#i was goofing around with my friend on the stage last night and it came to me

[the-banana-0verlord]

Hey. What if. Neuvillette and me opera actors AU

[hotgirlssupportlando]

one day x lando norris pt 5

this is a part of my series following one day of every summer from 2016 onwards in y/n’s and lando's lives, exploring their friendship and love for one another. ofc not a smooth ride with some angst and fights along the way. a friends to lovers, growing up together kind of thing. read first part here pairing: lando norris x fem!reader summary of this part: y/n is with her friends watching an f1 race where she and lando met for the first time a few years ago. wc: 1,3k a/n: one of my fav moments in f1 is when lando got this podium, it was and still is so nerve wracking to watch! but yeah let's just forget that that race was without audience, so i modified it a bit :)

summer of 2020

Red Bull Ring, Austria

the atmosphere at a grand prix weekend is something y/n can’t compare to anything else. there was no better feeling than hopping of a bus, walking towards the circuit and hear the f2 cars roar in the distance, you just knew it was gonna be a good day. with a huge smile she and her friends from uni walked along the strip of tents selling merch and drinks. they were on a roadtrip through europe and the four girls and herself accidentally came across five grandstands tickets to the race day and just couldn't resist going. y/n was beyond excited, not only for the race but also as this was the first time she was back at the red bull ring since she met lando there four years ago.

”omg, look y/n there’s the fan stage we have to go there immediately!!” her friend squealed grabbing her hand. excitingly they ran to the crowd who was stood cheering for the renault boys, danny ric and esteban ocon. ricciardo of course got the crowd bursting into laughter at practically anything he said and y/n and her friends were no exception. after a while the mclaren boys entered the staged instead, causing y/n to freeze for a sec. seeing lando on the stage, goofing around like his old self, was some kind of shock to her. obviously she knew that he would be there but she wasn’t prepared to see him like this, like the boy she met at this very place years ago. 

since last summer the pair had met once or twice but it wasn’t like it used to be before he got into f1. he was always so busy nowadays, constantly on his phone when they were hanging out, barely hearing what she talked to him about, it felt like talking to a brick wall. a bit funny that he was always on the phone but it sometimes took days for him to answer her messages or facetime calls. so after a while she kind of gave up, of course they would text each other now and then but not even close to how much they kept in touch before f1, which of course saddened her at times but what could she do? he was living his best life now, and apparently she wasn’t included in that. 

but there he was, 40 meters away laughing at someone’s sign, with no clue that his friend he hadn’t seen in forever was in the crowd too. ”isn’t that your friend? the one that aalways called you?” one friend asked y/n while another added ”ooh i remember him! he used to call you every time when we were at y/f/n’s studying. kinda cute y/n!! you never told us that??”. y/n laughed remembering how she and lando used to talk almost every night that first year at uni when he was still in f2. they would talk about everything, updating one another about every little boring detail in their lives and some nights they would just sit in each others company without talking about anything, with their phone calls usually ending when one of them fell asleep. oh well. now she just waved her friends away, blushing at the fact that they remembered so much details about their old friendship. 

after a while they were heading towards their grandstand seats not too far away from the start and the podium. with a beer in each hand they were soon stood cheering at any minor happening at their part of the track and y/n felt so truly happy with her friends alongside her having the best time of her life. 

later on, with a few mandatory courses at college in german under her belt, y/n tried to figure out what the german commentators were talking so excitedly about lando for. to be completely honest, those courses didn’t contribute too much, as the only thing she understood was ’hamilton’, ’lando’ and ’fünf’ which was probably the language skills an elementary school student would’ve had. but with the help of her friends they figured out that hamilton got a five second penalty and that lando had to make up a whole lotta time to score his first f1 podium. and holy fuck. when y/n understood that a podium was possible? she became a total wreck, she didn’t know if she would jump up and down of excitement or if that would jinx it or if it was best to look away and hope for the best. 

however, that last lap felt like it went in slow motion, y/n carefully watching every motion lando’s car did at the screen in front of them. she saw him drive by their grandstand towards the finish line, immediately looking at the screen. lando's gap was 4.8 seconds to hamilton. 4.8 SECONDS??? did she read that right?? with some kind of magical powers lando had caught up with lewis’ penalty and got a fkn podium?? she couldn’t believe her eyes. how was it possible?

in some kind of hallucination she and her friends ran onto the track as fast as possile and onwards to the podium to see the champagne pop up close. it felt so special to be a part of his first ever podium in f1. seeing him up there with the biggest smile in the word, enjoying every bit of it. y/n couldn’t have been more proud of him.

after all the celebrations and the overwhelming excitement had laid off a bit and the girls were slowly walking away from the podium, y/n couldn’t help but recognize a smaller podium a bit further away. ”i’ll catch you in a bit, i’m just gonna go look at one thing over here” she told her friends while she walked towards the small podium. could it really be it?

it sure was. looking around the podium all the memories from a few years ago came back to her. she recognized every little bit, exactly where she had been running around desperately seeking lando at the podium, remembering how anxious she had been not finding him, thinking she was never going to see him again. and how he appeared from nowhere, surprising her with pepsi and flowers. y/n could perfectly picture it where they had stood sharing their first and only kiss, how happy she had felt in that very moment.

her 20-year old self was now stood smiling at a patch of grass with a half rotten podium on. waking up from her little daydream she realized that after all these years, she still felt so strongly for lando, and not only as friends. she just had to tell him in some sort of way or at least hint about it. so she grabbed her phone, set it up a couple of meters away, turning on the timer and ran to the place where they had kissed. there she stood in her summer dress, similar to the one four years ago, with her hand held up at her eyebrows as if she was looking for someone. *click*. as the photo was taken she excitedly ran to it, opened her instagram dm’s and started writing to lando ”if i remember correctly, a podium at red bull ring means i owe you a kiss?” and was about to add the photo when she saw that lando had posted something on his story. might as well look at that first. 

y/n froze. ”no no no no, this can’t be true, please no lando” she started hyperventilating, falling onto her knees. she looked up towards the sky as to somehow stop the flood of tears that she felt coming. but nothing could stop these heartbroken tears from streaming and she couldn’t care less if anyone saw her in the state that she was. still on her knees she looked once again at lando’s instagram story, a picture of him with a trophy in one hand and what seemed like a girlfriend with flowers and champagne in her hands with the words ”there’s no one like you, love you forever”.

_____

taglist

@amberpanda99 @phantomxoxo @landossainz @chezmardybum @lan4cha16 @tvdtw4ever @starlit-skiessss @dorothea47 @hadids-world @nzygftoji @sltwins

[dsireland86]

Okay but picture the Boys and Matt on tour and their friend(with benefits) is helping the crew out and some dickhead tries to mess with her so initially they go to help her out but she talks some shit then just knocks the dude out and goes back to work like nothing happened.

Okay, I love this idea! I've been told by guys that there is nothing hotter than a girl who can stick up for herself!

Tags: @philomenie @supersquirrel1996 @foliosgirl @angelmarie89 @fadingintothegrey @theanarchymuse95 @thisbicc @lma1986 @dominuslunae @shayzillaaaa @thefallenangel @fadingintothegrey

Drop Dead

"She may have slept in Jolly's bunk last night, but it's my turn tonight, Noah."

"Not if she doesn't want to, Matthew."

Noah chugged the case of water at Matt, who managed to catch it before it dropped.

"What the actual fuck! Seriously?"

Noah gave Matt a mocking face.

"God, you're such a kid sometimes!" Matt grumbled, sitting the case water down.

"Who is? Folio?"

Y/N came walking up towards the stage, emerging from somewhere in the shadows.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Matt asked, surprised, as she placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Better question, why does everyone equate being childish with me? You do know there are other guys in this group capable of goofing off and not taking things seriously don't you? Not just me."

Y/N grinned, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Okay, firstly, I came from the girls bathroom in that dark, mysterious corner over there," she pointed to the left hand corner in the back. "And secondly," turning to Folio, "the thought that somebody else around here could be as childish as you is merely impossible."

Folio clenched his jaw, giving her a "what the fuck" kind of look, but with a smile.

"I really hate you right now."

"Oh really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't say that the other night."

"Ohhh, damn Folio!" Nicholas laughed, draping his arm over Y/N's shoulder.

Folio leaned over and kissed her quickly.

"Fine, I'll take it back. I don't hate you," he whispered right before he smacked her super hard on the ass.

"Fuck, Folio!" she yelled, as he walked off.

"Yup, that's exactly what I had you saying the other night, too."

Y/N growled in frustration.

"Relax, he's just trying to get under your skin," Nick told her. He could tell she was embarrassed. "Besides, we all heard the two of you, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about. At least you and I are quiet."

Y/N groaned, loudly. "Oh my god, Nick! Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn't," she pouted, huffing a sigh.

"You guys need to leave Y/N alone. Quit picking on her," Jolly ordered, walking into the conversation carrying a box of merch t-shirts. "All of you, get off her case." He gave Y/N a sympathetic look that made her smile.

"Hey to be fair, I haven't done anything," Noah said defensively.

"Yeah, what the fuck ever, pretty boy. You started this whole thing when you started pouting over who's bunk she’s staying in tonight," Matt scoffed.

"I was not, I did not pout," Noah defended himself, turning to face Y/N. She just chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

"Hey, can you head to the back and grab the other box of shirts? The crew found a whole bunch of boxes that were put in the wrong truck," Jolly asked Y/N.

"Sure," she said, with a smile and shoving her hands in her back pockets.

"Hey," Jolly called out.

"Yeah?"

Jolly winked at her. "Thank you."

Y/N's smile widened. "You're welcome."

Y/N was struggling, that much Noah could see. The asshat that wasn't cooperating with her was starting to piss him off.

"Hey, Matt," Noah called out.

"What?" Matt came up beside Noah, looking in the direction he was pointing at.

"Is he fucking hitting on her?" Matt squinted to get a better look.

"If that's what you want to call that," Folio said, gently setting down part of his kit.

"Right now she looks annoyed as fuck," Nicholas muttered, sounding almost annoyed himself.

"You think we should," Jolly started to say.

"Hell yeah we should," Matt growled. "I'll fire his sorry ass if I have too."

The five of them made their way over to where the crew were busy unloading gear and equipment, ready to throw down the clown who was messing with Y/N.

"I don't fucking care what you do with your life when you not working crew for Bad Omens, but I'm telling you that when you are, you'll show me some respect."

"Or what?" Y/N and the clown stood slightly apart, He tried to appear intimidating to her, but she really didn't seem to be buying it.

"Oh that piece of shit," Matt fumed, about to interfere.

"Wwwait," Nick stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Just wait a second. I want to see where this goes," he grinned.

"Or what? Well, you could try me, and find out. But I wouldn't recommend it?" Y/N's nostrils flared as she tried her hardest not to lose her temper.

"Oh baby," the guy said, moving in on her and grabbing her the wrong way. "You have no idea how much I really want to disrespect you right now," he blabbed.

"Fuck, that's it," Folio hissed.

But before he could make it over to Y/N, she shoved the guy away from her, pissing him off even more. Instantly, the guy grabbed her by the arm and called her a bitch. Both Jolly and Matt responded by yelling out "hey" and when they did, Y/N seized the moment and threw her right fist into the asshole's face, causing him to stumble, lose his balance and fall over. He laid there on the cold, hard floor, clenching the side of his face, unable to speak or move.

"I told you not to disrespect me," she sneered. "So if you don't mind," opening up the random box that was sitting off to the side that she hadn't seen before.

"Oh! Look, I found them!" Y/N exclaimed, sarcastically.

"Drop fucking dead, eat shit, and go to hell, you prick!" Y/N spat on the ground beside him and picked up the box of shirts that Jolly had originally asked for, before turning around.

All five guys stood there with their mouths open, eyes widened and the most surprised look on their faces.

"What? I don't like to be disrespected."

"I will be sure to make a mental note of that," Noah said, running a hand through his hair.

"Good," Y/N smiled before walking off.

"Fuck me, guys," Folio sighed, watching Y/N walk towards the merch booth.

"Where in the hell did that come from?" Jolly asked, completely surprised.

"I have no freaking clue," Nicholas stated, shaking his head slowly.

Matt laughed. "Oh, I do!"

He clapped his hands and walked off, heading towards the merch booth and wrapping his arms around Y/N's waist, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

[z0mbiekisses]

Short imagine/one shot of Josh and reader where she’s the videographer for a festival they’re playing and he sees her and asks her to come backstage and they go from friends to lovers over the week long festival. Maybe on the last day he asks her to continue on tour with them?

Hehe I need someone to write my requests while I write other requests 😁😁

HELLOO P!! 🤗 thank you sm for being my first request i’m sooo excited!! hopefully it’s not too long 😅 if it wasn’t for your work i don’t think i’d ever have the motivation to write so just know your work doesn’t go unnoticed && i’ll always write your requests 🫡

as for anyone else reading this i hope you enjoy this as well!!(: i haven’t wrote an imagine in so longgg, so hopefully it’s good!! my requests are open 🫶!

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊ ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊ ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊ ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

VIDEOTAPE !

i’ve always loved filming. whether it was my friends goofing around or my cats simply existing in their space peacefully. i love just being able to capture the moment then and there. i also love music. concerts are my number one happy place. who knew that two of my favorite things could turn into a career?

i was doing an apprenticeship for this photography company. this week, i’m going to the music festival the town did every summer. except this time i’m able to be the videographer for one of the main stages! i was stoked to say the least.

it was the first day, i spent the morning helping set up the stage i’ll be filming for the next 6 days. since this stage was more for the “bigger acts.” no one was scheduled to perform till 3. after i was done, i went to explore the festival a bit before i was gonna be stuck at the same stage for hours. as i was grabbing a drink, i noticed a guy next to me in line at the taco truck. his hair was black with red underneath it. his black tanktop showing off his colorful tattoos. he must've noticed me staring. he looked over and flashed a smile at me. it was contiguous, i instantly smiled back at him before my drink was handed to me. i walked away hoping i'd run into this handsome stranger. that i'd find him in the crowd of thousands of people..

the only downside to being a videographer is not being able to dance around to the music. i had to make sure my videos were the best quality, trying hard to catch the peak moments of each artist's set. however, i was able to be in front of the crowd. only people in my section were other photographers/videographers and security. it was also nice hearing new music. most of the bands i was familiar with were playing later in the festival. and luckily for me i only work two nights. the last band set to play was about to come on. i looked behind me and saw the crowd double in size. whoever was about to play must be popular. a red light came on the stage, shining on a guy wearing a ski mask. i watched as he walked over to the drum kit on the stage. people in the crowd were screaming. i listened to the drummer, he was one of the best so far. i then eventually the singer came on stage, also wearing a ski mask. and the music started blaring. let me tell you, these guys knew how to put on a show. it was the hardest set yet for me to NOT dance and jump around. eventually the drummer took off his ski mask, and it was the same guy i saw in line. during the show he recognized me and smiled. which i made sure to get on film, even though it caught me off guard that he even remembered me from our brief interaction.

this show was my favorite to film. these guys knew how to put on hell of a show. some of my best footage came from their set. i quickly learned the drummer's name was 'josh dun." who i admired the whole night. his eyes would seem to find me, making sure to flash a grin or do some sort of pose for me..and the camera of course. and every time i felt my heart flutter. their set was over and as i was getting ready to head back to my tent a security guard caught my attention. he said i was asked to be somewhere. i had not a clue where they were dragging me to. nonetheless, i hopped on the golf cart, making sure to film the different bright neon displays that shined through the dark open field. they brought me to a fancy tent. it was huge, there was a soft glow from all of the fairy lights. giving a nice soft ambience. i began to fidget with the rings on my fingers. still unsure on what this place is and why i was here. until the same guy with black and red hair came up to greet me. i somehow felt relieved yet so much more nervous.

“i hope this is okay, i wanted to talk to you but i didn’t want to hope that i’d run into you again.”, josh chuckled nervously.

“duh, who doesn’t like backstage passes.”, i laughed softly. hoping i wasn’t making a fool out of myself.

“i’m josh by the way.”, he smiled once again. reaching out his hand.

“y/n”, i shook his hand. i looked up into his brown eyes. i was admiring his features, from his long eyelashes to his soft lips. i looked away to prevent myself from looking like a total creep. he brought me over to one of the many couches and sat with me. we talked about our careers, and what made us chose them. i enjoyed listening to him talk about something he was passionate about. the way his eyes would squint up whenever he got excited. i barely know this man.. but good god. i thought he looked good on stage, glistened in sweat & his hair damp. but seeing him get so happy was so attractive.

i spent the next 24 hours thinking about josh dun. i sadly didn’t run into him the next day at the festival, but my work was able to occupy MOST of my mind. however it was officially the 3rd day, and my first day off duty. i traded my athletic leisure for something more festival appropriate. i decided on a short sparkly black dress that had silver moon & stars printed over it. as i was walking around the festival that night, i felt someone tap my shoulder. which honestly scared me a little bit until i turned around and saw josh.

