#i liked everything except the plot i think

[cobrakaisb]

an unkindness of ravens: season two

now playing: she will be loved by maroon 5

about one tree hill season two series masterlist

taglist: @yailtsv @jadasogay @iwantahockeyhimbo

wc: 6.1k

featuring: friends to lovers trope; the plot of one tree hill season two; allusions to smut, but no actual smut; mentions of homophobia and allusions to a homophobic slur (but nothing is written out); jealous!paige; conversations about a car accident; fluff and angst mostly

summary: the end of junior year at tree hill followed the trends of the semester before it: what was supposed to be a fun year turned into something more. between friends leaving, new people arriving, and relationships changing, the tension is brewing to create an eventful senior year.

the disappointing end to the basketball season is still looming over paige. while you try to be there for her, it’s hard when so many other aspects of your lives are changing. senior year is fast approaching, which means recruitment and decisions for paige. you, on the other hand, are thinking about different programs at different schools: some paige is looking at, and some without her. 

then, there’s all the drama within your friend group. paige, nathan, and the entire team are still trying to adjust to lucas moving away with keith. paige will never admit it, but you know she misses the other scott brother. nathan and haley are struggling through married life and brooke and peyton reconnect despite all the lucas drama. 

“i’m just glad we’re gay,” you confess to paige, swinging your hands as the two of you walk towards the high school.    she looks at you like you dropped a major bomb, before bursting out laughing: “babe what?”  “think about it! we don’t have to worry about guy drama or liking the same one,” you explain.  “like brooke and peyton?” she asks, when you trail off.  “exactly like brooke and peyton,” you say, a small chuckle escaping your lips.  paige watches you, struggling to hold back her own laughter as she sees you lighting up.  “but seriously,” you mumble, sobering up, “he did them dirty. and i know he’s your friend, babe, but he’s also lowkey a player,” you finish while paige opens the school door for you. “well good thing he’s moved away,” paige whispers into your ear, bending down so her lips brush the shell of your ear.  you lick your lips, swallowing to prevent your throat from drying up. “yeah,” you whisper, “good thing.”      

you’re at your locker with paige, talking about the most recent ap lit assignment, when brooke and peyton arrive at your locker. they both look frazzled, and your immediate reaction is to focus on them.

“what?” you ask, looking anxiously between them. “lucas is back!” brooke seethes.  “what?” you and paige both ask, except your girlfriend seems a little bit excited. you throw a subtle glare at the tall blonde over your shoulder, and she throws her hands up in surrender, before gesturing for you to continue.  “well, did you see him?” you ask them.  “we didn’t talk if that’s what you’re asking,” peyton grumbles, angsty as ever.  “he didn’t say anything?” you ask, trying to find out more about lucas and his sudden arrival.  “it’s probably because of the heart attack,” paige drops, hands in her sweatshirt pocket as she shrugs.  “what heart attack?” brooke asks, a panicked look in her eyes.  “dan’s,” paige deadpans, like it’s common knowledge.  “wait a second,” peyton butts in, “dan had a heart attack?” “yeah. hospitalized and everything,” paige answers. “you’re being a little too casual about this,” you mumble, even though you hate dan too.  “the guy sucks. and i’m not gonna say it’s his karma, but it’s definitely his karma,” paige observes, holding her hands up like she didn’t just wish something awful upon someone. “okay whatever,” brooke grumbles, crossing her arms as she looks to you, “we’re ignoring him. got it?” you nod, “got it.” the brunette turns her steely glare on paige, “got it bueckers?” paige holds her hands up in surrender, “got it, brooke.”  

everyone is on the ignoring lucas train, at least among the cheerleaders, but it’s hard to follow through when he offers to throw nathan and haley a wedding reception. despite being married to your girlfriend’s best friend, you and haley were never really friends. you’re acquaintances at best, but you can’t skip out on the reception since you do have a relationship with nathan. peyton and brooke, who are deep on the ‘we hate lucas train’ feel the same way, except they’re actually friends with haley. so, the three of you put your grievances aside for one day, for nathan and haley’s sake, and attend their wedding reception planned by lucas. 

what follows, however, is more and more time spent with lucas. nathan and haley are already married, reception and all, but tim, nathan’s third best friend (after paige and now lucas) is begging to throw him a bachelor party. brooke, who loves any excuse to party, takes it upon herself to throw a bachelorette party for haley. you get roped into the bachelorette party, while paige is dragged to the bachelor party. 

“tim got a stripper,” nathan confesses to haley, who looks appalled.  “what?” you ask, stepping into the couple’s argument.  nathan raises his hands up in surrender, “it’s more for tim than anyone else.” “yeah it better be. my girlfriend is gonna be there,” you point out, with crossed arms.  haley rests a hand on your arm, “paige would never cheat on you.” you sigh, nodding in agreement before adding, “and nathan would never cheat on you.” 

that’s the start of your budding friendship with haley, one that quickly escalates as brooke’s bachelorette party starts to take shape. it starts with a limo and some champagne, the acquisition of which still remains a mystery, but quickly turns into a classic brooke davis event. the limo arrives at a cute boutique, one you know from your time as brooke’s best friend a little too well. you groan at the sight, but try to keep your dismay on the downlow to not ruin haley’s night. 

“okay so you’re married, obviously, which means you need cute lingerie,” brooke announces, scanning the racks while the other cheerleaders present spread throughout the store.     haley’s cheeks are flaming as she stutters out an excuse, but brooke shuts it down immediately.  “just go sit,” brooke pushes, “and we’ll model,” she finishes grabbing your wrist to drag you into the chaos. 

somehow, you end up in a skimpy lilac matching set that you’re meant to model in front of the entire cheer squad and haley. you hesitate in the changing room, scrutinizing yourself in the mirror. you look great, you know you do because you feel confident in the piece, but you can’t bring yourself to go out there. 

