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eagles-translated · 3 years ago

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Analyzing the writing of Eagles

Here's a post I've been wanting to make for a while! I've expressed my thoughts on some of the storylines in previous posts, but I've never done a complete post on the writing of the whole show. I've divided this post into separate parts, focusing on each season and its plot points. Keep reading to see my analysis of the writing in Eagles! 👇 Word Count: 18k

If you've stumbled upon this post from the Young Royals or the Beartown tag (tagged them since I've drawn some parallels from those shows), here's a brief summary of what Eagles is, which you can watch with English subtitles here. This post contains Eagles spoilers from 1x01 - 3x10.

Eagles is a Swedish TV show that revolves around a few teenagers living in the Swedish ice hockey town Oskarshamn while experiencing friendship, love, and rivalry on the ice.

To start this off I would like to say that I have no experience with professional screenwriting and if anything, this is just a way for me to procrastinate on actually writing my own projects.

I love experiencing new stories and when I discover one I really like it's just natural for me to branch off with "what ifs" and to start wondering how the story would've turned out if some things were changed. Sometimes it's with a storyline improvement in mind, and other times it's just out of plain curiosity.

You might feel like this post is leaning towards the critical side, and I can definitely understand why since there are a lot of small details that I've picked apart from all seasons. I added a section for each season with things that I thought were really well done so this post wouldn't be too negative.

I actually did enjoy all seasons and I feel like the quality of not just the writing but every single thing has steadily increased each year.

Season 1: Tropes and clichés

Eagles premiered its first season in 2019 and was, despite many negative reviews, a big success among its target audience. Every episode on SVT Play amassed around 700 000–800 000 views and there didn't seem to be any doubt that the show would get renewed.

What the critics had issues with were that "Eagles rarely takes the unexpected path, and feels like a slightly soulless product of studied target group thinking a little too often," (Karolina Fjellborg in Aftonbladet) and "In Eagles, the characters seem to be locked in the role of a "teenager" but the humanity is missing. They've simplified the construction of the character," (Django Lorentzson in MovieZine).

Eagles was unfortunate enough to constantly be compared to SKAM in its infancy, and that's a tough comparison to live up to. SVT sort of shot themselves in the foot as they were the ones who contributed to it. While the show was still in the casting process, SVT wrote an article hyping the show up as a Swedish SKAM (which has since been edited, but led many to falsely believe that it would involve all the familiar SKAM characters with some hockey elements sprinkled in).

So, why exactly did critics think the first three episodes of the show were predictable and soulless? Well, it's pretty simple. They'd seen it all before. The setting, the characters, the storylines—just in different TV shows and movies.

Season 1 for me is nostalgic and very enjoyable despite its clichéd nature. I also felt like I'd seen the show before due to its generic storylines, but there is a reason why tropes are tropes and why clichés are clichés. It's because they're tried and true, and actually somewhat good writing tools as long as you expand on them. The keyword here is to expand—a story doesn't magically become good simply because you mimic something another writer has done. Tropes are fine to use but you can't just apply them and stop there. Everything in a story needs to be developed in order to be good.

It's safe to say that it's pretty much impossible to write a story without any tropes that have been used before. Striving to avoid clichés at all costs in hopes of making your story as original as possible is harder than it sounds, and almost impossible to boot. Here's a great piece of advice for aspiring writers written by a user on Carvezine:

[...] if you look down at your story and are worried it’s already been told before – don’t spend another second thinking about it. It has. A million times. The only difference is that it hasn’t been told by you. Accept that regurgitation is part of writing, and just do your best not to regurgitate the same way as the guy next to you. We’d all do well to acknowledge there is at least a portion of our stories that are really someone else’s. [...] Beyond that, write with the motivation that if you don’t get around to telling your story, eventually somebody else will.

Even the greatest books have storylines with some clichés. And that's not really a bad thing, either. Think about it. How many times have you decided to binge a TV show solely because it reminded you of another series? Or picked up a book simply because you love a good enemies to lovers romance, a battle between good and evil fantasy, or whatever it might be?

I found this article from Masterclass that perfectly describes what tropes are and why they're used. It's written from the perspective of novel writing but it is still applicable.

A trope in literary terms is a plot device or character attribute that is used so commonly in the genre that it’s seen as commonplace or conventional. For example, a trope in superhero stories is a villain who wants to take over the world. Tropes are popular for a reason—if something has been written about over and over again, there’s a good chance that it’s something readers enjoy reading! Tropes can be helpful, but a novel made up only of tropes will quickly start to feel stale and predictable to readers. That’s why you need to read up on tropes—and then innovate. Deliberately taking a favorite trope and turning it on its head is a great way to put your own unique spin on the genre and keep your readers interested.

Eagles, in its first season, didn't really do a lot of expanding upon the tropes they used and it's understandable that they were still trying to find their footing. I can also imagine it's difficult to do so when you only have eight 20 minute episodes in the season.

However... There definitely should've been more work put into these characters to make them their own. It's tricky, yes, but still achievable if you don't abandon them in their cookie-cutter form and try to actually decorate them with something unique and fresh.

So, how did they write their characters?

Felicia's character and backstory

To start off, Felicia is a famous influencer known for starring in a reality show next to her former NHL professional father. There's already a clear disconnect because it's hard to relate to a character with such a public past and large following. But it is 100% possible if you let the viewer know the character has humane qualities just like the person watching the show.

Look at Wilhelm from Netflix's Young Royals, another Swedish TV show. Wilhelm is the prince of Sweden, set to attend a prestigious elite boarding school, and is the heir to the throne. That doesn't exactly sound like a relatable scenario, does it? And yet the writers make it work because when we're introduced to Wilhelm we realize he's just like everybody else. He wants a normal life, he latches on to his older brother for support, he has anxiety, and he struggles between following his heart versus doing what his family is expecting him to do. A lot of these factors are relatable among the audience.

So, let's look at Felicia Kroon. She is in many ways portrayed as the main character of the show. Eagles starts off with her family having moved to Oskarshamn and the following episodes focus on her developing relationship with Ludde as well as her traumatic past. There's almost too much focus on Felicia here, and I'll get back to that.

Comparing Felicia to Wilhelm from Young Royals, they're both well-known teenagers with famous parents. Of course they have different circumstances considering Felicia is Instagram popular and Wilhelm is a blood royal, but in the grand scheme of things they're similar. Felicia is even referred to as a "Kroon princess" because of her last name Kroon bearing a resemblance to the Swedish word kronprinsessa, meaning crown princess.

The students of their respective schools treat their attendance as a big deal when they first arrive and then Wilhelm and Felicia start spending time with the "popular" crowd despite not really fitting in there.

I personally found it easy to relate to Wilhelm but difficult to relate to Felicia. Some people may feel differently, but her character is basically a popular party girl who attracts the attention of one of the school's star players and is "welcomed" by the popular crowd on her first day of school. I put welcome in quotation marks because Klara, the leader of the girl group, isn't exactly the most welcoming person but she does welcome Felicia to the school. My point is, Felicia doesn't have a lot of relatable traits in the first episodes.

Felicia then goes on a date with the guy she's met, Ludde. Okay, so there haven't been that many layers to her character yet. We're at the third episode and so far she's been kind of flat.

Near the end of the third episode, we get some depth to the character and we hear her back story.

Felicia: [...] We don’t have a good relationship, my dad and I. And that’s probably why we moved from the beginning, because he’s an idiot. We’ve never been close, but… Elias and he have been since they’ve had hockey. [...] And mom has been really involved, so… And I… They’ve never really cared about me. And… And I haven’t really been a problem either. I’ve had good grades, good friends, and… I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I don’t talk about it to people. [...] I just felt so fucking lonely and invisible. I was worried all the time, couldn’t sleep, panicked because I couldn’t sleep… So I started going out more. It went overboard. It started affecting school, my grades slipped… I started taking things to be able to concentrate. Everybody does stuff like that. And then I still couldn’t sleep, so… I started mixing with sleeping pills. And there’s always wine and booze at our place. I don’t want this to come out, that’s really important. Ludde: Of course, I’d never tell. Felicia: One night, something happened that made me… Act out of control more than usual. I woke up the next morning in the hospital. So they sent me to rehab. It was really rough for mom and dad that I was suddenly in focus. When I woke up, dad wasn’t even there. Ludde: What made you take too much that night? Felicia: I’d forgotten my phone at home, so I ran up and got it while my friends were waiting in an Uber. Then I came into the hall and I heard noises. You know, like, when somebody is doing it. Ludde: Okay. Felicia: And I thought it was really weird because mom wasn’t home. So I went into the living room… Dad was fucking my mom’s best friend. On the rug below the couch.

This gives Felicia more layers and does separate her from every other "popular pretty party girl" trope that you see on TV. But this is a huge info dump, and that's a problem. I would've liked to see this happen on-screen instead of only being told what went down. The golden rule of Show don't tell, as people like to say.

Show, don’t tell is a writing technique in which story and characters are related through sensory details and actions rather than exposition. It fosters a style of writing that’s more immersive for the reader, allowing them to “be in the room” with the characters. In his most commonly repeated quote, Chekhov said, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass."

This back story could've been more impactful that way if, perhaps, the show began with Felicia in a hospital bed with a strong headache and hazy flashbacks of that night where she saw her dad sleeping with another woman. Then we're introduced to her mother and brother sitting next to the hospital bed tired and worried, and Felicia notices her dad isn't present. They tell her Felicia is being sent to rehab and then there's a time-jump before we see the Kroon family having moved to Oskarshamn.

That's just an idea I threw together at the top of my head, but you get my point. It would've been more interesting if we knew from the beginning that Felicia had a traumatic past like this, leading the viewer to want to know more about what actually happened.

We did get a brief flashback at the very beginning of the show—we see Felicia partying with her friends and taking some pill before lying unconscious on the ground. There's also a glimpse of Ludde's car accident with Andreas yelling at him to get out of there.

That segment only lasts for around 45 seconds and it's easily forgettable upon your first viewing of the show. It's also hard to even recognize Felicia in the dark nightclub setting with the flashing lights. Some dialogue in that short scene could've made it more memorable, because I found that when I first watched season 1 I remembered Andreas yelling at Ludde despite that being drowned out by the music.

Ludde's backstory was way more well-done, in my opinion. We see him having crashed the car and bleeding from his head. He looks terrified and almost frozen by fear, needing to be pulled out of the car by a panicked Andreas yelling at him to bring Ludde back to the reality of the situation. We see Andreas yelling and pointing, telling Ludde he needs to run now. It's more powerful when we get to see it.

And in episode 8, when we learn the truth of what happened, it's not a long and dragged-out monologue. It fits into what's going on in the story. Felicia and Ludde have known each other for a few months now and are much closer than they were on their first date. They've had disagreements and fights, but at this moment they're in a good place.

And it feels like the right moment for Ludde to come clean about what happened to him.

Ludde: Hey… There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Felicia: What? Ludde: About… My brother. It’s not really as everybody thinks. Felicia: What do you mean? Ludde: That night when he crashed… It wasn’t Andreas who drove the car. We were on our way home from one of his buddies. We’d had some fun drinking. And then… I’d just started learning how to drive. So I nagged and nagged at him. Felicia: So you were the one driving? But he’s an adult- Ludde: He was drunk as hell. He was going to leave the car, but I thought it was so cold and it was only three blocks away so I thought that I could drive. Felicia: And what happened? Ludde: It was slippery and really dark… And a car came. I hit the brakes in time, but it… Yeah. Right after he pushed me out of the car and yelled that I should run home straight away. He really didn’t want me to get into trouble. So, yeah… It was fucking bad luck. I want to just gather everybody and scream that it was me. Felicia: Hey… I love you. Ludde: I love you too. I love you so fucking much.

As Ludde is telling Felicia what happened as the other car came, we see a silent flashback of it along with Ludde's voice narrating. We see Andreas pulling him out of the car and yelling. Cutting to this scene that we've already seen in the beginning but might've forgotten about is a smart choice and makes the story Ludde is telling more real. We see it unfolding as Ludde is telling this to Felicia. It's a powerful scene.

We then see Felicia hugging Ludde from behind, a sign of support with no words needed. She tells him she loves him and Ludde says it back. It's an honest and sweet moment that comes at a perfect time in the story. It's not too early like Felicia's backstory was.

I sort of understand why Felicia's backstory was info-dumped because it was right before the drama of Mats accidentally spilling the beans to Klara's family. They wanted the audience to know what happened to her early, so they could move on to the plot point of Felicia thinking Ludde was the one who told everybody.

But we don't need every single detail of Felicia's story. Let it come organically. The only thing that was really needed was for Ludde to know that Felicia had struggled with drug use and was sent to rehab for this storyline to work. The reason why could've been saved for later, and it would've made for a more interesting reveal. Maybe just have Felicia allude to seeing something that night, but don't tell the viewers right away what it was.

In 1x06, Felicia is incredibly upset when she hears that her dad was the one who told Klara's family what happened to Felicia in the US. And rightly so.

Felicia: Don’t you get it? You ruined everything! Mats: What? Felicia: You told the whole damn town about me! About the US! Mats: I really didn’t mean to disclose you- Or disclose us. Sorry. Hey, sorry. Flisan, please. Hey. Felicia: Did you tell them you fucked mom’s best friend too? Yes, I saw you.

If this had been the moment where we first find out what Felicia saw, it would've been more surprising. Our reaction would've mirrored Mats's, and it would've been more heart-wrenching to know that Felicia was traumatized by an affair her dad had only to be cheated on herself in the very same episode.

Ludde's problematic nature

One of the scriptwriters of Eagles, Fanny Ekstrand, was interviewed in the behind-the-scenes documentary Edvins Skådisdrömmar. In this interview, she states:

Ludvig, he's the one who's been the easiest to retain the personality of. Because he's so... He's calm and friendly, but he makes dumb decisions. Ludvig isn't a typical hockey guy. He has a bunch of other qualities—music being one of them.

I found myself slightly disagreeing with this take, despite knowing Ekstrand is literally a part of the writing team and most likely helped shaped Ludde's personality. I just interpreted Ludde's character (at least in season 1) differently.

I also didn't find him that much different from any other typical hockey guy just because he happens to have another interest. That's a bit like saying Archie Andrews from The CW's Riverdale isn't a stereotypical jock because he also plays the guitar.

In season 1, we see Ludde break into the rink because he wanted to test out the ice. He just loves hockey that much. He also uses it as a way to express frustration and anger, which we saw in 1x05. He flirts with the new girl in school and in the beginning he even uses it as a tactic to gain a position on the main hockey team. This was confirmed by the creator Stefan H. Lindén in his Q&A, where he said:

My idea has always been that Ludde was blown away by Felicia and that he really likes her but that they both initially interacted and met to go swimming because Felicia knew it would piss her dad off and Ludde knew that it might throw Elias off since they were competing for the same position in the team.

I would say that the characteristics of a typical hockey guy would be someone like Adam—obsessed with the sport, flirting with girls, going to parties, and just spending a lot of time in the rink. Ludde checks off all of these points. However, I will give this the benefit of the doubt since season 2 Ludde seems to change a lot and it's easier to interpret him as the calm and friendly guy he was supposed to be in season 1.

So to me, Ludde wasn't calm and friendly at all. In season 2, yes, but when we're first introduced to him?

Ludde shows anger issues and violent tendencies in 1x05 when he head-butts Elias and breaks his nose. It's violent and messy. He then yells at Felicia to leave when she's trying to communicate with him and belittles her drug problems solely because she's rich. To me, Ludde wasn't a nice person in 1x04 either when he let his friends make suggestive comments about Felicia and what she was like in bed.

Omar: I can tell you one thing - you’re not borrowing my towel today cause I don’t know where that dick has been. Adam: It’s nice when she sucks, right? Omar: Can’t you tell us some more, does she bite you or is it just really, really nice? [...] Adam: Is that what you sound like when you’re coming? What does she sound like?

This was described as "locker room talk" and the writers probably wanted to show an authentic view of what being a hockey player is like. I understand that. But it's a little problematic when it's later swept under the rug and treated like something that we're just supposed to accept.

Elias: [...] it’s not very fun to sit in a hockey locker room where people are talking about how nice it is to fuck my sister. Felicia: Ludde would never say anything like that, you know that. Elias: He wouldn’t? It’s a locker room, Felicia. That’s the only thing they talk about.

It did not sit right with me how Felicia seemed to be the one Elias blamed in this scene, and Ludde and his friends never faced any real consequences for what they said. Elias did lash out at Ludde, but there was no severe consequence for Omar and Adam's comments.

Compare this scenario to another Swedish show, Beartown on HBO. Beartown is similar to Eagles and focuses on a hockey team in a small town with one of the star players hooking up with a girl who's recently moved to their small town.

This girl is raped by the hockey player. And because of his status as the star of the team, he has almost the whole school behind him. The girl however is labeled as a lying slut. It's unfair and frustrating to see it happen, but it's authentic and done in a way that doesn't glamorize the ugly side of hockey culture.

Eagles is not as dark as Beartown so this comparison might be a little unfair. Beartown's whole storyline did revolve around this incident while in Eagles the hockey culture is treated more as a side thought. It's like they decided to throw in a taste of what goes on in a locker room just to create drama without really addressing it further.

Beartown did a much better job of portraying the problematic and toxic elements of hockey culture without making it seem like it's just something normal that we should accept. It was honest and raw. If you haven't seen the show, this short video does a great job of depicting how much thought was put into the toxic hockey culture, winning mentality, and subsequently hockey players thinking they're entitled to do whatever they want.

So, to respond to Ekstrand's quote from Edvins Skådisdrömmar—I did not experience Ludde as a "good guy" who only makes dumb decisions at all. In season 1, he's a bad person for letting his friends sexualize a girl he likes and letting her brother hear their disgusting comments. He's a bad person for fighting with her brother and later yelling at her, saying her drug issues are insignificant despite acting supportive of her only two episodes earlier.

I don't mind conflicts like these because they drive the story forward. I didn't particularly like Ludde in season 1 because of the reasons I just stated, but they're necessary to create drama and make the show interesting.

It's just weird to me how one of the writers is saying that Ludde is a calm person and a good guy when that is not at all how I interpreted his character.

Eagles is a show targeted towards a young audience, among them probably a lot of easily influenced pre-teens. What kind of message does this send to them when the guy letting his friends sexualize a girl he's slept with and on top of that laughing at their inappropriate comments is referred to as the good guy?

Klara is mean... What else?

From the moment we're introduced to Klara, it seems obvious that she'll play a living and breathing version of the infamous Alpha Bitch trope. She's also a prime example of the basic Popular is Evil trope and has her own Girl Posse consisting of Sara and Amie.

Klara feels threatened by the arrival of a potential new popular girl, Felicia, and does everything in her power to bully Felicia to show dominance. She barely shows any good sides of herself.

The only instance I can think of where we sort of see season 1 Klara in a positive light is when she talks to Amie in 1x05 about their friendship and then accompanies Amie to her audition for the school band.

Klara: Ever since Felicia started at school… It’s felt like you only hang out with her and that you’ve forgotten about me. She like took you from me. Amie: But I haven’t forgotten you. Klara: No, but do you get what I mean? Amie: I get it, but I haven’t forgotten you. Klara: No, I know. Amie: I know, but it just turned out that way when school started. Klara: Okay. Amie: But I’m sorry. Klara: It’s fine. Amie: Are you sure? Klara: Yeah. You can make it up to me when you go on your world tour.

Klara is really supportive of Amie's musical endeavors, but she also uses her support as a way to alienate Felicia from the girl group. It's very on the nose and kind of feels suffocating in the way it's written.

Klara: Amie, did you remove the clips? Amie: Yeah, she said they weren’t good. Klara: She’s just jealous. It’s so obvious. I mean, I’m jealous. You sing absolutely amazing. I don’t know, I just think it was really rude of her to sit in the cafeteria and criticize you like that Amie: Yeah, maybe. But she apologized. Klara: But still. That clip of you in the bathroom… Like… Sorry, but I’d be so mad if someone had posted something like that of me. I mean, you were standing there without makeup, completely non-fixed up. And the whole thing with her filming you without you knowing. That’s really weird. You don’t do that. Don’t you think so?

I'm sure there are plenty of people who act like this in real life. And maybe that's part of the problem, because Klara in season 1 really isn't an interesting character. We've met this person before and we know exactly what she's like. There's nothing new to discover. So season 1 is essentially just Klara being petty and rude every chance she gets, and to me it felt like a large part of her character was written just to stir up drama.

In 1x06, we see Klara backstab Amie by filming her making out with Ludde at her Halloween party. But I thought it was established in 1x05 that Klara feels like Amie was taken from her? And if Klara actually cared about Amie and didn't want to lose her as a friend, she wouldn't just stand by and watch with her phone recording the whole thing. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

Klara even made that whole point about how it was really weird of Felicia to film Amie without her knowing. So why would Klara do it, when she expressed that's weird and not something a normal person does? Is that supposed to be foreshadowing? Because if so, that's a clear contradiction and not how foreshadowing works.

When Sara happens to see the video on Klara's phone she immediately says that Klara should delete it.

Sara: What is that? Did they know you were filming? Klara: No, of course they didn’t know. Sara: Oh my god, Klara. You should probably delete it. Klara: I’m going to! But it’s crazy, right? Sara: Yeah, god. But seriously, delete it. Klara: I’m going to.

So Klara says she's going to delete the video. But it's still unclear why it was filmed in the first place if Klara insists that she's going to delete it. It's not like she filmed it just to show it to Sara either, since Sara wasn't meant to see it and only saw it by chance while swiping through Klara's photos on her phone.

It doesn't make sense for Klara to film a video like that of her best friend that she's supposed to care about. It doesn't make sense for Klara to film a video of anybody without their knowledge when she previously made a big deal about how you shouldn't do that.

What Klara's character is, is a bad attempt at the classical mean girl. She's clichéd, boring, and full of tropes.

Even her eventual character development is riddled with tropes like the Heel Realization where a character realizes they're actually one of the bad guys. This realization seems to come in 1x08, where Felicia calls Klara out on her behavior.

Felicia: You know what, Klara. I’m so fucking tired of your fucking comments. You didn’t get to be Lucia this year. Poor you! Was dad unable to fix that? Cry then, Klara. Cry. You’re so fucking mean. Everybody here is tired- Everybody here is scared of you. Even those who liked you once, they can’t take it anymore. Klara: That’s not true. It’s not true. Felicia: Yes, everybody is scared of you. You know what? Look around. Show people some fucking respect. Klara: Well say something, Amie! Amie: What is there to say? She’s right.

Klara needed a wake-up call like this. It's just unfortunate that she goes back to her mean girl behavior and posts the video after Amie insinuated that Klara wasn't a real friend. Klara already knew that Amie felt that way since she said Felicia was right in her assessment of everybody being scared and tired of Klara. So wouldn't it have made more sense for Klara to post the video right after that moment instead of during Amie's performance?

Or rather, why not pull a Subverted Trope and not have Klara post the video at all after she realized how horrible she'd been acting? That would've made me respect her so much more and be a great introduction to her character development in season 2.

The Halloween Incident

To me, the whole Halloween episode was questionable. First off, we never got actual confirmation of what happened in that room between Amie and Ludde. Some viewers insist that they only made out and others believe they went all the way. Here's what the creator of the show, Stefan H. Lindén, had to say about this in a Q&A post he did:

I think if you went into the writers room of Eagles and asked all of us what really happened in that room [between Ludde and Amie at Klara's Halloween party] we would all have different answers. I know what happened, but I’m not sure we will ever truly know for sure, unless Ludvig or Amie eventually are open enough to admit to anyone what really happened.

This is kind of a vague answer, but that's fair considering that when Stefan did this Q&A the latest episode that had been released was 2x05 and he probably didn't want to spoil anything. However, looking back at this answer knowing how the season turned out I still feel like it's unclear what happened. It's also strange that Stefan seems to be saying that they never actually decided what happened between them since the writers "would all have different answers".

1x06 was just an odd episode for me overall. Lots of things felt rushed and underdeveloped. Let's not forget that this episode also contained, in my opinion, some of the weirdest lines in the whole show (along with Elias's strange monologue about plague vampires).

Ludde: Hey, I only have like 3%. Do you have any power? Adam: Are you wondering if I have a power bank in my shorts? It’s coming-

Ludde: I like shellfish. (said to Amie, wearing a lobster costume)

Up until this episode, Ludde has shown zero interest and attraction towards Amie. We are basically told that Ludde only hooked up with Amie because he was so drunk that he practically had no idea what he was doing.

In 1x02, we see a drunk Amie try to kiss Tobbe and upon getting rejected she moves on to make out with Adam. She gets overly friendly when she's drunk so the fact that she makes out with Ludde later is... Weird, but not entirely out of the realms of possibility.

Ludde on the other hand is moping about Felicia all night. He regrets how he yelled at her at the end of 1x05 and it shows. He's trying to drown all his problems in alcohol and it seems to be working, because when it enters his system he seems to be on top of the world.

What I found kind of ambiguous in this incident was if Ludde even remembered what happened that night. He was drinking so much compared to Amie, who doesn't really need as much alcohol before she reaches her "overly friendly" state. I thought for sure that Ludde was oblivious to the situation when he woke up in his bed the next day and immediately messaged Felicia.

There are just so many questions to unpack here that were never answered. What prompted Amie and Ludde to go into that empty room? Why did Ludde come with her? Why didn't Adam seem to care about this, when he'd been sitting next to Ludde and taking care of him most of the night? And as I wrote before, why would Klara film this video of her best friend when she previously expressed that was a weird thing to do?

There's just too much in 1x06 left unanswered. The Amie/Ludde hook-up was a badly executed plot twist because there wasn't anything hinting that this would happen. It just came out of nowhere.

Unbalanced screentime and Elias's wasted potential

A large portion of season 1 was dedicated to Felicia. This was kind of a let-down for me since I thought more focus would be placed on Eagles as a hockey team (after all, that's what the show is named after). I also thought more attention would be on Elias since he's the talented star player who's supposed to live up to his father's legacy.

The show starts with a couple radio hosts hyping up how Elias Kroon, son of the legendary Mats Kroon, is going to join the Eagles hockey team.

Host #1: [...] It’s finally official. New center in the junior team - Elias Kroon, son to the legendary NHL-pro Mats Kroon, who has now chosen to move home from the US to his hometown where Elias will play in his father’s old club Oskarshamn Eagles. Host #2: This is so freaking cool. Who doesn’t want a Kroon on their team? Host #1: We hope that he’ll take a spot on the A-team.

But we don't learn a lot about who Elias actually is in the first episode. The attention is on Felicia and her interest in Ludde.

Elias is so discarded that he barely has anything to say in the first couple of scenes we see him in. Here are all his eight lines in 1x01, and I'm not even joking.

Elias: Yes. Elias: Shut up. Elias: Ow. Elias: It's fine. Elias: Really? Elias: Fucking hell. Elias: I'll stay here. Elias: No, it's fine.

In 1x02 he has even fewer lines. Three, to be exact, and all he says is that his injury is a sprain and that it's fine. Essentially just an echo of two of the lines he had in the previous episode. It's nothing new.

There's a way to have a character stand out when they don't have many lines, but Elias just fades into the background with every other extra. There's too much time spent on having other characters talk about Elias than us actually getting to know him. So when we do meet him, it's pretty underwhelming.

Compare Elias to his sister who gets so much more attention from the writers. I don't really understand why either, since I thought Elias was a much more interesting character than his influencer sister. Felicia's character only seems to revolve around a guy. I wonder how many times we've seen that before?

In 1x02 we see the Eagles hockey team play their first game, but Elias is unable to play and has to sit in the stands for what was supposed to be his debut match. Why? Because during a hockey practice session in 1x01, Adam rams his stick into Elias to purposely injure him. I mean, fair enough. Adam is trying to get Ludde on the main team since he and Elias are competing for the same position. The shot of Adam smiling after Elias sprains his wrist is a bit too on the nose, but whatever.

What this does is minimize Elias' presence in season 1 by a lot. We don't see the son of the legendary NHL professional play an actual game until 1x05, which is more than halfway into the season. It's kind of disappointing but I understand the injury is done to dramatize his situation.

Elias barely gets his own storylines in the first few episodes. He just has things done to him instead of acting on his own. When we do see him on screen he gets injured by Adam, reprimanded by his father, and later told he can't play in his debut game.

His sweet side (or any side of him, really) isn't shown until 1x03 when Amie wakes up at the Kroon house and Elias reassures her that they didn't do anything together and that she can borrow Felicia's clothes.

Elias doesn't really do much for the plot until he hears Ludde's friends objectify Felicia and he starts a fight with Ludde and confronts Felicia about it. That's when it feels like Elias is actually a part of this show instead of just being an extra shoved into the background. His actions are finally affecting the plot.

