, leaning against the balcony. “What?!” Gigi laughed, leaning forward in her seat. She watched as Crystal slowly revealed what she was hiding. Jaida’s car keys. “No FUCKING WAY!” Gigi jumped up, crossing to Crystal.

“YES FUCKING WAY!” Crystal exclaimed, and they both began to cheer, Crystal laughing as Gigi let out a loud whoop. She had missed their drives. “But you have to drive. Jaida said I’m not allowed to,” Crystal added, and Gigi burst out laughing.

“Yeah, I think that’s for the best,” she muttered, and they both dissolved into giggles.

“Let’s go!” Crystal tugged on Gigi’s arm, leading her to her apartment. She immediately started running around the room, trying to collect supplies as Gigi tried not to laugh. “Okay so I have some snacks and drinks we can bring- I hate that everywhere closes so early. And I’m bringing my blanket. Because I want to. Oh and I forgot to tell you! Michelle and I went to this vape shop and we bought a dab pen together!” Crystal tossed Gigi the dab pen, but Gigi refrained from hitting it. She cannot drive high.

“Aww it’s cute. Did you name it?” Gigi asked. She grabbed one of Crystal’s totes and started putting the snacks and drinks in. Crystal was still walking around, opening every drawer and cabinet in her apartment as she found everything they might need.

“Well. I wanted to name it fracking. But I don’t think Michelle liked that, so we decided on Madonna. Well- Michelle decided on Madonna,” Crystal answered, grinning at Gigi. And they both burst out laughing, again. The thing about Crystal Methyd is that her joy is contagious. Gigi could revel in it all day, if the universe would let her.

“Alright, do we have everything?” Gigi looked across the room. She had a tote filled with snacks and bottles of water slung over her shoulder. Crystal had another tote with phone chargers, Madonna, a flashlight, and towels? And of course, her huge white fluffy comforter was balled up in her arms.

“Yup. LET’S GO!” Crystal let out a whoop and yanked the door open. They both flew down the narrow steep stairs, feet pounding. Gigi could’ve sworn she heard Jaida yelling “What in the fuck?!” As they passed her door. And then Gigi was in the driver's seat, watching Crystal shove her blanket in the backseat, getting into the car after. “Alright. Are you ready?” Crystal asked, and they both couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m ready. Where are we going though? Like- can you get directions?” Gigi watched Crystal take out her phone, opening Google Maps.

“Okay... so I know I can’t be trusted with directions, but this doesn’t look too bad. It’s like... one road?” Crystal trailed off.

“I’m trusting you Miss Methyd,” Gigi gave her a warning look. Crystal just laughed, and started the directions.

“Don’t listen to me, listen to Siri,” she told Gigi. And so they started to drive through Amsterdam, towards their destination.

“Where are we even going?” Gigi asked, getting on the highway.

“Miss Gigi Goode, we are GOING TO THE BEACH!” Crystal cheered, and immediately started blasting “ Starships ” by Nicki Minaj. Gigi let out a groan but had to laugh.

“You’re giving me FLASHBACKS!” She yelled, but of course couldn’t hold back from scream-singing along with Crystal. A part of Gigi wished they were driving during the day. She knew the route was taking them through smaller cities in the Netherlands she still wanted to see, like Haarlem. When Gigi voiced this to Crystal, she just looked at her, confused.

“Harlem? Like New York City?” Crystal asked. Love Story (Taylor’s Version) was playing lightly through the car speakers.

“Haarlem like the Netherlands. There’s... there are other places named Harlem,” Gigi chuckled, and Crystal just shook her head, hitting her dab pen.

“Alright don’t act all smart with me, Miss College dropout,” she muttered under her breath. Gigi gasped, turning to look at Crystal in mock horror.

“Crystal you bitch!” Gigi cried, smacking her in the arm. Crystal just giggled, and Gigi knew that stupid high giggle. Suddenly, “ Sedona ” by Houndmouth started playing, and they both perked up in their seats. “Turn it up TURN IT UP!!” Gigi exclaimed, and Crystal leaned forward, cranking the volume all the way up. Gigi rolled down the windows, and the cool summer breeze wrapped around them, whipping through the car. Gigi could feel the bass of the music pounding in her body. And there was Crystal next to her, hair flying in ten different directions, screaming along to Sedona, a wide grin on her face. And Gigi’s chest burned.

After about 45 minutes of driving, Gigi could smell the ocean. She followed Siri’s directions, pulling into the beach’s parking lot. The whole place was completely empty, not a person in sight. Probably since it was 2 AM on a Monday night.

Once Gigi was parked, she and Crystal immediately jumped out of the car.  “GIVE ME MADONNA!” Gigi said as they ran towards the beach together. She took a long hit, exhaling into the night air. Crystal was ripping off her shoes, and before Gigi could think to stop her, she was in the water, up to her knees. At least she was wearing shorts.

“GIGI COME ON!!” Crystal was jumping up and down, holding out her arms for Gigi to join her. And as she jumped in midair, a wave came crashing down, knocking her into the water. Gigi gasped watching Crystal go under, but as she rose out of the water, mullet soaked covering her face, clothes clinging to her body, all Gigi could do was cackle, doubled over in the sand. “I HATE MY LIFE!” Crystal screamed, crawling towards Gigi. “GIGI I HATE MY LIFE!” Gigi couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying or both. All she knew was that she’d never let Crystal live this down. “Why is the water so cold? It’s summer,” Crystal’s teeth were chattering, her whole body shaking.

“Poor baby,” Gigi cooed, helping Crystal up on her feet.

“Why is the water so cold?” Crystal whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Awww. Do you want some cheese?” Gigi pretended to be concerned, combing her fingers through Crystal’s mullet, trying to put it back into place.

“I’m lactose intolerant you know that,” Crystal pouted, and Gigi was fighting so hard not to laugh.

“You want some cheese with that WHINE?” Gigi exclaimed, and then Crystal was chasing her around the beach, shouting obscenities. This didn’t last long of course, they’re not very big runners. So eventually they went back to the car and carried all their supplies back to the beach.

For an hour, Crystal and Gigi laid out on the sand in the dark night air together, just talking about literally anything. Gigi talked about how much she missed Hunter, Marko, Symone, Rosy, and everyone back home. How they had helped Gigi pack for Amsterdam at the last minute, all so excited.

“Amsterdam is my fresh start. That’s what we would call it. Symone promised I would come back as a changed human,” Gigi muttered. Crystal turned on her side, facing her.

“Do you think you’ve changed? Has Amsterdam... been good for you?” Her voice was so small, and fuck Gigi was in too deep. Again.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I feel like... there’s just something in the air here. It makes it easier to breathe. I don’t know,” Gigi was laying on her back, gazing up at the stars.

“Yeah,” Crystal nodded in agreement, still facing Gigi. “I know what you mean. But a part of me feels like... maybe it’s not being in Amsterdam. That makes it easier to breathe. That makes everything better. I think it’s... I don’t know,” she trailed off, but Gigi knew exactly what she meant. She heard it loud and clear. And it terrified her.

“We should probably go,” Gigi whispered, and she was mortified to feel tears welling in her eyes.

“Gigi...” Crystal looked at her, searching. But Gigi ignored her, jumping up and brushing the sand off her body.

“Cmon,” Gigi smiled, hoping Crystal would see that Gigi was fine.

Gigi was fine. Gigi was fine. Gigi was fine.

They silently made their way back to the car. Gigi watched as Crystal put the towel down on her seat, then climbed into the passenger seat, wrapped in her blanket like a burrito. Gigi snorted, and Crystal just playfully glared at her.

“Turn on the heat,” she smiled lightly. Gigi rolled her eyes, utterly failing to hold back a smile as she turned the knob to blast the heat. Then, “ Summer Love ” by the hit world famous iconic legendary boyband One Direction flowed softly out of the speakers, and Gigi hated that her chest used to ache when she would listen to the song and think about Crystal. And how it still did.

Crystal wasn’t looking at Gigi though. She had leaned her head against the window, looking up into the night sky. Gigi glanced up through the sunroof, letting out a soft breath as she saw the stars shining bright. And then her eyes fell back to Crystal, and she was still gazing at the stars, and Gigi felt something rumbling deep in her chest. She couldn’t fight back the soft smile on her face, looking at Crystal fondly. Her eyes turned to meet Gigi’s, and she easily returned the smile. And then Gigi remembered she was driving and looked back on the road.

“What are you thinking about?” Crystal murmured, watching her. And Gigi thought, eyes still trained on the road.

Gigi figured for all the drives she’d gone on with Crystal, all the times they’d sat out on the balcony together until sunrise, Gigi had come to know the night sky by heart. Gigi knew every star, every constellation. She knew Crystal’s soft smile, gazing up at the sky. And sometimes Crystal’s head would turn, and she would look at Gigi, constellations in her eyes. And Gigi swore that the sun and the moon and all the night skies they had seen together, all of the sunrises, the sunsets driving through the mountains, were nothing compared to Crystal Methyd. But she couldn’t know that.

“Nothing,” Gigi responded. “What are you thinking about?”

“I... kinda wanna go to London?” Crystal said sheepishly. Gigi just turned to look at her, wondering what the hell is she up to?

“Like... right... now?” Gigi asked. Crystal let out a laugh, shaking her head.

“No! Like... this weekend? Just Saturday and Sunday. Jaida said we get one weekend off of our choosing. And we can’t use it too close to Pride because we’re gonna be busy,” Crystal explained, and Gigi’s chest was on fire.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.  

“Um... sure,” Gigi shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s do it. We always have fun in the city, don’t we Miss Methyd?” Gigi gave her a sly grin. And maybe she was testing the waters, seeing how far she could go. Just out of curiosity. But maybe Crystal was testing the waters too, because she responded with a wink,

“Oh yes we do. Believe me, I remember.”

New York City

“What if he’s weird?”

“Crystal-”

“I’m just saying, what Uber driver is active at three a.m. in New York City?”

“Elizabeth-”

“What’s his name anyway? Trent? Never trust anyone named Trent-”

“Methyd.”

“Shit, is that him?” Crystal asked. A Buick SUV pulled up then stopped.

“Gigi?” Trent asked, rolling down his window.

“Yup,” Gigi said, pulling open the door to the backseat. She felt Crystal hovering over her shoulder. “It’s fine, Crys.” They both slid into the back of the car, shoulders pressed together.

“Where to?” Trent asked.

“Dream Midtown Hotel, in Uptown Manhattan. Wherever that… is...” Gigi trailed off. Trent nodded before driving off. Thankfully, he didn’t ask any questions on how exactly they ended up at Coney Island. And thankfully Trent showed up when he did because after about five minutes of driving it began to pour. While driving, Trent picked up a phone call, suddenly oblivious to Crystal and Gigi. The wails of sirens harmonized with a blaring car horn. Gigi leaned into Crystal.

“I hate New York,” she said. Crystal, who was staring out the window, whipped around to face Gigi.

“Really?” Crystal asked softly. Gigi nodded. Crystal turned back to the window, propping her head upon her hand. “Must be because you live in a big city. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many lights before.”