“sorry! i didn’t mean to scare you.”, josh must’ve noticed me jump. i wrapped my arms around him. normally i’m not big on hugs. but once again, there was something about him.

“i missed you pretty girl.”, he mumbled against my neck. i couldn’t hide my blush as i pulled away. we talked about our plans yesterday and how we just barley missed an encounter with each other every time. i brought him over to charli xcx’s set. i was nervous he was going to be one of those guys who just stands there and silently judges you for dancing. but josh jumped up and down with me, in my mind it was just me & him. he occasionally would hold onto my waist from behind as we danced together. which flooded my stomach with butterflies. afterwards, i followed him to the stage where one of his favorite bands were playing; death cab for cutie. he held my way the whole way through as we navigated the crowds. josh was also able to get us into vip, which i’ve been in before for work. but this was so much better. being able to relax and really enjoy the music. josh’s hands never left mines. i felt safe besides him. i smiled as i watched him sing along to the music, clearly enjoying himself. of course, i had to get it on camera. to which josh started singing to when he finally noticed. i never wanted this night to end. josh walked me back to where my cab was. i looked up at him for a moment. i wanted to kiss him. everything in that moment was screaming at me to do so. but i was so worried about messing things up that i just stared at him.

“i had so much fun with you tonight, you’re really cool y/n.”, i smiled sweetly at josh’s compliment.

“thanks, you’re not too bad yourself joshua.”, i responded which earned a chuckle from josh. we continued to look at each other, not wanting to leave but unsure what to do next.

“maybe i could have your number? you know, so you can send me that video of me singing.”, josh tried to play it off. i giggled and typed my number in his phone.

the fourth day, i decided to go for a more spacey look. i wore a silver shimmery dress & i put star glitter in my space buns. of course, i met up with josh again. who i got to match with me. he was wearing a white t-shirt with an alien on it.

“you look better each time i see you i don’t get it.”, josh’s compliment made my cheeks heat up. it was almost embarrassing the effect this man had on me. but i didn’t mind it. we ran around the festival, trying random foods & messing around with the different photo ops. we even met up with his bandmate, tyler and his girlfriend jenna. me and her instantly clicked, as if we were best friends in another universe. it was amazing, i never thought this would happen. eventually we parted ways and josh dragged me to the goo goo dolls set. our hands still intertwined. i closed my eyes and moved side to side as i listened to iris, one of my favorite songs. josh pulled me in closer to his side. i looked up at him, meeting his warm brown eyes again.

“you’re so beautiful, you know that right y/n?”, i bit my lip slightly trying to surpress the huge grin on my face. before i could say anything else i could feel josh leaning into me. his lips met mine and my heart was practically beating out my chest. i wasted no time running my hair through his soft curls. josh grabbed my waist and pulled me in closer to him. i dreamed of moments like these. we both had the biggest smiles on our face as we pulled away. josh walked me to my cab again, josh was telling me they were going to start their tour soon. i felt sad. sure, maybe it was naive of me to think this could be anything long term. but this week had been so amazing, the thought of it being over hurt. and knowing josh would be gone for months hurt even more. there was a bit of silence as we were walking, i didn’t have much to say this time around. josh stopped me, holding my hands in front of him.

“okay this may sound crazy, you can say no.”, josh warned me. i could tell he was nervous to ask me. i watched his face as he tried to find the words in his head.

“we need a videographer for our tour, our usual one wife just had a baby so.. would you be interested in being our videographer?”, my face lit up.

“yes!”, i exclaimed. i hugged josh tightly. he spun me around as we giggled together out of excitement. josh kept his arms around me & pulled me in again. our lips crashing together. i was looking forward to having more moments like these over the next 4 months.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Next Thursday night.

So Linzy's unveiling her first Dream Patrol show in six days. You can get your tickets here.

Really though, I wanna mention how stunning her career path is in a way I couldn't have imagined when my best friend and I were playing at being a band, goofing around with making music on keys and guitar as we entered young adulthood. It's a path I didn't imagine when Linzy 'n I talked about college and her career and networking. It's a path that worked for me in a particular way and for her in an incredibly different way and I'm sure this has mostly to do with the local music scene and the across-the-board character of local musicians.

I will say that what she's doing right now wasn't possible a couple years ago for her. Some things had to happen. Some people she needed to meet.

Because those things and people came to pass, though, right now she's fully underway with a solo performance with a sound tech and a lighting tech. She submitted a stage plan to the venue. She hired a photographer, a friend, who was hired last year to cover the Taylor Swift performances in town. And then she's telling me this story about being at a party with a seriously gifted local guitarist when they run into the lead singer of a band for whom The Little Lies recently opened. A bigger band, more established locally.

They've been around.

So they're all just talking at the party, low key, sharing a bit of what's happening in their careers.

Later, the lead singer hits her up for a solo opening gig if Dream Patrol ever needs one. Of course that's smart networking but it's also someone bigger than you offering to support you.

Someone bigger than you.

Offering to support you.

It would have made more sense for that established, experienced lead singer to offer Dream Patrol an opportunity to open for them if sharing a stage was something actually on the table.

But this?

Dang.

What a life, what a career Linzy's got on its feet.

🙂

[words-4u]

little rockstar - d.r

➩ read part 2: here

pairing: daniel ricciardo x singer!reader

wc: 1.8k

warnings: none

a/n: THANK YOU TO WHOEVER REQUESTED THIS! I HAD SOOOO MUCH FUN WRITING!!!

formula 1 masterlist

[not my gif!!!]

the best part of being an artist is touring, hands down. there is something so euphoric about singing songs that you poured your heart and soul into to large crowds of people who then sing it back to you. the passion they have is incredible and you've never felt more loved than when you were on tour meeting all your fans. that is until daniel ricciardo entered your life.

daniel was unexpected in so many ways. you two met in a dingy bar in austin, texas where you were booked to play at a festival. that night was open mic night and your friends thought it would be hilarious to sign you up for it. when the mc called your name you made your way to the small stage. daniel was sitting in the front at a small table with his friends when you started to sing ‘what a time’ by julia micheals. at the time, your debut album had come out and was topping charts and gaining lots of attention due to your public breakup with a beloved actress whom most of your songs were about.

the second you got on stage, daniel's attention was on you and it never left. he was awe-struck. he was a regular here and he knew that open mic night was mostly for amateurs but no, the way you were singing he knew you were experienced. the second you were done, he broke out in huge applause that made you blush, earning whoops and laughter from your friends in the back.

later that night, he found you by the bar and introduced himself. you weren’t familiar with motorsports so f1 was lost on you, but the way he spoke about it and his passion for racing, you were intrigued. you told him all about your singing career even showing him your ep on spotify and sharing earbuds cause he wanted to listen to it. you two were so enamoured by each other, you hadn’t noticed your friends leave. it was the moment everything clicked for you. he made you smile and laugh the whole night. being in his company was like being bathed in sunlight and it still felt like that 8 months later.

today was your last day of tour and you were ending it in your favourite city, london. emotions were running high as it was the last night of the europe leg of the tour but also daniel was going to be in the crowd watching tonight. due to the hectic f1 season, he didn’t have time to go to any of your other shows but this date lined up perfectly on the tuesday after the silverstone grand prix.

you and daniel made a conscious effort to keep your relationship private just because it was easier not to have outside noise or other people's perceptions of who you should be with or vice versa. you weren’t necessarily hiding each other but you weren’t flaunting it either. your fans had an inkling you were seeing someone again because of the cryptic tweets and photos you’d take, they just didn’t know who. f1 fans, on the there hand, were quick to notice that you two were suddenly following each other on all your social platforms and were sometimes leaving inside jokes as comments under each other posts. you two were always goofing around with each other so they were many.

what most people don’t know about daniel is that he has a musical ear, he doesn’t take it seriously but he can write some pretty good stuff some of which actually ended up being used in your new ep giving him full writing credit.

there was one song that you kept off on your ep because you wanted to release it as a single and you were gonna play it for him and the london audience tonight.

daniel snuck into your green room beforehand to wish you luck. “last show of the tour, how are you feeling?” he came up behind you as you stood at the massive vanity. you let your head rest on his chest as you made eye contact in the mirror.

“it’s bittersweet... i mean you know i how much i love performing and getting to see my beautiful little fans has been a dream and i'm gonna miss them so so much but on the other hand i can’t wait to have time off to support you at grand prixs.”

daniel laid a soft kiss on your head. “i’m extremely proud of you, you know that right?” he mumbled into your hair.

chuckling, you responded, “i do and it means so much to me that you made it tonight.”

“i wouldn’t have missed it for the world. you’re my little rockstar.”

closing your eyes, you let yourself be showered in your boyfriend's love and admiration. how did you get so lucky?

after a few moments, you turned in his arms to stroke his bearded face. “i have a surprise for you.”

“enchanté,” he smirked pulling you closer which made you squeal and giggle.

“not like that… but i’m not saying anymore, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

his response was at the tip of his tongue but was cut off by rapid knocks on your door.

“y/n, it’s showtime.”

“got it! thank you!” you acknowledged. still holding hands you took a step back and asked, “okay how do I look?”

you wanted something cute yet comfortable so you decided on a monochromatic moment consisting of a white corset top and matching white faux leather pants.

he looked you up and down and couldn’t hold back his trademark smile. “like i wish you didn’t have to go on stage in 5 minutes so i could have my way with you.”

“ha! well dan, it’s my last night so we’ll have plenty of time for that.”

daniel kissed your temple and left the room to go find your friends and lando who he invited last minute. you took a couple moments to gather yourself before heading out.

the second you appeared on stage, screams erupted. you were instantly energized ready to give this show your absolute all and you did. there’s this bit you do at the end of your shows, where you head off stage and the fans yell “encore” over and over again until you come out again and perform one final song. today’s song was gonna be different.

“you want one more song?” you asked the crowd.

they all screamed “yes” so you delivered.

“okay, the last song of the night and of this tour is actually different than what i usually do because it’s an unreleased song…” you said as excited chatter arose from the crowd.

“yeah, i purposefully held back this song so it could be released as a single because it’s very dear to me and it deserves it's own moment, you know? so i wrote this about someone very special to me not even a month after meeting him but i recorded it recently so i could surprise you with it tonight. everyone, this is song is called ‘breathing’.”

as soon as the instrumentals begin and your fans cheered but as you sang it died down as no one knew the lyrics.

I don't really know about you, but something has started

'Cause deep inside don't feel good whenever we're parted

I don't ever wanna go backtrack, broken-hearted

daniel was in the vip balcony of the venue with lando and your friends. they were having the best time and lando was so excited to see you perform live for the first time. daniel was enjoying himself immensely and was in awe of how you sang. he leaned over and nudged your best friend, “this song is about me right?”

“no shit, sherlock.” she replied, already used to his dumb ass.

“‘kay, just checking,” his eyes never leaving you.

I feel like I hit my head 'cause now there are stars

More stars in my eyes than there is in the sky, babe

I'm sitting in the seat of your car

Your hand on my thigh, yes, I think I'm alright, babe

And now you're here, don't ever go far

you couldn’t help but look up into the balcony catching daniels eyes and singing the chorus directly to him.

I think I'm in love, I think I can feel it

Way back when I was young

I heard about love and never believed it

And then you changed my mind

In world record time

You said hello and I said: "Baby, don't tell me goodbye"

'Cause now I'm in love, can you believe it

That being in love is just as easy as breathing

in that moment, it was like only you two existed. everything and everyone faded away. fans were starting to notice your unwavering attention to a certain tall curly-headed guy up on the balcony that they started to take pics of y/n y/l/n’s new man.

daniel couldn’t stop smiling. he was finally watching you in your element and you were singing about how you’d never known love until him and that made his heart warm. he isn’t someone that opens up to others easily but you changed that. from your first interaction, he wanted you to know him and he wanted to know everything about you.

as the song ended, you were almost deafened at the sound of applause and cheers that erupted from your fans.

“thank you! thank you. so that was ‘breathing’ and like i said it’s coming out very soon so keep an eye out for that.” you spoke into the mic.

“is your special person here?!” yelled a young fan from the front row.

“is that obvious?” you chuckled as the crowd laughed along. “but to answer your question, yes he is and i’m beyond happy that he could come out to the last show of the tour.”

thanking your fans once more, you made your way off stage. daniel was the first to make his way to you wrapping you in a hug and lifting you off the ground. “you were incredible, absolutely incredible. and i loved your surprise very much,” he kissed you.

“can i say hi before you suck her face?” lando cheekily asked from behind him.

daniel let go so you could embrace his mclaren teammate. “i can’t believe this is the first time we’re meeting! daniel talks about you so much that i feel like i already know you.”

“i could say the same to you,” he patted you on the back before stepping back. “you were great! we had an amazing time.”

“aw, i’m really glad to hear it!’

“so... does that final song mean you two are going public?”

you looked back at daniel. “well, i tried to be subtle about him being in the crowd but failed miserably so i guess so.”

daniel took ahold of your hand. “thank god, i can finally tell the world that you’re mine. i’ve told a few of my mates back home and they actually don’t believe me.”

a mischievous grin grew on your face. “so let’s give them something to believe in then,” pulling out your phone you scrolled to the most recent picture in your camera roll. it was a picture your best friend took of you and daniel the night before where you were cozied up to him and he had an arm around you. throwing together a sweet little caption, you pressed ‘post’.

[hikarus-shida]

Jungle Boy: "Meant to Be"

Jungle Boy x gender neutral!reader

genre: friends to lovers

warning: cursing, the word vomit is written but like no one vomited (idk just a warning in case), also overthinking

summary: jungle boy and the reader have been friends since they both began at aew. reader begins to catch feelings for him

requested by: anonymous (I hope you enjoy!)

Masterlist

Tag List: @cutierocker202

I based this imagine off of my headcanon version! For some reason, I feel very off my game for imagines. I hope you all enjoy this though!

*I do not own this gif!*

You and Jungle Boy had been best friends ever since the two of you have been at AEW. Your friendship was one that everyone wished they had; the two of you always hung out with each other, always happy and smiley, it was never a dull moment. Jack knew how to put a smile on your face and was always there for you.

At first, it started off with a harmless crush. You thought it would go away as your friendship grew and you even forgot about it at one point, but then it reignited. You saw Jack hanging out with Marko and Luchasaurus, goofing around. The smile that stretched across his face and his sweet laugh that always made you weak in the knees, how shy he would act - it did a lot to you.

Much to your dismay, you had a hard time hiding that you liked Jack since all of your friends didn’t think the two of you were “just” friends anyways. Of course, those things always happened when two people are close. Your friends never bought it though when you said you didn’t like him like that; it almost scared you knowing that your cover was blown.

Surely, you understood why they thought that though. Jack was a caring friend and person in general, that’s why you liked him so much. He would give you hugs (just because he knew you needed one), rub you after matches, get you a drink without asking, and so much more. It was as if he paid attention to you and your needs, always fulfilling them even when you didn’t ask or request him to. He was too good to you, and you couldn’t imagine what more he’d do for you if he was your boyfriend.

Your friends, on the other hand, grew sick of watching you two pine over each other and not even realize it. One night in the locker room, you had vented to Sonny Kiss about what to do.

“Sonny, I just don’t know,” You cried, “What if I make a complete fool of myself? Then Jack will never talk to me again and I’d ruin our friendship. The best friendship I’ve ever had, literally. I’d never find another Jack, Sonny. I can’t do this.” You were stressed, freaking out over this actually, and Sonny couldn’t help but feel sad for you. You may have been a bit over dramatic, but in that moment it felt warranted.

Sonny had to give you some tough love though and that’s what you got. “Love, I hate to break it to you, but I think you just might be overthinking all of this. Jack wouldn’t stop talking to you over it. And actually, I’m kind of sick of you two acting like you don’t like each other. You need to get your head out of your behind and realize it! You and Jack were made for each other. I don’t know how either of you can’t see that.” The words were stressed as they came out of Sonny’s mouth. You had rethought everything and god, were you scared to face Jack. It was hard enough trying to give yourself the confidence needed to tell him you liked him, but thinking about the fact that he may like you? It was almost like going back to square one all over again. You knew Jack like the back of his head and he was absolutely not the type to tell you whether or not he liked someone.