Elias's potential in season 1 was hugely wasted. The only episode where we actually got to see him shine was 1x07, when he travels to Karlskrona with Amie. We find out he doesn't want the hockey arrangement his dad has planned for him and that he's actually a pretty goofy guy who likes making jokes (and eating green candy).

If less time was spent with Felicia and the distribution of every episode's 20 minutes was more balanced, season 1 could've been massively improved. It got much better in season 2, but season 1 suffered and made many people think that Felicia was a basic and unentertaining character.

The side characters and their comic relief

So one thing that I found really disappointing with Felicia's amount of screentime is that we barely got enough time for the other main characters, let alone the side characters.

What I mean here is that the only people we really know on the Eagles hockey team are Ludde and Elias. Ludde's friends, Adam and Omar, just feel like comic relief sidekicks. We don't really know what they're like, besides the fact that they like to make jokes and mess around.

This issue is largely created by the short running time the episodes have along with season 1 only having eight episodes in total. That's definitely understandable. It did get better in season 3 where we see Ludde having a deeper conversation with Adam and Omar and they finally don't just feel like the comic relief characters, but actual people with layers.

Ludde: I’m going to quit hockey. Adam: Are you serious? Omar: What the hell are you saying? Ludde: It’s not the same anymore. I’m not passionate about it. I… Yes, it sucks, but… I’ve thought about it for a while now. Omar: We make jokes about it and all, but… Yeah. It wouldn’t be the same without you. Kingelikingen. Adam: I get that it’s a tough choice. But yeah… You’ll work things out. You and Felicia. You always do. Ludde: You guys are pretty awesome sometimes, actually.

This scene was really sweet, and I wish we could've had moments like this between the guys in season 1. Just one scene to show that they're not just the "typical hockey guys". It feels like Ludde was the only person on the team in season 1 who wasn't just a background character. Even Elias, who you would assume should be at the forefront, isn't properly developed until 1x05 where we see him defending his sister and starting a fight with Ludde. Otherwise, it very much felt like Elias was kept in the background.

There are also guys on the team called Herman, Simon, Näslund, Ekbäck, Hoffmann, Berglund (even Montell, which was a fun nod to the show's director)... But who are they, actually? Do you even remember their names? To be honest with you, I don't. Because they're just names—not actual characters.

None of the other guys on the team get any depth. They're just sort of there as extras and to give the audience a sense of comedy with their "hockey team shenanigans". This was illustrated in 1x08, where Adam and Omar make their teammate Liam do a "sexy dance" on a table because he lost his virginity. Or a more extreme example—Jönsson, who only exists to be the comic relief and the unlucky guy who just can't catch a break.

In 2x04, Jönsson is told by Jack to do extra time in the gym and gets told off when he only spends a few minutes on the exercise bike. Later, Jack also makes a joke about how he should get Jönsson a defibrillator. In 2x09 Jönsson invites Ludde, Adam, and Omar to come to his mom's place to hang out. After he's left, Adam makes a comment about how there's no way he's going to "rot" in Jönsson's apartment that doesn't even have a balcony.

Don't get me wrong, these scenes aren't bad and I don't mean they should've been scrapped. Comedy can absolutely have its place in a show like this. Let's take the scene where Ludde flashes a couple of unfortunate old ladies on his first date with Felicia as an example. It feels like something a teenage boy would do to try to make a girl he likes laugh. It's a brief scene and it's nice to see Ludde being able to goof off only moments after talking about Andreas. We know that's a touchy subject for him.

However, it feels slightly overdone sometimes with how almost everybody on the hockey team is only there for comedic purposes and to fill space. It's more refreshing when they're shown to be multi-dimensional. I wish this is something that the writers would've considered when the show is literally titled after the hockey team, yet most of the hockey players are hardly in the story.

To add to this, it felt like Sara and Tobbe completely disappeared from the story in season 2. With Sara we understand that she probably didn't want to hang out with Klara anymore after knowing she filmed the Halloween video and posted it on Instagram, so that's fair. But it would've been nice to see Tobbe stick around in season 2, and I'll get back to why I think that.

The potential of season 1

When I look back on season 1 I feel really nostalgic. No matter how many small details that irked me, I can't deny that the setting of the show is beautiful and I really appreciate the depiction of it. Instead of showing Oskarshamn as a boring small town, we're shown the beauty of it which is incorporated into the storylines.

Some examples would be Ludde and Felicia's first date at Gunnarsö and walk through Havslätt, the gorgeous view of the Oskarshamn harbor from Klara's house Villa Högklint, and Badholmen where the school band performs and we later see Elias and Amie walking by in season 3. All these places are listed on the Eagles Oskarshamn site and I feel like they did a great job tying the storylines in with the locations.

Another aspect of season 1 and its writing that I really enjoyed was Elias and Amie's budding relationship. They just have a natural chemistry together and the dialogue between them also felt authentic and sweet.

Season 1 is just a very polished teen drama overall compared to some of SVT's previous series.

Back in 2007-2010, SVT used to air a soap opera-style show focusing on a few teenagers living in Gothenburg that was called Andra Avenyn (translation: Second Avenue). I was only seven at the time but I watched this show religiously as it aired three times a week. Just mentioning the show brings a lot of nostalgia.

Andra Avenyn amassed around 500 000 viewers per episode and was, just like Eagles, nominated for a Kristallen television award. But how good was it, really? If I take off my rose-colored glasses for a second and actually consider the show's highly dramatized storylines and unlikely scenarios, it had a tendency to drag on (which usually happens with soap operas). It didn't offer a realistic view of teenage life and on IMDb it currently sits at a rating score of 5.6 stars out of 10.

Comparing this old teen series to SVT's newer one, Eagles season 1 was a huge improvement and continues to be the most popular teen series that SVT has aired so far.

This idea and all the characters have lived in Stefan H. Lindéns mind since 2008, while Andra Avenyn was still on the air. It's actually amazing how high the quality of most TV shows has risen since then. Eagles has a rating score of 7.4 out of 10 stars on IMDb and has become internationally known in a way that Andra Avenyn never was.

Eagles season 1 laid the groundwork for SVT's most successful teen series of all time, and that's a huge achievement.

Season 2: "Subverting expectations"

When Eagles came back for season 2, the script made it kind of obvious that the writers had listened to the critique of season 1 being predictable.

I did find season 2 a huge step up from season 1—the directing was so much better and when it came to the script we got a deeper look into all the characters that they hadn't really scratched the surface of in the first season. My main disappointment however was that it felt like they threw in a bunch of weird plot twists just for the sake of "subverting expectations".

The core idea of subverting expectations can be great if done correctly. You lead the audience to believe they know what's going to happen, but then you surprise them with an unexpected and clever twist.

A post in Cinematography written by Mason Leaver defines the phrase of "subverting expectations" as:

[...] a method of surprising the audience with some element of a story, be it the plot, themes, characters, etc. This goes beyond a “twist” in a film. Expectation subversion actively works within the genre of a story, and attempts to reinterpret or subvert the conventions of that genre, breaking patterns in surprising and interesting ways. However, this method of surprising the audience is not always well received- it can sometimes be the source of heavy criticism from fans of the tropes which have been subverted.

This included "unexpected" relationships such as Elias/Klara and Amie/Ludde. The former actually worked, but the latter? Not so much.

Amie's crush on Ludde—make it make sense!

Amie and Ludde were my biggest issue with season 2, and it felt so out of character of Amie to be head over heels for Ludde. They work great as friends but romantically they're a huge mismatch.

But they have music in common, I hear you say. Yes, they do. But having a shared interest doesn't mean people are automatically a good match. You have to consider their chemistry and overall compatibility.

Before actors are cast in a show or movie where their characters will be romantically involved with each other, it's common to do what's called a chemistry read. Here's a neat description from an article in Backstage written by Caroline Liem:

Chemistry is the complex emotional or psychological interaction between two people. If this were a romantic article, it would be about love. Instead, we are discussing the astonishing rapport between two actors, and how that connection is achieved in order to book [...] the role. A chemistry read is an opportunity to read with actors being considered for a role opposite yours, usually lead roles. The main purpose is to see how you instinctively connect and work with the other actor.

This obviously wasn't done for the actors playing Amie and Ludde, since there didn't seem to be any intention of having their characters be involved in a romantic relationship.

That was even confirmed by Stefan H. Lindén in his Q&A of season 2, where he said that a love triangle between Ludde/Felicia/Amie was planned but later scrapped.

I can confirm that from the beginning of development of the series and the first version of the storyline a triangle drama was at some point intended for season 1 but later removed – however when creating the characters, Ludvigs skill in music and arts was always there from the beginning so by knowing that, we always knew that interactions would appear between them. When looking back at Season 1, in the first scene by the lockers when Amie tells Felicia who Ludvig is, she does know exactly who he is and she is well aware of that his friend Tobias is a music guy that Amie wants to get to know. Also when looking at it, when I was the same age as Ludvig and Amie I, and I am sure a lot of people can relate to it, fact is that we never really knew if it was love or friendship in the beginning.

Knowing that the triangle drama was scrapped for season 1, it makes sense why it seems so arbitrary. There was no groundwork laid down for this pairing before it was hastily thrown together in 1x06 for a cheap plot twist. This continues in season 2, where Amie and Ludde start spending more time together. Yet it's hard to see Ludde as a potential love interest for Amie in the way the writers want us to. They still come off as friends despite having hooked up at a party.

I mentioned that Tobbe should've stuck around for season 2 and here's why. Tobbe was written to be the leader of the school band that Amie later joins, and he was friends with Ludde before the video was posted. He would've been a perfect fit for the Amie/Ludde music storyline but he's completely absent. He had the potential to be the person who could've helped them with the song a little and then later picked up on whatever there was going on between them.

I think the Amie/Ludde storyline could've hugely benefitted from a scene between Amie and Tobbe, where Tobbe asks if she actually has feelings for Ludde and we get to hear exactly what Amie is feeling. Maybe she's torn, not wanting to get together with Ludde because of how much they hurt Felicia, but at the same time finds it hard to suppress her feelings. A scene like that would've allowed us to get into Amie's head and make the Amie/Ludde storyline much clearer.

To add, this storyline was in desperate need of more interest from Ludde's side. There needed to be some indication from him that would make Amie believe he liked him back, even if that wasn't the case. All we get is Ludde complimenting Amie's song and then a hug in 2x05 when Amie says the record label in Stockholm wanted a meeting. And apparently, that was enough for Amie to think Ludde was interested in her despite him blowing off the Stockholm meeting and Amie hearing Ludde say that the Halloween incident was a mistake.

Ludde and Amie don't really mesh as well as Elias/Amie do or even as well as Ludde/Felicia do. Elias and Amie had sparks flying from the very first scene they shared. That pairing is one of the main reasons why the show became popular internationally, and why is that? Because of the actors' chemistry.

Amie and Ludde are a clumsy attempt at throwing together two people who don't really work together with the intention of "subverting expectations". And I suppose that's what the writers wanted to depict—an awkward crush that doesn't really make sense, which I'm sure many people have experienced as a teenager. That part is fine. But what I didn't like about this storyline is that Amie had no good reason to believe Ludde would be interested in anything with her beyond a platonic friendship.

While season 2 was airing, I was convinced that Amie wasn't actually in love with Ludde. She was just lonely after the aftermath of the Halloween video and mistook her feelings for Ludde as love when she just appreciated his company. Here's what I wrote:

So as we know, Amie kissed Ludde in episode 6 when he was in the hospital after having been injured during the hockey game against Karlskrona. She immediately seemed to regret having done that and ran out without an explanation, leaving Ludde alone and confused. I honestly don’t think Amie has any romantic feelings towards Ludde. I think she might mistake her feelings for a crush or something, when in reality she’s just lonely and appreciates Ludde always being there for her and giving her compliments on her musical ability. Ludde was complimenting Amie at the hospital, saying she was amazing, and I think Amie was just really touched by that and maybe wanted to thank him somehow, and ended up kissing him. And then she freaked out and left because oh my god did she really just kiss Ludde. It was an uncomfortable and awkward situation and that’s probably why she ran out. However, I really believe that if she had just stayed to explain and apologize, Ludde would understand and they could’ve just laughed it off. But this is a drama show so of course that wouldn’t happen! Do I think the writers are making them into a couple? No, definitely not. They know that season 1 was sort of predictable and cliché, so they’re making season 2 as different as possible by including these unexpected pairings such as Klara & Elias and Amie & Ludde. But Amie and Ludde won’t ever be a couple, because Ludde is still very much hung up on Felicia. I don’t see them as a couple either - yes, they have music in common, but they work way better as friends than in a relationship.

In Edvins Skådisdrömmar, which is a behind-the-scenes documentary of Eagles season 2, writers Fanny Ekstrand and Michaela Hamilton discuss the writing of the show in the documentary's third episode. The third episode is mostly focused on the lead-up to the scene where Amie kisses Ludde at the hospital. Adrian Öjvindsson, who plays Ludde, says:

Filming the kissing scene was [...] awkward and weird, actually. And that's how it ended up. Yandeh and I haven't really had any intimate scenes. In this case you could take in that it was weird, because that's also what the scene wanted to depict.

When Edvin reads the script, he describes the scene as a "nightmare" scenario. I agree. And the lazy build-up to this Awkward Kiss trope doesn't make it any better, because just like the Halloween incident this doesn't make a lot of sense.

It's supposed to be awkward and weird, just like Adrian said. But he also mentioned one of the most important details: Yandeh and I haven't really had any intimate scenes.

Before this kiss scene, there was nothing that indicated any chemistry between them. No accidental hand-touching, no longing stares, no nothing. Just a friendly hug. A proper build-up to the kiss scene would've made it feel less out of place.

The love confession from Amie to Ludde in 2x10 really threw me off as well. The confession to me made no sense and honestly felt like a prank call. There was no feeling behind it and zero reason for Amie to believe that there was a chance Ludde liked her back.

At the end of 2x08, Felicia goes to Ludde's house after he's confessed the truth to the police about the Andreas situation. Amie happens to overhear the conversation and she hears Ludde very clearly say that he's not interested in Amie.

Ludde: Felicia, there’s nothing between us. Between me and Amie. It was really the biggest mistake of my life. Felicia: Goodbye, Ludde. Ludde: Felicia, please!

Amie, now having her heart broken, crosses Ludde's name off the contract while crying. She knows he doesn't feel the same. So why would Amie even bother to call Ludde up to tell him she's "in love with him"?

Amie: [...] Hey, Ludde… Ludde: Yeah? Amie: It feels really weird to hear our song now. Because I know who the lyrics are about. And… And I… I really like you. Or, well… I’m in love with you. I just need to know how you feel. Or if you feel anything. Just tell me. Ludde: I’ll always want to be your friend, Amie, but… It’s Felicia I’m in love with.

This moment is on par with the awkwardness from the hospital kiss between them in 2x06. The second-hand embarrassment with this one was really rough, and what I don't understand is why this was even added to the script when Amie had already gotten the confirmation that Ludde didn't think of her in a romantic way. This storyline could've ended in 2x08 after Amie overheard the conversation between Ludde and Felicia.

It really didn't need to drag on for the whole season, essentially making Amie's whole storyline in season 2 about a guy. Her moment of finally getting signed to the record label was ruined when it could've been regarded as a fresh start if the storyline had just ended where it should have.

What this storyline did instead was ruining my favorite friendship of season 1, which was Amie/Felicia. This mess made it so hard for them to reconcile and they didn't end up properly addressing it until 3x09, spending almost two whole seasons mad at each other. It sucks that the writers decided to drag out their fighting and disagreements for this long when they could've instead shown two girls in solidarity who don't let a guy get between them and their friendship.

Amie apologized in 3x03 for how she hurt Felicia, but Felicia made it clear in 3x06 that she still harbored ill will towards Amie for what happened at Halloween (which in the timeline of this show was more than a year ago).

Felicia (to Amie): Are you going to start slobbering with [Elias] now too? Just give me back that sweater first, I don’t want slobber on that. Thanks.

I talked about how much I disliked the Amie/Ludde storyline in this post, with my main reason being that it really messed up the character dynamics that were established in season 1.

This storyline [of Ludde and Amie hooking up]—along with Amie falling in love with Ludde—is by far my least favorite one because it messed up the whole character dynamic. I feel like Amie and Felicia won’t ever go back to the kind of friendship they had in season 1 before the Halloween incident because the trust was so broken, and Amie really should’ve tried harder to apologize to Felicia like Ludde did instead of going after her best friend’s ex in season 2.

If there's just one thing I could change about this show, I would 100% get rid of the Amie/Ludde storylines. There is nothing that annoyed me as much as those storylines did.

Amie's musical ambitions

I've talked about this a bit before in another post because this was something that really bugged me about Amie's character in season 2. Here's what I wrote:

I honestly still feel like Amie’s whole storyline with sending in a rather basic demo written by two teenagers with little to no experience and then getting praised on it [by the Stockholm music producers] with comments such as “it’s going to be a real summer hit” felt so unrealistic to me. Maybe they only said that so Amie would accept their offer or something, but that’s still very strange because she would have still said yes without a doubt. I can understand that they thought Amie was marketable as a person and there was this bonus with her having gone viral before on Felicia’s Instagram, but that demo did not seem good enough for me to be immediately released as a single and then have them decide on the spot that Amie would be given a contract. I mean, come on. It never felt earned because we never really saw Amie struggling with her songwriting journey to achieve this dream. Sending in one demo to one record label and having them immediately want to make a whole album with you just doesn’t happen in real life unless the song is extremely good or you have a very unique voice. Amie is really talented but there are hundreds of people just like her, if not thousands. I was never convinced by her getting signed so quickly in season 2. I understand that they wanted to establish her as a successful artist [at the beginning of season 3], but that felt so rushed. I was so sure that the record label would screw her over and steal the song rights to record it with another artist who was already established, and that we’d have to see Amie work even harder to achieve her dreams. But we didn’t get that at all. Where was the struggle? [...] Of course I wanted to see Amie achieve success (and I was happy when she did), but the journey there was so bizarrely easy. She didn’t start to seriously work on making her music career become a reality until season 2. Amie had dabbled in music prior to that, like when she auditioned for the school band and did that performance of Follow, but she didn’t truly start to work towards it until season 2 when she decided to have her work sent to professionals in the business. And then, just five episodes later, she gets contacted by the record label in Stockholm. To put this into context—season 2 took place somewhere around March, and episode 5 around three weeks into April. So when Ludde first started helping Amie it took less than two months for her to get signed. You could argue that the song was just that good or that Amie is just that talented, but it never felt like a realistic storyline to me.

It's tricky to write a storyline like this when you only have ten 20 minute episodes in the season and a limited amount of screentime for every character. All that is understandable. But it's strange that they didn't opt for a time jump to really sell this storyline and make it believable.

Eagles uses time jumps a lot, but somehow this particular plot point was omitted from that and kind of glossed over. I don't really understand how they expected us to buy this storyline. The viewers aren't stupid, and more effort should've been put into this storyline.

In the post where I wrote this, @gajana18 also had an interesting thing to add:

[...] it's equally unrealistic that this huge record company would be hounding Amie, a teenage onehit wonder essentially to come back to the label- don’t they have other bigger artists?

This is a very strong point. Considering how Amie kept expressing that she wanted to finish school and then proceeded to ignore their calls, it's weird that they didn't just decide to discard her contract when Amie clearly wasn't taking her singing career as seriously as they wanted her to.

So, back to season 2. Maybe they could've gone with the record label stealing the rights to Amie's first song and screwing her over. This fuels her to try again and after a time jump of a few months we see Amie having worked really hard on a new and better song. Maybe even a whole album. And this time, she's learned from her past mistakes and improved her songwriting. This time, she's successful in her endeavor and it feels so much more earned after knowing the struggles she's been through to get there.

I also feel like a storyline like that would've made people sympathize with Amie more in season 2. It was really hard to root for her when she had nearly screwed Ludde over by not giving credit to his songwriting and saying "fuck him" when he didn't return Amie's feelings.

Klara's character development

When we're introduced to Klara in season 1, she's a stereotypical mean girl with wealthy parents who is the popular girl at school and has her own followers.

In season 2, the writers decided to develop the character. We find out Klara has issues at home and her mom is barely there. When she is, her parents will start fighting. Klara is feeling really lonely and doesn't really hang out with her friend Sara as much as she used to.

I appreciated the added depth, but it seemed like a drastic shift. The changed perspective could attribute to that but when you step back and really look at s1 Klara and s2 Klara, they're like two completely different people.

Maybe Klara's reputation suffered after she posted the Halloween video? Maybe she had a change of heart after Felicia finally confronted her during Lucia? I mean, I guess.

But what most fans (including me) didn't like about Klara in season 2 was that there were no clear consequences for her after she posted the Halloween video. Klara still hangs out with what seems to be the popular crowd and she has people to go out with. In a post I wrote last year about my thoughts on season 2, I wrote this:

I actually wish that Klara would’ve become more ostracized from her school friends to emphasize how alone she is, but she seems to still be pretty popular so that was kind of disappointing. I thought the fall-out of her posting the video would be worse, but I guess not. Anyway, I like that they’re taking a disliked character and making her into a better person. Feels like it’s been done a few times before, but I still appreciate them doing it. I hated s1 Klara for being so one-dimensional, but s2 Klara is well on her way to being a pretty good and nuanced character.

Her character development sort of comes a little out of nowhere, though. Her reputation wasn't ruined by posting that video and she didn't really lose any friends besides Sara (she had already lost Amie prior to posting that video considering what Amie said to her after Lucia in 1x08).

So what prompted Klara to become this whole new person who actually considers other people's feelings in a relatively short amount of time? Here's a conversation between Felicia and Klara in 2x07.

Felicia: Was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about? I understand that we’re not best friends just because you and Elias are together. We’re not here without a reason, right? Klara: No, I get that this feels weird for you. And if you don’t trust me after everything that’s happened - or that I’ve done. Felicia: Klara… Klara: I know that I haven’t acted like the world’s best person. And I regret that. Sorry.

But why does Klara regret her past behavior? What made her realize she hadn't acted like the "world's best person" if the ramifications from posting the Halloween video were so minimal?

Was it the relationship with Elias that made Klara change? No, I don't think so. When they first start talking at the bar in 2x03, Elias tells Klara that he doesn't always agree with Felicia and that he has his own viewpoints. In 2x07, he says Klara wasn't the one who messed up, but rather Amie and Ludde. And in 2x09, the script tells us that the Elias/Klara relationship seemed to bring more change to Elias rather than Klara.

Felicia: What did you do to him? Klara: What? Felicia: He’s smiling. Elias is like a whole new person since he met you. Klara: Stop. Felicia: I mean it!

So what made Klara change? In 1x08 she's mocking Felicia's drug problems and posts a video that will for sure ruin Amie's reputation. But at the start of season 2, she's suddenly become more withdrawn and considerate of people's feelings.

I can only name one factor that actually makes sense, and that's the fighting between her parents. Klara seems to turn into this quiet child when she has to listen to her mom and dad yelling at each other. This is something that didn't really begin until season 2, when Ola's company GECED started going under. This storyline was very well done.

But the other things, like Klara's reputation and friend group which you would assume would be affected, remain as they were in season 1.

Jack's sudden character change

Jack came into season 2 as a charming and charismatic character, seemingly fooling everybody into thinking he was a good guy. He knew the Kroon family from before and both Felicia and Elias were none the wiser when it came to the eventual reveal of his true colors.

Here's what Stefan H. Lindén had to say about the Jack character in his season 2 Q&A:

Bringing Jack in was actually originally not my idea, it came from my writer colleagues after that they revised my storyline notes for Season 2, while I was still down in Oskarshamn shooting Season 1. We had always intended for a character to come in and raise the stakes but I never imagined it to be Jack. When we started to develop the character, we all started liking him so he was kept in the story. Like with any new character we never really know who they are and what [the] point of them for coming in is [...]

Personally, I feel like the point of Jack's character is pretty obvious. When he first comes to Oskarshamn he is very much the embodiment of the new love interest coming in to date the girl who has broken up with her previous lover, while the previous lover still loves her and does anything he can to get her back although she's dating someone new. Jack is the Romantic False Lead trope who later becomes an alpha-dog Jerkass.

What I found interesting about Jack compared to Klara (in season 1) is that Jack isn't just a bad guy. He's very clever with his manipulation tactics and can easily charm people with his good looks and charisma.

When Felicia accuses Jack of cheating in 2x07, he manages to spin the whole thing around and make Felicia apologize to him and say it was stupid of her to believe he would cheat on her. I talked about this in a post while the season still aired, before Jack's true colors were revealed. Here's what I wrote:

I still don’t know if Jack really is cheating on Felicia with Olivia (the girl that texted him) but I would say he is. Jack is incredibly confident and charming, which makes him able to easily lie and manipulate people. We know he’s not an entirely good person since he’s already lied to Elias about not knowing that Mats would bring him back to Eagles. I wouldn’t be surprised if he really did hook up with Olivia and ended up being a really good liar. The fact is that not only did he deny it but he then shamed Felicia for blaming him and causing a scene, ultimately shifting the focus in the argument to her and making Felicia feel bad that she even confronted him in the first place. Jack says that maybe they shouldn’t even be together, which causes Felicia to backtrack and apologize. It’s actually pretty impressive how Jack was able to spin that around to blame Felicia and make her apologize.

Jack is able to take a small detail and use it as ammunition to get what he wants. In this situation, he brings up the girl in the Stockholm club that Felicia partied with and also kissed.

Jack: You shouldn’t accuse me, either. Felicia: What? Jack: I saw on Instagram, you and some girl in Stockholm. Have I whined about that? Coming here and blaming me for things, it feels really immature. Felicia: Fuck. Sorry, Jack.

Jack wasn't bothered by that at all. It happened before Felicia and Jack were even an official couple, and all they had done was hooking up at a party while Felicia was high. Jack, having cheated on Felicia, couldn't care less about the random girl Felicia kissed. That was just something he used to manipulate her.

When we discover that Jack is actually cheating on Felicia, he immediately reverts to a one-dimensional "evil" character. He's become the 2.0 version of Klara in season 1—written in just to stir up drama.

This "master manipulator" version of him just goes down the drain and Jack turns into a manchild who starts petty fights, files a police report because Ludde pushed him, and says to Felicia "I'm gonna tell on you!". Alright, maybe those weren't his exact words, but you know what I mean. It's a sudden shift and you start wondering how Jack was able to hide this version of himself so well before.

In 3x05, Jack sees Ludde and Andreas after a hockey game and fumbles trying to find any insult he can to hurl at Ludde. Everything he says from that point on is just line after line to really solidify that Jack is the bad guy. You didn't forget that, right? Here, let's have Jack call Felicia a druggie so you know just how shitty he is. And have him call Andreas a junkie later for good measure—there, that should be enough for people to understand that Jack is the villain here.

Jack: Johansson! Ludde: What the hell are you doing here? Jack: What does it look like? Ludde: I guess it’s you I should thank for the victory. Nice work. Jack: What is Felicia doing these days, then? Does she miss me? Ludde: Hey, you’re shutting up now, do you get it?! Jack: Jesus Christ. Do you think you can save her? What do you think she even sees in you? You two play in different leagues, Ludde. Ludde: You have no idea what we’re like. Jack: Come on! You should leave her. While you can. She’ll just pull you down into the dirt with her. You’re no hero, Ludde. Isn’t she still doing drugs? Once a druggie, always a druggie, right?

Jack is a horrible person, but at least he was able to pretend to be a good guy in season 2. And that was actually really fascinating. I wish we could've seen more of Jack's manipulative side that he showed in season 2 instead of making everything coming out of his mouth be a half-assed attempt at insulting the other person. That's a pretty boring villain, in my opinion.

Jack's backstory of his father being an alcoholic and him starting to resent the whole Kroon family because they had everything growing up while he didn't is interesting. It would've also made more sense if his anger was only directed towards the Kroon family since they're the ones he grew up with. They're the ones he was after the whole time.

His anger towards them feels cheapened when Jack also starts insulting Andreas (who he's probably never met before) for no good reason. It's like Jack's human qualities are just gone and all that's left is this empty shell made to start fights. His backstory didn't really make anybody sympathize with him, either.

The improvements of season 2

What I liked about the writing in season 2 was that they explored new ideas and had some solid storylines (besides the mess that was Amie and Ludde). Elias and Klara actually worked pretty well as a couple, even if they were pretty much the 2.0 version of Felicia/Ludde as the "wealthy, popular pretty girl starts dating the star player on the sports team".