Gigi hated New York. She did. But she loved the way the city reflected in Crystal’s eyes. Flashes of blue, red, orange, purple, green, and white flickered throughout the car. And though being driven through the city at 3 am by a sketchy man was the last thing Gigi wanted to do, Crystal made it worth it. Because Crystal made everything worth it.

“Where do you like? If not New York?” Crystal whispered, looking tired. Gigi smiled.

“Well, L.A. obviously. But Chicago.” Crystal was silent, eyes pleading for Gigi to say more. “Uhm, my friends and I on the weekends would make up these elaborate lies to tell our parents and then take the bus or train into Chicago. We were all sixteen, and there was this one drag bar that allowed us to go in and we would just spend the night watching these queens perform and...” Gigi realized Crystal was staring at her, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. “And it’s so dumb to say now... but I just fucking fell in love with Chicago,” Gigi finished.

“That’s where we’ll go next,” Crystal said simply.

“What?”

“Next time we see each other after New York, we’ll go to Chicago. I’m dying to meet Krysti anyway,” Crystal laughed. Gigi beamed.

“Seriously?” she chuckled. Crystal grabbed Gigi’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

“Of course.” Gigi realized how close they had gotten, their noses practically touching. Trent turned up the radio. “ New York ” by St. Vincent flowed softly through the car.

“New York isn’t New York without you love,”

Crystal hadn’t let go of her hand. She inhaled quickly as if she were about to say something, but stopped. Gigi watched as the gears in Crystal’s mind began to shift.

“Is-” Crystal started, “is it bad I’m happy Paul isn’t here?” she confessed, and then “I don’t think I could see you both in the same room, it just wouldn’t make sense to me.” Gigi’s heart skipped a beat, not sure if this was Crystal begging her to read in between the lines or if this was Gigi’s wishful thinking. Either way, she ran her thumb across Crystal’s hand.  

“Is it bad I’m also happy Paul isn’t here?” Gigi didn’t mean for it to sound like she was telling a secret, but it did. Crystal’s eyes flickered down to Gigi’s lips, only for a second, but it was enough to send chills down Gigi’s body. She mirrored Crystal, her heart pounding in sync with the sound of rain falling on the metal roof of the car. It was Crystal who finally closed the space between them. It was barely a kiss, their lips catching each other for just a moment. But god, it was electric. Lightning struck.

“Looks like it’s about to be the perfect storm,” Trent said to whoever he was talking to on the phone. Gigi and Crystal both let out awkward chuckles. It was dark, and Gigi could barely even see Crystal but she knew she was smiling, and Gigi hoped Crystal knew that she was smiling too.

The car stopped before either of them had a chance to speak, though Gigi couldn’t even fathom what she could possibly say to Crystal. They both just got out of the car, thanking Trent quickly. When they got in the elevator, Crystal pressed the button for floor six instead of their floor, floor eight. Gigi cleared her throat.

“Floor six?” Gigi asked.

“Thought I’d just say goodnight to Widow before I head to bed,” Crystal said, a hint of panic in her voice.

“Do you want to talk about- uhh-like- what just happened?” Gigi asked.

“It was just a kiss,” Crystal said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Gigi. “Just like on the party bus, right?”

“You kissed me” is what Gigi wanted to say. “You kissed me and you’re saying it was a joke, that it meant nothing, but I can’t believe you, I can’t bear to try. I saw the glimmer in your eye, the slight upturn of the corner of your mouth as we slowly filled the space between us. I felt your heart beating. I felt you.”  

“Yeah,” Gigi said instead. “Just like on the party bus.”

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Crystal whispered as the doors opened on floor six.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, goodnight.”

“Night.” Crystal stepped out of the elevator and walked away, not looking back as Gigi desperately pressed the button to make the door closed. Gigi sunk onto the floor of the elevator, bunching her hair in her fists. No matter how hard she tried that night, she couldn’t get her lips to stop buzzing. Just wait until Hunter hears about this one.

Amsterdam

“Okay. Now don’t go around doing your British accents because people will get offended,” Michelle said.

“Or do! The British might be honored!” Jaida quipped.

“No. Your accents are terrible, they will not be honored.”

“I don’t know Michelle... I think our accents are rather good,” Crystal said in her god awful British accent.

“Yeah, I think they’re pretty on the nose,” Gigi agreed in her accent, which was only slightly less worse.

“You guys are gonna get canceled...” Michelle muttered.

“Let the 15 year olds on Twitter cancel you, they can’t even read yet,” Jaida said, and then “well, this is where y’all board!” Crystal and Gigi stood at the entrance of the train that would take them to London. Michelle pulled them both into big hugs.

“Be safe, ladies. Don’t do what I would do.” Gigi and Crystal both laughed.

“Don’t listen to her! Have fun, fuck up some crumpets for me,” Jaida laughed. Gigi looked at Jaida and Michelle, who both were looking at them with puppy dog eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked.

“We’re just gonna miss you,” Michelle said softly.

“And we wake and baked this morning. You know weed makes me all teary eyed,” Jaida sniffled. Crystal and Gigi threw their heads back laughing in unison. Jaida pulled Gigi into a hug. “I’ll never get over it... seeing you two happy, together again,” Jaida whispered.

“Jaida...” Gigi trailed off.

“I know, I know it’s all behind you but... we were scared for a minute.” Gigi gave Jaida a final squeeze.

“We’ll see you guys in a few days!” Gigi said as she and Crystal stepped onto the train.

“Goodbye darlings!” Jaida and Michelle waved them off. Crystal and Gigi silently found their compartment and settled in next to each other.

“This is gonna be the best weekend of our life!” Crystal cheered. “Even better than Drive n’ Drag!” Gigi heard Crystal not say. They booked a train for early in the morning so they’d make it into London by afternoon.

“Are you nervous about the tunnel?” Gigi asked.

“No...” Crystal lied.

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Gigi said. She grabbed Crystal’s hand without even thinking, like she had just turned on autopilot. And Crystal, also on autopilot, rested her head on Gigi’s shoulder. And it felt like old times. It felt like home.

Just then, they entered the underwater tunnel, so Gigi turned on the playlist. “You okay?” she asked. But Crystal was asleep on Gigi’s shoulder. And all Gigi could do was think about where she was a year before. Preparing looks for Drive N’ Drag, late nights with Rosy and Symone coming up with possible scenarios that could happen, feeling so full of hope. And Gigi ignored the pit in her stomach because she was full of that same, blind hope just now.

New York City

Gigi laid awake all night, replaying the kiss over and over in her head. It was so quick, so soft, barely there. Had she imagined it? No. Because she remembered Crystal’s panicked eyes in the elevator, getting off on Widow’s floor. She remembered Crystal saying “It was just a kiss,” like it meant nothing. But she also remembered seeing Crystal’s face in the Uber, her smile illuminating the city.

Because she kissed Gigi.

But Crystal claimed it meant nothing. It was like the party bus. So what could Gigi do about it?

‘Go home and cry about it to Rosy and Symone.’

That was the only thing she could do. So Gigi forced herself to fall asleep, but even in sleep, she just saw flashes of Crystal on the subway, Crystal at the bar, Crystal getting off the elevator, Crystal in the Uber, Crystal sitting under the Coney Island wheel, Crystal in the Uber, Crystal’s face pressed into Gigi’s neck, burning hot.

 Crystal in the Uber, Crystal in the Uber, Crystal in the Uber.

Crystal kissing Gigi. Crystal kissing Gigi.  

Gigi kissing her back.

Gigi was jolted awake by her alarm, and let out a groan as she realized the van coming to bring the Queens to the airport would be there in an hour, and her room was an absolute mess. She scrambled out of bed, rushing to pack everything up. She didn’t even have a moment to think about Crystal until she was sitting next to her in the back of the van, being driven to the airport.

“Hi,” Crystal gave Gigi a tight smile, not meeting her eyes.

“Hello,” Gigi said casually.  

Please act normal. We’re about to say goodbye for who knows how long. Please act normal.

It seemed that Crystal got the message, because she immediately relaxed, and suddenly it was like nothing had even happened last night. Almost. Because they weren’t pressed up against each other, their foreheads weren’t barely touching, whispering nonsense back and forth. Crystal kept her distance.

It sort of felt like she was already back in Missouri, just out of reach.

But still, they talked with the other queens driving to the airport, and as each minute passed, Gigi became painfully aware of the fact that she didn’t know the next time she’d see Crystal. Of course, they would make plans eventually. Gigi was due to visit Crystal in Springfield, maybe for one of her viewing parties. And of course, Crystal said they would go to Chicago. But when? They would both have such crazy schedules once the show aired. But looking at Crystal laughing at something Widow said, Gigi knew they would be alright. Widow said Gigi just needed to give Crystal time. She could do that. She had waited this long, she could wait a little longer. Crystal was worth it.

The van pulled up to the airport, and Gigi followed everyone out. As the driver unloaded all the suitcases, Gigi turned to face Crystal. She was just looking at Gigi, tears in her eyes.

“Not yet, holy shit,” Gigi laughed, and Crystal had to join, shaking her head.

“Shut up,” she chuckled, punching Gigi’s shoulder lightly. They walked into the airport together, suitcases in trail. Once they made it through security, the queens all hugged each other goodbye. The next time they’d all be together was at the finale in April. Gigi wondered if things would be different with Crystal by the time they’d get to see each other at the finale. Maybe they would actually be together. Or maybe they would still be stuck in this weird limbo, unsure of what they were anymore. Only time would tell.

Gigi’s flight was boarding in fifteen minutes, and Crystal’s was boarding an hour later. So Crystal walked Gigi to her gate, and neither of them were sure what to say to the other.

What do you even say?

“I’ll uh... text you. When my flight lands,” Crystal said awkwardly, looking anywhere but Gigi.

“Okay,” Gigi said lightly. She had to say something. This was the last time they were seeing each other until... well at least until April. But so many things had happened in the three days they’d spent together...

What do you even say?

“Crystal I... I don’t know,” Gigi whispered. Crystal’s eyes met hers, and Gigi could feel her saying a million things. Gigi knew how confused she was, how scared she was. She understood. Crystal needed time. So Gigi did the one thing she knew and pulled Crystal into a tight hug. She didn’t whisper sweet nothings, she didn’t cry, she just held Crystal as tight as possible, for as long as she could. And Crystal held back just as tight, burying her face in Gigi’s neck.

Gigi didn’t know how long they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, oblivious to everyone else. And then her flight was called. “Alright,” She whispered, pulling away from Crystal. “I’ll see you soon,” she tried to smile, but it was a grimace, and fuck now Crystal’s eyes were welling with tears again, and Gigi had to go, but Crystal was standing there, gaping like a fish, trying to find the right words to say.

“Gigi...” she started, but nothing came out.

“I know,” Gigi said firmly. She pulled Crystal into another quick hug. “I will see you soon,” she smiled at Crystal, and Crystal smiled back through her tears.

“I’ll see you soon,” she whispered, and then Gigi was walking to her plane.

In the months to come, Gigi would look back on this moment, playing it over and over in her head. Because in three weeks, the whole world would be on lockdown, in the middle of a raging pandemic. Crystal, Gigi, and everyone else would be stuck at home, told not to travel, not to see their friends and family, to flatten the curve. They wouldn’t see each other at the finale, which instead was held on Zoom. Gigi wouldn’t get to visit Crystal in Springfield, getting to meet her friends and family.

