#if i can talk about that rach photo……

[waterlemon-melon]

✨classical musicians shenanigans✨

they do be silly sometimes

(btw kay is a musicologist in the au! she’s preserving traditional music and historical manuscripts by… finding….. loopholes…..) (yes theatrum neutralis is an aai1 reference)

[wileys-russo]

blurb with Mary E realising she’s in love with reader right before the World Cup semi or final (you choose). Mary tries not to let her feelings get in the way and so she pushes you away which eventually leads to you confronting her and her confessing. So bit of softness and a bit of angst for my girl

midnight confessions II m.earps

"mary! get off." your laugh echoed around the pitch as the soaking wet goalkeeper wrapped herself around you, rubbing her wet hair in your face as you squealed, the older girls lips curling into a grin at the noise of your continued laughter.

"you're such a dick maz." you shoved her away with a smile as she finally let you go, the girl pulling your hoodie over your head as it started to drizzle again. "oh you loove me." the blonde grinned teasingly, pressing a kiss to your cheek making you playfully roll your eyes.

"can you imagine once this is filled with people?" you shook your head in awe, your hand slipping into marys as it often did, the keeper squeezing it gently as the two of you wandered your way around the stadium.

"all cheering your name when you score!" mary dropped your hand and ran around pump her fists, mockingly yelling your name over and over as you smacked at her chest with flushed cheeks, overwhelmed at the thought.

"you've been the one who carried us this tournament, seriously mary you should be so proud of yourself. i'm so proud of you!" you hugged the taller girl tightly who instantly melted at your words, resting her chin on your shoulder and mumbling a thank you, the two of you holding one another for a moment before you were both called back in.

"first one inside picks the movie we watch tonight." you challenged as you broke up the hug before sprinting off, hearing the blonde yell in contempt before she chased after you. "loser!" mary cheered with a whoop as she passed you, just entering the tunnel moments before you did.

"not fair your legs are longer!" you huffed, jumping on her back as she carried you away. "thats what you get for cheating. my pick tonight!" mary grinned victoriously.

the two of you would always watch a film in her room on matchday eve, over the course of this tournament together it started off as a one time thing but with time it had become your own little tradition.

"oh hey i have to talk to rach about something, i'll meet you on the bus." you raced off after the keeper carefully placed you back down on your feet, watching you go with a fond smile.

"tooney! delete that." mary shoved the shorter girl beside her who took a photo of her as she appeared by her side. "no. consider this an intervention." ella announced, motioning over alessia who joined the pair as they made their way toward the exit, trailing behind everyone else.

"you, are in denial." ella poked at the keepers chest who frowned. "what are you on about?" mary sighed as alessia slung her arm across her shoulders. "you're in love with her mary." the blonde stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"what? in love with who?" "her."

and with that ella held up her phone, showing mary the photo she'd snapped earlier which did in fact show her looking after you as you'd run off toward rachel, a soft smile on her lips and what anyone else could easily describe as a lovesick look of pining smacked on her face.

"look at how you look at her mary, you're obsessed with the girl." ella spoke now a lot more gently, the keeper pushing her phone away as she looked forward with a frown, alessia and ella sharing a look as the trio paused, lingering in the corridor.

"i'm not, we're just best mates." mary mumbled quietly with a shake of her head, trying to push down the doubts which had begun to swirl around her head. "best mates don't look at one another like that mary." alessia stated softly, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"when something exciting happens, whose the first person you want to tell?" "she is." "when you wake up or go to sleep, whose the person you ring or message?" "she is."

"when you're around her, how do you feel?" "happy? comfortable? relaxed? i don't know!" mary sighed, dragging her hands down her face with a shake of her head.

"i can't do this right now." the blonde stated quietly, shrugging alessias arm off her shoulder and marching off toward the bus, the conversation triggering an explosion of thoughts within her head, all crashing and smashing into one another like dodgem cars.

scrambling onto the bus mary took a seat beside katie, forcing herself to ignore the frown sent her way by you as you'd saved her a seat and tried to wave her over, the two of you normally always sat together.

and it was the same thing at dinner, you'd saved her a seat and grabbed extra food on your plate, knowing the taller girl would always finish before you and end up picking at your dinner, yet another regular routine.

so when she'd sat herself in between millie and rachel, on a table seemingly as far away from you as she could get, your body deflated and you pushed away your plate, now no longer hungry as you tried to riffle through anything you could have done to upset her.

"you need to eat, big game tomorrow. world cup semi finals don't happen every day you know!" lucy bumped her knee against yours, noticing your downtrodden mood and having made multiple attempts throughout dinner to cheer you up to no avail, jordan joining in with just as much success.

"just the nerves i guess, not really hungry." you mumbled, resting your chin on your hand and zoning back out, diving right back into the pool of overthinking about anything you could have done to cause mary to be off with you.

"ai dopey come on then. what's the matter?" lucy tapped at you, giving you a concerned look making you sigh. "yeah you're never this quiet, i almost prefer the headache you give me with your chattering about than this mopey state." jordan added on with a teasing smile.

"mary's off with me and i don't know why. she blanked me on the bus, blanked me after media time, blanked me at dinner, isn't answering my messages. and i dunno what i did wrong!" you frowned, head slumping to rest on your arms with a defeated sigh.

what you missed was the shared look of knowing between the two older girls, both lucy and jordan having played alongside you and mary for years it was safe to say alessia and ella weren't the only ones on the team who wondered why the two of you hadn't ended up together yet.

"maybe she's just nervous for tomorrow too kid. give her some breathing room and then try to go chat to her."

so you gave her space during dinner and for around an hour afterwards as everyone had spent some time bonding, playing a few rounds of never have i ever in the rec room.

then you'd tried speaking with her afterwards but she'd brushed you off again, mumbling that she was tired and not in the mood for a film tonight before hurrying off to her room.

"hey, you alright?" alessia appeared beside you as you watched mary disappear into the elevator, the younger girl having noticed marys strange behavior toward you and feeling an abundance of guilt that it had clearly been caused by her and ellas attempts to get her to acknowledge her feelings.

"has mary said anything about being upset with me?" you asked with a frown as alessia shook her head, trying to pull you into a game of darts with her and ella which you declined, thanking her for the offer before marching off toward the elevator.

you crossed your arms and tapped your foot impatiently after you'd almost knocked your best friends door in, knuckles tingling from the force as a few more moments passed and you raised your hand to knock again.

only before you could it clicked open, a tired looking mary appearing as you pushed past her into the room before she could even say a word. "i said i was really tir-"

"what have i done? why are you upset with me?" you sat down on her bed and cut her off, eyebrows knitted into a deep frown as mary tried her best to ignore the obvious hurt which shone through your eyes, no doubt caused by her actions this afternoon.

"nothing, i'm not upset with you." "then why have you been avoiding me all afternoon?" "i haven't, i've just been busy with the girls." "bullshit. you've been blanking me ever since the pitch inspection."

"maz please, if i've done anything at all to upset you can we just talk about it? i hate being like this with you, you're my favorite person and right now it feels like you're a million kilometers away." you asked a lot more softly, voice cracking a little with the vulnerable confession.

"you've not done anything so there isn't anything to talk about." mary repeated firmly, busying herself re-folding her already neatly folded uniforms for tomorrow, purposefully avoiding your gaze which didn't go unnoticed by you.

"then why can't you even look at me mary!" you raised your voice slightly, the blonde wincing but still refusing to turn around as her hands shook slightly, desperately fighting how much she so badly wanted to just wrap you up in her arms right now.

you waited a few more moments, giving her as ample an opportunity as you could to speak up but when you rewarded with only silence your body crumpled.

"whatever, be like that then." you mumbled quietly, shoulders sagging as you stood to your feet, shuffling back toward her door and not even sparing her a glance.

"hey no wait." the keeper dropped the shirt in her hand and hurried toward you, hand slamming the door back closed as you tugged it open, her taller form hovering behind you.

"there is something going on but its not something you've done." mary admitted quietly, taking a step back as you turned with a confused look on your face. "well then talk to me about it. we talk about everything!" you affirmed softly, reaching out to take her hands, face falling as the older girl took a step back and pulled her hands away from you.

"fine, i won't push you." you sighed in defeat, mary throwing back her head with a silent groan of frustration, reaching out to grab you by the arm as you tried to open the door again.

"i think i'm in love with you." the keeper rambled out quickly before her mind could tell her to stop, allowing her body's jerky impulse to take over as she bit down on her bottom lip, terrified for your reaction to her realisation.

"you're the first person i think of when i wake up and the last when i go to sleep. you're the one person in the whole world who i think actually gets me and you believe in me sometimes more than i think i could ever believe in myself. actually no i know im in love with you and i think i have been for quite a while now which probably sounds super weird? because well we've never kissed or been on a date or done anything even remotely romantic but-"

at your lack of response mary opened her mouth and continued to word vomit, her lovesick and nervous ramblings cut short as your cherry red lips suddenly found themselves pressed softly against hers.

at the heavenly sensation mary's knees buckled and she grabbed onto your waist to steady herself, needing to physically touch you to make sure this was really happening as you pulled away once the two of you needed to come up for air, chests slightly heaving at the unexpectedly feverish kiss.

"i think i might just be in love with you too."

[jacesvelaryons]

could you do a tom blyth social media ai where sadie sink is the faceclaim!?

hi my love, of course. i hope you like it! please continue to comment, like, subscribe send me requests or just hit my asks to let me know how i’m doing.

sorry this took so long 😭

auburn hair (tom blyth x actress!reader social media au)

masterlist

requests OPEN

yourusername

new do, who’s this?

liked by tomblyth, justinbieber, chloebailey and others

alexconsani what’s ya name B.O.B so they calling you BAWB

↩️ yourusername i hesitated on the bob until you talked me into it now you do this 😭😭u make me sick

ayoedibiri wifey in white

↩️ yourusername ilysmm

hallebailey so nice to see you again after so long girl!

↩️yourusername absolutely it’s been too long! let’s catch up for brunch

tomblyth you look angelic darling. wish i was there with you that night.

↩️yourusername wish you were there too babe! love you

tomholland2013 nice to see you mate xx

↩️ yourusername long time no see!

thehollywoodreporter

liked by person7264 and others

we report actor tom blyth @/tomblyth and actress y/n l/n @/yourusername being very cozy and intimate at last week’s annual hollywood gala dinner. the two have since quietly confirmed through their agencies that they have been in a committed relationship for over a year and ask for everyone to respect the privacy of their romance.

fans82 the joint net worth of this couple must be CRAZYY 💀💀

↩️username123 can they adopt me actually

user9711 so glad tom feels comfortable being so public with her when he used to be so scared showing anything from his private life

usernamehere I love them actually

random167 they deserve their happy ending

tomblyth

liked by mayahawke and others

let's go back.

rachelzegler looked like so much fun while I was recording all day 🙄

↩️ tomblyth next time for karaoke rach!

coreymylchreest best time with the lads

↩️ tomblyth time of our lives

horatio.james gotta do it again

yourusername from before my hair grew out

↩️ynfan111 your hair clips are so cute girlie!!

↩️ yourusername thank you 😅 tom put them up like that for me

yourusername

liked by markruffalo and others

going on a trip.

tomblyth my favourite ginger

liked by yourusername

↩️

jennaortega auburn locks with flaming hair>>>

↩️ yourusername love you my angel

troye my best girl

↩️ yourusername best boy>>

↩️ troye second to your man ofc 🙄

ashleyjliao the sweetest couple

↩️ yourusername thank you for introducing us to one another ❤️🫂

↩️ashleyjliao I better me maid of honour and godmom to your first child 😝

↩️ rachelzegler gotta fight me for that 😏

oliviarodrigo how does your hair grow that fast 😭😭

↩️ yourusername I don't know but it just does lol

tomblyth.fansite

liked by yourusername

croissainticles video posted today after the austin festival!

yourusername damn it’s like i’m not even here 😒

↩️tomblyth offered you one and you said you didn’t one until you took a bite out of mine

justins.croissants we glad he loved it! we'd like to sponsor you @/tomblyth for a sponsored post about our fresh croissants.

↩️ tomblyth this is the best time of my life actually

↩️tomblyth.fansite I'm crying I know he's so excited of like the free months of croissants or something

yourusername

don’t worry about me we got challengers at home 🤭🍽️

liked by sophiewildee and others

tomblyth.fansite I'm crying he looked so baby 😭

liked by yourusername

↩️ yourusername I know right 😂😂

tomblyth baby not this photo 😔

↩️ yourusername can't help you look so cute 🤭🤭

danielwebber good god who is this

nuriaavegaa oh my 😅😅

[prettylittlels]

I Can See You

summary: You meet Rachel's costar at the academy gala, what will happen next? (tom blyth x actress!reader)

inspired by I Can See You (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

💋⚘️❤️‍🔥💥🍬💄

As an actress, I spend a 70% of my time meeting and interacting with actors, actresses, singers, directors, producers, and people who work in the same industry as i do. A 90% of those people are just passers, travelers that only visited my life. Only very few manage to stay, important enough to make me care for and about them: true friends. Like Rachel Zegler, for example. I met her at the 2022 Golden Globes afterparty, and we kicked off a nice friendship. And a rather weird one, might i add. Rach and I enjoy playing rather exquisite games: i make her try the most horrendous food i find, and she tries to find the perfect man for me.

-Rach, I already told you- i tell her, laughing without even trying - I've lost hope! You gotta accept that i don't have a love life!-

-You're lying to yourself! - she smiles with me- You think I haven't seen the way you look at every couple we meet?-

Maybe she was right. I haven't had a boyfriend in years, maybe I am a little touch-starved. But that was until I met him.

You brush past me in the hallway

And you don't think I, I, I can see ya, do ya?

I've been watchin' you for ages

And I spend my time tryin' not to feel it

As an actress, i spend a lot of time bring invited to galas and events. Tonights entertainment was the Academy's annual gala. I picked out a gorgeous black sparkly dress that caught everyones attention, as I imagined. Getting out lf the car, I slowly made my way to the red carpet, starting to pose for the flashing cameras. Shouts and screams came from everywhere i went. Not only for me, of course; in fact, thay were yelling Rachel's name too when i arrived. She came up to me and gave me a big hug, as we started to take pictures together. I also noticed that a certain co-star of hers, was looking our way. Don't you think I can't see you?

But what would you do if I went to touch you now?

What would you do if they never found us out?

What would you do if we never made a sound?

As an famous actress, I can't just do whatever I want and say whatever i please. The cameras are everywhere. But God, did I want to go talk to you.

'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me

And I could see you up against the wall with me

And what would you do, baby, if you only knew?

That I can see you

As an actress, people expect me to be there when they need me, available for everyone and waiting for directions. But, only this time, I was waiting for something else to happen. When I walked down the hidden hallway on my way to the women's bathroom, you were there. I didn't want to do anything reckless! But here we are.