Felicia finally gets some more depth. The scene at the end of 2x02, where Felicia and Leila park their car near the harbor and just start crying, is so powerful.

2x05 is also one of my favorite episodes of the show, as well as the ending montage of the 2x10 season finale. In Gameday, we had a very touching scene between Felicia and Mats where they finally communicate. It's not the most understanding conversation but it's a start. It's an interesting contrast between their talk in 1x06 where Felicia revealed she saw Mats cheating on Leila versus the talk they're having now.

Another one of my favorite scenes is when Felicia and Ludde meet up at their bench in 2x10 after Ludde has called her up asking Felicia to come if there's any chance of them getting back together.

The dialogue is simple and to the point. There's no long-winded love confession for the sake of drama. It's a moment that the whole season has been building up for, and when we finally get there we realize that this is how love should be.

Easy and simple.

Ludde: You came back. Felicia: Yeah, I did. Ludde: Do you remember our first date here? Felicia: No. I’ve forgotten. Ludde: I was so freaking nervous. Felicia: Everything you said… Did you mean it? Because you hurt me, Ludvig. And I… I’ve really tried to hurt you back, but… It’s not possible. I can’t… Not love you. Do you think… Do you think it can be us again? Ludde: What do you think? Felicia: I don’t want anything else.

Ludde admitting how nervous he was on their first date is sweet and shows us how much they've been through. Felicia is struggling to find the words to say and she's acknowledging how hurt she was, but still can't seem to find it in her heart to hate Ludde. It's honest.

Another plotline that I think was a little underrated in season 2 is the GECED company going bankrupt and Ola, Klara's dad, is under investigation for financial crime. This isn't a storyline you would usually see in a teen series. It's much more serious. It also gave us a really touching and poignant scene in 2x08 between Ola and Klara sitting on the floor of his office, where Klara has to comfort her father who starts crying.

Ola: When you were little you used to sit like this. On the floor, while I was working. You had your own room, but you wanted to sit with me. “Help daddy work”. Mom’s doing the right thing by leaving for a while, don’t blame her for that. Klara: What, you can’t just leave because things get a little tough. Ola: Maybe you should get away for a while too. You know, I never wanted you two to… That you… Everything’s gone. Klara: It will be fine. It will be fine. Ola: Sorry. I’m sorry.

In 2x09, Klara is at a party when she notices a bunch of missed calls from her dad. She immediately senses something is wrong and rushes home to find her dad having attempted suicide. It's executed very well and I really liked the more serious tone they went for in season 2.

It set up season 3 perfectly, which continued with the darker themes but balanced them very well with the more light-hearted moments.

Season 3: Finding one's footing

Season 3 was a highly anticipated season. I thought the season 2 finale was masterfully done and it left me wanting more. When season 1 finished on its cliffhanger of the video leaking, the focus only seemed to be on that.

But with season 2 there's Felicia/Ludde getting back together and Ludde having been sued by Jack, Jack threatening that he would leak all of the Kroon's family secrets, Klara's dad passing away, Elias deciding to get on the train and go to the draft combine anyway, Amie having finally become a recording artist but being isolated and heartbroken... There's so much to unpack, and it's a lot more interesting than the ending of season 1.

Where's Jack?

Jack is supposed to be the main villain but he's gone for most of the season, failing to show up until 3x05. In the season 2 finale Jack makes a huge deal about how he's going to destroy Felicia's life. He's threatening her in a very violent and abusive way.

Jack: [...] I know a lot about you, Felicia. And your nice family. It’s enough for me to leak to one news site. I can destroy you. Do you get it? I’ll tell them everything. The drugs, the cheating, your abortion! Felicia: Shut up! Jack: Hey. Huh? Did you seriously think I wanted to be with you? The little Kroon princess, who has gotten everything for free her whole fucking life! You and Elias! Like spoiled brats! You don’t understand what it means to fight for something!

In 2x10, Jack decides to report Ludde for assault but he doesn't follow through on destroying this family that he hates. If there's anything Jack seems to despise above all, it should be the Kroon family, right? So why did he fight back with Ludde but not the Kroon family?

I expected Jack to leak all the Kroon secrets at the beginning of season 3, but Felicia seems strangely calm at the funeral which I'm assuming only takes place two weeks or so after Ola's passing in the season 2 finale.

Then, a whole year passes with no indication that Jack is ever going to leak anything. As season 3 was airing, I commented on how strange this felt in an ask I received:

One of my main questions about the time jump is the whole thing with Jack saying he was going to ruin Felicia’s and the Kroon family’s reputation in the press. It seemed like nothing really came of that? I’m pretty sure that detail hasn’t been abandoned entirely and that Jack will come back (we’ve already seen a glimpse of him in the third episode), but it feels strange that Jack threatened to leak all her secrets and then just never did. I got the impression that Jack was a person who, when having his pride wounded, would do pretty much anything to get back at the person who insulted him. And yet there’s no mention of where Jack has been during that time or what he’s been doing. I feel like I would be pretty paranoid about this if I was Felicia, but we don’t see this haunting her until episode 3 when she sees a flash of Jack before realizing it was just some random guy. It seems strange that Felicia was relatively at ease during the funeral (which I assume took place not long after Jack first threatened her) and after the time jump. We don’t really know what’s been going on during that year, but Felicia seems to be fine and like she hasn’t had any thoughts of Jack at all. Maybe she assumed that his threats were empty and that he wouldn’t actually leak anything to the press, which is reasonable but at the same time I don’t understand why Jack has yet to do anything after a year. He was really pissed off in the season 2 finale, after all.

Going to repeat one of the things I wrote here because it deserves to be mentioned twice, and this point is one of my biggest issues.

I got the impression that Jack was a person who, when having his pride wounded, would do pretty much anything to get back at the person who insulted him.

I feel like this was kind of a plot hole that wasn't explained. Jack is ruthless and doesn't hold back at all when his true colors come out. He has no problem talking about the sexual relationship he had with Felicia in front of her father. Jack is just that horrible.

So what prevented him from ruining the Kroon family's lives earlier, when it seems to be the thing he's wanted for years?

Michael's predictable predicament

Michael first appears at the end of 3x04, where he calls Amie up to tell her he's her father.

Man: Hey! Sorry for calling so late. Is it Amie? Amie Condé? Amie: Yeah. Man: I saw you on TV the other day. I’m Michael Condé. I’m your father.

In the next episode, we get a voice-over of the continued conversation between him and Amie.

Michael: [...] I understand if it’s shocking. I’m in Oskarshamn for work for a few weeks and— Could we meet up someday?

So, it's clear what the writers are going for here. It's the estranged father who returns into the child's life when they've become successful. We're made to believe it's a Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You trope when Michael meets up with Amie and tells her why he left.

Michael: So Petra, she— Has she said anything about me? Amie: Well… That you moved from Sweden before I was born… That you’re working as a lawyer. That you didn’t want to see me. Michael: I was… I was young when we met. Your mom and I. And everything went really fast. I was in love, but she had feelings for somebody else. And when she found out that she— That she was expecting you, then… She didn’t want me there. She said I wasn’t father material. To some degree she might’ve been right, but… I wasn’t much older than you are now. I had just gotten into a law school in Berlin. When I finally came back to Sweden, then… She didn’t let me see you. I had already lost you by then, but I want you to know that I— I’ve thought of you. And about a week ago, I… I’m seeing you. On TV. There you are. With my last name. I’m so proud.

However, it's pretty easy to identify the holes in Michael's story. To be honest this whole storyline was predictable from the very start. Before Michael even came into the story, I made this post which pretty much summed up Michael's whole character when we didn't even know he existed yet (this was when 3x03 was the latest episode that had aired).

I don’t think we’ve heard any mention of Amie’s dad in the whole series except for 3x02 when Amie was being interviewed and was asked about the Condé name where she said that while Samuelsson was from her mother’s side, and Condé was from “the other side”. I found her word choice a little interesting. I don’t think Amie’s dad has passed—but rather that he’s alive and just chosen to not be a part of her life, which is why Petra seemed to be a little offended when asking Amie why she didn’t want her last name anymore. This might also be why Amie said “the other side” rather than “my dad’s side” because they have an estranged relationship. [...] I’m not really sure if they’ll do anything with Amie’s dad (maybe they’ll go for that trope where the parent who previously abandoned their child returns after the child has accomplished something big/something major happened and the parent wants something from them for personal gain?).

When we actually get to meet Michael and hear his explanation of why he left, I wrote this post pointing out some of the holes in this storyline.

Michael meeting Amie only after she’s become famous is a little suspicious, but it’s understandable if he previously thought she didn’t want to meet him and then sees her with his last name on national television. Obviously he would contact her after that. I feel like there were some question marks with Michael’s whole story though, and the fact that his work just conveniently happened to send him to Oskarshamn after he’d just seen Amie on TV. Maybe I’m missing something here, but how did he know Amie had gone back to Oskarshamn if he saw her living as a pop star in Stockholm? Was this information about Amie quitting the tour and going back to her hometown even online? If Elias (who actually witnessed Amie saying she was done and quitting) seemed taken aback when he saw Amie in Oskarshamn, then how did Michael know?

I do think Michael will return for season 4 though, so hopefully this storyline will be straightened out a little. We don't really know what Michael has been up for the past few years and if he has a family of his own. Maybe he'll contact Amie again to tell her she has some younger half-siblings?

They ended on sour terms, but if Michael does have his own family it's something Amie deserves to know and she can decide whatever she wants to do. I'd also like to see a Michael/Petra reunion, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

This storyline wasn't bad, and I do appreciate we got to find out what the situation with Amie's dad was. I also liked how I was able to sympathize with Michael. He's not entirely awful, even if he did put a lot of blame on Petra. It's one of those situations where you don't really know what it's like to be in Michael's position unless you've experienced it, and it's very realistic.

Plot holes

Some of the plot holes of season 3 that I've already mentioned are how Jack waited a whole year before leaking the Kroon family's secrets and how Michael conveniently knew Amie was in Oskarshamn when nobody seemed to know she was coming except her mom.

I actually don't mind that it was never explained how Michael got Amie's phone number either, because that's usually pretty easy to find with a Google search. Things like addresses, economic status, and even your criminal history are easily accessible in Sweden when googling someone's name. So finding someone's phone number is probably fairly easy as well.

On the other hand, one of the most glaring plot holes appeared in 3x08. In this episode entitled Lost, the Kroon family is frantically searching for Felicia who has gone missing. Leila and Elias knock on Petra's door to see if Amie is there and might know something about Felicia's whereabouts. Petra tells them Amie isn't there and they leave.

Someone left me an anonymous ask which I answered in this post, pointing out how it was strange that Elias didn't just call Amie to ask her when she wasn't at home. We know Elias has her number because they've been talking on the phone and texting each other several times before in the season.

In 3x08, when Elias and his mom go to Amie's house and ask Petra if Amie has seen or spoken to Felicia or whether she's home, I couldn't help but wonder, uh Elias why not just call Amie and ask her if she has seen or spoken to Felicia? [...] if Elias had called her and she heard how frightened him and his family were and police being involved she would have told him and then there would be no point in the 3x09 episode really.

This is a very strong point. You could argue that maybe Elias just didn't think of that but if they went out of their way to visit Amie's house only to not find her there, it would seem like calling her instead would just be a logical next step in the situation? Here's what I wrote in response to this ask.

This is an issue I had with 3x08 and 3x09 as well. I had a hard time actually enjoying the moment between Felicia, Klara, and Amie knowing that her family was getting increasingly worried for her and even thought for a short moment that Felicia was lying dead at the bottom of the ocean. All that could’ve been avoided. To add, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me that when Klara finally decided to call someone she called Amie instead of Elias. An ex-friend of Felicia’s instead of her brother who could’ve helped a lot more. What was Amie supposed to do when she showed up at the hotel, exactly? I know there was the thing with Klara only knowing Amie’s number off the top of her head, but there is no reason why she couldn’t have gone down to the reception while Felicia was sleeping and asked to use a computer just to get a quick message to Elias. Like, “hey, Felicia attempted something bad but she’s safe with me, we’re at this hotel in this room but she didn’t want me to call anybody, I don’t know what to do”. That would’ve been so much better than keeping quiet about the situation for nearly 24 hours. I know that Klara probably has trauma from leaving her dad at the hospital after his suicide attempt and that she probably didn’t want to go against Felicia’s wishes. I understand the first part 100%. But Felicia was in a very bad place emotionally and was thinking that her whole family hated her when that wasn’t the case. I feel like in a situation like that you kind of have to be the bad guy just to ensure the family that Felicia was safe. Even if everything turned out alright in the end, it could’ve gone so much worse if Felicia had wanted to be kept hidden for longer. [...] Elias calling Amie would’ve been an easy solution to this whole debacle but we would’ve lost the drama. It’s still somewhat of a plot hole though, like you said.

I understand it was done this way for dramatic effect, but that doesn't really patch up the plot hole.

I also found it strange how many people turned on Felicia after Jack ruined her reputation in the press. I talked about this in an ask I received.

I don’t understand why the public turned on Felicia so harshly. And Leila too, for that matter. The way Jack told the story about how these two women had things done to them should indicate that they’re not the ones to be blamed. If I read this article and found out an 18-year-old girl got pregnant by a “violent criminal” who forced her to abort and then abused her I would not be angry with the girl. I would be angry that she was physically abused and also outed on her sexuality for being bi. If I read this article and found out Leila had been cheated on by her husband repeatedly with her best friends, I wouldn’t be angry at her. I would not agree with the decision to turn to alcohol (same as Felicia turning to drugs), but I wouldn’t blame them. And I feel like a lot of people should’ve been on Leila’s side after finding out the reason why they divorced. I don’t understand why people are saying they’re disappointed in Felicia and calling her fake when she’s been through so much trauma in her life. I feel like if this actually happened in real life, all the blame would be shifted to the men because they’re the ones who—in this story—are painted as the bad guys (with the exception of Jack, considering he was anonymous).

I got another anonymous ask sent in after this, pointing out how the anger directed towards Felicia was considerably more about her drug use rather than the abuse she endured. Here was my response to that:

[...] the drug use should’ve been understandable considering the stuff Felicia had been through was also written in that article. I don’t know. I can understand people unfollowing her if they didn’t want their young children to be exposed to all the controversy, but it’s still strange that everything Felicia received was hate messages. Did everybody just skip over the part where the anonymous source stated that Felicia was violently forced to have an abortion by an ex-criminal and probably did so out of fear for her life? Yes, we know this is fake, but why didn’t anybody seem to mention this? [...] they seem to have written this storyline with the idea in mind that the public was against the whole Kroon family. Felicia got comments such as “So fucking disappointed in you and your family”, “What a nasty fucking family”, “You and your family are so fucking disgusting”. So I think Leila received plenty of hate for drinking instead of divorcing her husband sooner and basically turning a blind eye to all the problems her family went through. That’s what Jack told the press, at least. The anger seemed to be directed towards every member of the Kroon family and that didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Again, this is something the writers did to dramatize the situation and they kind of forgot to consider that what Jack actually told the journalist wasn't as incriminating for Felicia and Leila as it were for Mats and Elias.

The magic of season 3

What season 3 really excelled in, to me, was delving into some more serious topics as well as showing the gradual development of Amie and Elias' relationship. Amie and Elias are the prime example of how a slow burn is so much better than having a couple get together too fast, like Felicia and Ludde did back in season 1.

While season 3 was still airing, I wrote a post dedicated to questions I had received about Elias and Amie. Here's one of the things I said about them:

I think Elias’ interest in her really started to grow after he saw how caring Amie was to Felicia, and later on connecting with her on how they both ended up back in Oskarshamn after following their dreams which didn’t exactly turn out the way they expected. Yes, Elias has always sort of been watching and admiring Amie from afar, but that interest didn’t start growing until he actually got to know her. The experiences they had in the US and Stockholm, respectively, probably changed their mindsets and in my opinion it makes so much more sense for them to get together now than it would’ve in season 1 or season 2.

I still believe that Elias and Amie are the best-written couple of the whole show (at least so far), because they just make sense. We'll see what season 4 has in store for them because we have yet to actually see them in a romantic relationship, but I feel like their personalities and characters just fit together really well.

Another thing I really appreciated was the depiction of Felicia and Ludde's declining relationship. Things like that happen so easily, and I liked how we see Felicia do this huge gesture of planning a picnic for Ludde in 3x04 but there were still underlying problems between them. It's like that in real life too—no matter how big of a romantic gesture you make, communication will always be the number one priority in any relationship and that's where Felicia and Ludde fall short.

The obvious disconnect between them when it comes to money is also important. It's been like this from the beginning, but season 3 gave us an actual conversation about it.

Felicia: Please, I can’t talk about this. Seriously. It was stupid of me to bring this up from the beginning. Fuck, I get such anxiety talking about the future— Ludde: You get anxiety? I’m the one walking around with no money in my account. Mom and dad had to get a loan to pay off mine and Andreas’ fines. I’m playing on a shitty old synth, and living off you like some leech. That’s anxiety. Felicia: Everything isn’t about money. Ludde: Says the one who has money. Felicia: Move out then, if it’s so fucking hard to feel like a leech.

This felt very realistic. Of course a person like Felicia wouldn't think money is everything when she's never experienced financial issues. She's able to move out into her own one-bedroom apartment as soon as she's turned 18, it seems, and doesn't worry at all about the cost of furnishing and decorating it. She didn't even pay for it herself, because Mats mentions he's the one on the mortgage loan. It seems like Felicia has never had an actual job either, and that's starting to worry her because she has no idea what she should be doing.

Felicia: [...] I don’t know what I’ll be or what I’ll do in the future. I don’t know that. Ludde: You’re still an influencer— Felicia: Don’t say I’m an influencer, please. Do you think I want to be that my whole life? It’s not even a career. I'm— I’m graduating next year, and I… My grades suck, and— I have no plan. I only have you. Not like that—I have you. That’s what I have. I want to be here, in Oskarshamn. I don’t want to go to the US and chase some dream and be a hockey wife. That’s not a life. Sometimes I wish neither of us had a plan, just us together here.

Felicia's character finally offers something interesting here, which I've waited for since season 1. She's not just a party girl anymore who has issues with drugs. She's a privileged teenager who is co-dependent on the guys she meets and who has anxiety about the future, to the point where she wishes she could stay in Oskarshamn in her little apartment forever stuck in limbo.

She has to face a harsh reality when Ludde decides to break up with her, and later on when her name is slandered in the press and people all over the country are sending her hate messages. Her own family is furious with her and Felicia has nobody. She's pushed away a lot of people and her mental state is just crumbling in front of our eyes.

It's a strong storyline and actually very well executed. Almost everything gets taken away from her, and at the end of 3x07 you can almost feel what Felicia is feeling. We've been with her through this whole journey, almost, and we understand why she feels like suicide is the only answer.

It's tough to watch that final scene of 3x07. It's greatly amplified by Alva Bratt's superb acting, but the writing of the journey there is also amazing. It's very difficult to write a sensitive storyline like this.

Overall, I don't have a lot of critique towards season 3. I loved most of the episodes. I elaborated on this further in a separate post:

[Episodes 3x04 and 3x05] showcased what Eagles should be all about so well, which is relationships plus the struggles you go through as a teenager in a small town, and then of course hockey. The hockey game episodes are really good, even if I don’t think 3x05 topped 2x05 (the game where Ludde got tackled and knocked out). I loved the contrast in Date night of the budding relationship between Elias and Amie and then that fight between Felicia and Ludde on the cliff. [...] It was interesting to see how this sweet gesture from Felicia turned into a fight between the two of them. I thought that was very realistic, because no matter how big of a gesture Felicia made to apologize there were still underlying problems that they needed to talk about. I also loved the “non-date” between Elias and Amie in this episode. It was cute to see them goofing off before the movie started and then talking about it on the way home. I liked how Elias could connect to her on how they had both returned to Oskarshamn. The recent episodes that dropped last week (3x08 and 3x09) were very strong and discussed some important subject matters [...] They were dark, but not necessarily bad because they needed to happen. However, I have to say that I prefer Eagles when it’s about hockey and teenage relationships. 3x04 and 3x05 made me kind of nostalgic for season 1 and I liked the vibe they both had.

Eagles season 3 is in my opinion the best season of the show so far, and we haven't seen any signs suggesting that there is any reason for season 4 to not be even better.

Season 4: Hopes and wishes

Considering how each season has been increasing in quality bit by bit, I have pretty high hopes for the writing in season 4. I'm excited to see how the transition from teenager to young adult will be portrayed in the main characters, and what their future will hold for them after they've graduated.

My main questions are if Felicia and Ludde will find their way back to each other or if they'll remain broken up (that would be realistic as well), if Klara will reconcile with her mom, what's in store for Elias's hockey career, and if Amie will leave her label and maybe opt for something more independent.

I also want to see how Felicia deals with the new home she's checked in to, and if Ludde will in fact go to the school now that it seems Andreas will be getting into trouble again.

Amie and Klara are kind of wild cards here, because it somewhat feels like they've already reached their happy endings. Amie is famous and successful in her pop music career, and Klara has found her place as a businesswoman following in her father's footsteps. Maybe these developments should've come in season 4 instead of rushing them.

Nonetheless, I have faith in the writers. The writing suffered a little in seasons 1 and 2 but it has gotten better. Most of the things I pointed out about season 3 were just small details in an otherwise stellar season.

In conclusion...

This post was critical, but I tend to be critical of every show I watch. Eagles is still a very special show for me and having grown up in a Swedish small town myself I'm very fond of the show and its characters.

So huge thanks to the creator, Stefan H. Lindén, for making this show a reality and also to the director Carl-Petter Montell for contributing to the writing in season 3. And of course the writers of the show which include Michaela Hamilton, Fanny Ekstrand, and Anton Nyberg (plus Amanda Adolfsson who helped write 1x02 and 1x05 and Simon Ekbäck Nordström who is credited for helping with the hockey scenes in 3x05).

I hope you guys enjoyed this long, long post and major kudos to you if you read this far!

#eagles svt #svt eagles #eaglesspoilers #young royals #beartown #björnstad #been working on this post for a few days so i really hope you enjoy it!

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voidcat · 4 years ago

Text

— Seijoh 4 & dom!reader

a/n: this is legit my first time writing nsfw so yea b kind pls. I was getting tired of sub!reader stuff and I’m not the most sexual person but yea have a lil dom!reader w the boys,,, as a treat,, I’d also like you all to know that Nicole enabled this... thanks for supporting the sad horn knee hours wife<3

mostly gender neutral reader but i just realized i used nicknames “miss/mistress” few times so yea

Hanamaki Takahiro:

Oh boy is he excited!.. the moment this slips out of your mouth, he is fuming, vibrating from where he’s sitting and can’t wait to get home.

He is always open to try new things. Back in the day you two tried a thing or two but you were unsure how he’d act so you downplayed often... but now that knowing you’re a dom, the things you can do with the trust you share, shit, did it get hot in here?

On random days, he’ll just go “hey babe what do you think of this?” And show you a page of strap ons, for you to choose. some days he’ll practically beg to be pegged. he loves your demanour when you’re in charge, the air within you when you’re the one in control is, comforting but each night a new adventure and he just can’t get enough of it, of you.

Probably the two of you start with a basic list of things to try and see what he is into. When it comes to spanking, you warn beforehand again and say you’ll do it only once. Holding back yourself and smacking him as lightly as you can, you watch his face for any changes. The moment your hand makes contact with his skin, he lets out a “yelp!” and you stop right there, growing worried. Instead of a face in pain, teeth clenched and brows furrowed; he has the most satisfied and flushed face, eyes half closed and glossy and mouth slightly open. “Do it again babe, but harder this time? Please?”

He probably gets on your nerves on purpose & loves it when you call him a brat or your good boy. Some days he’ll just call you to hang out at his place and when you arrive, you find him spread on the bed, touching himself, his eyes on your figure, staring right into your eyes “hope I haven’t disobeyed or crossed any lines Miss” (he’ll be pissing you off on purpose during your movie nights and let you teach him a lesson right on the couch, the counter or the table...)

Def calls you praises and names (especially titles, telling you over and over how much he loves and enjoys you, how he loves to be drowned in your presence, begging you for anything, even the tiniest bit of a kiss.

He likes to shower together after a long night and wash each other’s hair, gently massaging your scalp and placing kisses all over your shoulders and the top of your head; whereas you gently kiss the places you’ve bitten and bruised, smothering his face with kisses.

Oikawa Tooru

This boy here, loves to act tough and all but let’s face it, he is a switch. It’s a typical Never Have I Ever game and at one point bedroom talk enters the game. He takes notes of the things you drink to, curious and you swear you catch a spark of excitement when you make it plainly obvious you’re a dom. Although that spark leaves as fast as it has appeared and you brush it off as a play of light.

That night when you return home, he practically jumps at you, a little rougher than usual and you’re sure why. Letting him pin you to the wall, hands roaming your body greedily, you let him live out the fantasy. The kisses now rough, one minute his lips on yours, the next on your neck, shoulders, collarbones... desperate to sink his teeth in and leave some marks. You think to yourself, that’s enough.

Next thing Oikawa knows, he is the one pinned to the wall, his wrists pinned above his head. With your unoccupied hand, you graze your finger lightly on his figure, jaw, neck and chest. “Someone is feisty.” he won’t tell at first but definitely got a thing for being marked and marking, and honestly? you don’t need him to tell you that.

orgasm denial!!! lots of it!! first two times you take pity on him and let him but the third time? the smug bastard is so sure you will let him come again but surprise!, as soon as you come, you leave him high and dry. he tries solving the issue by himself (which only makes things worse) after like 5 days of no orgasm on his part, he finally gets the clue, is on his... better behaviour; once you allow him to come, the days long of wait is worth the pleasure but he learns not to test you like this again. (however, this won’t stop him from disobeying you few more times just to get you to be rougher)

public teasing!! pda is already a given but you guys use remote controlled toys some days (usually you have the remote and he is the one who does his best to keep quiet) the driving and being near the edge of his climax is painful but he manages to hold himself until you two return home (or find a safe place to take care of it) and the endless wait and your cruel play with the toy’s settings is worth the wait. oikawa shivers every single time.

besides these, he likes to dress up and put on make up. and he is quite picky when it comes to lingerie the two of you wear, he checks the fabric qualities and colors beforehand, after all you only deserve the best of the best. he’ll be picking palettes to compliment your features best, loves using highlighter and always picks a dark shade of lipstick for each other; just to see how many times you’ll have to reapply until you’re both covered in its colors.

Iwaizumi Hajime

Ok so I know he has the brute facade going and everyone thinks he’s a dom but hear me out: actually quite soft switch/sub-leaning iwachan

Its a night out w the gang and during a drinking game oikawa makes a snark at you being such a dom in the streets AND in bed. to this blood rushes to Iwa’s cheeks and not many pay attention to it, bc he gets blushy easily plus he has been drinking too. but his mind? Oh he’s for sure imagining scenarios on what you could do to him.

Orgasm denial isn’t much of a thing because he’s very obedient. he’ll do his best to please you and follow your each and every word, watch your lips to hear your next words. for him, your word is law at this point... it’s almost impossible to deny him or those puppy eyes and those sweaty arms anything. He will call you ma’am, mistress, your highness, my goddess... whatever you wish and do not wish for. He loves praising you and ramble about how perfect and holy, etheral and magnificent you are.

lowkey into being tyed up, handcuffed and/or bondage. absolutely loves seeing you in full control. some days you won’t even bother to get undressed while he’s squirming under your touch fully stripped, begging for the tiniest bit of release. sometimes you’ll do the smallest gesture of taking control and he’ll be drooling, not even joking, this man LOVES IT when u take the ropes into ur hands (both metaphorically and literally) loves to lose control and wait for you to do whatever your heart desires, he wants to be what you desire.

(lowkey got a “corruption kink” too) when you two decide to shake things up a bit one day, you bring up some games, activities and kinks (mostly stuff he has only heard of) and, and he’s hard on the spot. lowkey into you wearing leather and gagging him up, his hands tied. he doesn’t mind blindfolds but watching you is so breathtaking, he even does his best to blink as little as possible. he loves it when you ride him to the point of orgasming for the 6th time that day, he’s ready to do anything for you, be your good boy and please you til world’s end.

very very good at oral too, his arms arent the only muscles he’s good at using, he loves your taste, your fingers in his mouth, his fingers in your mouth and in you. feeling your warmth however you want is enough to be content.

not something you do often but having sex in front of the mirror, seeing you in different angles drives him crazy, watching you covered in sweat, shining, panting, telling him how good you are is enough to make him drunk. but still he prefers to be chest to chest, you in his lap, riding him as he holds you to his chest, feeling your skin against his, burning with each move, rubbing against each other.