You knew it was now or never though. After saying a quick goodbye to Sonny, you were on the hunt for Jack. He had just came back from a match, a sweaty mess as he ran a hand through his hair. What had taken you aback and actually infuriated you was one of Tony Khan’s newest assistants coming up to Jack, acting extremely flirtatious. You could practically feel the steam coming out of your ears and it didn’t matter whether or not Jack reciprocated it, you hated to see someone that wasn’t you being that way with him.

Your feet moved with purpose as you walked to the pair, staring down the assistant as you dragged Jack away to an empty spot. “Y/N, thank god you saved me from her-,” He began to say, you felt his gratitude but you didn’t want to talk about that right now.

Your word vomit took over and you spilled out how you felt to Jack, every single word. “Jack, this is going to be so awkward and I’m sorry. I know we said this would probably never happen but it did. I like you. I really fucking like you. Watching you over there with that lady, it just drove me nuts, I can’t even tell you. I like you so much it hurts. And if you don’t feel the same, that’ll hurt even worse but I’d understand. I don’t want to ruin our friendship, but you needed to know.” You could feel the tears in your eyes as you waited for his response, stress infiltrating your body and your nerves shot.

Jack stood there in silence, processing everything. He knew that he liked you - he had actually liked you for a while now, he just never said it. He began to laugh to himself, thinking about how the two of you had been running in circles like headless chickens and stressing yourselves out over liking each other... just for you both to feel the same.

“Jack, this isn’t fucking funny. If you don’t wanna be friends anymore, you could’ve just said that instead of laughing at me.”Now you began to feel extremely humiliated. You wanted to walk away, but Jack had pulled you back and kissed you. It was something you hadn’t expected and it felt like you were stuck in the ground unable to comprehend what was going on until you finally kissed him back.

Jack pulled away and had a sheepish smile on his face, “I like you too, Y/N. You know, you talk and curse a lot when you’re stressed. It’s cute, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. You know, Marko actually told me to tell you this a couple hours ago.” He had said the last part as if it was nothing, but really you wanted to hit him.

“Are you serious, Jack? You should’ve told me. You know how much courage I had to build up to tell you?” You whined, throwing your head back for emphasis. Jack muttered a “sorry”, but you didn’t take him or what he said personally. You knew that Jack wasn’t a relationship kind of guy, so of course he was going to be a shy and clueless idiot. At least, you two were finally in this stage.

Jack had ended up asking you out in that same moment. It shouldn’t have been shocking, but to you it was. For some reason, you had expected nothing to come out of this, even though he reciprocated the feelings. You left Dynamite with a boyfriend, totally not shocking any of your friends. It seemed like everyone was waiting for this to happen; for you and Jack to come to your senses.

[delaber]

Could you do like a short piece where Daveed and reader are a thing but not really a couple. And he ruins it by not wanting more but comes back and apologises. Thanks!

Title: Stepping Up

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x Reader

Note: Thanks anon! First time I’m writing Daveed. This was fun and challenging.

Word Count: 1.7K

Warnings: mentions of sex. Slight angst. I think that’s it but let me know

"U up?"

Two words and a question mark. That was all it took and you felt your heart start pounding in your chest. Your feet started moving around, unable to stay in one place. You had to shred the duvet, you had started sweating. Two words and a fucking question mark and he could make your body betray you. Two words and you were ready for him.

You had to actively remind yourself that you were in withdrawal. That you couldn't hit him back no matter what. That he hadn't treated you the way you deserved. That he was fine and sweet and wonderful - but a dick nonetheless.

Still, it was hard to resist temptation. If you finally allowed yourself to text him back he would be here in a jiffy. You needed it. You missed him. And suddenly everything came rushing back: Daveed's athletic body the first time you'd seen him jump around on stage, his smile as he had introduced himself to you, his teasing manner as he had thrown around millions of jokes to you and the rest of your cast-mates. How you had already fallen for his wicked charms by the end of the first rehearsal. How you had flirted desperately to get him to notice you, and how he had finally pulled you backstage and kissed you in secret. It had all lead to a daring affair between the two of you, Daveed fucking you roughly every day in between rehearsals and later in between shows. His long fingers curling inside you while you moaned his name, the taste of him on your lips, his demanding movements as he took you in various positions all over your dressing room.

And no one could know. Not even Jas or Leslie or Oak. Daveed had made you promise not to tell - that this was your personal thing. You had agreed and said 'of course' right before he had hoisted you up beside the powder room mirror and slid into you. At first, the sneaking around had been nothing but arousing - you one hundred percent condoned it; your only goal back then had been to keep fucking Daveed in your costumes, the blue revolutionary jacket always open against his toned chest, but as the weeks proceeded, you felt yourself wanting more from him.

You wanted to be able to snog him senseless every time you saw him. You wanted to intertwine your fingers with his in public. Treat him to dinner. Take him home. Watch movies on lazy Sundays. Run your hands over his abs in your own bed. Waking up to find him covering your body with kisses.

But Daveed had said no. That he didn't want those things. That he didn't want to engage in anything serious with someone he worked with. That you were just co-workers who helped each other relieve some of the stress that the highly demanding job craved. Nothing more. In other words, you deduced that you were his stress ball - and you got angry! You yelled, and you threatened to kick him out of your dressing room, and you even threw a small lipstick at him, but his chocolate brown eyes were so sweet and so kind that you eventually felt yourself nodding along to his arguments of how the two of you could mess up the entire production if you started dating and things didn't work out. You sighed and you nodded and you agreed with him. And not even ten minutes later had he pulled off your panties, bent you over the couch, and dropped to his knees behind you. A lousy way to make up for it.

You had let it continue like this for eight months until his contract finally ran out and you were no longer co-workers. You had been looking forward to this. On his last night at the theatre, Daveed had stumbled into your dressing room in his Jefferson robe. The door behind him had barely closed before he had ripped your corset open, his warm fingers immediately rolling your nipples they way he knew you liked it. He had pressed his pelvis up against you and whispered in your ear that he had been hard on stage all night, patiently waiting for the show to be over so he could come see you. And you had decided that now was the time; slowly, you had turned around in his arms with a smirk and you had asked him out seeing as you wouldn't be working together anymore. You had thought it was a sure thing. But Daveed had pulled down your pants mumbling "My contract's in effect until tomorrow," right before you had felt his tongue on your skin.

"So what happens if I ask you again tomorrow?" You'd panted as his tongue was joined by his fingers.

"It'll still be a no," he grinned up at you, apparently unaware of your aching heart. He was a good man. If he knew the effect he had on you, he would've either stepped back or stepped up.

"And what happens after tonight?" You'd asked.

"We keep fucking," he had grinned with a content sigh as he spread your legs apart.

That was five weeks ago.

Now you had endured five weeks of Daveed constantly texting you that he was stressed, or hard, or thinking about you. Five weeks of him sending you dirty texts explicitly describing what he wanted to do to you. Five weeks of you ignoring him completely.

And now you were staring at his text consisting of two words and a question mark, contemplating if a small toe-dip into your old addiction was such a catastrophe. You felt your phone buzz in your hand as another text from him ticked in: 'I know you're reading my texts. Please stop ignoring me I miss you.'

You almost choked. In the year you'd known Daveed this was the most sensitive he'd ever gotten with you. You read the second text over and over and over again contemplating what to do; text him back? Call him? Or keep ignoring him?

In the end, you decided to call him up. He needed to be told of. He answered before the fourth ring.

"Hey," he almost whispered.

"Daveed," you let out a sigh, "you can't keep texting me."

"I know. I know I'm sorry," he mumbled, "are you mad at me?"

"Of course I'm not mad at you," you said quietly, "but things can't go on like this."

"I know... Are you in love with me?" He said abruptly but in a soft voice.

You went completely quiet when you felt your heart ache. So he did know about it. He had managed to put two and two together... "it isn't fair of you to ask me that," you almost whispered, "you know I am."

Daveed went quiet too and you could hear his steady breathing on the other end of the phone line. After a couple of seconds he finally said, "can I come over?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Please. I have to see you. I want to apologise properly," he groaned painfully, "can I please come over?"

Unable to resist him, you breathed a short "yes," and ten minutes later opened the door to him.

"Hey," his face curled up in a smile the minute you came into sight. He stepped closer to you, and pulled you in for a soft hug, "you look cute."

"Yeah, well thanks," you mumbled against his neck. You didn't want to reciprocate his compliment even though he did look awfully cute too.

He followed you to the living room.

"Whiskey?" You asked him.

"Nah, I gotta stay sober for this," he shook his head.

"Sober for what?" You asked quietly.

"I - ehm - I wanted to apologise. Like a man," he looked at you with a firm gaze, "I've been a dick and I've been treating you badly."

"Yeah," you nodded and folded your arms across your chest, "you've been acting like an ass. When did you realise?"

"It's embarrassing for me, but I honestly didn't realise before you started ignoring me. I was so used to having you around me all the time, and suddenly I missed you like crazy," he took a deep breath before he continued, "I was so sexually frustrated that I called a friend back home in California and told him about it all. I thought he would agree with me and call you stone-cold or something like that but instead he called me an idiot. He called me out for the way I've been treating you. He made me realise why you wanted to ask me out. I didn't even realise. I'm very sorry."

"It's okay," you said softly, "I know you didn't mean to."

"Good," Daveed nodded and looked like a schoolboy who'd just been scolded and you suddenly felt bad for him.

"I didn't mean to ignore your texts. After your time was up at the theatre, I wanted to keep seeing you - it was just too rough. I had to back off."

"I'm glad you took care of yourself. It's made me realise some stuff about myself that I want to change. I want to be better."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Let me start by making it up to you," he smiled, "tomorrow's Valentines day. Let me treat you to dinner. Give you the proper date you deserve."

"I'm not going on a date with you just because you're sexually frustrated and you know I'm an easy fuck," you huffed.

"No! Never! But how about going on a date with me because I like you and I want to see where it could go?"

You shot him a look.

"I understand if you don't believe me but in the past couple of weeks I haven't just missed having sex with you. I've really missed... you. The goofing around, the banter, your infectious laughter. I want to treat you to a date. Let me take you out."

You looked at him suspiciously, "romantically?"

"Yes. Rafa was right. I have a crush on you too. Let's see where this goes."

A small smile crept onto your lips, "okay. If you're sure."

"I'm positive," he grinned and pulled you in for a hug, "fuck I've missed you."

@ramp-it-up

[tpwkxxangel]

Side A: Track 2

//hi! so i have finals this next week, so i thought i’d updated sooner rather than later! thank you for the kind comments on the last update too!! Okay, now onto the story! here is the masterlist//

~~~

June 2018

"Jeffery!?" Harry calls from his dressing room.

It's been two weeks since Harry meet his kiwi girl again for the first time in two years, and she has not left his mind since. The morning of the sunrise, they grabbed breakfast before she dropped him off at his hotel. He got a total of two hours of sleep before he had to get to the airport to fly down to Houston, but he couldn't complain at all. He was so happy to finally feel something other than sadness again. He slept the rest of the day after getting to his new hotel. His dreams were filled with the intoxicating green-eyed girl.

With Harry being back to his happy self, everyone has taken notice. Jeff of course has been asking about the mysterious girl and why Harry seems so much happier after their night together. Harry hasn't said a single word about that night, just that she's an old friend that he is thankful for running into her. Everyone can tell she's a little more than just an old friend to the singer by the way his attitude lifted from spending one evening with her.

The moment the sun rose into the sky that morning, Janis brought a light into his life that he never knew he needed. And today was the day Harry would see his sunshine again.

They have been messaging back and forth for the last few days. He's learned a lot about her. She got her undergraduate degree from Columbia in mathematics and was placed in an accelerated program that is allowing her to get her masters at the end of December. He now can confirm that she is full of intellect. She's from the Dallas area and her parents are socialites who own a business that has many locations across the US. They wanted her to take it over, since she is the oldest of three, but it was never her calling. Her twin brother takes after their father and is following in his footsteps instead.

Harry talked about his life too. He told her crazy stories about the times he spent in one direction goofing off in hotel rooms. He also talked about how his life was pure chaos for five years but how he wouldn't take it back for anything.

One night when they were on the phone, they opened up about past relationships. They both are starting to let their guards down and Harry couldn't be happier. He wants to get to know more about Janis every time he talks to her. There is no rational reason why this girl would make him feel the way she does, but it's amazing.

"Most people are intimidated by my intelligence. People had this idea of who I was before they even knew me," she scoffed, "They often underestimated me when I was placed in the more advanced classes, so when I open my mouth and add to the conversation, people will get turned off by someone like me," she continued nervously answering Harry's question of why she hasn't been in a real relationship before. There was something else in her voice that told him there was more to the story than she was leading on.

"To be honest, I've had some of the same issues. I think everyone believes that I am just a pretty face that can kind of sing," he chuckled.

"You are a pretty face, and you can sing, but you are so much more than that Harry," J giggles softly into the phone.

"Thank you love," Harry felt himself blushing at her kind words. "Knowledge has been something that I value above all else. Since I never went to college, I try to read as much as I can. That way, I can participate in deep conversations with people and expand my mind," he responded. Just because Harry left school a little early doesn't mean he doesn't value intelligence.

Her golden laughter tickled Harry’s ears and made him smile. "That's so wise, Mr. Styles." Every time she talks to him, she sounds just like a melody. Her voice is beyond sweet and he will never get enough of her giggles.

A knock on the door pulls Harry out of his thoughts.

"You alright, Hersh?" Jeffery walks into the dressing room breaking Harry out of his thoughts.

"Do I look okay?" He looks towards his manager. This will be the first time Harry is performing for J and he wants it to be absolutely perfect.

"You're missing your jacket," Jeff points out while sending off an email on his phone.

Harry’s eyes grow big as he lets out a big gasp. That's what's wrong! Where did he set it down? The last time he had it was in the green room. Maybe it's still in there?

Harry quickly rushes out only to bump into someone. He quickly reaches around the person's waist to stabilize them. The girl lets out a laugh and Harry's face flushes knowing exactly who that giggle belongs to.

"'Ello, love," he smiles shyly.

Janis smiles while bringing her arms up and around his neck. "Hello, Harry," she hums back, touching their noses softly together.

Harry's eyes flutter shut for a moment before he meets her eyes again. "Sorry for running into ya, I'm a bit of a mess before the show," he admits with a sigh. He has performed some of the biggest venues, but nothing compared to his nerves now. He wanted to impress this girl between his arms. The way her perfume consumes his senses makes him feel a high he never want to come down from.

She looks at his flushed cheeks and can see how embarrassed he is starting to get. "It's okay. I'm a bit of a mess too," she whispers as if it was their little secret, and her words instantly dissolve his nerves.

He glances down at her lips wanting nothing more than to kiss her. Just as he starts to lean in, Jeff walks out causing both of them to freeze and look at him. The manager's eyebrows are raised, and Harry instantly drops his arms from around his sunshine's waist. He misses her warmth already.

Janis looks between the two before recognition crosses her beautiful features. She unhooks her arms from around his neck slowly. "You must be Jeffery," she holds out her hand to shake, "I'm Harry's friend J." Harry doesn't like that term. Friend. Maybe that will change soon?

Jeff finally places where he's seen her before. In the dark club, he only saw her dress and hair. "Ah, so you're the girl that's got H so distracted lately," he rolls his eyes playfully before moving out of the way from Harry's shove, "You can just call me Jeff."

Her laugh sounds through the halls of the stadium. It instantly brings Harry a fuzzy, warm feeling. "To be honest, he's occupied my mind just as much," she smiles at the blushing boy.

"I'm so glad you made it," Harry turns to her with a relieved sigh. Jeff takes that as his cue to give them a moment.

Harry finally takes in what she's wearing. She's in a white two piece, accented with golden jewelry. The color complements her tanned skin. Her blonde hair is straight tonight and frames her face just right. Instead of her red lipstick, she has pink gloss on that makes her lips that much more intriguing.

"I'm excited to see you perform," she replies.

"You'll be in the VIP section. I know you said that you can't be in super crowded places, so having you there will be less people." He was a little nervous about her being at the concert when she told him about not being able to be in the pit at a concert. She promised him it wasn't as serious as it sounded, but his sunshine was slowly growing on him so he was bound to worry.

"That's very sweet of you," she says with a soft look crossing her features. She has never had someone listen to her as intently as Harry has the past few days. It's a nice change to feel heard.

They both look down the hall where his entire band is laughing and heading their way. Adam stops short and looks at the girl standing next to Harry. He can't place where he knows her from. He looks over to the singer’s face and sees him cringing. When it hits him, he lets out the loudest cackle which makes Janis jump slightly.

"Isn't that Kiw--" he starts, but Harry talks over him.

"This is J! She's super cool!" he shouts. This couldn't be more awkward for him. He's going to tell her about the song, but maybe after they start dating so he doesn't seem as desperate. Imagine having a song written about you by a complete stranger who is trying to start a relationship with you…it sounds a little stalkery.

Everyone looks at him oddly before J breaks the silence. "Hello. It's nice to meet you all. I've heard a lot about you guys from Harry." On one of their late night calls, Harry went on and on about his bandmates. They both ended up in tears from laughing so hard after Harry told her about their adventure on the road so far.

"Hi, I'm Adam the bassist. We just came to get Harry. We’re going on soon."

"My name's Mitch," the long-haired guy waves slightly. He seems more quiet than the others.

"I'm Sarah!" the beautiful brunette waves, "Are you ready H?" she asks turning to Harry. He knows the look she’s giving him. It’s the ‘you have a lot of explaining to do’ kind of look.

He nods and turns back to Janis. "Patty, my bodyguard, can show you to your seat," he pulls her closer once again, not caring that his bandmates are watching them. "I'll see you after the show?" he gives her a small pouty look.

"Absolutely," she kisses his cheek before giving him another hug and taking off with the muscled man, "Good luck!" she throws over her shoulder with a wink.

The band walks over to the stage entrance shortly after. Harry can't stop smiling and it's not because of the screaming fans calling his name. One of the staff members helps Harry into his white jacket.

Is it strange that he misses her already?

"Is that the same girl from that bar we went to before going to Jamaica?" Adam raises a curious brow at the lovesick boy.

Harry nods with a pink making its way to his cheeks.

"Does she know the song is about her?"

Harry shakes his head as the pink grows into a deeper shade of red.

Adam booms with laughter. "This concert is going to be so awesome!"

