#less them bonding over dick and more bonding over having weird ass family situations but yknow

[lazaruspiss]

I just love Kon and Tim bonding over their crush on Dick

they'd be so funny about it. Tim angsting over it and being hung up to hell on thoughts about how he has absolutely no shot VS Kon desperate to have someone else to talk about The Hot Teacher to.

Kon: Cassie and Bart just don't get it Tim, Dick is absolutely smokin' hot! Who wouldn't wanna go for that, y'know? Wait. Do you think they just don't like men? That would explain it, but it feels rude to just assume something like that.

Tim: please shut up. god fucking dammit. why'd I let Bruce file the adoption papers. I hate my life.

Kon: I don't get what your deal is.

Tim: He's my BROTHER now Kon.

Kon: You say that like it changes something.

Tim: ... Kon.

Kon: Yeah?

Tim: Do you know what incest is.

Kon: Not sure that applies here? And besides, Kara and I are cousins and we still make out all the time.

Tim: I have new questions.

Anyways. Tim eventually caves and they team-up on a mission to tag team Dick, as best bros do <3

[backtobackbakubabe]

I am the Alpha Now Part 18

Bakugo x Reader

Words : 3023

Masterlist

Reader is from America and somewhat of a delinquent with an alpha quirk that allows her to turn into a wolf as well as bond with dogs. She is sent to UA to straighten out her attitude. She ends up in a power struggle with none other than our favorite hot head. Words in Italics are words said telepathically.

************************************************************************

Bakugo started pacing, his boots stomping, his fists clenched in anger. If he wasn’t sure Hawks was somehow in on this before then he was now. The asshole slipped out at the first chance he got. “Mother fucking bird brain! I can’t believe him! I’m gonna find the son of a bitch and pluck out every last feather.”

Kirishima and Midoriya had followed him outside and where giving nervous glances to each other, neither one wanting to bet the one to talk to their ticking time bomb friend first.

Finally, Karishma’s shoulders slumped as he decided he was a little less destructible. “Hey bro. I know this is a stupid question… but are you doing alright? I mean besides the obvious y/n situation.” Kiri could see Bakugo open his mouth to argue but he cut him off before he could. “I mean you just look a little, I don’t know… unhinged. Have you slept at all since you left UA? You look exhausted.”

Bakugo growled, “I’ll sleep when I find her. It’s already been two fucking days, almost three since she went missing! Just cuz you extras need to take your little nap time to function doesn’t mean that I do.”

Kiri gave him a nervous look, “Bakugo, believe me, we all want her back safe. But you have to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. You won’t be much help if you pass out. Maybe we could just head back for a little bit. You can catch us up on what you’ve found since we left this morning maybe catch a quick couple hours of sleep.”

“I said I don’t need a fucking nap. I don’t have time…” Bakugo chewed on his lip as debated on whether he should tell them his new theories. He knew they probably wouldn’t believe him. He understood how crazy it sounded. But if they were going to help then they needed to know. “I think I know who took her… but it doesn’t exactly make sense.”

Midoriya could see the hesitation in his eyes. “Kacchan, whatever it is, you can tell us. We’ll keep it between us. Well us and Todoroki. He’d be here now, but he’s busy trying to get the new house put together. He’s still working on this though. He’s keeping a close eye on internet activity. He’s using his dad’s hero agency’s software to scan through for anything posted about Y/n.” Midoriya rubbed his neck, “It’s not exactly allowed, but I don’t think he cares either way.”

Bakugo looked around to see if anyone was listening. He gestured for the other two to follow him. He was nervous Hawks might still be hanging around somewhere. Finally, when he deemed it safe, he stopped and spun around to face them. “I think the League of Villains took y/n. Well specifically I think Dabi did.” Both Midoriya and Kirishima’s eyes bulged. Bakugo’s nostrils flared, “And I think Hawk’s is helping them.”

***************Y/N’S POV***********************************

Your eyes filled with tears, but it wasn’t the pain of Dabi burning your skin that provoked them. It was the helpless, useless, frustrated feeling that was festering in your chest. You couldn’t do what Dabi was asking you to do. You were trying, but you just… couldn’t do it.