Matsukawa Issei

of all his relationships and hookups, Issei always encountered subs. few times his partners were doms, they were still submessive to him so when he finds out realizes you’re a dom, needless to say, he’s intrigued...

it kinda starts off with sex in front of a mirror one night, your back pressed against his chest, you’re riding him as his face buried in yourneck and his hands howering over you and suddenly, you grab his hands and out them at his sides, hold his chin and make him look at the mirror: “now watch hoe good i’ll be fucking you and your brains out until you won’t get a coherent sentence out.” you whisper in a low voice and do you deliver as you’ve said? but he got tricks up his sleeve too...

Most of the time, it’s rough and the fire play as well as powerplay takes most of the time. There’s always a battle for dominance, which leaves you both covered in marks and bruises. To say neither of you like it, would be unfair, especially when he disobeys you or flirts with other people beforehand, stepping on your nerves on purpose. (the quiet moans he lets out as you bite his neck, his collarbones, his earlobe, chest and thighs is an indicator if you ever need one.)

And thighs! Lots of thigh biting, massages, rubbing with fingers, or just squeezing the others head inbetween thighs is a given during oral and any foreplay that involved pecks and love bites in that area.

And as it is rough, you two always take your time, having a gentleness to jt in your own way. Be it a soft kiss out of nowhere, a certain way of bucking your hips or thrusting his hips into you. And as things are rough, it’s also when you get to let it all out, be yourself, unstrained.

Some days you’ll drop by his current job, or he’ll stop by at your place, and if he sees you in a headspace that’s too distracted, bothered or irritated by something, or just down; he’ll pick you up, wrapping your legs around him, pressing to you and nibbling on your neck and literally fuck your frustrations out. Those times he lets you take the ropes into your hands but if you’re not up for even that, he’ll take the charge on the spot, and leave clear marks to keep your mind off things for days. And in return, you’ll leave claw marks on his back, tug at his hair and press him to yourself until all you can feel is him; some days you’ll flip the both of you out of nowhere and press his head against your chest, hold his hands behind his back and guide him with your body, his muffled breathes tingling your chest, the nape of your neck and your lips; until your skins red, lips bleeding and gentle purples decorating all over you.

(and he’s a sucker for it. some days he’ll go in town to get something for you to use on him and drop at your place without a card or a name. If asked, he always denies, claiming he’d not get you things to make it easier to control him but the sight of you holding a whip and he can feel the blood rushing already, tugging at his belt and your tshirt. He hopes it’ll be just like that one time you pressed against his dick with high heels, making him beg to come.)

tags: @myelocin @atsumu-brainrot

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julyarchives · 4 years ago

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masterlist!

key: ✿ (fluff) | ♡ (smut) | ✰ (angst) | ✻ (horror)

Requests are open!

Don’t You Hear Me Howling?

Pairing: Changgu (Yeo One) x Reader | Kino x Reader

Index: 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07• 08

Finding out you are a female Alpha sparkled some rivalry inside your pack, and resulted in you losing your best friend and your life turning upside down, so leaving for college was the fresh start you needed. Years later, you are about to finish your degree and suddenly this past comes back to mess with your head.

Teach Me Series

Pairing: Wooseok x Reader

Index: 01 • 02 • 03 • 04

Friends with benefits to lovers

A collection of friends to lovers that can be read as a multi-chapter story or independent one-shots

Thicker Than Blood

Pairing: OT9 x Reader

Index: 01 • 02 • 03

Mafia AU

Growing up in a tough neighborhood had you learning to deal with hard situations, the occasion leads you to cooperate with the mafia organization that took care of your neighborhood - Pentagon. Looking after yourself and valuing your safety brought you to adapt to the moment, but the line between working for them and protecting yourself is very blurry when you are forced to live under their roof.

Christmas Lights Special ✿

Pairing: Reader x OT9

Index: Here

2020 Christmas inspired fluffy one-shots to warm your heart during the winter season

REDAMANCY ♡ Hui x Reader x Yeo One

(n) the act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full

When your boyfriend Hui wasn’t treating you right, you didn’t expect someone else to do so. And you definitely did not expect Hui was going to be there to watch everything.

[or the one where Changgu shows your boyfriend how you deserve to be treated, and he likes it.]

The Things We Do In The Dark ♡ Hui x Reader x Hongseok

Treating yourself with an expensive night out turned out to be way more rewarding than you thought when you meet the two hot club owners Hui and Hongseok.

Eyes on me ♡ Hongseok x Reader x Wooseok

You always knew your friendship with Wooseok was really special, and the best part is that your boyfriend Hongseok wants to always make you happy. Who are the best people to take such good care of you if not your two favorite boys in the world?

Love Is Plural ♡ Yanan x Reader x Wooseok

Dealing with two boyfriends might be tricky, but the advantages of having twice the fun make everything better.

Triple Fun ♡ Yuto x Reader x Wooseok

An uneventful movie night ends up becoming way more fun than you would have imagined

Watch Me ♡ Shinwon x Reader x Hui

An open relationship takes a lot of trust and friendship, and that is not a problem for you and your boyfriend Shinwon, especially when he's so cool about your crush on one of his best friends - Hui.

Mixtapes and Love letters ✿ Jinho x Reader x Hui

A mix-up of feelings makes a mix-up of letters, but much to your surprise, Jinho and Hui come through with their feelings for you.

(One-Shot)

Lee Hwitaek (Hui)

Take Me Higher ♡ You're assigned for a different flight than you were used to, but once you saw Hui there you knew it was going to be a fun trip.

Sweet Melody ♡ You showed up at your boyfriend’s band practice to support and take care of him and seeing how tired he was, you just had to do something to boost his energy and reward him after such hard work.

High Heels and Night Skies ♡ "My lifestyle demands certain appearances that would be much better with you accompanying me, and I can provide everything you need to. You would have to be available and ready for our…" he paused "dates"

"So you want to be my sugar daddy?" You scoffed, more amused than offended.

Complicated ♡ Your ex gets really jealous after seeing you flirting with someone else at a party, and he makes sure you don't forget anymore who do you belong to.

Jo Jinho (Jinho)

Wonderfully Wrong ✰ ✿ When you thought your boyfriend Jinho forgot your anniversary it really upset you, but later that night you realized how wrong you were

Closer ♡ You thought you would be nervous on your first time with your boyfriend Jinho, but everything about being with him is simply perfect.

Skinny Love ✿ You didn't understand why your roommate was so angry when his friends started interacting with you, but everything was clear when he decided to be honest with you

Baby, pull me closer ✰♡ If you had ever believed in soulmates, it was because of Jo Jinho. When you were just hanging out at a bar with a few coworkers on a Friday night, the last thing you expected was to be confronted with your past.

Yang Hongseok (Hongseok)

Reuniting ♡ Coming back home and meeting with your best friend, you weren’t expecting the night to take such a surprising turn.

Lazy Days and Loving Touches ♡ Doing nothing with your boyfriend can be interesting when your boyfriend is Hongseok.

Meant To Be ✰ ✿ You didn’t think you would have to deal with past feelings until you meet your ex-boyfriend Hongseok, right after your current boyfriend proposes to you.

Ko Shinwon (Shinwon)

Warm Water, Slow Hands ♡ After having a rough day at work, a relaxing bath prepared by your boyfriend Shinwon is the best thing you could have asked for.

Late Night Gym ♡ Going to the gym isn’t always the part of the night you look forward to the most, but after you started flirting with Shinwon things just might work out well for you.

Focus ♡ Your boyfriend Shinwon puts you in your place when you lash out at him after a bad day, and you love every second of it.

Play For The Win ✿ Shinwon and you discover a common passion and it turns out that the soccer stadium is the perfect place to fall in love

Just Breathe ✿ When the world seems to be closing around you, your boyfriend Shinwon is the only one who can make you feel like breathing again

Yeo Changgu (Yeo One)

Drip ♡ Seeing Changgu looking so handsome at a wedding leads you two to a steamy shower after the party.

Elysian ♡ Spending Valentine’s day with your boyfriend is always special, and Changgu knows how to make you happy in every possible way.

So Bad ✿ You couldn’t find a better way to put your feelings into words, so you let a song speak for you when you couldn’t hold back your feelings for Changgu.

Lovers In The Night ♡ Dating an idol is already hard, and when you debut it gets even harder, but your boyfriend Changgu knows just how to make up for all the time spent apart

Yan An (Yanan)

Scintilla ♡ Having to deal with the most handsome and cocky nemesis can be fun when that person is Yanan

Sparke (Scintilla pt.2) ♡ Falling for your enemy can be dangerous, but Yanan doesn't make it easy to just forget about him.

Lunar Love ♡ Stuck between forbidden love and duty to the kingdom, decisions under the moonlight may change everything

Oblivious ✿ It all feels right when you and Yanan admit you love each other more than friends.

Adachi Yuto (Yuto)

Halloween Party ♡ At a Halloween party, you had let your insecurities take the best of you, but Yuto showed you that there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Vorfreude ♡ Vorfreude (n). The joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures.

Into You ✿ First dates can be a little awkward, so you thought that a carnival would be a good place to make it fun, and Yuto definitely is the best company for that.

In The Dark ✿ Late-night feelings always seem more intense, but it's better when they are mutual.

Fireworks In My Heart ✿ going to a lantern festival with Yuto

Afterglow ♡ comforting Yuto after he's had a long day.

Kang Hyunggu (Kino)

Die For You ✻ Being taken hostage turns out to be what you needed to find what you have always been looking for.

Earned It ♡ Secretly dating the Teacher’s Assistant has its perks, especially when you two get the classroom all by yourselves and he enjoys his new pet name.

Among Flowers ♡ If you had to pick a favorite place on earth, it would be your boyfriend’s flower shop. A new relationship can come with a few insecurities, but nothing that would be a problem for you and Hyunggu

Something About You ♡ Visiting Hyunggu in his studio ends up with you helping him finish his song in the best way you could have thought.

Blossom ✿ You can see all the colors perfectly, except your soulmate’s favorite, but you were a little skeptical about that. You just didn’t expect to be proven wrong when your best friend’s brother takes you on a fake date.

Sunrise ✿ Spending the night getting to know Hyunggu better is as sweet as it sounds.

Jung Wooseok (Wooseok)

DO or NOT ♡ To All The Boys I've Loved Before AU

Come With Me ♡ Your boyfriend Wooseok tries to convince you to move in with him with a very compelling argument.

Safe Place ✿ Wooseok comforts you after you second guess your attitudes on a drunken night.

Third Time Is The Charm ✿ Two times you and Wooseok didn't kiss, and one time you did.

Play With Fire ♡ Working with Pentagon becomes harder when Wooseok notices you. It doesn't help that he looks extremely hot in the new concept.

Teach Me ♡ The boys were making fun of Wooseok for not being as experienced as them, and since you two have always been good friends, you decided it was a good idea to give him the help he needs.

Secret Rendezvous ♡ After the last encounter, Wooseok was acting a little weird and distant, but the boys made sure to help you two get closer again. Really closer.

Impulsive ♡ A lot of things go through your head when you think about your relationship with Wooseok - and so you feel very conflicted. You two can’t help but go for each other every time you are together, but where will that lead you two?

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hexalianrebel-blackfeathers · 4 years ago

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Rough Crows Have Soft Feathers

Panda’s Notes: It’s my first commission; I can’t believe it!! Funny enough, it was a request to finally tie up a loose end on an old series of mine. >w> Thank you so much @wertzunge, for the commission in general and giving me some actual ideas that my own brain couldn’t provide. You’ve always been kind, and I hope you like it!

Word Count: 5254

Ao3 || Ko-fi

“Tsukki, c’mon!” Yamaguchi called as he chased after Tsukishima, closing the small amount of distance the blonde kept putting between them. “Rough Crows have Soft Feathers? How do you know the code phrase or whatever if the third-years don’t even remember it?”

Tsukishima glanced at him, a smirk hinting on his face as he shook his head. “Just because someone couldn’t pull it off the top of their head doesn’t mean it’s some ancient phrase no one knows. It’s probably still in that book; it’s been passed down for years.”

“How do you know that?!”

He paused, shifting his bags’ straps on his shoulders. “If I tell you… You’d better not repeat a thing. What I tell you never happened, got it?”

Yamaguchi couldn’t help rolling his eyes, but the way Tsukishima glared made him realize he was serious. The story must have been pretty wild.

“Alright, alright; I promise.” Yamaguchi nodded quickly, smiling and bouncing slightly on his toes before continuing to follow him.

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

Tsukishima sighed tiredly after practice, running a hand through his hair and dragging his headphones off onto his neck. “Yamaguchi, come on…” He murmured to himself, leaning on the railing at the foot of the clubroom stairs.

“Tsukishima, hey.” The blonde flinched when he was poked on the back of his head, glaring up at the culprit. He flinched back again when he realized it was Nishinoya, perched up on the angled railing with Tanaka holding onto his jacket to keep him from falling off.

“What are you doing?” He asked, trying not to sound too worried about his little stunt.

“Heh, we’re here to invite you out, ya brat.” Noya smirked, spreading his arms out as he wobbled. “You want to come hang at Suga’s this weekend? Most of the team should be there if you bring Yamaguchi.”

“If Sugawara-senpai is having a party or something, why wouldn’t he tell us himself?” Tsukishima huffed softly, starting to put his headphones back on.

“It’s a tradition, tough guy.” Noya grabbed Tanaka’s shoulder and jumped down onto the stairs before poking Tsukishima’s arm. “We meet up just about every weekend. Second-Years invite their new juniors to the party.”

“It’s a team thing, Tsukishima;” Tanaka declared, resting his hands on his hips. “You in or not?”

The first-year looked away from them, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of their eyes on him. He groaned, pulling his headphones back over his ears. “Can’t I think about it or something?”

Noya pouted and sighed, but Tanaka shrugged. “You can do whatever you want, but we’re meeting up Friday night.” The second-years waved passively as they started to leave, with Noya sticking his tongue out childishly. “Bring an overnight bag if you’re coming!”

Tsukishima sighed softly as they finally left, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets to mess with his music player. Some part of him couldn’t help wondering why he didn’t want to interact more with his team, but a larger, clearly more reasonable part quickly moved to shut that voice down.

“Tsukki!” Tsukishima glared up the stairs as Yamaguchi ran toward him. “I’m really sorry, okay, but Hinata was showing me his Pokémon team, and then he and Kageyama were arguing again, and then they asked me to help them practice some more but I—Eep! Hey…”

Yamaguchi pouted, covering his stomach where Tsukishima had managed to sneak a single poke.

“I don’t care if you want me to wait, but I’d appreciate you saying something first.” He huffed, turning to start walking.

“Right, right; sorry, Tsukki…”

As they made their way along their usual route, Tsukishima rested his hands in his pockets as his mind started to wander. Yamaguchi was definitely the more social of the pair, despite how shy he could get sometimes; if the team was meeting up every weekend, why did Noya and Tanaka act like Yamaguchi had never been before? If he had been before, he probably would have brought it up.

“Ah, hey…” Tsukishima sighed, pausing under a lamppost where they would normally have parted ways. “Are you…busy this weekend?” He asked, looking off into the distance.

Yamaguchi had brushed against his arm when he stopped, looking up from his phone and cringing a bit. “Yeah, actually. Sorry, Tsukki, but my mom’s got me booked up until, like, Wednesday. Why? Did you have big plans or something?” He gently nudged the blonde’s bag with his elbow, putting his phone away as he did.

Tsukishima shook his head, letting out a breath he hadn’t noticed was being held. “Nah…” He sighed. “Just checking.”

“You sure~? ‘Cause if you want some plans, you can come and help me with all the chores I’m going to be doing.” Yamaguchi threw up the jazz hands, and Tsukishima couldn’t help chuckling as he rolled his eyes.

“Very funny. Shut up, Yamaguchi.” He smirked, giving the shorter boy a little shove on his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry.” Yamaguchi waved casually as he made his way down the other path. “Night, Tsukki!”

Tsukishima waved passively, making his way in the other direction as his mind continued to wander.

What was that about anyway? Why would he want to invite Yamaguchi somewhere he didn’t even want to go? Then again, the team was always more tolerable with Yamaguchi around to lean on when they got all rowdy.

…Did he actually want to hang around the team? He couldn’t help being reminded of all the times his brother nagged him to be more open and kinder to people. As he reached his front door, he groaned to himself as his mind argued whether or not it’d be worth it. Within the fifteen minutes it took him to settle into his room and spread his homework all over his desk, he was also stealing glances at his cell phone and the half-written text message he had considered sending to Sugawara.

“Come on now, Kei,” Akiteru said gently, passing the volleyball carefully so his brother didn’t have to run far. “A birthday party sounds fun. When you’re my age, birthday parties are just guys talking about girls and watching movies we’ve already seen in the dark.” He made a face, hoping for at least a hint of a smile, but Kei rolled his eyes and just passed the ball back smoothly.

“Birthday cake and cheap ice pops aren’t exactly my idea of a good time.” He’d griped, cracking his knuckles and watching his brother’s face for any hint of where he’d need to go next.

“I know what you’re not getting next year then.” Akiteru teased with a chuckle, sighing as he bumped the ball with his arms. “I’m being serious though; I think you could do well with some new friends. They seemed nice enough when they were inviting you.”

Kei wondered if they’d been in the same parking lot that day. Those boys had ‘Mom made me invite you’ practically written on their foreheads. “Those guys are lame, alright?!” He insisted, catching the ball and pouting. “…And they didn’t invite Yamaguchi…” He finally admitted, his fingers tensing on the white stripes. “Said they didn’t want him there.”

“Oh, I get it now~!” Kei cringed and blushed as Akiteru playfully poked his forehead. “I guess I can’t fault you for looking out for Tadashi, but that’s no excuse to keep being so obstinate about not making other friends, okay?”

“Obsti…” Kei murmured, trying to remember if he knew that word or not.

“Ugh, just… when you meet some people; nicer people, I mean, promise me you’ll give them a chance?”

Kei had stared down at the ball, heaving a sigh before nodding once.

Tsukishima had stared down at his phone, heaving a sigh before sending the message he’d written.

Sugawara responded within minutes, and Tsukishima realized it was too late to back out.

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

“Hey, you!” Tsukishima let out a choked noise when his senpai’s arm was suddenly thrown around his neck, causing him to be dragged down a bit. “Did you think about coming to the session tonight or what?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” He pouted, loosely gripping Tanaka’s wrist to stable himself. “…But I did make up my mind.” He tried to squirm his way out, only to flinch sharply when he felt a prod on his exposed side.

Nishinoya laughed lightly as he skipped by, and Tanaka smirked as he let the blonde go. “Aw, c’mon Tsukki, it’ll be fun. Might fix that attitude for a night too.”

“Guys, leave him alone.” Daichi chuckled as he exited the gym, grabbing Tanaka by the back of his shirt collar and pulling him slightly. “We just said you should invite them, not force it. Tsukishima, do what you want. You two, come with me before we miss our ride.”

Tsukishima gave a halfhearted wave as his senpais walked away, smirking just slightly as Yamaguchi stepped out and stretched.

“So, you’re absolutely positive that you don’t want to help me do yardwork this weekend?” Yamaguchi teased, nudging the blonde with his elbow.

Tsukishima scoffed, almost giving a smile as he ruffled Yamaguchi’s hair. “Are you going to have a new joke when I see you on Monday?” He teased.

“Heh, I could consider it for you.” Yamaguchi smiled, softly squeezing Tsukishima’s hand before he turned away. “Anyway, my mom’s picking me up; don’t get lost going home!”

“You’re not funny!” The blonde smiled after him before sighing as he already kind of regretted not telling him.

“You two are awfully cute, you know that?”

Tsukishima flinched as he heard Sugawara calling down to him from the club room, grinning playfully as he waved. He crossed his arms, looking away slightly as he blushed.

“Aw, lighten up.” Sugawara laughed softly, starting to walk down the stairs. “I got your bag for you. Let’s get going before we miss the bus.”

Tsukishima let out a huff as the duffel bag was tossed into his arms, smiling just slightly. “Thank you… So, you didn’t tell any of them?”

Suga shrugged. “I might have told Daichi, since he’s buying the groceries, but I knew you wouldn’t want it to be broadcast around the team. Heck, if you want; I can pretend I didn’t know you were coming.”

The first-year couldn’t help a soft chuckle as they approached a bus stop. “You don’t have to go that far, just… What is this all about?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it too much. Those two are probably all riled up about your initiation.”

Tsukishima paused, finding his bearings when he heard a bus approaching. “My what?!”

Sugawara laughed, pointing up at his face. “You should see yourself! Heh, relax, Tsukishima. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I think it’s fun. Hinata and Kageyama were a riot during their initiation.”

Sugawara waved as the bus slowed down, and Tsukishima clutched the straps on his bags. “Could you, maybe, tell me more?”

The older boy smirked back at him as they boarded the mostly empty bus, motioning him to sit in a window seat near the back. “Are you actually interested, or are you scared?”

He just had to say ‘scared’, didn’t he? Tsukishima tipped his head back and glared out the window. “’M not scared.” He huffed, blushing faintly when Sugawara snickered. “Just, um, curious, I guess. It sounds…familiar.”

“Does it? Apparently, it’s been tradition for at least a few years.”

Tsukishima blinked as a piece of memory resurfaced: something about Akiteru coming home bragging a bit about winning some game during a sleepover. “Some kind of game, right?”

“Well, yeah. But more importantly, a prize.” Sugawara squirmed a bit in the chair, pulling his house keys from his pocket. “Don’t tell the others I told you early, but… You’ll get this.” Holding together his set of keys was an apparently homemade keychain: a pair of feathers made of black leather and embroidered with ‘Karasuno’ in bright orange thread.

“Huh… Is that it?” Tsukishima couldn’t help asking, smiling tauntingly as he reached to touch it curiously.

Sugawara pulled it into his palm before he could, chuckling. “You’ll get bragging rights too! And more importantly, Tanaka and Nishinoya will leave you alone for a while.”

Tsukishima shook his head. “You still haven’t told me what I have to do.”

“I can’t give away all the surprises, you know. Oh, here, get up.” Suga gently pulled his arm before getting to his feet and approaching one of the doors.

The blonde pouted, following after him as he stepped off of the bus.

“Hey, senpai!” Tsukishima blinked and cringed as he recognized that voice, his eyes narrowed as Hinata came rolling up to them with Kageyama running behind. “Tsukishima?”

“Yep, Tsukishima is going to be joining us tonight.” Sugawara grinned. “Be nice. That goes for all of you.”j

Tsukishima huffed, expecting a similar response from Kageyama, but the setter hinted a smirk instead, giving him a playful shove as he and Hinata went by.

“That’s not—ugh…” Sugawara huffed, hands on his hips as he followed after them.

“What’s their problem?” Tsukishima asked with a huff of his own, crossing his arms.

“Looks like they have it out for you. I’d say tonight is definitely going to be fun. If you’re up to earn your wings, of course.”

“You can stop dancing around me, senpai, I’ll play the stupid game.”

Sugawara seemed to light up, snickering deviously as he pulled out his keys again.

-----------

Tsukishima was surprised to see all the space Sugawara had, even for this one room. Hinata had called him over to add his duffel bag to the pile, and while he was rummaging through his overnight bag, he flinched and nearly fell into the pile. His hand shot to his side, where he’d felt a sudden poke.

“Ha!” Hinata stood in the closet’s doorway, poised to run off again. “Did you think I’d forget so soon, Tsukishima?” He called teasingly, smiling as the blonde glared at him. “Good to hear you’re not backing out of the game~!” He zipped off before Tsukishima moved, and the blonde rolled his eyes as he finally pulled out the items he was looking for before returning to the center of the room.

Kageyama and Sugawara had just finished pulling out the bed from the couch when Hinata threw himself onto it, and Suga chuckled as Kageyama nagged at him.

“Alright, you three, be good.” Sugawara began, pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking it. “The others are going to be here soon, so you guys pick a movie or something while I man the door.”

Kageyama had tackled Hinata into the mattress, so Tsukishima nodded in affirmation for them. Their senpai pointed out the remote to start some streaming apps before disappearing into the hallway. Tsukishima sat on the edge of the bed, tuning out the wrestling pair as he flicked through some titles he’d never heard of indecisively.

“H-Hey, don’t!” Hinata cried out, loud giggles breaking his voice as Kageyama chuckled over him. Tsukishima blinked and glanced back at them, catching a glimpse of the setter pinning Hinata’s shoulder with one hand while his free hand clawed and scribbled at his stomach.

“Where’s that infinite energy you always act like you have?” Kageyama taunted, grabbing at the hand that flailed against his face and shoulder.

“Tsukki, help! It’s not funny!” Tsukishima flinched, glaring slightly when he used that nickname. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been smiling as he watched them.

“Why exactly should I help you?” He asked derisively, turning back to the television to keep scrolling. He felt a distinct sort of tingle in his spine when the pair behind him suddenly got quiet again.

“Well, what do you think is going to happen to you?” Hinata had countered, followed by a yelp as Kageyama pinched his side.

“Why would you tell him?” Kageyama huffed, rolling his eyes as he scooted away from Hinata.

“Aw, c’mon, Kageyama; the guys didn’t tell us anything when it was our turn!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was the point.”

“I didn’t really think that was fair, though…” Hinata flailed when Kageyama grabbed a pillow to smack him with.

“Obviously, but you picked him to be fair with?”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, grabbing the pillow. “Stop! Okay, wait; that’s the initiation thing Sugawara was going on about? Some tickling game?”

Kageyama huffed, a bit of red crossing his face as he looked away. “Yeah, an intense one too.”

Tsukishima snickered, shoving Kageyama’s shoulder mockingly. “Too intense for our king, then?”

Hinata scoffed. “Oh, please; don’t sit there acting like you’re not ticklish all of a sudden. The whole team was there when I got you!” He flinched when the blonde’s eyes narrowed in his direction, smiling nervously when his hand grabbed his shirt.

“Y’know, now that you mention it, I don’t think we ever finished discussing that…” He growled.

“Hey, hey!” All three first-years looked up as Asahi walked into the room. “Don’t fight, you guys, come on, Tsuki--”

“Tsukishima’s here?! There was a commotion in the hall before Nishinoya and Tanaka had suddenly burst into the room with Daichi’s voice and Suga’s laughter chasing after them. Tsukishima winced as Nishinoya’s arms were suddenly thrown around him and his hair was ruffled by one of their hands.

“You actually showed up; I can’t believe it!” Noya practically shouted.

“Ow, okay! Let me go!” Tsukishima griped.

“It’s great to see you, man!” Tanaka laughed. “I hope you’re ready for—”

“Get back here, you two!” Daichi barked from the hall, and Ennoshita shed his own backpack to toss into the pile as he came through the door. Noya and Tanaka waved as they went to face Daichi’s wrath, and Ennoshita flopped back onto the bed and stretched.

“It’s going to be a hell of a night, isn’t it?” He asked with a slight grin, and Tsukishima figured he would probably be right.

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

“Alright, alright; everyone, sit still.” Daichi called out once everyone present was finally in the room. The boys were trying to find comfortable leaning positions more or less on top of each other. Tsukishima had scooted over to the edge of the bed, pulling one knee up to his chest as he poked around on his phone.

“Sugar, what are we looking at for time?”

Tsukishima couldn’t help snickering at that nickname as Sugawara pouted, but the older boy crossed his arms and checked his own phone. “Asahi volunteered to keep an eye on the oven timer, but we should have at least ten or so minutes free.”

“Good, good. Okay, as you all can see, we’ve got a new guest tonight!”

Tsukishima cringed as he felt all of their eyes on him. He slipped his phone under his leg and sat a bit straighter.

“It’s great to see you, Tsukishima! Now, if you’re interested in earning your wings…” Daichi quickly pulled his own set of keys from his pocket, showing off the same feather keychain Sugawara had shown him earlier as he smiled softly. “…as well as eternal, irrefutable bragging rights.”

“Ugh…” Tsukishima groaned, and Ennoshita laughed softly as the others stared. “I’ll play your dumb game, okay? What do I have to do?”

Daichi feigned an offended look, glancing over to Suga as the co-captain moved to stand beside him. “Well, if you’re going to be that way about it, maybe we shouldn’t go easy on you?”

Sugawara stepped away, disappearing into the closet for just a moment before Tsukishima finally looked to see him and Asahi carrying a chest out into the room.

“I get the feeling you wouldn’t have gone easy on me anyway.” Tsukishima huffed with a slight smirk.

“They’d better not after everything they put us through.” Kageyama griped, flinching when Daichi cast him a sideways glance.

As Sugawara approached Daichi again, he held a composition book that he was flipping through casually.