No.

Instead, Gigi would lay in bed at night, wishing she had said something, anything to Crystal. Wishing that the last time they saw each other for who knows how long hadn’t been spent in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. Gigi wished she had been braver, that Crystal had known what she wanted. Gigi wished the universe hadn’t decided to come crashing down just when things were maybe finally going to happen with Crystal. But more than anything, Gigi wished she could’ve had just one more night with Crystal in New York. Gigi wished they had more time.

[artificialqueens]

Something in the Dark (Gigi/Crystal) - Peridot

A/N: This is a little something I wrote for my angel meg (you may know her as aries), and I would like to share it here, too! Some lovely teenage Gigi and Crystal for you all. I hope you enjoy it! It does get a little spooky at parts, nothing too much, but take care of yourselves regardless. Feel free to leave me some feedback here or over on my sideblog @artificialperidot :)

Summary: Crystal hated ghost stories. Gigi hated seeing Crystal upset. How do the tables turn when Gigi lets her fear get the best of her? Hope you enjoy!

Gigi was crying.

She didn’t know when the tears had started, but she could feel them rolling hot down her cheeks, her face scrunched up and her eyes screwed shut and her fists clenched together as she used all the strength she had to keep her emotions from spilling out of her. This was so stupid. She shouldn’t be crying. It wasn’t real.

Gigi never cried. Never. And especially not in front of anyone.

Which is why she was doing everything in her power to ignore Crystal’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.

This wasn’t right.

It should be her comforting Crystal, not the other way around. But instead, she was the one sitting on the edge of Jan’s bathtub, shivering and sobbing against the cold tiles, feeling shaken and, more than anything, embarrassed.

As much as she’d rather be alone, she felt as though Crystal’s arms were all that was holding her together.

At least she understood.

***

“Shut up!” Crystal whined, throwing a blanket over her head to a chorus of laughter from Jan, Jackie, Heidi and Nicky. Gigi pretended to chuckle along, but she felt a little guilty laughing at Crystal’s expense.

The six girls were sat cross-legged in their pyjamas on Jan’s bedroom floor, atop of the countless mattresses and sleeping bags and pillows they had laid out for their sleepover. Despite all being 17 years old, 18 in a matter of months, the girls still loved getting together for a good old fashioned slumber party, complete with popcorn, so-bad-they’re-good Disney channel original movies, and, crucially, ghost stories.

All the lights had been switched off, the room only being illuminated by the torches the girls held underneath their chins. Since Jan’s parents were on a business trip they had the house to themselves, and were able to stay up until 3am - the witching hour, Jackie had informed them - for the perfect time to share their own spooky stories, which most of them found to be a source of comedy.

Crystal, however, found them less than amusing.

“C’mon Crystal, you’re not scared, are you?” Jan teased, pulling the blanket off of the girl’s head.

Judging from the way Crystal’s widened eyes were darting around the room, it was fairly obvious that she was scared.

“N-no,” she stuttered, getting defensive. “I just hate all this scary-story stuff, isn’t there something better we could do?”

“It’s only for fun, Crystal,” Jackie mused.

“It’s fun for now,” Jan said, lowering her voice. “It won’t be so fun when the killer comes out of the basement to get you!”

Crystal whimpered just slightly too loudly at that, the others erupting into mad laughter. Gigi shot her a sympathetic glance. She felt bad for her, she really did. In any other circumstance she would’ve laughed along with her friends and joined in with their nonsense, but watching Crystal bite her fingernails and pout made her feel like she would be kicking a puppy.

“I- I think I’m going to put some headphones on. Listen to some music,” Crystal said, fumbling around in the dark to find her phone. Gigi noticed the slight tremor in the voice, but decided not to bring it up.

Jan smirked. “A rookie mistake. You won’t be able to hear the killer coming!”

As their cackles rang out through the otherwise empty house, Gigi found herself wanting to do nothing more than offer a hand for Crystal to hold. The girl looked as if she wanted the ground to swallow her whole, and Gigi didn’t blame her.

“Jan’s just kidding, Crystal,” Gigi was saying before she realised she was speaking at all. “There’s no killer hiding in her basement. They’re just messing around.”

Heidi scoffed. “Bold of you to assume, miss Gigi!”

“Do you have any proof there isn’t?” Jackie added, playing along.

Gigi could feel tension rising in her body, but she heaved a sigh, deciding she wasn’t in the mood to start a screaming match at 3am. “Just - let her listen to her music, okay? She’s not bothering anyone.”

Crystal offered her a thankful smile, Gigi responding with a sympathetic nod of her head.

“Come on, we’re only having some fun,” Heidi replied.

“Yeah, but she’s clearly not having fun. So just leave her alone!” Gigi felt her fists ball together, and she sucked in a sharp breath in an attempt to keep herself from exploding. She wasn’t sure why she was getting so worked up. She knew her friends meant no harm, and that Crystal probably didn’t need her protection, but the moment she felt heat prickling on the back of her neck she knew she had to say something. She wasn’t about to let Crystal feel miserable all on her own.

Nicky raised a single eyebrow, and her signature sly smirk appeared on her face. “Here comes Crystal’s knight in shining armour,” she mocked, making Gigi scowl so hard she could’ve burst a blood vessel. “It’s okay Crystal, they’re just kidding Crystal, marry me Crystal.”

Gigi swiftly thumped her on the shoulder, to the sniggers of the other girls. She knew she shouldn’t have told Nicky about her crush. It was a miracle that Crystal hadn’t found out already - Nicky was a bit of a blabbermouth.

“I was just telling her the truth. There’s no killer in Jan’s basement, and you guys are just messing with her.”

“How can you be so sure, Gigi?” Jan said. “You haven’t heard him knocking on the walls, whispering, seen him coming towards you, coming to get you!” she exclaimed, making Crystal jump and screw her eyes shut.

“Don’t listen to her Crystal, it’s not real.”

“Prove it!” Jan yelled. “If you’re so brave, come down to the basement and you’ll see for yourself.”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious.”

Heaving a sigh, Gigi stood up from the mess of cushions and blankets around her, stretching her legs a little and brushing some stray popcorn crumbs from off of her lap. “Fine. But I’m only doing this to shut you guys up.”

“Let’s go then,” Jackie announced.

Heidi gasped. “Road trip lesbians!”

***

Gigi made her way down the creaky stairs towards the basement, the other girls quickly following suit in a huddle, as if they were part of Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated. Crystal, god love her, looked petrified out of her mind, but she was doing her very best to put on a brave face, and flashed Gigi a supportive smile once they reached the looming door.

The door seemed as normal as any other in the house - mahogany, panelled, brass-handled - so much so that if they had trudged down the stairs, Gigi wouldn’t have realised it was the basement door at all. She knew there would be nothing behind it, she was practically certain - but seeing the way Crystal stared at it made the tiniest bit of nervousness bubble in her stomach.

No, not nervousness. She wasn’t nervous. It was merely… anticipation. Anticipation for proving her friends wrong.

She smiled to herself, grasping the cold brass of the door knob and feeling quietly confident. As soon as she opened the door and stepped inside, this whole ordeal would be over, and Crystal would feel better and they could all go back to watching Disney movies and tossing popcorn into each other’s mouths.

And maybe get some sleep, if they were feeling adventurous.

She pushed the handle and let the door creak open, blocking out the sounds of Jan and Nicky’s hushed chuckles. The basement was nothing but a sea of blackness, but Gigi quickly found the light switch by the door, the room flickering to life.

From what she could see in the doorway, the basement was about as ordinary as one could imagine. The creak of the door echoed against the exposed brickwork and the laminate flooring. There were a number of stray cardboard boxes dotted around, overflowing with old clothes and books and forgotten childhood toys that were too sentimental to throw away. The room was really just a big storage unit - Gigi noticed two kid’s scooters in the corner, as well as an old grandfather clock and a rocking chair and a few old lampshades and an old, beat up vermilion couch that sat in the centre of the room.

She confidently stepped through the doorway, deciding the room was dull and boring and inoffensive, and spun around to face the girls, who were eagerly peeking in through the open door with widened eyes.

“See, Crystal,” she said with a cocky smile. “There’s nothing in here apart from some old antiques. Nothing to be afraid of.”

Before the last sentence had even finished coming out of her mouth, Gigi saw her friends smirk as the door swung shut, locking with a click.

And a split second later, the lights flickered out, too.

Gigi rolled her eyes, even though no one was there to see it, and swore under her breath. “Very funny, guys. Now let me out.”

She only heard a muffled giggle from the other side of the wall. She couldn’t exactly see the door, but she knew that it hadn’t budged in the slightest. Fucking pricks.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Have it your way.”

She palmed at her hip in search of her phone (inwardly reminding herself to thank her mother for buying pyjamas with pockets), and pulled it out, quickly flicking on the flashlight. The light was cold and harsh in the dark room, but it was something.

She scanned her screen, looking for someone to text or call, to help get her out or just to pass the time until they let her out. They would have to let her out at some point, after all. She quickly realised, though, that she was getting zero bars.

Of course there was no signal. She was in a fucking basement.

Sighing in defeat, Gigi dragged herself over to the old orange couch and flopped down onto it. She could feel a rusty spring digging into her back, but she supposed that sitting was better than standing.

She leaned backwards and stared at the ceiling, letting her mind wander. She had settled on the fact that this was absolutely positively stupid. It was cold and dark down here, and Gigi was already getting bored without her friends to laugh with or her phone to stare at. And, even if she had intended to help Crystal, she was probably more scared than ever right now, with her friend trapped in the room of her nightmares for the foreseeable future.

She thought she heard Crystal saying her name from the other side of the door, but decided that she was just kidding herself. She probably didn’t care, and would be joining in with the jokes by now.

She didn’t know if she’d been in the room for 3 minutes or 30, but to fend off her boredom she had started making shadow puppets with her hands, shining her phone light onto the brick wall. It was when a giant shadow-bunny was hopping across the wall, though, when she heard a knock for the first time.

Knock knock knock.

The sound made her jump, just a little, the rabbit tucking itself into a clenched fist for a second. She relaxed however, when she realised it was probably just her friends messing with her, trying to scare her.

“Is this the start of a really bad knock knock joke?” she called out with an exasperated sigh.

No answer.

She hadn’t expected one anyway.

About ten seconds later, she heard it again.

Knock knock knock.

She couldn’t help but jump again in surprise, immediately turning around to shine her torchlight on the door. She didn’t expect to see anything there, but at least she knew where to direct her yelling.

“You’re not funny!” she groaned.

Again, there was no answer.

There was a thought that sat in the back of her head as she spoke, and she tried to give it no notice, but it was damn hard when there was nothing else to think about. She let herself focus on it for just a moment, and her stomach dropped.

The knock didn’t sound like it was coming from the door.

It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the room completely.

She was halfway towards convincing herself that it wasn’t true, that she was being ridiculous and of course the sound was coming from the door, when it arrived again.

Knock knock knock.