“alright! let’s see it,” brooke calls, opening the curtain to your dressing room. you freeze, hands covering your chest as if that will help, but brooke just gives you a knowing smile.   “damn,” she starts, “my best friend is hot!” your cheeks burn, and you give her a look through the mirror. “what?” she shrugs, “it’s true!” you look at her over your shoulder, hesitating for just a second before asking, “should i get it?” brooke gives you a deadpan stare, “are you kidding? absolutely!” you open your mouth to reply, but peyton and haley take that moment to walk over.  “wow you look great!” peyton compliments, leaning against the wall.  haley, a little flustered, nods her head in agreement.  “and it’s lilac, paige’s favorite,” peyton teases, and your cheeks heat up even more.  haley’s eyes widen, and then a devious smile takes over her face, “oh you are so getting that!” “haley!” you seethe, while brooke and peyton laugh.  “what? if i’m walking out with a set for nathan, you’re leaving with a set for paige.” you groan, reaching for the curtain to take the item off.  “so you’re getting it?” brooke teases.  you throw your head back, hoping that your lack of verbal response is enough. 

later that night you and paige reconnect. she’s laying on her side in your bed, blue eyes watching you as she recounts her crazy night: tim’s failed stripper, the rivercourt boys and their keg, tim’s arrest, and the scott brothers' reconciliation. you laugh at some parts, and smack her shoulder when she jokes about the two attractive female cops. 

“so how was the bachelorette party?” she asks, when you’ve finally calmed down. you cover your face with your hands, mumbling about not wanting to talk about it.  she laughs, “okay but what’d you buy?”  your cheeks flame for what feels like the millionth time that night, and you shake your head: “nothing.” 

paige sits up on the bed, walking over to the bag sitting on your desk. you jump up, rushing to grab the item out of her hands before she can see it. the tissue paper crinkles as she holds the bag above your head, a cocky smile on her face as she throws a jab at your height. you keep trying, however, to steal the bag back, which only fuels her curiosity. finally, she pulls the tissue paper out, coming face to face with the lilac lingerie. your face is scalding hot, and you use her shock to your advantage, grabbing the bag from her hands. it’s quiet between the two of you, but paige breaks the silence:

“that’s my favorite color,” she whispers. you gulp before muttering, “i know.” the silence returns, but only for a moment.  “fuck,” she whispers quietly, “i bet you look so hot in that.”    “want me to show you?” you offer shyly. now it’s paige’s turn to gulp, and she nods eagerly. “fuck yeah. baby please.” 

you put the piece on, and despite the anxiety in your chest as you step out of your closet, paige’s reaction makes it all worth it. she lets out a low breath, her hands fisting her sweatpants to keep herself grounded. you step in between her open legs, and she easily takes a hold of your waist, pulling you close. 

“fuck babe, you look so hot,” she groans, eyes raking over your body. “do you like it?” you ask softly, trying to see if she’s being honest, or just saying what you want to hear.    paige throws her head back, “i fucking love it. you look so sexy in purple.” 

you smile softly, wrapping your arms around her shoulders as she pulls you down onto her lap. paige watches you for a moment, before her lips brush against yours. you reciprocate the kiss eagerly. her hands stay planted on your hips, holding you in place, while your fingers curl into her loose curls. the kiss quickly turns heated, and before you know it, paige has you laying on your back while she hovers above. 

“wanna fuck you so bad,” she whispers, lips trailing over your exposed skin.  you gasp at her words, arching into her as your fingers dig into her shoulders. “paige please,” you whine.   “yeah baby? you want it?” she asks, voice low and cocky as she sucks on your neck.  “please,” you breathe, finally meeting her blue eyes.  paige nods, her nose nudging yours softly, before getting to work. 

when you’re both spent, laying next to each other on the bed, paige turns to look at you. your chest is rising and falling rapidly as you try and catch your breath, but you meet her gaze with a soft smile. a cocky smirk takes over her face as she brushes her fingers across your collarbone. she thumbs at the marks left behind by her lips, and whispers:

“remind me to thank brooke the next time i see her.”  you shove her shoulder and scoff in return.  

the next time you and paige run into brooke, she is not in the mood for compliments. it’s right before first period on a monday, and the head cheerleader is going off about her new nextdoor neighbor, who manages to be both hot and annoying. 

“and he thinks he’s so charming, but he’s not. i know he’s not,” brooke complains.  you nod your head in support, while paige just stands there, her arm casually wrapped around your shoulders. “talking about me already brooke? we only slept together last night,” a guy says, with a cocky smirk on his face as he slides into the open space next to said girl. 

brooke’s face is so red, and her glare could basically put him in a grave, but the guy is more focused on you than anything else. he takes a moment to look you up and down, eyes focusing on your low-rise jeans and the small portion of your exposed midriff. your face scrunches up in disgust, and paige loudly clears her throat, getting the guy’s attention. he finally seems to notice the blonde, and looks eagerly between the two of you. 

“i’m felix,” he introduces, trying to be smooth.  you give him a fake smile, while paige snaps, “and we’re not interested,” before kissing your cheek.   “lesbians,” he says, “well, there’s a first time for everything.”  you open your mouth to respond, but paige beats you to it: “brooke, maybe next time you want to hook up, pick someone who isn’t interested in other people.”

despite felix leaving a bad taste in your mouth, brooke continues to associate with him. she pretends it’s because he’s her neighbor, but you and paige know the truth: she’s trying to fill a lucas-sized void. being associated with only brooke isn’t enough for felix, however, as he organizes a dare night, managing to rope the entire friend group into it. the premise is simple, the girls (plus felix), will compete against the boys in various dares. each completed dare is worth a point, and the team with the most points at the end of the night wins. 

while you and paige exchange nervous glances, tim readily agrees. normally, that wouldn’t push you to follow, but when peyton and haley also decide to join in on the fun, you feel obligated to say yes. somehow, you and paige manage to stay partners, which definitely eases your nerves about the whole thing. then, your dare doesn’t seem all that bad: take pictures with a stranger in a photobooth. 

“i can do it,” you suggest, looking between paige and the card.  paige shakes her head, “this is stupid. let’s just take the pictures together.”  “but then our team will lose, cause we’re not following the dare,” you say.  paige shrugs. “who cares about this stupid dare night anyway? besides, if we take the pictures, i’ll put them in my gym locker.” you smile softly at her words, tugging on her hand as a signal for her to lower down to your level. “you’re such a softie, paigey,” you tease, kissing her cheek, which burns bright red.  “shut up and get in the booth,” she grumbles, pushing you towards it.

the photobooth is tight as you and paige try to squeeze inside. the bench is small, and paige’s tall frame takes up most of the space, so you end up sitting halfway on her lap. paige throws an arm over your shoulder, holding you close as the timer starts to count down for the first photo, which features both of you smiling at the camera. you don’t notice that paige is holding up a peace sign, until the next countdown begins. you laugh a little which is captured in the next shot: you giggling while paige stares at you fondly. for the third and final photo, you cup her cheek, placing a quick kiss on her lips as the flash goes off. the two of you stay in that moment for longer than necessary. even when the automated voice informs you that the pictures are printed and your time is up. eventually, the robot gets annoying, and you pull away from the blonde. 

