#i mean it's gonna be a summer time jump i'm assuming

[rainbow-arrow]

i do have hesitations towards this new art style for miraculous (as much as I made fun of the old one lol), but i'm withholding final opinion based on how much of an upgrade luka gets

[1onelypoet]

sweet tooth (for you) pt2 || lando norris smau

a/n: part 2 is doneeeee! thank u guys for all the reblogs n likes n comments, i love u all sm ❤️ it literally makes my day omg. anyways, idk if i'm losing it but this part feels shorter than part1 but who knows. also it does sorta jump around a bit in time so if ur confused abt the timeline n stuff hopefully the dates will help? 😭 part 3 will (hopefully) come before valentines day -- also i might do a vday special or smth idk -- but i'm trying for sooner 💪 i did not mean to write this much lol but anyways have an amazing day/night ❤️❤️

pairing: lando norris x singer! ex-leclerc! reader

fc: reneé rapp

warnings: cursing

taglist: @drunkinthemiddleoftheday @kapsylia, @i-wish-this-was-me

disclaimer: this is completely fictional. no hate meant towards anyone mentioned.

part one, part three, part four

charles_leclerc August 24

liked by scuderiaferrari, manonsworld, pierregasly and others

tagged arthur_leclerc, leclerc_pascale, joris__trouche, hugomicallef, riccardoberetta, guizou02, nico_noaro, thomascretot, traininginexcellencemc

charles_leclerc Fun times 🙃

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arthur_leclerc ❤️

user1 weird way to propose but okay!

user2 honey he's gonna cheat on u three years in 😔 ↳ user3 with ur friend too...

joris__trouche Con i ragazzi 🔥 trans: With the boys

user4 glad your summer break was fun 💕

user5 ummmm... anyways stream tummy hurts by y/n!

yourusername August 24

liked by leclerc_pascale, lilymhe, danielricciardo and others

tagged sethmyers

yourusername thanks for having me :)

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leclerc_pascale Belle ❤️

yourusername merci ❤️

user6 post break up glow is real

lilymhe cutie

yourusername no u ↳ lilymhe no, no u

yourbff mother.

user7 he fumbled a baddie fr 🔥🔥

f1gossip August 25

liked by manonsworld, user8, f1gossipgirl and others

tagged manonsworld, mlnmarta

f1gossip Manon spotted in the paddock today

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manonsworld ❤️❤️

user8 NAHHHH

user9 this is not the serve you think it is, babe...

user10 the dress 😍😍

user11 y/n did it better.

user12 she's really wasting no time

user13 no fr just popped out of nowhere

user14 who's that next to her?

user15 marta, the wife one one of charles's friends ↳ user14 ahhh okay ty

yourusername added to their story August 25

seen by landonorris, sabrinacarpenter, manonsworld and others

f1gossipgirl August 25

liked by f1gossip, user16, user17 and others

f1gossipgirl Charles and his girlfriend, Manon, were allegedly spotted by the paparazzi in Corsica on August 7th and 12th. However, some fans noticed that the photos taken on the 12th had a resemblance to a photo featured in Charles' annual summer break photo dump on Instagram.

Most, if not all, of the photos on Instagram were taken by Antoine Truchet (Charles' friend and a professional photographer who has shot with Charles many times in the past). We this as on August 21, Antoine posted a series of photos, with a caption saying "corsica with CL". Some of the photos posted here were also posted on Charles' Instagram, further confirming Antoine's presence on this trip. It can also be assumed Antoine took most, if not all, of these photos as he is not actually featured in any of the pictures, which is strange as he is quite close with Charles and his friends. This all makes sense when you assume that Antoine was the one taking all the photos. Also, the photos are clearly taken by a professional.

So now we've established that Antoine, a professional photographer, was there in Corsica, and he likely took all of the photos posted by Charles.

Going back to the photo that sparked recognition, it can be seen that in the picture Charles is wearing a white button-down shirt, and is sitting on a green-and-white striped beach chair. Similarly, in the photos taken by the paparazzi on the 12th (not the ones in the water, but the ones sitting in the chair with Manon), Charles is seen wearing a white button-down as he sits in a green-and-white striped beach chair. These photos were taken on the same day.

All of this has brought fans to speculate that Charles was the one who notified the paparazzi of his presence, which would explain how the photos were even taken (the paparazzi are good, but are they that good..?). It would seem that Charles decided to have a little "photoshoot" and, as his summer break is probably busy, he wanted to get it done in one day. Expose the new girlfriend and take quality pictures for fans!

Many are still confused in regards to the reasoning behind him tipping off the paparazzi and exposing his infidelity.

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user17 lol why can't it be a coincidence

user18 THISSS!!! not everything is a conspiracy!!! ↳ f1gossipgirl this is a gossip channel babes... it's what we do...

user19 why would he even do this?

user20 celebs do weird shit all the time 🤷‍♀️

user21 it could've been for PR? ↳ user22 I mean it's not like Charles/Ferrari is lacking attention ↳ user21 that's true

user23 im so confused why does antoine being there mean he called the paps?? 😭😭

f1gossipgirl it's just weird that his photographer was there the day he gets papped. and we've seen this happen before (*cough* Becky and Carlos *cough*)

yourusername August 31

liked by theestallion, landonorris, charles_leclerc and others

yourusername music video for pretty girls out sep 5th 0:00 CET

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yourbff try not to say mother challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

yourusername marry me. ↳ yourbff bet.

spotify we're ready 🥴

caradelevingne ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

user24 damn we're being fed WELL

scarlett it was great working with you ☺️

yourusername tysm scar!!! i loved working w u too 🫶

yourusername September 5

liked by caradelevingne, yourbff, instagram and others

tagged caradelevingne, scarlett

yourusername out now ;)

huge thank u to everyone who made this possible 🩷

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user25 I love women so much

rachelzegler oh u ate that up

landonorris slay 😋

user26 HELP LANDO WHAT ↳ user27 slay 😋

instagram she's an icon, she's a legend, and she IS the moment!!!!

user28 now come on now!!!

landonorris September 17

liked by yourusername, carlossainz55, team_quadrant and others

tagged carlossainz55

landonorris Carlando podium let's gooooo

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yourusername ate

user29 I agree!!

mclaren What a weekend 🔥🔥

team_quadrant LFGGGGGG

oscarpiastri 🏆🙌

user30 oscar using emojis is my roman empire

user31 SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

September 20

yourusername added to their story September 24

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y/nupdates September 25

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tagged yourusername

y/nupdates Y/n with a fan at the Suzuka Circuit yesterday

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user34 STOP SHES SO GORGEOUS

user35 nah imagine going to a gp AND seeing y/n. I would die.

user36 ok but going to the gp is such a girlboss move

user37 LITERALLY

user38 she's out here winning the idgaf war

user39 do we know if she saw Charles there?

user40 i don't think so

October 11

[evie-sturns]

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴍᴘ - ᴍᴀᴛᴛ ꜱᴛᴜʀɴɪᴏʟO

part 4 (final part) (part 3,) (part 2), (part 1)

summary: you and your best-friend matt, have decided to sign up to be a summer camp counsellor for your school's summer project! will you two stay as just friends? or will this summer turn out different for you guys.

a/n: this is the last part of the series so it will be a little longer, took alot of mental strength to finish this series haha.

warnings: smut, car sex, angst, fluff, swearing

—------------╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝------------——

previously

"saw you two last night." she says, her arms folded.

my stomach drops. "jessie wants you two in her office, such a shame that you have to go home so early, you were only here for such a small amount of time! guess someone didn't read the no romance between staff rule.." she tuts.

"god, i feel soo sorry for you guys, also gonna fail business class cause you couldn't even keep a job here." she says in a fake sympathetic tone. tears well in my eyes, threatening to fall.

"oh well, go on get dressed and pack your bags, better to be prepared before you see jessie." she sighs before walking out of our cabin.

-

as soon as dani leaves our cabin i jump out of bed, on the brink of tears. "come here." matt says, walking over to me and holding his arms out. I walk over to him, he pulls me into a tight hug as he rubs my back.

"matt." i say, my voice shaky.

"i know i know." he reassures, whispering into my hair.

"i can't even believe this, we're about to get kicked out of summer camp all because of danielle, i'm about to fail final year business which will ruin my collage application-"

i ramble, but i'm cut off by his lips meeting mine.

after a few seconds he quickly pulls away, running a hand through his hair. "look y/n, none of this shouldve happened, we should just stay as friends yeah?" he says softly

friends?

my heart sinks, he regrets everything? like i mean everything?

we should just stay as friends..?

my face visibly drops, the cabin grows silent as matt just looks at me.

i clear my throat, trying not to cry for the 2nd time this morning. "i'm gonna get dressed." i say, my voice shaky, barely above a whisper.

i grab some low rise denim shorts and a tank top, getting changed in the corner of the cabin as matt packs his things.

"lets go, jess is probably waiting in her office for us." matt mumbles, opening the door to the cabin and stepping out into the fresh morning air.

the walk down to the main building is silent, the awkward tension still present.

as i step inside jessie is waiting, her arms folded. "wont you two please come inside in my office." she says, opening the door into her office. me and matt walk inside.

dani is sitting there, looking guilty.

me and matt share a confused look before sitting down on a couch,

jessie comes inside, sitting down aswell as she starts.

"i assume you both know why you're here?" jessie asks, looking at me and matt mutiple times.

we both stay silent, trying to think of what to say

"well clearly not, your here because of the incident with y/n and dani, i am aware a few days ago there was a fight in the bathrooms over matthew."

i almost cry from relief, this wasn't about me and matt fucking in the bushes. i look over at matt, hes running a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh of relief.

"last night, dani came to me, saying she saw you two partaking in inappropriate activites."

shit.

"like what.." matt asks softly.

"well dani told me you two were making out in the shed." jessie says, crossing her arms

thank god.

"i am choosing not to do anything serious about this incident, but i will be moving dani to the puffer fish staff group, meaning you will not see her for the rest of the summer to prevent anymore physical fights." jessie says calmly.

dani scoffs "the fuck are you on jessie? move y/n away, i did nothing wrong, they were the ones kissing?" she says, throwing her hands up.

"dani. go pack your bags and move into the pufferfish staff cabins now." jessie says, clear irritaion in her voice.

dani stands up, glaring at matt, she storms out of jessies office.

"and for you two, no more intimacy or i will seperate you two aswell" jessie declares.

(5 weeks later)

ever since the meeting with jessie, me and matt have stayed friends, we didnt discuss the makeouts, or the spontaneous hook up. we've just been acting as friends, i hate to admit it, but i think im inlove with matt.

-

its the last day of summercamp, all the staff at the camp are sitting around the campfire, loud chatter fills the summer air as i sit next to matt.

theres around 25 staff members all gathered around the fire, matt's sitting on a foldout chair, im sitting on his lap laying myself against him. my head is resting on his shoulder as his breathing lifts me up and down slightly.

"matt.." i whisper, he moves his head to look at me.

"yeah?" he says softly, the light from the fire illuminates his face, he looks unbearably good.

"i really need to say something." i mumble, looking into his eyes. he nods understandably, maintaining eye contact with me.

i start to feel my heart beat faster,

i mean, if he liked me once he can like me again?

"i dont want to just be friends matt, i never moved on 5 weeks ago, quite frankly i think im inlove with everything about you." i ramble, matts eyes widen. i feel his body tense under me.

"you are?" he says, his voice barely audible.