And we kept everything professional

But something's changed, it's somethin' I, I like

They keep watchful eyes on us

So it's best that we move fast and keep quiet

You won't believe half the things I see inside my head

Wait 'til you see half the things that haven't happened yet

Tom and I started dating shortly after the gala. Being with him was everything I needed: he's a gentleman, a caring person, a funny one, and of course, a very sexy one. The weeks passed and we were both as happy as ever. After the night we met, the cameras that caught our longing stares published the photos and the public strted going crazy, speculating and giving their opinion about our encounter. Oh, they have no idea.

That I could see you throw your jacket on the floor

I could see you make me want you even more

What would you do, baby, if you only knew?

That I can see you

They had no idea that how it was being In a relationship with tom. The envious fangirls wished they were me. They don't I know that I can see him for what he truly is. They don't know that I can see him discarding his clothes on the floor. Yes, even that leather jacket of his that I love so much

I could see you in your suit and your necktie

Passed me a note saying, "Meet me tonight"

Then we kiss, and you know I won't ever tell, yeah

And I could see you being my addiction

You can see me as a secret mission

Hide away and I will start behaving myself

I remember how I pulled you closer by your tie, and unbuttoned your shirt. How you admitted you've been watching me for ages. How we agreed to keep this a sceret, However, I knew he'd be like a drug. And I get drunk on it whenever he's around

I can see you.

I can see you, Tom.

[pensat-i-fet]

Shared insecurities (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**So I recently got a request to write about the reader being slightly insecure because of being flat chested and that would lead us to some fluff. As a fellow flat-chested gal, I found the idea pretty good. So I hope you like it as well ❤️**

Word count: 2240

Masterlist

Wattpad

"I'm going shopping!"

"Can I come?"

"I'm going with Rachel, sorry".

Rúben pouts, making me laugh.

"Are you buying clothes for our holidays?"

"Of course, everything I have looks terrible all of a sudden so I need to fix that".

"Buy something sexy", he winks and I shake my head.

Something sexy…sure, one actually has to feel sexy in order to look sexy. And I can't say that's the case for me right now. But I try to forget all that when I meet Rachel to go on our shopping trip.

"Hear me out. I know we're not going to travel together but how cute would it be if we both had this matching set? We could be twins on different sides of the world".

I laugh and pick up the clothes she's showing me. Rachel and I have similar taste, so it's not surprising to me I actually really like this set. What we don't have in common is our body shape.

"I don't know, Rach. This top would look great on you but what do I do wearing this?"

"You look hot. That's what you do", she shrugs.

"How?", I say, pointing to my chest.

"What are you even talking about? You wear tops like this all the time even if you don't have much to show. At least you don't have to deal with all I have to show", she says, pointing at her own chest.

"But people like what you have to show. They look at me and wonder if I went through puberty yet".

I leave the top back where it was and move to see other clothes. Of course, Rachel follows me, frowning.

"Has Rúben made a comment about it?"

"About what?"

"About your boobs being small".

"No", I sigh. He's never made me feel like my body isn't good enough or pointed out any flaws. I'm good at doing that myself. I don’t need his help.

"Then where is this coming from?"

"I don't know. Of course I've been insecure about being so flat-chested in the past. But I thought I had made my peace with it. And now all of a sudden it's back. I see all these women with their tiny tops looking so good. Or all the bikini photos on Instagram and…well, then look at myself and it's pretty underwhelming".

"Don't compare yourself to others, please. You're perfect the way you are. And just so you know, it's very uncomfortable sometimes to have bigger boobs like mine. I so wish I had yours many times".

"You don't have to say that to make me feel better but I appreciate it".

"I mean it", and I've known her long enough to know she's saying the truth.

But still, whenever I pick another top or bikini, Rúben's words come back to my mind. "Buy something sexy". Because surely he wants me to be sexy. For him. And yet this is what he gets.

**

For our holidays, we go to a small Greek island. Tourism here isn't as bad and so we can relax better.

"Take that off", I hear Rúben say and open my eyes to look at him.

"Take what off?"

"The shirt", he says and I can see he's got a bottle of sunscreen in his hand.

"I'm good. I already put cream on my legs, don't worry".

"How can you be good? It's almost 40 degrees and you're wearing a shirt".

"I'm fine", I tell him, even though it's really hot and I'm not fine at all.

"Is everything ok? Are you ill or something?"

"No, Rúben. Just stop pestering me, ok? I want to sunbathe in peace".

"With a shirt on".

I close my eyes and turn my head to the side so he can't see the little tears in my eyes. Why do I always have to be so emotional?

But, of course, he can read me like an open book and he moves around the sunbed to look at my face and try to find the answers I won't give him.

"Why are you crying? Did something happen when I was out?"

"No".

"Well, you're scaring me then".

"I don't want to wear a bikini".

His frown is even deeper now. "Not what I expected to hear. But why don't you? I mean, we're sunbathing…is it because of the news that people have been filming women at the beach without their consent? We're in a private area, that shouldn't happen".

"As if anyone would want to take photos of me in a bikini", I mutter.

"I do", he laughs, not understanding what I'm saying.

But instead of telling him, I just get up and go back to the room, closing the door before he can get inside. And I know he'll get the message that I need a second to be alone.

Ten minutes later, the door opens and he finds me staring at myself in the mirror.

"Tell me what's wrong, please. I can't help you if I don't know".

"How can you like this?"

"Like what?"

"This", I say, pointing at my chest. "Your boobs are bigger than mine, Rúben".

"So? What's the problem?".

"Well, you want me to be sexy. I want to be sexy too. And this…this is anything but sexy".

"Why do I find you sexy then?"

I shake my head. "I don't want to be treated like a child, Rúben. I have eyes. And I know what men like. You want someone like Rachel. And I want to look like her too. I'm not blaming you".

"If I wanted to be with someone like Rachel, I would be with someone like her. I don't. I'm with you. And I've been for a while. Don't you think that if your body was a problem, I would have noticed already?"

I put the shirt back on, ignoring him, and go back to bed. But soon, he's lying down next to me.

"It's ok to be insecure sometimes but don't doubt me, please. We've always been honest with each other".

"This is different".

"How?"

"This isn't something I can change. It's not ugly clothes or like that time I thought getting highlights on my hair was a good idea".

"And who says you have to change it?"

"I do. I'm usually confident but we all want to fit it. To fit the standard of what people find attractive".

"And you think you don't already", he says, shaking his head. "That insecurity has gotten to your head but once it's gone, you'll see how wrong you were".

"You don't get it".

Rúben sits up and I follow his movements with my eyes.

"I do. Do you think I just go to the gym to be strong? I want to look good. I want to fit in that stupid idea of what attractive is too. But that's not where the insecurity ends", I sit up to listen to him and he continues. "When I miss a header I think maybe it's because I'm not as tall as other players but I can't change my height so I work extra hard on my jumps. When I'm too slow I wonder if it's because all the muscle I have somehow slows me down. But if I don't have the muscle, I lose strength for the one-on-ones with other players. And the list goes on. You know how I feel after a bad match".

"Yes, you're pretty unbearable", I joke.

"And you put up with me and tell me what a great player I am and the insecurities disappear. So let me do the same for you".

"I don't know if you can right now. The idea is too stuck in my head".

He gets up and offers a hand so I do the same. Then he walks me to the mirror and moves to stay behind me.

"Let's take this off", he says, trying to remove my shirt but I try to stop him. "Let me".

I lift my arms and he takes the shirt off. I look at the bikini again and feel the need to cover myself. But he holds my arms when he notices.

"This is what you think is ugly, then?"

"I don't know if ugly is the word. But not good enough".

He then moves to my side and I look at him frowning.

"You're right. My boobs are bigger than yours".

"What?", I say, choking on a laugh.

"Maybe I should wear a bikini too".

"Rúben, stop".

"No no, let me try".

In a move I didn't expect, he removes my bikini top and tries to put it on his body but…he's bigger, in general. So it obviously doesn't fit.

I look at him, biting my lip so I don't laugh.

"Are you done being a clown?"

"No, because I made you laugh. And I also got your top off, which is another win for me. Because I like what I see. A lot".

"Thank you", I tell him, putting my arms around his shoulders and kissing him. "Should I just stay like this all day? You can wear my bikini if you want to".

"But I don't want tan lines", he whines jokingly.

I end up putting my top on again because he's right about the people taking photos of others. And because insecurities don't disappear after a couple of nice words, no matter how much they helped. But I leave the shirt in our room. Baby steps.

When I get bored of just lying down there, I pick up my phone and go on Instagram. Rachel has posted photos from her own holidays and I like the post before seeing all the photos. But then, I look at them.

"Look how great she looks in a bikini", I tell Rúben. "This is what I meant".

"I don't think many boyfriends get told to look at other women's boobs by their own girlfriends, you know?"

"Stop joking. You know I'm right".

"She looks good, yeah. And so do you. Send her a photo of you in that bikini".

"What?"

"It's Rachel", he says as if that explains everything. "She doesn't lie to you. Don't ask for her opinion on how you look. Just send the photo".

He's right so I find a photo we took earlier, as part of Rúben's plan to make me feel better. And I send it to my best friend.

It doesn't take her long to respond and I laugh.

"What did she say?"

"Stop sending me photos of you looking hot while I'm here with my boyfriend".

"Hot? Good word choice".

"I get the point, Rúben".

"I mean, gorgeous would have done too. Maybe even fucking gorgeous if we want to make sure you really get it".

I roll my eyes while he continues reciting all the adjectives he could use to describe me. But I love hearing him say all of that.

After a very lazy day, we shower and get ready to go out for dinner and a drink. I pick one of the summer dresses I bought on my shopping trip with Rachel. The neckline is pretty low but it's not as if I have much to cover so it works well for me.

"No bra. Naughty!", says Rúben when he sees me putting the dress on.

"I can't wear a bra with this dress".

"And that's why summer dresses are my favourites".

"Of course they are. Let's go eat. I'm starving".

The place is packed with people but we find a couple of seats at the bar and sit there while we wait for a table to be available.

We are just chatting, sipping on our drinks when a woman walks towards me.

"Sorry to bother you. Could you help me fix my top? My friends aren't here and I don't want to ask a man, you know".

I look at her, surprised by the request.

"Sure, what's the issue?"

She turns so I can see the back and points at the straps there. "Is it done the right way? Because it's hurting me".

"No. One of them is twisted. Let me undo this quickly so it's done right. The skin is a bit red too. Hold the front of the top well so it doesn't move".

"Thank you. God! I hate my boobs!"

Rúben lets out a little laugh at her words. "Sorry".

"Don't be. I know you don't get it but these can be so annoying sometimes. So many tops don't fit me or wearing them can hurt like it happened right now".

"Done", I say and she turns to look at me.

"Thank you", she says, giving me a quick hug and looking down at my chest. "See? Look at that gorgeous dress you're wearing. You get to make it look good. I'd have to spend the night trying to keep these two in place", she laughs.

"And I would love to be able to fill my tops with something other than air", I laugh too.

"We're never happy with what we got, are we?"

I shake my head and she says goodbye to us before leaving to go find her friends.

"You do look great in that dress", says Rúben, wrapping his arms around my waist and bringing me closer to him.

"And I don't have to worry about keeping anything in place".

"Plus the whole not wearing a bra thing…".

"Oh my God, Rúben. Grow up!"

[sejanusxcoriyo]

Pairings: Josh Andrés Rivera x Fem!Actress!Reader/ Tom Blyth x Rachel Zegler

Face Claim: Coco Jones

Type: Social Media Au

Summary: After filming is over, you wind up becoming really good friends with Josh, but he gets a girlfriend. You are extremely jealous, but he's happy, right?

A/N: The photos posted of Josh and Rachel, just imagine they are someone else, anyone but Rachel or yourself. I'll be updating my masterlist later today!! Just a little treat since today is my birthday! I'll be on hiatus for the next few days to enjoy my birthday, and I also have a job interview coming up I need to get ready for! Thank you for all the love, follows, reposts, and everything, I love you guys soo much🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

Warnings: Cussing

Ynuser

Ynuser I've never had so much fun filming before. The Ballad of The Songbirds and Snakes is officially finished filming. Check it out in theaters November 17th!

Liked by: Rachelegler, tomblyth, thehungergames, and 45,732 others

Tagged: @/tomblyth @/rachelzegler

View all comments

Rachelzegler love you bestie🫶🏾

↪️Joshfan1 Why haven't we seen her post, Josh anymore?

↪️ynfan1 I was just about to ask the same thing🙄

↪️ynuser love you more Rach😘

Tomblyth stop stealing my lady's photos🤺

↪️ynuser Or what?🤷🏾‍♀️ don't forget I helped yall get together🫤

↪️rachelzegler 👀

↪️rachelfan1 that's the kinda stuff you watch from a distance😭

Popcrave

Popcrave Hunger Games star Josh Rivera posted and deleted this from his story, new couple alert?

Tagged: @/joshandresrivera

View all comments

Ynfan1 SINCE WHEN?

↪️Ynfan2 I stalk this man's page faithfully and I NEVER SAW THIS

Joshfan1 He has a gf, so get over yourselves🙄

↪️joshynfan2 stfu

Tomfan1 if only this wasn't true🤦🏾‍♀️

↪️ynfan3 he posted and deleted? It's true, he just didn't want anyone finding out

Ynfan4 him and y/n had such good chemistry together😩

↪️joshfan3 I wish they would get together🙏🏾

Rachelfan1 so yall think that maybe her and Josh are just friends?🙄

↪️tomfan2 right? They act like Josh and y/n can't just be friends

↪️ynfan5 it's not that, have you seen the way she talks about him??

↪️joshfan4 have you seen how he lights up when he mentions her, they are in love

↪️ynfan6 apparently not

Tomfan3 please stop feeding into this bs, they probably fuckin lying anyways🤷🏾‍♀️

↪️tomfan4 at, cus I have been in this comment section for a lil min and nobody has netioned seeing this photo😂

↪️tomfan3 exactly my point🙄

Text message

Ynuser

Ynuser we already know, my face card don't decline😘

Liked by: rachelzegler, tomblyth, and 44,874 others

Tagged: @/Rachelzegler

View all comments

Ynfan1 oh she petty, petty😂

↪️ynfan2 right, but we love to see it😌

Joshfan1 damn she looks good🤩

Joshynfan somebody betta tell Josh come get his womannn👀

↪️joshfan2 he has a gf🙄

↪️ynfan3 we know, shut up

Rachelzegler GIVING, FUCKING STUNNING😍😍😍

↪️ynuser at least I can get someone's attention😘

↪️ynfan4 OH, YEAH SHE PETTY😭😭

Joshfan3 @/joshandresrivera COME GET YO GIRL BRUH, SHE PLAYIN OUT CHEA

↪️Rachelzegler shut the fuck up🤬

Comments have been limited

[morganwallenfs]

accidentally dating, chapter two

read the full story here^^^

below is chapter two!!!

pairing: anna-marie x morgan wallen

______________________________________________________________

THE piece of chocolate tasted surprisingly sweet as she put another piece into her mouth. wet tears slid down her cheeks as she lay in bed, eating a dark chocolate bar from rachel's "secret" stash.

