#i need to see another because the internet tour

[kayotic-idiot]

yes! I was using a combination of the fanwiki and wikepedia to find sources, and so many lead to dead links or books that are just no where on the internet i can find. the pictures of the stadium tour were beautiful, though, and I think that we need another tour that scale because WOW! its such a shame that they were lost in that fire a lot of the broadway costumes ended up being reworked for vegas (coaches mainly) which i dont think helped with the longevity of them because the slimmer showgirl type outfits were really not that sturdy.

the scale of bochum is wild, and this doesn’t even account for all the revisions over the years. im planning on making a character timeline to see who's been in the show and at what points in time because there was that brief period where they cut cb! and all of the freight changes over the years, the engines, non dinah and pearl coaches etc it would be so fun to get an idea for that kind of thing. (rusty, gb, pearl, dinah, electra etc would just be massive long lines which would be quite comical)

honestly, this is all part of a larger project to make a video explaining the plot of every version of starlight express through the years, i knew the scale of it, but it hadn't quite clicked until this timeline where im realising that theres A LOT of versions, thankfully a lot of them have very similar plots and theres generally sort of larger movements where every few years there'll be a new version that gets circled until they need to make more changes.

hey pspspspsps stex peeps i made a timeline of every* stex production the

the number and length of these productions is insane

*im like 90% certain i may have missed a few

[ssssosababyyyyy]

listening to lovell. i need a single sooo bad. like omg.

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[xo100]

Hi there!! Could I ask Lando with a singer or a dancer reader?? They are already dating, but haven’t made it officially yet to the public. Lando surprises the reader by attending to the readers tour and fans are going feral about him being there, because it’s a “duo” they didn’t knew they needed. After the show he comes backstage to the reader and they make the relationship public with the pictures of them being backstage or something. Just really sweet and fluffy. Thank you❤️

A surprise in the spotlight - LN4

*:･ﾟ Summary/request: request by anon as you can read above this!

*:･ﾟ Word count: 781

*:･ﾟ A/N: hey loves! I just wanted to let you know that I have another blog called @norrisxwrites on this blog I will reblog your reblogs. I’ll reblog my posts and other posts! Go check it out if you want posting there soon! Enjoy the fic!

masterlist / community / request

౨ৎ

The stadium buzzed with the excitement only a sold-out concert could bring. The energy was palpable, like a living, breathing thing, as fans spilled into their seats with glowing bracelets and homemade signs. This was your tour, the biggest one yet, and it had been months of grueling rehearsals, endless interviews, and nights spent missing the man who’d somehow slipped into your life and turned it upside down.

That man, Lando Norris, Formula 1’s rising star and everyone’s favorite cheeky Brit, was supposed to be halfway across the world, prepping for the next Grand Prix. At least, that’s what he’d told you over FaceTime just two days ago.

But Lando had never been great at following the rules—especially when it came to staying away from you for too long.

-

It wasn’t until the third song of the set that whispers started spreading through the crowd. Something was happening near the back, a ripple of excitement weaving its way forward. The screens overhead briefly panned across the audience, and there he was, seated among the fans in a hoodie and cap pulled low but not low enough to fool anyone.

The stadium erupted.

“Is that Lando Norris?” someone screamed.

“He’s at her concert?” another gasped.

The internet moved faster than the speed of sound. Within moments, Twitter was ablaze with shaky screenshots and wild speculations.

-Are they dating?!- -This is the crossover I didn’t know I needed!- -Lando and Y/N??? MY HEART.-

Onstage, you were mid-chorus, but the sudden roar from the crowd was hard to ignore. Your eyes scanned the sea of people, your heart stuttering when you spotted him. Lando gave a small wave, his smile tugging at the edges of his mouth like he couldn’t quite contain it.

You fought the urge to break character, biting back a grin as you returned your focus to the performance. But your cheeks were warm, and the butterflies in your stomach were undeniable.

-

The show ended with an encore, the crowd’s energy lingering in the air as fans slowly filed out. You darted backstage, the adrenaline still coursing through your veins, only to stop short when you saw him leaning casually against the wall near your dressing room.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Lando said, his voice warm and teasing.

You couldn’t help it—you threw yourself into his arms, the scent of his cologne instantly grounding you. He caught you effortlessly, his laughter soft against your hair as he held you close.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, your words muffled against his chest.

“Surprising you,” he said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Missed you too much. Figured it was time I crashed one of your shows.”

Your heart swelled. “You’re insane, you know that?”

“Only for you.”

He pulled back just enough to look at you, his hands still on your waist. “You were incredible out there. I mean, I knew you were good, but seeing you like this…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “You’re amazing, Y/N.”

The sincerity in his voice left you momentarily speechless, your cheeks heating under his gaze. “You’re not too bad yourself, Mr. Norris. Though I think you’ve caused a bit of a stir.”

Lando smirked, the corner of his mouth quirking up in that infuriatingly charming way. “Oh, I noticed. Your fans are relentless. Think I saw my name trending on Twitter halfway through the third song.”

“Serves you right,” you teased, but the warmth in your voice gave you away.

-

You didn’t plan to go public with your relationship that night, but when your manager walked in, phone in hand, and said, “We’ve got paparazzi swarming the back exit,” you knew it was inevitable.

Lando squeezed your hand, his touch steadying. “If you’re ready, I am.”

“You mean it?” you asked, your voice quieter now.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

He kissed your forehead, and in that moment, everything else faded away. The chaos, the cameras, the noise—it all felt distant, insignificant compared to him.

The two of you walked out together, hand in hand, the backstage photographer snapping candid shots that would be on every gossip site by morning. You didn’t care.

Later, in the car, Lando scrolled through the early posts. He turned his phone to you, showing a picture of the two of you backstage, mid-laugh, your fingers laced together.

“‘The duo we didn’t know we needed,’” he read aloud, chuckling. “Not bad, huh?”

You leaned against his shoulder, your smile soft. “Not bad at all.”

And as the city lights blurred past the windows, you couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this was only the beginning.

౨ৎ

*:･ﾟ Notes; thank you for reading, love’s! Hope you all enjoyed it! If there is something wrong or need to be edited, let me know! Also hey anon! If you read this, I hope that this is what you had in mind!

*:･ﾟtags; @spookbusters-jr

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

I whisper secrets to my mirror

a/n idk this came to me in a dream last night so here we are now. I had to let this out of my system. Also, I haven’t written properly in a month so apologies if this sucks ass. 🫂✨

summery: take a gamble… one night leads to a handful of chased pleasure. So let’s whisper secrets to the mirror maybe at the end we will get to see each other clearer.

warning: FWB, sexual content, female and male receiving but also a plot… right…

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Noah had a strict rule when it came to seeing people. He wanted his life to stay off the internet at all cost and by now he was more than aware that letting random people into his bed was like a time bomb waiting to explode. So once bad omens took off, he cut off almost all the careless hookups. He wasn’t a priest, of course, he still had needs. But the bigger his band got, the harder it became to enjoy a careless night out because no matter what he always felt as if a dagger hung right above his neck.

You fell into his lap quite literally. The whole team had agreed to go for a round of drinks after the end of the tour. Bryan had been the one to point you out in the crowd. “That’s my buddy’s sister, moved here for uni I think”, he muttered something along the lines. Or that was all Noah heard before every part of him was consumed by you. That whole night had been a blur. All Noah was confident in was your smile. He would never forget you smile. One that still had him in a chokehold. And that red dress that looked as if it was painted on your body until it wasn’t and he was fucking into you from behind in a random bathroom stall. All procession thrown out the window. Moaning as if there was no tomorrow. Kissing your shoulder as he muttered your name.

And then there was one big blur again as he woke up the next morning. Nothing made sense but all Noah saw was you when he closed his eyes. Just the throbbing hangover had brought a wave of realization too. And he had spent good two hours trying to find your profile and another two trying to come up with a decent message. He had scribbled an awkward, “Hi, last night was fun but I don’t usually do that so sorry that I wasn’t in a state to take you home”, he regretted it instantly but the moment the three dots appeared he forgot how to breathe. “I can still feel you between my legs”, was the first thing you responded with, and fuck if his dick didn’t twitch at the thought of how you had felt. “Took the morning-after pill so you have nothing to worry about”, and there went all his arousal. So he kept in touch. Slightly growing paranoid. A month he had told himself. Till you get your period and he could make sure that you weren’t pregnant by accident. He just didn’t take it into the consideration that four weeks was a long time and growing familial in a month wasn’t all that hard. Not when you had tumbled back into bed not even a week later.

So tonight, as Noah anxiously tapped his steering wheel, ridden with stress about the tour preparations, he couldn’t wait to see you again. He had texted you to say that he was coming to your apartment. He just didn't wait for your response, too desperate to see you. Get a fix you offered. Just you. Because it settled something in him. Being there with you made him feel like he could do anything.

Noah held up two bags of takeout, as you opened the door. A slight frown on your face. “Hey", Noah muttered leaning against your doorframe. “Hey, I was just texting you back”, you gestured to your phone. He stepped into the apartment with a hum, setting the takeout down on the kitchen counter. "Don’t need to bother with that now”, Noah leaned against the counter, eyeing you from across the room. You looked tired. The dark circles you tried to hide with the concealer… yeah he saw through you. He had from the first moment. It was scary how it felt as if he had known you his whole life.

"Long day?", he muttered as you patted closer, peaking into the bags of food. “I mean… I guess?”, you mussed, reaching to put your hair up in a messy bun, running a hand down your face before turning to him, “What brought you here?”

"Like I texted you. I'm tired and stressed, I missed you.", he watched you move around with that look in his eyes. The desperation almost. You never really liked your man needy but had made the exception for Noah. “Careful, or I will assume that I am your favorite booty call”, you chuckled, opening one of the boxes up, taking a fried dumpling before plopping it into your mouth. Noah rolled his eyes, a crooked smirk appearing on his face as he watched you take a seat across from him.

“You are, the only one too", he said bluntly, watching you roll your eyes. It always felt domestic with you. It was stupid honestly but even watching you eat had become special to him. Noah leaned against your fridge, so he could face you properly, hands rubbing his face as he gave out a long sigh. “Aren’t you gonna eat?”, you asked, tilting your head to the side as your eyes landed on him. Noah glanced over at the food sitting beside him on the table, then back at you, "Not in the mood. Too many things on my mind." He was tired. He knew you could sense it too. Yet he did what he always had. Shutting his brain off as he let himself take you in. Crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes roamed up and down your body, almost shamelessly, a smirk slowly spreading on his face.

You pushed the box with food to the side, “Want to talk about it or TALK about it?”, you mused, leaning against the kitchen counter. Noah raised an eyebrow, a chuckle leaving his lips. He wanted to be cheeky like you. After all your personality had won him over in a heartbeat. But the day’s weight was too heavy on his shoulders so instead of suppressing it like he usually did, he let himself let out another sigh, as he muttered, "I'm just… stressed. Tour and planning and everyone and their fucking opinions. Just thinking of all the things that need to get done and it's all just…”, Noah trailed off, running a hand through his hair. You watched him now, those assesing eyes dissecting him on the spot.

“Do you want to fuck this out of your system or are we talking about it?”, you asked bluntly. He blinked a couple of times, a smirk spreading across his face before a scoff left his mouth. You were always so blunt with things like this, after all, you were the one who had asked to fuck the first time you met. That was probably why he had said yes too. It was a transaction. Just two horny people. You didn’t want anything to do with the fame, the band, him as a musician. And fuck it he loved it.

“Can’t it be both?", he shrugged in return. “What comes first?”, you mused, smiling at him all innocently. It was tricky. Was fucking and then dumping his problems onto you worse? "Talking”, he nodded, “then we can fuck", you nodded, pushing off the counter as you reached for his hand. “Okay then”, you mused, dragging him towards the living room. And he followed without any hesitation. Like a lost puppy trailing after you.

“Sit, and then lay your head on my lap”, you ordered him, pointing to the sofa as you too settled down. Noah nodded, slowly lying back, head resting on your lap as he looked up at you with a cocky smile. A similar expression lit up your features as you ran your finger over his lips, before slowly moving your fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp, making Noah let out a deep moan. “Your booty side hoe and psychologists at your service”, you snickered. He smirked at your words once more, eyes opening again as he looked up at you from his position on your lap, "It's a lot to expect of one person, you know." You let out an overly dramatic sigh, “What can I say, you got me working overtime here” He chuckled, watching you so casually working your fingers through his hair. Making him want to lean into your touch, enjoying the feeling of your fingers running through his hair, eyes falling shut again as he spoke, "well fuck", Nowh said, his voice low, almost a grumble, "You're too good to me."

“You do come with a perk or two”, you shrugged. "Care to share some of those perks?", Noah asked, his voice low as he wiggled his brows. “Oh shut up, I ain’t about to praise you too, that comes with extra pay”, you teased, as Noah rolled his eyes, "come on, you're such a killjoy. I just want a little bit of your love." Now it was your time to rolled your eyes. Love had been a fleeting word between you two for a while now. But you never let it actually hit home. You couldn’t. “You still need to replace my bedframe after your last performance”, tapping Noah’s chest, looking at that knowing smile spreading on his face. That image and night had kept him up for quite some time. The bed frame had broke early in the morning. Noah had instantly grabbed for you, wrapping you up in his arms as he turned you over. He wasn’t sure why that had been his first reaction but it had been. Cause a part of him sensed danger and it felt like a no-brainer.

After a beat, he looked up at you again, eyes roaming down your body one more time. "Yeah, I'm still sorry about that. I'll get you a new bed altogether." “You’re sorry?”, you snorted, “you said it was the best orgasm of your life.” He smiled at the memory, nodding, "Yeah, it was fantastic. I don't think the bed frame agreed, though”, he shrugged, making you tip your head back as you laughed. Warmth spread through Noah’s chest at the sound alone. His hands began tracing up and down your legs, moving from your knees to your thighs, up and down, up and down.

He felt you clenching your legs together, running your hand down his neck as you pinched his chin. "That bed frame wasn't the only thing we broke, though." He said, smirking once again as he watched you from his place on your lap. You frowned, “what else broke?” He chuckled, a low, amused sound as the smirk on his face widened. "Let's see… I think I left a pretty nasty mark on your-" He lifted his head from her lap as he made a show of thinking for a moment, acting like he didn't already know the answer. You let out a gasp, hitting his chest, “you’re nasty…”, your cheeks going red as you shook your head. And once again there was something about knowing that he could do that. Affect you. Makes you squirm.