"yes.. and i'm tired of pretending im not because of this stupid no camp staff romance shit." i say, looking directly into his eyes.

"i really want to kiss you right now." he says softly.

"you do?"

he awnsers my question, his lips press gently against mine for a couple seconds. he pulls away and looks around, nobody saw us, execpt for jessie.

jessie just smiles and shakes her head, theres no point in her doing anything giving that tomorrow we'll all be gone.

(The next day 8:30am)

i wake up, xaiver is still sound asleep, i get out of bed and walk over to him, tapping him lightly, as soon as he wakes up and is aware of where he is he bursts into sobs. i take a step back.

"sorry" he sniffles, "im just gonna miss you so much y/n, you've made dealing with 25 kids per day worth it, and youve helped me through getting over all my stupid boy crushes who rejected me." he says,

i giggle slightly, "love ya xaiver, you've been the best cabin roomate." i say giving him a hug. "don't cry please, ill see you when were home okay, i gave you my number and adress we'll still see eachother!" i say, trying to cheer him up.

he nods before getting out of bed and stripping the purple silk bedsheets off the matress, still sniffling.

i finished packing last night, so i help xaiver pack his bed.

i hold up a condom wrapper "why the FUCK is this under your bed xaiver." i say laughing, he slams a hand over his mouth.

"can i be honest" he says, a large smile spread across his face.

"oh my godd who did you fuck!" i giggle, throwing the wrapper at him

"lincoln." he says bluntly

i scream "matt's roommate!?" i yell, he slams a hand over my mouth.

"since when was he gay?' i whisper, xaiver shrugs "i dont know!!" he says, his face bright pink.

after a few minutes of helping xaiver pack while bullying him, the cabin was empty, clear of clutter. "you ready to go?" i say softly, he nods, we walk out of our cabin for the last time. i sigh as i approach matts cabin, hes waiting outside with lincoln, his suitcase in hand.

i whisper to xaiver "i can never look at lincoln the same."

as i approach matt he rushes over to grab my bag, i give everyone one last goodbye hug before matt takes me towards the carpark,

his car is still there, covered in leaves from the trees above. matt opens the trunk, throwing it in before getting in the drivers side. silence grows in his car before i start-

"that was one eventful summer." i say, a small smirk tugging at my lips.

he leans over and pulls me into a passionate kiss. "ready to get going?" he says, pulling away and putting on his seatbelt.

"yeah i think so!" i smile, as he turns on the car, pulling out of the carpark into the highway.

after 30 minutes of driving, and talking about the summer, matt starts to grow stressed, i know he has quite bad driving anxiety so i keep patient with him. "shit" he whispers under his breath as he changes lanes.

he grips the steering wheel so tight his knuckles go white.

"hey when you have time can we pull over for a second?" i ask quietly, he nod, pulling over into an empty parking lot with a sigh. i tie up my hair and crawl over the cup holder onto his lap. his eyes widen as he looks at me.

"you seem a little stressed yeah?" i say, moving off him and onto the car floor between his legs.

he nods, "mhm.." he says, staring down at me.

i hook a finger around the waistband of his shorts, his breathing intesifys as i slowly pull them down to his ankles, a large tent forms on his boxers. "please.." he whispers

"please what?" i tease

"touch me.." matt says, rubbing his eyes slightly out of embarrasment.

i pull down his boxers at an agonisingly slow pace, his dick springs out, resting on his stomach.

i rub his tip softly, matt bucks his hips up, desperate for more. without much warning i open my mouth, breathing on his throbbing length. i slowly lower my mouth onto the head of his cock, he lets out a long groan of pleasure as i swirl my tongue around his tip.

"feels so good-.." he manages to string together as i lick a line from his base to just under his tip, he throws his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. with my spare hand i pull off my panties, leaving me bare under my skirt.

i bob my head up and down faster on his length, he squeezes the door handle for any kind of support as his dick twitches. he unexpectedly realeases into my mouth "shit..-" he says, still out of breath. he holds a hand out infront of my mouth. "spit it out" he laughs, his cheeks red and sweat present on his forehead.

i spit it out into his hand, "gross" he mumbles, wiping his hand on a napkin. i sit back up onto his lap, his eyes widen "where did your panties go.." he says maintaining eye contact.

i hover up above his length, supporting myself on the headrest behind matt. "i dont know-.." he says, still recovering from his past orgasm. "you're okay." i say, sinking down onto him, he lets out a breathy whimper as he holds my hips. i sit for a minute at his base, adjusting to his size.

i slowly bounce up and down on his length, quickening my pace each time, matt squeezes his eyes shut, "fuck fuck fuck.." he says, growing overstimulated. "you're okay." i assure him as i clench around him, the knot in my stomach snaps as i collapse on his chest. he pants, realeasing inside of me aswell.

(2 years later)

when me and matt arrived home from summer camp 2 years ago, we made it official, after a year i moved into his house with his triplet brothers, i slept in matts room for the whole 2 years. after a year or so he started a youtube channel, i was in some of the videos and i loved it. i stuck with matt the whole time, even through his worst times.

Im sitting on matts bed as he bursts through the door, almost crying laughing "matt what!!" i say, a smile tugging at my lips.

"you'll never believe it." he says collapsing down next to me.

"tell me!" i say, grabbing his hand.

"lakeside summer camp are hiring staff members for the summer, jessie just emailed me, saying she would love for me to come."

"you're joking." i say, i haven't heard several of those words in years.

"we should totally go, i mean you know what came out of it last time!"

—------------╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝------------——

hhhhhollyyy shit finally finished, took me wayyy to long but gilmore girls got me through it. hope you guys liked this. this will also be my last post for a little bit cause school is starting in 2 days and ill be too tired out in the first few days to write.

taglist

@iammattsturniolo @iloveneilperry @tatumrileyslover @chrisstopherfilmed @leprechaunbirthdaygirl @ilovechrissturniolo1 @tyjna6 @mattybswife @is4belle

WHAT THE FUCK ANYONE WHO SAW THIS A FEW MINUTES AGO IDK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE END BEFORE I FIXED IT

[uluvjay]

Can I request List Eleven prompt 7, 10, and 15 with Nico?

Nico Hischier x oldest hughes sister!

warnings?; yelling, talks of cheating, fluff?, a little angst

7. being overprotective of them in front of their prospective partners

10. telling them they deserve better (and silently wanting to be the one who gives it to them)

15. being distrustful of the others bfs/gfs

You and Nico had had been friends for a long time meaning you've both seen guys and girls come and go from each other's lives a lot over years. Nico had recently began to date a new girl named Emily and tonight he was introducing you and some of the guys to her at a dinner he was holding at his place.

You and Jack had rode to Nicos building together and your brother began to question you as you waited for the elevator.

"You sure you'll be okay tonight?" he asked

"As long as he's happy, I'm happy j" you told him forcing a smile

"Yeah but you love him Y/n and it's not fair that you keep putting yourself through these situations instead of just admitting your feelings" he told you as you both stepped onto the elevator

"I know" you sighed out and just looked down at the floor until you heard the bell dig and the doors open.

You walked down to Nicos apartment, the one you helped pick and knocked on the door. Nico opened the door and Jack pulled him into a bro hug before stepping into the apartment.

"Hi y/n/n" he greeted as he pulled you into a tight hug before pulling away as you greeted him back.

You both talked a little as you made your way into his kitchen where you could hear a few voices talking. As you entered you saw Miles, Jack, and Jesper talking with a girl that you assumed to be Emily.

"Hey! there she is" Miles exclaimed as he pulled you into a side hug

"Hi Miles" you greeted before saying hello to Jesper as well

you turned back to the counter to introduce yourself to Emily, "HI! I'm Y/n its so nice to finally meet you, Nico always raves about you" you said making a light blush show up on Nicos cheeks.

“Yeah, it’s good to finally meet the girl my boyfriend has pictures with all over his apartment” she snarled.

Jack let out an immature giggle and quickly covered it with a cough while you just gave an awkward smile in return. There was a small awkward silence before Miles broke it asking what Nico was planning for dinner.

A little over an hour later everyone was in the kitchen as Nico began to take the food out of the oven but a man being a man he decided to take the oven mitt off and attempt to push the hot pan further up on the stove top, burning himself in result.

“Fuck!” He cursed as he began to shake his hand in the air.

On instinct you jumped up to inspect the burn, you were used to this due to being the oldest and dealing with a bunch of your brothers idiot friends every summer. “Put it under cold water while I go get a bandaid and burn ointment” you told him as you pulled him to the sink and placed his hand under the faucet.

You didn’t spare anyone a glance as you walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to his main bathroom.

As you were heading back in you heard Emily ask the group if you were always that protective, “Well she’s the oldest of me and our brothers and we’re all idiots so it’s kind of a natural thing of hers” Jack told her.

“She didn’t mean to get in your way, that’s just how she is, Luke’s college teammates call her mom over the summer because of how she takes care of everybody” Nico defended.

“Yeah well I didn’t appreciate her jumping in before I could help my boyfriend” she sassed.

You heard Nico begin to try and defend you but you walked in before he could say anything, “Here’s everything” you said setting it on the counter and walking back to your seat and taking a sip of your wine.

Everyone just looked at you confused, even Emily who just said she wanted to help her boyfriend instead of you. “Your not gonna help Nico?” Miles asked.

You decided to play stupid, “Oh! I didn’t know if Emily wanted to do it or not, I didn’t wanna impose” you smiled

“Oh yeah I can” she smiled before walking over to Nico who was looking at you with a sad look in his eyes.

—

It was about two months later when Nico showed up at your front door unannounced holding a bottle of your favorite wine and take out.

“Hey? Everything okay?” You asked as he stepped into your apartment.

“You don’t have plans do you?” He ignored your question as he started placing everything on your coffee table and then headed to your kitchen for wine glasses.

“No, now are you gonna tell me what’s wrong” you asked sitting on your couch.

“Got into a fight with em” he said before he began pouring the wine.

“Can I ask about what?” You weren’t being nosy but you did want to know why your best friend looked so miserable.

“You know how I was gonna go back home for the all star break?” He asked and you just nodded for him to keep going.

“We’ll I asked her to come with me because I want her to meet my family but according to her Switzerland isn’t a good vacation” he told you.

You couldn’t lie, hearing him say he wanted to introduce her to his family did break your heart a little.

“But it’s not really a vacation, it’s more like a break” you shrugged.

“Exactly and I told her that but she didn’t want to hear it and I got pissed off and called my mom and told her I wasn’t coming home anymore” he said looking down at his feet.

“Nico!” You scolded him, his mom loved when he was home and it was hard on her with him being so far away.

“I know, I know she’s really upset with me now”

“I would be too, she loves having you home”

He just nodded in agreement before he started up again.

“Wanna know what Emily had the nerve to ask me?”

“Hmm?”

“If I didn’t wanna go to the Bahamas could I at least pay for her and her girls to go” you couldn’t hold in your word’s anymore at that one.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You asked but quickly covered your mouth.

“I’m sorry that’s non of my business but Nico you don���t deserve to be treated as a cash cow and if that’s what’s happening you deserve better” ‘and I intend to be that person’ is what you wanted to add but you didn’t.

He just looked at you with a sad smile and changed the conversation by asking what you wanted to watch.

—

By mid April Nico and Emily were still together but all they did was argue and have issues. The devils had recently clenched the playoffs and you, Jack, Quinn, and John had all decided to go to your favorite bar in New York.