"i'm here! anna?" rachel's voice rang out through their shared apartment as she walked through the door. anna heard the rustling of shopping bags being set haphazardly on the kitchen island before she heard quick footsteps near her bedroom door.

rachel thrust the door open to find anna laying in bed, curled on her side. anna had one of her secret chocolate bars in front of her and her phone was unlocked to reveal another screenshot of her ex-boyfriend with her sorority sister.

in this photo, her ex-boyfriend was proposing.

"he proposed to her today, rach. he fucking proposed. that means i was the side-chick. how do you even... like do you even understand how fucked that is?" anna cried out, her voice cracking as she slipped into a sob towards the end of the sentence.

the bed dipped down as rachel sat by anna's folded knees. she grabbed her chocolate bar and broke a piece off for herself.

"totally, seriously, massively, tom cruise in top gun if i was there, fucked. i know, dear." rachel replied with her mouth full of chocolate.

"i found out he was cheating two weeks ago. two WEEKS ago!" anna dragged her hands down her face and groaned out. rachel rubbed her knee.

"i know. good thing you're going to make out with one, or several, hot cowboys tonight at the concert and forget he existed." rachel replied, her voice lifting higher towards the end like she was questioning anna.

anna had recently been so consumed with her studies, her after-school job, and her depressive emotional state that she had almost forgot about the concert she had let rachel talk her into a few weeks prior.

almost.

"oh, rach, i don't know. look at me, i don't think i will be able to go." anna sighed out, tears starting to well up in her eyes again. rachel rolled her eyes.

"anna, look. i love you. i really do. he obviously didn't. i know nothing i'm going to say can soak up whatever this... is." rachel started in on her. she motioned with her hand in a circle around anna's face. "but you're going tonight. i bought you a banging outfit that you're going to look good in and you're going to drink bad beer that you think tastes like grass and forget about him for tonight. you can do this tomorrow when you're hungover and i'll buy you a greasy cheeseburger to make you feel better. healing comes in waves and tonight you're going surfing, baby." she winked at anna and shot her a smile. anna groaned out again but she did crack a small smile.

"did you get that off pinterest?" anna questioned her friend. rachel and anna liked to play a game with each other where they tried to work in ridiculous quotes in a normal conversation to make the other laugh.

"facebook deep dived for that one. figured you could use it later. did it make you want to go to the concert with me?" rachel laughed out.

"not quite, rach." anna replied.

"how about this?" rachel passed anna her phone, showing her a picture of morgan wallen in a tight white t-shirt and even tighter blue jeans holding a guitar.

anna looked at the picture for a second and tried to see what appealed to rachel.

rachel was from a very small town in the middle of a rural area in tennessee, and she had repeatedly told anna that all the guys looked exactly like morgan in her hometown. she backed herself up by showing pictures of her ex-boyfriends and anna did have to agree with her.

and while anna was from a small town too, she never classified herself as country per say and really didn't understand half of what morgan wallen sang about.

she hated to fish or hunt because she didn't like hurting the animals. she absolutely hated the taste of beers and the smell of cigarettes.

all of that though, was definitely rachel's type. and that described her current boyfriend, jason, perfectly.

and while jason always did send anna on dates with his friends, all of them had turned out to be idiots.

none of them had exuded the classic, southern-boy charm that morgan sang about and anna had yet to experience it at all despite living in nashville for two years.

so far, she chalked it up to men overcompensating for their lackluster personalities and shrugged it off.

they were men after all.

"ummm..." anna trailed off. she half smiled at rachel as she handed her phone back. rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes again. she pushed herself off of anna's bed and motioned between her friend and the bathroom.

"go do your hair. jason is going to be here to drive us to the stadium in two hours." anna checked the time on her phone.

it was only two in the afternoon.

anna only had one class on friday mornings at 8 am and she had finished all of her homework ahead of the weekend in a depressive episode she had a few days ago. she had needed a distraction and her biology homework served that very purpose.

rachel had still been sleeping soundly in her bed across the hallway when anna had left that morning, but that's how it normally went. on thursday nights, rachel normally went out to the bars and had yet to convince anna to come along with her.

but when anna returned from class around 9:30, rachel was gone. anna was greeted by her dog, ajax but no rachel.

"rach, why are we going so early?" rachel had left her room a minute ago but returned clutching several bags of new clothes from the mall.

"because we have to get in line, duh. here, try these on and i want to see all of them." she tossed a few bags on the bed next to anna's feet and left the room to go try her new clothes on.

anna should have guessed that's where rachel went. she was always one to need a new outfit for things like this.

finally sitting up in bed, anna started rummaging through the bags. she groaned internally as she starting pulling out what rachel had bought for her.

"rachel!" she screeched, finally laying the clothes out to view the outfit in full.

rachel only laughed from across the hallway at her friend.

[alcarenka]

Hey Maryna!

I’m Rach, a fellow tennis fan and janlitos/sincaraz enjoyer and I’m sliding into your asks to see if you’d be up to beta-read some RuRu writing… I know this probably comes out of the blue but I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I absolutely love your vibes!

I’m mainly looking for a general grammar check (I’m not a native English speaker and could use the help since I haven’t written in English in a while), but some brainstorming about the plot (it’s still a wip) and potential changes would also be gladly appreciated.

Let me know when you receive this. I’m open to talk about the story in depth and giving you more info 🥰

Hi Rach!!!! Thank you for the question 🥰

Sorry for responding the question a bit late but I was at the uni 😅

Well… I’m most a janlitos/sincaraz fan so I read more fanfics of them. However, I’m also more and more into the ruru ship and I've read some fanfics about them, mainly on AO3.

To begin with, I am not a person who knows how to write stories, fanfics or the like; I'm more the person who reads them. Likewise, right now, I'm very interested in reading books or fanfics (in this case, tennis fanfics or some football fanfics).

Regarding the brainstorming for a new ruru fanfic, I've been thinking about some ideas that I wish other writers could write about. One of those ideas is to write a enemies to lovers about the development of their relationship since the incident at Roland Garros and now in 2024 (like in the UTS in Oslo or in Acapulco) they get along wonderfully. Also, I can send you some videos and photos of them smiling to each other, getting along well or hugging for some inspiration.

Another of the ideas I have had about them is from several Thai bls series that I have seen and that have that enemies to lovers dynamic; and that maybe I am falling a lot into that dynamic for the ruru relationship. For example, one of those series is the first one I saw called TharnType The Series and I don't know why, it reminds me of them and has that enemies to lovers dynamic. This happens because the plot of the series is somewhat similar to their relationship (Type is a tall and handsome rookie. Although he is a warm boy, he is homophobic because of things in the past. His life is turned upside down when the new year of college brings a very interesting person in his life, a gay roommate, Tharn. Tharn, is a very handsome music student with light skin and mixed features. He is also openly gay. With a gay boy and a boy who hates gays , who have to share a small space for the rest of the year). Therefore, based on the plot of that series I think you could get a very interesting fic, plus there are moments where several plot twists occur.

These are the ideas that come to mind at the moment, I hope it hasn't been too heavy and I hope it helps you write something. I may come up with more ideas in the near future about ruru fanfics. I also have many or even too many ideas for janlitos/sincaraz fanfics. If you are interested in it too, I can tell you some 🫡

Thankssss Rach!!! ❤️❤️

[zmwrites]

Trick or Treat!! 👻

(Event Post)

Hellooo this is very late but Halloween is a state of mind so I'm still going to reply :)

I am going to share a very fun snippet from CAMRR WIP, aka the moment when Maeve's weekend goes entirely tits up.

“Maeve?” Rachel shouted from somewhere downstairs. Their bedrooms were on the second floor, there was a kitchen and small living space on the main floor, and the basement was mostly unfinished aside from the laundry and utilities.

“What?”

“Maeve!” This time her name was accompanied by the thunder of footsteps up the narrow steps. Rachel burst into her bedroom, eyes wide and phone so close to her face that the screen was almost touching her nose.

“Rach, we’ve talked about knocking. I could’ve been naked,” she said. She spritzed some product on her hands and worked it through her hair.

“As if I haven’t seen you naked before.” Rachel looked around the room and grabbed Maeve’s phone off her bedside table.

She frowned at her in the mirror. “Can I help you?”

“Did that Charlie guy give you his last name? Or tell you what he does for a living?”

“He said he worked in public relations. Why?” She turned just in time to watch Rachel unlock her phone. “Why do you know my password? What are you doing?”

“You’ve had the same password on your phone since the eighth grade,” she replied. “And I’m setting all of your social media accounts to the most private setting available.”

“Again, why?”

“Because shit is about to hit the fan.”

Just then, Rachel’s phone buzzed and Haley’s face popped up on caller ID. Haley was the third member of their trio that had been friends since elementary school, except she’d chosen to stay at home after high school, gotten engaged to her high school boyfriend, and had welcomed her first child a few months earlier. It was a very different path than Maeve and Rachel had chosen, but it seemed to suit her well.

Maeve snatched the phone from her dresser and answered it. Haley’s face filled the screen, her brown hair tied on top of her head and her mouth pinched with concern. “Haley, what is wrong with Rachel? She’s taken my phone hostage and won’t tell me what’s going on.”

“You didn’t get my texts?” she asked.

“I just stepped out of the shower and now Rachel—”

“You’ll thank me later,” Rachel said. “Do you have any socials you’d consider deleting completely?”

“What?”

“Rach, show her the article.”

“What article? What is going on?” Maeve demanded. She barely used most of her social media accounts, preferring to use them to keep up with the friends and classmates she’d lost contact with over the years instead of posting updates herself. The only one she posted on regularly was Instagram, and that was usually just photos of her and her friends.

“Trade?” Rachel offered, holding her phone out. Reluctantly, Maeve obliged, happy to have her own phone back in her hands but still confused. “Read your texts.”

Maeve opened her messages while Haley gently chided Rachel for freaking out. She’d only missed a handful of texts—her parents and younger sister Adrien discussing groceries in their family group chat, a notification that her phone bill was due, and then whatever was in the group chat with Rachel and Haley.

Haley: Don’t judge me for reading trashy magazines but Haley: Link - Check Out This Article From The Snapshot Review! Haley: Doesn’t this look like Maeve? Rachel: Looks like Home Slice too?? Rachel: Oh fuck Rachel: I think that IS Maeve

Maeve clicked the link, insides twisting into knots. Why would there be a photo of her in The Snapshot Review? It was a celebrity gossip magazine—heavy on the gossip, light on the actual reporting. Almost everything she’d seen from them had been inflammatory clickbait.

The webpage loaded. Sure enough, there it was: a photo of her and Charlie from the night before, sitting in one of the back booths at The Home Slice. She was laughing, half a slice of pizza in her hand. He had his head in his hand and was gazing at her with a softer smile than she’d noticed the night before. It was from later in the evening, after he’d taken his blazer off, and looked like it was taken from outside the window of the shop.

“What the fuck?” she whispered. 

Her eyes went to the headline: Brittany’s Prince Charles Steps Out With Mystery Redhead for Romantic Dinner; No Sign of Girlfriend Colette Bachelet.

“What the fuck?” she repeated, louder this time, and sank into her desk chair before her knees could give out.

And now you all know where the second R comes into CAMRR - cheesy ass modern royal romance.

I hope you have enjoyed this fun (and late) little treat!

[dabilove27]

I am in incognito mode but you know I am 😂😂 CONGRATS ON 300 FOLLOWERS AGAIN.

RACH RACH RACH can I pretty please with my love and care (plus Reiner on top) request Armin and prompt #1 🤭🤭

I swear to god you and @lady-lunaaa will never stop on this crusade I see! THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING AGAIN SWEET GEN! This one is just for y'all! Thank you as always to my beautiful wife @lady-lunaaa for beta'ing for me!

Link to the masterlist

Warnings: Modern AU, Fluff 

Bright summer sun wraps around your skin like a warm blanket. Your white sundress dotted with sunflowers blows gently in the summer air as you wait for your boyfriend to arrive. 

You recall the conversation with him about setting up this surprise date. A very un-Armin-like thing to do, usually, he's a planner to the highest degree. Every date is planned perfectly, so a surprise date with no information other than a time to show up piques your interest. 

Scanning the crowd, you search for his blonde head of hair that you know gleams on a cloudless day like today. And then you spot him jogging his way towards you. He looks nervous, his brows knitted and his lower lip stuck between his teeth. Armin is wearing black slacks and a nice white button-up shirt. Your mind begins to wonder what he has in store for today dressed up so nicely.

He lets out a huff as he arrives in front of you, catching his breath from the jog over. You can't help but smile at his boyish nervousness, even after so many years of dating. It's like a first date every time with him. He smiles back at you, but you can still see that nervousness interwoven in his expression. 

You try to push the worry out of your head as you interlace your hand with his and begin to stroll down the busy sidewalk. Everyone seems to be out today, which is understandable due to the fantastic weather. Shops are filling up as you pass them slowly, Armin taking the lead to the mysterious destination. 

You're familiar with this area though. There's a big fountain in the middle of the plaza. You remember Armin taking you here on one of your very first dates. He had been so nervous that when the two of you were sitting on the edge of the fountain just talking, he accidentally knocked your phone off the ledge and into the crystal clear water. 

You can't help but giggle at the memory of him standing soaked in the fountain's water as he dove in to retrieve your phone. You had been so shocked. He didn't even hesitate before going in after your phone and then came out like a sopping wet puppy apologizing profusely as he handed your ruined telephone to you.

And that’s when you fell hard for him, he was selfless, kind, sweet, and it didn't matter that your phone no longer worked because all you could think about was seeing him again. His apologies broke your heart because he assumed he had ruined everything when he said, "I promise I'll get you a replacement, and you'll never have to hear from me again."

Spontaneity overcame you as you tossed your wet phone back into the fountain and placed a quick peck on his lips. You wish you could have taken a photo of the blush that spanned across his face at that moment because it was priceless. 

It was history for the two of you from that moment on. Every date only confirmed you made the right choice, and thankfully there weren’t anymore phone disasters. 

After a few moments of walking, you can pick up that Armin is leading you to that same fountain that brings you so much joy. As the two of you approach it, you can hear the gentle splash of water as it cascades into the larger pool below. With a few more footsteps, you find yourself standing face-to-face in front of the fountain with your boyfriend, the sun glinting off his golden hair. You swear he looks even more nervous than before, his teeth still worrying his bottom lip.