"I'm not that nasty.", Noah mused, turning slightly so he could kiss your exposed skin, thanking all lucky stars for the skimpy shorts you had on, “I can prove it too", muttering against your skin before biting your inner thigh. “Mhm… where are you spitting this time then?”, your voice was breathy, as you pulled at him. Noah chuckled as you called him out, his hands moving from your legs to gently grab your hips as he pulled the both of you to a sitting position. He gave your ass a little swat as you settled on his lap, "Where do you want it this time?" There was a moment of shock there before your eyes caught the same fire. The one blazing in his own. Your palm came up his neck, nails already digging into his skin, “Surprise me”, you mused. A small moan left his mouth as Noah moved his hands to grab your hips, moving his fingers beneath the hem of the shirt you were wearing.

“Just”, you nibbled on his lip, “Don’t blow in your pants this time”, Noah groaned, rolling his eyes at your response, a hand moving to grab the back of your neck. It had only happened once. He had been desperate and it had been a while since he had been sexual with anyone. “I'm sure I could last for about 20 minutes…", he paused for a beat before adding, "…on a good day." You snorted, throwing your head back with laughter once more. A different kind of laughter. A genuine one. He couldn't blame you, it was a stupid comment, and he was honestly proud of himself that it made you laugh. Yet it was short-lived since your neck was exposed to him now. So he leaned in nibbling at your throat as he pushed you down onto his already throbbing cock. You whimpered, “Oh I don’t doubt it, I’ve seen your honest work”, you mussed, teasing him.

"You've gotten to watch firsthand, haven't you?", he stated proudly, “You’re an idiot”, you shook your head leaning in to crash your lips against him, grinding against him. He was shocked for a split second, before he relaxed into your kiss, closing his eyes as you took what you wanted. One of his hands moved to the back of your head, holding you in place as he kissed you back hungrily. He moved his hand on your ass, pulling you closer, wanting to feel all of you against him. You pulled at his shirt, yanking it over his head, “Let me help you forget”.

Noah nodded, desperate eyes watching you pulling your own shirt over your head. Lushes breast bouncing with movement right in front of him. “I need you”, he grunted, leaning in, letting his tongue move over the perky nipple. “I know baby”, you cooed, “That’s why you came here after all”, and there was almost a tad of bitterness in your voice but you knew that he was too desperate to notice it. To let it sink in.

"You got that right”, Noah said with a smirk, "But… there's something I forgot to mention…", but you bit his earlobe, making Noah groan as he leaned his head to the side. With one more chased kiss you slid off his lap, sinking to your knees in front of him, eyes looking up. You could see him clenching his jaw as he looked down at you, legs spreading just a tad to make more room for you. So you liked your lips, smirked at him, before pulling at his pants.

"Baby, you don't have to", he grunted, letting out a low rumble as he pulled his eyes away from you to look around the room for a second. At anything other than the goddess in front of him. “Shh, sit back and enjoy”, you kissed his thigh, eyes never leaving his. Noah knew you were going to take care of him… you always did… you always took care of him in more than one way. He leaned his head back, a silent sigh leaving his mouth as you finally wrapped your fingers around his aching cock, spreading the precum all over. “Baby”, he whined, watching you swirl your tongue around the very tip before taking him all into your mouth. His hips bucked up, he couldn’t help it. As you bobbed your head, taking him all in, eyes rolling to the back of your head as you gagged. “Fuck, fuck you feel so…”, Noah grunted, taking fistfuls of your hair between his fingers. Your choked-out moans filled the space, sending pleasure all through Noah’s body. “I could die for you on your knees”, he stated, pushing your head down his length as your drool coated his thighs. “Come on… spit on it baby”, he demanded and you instantly did as told. Pumping him in your hand as you spat the mixture of you both on the tip of his dick, keeping direct eye contact as you leaned in to lick all the way up the throbbing crown. “Jesus”, Noah ran a hand down his face as you wrapped your lips around him once more, keeping that deadly rhythm. But this was dangerous. He was too worked up.

“Come here”, pulling you back up, he watched as his dick slid out your mouth with a pop. Panting, as you climbed up his lap once more. His fingers gently wiped the tears away from your cheeks. Your eyes locked for just a heartbeat before you crashed your lips into his once more. His hands instinctively went to grab your hips, before he dipped his hand between your thighs pushing the skimpy material to the side. “Noah”, you whimpered, bracing yourself against his shoulders, so he could slide into you with ease. “You’re ready? You’re sure?”, he pulled back, looking right at you, the very tip of him lingering right there, right by your entrance. So you didn’t bother to answer, sinking into him as you pressed your forehead against him. “Shit”, “Noah, fuck”, you both grunted in unison as you slowly bottomed out. Just breathing together in the feeling of each other. Noah was the one who pulled your hips forward, urging you to move. “So… big”, you mewled, as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing your chest against him. Noah instantly moved his arms around your torso, kissing your shoulder, “such a good girl, look at you”, he praised as you rocked your hips back and forth, nuzzling against him whimpering in his ear every time he hit that delicious spot deep within. This felt different in a way. It wasn’t that you always fucked, there were more intimate moments too but this felt raw somehow deeper than before. “Noah”, you cried out, snapping him back to the moment as he moved his hands beneath your bum helping you ride him as you slowly began to clench around him.

“Baby”, you pulled back, hair falling behind your shoulder as you cupped his cheeks, leaning in to kiss him. “I’ve got you gorgeous, cum for me”, Noah urged you on, kissing your collarbone before leaning in to lick up your breast. Biting your lip you clenched around him, feeling the throbbing vein pulsing each time you bottomed out. “I will…”, you whimper before the blissful flames erupt. “Shittt”, Noah whines with a loud growl, pulling you all the way down as you both come undone. You let your head fall on his shoulder as you tried to move through the last bits of chased pleaser. You could hear Noah’s heart pounding in his chest as you lean in to press a tender kiss to his neck. His still slightly shaky fingers moved to thread through your hair. These moments always frighten you. Even more so the fact that you craved them. Him staying. Holding you in his arms. So even if it was chased and careless you snuggled closer to him, wrapping your arms around him. “You’re okay?”, Noah muttered, kissing the side of your head. “I am, always when I’m with you”, you whispered looking up at him, Noah smiled down at you softly, moving his hand between you both. “Don’t”, you clasp his wrist, clenching around him, “Just for a moment”, you whisper shyly. Noah clenched his jaw, settling back down as he brings your body full flesh to flesh with his. “You know that I would give anything to you”, he admitted and the sound of these words hit him like a punch. The realization of it. The promise of it. Unsettled him slightly but he was selfish like that so he stayed put, holding you because all of a sudden letting go felt impossible to imagine.

[blushingbubbles]

Fantasy: You have an in-person freeuse toy day with all of your followers invited

(exempt from forbidden-words rule)

if i had an in-person free use toy day, id have to rent an entertainment venue 🫠 but let's pretend that hypothetically everyone can fit into a very very large airbnb.

it's ten minutes before the front door opens for the first time. The squeaking hinges hesitate for a moment. Whoever's on the stoop didn't actually think it would be unlocked.

I'd gotten sooo many messages in the days before -- promises of what was to come, yes. But also concern that this was some large-scale practical joke.

but the first one enters. he's wearing heavy boots. behind him, another crosses the threshold. 11 minutes since i posted the address. the idea was that rather have a specific start time, i'd post the address when i was ready. until 12 minutes ago, the only thing anyone had was the city and the date.

anyone who'd gotten an invite had been vetted. everything had been planned and purchased and positioned. water in every room. alcohol in the fridge. toys lined up across the kitchen island.

the two men greet one another, and my heart beats sooo loudly. my throat dries up and i peek my head around the corner.

when they see me they pause, they both kinda tilt their head at me -- like how every dominant does when they're surprised? subs know what i mean.

they ask me how im doing and another comes in the now-open door. no reason to close it now... at their suggestion, i give them a tour of the airbnb. the bedrooms and bathrooms and backyard and pool. as we walk, hands begin brushing me. my tits, my waist, my hair. they praise me on how ive become such a good internet slut in the last months. they tell me about how many times id gotten them off -- what pictures of me they like the most. what tasks i performed for them (some of which i remember, but most of which i don't -- it's not my place to remember it's my place to obey)

it's not long before my shirt ends up on the floor. im not even really sure why i wore one. they're not sure either. they laugh at me for it, and i laugh too because they're right. it was silly of me, dressing for tonight. im still nervous until one of them tells me to kneel.

i feel much better like this. on the ground looking up at them. more enter, but im not counting how many surround me now. the newcomers are pointed in the direction of the alcohol while the others begin unbuckling their pants. and the nerves still exist -- the excitement still flutters -- until i put the first cock in my mouth

the second it passes my lips and thick fingers thread through my hair, i feel myself release every anxiety and nerve about the night. a night that i knew would stretch into the weekend.

as im sucking, more hands grope my tits and ass. someone binds my hands. another person clamps my nipples. the gasp of pain i make causes the grip on my hair to tighten. i lose track of time, but he spills down my throat. before i have a chance to close my jaw, another takes his place.

over the day, im fucked in every position i can thinkof (and some positions i cant). videos are taken from every angle. as agreed beforehand, im given a break every hour to confirm im still of sound consenting mind. im given water and snacks and more gropes for at least five minutes. sometimes i need more time, but mostly i hardly make it to 3 before im desperate to serve again. whenever others need a break, they play in the pool or watch tv or watch me. but im used all. day. long.

eventually, it's time for the agreed-upon bedtime. im flooded with aftercare until im all blushy and soft. someone helps by washing the sweat and mess off me. im sent to bed with food, company, and enough gummies to take out a horse. i take them greedily, knowing that that night, others will touch and breed my holes while i sleep.

i wake up soooo full of cum that i want to plug myself to keep it all inside. instead, im cleaned again. used again. that next day, the ones who stayed will stream the videos they took to the tv. they'll edge me to my own porn and make me count how many times i helped others get off. if i get the count wrong or hesitate they'll start all over. they'll coo about how much of a good slut i was, letting them use me like this.

by monday, every video will be posted online. when i get home, i'll edge to every one of them, taking note of how everyone else's face is blurred, everyone else's privacy protected, except for my own 😇

in a writing mood today :) send me ur fantasies of making me a freeuse toy and ill expand on them :)))

[angelic-sturniolos111]

“I’m on live right now…” 🔴

You and Chris have been secretly dating for months and have been making your best efforts to hide your relationship from the internet. You want to surprise your boyfriend by visiting him during tour. Internet fame, poor timing, and Nick’s big mouth end up exposing the truth between you and Chris.

chris sturniolo x fem! reader

reader is a small influencer, and best friends with Nick

warnings: cursing, some angst

author’s note: currently working on “Matt’s Teammate” pt. 2 so checkout pt. 1 if you haven’t already!

You haven’t seen Chris in about two months since tour started, and you were really missing him. He always made sure to shoot you cute texts during the day, call you nearly every morning, and FaceTime at night after the shows. Still, he was busy, and you could tell tour and being away from you was a lot for him to be juggling at once.

You had started a YouTube channel about two years back, and really just documented your life. Somehow, your weekly life updates seemed to gain popularity, and soon you had nearly 200k subscribers. That’s when you were contacted by Z Star Digital, a company dedicated to young and upcoming content creators. You flew out to LA to meet with a team of professionals who offered you a contract with their company that you accepted, and that same week you attended your first Z Star Digital event to get exposed to the other creators in the franchise. You met Nick early on at the start of the event before meeting Matt or Chris. You had been following the triplets for a while, and they were just about to hit 1m subscribers. Nick hit it off with you instantly, and the two of you were attached at the hip the entire event. You and Nick became friends after this night, and hung out every time you were in LA (which also meant you were hanging out with his brothers). It took Chris a long time to ask you out which was agonizing considering you had been crushing on him before the two of you even met. Before making anything official you two had a long talk about your feelings for one another, and how you could make your dating life as private as possible. That was ten months ago, and you’ve both managed to not expose your relationship to the media. Not yet, at least.

With Nick’s help you managed to fly out to Florida to see Chris in his last few shows of the tour. Chris was in the lead, and you wanted to see his last few shows to hopefully be there if he won. You wanted to keep your visit a secret from Chris to surprise him (which also meant keeping it a secret from Matt because he’s awful at keeping secrets and somehow would’ve 100% told Chris you were coming). So you and Nick had been sneakily texting and calling back and forth getting you from the airport to their hotel.

Hey I’m downstairs but I don’t have a key to get up the elevator. Can you please swing by the lobby and bring me up? Thx 💞 You text Nick. Heart nearly thumping out of your chest from excitement.

Yeah ofc give me two minutes!

Chris’s POV:

“My Uber Eats is here I’m gonna run downstairs and get it be right back.” Nick says getting up to leave the room.

“K. Chris do you need the shower right now or can I hop in?” Matt asks.

“Nah man it’s all yours I showered before the show today.” [if ykyk 🤪]

Nick leaves, and Matt goes to shower, leaving me by myself. I pick up my phone to FaceTime Y/N, and it gets declined straight away. Weird. Maybe she’s showering too— which in that case I wish she WOULD answer. I opened Instagram and decided to start a live stream to give fans some updates on tour, and maybe steal some of Nick’s food for the camera. Before I even started talking there were a couple thousand fans viewing the live.

“Sup guys! Just wanted to come on here and give you some updates. Team Orange is in the lead, and if Matt win’s these next two Florida shows we’ll be tied and have to hold a tie-breaker. That’s pretty exciting actually I’d love for that to happen. Uhh yeah so Tril is gonna be on tour soon so go follow him and check that out. I’ll probably—”

“YOU’RE GIRLFRIEND HAS ARRIVEDDDD!” Nick sings as he bursts through the door with Y/N trailing behind him. My heart skips a beat and my jaw drops.

“I’m on live right now…” was the only thing I managed to say. Nick and Y/N’s mouths were now agape with mine. I snatch my phone and swipe out of Instagram as fast as I can ending the live.

Y/N’s POV:

“Shit Chris I’m sorry. Maybe no one caught me saying that…”

“Nick are you fucking stupid? You sang that shit at the top of your lungs and I had twelve thousand people watching! God damnit Nick, what the fuck?” Chris screams at Nick. Keeping our relationship private is sacred to Chris, and telling the fandom he has a girlfriend has always been one of his biggest fears.

“Don’t yell at me like that! It’s not like I knew you were on live?! I was trying to be a good brother by surprising you with your girlfriend— who is standing right here by the way and didn’t come all the way here to watch us freaking argue!” Nick retorts as he moves aside letting Chris get a full look at me.

“Umm. Surprise?” I say shyly. This is definitely not the reunion I pictured in my head. Chris let’s out a deep sigh and his shoulders relax.

“Nick’s right. I’m really so happy you’re here I needed to see you…” Chris says as he wraps his arms tightly around me, and I do the same in return. He leaves light kisses all over my cheeks and forehead. “I missed you so much baby.”