“Anything in mind, Sugar?” The captain asked casually, smirking as he got a soft shove and looking at the book over Suga’s shoulder.

“Honestly?” Sugawara asked, closing the book in one hand. “For our dear Tsukki, acting so stiff and plain all the time… Why don’t we just give him a good old-fashioned penalty time? No bells and whistles; I say we just wreck him.”

Tsukishima tingled a bit nervously as the others giggled behind him, but he kept a straight face as Sugawara placed a hand on his shoulder. “What do you say, big guy? Should be a cool fifteen-minute free-for-all.”

“Sounds pretty easy, if I’m being honest.” The blonde scoffed, and he jumped as someone’s hands goosed his sides.

“Pfft, yeah?” Daichi smirked, hands resting on his hips. “How about we play the quiet game then?”

The team griped and laughed a bit, but Daichi waved them off as he instructed the group. All of the others got up from the bed, stretching out and seeming to occupy themselves so Tsukishima wouldn’t feel crowded. He rolled his eyes at the gesture, but he followed the captains’ instruction to lie face-down on the bed.

“Alright, Tsukishima,” Suga teased, pressing a pillow against the back of the blonde’s head until he took it to set under his chin. “Quiet Game means you can’t make a sound; Pretty self-explanatory, really. Everybody ready?”

Tsukishima rested his chin on the pillow a bit nervously as the others voiced affirmatives, sighing as quietly as possible through his nose and reaching to slip his phone out of his pocket.

“Looking for this?” He blinked and glanced back at the sound of Kageyama’s voice over him, and he twitched a bit as he felt someone moving to straddle his back and a cell phone being placed on his head. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud; we’ll keep you busy.”

It was surprisingly difficult not to say: “You’re one to talk,” at that comment, but Tsukishima managed, pulling his phone off of his head to start looking at it in an attempt to distract himself. He could practically hear Kageyama roll his eyes, and he smiled smugly into the pillow.

His attitude changed quickly when someone’s fingers dragged slowly along the sole of his right foot from his toes up to his heel.

“Oops.” Suga snickered as Tsukishima curled his toes. “Seems like your feet are a bad spot, huh?” He hooked his fingers, dragging his nails more firmly against the stripes on his socks. Tsukishima’s hand tensed around his phone, and his breath caught in his chest as he buried his face in the pillow. He flinched again as Kageyama’s hands rested between his shoulders.

“Definitely looks pretty bad. You’re getting all shivery just from that?” Kageyama smirked, moving his own hands to lightly ruffle Tsukishima’s hair before brushing his fingers over the tops of his ears. His shoulders hiked up instantly, one hand batting lightly at Kageyama’s as a smile pulled his lips already.

“I don’t get why you guys are being so gentle with it, senpai.” Hinata said, climbing up onto the bed and taking his own position on their victim’s other ankle. “I thought you said we were going to wreck him.” Tsukishima’s entire body jolted, and an obvious sound was barely caught in the pillow as scribbling fingers raced up and down his other foot.

There was a collective, conspiring sort of chuckle. “Hinata, you should know there’s a flair to these sorts of things.” Sugawara explained. “Honestly, what did we get all that stuff out for you two if you weren’t going to learn anything from it?”

Something about the dissonance of their conflicting methods made it so much worse, and Kageyama wasn’t giving up his search for openings along Tsukishima’s neck and ears. He clung tight to the pillow, his shoulders shaking as he started to squirm.

“If you’re going to make this difficult, I don’t mind playing with you, Kei.”

Akiteru had yanked the blanket partially off of his little brother one Saturday morning, smirking slightly at the very telling full-body cringe. “Come off it, Kei, I know you’re awake.”

The stubborn junior-high student gave a fake sort of stretch before curling over to face the wall. Akiteru rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles quietly, and Kei’s subtle glance toward him didn’t elude him. He kept as quiet as possible, standing at the foot of the bed as his hands moved down to scribble at the soles of his brother’s bare feet. He smirked as Kei flinched away from him, glancing up to watch his face: a face that was already being covered as Kei was shivering and trying not to smile.

“Someone here seems awfully giggly for being asleep.” His fingers prodded playfully under his toes before he suddenly disappeared. “I wonder if he’d wake up when I do… this—!”

“Gah!” Tsukishima’s voice jumped out around sporadic giggles as someone’s hands latched onto his flanks, thumbs pressing firmly into the small of his back at a frustrating rhythm.

“Ha! Just like that, Asahi.” Hinata had called back, yelping as he struggled to keep Tsukishima’s ankle pinned. “I knew his hips would break him again!”

The others were laughing, and Tsukishima could kick himself for spacing out like that instead of holding his ground.

“Welp, Tsukki, I hate to tell you this, but you lost the game.” Daichi said playfully, leaning on the back of the couch so Tsukishima could look up at him.

The blonde panted softly as the roaming hands became still. “So, I don’t get your dumb keychain? That sucks.” He tried to taunt him, earning quick scribbles right under his toes that made him writhe.

“So, you get a penalty!” Daichi clarified, leaning down to slip his glasses off. “And you can act as tough as you like, but we already know how to make you laugh~ Give him hell, you all.”

There was suddenly a lot of shifting around, and Tsukishima huffed softly as several of them climbed over his back looking for positions. He made an attempt to get his hands in to push himself up, only for Kageyama to find purchase on his neck again. His breath hitched on a stifled squeak, and his shoulders pinned the setter’s hands in place.

“Big bad Tsukishma can’t even take scritches without getting all scrunched up, huh?” Tsukishima could feel heat rushing into his cheeks as he stifled giggles, only to get a feather duster shoved up against the side of his head. Any sarcastic comebacks he wasn’t able to think of were lost in muffled squeaks.

“Okay, wait; wait; wait!” Hinata suddenly shouted, crowding next to Kageyama.

“Could you guys quit climbing all over me?!” Tsukishima griped, flinching a bit as he felt his socks coming off.

“Before everything gets too crazy, I have to try this spot!” The redhead’s small hands shoved themselves under Tsukishima’s arms, and the poor blonde nearly screamed with helpless laughter as his arms clamped tight around Hinata’s hands.

The room was loud again, mostly with his own laughter, but the others were laughing too. Noya bragged loudly about the hairbrush he was scrubbing on Tsukishima’s bare sole, and Tanaka had feathers between his toes while Sugawara scratched his heels to keep his toes splayed out. Asahi’s fingers crawled up and down his back and sides, and Hinata and Kageyama were arguing over his shoulders while occasionally scribbling at his skin.

It was chaotic and noisy and kind of stressful, and yet…

Akiteru ruffled his hair roughly, snickering along with him as he let him go. “Come on, ya brat. I know it’s tough getting used to people, but you like playing, right? Team sports mean you’re stuck with a team.”

Kei had whined softly, pulling the pillow into his face as he sat up. “The guys on my team are so obnoxious though…And my senpais are all stuck-up.”

“You should get along great then.” Akiteru smirked as he sat on the bed with Kei. “Listen, no one can tell you how to feel about people, but you’ve got to give them a chance first, y’know?” He poked his brother softly when he reached to grab his glasses. “Promise you’ll get to know them? At least a little?”

“Will you give me a chance to see you in a game, Ace?”

“Hey, we’re not talking about me here! Besides, sometimes annoying people are just putting up a front. In my team, they have this phrase: Rough Crows have Soft Feathers.”

“Really?”

“I know how it sounds, but I think there’s some truth to it. You’re pretty soft too, you know.”

Someone was tapping his head. “What do you think, Tsukki?” Daichi asked, grinning down at him.

His breath was coming slowly; everything had stopped. He took a deeper breath as he glanced up at their captain. “I think you all could use some help.” He chuckled, unable to keep from sounding exhausted.

“Ah, he’s fine.” Sugawara giggled, patting his shoulder as Daichi handed his glasses back.

“Good to see that you can be a good sport once in a while, Tsukishima.” Daichi chuckled as the others were getting up to let the blonde stretch. “Now, the tradition goes that whoever’s in for initiation gets to pick who gets it next.”

Tsukishima blinked smirking subtly as he glanced over his shoulder at the others. “Really now?” Hinata caught his gaze, knowingly trying to shrink behind Kageyama.

“Heh. You want to pick now? We can wait until after we eat.”

“I guess I can wait. I’m tired anyway.” He admitted, motioning for Daichi to lean closer once the others’ eyes were off of them. “Definitely Hinata.”

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

“So, hey…”

Tsukishima looked away from his phone to the setter whispering from the bed. The game room was quiet, the main light coming from the now muted television.

“Pretty chaotic, huh?” Sugawara smiled down at him, resting his chin on his arms. “You still hate us after that?”

“Yeah, well…” Tsukishima shrugged, yawning quietly. “I don’t hate you guys… I just, uh, I definitely have my preferences. Like, I could get used to this.” He motioned vaguely to the sleep-filled silence.

“I’m glad you came out today. That was so much fun.”

“Even if I didn’t ‘earn my wings’ or whatever?”

“About that…” Sugawara shifted slightly, and Tsukishima flinched as something was tossed onto his chest: A familiar keychain, the stitches looking brand new. “The torture thing is a formality; you’re fine. Besides, it’s my sewing machine; I do what I want with them.”

Tsukishima chuckled, tipping his head back into his pillow as he picked up the keychain, He was surprised he could read the letters in the low light. “Thanks, senpai.”

“Same time next week?”

“Pfft, honestly? I’m going home tomorrow morning. I’ll think about coming back though. I guess it wasn’t the worst thing.”

“Ha.” Sugawara yawned, reaching to lightly tap Tsukishima’s forehead. “Never change, Tsukki.”

----------

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you went to a session!” Yamaguchi complained, throwing his hands up as Tsukishima chuckled. “They had asked me why you weren’t there this weekend.”

“Oh, if I was there, you would have lost too.” He smirked over his shoulder. “Did they find out how weak you are to raspberries?”

“Hey, shut up!” Yamaguchi laughed lightly, running up beside him to take his hand. “Would you want to go back again though? I think I’ll be there pretty often.”

Tsukishima sighed heavily. “Maybe if you’re there with me, Tadashi.”

#Tickling #tsukishima kei #Nishinoya Yuu #yamaguchi tadashi #kageyama tobio #azumane asahi #tanaka ryuunosuke #sawamura daichi #sugawara koushi #Karasuno #hinata shouyou #ennoshita chikara #rough crows have soft feathers #haikyuu!!#commission #a panda writes a thing #a panda got paid for this

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ktheist · 3 years ago

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Loved your recent work!!! I was so fond of how oc and tae's relationship grew at such a quick pace yet felt nothing close to overwhelming, the trust, love and effort they're willing to put into their relationship was so lovely to read and unfold 🥺 oc is definitely my favorite character and worthy of so many hugs even though side eyed her for treating yoojung like that! Which reminds me, could you give a little extra details on jk and yoojung's relationship? You don't have to I'm so sorry if this came off as demanding I was just interested in finding out how they'd make it work or how yoojung would grow confidence within herself and her relationship with koo. Thank you for releasing such a lovely work!!!! Have a great day ❤️

First off thank you!!! I'm really happy you liked and event sent this wonderful ask to know more about the character(s) 🥺

true, oc needs to get her act together and make up to yoojung, esp since yoojung is her best friend's girlfriend now so they'd be seeing each other a lot and the guilt is gonna catch up to her soon. but oc being oc would tell jk to invite yoojung to their get togethers bc she knows it would make jk happy that she and yoojung are getting along. then when she's alone w yoojung (taehyung's probably in on getting jk away for a bit like dragging jk to his study to geek about a new art he got and jk would follow bc he's supportive and welcomes his best friend's geeking) - anyways oc would apologize to yoojung and say that if get togethers like this make her uncomfy, oc would back off and make excuses about being busy next time but they would probably have to meet for special occasions and oc apologizes bc she probably won't be able to avoid that.

"the least I could do is leave you two alone after cockblocking for years." is something along the lines oc would say.

but yoojung being yoojung would forgive oc though the new person she is would give oc a piece of her mind first.

something like, “it’s cool i forgot about it but since you mentioned it, you do know you were an ass back then right?”

in college, yoojung thought oc was cool bc jk always talked about her before yoojung fr met oc. so when oc wasn't the person she thought she'd be, yoojung was surprised but she still joined hang outs where oc was around bc like jk said ‘maybe oc was having a bad day‘ but she was hesitant to talk to oc first bc oc was hostile at the party. later, after oc started dating taehyung, oc started not giving any mind to yoojung and yoojung was ‘oh ): i guess we’re not meant to be friends’. but given oc’s personality, the two of them would’ve been great friends if oc were’t biased against yoojung (she sees yoojung as a fickle and would dump jk when the going gets tough - but since jk and yoojung didn’t date in college we’ll never know if college!yoojung would cut and run) and if yoojung didn’t know/like jk first.

so in college, after the waterslides, her relationship or like whatever she had with jk faded away bc yoojung started distancing herself from him even though she knew he was asking her out like "oh I haven't seen that movie yet, wanna go watch together?"

but yoojung would always say no bc she was pretty traumatized to get close to rich kids even if jk is one of the decent ones. the person she was in college still sought validation from her friends or friendships but she knew when to back off when she felt like she wasn't welcomed by a certain group. so she found her own not so rich friends aka normal friends who she could relate to. actually, before she started hanging out w seonghwa who’s jk’s friend, she was a little floating cloud with lots of friends w no particular friends who she’d hang out with. so the normal friends were more like friends she was close with but never really hung out with them to get to know them until she dissociate herself from jk & co.

then, looking back, she realized that she wasn't the problem at all. it was those rich kids who were like super bratty and probably didn't like her bc she can't afford high end brands (i say probably bc she’ll never know and she defo didnt know yoojin was mean to her bc their names sounded similar lol) so she learned from that and started going "omg yes they're so cheap!!!" whenever a rich brat tried to point out that whatever she's wearing is a ripoff. she wasn't ashamed for wearing what she wore before but yoojin picking on her clothes or shoes like that kinda made her notice something wrong about what she’s wearing. but no more of those!! yoojung finds these cheap ripoffs or no name brands very practical and they last long enough that once she gets tired of them, they would be worn out and ready to go in the bin so she can change her wardrobe occasionally which is fun!

either way once she met jk again, she's like "oh he's the cute dude I had a crush on before" but that's about it. then jk being jk was very giddy to meet yoojung again. after meeting 2 times at a meeting he finally asked her out and yoojung said no unless it's for work bc she's practical and if they're gonna eat a meal together, might as well also discuss about the project they're supposed to work on. they keep meeting up several times and she accepts jk's kindness like driving her home after the supposed 'dinner-work meetin.' it was pretty confusing for jk bc no girl has ever look like she's interested in him but also be disinterested. it's like... like he's not enough for yoojung to want a relationship with but she appreciates his handsome face, treats him like a decent human being and is quite happy with working with him but that's it!! usually for jk, when a girl is nice to him, he thinks they're into him (another slap of reality to his face lmao). he kinda knows he’s oblivious when it comes to girls but don’t know how to fix that. so it takes him a lot of advice seeking from jimin the tru womanizer/personizer (since jimin would screw just about anyone) and from taehyung who’s in an established relationship. so like both friends know how to treat a possible love interest but with different approaches and jk needs all the advice he can get.

over time, after lots of lots effort put into giving flowers, chocolates etc by jk, yoojung admits she likes likes jk but she doesn't wanna be a 2nd choice and he can't be choosing oc and taehyung over her like celebrating holidays w the three of them and including her in it as an addition ; a third wheeler. jk had a lot of thinking to do after that esp about his priorities. they make it work bc yoojung explains to him why she gets upset since he's pretty oblivious to things. his previous gfs just dumped him whenever they're upset bc they get even more frustrated that he couldn't figure things out himself.

anyway, yoojung isn't as fixed on achievements being a yardstick for your self worth. unlike oc who keeps making money and expanding her business so she can be a worthy partner for taehyung. neither definition of worthiness is bad; just different. and taehyung loves oc even if she’s not building an empire as we speak.

And yoojung is content with herself as she is. she'll welcome jk in her life but two strikes and he's out; but jk keeps showing that he's willing to listen and learn and yoojung isn't the kind to fault someone for being ignorant esp since they're eager to improve. and yeah, that's how yoojung grew into herself and how she and jk's relationship is going!

this answer turned out to be a little long. either way, may you have the wonderfullest of day <3

#fic: best friend's best friend #people with shades #cara to ask

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milktyama · 4 years ago

Text

— ☕︎ FALL IN LOVE

a/n: ok this was originally an idea to mock my friend about her and her crush and then I realized i put too much effort and reminded me of Oikawa because him plus friends to lovers is an absolute YES

pairing: oikawa tooru x female reader, third!person

genre: fluff, slight angst, friends to lovers

wc: 1.5k

❥︎ slight swearing

Oikawa Tooru is a magnet for tough love. It’s not his fault; he’s always caught in the bad crowd, whether he likes it or not. But he has one person that sticks with him in all circumstances, L/n Y/n, his best friend.

Y/n is your happy-go-lucky that can’t take anything seriously, even during serious times. Though, she’s always witnessing her best friend get broken time after time. And it hurts; a lot. She wishes she could do more than just listen and maybe crack a joke here and there to lighten the mood.

One night, during their daily late night calls at ungodly hours, Oikawa opens up a little too much to Y/n; letting his emotions from his previous failed relationship overflow him.

“She just used me like a toy. I feel so dumb for falling for her tricks like that. She rubbed it on my face and even told all her friends, which I thought were also my friends, how much of a piece of shit I am. When can I find someone who won’t break my heart anymore?” Oikawa sighs as he brushes his long locks over his head. His hair glimmers in cool shades of blue reflecting from his LED lights in his room. Silence spreading eerily throughout the room. Why is she so quiet? He thought to himself. He rubs away the warm tears in his eyes as he slowly glances at his phone, seeing a single tear dropping from his best friend’s face. “Wait Y/n what’s wrong! Don't cry over my sad love story, this isn’t anything new...”

She sniffles hard and harshly wipes the single tear with her sleeve.

“Exactly why I’m crying. Tooru, I know I’m not great at being serious, but you can’t keep getting into these relationships that break you apart, because when I hear them, I break a little too.” tears choking up in her throat. She doesn’t last much longer until they start falling again. It just hurts a lot. Watching him in so much pain. But why does it hurt so much more tonight?

“Dumpling stop crying, you’ll make me feel even worse.” he coos, calling her by the nickname he gave her in attempts to help lessen her tears. He can’t watch her cry like that. Not her.

Oikawa sighs deeply, trying to find a solution to lift both of the aching pains in their hearts.

“Wanna come over and cuddle a little and watch movies? I can play Disney movies, your favorite.” he trails off, the corner of his lips lifting into a gentle smile to the screen of his phone. God, how much does she love that smile. She could look at it all day. Y/n looks up from her hands and shines a smile at her best friend. Her smile is just as beautiful as the autumn leaves turning into their beautiful burnt caramel red at the peak of fall. She shyly nods her head, embarrassed that she just cried so much in front of him.

“I’ll come pick you up in 10. Get ready and dress warm. It’s the peak of autumn and I don’t want you to catch a cold. Or… do you want my hoodie?”. She perks up at the statement. Intensely nodding her head, unconsciously clapping. Just how perfect can she get?

Ending the call after the elongated farewells, even though they will be seeing each other very soon. Oikawa hops off his chair and moves into his closet. He picks his favorite white hoodie and folds it neatly in half. She will look so adorable in this one. And it’ll be so big on her too. Oikawa chuckles and smiles to himself.

Y/n is not short. She is considered to be on the tall side for girls, but Oikawa just loves teasing her about it, especially since he is a solid head taller than her. He just loves laying his chin on top of her head, calling her minimizing nicknames suggesting that she is petite in height.

He makes his way to Y/n’s house and when he arrives, he texts her to come down. Y/n tiptoes her way down the stairs, quickly leaving a note for her mother in the kitchen counter that she will be at Oikawa’s. Opening the door, she is greeted by a chilling breeze of a fall night and his very tall and well built friend, with a hoodie hanging over his arm. He extends the hoodie to her and without another word, helps her into his hoodie that lingers with his scent. Y/n stuffs her nose into the clean hoodie, slightly warm from his body heat while carrying it. Fooling around the sidewalk, they walk back to Oikawa’s, hands in each other’s pockets because ‘the body heat will keep them warm’. They really just needed each other’s presence; the teary call from a few minutes ago fading from their heads.

Y/n jumps onto his plush bed, allowing her body to relax on the cloud-like surface, muscles releasing tension. Oikawa comes inside with select snacks and her head perks up. Of course he knows her favorites. Snuggling up onto one another, they watch the TV in peace; breathing became slow and his heartbeat pulsing against the side of her head. Hands interlocking with one another as his thumb gently rubs circles onto the back of her hand.

As the credits roll, he catches her mumbling to herself, palms clasping together and eyes tightly closed. Pressing his lips closer to her ear, he whispers out in a low tone.

“Dum dum what are you doing?” After a few seconds, she looks up through her lashes, eyes sparkling as a teasing smile curves at the edges of her thin lips.

“I’m praying to get a boyfriend like how the princesses get their prince charming!” He could only chuckle at her. Fuck she’s so adorable. How can someone mesmerize him as much as she did? She truly possesses some sort of power that allows him to feel this comforting heat swelling in his heart.

“Don’t be stupid, these are fairy tales ok? There won’t be a prince charming in a horse coming to your rescue. Plus, you are the last person to fall for such an act.”

“hEY that was mean! Let me just have my fantasies Lazykawa”. She rebuttals with a nickname for him of her own. It suits him; and his reactions were cute. Her attachment to his nickname was evident.

It was rather unintentional. After calling his nickname, Y/n brings her hand to the top of his head, slightly ruffling his hair while gently patting it at the same time. Her fingers brushing through his brown locks. She’s so enthralled by his hair and he’s too busy watching her expression that the space between has grown only shorter. Faces only a few centimeters away from the other, both of their gazes fixes on each other’s eyes, locking eye contact for what feels like an eternity.

Both of their breaths hitch and as if on queue, his hand gently rests on her left cheek, lifting her face up slightly. The world around them stops, as if they were the only people there. His free hand snakes around her waist, closing the gap even more. Snapping back to reality, she softly pushes against his chest, finally breaking eye contact.

“This… isn’t what friends do...” she mumbles under her breath, a deep shade of red tinting her cheeks. It was wrong. They were best friends and there were certain lines they cannot cross, no matter how close they are. He pulls away a little, as if agreeing to her statement, but why does she feel disappointed by it? Their bodies are still dangerously close together, Oikawa takes a leap of faith and brings his fingers under her chin, pulling her face up once more. Leaning into her ear, the words slips through his lips as if it were a melody.

“Well… do you want to stay as friends?” His words were gentle, yet possessive. His heart pounding against his rib cage; he really hopes he didn’t mess the bond with the one person he cared about most. She is everything to him. There is a sudden push, airing a little gap between them, and in that moment, regret flashes through his mind. He messed up didn’t he?

Well her actions say otherwise. Gripping onto the collar of his hoodie, she pulls him closer until their lips brush, pausing for a moment in case this isn’t what he wanted. Though the pause didn’t last long, as he gripped her waist once more, connecting their lips into a deep kiss full of emotion. Threading her hands through his hair, responding to his deep kiss with passion. The need for oxygen finally separates them, foreheads leaning to the other while panting. He gives one final peck in the middle of her forehead, looking at her eyes fondly whilst caressing her hand.

“So… it’s official now, my princess?” She nods in response to his question, slamming her body into his for an embrace, cuddling her face against his chest. Every year, they would spend time together like this, and this fall, was a particular special one full of love.

#haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu oneshot #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu writing #haikyuu x reader #third person #oikawa #tooru #oikawa tooru #friends to lovers #oneshot #oikawa x reader #hq-branch

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brokutosan · 4 years ago

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Title. Quarantine Tales Or alternatively; Bokuto Tries Baking and Nearly Poisons His Two Roommates/Best Friends

Pairing. Bokuto Koutarou x Platonic!Reader x Kuroo Tetsurou + Minor BokuAka and Kuroo Tetsurou x Fem!Reader

Summary. In which a pandemic hits the world and tests the ten year long friendship between three roommates. Or; Kuroo enters quarantine as a cheeky bastard, and walks out of it as a cheeky bastard with a really pretty girlfriend.

Warnings. Manga spoilers, very strong language, and lots of sexual innuendos. Also lots of platonic cuddling and skinship. It gets kind of steamy at the end but nothing too bad. This is basically just a collection of short stories that also kind of has a plot. Fair warning: excessive use of the words ‘bro,’ ‘dude,’ and ‘man.’

Once the news of the pandemic hit Japan, the three roommates were confident they’d come out as better individuals. Maybe pick up on a new hobby, drop a few pounds (or in Bokuto’s case, gain some muscles), and just have a good time, making the best out of the worst situation. They were good at that.

At first, however, the three friends each had a different response to the news. Bokuto decided to splurge and buy everything they need and then some they didn’t (he was making bank from being a pro athlete). He was convinced that the apocalypse was going to happen soon, and that they’ll need all the rations they could get before it’s too late. Kuroo decides to confiscate his Netflix account and told him to stop watching The Walking Dead.

During the first few days Y/N easily got swept up in Bokuto’s bullshit, also convinced that the apocalypse was coming. (“Kuroo, look! The cases doubled over the last few days! Tell me that doesn’t mean something!”) But she was easier to snap out of it, mostly because she’s not as childish as Bokuto. She did, however, buy all of her favorite snacks and put them in a secret stash. (Although Kuroo figured out where it was within three days).

Kuroo is the mediator between them. He’s a man of science, so “no, Bokuto, there’s no way the infected ones are turning into zombies, now stop crying!” He also took the liberty to create schedules and laid out some ground rules on when and how they should shop for groceries and things of that sort. He also made the rule that no one joins their Zoom meetings in the living room after Bokuto walked in on his screen ass naked.

All in all, they (Kuroo) were able to set up a system that ensured Bokuto doesn’t lose his mind out of boredom and Y/N doesn’t try to kill them in their sleep.

“If aliens take over the planet do you think I could become their overlord?”

“Doubt it. You need to have the brains for it.”

“Hey! I’m pretty smart!”

“Explain the process of osmosis.”

“Fuck you, Kuroo.”

Y/N listens in on the idiotic conversation between her two roommates, not daring to speak up in fear of losing her much needed brain cells.

“Y/N! Listen to this, Kuroo doesn’t think I’m smart enough to become an alien overlord!” Bokuto sits up from his spot on their living room floor, one elbow propped up to support his body. Y/N sighs, closing her book realizing there’s no way she’ll get the peace she needed.

“Kuroo doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Bo.” It’s only been one week since the mandated quarantine started. If Y/N gives in now, then she’ll only spiral into madness as the months go by.

“Hear that, you bastard?! Y/N-chan believes in me!” Kuroo looks unamused. There’s a shit eating grin on his face that Y/N wants to wipe off. Or punch off. Whichever happens first.

“Y’know what they say, owls of a feather stick together.” Kuroo’s probably referring to the fact that both Y/N and Bokuto attended Fukurodani. Either way, he’s insulting her. Y/N is seething.

“Shut up you cocky cat!” Y/N screeches, flinging her book to his relaxed figure on the floor. Kuroo lets out a groan as the hardcover book makes contact with his groin. “Shit, there goes my future generations.”

Bokuto emphasizes with his bro, placing a protective hand over his ‘lil man.’

During the third week of quarantine, Kuroo comes down with a cold. Or maybe he got the virus. That’s what Bokuto and Y/N are currently trying to figure out.

“Kuroo, man, I searched up your symptoms here and it says you have network connectivity problems. What does that mean?” Bokuto grumbles, aggressively tapping the laptop screen. Y/N scowls at the way he’s manhandling her laptop before snatching it away from his hold.

“That’s not what that means, dumbass.” Bokuto pouts. “It means someone fucking forgot to pay for the wifi for this month.”

Y/N is glaring at her bedridden roommate through her face mask, but the rooster head throws his hands up out of innocence. “Sorry, I was too busy trying not to die!”

“So what now?” Bokuto asks, trying to cut through the tension between his two roommates. Y/N sighs in response, shutting off her laptop. “Now we just have to wait for him to sleep it off. If he has the virus then we burn his room with him in it.”

“Hey!” Kuroo tries to object. Instead what comes out is a garbled noise followed by excessive coughing and Bokuto screeching something about the ‘zombie virus infecting his home,’ and then he bolted out of Kuroo’s room.

“Whatever,” Y/N sighs, knowing Bokuto would have been useless in this situation anyways, “just try to rest. I’ll come in to check on you every now and then to bring you food. You better eat it!”