He holds your hands in his, his blue eyes finally meeting yours. Before you can ask if something is wrong, he begins to speak.

Armin sighs heavily, your name leaving his lips. "I have loved you for so long. It took me years to finally get the guts to ask you for a date. And when you said yes, it felt like a final piece of a puzzle clicked into place. You've always been so understanding when I make stupid mistakes and never fail to make me smile. I don't think I've ever loved anyone the way I love you," he says shakily as he holds onto your hands.

You can feel tears begin to form in the corner of your eyes as you gaze into Armin's. It's like you can see the entire world in those depths. And his words hit your heart so profoundly. You can't stop yourself from blurting out, "This sounds like a marriage proposal."     "Maybe it is," is all Armin responds as he bends down on one knee and pulls out a black velvet box from his pocket.

Thanks for reading!

[wizkiddx]

Blurb req- Tom and the reader on a private jet hungover? just pure fluff?

fluffy requests are well and truly open ( bcos I adored writing this ahah) and let me know what u think , I am deff not a writer so any feedback or tips would be v appreciated :))

summary: tomhollandxactress!reader - a wrap party followed by an early morning flight and a grumpy Harry, what could possibly go wrong?

warning: mentions of alcohol and sickness

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

The remorse. The regret. It only made the pounding in your head even worse. Why those two 1.5 litre bottle of Bacardi had been brought out was beyond you. Why the you six of you had then decided to empty said bottle was even more of a mystery. It wasn’t like any of you had needed it, you’d all been more than ‘merry’ prior to the cheap rum and coke. 

Hence the state of you, Tom and Harry as well as your manager Davey and Tom’s team of Rachel and Andrew. All having made very little effort with your appearance - joggers and hoodies all round, with you and Rachel also sporting sunglasses because you were simply smarter than the boys. Thankfully, this wasn’t a big trip that fans knew about, this was you and Tom moving location under cover  - the studios didnt want anybody to know that either of you made a feature in this film, so everything was under the cover of darkness. Which to be honest you were not complaining about. However, you were complaining about the fact the flight had been scheduled to leave at 7 am the night after your wrap party though.

The two of you had just wrapped your most recent and most ambitious movie to date - hence the massive celebrations last night for just surviving and getting it done. It had been the most intense 3 months of your life, there had been times you’d cry for hours on end, times you just wanted to quit fully knowing you’d never be hired again for leaving a multimillion dollar company in the lurch.But you all, somehow, had survived. So celebrations were in order of course but perhaps not as far as you all managed last night?

Your whole convey appeared to have travelled to the airfield in absolute silence, no one particularly fancied hearing anyone else’s voice- which to be honest seemed quite fair. You’d ridden in a car with Tom and Harry, with you resting your head on Tom’s broad shoulder - which had obviously made Harry gag, rolling his eyes. Bless Harry, really he was the only reason you and Tom had got together, after getting sick of the mutual pining he’d been forced to live with during the previous 2 projects you’d worked on together. But now, having had to put up with the two of you being so ridiculously loved up for the past 3 months - understandably a bit of distance from you and his brother was overdue. 

One of the flight attendants busied themselves loading your luggage, whilst the pilot asked you and Tom for a photo. Of course, you weren’t going to say no however you did have to cringe at how rough you both looked. His teenage daughter certainly would be less excited to see that her Dad hadn’t met Tom Holland and Y/n Y/l/n. Instead he’d met the zombified, undead and rougher frauds. Still you smiled as much as you could, wincing when you removed the glasses and the early morning sun pierced your restricted pupils. God it wasn’t your day. 

The guy didn’t seem to mind though, excitedly hurrying off onto the plane to settle in the rest of you - leaving just you and Tom outside on the tarmac. 

“Poor guy, we look like shit.” You murmured while taking a step closer to lean slightly into his side. 

“Speak for yourself love.’Tom snickered into the top of your head, after pulling you completely into his chest. This wasn’t normally allowed, your relationship still wasn’t public and both of you intended on keeping it private for as long as possible. But you were in an otherwise empty field in the middle of nowhere (somewhere in Georgia) before 8 am. It was actually quite nice to feel your boyfriends arms round you in the outside world, especially when you felt this shit. After a few moments you pulled away, arching back at Tom’s pouty face as you motioned it was time to get on the plane. 

“’S too late you know.” Your brows furrowed at his half formed sentence, facial expression only demanding him to explain more. “They all have already taken the good seats… Harry basically sprinted on so he can hog the bed thing.” In response it was your turn to pout, groaning as you fell back into his chest again. Yes, this was a complete first world issue, a private jet paid completely by your bosses was not something a lot would moan about. Truly you were grateful for everything you had in life, but with the worst hangover of your life when the opportunity of lying down for 6 hours instead of being stuck in a chair had manifested itself… well of course you felt robbed by your almost brother Harry. 

Chuckling at your reaction, he gave you an extra squeeze before leading the both of you up the stairs to the cabin. Sure enough Harry had completely and totally claimed the longer couch at the far end of the plane, lying on his stomach with his face hidden in the crook of his elbow. Rolling your eyes at the predictable situation, you didn’t miss Davey laughing at your sorry state - nmaking you throw daggers at him in your eyes. 

Davey was your second father, the relationship between the two of you far transcended any professional working one. Which is why the two of you acting like this was very much a norm and not rude at all. He had also got the next best seat in the corner with the most leg room which he clearly loved to show off. 

Unsurprisingly then you and Tom ended up squashed into the corner with your legs crumpled up together in the small space floor space. The brunette opposite you didn’t seem to mind so much but that was because he had an adaptational advantage. He could sleep anywhere and everywhere , whenever he wanted. On set if he was tired? Just take a ten minute power nap on the floor. Bored of a long car journey? Just conk out against the window. It absolutely infuriated you, as no matter how hard and how exhausted you were - it was rare you could get any further than a light doze. Even before the two go you got together, having a best mate that could skip all the boring bits and was immune to jet lag… you can see how that makes you want to punch him square in the face.

After a short safety talk from the pilot and flight attendant, the plane whirred into life and you were up in the air. Although in your current state, it would be reasonable to assume the beauty of flying had somewhat rubbed off - you were certain it never would. No matter how many flights you took across country ,and in fact continents, for work; you’d never get sick of watching the view below you. It was perfect and breathtaking and took your mind off the pounding in the back of your head for the first 20 minutes.

Until the need for sleep took over as either you need to be unconcious or you were going to vomit - which you really didn’t want to do at 40,000 feet in a tin box. Trying to rearrange your limbs to get comfier you accidentally knocked Tom’s leg rather forcefully, causing him to jump half out his seat, heavy eyes blinking quickly as he tried to get his baring as to what was attacking him - quickly answered by your guilty look. 

“You okay love?” His voice was slurred, sounding almost sleep drunk - but perhaps was just actually still a little drunk. You’d only headed to bead last night at 4 am and had to be up at 6 - which isnt very long for your poor kidneys to try and process the stupid amount of alcohol you’d both  happily been chugging the night before.

“Feel shitty and cant sleep.” You weren’t in the mood to white lie - honestly some sympathy from your beautiful boyfriend seemed like a dream at the moment. Tom’s idea was better though.

“C’mere then.” His arms outstretched, you immediately jumped into his lap - the two of you shifting about to get comfortable till you were sat side on to him, your bum and back leaning against the arm rest of the chair with your legs going over his thighs and pressing against the wall of the plane. Pulling you closer to his chest, Tom took a deep breath as he pressed his chin against the crown of your head; your face now nested into his chest. 

Nothing needed to be said as the two of you melted into each others bodies, the slow and deepening breathing enough to prove to each other you were both incredibly contented in that moment. More than that you felt safe- you’d admitted to Tom some weeks ago that you had never ever slept better than when he was beside you. Yeh it was cringey but sometimes that’s allowed right? 

… well not to Harry. Because as the plane was about to begin it’s descent, the pilot had tasked Harry (who had slept off the worst of the hangover and had spent the last 30 minutes of the flight scoffing at how adorable the two of you looked fast asleep together) - even after Rach had scalded him and had taken a photo of the two of you on her phone. 

Causing Harry to ,ever subtly, wake the two of you up by throwing his half empty water bottle over your heads. 

Safe to say, Harry very nearly didn’t leave that jet alive.

[katymacsupernatural]

The Proposal Part 11

Jensen Ackles x Reader

Story Summary:  Jensen needs help keeping his life in order. To keep the media off his back. In order to do so, he comes up with a plan. Y/N, just a producer’s assistant, is pulled in to play a part she never thought she would have. Jensen’s fiancee. Only will it stay as a part to play, or will she start to want more?

Catch Up: Masterpost

The plane ride back to Vancouver was quiet, but not uneasy. Jensen had his script out, going over his lines while you mindlessly stared at the book in your hand. A historical romance book that seemed to have nothing on your life right now. 

Your life would make any fiction story pale in comparison right now. With a fake engagement that turned into a real engagement, you were sure it would be any author’s dream. But it was real, and it was happening to you. Now. 

How could you focus on the book in front of you when your mind continued to swirl around and dissect your current situation. How were things going to be now that you were back in Vancouver? Would working on set be awkward. How was Jensen going to act now that he was away from his family, and back with his friends and coworkers? 

And then there was the matter of your brother. You couldn’t wait until you could pry him away from your Aunt and Uncle. To get him back with you where he belongs. It was going to take time, and money, and patience. None of which you had much of. 

“Y/N, you’ve been staring at the same page for the last ten minutes now. What’s up?”

Giving up hope on the book, you closed it, placing it back on your lap. “Just thinking about what’s going to happen when we land. There’s so much that needs to happen or could go wrong. I just don’t want to disappoint you, or ruin things.”

Jensen reached for and grasped your hand, offering you support. “We’re in new territory for both of us. We’re both bound to make mistakes. It’s gonna happen. We’re still getting to know each other. On top of that, we’ve turned a fake engagement into a real one. It’s a lot of stress for both of us. But I believe we can get through it.”

He held your hand the rest of the way as the plane skidded to a stop. His words had calmed your nerves, at least for now. But you knew they were bound to pop right back up. After all, there were so many unknown variables.

Stretching in bed the next morning, you had to agree with Jensen. Your apartment was tiny, and probably not in the greatest part of town. It was one room, your kitchen, your living room and bed all within an arm’s length away from each other. Your neighbors across the hall got into tremendous fights, while the people above you listened to techno music at two in the morning. But it was yours, and you were able to save the rest of your money for the day you would be able to fight for your brother. 

You had tried to make the place homey, with your colorful quilt and vintage pictures hanging on the wall. But it didn’t hide the water stain in the corner or the stained tile in the kitchen. But it was your own place, and that had been enough until Jensen had stepped into the cramped space last night. His large stature had made the small place seem minuscule. He had glanced around, his face full of dismay. 

“This is where you live?” He had asked, and you nodded, slightly ashamed of your tiny run-down place. 

“It’s cheap. I can save the rest of my paycheck,” you had answered back defensively. 

He had continued to frown before leaving last night without saying another word, and you wondered how he was going to react today. 

You didn’t have long to wait. As soon as you arrived at the set, ready to let the never-ending duties of a PA keep your mind occupied, Jensen was tugging on your hand, pulling you into his trailer. 

“Morning to you too,” you muttered as he forced you to the couch. Handing you a cup of coffee, he perched on the stool across from you. 

“Morning,” he muttered distractedly. “Listen, I’ve been thinking. Most of the night to be in fact. About you and that apartment. About your brother. And I’ve come to a decision I hope you don’t mind.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“You’re going to move in with me. I know, we hadn’t talked about it before. But that seems like the best option. You’ll be somewhere safer. Somewhere your brother can move into that the court won’t argue with.” 

“Okay,” you answered simply, knowing that it was the best thing. While you loved having your own place, you would do everything in your power to get your brother back.

He seemed taken back that you didn’t put up an argument. “Good, that’s settled. Tonight, after work, you’ll get what you need and bring it to my apartment. We can go back later and get everything else, place it in storage for now.”

Sipping on your coffee, you couldn’t believe how fast everything was happening. “And my apartment?”

A knock on the door stopped him just as he opened his mouth to answer. “Jensen, you’re supposed to be in makeup!” 

“We can talk about that later,” he answered. “You can keep it, or whatever. But we’re going to have bigger things to worry about soon enough.”

He stepped out of his trailer, leaving you there with an empty coffee mug, and your heart racing. What big things? 

As you made your way to the offices, you wondered if you were going to be able to handle it all. It seemed like each new minute you were thrown a curveball, and soon enough one might be strong enough to knock you off your feet.

“Y/N!” Jim called out. “Come see me in my office please.”

Gulping, you followed him into the spacious office. The office that just last week had turned your life upside down. Sitting down on the edge of the seat, you stared nervously at him. “How was this weekend?” He asked, opening up his laptop.

“It went well,” you answered nervously. “His family was nice.”

“Good, good.” To be honest, he seemed more interested in his computer than you, and you hoped he would get to the point so you could go on with your day. Finally, he glanced up, turning the computer around. Jensen’s face was on the screen, on one of the main entertainment websites. “Is this Bachelor no longer available?” The title read. Skimming through the article, you saw they had found out about the party. But there was no mention of you by name. 

“I talked to Jensen this morning, and we want to make a more public announcement. The proposal at the brewery was fine. But we want it to be more widespread. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We want to do photos, Have a big engagement party up here. Staff, friends, a couple of entertainment magazine people. But before that, we will have staged engagement photos taken. I’m thinking Wednesday. Jensen has a light shooting day, and I can get someone to cover you. Of course, we’ll pay for your dress and the party. All you have to do is look pretty, and pretend to be in love with Jensen. That can’t be that hard, can it?”