This time, though, it was louder. Harder. It sounded angry.

When the third knock rang out, Gigi wasn’t taken off-guard - instead of jumping in surprise, she felt the panic slowly building in her stomach and chest and throat, when she realised that her suspicions were true.

The knocking wasn’t coming from the door at all.

It was coming from the far corner of the room. Where the grandfather clock stood. She was certain of it.

She slowly turned to face the direction of the noise, too scared to make a sound, and definitely too scared to shine her light in that direction. Her skin was on fire, and she couldn’t escape the feeling that eyes were burning into her soul, watching her. She hadn’t realised she’d been holding her breath, but when she finally exhaled she felt her breathing become rapid very quickly. She tried to blame her shaking hands on the cold, but, really, she had never been more petrified in her life.

She knew it was stupid. She knew it was probably just her friends playing a joke, or that she was imagining things, and she had nothing to be afraid of.

But she had to be sure.

A shaking hand fumbled for her phone, and, with her heart thudding in her ears like fists punching her skull, she shone the light across the ground, not daring to shine it upwards, and moved towards the place the noise was coming from.

The grandfather clock.

And, slowly and then all at once, she lifted the flashlight.

There was a figure behind the clock.

A figure in a bird mask.

A figure who wore a bird mask who was clutching a meat cleaver.

And was covered in blood.

Gigi felt a bloodcurdling scream rip out of her throat, but she couldn’t hear a sound. She bolted in the direction of the door and banged her fists against it with all of her might, shrieking and wailing and begging, desperate to get out, to escape.

When the door eventually fell open she was met by the concerned faces of her friends, and a Crystal who looked near tears. She slammed the door shut, locking it and leaning back against it, unable to stop herself from whimpering, feeling as though her chest was about to burst open.

“What the fuck,” Jan muttered. “Gigi, are you alright? What happened.”

Gigi opened her mouth and tried to speak, to explain that they needed to run, but no words came out, and she felt nothing but a dull ache in her throat.

“Was there something in there?” Jackie asked. She looked genuinely concerned.

Gigi managed to weakly nod, before she felt her limp body being pushed out of the way by Nicky, who wanted access to the door handle. She tried to shout “no”, to warn Nicky, but it came out as no more than a shaky breath.

Nicky unlocked the door with a click and flung it open, flickering on the light. “There’s nothing in here,” she said, confused.

When Gigi peered in through the door frame, she found that Nicky was correct. The place was completely empty. Even by the grandfather clock.

She had just imagined it.

What the hell.

Looking around at the faces that met hers, Gigi felt sick to the stomach. The faces that had been concerned and disturbed were now baffled and judgemental. She wanted to kick herself, punch herself in the face and yell at her brain for making her imagine something that had seemed so real. And now she stood, mortified, in front of all her friends and the girl she liked, wanting nothing more than to wake herself up from this nightmare.

She took one look at Crystal’s traumatised face and her heart dropped.

Without saying a word, she ran up the stairs as fast as she could, making a bee-line for the bathroom and not looking back.

***

The bathroom was cold, but not quite as cold as the basement had been. Not that it mattered anyway - Gigi was shaking regardless. Crystal was trying to hold her steady, trying to stop the both of them from tumbling backwards into Jan’s bathtub, but Gigi paid it no attention. She felt as if she had just been through a battle - a war with her own mind, apparently, and the tears streaming down both cheeks were like her war paint, though she felt anything but brave.

She couldn’t help but feel scared after what she’d been through. And of course she was embarrassed, screaming and crying over nothing. But more than anything, she was confused.

What the fuck happened? What the fuck did she see? Did she see anything at all? And why did it seem so fucking real?

Needless to say, she didn’t speak her thoughts out loud. She didn’t think Crystal would get it, and she definitely didn’t want to make the girl more scared than she already was.

Gigi was comforted, at least, by the fact that Crystal knew how she felt, even if it wasn’t to the same extent. So, she let her hold her and stroke her arm as she sobbed, and listened to her whisper that everything was okay in a futile attempt to make Gigi believe it.

Her arm wrapped around her shoulders was like a seatbelt - not something she had asked for or that was particularly comfortable, but something that made her feel a little more safe nonetheless.

And before long, her breathing slowed and her heart rate relaxed and the tears ran dry and she felt a little bit human again.

She managed to look up at Crystal and offer her a weak smile, before falling to rest her head against her chest. Now that she had calmed down a bit, she was grateful for the company - she supposed the others had gone back to bed, not wanting to anger the beast when it was already running wild.

Crystal ran her fingers through Gigi’s hair as she held her, and Gigi was grateful that she didn’t ask any questions or make her talk, and just let her sit in silence. Crystal was warm, despite the coolness of the bathroom, and as she leaned against her she could smell her perfume (very fruity and very sweet and very Crystal). She could hear her heart beating in her chest, and it comforted her like nothing else - it was gentle and calm in contrast to her own, and was a physical reminder that she wasn’t alone, that another person was here with her and who loved her.

Loved. Maybe not loved. Love was a strong word.

But Gigi sure as hell loved Crystal.

They sat there like that for a while longer, before Crystal finally spoke. “Hey, I know you probably don’t wanna talk about it, but I want you to know that everything is okay, and that I thought you were very brave,” she said, and Gigi could’ve started crying again.

Unable to form the words of her reply, she smiled up at Crystal and gave her a nod of thanks. She wanted to tell her that she appreciated that more than she knew, but the words didn’t leave her mouth, and so she let them swim around her brain, washing away her worries with thoughts of Crystal.

“Do you wanna call your mom to pick you up?” Crystal suggested.

“No, that’s okay,” she replied softly, her voice scratchy from crying. “I don’t wanna go home. I wanna stay here with you,” she said, and it was true. The words rang out for a little more than they should, and held a little more meaning than Gigi wanted to admit, so she quickly followed it by saying that she didn’t think her mom would be awake at 4am, anyway, which made Crystal chuckle.

“Well, we can just stay like this for a bit, if you want?”

Gigi smiled. “I’d like that.”

They sat cuddled together in silence for a little while longer, and for just a moment, Gigi allowed herself to forget everything that had happened as Crystal stroked her dark hair. She started rocking the two of them back and forth against the tiles, and Gigi nuzzled into her curly red hair, no longer overcome with fear but instead overwhelmed by just how caring Crystal was.

Gigi didn’t want to move ever again.

She let her eyes fall closed, and as she did she heard Crystal start to hum a melody, like a lullaby. Crystal wasn’t the best singer in the world, but right now her soft humming sounded like the sweetest song that Gigi had ever heard, and she let herself be carried away by the tune.

“What song is this? It’s nice,” she mumbled gently.

“Little things by One Direction,” Crystal replied, and Gigi had to laugh. Of course she was singing a fucking One Direction song. God she was adorable.

“You’re such a dork,” Gigi chuckled against her chest.

“It’s a good song! You said so yourself.”

“That was before I knew it was by One Direction.”

“Do you want me to keep going or not?” she threatened, knowing that Gigi wouldn’t want her to stop.

Gigi didn’t reply, but cuddled closer into her body, and Crystal took that as her cue to continue, this time singing the words aloud:

I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth

But if I do, it’s you, oh it’s you, they add up to

I’m in love with you

Crystal let the last line hang in the air, not finishing the phrase, and Gigi felt the weight of the words hit her like a sledgehammer. She knew it was just a song, just a lyric, but it felt so real. As if a secret had just been shared, and it was precious and fragile and Gigi needed to catch it and keep it close to her heart.

Gigi sat up and made eye contact with Crystal, seeing something new in her dark pupils that hadn’t been there before.

“Crystal,” she whispered, as if her name was too delicate on her tongue.

Gigi watched as the corners of her lips curled into a small smile, and then Crystal leaned in, planting a kiss on Gigi’s lips.

It was soft, at first, tender, as if Crystal was afraid of hurting Gigi, of saying too much by not saying anything at all. But Gigi let her eyes flutter closed, deepening the kiss and letting herself melt away, be consumed by nothing but Crystal. She brought her hand up to clutch at Crystal’s cheek, and Crystal’s hands slid into her hair, and they kissed each other like neither of them had ever been kissed before.

Gigi wanted to savour it. She wanted to remember this moment exactly - the feeling of Crystal’s lips on hers and the smell of her fruity perfume and the sweet taste of sugar on her lips. She wanted it to never end.

When they pulled apart, Gigi let a shattered breath escape her mouth. Crystal was grinning, eyes bright and pupils blown wide, and Gigi was sure she had never known cloud nine before this moment.

“Please tell me I didn’t imagine that,” she managed to ask.

Crystal giggled. “Nope! And there’s a whole lot more where that came from,” she said with a wink.

Gigi couldn’t help but beam at her, her fears and worries long forgotten. She reached up and tucked a lock of Crystal’s wild hair behind her ear, tracing her features with her eyes and taking in just how beautiful the girl in front of her was.

“I love you,” she heard herself say, without fully processing what she had said. But it didn’t matter, because it was true.

“I love you too.”

***

Gigi found herself lying beside Crystal, on Crystal’s mattress with Crystal’s arms wrapped around her waist. She presumed she had gotten about two hours sleep before she awoke again, the room pitch black and filled with the sounds of someone’s snores - probably Heidi’s, she deduced.

She felt Crystal’s breath by her ear and Crystal’s hair against her nose and she felt safer than she had in a long time.

Until she heard a noise.

Knock knock knock.

[stclla]

hello loves! my name is bri and i’m so excited to get the chance to write with all of your beautiful muses ♡ i just turned 24 (ew), my pronouns are she/her, and my timezone is est (luckily i live about an hour outside of nyc, and plan to move there permanently in 2021 yay !!!) 

tbh it’s been at least a year since my last rp group and i’m a little rusty, so pls feel free to share your tips and lmk how i’m doing :) my writing style is pretty flexible and i match length, pov, etc. and now !! a little bit of info about my beautiful chaotic bby stella:

ABOUT.

estelle “stella” celestine evans was spotted in the fashion district adorning gucci ankle boots , with some airpod pros on . they’re most likely listening to heat waves by glass animals . you may know them as @stella or as that sydney sweeney lookalike . their twenty-second birthday just passed . while living in the upper east side , they’ve gained a bit of a reputation . they’re known to be reckless but on the other hand warmhearted . wonder if they’ll be the next person to hit the headlines .

BASIC INFO.

Full Name: Estelle Celestine Evans

Nickname(s): Stella

Age: 22

Date of Birth: August 4, 1998

Sun Sign: Leo

Moon Sign: Cancer

Rising Sign: Scorpio

Hometown: Beverly Hills, CA

Current Location: Upper East Side, NY

Gender: Cis female

Pronouns: She/her

Orientation: Pansexual

Political Affiliation: Liberal

Occupation: Supermodel, socialite, influencer

Career Highlights: Victoria’s Secret Angel, high fashion runways, print & editorial work, music video appearances, photography, art direction

Goals/Passions: Photography, art direction, fashion design, makeup, social media

Career Claim: Gigi Hadid

BIOGRAPHY.