You dug deep, you gave it everything you had, and yet you still had nothing to show for it.

“Come ON! Do you want that crusty creep to turn you to dust? Is that what you want? You want to leave that annoying loudmouth and precious little puppy behind.” You could feel your anger boiling over. But what was its source? Were you mad at yourself for not being able to do it. Were you mad at Dabi for trying to force you to do something you clearly couldn’t? Or maybe you were mad at both Dabi and Hawks for getting you into this fucked up situation. “What do you think will happen to them once you’re gone huh? Will your pooch go back to being just another dumb dog? Will their connection die without you? Will THEY DIE WITHOUT YOU? Who’s to say, maybe I’ll get mad and just kill them myself”

“STOP IT!” You fell to your knees. Fists clenched, eyes squeezed shut. “Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! I’m sick and tired of your annoying ass voice!”

You felt his scared hand grip your chin harshly, “Show me your eyes. Or are you scared I’m going to see you cry and finally understand how fucking weak you are?!“

Your eyes snapped open. They glowed brighter than you can ever remember. The bright blue only reflected in Dabi’s eyes. You could see that he had to squint just to see through it. The words that left your mouth were eerily calm. “I said… shut up.” You gripped the wrist that held your chin with one hand and with your other you broke his thumb and he screamed. “You don’t get to talk about my Mercy like that.” Your grip on his wrist tightened as you pulled out a staple on his hand, watching the blood flow. “How dare you threaten my pack.” You ripped out another staple. “My family.” Another staple. “The love of my life.”

Your eyes glowed brighter and you could feel pure Alpha power coursing through your veins. “Look at you. All stapled together like a patchwork quilt. And why? Because you’re the weak one.” You could see something in his eyes now, was it fear or something else you didn’t know. “I’m an Alpha.” You let go of his wrist and punched him in the face.

Dabi spit out blood and cradled his bleeding hand to his chest. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

********************** Bakugo POV**************************

Midoriya paced, “Kacchan. You have to know how crazy that sounds.”

Bakugo groaned, “I wouldn’t expect you to understand dumbass Deku. Did you even listen to anything I just said! I have proof!” His eyes bore into Kirishima’s “You believe me right Kiri?”

Kiri rubbed his neck nervously. “Come on man. You have to give us a little more to go off of. All of your proof is just guesses and gut feelings.” He raised his hands up in defense before Bakugo could start yelling at him. “Before you get mad at me, just know I’ll follow you wherever you go, no matter how crazy. But you really need to think this through. You say Dabi has her because you think you felt her being burned through the bond. A bond you also say she’s turned off. You think Hawk’s is in on it because you think you heard her moan in the background of a phone call. You say you think you know where she is because saw something in your head. Something that none of us could see, not even Mercy saw it. You have to understand how that’s not proof right?”

Bakugo started to grow. “Did you follow him like I asked?”

Kirishima looked back and forth between Midoriya and Bakugo in concern. He really thought his best friend might be losing it. “Did we follow who? Who are you talking to?”

Mercy walked out of the shadows. “He’s smarter than you think. He may not have seen me, but he knew he was being followed. I got a good whiff of him though so I should be able to track him down. Even now I can tell he still hasn’t left his apartment.”

“Good. Continue your patrol and report back to me in an hour.”

Bakugo could sense Mercy’s frustration. His fur was sticking up slightly as he showed his teeth. “I know we’re packmates, and I know we’re doing this for Y/n. But you need to remember that you aren’t my alpha any more than I am yours. Quit bossing me around.”

Bakugo rolled his eyes, “Oh give me a break. Are you really going to be a brat right now? You know I didn’t mean it that way. How about instead of bitching about who’s in charge of finding Y/n, we just focus on actually finding her huh?”

Mercy growled, “I’m not bitching, you’re just bossy.”

Before Bakugo could even respond, both of their eyes glowed bright for a brief moment. And in that moment they surged with power. So much power that Bakugo accidentally let off a small explosion.