Read Chapter 12

Dean/Jensen Tags: @acortez82​​ @acreativelydifferentlove​​ @adoptdontshoppets​​ @a-girl-who-loves-disney​​ @akshi8278​​   @bi-danvers0​  @cap-just-said-language​​ @colette2537​​   @deansgirl215​​  @flamencodiva​​ @hamiltrash1411​​ @its-not-a-tulpa​​ @jerkbitchidjitassbutt​​ @justanotherwinchester​​ @just-another-winchester​​ @karouwinchester​​ @keikoraventeller​​  @krys198478​ @librarygeekery​​ @magssteenkamp​​ @misspygmypie​​ @mlovesstories​​ @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk​​  @mrspeacem1nusone​​ @nothinbuttrouble2​​ @ria132love​​ @ruprecht0420​​  @screechingartisancashbailiff​   @sortaathief​​ @superseejay721517​​ @squirrelnotsam​​ @team-free-will-you-idjiot​​ @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​​ @torn-and-frayed​​ @tricksterdean​​ @wonderfulworldofwinchester​​ @woodworthti666​​ @beabutterfly987​ 

The Proposal Tags: @supraveng​ @vicmc624​ @lottieellz101 @impala-dreamer​ @maddiepants​ @emilyshurley​ @tonystark-makes-me-cry​ @starryeyeseunbyul​  @rach-12​ @spnfamily-j2​ @ima-be-a-mongoose​ @flamencodiva​ @compresshischest09​ @parinarain​  @stoneyggirl​  @tftumblin​ @massivelycreepypineapple​ @posiemax​ @traceyaudette​ @peacedolantwins2​ @eliwinchester99​ @deans-baby-momma​ @aiofheavenandhell​ @athenamikaelson​ @samsgirl93​ @meowmeow-motherfucker​ @chevyimpala00067​ @metalfangirl​

Forever Tags: @aditimukul​​ @alexwinchester23​​ @algudaodoce03​​ @amanda-teaches​​ @andreaaalove​​   @artisticpoet​​ @atc74​​ @be-amaziing​​ @camelotandastronauts​ @caswinchester2000​​ @cpag7​​ @chelsea072498​​  @closetspngirl​​ @deanwanddamons​​ @docharleythegeekqueen​​ @emoryhemsworth​​ @ericaprice2008​​  @esoltis280​​   @tatted-trina6​ @foxyjwls007​​ @gh0stgurl​​ @goldenolaf25​​ @growningupgeek​​  @heartislubbingdubbing​​ @heyitscam99​​ @hobby27​​ @horsegirly99blog​​ @imsuperawkward​​ @internationalmusicteacher​​ @iwriteaboutdean​​  @jayankles​​ @jensen-gal​​ @justsomedreaming​​ @just-another-busyfangirl @karlee-fay-my-wayward-son​​ @linki-locks11​​ @littleblue5mcdork​​  @lowlyapprentice​​   @mersuperwholocked-lowlife​​ @mogaruke​​ @monkeymcpoopoo​​ @musiclovinchic93​​  @nanie5​​   @percussiongirl2017​​ @plaid-lover-bay25​​   @roonyxx​​ @ronja-uebrick​​ @roxyspearing​​  @samanddeanmyheroes​​ @sandlee44​​ @shamelesslydean​​ @simonsbluee​​ @sillesworldofwriting​​ @sgarrett49​​ @spnbaby-67​​ @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​​ @spnwoman​​   @superbadassnatural​​ @thatcrazybookwormgeek​​   @thewinchesterchronicles​​ @valsworldofcreativity​ @vvinch3st3r​​  @whimsicalrobots​​ @winchester-writes​​ @zombiewerewolfqueen​​

[nugnthopkns]

don’t say you miss me

word count: 5.5k

warnings: explicit!fem reader, references to sex but nothing explicit, cursing, recreational drug use (marijuana), alcohol consumption, there is no happy ending

recommended listening: overnight | maggie rogers

series masterpost: here

a/n: second installment of hiiapl! little overnight inspired ditty that i’m actually pretty proud of. i’m having so much fun with this it’s insane

You had never meant to get attached.

It was a lot easier said than done – especially with Kevin. He was loud and obnoxious, sure, but it was part of his charm. When you first met him, outside a club in downtown Winnipeg, you were blown away by his duality. He had been so loud with his group but quietly brought you a bottle of water after you puked on the sidewalk. After insisting you take his number so you could let him know you got home safely, Kevin convinced you to go to dinner with him. One meal turned into several and before you knew it you were engaged in a casual fling with the Winnipeg Jets’ newest centre. It was mostly sex, with the ocasional interaction outside of the bedroom, but something about Kevin made it feel like more than just a hookup. Over the few months you slept together your feelings shifted, and you began to harbour a rather large crush.

Just when you were going to take the leap and talk to Kevin about getting serious fate reared its ugly head. After only being in Winnipeg for six months, electing to not return to Massechusettes right away after the Jets playoff run finished, Kevin was traded out of the city. The news split your heart in two – there was no way the two of you could become a couple. Though long distance could have been an option, you weren’t going to ask him to commit to that. Being a professional athlete is tough as is, and having a girlfriend a six hour flight away was extra stress you refused to put on Kevin. 

The last night you spent with Kevin was emotional. Lots of tears were shed, mostly from you. You knew he was compartmentalizing it all and trying to not let you know how much the trade was affecting him. Whenever the two of you had talked about hockey, Kevin was always quick to mention how much he loved Winnipeg and how much he wanted to stay. Neither of you talked much, too focussed on wallowing in sadness and committing each other’s bodies to memory. He left the next morning, and there was a silent agreement that whatever the two of you had was over. It was fun while it lasted but now you both have to be adults and get on with life. 

☼☼☼☼

Nearly six months later you consider yourself to be getting on with life just fine. You’ve got a better paying job, a new apartment, and enthusiastically throw yourself into any project that’s presented. To others, however, you’re barely hanging on. Any time you get a text notification, you hold your breath until a name flashes that isn’t Kevin’s. A notification from Instagram saying he viewed your story makes your heart beat three times as fast. You constantly check for updates on how he’s playing, and watch as many Flyers games media blackouts will allow just to catch a glimpse of his face. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t shake Kevin Hayes. 

“They’ll be in town this weekend,” your best friend Rachel says. “Are you gonna reach out to him?”

You nearly drop the carton of chinese food you’re eating on the floor. “I didn’t know that,” you stammer, trying to make your surprise believable. Kevin will be back in Winnipeg for the first time since being traded. You knew this already, of course, because you have the Flyers scheduled imprinted in your memory.

She narrows her eyes at you. “Don’t fucking lie to me. You knew they were coming to town. The NHL app stays open on your phone at all times.”

Caught in your lie, you can do nothing but duck your head. You’ve thought a lot about what you’re going to do. Should you send him a text, let him know you’re available after the game? Or should you ignore him completely and make it seem as though you’re doing much better than you are?

“I don’t know Rach. I’ve never had a sort of ex come back to the city he left me in.”

“He didn’t necessarily want to leave you,” Rachel points out. “He got traded. If you want my two cents, I don’t think you should give him a call. You need to move on, not stay stuck in the past.”

Your friend is right, and you know that’s what you should do. Moving on from Kevin would be easier if you didn’t try to contact him. He hasn’t reached out to you so you assume you’re the only one in the relationship still struggling to come to terms with his departure. You struggle with the decision until puck drop, but ultimately decide against texting him. It simply wouldn’t be beneficial for your fragile heart. 

A small group of friends has gathered at Rachel’s to watch the game. You’re lucky, or unlucky, to run with a crowd of die-hard Jets fans who get together any time they play, whether it’s at someone’s house or a sports bar around the corner from the arena. Though you tried your best to get out of it tonight, making up any excuse you can think of to stay at home and sob quietly into a pillow, Rachel knows better than to let you be alone and forces you to be in attendance. 

It’s a pretty quiet game with the Jets dominating the first two periods. The Flyers are sluggish, not connecting passes and taking far too many penalties. You’re pretty sure Winnipeg has it in the bag when the puck drops for the final twenty minutes of play, so you turn your attention away from the television, picking up a conversation with Christina, the girl your friend Tyler brought along. 

Some choice words must have been said to the Flyers in the intermission because they come out swinging. Before you can comprehend what’s happening, they’ve tied the game. The period is full of contact, with multiple players from each team spending time in the penalty box. Your attention is once again returned to the large screen for the final few minutes, and your jaw drops as you watch Kevin dangle through the Jets defence to sink the puck into the back of the net. It turns out to be the game winning goal, and you sit in silence as your friends pay up the money they lost in bets and check their updated fantasy pool standings. Maybe you should text him. 

“Don’t fucking do it,” you hear Rachel whisper in your ear. Your other friends know of your past with Kevin, they were around and spent some time with him, but they don’t know how much you were still holding on. Everyone besides Rachel assumes you’re alright – that Kevin is just a blip in your past. 

You roll your eyes and sigh, but tuck your phone back into the pocket of your jeans. It stays there – out of sight, out of mind – until it buzzes some time later. Expecting it to be your mother hounding you for not calling in a while, you pull it out. A message from Kevin flashes and you go whiter than a ghost. 

Taking the boys out celebrating the big win. You in? 

The words, so casual, feel like a punch to the stomach. Why the months of radio silence just to ask to see him like you’re friends? Making sure that no one is paying attention to you, you quickly type out a reply. 

That’s not a good idea and you know it Kevin. 

You send the message and immediately turn off your phone. This way you won’t have to deal with the aftermath until much later. You allow other things to hold your attention and don’t head home until you’re so tired that it will be impossible for you to think about Kevin’s text. 

When you power your phone back up in the morning, you’re shocked to find that Kevin never responded. He obviously didn’t care too much about your absence, and part of you wonders if he was just being polite. It doesn’t make sense, but instead of letting your brain overthink the lack of response you throw yourself headfirst into cleaning your apartment. Hours later it’s spotless, and you slump onto the couch in a pile of exhaustion. You check your social media notifications, a few mentions from your friends about the shenanigans you all got up to the night before and your sister tagging you in a post letting you know she’d like to visit a specific beach the next time she comes to visit. Kevin’s profile photo sits at the top of your instagram feed, and before you can stop yourself you click to view his story. 

It’s a snapshot of his teammates with bright smiles on their faces. Each of them is holding a can of beer, and a few look as though they shared a joint before entering the establishment. The photo is captioned ‘glad to be back in winterpeg’ and is accompanied by a couple of snowflake emojis. Your heart clenches inside your chest – it hurts more than you thought it would to see him enjoying himself as though he has no bittersweet feelings about being back. It would be beneficial to unfollow Kevin, but you can’t force yourself to pull the metaphorical trigger and completely cut him from your life. 

Kevin leaves the next day for Vancouver. You know this because you watch his story yet again, and curse yourself for grasping at straws. Why must he have such a strong hold on you after so long? A call to Rachel has her driving to your place in minutes, ready to hold you while you cry and distract you from the pain that still lingers from his first departure.

☼☼☼☼

It’s easier to forget Kevin without him being in the city – you do your best, and eventually it sort of sticks.

He no longer crosses your mind every few days. You go weeks, sometimes a month or two, without thinking about him. It’s nice to no longer get sad when you enter a bar you frequented with him or wince when someone mentions how he’s playing. It also helps that he never returns to Winnipeg. 

There’s no reason for him to. The Flyers don’t play another away game against the Jets the rest of season, and as far as you know he doesn’t frequently talk to his old teammates. Your life fades into a quiet routine you come to love dearly. The world feels balanced for the first time since Kevin left and you’re nothing but thankful. 

Life moves on, and you find yourself succeeding in your career – so much so that you’re quickly offered a promotion. The change increases your workload and doesn’t leave you much of a life outside of work, but it doesn’t matter much to you. It’s a welcome distraction and keeps thoughts of Kevin out of your mind. No one comments on your genuine improvement, but you know they can see it. Rachel is proud, and she’s told you exactly once. It’s all you’ll get out of her so you take it and roll with it. The rest of the regular season passes without you so much as knowing, or caring, and before you know it there’s a notification for an article saying the Flyers were eliminated in the second round. For the first time you find it really hard to care.

☼☼☼☼

Summers in Winnipeg are your favourite. The city is warm for the first time all year and the flowers look beautiful in full bloom. With the promotion you’re afforded more vacation time, which you plan to take full advantage. There’s nothing you love more than hanging with friends in the sun, soaking up the rays, and casually drinking. 

The days bleed into one another in the way that all good summers should, and before you realize it it’s your last day at work for a week. It will be nice to be free from workplace constraints for a while, and your friends have the time off as well. The group of you are heading to a cabin on Falcon Lake where you’re sure lots of partying will take place. You suggested getting farther away, but settled on the area in case Tyler’s sister goes into labour. He’s a very family oriented person and offered to watch his nephew when the time comes. 

Four o’clock comes faster than you ever could have imagined, and you cheerfully wave goodbye to your co-workers. Some complain of your ability to leave during the busiest season of the year, but most of them wish you well. You put an immense amount of work into your job regardless of the quarter and know you deserve the break. If you don’t stop at the grocery store on your way you’ll be in trouble since you’re in charge of all the breakfasts and you currently only have a half-eaten loaf of bread that could go stale any day. 

You’re in the cereal aisle, deciding whether or not you really need Honey Nut Cheerios for the trip, when you hear his unforgettable voice. It’s loud and booming and brings back so many feelings that you’ve learned to repress that you turn on your heel and head to the nearest self checkout despite only gathering half the items on your list.

Back in your car, you dial Rachel’s number and try to regulate your breathing. 

“Hello?”

You don’t bother with any formalities. “Kevin is here.”

“In Winnipeg?” she asks, more than a tad confused. “Why would he be in Winnipeg?”

The interior of the Ford Escape you drive feels too small, so you crack a window and peel out of the parking space. Rachel’s voice reverberates throughout the car thanks to the bluetooth system. “I don’t fucking know, but he’s here.”

“I don’t think that’s possible Y/N,” Rachel says, always the realist. “He lives in Boston. What would he be doing in Winnipeg in the middle of July?”

You aren’t sure, and make sure to tell her so. “But it was him,” you swear. “He was in the grocery store.” You stop at a red light, placing your blinker on and checking both ways before turning right. A few more minutes and you’d be safely tucked away in your apartment, away from the world and the possibility of running into Kevin.

“There’s like a hundred tall gingers in the city babe, you didn’t see him.”

“You’re right, I didn’t see him,” you agree. “I heard him. How many tall gingers are there in Winnipeg with Boston accents?”

“Oh fuck. I’m coming over.” With that, Rachel hangs up, and you pull into the parking garage. You sit in silence for a minute or two before deciding your shaking legs can hold you upright. Perhaps you weren’t as over Kevin as you thought. 

Rachel spends the rest of the afternoon and evening with you, ensuring you don’t do anything stupid and letting you spew all your feelings, both good and bad. More than one bottle of wine is consumed, but you have more than enough time to nurse a hangover. If you play your cards right through the week this won’t be the only time you do it either. 

You wake up on top of your pristine sheets, Rachel grumbling beside you – she’s never been as good at holding her alcohol.

“What time is it?”

The alarm clock on your bedside table flashes a few numbers and you have to stare at them for a minute before you comprehend them. “Just after eight,” you say, sitting up. Surprisingly, you feel fine. Maybe the crippling weight of your feelings for Kevin cancels out the hangover you most definitely should be feeling. 

“We need to get going. Gotta pack the car and hit the road. I’m the one who needs to get the keys so we have to be there before everyone else,” she sighs, grumbling something else under her breath as her feet hit the floor. 