“I missed you more my love.” I say in return. I can see the concerned and defeated look on his face as I pull away from our hug. “Look, we were going to tell your fans eventually. I’m honestly surprised we went this long without spilling the news. We’ll navigate through this together and figure something out, okay love?” Chris’s eyes soften as he looks down at me.

“You’re right. I know you’re right… I love you.” He says sincerely planting a sweet, soft kiss on my lips.

“I love you too, Chris.”

The cute moment you were sharing with your boyfriend was interrupted by the sound of a sliding glass door. You turn to see Matt coming out of the bathroom in a robe.

“What the hell is with all the yelling? I was in there for like six minutes and— oh shit! Hey Y/N!” Matt says excitingly as he looks up to see you.

“Hey Matt.” You laugh, knowing he is completely out of the loop right now.

Matt walks over to his nightstand and picks up his phone, a confused look on his face once the screen lights up as he sees how many notifications he’s gotten. He looks concentrated as he scrolls through his phone for a moment.

YOU’RE GIRLFRIEND HAS ARRIVVEDDD!

I’m on live right now…

You hear the recording play through Matt’s phone, and his jaw drops too.

“Ohhhhh shit. Nick you’re a fucking moron.” Matt says and Nick throws his hands up in the air in defeat making the four of you laugh.

**********

Hope you enjoyed this one! I wrote this when I couldn’t sleep and I haven’t proofread any of this just yet so my apologies for any errors lol.

- Kay 🩶

[lipstickmarks]

Steven to the Rescue

Pairing: Steven Grant x fem!reader Category: Hurt/comfort, fluff, domestic fluff Warnings: none Content: Hurt/comfort, fluff, domestic fluff, kissing, making out in public, reader has a terrible horrible no good very bad week and steven is there for her, Steven’s love languages are acts of service and physical touch, reader getting princess treatment, reader is kinda corporate girlie coded, steven being smooth, steven can cook, steven might be slightly ooc bc he is my silly putty and i am bending him to my will

Steven loved his job. He loved going into work everyday to consume any and all things related to egyptology. It’s what makes him able to withstand the abuse from Donna– which is lessened now that he’s been promoted to tour guide and she technically isn’t his supervisor anymore. But today, he simply does not want to go. 

He’s been watching you pace around his kitchen nervously for the past five minutes, checking your phone, watch, and laptop in quick succession. It had been… a less than stellar week for you.

Firstly, your job has been stressing you out by offloading duties onto you that weren’t in your job description because someone else had quit unexpectedly. Then, there was an error with your bank and your paycheck wasn’t deposited so you had to wait an extra 3 days to pay your bills. On top of it all, your phone service provider was having some sort of nationwide glitch so you barely had any service. 

Not only did you have twice the workload but you weren’t getting any of your work emails on time. Plus, you had to be in constant contact with the bank to sort out their issue. It’s why you’d come over to Steven’s flat before work, to use his internet and hopefully get a better signal. Plus, you two wanted to see each other. 

Steven had made some cranberry muffins and vegan egg bites for the two of you but your plate remained untouched while you paced around, waiting for a bar. 

“Love,” Steven murmured, reaching out to grab your elbow. You looked up from the laptop you were cradling in your arms and Steven nearly sighed out loud at the sight of your eyes. Beautiful, but so so tired. The universe has been running his favorite person ragged and it hurt him to see you so downtrodden by life. “You really should eat something before work.” 

You sighed and sat down your devices, trading them for a muffin. Steven cracked a smile at how your demeanor visibly changed once you took a bite. You always swore Steven put some kind of happy elixir into his food because it never failed to bring your spirits up. You gobbled up one muffin and reached for another. 

“Thank you for breakfast.” 

Steven leaned over and kissed the side of your forehead. 

“You’re welcome, darling. Hate to see you so out of sorts.” 

With you finally eating, Steven finished getting dressed. He had to go into work earlier than you did so he let you stay and finish doing what you needed to do. Before he left, he wrapped his arms around you and gave you a soft kiss. 

“I’m off then, darling. You’ll be okay here?” 

You gave him a reassuring nod as you swallowed a bite. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna finish up in a little bit. I have a feeling today is going to be better.” 

Steven beamed at you. He kissed you once, twice, three times and he knew if we went for a fourth, he’d cave and stay home with you. 

“Right, I’d better get going before I lose my job again.” But Steven made no move to leave. He was staring at you with that dreamy look, the one that had been perpetually fixed on his face ever since you two started dating two months ago. Steven was the perfect boyfriend. Gentle, thoughtful, and he adored you so much. 

“Go,” You told him. “I’ll be fine, really.” 

Steven gave you one last squeeze before walking out the door. 

—----------

Steven was finishing up a tour with a school field trip and he was buzzing from how well it went. Usually, preteens were their own unique breed of nasty– making inappropriate noises, laughing obnoxiously, and just generally being awful but a boy and girl had been asking tons of insightful questions, spurring Steven on and letting him flex his breadth of knowledge. And if there was any snark, the teacher shut it down expeditiously so Steven could continue. 

It was probably the best tour he’d given since he started working there. 

Plus, earlier in the morning, the curator had pulled him aside and said they were looking for someone to give virtual tours that they could record and post online. If he got it, it would mean a pay bump and more benefits. 

Things were finally going his way!

The group was just starting to shuffle off for lunch when Steven spotted you, standing off to the side of the museum entrance. His whole face broke out into a grin and his heart skipped a beat, but that elation faded when he saw your eyes. 

You had been crying. 

As soon as everyone was gone, Steven crossed the room to you. You both reached for each other. His hands fell to your hips and you clutched his bicep. 

“Love, what’s happened?” 

You tried to smile but your eyes were bloodshot and puffy. You were holding back tears and you looked like you were on the precipice of a complete breakdown. Like if someone pricked you with a sewing needle, you’d pop. 

When you spoke, it came out small and broken. 

“I tried to call you but my phone—” Your voice died on the word and Steven’s grip tightened around you. 

“Darling?” 

“I came to ask for a favor. My apartment… they called me while I was at work. A pipe burst.” Your lip quivered. “All my stuff is ruined.” 

Steven’s eyes widened. 

“No.”

You nodded, fat tears spilling down your cheeks. 

“They said it’s gonna take three weeks to fix it.” You started wringing your hands nervously and took a steadying breath before you spoke again. “I was hoping I could stay with you.”

Steven’s answer is an immediate yes. 

“Absolutely, love. Anything you need.” 

He couldn’t stand it anymore and he pulled you into a tight hug. Your head fell lamely against his chest and he felt your tears soaking through his shirt but he didn’t mind. Not one bit. You peered up at him, face hot and flushed with tears.

“You’re sure it won’t be a problem? We haven’t been dating that long and I don’t want it to be…” You floundered, searching for the right word but Steven knew exactly what you meant. He caught your hand with his and brought it up to kiss the back of it. 

“It won’t be. It'll be like a slumber party, yeah? We’ll bake cookies and watch films. It’ll be fun.”

You nodded but Steven could tell you weren’t convinced. After the week you’d been having, what reason did you have to believe anything else was going to go right for you? You looked like you were a single moment away from shattering entirely. 

“Do you want to leave now? I can take the rest of the day off. I can find someone to cover my afternoon tours.” 

You shook your head and wiped your eyes.

“No. No, I have to go back to work. We have an important meeting.” You sniffed. Steven’s heart broke seeing you like this. You just looked so defeated. 

Steven thought hard for a moment. How could he make this better for you? How could he lighten your load? 

“How about this? I’ll pick you up after work. We’ll stop by your flat and get anything we need and then we’ll go back to mine, hm?” He brushed the falling hair out of your eyes. “We’ll get a takeaway, watch your favorite show, I’ll even let you braid my hair if you like.” 

You chuckled a bit. 

“Can we get dessert?” 

Steven kissed your forehead. 

“Anything you want, love.”

You nodded and a genuine smile returned to your face. 

“Alright, well I better get back. I’m on my lunch break and it’s gonna take me 15 minutes to get back across town.” 

Steven stopped you before you could leave.

“Darling, have you eaten lunch?” 

You looked sheepish when you shook your head. Steven wouldn’t be having that. Wordlessly, he laced your fingertips with his and lead you down to the employee lockers. He opened up his where the only contents were a book of Egyptology, his spare glasses, a Tawaret funko pop, his lunch box, and a picture of you taped to the inside. 

He pulled out his lunchbox and placed it in your arms.

“Steven, no.” You gasped. “I can’t take your lunch.” 

You took his lunch. 

No matter how much protesting you did, Steven insisted, waving off your concerns with a promise that he would get something from a food truck at lunch. He hailed a taxi for you before you could argue any further. 

“Steven, I don’t have cab fare.” You said with wide eyes as the taxi pulled up. “Remember? My bank–”

He pulled out his own wallet and handed the driver his bank card. 

“Can’t have my beautiful girlfriend going across town on public transport. Someone might steal you away from me.” 

You flushed. Your stomach was doing happy flips from feeling so taken care of. Steven took his card back from the driver and tucked it away. You were full on crying now as you wrapped your arms around him and weeped into his chest. 

“It’s alright, love.” He murmured in your ear. 

You pulled back to kiss him. It was eager and much too sloppy to do in broad daylight on the steps of his place of work but you couldn’t help yourself. 

“Thank you for going to all this trouble for me.” You mumbled as you pulled away. 

“It’s no trouble at all, love.” He opened up the cab food for you and didn’t shut it until you were inside. “I’ll pick you up at your office at the end of the day, okay?” 

You nodded and Steven leaned his head through the window to give you one last kiss. 

“Last chance to play hooky with me for the rest of the day?” 

You giggled and shook your head. 

“Tempting, but no. I’ve got to go be a grownup.” 

Steven smiled at you and mouthed a silent “okay.” He stepped back onto the curb and once the road was clear, your cab pulled out into the street. 

Once Steven was out of view, you opened up his lunchbox. He had a habit of overpacking in case he was stuck on the bus for a while and needed a snack, which came in handry because you were starving. You ate his sandwich, chips, soda, half a bag of grapes, and a cookie. 

At a red light, your driver turned back to you. 

“Your boyfriend is so sweet!” She swooned. 

“You don’t know the half of it.” You giggled. “This is his lunch.” 

She gasped.

“Shut up! That is so cute! Oh my gosh, you’re so lucky.” 

You grinned.

“Yeah. I am.” 

—-----------

The rest of the afternoon went painfully slow for you.Thankfully, you got so busy with work that you temporarily forgot you were broke, without a phone, and temporarily homeless. 

When it was finally time to go, you headed toward the front desk, intending to use the landline to call Steven but when you stepped into the hall, he was already there. You had to do a double take at first because you thought you might have been dreaming or seeing things. But no, this was real life. 

Steven Grant, your nerdy, sweet, perfect boyfriend was chatting to your office receptionist with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

“I never realized the museum was free! I always thought it cost money, that’s why I haven’t brought my kids.” The receptionist said, embroiled in a conversation with Steven. 

“Loads of people think that, actually but yeah it’s free entry. It only costs money for tours. Though, if you’re bringing your little ones, I can’t recommend the tours enough. You get loads of extra information that just reading the pamphlets won’t give you. Not to toot my own horn but I give a pretty educational tour if I do say so myself.” Steven said with a relaxed smile. Ever since he’d been promoted to tour guide, he’s been so much more sure of himself. He’s still the goofy, sweet, bumbling nerd he always has been but the constant exposure to his passion has cushioned him in a cozy little bubble of Egyptology, vegan baking, and you. How could he not feel content? 

“I think I’ll take them next weekend.” The receptionist said as you arrived at the desk. “I’d like a tour with you as well.” She looked up from scribbling the museum information on a Post-It note and saw you. “Oh, here you are, darling! Does this sweet man belong to you?” 

Just as she asked, Steven held out the bouquet to you. Red roses, pink tulips, white calla lilies, and some hydrangeas to fill it out. 

“He does.” Your cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. You took the bouquet from Steven and smelled the flowers. Steven gently pulled your purse strap off of your shoulder and took his lunch box out of your hands, holding them both and holding his free hand out for you. 

“Are you ready, love? The cab’s waiting.” 

Do not cry. Do not cry in your place of work. Do not cry because your boyfriend is being so sweet and you’ve never felt this cared for in your life. 

To avoid your voice coming out high and squeaky, you nodded and took his outstretched hand. Bidding goodbye to the receptionist, he led you out the doors and into the cab, leading you home. 

*****

It feels strange.

You’re not sure why. You’ve spent the night at Steven’s flat before, had dinner, read books, spent all night in his bed, but this felt different. 

You were standing in Steven’s bathroom, hair damp from your shower. The second you got back to his flat, you’d made a beeline to the shower, eager to scrub all of your misfortune off. And you felt so strange, so out of place. 

It was a little more intimate knowing that you’d be here for three entire weeks, which put a decent amount of pressure on a fairly new relationship. You and Steven would be seeing each other in undesirable states, have to give each other space, and somehow maintain the dynamic of your relationship despite these new circumstances. 

You unloaded the grocery bag of toiletries that you picked up from your flat on the way here. Thankfully your hygiene essentials and skincare weren’t damaged. The same couldn’t be said for your clothes, though. 

At least it was the weekend and you didn’t have to worry about outfits for work. You could just lounge around in the sweater and boxers Steven had given you, or nothing if you preferred. Steven certainly wouldn’t mind. 

“Love?” Steven’s voice came through the bathroom door. “The food just got here. I’ll queue up a movie for us.”

“Alright.” You called out. “Be out in a minute.”

“Take your time, darling.” 

What on Earth did you do to deserve that wonderful, wonderful man? 

After changing, you stepped out into the living room where Steven had arranged the takeout boxes, poured you a glass of wine, and queued up “Tangled” on the TV. 

“Steven…” You plopped down on the couch next to him. “We could’ve cooked, you didn’t have to order out for me. I don’t want you going to any trouble for me.” 

Steven looked at you with a glimmer in his eyes that only love could be the catalyst for. He took your chin between his fingers and angled your face to meet his lips in a sweet, slow kiss. 

“Darling, why would it be any trouble to care for you?” 

And just like that, as quickly as a match burns out, all of your anxieties and apprehension faded away. You didn’t feel out of place in Steven’s flat or mistreated by the universe. Here, in Steven’s arms, you only felt loved.

[familiarscars]

Lost In Control | Bad Omens | CHAPTER 01

adult content | minors do NOT interact.

⋆ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. Bad Omens X ex-girlfriend and singer!Reader.

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. You and Noah had a difficult ending but you still need to support each other for the band.

⋆ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆(𝐒). melancholy, ex-boyfriends, difficult relationships, alcohol abuse, bad words.

It's okay to not agree with the characters' attitudes during the fic. It's good to remember that the story is fiction from the author's sick mind and of course they will make dubious decisions according to my fantasies. Nothing is done to be compared to reality.