“Aw, Y/N-chan, you really care about me, huh?” Kuroo fake gushes, pressing one hand on his chest and another on his forehead. “It’s sweet how you try to act all tough.”

“Bo! Go find the lighter!”

Six weeks into the quarantine, Kuroo is over his ‘virus scare’ and now it’s Bokuto who’s sick. Correction, lovesick. It’s starting to test Y/N’s thinning patience.

“Do you think ‘Kaashi would get annoyed if I call him again?”

“Bo, you’ve been facetiming him every single day since this quarantine started. What changed?”

“He hasn’t been messaging me back the last three days! Do you think he got tired of me? Do you think he realized I’ve been in love with him and now he hates me? Do you think he hates my owl memes? Damn, I should’ve just told him before this whole thing started.” Y/N snorts. Clearly. One less headache for her. Even the sight of Kuroo breathing is starting to irk her. One time she nearly slapped him across the head for sleeping on the couch. Quarantine is doing something to her.

“Y/N? Why aren’t you answering? Oh my god, you hate me too, don’t you?” Crap. She was too absorbed in her hatred towards Kuroo’s existence that she forgot this big baby was lying down on her lap crying about something. What was it again? Akaashi hates him? Impossible.

“Impossible.” Y/N doesn’t realize she is running her hand through his two-toned hair. Bokuto hums in content. Y/N is suddenly reminded of her dog from back home. She wonders how he’s doing.

“Keiji’s like, in love with you. If anything he’s probably just drowning in work. You know how busy he gets.” Even Y/N’s not buying it. Busy or not, three days of radio silence from Akaashi has to mean something. She just doesn’t want to deal with an emo Bokuto. She decides to pass the responsibility to Kuroo.

“Bo, I bet Kuroo has some pretty good advice for ya. Remember when he had that crush on Akari-chan for all of highschool?” Bokuto shoots up with a new look of determination. He yells out a ‘you’re the best, Y/N-chan!’ over his shoulders before dashing straight to Kuroo’s room.

Y/N smiles in triumph as she receives a plethora of messages from one very angry Kuroo Tetsurou, ranging from ‘Why would you do this to me?’ to ‘I fucking hate you.’ Serves him right for finishing the ice cream.

(Later they find out that Akaashi simply broke his phone and had to wait three days to get it fixed. Bokuto was over the moon).

Sometimes Y/N wears their highschool jerseys because she thinks they’re comfortable. Some days she wears Bokuto’s. Other days she wears Kuroo’s. Today she’s wearing Bokuto’s, and Kuroo doesn’t know why it’s pissing him off.

“Oh man! That thing looks like a dress on you!” Bokuto squeals like one of his fangirls. He dashes to where she is, minding her business making toast in the kitchen, and picks her up from under her arms a la Lion King style.

“Bo! Put me down, you dumbass!” She wiggles in his hold, legs thrashing around. It’s all meaningless though. Bokuto is a pro athlete and is 190cm. Any attempts to free herself remains futile against this giant man-baby.

“Kuroo, look! So cute!” Bokuto gushes, showing her off like a baby. He lightly loosens his hold on one arm and extends his hand to bring a finger up to her cheeks. Y/N is emitting a strange aura. Kuroo suspects she’ll start tearing his ass into pieces within ten seconds.

Correction, three seconds. Because somehow she figures out how to kick behind her and shove an ankle deep into Bokuto’s groin. Now Bokuto is wriggling around on the living room floor as Y/N returns to her toast.

Kuroo finds this amusing, yet there’s a foreign feeling deep inside his chest. Is he getting sick again? He’s gonna need to check on that later.

“Ou! What ‘ya watching?”

“Your Name.”

“Huh? Bokuto Koutarou. Did you forget?”

“Dude...” Y/N stares at him in disbelief. Bokuto doesn’t notice but that’s because he’s Bokuto, and just about everything flies over his head. Instead he plops down on the couch next to her and hogs all the blanket.

“Get the fuck out! Get your own blanket!” Bokuto doesn’t reply, but he hums and opens his arms as an invitation. Ah, another platonic cuddling, as Bokuto puts it. Y/N is touch starved and she can’t deny it, so she slides closer to his lean figure and lets her head fall on his chest.

Eventually they settle in, huddling impossibly close to each other as the movie reach its tear-jerking climax. They don’t notice Kuroo walk in with a scowl on his face.

“Oh hey, bro. Wanna watch?” Bokuto notices him first, lifting his head up from the crown of Y/N’s head. Y/N finally looks over Bokuto’s chest and spots Kuroo moving around in the kitchen.

“I’m good.” Is his short answer before he trudges to his room with a loud bang! from his door. Y/N flinches a little, but pays no mind to it. Instead she directs her focus back to the movie, where another sad scene is unfolding.

The movie reaches its ending, but not before Bokuto could ask, “So, what’s the actual title of the movie?”

One peaceful afternoon Bokuto decides to take in a stray cat. Except...

“Bokuto, you fucking idiot that’s a racoon!” Y/N screeches as she climbs Kuroo’s back. The rooster head screams as he backs away from Bokuto and ‘Mr. Fluffles.’ Bokuto stares at his frightened roommates and the ‘cat’ in his hand and then back at his roommates again.

Realization strikes, and now Bokuto is screeching with the other two, holding the raccoon as far away from his body as possible.

“If you fucking drop it, I’ll kill you!” Kuroo threatens, holding onto Y/N’s arm that’s starting to dig into his throat. “Take it outside!”

“But it’s raining!”

“Bokuto!”

“It’s you or him, man!”

The two continue their little back-and-forth, not noticing the raccoon had escaped Bokuto’s grasp. But Y/N notices. And it’s heading into her room. And now she’s seeing God.

“Bokuto, gah-!” Kuroo is rudely interrupted by Y/N’s tight hold on his throat getting tighter. Before he could give her hell for attempted murder, he notices the look of horror on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Your fucking raccoon went in my bedroom!”

“Ah shit!” Both Kuroo and Bokuto scramble, the former forgetting all about the human person hanging onto his back. Said person is too scared of letting her foot touch the floor, afraid that it might be met by the furry abomination Bokuto brought home. So she kinda just...lets Kuroo run off into her room with her dangling off his neck.

“Where’d he go?!” Bokuto panics, not seeing Mr. Fluffles anywhere in his immediate vicinity. He starts flinging stuff off the ground and her table and her bed, making a huge mess in the span of ten seconds. Y/N takes one foot off of Kuroo’s waist and kicks him square in the back.

“Quit trashing my room!” She scolds like a mom. Bokuto pouts but continues looking, until they hear the quiet pitter patter of claws hitting the wooden floor. “Wait shut up!”

Y/N huffs but still complies, wanting nothing more than Mr. Fluffles gone from her room. Kuroo takes the liberty to start questioning Bokuto’s stupidity.

“How could you have possibly thought that thing was a fucking cat?!”

“In my defense, it was pretty dark outside.” Bokuto grumbles in his low and whiny voice, before firing back, “And stop calling him a ‘thing!’ Mr. Fluffles has feelings too!”

“Bokuto we’re not keeping it!” This time it’s Y/N yelling at him with fire in her eyes. The poor guy looks like he’s about to cry, but Y/N is far too gone over the thought of a raccoon making its home in her bedroom.

Bokuto lets out an ‘aha!’ as he emerges from under her bed with Mr. Fluffles. Y/N visibly relaxes knowing that the raccoon is safely contained. Until she remembers what was stashed under her bed.

“Ah, there’s something in his mouth.” Bokuto announces, holding Mr. Fluffles disgustingly close to his face. Her secret stash of snacks. The bastard got into it.

“Bokuto!!!”

(They later find out that at least four neighbors filed a noise complaint against them).

It’s two months in to the quarantine when Bokuto discovers TikTok. Within one week he’s dropped his towel in front of Kuroo, sat on Kuroo’s lap during his work Zoom meeting, smacked his gym bag across Kuroo’s face, and then some. Y/N finds humor in this, of course at Kuroo’s expense, but that’s even better.

Speaking of Kuroo and Y/N. Lately there’s been undeniable tension between his two roommates, and Bokuto doesn’t know how to resolve it. Everytime he tries to get them to talk they end up arguing.

He’s asked Akaashi for advice, but Akaashi simply told him to let them resolve it amongst themselves. Bokuto does not have the patience for that. He’s scared their meaningless arguments might rip a tear into their ten year long friendship.

So Bokuto does what he thinks is best, bake them cookies! No one could possibly be in a bad mood while eating freshly baked cookies, even Bokuto is drooling at the thought. So with a new resolve, Bokuto scrolls through his new favorite app (TikTok) to find some good recipes. Because TikTok has all the answers.

Except when he bakes the cookies he later finds out he used two cups of salt instead of sugar. He doesn’t know how that happened, but it could be because he grabbed the first white substance he saw and dumped it in the bowl.

Kuroo and Y/N somehow found a way to blame each other. Bokuto is reaching his limits.

Bokuto calls for an emergency meeting. He needs help deciding whether or not he should drop 40,000¥ on the Animal Crossing Limited Edition Switch that comes with Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Y/N says go for it because she’s secretly plotting on stealing it the moment he gets tired of the game (which knowing Bokuto, would be fairly quick). Kuroo objects because Bokuto blew 50,000¥ last month buying shit he didn’t need for the quarantine.

And now there’s a fullblown argument between the two. Bokuto is reminded of his parents, except their fights never got this hostile and he’s pretty sure his mom never called his dad a “rooster-hair bastard!” He’s too scared to cut in. He thinks they might cut off his head. So he decides to sneakily crawl back into his room.

He ends up ordering the switch anyways, and when it arrives a week later Kuroo calls Y/N a bad influence. They argue again.

Bokuto has an epiphany.

Two days after Bokuto’s epiphany, they take a trip to the supermarket. Bokuto wants to drive but he can’t because his license got revoked after he ran through five consecutive red lights. Kuroo tells him this but he gets pouty so Kuroo had to buy him ice cream on the way there to get him to shut up.

So now Bokuto is slobbering up Kuroo’s car, much to the latter’s distaste. It isn’t until Kuroo brake checks him and Bokuto slams the ice cream on his face, does Kuroo show a look of content. Bokuto pays no mind, and decides to bring up his recent epiphany.

“So, bro, when are ya gonna tell Y/N you’re in love with her?” Kuroo slams his foot on the brakes again, this time out of shock. “I - uh - what - what did you just say?”

“Oh man,” Bokuto lets out a boisterous laugh while licking the ice cream that dripped down his shirt (gross), “you didn’t know?!”

“You two have had this sexual tension between you brewing for weeks! It’s like - I could actually cut through it with a knife, like a piece of pie or something!”

“I hate everything you just said.”

“Whatever man, just let me know if you want me gone for the night. I’ll even come up with a good excuse.” He winks, and Kuroo resists the urge to crash the car into a tree.

Bokuto’s words affect Kuroo a lot more than he would like to admit. Ever since that fateful trip to the supermarket with his owl-eyed friend, Kuroo’s been too wary of his other roommates existence. He wants to prove Bokuto wrong. He, Kuroo Tetsurou, is not in love with L/N Y/N, his best friend since his first year of highschool.

L/N Y/N is one of the guys! That’s like saying he likes Bokuto (Kuroo bites back his disgust). And Kuroo doesn’t like Bokuto, thank you very much.

Except L/N Y/N is not Bokuto.

L/N Y/N is his endless highschool memories that he always goes back to on a bad day. She is going to the beach during the summer and playing in the ocean until they tire themselves out. She’s like a warm hug that welcomes him after a long and tiring say. She’s like the rock that was flung at his ex’s window after she cheated on him with some other guy. She’s like the fun he’s had during the summer away games, where he got to play volleyball with his friends for one week straight. She’s like taking the long way home just so he could walk back with her. L/N Y/N is his best friend.

No, Y/N is not all those things. She is, however, the person he’s shared those memories with. The person Kuroo could say one hundred percent, without a doubt, knows him best (aside from Bokuto and maybe his mom). She’s the person that’s always been there through thick or thin, for ten years and counting.

Oh god. Kuroo Tetsurou is in love with L/N Y/N.

Bokuto has a plan in mind. A plan to help his two best friends hook up (and maybe date afterwards). Bokuto tells Akaashi his plans but Akaashi tells him all his plans are moronic, so he goes to his teammates Hinata and Atsumu, who says he’s a genius.

(The plan is simple: make Kuroo jealous. That bastard is as possessive as a dog over his food).

Which is how he finds himself seated at the kitchen table, phone in hand with a disgusted Y/N right across from him.

“No, you’re not giving my number to Miya Atsumu. That guy has shifty eyes!”

“Come on, you’ll learn how to love it! ‘Sides, Tsumu-tsumu is a nice guy! Did’ya really think I’d set my bestest friend in the world up with some sketchy guy?” If Bokuto’s normal talking voice is at a hundred, he’s talking at a hundred twenty now, just to make sure Kuroo can hear him from his room.

Y/N presses her palms to her ears, not really questioning why he’s talking so damn loud. Instead she blackmails him. “Bokuto if you don’t stop I’ll send Keiji all your embarrassing pictures from our first year.”

“You wouldn’t!”

But the look in her eyes says she would. And the ping! sound that came from her phone says that she just did. “Y/N!” Bokuto cries out, scrambling incredibly fast to his room where he left his phone plugged in, hoping he could stop Akaashi from witnessing the embarrassment that is Bokuto Koutarou as a fifteen year old.

Moments after Bokuto bolted to his room and is screaming out, “‘Kaashi! Block Y/N-chan right now! Don’t open her texts!” Kuroo steps out of his bedroom, having been shamelessly eavesdropping on their previous conversation.

“So,” He leans over the kitchen counter (he thinks he looks like hot shit but Y/N begs to differ), “Miya Atsumu, huh?” Her face contorts into something out of digust or discomfort, he can’t tell which one. Is it bad for him to say he likes that reaction? Probably.

“Don’t.” Is her short response, bringing up a hand in front of her body. “If Bokuto thinks I’m desperate enough to go for one of his teammates, then I’ve got a surprise for him. No offense to Shouyou.”

“So what I’m hearing is...it’s not the aspect of being in a relationship you’re totally against, but the guy himself?” Kuroo thinks out loud. Y/N throws him one of her infamous ‘what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about’ looks, but he feigns ignorance to it.

“I mean, yeah? I haven’t had a good fuck since-” Kuroo decides to cut her off there, not really eager to learn the name of the man she’s...well, you get it! (Bokuto was right, this man truly is possessive).

“Anyways, good choice. I heard the other twin is where it’s at.” Kuroo ends the conversation there, with new knowledge about his new found crush and confidence over the fact that he still has a chance.

A week goes by just like that. Bokuto makes it painfully obvious he’s trying to make Kuroo jealous. Except painfully obvious is not obvious enough for his slightly-frustrating friend, Y/N.

At one point, when obviously Atsumu didn’t serve much of a threat to Kuroo (curse that idiot for being too easy to mock), Bokuto took matters into his own hands and tried flirting with Y/N himself. And while Bokuto is a lot of things, being smooth isn’t one of them. There’s a reason why he hasn’t made whatever he has with Akaashi official yet, he’s terrible at relationships and anything related to it.

(Though Kuroo had a riot witnessing Bokuto’s failed attempts at heterosexual flirting:

“So, you come here often?”

“Bo, I fucking live here.”).

And as much as Bokuto wants to just go out with it and announce to Y/N (and the world) that his totally radical bro, Kuroo Tetsurou, is in love with her, he has just about enough self control and conscience to know that doing that could only result in his immediate death at the hands of a very angry rooster-head. So he’s just been beating around the bush. For a week he’s tried to drop subtle hints that were, sadly, left dropped by Y/N. She’s almost as helpess as Bokuto. Almost.

But when an opportunity like this falls on his lap, Bokuto just knows he has to take it.

It’s at one of their annual roommate-bonding, a tradition they’ve held since moving in together during college. This time Kuroo is unable to join due to some hold-up at work. He’s in his room furiously typing away at his computer.

“So...” He makes sure to drag out the last vowel to gain her interest. Though it’s pretty useless since Y/N is as easy to fool as Bokuto himself. They’re best friends for a reason. A very bad reason, one might say.

“So what?” She asks, shoving about ten pieces of popcorn in her mouth all at once. Bokuto realizes he is tired of beating around the bush. He decides to set the metaphorical bush on fire. “Admit it, Y/N. You like Kuroo, don’t ‘ya? You wanna screw him or something?”

“Shh!” Suddenly Y/N is more invested in whatever Bokuto has to say than the shitty movie he picked out. And now she’s launched herself off her side of the couch onto his, pressing a greasy, buttery palm to his lips.

Bokuto easily swipes her hand away with a shit eating grin on his face. “So I was right! Which one is it? ‘Ya like him? Or you wanna screw him?”

“Bokuto!” She warns. Her eyes dart to Kuroo’s closed bedroom door, suddenly too aware of just now thin these walls actually are. It also didn’t help that Bokuto’s normal speaking voice is about as loud as a race car engine.

She realizes there’s no point in hiding it, since he’s looking at her with those creepy owl eyes, just daring her not to spill everything. “How’d you even find out?” She sighs in defeat.

“Come on! You’ve been so irritated lately that there was only two possible explanations: ya either love the guy or hate his guts. I don’t think you’d be friends with him for ten years if you hated him so much.” Y/N blinks in surprise. That’s surprisingly perceptive, coming from Bokuto. She tells him this.

“Hey! I’m capable of using my head too!” He doesn’t like how she’s giving him that judgement look. Clearing his throat, Bokuto decides to skip past that.

“So? Since when did ‘ya like the lucky bastard?” Bokuto expects one month, maybe two at best. What he didn’t expect was this: “Probably since highschool.”

“Wha-?!” His outburst is contained by a smaller body flying on top of his, as well as two palms pressed tightly over his mouth. Eyes wide, he looks down to see a flustered Y/N, pink cheeks and all, looking menacingly at Kuroo’s door, trying to see if he heard any of that.

Once she confirms she’s in the clear, she lets out the breath she’s been holding and smacks Bokuto across his biceps.

“Idiot! Don’t just scream like that!” She huffs, arms crossed at her chest. “I told you ‘cus I trust you, Bo. Don’t do anything stupid with that trust.” The man simply nods, still too shocked to form coherent words.

Once he does however, Y/N is hit with an onslaught of whispered questions. “Since when? How come I didn’t notice? How come anyone didn’t notice? Why-” He pauses, realizing his questions aren’t being answered. So he waits as she brings her legs up to her chest with an unreadable expression.

“I mean it was pretty easy to hide it. We went to different schools, and whenever we hung out you were always there,” Y/N starts, but quickly adds, “I mean, not like I didn’t want you there! It’s just - it was easier to forget I even liked him whenever the three of us were together.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, probably still wary of the fact that Kuroo was only one room over. Bokuto notices this and turns up the volume of the TV, earning a small smile from his nervous wreck of a friend.

“At one point I was actually gonna tell him, but then he started dating Akari-chan.” Bokuto scowls at the name. Akari, the girl that Kuroo crushed on for a full year, but also the girl that ended up cheating on him with some guy in her painting club. “I wasn’t really the type to cry over a small crush, I had other things to do. Actually I was kind of relieved. Kuroo being taken meant I didn’t have to act on these weird feelings I started having.”

“And next thing I knew we were off to college. I started dating other people, and my feelings for him started shrinking. Even when we decided to move in together, we were all so busy with our separate lives, so I wasn’t really worried about it...until, y’know, we kinda got stuck here together. I guess seeing him 24/7 just caused my head to malfunction. I thought fighting with him would stop these weird...feelings, from coming back. But I guess that backfired on me since you ended up finding out. Wait - Bokuto are you crying?”

The said man tucks his head in his arms, mumbling out “No,” even though it was pretty obvious. Y/N softly smiles, finding his reaction kind of cute. It was nice to know he cares that much, no matter how infuriating he could get.

“I didn’t even know you went through that much, Y/N-chan. C’mere! Lemme give you a hug!”

“Bokuto, no! I don’t need-” The rest of her complaints are drowned out by a sturdy chest meeting her face. Great. Bokuto’s way too emotional now.

“I’m sorry, I promise I’ll help you tell him!”

“Wait what? I don’t want that!” Y/N tries to argue, but her voice is muffled due to being stuffed into his chest. Suddenly remembering that Bokuto has a tendency to be a loud mouth and could never keep a secret from Kuroo, Y/N shoots up, pressing her palms to his chest to release herself from his hold.

“Bo, you have to promise me you won’t tell him anything.”

“But -”

“Bokuto!” He slightly recoils from the sternness of her voice, before he bows his head and nods. Y/N relaxes a bit, settling back into her previous position and fixed her focus back to the movie playing on the TV as if their previous conversation never happened.

Unbeknownst to her, Bokuto is already putting the pieces together for his master plan.

Y/N comes to regret telling Bokuto her ‘dirty’ little secret exactly one week later, at their next roommate-bonding. This time Kuroo is there, with Bokuto right in between them on the couch. There’s another shitty movie playing in the background (curtesy of Bokuto’s horrible choice in films), but Y/N can’t bring herself to pay attention.

She does however, snap out of her little daydream when Bokuto shoots up, phone in hand and reaching for the door. Oh no. Both Kuroo and Y/N think to themselves.

“Ah! What’s this?! There’s an emergency at ‘Kaashi’s apartment?! Guys, I’ll be right back!” Bokuto is out the door before either of them could object. Y/N knows Akaashi. Akaashi is a safe guy. He’s not the type to call out of nowhere because of an emergency, and even if he did, Bokuto surely would not be the first contact in mind. Which means, Bokuto, that sneaky bastard, planned this with the single brain cell he had left.

Silence fills the air for the next five minutes, until Kuroo’s phone sounds off. It’s a text from Bokuto, reading: When I come back you two better be-

Kuroo decides to turn off his phone there, fearing the contents of the very explicit paragraph Bokuto sent following those words. Instead he turns his head to his friend next to him - or rather on the opposite side of the couch, avoiding him like he’s the plague.

He doesn’t like this awkwardness at all. Conversation between them used to always just flow, even if most of them end up becoming a heated debate over the most trivial things. Kuroo decides to man up. It’s now or never.

“Okay so -” “Hey -” The two pause, finally making eye contact for the first time in past week. All of Kuroo’s brain cells fly out his brain and out the window, leaving him to fend off for himself in this awkward situation. His head is like that one Spongebob meme. Oh god, he’s turning into Bokuto-

“So,” Y/N’s voice snaps him out of his train of thoughts, or rather his lack of it. This is pathetic. He’s a grown man and he’s acting like a highschooler over a pathetic crush. Except this isn’t a pathetic crush. This is Y/N - his best friend for the past ten years, who he’s just now realized is a lot prettier than he initially thought.

“I’m in love with you.” Yes, yes he is. Wait, that wasn’t his voice. And that definitely wasn’t his subconscious trying to patch up what’s left of his decimated ego, which means -

“Kuroo?” Jesus fuck, when did she even slide over this close? “You don’t have to answer or anything, I just thought I should tell you first before Bokuto breaks. I understand if you don’t feel the same way-”

“No!” She flinches at how loud his voice is. “I mean, fuck - wait. You gotta let me process this real quick.” Kuroo is suddenly aware he’s redder than his Nekoma jersey, and her face is super close to his, and her lips look totally kissable right now.

“I’m in love with you, too.” Kuroo finally speaks up. He notices how she goes stiff, and how quickly her face turns into a bright shade of red.

“You don’t have to say it just ‘cus you feel bad! This doesn’t have to change anything between us! I mean, I’ve kept it a secret for ten years, I can do ten more-”

“Y/N.” She finally stops her rambling, meeting his eyes. And she doesn’t know why, but suddenly she just knows he’s being sincere. She could probably die right now and she’d say she lived a happy life.

“I’m gonna kiss you now.” Kuroo waits for her confirmation, in this case a shy nod, before cupping her cheeks with his large and warm hands. He inches over slowly at first, but lets his lips eagerly meet hers with a smile. He feels her hands wrap around his waist, letting him deepen the kiss.

It starts of slow and steady, everything Y/N could have ever dreamed of, until needy hands start roaming her body. She has to crane her neck to meet his lips, and Kuroo probably sensed her discomfort because now he’s gripping her waist tightly, lifting her up gently and placing her down on his lap.

The new and more comfortable position allows Kuroo to deepen the kiss, and Y/N finds her hands grabbing the hair she’s been insulting so much for the past two months. Kuroo sighs into the kiss, with Y/N smiling a bit at the situation. As things escalate, a loud gasp breaks them out of their trance.

“Oh. My. God!” Bokuto is squealing like an idiot and Akaashi is behind him unamused. “Finally.” Is his short statement.

“What the fuck Bokuto!” Kuroo growls. Y/N, suddenly a bit too self conscious climbs off the spot she made for herself on Kuroo’s lap. Though her embarrassment doesn’t last long, before she joins Kuroo in glaring at Bokuto.

“I just came back ‘cus I forgot my wallet, but oh man! You guys are adorable!” Akaashi is still behind him, but this time he looks more apologetic. “Bokuto-san, maybe we should leave.”

“Nah, I kinda wanna stay.”

“Bokuto!”

“Get the fuck out!” Bokuto only laughs as he catches both the pillow and the remote control thrown at him. He drops both items back down on the living room floor and snatches his wallet from the counter before calling over his shoulders,

“Yeah, yeah. Just make sure ya make me the best man and the maid of honor!”

A/N. Reupload! This fic was totally self-indulgent bc I am so bored of quarantine and am currently wishing I had a Bokuto and Kuroo to keep me entertained. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And as always, thank you for reading! Leave a like if you...liked it? Is that how it goes? - chuu

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addictedtoeddie · 4 years ago

Photo

The full Esquire Spain interview translated from Spanish:

Eddie Redmayne trial: guilty of being the most talented (and stylish) actor of his generation

The Oscar winner talks about what it means to premiere a film with Aaron Sorkin (The Chicago 7th Trial on Netflix) and filming the new part of the most famous saga of all time under the watchful eye of its author, J.K. Rowling.

By Alba Díaz (text) / JUANKR (photos and video) / Álvaro de Juan (styling) 10/23/2020

At the Kettle’s Yard Gallery in Cambridge, stands alone and leaning on a piano Prometheus, a marble head made by Constantin Brâncusi, and the only piece of art that Eddie Redmayne (London, 1982) would save from possible massive destruction. He tells me about it as he leaves the filming set of the third installment of Fantastic Beasts in the early days of an autumn that, we suspect, we will never forget. It begins to get dark as the actor nods seriously: "I promise to do my best in this interview."

Eddie Redmayne made himself in the theater despite some voices warning him that he could not survive in it. "Many people were in charge to tell me that it would never work, that only extraordinary cases make it and that I would not be able to live from this professionally." Even his father came home one day with a list of statistics on unemployed young actors. Redmayne, who is extremely modest, polite and funny, adds: “But I enjoyed theater so much that I got to the point of thinking that if I could only do one play a year for the rest of my life… I would do it. And that would fill me completely.

Spoiler: since then until today he has participated in many more. He set his first foot in the industry when he debuted at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and won over critics and audiences. He then landed his first major role in My Week with Marilyn opposite Michelle Williams. And then came one of the roles of his life, the character he wanted to become an actor for, Marius. With him he sang, led a revolution and broke Cosette's heart in Les Miserables. “I found out about the Les Misérables auditions when I was shooting a movie in Illinois. Dressed like a cowboy. I picked up the iPhone and videotaped myself singing the Marius song. I always wanted to be him ”.

Now Redmayne is an Oscar winner - thanks to his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything - and the protagonist of one of the most important sagas in history, Fantastic Beasts. He plays the magizoologist Newt Scamander in it. When I ask him what it means to him to be the protagonist of a magical world that is so important to millions of people, Eddie sighs and takes a few seconds to answer. “I have always loved the Harry Potter universe. Some people like The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars ... But, for me, the idea that there is a magical world that happens right in front of you, that happens without going any further on the streets of London, that. .. That exploded my imagination in another way.

During the quarantine, J. K. Rowling, who has been in charge of the script of the film, sparked a controversy through a series of tweets about transgender women. Redmayne assures that he does not agree with these statements but that it does not approve of the attacks of some people through social networks. The actor was one of the first to position himself against Rowling alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and other protagonists of her films. "Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid."