You just laugh at her and head into the kitchen. While Rachel showers you make coffee and pack the food into the ancient cooler your father gave you when you moved out many moons ago. It has served its purpose on several trips like this – you’ll be sad to see it go eventually. You switch places with Rachel, and once you’re feeling refreshed the two of you stuff your trunk and hit the road. 

The drive is rather uneventful, with the both of you sitting in silence, and it doesn’t take you long to approach your destination. Rachel is a poor navigator so you’re tasked with figuring out where you’re going and making sure you get there, but it could be worse. You have a general sense of where you’re going. Getting the keys is painless and you get to work unpacking your overloaded SUV.

“Do you think there will be other people around we can party with?” Rachel asks as you close the trunk for the last time. 

You shrug. “Don’t know Rach. It doesn’t look like it.”

She drops it, agreeing with you, and you separate to unpack your personal belongings. The cabin is large enough that no one has to share a room, which you’re grateful for. Though you love your friends dearly, they don’t always know what personal space is. At some point in the afternoon the rest of the group trickles in, and by dinner you’ve all settled and are ready to party. 

Tyler figures out how to use the ancient barbeque and sets to work cooking the burgers. Everyone else gets side dishes ready or sets the table, with Christine starting a bonfire. You don’t know her well, only having met her a few times, but your friend seems to be infatuated with her. She fits in great with the group so you aren’t worried about any awkward tension. Dinner passes in a fit of giggles and shouts, and once the dishes are done you can relax fully. 

The beer you grab from the fridge on your way out the door makes your insides fuzzy in the best way possible. By the fire, surrounded by those who care about you the most, you feel at peace. You’re yet to think about the sudden reappearance of Kevin in Winnipeg, and you’d like to keep it that way. Someone grabs the beat up acoustic guitar you found in the living room and thrusts it in your direction. You’d taught yourself to play in college, and it comes in handy for times like this. 

“I refuse to play Wonderwall,” you laugh, shooting pointed looks at each and every person sitting around you. 

“Come on Y/N,” Rachel groans. “Just once?”

“Fuck off.”

You don’t mean it, of course, and strum the opening chords with a grimace on your face. Tyler counts everyone in and they sing for you, which is appreciated. You might be decent at playing, but your singing voice is one that shouldn’t see the light of day if it can be helped. It’s more fun than you imagined it could be so one song turns into three, and before you know it your makeshift jamboree attracts the attention of the neighbours you didn’t know existed. 

Applause erupts from behind you, and you flush enough that your cheeks warm significantly. “You guys are so good I hate to disrupt the rhythm,” a deep voice says, “But do you mind if a buddy and I join you? We’re a little lonely by ourselves next door.”

Tyler’s out of his seat in a heartbeat, jumping up to pat the man on the back. “Of course man, come on over! I’m Tyler, and that’s Rachel, Christine, Marshall, and Y/N.”

You all wave politely, and the mystery guest introduces himself. “Nice you meet you guys. I’m Nolan.”

It’s then you get a good look at who you’re speaking to. He seems to be a few years younger than you, maybe early twenties, and he has a face you just can’t place. Maybe you’ve seen him around Winnipeg – the city is small enough that you can often spot the same faces in a crowd. “I’ll just yell at him to come over and we can get the party started,” Nolan explains, “Kev, bud, come on over! And bring a couple beers.”

All the blood rushes from your fingers at the name. You shake them intensely, willing your circulatory system to function properly again. If you had to hazard a guess there’s probably a million people in Manitoba named Kevin. There’s no reason for it to be Kevin Hayes. You’re most certainly still spooked from your near encounter with him yesterday. 

“Fuck Patty, you couldn’t come back and grab your own?” the emerging figure grumbles in the vocal stylings you’ll have imprinted on your heart until your dying day. Kevin is here, and if you don’t leave in the next few seconds you’ll be face to face with him for the first time in over a year. 

You stand abruptly, not stopping to explain your hasty exit to anyone, and practically run into the house. The door slams behind you and you do your best to make your heart rate return to normal. Tyler shouts something you can’t quite comprehend, but you know it’s probably some sort of reconnection greeting. He’d met Kevin a couple of times while the two of you were together and had gotten along with him well. 

“Hey,” Rachel whispers, “You good?”

You hadn’t heard her come in. “Not really,” you admit. “I mean like I knew he was in town but never in a million years did I think he’d crash my fucking vacation.”

She nods in agreement. “What do you want to do?”

“Stay in here forever?” An eye roll is sent your way but you choose to ignore it. “I’m serious Rach, I can’t go back out there, at least not tonight. Every time I think I’m over him he finds a way to make me realize I’m just faking.”

“I know,” Rachel says simply. She really does – as your best friend she’s privy to your every thought on the matter. After making sure that you'll be okay she heads back outside, armed with an excuse for your early departure. 

You spend the rest of the night tucked under the covers, listening to the laughter of your friends outside, no doubt in your mind that Kevin is the source for most of it. He’s always been good at commanding an audience. Thoughts swim freely in your brain, most of them occupied by Kevin in some capacity. Was tonight just a one off? Will you have to eventually face him? What will you say? Eventually sleep comes, though it’s fitful and fleeting. 

☼☼☼☼

You do your best to avoid Kevin, and it works for a day or two. Tyler has stricken up a friendship with the athlete, and spends more time with him and Nolan than your group. You don’t mind all that much because they typically are out on Nolan’s boat or lounging in their cabin, but every night the group reconvenes at your firepit. The excuses are starting to run out – there’s only so many times you can say you have heat exhaustion before someone stops believing you.

“Y/N, Kevin hasn’t even mentioned you,” Tyler whines one night after dinner. “It won’t be awkward. We only have a few days left, please spend time with us?”

“I’m spending plenty of time with you,” you grumble. “You promise he won’t say anything?”

Tyler shoots you a smile that lets you know he knows that he’s broken down your resolve. “Why would he? If he was going to do it he would have already.”

You aren’t sure if that makes you feel better or worse. You’re glad he’s faring better than you, but on the other hand you wish he’d at least make an effort to inquire into your well-being. Maybe it was simply proof that you were still holding onto something that didn’t mean much of anything. Eventually you’d have to face the music, whether it be with Kevin or someone in the future, so you make the decision to try and at least get used to seeing former flames in social settings. 

“You’re rolling my joints tonight asshole,” you grumble, shoving your sock clad feet into a pair of worn out sandals. 

There’s a small commotion, mostly in excitement at your begrudging agreement, and you roll your eyes as you grab what is destined to be your first of many beers from the fridge. Rachel slides up beside you on the way out the door and squeezes your hand, letting you know she’s ready to support you no matter what happens. It’s comforting, and the nerves in your stomach settle a small amount. 

Marshall is already outside, helping Nolan start the fire. They seem to be extremely similar and you’re glad they can seek each other out when the rest of the group gets too rambunctious. The rest of your party filters out of the house and takes up residence in the adirondack chairs. Kevin doesn’t appear to be around, so you allow yourself to speak freely, loud and unabashed. 

“No I’m telling you,” you insist, trying to convince Nolan your stance on Jack Antonoff is correct. “Jack is literally responsible for reinventing pop production.”

He laughs at how into the conversation you are. “Why the fuck should I care?”

“Because you fucking listen to Lorde!” 

Someone else is laughing along with you and it nearly stops you in your tracks. At some point Kevin had joined the party, but you hadn’t noticed. Knowing that he was listening makes you suddenly self conscious, and you wrap your sweater tighter around your shoulders. Nolan can tell you’re uncomfortable and does his best to relieve the tension. 

“Kev, do you wanna run back and grab the weed?” he asks. 

The auburn haired man pulls a baggie out of his hoodie pocket. “Got it right here baby cat,” he grins. “And it’s ready to go. You got a light?”

Nolan tosses him the lighter and Kevin expertly puts the joint between his parted lips. He lets the smoke fill his lungs before exhaling, and you watch him more intently than you should. You’re thrown back to the memories of Kevin’s apartment downtown, where you’d smoke in content silence after a night of passionate sex. The scenes flash in your mind and you’re overcome with melancholia. You had been so happy in the moment, and now you’re in a similar situation but feel nothing. Other than sharing in your laughter, Kevin is yet to say anything to you. 

You must have been lost in your thoughts, because Kevin is staring at you with a quizzical expression. “Y/N? Do you want a hit?”

It takes you a second to snap out of your daze, but to cautiously take the lit joint from his hand. “Thank you Kevin,” you say, voice timid. It’s the first time you’ve spoken to him since he left Winnipeg for the first time. 

He shoots you a dazzling smile and your insides threaten to turn to mush. No matter how hard you’ve tried to convince yourself you over him, that you’ve moved on from Kevin, you know you’re wrong. Kevin Hayes will have some sort of hold on you until you die. To distract yourself from the overwhelming amount of emotion you inhale deeply, hoping that the buzz smoking will bring can clear your mind. You really don’t want to think about what you lost when he’s right in front of you. 

The three of you sit in silence, passing the joint in a circle, and listen to the conversation your friends are engaged in. Marshall ropes Nolan into a game of cornhole and he goes begrudgingly. As he stands he sends you a sympathetic look, and you know that he’s familiar with your history with Kevin. It doesn’t surprise you – Kevin isn’t exactly one to keep secrets. 

“So,” Kevin says once it’s just the two of you, “How have you been?”

You do your best to swallow the lump in your throat. “I’ve been good. Work has been crazy lately, so this break has been really nice.”

He presses, and you indulge him in a conversation about your new job, though it can barely be considered that now. Everything is surface level – you’re afraid of letting Kevin in too much. Though your fling may have been brief, it didn’t make his departure or the lack of contact any easier. He tells you about his life in Philadelphia and how much he loves it there. Before you can stop yourself, you ask him a loaded question. 

“Do you like it more than Winnipeg?”

Kevin falters. It takes both of you a moment to process what you said. Not one to lie, he answers truthfully. “Yeah.” It comes out in a sort of deflated sigh. “But I miss –”

“Don’t say it,” you rush, trying hard to keep your voice down. “You don’t mean it.”

An embittered huff comes from him, and you watch carefully as he peels the worn ball cap off his head and tugs on his curls. “I do,” he insists. “I absolutely miss you.”

You no longer care who can hear you. “If you missed me, you would have texted. Called. Anything,” you say cooly. Everyone else has clued in to the fact that something is going on between you and Kevin, and have migrated inside in an attempt to give you privacy.

“I did. You’re the one who said it wasn’t a good idea to see each other again.”

“Because it had been over half a year!” you shriek. “And it had been radio silence before then. You left Kevin, and I’m not blaming you. I know it’s your job. But you left and it was so fucking hard, and it stung because you didn’t even try. So when you hit me up after that game I knew I had to say no. Because no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I’m still so in love with you that if you asked I’d uproot my life and follow you to Philly. I don’t want to be that girl.”

The outburst leaves you gasping for breath. Never before had you spilled heartache so fast – with a sort of reckless abandon. Anytime you’ve had these types of conversations you’ve been calm and collected. You’re currently the farthest thing from it. 

Kevin’s expression softens, and a sadness fills his eyes. “I was scared,” he begins, “Because for the first time in my life I was with someone I could see spending the rest of my life with. Sure, we weren’t serious, but I was going to take it there. Then I got traded and the plans I had went to shit and I was too scared to do anything about it. So I let you slip away.”

Silence fills the space between you. You don’t know what to say, so you focus on unraveling the loose thread from the hem of your cardigan. Kevin shuffles in his seat awkwardly. “Where do we, uh, go from here?”

The question shocks you. To the best of your understanding, you had made it perfectly clear where your relationship was headed. “Nowhere,” you breathe. “You head back to Philly, meet another girl, and fall in love. I stay here, do my job, and learn to be content with myself.”

“There���s no room for us in your little plan?”

“We’ve run our course Kev. As much as I still love you, will always love you, we’re too fundamentally different for us both to really be happy in a relationship. You have to know that.”

He nods. “I do.” With that, Kevin rises from the chair, gives you a sad smile, and leaves. You assume he’s calling it a night, and you wish to do the same. Finally having that conversation was exhausting and all you want to do is sleep for the next twelve hours. 

☼☼☼☼

The rest of the trip passes without you seeing Kevin again. He and Nolan left early the morning after your conversation, and you do your best to enjoy yourself. Part of your brain makes you believe you’re the reason they left, though Tyler tells you otherwise. No one asks about what happened between you two, not even Rachel, and you return to the city determined to start anew. Eventually you break the cycle of obsessing over Kevin’s stats, and take it upon yourself to unfollow him on social media. Life goes on. 

Things never really get easier. You still find yourself grieving the loss of Kevin, late at night when you can’t sleep, but are confident in your decision to say goodbye for good. Time heals everything, and eventually you’ll be okay. 

☼☼☼☼

taglist: @jamiedrysdales​ @kiedhara​ @tortito​ @boqvistsbabe​ @iwantahockeyhimbo​ if you want to be added just shoot me an ask :)

[comebackbehere23]

2nd weirdest crossover I’ve written. I also definitely have about 4K more of this written, but this was all I could fit without reaching character limit.

“Just because our parents are married, it doesn’t mean I like you.”

“Oh, the sentiment is returned in full.”

Beca Mitchell glares at the younger girl, “Just stay out of my room, out of my business, and out of my life and we’ll be fine.”

“Fine.” Rachel scoffs. “I hate you.”

“I hate you too, pipsqueak.”

“Beca!”

Beca blinks furiously as she pulls herself from the memory and glances to her few excited acapella teammates. Everyone is watching with her with wide eyes, and all Beca can do is squirm uncomfortably as she shifts away from the looks. She knows why they’re watching her, they’re waiting for her excitement; Beca is minutes away from being reunited with her little sister and she is beyond thrilled.

“She’s here!” Flo calls from the window.

With a small smile, Beca allows her friends to pile out the door and welcome the youngest Mitchell into their embrace. Beca slowly makes her way to the front door and watches as her baby sister is stuck in a game of ping pong of hugs and kisses. As she watches, Beca can’t help but feel a little amazed by how much Rachel has grown. Not too much has changed really, she still has stars in her eyes and a smile too big for her face.

She’s still the same kid who came nose diving into her life when she was fourteen. But it’s different now, she’s different. She’s twenty and has been away at college for the last three years, she missed Rachel’s entire high school experience. She missed Rachel. Now, her little sister is here and she gets a chance to rebuild something that she knows is pretty much already unbreakable.

“Alright, alright!” Beca calls. “Let the girl breathe.”

“Rebbie!”

Beca winces, “On second thought, smother her.”

Rachel is full of giggles as she skips to her sister and throws her arms around her. Beca doesn’t bother to hide her smile, she doesn’t try to smother that part of her only her sister can bring out. If Beca is being honest, gaining a sister is the only reason why she got through her parents divorce. For the first few months, she hated Rachel but after a few awkward conversations over microwave dinners and swapping their musical passions, everything changed. She changed.