Bakugo was staring at the hand that had just sent an explosion into a nearby dumpster while Midoriya was up and pacing again. “Okay. I’m just going to say it… What the fuck was that?”

************** Y/N POV*****************************

You could hear you heart pounding in your ears. Your vision started to tunnel. You smelled ash and you could taste blood. But feel? You couldn’t feel anything. You were completely numb. You looked down and was surprised to see your skin had a weird glow to it. You and Dabi had been going at it for a few minutes now. But it honestly felt like an hour had gone by.

All the power you summoned was draining and draining quick. It left you almost as fast as it came. You had blacked out during most of it so you assumed you had gone feral. It had been years since you had done so and you had forgotten about the toll it would take on your body. Were you hurt? Were you dying? You couldn’t tell. You were just numb. You sank to the floor, back pressed against the charred remnants of what used to be the couch. You could see Dabi’s chest rise and fall over to your right. He had passed out, but the fucker was still breathing.

You crawled over to him and fumbled through his pockets. You groaned as fatigue attempted to pull you under. Your fingers finally found what they were looking for and yanked it from his pocket. You focused as hard as you could on the screen in front of you trying to scroll through Dabi’s contacts. Dabi only had like ten numbers and yet you still struggled to find it in time.

You clicked dial and the name feather dick popped on the screen. After a few rings you heard him pick up. “Listen now’s not a good time. I think the mystery gang is onto us…”

Mystery gang huh? Would that make Katsuki, Fred or Shaggy? You chuckled, “It’s me.” You threw up rather loudly. “I think I need help…”

********************* Bakugo POV************************

“Did you seriously just say fuck? Mr. Perfect just swore?”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes, “God Damnit Kacchan! You’re the one out here having one sided conversations with dogs and spouting conspiracy theories, and your worried about me saying FUCK?”

Mercy cocked his head. It would have been cute if he hadn’t been baring his teeth only moments before. “This idiot knows you weren’t having a one-sided conversation, right?” He sniffed Midoriya causing him to stiffen, “I don’t like him.”

Bakugo snorted, “Yeah get in line.” He looked at Midoriya, “Listen if you care about your balls at all I’d stop talking about Mercy as if he’s not here. He’s smarter than you and shitty hair combined.”

Mercy nudged Bakugo’s hand in approval before resuming his sniffing. He went up to Kirishima and shoved his nose in his side, “This one I like. He smells sweet. But not too sweet.”

Kirishima chuckled, “I think what Bakugo’s trying to say is they have a bond we don’t understand.” He rubbed Mercy’s head fondly, “Just because we can’t prove they’re right, doesn’t mean they’re wrong either.” Mercy gave an exaggerated nod and a bark of confirmation. “I say we just go with it.” He shrugged. “If they’re wrong, the only thing we’ve wasted is time. If they’re right, then we find y/n…. seems worth it to me.”

Midoriya gave a long glance at Mercy before leaning down putting his face level with his, “I’m sorry if I offended you. It wasn’t my intention to belittle your intelligence… I’m sure having your alpha torn from you is hard and having Kacchan in your head 24/7 is probably making it even worse.” He ignored the seething look he was getting from Bakugo. “If you can promise to look out for him, and to somehow let me know that what he’s saying is true. I’d really appreciate it.”

Mercy gave a low humming noise, as if he was sizing Midoriya up. He was about to go off on him for even doubting Bakugo but suddenly his head whipped to the side. All of his muscles tensed, and a growl ripped through his chest. “Bakugo. Hawks is leaving his apartment and he’s moving fast.”

“Shit… Okay lead the way. Guys Hawk’s is on the move. Last chance to back out.”

After a few tense moments they both nodded and followed as Bakugo and Mercy took off.

It wasn’t long before they were back in the same district, they had been patrolling earlier that morning. Mercy came to a stop and looked up. “They’re here, now that we’re close enough, I can smell her.”

“Okay Deku and I can start from the top while Kiri and Mercy start on the bottom and we’ll work our way to the middle. Mercy and I can keep each other updated so-“ He pointed to his friends now, “you two idiots stay close to us.”