“i love you,” you whisper, resting your forehead against hers.  “i love you more,” she answers, squeezing your thigh as you slide out of the crammed space. 

since the two of you elected to not complete the dare, you feel like it’s best if you just head to karen’s cafe, where everyone will be meeting to tally up the points. when you get there, you show haley and peyton the photo strip, who gush over it, before you explain that neither of you actually followed the dare. felix, who can’t seem to let you or paige get away with anything, decides to give you a new dare right there in the cafe. 

“i dare you guys to make out,” he starts, “right now.” your face scrunches up in disgust, and paige scoffs at his words. “what are you, a voyeur?” she asks.  felix chuckles, throwing his hands up in fake surrender, “im just saying. you two didn’t exactly follow the rules.”  “and i’m just warning you to watch yourself,” paige snaps, jaw clenched tight as you intertwine your fingers to try and calm her down.  “what’s wrong bueckers, scared everyone will see you’re not a good kisser?” he taunts.  “that’s enough, felix,” you snap, eyebrows furrowed as you glare at him.  “just a thought. if you ever want a good time, you know where to find me,” felix says with a wink. 

nathan and lucas both scoff, looking like they want to intervene, but it proves unnecessary as paige kisses you. her lips press to yours with a fervor you've only experienced after a lost game, or when she’s angry. your mouth parts, and her tongue easily slides in as she takes control of the kiss, hands holding your waist to pull you closer. you melt into her hold, your free hand tangling in the base of her ponytail. when she breaks away, giving you a chance to catch your breath, paige fixes her gaze on felix.

“that’s the last time you’re gonna talk to my girlfriend,” paige warns, before leading you out of the cafe.

the days following dare night are tense. paige is angry with herself for falling for felix’s tricks and tactics. she stooped to his level, which is painfully hard for her to admit. at the same time, she’s also angry with brooke, who has been spending more and more time with felix, despite the proof that he’s obviously not a good guy. paige’s anger, however, becomes justified when she finds you staring at your locker in horror on monday morning. 

there are tears in your eyes as you look at the word spray painted across the metal. you’re clutching your backpack strap, and while you try to pretend it doesn’t bother you, your mind wanders to a time at a cheerleading competition when someone had something to say about your sexuality. you haven’t felt this small in years, and you can’t help the overwhelming hurt and embarrassment as everyone watches. 

paige, seeing your lip tremble, marches over. she shields your view of the locker, pulling you into her chest as she scans the hallways for the culprit. her jaw clenches, and her eyes narrow when she notices felix looking a little too smug. at this point, the whole friend group is there to assess the damage, so paige hands you off to brooke, who is already talking about washing it off and making the culprit’s life hell. 

before she can stop herself, paige walks over to felix, shoving him against his locker with her elbow at his throat. there are some gasps, and paige is pretty sure nathan is trying to pull her off the other boy, but she doesn’t let up. 

“you think this shit is funny?” she seethes, voice low.  felix doesn’t answer, and paige tightens her hold on him. “i asked you a question,” she continues. “no,” he chokes out.  “what is going on here?” principal turner asks, finally arriving on the scene.  “you’re lucky,” paige mutters, letting nathan pull her back. “you stay the fuck away from my girlfriend,” she adds, before going back to your side to comfort you. 

after school, you and paige are sitting in her car. she’s white knuckling the wheel, even though the car is still in park. her jaw, which you’re sure hasn’t unclenched since the whole incident, is tight as her blue eyes stare ahead. all day you’ve been dealing with it; the stares and the whispers. most people were sympathetic, or a little angry, but not everyone. really, all you want to do is curl up in a ball and cry, but you know that will destroy paige.  

“talk to me,” paige whispers, after taking a deep breath.  her right hand leaves the staring wheel, and settles on your thigh as you meet her gaze. your shoulders shrug, and paige clicks her tongue. “i’ll kill him,” she mutters.  “paige,” you start, taking her hand between both of yours.  “you know i will. nathan and lucas too,” she continues. “maybe we can finally use that scott name for good, huh?” she teases, eliciting a small giggle from you. “we don’t even know if felix did it,” you reply, meeting her gaze, which has finally softened.  paige scoffs now, “i know he did it. he’s a dick.”

your bottom lip wobbles as you’re overcome with emotion. paige, who’s so willing to fight for you and protect you, makes you feel safe. the tears are falling before you even realize what’s happening, but she’s right there, cupping your cheeks and brushing them away. you let out a strained laugh, sniffling as paige rests her forehead against yours. 

“i feel stupid for crying,” you confess.  “babe,” she starts, but you keep talking.  “i’m not ashamed of who i am. i don’t think i ever was, and especially now that i have you, how could i be? but seeing that spray painted on my locker…i hurt.” paige swallows, her own eyes welling up with tears as she looks at you, “i am so sorry.” “it’s not your fault,” you reply, and there’s sincerity in your words.  “i hate that i couldn’t protect you. i hate that you’re crying. i hate that you’re hurt,” she explains, placing gentle kisses along your face as she talks.  “and i hate that principal turner is a moron,” she finishes, and you laugh again. 

there’s a moment of silence in the car, where you and paige just look at each other. it doesn’t feel forced or heavy like you expect it too. instead, the quiet feel grounding. you have paige by your side, and that’s all you can really ask for at a time like this. she cares about you, so much, and despite everything with the vandalism, she’s not running away. she’s not worried about her image or what this could do for her basketball future; she’s worried about you. 