“Hey, pipsqueak.” Beca grins.

Rachel pulls away with a beam, “I missed you.”

“I missed you more. Believe it or not, there’s not a lot of people like you on this campus.” Beca teases, and Rachel simply waves her off. “Did you get here okay? How was your flight?”

“Beca, do you have actual...feelings?” Flo asks as she furrows her brow. “I thought you were much like the boy from back home who didn’t speak so they sent him to live in the forest.”

“They sent a kid to live in the forest?” Amy scoffs with a roll of her eyes. “Big deal. In Tasmanian, we sent a kid to wrestle crocodiles to prove we were a higher class.”

Stacie blinks in horror, “What happened to him?”

“He died.” Amy shrugs.

Beca slaps a hand to her forehead while her sister simply laughs, “Jesus. Rach, I promise you’ll get used to all of...this.”

“I like it.” Rachel assures her with a bittersweet shrug. “Back home, the Glee club never really accepted me for me. I-I didn’t have this. And having friends? That’s all I want. The bonus is that my friends get to become my family.”

“Don’t worry, Mini Mitchell,” Stacie beams as she bounces to wrap her arms around Rachel. “You’re here and this is a brand new start. So, how about we show you your room?”

Rachel nods happily, “Please.”

Beca watches with a small frown as Flo and Stacie eagerly swallow Rachel up in a herd to lead her into their house. As she watches her sister, Beca can sense a change. She isn’t sure what it is or what it means but it doesn’t feel good. It makes her stomach turn, and she’s determined to figure out what has happened to Rachel in the three years they’ve been apart.

“You good, Shawshank?”

Beca nods, “Yeah. Totally.”

“She’ll be okay.” Amy assures her as she claps a hand on Beca’s shoulder. “Just give it some time, yeah? We’ve got her back.”

“I know.” Beca chuckles. “Thanks, Amy.”

*

Rachel meets everyone in small clumps. She was greeted by Flo, Stacie, and Amy. Later, she was given a tour by Ashley and Jessica. After that, she had endured a quite disturbing conversation with Lilly before Beca had pulled her away. Now, she’s watching Beca anxiously stare at the front door as she waits for the important Bella to appear. And by important, Rachel can only assume that Beca is talking about Chloe Beale.

Chloe is the one thing that Beca always talked about when they would text or spend hours on FaceTime. She told Rachel about the shower, about her Bellas audition, about Chloe’s surgery, about their win at Nationals, and so on. And like any other fairytale that Beca has read her, Rachel waited in anticipation for the big kiss. For the happy ever after. Yet it never came. At least not with Chloe. Instead it came in the form of some guy named Jesse, someone Beca had only mentioned once and that was only because he has accidentally bumped into Chloe and didn’t apologize.

“Beca, I’m here! What’s so important?”

When Chloe appears, Rachel wants to slap Beca. She genuinely wants to pile drive her sister into the nearest concrete platform because Chloe is beautiful. She’s stunning. The photos and selfies Beca has sent her doesn’t do that older woman enough justice, especially when it comes to those blue eyes. Suddenly, Rachel understands just why Beca hasn’t made a move on her. She understands why her sister ended her relationship with Jesse before it could even really begin; she ended it because of those damn baby blues.

“Chlo,” Beca drawls. “This is my little…”

“Oh. My. God.” Chloe squeals. “You’re Rachel.”

“I am.” Rachel nods. “And you’re Chloe.”

“I have heard so much about you.” Chloe sighs as she sweeps Rachel into a tight hug. “Beca has a calendar that has been counting down to this day. It’s so cute.”

Beca slaps a palm to her face, “Chloe.”

“What? It’s true. Out of all of us, you are the only one with a younger sister. Can you aca-believe it? The rest of us are stuck with older siblings or smelly baby brothers.” Chloe pouts as she pulls away from Rachel. “Don’t be ashamed of how much you love her.”

“I’m not.” Beca chuckles. “I really am happy for her to be here.”

Chloe crosses the room to cup Beca’s cheeks as she grins, “You’re so cute.”

“I’m late! Oh darn, I am so late!”

Chloe pulls away from Beca in time to watch as Emily spills into the house and stumbles over the rug. It isn’t a shock to anyone when her books go flying and she lands with a thud, but Rachel is quick to rush forward to help her pick up her books. And as Emily looks up, Beca sees it. She sees the moment a spark is lit, it’s the same spark that was lit for her three years ago at that activities fair.

“Wow.” Emily swallows hard. “Uh, hi.”

“Hi.” Rachel whispers. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Uh huh.” Emily nods as she stumbles to her feet and accepts the book Rachel offers her. “You didn’t have to help. Thanks.”

“It’s no problem.” Rachel grins.

Emily sputters as she offers her hand, “I’m Emily. Emily Junk. And yes, I said junk. Like the stuff you find in the garbage...but I’m not garbage. Or at least I don’t think I am.”

“I definitely don’t think you’re garbage. At least you don’t look or smell like it.” Rachel giggles as she accepts the soft handshake. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard all about you, Legacy. I’m Rachel. Rachel Berry-Mitchell.”

Emily keeps the smile on her face as her eyes go wide, “Oh shit.”

“Yeah,” Beca snorts. “Oh shit is right.”

*

“So, are you going to help me unpack?”

“What’s the point?”

Quinn glares at her sister, “Seriously?”

“Q-Tip, I’m in the middle of finishing this project. Alex and I are halfway done and if we finish in time then that means dinner with Kara, and I haven’t done that in days.” Lena reminds her. “So, unpack by yourself.”

“Thanks. Always such a big help.”

“I allowed you to move into my apartment, didn’t I? I saved you from having to suffer through the tortures of dorm life.” Lena points out as she nudges her goggles back up her nose. “And I’m hiding your major from mom and dad.”

Quinn rolls her eyes, “I appreciate it.”

“That’s the attitude I’m looking for.” Lena smirks.

With a sigh, Quinn hauls another box into her room and looks at the bare walls. For the next four years, this is going to be her home. After begging and crying, Lena had relented and allowed Quinn to move into her apartment so she could avoid Barden’s dorm rooms. But now that she’s here, it feels so...empty. Even though she can smell her sister’s perfume everywhere and see pictures of the life she left back in Lima plastered everywhere.

No, the emptiness comes from the giggles that Lena gives as she studies with her best friend. Or the way she flushes when her phone lights up. It’s an empty sadness and jealousy that reminds her that her sister already has created a new life, she has escaped their parents expectations. But Quinn? No, Quinn is their last shot. With one kid in jail and the other gay, Quinn is their golden ticket. Their golden child. And she refuses to ruin that.

“Maybe that’s why you’re so lonely.” Quinn sighs.

And maybe, maybe it is.

[brighter-by-the-daly]

Rachel Daly x Reader

Child’s Play

Posted: 16/04/23 Edited: 09/07/23

It was the day of the second round of the Arnold Clark Cup. The squad aren’t allowed their phones before the game so you were anxiously scouring social media to find out where Rach was going to be playing, if at all. She came off the bench up front the last game and you know how much it means to her to be up front for her country. She lies and says she’s happy to play anywhere, which is true but what she really wants is to be a striker. The squad list was announced as you were making your way into the stadium but you still couldn’t tell where she was going to be placed, making the whole ordeal more exciting. You all found your seats and waited for the girls to start warming up, your friends and family had their flags and face paint on. You were wearing your Daly shirt of course - your girlfriend doesn’t let you leave the house on match days without it.

Hearing the studs tip tapping along the tunnel as you saw your team appear, Rach and Millie laughing like always as they travelled over to their corner to warm up. You wandered over to where they were with some other fans who had accumulated and watched them from the sidelines, utterly besotted with your girl like the first night you met. They finished the first warm up and as they went to the next set up you called her name, just as other people were doing but she could tell your voice a mile away. Her face lit up as she spotted you “where you playing?” you shouted to her. Rach didn’t say a word except quickly raising her eyebrows which you immediately understood to mean she was playing up front, a huge smile spread across your face knowing your girl will be elated. “You better smash it babe!” you shouted to her from the sideline. “Plan on it baby” she gleamed as you mouthed ‘love you’ and blew kisses to each other.

“Excuse me” you heard as someone tugged on the bottom of your shirt, turning around to see a very small girl and her mum who mouthed ‘sorry’ to you. Your face looked confused, “are you Rachel Daly’s girlfriend?” the girl asked, “I am, yes” you replied crouching down to her eye level. “Will you be getting married?” her words nonchalant which made you blush, “ah, I think that’s a question you’ll have to ask her yourself” you smiled. “I like that girls can marry girls if they want to” she said innocently, “I think that’s pretty amazing too” you grinned at her. “Can I have a photo please?” she pointed at mum’s phone, “with me?” you questioned with surprise as she nodded at you. “Of course you can, what’s your name?” picking her up for mum to take a photo. “Amerie” she said proudly. “What a beautiful name!” you announced to her, “Rachel’s her favourite player” mum said as Amerie nodded to confirm that her mum is indeed correct. “Mine too!” you laughed “can you see her?” Facing the girl towards the pitch you pointed out Rachel who was already looking in your direction and waving, you and Amerie waved back. “Mum! Rachel waved at me!” she exclaimed as you put her back down. Her mum said thank you as they went to find their seats.

Rachel’s perspective:

Trotting out onto the pitch and over to the corner I was laughing with Millie about something or other. I spotted my lady walking towards where we were warming up long before I acknowledged she was there and tried to stay focussed on the set up. Trying that little bit harder to get my legs higher and my runs faster as I knew she was watching. When I heard her call my name it was like music to my ears, the way she says my name with her accent is adorable. She asked where I was playing but was told to keep it a secret so made a little gesture only she would know. She told me to smash it, so that’s what I will do. I always do better when she’s watching as I want to make her proud. Blowing a kiss and jogging towards the centre of the pitch for the next warm up my eyes remained firmly on the love of my life. I saw her talking to other people as she was asked to take photos for fans, then I noticed her holding a little girl waving at me. I made sure to remember where the girl was sitting so I could give her my shirt later. She looks like she was made to be a mum with the girl balancing on her hip like a laundry basket, it suits her. We haven’t talked about children yet and that could be a deal breaker, I definitely want children.. and lots of them.

The girls won the game easily against Italy, Rachel scored two goals for her country which surely must cement her as a striker in Sarina’s books now. She came bouncing over to you before you left, leaning over the barrier all giddy. “Do you want children?” she blurted out of no where and catching you off guard. “Wow okay, getting into this now?” you watched the blonde bun on her head flop around as she nodded frantically. “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest” you replied to her sudden questioning. “Would you want kids with me?” her speech was fast and rushed like she needed the answer now and wasn’t going to stop until she got it. “This is a deep conversation to have in a stadium babe” you laughed nervously, “I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I watched you with that girl” she said eagerly awaiting your response. Placing your hand on her cheek, “Rachy, if you want kids we’ll have kids. If you don’t want kids we won’t” causing your girlfriend’s face to turn pensive. “I saw you give your shirt to Amerie, she’s your biggest fan” you prodded her breaking the silence, “yeah she told me! She was cute. She also asked if I’m going to marry you” which made you blush. “Oh yeah what did you tell her?” twirling your hair between your fingers with curiosity. “Well that’s a secret between me and Amerie” she winked making the butterflies wake up in your stomach. Jumping over the barrier to kiss you one last time before running off with her team.

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Touching | 8. shielding the other one with their body, Dick & Rachel - for @wonderbatwayne

Fandom: DC Titans

Title: Safe Haven

Series: Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

Pairings/Relationships: Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth

Summary: "The answer is simple, Grayson. Five years ago in this very place you took what's mine away from me. Now I'm taking what's yours."

2x07 AU

Check out the prompt list | REQUESTS OPEN

____________________________________________

Safe Haven

You really wanna be back here?

Dick tried to ignore his father's voice as he marched between the rows of wooden benches.

"Where is he?"

Deathstoke led him to this church - to the place where everything went down five years ago. But now it was empty.

Bruce showed up in front of him, blocking his way.

He's feeding on your guilt. Like a spider. He's lured you away from where you need to be… who you need to protect.

"He killed my friend," Dick argued.  "Nearly killed Jason. He has to be stopped."

Very heroic of you. Except… you don't give a shit.

He scoffed, shaking his head. "You don't know."

But I do, Bruce said as he walked up to him. I know everything. That's why you brought me. Just like I know why you keep sneaking off on these solo runs, just like you did five years ago. You have blood on your hands. 

"Not just me."

But you have more, son. Blood only you and Slade know about. You're afraid of the dark. Always have been. Even as a little boy. The great chasm of silence. The coldness of isolation. You're afraid if the others know your secret they'll leave you and you'll be alone, again. And they may. 

His heart sped up in his chest, his mind forgot how to breathe for a monent.

"They don't need to know," he said finally. "What difference does it make? It's done, it's in the past. It's behind me."

But it's not. It's got to come out.

"God damn it!" he shouted, feeling his nerves snapping. He was really getting tired of all this bullshit. "Can you leave me alone?"

You know how to get rid of me. You've known the whole time.

Tears started burning behind his eyes.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

Of course you do, son. You always have. You just have to tell the truth.

But he couldn't. It was too much. It would destroy him, destroy everything he had with his team.

"It's too hard." he whispered, dropping his head in shame. It was getting harder to keep tears at bay.

His father reached out and gently brushed his fingers down Dick's cheek. Even if he was only a prodcut of Dick's own fucked up mind the touch felt very real and it brought some sort of comfort to him. 

His gaze then fell on the altar and he froze, noticing something he hadn't before. Bruce stepped out of his way when he moved and walked up the stairs to a heavy wooden table. Upon one look at the display it showed his blood ran cold.

At least a dozen pictures were scattered among lit candles and each one of them showed Rachel. Sitting on a couch with Gar, both laughing. Talking with Kory. Eating breakfast in the kitchen with Hank, Dawn and Donna around. He saw himself in those photos too - training with her in one, walking with her on the street in the other, with coffee cups in their hands and his arm wrapped around her shoulders. But in most of these pictures she was alone, usually somewhere around the Tower, in her bedroom or the kitchen and it was clear all the shots were taken without her or any of them knowing. 

At the very centre of the table was a small black box. 

With a shaking hand and a heart hammering in his chest Dick reached for it and slowly lifted the lid. On a white satin pillow meant to hold some kind of jewelry lay a lock of dark blue hair, coated in crimson blood.

Dick's knees almost gave out under him, sending him on the floor.

"No."

He left those for you, Bruce said behind him. He turned to his father for a moment, his face twisting in shock and confusion, but quickly came back to the display, hoping it disappeared when he wasn't looking. Because it couldn't be real, just like this Bruce wasn't real. It couldn't be happening. But the pictures were still there, as well as the box and the candle flames were still burning. 