Loud music, the smell of cigarettes, screams, and applause.

This was his nightly routine.

His throat vibrated as he gargled for the vocal exercises he needed to perform before going on stage, all while warming up his arm muscles in front of the mirror. The atmosphere in the band was anything but pleasant, but you had to overlook it because of the people outside shouting your name.

They always deserved more from you.

It was because of them that was still here.

You spat the liquid into the glass and took a deep breath, touching up the lipstick on your lips. Adjusting your clothes into place, your hair was good enough. From the box on the dressing room table, you picked up the microphone and plugged in the feedback device into your ears. It was showtime.

“You’re on in five minutes. For God’s sake, at least pretend on stage that you don’t want to kill each other backstage. This show is really important for the band!”

“No need to repeat what I already know, Matt,” you said, rolling your eyes as you left the dressing room with him trailing behind.

“Everyone already knows, darling, but you two seem to forget that the damn contract keeping our rent paid and our asses clean depends on your performance on stage. And let’s face it, it hasn’t exactly been stellar these last few shows!”

Matt planted a negative memory in your mind right then. You recalled that your fans had noticed the radical shift in energy during the shows, which had become a hot topic on blogs and Twitter debates. The last thing you wanted was your name caught up in controversies, but being near him seemed to attract everything you despised.

You were exhausted.

For two years, you had been on the road with the band, touring endlessly—one show after another, with no breaks, no chance to experience even a shred of what it meant to have a normal life. You couldn’t eat at a restaurant without being photographed or go to a bar without someone asking for a picture. This was the life you had always wanted, but you never imagined how draining it could be when there were no moments to simply be yourself.

The band had grown increasingly reclusive in social interactions. Some unpleasant incidents on the internet had made you wary of engaging with the public, creating a distance that only grew wider. Being forced to see the same faces every single day was enough to drive anyone insane.

And in the midst of it all, as if things weren’t exhausting enough, there was your relationship with Noah, growing more unsustainable by the day.

You reached the edge of the stage and watched the intro begin. Your audience roared, chanting your name. The heat from the packed arena ignited your veins, filling you with adrenaline as they waited for the headliners of the night.

From the corner of your eye, you spotted Noah approaching. Without a word, he warmed up, twisting the glove on his long fingers as he adjusted the microphone. Next to him, with a backstage pass around her neck, was a girl you’d never seen before. Judging by the way she looked at him, it was clear she was the random fling he’d slept with the night before.

“Looks like someone had an excellent night, huh?” you said sarcastically, not even sure if he could hear you. “I thought Matt told you it was against the rules to hand out backstage passes to every girl you sleep with.”

You could taste the bitterness of your own words. The raw anger you felt toward him was so intense you wanted to hurl the microphone to the floor and lock yourself in the dressing room. He did this on purpose. He wanted to destabilize you. He wanted you to be angry at yourself for standing on the opposite side of the battlefield.

“Maybe instead of worrying about my life, you should focus on not going off-key tonight,” Noah muttered close to your ear, leaving your body stiff as he walked away toward the stage.

You stepped onto the stage with a wide smile, masking the turmoil inside. The crowd was ecstatic to see you, and despite your exhaustion, you gave it everything you had. Up there, you tried to erase everything weighing down your heart. You poured it into every guitar riff, every lyric you sang.

Your voice had never been more powerful. Between verses, you and Noah locked eyes with a hateful intensity, as if sparks were flying from your irises. If the microphone could beg for mercy, it would, under the force of your grip during your part.

“I lie to myself like it’s not too late,” you sang with emphasis, pacing across the stage, never breaking eye contact with him. “Convinced the past can still be changed.”

“We know it’s gone, but I can’t move on,” he shot back, dividing his gaze between you and the crowd. For a fleeting second, it felt like the world disappeared, leaving only you and Noah in that place. “I want to rewind, but it just replays.”

“But it’s too late to turn back now.” Without realizing it, you skipped part of the song, consumed by your fury.

The show had ended, and you were met with a roaring ovation from the fans as you left the stage. On your way to the dressing room, you felt a hand on your shoulder and turned immediately.

"How are you?" Folio’s tone was gentle as he walked alongside you with slow steps. "Maybe it’s just in my head, but I’ve noticed you’ve seemed a bit off these past few days."

"I’m just tired, Nick. Nothing for you to worry about," you assured him with a smile, and he nodded, parting ways as you entered the dressing room.

"If you need anything, you know you can count on me, right?"

"Of course! Thank you for that!"

The door closed behind you, and as soon as you turned around, you were startled, backing up against it as your breath hitched. Noah was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, his expression far from pleasant. Before you could take a step forward, you tried to steady yourself.

"We’ve already talked about you coming into my dressing room without permission, Noah. Please leave." Your tone was cold as you pointed to the door without looking directly at him. "There’s a reason we asked for separate spaces, and I’d like you to respect that."

"Matt’s right," he said, ignoring your request as he leaned back on the couch. "We’re letting this ruin the band. If it’s not on stage, it’s in the studio or at home. Every place we’re in has turned into a battleground because you can’t deal with someone from your past like a normal person."

"Of course, you’d say this is my fault!" you laughed bitterly, crossing your arms as you paced back and forth. "I have to put up with you being immature and flaunting the random women you sleep with every day in some pathetic attempt to push me away, but I’m the one who can’t handle being around you?"

A frustrated sigh escaped your lips.

"Since we broke up, you’ve been trying to prove to yourself that you’re above all this, and maybe you are. Because while you’re out there moving on with your life like nothing happened, I’m falling apart!"

You spat the words impulsively, but you hadn’t meant to say them—not because they weren’t true, but because opening up now wouldn’t change anything.

"That was never my intention…"

"That's never your intention, Noah," you said with a weak smile. "The person on the other side is never going to admit they’re wrong, and that’s fine. Screw it. I just want you to stop acting like I don’t exist!"

A shadow loomed over you, and in that moment, all the air was stolen from your lungs. Noah was so close there was no room to step back. You felt your skin burn, hating yourself for still being affected by his proximity—the same man who had been ruining all your days.

"And how could I?" Noah said softly, lifting your chin with his index finger. "If I could ask you for just one thing, it would be to teach me how to get you out of my head as easily as you got me out of yours."

He had no idea what was going on in your mind.

"It’s very simple…" you said, pulling his hand away from your skin and stepping back. "Just start hating me."

As your gaze met his, you noticed something different from what he usually displayed. You had never been this direct with him about what you’d been carrying inside yourself all these days. Noah provoked you constantly because he believed he still held a place in your heart. But now, he seemed to be confronting the reality that it no longer existed.

"If my presence in the band bothers you so much, I can leave. I don’t need to tell them the real reason—just that I’m tired and want to take a break from all this crap." A heavy sigh escaped your lips, and you ran your fingers through your hair, messing it up.

The band had been your dream from the start, and you had never felt more alive than when you were on stage. Your audience had given you everything, reminding you daily of how special, talented, and important you were.

But you were fully aware that you had ruined it all the moment you crossed the line of professionalism with Noah. Not when you were young and reckless, unable to see that while you were an excellent team carrying the band, you were terrible for each other.

Some things just weren’t meant to be.

"And what are you going to do after leaving the band you helped build?" Noah asked, his tone hardening. He forced your attention back to him, stepping into your line of sight and locking his glittering eyes on yours. "Are you going to keep drinking out of control, getting high like there’s no tomorrow, and throwing away your dream like you don’t deserve it? Damn it!"

"If you really care about what I’ll do, then just leave me alone, please," you said, lowering your head to avoid changing your mind if you looked at him for too long. "I need to pack my things and get on the bus before Matt shows up."

"This conversation isn’t over."

"If it’s up to me, it is."

With that final, cutting remark, Noah left you alone in the cramped space that now felt even smaller after this argument. And now, you’d have to board a bus with him and endure a 12-hour drive to the next destination.

Your chest ached as tears streamed down your face, that distinct scent of his lingering in the air and making it unbearable to breathe.

It was getting harder with each passing day.

[butdaddyilovehim-hs]

Enough For You

Based on this ask :)

Summary: Harry kisses EmRata in Tokyo and Y/N his girlfriend finds out on Twitter

Warnings: angst, sadness, insecurities

Word Count: ~ 2k

“Hi my love. Just calling to say I miss you and I love you more than anything. I know it’s super early for you so listen to this when you wake up and know that I’m thinking of you! Call me when you’re up.” 

Y/N smiles tiredly as the sound of Harry’s low tone rumbles through the speakers. She loved the little messages he left for her to listen to when she wakes, since she’d been missing him so much on tour. They’d been together for almost two years but Y/N still wasn’t quite used to all the time they spent away from each other. Harry was constantly touring and while she tried to join him as often as she could, she had a full time job that she loved and she couldn’t just up and leave. Harry wasn’t due to come back for another 3 weeks but Glenne had let it slip that he had a few days off in Tokyo and Y/N decided to surprise him. She was flying out on a red-eye tomorrow evening and meeting him in the city. 

She wasn’t really sure how she had gotten so lucky with Harry. They hardly ever fought, he’s kind and attentive and he really loved her. She knew he did and he made sure she knew it. They had been nervous being seen together in public because Y/N enjoyed her privacy and she had seen the internet tear apart Harry’s previous girlfriends. But, Harry’s fans had surprised her and been nothing but supportive of their relationship. Y/N even followed a few update accounts on instagram, thinking how sweet it was that they cared so much. Harry liked to joke that they were bigger fans of her than they were of him. 

Jeff however, was not Y/N’s biggest fan. He had severely advised Harry against making things public with Y/N saying that “his image needed someone well known.” That comment had caused a rift between the two men as Harry fiercely and loudly defended his love for Y/N. Jeff had since apologised but things had been slightly tense ever since. Y/N tried not to let it get to her. She knew that it wasn’t strictly personal and he just wanted the best for his client. 

“Hi my love. Daily update for you. I’m about to go on for the last show in Tokyo. I adore it here, wish you could be here with me. We’re heading out for some drinks with the crew after the show tonight. I think Jeff is bringing some people for press and all that. No shows for a few days so at least I can let loose tonight. Mostly a boring update today but I miss you! Talk soon sunshine.”

Y/N blinks the sleep from her eyes as she listens to Harry’s message, before properly looking at her phone. He would have sent that around 7 hours ago and her brow furrows slightly at the plethora of notifications on her phone. A quick glance at her notification screen shows a lot of missed calls, texts and twitter mentions. Y/N’s been with Harry long enough to know that the fastest way for her to get information is on Twitter. 

So she clicks on the notification. Then she clicks on the link. And she immediately regrets it as her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach. Because it’s a video of Harry and a woman she doesn’t immediately recognise because all she can really focus on is the way his body is moulded against hers and the way their lips are attached and the way the video is over a minute long. 

Harry and EmRata in Tokyo last night?!? Did he break up with Y/N??? You guys WHAT IS GOING ON?

Did you guys see the video?

Guys what the fuck?! I didn’t even know they broke up…

Y/N and Harry were together a few weeks ago? Did Harry cheat on her? He looks pretty drunk in the clip

#HarryStylesEmRata

#HarryY/NBreakUp

It’s tweet after tweet after tweet and Y/N sits upright on their bed, silent and numb for a moment. Then she promptly rushes to the bathroom and throws up. 

She calls in sick from work and takes her time in the shower, turning up the heat and letting the water soothe her. It isn’t until after she’s changed and catches sight of her screen lighting up again and again that she cries. Sinks to the floor with a gut wrenching sob, clutching her chest as though her heart is actually going to break. Because she knows it’s him. And he’ll tell her he’s sorry. He’ll tell her he loves her and he was drunk and it meant nothing. But all Y/N can think to herself is “Why wasn’t I enough?”

Y/N isn’t prepared for it her to physically be in pain but she is. The tears flow down her cheeks and it’s almost never-ending as she finally has the courage to pick up her phone and read through her notifications. Some texts are from friends checking she’s alright, wondering if they broke up, one is from Gemma and about 40 are from Harry. He’s called her about 30 times, sent multiple text messages and left voicemails. 

She opens Gemma’s text first, because it’s all she can really bare at the moment. The two women were close and Gemma knew just how much Y/N loved her brother. 

(8:19am) Gem: I’m going to fucking kill him. Y/N I am so sorry for my idiot brother. Are you ok? Shall I come over?

(9:07am) Y/N: No don’t come over. I’ll be ok. 

(9:08am) Gem: Did you talk to him? Please tell me you’re going to work it out. 

Y/N bites her lip as she stares at Gemma’s message. She types and erases before finally sending something in response.

(9:12am) Y/N: We haven’t spoken. He’s called though. And, I don’t know if we can Gemma.

Y/N decides she can’t bring herself to listen to Harry’s voicemails so she opens his texts first.

(5:06am) H: Y/N I need to talk to you about what happened when I went out last night. You’re probably asleep but I’ve tried calling. Just… please call me when you get this.

(5:49am) H: Well there are videos on the fucking internet. Please don’t watch them before talking to me. You have to let me explain my love. Please hear me out. 

(6:16am) H: Y/N I can’t tell if you’re asleep or whether you’re ignoring me. Baby I am so sorry. I had way too much to drink and Jeff arranged for her to be there and I… please call me back. 

There were 6 other texts, which were all similar variations of the same thing before a final one about an hour ago.

(8:19am) H: I’m flying back home to talk to you. Stay in the apartment please. 

Y/N knows that it’s almost 15 hours from Tokyo to London. She also knows that Harry is crazy enough to fly out of the country in the middle of tour. So she waits, wraps herself in blankets and lets the tears dry on her cheeks. 

~

It’s close to midnight when Y/N hears the key turn in the lock and her heart stops. Because he’s here and she’s here and she isn’t sure she’s going to be able to get a word out without crying. Y/N keeps her eyes down as she hears him walk into the bedroom and drop his bags on the floor. She looks up at him slowly, taking in his red rimmed eyes and dishevelled appearance. He stays close to the doorway, his movement slow and calculated as though he’s scared she’ll run if he gets too close. 

“Love, I am SO sorry.” Harry starts speaking, walking towards her slowly and Y/N’s eyes fill with tears. 

“What did I do wrong? Why wasn’t I enough for you?” 

Y/N’s voice breaks off into a sob and Harry feels it like a knife to the chest. She hadn’t meant for that to be the first words out of her mouth but it’s what she’s feeling. Every insecurity she’d ever had, had just multiplied itself by 10 and come pouring out. Harry reaches out to tuck her hair behind her ear and Y/N flinches at the contact. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I fucked up Y/N. Jeff invited her over as a good press opportunity and I had too much to drink and she kissed me.” He moves to sit beside her on the bed and Y/N brings her knees in to her chest. 

“Harry. You kissed her back. I saw the video, you don’t need to lie to me. I… I can smell her perfume.” Y/N feels nauseous again and Harry looks at her with the most broken look on his face. 