“i love you,” you whisper, breaking the silence.  paige leans in and kisses you, soft and slow. when she finally drags her lips away, she replies, “i love you too.”  

after all the felix drama, you decide that a day out with your friends is exactly what you need; something to remind you that people aside from paige love you too. so, when peyton mentions going to the tree hill cd store, you readily agree. peyton, a known music lover, is looking to add to her collection while also searching for a musical act for her all-ages night at a club. the act falls into her hands on the form of chris keller, the cocky and very annoying cashier at the cd store. turns out he’s also an indie artist, who is more than willing to offer his services to peyton. his cocky attitude, however, causes peyton to storm out of the store, leaving you behind holding onto a cd for paige. 

“what’s up with her?” he asks, disbelief in his voice.  you give him a deadpanned stare, but place the cd on the counter.  he looks it over, before a cocky smile takes shape on his face. “the killers. you listened to this album yet?” he asks, leaning over the counter to meet your gaze.  “no,” you mumble, fumbling around in your bag for some money, “only a couple songs on the radio.”  chris smiles, “it’s a good album.”  you smile back, holding out the cash for him to ring you out, “i’m sure. my girlfriend likes them.”  his smile drops for just a second, but then it comes right back as he gives you a once over, “she has good taste.” you laugh at his blatant flirting, shaking your head. “i know,” you respond.  now he laughs, before handing you the money back. “it’s on me. a little gift for your girlfriend,” he says, sliding the cd your way.  “what? i can pay,” you argue, but he refuses to take your money.  “just tell her chris keller sent it,” he says, throwing in a wink as you laugh one more time before exiting the store. 

during your conversation, paige finds herself outside the store. she was going on a run, when she spotted you inside. except, when she went to open the door, paige was met with the view of you laughing with the employee. he’s looking you up and down, blatantly flirting, but you don’t seem to care. paige, who knows you’re loyal to her, finds herself filled with jealousy. while it’s irrational, the anger at this man for flirting with you refuses to simmer down. it carries over into the immediate run in with you, when you step outside. her blue eyes are fixed on chris keller, contrasting you’re excited smile.

“what’s wrong?” you ask, taking her hand in yours. “who was that?” she asks, finally meeting your eyes. “chris keller? i don’t know, he works at the music store,” you explain, shouldering your purse. “chris keller? since when do employees give out their names to customers?” she responds. “i don’t know paige, but he gave me the killers cd for free, which i got for you by the way,” you explain, holding up the cd with a small smile like it will fix all your problems.  she scoffs, “unbelievable.”  your smile drops, “what’s your problem?” you snap. “he was flirting with you!” she shouts.  “so what? i told him i have a girlfriend, and i’m not interested anyways,” you answer. “you always do that,” she seethes.  “do what?” you ask, genuinely confused.  “let people flirt with you like we’re not together,” she shouts, face reddening as she gets angrier. you cross your arms, an annoyed and slightly hurt look taking over your face. “paige, people can flirt all they want, but it doesn’t matter because i only want you,” you explain.  “it should matter to you. just like this relationship should matter to you!” paige shouts. 

you know she’s angry, but those words hit harder than you expected. you blink, furiously trying to will the tears away. you know she doesn’t mean it -- she knows you care about this relationship -- but that doesn’t make the accusation hurt any less. you shove the cd her way, and she takes it, before you step away from her. 

“this relationship does matter to me, a lot,” you say, voice wavering.  hearing your voice crack seems to bring her out of this angry trance. paige reaches for you, but you put a hand up, stopping her.  “i’ll see you when you can realize that too,” you say, before walking away. 

a couple nights later, haley is hosting a sleepover at her apartment. she invited both you and paige, but neither of you show. while paige is friendly with the girls, she was only going for your sake. now that the two of you are fighting, however, she doesn’t even bother; they’re your friends, not hers. plus, paige knows she screwed up. it’s obvious that you care about the relationship -- you’ve never given her a reason to doubt you -- but she let her jealousy get the best of her that day with chris keller. she’s never even spoken to the guy, and he already pushes all of her buttons. it’s annoying. she knows she needs to make it right, so she goes to your house (because paige knows you, and if she’s overthinking, then you definitely are too). 

“hey,” she greets, standing in your bedroom doorway. 

you’re lying on your bed, in nothing but an oversized shirt and sleep shorts. it’s obvious that you weren’t expecting to see her tonight. paige understands. she waits patiently, hands in her pockets, for you to acknowledge her. 

“you didn’t go to the sleepover?” you ask, climbing off your bed to stand up.  she snorts, shaking her head before answering, “i should be asking you that. they’re your friends, not mine.” you roll your eyes, claiming, “brooke likes you. and haley.” “yeah but they like you more,” she responds before clearing her throat and adding, “plus i don’t really like myself right now.”  you sigh, crossing your arms, but you don’t say anything in return. “i’m sorry for what i said the other day, outside the cd store. i shouldn’t have said any of that. i know this doesn’t make up for what i said, but i needed you to know,” she explains.  you sigh again, taking a tentative step closer to her, “i’m sorry too. i knew he was flirting with me, but i just didn’t care because i am so hopelessly in love with you paige, why would it matter if some loser from the cd store thinks i’m attractive?” “it doesn’t,” paige replies, “because you’re mine and i’m yours. i just got so wrapped up in my jealousy that i forgot that for a second.” 

now you’re standing right in front of her, a small smile on your face as you poke her abdomen. paige looks at you shyly. her hands are still in her pockets, and you can tell she doesn’t know what to say or do after being so vulnerable with you. so, you take the lead. 

“i forgive you, by the way,” you whisper.  she smiles, looking around your room to avoid eye contact, “me too.” then she confesses, “i hate when we fight.”  you let out a small laugh, nodding your head in agreement. “want to stay?” you ask, pointing towards your unmade bed.  “i thought you’d never ask,” she answers, taking your hand as you lead her towards the furniture. 

the next few weeks go smoothly for you and paige, despite the tension within your friend group. you and paige attend formal as a couple, which doesn’t surprise anyone, even when you show up in matching black dresses. what most people do find surprising, is that haley arrives late, leaving nathan alone for most of the night. the tension in their relationship only worsens as haley prioritizes her passion for music over nathan, all while keeping her emails with chris keller a secret. nathan truly begins to spiral, however, when haley decides to leave tree hill to go on tour with chris keller. 