~~~

The concert was one of his best. The crowd was louder than ever. He looked at the VIP section often and could see Janis having a good time. After numerous songs, he finally gets to the one he's been the most nervous to play tonight.

"Alright everyone. I need you guys to be serious for a second," he says into the microphone, "We are having such a good time tonight. I want you guys to keep the same energy especially because I'm about to tell you that I'm having your baby!" The stadium erupts in cheers so loud he’ll be surprised if they have their hearing tomorrow.

The rock song starts of strong. The heavy beat sounds through the whole stadium as all the fans sing along. As the song goes on, Janis notices the familiarity of the words. She knows the song played at the club but that's not why the lyrics are bouncing around her head. As Harry gives his all to his performance, he makes eye contact with her when it finally clicks.

Normal people might be put off at the fact that someone wrote a song about them without knowing them at all, but Janis isn't the average person. She starts laughing hysterically and singing along. She's going to tease him about this later.

As everything starts to wrap up, Janis follows Patty back to the green room. She goes to the restroom before the night continues and by the time she enters the green room, all the band members are there except Harry. She goes up to a few of the people she hasn't met to introduce herself.

Harry walks into the room after a few minutes. He made sure to shower and change right after the show so he didn't have to part from his sunshine for too long. He sees his girl laughing with all of his friends and he couldn't help but feel a warmth spread through his entire body. He can see himself falling for this girl very easily.

A small smile pulls at his lips before he begins approaching her with a timid look. What if she didn't have fun? What if she didn't like any of the songs? What if--

All his worries went away when he met her eyes and they grew bright with admiration. "There's the Rockstar!" she exclaimed while throwing her arms around him. He grabbed her tightly and spun around.

He laughs slightly at how happy she looks. "I'm so glad you liked it, love."

She pulls back but he holds his arms around her firmly, so she won't get too far away. "It was truly a sight to see. You have this way about you that draws all attention to you. You're mesmerizing, Harry," a blush covers her cheeks, not meaning to say that last part.

"Thank you," he kisses her cheek lightly. He loves the slight pink that coats them. "What was your favorite part?"

"Probably when you held up the handcuffs," she smirks. Now it's Harry's turn to blush. Before they could continue talking, they got sucked into conversation with everyone in the room. Everyone planned on going back to the hotel and hanging out until the adrenaline of from the performance wore off, but Harry and Janis had other ideas.

"I think we were just going to go back to J's apartment for a little bit," Harry tells them. With that said, they say their goodbyes before exiting the venue with some security. Janis already had a car waiting for her outside, so Harry just tagged along.

The ride was relatively silent. It was comfortable and definitely not overrated. Harry had talked to her every day since he met her again, but he loved being able to physically pull her closer to him. Touching her was almost like a drug to him. He couldn't get enough of this woman and for the life of him, he didn’t understand why.

When they pull up to a tall building in the city, they both step out. She thanks her driver before taking Harry's hand and leading him into the lobby. From the golden tiling and pearl accents, he could tell that this place is very posh.

"Good evening, Ms. Rogers," the man at the door greats. He seems to be in his late forties with the graying of his hair. For some reason, her full name plays through his mind like he should know where it's from, but he just pushes that thought away.

"Hello, Mason! How's Lily?" she asks him with a kind smile.

"She's great! She loves the books you sent her. Can't stop reading them before bed!" he laughs.

"I'm so glad she likes them. They were some of my favorites when I was younger. You'll have to bring her by sometime soon so we can all go for lunch," she touches his arm before she grabs Harry’s hand again.

"I'll be sure to bring her by soon," he smiles kindly. J nods before bidding goodbye.

As step into the elevator, Harry turns to her with a fond smile on his cherry lips. "You're so adorable," he kisses her nose as she bursts into giggles.

"You're so sweet," she kisses his lips lightly before the elevator doors open, signaling they have arrived. There were only 4 doors in the long hallway. She walked over to the last one on the left and pulled out her key. When she opened the door, Harry faltered slightly.

She told him before that she comes from a wealthy family, but he thought that just meant she came from some money. The apartment that she is staying in is easily one of the most expensive places in New York. The decorations were filled with every color under the rainbow. Surprisingly, nothing was obnoxious. The more he looks around, the more he knows this is exactly what he expected her apartment to look like. There was nothing dull or boring on her walls. Painted pieces, flowers and photos cover the entire place.

"This place is amazing," Harry says under his breath.

"Thank you. Would you like something to drink?"  she offers.

"Some water would be lovely," she nods, taking his hand and leading him to the giant living room before heading to the open kitchen.

He takes this moment to really look around. There is lots of artwork around on the walls and sculptures scattered around. There's a large television in front of an all-white couch. The kitchen is behind the couch without a wall closing it off. This place is so open and vibrant that it just makes sense that this is where she would be. She's always been open and honest with Harry, and it has scared him a little bit at first. Even with that fear in him, he is determined to push himself towards being like her. Open and free.

"Here you go," she hands him the water before guiding him to the patio overlooking New York City. Her presence is so consuming, and he knows he could never get enough of it.

Once they settle on the outside couch overlooking the city, Harry finally asks the question that has been on his mind since they left the venue. "So, how did you like the show honestly?" he takes a sip of his drink.

"I meant everything I said before. You were meant to be on stage, Harry," she responds with a soft smile.

"Thank you, love," he says. He has been using that term of affection more and more lately because every time he does, a light pink coats her cheeks, and he can't get enough of how beautiful it makes her. "What was your favorite song?"

She thinks for a moment before smirking. "I really enjoyed that unreleased song 'Medicine'! Why wasn't it on the album?"

"You and everyone else," Harry chuckles lightly looking down at his lap. "It just didn't feel right putting it with all the other songs," he shrugs noncommittally.

She rolls her eyes. "I need a studio version, Harold."

Harry cackles at the nickname before sipping his drink again. "That's not my name, love, and you know it. But I'll see if I could find one for you."

She smiles cheekily at him. "I know. I did really like that song, but I'd have to say the one about 'Kiwi' was my all-time favorite," she giggles. Harry starts to fidget slightly. "Very creative with the words there. How did you come up with that one?"

"Um, well you know, I-" he starts to stutter, "You know, I d-don't like putting a definite meaning behind my songs just in case someone has their own meaning behind a song, uh," he stops himself cringing slightly at his rambling.

Janis laughs at his discomfort and she sounds just like a song. Her head throws back and her eyes squint closed. Harry couldn’t find her more beautiful. Once she settles down, she breathes out a sigh. "You know how I said I got into the wrong crowd a while back?" she waits for him to remember one of their late-night conversations. "Well, that guy was one of them. He was good fun and could take my mind off somethings that happened," Harry inwardly cringes about how he would do that exactly, "We went out that night because I'd just gotten back from visiting home, so I needed to relax somehow. While we were out, his girlfriend showed up. When she confronted me, those words just popped out of my mouth. I told her 'I'm having your baby, it's none of your business' as in, 'I'm with your guy now, what are you gonna do about it?'" she smiles at the memory.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at how crazy the story was. "R-really?" he gasps out.

She nods slightly. "Yeah. I won’t have used those words if I wasn’t drunk. Then later that night, I found out he was just using me to get to his father to release his trust fund. She was his actual girlfriend, and he was just a sleazeball using me," she shrugs, but Harry could tell the situation affected her more than she let on.

"So, you guys aren't friends anymore?" he asks curiously.

"No. I quickly dove into my studies and got back on the right path. I'm a good girl now," she giggles, "I even told his father about it, so both of them don't like me very much."

Harry shifts closer to her and pulls her onto his lap, "Well, I like you lots," he smiles feeling so lucky to have this girl in his arms. Her returning smile stuns him from being so bright.

"You do?" she confirms. He nods. "Well, Rockstar, I like you lots too," she kisses his lips gently. It was meant to be a small peck, but once he tasted her strawberry lip gloss, he couldn't let her get too far away. "Wanna know something really funny though?"

Harry hums, just wanting to hear more of her voice. He has no alcohol in his system, yet he feels just as tipsy as he would after a few drinks.

"I'm allergic to kiwis," she whispers to him.

"No shit?" Harry bursts into fits of laughter. She nods truthfully, join in on his laughter.