“Y/N it didn’t mean anything I swear. I was trashed and I got carried away.”

“Carried away? Harry, I saw the way you were holding her. You were kissing her like you were in love with her.”

“Y/N-”

“You kissed her like you kiss me.” It comes out almost as a whisper. Like a secret observation Y/N had been holding in. 

“That’s not true. All I do is think about you Y/N. I’ve just missed you so much and I-”

“Sorry sorry hold on.” Y/N cuts him off with a watery, bitter laugh. “You missed me so much that your solution was to make out with another woman? Right. Got it.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I don’t love her. I love you. I flew here to tell you that. You’re my whole life. And I will spend the rest of mine trying to make this up to you. Because I can’t lose you Y/N.” He grabs onto her hand and squeezes and Y/N’s heart tells her to forgive him because she loves him. But her mind speaks before her heart catches up. 

“I think you already have.”

A/N: Sorry guys :) Thinking of leaving this as a one shot...

Tags: @lukesaprince @harryspirate @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @lilyrmason12 @styleslover-1994 @stylesfever @kathb59 @indierockgirrl @bxbyysstuff @gills-lounge @lomlhstyles @opheliaofficial07 @behindmygreyeyes @gem1712 @stylesmoonlight12 @babyiamperfectforyou

[loverwebs]

The Perfect Pair

Pairing: Bella Ramsey x Costar!Reader

Synopsis: After playing Ellie and Riley, you and Bella answer the internet's most asked questions.

Word count: around 1,100

Part Two

Just like any other highly anticipated series, The Last of Us press tour consisted of traveling and interviews. The entire experience being incredibly glamorous and exciting for the cast.

On one of the last few days leading up to the premiere, Bella and Y/n were paired up to answer the internet's most asked questions.

Despite her role for the show being limited, Y/n continued filming in Canada for a movie after wrapping as Riley, which gave her and Bella the opportunity to spend even more time together since Bella didn't finish until a few months later.

The duo would often visit each other's sets and had countless sleepovers, constantly posting the other during their time together.

That being said, they already knew what the internet thought of them. It didn't change anything, though.

They knew they were close.

A little too close.

"Unlike the other boards, this one has questions for both of you." Bella's assistant explained towards the end of the interview, handing the last board to them. "Whenever you two are ready."

Bella cleared their throat before peering at the board in their hands, "Are Bella Ramsey and Y/n L/n..." She looked at the camera through squinted eyes before proceeding.

"...still friends?" Y/n finished off once the sticker was peeled.

"Phew," Bella pretended to wipe sweat from their forehead, meanwhile Y/n dramatically placed a hand over her heart to show relief.

They knew what the question was implying.

"This may come as a surprise to you all, but we actually aren't," Bella deadpanned.

"It's true," Y/n chimed, picking at her nails in an attempt to seem uninterested, "I'm being paid to be here."

"Me too. I despise her so much," Bella grinned.

"Yeah right," Y/n nudged her, preparing to peel off another question from the board. "This one says... How did Y/n and Bella meet?"

"We met a few weeks before filming this little project called The Last of Us," Y/n started. "Maybe you've heard of it. It's not really well known or anything."

"It's remarkably underrated," Bella added with humor.

"Absolutely," Y/n gave an amused smile. "Best day of my life, though. I was so nervous."

"Were you really?" Bella raised a brow, "Because I remember it a bit differently."

"Oh my God," Y/n groaned, turning to face the camera. "You see, I kind of talked Bella's ear off the whole time."

"Kind of? Darling, I couldn't get a word in the entire night." Bella giggled.

"I'm sorry!" Y/n whined. "I just thought you were really cute. I talk way too much when I'm around cute people." 

"Then you must still think I'm cute," Bella teased her. "Because you always go on and on when we're together."

"Moving on!" Y/n sighed. "God, you're so annoying."

"You love it," Bella shook with laughter.

"Hold still!" Y/n laughed as well. "Bels, I can't read them if you're moving! Okay... This one says—oh wow. Y/n L/n and Bella Ramsey kiss."

"My goodness," Bella bursted out in giggles once again.

"That's not even a question," Y/n gave the camera a look whilst fanning the brunette, attempting to calm him down. "Someone needs to get fired for that."

"I'm assuming they meant to ask if our characters kissed on the show." Bella glanced at the crew members skeptically.

"This interview will come out after the episode airs," someone assured them.

"Oh! In that case, we did kiss, yes," stated Bella.

"Our characters did." Y/n clarified, smiling at her friend.

"Well, we kissed. But for the show, of course."

"Completely professional."

"Though we had to do it quite a few times." Bella added.

"Because someone kept 'forgetting' their lines. Definitely not on purpose," Y/n teased them.

"Wow! Way to throw me under the bus there," she pretended to be offended. "I see how it is, L/n."

"Just saying," Y/n shrugged smugly, fingers tugging off another strip.

"Did Bella Ramsey and Y/n L/n play The Last of Us?" Bella read. "Not really…I mean, prior to filming we were told not to play it, but Y/n/n and I tried to get through some of it recently."

"We didn't get very far though. Even on the easiest mode, it just never ends well." Y/n grimaced.

"Yeah, it's tough." Bella agreed. "Neither of us are gamers, so we wind up eating snacks and playing a film instead."

"Which is way less stressful!"

"Is Skipper Y/n L/n's or Bella Ramsey's dog?" Y/n said, struggling to flick away the sticker from her fingers.

Bella immediately noticed and tried helping her, but it ended up getting stuck on both of them, which earned him a small giggle from the girl.

"Despite what Y/n says, Skipper is my kid." Bella announced, successfully placing the long sticker on their chair.

"But she likes me more. I birthed her," Y/n joked.

"I won't lie—she does like to cuddle Y/n/n quite a lot. I think she gets that from me."

"She definitely gets that from you. I like when all three of us cuddle, though." Y/n smiled at the fond memories, "Anyway, I'll settle for the title of being her second mom."

"That works," Bella chuckled. "We'll co-parent her."

"Bella Ramsey and Y/n L/n laying on each other," Bella read through a heavy laugh. "Again, not a question."

"There's a thing called needing body heat, people!" Y/n said defensively.

"Right! Because Canada is incredibly cold. If you were filming in our conditions, you'd do the same." Bella spoke, hiding their face behind the board.

"Yeah, we had to stay warm somehow." Y/n added, her face heating up from the embarrassment of this topic coming up.

"Are we done now?" Bella peaked, "I feel like we've revealed a lot in this ten minute video," they joked.

"Right?!"

"I think that's it," one of the assistants said, laughing along with the team behind the camera. "And we're already shooting, so you can just give us an outro and we'll wrap this up."

"That concludes our Wired Autocomplete Interview!" Bella yelled at the same time Y/n chanted, "Thanks for watching!"

They shared a laugh, then looked back at the camera before continuing, "Make sure to check out The Last of Us." Y/n said when Bella rested their head on her shoulder.

"It's streaming right now on HBO Max," they pointed out.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we're gonna go make out!" Y/n joked, running away from the camera-frame with Bella, hand in hand.

Part Two

[builtbybrokenbells]

Melodic Memories | JTK | Prologue

In a tattered old box shoved deep down in the corner of an overfilled closet, a lifetimes worth of memories lie dormant at the bottom waiting to be rediscovered.

Masterlist

Playlist: Apple Music | Spotify

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: breakups, feelings of sadness, crying, high school relationships, angst, fluff, sorry if i miss any!

welcome to the show, everyone 😁 glad to be back with another Jake fic. as always, enjoy, be kind, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes! (this has been sitting in my drafts for SO long)

August, 2014

“Eight songs, Y/N. I sat there for hours, listening to as much music as I could. I sorted through my dad’s old vinyl records, and all of the CD’s Josh and I could find in the house. I searched for lyrics on the internet, I even asked my mom if she had any ideas.” Jake explained, taking a step closer to you. There was a small plastic case in one of his hands, a bushel of hand picked wildflowers in his other, and a look in his eyes that made your heart ache with all of the pain you had been holding back. “This is it; eight songs that tell you exactly how I feel about you. Four that tell you how much I love you, and four that tell you everything you need to know about how I feel about you leaving.”

“Jake,” you whispered, your lips pressed together tightly as the corners of your mouth dipped down into a frown. Your eyes were shining under the warm yellow hue of the ceiling light, the threat of unshed tears growing more imminent with each second that passed. The walls of your childhood bedroom were familiar, but completely different all at the same time. Years worth of cherished memories flashed before your eyes as the boy stood before you amongst half-filled boxes and your torn-apart closet.

“No,” he cut you off, shaking his head so you could not speak any further.

His hair was long, moving against his skin with each turn of his head. It reached the middle of his neck now, and it would only get longer as he continued to grow it out. You couldn’t help but feel that the long hair suited him best, that it brought out the beauty of his face even more than it already did on its own. He’d been talking about it for so long that you could already picture what it would look like on him. You were sad that you would not be able to see it when his mission was complete and the ends of his hair tickled the underside of his shoulder blades.

No, you were sad that you would miss any stage of Jake’s life, devastated that there would be any version of him you were unfamiliar with.

The sweatshirt he was wearing was heartbreaking all on its own; you bought it for him months prior on your three day trip to tour the university you were now preparing to attend. There were bags under his eyes, showing his exhaustion and discomfort with the current arrangement the two of you found yourselves in. His eyes themselves were bloodshot, and worse than that, they were sad. You hated seeing anything less than joy written in his features, because he was a boy deserving of things that were only ever good.

Right now, you knew that what you were doing to him was anything but good, and it was fucking killing you.

You only ever wanted to be the reason for the smile on his face, and now you were the source of his misery; you loved him so utterly and deeply that you turned into the very thing that hurt him.

“You said you didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be, but it’s going to fucking suck no matter how we do things. I can’t let you leave without telling you—“ he cut himself off, clearing his throat as his gaze flickered to the floor. There were tears glistening in his eyes, too, but he was much more afraid to show them than you were. “I can’t let you go unless I know that you know how much you mean to me.”

“It is hard, Jake. This is the hardest thing I have ever done.” You confessed, sniffling away your sadness as you tried to cement the memory of his face in your brain forever. He was beautiful, and he always had been. His warm eyes spoke love without him ever opening his mouth, and his smile was the only thing that could brighten the darkest of days.

“The whole distance thing is stupid, and I don’t like it. We’ve been together for three years, and I can’t sit at home and act like you don’t mean anything to me.” His words were equal to a stab in the stomach.

You did not intend to hurt him when you suggested taking some time away from each other. You thought it would be easier, that it would make your departure less painful as you both came to terms with the fact you would be leaving him behind, but so far it had been nothing but horrendous. You stayed up every night, staring at the ceiling as you remembered what it felt like to lay next to him. You listened to new music, hoping it would make you feel something other than sadness, but the emotion that plagued you grew tenfold when you realized you had no one to share it with. You checked your phone constantly, hoping to see his name grace your screen, only to find that he was too good at respecting your wishes.

Jake was your boyfriend, and it had been that way for a long time, but he was so much more than just that. He was your best friend, your confidant and the very thing you knew you could lean on in times that were tougher than usual. He was your light in darkness, and he was everything you ever needed all at once. Jake was the whole world, and in that moment, he was yours. As of late, you felt more stupid than ever before, unable to forgive yourself for letting him go. He loved you through the awkwardness of growing into a teenager, and he loved you through the usual triumphs and disasters of high school. He loved you when you thought no one else could, and he did it so well that you had no idea what to expect now that he was not going to be yours anymore.

He stood before you, freshly eighteen with a new found freedom in life. You were just shy of the same age, but the freedom you found did not feel very special at all. You expected your high school graduation to be sweet, exciting and fun, but so far it brought you nothing but turmoil. You scored top of your class and had people throwing scholarships in your face. As much as you wanted to enjoy it, you couldn’t seem to find any joy in the experience. You tried to blame it on your nerves as you spent the summer preparing to drive states away to attend a university that you had only visited once, but you knew it had nothing to do with that. You were thrilled to continue your studies, to pursue something that you had spent your life dreaming about. You were excited to meet people, to grow into the person you were always meant to be.

It was not the school that made your stomach twist with nerves, but the knowledge Jake would not be coming with you. It was the knowledge that after three years, you would have to learn to live without him by your side, and worst of all, you had to digest the fact that he would move on. In due time, his heart and the love he once gave to you would be someone else’s, and he would be happy again, without ever having a second thought about you.

No matter where Jake went, you knew he would flourish, that he would find someone that would love him just as much, if not more, than you loved him.

That thought was comforting as much as it was gut wrenching. Jake deserved to be loved, but you wished you were the person who could love him the way he deserved.

What hurt just a little worse than that was the passing thought that you would never find someone who would love you the way Jake loved you.

You had done everything with him up until two weeks prior, when you pleaded with him to give you some space so you could grieve the fact your relationship would be coming to an end. You did not cut off contact completely, and in that time, you had called him almost daily and payed short visits to his house every now and again. You wanted it to make you feel better, but all it did was make the ache of missing him grow even larger despite him still being there when you needed him. You knew that when you got in your car the next morning, it would be the definite end of the two of you, but it did not mean you were happy, and you were certainly not okay with it.

If missing him while he was still beside you hurt achingly bad, you could not imagine the pain that would come as you drove away from the only thing you ever wanted to have.

The two of you discussed the topic heavily over the last few months, finding yourselves in a great debate of whether long distance would work for the two of you. Eventually, after many tears and lots of sad, sleepless nights, the two of you decided that it would be best to let the loving relationship you had created remain a memory. He didn’t want you worrying about him while you were focusing on your studies, and you didn’t want to tie him down while he tried to make his own life at home.

Although the two of you agreed on the terms, it hurt like a bitch.

“I’m sorry, Jake.” You whispered, your bottom lip quivering as you tried to express your remorse. “I didn’t know how else to deal with it.”

“Just listen to what I have to say, and then you can deal with it however you want.” He tried again, still staying strong despite the pain growing larger in his heart.

“Okay.” You whispered, giving a slight nod as you stepped back and took a seat on the edge of your bed. He followed suit, stopping by your dresser to place the sparse bushel of wildflowers down as he approached you.

He took a seat beside you, extending his arm for you to take the CD. Slowly, you grabbed it from his hands, a slight shake to your fingers as they clasped around the cool, hard plastic. You looked down at the white surface through the clear cover, feeling the first tear fall from your eye. In the familiar, scribbled handwriting, a love note more romantic than any other littered the surface of the CD.