Without even waiting for a confirmation Bakugo blasted himself into the sky towards the top of the building with Midoriya quickly following after him. Kirishima sighed and looked at Mercy, “Not exactly subtle, is he?” Mercy whined and walked towards the entrance of the building. “Lead the way man. I’ll watch your six.”

*********************Y/N POV********************************

Thankfully you hadn’t passed out, but you still felt like shit. Three days of torture and hard work will do that to a person. The door slammed moments before you felt Hawks pulling your head into his lap. “Hey kid! Open your eyes and look at me.” You groaned at the idea. Even lifting your eyelids felt impossible. “You’re okay, you’re fine. You’re safe. Big bad Dabi is passed the fuck out. Let’s just get those eyes open yeah?”

You just groaned again like a petulant child before letting out a weak, “…no”

Hawk’s sighed, “I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay kid. But fine. Be stubborn. I’ll just have to-“

A loud explosion sounded from outside the building. Your heart pounded because you’d know that sound anywhere.

Before you knew it your head was being dropped back to the floor with a dull thud. “Shit.”

You could hear Hawks scurry over to Dabi, “Hey! Patchy! You need to get up and get the hell out of here. There are heroes here. I can still spin this in my favor. But you need to leave. Like NOW!”

You heard Dabi hiss as he tried to sit up and if you had the energy you would have smirked at the fact that you were the reason he was hurting. But then you remembered that you weren’t much better at the moment.

Dabi shuffled over to you, leaning over to speak directly into your ear. “You go along with whatever he says. Do you understand me? You air our dirty laundry and I’ll air yours. I just need to hit a button on my phone and your little secret is out.”

You took a deep breath and forced your eyes open. You could tell by the shocked look on his face that they were still glowing. This had to be a record. Usually they stopped as soon as the adrenaline wore off. “I’d get going if I were you. I may be too exhausted to kick your ass but I don’t think Katsuki will feel the same way.”

Dabi growled before forcing himself onto his feet and leaving the room.

You figured there was no point trying to hide from them anymore. They found you, the jig was up. You looked at Hawk’s pacing. “So what are you going to tell him?”

Hawks played with a feather as he brainstormed, “I’m going to say I received an anonymous tip and flew out here as soon as I could. Found you here, by yourself and that Dabi must have gotten away. I mean look at the place you guys tore it to pieces. It’ll be obvious I didn’t do this.”

You nodded knowing full well that Bakugo wouldn’t believe a word of that. “So is it okay for me to tell him where I am? I mean if you just “rescued” me then that would only make sense, right?”

You reached out before Hawks even said anything and felt for pack. The bond opened up and you were flooded with relief. Your eyes even teared up a little at the empty spot in your chest felt warm again. You could tell Bakugo was two floors above you while Mercy was three below. Sneaky boys. You hoped Mercy caught the chance to sink his teeth into Dabi.

“Y/n. Baby! I’m here where are you pup? Please tell me you are okay.” You brushed a tear aside. You could feel Mercy’s presence as well, but he must have been focusing on something else because he remained quiet. Maybe he did find Dabi after all.

“I’m fine. I’m two floors down from you-“

You heard a loud bang come from the other side of the door. Naturally your impatient boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to use the stairs. Nope. He came straight through the ceiling. Next thing you knew the door was blown from it’s hinges and he and Deku were rushing in.

He looked around frantically until his eyes met yours. He crossed the room in seconds and fell to his knees in front of you. He scooped you into his arms as his lips found the top of your head. “I’m here now pup. It’s okay. God damnit please don’t ever do this to me again.”

You gripped the front of his shirt and just breathed in his comforting scent. You allowed yourself to relax into him, “I’m sorry. I didn’t really have a choice. I’m so sorry.”

***********************************************************************

Tags: @tspice283 , @realityisoftendisapointing , @imbi-101 , @thoughtfulpandazine2, @hotarumorikawa , @huh-iwasntpayingattention , @starfishlovingbnha , @weebnumber3622 , @mixedfeeelings , @munchmunch01 , @inumorph@xxoperatexx @runrabbitrun3 @insane-without-delirium @yolei94

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

Chapter 1 - Seed and Spark

Harry Styles was kind of a dick. At least, that’s how he acted towards me. You see, growing up down the road from someone should make them care about you--not in some romantic way--just in the sense that our moms started their own book club and our older sisters were inseparable from the age of eight, when my dad’s work had us relocate to the U.K.