After having spent a while talking, Redmayne confesses to me that he has never been a big dreamer not to maintain certain aspirations that ended up disappointing him. So he has always kept a handful of dreams to himself. One of them was fulfilled just a few weeks ago with the premiere of The Trial of the Chicago 7, a film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin that can already be seen on Netflix and in some - few - cinemas. “I was on vacation with my wife in Morocco and the script arrived. I think I called my agent before I even read it and said yes, I would. She probably thought the obvious, that I'm stupid. After that, of course I read the script, which is about a specific moment in history that I knew very little about. I found it exciting and a very relevant drama in today's times. "

And it is that having a script by Aaron Sorkin in your hands is no small thing. Eddie Redmayne has been a fan of his work ever since he saw The West Wing of the White House. “His scripts have delicious language and dialogue. As an actor, it's fun to play characters that are much smarter than you are in real life. That virtuosity is hard to come by. I really hope that audiences enjoy this movie and feel that there is always hope. " He remembers that since he released The Theory of Everything he has recorded, to a large extent, English period dramas, “and although the new Aaron Sorkin is not strictly contemporary,” says Redmayne, “to be able to wear jeans and shirts and sweaters instead of so much tweed is great ”.

Besides acting, art was the only thing the actor was interested in, so he ended up studying Art History at Cambridge University. “My parents are quite traditional and when I told them I wanted to act they gave me free rein but on the condition that I study a career. And I'm very grateful for that because ... Look, beyond that, when I play a real character I usually go to the National Portrait Gallery in London quite often. There I lock myself up. Now, for Sorkin's film, I went through a lot of photographs and videotapes. Art helps me to be more creative, to get into paper ”. If he were not an actor, he would be, he says decidedly, a historian or perhaps a curator. "Although I think he would be a very bad art curator."

Against all logic, Eddie Redmayne is color blind. But there is a color that you can distinguish anywhere and on any surface: klein blue. He wrote his thesis on the French artist Yves Klein and the only shade of blue he used in his works. He wrote up to 30,000 words talking about that color with which he became obsessed. “It is surprising that a color can be so emotional. One can only hope to achieve that intensity in acting. "

Like his taste for art, which encompasses the refined and compact, Redmayne seems to be in the same balance when it comes to the roles he chooses. When I ask him what aspects a character he wants to play should have, he takes a few seconds again before answering: “I wish I had a more ingenious answer but I will tell you that I know when my belly hurts. It's that feeling that I trust. In my mind I transport him to imagine myself playing that character. When I read a script I have to really enjoy it. You never fully regret those instincts. It's like when you connect with something emotionally. "

So we come to the conclusion that all his characters have some traits in common. "You know what? I never look back, and this is something personal, but I do believe that there is a parallel between Marius in Les Misérables trying to be a revolutionary, someone who is quite prone to being distracted by love but at the same time is willing to die for his cause, and Tom Hayden from The Chicago Trial of the 7 who was a man who had integrity and was passionate and fought for the things he believed in. So I suppose there may also be similarities between a young Stephen Hawking and Newt Scamander. There are traits in common in all of them that I don't really know where they come from ”.

When we talk about the year we are living in, in which it is increasingly difficult to find hope, we both let out a nervous laugh. "There must be," Redmayne says. “There is something very nice that Tom Hayden, the character I play in Sorkin's film, said to his former wife, actress Jane Fonda, just the day before she passed away. He told her that watching people die for their beliefs changed his life forever. In that sense, I also think about what Kennedy Jr. wrote about how democracy is messy, tough and never easy ... As is believing in something to fight for. I look at history and how they were willing to live their lives with that integrity to change the world and I realize that somehow that spirit still remains with us. " We fell silent thinking about it. "There must be hope."

I tell him about my love for Nick Cave's blog, The Red Hand, and one of the posts that I have liked the most in recent weeks. In it, the singer affirms that his response to a crisis has always been to create, an impulse that has saved him many times. For Redmayne there are two activities that can silence noise: drawing and playing the piano. “When you play the piano your concentration is so consumed by trying to hit that note that you can't think of anything else. Similarly, when you draw something, the focus is between the paper and what you are trying to recreate ... There I try to calm my mind.

Before saying goodbye, I drop a question that I thought I knew the answer to, but failed. What work of art would you save from mass destruction? "How difficult! I could name my favorite artists but still couldn't choose a work. Only one piece? Let me think. I am very obsessed with Yves Klein, but I would stick with a work by Brancusi. There is a sculpture of him, a small head called Prometheus, in Cambridge's Kettle’s Yard, on a dark mahogany piano. The truth is that I find it very ... beautiful ”.

Before leaving, he confesses to me - with a childish and slow voice - that he would like to direct something one day. We said goodbye, saying that we will talk about his next project. Next, the first thing I do is open the Google search engine. "P-r-o-m-e-t-h-e-u-s". Although Eddie Redmayne has trouble distinguishing violet from blue, he doesn't have them when choosing a good piece. He's right, that work deserves to be saved.

* This article appears in the November 2020 issue of Esquire magazine

Source: esquire.com/es/actualidad/cine/a34434114/eddie-redmayne-juicio-7-chicago-netflix-entrevista/

#eddie redmayne #esquire2020 #esquirespain2020nov #esquire spain #chicago7promo #chicago7interview #interview2020 #photoshoot2020 #juankr #my translation

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cherrytdatt · 5 years ago

Text

Sadness Ritual pt. 2

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Word count: ~6k (i really thought it would be shorter)

Summary: Tom wished he was the normal guy you wanted.

Warnings: one panic attack (nothing too graphic), angst, my bad language, and my bad writing.

A/N: Sadness Ritual pt 2 is here! I didn't wanna make a pt 2 but then i received this ask talking about a Tom pov and i thought it was the best idea ever, so i decided to try it. Now that i did it i kind of want a happier end for Tom and Y/N, so PLEASE let me know if you guys want a part 3 to end all this mess. OH! AND THIS IS ANGST AF!!!!!!

Request: SADNESS RITUAL WAS SO GOOD. But what if it was the other way around? What if Tom thinks the reader, a normal girl, would never choose him bc of his fame and how she always says she probably wouldn’t be able to handle it? Thanks in advance!❣️

***Playlist: “This is Lewis Capaldi” on Spotify.

Part 1

Tom looked at himself in the mirror, fixing his hair for the tenth time. "Fuck," he muttered, annoyed. "Fuck this shit!" he said, running his hand through his hair and messing it out even more. Tom was at his limit. He was forcing himself to go on a date just to try to feel something. Actually, he was on his third date with the same girl. He talked to her, he kissed her, they had sex, and nothing. Tom felt nothing. Well, he felt...regret, sadness, anxiety...not what he was looking for.

"Third date?" Harrison asked, leaning on the door, and looking at his friend's annoyed expression.

"Something like that," Tom said.

"This is getting serious?" he asked when Tom started trying to fix his hair again.

"It seems like," Tom said with a weak voice.

"Did you introduced her to any other friend?" Harrison was trying to make his friend talk. Something he didn't do for some time.

Tom glanced at Harrison, knowing what he was really trying to ask. "Not yet. She'll meet Tuwaine and Sam tonight," he said, looking at his reflection again.

"What about Y/N?" Harrison finally asked.

"What about her?" Tom was feeling more and more stressed.

"How long you think you can hide this from her?"

"I'M NOT..." he said, exasperated. "I'm not hiding anything," he defended himself. Harrison knew that Tom loved you, cause he told him months ago. Harrison also knew that you loved Tom, cause his girlfriend and your best friend, Anna, told him months ago. They tried not to force you two to face this mess, but Harrison was tired of seeing his friend struggling to get over a girl who loved him. However, every time he talked to Tom, the boy always said he was okay, and that there was nothing he could do, even if you liked him the same way, to make it work.

"Then what is it?" Harrison asked.

Tom took a deep breath, finally giving up on his hair. He was gonna wear a hat. "You wanna know something I want?" Tom asked rhetorically, leaning against the sink, and Harrison looked at him, hoping his friend would finally talk to him. "I want you to forget that I ever told you I like Y/N. I want you to go hang out with Anna and let me get over Y/N the best way I can," he walked to Harrison. “Please, do this for me," he patted his friend's shoulder and left the bathroom, going back to his bedroom. Harrison shook his head, sad for his friend.

The date was a nightmare. Tom didn't enjoy it at first, then he started drinking so he could start enjoying it. He got drunk, therefore he started talking and being clingy. In the end, his head was pounding, his heart was aching, and his guilt was more alive than ever. When he finally got home, all he wanted was to sleep and forget about the entire night. He laid in his bed, wishing for a short term amnesia. Why did he keep doing this? How long would he keep trying to like this girl and ignore what he felt for you? He looked at his cellphone that was by his side on the bed. He couldn't tell you. He tried. Almost a year ago.

"Look! I just found another pic!" you said animatedly, and already a little drunk, turning the phone so he can look at it. You laughed at his grumpy face in the picture.

"And that's why I hate LA," he said. "Only there these people follow me and take these pictures," he pointed at your phone.

You two had planned a movie night with Harrison and Anna, at least that was what you thought. What happened was that Tom asked Harrison to make something up and leave you and him alone, so he could finally talk to you about how he was feeling.

Tom starred at you while you scrolled trough stupid sites, looking for 'grumpy photos of Tom.' You always said you like to turn them into memes. "I don't know how you do this. I would die if someone took a picture of me and posted it online without my permission," you said. Tom always knew that you hated unexpected pictures. Actually, you hated pictures in general. Your Instagram feed had thirty pictures, all landscapes from places you traveled to. That was one of the reasons he rarely went out with you, and when you go out, he made sure that more people were around so people won't focus on taking pictures of you.

"You get used to it," he shrugged.

"I doubt that," you said absentmindedly, still scrolling. "Oh! Look at this one," you turned the screen so Tom could see. It was a picture of him, eating, and a girl he was out with, annoyed with something. "Best of luck for your next girlfriend, because this..." you pointed at the screen. "It's a lot to deal with," you laughed, not noticing the sad expression that appeared in his face. Tom just realized he couldn't tell you how he felt. Option one, you would turn him down, his heart would break and he would have to watch you live your life without him. Option two, you would like him back, but as soon as the world found out about your relationship, you would hate him for exposing you.

"You don't think I’m worth the effort?" he asked, his tone more serious than he wanted to. He was incapable to control his own voice.

"Sweetie, don't get me wrong. You're the best person I know, any girl would be lucky to date you. But this girl should be enjoying your company, and she's clearly not," you said. "And I'm sure that she's like that cause you were in a bad mood because of the paparazzi," you gave him a questioning look, making him smile.

"Let's just watch the movie," he changed the subject before you could notice his mood switch.

His heavy eyes opened slowly. The noises coming from the kitchen helped him to wake up completely. He searched for his phone. 10:32. He sat on the bed, holding his head. "Fuck!" he groaned. "Fucking stupid!" He got up, going to his bathroom. He needed a shower.

The shower and the smell of coffee was a relief. Tom put on a black jeans and headed to the kitchen. "'Morning," Anna said, seeing him enter the kitchen.

"Hey," Tom said, going to the coffeemaker and serving himself some coffee.

"Tough night?" Anna asked, spreading strawberry jelly in her toast.

"Drank too much," he said.

They both sat in silence, eating, and drinking the coffee. After breakfast, Tom went back to his room. He was in no mood to talk. He searched in his cabinet for some aspirin and something for his nausea. He laid in bed, turning his TV in some random golf game. But he wasn't really paying attention.

He unlocked his phone, going through his chats. His family chat was blowing up, just like his group chat with the boys. He clicked on your tab, looking at the meme you sent him the day before. He didn't answer cause he was on his way to the girl's house. He couldn't talk to you today. The memories were too fresh in his mind. He just stayed there, laid in bed, waiting for the pills to work. Things could be easier. They should be.

"So?" you asked, looking at him. You two were laid on your back on the floor of his living room.

"I'm thinking," he said, laughing.

"Jesus! It's just a color. Just pick one and I'll tell you if it'll look good or not," you rolled your eyes.

"Blue?" he said more like a question.

"What kind of blue?" you asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged, laughing. "How many there are?"

"At least tell me if it's light or dark," you tried.

"In the middle," he looked at you. You were starring at the skylight. The sun sparkling in your eyes, making them shine even more.

You laughed, shrinking your shoulders, he loved it when you do that. "So, they will give you a car, and you will pick a blue one? Not dark blue or light blue. A middle blue?" you asked turning to look at him.

"Exactly!" he said.

"You know what? Ask for a middle blue one. If you hate it, at least you didn't pay for it," you smiled.

"Good point," he said, and you heard the door opening. You sat, leaning on your arms.

"What are you two doing?" Harrison asked, stopping at the door with Anna by his side.

"Tom is getting a car, and we're trying to decide what color we want," you explained nonchalantly. Tom propped himself in his elbows, looking at the newly formed couple.

"How was your date?" you asked. You knew they would tell the truth no matter what. Your group of friends, that involved another four or five people, was this type of friend, that always tells the truth. If it was bad, they would say that they decided to stay friends, and everything would be okay. If it was good, good!

Anna bit her lower lip, holding a smile. "I think it was good," Harrison said, holding her by the waist, and looking down at her.

"Yeah...it was good," she looked at him.

"They are gonna get married, aren't they?" you whispered to Tom who laughed, shaking his head.

"Friends can do this?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Apparently, they can," you pointed at the couple that was in their own world. "I'm gonna be a shitty made of honor," you whined.

"I'm gonna be a great best man," Tom shrugged.

"We are going..." Harrisons said pointing to his room.

"Yeah, yeah. Go!" you cut him off, and they just left you two in the living room. "So, blue?" you asked, laying on the floor again.

"Blue!" Tom said.

He got the blue car, and you loved it for a while. But then it was so bright and so...blue. Tom started hating too. So much that, after a while, he just gave it to his mom and his brothers.

Tom looked at his phone again. 7:24. The day was getting darker and darker. A knock on his door woke him from his thoughts. He spent the whole day in bed between naps and self-hatred. "Hey, mate. How are you feeling?" Harrison asked getting into his room and closing the door behind him.

"Not great," Tom replied, propping himself up.

"Yeah...It'll get worst," Harrison warned, sitting in his bed. His face was a mix of worry and sadness.

"What happened?" Tom asked in a worried tone.

"Your date, yesterday, it's all over the internet," Harrison said, handing him his phone. A clear picture of him, holding the girl's hand. He didn't even remember doing this, but he was smiling, and the girl was too. He was fucked! He didn't tell almost anyone he was dating. His mom didn't know. You didn't know. Y/N! You crossed his mind. You would hate him for hiding something like this, and you didn't even know why he was hiding it.

"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck!" He said, getting up still looking at the pictures.

"It's okay, mate. I know it's not what you wanted, but it's okay. You're allowed to date," Harrison tried to calm him down.

Tom was freaking out, his breath was getting shorter, and his chest was hurting, his head was spinning. He fucked up big time.

"Tom?" Harrison called. He ran his hand through his hair. Why was this happening? And at that moment, he wished he wasn't famous. He wished he never did the Spider-Man movies. He wished he was a normal guy. That way these pictures would never exist and he would be the normal you want in your life. He needed to get out of his house. He handed Harrison his phone and left the room, putting on the first shirt and shoe he found.

"Where are you going?" Harrison followed him around the house.

"I'm going out," he said, getting his car keys.

"Tom..." Harrison called, but he was already out.

There was one place Tom could handle now. There was one person who would help him now. He drove the short way to their house. The familiar path. He stopped the car, getting out. He was still shaking, and for a split second, he thought that he shouldn't drive like that. He walked the little trail to the front door. Tom took a deep breath, the deepest he could at this moment, knocking on the door three times. His wait seemed longer than it really was. A noise inside warned him someone was home.

"Hey, mom," he said when the door finally opened.

"Hey, sweetie," his mom said, opening her arms to him. He hugged her like it was the last thing he was gonna do in his life. His eyes were burning, and he already could feel the tears emerging. "I'm sorry, baby," she said, caressing his head. His mom knew how much he hated being that exposed, she knew how much he was struggling the last months, and she had a feeling that the girl he liked wasn't the one in the pictures.

Tom played with the mug in front of him, trying to forget everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours. "Do you wanna talk about it?" his mom asked, looking at him.

Tom looked at her, and then again to his mug. "I...I just..." he was struggling. "How...did I let that happen?"

"It was not your fault, Tom. The pictures were not your fault. You are always careful, but these people are crazy. They stalk you, and never care about your privacy," his mom said.

"Yeah, but if I didn't have this job..." he started, but she cut him off.

"Don't say that! You love your job. A lot of great things come from your job. All the people you help, you just help because of your job. So don't regret having it. You just have to learn how to deal with this part of your job," she said.

"I know. But sometimes I just wished I was a normal guy, you know?" he cried.

"You are a normal guy. You clean the dishes, you argue with your brothers, you go out with your friends. These are all 'normal guy' stuff," she smiled.

"Yeah, but..."

"Look,” she looked at him expectantly, “Do you wanna tell me what's really bothering you?" she said and he looked at her.

"It's... it's Y/N," he finally said. His mom listened to the whole story. How he fell in love with you, but you kept saying that date him must be a nightmare because of the pictures and the stalk, even though he was the best person you ever met. He told her how he tried to tell you a few times about how he felt, but always gave up when you included the word 'normal' in your guy description after saying his life as crazy as hell. How after a few months he just gave up and tried to move on, dating other girls, and that was when this girl showed up. He told her he didn't have the courage to talk to you about the girl, because he rather tell you about how he loved you, instead.

"You may disagree with me, but I think she likes you too," his mom said afterward, earning a shocking and confused look from Tom. "First, I see you two together since you were twelve, and it's annoying how sometimes you ignore everyone else in the room but each other. Second, she says that but never refuses to go out with the boys and you, and this means that she hates the exposure, but she hates, even more, being apart from you. And I will end with the third one, even though I could go on forever. She would never say you are the best person in the world if she didn't think you are worth the effort," his mom said.

"I asked her if I wasn't worth," he said still not convinced.

"And what did she said?"

He tried to remember the night, which wasn't that difficult since he replayed your talk for days after it happened. "She was looking at some paparazzi pictures of me and a girl, saying how bad that girl’s life must be with all the exposure and I asked her if I wasn't worth it," he told her.

"And what did she said?"

"She said I was the best person in the world but the girl in the picture should be enjoying being with me, and she wasn't," he finished.

"Yes? And when is that the same thing that say you don’t worth the effort?" she asked with a smile in her face.

"It isn't?" he asked, a little hope appearing in his eyes.

"Of course not! She meant that the girl didn't like you enough to be happy there," she said. "If you want my opinion, I think she implied that you being 'the best person in the world', the girl was being an idiot for not enjoying your company," she finished.

"Do you really think this?" he asked.

"Why would I lie? By the way, I think you were scared of talking to her, and that's why you got everything wrong," she shrugged.

Maybe his mom was right. He was afraid to mess up your friendship and took him weeks to decide to talk to you. And when he finally decided, the first thing you said made him give up.

Tom went back to his house feeling a little better. Talk to his mom always helped. He still was regretting the night before, and still was afraid of talking to you, but now he didn't hate his job, and he had this hope that maybe you could love him back enough to handle all the bullshit in his life.

"Did you talked to Y/N?" Anna asked as soon as he got home.

"No," he started. But before he could say he was planning to, Anna cut him off.

"She doesn't answer my texts or call," she said, looking at him from the couch. "I think she's upset."

"Did you called her place?" he asked scrolling through his phone.

"No. I think you should go talk to her," Anna told him. She had an idea of why you weren't answering her, and only Tom could solve this.

"Y-yeah, sure. I'll..." he said, picking up his keys again and leaving.

'I talked to her. She's alive. But talk to her! You know what I mean!!!' Anna's text appeared on the screen of his phone, and he felt the air being pulled out of him.

He got into your building, breathing slowly, trying to calm himself. The time in the elevator looked like an eternity. When the door opened and your door came to his view, he thought he was going crazy for doing this. But now he was here, so he was gonna do it anyway. He walked to your door, and he could hear that annoying band you always listen to when you're sad. His heart broke, thinking about you being sad. He leaned his hands against your doorway, trying to calm himself the best he could. He knocked on your door three times. Not a change in the sound that was coming from inside. He looked at the floor seeing a shadow moving behind the door and that hurt him a little. You was hiding from him.

"I know you're in there. Let me in," he tried to sound as normal as he could. "I can see your shadow moving behind the door. Open up," he finished when you didn't answer.

"I'm not feeling so good. I talk to you later. Or text you." you said, but he wasn't giving up that easy. He thought about what his mom said.

"Please. I know you're lying. Your second best friend told me you were upset," he said, exposing her lie.

"Yeah... well, I'm upset cause I'm feeling sick," now he knew you were lying, and your lazy voice was a sign that you were probably drunk.

"You can't lie to me. I'm hearing that awful band you listen to whenever you're sad... and by your voice, I can tell you are drinking wine. No one who is feeling sick drinks wine," he said, feeling a little happy with how much he knew about you.

"Please, Tom... just leave me alone. We can talk tomorrow," he felt the sadness on your voice. He took a deep breath leaning his hand against the door.

"No way. I'm your best friend. I'm here to take care of you and I'm not gonna leave until you let me in," he said concerned. "I'm gonna spend the entire night on the floor, and all your neighbors will talk about how you let a cute movie star spend the night on the floor, and you will be a villain, and they will hate you forever," he joked seating on the floor by your door. He had to talk to you today.

"You're so idiot," you said, so low that he almost didn't hear.

"But you love me," he said, with a hopeful smile. 'I hope,' he thought.

He heard you walking and the song stopped. He did it! You would let him in. "I know you gonna let me in cause you turned off that awful music," he laughed.

"I didn't turn it off, I just turned down," he heard you.

"Why do you listen to such depressive music..." he started. "...when you're sad?" he finished, relief running through his body when he saw you.

"Do you want me to listen to a Barney song?" you quipped with a smile. Even though it looked like a forced smile, he was happy he let him in.

"First of all, tell me why you are sad?" he asked, hugging you, hoping you would tell the truth.

"No specific reason," you lied and he felt your body tense in his arms.

"Why are you so difficult sometimes?" he asked, entering your apartment before you could lock him out.

"I'm not difficult," you protested.

"Sure," he sat on your couch, picking up the glass of wine you were drinking. He was feeling the courage ran out of his body. He needed alcohol. Even if it was that disgusting wine you drank on these occasions. "And this awful cheap wine," he complained, feeling the extremely bitter taste of the wine go down his throat.

"Are you here to criticize me? Cause I didn't ask you to come," you said and he felt the bitterness in your voice.

"I'm joking, okay?" he explained himself.

"Okay," you mumble, sitting by his side. His heart was going crazy inside his chest. "I thought you were out with friends today?" you started before he could say anything.

"Who told you that?" he asked confused, he had no plans of going out tonight.

"Anna," you said.

"Yeah... she was wrong," he said, thinking if Anna told you about him storming out of his house. He looked at the TV, trying to hide the sadness in his eyes when he thought about his panic attack.

"I thought so... since you were out yesterday," you said, and he felt his body froze. How did you know about him going out? He asked Harrison and Anna not to tell you anything.

"How do you know that?" he asked, not wanting to look at you. He was panicking.

"Anna," you said, and an idea crossed his mind. Did you saw the pictures? "Did you had fun?" you asked, cutting his thoughts.

Tom was feeling the panic building in his body. "It could've been better if you were there," he said, trying to hide how dry his throat felt.

"Well, if you had asked me, I could've been there," you said, and he felt his chest tightening. He hummed, incapable of saying any words. He was feeling his entire body hurt. He couldn't think straight.

You got up, going to the kitchen with the glass and the empty bottle. He took deep breaths, trying to stay calm. His body relaxed a little. "You can sleep on the couch if you want," you said, and his heart fell. You were running away from him.

"Can I sleep with you?" he asked before he could think something else. He just wanted to be close to you.

"Sure," you shrugged. "I'm gonna... brush my teeth," you left the room, and Tom could hear his heart beating loud and clear. You knew about the pictures. He saw your notebook close to where you were seated. He looked at the hallway where you disappeared a few seconds ago, and without thinking much about what he was doing, he opened the notebook. The first thing he saw broke his heart in a million pieces. It was him holding that girl's hand. So you saw the pictures, and that was why you were sad.

Wait! His mind started working again. If what was bothering you was the fact that he didn’t tell you about the girl, you would be mad, not sad. And you would scream at him, not hide from him. But you didn't scream. You were sad. That could mean his mom was right. You liked him. He felt his heart beating fast. A confident smile appearing on his face.

He closed the notebook again. A stingy feeling in his stomach when he focused on the picture again before closing. He got up, going to your bathroom. "Can I use the bathroom?" he asked, not hearing a noise from inside.

"Yeah. I'm almost done," you said, and he leaned on the doorway, not able to hide the smile in his face, thinking that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

“What took you so long?” he asked with a smile, the feeling that his mom was right growing inside him.

“I-I’m going… to bed,” you said, and he nodded.

“I’ll meet you there,” he said, going into the bathroom. He was feeling almost normal again. Tom looked at his reflection. His hair was a mess, but he didn't care. You always said he looked good like that. He brushed his teeth with the toothbrush he left at your home a few months ago. Before he left the bedroom he looked at himself one more time, promising internally that, no matter what happened from that moment on, you two would end up together. Even if he had to take classes to learn how to be the normal guy you wanted.

He walked out of the bathroom, going to your bedroom. “Do you still have those sweatpants I gave you a couple months ago?” he thought about how you looked so good in his clothes, that he had to give them to you.

“Yeah, I think it’s somewhere in my closet,” you said. “Maybe… the second drawer,” you instructed, seeing he wasn't finding it.

He opened the drawer finding the sweatpants and the shirt. “Lucky me I gave you this,” he smiled, taking off his pants. You avoided his look. He decided to try again and ask you why you were sad. “So when are you gonna tell me why you’re sad?” he said, putting the sweatpants.

“Uh-hum… I just told you, no specific reason,” you lied again.

“You know I know you too well to believe in that, right?” he tried, taking his shirt off. He felt your eyes on him, and he bit his lips trying not to smile at your charmed expression. After a few seconds, he decided to cough to get your attention back. You looked at him, and he pressed his lips together, that smile still fighting to appear.

“I think it's that time of the month,” you finally said.

“Sure,” he rolled his eyes, knowing you were lying. He knew you had your period two weeks ago, cause he invited you to go to his house and you said no, cause you were on your period. He then sent you food and medicine. “Do you mind if I sleep shirtless?” he asked.

“No,” you said.

“Thanks,” he gave you a small smile, jumping on the bed. Tom felt the urge to hug you. He turned on his side, putting a hand on your waist, and leaning closer to you. You took a deep breath, and for a second he thought you were gonna say something. But instead, you turned your back to him. Tom felt his heart break a little. Those pictures really hurt you. He hurt you. “You know I would never hurt you on purpose,” he whispered. He was really sorry. He would give everything to go back in time, cancel that date and go talk to you, instead. Right now, if it was possible, he would take away all the sadness you were felling, and tell stupid stories until you laugh, that laugh that made you shrink your shoulders. Tom felt you relax in his arms, and your breath was calmer. He looked over your shoulder. You were sleeping. He hugged you tighter and kissed your neck.

Tom woke up with the noise of the door closing and the empty bed. He rubbed his eyes, sighing. He turned on the bed, looking for his phone. 3:07. He got up and left the room. The light on your kitchen was up, and he heard your muffled voice. “Who are you talking to?” he said, still a little confused from his sleep.

“Jesus!” you said, startled. “A warning would be good.”

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled, feeling his dry throat. He picked the glass that was in your counter, filling it with water.

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” you said.

“No problem. Are you okay?” he asked, drinking the water. He was worried about you.

“Great,” you said, but your voice was sad. Tom was tired, his mind was weird and he felt his heart hurt. He couldn't handle this anymore.

“Can you stop lying to me?” he said, not being able to control his voice or the sudden urge to solve things.

“I-I’m not lying,” you lied and he noticed you couldn't even look at him.

“Are you serious?” he put the glass on the counter and tried to control his head.

“I’m s-sorry. I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m good… everything is good… I’m sad because…” you started, and he felt stupid for thinking you would tell the truth. “I don’t know. Maybe PMS or whatever,” you blurted out.

He was just tired. He felt his eyes and his throat burning. “Okay,” he laughed dryly. “So, tell me something…” he needed to see the truth in your eyes. “Why were you looking at pictures of me with a girl that I went out yesterday?” his voice was low. You flinched, still avoiding his eyes. “Tell me, Y/N,” he got closer. “Why were you in your 'sadness ritual’ looking at those pics?” he didn't understand why you didn't tell him what was really in your head. All he wanted, was for you to tell the truth. “Do you have something to tell me?” he asked, leaning on the counter. “Anna thinks you do. And Haz too,” he said.