“if i ever see keller, he’s dead,” nathan says, storming into paige’s room unannounced. paige’s eyebrows furrow as she looks at you for an explanation, but you just shrug. “why?” she asks. “he’s flirting with haley!” nathan shouts, throwing his hands up as he starts to pace the length of the room. “through email! and now they’re going on tour together! can you believe this shit?” he continues ranting.  “i mean yes,” paige mumbles, and you hit her shoulder. “what? he tried to flirt with you at the cd store!” she argues.  “i hate this guy!” nathan finishes, sitting on paige’s bed.  “yeah us too,” you agree. 

there is some good news though, brooke ends up winning student council president. you’re excited for her because she’s a great leader, and you know she’ll do well in the role. at the same time, peyton and jake jagelski, who left tree hill after his crazy ex was going after his daughter, are getting into a relationship too. 

“he’s cute,” you whisper to peyton one afternoon in class. her eyebrows furrow, “aren’t you gay?” “yes,” you reply, “but game recognizes game.”  that gets her to laugh. 

while all this is happening, the school decides to make a time capsule, which won’t be opened until fifty years from now. the idea is that the students at tree hill high will all confess something, good or bad, for the future generations to see. it’s nerve-wracking, and you’re not really sure what you’re going to talk about, but when you sit in front of the camera, you easily pour your heart out.

“my biggest fear is that everyone will leave me behind,” you confess.  “everyone has something their good at. paige, nathan, and lucas all have basketball, and i know they’ll go pro one day. haley has her music, so she’ll probably be a famous popstar. i mean she basically already is one. peyton…i could see her running a record label or a chain of clubs across the us. brooke will be a fashion designer, and mouth will probably be running espn before we’re out of college,” you confess, in a happy but also sad tone.  “then there’s me,” you whisper, “and i’m not good at anything but being paige’s girlfriend.”

when you step out of the dark room, with a smile plastered on your face, nobody suspects a thing. paige pulls you under her arm, kissing your cheek before entering. she takes a seat on the wooden stool, her shoulders falling as she takes a deep breath and makes eye contact with the camera. 

“in fifty years,” paige starts, “i’ll be married to (y/n). honestly, i’d probably marry her now, but i know that’s not what we need. i’m sure i’ll have a good college career, maybe even a better pro one, but none of it will matter if she’s not by my side. i love her so much, and she’s so brilliant that i want her to shine too. i can’t predict the future, everytime i imagine it she’s there with me, with all my championship trophies too.” 

after the time capsule, things become semi-normal again. haley is still on tour, but everyone is adjusting to her absence. well, everyone except nathan. he starts acting out, in ways that nobody expects. when his uncle cooper, a race car driver, allows him to drive on the track, nathan gets into a huge accident. it leaves everybody reeling, especially paige and lucas, but the most surprising part is that haley doesn’t even reach out. 

“she didn’t even text him,” you whisper, sitting in the waiting room chairs. paige’s jaw clenches, and she stares at the white wall ahead of her.  “i don’t know what’s going on with her. this isn’t like haley,” you finish as the nurse calls you two in.  “what’s going on is haley james got a taste of fame,” paige grumbles.  she immediately drops the attitude, however, to talk to nathan, or rather yell at him.  “the fuck were you thinking? crashing into the wall!”  “it was an accident, paige,” nathan replies, and he seems genuine.  “don’t give me that! it’s because of her, isn’t it?” paige continues, and you rest a hand on her forearm to calm her down.  “look paige, i don’t expect you to understand, cause your relationship is perfect,” nathan snaps.  “you could have died nathan!” she cries with clenched fists and tears in her eyes. “you could have died in that car,” she whispers, voice shaky.  you step back to leave, but paige clutches your hand in hers, forcing you to stay.  nathan swallows, “i’m sorry.”  “you’re my best friend, and i didn’t even know you were hurting until the accident,” she cries. nathan is quiet, but he reaches for paige’s other hand, giving it a squeeze.  “i’m sorry,” he repeats.  paige nods, “get some rest. we’ll talk when you’re out. for now, i’m glad you’re okay.”

the one thing you’re taking from junior year: things in tree hill are changing fast, even within your friend group. this feeling is only amplified when brooke explains her summer plans to you. 

“i’m leaving,” brooke confesses one day while hanging around your house. “okay. i’ll see you tomorrow,” you reply, getting up to walk her out. “no,” she replies, “i’m leaving tree hill. i just need a break from everything,” she explains. “what?” you ask. “i can’t stay here. not with all the lucas drama, and without my parents it’s too hard,” she answers softly. “so stay here! my parents won’t care,” you argue, trying not to cry.  she shakes her head, “i can’t. i need to go.” “brooke,” you start, but she just pulls you into a tight hug.  the two of you stay wrapped up in each other’s arms for a long time, longer than you ever have, but eventually she pulls away. “we’ll be okay,” she promises, “besides you have paige, who is totally obsessed with you, as a distraction.” that elicits a small laugh from you as you wipe your nose before saying, “she’s my girlfriend, not a distraction.” “ugh same thing,” brooke teases, a playful smile on her face.  you sit in silence for a minute, but then she squeezes your hand, “don’t miss me too much, okay?” “impossible. you’re brooke penelope davis,” you argue, a small smile on your face to mask your hurt.  “okay now i’m gonna cry, and my makeup looks too good for that,” she jokes, but her voice is watery.  “i love you brooke. don’t forget about me,” you whisper, hugging her one last time.  

[andi-rigby]

PLEASE COVER RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE. I cannot stress enough how much people who have read and loved-- or even sort of enjoyed-- RWRB need to avoid that movie like the goddamn plague.

Don't watch the movie.

Don't even look it up. It's on Amazon Prime Video and is an Amazon Original. Don't look it up. Don't watch it. It's not fucking worth it.

For those of you who haven't read it, Red White and Royal Blue is a really cute MLM story about the son of a girlboss lady US president and the second son of the king of England. If you like MLM romance, it's a really good one. MLM rivals to lovers. Accidents and shenanigans. Bisexual awakening. It's GOOD SHIT. It's really really good. The audiobook is well done, too.

If you loved Red White and Royal Blue, I implore you to buy another copy of the book, or borrow it from your local library a few times, or buy the audiobook... because the movie horrifically misrepresented the entire core theme of the story.