You’d think that kind of family bond would make Harry so much as look at me inbetween the moments he was sucking face with my roommate, Quinn, the unequivocal love of his life. But I guess it was kind of silly for me--a girl with a big mouth and an ever bigger ass--to think that he would ever so much as smile in my direction.

When my mother told me that Harry and I would be attending the same university, at first I thought it might be nice to have a friendly face around campus, perhaps even someone to sit with in the dining hall when the tons of new friends I would make were in class or just busy.

I thought that maybe this would be a turning point for us--maybe Harry would see me as more than just the annoying kid he grew up with--maybe he’d even take a liking to me, enough to spend movie nights with me and Quinn or study with me in the library.

But, as usual, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“You’ve got something on your cheek,” he said with a monotonous delivery, his back against the wall as he sat on Quinn’s bed, directly mirroring my position.

I sat with my computer in my lap and looked up at him, unsure if he was speaking to me. When I realized that Quinn was nowhere to be found, I assumed he was.

I brought my hand up to my cheek, brushing off a crumb from the chips I’d been eating. I rolled my eyes at him, only mildly offended by the fact that that was the first thing he’d said to me all night.

He looked back down to his mobile, his fingers scrolling as he let out a sigh, “you’re welcome.”

I stared at him for a second, wondering how long he’d been staring at me. I’d been lost in a paper that was due in less than an hour, but the distant hum of water from our bathroom let me know that Quinn had disappeared to take a shower.

Quinn Markos was pretty much your image of a girl who’d been popular her whole life--the kind of girl who probably had a date every weekend and never failed to make the rest of us jealous. Harry had only started being nice to me when he realized I was rooming with one of the hottest girls on campus, but as soon as Quinn seemed mildly interested in return, his kindness was rescinded.

I’m not sure if it was the fact that my blatantly American ways seemed to annoy the living daylights out of Harry, or if it was just that 7-year-old me spent most of our school holidays trying to convince him to ride bikes with me, have a lemonade stand, or do other things that he acted like were the epitome of uncool. But for some reason, the more Harry pushed me away our entire lives, the more I wanted him.

I know, I know. How pathetic can one ex-pat be? Fall in love with your neighbor down the street who wants nothing to do with you? Okay, so maybe that’s the reason I figured going to university with Harry would maybe shift the dynamic between us. Perhaps he’d finally see me as more than just Harper Coleman--the girl with curly blonde hair and hips the size of a flat screen TV.

Maybe he’d see me in this new university student light and be flat out shocked at how smart, funny, and entertaining I was. Or maybe he’d continue treating me like a pesky house fly as he spent increasing amounts of time in my room, only addressing me when I was in the way or when I had something on my face.

Quinn appeared from the bathroom--a towel wrapped around her tiny frame as she smiled at Harry. Quinn and I were friends, you could say. She was nice to me and I was nice to her. Occasionally we’d grab some food together or study together, especially if we ended up in the same class. Despite that, Quinn and I couldn’t be more different, which made us good roommates.

Her long brown hair was straight and always tamed, she was short, standing a few good inches below my 5’8 frame. Her hips were normal sized, she had the perfect nose, and more importantly, she was pretty and funny and cool and she always seemed to have a guy chasing her.

That’s why, when that guy was my neighbor and proverbial childhood crush, Harry Styles, I momentarily questioned what I had ever done to the Gods in the sky to deserve this kind of torture.

It wasn’t until the spring of our first year that she really started hanging out with Harry--and now, only a week into our second year, they were clearly going strong.

“I heard there’s a movie in the first floor lounge,” I said casually, hoping that my desperation for social interaction didn’t strike them as weird. To be honest, for someone as outgoing and loud as I was, making friends at Uni hadn’t been the easiest thing.