After a few hours in you seen a familiar face over in the VIP lounge with a group of guys.

“Jack!” You called to your brother over the music

“What?”

“Am I crazy or does that look like Emily all cuddled up with that guy?” You asked making sure you weren’t seeing things

“Uh no that’s definitely her” he laughed

“Should we tell Nico? I mean it looks like she’s cheating on him” you knew something was off about this girl from day one.

“We can when we get back to Jersey, for tonight just let loose and have fun” he said shaking your shoulders and you did go and join him and the guys but still kept your eyes on Emily.

—

When you had gotten back into Jersey on Sunday you shot Nico a text asking if you could come over and talk about something, and when he gave you the okay you told him you’d be over shortly.

When you arrived you didn’t have a chance to knock on the door before a crying Emily came running out, “This is all your fault!” She yelled at you.

You were highly confused as you made your way inside, “Nico?” You called.

“In the kitchen”

As you walked in you seen him sitting at the island with his head in his hands.

“Is everything okay? Why did Emi-“ you started but he cut you off.

“Because I broke up with her, because I’m in love with you and I’ve spent the last four years with random girls that don’t make me happy and I can’t take it anymore” he let out.

He didn’t let you speak as he continued, “I mean I didn’t notice my feelings until maybe a year after you being here but I never acted on them because your jacks sister and it would be wrong. So I kept you close the only way I knew how, as my best friend. But I don’t want that anymore i wanna be able to hold you, tell you how much I lov-“

He was stopped as you made your way to him and grabbed his face to pull him into a hard kiss. When you both pulled away for air he began to open his mouth but you beat him to it.

“I love you too Nico”

-

[madsciencestudent]

So, I lost access to my main fanart and fanfic blog (No, don't send me tips, I'm already working on it), which means in the meantime, I'm gonna post this little character interaction practice here. Also, I'm specifically lobbing this over at @emuwarum and @potnialabyrinthoio95 since you guys encouraged me and are now doomed to me throwing random thoughts and things at you.

(Notes: Idyia = "Feathers", my Blue Song oc Rubra-Harenas = "Sands", my Kindred of the Tusk oc I kinda use more modern language in this mostly because I'm just always tired these days and it's easier for me. And I based how I think the Blue Song would cool off in high temperatures off the little family of Carolina Wrens I would watch on our porch during the over 90 F and 90% humidity heat waves we get in the summer.)

Rubra-Harenas had to admit, if only to himself, that he may have underestimated the little chronicler. As they traveled through The Endless Sands, he had expected the fragile looking Saurian to at least start complaining like Tusken children did on long journeys. If not out right become ill from the intense sun and heat. Yet the most she did in regards to the hot environment was alert Rubra-Harenas before stopping, hopping off her Carnotaurus mount before snapping off her armor cuirass and any arm armor she bothered to put back on, and then… Puffing out her feathers, crouching closer to the ground, and seeming to pant for a few seconds. She then would shake herself out, snap the cuirass back in place while her feathers settled back down, and jump back up into the saddle. She never said anything else about… whatever that had been, just simply let Rubra-Harenas know to start moving again. He had watched this odd behavior in silence, utterly baffled by it but determinedly not asking about it.

He assumed it was better to avoid any unnecessary arguments if he could help it.

He hadn’t been doing as good of a job when it came to hiding his confused staring, apparently. Idyia hadn’t mentioned it at all for the first few days, but finally she couldn’t keep it to herself.

“I can feel your confusion from all the way down here, you know.” Idyia said as she replaced the cuirass. She glanced up just in time to catch him startling at her statement. Her mouth twitched up at the corners and an amused snort slipped out. Rubra-Harenas frowned in response and a small rumble formed in his chest.

“Your Blue Song rituals ARE confusing,” he answered.

“Our rituals?” Now Idyia was truly grinning as she climbed back up into the saddle. “Trying to keep cool is a ritual now?”

“How is THAT-?!?” Rubra-Harenas sputtered, hand waving back down to where she had just been crouching to explain what he was referring to. She started to softly laugh, bringing a fist up in front of her beak as if to hide the noise. He huffed in slight annoyance and cut off the rest of what he was going to say. She seemed to catch his irritation.

“You don’t have feathers, of course you wouldn’t do that,” Idyia muttered mostly to herself, before relenting. “It really is just to make sure I don’t faint from the heat. I get the feeling you wouldn’t appreciate being slowed down any.”

Rubra-Harenas studied her for a moment, trying to decide if she was mocking him or not, before humming and nudging his Allosaurus to start moving again. Idyia followed suit, gently scratching her mount behind its horns as well as a reward for waiting for her.

They traveled in silence for while.

“…I am… Confused as to why you haven’t complained or so much as mention the heat before now,” Rubra-Harenas admitted. “Even with your Embassy built on the edge of Solaris, you haven’t been under the suns like we have. I would think you shouldn’t be able to handle it as well as you have been…” He stole a glance at her, gauging what her reaction was going to be. Another Kindred Brother might have been insulted, taking his words as an insinuation of weakness.

The little chronicler, however, had raised her brows slightly before looking considering. She hummed as she turned over his words in her head.

“…Well, it’s not as if complaining about it is going to change the temperature,” Idyia slowly answered. “…But… I think I might have just… Not really thought too much about it? Not given it much notice? If I’m not about to over heat, I mean. And even then I just tell you to stop for a moment.” It looked like she hadn’t even realized she hadn’t mentioned the heat or sun the way Rubra-Harenas (or anyone else) would have expected her to. “I… I guess I’ve just been too distracted to even think about complaining.”

“Distracted…”

“Yes,” Idyia nodded. “It might not be that noticeable to you since it’s your home, but the Endless Sands is so fascinating!” Rubra-Harenas blinked, surprised.

“Fascinating?”

“I wasn’t aware I had an echo traveling with me.” Idyia quipped with a tiny smirk, and he rumbled at her. “But it is! At first glance, it looks completely barren and lifeless, yet I haven’t seen us travel more than a step without there being some type of insect or wildlife tracks in the sands beside us! Look, see?” She pointed out just slightly ahead of them and off to the right where, sure enough, tiny reptilian prints skittered across the sand. Mixing and crossing with that set were other various patterns left by beetles, spiders, more tiny reptiles, and a few that weren’t immediately identifiable.

“And! And there’s the patches of grasses and shrubs and-! And other plants I’ve never seen before! Only ever read about! You would think there wouldn’t be ANY plants out here, but there’s so much!” She went on, excitement leaking into her voice and she was unconsciously moving her right hand around to mimic plants’ growth as she talked. “There were bunches of flowers! Flowers! Not even close to any obvious water source, and they were so pretty!” Rubra-Harenas released a rough chuckle at her enthusiasm. The noise seemed to bring her back down slightly, as she stopped moving her hand around and shifted back into a more ‘proper’ posture. She shot him a glance and sheepish little smile.

“…Also, well… Before I came over to the main land, I’d never seen the sun as much as I do now.” Idyia added, scratching just under the strange growth (her third eye but Rubra-Harenas didn’t know that yet) on her left side. “It’s nice.”

“…Wait, what?” Rubra-Harenas straightened up when her words registered. “Why couldn’t you see the sun before you came here?”

“It wasn’t like I had never seen the sun before!” Idyia laughed. “Just not nearly as much. And because of all the rain, of course.”

“…What.”

She blinked at him. “…All the rain? It’s- Oh.” She blinked at him again before facing forward. “How am I supposed to explain…? Uh…Hmmm…” She trailed off, frowning and thinking hard. She put her left hand to her beak as she did.

Rubra-Harenas frowned as a small voice in his own head whispered that she was trying to figure out how to explain… whatever she wanted to explain because- like all other Blue Song- she believed him to be just an unintelligent animal.

“Okay… So… You’ve travelled outside of the Endless Sands, right?” Idyia asked. He nodded.

“Have you spent any of the rainy seasons outside the Sands as well?” He nodded again. “So you know how those rainy seasons are much longer than those in the Sands, right?”

“Is this going somewhere or are we just stating obvious facts?”

“I’m getting to it, I’m getting to it!” Idyia placated. “Just…Making sure you know other places tend to experience longer rainy seasons than the Endless Sands.” He rolled his eyes.

“Back home, we have rainy seasons that last almost the entire year.” Idyia finally explained. “It’s not that unusual to go weeks without getting to see the sun. Sometimes, the sun may break through the clouds while it’s still raining but only for brief periods at a time.”

Rubra-Harenas openly stared at her with wide eyes. She held his gaze and patiently waited for him to reply.

“…Nope. No, you’re lying to me. There is no way that is the truth.” He finally shook his head.

“I’m not lying!” Idyia laughed and defended her claim. “It is true!”

“No. Absolutely not. How could any Saurian live like that?”

“The same way a Saurian can live in the middle of the desert, I suppose!”

“No! The desert doesn’t try to DROWN you!”

“We don’t drown! As long as you stay away from the flood zones of the rivers, that is.”

“SEE?!?”

Idyia couldn’t help herself and kept laughing at his incredulous response. “Tell you what Rubra-Harenas, once we finish up with the Forefather ruins, I’ll take you back over to the Pluvian Rainforest one day and you can see for yourself.”

“Should that day ever come, you best be prepared for the consequences of lying to me.”

“I’m not lying!”

Rubra-Harenas shook his head and turned away from her as she continued giggling. She rolled her eyes but remained grinning for a long time after that conversation.

[kinardsevan]

Let's go with...what do you think the bees mean?

I'm almost certain it has to do with what the opening disaster will be, since that's how they've done it every year, (and definitely not what everyone else seems to think 🙃) but we know it's gonna be wild.

I'll start...um. A massive swarm downs power lines and chaos ensues.

-V88SY

Okay so I did a google search on swarms.

They start in spring and summer, and then abscond in the fall. This would actually be a fascinating way to cover Gerrard's arc and also make the time jump while giving us the drama. So we get all of the issues that come with the swarms, but then when the season finally ends and they abandon the hives, we have Bobby back. This would also be a great acknowledgement on Gerrard's upset in their home. I can further extrapolate this into the idea that the team possibly gets split up under Gerrard. I think this would be a fascinating take on Ryan's bulking up for Eddie. Maybe he gets in trouble and gets removed from the 118, and starts fighting again? (I mean aren't we already assuming he's fighting again anyway?)

I do also like the idea that someone on the team is allergic. But also...what if councilwoman Ortiz is? And they get called to a scene, and Hen doesn't want to help?

Honestly I could probably just keep coming up with ridiculous ideas. But for now I'm going to stick with the idea of the swarm season correlating to Gerrard's arc.

[the-hole-in-terzos-shoe]

Listen I'm having thoughts about Darkness at the Heart of my Love. Idk if I'm gonna be off base with this or if someone has literally already said this but I'm putting it out there:

Purely from a lore perspective, I think DATHOML is like a love letter from Papa to all his fans and followers, within the church and without. I think we've all determined what "When the summer dies, severing the ties means," so I think it's written almost like instructions for what to do following the wake of his death. Of course it's important to mention that Copia himself is assuming he will be killed like the previous Papas.

But he's reminding us, everybody, "I'm with you always," sort of like what people say when someone passes, that they'll always live on in your heart and your memories. But then he jumps right into a call to action, "Will you walk the line? My path serpentine" and my interpretation is that he's saying that it won't be easy without him there to lead the church, but will his fans continue working towards his goals even without him? And then he reminds us of the goals of his church, "Remember always, that love is all you need," telling us to continue to love and accept one another. And "Tell me who you want to be, and I will set you free," is just a reminder of the encouragement he's instilled in his followers to be themselves no matter what.