The rest of the summer evening was filled with giggles and stolen kisses. He made sure to keep her in his hold, within kissing distance. Every time their lips touched, he felt a high like no other.

~~~

Harry left in the early hours of the morning to get some rest before their breakfast date they decided on. Harry planned a perfect date for them. They were going for a picnic in one of his favorite places.

Harry picks her up from her apartment around nine in the morning. He texted her he was in the lobby. He's distracted on his phone when the elevator gets to the main floor.

Janis walks out and sees him standing there. She admires his beauty. It's an unusual feeling of being wanted by such an amazing man. All her life, she has been loved, but she found out rather quickly who her real friends are. Some people only found her interesting because of who her parents were. No one ever really cared about what she was like, so to have Harry not know exactly who she is, is quiet refreshing.

"You're so cute when you smile," her voice startles him. He looks up at his sunshine. She's sporting a lovely pastel green sundress and a pink sun hat. Her perfume drifts around him causing that familiar fuzzy feeling. He breathes it in an out.

"I've got a lot to smile about when I'm around you," he coos and greets her with a kiss on the cheek. Color flushes Janis’ face as she giggles, trying to not show how much his words affected her.

"You're too cheesy sometime," her voice is soft.

"Anything to make you blush like that," he grabs her bag and carries it out as they head to the car.

She laughs at how cute he is. He makes a funny face in response to her musical laughter, causing more fits.

The picnic was set up by the time they got there. He'll have to thank Jeff for setting everything up. They are hidden from the public by a few trees, just like that first night they spent together. They sit down on the blanket and take out some of the food that's packed. He made sure some of her favorites were in there. On a light night Skype call, she told him she could never get enough berries.

"Oh! Strawberries, gimme!" she makes grabby hands for the fruit. Harry laughs and gives it to her. She opens the container and grabs a bright red strawberry. Harry watches as she brings the fruit up to her mouth. It's the cutest thing when her tongue peeks out to guide the fruit into her warm mouth.

Harry's brain goes empty as she takes a bite and closes her eyes to savor the flavor. Her eyes close for a moment and her head lulls back. Oh God.

He looks back to the picnic basket, so he doesn't turn this date into something it isn't. He hands her a pre-made sandwich and grabs one for himself too. They get to talking about everything under the sun, wanting to get to know each other better.

"What's your favorite book?" she asks while popping in another grape.

"Um, that should be an easy question, but I've read so many," he thinks out loud. He found himself doing that so often with her. He knew she would never judge him, so he felt free to speak his mind whenever she was around. There are only a few people that make him feel that way.

"Well, which one are you reading right now?" she prompts him after a few seconds of silence.

"I'm reading 'Love is a Mixtape' by Rob Sheffield," he says. He is about to elaborate, because it's not a well-known book when she speaks up.

"I love that book," she says before drinking some water. "Rob's actually a friend of mine. He's a brilliant writer and definitely someone who is overlooked." Harry's jaw goes slack slightly. She looks at him oddly. "What?"

"You're friends with Rob?" Harry can't wrap his brain around how they would be in the same circles.

She nods. "He's actually friends with my father. My dad is...well, influential so Rob actually interviewed him in the early 90s. Ever since, they became friends. He's a sweet guy, very genuine."

Harry booms with laughter. "He's a good friend of mine too! That's how I got onto the book. On tour, I need something to occupy my mind sometimes, so I started reading his book."

"That's awesome! Maybe if we didn't meet at the bar, he would have introduced us," she smiles.

"That'd be pretty funny," he takes a sip of his water. "What book are you reading right now?"

"Well, it's not my favorite," she cringes slightly, "But it's called 'Watermelon Sugar' by Richard Brautigan." She makes a sour face at the mention of it. When she looks up to Harry, he is frozen in thought.

That book used to be Camille's favorite. This is the first time he has thought of her in the past few weeks. Oddly enough, it doesn't hurt as much as it had before. Spending time with Janis has opened his mind to new things and a brightness he has never known.

"Are you alright, Harry," Janis breaks him out of his thoughts by touching his arm gently.

"Um, yeah, sorry," he shakes his head. "My, um, my ex used to love that book," he shrugs.

Maybe she should have been uncomfortable with talking about the guy she like's ex, but she's not the jealous type.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she asks while finishing off her sandwich.

He thinks about it for a second. Does he want to talk about her? No. It's not because he is avoiding the pain. It's because he truly doesn't find the need to. He shakes his head and looks at the girl in front of him. She's not who he thought she'd be. She is so much more. He pulls her closer to him.

"I'm okay. Thank you though," he kisses her temple. This feeling inside him is rising through his chest. He's felt it on more than one occasion with her. It's so wonderful and warm. "Why don't you like it?"

Her bottom lip pouts out slightly and her eyebrows draw together in thought. Harry can't help but find her absolutely adorable. "Originally, I thought it would be good because it has one of my favorite fruits in the title, but I was wrong. It's just a really weird story. I do like actual watermelon sugar though," she laughs, "It's sweet and delicious, just like you," she kisses his lips slowly before pulling back.

Harry's eyes are still closed from the taste of her on his tongue. He needs to change the subject quickly before he creates a scandal in the middle of this park, "So, you said that you have plans at the end of this month?"

She nods her head, popping another grape in her mouth. "I'm hosting an event for the charity that I run."

"Huh?" Can this girl be any more perfect?

"When I was younger, I always wanted to make some kind of impact. I saw so many people not using their voices to stand up for the right things or being completely selfish,” she scoffs while rolling her eyes at the memories, “One of the things I am most passionate about is learning. I want everyone to be able to learn whatever their heart desires, so I started a fund to sponsor children who want to learn about things that schools might not teach them. I’m working with art galleries, recording studios, research labs, and a few other companies to mentor these kids. They will have a chance to really see how things they are passionate about work."

"Oh my gosh, you're literally a saint, no wondering I'm falling--" Harry chuckles before he realizes what he was about to say. "Uh, I mean, uh--"

"What was that?" Janis asks while placing her arms around his neck to play with the baby hairs at the bottom of his neck.

Harry looks down blushing before looking up through his lashes. "I really like you Janis, and I, uh, I can see myself falling really hard for you. I don't know if I'm reading the signs wrong or something--"

Instead of letting him ramble on, she interrupts him with a kiss. Every word that is unsaid between the two seems to flow through them in that moment. She tastes like strawberries. His breath is minty from the gum he was chewing on after he ate. Their lips move in perfect sync. Harry feels like it’s so natural to be with her on this summer morning. Her perfume surrounds his senses. He breathes her in and out. Janis is the one to pull back first. She leaves one last peck on his awaiting lips and smiles.

"I can see myself falling for you too," she giggles.

Harry lets out a breath of relief. He grabs onto her disposable camera and takes a picture of the two of them smiling. They take turns posing for each other causing them both to fall into fits of laughter.

After a while, they pack up the rest of the picnic and take it to the car before going on a walk down the street. Harry doesn't have to be at sound check until two hours before the concert, so he has plenty of time to spend with his sunshine. They walk for a few hours, going to the little shops or the small bakeries along the street. They never let go of each other, that is until he hears an eerily familiar person call out his name.

He turns around to be met with the familiar icy blue eyes. "Camille?" There was no reason for her to be in New York, unless...

"Hi Harry! I was in the states and thought I'd catch your show," she shrugs with a grin. "Theo and I were thinking about going to DC for your show there in a few days," Camille notices the girl standing behind him and gives her a smile.

No one talks for a second, so Janis takes the opportunity to use the skills she learned when she was younger to defuse the awkward tension. She assumed this was the ex they were just talking about.

"Hello," she smiles genuinely at the obvious model, "I'm J." She didn't want to introduce herself as anything to Harry just in case Camille took it as her being aggressive. They just admitted their feelings for goodness sake.

"Camille," Janis goes in for a handshake, but the model pulls her in to kisses her cheeks, "It's lovely to meet you!"

"You as well. I love your top by the way," Janis says conversationally. She can't help but notice the beauty of the woman in front of her. It makes a lot of sense how this woman could be Harry’s ex-girlfriend.

"Thank you! I love your dress," the compliment is a little over enthusiastic, but luckily Harry broke out of his silence before Janis could think too much about it.

"So, you guys are coming to the show in DC?" Harry asks nervously. In his silence, he really thought about his emotions. He knows he is over Camille, but if her and her new boyfriend come to the show, he might have a harder time performing. The wound still hurts where she left, but he has Janis now.

Camille nods and looks down at the watch on her wrist. "Oh! I'm late for a lunch meeting. I'll see you in DC," she looks over to Janis and smiles, "I look forward to seeing you again."

"Absolutely!" she replies as the model walks away. The pair walk slowly down the street again. "Are you okay, Harry?" Janis asks after a few minutes of silence.

Harry laughs softly and pulls her to his side kissing her temple again. "Yes, love. It's just a little odd I guess."

"I bet. Will you be okay at the DC show?" she questions. She isn't sure when it is, but she's hoping she will be free to go. The reason she wants to be there isn't the fact that his ex will be there. It's the fact that Harry seems a little shaken by just one conversation with her. As someone that cares for him immensely, she wants to be there for him even if he might not need her.

"I think so," his eyebrows crease in thought. This is vastly different. Camille was very jealous when they were together. That was one of the reasons for their fights. Janis seems oddly content with the fact that his ex is talking to him. "Would you like to come to the show?"

She can sense that he isn't asking for her benefit. He wants her there. "What day?"

"It's this next Sunday."

Her charity even is on Monday, so she should be able to make it as long as she leaves in enough time. "I'm free. I've got the benefit the day after, but it should all work out," she smiles up at him.

"Lovely," he says. He's not talking about her being able to come, he's talking about her in general.

[icemankazansky]

Last night, I lost one of the best friends I'll ever have. Kif passed away. I don't know how many of you were aware of this, but for about the last nine months, he has been in the end stages of congestive heart failure. He was doing well on medication, and then he wasn't. It really only treats the symptoms. We don't know if the coyote attack was just one thing too many for his ailing body to take, or if his poor heart couldn't get enough oxygen to the important parts of his body, and we're never going to know. And it doesn't matter. All that matters is that he's gone.

Kif was a brave, funny, loving, and intensely loyal friend. This November would have marked 10 years together for us. I managed to calm down enough last night to get some sleep, and I felt okay when I woke up, but then I got up and he wasn't here, and it seemed so impossible and so unfair that I'm a sobbing mess again. I was his person. Even in the past few days, when his little body was struggling so much, if I had to go out, when I came back home he would be at the top of the stairs screaming because he was so happy to see me. I loved him so, so much.

Kif was a complicated creature. He never learned more than a few commands, even when I took him to professional training, but he was a criminal mastermind when it came to stealing food. More than once, he managed to open the bread drawer and eat a loaf of bread, and a few weeks ago, he got down a Tupperware of cookies from a high counter, broke them out of their container, and (I hope) shared them with his friends. (Though I cannot rule out the possibility that he ate 18 cookies by himself.) He was afraid to go outside (beyond the safety of his yard) or even in the car, but he would put his body between me and something scary and growl. He looked so delicate and regal, but in truth he was a big goof who would walk around the house with a full-sized afghan attached to his collar and who loved nothing more than cuddling with the other dogs by sitting on top of them. He was so sweet and so loving, and I'm so glad I got to spend these ten years with him as my dog, even though losing him hurts so much I feel like I'm missing an organ. I hope that his pain is gone, and that he's happy, and that heaven has heated dog beds and popcorn chicken.

I love you so much. I miss you so much. Thank you for being my dog.

[smediumsmeatbae]

Family Portrait (1)

PAIRINGS: Chris Evans x Reader SUMMARY: You want to get some portraits of Chris and you. Then, a ridiculous and hilarious theme is born.  WORDS: 1240-ish WARNINGS: Maybe a swear word? Drinking, the 80’s, but pure fluff! A/N: So this is my first sort of “crack” fic that I’ve ever done and I’m not even sure if it constitutes as that but it’s definitely vv silly. :D This is part one of a two part fic. Please do not publish this fic without my permission.  Not beta tested, mistakes and bad writing are my own.  Tags will be in the reblog because tumblr suuuucks.  Likes are awesome. Reblogs and comments are better. (And keeps content fresh!)

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The idea was a crazy one. When you had come up with it, you both had been taking shots of tequila with Scott and Zach. The laughter didn’t die down for several minutes and the ideas just kept flowing,  each one more awful and hilarious than the next. Mullets. Flock of Seagulls. Thick, wire-rimmed glasses. Cindy Lauper makeup. GIANT. PUFF. SLEEVES.

What was the idea that had the four of you laughing so hard? Family portraits. 

PRE-TEQUILA NIGHT: 

“You know, we’ve never gotten any professional pictures done before, babe.” You mused. 

As you were looking at the wall in front of you, you noticed that there were all kinds of candid pictures of Chris and you out with friends, silly pictures of you and he goofing around, there were photos of family game nights and a particular shot of a flipped over game of Chutes and Ladders where Chris swore Scott was cheating. There were past Halloween photos where you all dressed up in increasingly ridiculous costumes. Last year, Chris had been Sweeney Todd and you had been Mrs. Lovett. There were also photos of you two all dressed up, pre premiere or award show nights.  

One particular favorite shot of yours was the first award show Chris ever took you to. It was the People’s Choice Awards in 2015. Chris looked very handsome in a plaid shirt with a navy sweater over it. You had gone for a simple emerald green cocktail dress; something classy, but wouldn't outshine your love. That night had been amazing. First, Chris had won the award for best action movie actor. You had never been so proud, until later that evening when Chris broke the internet by escorting Betty White up to the stage, showing the world how much of a gentleman he was. That was the night you fell even more in love with him.

“What are you talking about? We have all kinds of professional photos.” Chris called back to you, snapping you out of your memories.  “No, you have professional photos for work. That doesn’t count.” You corrected him.  “Huh… Now that I think about it, yeah. I have so many of those things, I forget sometimes.”  “We haven't even gotten engagement photos yet.” You mock pouted.

Chris chuckled as he came over to you and kissed the top of your head. 

“Well, how about we get some? I have a friend who is a professional photographer. We can get some really nice shots of you and I. It would be super intimate, casual, no pressure.”  “Okay, Chris, but we still have to wear somewhat decent clothes. I want this to be nice. You can’t go in your sweats.”   “Oh please, what d'ya take me for?” Chris scoffed. “I can dress up when I wanna.” 

TEQUILA NIGHT: 

After that day, the photos conversation had gotten put on kind of a back burner of sorts. Chris still had all of his work at Marvel to do working on Civil War and you were just as busy at the publishing company you worked at. Neither one of you brought it up until Scott had asked how the wedding planning was going. 

“Oh Chris that reminds me, did you call your photographer friend for engagement photos?” You asked.  “Crap, no sweetheart, I forgot."  “No worries babe. Can you do it this weekend?”  “Promise.” 

As Chris gave you a peck on the lips, you could hear Scott making fake gagging noises. You stuck your tongue out at him. Zach ribbed him to quit being a child. 

“Have you guys thought of a theme for the pictures yet?” Zach asked, excitement in his eyes.  “A theme? Don't we just go take some nice pictures in a park somewhere?” You asked.  “Well, the thing this year is themed engagement photos. They’ve been blowing up all over the internet of people having spooky themed ones, zombie ones, serial killer ones…”  “Okay that’s enough.” Chris looked on in mild discomfort. “That sounds kind of awful.”  “Well, you don't have to have murder themed ones.” Scott rolled his eyes. “There are people that do cute stuff too, like recreate the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti scene.” 

You let out a laugh at that. Chris would look so cute as the Tramp scooting a meatball towards you. But the thought of a bow in your hair like Lady didn't suit you. No, it had to be something different, something more you two. 

“Well I do like the idea of a theme, just as long as it suits both of us. You know how much I love a theme.” You grinned.  “Let’s take some shots and then decide.” Scott declared as he held up the bottle. 

As the night went on, more and more ridiculous themes kept being called out. There was a Jurassic Park themed one where Chris would dress up in one of those t-rex outfits and chase you around. There was a 1950’s themed one where you would be on a picnic but you instantly vetoed that. You would not be in a poodle skirt and sweater set in June.  Scott suggested a Patriots themed one, which perked Chris up. 

“We can definitely have a couple of Pats ones for sure, but I’m not seeing an entire theme out of it.” You decided. 

It was then that the stereo system started playing one of Chris and your favorite 80’s songs: Take On Me. To Scott and Zach’s utter dismay, you two would not be silenced until the song was over. It was then that you had a brilliant idea. You had a brilliant, awful idea. How could you have not seen it before?

“BABE!” You partially screamed, thanks to the three shots of tequila you had previously taken. “80’s theme! We could recreate those awful mall gallery photo shoot ones with the terrible backgrounds and the big bouffant hair!” 

Chris burst out laughing, clutching his chest at the idea. Scott and Zach were soon to follow, deeming it a perfect idea for the two of you. It was fun, silly, and cute. You would still do a few shots that were “normal” and a couple of ones in your matching Pats jerseys, but these photos would be the center focal point of the whole session. 

After that, the four of you were wild with ideas on what to do for the shoot. The dorkier looking, the better. Maybe you would be able to do a photo where the two of you were looking at the photographer and then a cutout in the same photo of the two of you looking wistful and stoic into the horizon. Of course you needed to do a background laser theme, a callback to one of Chris’s school photos from his childhood.

“Do you still have those wire rimmed glasses from the Dennis sketch you did for Kimmel?” “Oh man, those would be perfect!” Chris laughed.

By the end of the night, you and Chris had a plan to take the perfect engagement photos. You were going to curl your hair in really tight curls for a mock perm look, making sure to put a ton of hairspray in it. You also were starting to get ideas for makeup, channeling 80’s Whitney and Madonna. Chris had the glasses but you were sure you could find some outfits that would be cringy awesome for him. You couldn’t wait to take these photos!

[crescentsteel]

Just Friends - Part 3

plot: fubu set up with Kuroo as a university student, model fem reader

word count: 4361

A/N: Sorry if this is boring >_<  I suck.

Part 2 | Part 4 | m.list

You wake up from the harsh sunlight on one side of your face. You don’t recognize where you are when you open your eyes. You sit up, trying to recall what happened before you passed out last night.