When I first moved to the U.K. as a six-year-old, people were much more infatuated with my American accent and blonde hair. Now, I was just another eager girl who--much to my father’s displeasure--was majoring in Theatre and Performance Arts and spending too much money on alcohol on the weekends.

If it wasn’t a Friday or Saturday, most of my time was either spent in class or at the coffee shop in the student center where I worked. If I wasn’t in either of those places, I was at rehearsal for this semester’s play.

The novelty that I had once possessed--similar to that of shiny new toy--had long worn off, especially for Harry.

Quinn let out a sigh and turned to me as she combed through her wet hair. “I think Harry and I were going to just stay here and do some homework--but you should go!”

Harry--who’s eyes met mine at Quinn’s mention of his name--simply nodded. “Yeah, you should go.”

I stared at him straight faced, not bothering to mask my displeasure. He would rarely speak to me, unless it was in an attempt to get me out of the room so he could shag my roommate. I gagged just thinking about it.

“Maybe I’ll stay and finish this paper,” I shrugged, my eyes locked on his as Quinn grabbed some clothes from her closet, disappearing back into the bathroom to dress.

“Will you ever give us some time alone?” He hissed at me, his voice much quieter now to keep his girlfriend from hearing our conversation. He dropped his phone on her bed and rested his head against the wall--dramatically. His hair--which was shaggy and fell just about his ears--seemed soft enough to touch.

“You have plenty of alone time, I go out almost every night on the weekend,” I shot back at him, offended by his accusation. I was proud of the fact that I kept busy--even if that meant closing down local pubs with Millie, the one friend I’d made so far.

“Yeah, asshat,” he rolled his eyes. “We’re out on the weekends too. I mean when we’re just hanging out, you know--when we could get busy.”

“You’re disgusting,” I rolled my eyes at him, hopping down from my bed as I shut my laptop. It wasn’t that I wanted to give Harry alone time so he could sleep with someone other than me--it was more so that I didn’t want to sit here and listen to them giggle all night. Sometimes it seemed that they did it just to annoy me.

Harry--seemingly pleased with my sudden movement and the fact that I was gathering my belongings--smiled at Quinn as she returned from the bathroom, fully clothed. “Maybe we can watch a movie here, babe,” he said as she climbed to join him on the bed.

I pulled an old sweatshirt over my head and shot Harry daggers, but he simply smirked at me in return. Quinn cooed in response as she snuggled next to him.

“Catch ya on the flipside,” I saluted them both before closing the door behind me.

**

Millie reached her hand into the popcorn that sat on my lap, munching away as she stared at the screen in front of us. For a welcome back event, the movie night had a decent turnout, if you count the couple in the back making out and the two first years who sat beside Millie and I.

“I just wish he didn’t pick Quinn, of all people,” I whispered at my friend, who’s hair was up in a bun on top of her head. She was also wearing her pajamas--I was glad I wasn’t the only one.

“Of course he picked Quinn,” she whispered back at me, her eyes still on the movie. I hadn’t been paying much attention--instead, I chose to ruminate over the conversation Harry and I had had--eye rolling included. “She’s pretty, she’s popular--” Millie shrugged and brought her eyes to me.

“She’s not that intelligent,” I continued her sentence for her, causing her to let out a snort like laugh, gaining us glares from the other movie watchers.

I constantly told myself that this entire situation would be different if Harry weren’t being dangled in front of my face like a piece of meat. Had he been dating someone who--I don’t know--didn’t sleep in the same room as me every night, this might have been easier to tolerate. Hell, if Harry were dating someone different, I might not even know about it, meaning I could continue my daydream of the two of us in peace.

“She’s fit,” Millie shrugged. “That seems to be all Harry is concerned with.”

I let out a groan and let my shoulders slump. It wasn’t my fault that I liked Harry--in fact, I’d always felt kind of helpless when it came to my raging crush on him. I remember the first time I realized that he gave me butterflies--right after he pushed me off of my bike in his backyard.

Gemma, his older sister, helped me up but then promptly tattled on him--but when his mother asked if I was hurt, I swore I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to get in trouble.