The moral of the book is: it's okay not to come out until you're ready, even if "when you're ready" is "never". This is, ostensibly, also the moral of the movie, except that the movie completely fucks it up and the result is that the moral of the movie is it's okay to out your partner if you think they can handle it. I'll have to spoil some huge plot points so the rest of this rant is going under the cut.

In both versions of the story, Prince Henry is gay and still in the closet because he's, you know, the prince of England. He's not ready to come out. He and Alex have many, many discussions in which Henry explicitly says "I don't know if I'll ever be ready" and Alex tells him "it's okay, I won't say anything, it's okay if you're not ready now or ever". This is a CORE FEATURE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

After their private correspondence is leaked to the public, Henry and Alex are immediately banned from communicating with each other. They get their phones, laptops, tablets-- everything is taken away and they're not allowed to speak to anyone digitally but most importantly they can't talk to each other. The only news they have of each other is third hand through their PR people, while said PR people are trying to decide how best to go about managing the "scandal" (the boys wrote some unequivocally, unambigously gay shit to each other, and Henry's sexuality is still very much a secret even from his family).

This is where the two stories diverge.

In the books, Alex convinces his PR people to fly him overseas to see Henry in person. He shows up and has to practically swordfight the butler to let him see Henry (who's like, depressed in bed and shit, understandably). They get some time to talk alone together about the whole email leak and everything, and Henry tells Alex "I don't want to hide any more. I'm ready." Alex then makes like ABSOLUTELY sure Henry's ABSOLUTELY sure about this (it isn't exactly something you can put back in the box once it's out).

Alex gets immediately whisked back to the US--seriously they had like half an hour together but the important part is that they did in fact talk to each other--because he has to give a speech at a rally, like, the next day. During this speech--and with Henry's express permission that he got when they talked in person--Alex states that none of it is fake, it's all real, and yes they're in a relationship, etc. He then goes on to do a heartwarming little spiel about how if Henry had not been ready to reveal this part of himself, this speech would be very different, etc.

This is not how the movie goes.

In the movie, Henry and Alex are not permitted to talk to each other after the email leak, AND Alex doesn't fly overseas prior to his speech.

In the movie, Alex outs Henry during his speech without ever having the chance to speak to him and confirm that Henry is ready or that this is okay with Henry.

They don't even do any kind of third hand PR middleman note passing. There is no conversation between Henry and Alex. For all Alex knows in the movie, Henry still isn't ready to come out when he gives the speech that outs Henry.

And then

AND THEN

After the speech, Alex is allowed to see Henry and the movie NEVER ADDRESSES THE FACT THAT ALEX LITERALLY OUTED HENRY WITHOUT EVER TALKING TO HIM.

So anyway. Don't watch the movie. I watched it and I loved it until I realized what had happened and then I went back and left a SCATHING one star review that I am pretty sure got content moderated and never posted, so any time anyone brings up the book or the movie I go on a fucking rant because of how fucking horribly executed the fucking movie was.

Books by Queer Authors that Have Been Adapted for the Screen

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

This is an incomplete and ever growing list. Which book-movie pairing should we cover on the podcast?

[rocketbirdie]

it looks and sounds just like you, but,

[peace-hunter]

tfone au where OP is created as the last of the primes but way after them, a sparkling born at what were thought to be the last days of the war against the quintessons, the beginning of a new generation of peace after eons of war. a child meant to be loved and raised knowing nothing of war nor sacrifice.

he's kept mostly out of the spotlight by his siblings, who don't wish to expose him to everyone's optics so young, and want to wait until the war is done and over to properly introduce him to their people.

except of course the primes are betrayed and murdered by sentinel, the war is lost and everyone who knows and cared for the truth is either banished or outright killed in order to suppress it.

and the high guard, the ones the primes trusted the most, the ones that were supposed to protect them, the ones who failed in their most important duty, have to make a choice. to take the last prime, their last hope, with them to the surface, a hostile environment where there's little to no supplies and where they'll be hunted down by both sentinel and the quintessons as the biggest threat to their regimen.

or hide him in plain sight. place him where sentinel won't think to look for him. one more sparkling among many. and hope it will be enough to keep him alive. pray to primus that he'll protect his last child long enough for them to come back for him when it's safer (even if most of them have already lost their faith on him when he allowed the rest of his children to be massacred like that)

they almost lose their resolve when they realize they will have to take the little one's cog away in order to make him blend in with the rest of the newborns (and oh do they burn with murderous intent when they see what sentinel has done to their people but it's not the time yet-) but in the end they decide an impaired little prime is better than a dead one.

and so in the chaos of thirteen dead primes and a sudden energon crisis, a little sparkling who very few mechs really knew about and even fewer had seen completely vanishes. and in the depths of iacon a mech in charge of a new batch of newborns scratches their helm in confusion as they realize they must have miscounted the first time.

optimus prime is quietly erased from any official records by sentinel, written off as dead when they find a sparkling's frame mangled beyond recognition after an attack on the base of those rebels that insist on being a thorn on his side. killing the sparkling hadn't been precisely in his plans, he probably could've found some use for it after all, but he's not particularly upset about it either.

and orion pax grows up with an ache on his spark that tells him he's missing something far more important than a t-cog and dreams of gentle and loving hands, cradling him against the frames of mechs he cannot recall the faces of.

[kit-screams-into-the-future]

another post for @bttfjanaury! this one's @itsthemorph's mermarty au and very predictably i got carried away with it LMAO.

yap session and bonus stuff below the cut:

once again i came up with an entire backstory for this au, and if i were a fanfiction writer i would genuinely consider writing it since it's a lot less visually comedic than the weredoc au (and comedic in general, it's played a little straighter than "man turns into dog and is thoroughly inconvenienced by it") (unfortunate [in reference to visuals] bc i enjoy drawing mermarty a great deal more than weredoc GBJKGJ) bc i really like the premise but i'm pretty bad at fleshing out a narrative in enough detail to last the whole story so bullet points it is:

doc has decided to take a break from his time-travel-related research and go on vacation! the fresh coastal air might jostle a couple ideas into place, and while he is a nuclear physicist and not a marine biologist he wouldn't mind checking out some of the local aquatic life

and by local aquatic life he meant like normal fish and stuff. a nice mollusk or two even. so when he ends up fishing an entire boy out of the water instead he's understandably very shocked

before doc can move past the "where did he come from??" thought to register his more fish-like qualities, the boy makes a run (a swim?) for it. fortunately or unfortunately for doc, he ends up being able to register the fish-like qualities after all since he gets dragged into the water along with him. the moment doesn't last too long, though, and the fish-boy is gone as soon as doc realizes the guy has a fish tail instead of legs

doc gets back on the dock (haha), thinks about the whole ordeal for a bit, and decides that the best course of action is just to assume he hallucinated the whole thing in a fit of heatstroke or something like that. he's here to relax and get his thoughts in order so he can continue working on his time machine! there's no time to investigate fairy-tale creatures or whatever supposedly living off the coast of california!