As you lift yourself up, the blanket you wore drapes off of you. You swiftly gather it back again to cover yourself when you feel the air on your bare skin. You notice the tenderness on your arms, hips, and particularly down there.

Right. A guy named Kuroo happened.

Your lips draw a smile on your face as certain scenes from last night, or was it morning, flashes back in your memory. He really did a number on you. You look for him but you’re alone in bed. As if on cue, he appears on the doorway of his room.

“Well, good morning to you.” he says with a smug expression on his face. He crosses his arms and leans on the frame of the door. He’s not wearing any shirt and only has skimpy boxers on. With the place being well-lit, you can see his features that the dimness previously hid. You know how that he’s ripped from the way your hands roamed on his body last night, but seeing it right now makes you wish that it was this bright when you did it.

He looks at his phone.

“Actually, it’s early afternoon already,” he adds.

Your eyes expand. Crap, you have to be somewhere this afternoon. You search the area within your field of vision for your clothes. You remember just throwing them in places, but you have no idea where exactly.

“Where are my stuff?”

He looks behind him.

“They’re still on the floor. I just got up too, so I didn’t bother picking them up.”

You cling on the blanket on your body as you stand up. You make your way towards his living room, but he does not move when you try to get past him.

“Come on, kitten. I’ve seen it all. Why bother covering up?” A sly grin plastered on his profile.

You meet his daunting eyes as you remove the knot on your chest, letting the blanket fall to your feet. His eyes follow the blanket as it drops.

“There you go. Can you let me through now?” You forge a smile.

He matches it with his own and moves out of the way.

“Absolutely.”

You can feel his stare boring to your body, but you pay no mind. He can stare all he wants, but you really need to go. Your clothes are scattered sparsely on the floor. You put them on as you pick them up.

“So, about our deal last night, hmm?”

Oh, you almost forgot about that. You bet he’s going to ask for a repeat of last night.

“What about it?” You put on your shirt, completing the last clothing you were missing.

He hands you his phone in which you frown at.

“Your phone number.”

Both your eyebrows jack up in slight disbelief.

“I’d be honest. I thought you’d ask for an encore.”

He laughs momentarily.

“I do want an encore, but I’d rather we both do than me asking it as my prize.”

He flashes you a devious grin that you find attractive.

He’s not the usual guy who goes for what he wants in the easiest way possible. He goes for it in a strategy that pleases him and gets him results in the same time. You have to give it to him - he knows what he’s doing. By asking for your number, the ball is in your court. It’s up to you if you want to do it again.

“So you’re sure I’ll sleep with you again if you ask, is that it?” you jeer at him.

“I don’t know. You tell me.” His smug expression doesn’t faze at all.

You acknowledge that it just wasn’t the alcohol and your lust-induced self that made him very appealing last night. It was all him.

You snatch his phone and put in your details.

“I should get going now.”

You head towards the exit and open the door when you hear him speak.

“I had an amazing night, y.n.” he says with a flirtatious grin.

“So did I.” You shoot him a wink, “But that wasn’t a yes,” you add teasingly and walk to your car.

You seat yourself and are about to start your engine when you hear your phone’s text notification.

‘See you again, kitten~’

It was an unknown number but you know exactly who it is. You ignore it and throw your phone to the seat beside you. Yet, you can’t control the simpering of your mouth.

And that’s how you and Kuroo became “friends.”

You saw no reason to stop yourself from seeing him. You need a good lay sometimes and so does he. You aren’t dating anyone. You satisfy each other in bed. He’s fun to be around at. And most importantly, you go to different universities, which is actually ideal.

You’ve dated two people in university, but that’s different. You and Kuroo are not dating. It’s purely physical. You don’t want to be sleeping around with someone and attend the same classes with him. It’s weird for you.

Although you both were on just having sex basis, you know some details about his life. He’s in his last year in Business Marketing. He used to be captain of his volleyball team in high school. He continued playing in university, but he stopped this year because it was his senior year. He wanted to focus on graduating. You are also aware of his schedule since you have to know when he’s free.

This is the first time you’ve had this kind of arrangement, but you know how it goes. And honestly, you just don’t see yourself anything more than friends with Kuroo.

You do believe you’re friends, kind of. Sometimes, you stay longer than you should when you come over. You even study at his place sometimes. From experience, you just doze off at home when you come from Kuroo’s place. So you just bring your laptop and notes at his place when you have exams and papers coming, but also want some fun distraction. He doesn’t mind. He even joins you most times. You know not much about Marketing, but you help each other out. You quiz him with his notes and him to you.

You also have some grasp on his personality. He’s very laid back, yet he has a very strong sense of responsibility. He often asks if he should drive you home in case you were too “tired”. There were times that he turned you down because he had something to do in university. That surprised you the first time it happened because all guys you’ve been with have never turned you down. Although, he did call the next day to make up for it.

Despite thinking that he was a fun person the first night you met, he’s actually intimidating when he’s not goofing around. Like right now, you’re waiting for the food you ordered since you’re both hungry from your usual affair. He’s sitting across you on his table and is staring at his phone. You want to ask where the delivery guy is but he’s so focused on his phone that you feel uncomfortable getting his attention. He seems to have noticed since his eyes suddenly shift to you.

He doesn’t say anything but continues to stare.

“What?” You say, finally breaking the silence.

He eyes his phone again and shows it to you.

“You sorta look like this lady.”

You blink slowly twice as you decide if you’re going to tell him that that was indeed you. It’s an ad for a clothing brand you did a few months ago. You started doing modeling jobs in your senior year in high school. All your middle school and high school, everyone tried to earn your favor because you came from a rich family. When you started modeling, you gained more attention, to the point that you got so sick of it.

When you entered university, you laid low. You didn’t let anyone know you’re modeling. You tried to stay away from any attention. That’s why when you work with big brands or projects, you ask them to use your stage name. However; people still take notice of your looks. With your stature and face, you often get invitations to take part in beauty contests in and out of your university. You turned them all down. When people say you should try modeling, you laugh it off and say that you have no interest.

It was partially true. The only reason you’re into modeling is you wanted to feel how it was like to earn your own money. You always had everything you wanted. Your parents gave you everything you asked for. You had no sense of accomplishment. You had no real friends. You felt empty.

But being the spoiled kid you were, you knew nothing about labor. You can’t serve properly in restaurants. You can’t cook. You feel tired from doing minimal work. So when an agent asked if you wanted to model for them, you thought that it was so appropriate for you. You just have to stand/walk while looking pretty.

You honestly see no harm from telling Kuroo. You have no mutual connections. But for consistency’s sake, you decide to hide it from him as well.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I have the face structure of a model,” you shrug casually.

He looks at his phone again and purses his lips.

“Nah. I think this really is you.”

You sigh. You saw it pointless to deny it further from him.

“Actually, yeah. That is me.”

He nods but doesn’t say anything and proceeds to scroll down. You scowl at his lack of reaction.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“About what?” his focus still on his phone.

“Me being that model.” “What? Weren’t we just shittin’ each other?”

It was the first time you felt the need to prove to someone that you are legit. You get your phone and look for your behind-the-scenes photos and selfies for that shoot. As soon as you find them, you hand him your phone.

He frowns as he’s swiping from photo to photo. He looks at your phone and his phone side to side, comparing the official photo and the ones you had. Finally, his gaze goes to your face, the look of surprise evident on his.

“You weren’t kidding. It is you!”

He continues to browse through the photos.

“Why hide it though?”

“I wasn’t hiding it from you.”

He rests his chin on his hand and looks at you.

“I always wondered what your job was since you were pretty cryptic about it. You always say ‘I have my job’ but never what you actually do.”

You’re surprised that he was paying that much attention to that. You didn’t even notice. You’re just used to not letting it slip by.

He sits beside you and puts his arm around you playfully.

“But maaan, to be sleeping with a model like you,” he puts his one hand on his chest dramatically.

“I am truly humbled,” he adds with absolute jest in his tone.

He’s obviously being an ass about it, but you don’t feel pissed at all. On the contrary, you feel pleased at how he’s still himself despite knowing.

“You should be,” you counter jokingly.

He suddenly stands up. He ties his shirt into a crop top and puts his hand on his hips.

“Am I doing it right?” he asks then pouts comically.

You immediately get your phone to take snaps of how ridiculous he looks. He doesn’t mind and continues what he’s doing. His toned body makes it funnier. You find it hard to suppress your laughter as his poses get more outrageous by each photo. You stood up and set your camera on timer to join him. You exaggerate poses you’ve done in modeling and he quickly gets in sync with you. Your sides start to hurt from laughter. You both catch your breaths as you recover from your earlier absurdity.

The door suddenly creaks open with a boy looking at his phone which he’s holding horizontally. He has shoulder length hair, with black roots and blonde streaks at the ends, which is loosely tied. You’re probably the same height, if not a bit taller than him.

When he steps in, he looks away from his phone and meets your eyes, then sets out to Kuroo. It’s almost funny how his lazy blank expression suddenly shifts to weirded out.

“Shit. I forgot you were coming over, Kenma.”

You and the so-called Kenma meet eyes again, the awkwardness setting in this time. You’ll give Kuroo an earful next time. Why didn’t he lock his door? What if Kenma walked on the both of you in the middle of it? Does Kenma know about you and him? If you aren’t feeling so awkward, you’d be so pissed already.

“No worries. I’ll get going.” you smile politely to him.

You almost ran to get your stuff. Sure you both got along well, but your friendship is not the type where you introduce each other’s friend.

“What about the food we ordered?” Kuroo asks. They can have it for themselves. You don’t want to interfere with whatever they’re supposed to do.

“It’s okay. Let’s play tomorrow instead,” Kenma says.

Kuroo scratches his head and sighs.

“Geez. You both can stay. No one is being kicked out.”

Kuroo walks to his monitor and turns on his Ps4. Kenma bows his head to you and follows Kuroo. “I didn’t know you got a girlfriend.”

You and Kuroo immediately exchanged glances. So Kenma did not know. You’re glad he didn’t kiss and tell, but what now? How would you explain your relationship?

Kuroo is the first to speak.

“Nah. She’s just a friend.”

How classic of an excuse that was. Kenma takes a peek at you and turns to Kuroo again.

“Yea, you sort of look bad beside her,” his calm voice in contrast with the insult he just told.

That was enough to dissipate the uneasiness you were feeling. You snicker towards Kuroo.

“You must be good friends for him to be that honest.”

He glowers at your remark. Then, his expression veers to something twisted. He smirks with the familiar conniving look in his eyes. You don’t have to figure out what he’s trying to pull, because you already know.

“I changed my mind. Kenma, let’s play tomorrow instead.”

“No! You don’t have to go at all,” you immediately respond while walking towards the couch where they are. You stop behind it and dig your palms on the soft material, leaning your upper body in their direction.

“You’re gonna play, right? I don’t mind watching.” You smile all too friendly at Kenma while his glance goes back and forth to you and Kuroo. You can feel Kuroo glaring at you as well.

You know that he’s planning to rough you up in bed for being a smart-ass and not that you don’t want that, but you like this better. You like getting the upperhand.

Kenma nods. “Okay, but you’re playing too.”

He picks up a controller and sits down.

“Change the loser,” he adds.

You flop yourself beside Kuroo and give him your nicest smile. He reciprocates it with a fake one. 

You are so pleased with yourself. Even if you lose in whatever you’re going to play, you already won before it even starts.

His phone rings. “Hello? No. You’re on the wrong street. Wait. I’ll meet you outside.”

He stands up and pockets his phone.

“I’ll meet the food delivery outside. Go play first.”

Kenma sets up the game and you just look at him while doing so.

“I don’t think you’re just friends,” he blurts out, which takes you by surprise. Most people would go for small talks, but he went straight to it.

“Me and Kuroo? Haha. We are … just friends,” you give him a curt smile. “You do look too err.. nice for him,” he continues as he boots up a game with players holding guns, “but I can tell there’s something between you two.”

He hands you the other control. You ignore what he just said so the subject will be dropped. You get the controller apprehensively. You aren’t familiar with it because you’ve only played with your phone.

“I don’t know how to play this though,” you admit.

He gives you a quick tutorial on how to play the game.

“Alright! I’m ready for it.” You stretch your fingers while holding the controller. You feel a bit excited since it looks fun and it’s your first time.

The monitor is showing the loading screen when Kenma says, “I can believe that you and Kuroo are just friends.”

He’s still going about that huh.

“Yep. Cause we are.”

He gives you a faint smile. “But I don’t think it will stay like that.”

Before you can even respond, the game starts and you try your hardest to recall what he just taught you. You were clumsy and had a lot of misplays, but you were having fun. Although obviously, you lost.

After meeting Kenma, Kuroo noticed you got into playing games. Not excessively, but whenever you’re at his place, you frequently play. You also bought new games to play, which delighted Kenma when he found out. He even wants to invite you to play again.

Although these past two weeks, you don’t even touch the controller when you come over. It’s the end of the semester and it’s hell for you both.

You come over almost everyday with the idea of a quick fuck, but one of you needs to do something ‘real fast’ which ends up with the both of you doing your own school deadlines and exams. Somehow, you do manage to squeeze in a quickie when studies get too intense. It’s the two of you’s way of coping from the stress.

Even though he was the Senior student, your schedule seems more hectic. There was a night that you slept over because you were too tired to go home. He would’ve offered to drive you home if he wasn’t so tired as well.

It seems that tonight will be the same. He can feel the strain on his eyes. It’s almost midnight. He just turned over his paper online, but you’re still frantically typing.

“You okay there?” he asks.

“Mmmhmm.”

“When is it due?”

You put your hands on your temples and take a very deep breath. “Tomorrow night.”

“Then why are you rushing it tonight?”

“I have a shoot tomorrow night.”

He wants to ask something but decides to put it off for now. You look like you’re about to smack something and he doesn’t want to be on the receiving end if ever.

“Alright. I’m off to bed now,” you yawn.

You don’t bother to take your eyes off your screen. You wave your left hand as your way of saying good night.

He goes to his bed and dozes off right after.

He wakes up from the need to use the comfort room and notice that you aren’t in bed. There’s only a dim light in the other room, so you must’ve gone home. He walks towards the comfort room and finds you staring at your laptop while hugging your knees. You must’ve turned off the lights and dimmed your screen. He looks at the wall clock that points to 4:20 a.m.

“Have you been up all night?”

“I’m almost done. I’m just reviewing the whole thing.”

Your eyes look dead as you scroll your mouse.

As much as he wants to help, there isn’t anything he can offer. Also, he’s still sleepy. Maybe he’ll do something for you next time, but now, it’s just out of the equation. He does his thing and gets back to sleep. The second time he wakes up, the sun is already up. He expects that you’d be beside him since you looked so exhausted previously.

When he steps out of his room, he sees you sleeping on his couch. You’re only wearing your shirt and panties. Your legs are stretched out, going past the armrest. Your left arm covers your eyes while the other one is extended above your head. Your shirt is yanked up, showing your left underboob.

He smiles to himself. He wants to pat himself on the back and tell himself “nice kill, Kuroo.” He doubts he’s ever going to snag someone as hot as you are. If he didn’t see you up till morning, he would feel you up right now and take his time with you. It has been a while since you two had a good fuck. But you need the rest.

He picks you up from the couch and carries you. You squirm and open your eyes a bit. When you see him, you put your arms around him and snuggle on his neck.

He chuckles softly at how adorable that was. He always found your independence sexy. You always do things on your own if you can. You don’t ask him anything that you can’t do yourself. You even come across as stubborn sometimes. Now, you’re in his arms, seeming helpless compared to your usual self. He must admit, it feels good that you allowed him this.

He takes you to his bed princess style. You’d get better sleep there. When he lays you on his bed, you get a pillow and cuddle it with your arms and legs. He leaves you be and decides to go out for groceries.

It’s a Saturday so he has time to cook. He doubts you’d be waking up soon, so he picks ingredients for lunch.

He cooks as soon as he’s home and is done thirty minutes past noon. He’ll wake you up after setting the table. As he puts the second dish he made, you walk towards the table while rubbing your eyes.

“Something smells good. Did you order food?” you say groggily.

You stare at the food on the table, then glance at the pots still in low heat at the stove.

“Did you cook this?” You sound so surprised.

“Uh huh. You always get take-out for when you come over. Heh. Figured it’s about time I showed you real food.” He boasts with his hands on his hips.

You don’t respond to his goading at all. Instead, your whole face lights up. Your lips form a smile that’s neither condescending nor sassy. When your eyes meet his, he sees genuine happiness reflected in your eyes. He’s rendered speechless at how you’re like a different person from the sincerity of your expression. You haven’t even tasted it yet. Why do you look so happy?

Once you take your seat, you put your hand together in a prayer and close your eyes.

“Itadakimasu.”

You open your eyes with the same warmth in your smile and get your portions. You look so excited, like a kid served with her favorite meal.

After taking one bite, you clap softly while looking at your food.

“No one’s that happy when I cook,” he says with amusement.

“What, why? It’s good!”

“I mean you look too pleased.”

“Ah.” Your previously wide smile lessens, a trace of melancholy passing by your face.

“No one’s cooked for me before.”

Only silence follows. He doesn’t know exactly how to respond to that. Were you referring to ‘no one’ as family, friends, or a lover? He can’t tell. He takes a spoonful at his lack of answer.

“Well actually, our housemaids did.” You look up as if you’re trying to recall something.

“I know you’re loaded, but really? Housemaids?”

You turn to him and return to your usual foxy smile.

“Since you’ve been nice and all, I’ll let you in on a secret. You ready?”

“This better be good.”

“My parents own l.n. Co.”

He stops eating. He’s completely astounded.

“Holy fuck. You’re a legit l.n. from the l.n.?”

“Uh huh.” You continue eating, ignoring how shocked he was.

“That explains the shit ton of expensive stuff you own.”

“What? I live a humble life.” If it wasn’t the tone of your voice, he’d think that you’re being sarcastic. But seeing your expression, you actually believe what you just said.

“Y.n. You own a sports car. You have the latest Macbook and Iphone. You always pay for our take-out. You order any food craving you like, no matter how expensive that is. You even bought us new games. That’s far from living humble.”

You roll your eyes. “Whatever.”

“I wanted to ask you though. Why keep modeling these past weeks? You’re just tiring the shit of yourself. You don’t need the money. Do you love it that much?” It’s been on his mind since last night. Even though he did not know you were that rich then, you seemed well-off enough to miss on a few gigs.