When your mom’s a legendary supermodel and your dad is a smooth talking Hollywood talent agent, it’s safe to say that you were probably born with a silver spoon in your mouth. But don’t you dare say that shit to Stella Evans. Although she definitely enjoyed the finer things in life growing up and was practically gifted a spot in wealthy elite by her parents, Stella likes to believe that she did it all herself. And underneath it all - the glitz and the glam and the money and the flashing lights - maybe she actually did.

While this blonde haired, blue eyed beauty might be the spitting image of her mother with a few (okay, a lot) more extra curves, Stella tries to distance herself from her family heritage as much as possible. It started in kindergarten when she renamed herself. After all, being named after the notorious Estelle Evans doesn’t make you a lot of friends when you’re five. It makes you the subject of ridicule from your peers, and makes your teachers treat you as if you were the one posing topless in Italian Vogue. And when your mother made you model for a big Baby Guess modeling campaign at the age of 2, kids tended to talk. So she became Stella. Just Stella.

From then on, she did everything she could to separate herself from her parents. If her parents said to stay in, she went out. If they told her to get good grades, she failed her classes in retaliation. Their attention was all consuming, especially her mother’s. After the once popular cover girl had retired, she turned all of her attention to her daughter. Stella’s modeling work had been paused at the suggestion of her talent agent father, Arthur Evans. He wanted her to focus on school and get an education so she could take over the talent agency one day. But when Estelle and Arthur divorced when Stella was 10 years old, all bets were off.

Her mother hopped from loveless marriage to loveless marriage, dragging Stella along for the ride. Her father moved to the Upper East Side, vowing to see her at Christmas each year, while Stella jetted around the world against her will. 6th and 7th grade in Sweden, 8th grade in London, 9th and 10th grade in Paris. It was a long and lonely adolescence, but Stella filled it with booze, bars, and boys and girls to keep her company. Partying was her only escape. And she was damn good at escaping.

She had her first real relationship when she was 16. He was an older French financier who was content to spoil her rotten and show her a good time. Perhaps too good a time. Stella was introduced to the things that would become her vices - namely, drugs and alcohol. Her mother proved to be overbearing but oblivious. She would do things like criticize her daughter’s makeup, clothing, and body, but be completely unaware that Stella was doing things like snorting coke to get thinner. She’d call her trashy for going out to clubs, then look the other way when Stella would wear a short mini skirt when leaving for “study sessions” at the library. With Stella’s clever wit and electric charisma, it really was too easy. The drugs combined with the alcohol made her feel better because she didn’t really feel anything at all. Plus, if her parents hated partying, then Stella would learn to love it.

Shit hit the fan when Stella was arrested in France. Something about being an accomplice to international drug smuggling and being under the influence of a controlled substance - whatever. 16 year old Stella got off with a slap on the wrist due to her connections, promising to move back to New York with her dad until she was 18 and legal. The Upper East Side was her new home, and weirdly enough, she actually kind of liked it. It was easier to start over in New York, where no one cared about her washed up mother. But they did care about money, wealth, and excess, which Stella was more than an expert in, whether she liked it or not. This made her presence in the New York social scene almost magnetic. People would flock to her, drawn in by her ethereal beauty, effortless charm, and “fuck it all” party girl attitude.

Attention was a dangerous drug for a girl like Stella, who had spent her whole life freeing herself from her mother’s tarnished legacy. And when she had finally done it, had finally succeeded in making people call her “Stella Evans” instead of “Baby Estelle”, it made her wild with reckless abandon. All her new friends and lovers wanted to buy her shots and make her feel good any way she wanted, and it was only polite for Stella to let them do it.

The next few years were filled with exclusive clubs, raucous spring breaks, glamorous yacht parties, champagne kisses with boys and girls, social media notoriety, and juicy headlines that cemented her status as an it-girl. Her modeling career resumed with a promise to her father that she would go to college at the same time. Armed with a golden reputation, endless connections, and natural charisma and talent, Stella began to walk all the major runways and was in talks to appear in Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret. Unlike her mother, she proved that she had both high fashion attitude and sex appeal. Stella was unstoppable.

Until she wasn’t. After a night of drinking and an ill-timed bet that she could parallel park her date’s Range Rover (despite the fact that Stella didn’t have a license to speak of), the police charged her with a DUI. This time, she didn’t get off so easy. Her father pulled as many strings as possible to keep her image clean in the press, but word got out anyway. Fucking instagram.

Faced with the threat of losing her big modeling campaigns, Stella agreed to clean up her image. Think rehab, charity work, inspirational interviews. The whole shebang. And it worked - kind of. It’s hard to navigate a world filled with temptation, but Stella doesn’t know how to survive without the glitz and glamour of the wealthy world. She dropped out of college against her dad’s wishes, officially surrendering herself to the New York social scene. Rich girls have more fun, anyway. But sometimes she hates it and wants to be “normal”. Even so, she knows that she never will be and embraces the beautiful chaos that her life of excess brings to her.

As far as rich kids go, Stella is almost down-to-earth. Kind of. She likes to think that she is, but she’s also the kind of girl who would never be caught dead on the subway. Or a taxi. Black cars and private jets only, please. Underneath it all, Stella wants (and frankly, needs) real connections in her life. People who genuinely care about her and have her best interests at heart are extremely rare, so when Stella lets someone get close to her, they’re with her for life. Her reckless, carefree attitude can definitely get her into trouble, so she can be a handful.

But one of her shining traits is that she doesn’t judge, at least not as openly and viciously as her peers. Stella’s life of wealth and status is definitely ingrained in her, but she is also openminded and accepting. Her friends don’t need to be old money. They just need to be real. You can catch her being the talk of the town in her native Upper East Side, but also vibing with the up and comers in Tribeca. Below the layers of superficiality and obsession with the finer things in life, this supermodel has a heart of gold. But don’t fuck with her. Stella is dangerous and defiant when she wants to be, and nothing can get in the way of her getting what she wants. Even if what she wants could destroy her one day.

*** her bio is still a wip and i’m working on some inspo for wanted connections, but definitely lmk if you have any questions or think stella would be a good fit for connections with your muses ! 

[writethehousedown]

Trust Fund, Gold Tongue (Crygi) 1/7 - Peridot

A/N: I am so excited to be taking part in the Summer Lovin’ fic challenge! This is going to be my first multichap ever, so bare with me!! I’ve enjoyed working on this for ages now, and I’m so excited to share it with you all. You can find me at my sideblog @artificialperidot, come say hi!!

Summary: Crystal hates her summer job in a country club, until she falls oh so hard for the sweet-talking millionaire daughter of the owner. Gigi would rather not spend her summer with her dysfunctional family, but a certain red headed waitress proves to be a welcome distraction.

They would both rather be anywhere else, but perhaps their summer won’t be as bad as it seems.

Hope you enjoy!!

Crystal could think of a hundred things she’d rather be doing this summer than working in a country club full of wealthy pricks. But the wage was decent, and God knows her rent wasn’t going to pay itself.

Walking into the resort for the first time had been like walking into another dimension, a complete other world from the life she knew, where there was no such thing as “too expensive”. It was like getting a glimpse into the other side of the world, of affluence that she could have never comprehended unless she had seen it with her own eyes. The complex was huge, spanning acres upon acres of land, and lavishly decorated - the front lobby had a fountain, for Christ’s sake.

Crystal thought it looked like something from MTV Cribs. On crack.

Not only was the place huge, but it had more facilities than Crystal could’ve even imagined - a golf course, a bowling alley, tennis courts, a spa, and countless swimming pools and hot tubs, some of which Crystal had yet to find on her first week on the job. Not to mention the private restaurants and numerous bars, which, as a waitress, she most often found herself working in.

So far, Crystal had learned two things in her first week working at the country club. Number one, for having such expensive taste, rich old white men liked drinking really cheap beer. And number two, despite the beer being cheap, they would do anything they could to avoid paying for it.

Crystal leaned against her beer cart and did her very best to ignore the sound of a 50-something year old country club member (who was much too loud and much too drunk for 11am on a Tuesday) babbling something about Crystal bringing him the wrong drink - that he ordered a Budweiser and not a Heineken - in an attempt to get another free pint. Crystal didn’t say a word, only nodding now and again to seem like she was listening. She was absolutely certain the guy was lying through his teeth. She specifically remembered writing down the man’s order, and double checking to make sure she had got it right. But she’d quickly learned to keep her mouth shut, because the people she was dealing with had enough money and enough influence to get her fired in an instant, and that simply was not an option for her.

She learnt that the customer is always right, even if the customer’s nose has grown five inches and their pants have set on fire.

Heaving a sigh, she mumbled out a “sorry about that, sir, I’ll get you another one on the house” through gritted teeth, before lifting all the empty glasses from the poolside table and balancing the man’s pint (which was about two thirds empty, despite it supposedly being ‘the wrong drink’) , precariously on her cart. If she had an ounce more courage, she would’ve challenged him, told him that he and his mates that had tried the same trick on her before weren’t fooling anyone, but she decided she’d leave her complaining for Jan’s ears when they were on lunch break.

She found their reluctance to pay surprising, really, since they had more money than she could even imagine. They had more money than she’d probably earn in her whole life. But, she supposed that’s how they all stayed so rich - by being cheap bastards.

She started wheeling the trolley back towards the bar indoors, hoping the guy didn’t pay much attention to the scowl that had crept its way onto her face. She decided to take the long way back, going around the pool rather than passing by his table again, which gave her a little time to cool off before she had to go inside and tell Jan or whoever was bartending to pour his beer down the sink.

She was tempted to hide round a corner and down the beer when no one was looking, because fuck, she needed a drink right about now.

Crystal found it funny that little things like that bothered her so much. She was fully aware that there were far worse things a person could do - she herself had done things that were way worse than telling a little white lie to get a free drink. But seeing it happen every day for the past week had really rubbed her the wrong way. Sure, in her last job as a waitress in a café she had encountered similar situations, but this felt different. It was different because she knew these people had the money, that they would have no trouble paying a few dollars out of their millions, and that they were stealing for the hell of it. Thinking about it made her want to scream.

Crystal wasn’t poor, per say. She wasn’t rich by any means, but her family had enough money to get by most of the time. It was only now that she was moving out for college at the end of the summer that she was in real need of some cash for her rent and her student loans. But knowing that people slave away for hours in dead end jobs just to make ends meet, and these millionaires wouldn’t pay for a fucking beer? It made her blood boil.

Although she felt like steam was coming out of her ears, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself and keep her cool. She was still working, after all. She found herself staring into the pool water as she rolled the cart along, watching as the sun’s reflection danced on its surface, glimmering. She was thankful for the hot weather, at least. The sunshine lightened everyone’s mood a little, and usually made her job a bit easier.

She considered it a small victory.

“Excuse me, miss?” a woman’s voice called out.

Snapping out of her daydream, Crystal swivelled round in search of the source of the voice. The poolside was fairly empty given the time of day (because let’s face it, if Crystal wasn’t working, she wouldn’t have been awake at 11am, either), so it didn’t take her long to see a girl, lying on one of the sun loungers, seemingly on her own and sticking out like a sore thumb from the older men in golfing gear.