The chorus I think is simply his heartfelt gushy way of telling everyone he loves them and doesn't take their support for granted ❤️

BUT THEN GHESTIES

Honestly I'm not totally solid on what I interpret "Will you spill the wine to summon the divine?" means. It could mean just continuing with the rituals of the church or might reference evoking the Olde One or even possibly a reference to resurrection?

However this next line I have FEELINGS about. It's what pushed me to write this whole fucking post. I have always thought "Now paint a pair of eyes" is really kind of a stand out line, and to me this line is what first indicated that it might not be just for an individual lover. It's just kind of a weird thing to say! But! It dawned on me that he could be literally asking his fans at rituals to continue dressing up like him, and then "let's watch as it dries" means "together we'll watch my legacy live on through you all!" ʰᵉˡᵖ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵏⁱⁿᵈᵃ ᵐᵃᵏᵉˢ ᵐᵉ ˢᵒᵇ

I think the last new lyric that is introduced throughout the song is "and all this time you knew that I would put you through the darkness at the heart of my love" which is him saying that we knew as well as he did that he is probably gonna meet his demise, but we still chose to live him anyway once he ascended to the papacy. And the reason I think that is because it is immediately followed up with the lines "When the summer dies, severing the ties"

[tmnt-oc-comp]

i dont mean to sound like a dick or anything, but why were some people not included? at all? with no heads up or warning?

like i understand if there were just too many people for it to work, but if thats the case at least send a little "hey, sorry i couldn't include you, there were just too many people" message so i dont sit on my ass waiting for this to start only to find the polls and bracket on my feed where i and many others were completely left out.

come on dude. i really dont want to sound like a jerk here, but it kind of hurts knowing i and others can't participate any more for absolutely no known circumstances other than you just took us out. especially because a lot of us have been here since the start of this and have been really looking forward to it, creating and saving up propaganda art and overall being really excited for this to finally start up. and especially after you kept us waiting since like, what the beginning of summer? and now school is starting back up? and ive sat here thinking "hey, i cant wait for that competition to start its gonna be so fun to do with all these other creators" ONLY TO NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE. AT ALL.

again: i do NOT want to sound like i'm being a jerk, or a brat, or anything, but i need you to know that this is still a big punch to the gut for me and i'd bet it is for others too, to be taken out of the competition without even being told beforehand. its not fair.

I genuinely thought I told people that not everyone was gonna get in- or like assumed people would know because that’s what I assumed. I am so sorry guys, genuinely. I DIDNT mean to make any of you feel left out or jump this on you. I didn’t know that everyone else thought that they would be automatically included at all. That’s on me, I apologize. I genuinely thought that everyone knew that this is how it works for my poll but I never told anyone how many submissions I had on tumblr or anything (I had 163 total). I don’t know if this is a good apology because I am like. Just now realizing that people thought everyone who submitted an oc would get in /gen. My apologies to anyone who thought this, I am so sorry I really did not mean to hurt anyone’s feelings or waste people’s time and effort making propaganda. I don’t know why I assumed that everyone thought the way I did but this should never happen again.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

*sobbing angry tears* BEE, NOOOO! SWEET SUMMER CHILD-

I am in a very murdery mood right now. Lloyd's despicable behavior has reached new heights even I am surprised by. Fuck. He's a tyrant and I wanna bash in this stupid face so bad.

"Fivethousand and change" he declares proudly. "And you wanna sit here and act too good for it-"

Sir, imma stop you right there. Bee does in fact not want to sit there. And you damn well know that.

"I know you want me"

I... Where do I even START?! Lloyd is downright delusional. He's so narcissistic and obsessed with himself that he can't seem to understand that not every woman is all over him. The way he keeps trying to make Bee out to be something she's not...

"You've been to a place like this dozens of times" "You're fun, Bee" "You're a bimbo"

Dude. You don't know the first thing about her. It's like his self centered, dysfunctional brain is trying to somehow make sense of the fact that Bee is not interested. But because that's a concept he can't grasp, he tries to depict her as something in his head that works for his perception of the world and doesn't challenge his narcissistic personality. Man, a psychiatrist would have a field day with this douche.

I also love how he keeps boasting about how he's gonna fuck her so hard, but then it's like.... Average? And he's being really selfish and sadistic too? Sir, how's that good?

"Did I tear you?"

*screams* WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM, FUUUUUUUCK-

Imma tear something right about now, Good Sir. You wrote his disgusting, unlikable personality so fucking well, Roo. I just want to strangle him. Hes- he's.... There's no words for how awful he is.

His reaction to her coming just put the cherry on top of his terrible behavior. It's SEX, man. What did you expect? She's not one of your blow up dolls or flesh lights. There's gonna be some fluids. I wanna know what he would say if Bee suddenly jumped up and pushed him away, cursing how he's gotten his mess all over her. Wouldn't appreciate that, would he?

God, I just wanna gather Bee baby up in my arms and carry her away. The way he shoved her off of him when she was coming and then just used and mocked her afterwards?

No. No, no, no. We don't do that here. I wish Bee would get up and straight up leave after she's gathered herself as best as possible. I just want her to walk out of there and never come back near him unless it's to beat the shit out of his stupid smug visage.

Murder daddy or deserves to be murdered daddy lol. He is fucking awful, not only did he assault poor Bee but he actively demeaned her and insulted her the whole time. Touting his status and money over her. Well dude you're like old so--

Bee was like 'can I pls go home and sleep' but Lloyd apparently is so narcissistic he functions on his ego alone. It's like a battery powering his despicable action. And I'm sure he's never dealt with rejection so rn he just doesn't even recognise it as that, he's just like oh that means I just speak louder, right?

He definitely is assuming a lot of someone who he still a) presumably doesn't know their name, b) only just thought to ask their age c) hasn't asked a damn question about.

And like the fucking was hot but bro. it's not like you paralysed a ho, try harder.

He don't even know nothing about nothing and that makes it worse. I mean he couldn't ask for a better assistant but as always he's thinking of his dick.

[musicalrecs]

Today's shameless promotion is for a show I've never seen and probably never will, and honestly? That might be for the best. Because while I adore the soundtrack for Lord of the Rings: The Musical, and the official clips on Youtube look amazing, I've heard the actual show is a bit of a, well, mess. And the incredibly complicated staging and huge cast mean it never toured and probably never will. But oh, the music!

The two group Hobbit songs ("The Road Goes On" and "The Cat and the Moon") are rousing crowd pleasers. The duet between Sam and Frodo as they try to keep their spirits up during the long road to Mordor ("Now and For Always") makes me tear up no matter how many times I hear it, it's so perfect for them and the story.

The Elves' big number, "Lothlorien," is beautiful. Gimli's "Lament for Moria" is... okay, look, to be honest the first couple times I heard it I assumed it was in Dwarvish because I couldn't make out the lyrics. XD But Aragorn and Arwen's "Song of Hope," is sweet and romantic with appropriate epic overtones.

Also, Gollum (and Smeagol) get a monologue on the CD that always freaks me out before I remember to skip it. XD (Not because it's bad, I just don't like Gollum and don't want to listen to him scheme, and it's like the audio equivalent of a jump scare when it starts.)

If you're familiar with Lord of the Rings (and if you're not, this musical is probably not for you), you may be wondering, "how did they boil all that plot into one musical, however long?" and from the reviews I've read, the answer is "not well."

Apparently it was more like a ballet/cirque du soleill sequence of set pieces, with some weird Hobbit pantomime-type stuff in-between? Which is fine as long as you know that's what you're in for. (Note: still mad about the time I went to see Movin' Out, the Billy Joel jukebox musical, without realizing it was ballet for middle-aged dudes.) There's a video on Youtube that attempts to recreate the whole show from various illicit videos, and gonna be honest, I made it through about three minutes before deciding the pictures in my head didn't need supplanting.

I just looked up the composers for the purpose of this post (why had that never occurred to me before?), and A R Rahman's discography has it's own Wikipedia page. O_O So that's a famous and prolific Bollywood composer; Värttinä, a Finnish folk band I'm going to be looking up as soon as I'm done writing this; and a guy who doesn't have his own page on Wikipedia but according to IMDB has been doing Marvel movies. So, that's definitely an interesting trio.

Speaking of research, apparently a production has been announced for this summer!! ...In Newbury, England. ::sigh:: In a 200-seat theater, no less, with reasonable ticket prices, so clearly some revisions to the staging and cast have been made, and it's being marketed as "semi-immersive" and oh, suddenly I'm quite sad I don't have the budget to vacation in the UK this summer. (If any of you see it, don't tell me if it's good now. It will only hurt me if it is.)

Right, jealousy of people able to go aside, if you like Lord of the Rings and you like musicals, do yourself a huge favor and listen to the soundtrack. I guarantee you'll love it.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Me: I need to come up with birthdays to get a good passage of time for Legendverse! Scarvio.

Also me:

Not 100% perfect but it's good start. I was debating on having Luca and Ramona start during the fall semester for world building purposes, but I think I can do that with the summer break stuff ( especially when Luca needs a distraction from everything that went down in Kitakami). I was worried if there's like. Anything missed with him and R.B starting school in the second semester than the first, but I'm assuming it just means they are gonna be playing catch up,I guess. Of course, all of this could change, and I'll go back onto the fall semester idea- which I should note is not when the game would start. The game always starts in the spring semester, but the fall one would have been used as world building and character building as I said. I only went with them starting from the jump in the second semester bc I felt it made things less complicated for me, at least for now.

I feel like TM and summer break are pretty self explanatory. And ID to MM is very very vague. Don't know the specific like. Time and such. Especially regarding how the Paldea gang and kitakami kids have the time to just. Go to kitakami. Then again, we're allowed to roam the entirety of the region sooooooooo.