“No. Not really. I just happen to be suited for it. But I value it because it gives me a sense of self-reliance. My parents provide for what I need. As for what I want, I provide that myself. I don’t want to go through life where everything is handed to me in a silver platter I was born in. If I stop because I have the money, then that defeats the purpose.”

He realizes that despite these past months that you’ve been banging, he knows nothing substantial about you. You spend a lot of time together, but if you weren’t having sex, you’re playing games or having some stupid random conversation. You never talked about yourself. This is the first time you’ve shared something that’s actually about your life.

You were always this hot person who’s just there conveniently, but now he can see you differently. He sees something admirable beyond being physically attractive.

“What?” You snap at him. He must’ve been staring.

He chuckles softly while shaking his head.

“Nothing.”

Part 2 | Part 4  | m.list 

[fishoutofcamelot]

Hi there! I hope you’re well. I just wanted to send a message to thank you for the elyan content 😍 he is my favourite knight but for some reason I never see much of him on tumblr! So it’s awesome to see him on your blog. I hope I didn’t bother you with this ask 🙈

I AM doing well, actually! And you didn’t bother me, asks will probably never bother me <3

I could go on for a million years about why no one makes content about Elyan - and sometimes forget he exists altogether - but I don’t wanna start drama so we’ll just. Not touch that topic with a 10-foot pole

BUT! Elyan IS a fantastic knight, and the fact that he is your favourite knight too is very iconic and sexy of you. Elyan fans/stans are the sexiest members of this fandom. That’s not even opinion, that’s just science

So! Here’s a list of Elyan headcanons, because he’s worth it:

Elyan is ace. Them’s the facts

He’s also gay but in that stage where he’s questioning if he might be bi. Unfortunately, he died before reaching an answer

I hate to talk about Hogwarts Houses in 2020, but he is one hell of a Hufflepuff. Elyan is his name and protecting his loved ones with life and limb is his game. It is very easy to earn his loyalty, and once you have he will ride straight through Hell for you

Elyan likes hoods. He wears hoods whenever he can (i mean c’mon, that outfit in season 3 was serving some killer looks)

He’s just a protective older brother to literally everyone in Camelot. Yes, even Gaius

Gwen, Elyan, Leon, and Merlin have family game night once every month. They all gather in their old house in the lower town to get drunk, play some dice games, and spend the whole night goofing off

Only a few people know about game night. Even fewer people have seen it with their own eyes. Arthur and Gwaine frequently try to sneak in to see game night for themselves, but somehow never succeed

Elyan loves swimming. They don’t get many chances for it, but whenever they do, Elyan is the best swimmer out of all the knights

He’s also like. Really good at sneaking up on people. Consistently rolls high on stealth checks

Out of everyone in the Round Table, Elyan is the most easily spooked. He hates it when they gather around the fire to tell ghost stories, bc he will NOT be able to sleep the rest of the night after that

Why do people think there’s no dynamic or chemistry between Elyan and Gwaine??? Those two had a SOLID friendship and I will not stand for this disrespect (also, Perelyan is good but Elyaine is godtier imo)

Elyan is bad at blacksmithing. Like really bad. No one even understands how that works, considering he spent his whole childhood training under his father. All the blacksmithing talent apparently went to Gwen somehow

He likes bugs. When he was a kid he would go out in the woods and collect beetles and stuff to stick in little terrarium jars. He’d even give them names and backstories and personalities. Sometimes he would sit under a tree and tell Gwen stories about all these adventures his bugs would go on when no one was looking

Leon HATED bugs, and got creeped out by them, which meant Elyan was legally obligated to harass him about it

Elyan doesn’t get much chance to catch bugs anymore, but he’s also the only member of the Round Table who can put up with spiders

Spider in the armory? Everyone is freaking out while Elyan just calmly picks it up and lets it outside - but not without lots of snark and eye-rolling, of course

The reason Elyan ran away from home was because his mother had died and he saw it as a personal failing. He felt that it was his fault she was dead, because he couldn’t protect her, and left Camelot because he couldn’t bear the shame of guilt

In the last few years of his time away from Camelot, Elyan fell in love and lived out an mlm cottagecore fantasy where he and his lover raised wyverns together. But when Morgause came to capture him, she killed his lover and burnt their wyvern farm to the ground

Elyan tries not to let his grief be known, though. Not just because he doesn’t want to burden Gwen with his pain, but also because his lover had magic and he could get arrested for having fallen in love with a sorcerer

Morgause had Elyan captive for a while before Gwen showed up. She even used the nathair on him in small increments; not long enough to kill him or damage him irreparably, but enough to make him suffer. It’s for this reason that Elyan was able to bounce back from being tortured by Morgana whereas Gwaine didn’t survive it, because Morgause had already microdosed him with that kind of pain two years ealier

Still traumatizing, though. Like. This boy is EXTREMELY traumatized, can someone please get him some therapy???

Moving back to Camelot with Gwen was simultaneously healing and harming. Healing, because  he visited his dad’s grave, rebuilt his relationship with Gwen, and his companionship with her, Merlin, and Leon helped him move on from the pain of his loss. But harming because of all the anti-magic prejudice that surrounded him, and every time someone said magic was evil it was like another dagger in his heart. That was his dead lover they were talking about and calling a monster. Someone who was kind and compassionate and funny, who didn’t have a lick of evil in them, who would have burned at the stake by Camelot’s laws

Elyan didn’t think about what it meant to be a knight of Camelot when he agreed to be knighted. But he was just so determined to fight and kill Morgause, the woman who had killed his lover and his wyverns and abducted him from his home, that he didn’t even think about it. He just wanted Morgause dead. It wasn’t until a few days later when he realized that being a knight of Camelot meant enforcing Camelot’s anti-magic laws, and this realization naturally caused him distress

Instead of abandoning his knighthood, Elyan found a compromise. He would support Arthur in everything, until magic got involved. If Arthur ever captured druids or put sorcerers to death, Elyan decided he would smuggle them out of the city. He would never actively kill or capture those with magic, and would sometimes even try to sabotage efforts in capturing harmless magic-users

Elyan knew full well what Dragoon was doing. He knew that Gwen and Arthur’s love was true and required no enchantment, meaning Dragoon had simply framed himself to get Gwen out of a jam. He appreciates Dragoon, and even though he supposedly killed Uther, Elyan can’t even fault him for that. Elyan wanted to kill Uther too

Merlin is the little brother Elyan always wanted, and Elyan is the older brother Merlin never had. They act so much like siblings it’s not even funny, and some people question if they were actually raised together 

He and Merlin like to team up and tease Gwen. They’ll walk behind her and chant stuff like “Gwen and Arthur sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G”. They’re like children, and it’s both very funny and very annoying

Gwen gets her revenge, of course. She always gets her revenge

They also team up to be like. Super protective of Gwen. The vetting process Arthur had to go through - between Elyan, Leon, AND Merlin - in order to date Gwen was ridiculous

Arthur: Merlin I’m literally your boss. Your friend. You've been my personal manservant for like six years now

Merlin: Yeah, which means I know exactly how much of a dick you are

After being possessed by the druid ghost, Elyan is a lot more in tune with the supernatural

Am I suggesting that Elyan can now see, talk to, and interact with ghosts, and even starts a little agency where he goes around helping them complete their unfinished business? Why yes, yes I am

When Gwen was banished, Elyan wanted to go with her. But she asked him to stay behind and keep an eye on Agravaine, as she suspected him of treachery, and to stop him from taking over Camelot should Agravaine make a move. And, well, Elyan has never been able to say no to his sister

Elyan and Merlin decided to try and find a way to prove Gwen’s innocence. There’s no way she was acting of her own accord, after all. There was some kind of enchantment at play, there had to be. Merlin doesn’t tell him about Shade!Lancelot directly, but does propose it as a theory regarding how Lancelot had come back from the dead. Elyan supports the theory 100%

About two months after the wedding, Merlin and Elyan locate the enchanted bracelet, and Gwen and Lancelot’s names are finally cleared

In Avalon, Elyan, Freya, and Lancelot spend the whole time watching/narrating the events of season 5 like sports commentators. They are all mutually exasperated at Merlin’s antics

When Arthur shows up in Avalon, the only reason Elyan doesn’t punch him in the face is because he’s too busy restraining Lance from doing the same

He does, however, give him a strong talking-to about how “all your magic and you still can’t save my life” is a horrible thing to say actually

Lancelot, however, is more upset about the “I guess I was wrong” speech

Gwaine shows up in Avalon like. SUPER traumatized. He died while being tortured by a nathair, died in a way that he perceived to be failure, and he’s kinda messed up because of that. Elyan, who has already had a few years to cope with nathair torture, is the one who helps Gwaine heal from his trauma

In the 21st century, Elyan gets reincarnated along with everyone else. His childhood is plagued with weird dreams, dreams that terrify him. Snakes and pain, wyverns and fire, all of it. He meets an old man who calls himself Merlin, who helps Elyan through the pain of remembering his past life. For once, Elyan gets to be taken care of instead of the other way around. For once, he is allowed to be vulnerable and weak and struggling. He doesn’t hide his tears. He gets the help he needs and works through his trauma

And one day, many years later, he is walking down the street when he sees someone who looks oddly familiar. The face of an old lover, perhaps

Thanks for the ask! <3

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (chapter 2)

Chapter 2

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 1,628

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing...

              Despite complaining about walking to work, Catalina was sort of looking forward to the hike. She could see the mountains from wherever she was in this town, and they were beautiful. It was seven in the morning and Catalina was half dead. After a cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast though, she was ready to go. Jungkook had texted her the day before giving her a time, eight am, and his home address. No other details, such as what to wear to work, which would have been helpful. She had texted him back but he never answered, so she wore a plain black t-shirt with jeans. She figured that was neutral enough.

               Jungkook’s house turned out to be right around the block, so it was a short walk. The house was old, two stories, grey brick, square and narrow. Catalina knocked on the door and waited. Jungkook opened the door right away.

               “Hey, come on in,” he said, holding the door open. Catalina closed the door behind her and looked around. The inside looked like it hadn’t been redecorated since the 70’s, but it was still cozy and homey. Jungkook led the way up the stairs to a small bedroom at the end of the hall. His hair was still a mess and he wasn’t wearing shoes.

               “Are your parents home?” asked Catalina.

               “No, they’re at work. They’ll come home in a few hours,” he said.

               “The night shift?” asked Catalina.

               “Yeah, they’re nurses. They’ve worked the night shift ever since me and my brother started high school,” said Jungkook. He was sitting on his bed, lacing up a pair of Timberlands.

               The bedroom was a mess, clothes scattered across the floor, piles of tangled wires in the corner. A bookshelf was against the left wall filled with video games and stuffed animals. Beside the bookshelf, a surfboard, a snowboard, and a skateboard all leaned against the wall. A glass of milk sat on the desk by the door and there was a hole in the wall right above that. Catalina could see into the next bedroom through it, which looked similar to this room. The whole bedroom stunk like…

               “Dude, this milk is bad,” said Catalina. She scrunched her nose and shuffled away from it.

               “It is?” asked Jungkook. He picked it up and sniffed it. He reared back and gagged loudly. Catalina threw her head back laughing.

               “Why did you sniff it?” she asked.

               “I don’t know! Shut up!” he said. He took one last tentative sniff of it before setting it down and grabbing a hairbrush.

               “Have you eaten yet?”

               “No I just got up, like a few minutes before you got here,” he said. “I was thinking we could stop somewhere on the way.”

               “Won’t we be late?” asked Catalina.

               “Just McDonalds, nothing fancy!” he said.

               “What time do we have to be there?”

               “Eight.”

               “Dude! We’re gonna be late!”

               “Just quick! We’ll go through the drive through!”

               “We’re walking!”

                 A half an hour later found Catalina and Jungkook starting on the trail up the mountain. Jungkook was wolfing down three McMuffins, tater tots, and a frozen coffee. The walk through the drive through was something Catalina never wanted to do again.

               The hike, though intimidating, was very nice. They talked about their childhoods and other random stories while they walked. The woods were beautiful; enormous, ancient trees towering all around them. Catalina remembered Jungkook telling her about people skiing in these mountains. She didn’t know a whole lot about the sport, but she was pretty sure the trees would get in the way.

               “Now, I don’t know enough about skiing, but I feel like all these trees would get in the way,” said Catalina. Jungkook chuckled.

               “Yeah, there’s slopes at the top that you take lifts to get to. No one skis here,” said Jungkook. “We’ll go this winter.”

               “Yeah, you keep saying that. Anyway, this is a really nice hike, but I bet you we won’t feel like doing this every time,” said Catalina. “We’re gonna get sick of it after the first few times.”

               “No way. R.I.P. to you but I’m different,” said Jungkook.

               Catalina sighed. “That was lame. And you’re the only one here who has a car, so…”

               “I know, I’m just kidding,” he said.

               The trail let them out onto the road, which they followed until they reached the gift shop. It was a small building on the side of the road which advertised trail maps, souvenirs and camping necessities. A little bell rang above the door as they stepped inside. Hoodies, snow globes and tacky, racist Native American merchandise greeted them inside.

               “You’re late,” someone said. A woman in her late 40’s rounded one of the shelves and crossed her arms.

               “What? Not we’re not!” Jungkook checked the time on his phone. They were indeed late. Catalina sighed. Great first impression.

               “We’re really sorry ma’am. Someone had to get McDonalds on the way here,” she said.

               The woman sighed. “Call me Helen. And it’s okay. It’s not like they’re bustin’ the door down.”

               Sure enough, besides them, the store was empty. Helen showed them how to work the register, where the back room was, and how to close at seven.

               “Just be friendly with the customers. I’m not gonna be here on weekends, so keep yourselves occupied,” said Helen. And with that, she left the store. The rest of the day went by slowly. Not many people came in, so Catalina and Jungkook mostly just hung out and goofed around.

               When Catalina got home later that night, she was exhausted. They only had a few customers that day, the rest of the time was spent chatting and making fun of the Indian goods.

               Her bed, which was still just a mattress on the floor, was a welcome sight.

                  The only thing she could feel was a deep-seated fear. It made her palms sweat and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. The narrow hallways seemed to be never ending. She needed to find a way out. If they caught up to her, she was dead. The faint sound of a floorboard creaking somewhere behind her made her spin around, breath caught in her throat. There was no one there, but the hallway seemed darker than it was before.

               All of a sudden, Catalina found herself in a den. A fire crackled in the fireplace, bookshelves lined the walls and a big desk sat in the corner. It was cozy, and Catalina felt the fear melt away. She felt safe here.

               “Have you read this one?”

               Catalina turned around. A man stood by the hearth. He held up a book, but Catalina couldn’t make out the title since the letters kept shifting.

               “I’m not sure,” she said. This man was dangerous, Catalina could tell by the fear she still felt being around him. But she also knew he wouldn’t hurt her. “I don’t think I’ve read it. What book is it?”

               “I told you about this one yesterday. You would like it,” he said. When he smiled, his dimples caved and his eyes sparked. Catalina no longer felt afraid of him.

                  I Like It, by Cardi B. blasted from the speakers. Sweat dripped from Catalina’s brow.

               “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, one, two, three, STEVE, GODDAMN IT YOU’RE STILL TURNING THE WRONG WAY!” the choreographer shouted. She paused the music and pinched the bridge of her nose. Catalina took the opportunity to breathe and turn to Jimin. He was trying not to laugh.

               “I don’t wanna be here when she kills Steve,” Jimin said under his breath. Catalina giggled.

               “I think it’d be some fun drama,” said Catalina. “Also, he deserves it.”

               Jimin laughed and they got back into position as the music started from the beginning again. Catalina wasn’t really a fan of Cardi B., but the dance was a lot of fun. It was a smooth hip hop, lots of body rolls and sexy partner dancing. Catalina was glad she got Jimin as her partner and not Steve. Steve was pretty bad.

               Once the choreographer called it a day, Catalina and Jimin took their time packing their bags.

               “Do you watch the news at all?” asked Jimin. Catalina shook her head. “Well, it’s the only thing ever on at my house, and I guess there’s like, people going missing in the town next to us.”

               “Whoa, really?” asked Catalina.

               “Yeah, and I was invited to this party, but my mom has been freaking out and she doesn’t want me to go out, so I don’t know if I’m going…”

               “Wow, that’s crazy. Yeah, I mean, it’s not in this town though. So it should be fine to go to a party,” said Catalina. Jimin shrugged.

               “Maybe. Anyway, how was the first day at work?” he asked.

               “Ah, yeah, it was nice. The hike is cool and there’s a bunch of racist Indian goods in the shop. There’s like, barely any customers, so it was pretty chill all day,” she said.

               “That’s cool. I don’t think I’d be able to walk that far to work every day. I’m too lazy,” said Jimin.

               Catalina shrugged. “I mean, a job is a job. But I’ll probably have a ride for a lot of my shifts,” she said. “What about you? Did you get that job in the theater?”

               “Yeah, it’s alright. I guess it’s gonna be mostly just moving chairs around and helping backstage for events,” said Jimin. “But what if I want to audition for a show?”

               “Then they’ll just have to find a replacement for you!” said Catalina. “You deserve to be on stage!”

               Jimin laughed and said, “Thank you. I do deserve to be on stage, don’t I?”

[rikorene]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 // k. tsukishima

genre: fluff (yes, finally, fluff)

[ a/n : omg i just finished watching given and was immediately inspired to write this thing. idk if i’m gonna make a part 2, but i hope that you all enjoy it! after this i’ll be writing BNHA stuff hehe and probably change my layout AGAIN HJAHJASHAJH ]

It was just a band.

           Nothing could ever change Tsukishima’s opinion on that thought, all of them were second years. He was in an active band that Yamaguchi joined in their first year, at first, Tsukishima Kei was skeptical about the concept on forming a group with people he hardly knew. A bright orange-haired man that’s in charge of the electric guitar and the vocals, a blueberry eyed boy that seemed to be arrogantly confident in everything he did back then that played the drums, a boy with freckles that was beautifully scattered on his cheeks that was on the bass and Tsukishima himself that was in charge of the keyboard.