“Tom I…” you started. “I…” his heart was beating so fast. You cleared your throat, and Tom tried to keep himself calm. “I think you should go,” you finally said.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. “W-what?” he asked, confused.

“I really think you should go,” you repeated. “I need to be by myself tonight. I’m really not feeling okay and I need some time,” you pushed him away.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” he said, not hiding the hurt in his voice. You looked hurt too.

“Please…” you avoided his look.

“You know that this is not what you really want to say," he cried. He knew more than ever that you liked him. He didn't understand why you were doing this. "You know you’ll regret this. Don’t do this,” he pleaded, reaching for your arm but you pulled away. “Y/N.” he said.

“I don’t know what you want me to do,” you raised your voice. “Really? What do you want me to say?” you were struggling not to cry. “Do you want me to tell you what I felt when I saw the pictures of you with a girl you invited out and didn’t tell me about, God knows why," you said with hurt in your voice. He hurt you, more than he could imagine. He clenched his jaw, feeling his body tensed up. "Do you want me to tell you why I felt so sad that I had to do my 'sadness ritual’ to keep myself from screaming at you or broking my computer?” your voice was bitter. His nails were hurting his palms. “You know what I have to tell you. You can pretend you don’t know, you can mess around all you want, but you know that you are not ready to hear what I have to say,” you rubbed your eyes, holding your tears. “What I don’t know is why are you doing this?” you asked sincerely. “Why are you here? It looks like you have a good thing," you said referring to the girl he went out. "Go enjoy it and… let me be, please.”

Tom was feeling his head pounding. He couldn't take it anymore. “You don’t see it, do you?” he finally said. His voice was low. He felt tears falling.

“What? What I don’t see?” you asked.

“I don’t wanna be with nobody else," he finally confessed. "I’m trying to tell you this for the last year and you keep ditching me," he thought about every time you said you hated his lifestyle. All the times you said you wanted a normal guy. "You don’t listen to me,” his voice was sad. “I love you. I want you. Please, don’t make me go,” he said, feeling that was his last chance.

“You can’t say that one day after you went on a date with another girl,” you were hurt, and he felt the guilt eating him alive.

“Please, Y/N. Don’t do this,” he reached for your arm, pulling you closer.

“I love you, but I need some time to think,” you said without looking at him, and he felt that was the worst that could happen.

#tom holland x reader #tom holland #i’m not good at this and yet i’m doing it #tom holland fluff #fluff #tom holland blurb #tom holland imagine #tom holland fic #tom holland scenario #tomhollandxreader #blurbs #tom holland angst #tom holland x fem!reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x female reader #tom x y/n #tom holland x y/n #tom hollandxreader

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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BTS TV and Web Series: Where to Begin Watching

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If you’re anything like the rest of the planet, then you’ve fallen hard for BTS. And, like any ARMY who hasn’t been with the band since the early days, you have a lot of content to catch up on. It’s an awesome task—and a potentially overwhelming one. While much of BTS’ content is, of course, music videos and performances, the Korean band has also produced a plethora of additional content in the form of web series and TV shows.

While BTS has appeared on dozens if not hundreds of TV shows both in Korea and abroad since their debut eight years ago, we’re solely focusing on the BTS-centric series rather than the ongoing shows in which BTS has appeared as featured guests. Whether you’re a new ARMY looking to learn more about the K-pop band or simply can’t get “Butter” and/or “Permission to Dance” out of your head and are curious about the seven members behind the summer hits, check out one of the following series to learn more about Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.

Rookie King (2013)

How many episodes: 8 Where to watch: Viki

BTS debuted in 2013, and Rookie King was their first proper series. The variety show format is super popular in Korea, and many of BTS’ series use it. Rookie King is a variety show that features the members attempting different Korean TV program formats. In the show, BTS takes on different roles, including news anchors, bowlers, and basketball players. Early variety show BTS is truly a place where anything can happen. Rookie King would also give us our first proper example of BTS taking on cooking challenges, which continues to be a running (and hilarious) theme in BTS’ variety show presence today.

American Hustle Life (2014)

How many episodes: 8

This BTS reality show that sees the members traveling to L.A. for two weeks to learn from hip-hop tutors like Coolio and Warren G, can be tough to watch, as the series is nowhere near prepared to engage with K-pop’s history and present of Black American cultural appropriation. But discomfort is not always a bad thing, and American Hustle Life can be a good jumping off point for non-Black BTS fans in particular to engage with the difficult topic of cultural appropriation in K-pop ourselves. I recommend watching this in conjunction with analysis from Black BTS/K-pop critics, such as Stitch of Stitch’s Media Mix, who has written extensively not only about BTS, but about cultural appropriation in the age of K-pop.

GO! BTS (2014)

How many episodes: 1

It’s a bit of a stretch to call this one a series, as there is only one episode, but if you’re looking for more content from BTS’ early years, then Go! BTS is a good option. The 45-minute episode follows BTS on their trip to L.A. for KCON 2014. In addition to including some performance footage, the special gives us some of that variety program energy by sending the members on three missions around Laguna Beach.

BTS Gayo (2015-2017)

How many episodes: 15 Where to watch: VLive

BTS Gayo is another BTS variety show, in which the members play games that are specifically related to K-pop. For example, in the first episode, they have to guess iconic K-pop girl group songs based solely on dance clues from other members. BTS hasn’t released an episode of Gayo in a while, probably because the wider umbrella of Run BTS (see the next entry on the list) covers the sorts of K-pop-centric challenges BTS Gayo centers. Basically, Run BTS swallowed BTS Gayo.

Run BTS! (2015-today)

How many episodes: 143 (and counting) Where to watch: VLive

The ultimate BTS variety show, Run BTS has been, um, running since 2015. The show features the members competing in a variety of games, from zombie escape the room challenges to foot volleyball to your classic game of mafia. If they win, they get a reward. If they lose, they get a punishment. Variety show games like this are only as effective as the degree to which the competitors take them seriously, and let me tell you: BTS is all in. These global pop stars may be millionaires, but they will throw down for a coupon like their lives depend on it. Early episodes of Run BTS include the members visiting many an amusement park, while later episodes have gotten both more contained and creative in the challenges. Rest assured, there is something here for everyone—just beware the spies and plot twists.

Bon Voyage (2016-today)

How many episodes: 32 episodes, across 4 seasons Where to watch: VLive (Seasons 1-3), Weverse* (Season 4)

Bon Voyage is a travel reality show that follows BTS on various trips around the world, including northern Europe in Season 1, Hawaii in Season 2, Malta in Season 3, and New Zealand in Season 4. It’s interesting to see the members out and about in the world, having fun together and on a relative break. (This is still work, but they are not actively promoting or touring.) Over the course of Bon Voyage‘s four seasons, you will see many a camper van adventure; many a games of rock, paper, scissors; and realize just how central Yoon-gi is to keeping these members fed when they are left on their own. Especially in a time when travel has been largely impossible, bopping around the world with BTS can be a nice escape.

*For Weverse content, purchase via the “media” section in the Weverse Shop app, then watch via Weverse via the app or online

Burn the Stage (2018)

How many episodes: 8 Where to watch: YouTube Premium

Burn the Stage is an eight-part series that tells the story of BTS’ massive 300-day The Wings Tour, which took up most of 2017 for the members. Including interviews and show footage, Burn the Stage follows a pretty standard concert film format, giving insight into BTS’ first major world tour. The series would later be turned into a movie, also called Burn the Stage, which was released later in 2018.

Bring the Soul (2019)

How many episodes: 6 Where to watch: Weverse

Similar to Burn the Stage, Bring the Soul is another glimpse into what BTS’ tour life is like. This six-part series follows the seven members of BTS during the Love Yourself World Tour, through the end of the tour’s third, European leg, which concluded in October 2019. It was also released in a more condensed movie format in Bring the Soul: The Movie.

BT21 (2019-today)

How many episodes: 17 main story shorts, plus additional mini-stories Where to watch: YouTube

If you’re looking for some animated BTS content, check out the universe of BT21, a collaboration between Line Friends and BTS that you can see chronicled here. The members helped create the concepts for the BT21 characters, who are all adorable. From there, the animators began telling the story of Prince Tata, who hails from Planet BT, as he dreams about spreading love across the galaxy. Tata and guardian robot Van travel to Earth to begin the mission, where they meet Koya, RJ, Shooky, Mang, Chimmy, and Cooky, who band together with the ambition to become the most influential pop culture sensation in the galaxy. You can check out the members’ reaction to the initial storyline of shorts here.

Break the Silence (2020)

How many episodes: 7 Where to watch: Weverse

You didn’t think BTS was going to leave you hanging on the final leg of their Love Yourself World Tour, did you? The Break the Silence docu-series picks up where Bring the Soul leaves off, bringing fans on the final, Asian leg of the Love Yourself World Tour and into the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself extension of the tour, which extended the tour through October 2019. As you may have guessed, there is also a movie format version of Break the Silence.

In the Soop (2020)

How many episodes: 8 Where to watch: Weverse

BTS has given us many gifts during the COVID-19 pandemic, but In the Soop may be the greatest. The series follows the seven members as they take a break from their work schedules to pursue hobbies, hang out, and watch Jin kill fish. Unlike BTS’ variety series, In the Soop has a much looser structure, allowing the members to relax a bit more. Each member made a list of activities they would like to try out while in the titular “soop” (“forest,” in Korean), but there is no reward or punishment for completing or not. Instead, the members can choose to spend their time as they wish, whether that be building Lego or racing remote control boats. In the Soop is honestly the gift that keeps on giving, and ARMY is crossing our fingers for a second season. (If you like In the Soop, don’t forget to check out the eight, shorter behind-the-scenes episodes, also available to watch via Weverse.)

What is your favorite BTS series? Let us know in the comments below.

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whatcouldgowrong-ohthat · 5 years ago

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Us and Andie Ch. 9

Summary: Bucky works as an Avenger because it’s what’s right. He feels he has sins he’ll never be able to make up for, but he’ll spend the rest of his life trying. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he comes across Andie, the daughter of recently divorced Y/N. The life he had once “maintained” in hopes of surviving changes as his heart warms for a tough-as-nails nurse and her wonderful daughter.

Pairing: Bucky x Singleparent!Reader

Word Count: 3790 words

Series Masterlist - Masterlist

“Tony!”

Tony turned around, raising an eyebrow when he heard Steve shout his name. Until he saw Steve and Sam trying to catch up to a fuming Bucky. “Whoa, Manchurian Candidate,” Tony said, stumbling through holograms. “Calm down.” But Bucky would do no such thing. His left hand wrapped around Tony’s throat, lifting him in the air until Tony’s back met a wall. He squirmed, wriggling around as his hands wrapped around Bucky’s wrist. He knew he wasn’t in any genuine danger. If Bucky wanted to, he would have killed him then and there.

No, Tony was just very thoroughly stuck.

“Bucky, put him down.”

“Not until he explains why he thinks Ethan and Zemo are connected,” Bucky growled.

Tony pointed to the hand around his throat. “Hard to – “ He wheezed. “Talk when you’re…do-doing the whole choking thing, big guy.”

Bucky dropped him, earning a sigh of relief from everyone in the room. However, it wasn’t going to be that simple. Bucky stayed close, invading Tony’s space and waiting for answers. The two stared one another down as if a silent conversation was passing between the two of them.

“Should one of us say something,” Sam asked Steve.

“Not necessary.” Tony peeked around Bucky, realizing in this particular moment that he was much smaller than Bucky. Glancing at Bucky, he asked, “And are you still doing those crazy work outs?”

“Not the time, Tony.”

Tony looked at Steve with that same: “Duh, but I almost choked to death so give me a second” look. “F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

Yes, Sir.

Immediately the holograms Tony had pulled up moments before, reappeared around them. They were various things – photos of Ethan out and about, at mutant hate rallies, his resume. It was anything and everything Tony could have found on Ethan.

Bucky frowned, remembering when he had come to talk to Tony about Andie’s bedroom. “I recognize some of these photos.”

“Yeah, when Andie and Y/N started spending more time with us, I wanted to start taking a deeper look.”

“Tony,” Steve sighed. “That invaded her privacy.”

“For good reason,” Bruce pointed out, now standing in the doorway. “He was an extremely active member of Friends of Humanity.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“A mutant hate organization,” Clint spoke up. “Imagine being such a vital member only to have a kid with that same gene.”

Bucky clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth as he stared at those images. He never should have left. Hell, did Andie even know he still cared? Or did she think he dropped her as easily as Ethan had?

Steve noticed the wild look in his eyes, the fear and rage that threatened to surface. “Okay, so he’s an asshole.” Steve nodded, looking back at the images. “So why do you think he and Zemo are connected?”

“Because,” the images changed. Bucky took a step closer, the blue hue of the images lighting his face. Andie was smiling, playing with Ethan and his sons. It was several days worth of photos. In some of them, he saw Y/N in the background somewhere. She looked so… He looked at the floor for the briefest moment as the images changed again. “Ethan has been spending an awful lot of time with Andie while you guys have been away.”

Natasha frowned, pointing at the images as if they made no sense. “I thought Y/N was in charge of visitation.”

“She is. But imagine the betrayal Andie would feel if she thought her mom was keeping her from having a relationship with her dad.”

“Come on, Andie’s smarter than that,” Sam argued.

Bucky shook his head. “She’s still a kid. And she’s finally seeing something that looks like love from the guy that’s supposed to be her father. Smart or not, emotions are going to affect choices.”

The images changed again. Some of Ethan, Zemo, and another guy that none of them recognized. “I only found these photos earlier today. I’m guessing it’s when Zemo wanted me to find them.” He pointed to the third person. “That is Quentin Beck. My former employee.”

“Only you would manage to piss off an employee enough to get him to work with a terrorist,” Sam muttered.

“Sam.”

“Anyway,” Tony said, sending an appreciative look at Bucky. “I wasn’t looking into any of this to an extreme degree until they stopped coming around. That was about a week after you two left.” He walked over to his desk, picking up a file and tossing it on the table in the center of the room. Photos slid out of it, stopped by Steve’s hand. “And then earlier today, these photos were found in Andie’s room.”

“I thought it wasn’t possible to sneak into the compound.”

“It’s not supposed to be. I’ve been adjusting things, fixing it, ever since these showed up.”

Steve frowned as he turned the photos, taking a better look at them. His shoulders slumped as he picked one up and handed it to Bucky. “He’s been here this whole time.”

Bucky scowled, taking the photo. It was grainy and peeking through the windows of Y/N’s god-awful apartment. They were laughing and eating, watching some movie. It was such a personal, private moment where Y/N’s guard was completely down.

And it had been violated.

Turning the photo over, he saw the back was dated three days after he left for the mission. Written in sharpie were the words: Always forgetting to protect what’s most important.

“He sent us on some wild fucking goose chase so he could watch them?” He looked at Tony and Steve, hoping for some sort of explanation. But none of them had one. “Learn their patterns?”

Tony sighed, nodding ever so slightly. “Zemo holds grudges like nobody else.”

“When he couldn’t tear us apart using Bucky, it just came down to revenge,” Natasha spoke up, putting the pieces of the puzzle together faster than anybody else.

“So you think Ethan and Zemo are working together to…what, kill Andie and Y/N?”

Tony pressed his lips into a thin line, looking at the holograms. He glanced at Bruce, hoping the other scientist had a way to explain this. Bruce looked at the others in the room, knowing Tony needed his help. “There’s no way for us to know what their plans are for us, Andie, or Y/N. But the first and foremost thing we need to do is get Andie and Y/N and bring them here.”

Bucky didn’t need to be told twice. He was already out the door and on his way to Y/N’s apartment.

-.-.-.-.-

“You in your pj’s?” Peter called from the living room, already setting up Treasure Planet for Andie to fall asleep to. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Andie hadn’t been herself all night. He guessed it was because she wasn’t used to Y/N going on a date, but by the time he had shown up, Y/N was already gone.

Andie came shuffling out, dressed in some thin cotton pants covered in rainbows and a too-big, black t-shirt that looked like it had been stolen from Bucky’s closet.

“Hey, ready for the movie?” Andie grabbed a water from the fridge before she joined him on the couch. Peter watched her for a moment and pressed play, frowning as he asked, “What is it, Rugrat?”

“Please, don’t call me that,” she mumbled, cuddling the pillow.

“Why not?” He tugged on her arm, pulling her over and having her rest against his side. She stayed silent as he lightly traced her arm. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right, Andie?”

She nodded, eyes fixated on the screen. “I just…Bucky used to call me ‘Rugrat’.”

Peter smiled, remembering the first time that had happened. He and Sam were watching the Rugrats movie with Andie and Bucky had been watching from the doorway. Peter would never say it out loud, but he had seen the look on Bucky’s face. The guy he thought was so cool looked like a proud parent as he watched Andie. Ever since – Bucky called her that silly nickname.

“Do you miss him?”

“I guess…”

Silence fell for a bit. Peter started tickling her, trying to get a smile and laughter out of her. It had been too long since he’d seen someone other than Ethan or Y/N get that smile out of her. She burst into a fit of giggles, trying to push away his hands as her giggles turned into raging laughter. “Stop! Stop it!”

Peter did, letting her catch her breath as she settled back into her side. “Talk to me, Andie. I thought you were happy. But every time it’s just us, you look so sad.”

Andie glanced up at him before cuddling into her pillow. “I used to sneak out all the time just…just to see them. To see the whole not-broken family thing. But…” She bit her cheek, scared of her own feelings. “Would I be a bad person if I didn’t like my dad? If I liked my brothers, but…not him?”

Peter looked down at her, eyebrows practically buried in his hairline. He was so surprised. “Not at all. Why?”

Andie shifted, watching the screen as Jim listened to his mom talk to Dr. Delbert. She thought back to earlier, when she watched her mom getting ready. Before Y/N had even noticed she was there.

Andie noticed the fingerprints on Y/N’s arm. She was applying makeup to them, hiding the dark purple color that made Andie sick to her stomach. Her mind flipped to the park – when she and Ciara had come back from getting hot cocoa. Her dad’s grip was there. That had to be what those bruises were from. The guilt that settled in her stomach made her feel sick. Why did she agree to Mom going on a double date?

“Mom?”

Andie shrugged, biting her lip. “I thought we were spending so much time with Bucky and the other Avengers and I just…I thought they were becoming our family. I thought Bucky was…” Her voice trailed off.

“I know.” He hugged her, squeezing her tight. “But being a superhero…it’s a big responsibility.”

“You’re Spiderman and you still take care of me.”

Peter’s whole body tensed as his gaze fixated on her. She said it as if it were nothing! Like she was talking about the weather! “How did you – “

“Your Spidersuit was sticking out of your backpack. Made more sense than you getting it dry-cleaned it for your ‘internship’.” She looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear. It seemed the subject of Bucky and “family” was now forgotten.

So, he looked back to the tv and lightly traced her arm, trying to calm her down enough to fall asleep. Then he could tuck her in and wait till Y/N got home. He wanted to talk to her about the Avengers and Bucky. He wanted to talk to her about what Andie had said.

However, those plans were cut short by a knock at the door. Andie and him both glanced that way before Peter rose to his feet. He looked back at Andie, neither of them expecting company. He wondered if maybe it was Bucky? But wouldn’t he have called? “Hi, can I help you,” he asked through the door. He peeked through the peephole, not recognizing the man on the other side.

“Hello, I’m here to visit an old friend. Y/N Y/L/N?”

Peter frowned, ready to open the door and tell him that Y/N wasn’t there. But when he grabbed the doorknob, that stupid “spider-tingle” went off in the back of his head. He kept the door closed, silently bolting it as he said, “It’s pretty late, man. How about you come by tomorrow?” Peter glanced at Andie, jerking his head for her to go hide in one of the other rooms.

Andie nodded, grabbing his backpack and silently taking off to her mom’s bedroom. Y/N had raised her to go over there because it was the one room that had access to the fire escape.

“I’m afraid I’ll be leaving in the morning,” the stranger’s voice said. “And I was really hoping to catch up.”

Peter silently moved across the room, watching the person jiggle the doorknob before taking off to Y/N’s room. When he got there, he heard the front door kick open. Immediately, Peter scooped Andie up in his arms and carried her onto the fire escape. “Start climbing, Andie,” he told her, closing the window. He grabbed his web-shooter, slipping it on and webbing up the window. “Only one?” He tried finding the other before realizing it had been left behind – now far away and in Queens. Groaning, he covered the last of the window and caught sight of the man walking in.

Their eyes met and immediately that spider-tingle started going haywire.

“Time to go.” Peter slipped his backpack on, grabbing his mask and pulling it over his head. He quickly picked Andie up and carried her up to the roof. “F.R.I.D.A.Y! I need you to call Mr. Stark!”

Calling Tony…

Peter crouched in front of Andie. He saw the tears in her eyes, the fear she had now that she realized what had just happened. “Okay, Andie, you’re a mutant, right?” Andie nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks as he brushed her hair back. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t cry. It’s okay. I just need to know what you can do. If it can protect you. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She pulled out of his grip, sniffling and stumbling back. Her heart was pounding in her chest. “What’s going on, Peter?”

“I don’t know. But we’re going to figure it out, okay?”

“But what if this is because of what I said about my dad?”

“No, it isn’t,” Peter assured her, shaking his head. “This has nothing to do with him. Nothing at all. But Andie, I need – “

“Hey, kid. What’s up?”

“Mr. Stark!” Peter jumped, pressing a hand against his chest. “Look, there’s some creepy guy here at Y/N’s apartment. I’m with Andie, but I have no idea what’s going on and – “

“Okay, Peter, slow down.” Peter looked back towards the fire escape, taking her to the opposite side of the roof. “Is it Andie’s dad? Ethan?”

“No. It’s someone else.” Peter looked down at Andie. In any other situation, this would be easy. Web up the guy, maybe accidentally destroy the apartment…but this was different. He had to keep Andie safe and he didn’t want to risk scarring her more than she already was. “I don’t know if he’s a big threat or not.”

“Okay, focus on getting Andie safe. I’m going to send your coordinates to Bucky. He’s already on his way. Where’s Y/N? Is she with you?”

“What? No.” Peter looked down at Andie. He saw the slight sparkle in her cheeks, the rainbow effect that came with her powers. “Y/N’s not here.”

“Then where the hell is she?”

“I’m not sure,” Peter stuttered before he saw Andie running back the way they had come. He ran after her, grabbing her arm. “Where are you going?”

“I have to get Bucky’s hat! I left it behind!” She tugged at her arm, twisting out of his grip and earning a hiss from Peter. “Please!”

“Ouch! Hey, wait! Where’d you learn that move?”

Andie glared at him, moving to take off again before Peter picked her up.

“Peter? Kid? Is everything okay?”

“Um – Well, you see…” Peter tried to find the right words, stumbling back. He tripped, landing on his ass as Andie collided into his chest. His wrist slammed into the room and he heard the familiar crack that sounded like it came from his web-shooter. He coughed, moving his hand to his ribcage. The wind was knocked out of him. “Andie, we can get you another hat. I gotta keep you safe.”

Andie ignored him, but Peter’s grip was stronger. Sparing a glance at his web-shooter, he silently cursed. There was no way he could use it now. He sat up, jumping when he saw the man that had broken into Andie’s house. He stepped over the edge of the roof, walking closer to the pair. “Um…Mr. Stark? How long do you think until Bucky gets here?”

“We’re on our way, kid. Just stay put.”

“I don’t know that that’s an option anymore.

“I don’t really appreciate all of this extra drama,” the stranger told Peter. He glanced at Andie, noticing the way more of her skin was shimmering and glowing. When Ethan told him that Andie was a mutant, he believed him. But seeing it in person, he was curious what her abilities were. Were they useful?

Peter’s gaze shifted to the gun in the guy’s hand. “Fair. I mean, who likes drama? I certainly don’t.”

“Now is not the time to play dorky neighborhood Spider-man, Peter! Get to safety! Now!”

He hurried to his feet, moving Andie behind him and ignoring Tony in his ear. All Peter could think about was having to buy time for Bucky to get there. “But I think it’d definitely cut out some of that drama if you told me who you are.”

“Zemo.” He held up the gun, aiming for Peter’s head. “Helmut Zemo.”

-.-.-.-.-

Scott breathed a sigh of relief when they finally hit intermission. This was definitely not his cup of tea. He had no idea how Hank and Janet could stand these things. Rising to his feet, he put on a brave smile for Hope. She smiled at him sympathetically, knowing he was struggling. “I appreciate the effort,” she teased, placing a small kiss on his shoulder.

“Seriously, am I the only person who has no idea what she is saying,” he whispered in her ear, a slight panic to his voice as they exited the theatre.

Hope laughed, shaking her head. “No, you are not alone. But aren’t you enjoying this? At least a little?”

“I – Oh, look! Y/N!” Scott grinned when he saw her familiar face through the crowd. During the time she and Andie had spent at the compound, he had gotten a chance to trade ‘single parent’ stories with her. He had missed having someone around that related to that, but he figured she’d been busy between work and Andie. A place like this didn’t really seem her style. And judging by the uncomfortable smile on her face, he was right. Who was that guy she was with?

Scott pulled Hope along, wanting to get a chance to say hi to Y/N, ask how she and Andie were doing. “Should I be jealous that you’re trying this hard to talk to her,” Hope teased.

“No, we just have that whole ‘single parent’ friendship is all,” Scott assured her just as Y/N turned upon hearing his voice.

“Scott!” That uncomfortable smile of hers finally looked real, natural. “Hey, how are you?” The two hugged and Hope noticed how her shoulders relaxed. Who was Y/N with that would make her so tense?

“I’m good. I didn’t think operas were your thing though.”

Y/N laughed ever so slightly. “It…isn’t. Really.”

“So what?” Scott glanced at Hope before looking at Y/N. “It’s Bucky’s?”

Y//N flushed, turning pink from her roots to her collarbone. “Uh…Bucky and I were never…a thing. You know that, right?”

Scott’s eyes grew and he stuttered around a reply, immediately regretting that he had managed to put his foot in his mouth. He needed a better filter. “I’m sorry – I just thought that it was one of those things that was sort of destined to happen.”

Y/N’s uncomfortable laugh and smile were back as she hugged herself, shrugging. “Guess not. I haven’t heard from him in a month and I…” She sighed, fingers twisting around her locket. “I have a life to live.”

Hope glanced down at her arm, noticing something that Scott didn’t. However, before she had a chance to speak up, they were joined by the rest of Y/N’s group.

“Y/N?” She flinched ever so slightly, closing her eyes for the briefest moment. “Who are your friends?”

Y/N smiled easily, looking from Scott and Hope to this stranger. She was at a loss for words and Scott was more than aware of that. He held out a hand. “I’m Scott. This is my girlfriend, Hope.”

“Quentin Beck. And this is Ethan and his wife, Lori.”

Scott recognized Ethan’s and Lori’s names from conversations with Y/N, but kept a straight face, refusing to react. He wouldn’t put Y/N on the spot. But immediately, a red flag was raised. He looked at Y/N, offering her a reassuring smile before starting to say, “So is this – “

The lights flashed above them, followed by the signal that intermission was almost over. Scott watched Y/N carefully as Quentin whispered something in her ear, taking her hand and tucking it in the crook of his elbow. “We should probably go find our seats. It was nice meeting you,” Quentin said, charming smile back in place. He and Ethan led Y/N and Lori back inside and Scott watched every step. When Y/N looked back at him, he recognized that look in her eyes.

“You need to call your friends,” Hope whispered. “Her arm is covered in bruises.”

Scott looked down at Hope, kissing the top of her head. He whispered into her hair, “I was thinking the exact same thing.” He pulled out his phone as Hope told her parents to go find their seats. He turned away, listening to the phone dial. “Come on, pick up. Pick up, pick up.”

“Scott? Can I help you?”

“Cap!” Scott took a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves.

“Yeah. You called me.”

Scott winced. He might have been fan-boying a bit too hard. “Look, I’m here at the Met and I ran into Y/N. She’s with her ex husband and some creepy-charming dude. Like I don’t quite know how to explain him, but he is eerily charming in that sleezy sort of way.”

“Hey, Scott. Slow down. We’re actually trying to get ahold of Y/N right now. I need you to keep an eye on her and if you can, get her away from those guys. Alright? You said you’re at the Met?”

“Yeah. We just finished intermission.” Scott looked back at where he had seen Y/N. “She already went back inside.”

“Well, Sam doesn’t call you Tic Tac for nothing, right?” Scott grinned from ear to ear, already ready to grab the suit tucked away in his pocket. He looked at Hope who was already back at his side, listening in on the conversation. “Sam and I are on our way. Think you can handle this?”

Nodding to her, he told Steve, “We’re on it, Cap.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

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#bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #us and andie #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes au #marvel au

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