it's not shown in the comic but i imagine doc has a little portable radio next to him as he was fishing, so some time passes before he catches a glimpse of something shining in the water underneath the dock

he looks through the cracks in the dock and lo and behold, it's the same boy from earlier! doc greets him, and the boy immediately disappears under the water. doc thinks he's scared him off until a few minutes later where he pokes his head out and says hi back

they get to chatting and doc learns a couple things:

1. his name is marty!

2. he was trying to get doc to realize that he forgot to put bait on his hook but got his hand caught on it, and was trying to get his hand unstuck from the hook without ripping it open before doc ever had the chance to see him, which he obviously failed at

3. both the being seen and ripping his hand open, because in his haste to get away after being seen by doc he ended up doing that anyways. so there's like a lot of blood coming out of his hand now? but like don't worry about it. it'll be fine. he thinks.

4. he really likes whatever it is that's playing on the radio

doc insists on patching up his hand and initially marty refuses but lets him do it eventually, and marty tells doc that for a land dweller he's actually surprisingly nice. doc says nah anyone would want to help out someone hurt, especially if they're the one's who caused it. and marty's kind of confused by that because his family's always warned him of how dangerous humans are, which he kind of never thought too hard about until now where his time off this particular coast has really proven them correct, because he's encountered a bunch of humans over the past couple weeks and they've all tried to kill him or catch him. doc's the only one who's actually bothered to say hi!

after learning that particular not-at-all-concerning tidbit, doc asks him to elaborate because there's a lot to unpack over there, but someone else walks onto the dock before marty can get a word in and he takes off

marty does not return, even once the other guy leaves, and when doc packs it up to return to the place he rented out for the vacation he overhears a conversation among a group of men about spotting something weird in the water earlier and that it kind of looked like a mermaid? and that if any of them manage to catch it they'll all be rich as thieves. and another guy in the convo goes no you're thinking of rich as kings, you're mixing it up with a different analogy. and the first guy goes no i'm not i said what i said

so now this vacation is doing anything but clearing doc's mind. he's really worried about that little fish guy

there's a couple more ideas i had but halfway through writing out this bullet list i've realized that if i were to actually write this as a fanfiction, i'd probably want to keep those a surprise. so what i just wrote out is kind of the equivalent of one chapter

edit after thinking about it a bit more: since most humans have been trying to kill him, marty really has no incentive to let a guy know that he's wasting his time fishing with a baitless hook. so a. he's still pretty optimistic that most humans aren't out to get him, even if his experience off this particular coast says otherwise, so he was trying to be nice anyway or b. (which i think is a lot funnier) he has started to pull on people's lines as a way to fuck with them. i think if i wrote this i'd change it to this one

i based mermarty off of a guppy fish! specifically this kind of guppy fish:

i was searching up kinds of fish and he just had the vibe of this thing. although now i think i should've made him a flying fish instead. for the pun

alternate ending to the mini comic:

the other one makes a little more sense since just approaching a guy whose species doesn't know about your existence unprompted is pretty stupid even for marty (and also i thought it was funny that the hook didn't have anything but doc ends up catching something anyways) but i still think this one's funny too

[morninkim]

As a show of good faith toward the remaining Decepticons at the beginning of a new, united Cybertron, newly appointed Senators Bumblebee and Soundwave allowed Shatter and Dropkick to enlist into Autobot City's Defense Team.

These two turned out to be... not the best choices.

The city may have fallen to Insurgent Decepticon occupation had it not been for young recruits Hot Rod and Arcee's accidental interception of Shatter's communication with the fugitive Starscream.

To replace the errant Defense Team members, Springer and Blurr were reassigned from Iacon to Autobot City in their stead.

[s0fter-sin]

it’s wild that raphael never found out that the “prophet” he was protecting was actually god. like he was the highest ranking angel that was in favour of destroying humanity, he’s the one who was certain god was dead bc why else would he have abandoned them, and after michael and lucifer are trapped in the cage, it’s raphael who leads the civil war to try and restart the apocalypse

he is the most outwardly hurt, the most humanly hurt, by god’s abandonment despite seemingly having the least connection with him - and his creation - of all the archangels. yet it’s raphael god either assigns to himself as his protector, his one son who he would conceivably interact with again, or it’s some divine irony that raphael, the one who feels god’s abandonment the most, was actually within reach the entire time and chuck never cared enough to tell him

[king-spite]

i know the red queen tv show is now less likely to happen than katy perry going to space BUT if it DOES happen i think they should pull a rhaenicent and make elara and coriane have a failed tragic homoerotic friendship before becoming "rivals". nevermind what actually happens in the books. i think that would save me actually

[phoenix-art-official]

dont ask me why i made this, its all my hand felt like producing

[longagoitwastuesday]

I am liking Jujutsu Kaisen, way more than I imagined I would, but I foresee it will let me down and it's keeping me from enjoying this as much as I could haha

I think the characters and dynamics are well set, and I think many of them have an incredibly good and deep potential, but I would be willing to bet they'll not get a proper development, enough for them to really hit. A well assembled set of gears is not enough to make the movement go, you have to wind the clockwork.

I think Gojo and Megumi have a fascinating and very complex dynamic, but I doubt it will be given the time and care that imo it needs to actually work. And it is going well enough for now! One could see the intimacy between them was deeper than the one Gojo had with, say, Yuji and Nobara ever since the very first few episodes despite the fact Fushiguro too was a first year. But the pieces forming what they have are extremely complex, and it just wouldn't be realistic if it doesn't show, even if in a not showing way, or if it doesn't have consequences or implications.