The birthdays are still something I want to do, but I don't think I'll be touching it for a while. The ones that are really important are Luca's and R.B's anyway ( Luca would be turning 14 during summer break and R.B would be turning 17 during second year)

[profoundlyluckyfox]

Mayor? Mayor? Open up, Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor! It's snowing in the summer! Yes. Yes, it is. It's a dramatic change in the weather. As if we're on a speck floating to space. I don't know how you knew. But, somehow you did. And Whoville is headed for disaster. - Oh, Horton. - What? Ah, nothing. I'm on it. It's up to us to save the people of Whoville. Snow is not lucky. That's not... Stop. O.K. Anybody else? Good. No no. Don't join it. This is not fun. Uh, this is sign of doomed. Oh, sweety, that's. No. No no no. They took. they took. Stop having fun immediately! This is dangerous. O.K. Horton? Uh? What? Hey, there. We're in big trouble down here. It's happening. It's snowing in the middle of summer. It's end of the world! Hold on here. I think I know what your problem is. There, get better? That seems you have worked. Eh-uh. Do I smell peanuts? Yes, they are my favorite snack. But they tender linger. Ohho! K-Uh. Debrick, No. Oh-O. Hang on Mr. Mayor. I may have to put up a flight. Frightened elephant can be very dangerous. Alright! You come down the under, buddy. You hungry for trouble? I don't know how you can easy self by. Take a fight. I hate running. Morton! - Don't do that! - Horton! Horton? Don't... There you are. We got trouble. Wait. Stay. Wait. Can you hear that? No I'm here. O.K. Listen. No, go. Kangaroo has gone nuts, bananas. She's telling everyone that you should be kicked out of Nool. She said that? I thought we're friends. Where is she'e gone to Vlad's. Vlad. Vlad. I know two Vlads. Is it the bad Vlad or the bunny Vlad that makes the Cookies? Yeah, Horton. She's sending you a bunny with cookies. I think we can assume it's not bad Vlad. Yeah, that's good call. So, unless you're cool with giant razor sharp claws, There be not fights up your body, If I give her the clover. I can't. I promised the Mayor. I meant what I said. I said what what I meant. And an elephant's faiths were 100%. Please, for me, just this once, be faithful 99% of the time. I've never gone 99% on anything. I think I'm awesome. So come on. I meant to what I said and I said what I meant. I'm gonna say it. You can that all days it's not happen then. - An elephant's faithful 100%. - That's right. That's my code. My motto. But thanks for the worning. Motto. O.K. But watch the skies. Keep watching the skies. Mayor, you need to get everyone on the ground, now. - Two, Three, four... - I wanna sound the alarm. There's a good possibility we maybe attacked by a giant cannibalous bird. Waht? There's small chance it could be bunny with cookies. But, I wouldn't count on it. - Oh, they are formidable words. - Ya Are you there? Ya, no. That's a great idea. It just... in order to get everyone mobilized I need the O.K. of the city council. And they never listen to me. I've been called boob. Several times. - I can't do it. - You have to talk to them, Mayor. O.K. Listen. Bad Vlad. Bad Vlad. Bad Vlad! That is definitely not a bunny. Lost him. Mean to lose him. And I lost him. This tree for real, come on! Hang on, Whoville! This is gonna get rough! Now you're going to dead-end. Get ready for the best. Leave me alone! No! Hold on! I just know he's gonna jump out somewhere. - Hello? - Ah-Ak!! Chess mate. Now it's time for me to take clover and crush all the little people on a two sang... Sorry. This is where we get off. Ah, right in the beak! Ah. Cool line. Usually I can I think those things to later.

if this gets 1k notes (it won't) i'll put away the 7 baskets of clean laundry that have been piling up on my bedroom floor for weeks and weeks. it's been 3 months. come on guys. 1k. or at least 500.

[strawberrypaul]

miami

request: "if you're still in the mood to write.... maybe something cute about going to miami with john and the boys in '64? 💗" okay i'm so sorry if this didn't turn out the way you imagined. i just started writing and got carried away and it might not be super "cute", it has some angst but also fluff. if this is nothing like what you asked for, please let me know and i will do my best to write something else <3

word count: 3.3k oops

pairing: john lennon x f!reader

warnings: accidentaly angsty, mild verbal abuse (?) not really tho, arguments, achohol, annoying men at the pub and probably bad grammar and typos.

summary: john comes home from the studio and can't wait to tell y/n some great news; they're going to miami! but y/n is unsure and that causes some conflicts.

7 p.m. Since it’s August, and the end of summer has begun, when you lifted your head from your book and turned to look out the window - you could see the sun already setting. The entire sky was a perfect blend of warm oranges, purples and blues. The sunrays’ vibrance and warm colors seemed to find their way straight to your heart and a smile slowly showed up on your face.

It was hard not to fall in love with evenings like these. The living room was dark, only the light from a floor lamp in the corner of the room and a couple of candles lit up the room. But it was nice, cozy even. Right next to the couch’s arm rest stood a little wooden side table with a record player on top of it, softly playing “Love me Tender” by Elvis Presley - a classic choice. Everything was at peace and you were content, the only thing missing was John. Sure, you supposed you enjoyed a bit of you-time every now and then but you would be lying if you said you didn’t prefer to be alone with John. He was your partner, and your safe spot. As an all-the-time-busy woman you didn’t get the perks those other housewives got; You didn’t get to spend all day at home and you didn’t get to make dinner for your husband when he got home from work. But the thing was, that’s not what you wanted anyways. You enjoyed working, you enjoyed running errands all day, and most of all you enjoyed getting home after a long day at the office and cook dinner together with John.

With all these beautiful thoughts passing your head you found yourself missing John a lot more than just minutes before. When was he going to come back from the studio? He left at seven this morning, he’s been away for over twelve hours now. But right as you turned your head away from the clock on the wall, to dive back down in your book, the front door flew open. And with it, John came storming in. Hastily he tried to rip off his coat, throw off his shoes and started to unbuckle his belt. You simply stared at him in disbelief. Maybe you took back what you had said earlier about not enjoying time alone in complete silence. What the hell was the hurry about? Now John had rushed to your shared bedroom and you could hear him rummaging through the drawers. You shook your head and put down your book to stand up and walk over to the bedroom door frame. Crossing your arms over your chest you continued watching him throw out clothes from different drawers, waiting for him to even notice you.

“Care to say ‘Hello’?” you spoke up with a slight annoyance. His head shot up to look at you with wide open eyes, it was like he froze for a second. He let go of whatever he had in his hands to walk over to where you stood, opened his arms to embrace you. With a kiss on your head he let go of you.

“Of course, of course. Hello, dear. I’m sorry.” he hastily said. Just as you were about to ask him what on earth he was doing, making the bedroom a complete mess, he opened his mouth to speak again.

“We got great- no, fantastic, news today! You won’t be able to believe it, we’re going to Miami!” he said with excitement, face lit up with joy. “They’ve already got it all figured out with flights and hotel. And the best part; you’re coming with us!” John almost burst with excitement at this point. He waited for you to jump in his arms cheering. But you didn’t. And in no time John’s facial expression completely changed. He now had a confused look on his face. His brows were furrowed and his eyes filled with questions. He took a step back from you in an attempt to understand why you weren’t just as frantic as he was.

“Love, what’s wrong? We’re going to Miami!” he asked. You sighed, letting go of a heavy breath you didn’t know you had been holding. Your shoulders fell as you looked down on your feet. Fiddling with your fingers, you were unsure of what to tell him.

“I- uh… John, I can’t go to Miami” you started, eyes still on the floor.

“What do you mean you can’t go? You always talk about how you want to go on vacation to all these different places” he said in confusion. “Besides, it’s only two weeks” he stated. You didn’t know what to tell him. Two weeks. That’s a long time, you thought for yourself. You thought about your parents, and your job. You visited your parents about every other day, they lived nearby and since they were getting old you felt a responsibility over them. You have helped them get groceries and run errands for a large number of years now, you couldn’t just leave. What if something should happen to them, like an accident and one of them needs to get rushed to the hospital? Anxiety rose inside you as horrible thoughts crossed your mind. And work, you couldn’t just leave work behind you for two weeks. Not even for two days. Working in an office meant piles and piles of paperwork every day. You couldn’t imagine what your desk would look like when you got back from Miami, if you went. No, you simply could not go with them. You walked over to the bed and sat down. You sighed once more before you started to explain to him.

“I can’t leave my parents here, or work. You know that.” you said looking up at him with doe eyes. “What if something happens when I’m not here? No one will be there to help. And work, I will have sky high piles of paperwork on my desk when I return” you continued.

John let out a loud sigh, he sounded almost frustrated? He started walking back and forth in front of you and you stood up. Placing a hand on his shoulder you started saying “John, I’m sorry but I just-” but you got interrupted immediately.

“No. Stop. I don’t want to hear your excuses. You’re just being ungrateful. I arranged a vacation for you, to bloody Miami, and you say you can’t go because you won’t be able to take care of your adult parents for two weeks?” he snapped unexpectedly.

Your jaw dropped. Did he just say that? No, unacceptable. You would not let anyone talk down on things you held close to heart, and especially not your parents. You felt your face heat up with anger and your body fill up with adrenaline. This was not gonna be pretty.

“You did not just say that…” you started, still in disbelief. “How dare you say that?!” you spat, raising your voice at him. “Don’t you dare talk down on my parents! You know damn well how special they are to me. They have helped me so much in my life, they gave me the childhood every child deserves. The very least I can do to return the favor is to take care of them” you were almost shouting at this point, tears had begun streaming down your face. “But I guess you don’t understand that, you don’t have your parents” you muttered and you regretted every word of that sentence the second they were said.

“What did you just say?” John began quietly. You frantically shook your head. “No… no, I’m so sorry John. I didn’t mean to say that” you tried but it was too late. “Did I hear that right?” he raised his voice. “You’re standing there, shouting at me for ‘talking down on your parents’ and then you proceed to add that you assume I don’t understand because I don’t HAVE any parents?” he, too, was shouting now. “Do you hear yourself right now?” he asked angrily. You didn’t answer, you were in chock. You had to admit you were a little scared even. “I said, do you hear what you are saying right now?” he repeated with a military-like voice. You couldn’t handle this, you had to get away from this situation. You quickly grabbed your purse and wallet, put on your shoes and grabbed a coat, stormed out the front door and one second later you were gone. You didn’t know where you were going though. You couldn’t go to your parents house, you didn’t want to bother them having to explain what had just gone down. Your only, and best, friend was away on vacation, so you couldn’t escape to her house either. Ha, ironic, you thought to yourself.

You were just walking with no destination. You passed a pub, stopped, took a few steps back and decided to have a look. You entered the bar and was greeted by the smile of a middle aged man standing behind the bar. He was holding several bottles at once, making drinks for the people sat on the bar stools in front of him. You simply smiled back to him and took a seat on a free bar stool.

“What can I get for a lady like you?” the man asked politely. You gave him a fake smile. What was ‘a lady like you’ supposed to mean?

“I want a glass of whatever the strongest alcohol you have in store” you answered while straightening your back. The man looked surprised but then nodded, immediately getting started on your drink. One moment later the drink was put on the table in front of you. “That’ll be £4 then” the bartender said, still with that ridiculous smile on his face. You started digging in your wallet for some money as a male voice was heard behind you. “I’ll pay for that” the man said. You turned around to see who this man was and when you looked up you saw a tall man with slicked back hair, wearing an expensive-looking suit. He looked like the typical red-flag-guy. You’ve met a lot of those in your life, so you knew one when you saw one. You shook your head telling him you had money of your own, but thanking him for his kindness. “No, no, I’ll pay. A lady like you shouldn’t have to pay for her drinks” the man insisted, a distasteful grin showing up on his face. What’s it with all these creepy men and saying ‘a lady like you’, you thought. At this point you had almost finished your drink, but that man was not going to give up on you any time soon. You were getting tired of his ‘but you’re such a pretty lady’ and ‘I bet you I could treat you better than your man at home, I mean, why are you at a pub alone anyway?’ bullshit. You took a last sip of your drink and slammed it down on the table, catching the people around you's attention. “Fine, you can pay for my drink” you said monotonically. “But don’t you ever call me a ‘pretty lady’ again”.

Grabbing your purse you stood up and walked out the door. You had had enough. With a fast pace you instinctually started walking back home. After a few minutes of walking you felt a wave of fear wash over you. The anxiety kicked in and suddenly you were crying. You were not far away from home when you started running for your life. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, rain started pouring down. What was wrong with these men?! Can’t they leave a woman alone? The adrenaline made you run faster than you thought was possible but you suddenly stopped when you realized you had reached your front door. Your first instinct was to just open the door but you soon got reminded of what had happened before you left. So instead you took a few deep breaths and gently knocked on the door while trying to pull yourself together. But as the door opened and a man you deep down loved so dearly stood in the doorway with a tired smile, you lost it. You ran into his arms and to your relief he put his arms around you and held you close to his chest. Hearing his heartbeat immediately calmed you down and you closed the door behind the two of you. John helped you out of your clothes and into new warm ones. He made you a cup of tea and sat down beside you on the couch. He did keep a small distance though.