She was young, Crystal thought, probably about the same age as herself or a little younger, and she donned a floppy sun hat and a pair of oversized cat-eye sunglasses, which left Crystal slightly unsure in what direction she was looking, or if she even had her eyes open at all. Her long, dark hair sat in waves down to her chest, and she just so happened to be wearing a very flattering and clearly very expensive bathing suit - a black halter neck bikini, with gold buckles - which left little to the imagination.

She looked like the dictionary definition of a rich girl, and Crystal would’ve rolled her eyes at how cliché she looked if she wasn’t so god damn hot.

“Um, hello?” the girl asked.

Crystal’s heart jolted. “Huh? Oh! Uh, how can I help you?” She jumped to attention, and was now suddenly very aware of her cheeks flushing red. How long had she been staring?

“Could I get another pink lemonade, please?” the girl said as if it was obvious, holding out her empty glass for Crystal to take.

“Oh, sure,” Crystal replied, making her way over to her sunlounger and feeling the heat rush to her face. When she grabbed the glass, Crystal could’ve swore she felt their hands touch for just a millisecond, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a little flustered.

“Thanks,” the girl said, offering Crystal a small smile from behind her huge sunglasses.

A smile of pity, probably, Crystal thought.

She quickly placed the glass onto her cart and began rolling it away as fast as she deemed socially acceptable, speed-walking her way towards the bar. She bit the inside of her cheek and inwardly cursed herself for being so awkward. What was that? Who was that? And why the hell was she having heart palpitations?

She was practically out of breath by the time she reached the bar, which was located just inside a set of double doors, right by the pool. She set the glasses on the bar top, leaning on it in an attempt to steady herself and taking a few seconds to catch her breath. When she looked up, she was met by a smirking Jan, who had a single eyebrow raised.

“Care to tell me why you’re as red as a tomato?”

“Fuck you,” Crystal sighed, a smile breaking onto her face. “It’s warm outside, that’s all.”

Jan raised a single eyebrow. “Whatever you say,” she chirped, clearly not believing her. As much as Crystal wanted to elbow her in the ribs at that, she couldn’t help but smile. One of the few good things to come out of this job was her friendship with Jan and the other staff, which was new, but already felt strong. Jan was the human equivalent of a golden retriever- it was hard not to love her.

“Hey, I need a pink lemonade and a Budweiser beer for customers outside.”

“Another beer? This one’s not finished,” Jan said, gesturing to the pint glass Crystal had placed on the bar top before her.

Crystal rolled her eyes. “Apparently it’s the wrong brand.”

“Ugh. Another one of those guys. I hope he didn’t give you a hard time, sweetie,” she said, shaking her head with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll get the drinks for you now.”

“Thanks, Jan.”

As Jan busied herself with pulling another pint, Crystal could help but peer out through the door at the girl, still laid out on her sun lounger by the pool. She couldn’t deny she was gorgeous, but she wasn’t sure why her heart decided to try to escape her chest at the sight of her, especially seeing half of her face was hidden by those huge sunglasses and that floppy hat. It was probably that damn swimsuit, she thought.

Jan’s voice interrupted her train of thought. “I presume the pink lemonade’s for miss Goode? It’s her usual. I’ll put it on her tab.”

Crystal was quickly brought back to attention. “Who’s miss Goode?” she asked, trying not to seem too curious.

“Probably one of the richest teenagers in this hemisphere,” Jan scoffed.

Crystal gulped. “Oh, really?”

“Mmhm. Her dad’s a multimillionaire, he’s the CEO of some software company,” she said, not looking up from her task of refilling drinks. “He owns this whole country club. The Goode’s always spend their summer here.”

Crystal’s eyes widened. She knew that the girl would be rich, but she didn’t think she would be that rich. She was suddenly very intimidated, but she somehow wasn’t surprised. This ‘miss Goode’ looked like a million dollars, and apparently she was worth even more. One thing was for certain, though - any feelings she possibly could’ve had towards her had to be squashed, immediately.

“She’s not a bad kid, though,” Jan continued. “I kinda feel bad for her sometimes.”

“Why’s that?”

Before Jan could answer, their workmate Heidi swept through from the kitchen, carrying a stack of trays in one hand and a towel in the other, and took her place behind the bar with Jan. “Oh please, there’s nothing to feel bad for. She’s a bazillionaire, she’ll probably never work a day in her life!” she exclaimed, clearly having overheard their conversation. “If I was that rich, I’d be living it up in a mansion with all my rich friends and buying loads of cars and having parties every night. But, ya know. Poverty,” she said, laughing at her own joke immediately after.

Crystal found herself chuckling along and automatically agreeing with Heidi - she was sure that money like that would solve all of her problems. But she was reluctant to say so, and she wasn’t quite sure why.

“You’d better not keep her waiting, Crystal,” Jan prompted, handing over the fresh pint of beer and a tall glass of pink lemonade, which had a pink straw and crushed ice and a strawberry and slice of lemon on the rim. Crystal thought that it should have one of those mini cocktail umbrellas too, but she supposed that would’ve been a little overkill.

Gently balancing the drinks on her cart, she nodded in thanks to the girls, promising to meet them on their lunch break, and started wheeling it out the double doors, back towards the pool and the sun loungers.

Back towards miss Goode.

She wasn’t entirely sure that the colour of her face had settled by now, but she hoped that she wouldn’t be able to tell from behind her sunglasses. She told herself the nerves that were building in her chest were because of this girl’s social status, and definitely not because she was pretty. Definitely not. That didn’t even cross Crystal’s mind. She didn’t even need to tell herself that looking at a customer like that was a bad idea, and that miss Goode was probably straight, and that she’d never think twice about dating an employee. No, of course not. That would be stupid.

As she walked ever closer, Crystal was psyching herself up, telling herself to stop being an awkward mess and just be cool. Act natural. All she had to do was hand her the glass without making it too obvious that she was nervous. Easy. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. (And, avoid staring at her in that bathing suit, which was significantly less easy peasy lemon squeezy).

Before she knew it, she was a couple steps away from her. This was it. Just hand her the drink and get out of there. She could do this.

The girl turned to face Crystal when she saw her coming, offering her a smile. And then, she reached up and took off her sunglasses. And Crystal got a glimpse of her eyes for the first time. They were a piercing icy blue, and they twinkled in the sunshine, and Crystal didn’t want to take her eyes off of them.

Crystal fumbled on her cart and grabbed a glass, handing it to Gigi, not wanting to break eye contact for a second. She may have only been holding eye contact for a few seconds, but Crystal was captivated, swimming in her gaze.

And then, the girl looked downwards, and her face fell, and for just a second, Crystal’s heart dropped. Her brows furrowed. She looked confused.

And then Crystal realised she hadn’t handed the girl her pink lemonade, but the pint of beer.

Crap.

“Usually I get ID’d before someone serves me alcohol,” the girl said with a cocky smirk.

“Oh, uh, sorry!”

Crystal felt the heat rushing to her cheeks as she fumbled to fix her mistake, practically shoving the pink drink in her free hand as panic caught in her throat. She had one job. One simple job. She snatched the pint glass away from her with shaky hands.

And then, she dropped it.

“Shit!”

The glass miraculously didn’t smash, but its contents were spilt all over the poolside tiles.

This was all she needed.

Crystal sighed, just desolately staring at her reflection at the puddle of beer for a few seconds as an overwhelming feeling of for fuck’s sake overtook her. She groaned, flailing her arms like a toddler throwing a tantrum. She heard the girl beside her start to chuckle with that stupid cocky smirk still plastered on her face, perching on the edge of the sun lounger and looking up at Crystal.

“You know, someone should really clean that up,” she said, flashing Crystal a grin. “It’s a slipping hazard.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “We’re by a pool, everywhere’s a slipping hazard,” she said, but she fumbled for the towel that she had tucked into her apron pocket anyways, kneeling down to wipe it up.

The girl giggled at that, leaning back against her chair with her crossed legs outstretched before her (which Crystal definitely didn’t find herself staring at). “You didn’t strike me as the type to talk back, but I’m pleasantly surprised,” she said, taking an obnoxiously loud slurp through her pink bendy straw.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Most of the staff here are no fun. I think they’re all afraid I’m gonna get them fired or something,” she said with a shrug. “You seem fun though.”

Crystal felt herself blush, but this time she wasn’t embarrassed. She was smiling. “Well, God didn’t give me this incredible personality to be quiet.”

The girl laughed, tucking a lock of her dark chocolate brown hair behind her ear. Crystal couldn’t help but take notice of the way she stuck her tongue out just a little as she giggled, and it made her smile, too. She giggled like a little girl, and it seemed like such a contrast to her effortless chic-ness. Crystal found it endearing. And very cute.

“I haven’t seen you around here before, have I?” the girl said. Her eyes scanned Crystal’s face, and Crystal tried to focus on wiping up the spilt drink because she was sure that if she caught another glance at the girl’s doll eyes looking directly at her, her brain would start shutting down.

“I don’t think so,” Crystal replied. “I only started here about a week ago.”

“I thought so,” the girl hummed, before taking another sip from her glass. “I think I would’ve remembered you.”

Crystal could’ve swallowed her own tongue at that. Instead she clenched her jaw and continued cleaning, keeping her lips firmly shut to make sure she didn’t say something stupid.

“So what’s your name then?”

“Crystal,”

“Nice to meet you, Crystal,” the girl said with a quick raise of her eyebrows.

“Nice to meet you too, uh-.”

“Gigi,” the girl said with a smile.

“Gigi,” Crystal replied, seeing how her name felt on her tongue, and recalling the name Jan had mentioned earlier. Gigi Goode. It felt right, she thought. It suited her. It definitely seemed like a rich girl name, and as far as rich girls came, this girl was supposedly in a league of her own. Though Crystal tried not to think about that - her massive sunglasses and her perfect model body were already intimidating enough.

Not that Crystal was thinking about her body or anything. Especially not about how good it looked in that pretty swimsuit.

Of course not.

Once she had the beer all mopped up, Crystal tossed the soaked towel over her shoulder, picking up the desolate pint glass from the ground and placing it on her beer cart, still in awe of how it didn’t smash on the outdoor tiles. She supposed the universe had felt bad for her - she’d had quite enough beer issues for today, and the last thing she needed was broken glass to deal with, too.

The knowledge that she’d have to go back for yet another beer for that lying bastard, though, made her want to throw the glass at a brick wall.

She felt frustration build up in her chest at the thought, and sighed. Perhaps a little too loudly, though, as Gigi seemed to pick up in it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Ugh, I just have to go get this annoying guy another beer now,” Crystal replied with a roll of her eyes.

“How is he annoying?”

Crystal probably shouldn’t be saying this to the daughter of the country club owner, but fuck it, she needed to vent. “There’s a group of them, actually. They always yell at me and pretend I got their order wrong so they can get another free beer. I know it’s not that bad, but it just rubs me the wrong way.”

Crystal looked at Gigi, whose face had changed to one of shock and anger, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyebrows furrowed. She stayed silent for a second, before standing up from her sun lounger, scanning the pool area. “Who was it?”

“That guy over there, in the blue polo shirt,” Crystal said, gesturing towards him.