Go home, Dick, his father's voice rang in his ears. It seems like one way or another, the monster's been in the Tower all along. 

He couldn't take it anymore. The mix of fear, fury, worry, confusion and dozens of other conflicted emotions he couldn't name was about to explode, ripping him apart from within. He smashed his hand on the table sending all the pictures and candles flying, tossed it all on the floor in blinding rage and whipped around, ready to run out of the church. He needed to get back to the Tower, to find Rachel. Maybe this was all some kind of a sick joke, maybe Slade is bluffing, playing mind games on him to keep him on edge. Maybe it's all one big-

"Well, look who finally made it."

Dick stopped to a halt, his breath hitching in his throat. The front door to the church was open, revealing no other than Deathstroke standing in the door frame with his blade pressed to Rachel's neck. She was almost limp in his hold, barely awake but conscious enough to be standing on her feet. Her head was swaying dangerously like she's in a haze, the side of her face covered in blood oozing from a split on her temple. 

"Dick…" she muttered, her voice weak and faint as a whisper in the wind carried out in the acoustics of the place and his heart jumped to his throat. He instinctively moved, wanting to rush to her but Slade stopped him, tightening his grip on her and pressing the blade harder to her skin. A drop of blood trickled down the shiny steel and Rachel instantly stilled.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." the masked man said slowly, a clear warning in his deep voice.

Dick sucked in a sharp breath, his nostrils flaring. "What did you do to her?"

"Not much. Yet." he slowly tilted his head to the side. "I just gave her something to neutralize her powers. A small gift from this little group that eloquently calls themselves… The Organization?"

Dick felt his fists clenching so tight his knuckles must have turned white. He was trembling but unable to move. His eyes were locked on Rachel's pale face as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Questions were piling up under his skull, starting with how did this happen but there was no time for getting answers, first and foremost he needed to protect Rachel.

"I hope you enjoyed our little game." Slade continued, pushing Rachel onward so he could walk deeper into the church. She staggered on wobbly feet but he didn't let her fall. He wasn't gentle in holding her up either and hearing her grunt made Dick grit his teeth. "You must have had a nice ride around the city, following false leads and fake clues. Gave me enough time to get to this one while the others were busy jumping to each other's throats."

He risked one step forward, glaring at the face hidden behind the mask.

"What do you want from her?" he asked instead of giving Slade satisfaction by reacting to his words. "It's me you're after and I'm here. So let her go and let's get this over with. Rachel has nothing to do with this."

Slade let out a gurgling laugh and shook his head which only infuriated Dick more. His blade twitched in his hand and Rachel flinched, her face twisted in pain.

"Oh don't you see? She has everything to do with this." His masked face got uncomfortably close to Rachel's face and she turned her head away, cringing in fear and whimpering. Dick barely could hold himself back from lunging at Slade. "Poor kid. Snatched from the street, taken under the caring but broken wings of The Fallen Grayson just to be let down and end up dead. Funny how history loves to repeat itself but twists the ending at the last moment."

His arm gripped her tighter and Rachel's body tensed like a string that's about to snap. Her breath quickened and pupils widened up in terror. Their eyes met for the first time and Dick's heart broke seeing how scared she was, how she was silently begging him to save her.

"Rachel!"

"The answer is simple, Grayson." Slade hissed, fixing his grip on his sword and shifting the blade so the cold steel was now touching Rachel's cheek. "Five years ago in this very place you took what's mine away from me." He moved the blade slowly, making a shallow cut on her face and Rachel whimpered in pain. "Now I'm taking what's yours."

And he pulled the sword down.

"DON'T!" 

Slade stopped with the sword pressed to her carotid artery and looked at Dick who was aiming at him with the gun he was holding in his hand this whole time. His finger stilled on the trigger, grip so tight his knuckles bleached but his arm - no, his entire body - was shaking. His breath became shallow and rapid, heart trying desperately to break out of its cage.

"DON'T HURT HER!" he shouted and risked taking a few steps closer. He must have looked like a madman and he wouldn't be one bit surprised because that's exactly what he felt right now - madness. "Don't you fucking touch her or I SWEAR TO GOD-"

Deathstroke scoffed.

"We both know you're not gonna shoot." he said in a tone so light like they were discussing weather or something equally trivial. 

Dick brought his other hand up to steady his grip on the weapon but in his current state it did him no good.

"Watch me."

"Are you willing to risk your precious little girl's life, like you did with Jericho? Or have you learned from your mistakes by now?"

"Don't listen to him, Dick!" Rachel suddenly spoke. Her voice was strong and she was staring at him with terrified but focused eyes. Dick let himself quietly sigh in relief. Whatever drug Slade had given her must be wearing off.

"Shut up." the assassin growled in her face, threatening her with his weapon again. She eyed the sword and gulped down hard but remained silent.

Dick took another step closer.

"Rach, look at me." he asked gently, for a moment not caring about how Slade might react. Risky move but he needed to talk to her. She did as he told her and their eyes met. "Listen, you're gonna be okay. I promise."

"Oh, isn't it adorable." Slade scoffed again, shaking his head. Dick was almost sure the man was rolling his eyes under that hideous mask. "I see you've learned nothing. Even after all this time you lie in their faces that they're gonna be safe with you. It's pathetic."

Neither of them were listening to his little tirade. While Slade was talking they were having their own silent conversation. Rachel held Dick's gaze to make sure she had his attention, then pointed her eyes at the elbow of the arm Slade was holding her with. Then her eyes went back to Dick and she mouthed one short word.

Shoot.

He shook his head, feeling a bile of fear forming in his throat. It was a huge risk. An inch to his right and the bullet could pierce Rachel's chest. All it takes is for Slade to move or Dick's arm to tremble. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if the bullet went the wrong way.

But her eyes were full of faith and confidence when she was looking at him. A small smile appeared on her lips. She knew he was hesitating because of her and tried to encourage him as well as she could without Slade noticing. He could read what she was trying to tell him in her face.

I know you won't hurt me.

He would never. He'd rather die the most painful death than be the reason a single hair falls off her head.

He pulled the trigger.

Deathstroke's armor clinked when the bullet made contact with his elbow. It didn't do any damage, but that wasn't the point. Slade cried out, more surprised than hurt because he didn't think Dick would actually fire that gun, but the impact made him release Rachel from his hold. She was still swaying on unsteady feet but she instantly lunged herself to the side, hiding between the rows of benches and getting out of the way.

Good girl.

In the meantime a fight broke out between two men. Dick charged at Slade, fueled by hot rage burning inside of him. He didn't have his Robin suit anymore or any of his gadgets but his body was a weapon in itself due to years of training and experience. He was throwing kicks and punches, dodging and turning and moving. Slade threw away his sword and sent him falling on his back with one strong kick to his chest, but despite the hit pushing all air out his lungs Dick managed to quickly jump back to his feet. They danced around each other like it's a choreography learned a long time ago and the moves are now coming back to them with clarity after years of not using them. Every move of the assassin was full of precision and technicality, cold, strong and perfectly aimed while Dick filled his every action with images of those he was fighting for. He thought of Garth falling to the ground with bullet in his chest while connecting his foot with Slade's jaw, sending his head to the side. He thought of Jason hanging on one hand from one of the tallest buildings in the city with terror in his wide eyes as he punched Slade in the diaphragm so hard the skin on his knuckles split and started bleeding. He thought of Jericho bleeding out on the floor of this church when he jumped on the benches and swiftly moved to find himself behind Slade's back. And he thought of Rachel, pale as ghost and terrified, with blood trickling down her face when he round kicked Slade in the back, sending him to his knees.

"So emotional." the man grunted and straightened up. He reached for his baton and with one push of a button turned it into a spear. "So… attached."

Dick roared like an angry lion and attacked again.

This time Deathstroke got the upper hand, pushing Dick back towards the altar. Blocking the spear wasn't easy without any weapon in his hand and soon he was covered with smaller and bigger cuts. He fell on his back at the stairs, hitting the back of his head so hard his sight became foggy but he still managed to use his legs to cut Slade from his feet. However, the man didn't lose his balance, only jumped out of the way and pushed his heavy boot to Dick's chest, then pressed the blunt end of the spear to his Adam's apple.

"You were right," Deathstroke breathed out, turning the spear around. Dick heard his voice as if coming from underwater. His mask was a blur of color. "Let's get this over with." Then he raised his arm and stabbed.

But the blade never made it to Dick's chest.

First he saw a shadow looming over him and when his sight cleared he recognized the head of blue curly hair. He lifted himself on his elbows watching in horror while his heart screamed in agony.

No. Not again.

Please, not again.

Rachel pushed herself between him and Slade and shielded him with her own body, just like Jericho did five years ago.

She slowly looked down at the blade sticking out from her chest before Deathstroke harshly pulled it out. Her hands covered the wound, her fingers instantly turning red and then she swayed, about to fall down.

"Rachel, no!" Dick cried out and caught her, laying her down on his chest. A sob wrecked his body when he saw the waterfall of blood coating the front of her black sweater, making the warm wool stick to her body. He pressed his hand to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding while she looked up at him with those big blue eyes and he felt tears falling down his cheeks. "Oh God, Rachel. What did you do?"

"I had to- s-save you-" she choked out, a drop of blood trickling down from the corner of her mouth. She covered his hand with her own and squeezed it tight. "I cou-couldn't let you- d-die."

In the meantime Slade stepped back and hid his weapon. He was watching the scene in front of him unfold, still as a statue.

"Now you know how it feels," he said, aiming his words at Dick, who lifted his tear-stained face to glare at the man, "to have your own child bleeding out in your arms. Death would've been a mercy for you, Grayson. This… this is a lesson you will never forget."

"I will fucking kill you." Dick snarled at him, gritting his teeth. "I'm gonna hunt you down, you hear me?!"

Deathstoke chuckled and turned his back to him.

"Good luck with that." he threw over his shoulder then headed out of the church, leaving the other two alone.

Dick made some sort of a sound. A noise that he himself couldn't even describe. It sounded as if something had brutally ripped his chest open and tore out of it. He roared like an animal, venting his despair and anger.

"Dick..." a soft whisper pierced through to his consciousness, drawing his attention. "It's okay."

Another sob shook his body.

"Rachel… Rachel, my Rachel." he whispered, hugging her and frantically brushing the hair wet with blood and sweat away from her pale face.

So much blood. He was completely covered in it now, it soaked through his clothes and bit into his skin.

"It's not okay." he shook his head. "I'm supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around."

She managed to smile at him.

"We're supposed to… save each other… remember?"

"Not like this." he said, his voice breaking. "Never like this."

She squeezed his hand again. Their fingers, slick from her blood, entwined together tightly.

"You were my… save haven."

He froze, his heart hammering in his chest. Then the meaning behind her words hit him like a speeding train and he held her tighter.

"No. Don't say that." he ordered desperately. "This is not a goodbye, you hear me? You're not going anywhere."

"Dick-"

"No! Help me." he croaked, pressing their clasped hands against her bleeding heart. "Use your powers. Take my energy, absorb it."

She coughed, spitting blood. They were running out of time.

"I can't- h-heal myself."

"Yes, you can. You have to."

But she didn't seem to hear him. Her eyelids closed slowly and her head fell on his arm.

"Rachel?" Dick's voice grew louder, breaking and rising like waves away at sea. "Rachel, my baby, please, honey, open your eyes, it's me, Dick, I'm here with you, I'll always be here, please, please…"

He leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, letting out a painful cry. He howled like a wolf, his shoulders trembling, heavy tears splashing on her round cheeks. It was his fault. All of it was his fault. A part if him knew it would end like this the monent he met her. But his love was too strong and he ignored the warning. Now she was paying the price. 

"Don't go, Rach." he begged, his voice shattered. "Don't leave me alone in a world without you in it."

He closed his eyes and squeezed her hand with such force that he felt her knuckles grinding in his grip.

Rachel, please come back. We can do this. You saved my life in more ways than you can imagine. Nothing is impossible for us. I love you, okay? I love you and please come back to me.

He reached deep into his memories. Rachel at the police station in Detroit looks up and stares at him as if she saw a ghost; Rachel, curled up in the bathtub of that crappy motel, surrounded by scraps of paper with crosses drawn on it, throws herself into his arms crying; Rachel leans over him in the asylum and reminds him of his promise to never to leave her; Rachel comes out of the fog with her head held high proudly after defeating Trigon; her smile and eyes wide open when she saw the inside of the Tower for the first time. And many, many other memories he will cherish for the rest of his life.

Heal, he begged because there was nothing else left to do. Take my life, take it all. Heal.

Something changed. Rachel's hand in his hold started getting warmer. He lifted his head slightly, blinking away tears and gasped at the sight of a bright purple glow seeping through his fingers. He watched in complete awe as the wound on her chest slowly started closing until there was nothing left beside a thin pink line that was already fading as well. The color came back to her face and she took a gulp of air, almost choking on it. Then she sat up, her eyes opened wide and she pressed her hands to her chest but to no use because there was nothing there, only drying blood on her clothes. She looked down at herself then back at him.

"How?"

He smiled at her and scooted closer. 

"I told you you can heal yourself."

Her brows furrowed in confusion but then understanding flooded her face and she smiled back.

"It wasn't just me… it was you, Dick. You willed me back to life and… and my powers listened." she grabbed his hands in hers. "I didn't heal myself, you healed me."

Still holding her other hand he reached out to cup her face. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes.

"All I knew was that I couldn't lose my safe haven." he whispered softly and that's all it took for her to fall into his arms.

She clung to his shirt, buried her face in the curve of his neck and started sobbing. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her on his lap and started rocking her gently. He loved how warm and familiar she felt in his hold, how solid and safe she was. He pressed a loving, desperate kiss on the crown of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"I love you so much." he mumbled into her skin. Rachel shivered and hugged him tighter.

"I love you, too."

Dick leaned away and took her face in his hands, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Let's get outta here, huh? We need to get you cleaned up."

She glanced at the blood on her clothes, then moved her gaze to his own bloody shirt and jacket.

"You don't look exactly better, you know?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead, thanking God she was still here.

"Yeah, it was my favorite jacket. Now I have to burn it." they both laughed, happy to relax and lighten up, but looking at her face made him worried again. "You sure you're okay?"

Instead of answering Rachel stood up on her own and reached a hand out to him.

"Definitely."

He took it gratefully and got up to his feet, then immediately pulled her closer, crushing her to him.

"I am never letting you go again." he said, his voice hoarse and heavy from emotion. 

Rachel melted into him and took a deep breath.

"Please, don't."

Over her head he noticed Bruce standing by the church's door. His father smiled proudly at him and nodded, then slowly turned around and walked out, disappearing in the light of day.