“I’m so sorry, John, I really am. It was a horrible thing for me to say” you shuddered, still cold from the rain. You could hear a quiet sigh come from John.

“It was, yes. But I forgive you, y/n” he said calmly, nothing like how he had shouted at you only hours ago. “Besides, the things I said - that was not okay. You’re never ungrateful, and I know how much your parents mean to you. I’m sorry, really sorry” he said and looked down to his feet. You could tell he was ashamed of earlier. But you were too, and you were going to forgive him. You stroked his cheek with your cold hand and made him look at you. “I forgive you, John. And I know, I shouldn’t worry so much about my parents. They’re adults and can take care of themselves just fine. I just feel guilt over not giving them the love they deserved when they gave me everything as a child. I guess this is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to them”. John took your hand from his cheek and held it in his. “You don’t need to explain, love. You’re too good for this world, and what you’re doing is more than enough” he told you. John’s words hit you like an arrow in your heart. It was like his words were the only piece missing in the puzzle that was your life.

Squeezing his hands you looked up into his beautiful hazel eyes, and you breathed out. “I want to go with you to Miami” you said. John’s eyes shot open and a smile appeared on his face. “What?” he said, surprised. “I said, I want to go with you to Miami” you laughed, knowing damn well he heard you the first time. John jumped up from the couch, his hands still in yours as he pulled you up with him. He grabbed you by your waist and spun you around. When he put you down, you were laughing so much your stomach hurt. John placed his index finger under your chin to make you look at him, and when you did, he pulled your face closer to his and kissed you right on your lips. It was a kiss of pure happiness and you couldn’t help but smile like a child on christmas. This was love, if anything.

John broke away from the kiss and inspected your face for a moment before speaking. “Well, we better get to packing then. The plane is at nine tomorrow morning”. You let out a giggle before giving him a peck on the lips, typical John.

The next morning you were woken up by a loud knocking on the door. You rubbed your eyes trying to see anything in the bright bedroom. You were looking for the clock on the bedside table and after trying to see what time it was you successfully read 8 a.m. You put the clock back on the bedside table and as you were about to lay back down you were hit with realization. 8 a.m?! The plane to Miami was leaving in an hour! Oh no… this was not good. You turned your head to look at John, who was of course still fast asleep. You shook his shoulders and gently patted his cheeks a couple times. He let out groans and mutters, letting you know he was at least half awake.

“John, wake up! It’s 8 a.m, if you don’t get out of bed in ten seconds we’re going to miss the flight” you informed him while getting up to open to see who was knocking on the door. Looking through the peephole on the door you saw three men with matching outfits and similar haircuts. Knowing exactly who these three men were, you opened the front door, preparing yourself for the worst. Through the door stormed George, Paul and Ringo. They immediately rushed into the bedroom to find John sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Why’s it always you John?” Ringo asked irritably.

“Go on, out of bed you go” said George while pulling on John’s arms to help him.

Paul simply stood in the doorway with crossed arms and a smile of disbelief on his face. “What were you two up to last night? This room’s a bloody mess” he laughed. John didn’t. “Shut up” he simply replied.

You were in the hallway packing the last few things for your trip. The only thing everyone waited on now was for John to get dressed so you could leave for the airport. You had called your parents the night before, telling them about your trip. You were nervous but struck by relief when your mom basically begged for you to go. She explained how they could take care of themselves, besides, you were not going to leave them forever. It was only two weeks after all. “I’ll come over and water your plants every few days, alright?” she had said over the phone. A smile had made its way to your face and you answered with an “Alright, mom”. It had been quiet for a while as your mom spoke again “Just don’t miss us too much, okay, honey?” she sounded almost concerned. And as a wave of sadness washed over you, you said “Can’t promise you that, mom”. You said your goodbyes and hung up.

As you came back to reality after reliving the memories of your conversation with your mother from last night, John, Paul, George and Ringo stood in front of you in the hallway with sweet smiles. You smiled and nodded before opening the door. You let the four boys out of the house and before closing the door you took a last peek inside. Why was it so hard to leave home? you sighed for yourself. Maybe it was the separation from what you loved most that gave you this extreme anxiety? You didn’t come up with an answer and your thoughts got interrupted by a car honking at you. You quickly turned around to see Paul’s hand waving at you, signaling for you to get in the car. You mouthed a “I’m coming” and turned to the front door again. Crouching down you lifted up the doormat and stuck a key under it, in case your mom should stop by.

Exhaling deeply you got up and started walking away from the house. You stepped into the car and sat down next to John. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it lightly, giving you comfort. “It’ll be alright, darling. It’s only two weeks, remember?” he whispered so only you would hear him. You didn’t look at him, afraid you would break down again, but you smiled and stroked your thumb over the back of his hand. You were so grateful to have a man like John in your life, and not one of those obnoxious men at the pub. He knew how to treat you the way a woman deserves, and for that you loved him more than words can explain.

The car started rolling and you looked over to John to meet his eyes. He smiled and quietly said “Let’s go to Miami”. A broad smile soon appeared on your face as genuine happiness filled your body. “Yeah, let’s go to Miami” you replied, putting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes. Yeah... maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?

[ground-zero-idiocies]

!! I LOVED IT! <3 super soldier sole~

how about an iron man sole? power armor is nice and all, but it cant fly or shoot lazers.

You bet that Superhero Sole Survivor is going to be a running bit here. They're really fun to write (and read, apparently!). I don’t think I’m going to do every companion for every situation though, since they can get kind of repetitive.

Fallout 4 Companions React to the new Iron Man: Nora Solesurvivor!

yes her name is Nora Solesurvivor. I'm bad at names ok?

A cold breeze blows through the window of the restored Sanctuary house. Nora gets up to shut the window, the cold air blasting her in the face. It was still only April, not yet summer but not the expected frigidness of a Massachusetts winter.

She walks over to the kitchen, pouring a cup of steaming coffee. Of all the terrible things the Institute did, Nora was extremely glad they'd brought coffee and cocoa back to the world. She takes a sip, setting the glass down on the counter. As she puts it down, she notices a slight clank noise. She brushes it off, assuming she'd just put the cup down to forcefully...until there's another clank, and another, and another.

Nora gazes outside the window, only to see a massive Deathclaw charging towards the settlement. She rushes outside, donning a set of T-51 power armor. The companions, talking outside, all suit up - Danse jumps into his power armor, Preston triple-cranks his musket (before X6 hands him an Institute rifle out of pity), and Cait douses her sword in gasoline.

Nora flies up, Jetpack burning the concrete ground below. She slams down right in front of the Deathclaw, noticing a large pack approaching. The first Deathclaw, seemingly the matriarch, strikes out, and Nora leaps out of the way just in time. She jets up, shooting down at the Deathclaws with an arm-mounted laser.

A large Deathclaw stretches up, bashing the Jetpack straight off Nora's back. She falls to the ground, landing with a huge slam. She quickly exits the power armor, running into a small root cellar. A moment later, she emerges; no longer wearing standard Power Armor, but a much lighter, much more sleek metal metal suit. With feet-mounted jets, she flies up once again: repulsor weapon firing energy blasts straight at the deathclaws. One by one they fall, until Nora launches a massive energy surge at a nearby street lamp. The rusted metal sends arcs of electricity straight at the remaining deathclaws, perfectly cooking the meat inside.

She declines back to the ground, letting the suit somehow walk itself back to the root cellar. She’s ready to just move on, but the companions have something to say…

Cait: “It was one fuckin’ thing with the shield and that, but now you show that you’ve got some magic power armor with the power to summon lightning from your wrists. I dunno what the fuck you’re up to but I don’t think I like it. I coulda dealt with all those claws by m’self!!”

Deacon: “And the Anime Avenger strikes again! Seriously, you’ve gotta tell us when you’re gonna break out the superpowers. I even stole an intact camera from the Institute just to take pictures of it! Think of what MacCready’s kid is gonna think!”

Danse: Paladin, that is not Brotherhood standard power armor. As a representative of the Brotherhood you must not deviate from our uniform code and get all major modifications approved by Captain Kells! This was highly disrespectful. I am disappointed.

Hancock: “Now that takes getting ‘high’ to a whole new level! That is seriously awesome. Man, the shit I would do to get my hands on a suit like that..:not yours of course, I know better then to bite the hand that supplies you the caps you need to continue your unhealthy and ultimately destructive jet addiction.”

Preston: He’s not going to say anything. He’s going to lean against a house wall, scratching his chin and contemplating everything. I mean, why even have the minutemen when there’s a super-powered super-soldier who can fly and fry deathclaws in instant?? I mean, what’s even the point???!???

X6-88: “Ma’am, I’m going to need you to report to Dr. Li at once to allow her to inspect this technology. As far as I’m aware, the Institute has no records regarding any of the tech in that suit. On another note, please make me one. Please. Please. Please.”

Jack Cabot: “Ah, science! I do so love science and the creations of the modern world. I do hope that my father’s artifact didn’t factor into the construction of this magnificent weapon, as I do have trouble understanding how you could have such a compact power supply…oh no, it must have been the artifact!” (He’s gonna start lying on the ground and screaming. Don’t interrupt him except to bring him coffee.)

[organic-guacamole]

I've got a lot of thoughts on this finale.

starting with the length.

27 minutes? really?

I'm not asking for a 2 hour episode but cmon, at least give us something closer to 40 minutes.

next, the characters

the characters just didn't feel like themselves, especially portwell.

all season long we saw how much potential they had, how well communicated they were, how good they were at being a proper, healthy couple, and now they just can't talk to each other?

it doesn't feel like them.

portwell had arguably the best set up of all the other ships, they showed us how good they had the potential to be only to throw in a cheap plot to wrap it up? I would understand that they want some angst to make the ending all the more satisfying, but this was pathetic.

there I said it.

of all the ways to add drama in a ship, don't use the one that completely contradicts their entire development.

paired with the length of the episode, it seemed even more poorly written.

here I made a lovely, handy dandy homemade graph to represent how I see portwell's storyline:

as i said before, we saw the build up being nearly perfect. they peaked during episodes 9-11 because they just had the chemistry, the communication, and the most potential to be the endgame couple.

they just got eachother.

then we get Jamie popping in for 10 seconds and erasing a lot of that, only for mediator Ashlyn to jump in and solve their problems.

then there's the "kiss".

I know that Sofia is underage and that even if she/her legal guardians consent to the kiss, the writers can still decide not to show it, but still. In my opinion, if you're not going to show the kiss, then don't bother.

there are other ways to establish a relationship that would work better in this situation. Of course if they get together they'll have to kiss sometime, but one way they could postpone it is by having Gina be a bit more reluctant to give away her first kiss like that. it could also show how accomodating EJ is.

I like to think that Gina is very meticulous when making decisions so she'll probably want to be very sure of the relationship before giving him her first kiss. perhaps she'd stick to cheek kisses until she's ready, and then she kisses him and he's surprised.

that would've been, in my opinion, a sufficient way to hold off the kiss while still wrapping up portwell until season 3 when Sofia would be 18 (assuming they get picked up for S3 this summer then start filming fall-winter. Sofia will be 18 in January).

as my friend @rtcosley (idk why it's not letting me tag them, so their page is linked) said,

"They created like 10 plots

And instead of wrapping it up

They added 4 more"

there's just so much more they could've done...it's the season finale for crying out loud.