‘I can’t tell you how I feel, so I’ll let the songs say it instead. All my love, Jake ᥫ᭡’

“Wild Horses, Rolling Stones.” He started, watching your face as he spoke. “You told me when we started dating that your dad used to sing it to your mom, and you thought it was the most romantic song in the world until they got divorced. You said that you hated it, and you would never be able to listen to it again, and I could tell that you were so sad about it. So, I sang it to you. I wanted to turn it back into a good memory. I learned the chords and I used my dads old acoustic guitar, and I was fucking terrified, Y/N. It was the first song I ever played for you, and you told me that nobody had ever done anything so nice for you before.”

“‘Cause nobody ever had.” You said, the sentiment still remaining true to this day.

“Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton.” He continued, knowing his time was running short. The evening was darkening into night, and he wasn’t keen on spending your last bit of time together solely talking. “We slow danced in the kitchen to that song, ‘cause I told you I didn’t know how to dance and I didn’t want to embarrass myself at prom. You let me pick the song and then you taught me how, and I think of you every time I hear it.”

The memory was as beautiful as the song was, and you felt another tear fall at the explanation. You had no idea how you were going to let him go, and no desire to do it, anyway, even if you knew it was for the best.

“I need you, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Pretty self explanatory.” He let out a small chuckle, which you joined in on. “The Air That I Breathe, The Hollies.” He jumped straight to the next track. “Listen to the words, and you’ll get it.”

“Jake, this is too much.” You took in a shaky breath, swiping tears away from your cheeks.

“No, Y/N. It’s not enough.” He corrected. “You deserve the whole world, and I wish I could give it to you.”

“You’re not making this any easier.” You forced a smile on your face, your cheeks damp with your own misery. He reached out, swiping away the tears as they fell, hoping that by some stroke of luck, he would still be yours even long after you had gone.

“It was never going to be easy, beautiful.” He finally said the words he’d been holding back the whole time. He had tried his hardest to convince you that it would be okay, hoping that in turn, he would convince himself, too. Now that he was sitting beside you, still just as sad, he knew easy was subject, and only time would heal the wounds that were created that night. “If You Gotta Go, Go Now, by Dylan.”

“Or Else You Gotta Stay All Night.” Your lips turned upwards into a small smile. It wouldn’t be from Jake had there not been at least one Dylan song on the track.

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers, cause I know it’s gonna be pretty dark for a while after you leave, Sunshine.”

“Don’t say that.” You said, feeling your stomach twist with remorse.

“It’s true.” He argued. “Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits, ‘cause maybe it’s just the time that’s not right for us.” His voice was quiet, cracking as he forced the words out, like he was fearful to get an unwanted answer to his rhetoric. “Maybe in the future, the time will be right, and we can try again.”

“God, I hope so.” You confessed, the tears making a rapid return. The more he spoke, the more real the entire thing felt. For years, you had brushed the topic off, forcing yourself to believe that senior year and university was so far away, but now that it was staring you in the face, making it impossible to see past it, you realized the time had flew by like nothing at all. You didn’t want to leave him, because he was the only thing you ever wanted. The idea of having him again in the future made the ache ease ever so slightly, but knowing that the whole middle part would suck made the relief insignificant.

“And the last one is We’ve Got Tonight by Bob Segar, ‘cause we do, sunshine. We have one more night to love each other, and I’ll be damned if I waste it. So here I am, with eight songs and some flowers that I found in my backyard, asking you if you’ll let me love you until you leave tomorrow. It doesn’t have to hurt right now, and we don’t have to let it hurt worse than it has to.”

“Okay,” you breathed, little argument left in you. If he wanted to love you, you weren’t stupid enough to turn him away. Tomorrow, when the sun rose in the sky, illuminating the mistakes you made and highlighting your successes, you would deal with the inevitable disappointment that came along with losing him, but you didn’t have to start yet. At that moment, you still had him, and you wanted to savour the feeling of Jake Kiszka being yours for as long as you could.

“Okay?” He asked, almost shocked at your lack of rebuttal.

“Okay, Jake. We’ve got tonight, so let’s make it last.”

[spoiledblogif]

Things I have learned about writing...

I'm generally of the opinion that writing advice on the internet should be avoided at all costs. Taste in literature is completely subjective and one person's Twilight is another person's Jane Austen.

Which is to say that this isn't advice. These are just general things I've learned and if you want to give them a whack, you're free to do so.

Read out loud to yourself. I have nothing to add to this, just do it. You'll hear the parts where you story clunks better than just silently rereading the same line six thousand times.

Research. You live in the age of instant information. The Library of Alexandria did not burn so that you could go onto reddit and ask a question you could have simply checked wikipedia for.

You don't have to introduce your characters all at the same time. This is something that is mostly an IF crime. I think people are terrified that some characters won't be as popular or as well liked if they don't get equal screen time so we always end up taking the Character Tour, as I've come to call it. The first two chapters of encountering literally everyone important like we're on a conveyor belt. Just fyi, some of the character I'm rabid about are center stage for approximately .5 seconds. The fandom will what it wills.

You have no power over the way other people interpret your story. So instead of paralyzing yourself with the need to wash clean every bit of your writing, understand that some people are just going to do what they want. You literally cannot please everyone and if you try to you will not finish anything.

Go outside and touch grass at least once a day. Getting wrapped up in online discourse is the surest way to completely skew how you see and interpret things. Which is why I say to never listen to writing advice. I once read earnest writing advice that said that a character sexually assaulting another character was okay if the other character was flirting. Because they "opened that option". Just say 'no' to stupid opinions, kids.

Trust your audience. I'm the first one to say that most readers are just a little stupid, while also encouraging you to trust that if they're reading something they care enough about it to figure it out. You don't have to describe or explain everything in excruciating detail. Avoid at all costs the urge to "as you know". If the characters know something, then no one should need to repeat it. If it's something the reader needs to know, it needs to come up more organically than three marionettes in a conference room reading exposition off cue cards.

It's just going to suck sometimes. You are going to feel really meh about some things and only want to write the cool parts you've scripted out in your head every night before bedtime. That's normal. It doesn't mean the writing is bad, it just means our society has the collective attention span of the average kitten. A lot of advice tells you to skip these parts and then work out the framework later, but I think that's probably what they did for the last season of Game of Thrones and we all know where that got them---incest and characters blatantly refusing to complete their arcs.

Embrace editing---later. It's easy to get cross eyed when you've reread the same thing ten times. You sometimes need to just let something cook for a while and then come back to it so you can see it with a fresh perspective. This includes the shitty framework from above. Write it out, make the logic flow, and worry about how it sounds later.

ok bye

[peachhcs]

multi-million university of michigan soccer complex with samy hughes (speical guest star: will smith!)

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

samy shows mike around the umich women's soccer complex with will tagging along (i figured we needed some happy content between the breakup angst, so here’s some happy content before the breakup happened :))

2.7k words

another little lost in the drafts blurb. this was entirely inspired from will's video where he showed the conte forum with mike. i think that's my favorite video, so i recreated it with samy showing off umich's. (i don't know actual numbers for the umich women's soccer team so i made some up oops) i've never really used gifs for the pictures, but wowow take a look at him HAHA

au masterlist

"alright everyone, this week i'm in the heart of michigan, the university of michigan in ann arbor. i'm here with a hughes legacy and also the youngest sibling, samy hughes," the brunette quickly waved at the camera with a smile. "just in her rookie season she's led the women's soccer team to the ncaa finals this past season and now she's here to give me and will smith a tour of the athletic complex," mike rounded off the intro and the camera panned into samy and will's faces. the two smiled.

"so, it's the first time i've had a young couple on before. i just interviewed you a few months back and now we're in michigan with your girlfriend," mike said to will and motioned to samy.

"yeah, thanks for having me back again on the channel," will chuckled.

"yeah, of course. i mean i was so excited when samy said she had time to do this with us and when i leaned you were in umich too i just had to get in on it. you guys have been like the talk of the internet for the past few months, so i'm excited to get my take in," mike laughed and so did samy and will.

"we have a bet going on who's gonna get more views on their video," samy said.

"oh really? who do you think is gonna win?" mike wondered.

"i said her because everyone always wants to know what she's doing," will chuckled.

"are you two really competitive with one another?" mike pointed between will and samy. the two exchanged a glance, shrugging.

"i mean..yeah kind of. sometimes we can get really competitive over the summer when we're playing street hockey or something," samy explained briefly.

"makes sense. so we're standing in the locker room, can we see your stall?" mike asked and samy nodded. she led the boys to her stall where her name was up on the outside door.

"wow, i like these doors. that's kind of fancy," mike said quickly opening and closing the door.

"yeah it's nice so like our stuff isn't out everywhere and it makes the room look more clean and put together so our stuff isn't everywhere," the brunette explained.

"so you're next to some of the older girls. shannon and carrie," mike read off the names on either side of samy's stall.

"yeah, it's nice having them next to me. they definitely spread out the freshman so we're by an older player and like can talk to them when we want."

"do they offer good advice?" mike raised his eyebrow.

"yeah, i'd say so. they treat us good." samy chuckled. the girl led the boys through the kitchen area and into the lounge.

"here's where we hang out a lot before games and sometimes on the weekends. we can watch tv, talk, play games, whatever."

"what do you think will? are these more comfier than the ones at bc?" mike asked and sat down in one of the chairs. will sat down, relaxing back into the cushions.

"they feel like the same to me?" will laughed.

"okay, same is good," mike nodded and stood back up.

"what's your favorite activity to do in here before games or on the weekends?" mike asked samy.

"probably just talking and getting to know everyone more. we like playing cards a lot," the girl chuckled.

"what kind of cards? poker? uno?"

"a lot of uno, sometimes we play bs," samy grinned.

"bs?"

"like bullshit?"

"i don't know if i've played that before.." mike scratched his head while samy and will's mouths dropped open in disbelief.

"you've never played bullshit before? you've had to," will exasperated.

"wait, explain it to me."

"it's like you have a certain amount of cards and you have to convince people you have however many cards of 1, 2s , aces, spades, whatever and if someone doesn't believe you they call bullshit," samy explained the game.

"oh, wait. that does sound familiar. maybe we don't call it bullshit where i'm from," mike laughed.

samy continued leading the boys through the facility. she showed them their gear room and recovery room where girls went to get treatment for something that was hurting.

"wow, here's a sign for you. 15 final fours. 5 national championships," mike nodded in approval.

"yeah, we walk by this sign going out to the field. it's great motivation for every game and i probably stand in front of it before every game just...you know taking it all in," samy nodded.

"that's pretty incredible. now it will be 16 final fours after this past season," mike nudged her shoulder making the brunette chuckle.

"it's definitely a really good achievement and something i'm very proud of for just being a freshman."

"i mean you should be proud. you basically led your team to the finals. that doesn't happen a lot. when you guys argue do you ever like bring up how many national titles your schools have to one up each other?" mike teased samy and will.

"not that we argue, but sometimes i bring up the fact that our hockey team has 9 national titles," samy laughed and will rolled his eyes.

"does that make you wanna get a national title to get closer to michigan?" mike also laughed.

"yeah, sometimes," everyone grinned while samy led the boys to the mini shooting room where girls could practice their goals.

"damn, this is nice," mike nodded.

"it's open pretty much all day. i mean if i can't sleep sometimes i come here and shoot goals to get my energy out," samy chuckled.

"really? i mean i would do if i had open access to something like this. do you have any superstitions before games?"

"yeah, i have a few. i've had a lot of them since high school, but i have to always wear the same pair of socks before every game. i need to eat exactly 2 apples and i have to always wear a braid in my hair," the girl chuckled.

"wow, those sound intense. have you ever forgotten to do one and it messed up the game?"

"one time in high school i only ate one apple and we lost the game by a point. i believed then that i needed to do all those things to lead us to victory," the three of them laughed.

"alright, i wanna do a quick 1v1 or 2v1 situation. loser runs the entire football field. i made will do this when i was with him in boston," mike said, eyes sliding towards the blonde.

"yeah, alright. let's go to 2 goals then," samy immediately agreed and picked a soccer ball out.

"you getting in this smitty?" mike asked the blonde standing to the side.

"i mean..i don't know. she's a good shooter, so..i'm not sure if i wanna run the entire football field," will laughed.

"oh, he sounds scared," mike looked at samy. the girl only shrugged.

"come on, get in here. it's two of us and a pretty small area.," mike urged will to get in. the blonde gave in and got in next to the older man.

they got into position to block samy's shots, but the girl was good. they could hardly keep up with the ball as she passed it through her feet and dodged will's advances to make her first goal.

"damn," mike said.

"i told you she was good," will said and mike waved him off. they set up again and samy went in from a different side. she managed a small hat trick and kicked the ball over their heads.

"wow, you are good," mike nodded.

"i mean she goes to a d1 school," will pointed out and samy chuckled.

"is this what happens every time she makes you play with her back home?" mike looked at will.

"yeah, pretty much. i can't ever get past her if we're on different teams," will admitted almost shyly.

"i mean you have to at least be better on the ice then?" mike wondered. will grimaced, looking at samy and slowly shaking his head.

"not..not always. maybe now because she hasn't played in awhile, but before..she had me," will said with a small blush.

"oh right, i forgot you dominated on the ice for a good sixteen years. you're just better at everything then," mike said and samy nodded.

"yeah, pretty much. my brothers taught me everything i needed to know on the ice. soccer was all me," the girl smiled.

"so tell me, what was your decision and commitment process? i mean..did growing up in ann arbor play a big role in that?" miked asked as the three walked back out into the hallway.

"yeah, pretty much. quinn and luke both came here and i really loved the campus because i was at every home game. it's also super close to home and i love the idea of being close to home and my parents. plus, knowing i was continuing my brothers' michigan legacy was really special to me and i wanted to follow in their footsteps because i look up to them a lot," samy explained.

"that's really special that you and your brothers have such a close bond. were they excited when they found out you were going to umich?"

"yeah, they definitely were. they showed up to my high school signing day and i had no idea they were coming so they found out i chose michigan there and that was a really special moment," samy nodded.

"there wasn't any way smitty could convince you to go to bc with him?" mike teased a little.

"i toured the campus with him and i mean, it was absolutely beautiful and i actually was torn between bc and umich for the longest time, but ultimately, michigan is always where my heart will be in the end."

samy led the boys into the workout room where they had training and lifting every morning.

"your trainer here is insane, i heard," mike commented and the girl nodded.

"yeah, he's one of the best. he's been with women's soccer for years and he knows how to push us the right amount to get us to our full potentials."

"alright, i wanna see you two do a pull-up contest. smitty, if you get more than her, you redeem us and we don't have to run the football field," mike proposed with samy and will exchanged a laugh.

"okay, deal. we see how many we can do in like 30 seconds?" the hockey player looked over at his girlfriend.

"yeah, sure," she chuckled.

the two grabbed onto the pull-up bars side by side and started their pull-ups. they made it look easy with how smoothly they went through each pull-up. mike had the timer going, making impressive faces at the camera at how easily samy and will did their pull-ups.