           But even if he was skeptical about everything, being cautious and all, he somehow managed to stay in the band for a year now. It has been a regular routine for him to instantly go to the studio that the previous third years rented for them when they still attended Karasuno, they were in a different band with some second years back then but they didn’t see Tsukishima’s band as a threat or as a competition. Well, maybe they saw each other as rivals. But nothing serious.

           Of course, it’s normal for bands to have disagreements on some things. It isn’t something new if he found Hinata and Kageyama on each other’s throats during practice. He’d just scoff at their idiotic attempts on pissing each other off and make some snarky comment about their personalities.

           Aside from Yamaguchi that would usually break them up before they destroyed the equipment that they were using, there was a second-year manager that took care of the paperworks, Yachi. She was reliable in Tsukishima’s opinion, a bit timid and sort of a push-over, but reliable, nonetheless.

           Then, you came.

You were a transfer student. Someone who transferred to Miyagi Prefecture in the middle of August that came from the Kanto region. Tsukishima observed that you were pretty timid but was the type to get along with everyone pretty quickly, you sat next to him and he would catch you often scribbling in your notebook, sometimes you would doze off, and sometimes you would actually put an effort into listening to the professor’s lecture.

It was an accident that he stumbled upon you in your empty classroom, pen tapping as you sang a song. Tsukishima didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you, he was frozen in place at that time, absolutely entranced at your angelic voice. Soft, yet loud. Aggressively beautiful that held power in it. You had talent and he knew that. Yamaguchi saw his friend frozen in place at the door before peeping in and saw you, he heard your voice and was also shocked.

“Beautiful.” Yamaguchi breathed out. Tsukishima was still staring at your back as you continued to sing. He nodded at Yamaguchi’s comment. And he was smitten.

Yamaguchi talked to Hinata about how they could use a main vocalist other than Hinata in their band, he talked about the pros and benefits if he convinced you to join their band, of course Hinata would agree and Kageyama was fine with it as well, saying that they could use an extra hand, Yachi was fine with it too. And it was settled.

“[last name]! please join our band!” Hinata said as he bowed down with Yamaguchi and Yachi, Kageyama was avoiding your confused glances at him and the others while Tsukishima was just there, staring at you intensely. You were obviously surprised and flustered at their approach to you after school, you nervously fiddled with your fingers then looked at them with a hint of redness on your cheek.

“A- alright.” You stuttered out and gave them a sheepish smile, Hinata busted out and tackled you into a hug, dragging you along as Yachi followed in tow. Yamaguchi sighed in relief as Kageyama yelled at Hinata for being too rough on you.

“BOKE! HINATA, BOKE!” Kageyama fumed. Tsukishima was quiet but he was glad that you had agreed.

           It’s been a few months since you’ve joined ‘Fly’ you were now comfortable with the members, keeping them on a leash especially Hinata and Kageyama. You just fit right in as Tsukishima predicted. Your kind and caring nature swayed their hearts as it did with others, normally you were the calm and mother of the group giving them the reassurance and the love that they needed for when they were feeling nervous before a gig. But among the others that craved and gained your attention, where was he? He had no greed of wanting your affection all to himself, after all, you were someone that would outshine the sun, and he was just someone that was stuck in the dark night sky.

           You would constantly come up to him and help him with the keys on the keyboard as you knew how to play the keyboard and the guitar and give him some pointers on how to improve his skills as you did with the others. You were patient with everyone, always sheepishly smiling if they made a mistake while playing, not giving up on teaching them. And Tsukishima admired that about you.

           Confessions were almost regular to you after all, who wouldn’t love your kind personality and your pretty face? Juniors and seniors would come up to you at least twice a week asking if they could take you out and you would politely decline, saying the right things. You would choose your words carefully before telling it to others. And he liked that.

           You let out a deep breath as you nervously fiddled with the pretty pearl pendant on your neck that was given to you by your mother before she passed away, you and the band was on a stage in front of a rather large group of people inside of a large building. Over a hundred people would be watching you on stage singing a song that you and the others wrote. The others were setting up their own instruments as you tried counting down, you were nervous and Tsukishima knew that. He came up to you and placed a hand on your head.

           “Focus. You’ll be okay.” Your eyes grew wide and a small blush appeared on your cheeks, your eyes avoiding Tsukishima’s as he stared at you. You nodded and Tsukishima sighed, patting your shoulder before going back to his keyboards. The action didn’t go unnoticed as Hinata smirked and went to Tsukishima and began poking at him.

           “Ehhh?~ It seems like you DO have feelings after all” He whispered in Tsukishima’s ear as a vein popped on his forehead and hit Hinata on the head who just backed away from Tsukishima as he complained how Tsukishima kept on abusing him physically making you giggle.

           Soon enough they got into position as the curtains rose, the crowd was clapping and cheering for all of you and Kageyama tapped his drumsticks with each other.

           “One, two three!” Kageyama counted down and then you all played your hearts out. As you sang along with Hinata, the two of you holding your guitars as you both took turns in singing the lyrics the crowd as waving along the music. Tsukishima was staring at you as his fingers played along the keys, completely entranced by your passionate singing. Shit, he was falling harder than he thought.

           It was after the show when the group insisted on staying over your house since your parents were away and your house was big enough to let the group stay. They all laid out mattresses on your bedroom floor and goofed around before actually falling asleep.

           Tsukishima couldn’t sleep. His senses was filled with the thoughts of you. The way you smiled at him, the way you would talk to everyone in a gentle manner, the way you skipped on ahead of him when the two of you would walk home together. He was absolutely whipped.

           He quietly stepped out and went to your balcony, he stared at the moon and the stars and laughed at how they reminded him of you. Your eyes would sparkle and twinkle that would make all of the stars in the sky green with envy as you would outshine them. Even if he did compare you with all of the most beautiful things in this world, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

           “Tsukishima?”

           Your soft voiced snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked back, he saw the most beautiful sight. Your hair was messy as you wore baggy gray t-shirt and sweatpants. Even if you would say that you looked like a mess, to Tsukishima you were the most beautiful thing that he had ever laid his eyes on.

           “Yo.” He greeted you casually, silently cursing at how his heart was beating fast in his chest. He leaned against the stone wall and stared back up at the moon. You walked closer and placed yourself next to him, sitting on the edge as you were facing him instead of the view.

           “O- oy, you could fall.” He said, grabbing your wrist as you just smiled at him, the cool January wind blowing slightly as it went through your hair.

           “You would never let me fall.” You replied, he froze for a second and turned away from you.

           “I could push you right now.” He mumbled loud enough for you to hear, his head turned away so you couldn’t see his slightly red cheeks.

           “And I’ll take you down with me.”

           He sighed and ruffled his own hair, you giggled and tilted your head up and saw the sky full of stars.

           “The night sky is beautiful.” You said, he looked at you. He thought of how ridiculous it was to say such things when you were obviously the most beautiful thing in this world right now. But he nodded, humming in response.

           “Hey Tsukishima.”

           He looked at you, your cheeks were pink as your eyes stared at him as if he was something admirable. He would always note at how you would stare at something, if you loved that thing or if you disliked it. And right now you held something in your eyes that would make him shy away.

           “I like you.”

           His heart stopped beating for a second as he stared at you with wide eyes, you giggled at his frozen state and cupped his cheeks as you scooted closer to him then you pressed your lips on his gently. It took him moments to finally realize that he wasn’t dreaming and that you did confess to him and you were kissing him right now. He placed his hands on your hips and kissed you back softly.

           You both pulled away and you gave him a gentle smile. He sighed and pulled you into a hug as you buried his face into the crook of your neck inhaling your intoxicating scent.

           “we’re in a band you know.” Tsukishima said, noting of how band to band relationships would never work out.

           You just hummed in response.

           “This would probably never work.”

           “Hmmm…”

           “you could get hurt.”

           “If it’s you, I don’t mind.”

           Tsukishima sighed, finally giving in. He gave your neck a light peck as you giggled. The two of you cradled each other as you both had made each other silent vows without actually saying the words. The warmth of each other was enough for now.

           Meanwhile, as the two of you hugged each other for the longest time the four idiots that were peeking through the glass cheered, they had big grins on their faces (yes, even Kageyama) as they watched your sweet exchange. Now Hinata had something to tease Tsukishima about in the morning.

[ part 2 : soon ]

[thiswasinevitableid]

For a writing prompt, Indruck post apocalyptic au (preferably everyone is human?) Indrid is infected by some sort of alien parasite, and the only way they can save him is to cut it out of him without anesthesia? Feel free to be as graphic as you want, but if it’s too whumpy for you, no pressure to write it! Thanks as always!

Here you go! It’s mid-level graphic: if it were a movie, you wouldn’t be seeing guts everywhere, but you would see the wounds. Also, content warning for body horror, namely the kind where a fungus takes over your body, and referenced suicide (no suicide actually occurs, don’t worry)

He should have seen it coming.

The tell-tale dampness and smell in the air, like battery acid and rotten milk, the fact that he’d made it the whole trip without seeing any Mycilioptera (that was, according to Joseph, the scientific term for the for the cat-sized, skittering alien creatures looking for someone to sting).

The creature was on him with a droning, high whine, scratching his face, smearing stinging mucus across his eyes and mouth. He made a rookie error, following his instinct to rip off the the substance dulling his senses, rather than feel sweep his arms over his body, locate the creature, and hurl it as far away as he could.

When the stinger hit his stomach, he screamed. The noise was useless; this quadrant of the city was abandoned months ago. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his sides as the pain seeps through them. His eyes cleared enough that he forced his fingers to work, grip the handle of his hatchet, and cleave it with a crunch.

Now, clutching the steering wheel of the Winnebago (in this world you do not need a fast car; you need something with thick sides and room for supplies and friends), he knows there are only two ways this can go.

If he is lucky, the parasite will be slow acting enough and he will stay lucid enough to reach the ranch in time for someone to remove it.

If he is unlucky, he will run out of time, and the parasite will take control of his body, manipulate him zombie-like to an advantageous location, and burst from his chest, mouth, and eyes in milky-white stalks, sending spores into the air, which will either grow in to adults or be inhaled by any other humans in a two mile radius, subjecting them to a prolonged version of Indrid’s fate.

He leans on the gas pedal, hurtling down the empty backroad. They found an abandoned, un-pilfered gas station and filled all the vehicles, with some left over for scouting and supply runs. And, if it came to it, an escape.

From the passenger seat, his backpack meows. A familiar black and brown head pokes out, the ratty collar still reading “Winnie.” Winnie, the reason he ran into that abandoned parking garage during a salvage mission in the first place.

Because she’s Duck’s cat, the one he thought he’d never see again after she fled out the door when the city evacuated. And Indrid loves Duck Newton more than anything in the world.

They’d been friends before everything went to hell, inching towards a confession of deeper feeling and Indrid still remembers the way his heart felt when he spotted Duck at the evac staging shelter. He hadn't even opened his mouth when Duck was hugging him, holding him tight and saying he was so fucking glad he was okay.

When three, then five, then ten infected humans burst in the evac center, Duck had Indrid’s hand they were running before almost anyone else knew what was happening, bandanas over their mouths because Josephs last message before the cell towers were overloaded was to keep their noses and mouths covered.

They made it, against all odds, out into the countryside, Thacker’s Quonset hut and Mama’s farmhouse as safe as they’d hoped. The others trickled in one by one or two by two; sometimes bringing other survivors with them. Other survivors found them later, though the humans they saw became fewer and fewer with each day.

Mama took in everyone who wasn’t infected, while Joseph, Dani, Duck and Thacker operated and sewed up the infected who could be saved (if removed before it takes over the host, the parasite will die when exposed to air). Those who could not were given choices; most chose a swift death, especially when they learned that dying before the parasites emerged would kill the alien inside them.

And every night, Indrid and Duck shared a small bed, clinging to each other and telling jokes or stories until they could sleep. Two months in, Duck kissed him in the dark and Indrid kissed back, and when Duck asked if it was only the end of the world driving Indrid’s affection, Indrid shook his head

“I’ve wanted this for awhile. And I don’t know what’s coming. All I know is I want to be with you when it does.”

At the front of the Winnebago Indrid wipes his eyes; what a foolish thing to say. He doesn’t want Duck here for this, that’s for damn sure, and yet he drives towards him anyway,

He’s feverish, sweat running down his face and arms shaking, and while his veins are still blue, he can see the parasite rippling under his skin; it’s not wasting any time.

He’s not going to make it. And if he tries, he’ll put all his friends in danger

There’s no choice but to pull to the side of the road a few miles from the farm and step from the trailer, leaving the door ajar so Winnie can escape into the wild. He’s crying all the while, breath coming in shaky gasps; just because he’s doing the right thing doesn’t mean he isn’t miserable and terrified.

Indrid pulls out his pistol. He won’t be an incubator, he won’t spread this, he won’t help the things that took so much of his world from him.

He won’t ever see Duck again.

He sobs, once, then wretches as the fever grows and his vision goes spotty. He has to do this, even though every time he looks at the weapon his whole body shakes with fear.

“‘Drid!”

Duck’s voice, just audible over the thrum of an engine. Then tires screech into view, Aubrey piloting a jeep. Duck jumps to the ground before she’s even stopped.

“‘Drid, don’t you fuckin dare-”

“Nono, stay back!” He scrambles on his hands and heels, slamming into the side of the trailer, “I got stung, I already have a fever, I can feel it moving-”

Duck drops to his knees, lifting Indrid’s glasses.

“Your eyes are still brown. It ain’t too late.”

“But the veins near the wound are going white” Joseph stands behind Duck, “we won’t be able to get him back in time.”

“Th-that’s why I pulled over, I, I can’t get the rest of you infected, please, please just go-”

“You got the field kit?”

Aubrey tosses it to Duck.

“We can still save you, sugar. And I’m sure as hell gonna fuckin try.”

Duck and Joseph haul him to his feet and carry him inside, laying him on his back on the table. Aubrey follows him, sitting down on one bench and taking his hand.

“We got no anesthetic, so this is gonna hurt like a motherfucker, but you can do it. Okay?”

Indrid nods weakly.

“We’re gonna get you through this. You’re” fear flickers across Duck’s face, “you’re gonna be okay.”

Aubrey braces Indrid’s upper body, Joseph his lower, as Duck cleans around the puncture in his stomach and sterilizes his tools. Aubrey holds up a hand,

“We need something for your mouth, right?”

“Good call” Duck retrieves a wooden spoon from a drawer, setting it between Indrid’s teeth.

“Okay” Duck takes a deep breath, meets Indrids eyes, “okay. I’m gonna start cuttin. Ready?”

Indrid just manages a thumbs up.

It hurts, because a blade cutting into your skin will always hurt. And because it hurts Indrid screams.

“That’s good” Joseph is trying to sound reassuring, but even he looks worried, “scream if you need to, research suggests it helps with the pain.”

“It’s not too deep, thank fuckin christ.”

Indrid stares at the ceiling and yells when Duck widens the incision.

“Almost can see ‘im. Yeah, there, he’s startin to shrivel already from the air.”

Relief mingles with the pain in his tears. Aubrey pets his head, “you’re gonna be okay, see?”

“C’mere you, you fuckin monster, you fuckin think you can take him from me” Duck hisses, then says gruffly, “Joe, need you to hold it open, go wash your hands.”

Once Joe is in position, there’s a horrible, wet sound as Duck places his hand inside.

Searing, blinding pain as he pulls the parasite free, Indrid’s blood running down Duck’s arms. He bites the wooden handle and it cracks. The creature wrinkles and dies in Duck’s hands and he hurls it outside.

“Shit, shit you’re bleeding a lot. Okay, fuck, okay, that was the hard part, this is just stitches. Just stitches.”

Indrid whimpers, clinging to Aubrey’s hand and scraping his nails against the formica table. Duck hits too deep on a stitch and Indrid winces and cries as his boyfriend curses.

“Here, Duck, trade with me.” Joe holds out his hand and Duck passes him the needle. The shorter man settles by Indrid, taking his other hand. He’s still bloodstained, and Indrid can feel him shaking, but he brings Indrid’s knuckles to his mouth and kisses his knuckles again and again.

“I’m here, darlin, I’m here, I got you, it’s almost over.”

Indrid focuses on his voice, pretends they’re in bed together, counts the kisses on his hand and wrist while the pain fades to the background. Dimly, around kiss number thirty-five, he hears Joseph sigh in relief.

“Done.”

--------------------------------------------------

Indrid curls up under the covers, clothes sticking to him with sweat and his stomach throbbing with pain.

“Easy, sugar, easy” Duck sits up from a makeshift bed on the floor, “here, lemme get you some painkillers.” He comes back with a glass of water and two white pills. Indrid swallows them, lets Duck help him from his shirt and wipe the sweat away with a cloth.

“How did you know to come look for me?”

“Just had a feelin. I kept lookin out at the road, saw the ‘Bago weavin, goin a million miles an hour, and just knew somethin was wrong.”

“Thank you. For coming for me.”

“I always will. Thanks for not deckin me or kickin me while I was workin on you.”

“Duck you saved my life, kicking would be rather rude.”

It’s a weak goof, but Duck smiles and kisses him.

“Oh, uh, here, someone else wants to say thanks.”

“Mraoow?” Winnie stares at him from Duck’s arms.

“We scared her burstin into the trailer. Poked her head out right after you passed out. So you, uh, missed me bawlin like a baby seein her again.”

“Awwww” Indrid rests his head on Duck’s shoulder, ruffling Winnie’s fluff.

“I mean, that and it hit me how close I came to losin you. Poor Aubrey was tryin to comfort me in the Jeep while Joe drove you back here in the ’Bago.”

Indrid strokes his cheek. He understands; the thought of never seeing Duck again was the worst thing to happen to him all day, sting included.

“Come to bed?”

“You sure? Might not be too comfortable.”

“I want to be held by you. I want to remember we’re both still here.”

Duck joins him under the blanket, Winnie curling up on their feet.

“Yeah, yeah we are. And I love you so goddamn much.”

“I love you too. And I promise to cut a parasite out of you if the need arises.”

“God I fuckin hope not.”

“Me too. There were...fewer of them this time. I think they may be dwindling.”

“Fingers crossed. But even if we got a long ways to go towards rebuildin a world, I still got you, and you still got me. And that’s worth a whole hell of a lot.”

Indrid kisses him, inhaling the smell of clean skin and scratching his cheek against Duck’s stubble.

“You’re right, my love. It is.”