I get that seblos already had (what I assume is) their storyline for the season, the fight and resolution. Ignoring the fact that that only lasted for 2 episodes and didn't have anything to do with what we were expecting, (i.e.the financial differences between their families, as mentioned in episode 1, the fact that everyone treats seb like he's stupid, this being carlos' first show and the drama that the stress of that caused, etc.), seblos had to purpose this episode than to stand next to eachother and be gay.

I get that they're not part of the core four or anything, but the poster for season 2 has all of them, as opposed to season 1 just being the core four.

They deserved better, just like redlyn and kowie.

redlyn's arc was pretty early in the season compared to the other ships. they had Ashlyn confessing her insecurities in episode 3, antoine stirring the pot of confusion and causing a bit of distance between them briefly, and then big red confessing his goals and plans for the future in episode 8 and for the rest of it, we just see them getting closer and more comfortable with each other and caring about each other more and more.

they had a good arc together.

but that's just it. I wanted to see them have their own arcs. but then again, this show can't seem to balance multiple storylines. I think it is possible, but not when they keep adding new characters that don't contribute anything much to the story(more on that later).

kowie's storyline is... confusing.

I really like their dynamic, how carefree and happy Kourtney gets around him, how she's remaining true to herself and managing a million and one things, plus a relationship in her own without losing herself to it all.

but the main issue I have is that the entire development was never shown.

we went from strangers, to coworkers, to friends that flirt, to lovers that text constantly and went on numerous dates (and Howie met her mother at some point). but all of that, was off screen.

it's like the writers made every episode with them in it kind of thrown in at a new stage of relationship progression and said "here, accept this, no questions asked because we don't have answers"

I just wish we could've seen more of howie trying to get in her good side again after episode 7 because it seems like that's when a lot of it happened.

I appreciate the Rini scene in this episode, seems to be the very end of them, for good this time.

i'm happy about that.

Ricky especially deserves to be free for a while to focus on his development, and Nini has the chance now to really shine through her talents and make a name for herself.

The Rini storyline is the only one I'm fully satisfied with.

now, that being said;

what the heck are they trying to pull with Lily and Ricky rn???

just like that.

after lily being the villain this whole season, they're just gonna not redeem her and then have her confess her feelings to Ricky, a guy she barely knows and only talked to to harass and intimidate, and for him to reject her publicly then call her afterwards?

please I hope it's just to say "you dropped something, here it is and never contact me again, thanks." /hj

speaking of the villains, this season was promoted as the season of rivalry between North and East High right? so why did that plot idea only progress in about 3 out if 12 episodes?

we got Zackey Roy in there for a few episodes then he disappeared, Lily just caused Gina to stay true to her friends in episode 2 and 7 and then basically did nothing else?

this is what I mean by the new characters providing nothing to the show.

the writers can't manage having so many characters and plots at once so they start so many promising arcs, only to kick them aside later on.

we already know that the first half of the season felt like filler episodes, so I think they could've cut those down to leave room for the more important plots to take root, rather than have them pop up and get rushed at the end of the season.

all that, and they just add 4 more plots at the end of the season.

this post sounds very negative looking back...but if I'm being honest with myself, I'm just very very disappointed.

I love this show so much and I really expected better for the season finale, especially if they don't know if it's getting renewed or not.

given the IMDB ratings of this episode so far, I don't have very high expectations for the renewal, but I'm still hopeful because this show is a great thing, one of the best things that happened to me over the course of this quarantine. I've become so attached to this show, the cast and the friends I made through it, that I don't know what I would do if it just ends like this. writing these reviews and posts about this season has been so fun for me to do and thinking that this may be the very last one is a painful thought.

I'm sorry if you were expecting this post to be as light-hearted as my other posts about the episodes, I just had a lot to say about this episode in particular.

all my episode posts are tagged with "#guac's episode text blocks :)" in case you wanna read through and reminisce the simpler times🥲

[let-it-raines]

I Hope We Never See October (3/?)

When his personal life and football career go up in flames, Killian Jones escapes England for America, finding seclusion in Martha’s Vineyard in order to hide from his demons. It’s a fresh start, or at the very least a paused moment in his life, and all he needs is a few months alone to allow his heart to heal. He doesn’t count on meeting Emma Swan.

Emma’s life depends on tourists who come to the island every summer. It’s how she makes her money working in restaurants and clubs across the vineyard, but every year, she cannot wait until autumn comes and her life returns to normal. She especially cannot wait for Killian Jones to leave.

Rating: Mature

a/n: Not gonna lie, I forget I'm writing this story, remember, and then the moment I sit down to write, I get called away. But here's part three!

AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr: One | Two | Three

-/-

His head is pounding. It’s been awhile since it has pounded like this. Usually, it’s from a lack of sleep from the nightmares or the stress. This morning, he knows it’s from the rum. He did everything he could to cancel it out – coffee, water, food, medicine – but his head is still pounding. He is a bloody lightweight now.

Huh.

Killian is making it sound like that’s a bad thing, when really, it’s good. A week ago he was standing with a beer bottle in his hand early in the morning tempted to drown his entire day away. Last night, he made it the entire day without wanting to get pissed and only had two small drinks to toast his friends goodbye.

That’s progress.

This hangover, though, damn. It’s a sign he’s making progress, but damn.

Or he’s simply getting old, which is something else he doesn’t want to think about.

“Fuck,” Killian moans, pressing his fingers against his temples as he opens his eyes. His neck is also killing him, probably from how he slept on this damn couch all night. He should have driven home, but he didn’t trust himself to. Besides, Ariel had offered the couch before she went to bed.

Emma had too.

He’d nearly left after she offered. She was likely only doing it because she assumed Ariel or Eric already offered. He gets the feeling the woman doesn’t like him, which usually isn’t something that happens with him, and that intrigues him. It also makes him realize how much of an asshole he is.

How has he gotten to a point in his life where he expects women to always fancy his company?

Killian sits up, his muscles aching, and slowly, he rises from the couch. The lights in the house are all off, and he knows he can leave now with no one knowing the wiser that he slept over, that he felt bad enough to not be able to drive home. Or maybe that he didn’t want to spend another night in that giant house by himself.

The floor creaks beneath him with each step he takes, but no one seems to stir. Killian finds a notepad and pen in the kitchen and quickly scribbles a note to Ariel and Eric. He said his goodbyes to them last night, and he’ll talk to them on the phone at some point today. He doesn’t need to stick around to say another goodbye this morning. It’s still early enough that the sun hasn’t risen, and they won’t be up for hours. Killian finishes his note, grabs his wallet and keys from the counter, and heads out the front door to his car. It takes him a moment to find his car, to remember what said of the road they drive on over here, but he eventually spots it across the street under a large tree when a light from the house turns on.

Killian turns to see it’s coming from an upstairs window, and Emma Swan is standing between the curtains. He nods, and he swears he sees the slightest nod in return before the curtains rustle and she turns off the light.

She didn’t get in until two this morning, and she’s up at six. How the hell is she functioning?

Then again, how is he functioning?

Killian’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and after he gets in his Jeep, he checks the message.

Elsa Jones: The girls say thank you for their new Leggo set. My bare feet do not.

Killian laughs and puts his phone back in his pocket. That’s how he’s functioning. He may have flown across an ocean, but he’d never leave Ally and Sophia. They’ve already lost enough, and Liam will have his head, someway and somehow, if he doesn’t do everything he can to make sure all his girls are happy.

To make sure Killian is happy too.

“Bloody hell,” Killian whispers to himself as he cranks the engine, “it’s too early to be thinking like this.”

He should be able to have at least a little reprieve from the voices in his head.

-/-

Killian doesn’t leave the house much over the next few days. He doesn’t have reason to. He’s got everything he could possibly need in the house, including his own private stretch of beach that he walks along a few times a day, but the repetition of nothing begins to drive him mad. He trains in almost the same way as he did when he was playing, and while that takes up a good portion of his day, it’s not enough to keep him occupied. He reads the books that the owners of the house left behind but finds it’s mostly romance novels he can’t stomach. For a day or two, he binges Netflix, leaving a permanent imprint of his ass in the couch cushions, but there’s only so much time he can spend staring at screens.

Elsa and the girls call more than once a day with them being on summer holidays, and he gets a call or two from Scarlet, who finally had the bullocks to ask Belle out to dinner. That was good to hear since Killian has been giving Will shit about doing that for years now, and it’s good to see that people are moving on with their lives.

He’s not, not really, but he’s not trying to move on so much as he’s trying to not be a total disaster every day.

Sitting in this house alone all day every day isn’t helping. Why did anyone think sending him to be alone would be a good idea in the wake of his brother’s death? He knows it’s more so the scum English tabloids would leave him alone and he could fix his public image so he doesn’t go broke before he’s forty from loss of sponsorships and possible opportunities to get involved in the league, but damn, this was a bad idea.

At least he’s not drinking himself to sleep anymore.

Or drinking himself awake. He thinks that feat is slightly more impressive.

Killian puts his bottle of water down and opens the door that leads to the deck. It’s cool out today, the sun hidden behind the clouds, and since he cannot stay here anymore, he decides he’ll go for a run. It’s been years since he ran outside and not on a pitch or a treadmill, but maybe it’ll be a good distraction. He’s noticed more people filling into the houses around him, the summer tourists showing up in large droves now, so at the very least he can pass time watching people while hoping no one watches him.

It takes him little time to get dressed, lace up his trainers, and pop headphones in his ears before he’s out the door. The roads aren’t flat around his house, so he drives the Jeep a few miles until he finds smoother, less crowded ground. Maybe it’s a way to keep him from running that little bit longer, but mostly he knows his knees need the flat surfaces right now.

He really has gotten old, hasn’t he?

Eventually, he finds what looks like a good path behind a long stretch of beach, finds a place to park, and then he starts running.

It’s horrible, which was expected, but he does it anyway. There are families lining the beaches, music playing from speakers and phones, and he watches as boats skip out on the water. Maybe he should rent a boat for a weekend and take it out. It’d be nice to be out on the water again. He hasn’t been since Liam’s death, the fear of something similar happening to him despite the unlikeliness, but maybe one day while he’s here. It’s not as if he has anything better to do.

Killian runs until the endorphins kick in and then again until his legs get tired. He’s an idiot, however, because he doesn’t think to turn around to his Jeep.

Bloody hell.

He stops and reaches his hands over his head, stretching out his shoulders, and looks to see what’s around him. It’s mostly beach, but there are several restaurants and shops a few blocks down. He notices the familiar Blue Dog Tavern sign and the long deck filled with their outside seating. That means he’s minutes away from a populated area of shops and restaurants where he could cool down and catch his breath, but he still walks toward the Blue Dog. There’s another diner around here he went to that was horrible, and he doesn’t feel like taking the chance again. He’s still over his phase of twenty-four-hour diners. He doesn’t think he can handle more sticky tables.

Killian cools down on the walk to the restaurant, taking in the people walking along the sidewalk, and he dodges them until he’s inside and the cool air is hitting against his skin. It’s past the prime of the lunch rush, so the place is mostly empty. He thinks of going to the bar again, but as he wants to stay as out of the way as possible, he asks the hostess to seat him at a booth in the corner.