"okay, that's 30," mike stopped them.

"i did like 43," samy breathed out, hands on her hips.

"i got 47.," will said and pumped his fist in the air. the girl rolled her eyes as mike and will high five.

"looks like you're doing a football length sprint," will taunted and samy just shook her head.

"so, as we walk out to the field, i wanna know what got you two together because i know you grew up together and are childhood best friends," mike redirected the conversation.

"basically we just got our shit together and finally realized we have feelings for one another. i think we realized it at the draft this past summer and then at my draft party we had a bit of a..a confession," will explained.

"that's very classy. that awkward like..i think i like you thing," mike nodded with a laugh.

"it's funny because so many people knew we had feelings for one another before we even did. like a bunch of our friends and family always looked at us like: you're for real not together?" samy added.

"that's really funny. you guys are a really great pair i think and you bounce off one another really well. do you guys find it hard sometimes to navigate this new relationship being in different states?"

"it's been a little hard at times because we're so busy and don't get a lot of time to see one another. like..this is the first time we've seen each other probably since new years, but we're definitely making it work. it's easy because we already know one another so well so we know how we work and we skip the awkward phase," samy said and will nodded in agreement.

"wow, first time since new years? i guess that makes sense though because will's pretty busy with hockey," mike said and the two nodded.

"we call and text everyday so we're still talking. we try to facetime every night too and just debrief on our days and try to make it as normal as possible," will added.

"well, i know boston's looking good for a possible national title and you're looking really good for a national titles as well next season, so i hope when i talk to you guys again that will be true," mike said and the two grinned.

"yeah, let's hope so," samy chuckled.

the three made it out to the football field where they graciously turned the lights on for them.

"how about i do it with you and we see who can make it back the fastest," will offered.

"oh, look who's being a good boyfriend and not making his girlfriend run the field alone," mike chuckled.

"you're making these bets like you're gonna win," samy laughed.

"what does that mean?" will looked shocked.

"uh oh. don't tell me she beats you in sprints too."

"she's..she's pretty fast on the field. on the ice sometimes i beat her," will defended himself.

"alright, if you beat him and get under..let's say a minute, i'll give you a prize," mike told samy.

"easy. deal," she said and threw her sweatshirt off. will threw his hat off and rolled his sleeves up.

"on three okay?"

when mike said go, the two were off. samy already had a significant lead, proving that she was faster than will on the field. she started racing back down towards mike who showed the camera that they were at exactly 30 seconds.

samy came in first, high fiving mike's hand and then doubling her to catch her breath. will came in a few seconds later, also panting from how fast he ran.

"damn, that was..that was fast," the blonde panted.

"she's definitely got some speed on you," mike nodded and samy laughed.

"i told you. she's..she's fast," will chuckled.

"well, as promised, here is your prize. custom nike sneakers in michigan colors with your name across the side," mike presented his prize for samy.

"oh my god, that's awesome. thank you so much," the girl beamed, showing off the shoes to the camera.

"alright, i'm hungry. how do you guys feel about jersey mikes?" mike asked and the two nodded.

view all comments

user1 STOP RHEYRE SO CUTE OMG

user2 jesus samy's so good at scoring no wonder why she led the team to the ncaa finals

user3 LMAO WILL PANTING AFTER RACING SAMY ACROSS THE FOOTBALL FIELD

user4 god they're so in love it's so cute i love them sm

user5 literally the best d1 couple

user6 i understand why will is dating her. i'd fold so fast for her

user7 AWWW THEY LIKED EACH OTHER AT THE DRAFT???

user8 god big10 schools are insane. i get the hype now

user9 this girl has a big future ahead of her for sure. i see an ncaa title in her near future

user10 THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER WHEN SHES TALKING OH MY GOD I CANT DO THIS RIGHT NOW SJDJDJDJSJ

user11 will admitting how better she is at him in everything biggest green flag ever we love a man who gives his woman the credit she deserves

user12 god i just know if she stuck with hockey she'd be insane like her brothers but soccer's such a good fit for her too

user13 samy explains bs to mike is hilarious i can't

user14 they're so well spoken. i'm sure samy's learned from her brother's interviews

user15 golden retriever and golden retriever fr

user16 they KNEWW what they were doing putting will in this video too

user17 to be samy hughes ugh i can't anymore

user18 god they're both so lucky

user19 HELL YEAH WILL KNOWS HIS GF IS BETTER THAN HIM IN EVERY SPRINT AND ON THE ICE

user20 the fact that she's also a poli sci major and has a 4.0 is incredible to me like DAMN WILL he pulled a good one

[bitchslapblastoids]

interesting but predictable how some of the inherent uncanny valley strangeness of bringing something that exists in the chronically online space into the real world can manifest. I’ve noticed this at all the other tours of theirs as well - some people can have a hard time separating internet behaviors from irl behaviors, and the sudden merging of these compartmentalized ways of being (online vs offline) can be hard to navigate.

I think it can also make people uncomfortable to see their comedic silly billie faves being serious, and there’s a dissonance to seeing them, these characters who live on our screens, along with the audience around you who are typically just avatars and usernames shitposting in lowercase, all suddenly in the same physical room. And suddenly that often completely disparate, scattered, semi-anonymous community needs to adapt to social mores and group norms in a new social context. It’s taking a community with its own set of rules that were designed for and in response to a digital landscape and plonking it into a completely alien environment. And yeah, we’re all humans who exist in public outside of our internet lives, but it’s different when that happens but you’re still in the context of the phandom.

Which I think is what leads to things like shouting out rly profane, out of pocket things during the quieter moments of their shows. because if you comment something like that online, you won’t rly be interrupting anything. you might be ignored, you might get some laughs, maybe you’ll get a notice bc haha unhinged right. Or like treating an evacuation drill as a lol pass the tea yas mommy daniel moment instead of an oh we’re actually here in real life moment.

I went back to my tatinof review bc I remembered writing this - “someone behind me kept screaming at them to "GET NAKED" (particularly during silences in the 7 second challenge) to which everyone in my area responded with claps and laughter.” During my second TIT show, there were people around me who wolf whistled and shouted “kinky” and “ayo ok freaky” during totally inappropriate moments. I remember during Dan’s quieter bits of WAD people could not seem to just stay silent. (I have suffered complete amnesia when it comes to ii so I can’t speak to any part of that experience lol.) after the preshow and during intermission at tit, I heard separate people at separate times making a range of critical comments about Dan and Phil’s bodies in ways that were downright shocking and not how I hope they’d typically feel comfortable speaking about other humans.

I think on the whole, phannies are so lovely and kind to one another. I feel deep gratitude for this community. And I know this isn’t just a phandom thing; I think how we treat one another in public spaces has generally really eroded, and concert etiquette has become abysmally poor. But phandom, as always, is a little unique, because of the sense of mutual understanding and the co-created dynamic between us and d&p. It dissolves the boundaries, so when Dan tells you to shut up, your online brain tells you that’s just a chance to be funny with your fave. When you have a chance to be heard, your online brain provides a memey shitpost joke and your irl self shouts it out even though that ain’t the move in a theatre performance unless invited to do so.

No real conclusion here, just some observations about the rly unique dynamic this all creates!

[rambleonwaywardson]

Clegan Olympics AU - Village Shenanigans Collection

Masterpost

Author's Note: Don't worry, I'm working on Event Finals Part 2 and plan to have it out early next week at the latest. But in the process of taking drabble requests, I accidentally combined them all into this little series of drabbles about the boys doing random shit around the Village and Bucky recording it all for TikTok (cause of course he does). I watched a lot of Athlete Village tiktoks for the sole purpose of writing this.

This all takes place before Bucky's event finals.

---

Gale Cleven doesn’t do social media. Not by choice, at least.

He posts on instagram semi-regularly because US Equestrian begs him to and Benny and Marge force him to. Even then, mostly it’s pictures of Whiskey. Many of them include him riding her, decked out in tack and clothing from some sponsor or another. Very very few posts exist, though, of just Gale. It’s not often that people get to see what he looks like or who he is outside of horseback riding.

Tiktok is a whole other beast that he refuses to approach. He has an account, sure. But there’s only a handful of videos on it, almost all of them from at least two years ago, and most of them posted at Marge’s prodding.

This is a problem for the newfound Gale Cleven – ahem, equestrian – fans of the world. After opening ceremonies, seeing Gale in all his beautiful, adorable, humble glory alongside America’s gymnastics darling, John Egan, people wanted to know who this man was. They flocked to his social media accounts, sharing what little they could across platforms and obsessing over every detail. Every hint of his lovely personality and every glimpse of his perfect body. But there’s just not enough Gale Cleven content out there. 

John has made it his personal mission to give that to the world.

For all that Gale doesn’t care for posting about his life on social media, Bucky documents his own Olympic experience like a second job. Everywhere he goes around the Olympic Village, he’s posting to his story or recording a short video, showing them his life as an Olympic athlete or giving tours of the amenities. “It’s my duty, as an athlete,” he tries to explain to Gale.

“To show them everything?” Gale asks skeptically, when he catches Bucky making a video of the food in the dining hall.

“Yes,” Bucky says.

All the gymnasts, really, are like that. Marge and Benny, too. And they’ve ganged up on Gale to the point that he has a social media presence even when he barely posts a thing.

—

One of the things Gale does bother to post on Instagram is the pictures they all take together in front of the giant Olympic rings. There’s a nice shot of Gale alone, looking like a goddamn model with his hair styled all messy, one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing absently at his chin as he poses in black jeans and a thin, navy blue USA sweatshirt. “When did the equestrians get so hot?” people will comment.

Adding fuel to the fire, there’s a sweet one of Gale, Benny, and Marge standing with their arms over each others’ shoulders in front of the rings. They all smile brightly at the camera, three young, attractive equestrians that America is falling in love with.

There’s several of Gale and Bucky together that find their way to the internet via one equestrian or gymnast or another. One of them standing side by side, Bucky’s arm around Gale’s shoulders like they’re just good bros. Then there’s the ones that aren’t very bro-like at all. Like the one where Bucky is kissing Gale on the cheek; the one where Gale is hiding his laughter by burying his face in the crook of Bucky’s neck; and the one where Bucky is holding Gale by the waist and they’re looking dreamily into each other’s eyes because they forgot there was a camera. 

Finally, there’s one of all of them together – three equestrians and all five male gymnasts. The cross-over that America never knew they needed but now can’t get enough of.

Gale simply posts the photos with a vague caption about making friends at the Games. Bucky, on the other hand, posts a whole tiktok documenting the series of events that transpired for each photo.  There’s a clip of Marge directing Gale, once again, like a model, having him put his hands in and out of his pockets, turn this way and that, run a hand through his hair. Gale pouts and tells Marge that this is ridiculous. Marge tells him that people will love it (she’s right). 

Bucky can be heard calling out to him from off screen. “Lookin’ good, Buck!” 

Cue the fangirls freaking out about Bucky calling Gale ‘Buck.’

There’s a clip of Bucky turning to Gale after their little photo session and kissing him right on the mouth, making Gale blush. 

Then there’s several clips of the gymnasts climbing all over the rings in every way possible, standing on them, hanging from them, trying to do different gymnastics holds on them. In one iconic photo that will be shown during their Today Show interviews and circulated across various Team USA accounts, Bucky manages a near perfect Maltese inside the green ring on the right while Curt holds himself up in a straddle on top of the black one in the middle. Croz and Alex hang from the red and blue ones on the ends while Brady does an awkward L sit, having to duck his head, inside the yellow one on the left. In the background of the video, Gale can be heard saying “Please don’t fall!” And Bucky, still in a maltese, yells back, “It’s fine, doll.”

Cue the fangirls freaking out about Bucky calling Gale ‘doll.’

—

Gale watches Bucky with an eyebrow raised as he pans the camera over to him. They’re sitting at one of the tables in the Village dining hall, and Bucky has recorded most of their experience here this morning.

“You got a muffin, Buck?” he exclaims. For a second he’s so excited about it that the camera tilts and Gale goes half out of frame. 

“I did,” Gale says slowly. Bucky pouts behind the camera and Gale stifles a laugh. “I can get you one if you want?”

Bucky shakes his head. “I’m tryin’ to be good.” 

“Have you had one yet?”

“No,” Bucky whines. “I’m waiting until after all my events.” He stares longingly at the muffin over his phone, practically drooling as he zooms in with the camera. The only gymnast on his team who’s had one already is Croz, and he hasn’t shut up about it.

Gale smirks as he slowly, teasingly, unwraps the chocolate muffin. “A shame. They’re really good.”

He bites into it and closes his eyes, making a whole little show of how good it is. When he swallows, there’s a bit of chocolate stuck to his lip, and Bucky leans over to wipe it away with his thumb.

“You gonna post that?” Gale asks.

“You bet, babe. The people deserve to see it.”

Cue fangirls freaking out over Bucky calling Gale ‘babe,’ and Gale moaning over a chocolate muffin.

Gale rolls his eyes, but takes another bite, making eye contact with Bucky as he does so. “Really fuckin’ good,” he insists. Like teasing Bucky is some sort of payback for putting him on TikTok.

Bucky groans. “That’s it.” He leans across the table and grabs the muffin from Gale’s hand. He flips the camera as he bites into it, and practically moans as he gets his first taste of this cake from the fuckin’ gods. “Oh my god.”

Gale can be heard laughing in the background. “You’ve got chocolate on your mouth.”

The video stops right after Bucky says, “Well you better come help me get it off, then.”

—

“Oh look, it’s Mr. Silver Medalist, Buck Cleven.”

Bucky stands over Gale, who is laying on his back on the floor of the bedroom he shares with Benny. Gale looks up, unamused, when he sees Bucky recording. “Everyone’s calling me that ‘cause of you.”

Bucky shrugs innocently. “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

Gale shifts a little to get more heat on his upper back and grimaces. “You gave me your name,” he grunts.

Bucky waves a hand dismissively. “What are you doing, Mr. Silver Medalist Buck Cleven?”

Gale sighs and looks away from Bucky, back up at the ceiling above him. “Laying on a heating pad.”

“Why?”

Gale works his jaw and looks back at Bucky like a petulant child. “Cause my back is messed up and I can’t move.”

Bucky nods thoughtfully behind the camera. “And why is that?”

“Cause I screwed it up during cross country and then did two rounds of show jumping.”

“And?”

“And then I did a weight workout the next morning anyways.”

Bucky makes a go on motion with his free hand. “And?”

“Went for a run around the village.”

“And?”

Gale’s look turns into a glare, but it doesn’t have any malice behind it. “And you told me not to do any of that.”

“You’re damn right I did,” Bucky says. He flips the camera around so he and Gale are both in the frame. “See, people? Even someone as perfect as Gale Cleven can be an idiot.”