Gigi nodded, her eyes narrowing. Crystal saw her clutch her glass tightly, her knuckles turning white. “Oh. Him,” she said, her voice stoic. “I know him. Well, I guess I won’t be needing the rest of my drink!” she said, and with that, she was off, quickly marching to the spot where the man stood.

Before Crystal had time to comprehend what was happening, Gigi was face to face with the man, and Crystal was frozen in her spot, her feet stuck to the ground a few meters away from them.

She heard Gigi’s voice yell something, and then she was throwing her pink lemonade in the man’s face.

He was drenched, and Crystal had to cover her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Crystal half expected the now dripping man to start yelling, screaming at Gigi like he had screamed at her. But instead he remained silent, not looking angry, but more at a loss for words, before he trudged off grumpily, presumably to get changed.

When her eyes darted away from the man, Gigi was nowhere to be seen. But even so, she still found herself grinning like a fool.

And, when her manager called her to clean up the spilt pink lemonade by the pool, she was more than happy to oblige.

[mhdiaries]

Diary of Djinni “Whisp” Grant

Don’t you just wish you could read my diary?

⟡ ⧗ ⟡ ⧗

It’s amazing how different the world looks when you’re the one in charge of it. I don’t mean the whole world, of course, just the one that exists inside the lantern. Now, instead of criticizing - which I used to do a lot of - I have to actually be responsible. I think my first decision will be to return to my original shadow look because I want my unlife to change from the inside out, not the outside in.

⟡ ⧗ ⟡ ⧗ ⟡ ⧗ ⧗

I think I still have a lot to learn about being a djinni; mostly because when I was “shadowing” Gigi, I didn’t pay very good attention to the things she was telling me about the job. I think my jealousy made me deaf to everything except what I wanted. So, now I have a lot of catching up to do. Good thing there’s an instruction book, and an even better thing that I have a lot of time on my hands since it’s a five thousand-volume set. At least it’s interesting... well, most of it is, anyway. The legal and warning sections are full of fine print that I’m sure would make any monster who needed sleep - which I don’t - go completely comatose. Something that I learned today, which I should have already known, is that the number of wishes a djinni can grant is based upon how many years they have been a servant of the lantern. I’m only allowed three to begin. I hope whoever finds me doesn’t feel like they’ve been ripped off. Hmmm... I wonder if I should say, “You only get three, don’t waste them.” Well, the next volume seems to be full of things a djinni can and cannot say, so I guess I will find out. Just hope it’s not in the fine print.

⃞ ⧗ ⧗

There is a clock and calendar on the wall of a small storeroom deep in the basement of the lantern palace. It is the only place inside the lantern where the passage of time is recorded. I used to go there when I was a shadow and watch the time pass when Gigi was out granting wishes. At first I thought it was fascinating, but over time my fascination turned to resentment as I watched the hours and days go by while Gigi was out seeing the world. Once, when she was gone, I got so angry I tore both the clock and calendar from the wall and destroyed them. I can’t believe I was such a.... brat. Somehow I thought this would make Gigi feel bad about not taking me with her when she left, but when Gigi returned and I led her down to the room so I could gloat over what I’d done, the clock and calendar were back as if I had never touched them. I look foolish, and felt worse. Gigi kindly told me that the clock and calendar used to be in her room, but she moved them to the basement because it made her feel lonely to see the time passing. She said that they were part of the lantern, and even though they could be moved, they could not be destroyed. I think that was the moment when I realized that I was a part of the lantern, too, and I began to wonder if one day Gigi would lock me away as well. That’s when I began plotting to overthrow her, take over the lantern, and then the world. Gigi, of course, would never have done that to me, but I guess that it just shows how much a shadow knows...

⟡ ⃞ ⧗

I am on volume 1,753. This volume could be titled When Wishes Go Wrong, and in it I found a story about the perils of wishes made in anger called The Princess and the Captain. It’s about a vampire queen who uses her last wish to punish her youngest daughter who has fallen in love with the captain of the guard, a commoner. The queen, whose word was law and tolerated no questioning of it, is displeased by their affections and forbids them to ever be together. The princess argues that the captain is her one true love, but the queen is unmoved and not only strips the captain of his rank but threatens to have him banished from the kingdom forever. So the princess agrees to forsake the love of her unlife... yeah, right... and, of course, that doesn’t last long. They are soon found out and brought to the throne room.

Now the wrath of the queen was great and she ordered her djinni’s lantern be brought to her. He was the oldest and wisest of all the lantern djinn and had been in the queen’s service for a thousand years.

“Ninety and nine wishes have I granted you oh queen, and there is but one yet left,” said the djinni.

“Listen well, then, servant of the lantern. Since my daughter and my former captain of the guard understand neither the nature of obedience nor the unbridgeable gulf between royalty and those of common birth, I wish them to be forever obedient and forever apart!”

“But my queen....” said the djinni.

“Would you disobey me as well?” she raged.

“Be it then as you wish,” replied the djinni.

The the djinni clapped his hands and there was smoke, a flash of light and the sound of massive iron doors swinging open and then closing with a deafening crash. When the smoke cleared, the princess and the captain were gone, and in their place two lanterns stood... a hand’s width apart from each other.

“Forever obedient - forever apart,” said the djinni and with those final words, both he and the lanterns disappeared.

The rest of the story tells how the vampire queen, being filled with remorse, leaves the throne and spends her unlife searching for her daughter’s lantern. There are, however, two footnotes at the end of the story. The first reads.

While any djinni old enough and powerful enough to have accumulated 100 wishes could have certainly fulfilled the “letter of the wish” by turning the princess and the captain into djinn, the queen’s wish never specifies whom they should be obedient to or apart from; thus it is just as likely that the princess and captain of the guard were made forever obedient to the love of the other, and forever apart from the queen herself.

The second footnote reads,

If, however, the princess and the captain were indeed both turned into lantern djinn, then the queen herself is probably still looking, because you do not find a lantern. It finds you.

7th of July

Today my lantern was found and I was summoned for the very first time! I thought that I would be ready when it happened, but I was completely taken by surprise. In fact, I had just put my hair up in a towel and was getting ready to apply a beauty mask when a voice thundered through the inside of the lantern, “You are summoned!” Note to self: find preference settings and change voice from an “In a world...” kind of intonation to something less ominous. Anyway, I put on my “game face”, took a deep breath, and hoped the monster I was about to be serving wouldn’t be able to tell that I was nervous. Guess I shouldn’t have worried too much about that, because when I said, “I am the djinni of the lantern, what is your wish?” the monster who summoned me almost fainted. He is a vampire... of sorts... and by his clothes it looks like he’s seen better days. He didn’t wish for anything tonight, so I suppose I’ll have to wait before I am allowed to grant my first wish. Now I’m more excited than nervous.  

8th of July

“You are summoned!” I thought I had it fixed, but now the voice sounds like a zombie using “baby talk”, so instead of ominous it’s just irritating. More importantly, I finally got to talk to the monster who is currently in possession of my lantern. His name is Kieran Valentine, and much like me he is trying to keep his present and future from being defined by his past. We talked for hours and I think that even without wishing for one, I’ve found a friend. It was good to be able to talk about what we’d each done in the past and not feel condemned. I think going forward it will help to know that we’ll both be cheering the other on to succeed. Speaking of wishes, he still hasn’t made one yet... but I’m good with that.

10th of July

“You are summoned!” Ack! No, I’m right out on it blasting through the lantern like an opera singer. It still needs work, I may not have learned everything I should have from Gigi, but one thing I did pay a lot of attention to was the way that wishes work. When a djinni grants a wish, a force is released: a force so powerful that it can remake the very fabric of reality in order to fulfil its purpose. It is also a force that needs specific instructions or else it will interpret what you’ve wished for, and sometimes the results get lost in translation. Sadly, I am not allowed to give hints or coach monsters in how or what they should wish. It isn’t that I don’t want to: it’s that I physically can’t. Gigi one told me that she tried to tell a monster how to word a wish and her mouth literally closed shut and wouldn’t open until after the wish was granted. So, all that to say, I knew that KV’s first wish was not going to turn out how he hoped it would. I’m just happy that he had a “rescue wish” left, otherwise...

12th of July

I really feel bad for KV. He’s already used up two of his three wishes with nothing to show for it. I tried to tell him how sorry I was but he wouldn’t even listen. He even said it was completely his fault, and that I had nothing to be sorry for. I really hope he thinks hard about his last wish.

1st of August

“You are summoned!” Ooh, I like this version. It sounded like I was being called to the front door to meet an old friend. I’ll keep it. KV used his last wish today. He wished that we could always be friends. I think that would have come true regardless of whether or not he wished for it, but I thought it was so unselfish of him to use his last wish like that. I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to be fulfilled until I was holding my very own iCoffin with KV’s number programmed into it. The best thing, thought, was that I had full bars everywhere I went inside the lamp! Being able to have a friend to talk to even when I’m inside the lantern is so much more than even I could have wished for.

[aqpippin]

For things you said: 16 and more jankie pls 😊

16 - things you said with no space between us 

I really am living vicariously through these prompts tbh 🥺 I’m soft and am a huge jankie + crygi simp 🤧🥰✨

 Daisy Goode-Methyd’s first day away from her moms occurred when she was only eight weeks old, with Gigi and Crystal finally succumbing to Jan pressuring them into their first baby-free day since Daisy’s arrival. 

Jackie’s eyes had bulged out of her head when she saw how much ‘essential’ baby equipment was brought into her and Jan’s apartment that morning. 

‘We’re only having her for a few hours, right?’ Jackie had asked, watching as Gigi assembled a portable bassinet in the living room, ‘it’s not like we’re keeping her.’ Jan slapped her arm playfully, shushing her with a low giggle. Judging by the number of bottles Crystal was packing into the fridge, anyone would have thought that the Cox family had a new addition. 

 Jan had all but pushed the new moms out the door, assuring them that they’d be fine and that she would call if she needed anything. Jackie looked down at Daisy, who stared back up at her from the bassinet with wide, brown eyes. Jan was smitten, scooping the tiny brunette up in her arms and breathing in the fresh baby scent. She was in absolute heaven. 

 *** 

Jackie and Jan had gone into the day expecting very different things. Jan had always loved children - she had always been maternal, and she often stated that she was simply ‘born to be a mom’. She would be a platinum blonde PTA wet dream - homemade baked goods and all. Jackie, however, had her reservations. Babies were loud, messy, and terrifying. She had barely held Daisy before, let alone looked after her. Jackie knew that motherhood was something that she would tackle one day, after she had achieved everything on her to-do list (and decided that she was finished unpacking her issues regarding her own mother with her therapist). It was simply something Jackie couldn’t envision happening for at least a few more years. 

Nonetheless, both Jackie and Jan experienced things they did not expect during their day with their favourite (and only) godchild. 

Jackie did not expect to actually find taking care of a baby fun, her motherhood-driven anxiety seemingly disappearing for the majority of the day. If you had asked Jackie at 9am where her expectations for the day sat - she would have told you that the bar was on the floor. Hence her pleasant surprise when she found herself enjoying Daisy’s company. However, she did not have the ability to swallow her pride and admit her contentment to Jan, sneering the occasional ‘shut up’ when Jan caught her smiling or making funny faces at the small child. Daisy didn’t whine the way Jan did when Jackie started watching another episode of Star Trek, and she listened contently to Jackie’s existential dread. She also happened to have a bottle in her mouth on both occasions, but that was something Jackie chose to overlook. 