“Is someone coming to meet you?” she asks, smacking her gum as she hands him a menu.

“I’m afraid not. Just me today.”

She smiles, popping her gum again, and leans forward, casually popping a button on her shirt. Killian tries not to snicker at the obvious attempt, mostly because she is attractive, but the last thing he needs is to burn more bridges at one of the few places in towns he likes. “Well, if you want company, all you have to do is come find me. I’m Marina.”

He raises his brow. “Seems like you were born to work by the ocean then.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because your name is Marina.”

She cocks her head to the side and laughs. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing, love.” Killian smiles and nods toward the front. “I believe you’re needed.”

She jumps and walks away, obviously putting a little sway in her hips when she moves, and in another life, he’d ask her to join him for lunch and meet her after her shift. He nearly does it now, but the man he’s been and the man he’s trying to be war with each other in his mind.

No burning bridges, he reminds himself. He’s done enough of that in his lifetime.

He orders water and coffee and avoids eye contact with Marina as much as possible, especially when she keeps finding ways to come by his table despite there being no other customers in his section. He texts Will and Rob, sends Elsa some pictures of the beach to show the girls, responds to Ariel about him doing another video conference with a hospital back home, and then he puts his phone away and tries to focus on his meal.

Unsurprisingly, it does not take a hell of a lot of focus to eat a sandwich and chips.

The music coming over the intercoms keeps him occupied for awhile, so does the television hanging over the bar until someone changes it to ESPN, and eventually Killian starts fidgeting for headphones and something to do while he waits for his meal to settle and drinks another cup of coffee. He needs to start the trek back to his Jeep, but that’s the last thing he wants to do.

“Heather, I get that you don’t want to be here, but your uncle and your parents want you here. And you either need to take it up with them or start doing some actual work.”

Killian recognizes that voice, and he sinks in his booth. He was hoping to get away with not running into her here today, if only to save himself the headache. He doesn’t have any paper money on hand, so he can’t pay and leave, and he imagines there’s very little chance he’ll avoid her when she’s walking right toward him with Heather, his server from last week.

She’s in those bloody jean shorts again. They barely cover anything and hug her ass to show it off, and the blouse she’s wearing is fitted to her skin. Her hair is down, hitting past midway on her back, and she looks just as gorgeous as she has every other time he’s seen her…which is exactly why he needs her to not notice him.

So, of course, she does.

Right after she teaches Heather how to clean the tables, she looks up and over at Killian, raises both brows, and walks toward him with her arms crossed beneath her chest. “Anything I can help you with today?”

“The check may be nice, Swan. Lovely to see you again.”

“Uh-huh.” She looks over her shoulder, holds up a signal toward Killian’s server, and he hustles to the back, presumably to get the check. “I can recommend other restaurants in the area. This place is great, but I promise there are better ones.”

He shrugs. “I like the food and how calm it is during off hours. Are you enjoying your house with no Fishers in it?”

“I don’t mind when they come to stay.”

It’s a lie if he’s ever heard one. Killian points to his temple and taps. “I know this may surprise you, but I’m actually quite perceptive.”

Her smile is tight, and she tucks her hair behind her ears. “The Fishers are great landlords, and I can’t complain.”

“I’m not going to tell them what you’re saying, love.”

She smiles again, and he can tell she’s still faking it for him. “All I can say is I’m glad not to have strange men scaring me in my kitchen at two in the morning. Now they simply show up at my work.”

He lifts his glass. “It’s good food, and you’re right, I don’t know of many other reliable eateries around here. Some of them seem a little too…made for tourists.”

“And the Blue Dog Tavern doesn’t? I mean, come on. We have a giant blue animated dog cutout outside. We’re on all those lists of ‘Places in Martha’s Vineyard you have to visit.’ We’re made for tourists like you.”

“I am not a tourist.”

“Says the man who is renting one of the big houses out in Edgartown and staying here for the summer. I’m guessing you go to the beach and lounge around the pool and go through way too many of the bad books the owners of the house have on their shelves.”

Killian huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back in the booth. That was a little too spot on. “How do you know where I’m staying? Wait, no. Ariel, right?”

“Yeah,” Emma smiles, and God, it feels like a hell of an accomplishment to get her to smile. “She went on and on about the great Killian Jones.”

“Ah, so you know who I am then?” He leans forward and waggles his brows, flashing his brightest smile.

“Yeah, a rich British tourist who is friends with my landlords.” Someone calls her name from across the restaurant, and Emma holds one finger up. “Your check will be with you soon. I’ll ask Marina to give you some other restaurant recommendations on your way out. You’ll get sick of this place soon enough.”

“I’m perfectly happy with it, Swan.”

She shrugs and walks away, and Killian chuckles to himself. He doesn’t understand this woman at all, but she intrigues him.

He knows that’s a dangerous game to play.

Killian gets the check, pays it, and before he can escape, Marina corners him to give him more recommendations. She ends up veering into bars and clubs on the island and the surrounding towns, asking him if he wants her to show him around, but he declines and takes the list of places. Maybe he’ll check them out, but the last thing he needs is to go to a club. A bar, maybe, but not a club. He’s learned that there’s a hell of a difference.

He’s also learned that he’s bored to tears in this place, and no amount of calls to Ariel and Elsa can solve that boredom. He finds himself googling pre-season training information, checking up on mates and rivals, and while that’s a bit of a slip-up, he does manage to still stay away from looking himself up. He never used to have the urge to google himself or to read any of the tabloids, but ever since his retirement, he’s been curious. Were people sad? Happy? Did he leave any kind of lasting impact? Or did they all just see him as the drunk, washed up old man with a dirtied past?

That is a path he absolutely cannot go down, and since he’s already run a half marathon today, he decides to shower and get dressed to go to one of the places Marina recommended. If his time alone doesn’t start to get less depressing, he thinks he’s going to have to fly back to London and bother Elsa and the girls until they kick him out. He’ll pay for the remaining time on the house, but he won’t be staying there.

While the sun sets, Killian drives down new roads on the island, going to different towns and neighborhoods to see what others are doing, before ending up at a bar near his house. Marina said it was a spot for locals with good food and a quiet energy, so he doubts Marina has ever stepped foot into it. Killian pushes open the old oak door, and the lights inside are dimmed, the music quiet. There’s a guy playing guitar in the corner hidden between two pillars, and Killian finds himself sitting at the opposite end of the bar on a stool that’s cushion squeaks when he sits down.

Charming.

“You eating, drinking, or both?” The bartender asks, wiping his hands off with a cloth.

“Eating. Have any recommendations?”

“You have an objection to seafood?” the old man asks.

“Not a one.”

“Good. I’ll fix you up with the daily catch.”

Killian nods as the man makes his way through a door behind the bar, and then Killian swivels on his stool, looking around the place. He doesn’t know about the food yet, but Marina was right. It definitely has a quiet energy to it. There are people in nearly every booth and at every table, but there’s a hushed tone except for a laugh in the booth nearest him. His eyes are drawn there, and to both his surprise and horror, he finds Emma Swan with her head tilted back with laughter.

Fuck.

She’s definitely going to think he’s stalking her, and as hungry and bored as he is, he’s still tempted to leave. So of course, that’s when Emma stops laughing and looks directly at him.

Bollocks. Utter bollocks.

She blinks and stares at him a little longer, her brows raising before falling, and then she turns back to whoever is sitting in the booth with her. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see her arms moving, but he turns on the stool until he can see her no longer, wishing at the very least he had a water to nurse.

“Hiya. Come sit in our booth with us.”

Killian twists and looks at the brunette who’s now sitting next to him. “Pardon?”

She sticks out her hand, and he takes it, shaking it. “Ruby Lucas. You’re Killian Jones, the – ”

“There’s no need to – ”

“ – the guy who scared Emma half to death at her house in the middle of the night,” Ruby completes, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. “And I must say, you are much more attractive than she described.”

“So she talked about me then?”

“In her own special Emma way.” Ruby tilts her head back toward their booth. “And in my own special Ruby way, I’m inviting you to eat dinner with us. It’s me, Emma, and this super wholesome woman named Mary Margaret who will take you home and bake you cookies while asking you about your childhood because she had a good one of those.”

Killian chuckles, cheeks still flushed from him thinking Ruby knew who he was earlier – he is a pompous, entitled ass obviously – and from being invited to their table. “I couldn’t intrude.”

“I insist that you do.”

He likes her, he decides. She’s stunning and funny with no filter, but she reminds him too much of a dirtier version of Anna. It’s a rather peculiar comparison, but it’s true. It’s also half the reason he agrees to switch tables, rising from his stool and walking toward the booth. The other half a reason is the blonde woman with her face pressed into her forearms against the table top.

She looks beyond thrilled for him to be joining them.

“Oh, Emma, you were right, he is handsome!”

Emma bangs her head into the table as who he presumes is Mary Margaret smiles at him from across the booth. Killian slides onto the seat and elbows Emma’s side before patting her shoulder. “It’s alright, darling. I told all my mates you were beautiful, so we’re even.”

“Go to hell.”

He laughs, grinning at her, and slowly, she peels herself off the table. “Just so you know, I’m only here because Marina recommended it.”

“Remind me to fire her in the morning.”

“So,” Mary Margaret interrupts, tucking her short hair behind her ear, “tell us about yourself, Killian. Where are you from? What do you do for work? How long are you planning on being here?”

“Good God, Marg,” Emma sighs, slumping down, “give the man some room to breathe.”

“What? I’m curious.”

“You’re nosy is what you are,” Emma corrects.

“Aren’t we all?” Killian shuffles in his seat, hoping they move on to another subject, but when Mary Margaret turns to him, he knows she isn’t one to forget. “So, how long are you staying?”

“I have the keys to the house I’m renting until the first of October, but I imagine I’ll leave sooner.”

“And why’s that?” she asks.

Killian shrugs as the man behind the bar drops off a glass of water at the table and tells Killian his food will be ready in ten minutes. “I’m afraid no matter how nice it is here, I don’t know many people. I miss the people I’m closest to. A man can only spend so much time alone.”

“Then why’d you book a house for so long?”

“I needed to get away.”

“Yeah, but – ”

“Marg,” Emma interrupts, placing her hand over her friend’s, “please. You don’t have to know everything about him. Not everyone wants to reveal their entire life to complete strangers.”

She’s right. He doesn’t. But for some inane reason, he doesn’t think he’d mind revealing most of his life to her.

He has obviously lost his damn mind.

But it’s nice to spend a night with other people, to be included in the conversation, and while Mary Margaret and Ruby are delightful, he finds Emma captures his attention, not that this surprises him.

What does surprise him, however, is how much friendlier she is in this environment. He knows it’s her friends and not him, and maybe the glass of wine she had with dinner, but it’s nice to see her laugh freely and blush when Ruby tells stories of Emma he cannot imagine knowing otherwise. He can’t imagine Emma ever scaling a building to break into an ex’s apartment to get her favorite sweater back, but then again, that seems exactly like something she would do if she wanted it badly enough.

He fancies her.

He has no business fancying her, none at all, but when he ends up driving all three women to their homes because Ruby and Mary Margaret had too much to drink and Emma can’t drive the stick shift in Ruby’s car, he accepts Emma’s invitation inside for a cup of coffee.

He also accepts her invitation upstairs into her bed.

To hell with the consequences and burning bridges. He’ll deal with those in the morning when he isn’t so enticed by the trail of freckles running down Emma’s bare stomach.

-/-

-/-

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