He sets the phone down and props it against the wall so it will continue recording without him holding it. Then he sinks to his knees and crawls over top of Gale, laying on him with his head on his chest. A moment that will be screenshotted and shared a million times over

Gale turns his head and gives a long suffering look to the camera. That moment, on the other hand, of Gale staring, unamused, straight at the camera like he’s on the Office while Bucky clings to him, will become one of the most popular memes from the Games. “This isn’t helping,” he says.

“Shh. It’s fine.”

—

Gale is standing outside the dining hall where Bucky told him to meet them, but they’re a good ten minutes late. Gale would be debating whether or not he should text, but he’s been kept busy. In that time, just standing outside, he has traded pins with four different athletes. He now has Serbia, Great Britain, Ireland, and Austria, which he’s been looking for all week since it’s Whiskey’s birth place. 

He also has the phone number of an Irish diver with a sweet smile who Gale kind of thinks he might’ve flirted back with if he wasn’t already standing around waiting for the most beautiful guy in the world.

He’s waving goodbye to the cute redhead when he sees them approaching: three idiots on bicycles. Bucky is steering with one hand and awkwardly dragging along a spare bike with the other. He’s singing Blue Skies by Frank Sinatra, very off key, and he breaks into a wild grin when he sees Gale looking at him.

“Was starting to think you wouldn’t show up,” Gale says as they approach. “I almost went off with that Irish guy.”

Bucky’s jaw drops and he gasps as he slows to a stop. “You wouldn’t!”

“I’m still here aren’t I?”

Bucky frowns, wondering how serious Gale is being. But he shakes it off when he sees the way Gale is smirking at him. “I got you a bike!” he exclaims. He smoothly hops off his own bike, but the spare one falls over in the process with a loud clatter that gets some looks from the athletes wandering in and out of the dining hall. He rushes around to right it again as Curt, Croz, and Benny come to a stop beside him. “Did you know the Village has bikes?”

Gale nods, eyebrow raised. “I did.”

“Well come on then, we’re exploring.” Bucky shoves the extra bike forward and waits for Gale to take it. Gale shakes his head and chuckles, but he grabs the handlebars and swings his leg over with ease.

They spend a good couple hours biking through what feels like the entire village, past the athlete house of probably every single country. Bucky and Curt call out random things to people they pass just to see who will respond. They yell “USA! USA! USA!” as they pass the USA house, starting up a chant on the sidewalk as athletes walk in and out. They stop here and there to say hi to someone, trade pins, grab snacks, or whatever else one of them deems important enough to pull over for. Even if, on one occasion, Bucky insists that they need to stop to watch two birds fight over a lonely, forgotten potato chip.

Bucky and Curt record periodically, showing their surroundings. Bucky at one point zooms in very close on Gale’s ass, but he’ll never even know because he won’t ever watch the video. From the back, Curt records as Bucky swerves in close to Gale and reaches out to tap him on the hand. Gale glances over at him and Bucky pouts until he lets go of the handlebar to twine their fingers together. They continue on like that down the road, biking hand in hand. 

“You two are gross!” Benny calls out.

“You told me I needed to be social!” Gale yells back, looking over his shoulder with his hair blowing in the breeze and a legitimate smile on his face that will make viewers swoon.

Benny throws a hand up in the air and motions to John. “I didn’t mean for you to get yourself fucked by the hottest guy in the village!”

Curt laughs so hard he falls off his bike, the video showing a rapid and discombobulating tumble to the ground as the phone falls out of his hand and skids across the pavement.

It’ll be one of his most watched TikToks of the week.

—

Giving my boyfriend baguettes until he asks wtf I’m doing

That’s it. That’s the video. 

Gale is sitting on one of the chairs in the living area of Bucky and Curt’s suite, reading some book about the history of space travel because he’s a nerd and Bucky loves him for it. Curt is sitting across the room, trying (probably failing) to be inconspicuous about recording as Bucky hands Gale a whole baguette. 

Gale looks at Bucky with an eyebrow raised, but he hesitantly takes the baguette. Bucky smiles and nods like a puppy bringing their person a stick, and Gale gently sets the baguette on the small coffee table in front of him, eyes still on Bucky with an expression that says are you good? He goes back to his book. 

A few seconds later, Bucky hands him another baguette. 

“John?” Gale gives him a look somewhere between amused and annoyed. 

“Shh,” Bucky says, nudging Gale’s hand with the end of the loaf.

Gale sighs, takes the baguette, rips a small piece off to pop in his mouth, and sets it on the table with the other one. 

By the third baguette, Gale looks up at Bucky, sets down his book, and crosses his arms. “What are you doing?”

“Baguette,” Bucky insists, shoving the bread forward at Gale. 

“You’re not a penguin, hon,” Gale tells him. 

Cue fangirls obsessing over Gale calling John “hon.”

A pause. Bucky stands there, baguette in hand, and squints in confusion. “What?”

Gale motions to the baguettes accumulating on the coffee table. “Quit giving me baguettes like a penguin giving their mate pebbles.”

Bucky blinks, trying to recall when in his life he should have learned about such a thing, but comes up empty. He shakes his head. “Penguins do that?”

Gale nods, and Curt breaks out laughing behind the camera because that’s kind of exactly what Bucky is doing. 

“Why do you have so many baguettes?” Gale asks. 

Bucky points to Curt, and Gale narrows his eyes when he sees Curt recording. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs in acceptance. “Ok… Why do you have so many baguettes?”

Curt shrugs. “Keep buyin’ ‘em from the cafe.”

“You’re supposed to eat them, you know,” Gale deadpans. He’s bought a couple things from the little shop Curt is talking about, which serves fresh-baked bread every day. Because… Paris.

“Why would I eat that many baguettes?” Behind the camera, Curt gives a what the fuck kind of look.

Gale stares at Curt for a long few seconds. Then he asks “Why would you buy that many baguettes?”

“Why not?”

Bucky rips a big bite off the end of the baguette he’s still holding as he watches this interaction.

Gale rubs a hand over his face in exasperation. “So you just buy a baguette from the cafe every day and never eat it?”

Curt nods and motions to the three baguettes that have been offered to Gale. “You can have one if you want. I have more.”

Gale looks up at Bucky and rolls his eyes at the way he’s trying not to laugh, his mouth full of bread. Bucky swallows, leans down, and kisses him on the cheek.

—

So far Bucky has given his followers, and all who care to watch, tours of the dining hall and cafes, his suite, Gale’s suite, the Team USA House, the gym, and much of the Village grounds. Up on the list today, among other amenities, is the mindfulness zone.

“Are you feeling mindful, boys?” He turns the camera to look at Gale and Curt, who are walking beside him. 

“Oh I’m always mindful,” Curt says, nodding thoughtfully.

Gale glances at Curt and scoffs. “You’re the least mindful person I know.” Even when they were in college, Curt was… Curt.

Curt points a finger at Gale. “I’m gonna practice some mindfulness right now and not say somethin’ snarky back.”

The wall outside the mindfulness zone reads “Strength comes from within. Enter here to train your mind.” Bucky pans over it dramatically before shifting the camera to Gale. “Are you feeling the strength from within?”

“No.”

Inside, the mindfulness zone is lit entirely in blue light with large chairs scattered about that look like they’re meant to be comfortable but probably aren’t. Fluffy, tufted things that more than likely are stuffed so full that they’re stiff as a board. Quiet, soothing music is playing, and there’s a few people scattered about. One guy in the corner is just laying on the floor with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled down over his face, dead to the world.

“Look at those wild-ass plants!” Curt exclaims, pointing towards one corner of the room. Big, spiky-looking potted plants sit in between some of the chairs. A village staff member tells Curt to please keep his voice down, but he’s already walking away towards the plants to touch them and all she can do is watch, at a loss. “I wanna know if they’re actually pointy,” he says, quieter this time.

Gale sits down in one of the chairs, which has a seat that’s entirely too deep and a back that’s entirely too short. But he curls up on it like a cat, bringing his feet up and pulling his knees close to his chest. “That can’t be good for your back,” Bucky points out.

Gale flips him off – and the phone he’s recording with. Bucky tells him that that is definitely going in the final video. Gale shoos Bucky away, closing his eyes.

Bucky wanders around for another minute, checking out some of the decor around the room – weird drapes and beads hanging from the ceiling, abstract statues of nothing, more plants. But, inevitably, he stops back in front of Gale again. 

Gale opens his eyes. “Can I help you?”

“I’m bored,” Bucky complains, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

The corner of Gale’s lip quirks up. “We just got here.”

“It’s too quiet,” Bucky insists.

Gale squints at him. “It’s a mindfulness zone, darling.”

Cue fangirls freaking out over Gale calling Bucky ‘darling.’

“Let’s go to the game room or something instead.” Bucky perks up like a literal lightbulb went off in his head “Oh! Or the USA House.”

“We’re going to the USA House later,” Gale reminds him. Just like they went the day before and will likely go the day after. It’s Bucky’s favorite place to meet people, drink, and be generally obnoxiously American.

“Game room then.”

Gale sighs. “I’ve changed my mind. You’re the least mindful person I know.” He motions to Curt, who is still standing next to a plant, mindlessly stroking one of the weird leaves. “At least he’s having a moment with that thing.”

Bucky is bouncing from foot to foot now, buzzing with too much energy for this place. “It’s boring here,” he complains again. 

Gale tilts his head, narrowing his eyes at him. “You take your ADHD meds today?”

Bucky shakes his head and shrugs. “Ran out.”

“John, what the hell?”

Bucky ignores him and instead reaches down to grab Gale’s hand, tugging on it. “Come on, Buck.”

The same staff member from earlier gives them a look and opens her mouth to say something – presumably that they need to be quiet – but Gale puts a hand up. “Don’t worry,” he tells her. “We’ll go.”

Bucky smiles and kisses Gale’s knuckles before pulling him up out of the chair.

—

“What are you doing?” Gale slumps his shoulders with a heavy sigh, watching Bucky with an eyebrow raised as the gymnast shoves his phone into Curt’s waiting hands. Croz and Benny are off to the side, pretending to be Olympic boxers while they wait for whatever is about to happen. 

It’s been a week and a half of Bucky forcing Gale to have an online presence, and he’s resigned himself to being a prop in the social media series of Bucky’s life. He won’t admit that he’s kind of flattered by the attention people seem to be giving him, but he’d be just as fine being a nobody around here. 

“You just stay there and look pretty, angel,” Bucky says dismissively.

Cue fangirls freaking out over Bucky calling Gale ‘angel.’

“Right here?”

Bucky looks over his shoulder. Gale is standing awkwardly in the middle of the broad sidewalk, which is lined with the flags of all the countries represented in the Games, at the front of the village. “Yeah. Put your hand in your pocket or something. Act like you don’t hate life.”

Gale rolls his eyes but straightens up, replacing the scowl on his face with something more relaxed. He shoves one hand into the pocket of his blue jeans. As is protocol, all of them are decked out in red, white, and blue USA wear. Gale is wearing a form-fitting white t-shirt with “USA” printed in red and blue across the chest, showing off shoulders that are broader than anyone would think at first look when they see his slender frame on horseback. Bucky’s barely been able to keep his hands off him all day.

“Better,” Bucky calls out. “Stay like that!”

Gale looks around as other athletes pass, a few sending questioning or flirty looks his way. One comes up to him, congratulates him on his team and individual medals, and asks to trade a pin. Gale smiles and nods, handing over a USA pin in exchange for New Zealand. Bucky gets a little lost in the way Gale blushes a bit and excitedly adds the pin to his lanyard after the other athlete walks away. Gale won’t know until later that that was caught on video, too.

“Go,” Curt says, snapping Bucky out of it.

He jogs away from Curt and the camera, right towards Gale, who looks up in confusion and alarm. He reaches out towards Bucky, but Bucky grabs Gale around the waist and sweeps him off his feet, spinning him around in a circle. Gale can’t help but laugh as he’s swung through the air, eyes locked right on Bucky. When his feet hit the ground again, the gymnast is tugging at his hand, and he follows, stumbling a bit to catch up. They run together, laughing, back towards Curt, and Bucky blows a kiss at the camera before the video cuts off. 

The title is Meeting the love of your life at the Paris Olympics

—

“Buck!” 

Gale looks up from his phone to see Bucky walking up to him, phone in hand and already recording. Last Gale checked, Bucky was going to get a second coffee, but that plan seems to have gone by the wayside somewhere between leaving two minutes ago to stare at the menu and coming back now. 

“The world wants to know what pins you have and what you still need so they can get them to you.”

Gale laughs with a sweet little smile and sips his coffee. They’re sitting at one of the cafes in the village early in the morning, and Gale’s hair is still a bit messy from sleep (Bucky totally started recording now for that very reason – everyone loves it, including him). Gale pulls his lanyard up over his head and lays it down on the table.

“Holy shit, Buck,” Bucky laughs. Bucky, the charismatic and hot-as-hell men’s gymnastics all-around gold medalist, is a popular figure in the village. He talks to just about every single person he comes across and makes friends everywhere he goes, but not even he has as many pins as Gale. “You need another lanyard! How’d you even get this many?”

“Dunno,” Gale shrugs. “People just come up to me.” Bucky is going to point out the fact that it’s because everyone thinks he’s hot and wants to talk to him. But before he can, Gale is proudly showing his favorite pins, including the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, China, and of course, the Beacon the Good Boy pin.

“Oh that one’s nice,” Bucky says, pointing to the pin from Puerto Rico. As he scans over the others, he stops with a finger on one of the most infamous pins of the games. “How the fuck did you get Snoop Dogg’s?”

Gale glances up at him, like it’s obvious. “Bumped into him at dressage finals.”

“Of course you did.”

“He came by the stables after and I introduced him to Whiskey.” Bucky’s speechless. But Gale glosses over that fact like it’s completely not a big deal at all and continues talking about the pins.

“I’m still lookin’ for Sri Lanka, les Seychelles, Hong Kong, Tanzania…”

Bucky shifts the camera to himself. “He really wants the Tanzania one, guys,” he says. “He won’t stop talkin’ about it.”

“It has a giraffe,” Gale mutters, still looking through his pins to identify which he’s missing that he still wants. “Oh, Tonga.”

Bucky laughs. “Hear that, guys? Buck and Tonga Man, the crossover this world needs. Let’s make it happen!”

Somehow, Gale finds himself running into an athlete from each of those countries within the next 24 hours alone, and he proudly adds the pins to his collection. The world even gets a picture of him and Tonga Man together, looking very seriously at the camera as they hold up their pin-filled lanyards.

Afterwards, Bucky grabs the lanyard around Gale’s neck and pulls him close. “Now stop flirting with other hot men and kiss me instead.”

“I’m not flirting,” Gale protests. But Bucky’s lips are on his before he can say anything else.