 *** 

Jan did not expect the 6pm meltdown. Daisy was inconsolable - screaming, fat tears rolling down her red cheeks. Crystal joked about how much of a bitch witching hour was, but Jan always thought she was just being funny. There was a part of the blonde that regretted telling Gigi and Crystal that they would be fine for a few more hours, that they had everything under control. But a bigger part of Jan knew that Gigi and Crystal not only needed this break, they deserved it - and as a result, Jan knew that she and Jackie would just have to work together and sort this out themselves. Daisy was fed, bathed and changed - and yet the girl was screaming as if her aunts had neglected her and her mommies were never coming back. 

“What does Google say?” Jan asked, rocking Daisy in her arms and trying to coax her into taking a pacifier with no avail. Jackie felt like she had scrolled through every mommy blog that existed, and she was yet to find some new information, “Jacks, maybe we should just call them.” 

“No way,” Jackie refused, she was a woman on a mission, and she sighed with relief when she finally found a somewhat reputable help website, “got something. This one says she’s overtired and overstimulated. Also just try holding her against your chest.” Jan nodded to no-one in particular, cradling Daisy closer to her as Jackie turned off all the lights and the television, only the soft pinks and golds of sunset bleeding through the closed blinds. The tiny child in Jan’s arms still refused to settle, Jan humming softly as she stared blankly at Jackie for help. 

“Turn that ugly little white noise thing machine on, I have a plan.” Jackie instructed, pointing to the white, cloud-shaped device sitting on their coffee table.

“Hearing you say that isn’t as comforting as you think it is.” Jan whispered harshly, flicking the switches on and listening as the sound of the traffic on the streets below them was slowly drowned out by the sound of artificial rainfall.

“You’re gonna think this is stupid, and I swear to God if you so much as laugh.” Jackie mused, walking back into the living room in just a sports bra and sleep shorts. She repositioned the soft blue muslin wrap in Daisy’s bassinet, motioning for Jan to bring her over so Jackie could swaddle her. Jan abided wordlessly, watching in silence as Jackie successfully wrapped and pacified the tiny brunette before laying on the couch with Daisy’s head on her chest. The screaming had finally subsided, and if Jan couldn’t hear the white noise machine she would have sworn she’d gone deaf. She stood in awe, looking down at her wife who was softly stroking Daisy’s back with one hand and texting with the other. 

“Come snuggle before she gets too settled.” Jackie sighed, making just enough room between herself and the back of the couch for Jan to cuddle into her side. Jan didn’t need to be asked twice. It was a tight squeeze, but it was so sickeningly domestic Jan didn’t care. Even Jackie found peace in the overwhelming cosiness, long limbs entangled and soft baby breaths making her heart beat just that little bit quicker. 

“She’s so gorgeous. Like a little ray of sunshine. And after all that, she just wanted her auntie Jackie,” Jan cooed, nestling her head into the space between Jackie’s neck and shoulder. The angle was just enough for Jan to be able to see the slight smile resting upon Jackie’s face, “how’d you even think of doing this anyway?” 

“I remember Crystal talking about it once,” Jackie turned her head so she could look down at her wife before pressing a few soft kisses to Jan’s forehead, “apparently your heartbeat is nature’s white noise, and body heat does wonders with babies.” The look of awe on Jan’s face only intensified, and she could feel a swarm of butterflies flapping in her tummy. Ever insightful, Jackie was quick to notice Jan’s gaze. 

“What’s that look for? What’s going on in that pretty blonde head of yours?” 

“I can’t wait to do this for real with you,” Jan sniffled, wiping a few happy tears from her cheeks, “I know you don’t think it’s true, but you’ll be a good mom.” Jackie basked in the glow of Jan’s praise, holding Jan’s hand and squeezing in silent thanks. 

“Let’s have one.” It was said so simply - no fuss, no dramatic and sudden realisation. It just felt right. 

 “Really?” Jan was practically beaming, the words she had been patiently waiting to hear finally being thrown into the universe, “you’re really ready?” 

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be 100% ready,” Jackie mused, pausing to coo softly at Daisy as she began to stir, “but I want this. I want our own little piece of heaven. And I know as long as I have you, I can do anything.” 

 “You’re such a softie.” Jan giggled, snuggling further into Jackie’s side. She let her mind run wild, let herself imagine being in the exact same position in a year’s time. She found comfort in the heat radiating off Jackie’s exposed skin, and drifted off to the sound of Jackie’s heartbeat thrumming softly in her ear. 

Jackie laid on the couch in silence, her own imagination running wild at the thought of what the next year would bring. She smiled lazily, eventually shushing Gigi and Crystal as they let themselves into the apartment. 

“Ain’t this a sight for sore eyes?” Crystal giggled, taking photos as Jackie rolled her eyes. 

“Was she a Goode girl?” Gigi asked, scooping her daughter up and cradling her in her arms. 

“The best,” Jan chimed in groggily, rubbing her eyes but not moving from her spot on the couch, “a little slice of heaven.”

[auditionsuggestions]

Audition songs for Women “Of a Certain Age”

This one is specifically for the ladies who are no longer ingenues (or who never really were and are finally growing into their character type...more or less the 40+ crowd)! Not all of these are solos, but I’m fairly certain all can be cut to be a good 16 or 32 bars.

List is under the cut for length

Golden Age:

“The Words” from Anne of Green Gables (1965 Charlottetown Festival)

“June is Bustin’ Out All Over” from Carousel

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel

“Do You Love Me” from Fiddler on the Roof

“Sunrise Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof

“Who Taught Her Everything She Knows” from Funny Girl

“If A Girl Isn’t Pretty” from Funny Girl

“Adelaide’s Lament” form Guys and Dolls (overdone, but not so much so that I’d completely discourage its use)

“Everything’s Coming up Roses” from Gypsy

“Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy

“You Gotta Get a Gimmick” from Gypsy

“Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello Dolly

“World Take Me Back” from Hello Dolly

“I Hate Men” from Kiss Me Kate

“So In Love” from Kiss Me Kate

“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” from Pal Joey

“Somehow I Never Could Believe” from Street Scene

Late 60s through 1980

“Compliments” from 1776

“Little Girls” from Annie

“So What?” from Cabaret

“What Would You Do?” from Cabaret

“The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company

“Could I Leave You” from Follies

“Losing My Mind” from Follies

“One More Kiss” from Follies (This can also be done by a young soprano as it’s a duet between an older performer and her younger self in the show)

“Say A Little Prayer” from Gigi (the time period’s correct, but is more of a 2015 revival thing than from the original production)

“Thank Heaven for Little Girls” from Gigi (This was a man’s song in the original, but the 2015 revival changed it to being a woman’s)

“Liaisons” from A Little Night Music (for a MUCH older actress)

“Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music (a bit overdone from my understanding, so if you’re gonna do it, knock the acting out of the park)

“By the Sea” from Sweeney Todd

“Worst Pies in London“ from Sweeney Todd

1980s through 2000

“Patterns” from Baby

“Tale as Old as Time” from Beauty and the Beast

“I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance” from Carrie the Musical

“When There’s No One” from Carrie the Musical

“Memory” from Cats is NOT going on this list cause it’s wayyyyy too overdone (don’t sing it is what I’m saying)

“Some One Else’s Story” from Chess (Sorry belt-y teens, Svetlana should be older)

“Ain’t it Good” from Children of Eden

“Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods

“The Last Midnight” from Into the Woods

“Stay with Me” from Into the Woods

“Perfectly Nice” from Jane Eyre (yes, it was on Broadway in 2000, but it was written in the 90s)

“A Slip of A Girl” from Jane Eyre

“And the Moon Grows Dimmer” from Kiss of the Spider Woman

“I Do Miracles” from Kiss of the Spider Woman

“Mamma Mia” from Mamma Mia

“Like it Was” from Merrily We Roll Along

“The Garden Path to Hell” from The Mystery of Edwin Drood

“Puffer’s Confession” from The Mystery of Edwin Drood

“My Husband Makes Movies” from Nine

“I Just Wanna Be A Star” from Nunsense

“A Word from Reverend Mother” from Nunsense

“Mama Will Provide” from Once On This Island (While versions of the show exist that don’t focus on race, the show is set in the Caribbean--specifically on Hispaniola)

“Ti Moune” from Once on This Island

“Back to Before” from Ragtime

“The Stuff” from Reefer Madness

“I Hate Musicals” from Ruthless

“Teaching Third Grade” from Ruthless

“Just One Step” from Songs for A New World

“Stars and the Moon” from Songs for A New World

“Children and Art” from Sunday in the Park with George

“As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard

2000 through the Present

“5 to 9″ from 9 to 5

“My Favorite Moment of the Bee” from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

“Lucky” from A Little Princess

“Just Around the Corner” from The Addams Family

“Close the Door” from Anastasia

“Land of Yesterday” from Anastasia

“Omar Sharif” from The Band’s Visit (This is pushing it a little--Dina is like late 30s-ish iirc)

“Everything Happens” from Bandstand

“Always Better” from Bridges of Madison County

“I Hate the Bus” from Caroline or Change (another one where the character’s race should really be considered before you choose to use this piece)

“I’m Here” from The Color Purple (another great piece for a black actress)

“Me and the Sky” from Come From Away

“As We Stumble Along” from The Drowsy Chaperone

“Days and Days” from Fun Home

“The Cake I Had” from Grey Gardens

“Will You” from Grey Gardens

“I Know Where I’ve Been” from Hairspray (you really shouldn’t use this for an audition if you’re white...or even white-passing--I say this as a white-passing POC)

“Miss Baltimore Crabs” from Hairspray

“Always Starting Over” from If/Then

“Enough” from In the Heights (You guys are smart, don’t make me say the thing about racial sensitivity again)

“Paciencia y Fe” from In the Heights

“Forgiven” from Jagged Little Pill

“Smiling” from Jagged Little Pill

“Uninvited” from Jagged Little Pill

“Ireland” from Legally Blonde

“Ireland (Reprise)” from Legally Blonde

“Beautiful Boy” from Lestat

“The Beauty Is (Reprise)” from Light in the Piazza

“Dividing Day” from Light in the Piazza

“Fable” from Light in the Piazza

“I Want the Good Times Back” from The Little Mermaid

“Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid (putting this in this section because this is when the stage show was created)

“Poor Unfortunate Souls (Reprise)” from The Little Mermaid

“Days of Plenty” from Little Women

“Here Alone” from Little Women

“Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins

“Brimstone and Treacle” form Mary Poppins

“What’s Wrong With Me (Reprise)” from Mean Girls

“That’s Rich” from Newsies

“I Miss the Mountains” from Next to Normal

“There is Music in You” R+H’s Cinderella

“Haven’t Got a Prayer” from Sister Act

“My Most Beautiful Day” from Tuck Everlasting

“A Privilege to Pee” from Urinetown

“An Old Fashioned Lesbian Love Story” from The Wild Party (Lippa)