It's one of those dynamics that shape one's life, the way one regards the world, the way one establishes or not relationships with other people. It's one of those dynamics that could be full of fondness, gratitude, resentment, admiration, trust, and that imply intimacy, the good kind or the bad, even if in just the knowledge of someone who's been a constant through your life. It could, and would, imply a myriad of feelings, and probably in such a mix it could imply contradictory feelings too. Even the nothingness would weight, even the nothingness would be significant and meaningful.

Gojo took Megumi and his sister under his wing, the son of a man who murdered him, because of both selfish and selfless reasons. Megumi looks like Toji. What does Gojo feel about this? How does Gojo deal with this? How does Gojo go about taking care of Megumi? Would he walk him to school? Make him breakfast? Celebrate his birthdays making him blow candles? Did he take him to the zoo? Does the relationship between them feel professional or is it something more? Gojo appreciates his students, but is Megumi to him just another student? When Gojo faces Sukuna in Megumi's body, did he see the kid he raised, or does he just see Sukuna in one of his students' body? Did he have one faint wavering instant? And how does Megumi feel about this? Is he resentful of him? Resentful of the situation? Of the selfishness behind his actions? Does he feel like a pawn? Is he grateful? Does he resent feeling grateful? Would he rather not? Does he love Gojo? Does he feel nothing about him other than what he could feel about a teacher that sort of annoys him but knows he's reliable in his strength? Does he think it unfair, cruel or unfeeling that Gojo is close, closer perhaps, with Yuuji or Yuta, considering their story? When Sukuna slices Gojo in two, does the remnants of Megumi's soul tremble?

And not just Megumi and Gojo. Yuuji and Nanami, Gojo and Nanami, Yuuji and Fushiguro, Nobara and the boys, or Nobara and Maki, Todo and Yuuji or Yuta, Gojo and Yuta, Megumi and his sister. Gojo and Geto, even! If the pieces are well set, the dynamics are intriguing, interesting, and have potential to be deep, but then the characters have like two plot relevant scenes that punch you hard, but little more, it's not nearly enough. Especially not nearly enough for the enormity that is shonen dynamics and situations. And the potential existing at all, and then not delivering, makes it all the more frustrating when you're left with something mediocre that could have been so good.

The development of dynamics through not only a few plot relevant gut wrenching moving scenes, but also the smallness of life, is important. The friend who recommended this to me said that those things were just unnecessary filler, but I disagree. I think there's a big difference between a large amount of anime-only filler episodes whose existence is based on the fact they had run out of manga chapters to animate, and moments of quietness. The low stakes character-driven moments of quietness can be so telling and so insightful, and they are so satisfactory when brought back later in higher stakes situations. My friend teased me there was no scene of Gojo making breakfast to Megumi, that it would be an idiotic idea, but it would be so telling. How he makes breakfast, what they eat, if he tries hard or if it's all mechanised, if they have personal bowls or if they use whatever, if he just buys them some pastry on the way to school, if the way they have breakfast changes through the years, or if he doesn't make them breakfast at all! All that would be very insightful on their dynamic and its evolution. All that would give a glimpse on how they regard each other and why, even in the present. All that could become meaningful in tense situations and high stakes scenes.

These moments also let the plot breath; if a lot is happening all the time, if every character is always experiencing trauma after trauma, the entire story is so emotionally draining that at some point you don't even care all that much. Besides, these nothing moments or low stakes plot arcs, besides deepening and developing dynamics, also let some in-world time pass, which would make the intimacy and bond between characters more believable imo; between Yuuji eating Sukuna's finger and their last confrontation in December how much time has passed? A few months? Am I truly to believe these characters are so everything to each other in only a few months?

Without some smallness, some repetition, some daily life, some low stakes not plot-centric development, the dynamics don't hit, they don't truly feel fleshed out, and dynamics as complex as the ones Megumi and Gojo have, or as supposedly meaningful as the one Megumi has with Yuuji or his sister, should be fleshed out if they're going to exist at all. Otherwise they'd risk making the writing feel awkward and fake. Besides, if the dynamics felt well fleshed out and realistic, they would shape the way the characters interact and act, and how they deal with situations, thus being plot relevant.

The shonen genre has so much happening all the time, the stakes are so high, the dynamics are so rooted in big events and the relationships carry enormous weight and implications. Yet they barely get developed, and it feels so stupid, so plain, the absence of something so important noticeable like a constant void, a shapeless nothingness present in every scene. It makes the characters feel like cardboard figures. Jujutsu Kaisen is already getting a better job than many, but I doubt it will do enough for what I've heard, and I fear I am bound to feel let down, and bound to feel unmoved.

After all, if not enough time and care has been given to develop a dynamic, I am not going to feel pressured by the high stakes; if not enough time and care has been given to develop the dynamic between Megumi and Yuuji, as good potential as it has I am bound to feel little for this last confrontation between Sukuna and Itadori, and his effort in getting Megumi back.

[ljesaw]

it’s with depression that i fear i have to say, i think for a long time (too long really), zuko doesn’t reach out to his uncle during his retirement in ba sing se, not even for the much needed guidance he could use, because he considers it part of the exhaustive list of reparations the fire nation (and he himself) owes

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 4 :)

[itstimeforstarwars]

I feel like I've been seeing a lot more time loop posts lately but tbh I don't really mind. You know what they say about time loops and all...

[8cfc00]

augh who up feeling like they should be humanely euthanised for liking media the wrong way... sorry for fandomising certain characters but not fandomising others enough in the right way.

[mishkakagehishka]

stares at you. korka you like kny......?

I loooove kny so much i livetweeted about the final arc as it was going bc i got into it like just after s1 aired. I just never posted ab it bc i watched everything until infinity train, and then nothing bc i tend to lose interest for things if i have to wait too long for them. I restarted with it bc i suggested my bf to watch it with me, and he likes it so it was like "well might as well watch everything that came out til now" so now i've got someone to make sure i watch the final arc's adaptation when it comes out too🫡

But yeag. Kny. ♡ i actually really enjoyed it and the epilogue was very sweet. Cried too many times. Shed a tear again for Zenitsu a moment ago too.

[atlantis-just-drowned]

You know the movie is bad when it's supposed to be set in the early XXth century and they put pop-rock music at the gala