That seemed to be pretty stereotypical for me and Harry--he’d be a jerk and I would just let it slide, hoping that one day, eventually, he’d realize that he loved me too and we were destined to be together.

I just thought that day would have come by now.

Millie--who didn’t have the slightest clue as to why I was pining over someone who treated me like chopped liver--was always quick to come to my defense should she be present when Harry was a jerk.

One time she told Harry that his hair looked stupid (it didn’t) and one time she locked him out of my room when he went to get dinner. It really was the little things that made our friendship so great.

I’d met her first when I started my job at The Counter--I had just about spilled coffee on a fourth year and got myself fired on my first day, but as we got to know each other and she told me about the theatre group on campus, I knew she was a keeper.

I’d been too scared to join by myself--being a first year and all that--but she apparently knew some of the older kids from a class she’d had and she convinced me to join.

“Still got that paper to finish?” She asked me as the movie ended, the other kids standing to leave the lounge as we sat planted on the floor.

“No, I sent it before I came. It wasn’t a whole 8 pages but it’ll have to do.”

She laughed, sprawling out on her back as she let out a sigh. “Sorry Harry was such a wanker before.”

I nodded, staring off at the rolling credits on the screen even though the lights were now on. “Don’t be, I’m used to it.”

“But you shouldn’t have to be,” she corrected me, her blue eyes watching me closely.

I thought for a second, mainly because I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t ever known a different version of Harry. For as long as I can remember Harry had been the cool one--the one that I was always chasing.

He was the one who didn’t want me, the one who sat as far away from me in the cafeteria as possible--the one who only spent time with me with our mothers arranged a play date. As soon as we were out of primary school, he basically only interacted with me at family parties or neighborhood events. One time he was the only one in the hallway when I dropped all of my books and he just kept walking.

Millie and I parted ways--agreeing to meet for breakfast in the morning before class. I climbed the stairs back up to the fourth floor, grateful that I couldn’t hear Quinn and Harry laughing or whispering as I neared the our room.

I reached for my key in the pocket of my sweatshirt and slid it into the lock, twisting it open.

There was a moment of silence, before I heard “Jesus, Harper!” as I walked in to the sight of Quinn’s bareback as she sat on top of Harry. His voice was annoyed--as it usually was--but I cursed them in my head for not making more noise.

Most people--when they have sex in their shared dorm room--are at least decent enough to be loud in order to not be walked in on.

“Sorry, fuck, sorry!” I yelped, jumping back and slamming the door as quickly as possible. I could hear Quinn chastise Harry for yelling at me, as she often did, but it was no use.

I let myself slide to the ground, slumped against the wall as I tried to wash away the image of Quinn Markos riding the only boy I had ever truly loved.

**

The student center was busier than usual, and the line at The Counter was nearly out the door prior to the afternoon class rush. Luckily for me, I didn’t have an afternoon class on Mondays, which meant I got to spend my afternoon getting yelled at by angry students and forgetting how to properly make a skinny latte.

A little whole milk never hurt anyone.

“That’ll be three ninety-five,” I smiled at the customer in front of me, swiping the plastic card she handed forward. I grabbed her receipt, shot her a smile, and waited for the next customer to look up from his phone.

I would recognize the top of Harry’s head anywhere. I didn’t know--based on how often he avoided even looking at me--if he would recognize me in a green apron and a stupid green hat with The Counter’s logo on the front.

“Hey,” he said quickly, stepping forward to lean on the counter.

“What can I get started for you?”

“Just a large coffee, black,” he said abruptly, his eyes on mine as as I punched a button on the cash register.

I turned my back to him without another word, grabbing a cup from the stack and placing it below the coffee spout. I pressed a button, letting it fill nearly to the brim as I wondered what he was thinking.

“Sorry about last night,” he said suddenly, still watching me closely as I turned around and reached for a lid. I snapped it on, brought the coffee back to the register and handed it to him.

“It’s fine, that’ll be two seventy-five.”

He reached for his wallet and took out a small bill, handing it to me. His fingers grazed mine and I utilized  the calm, cool, and collected face I practiced in the mirror for moments like these.

“Keep the change,” he said with a small smile before walking away.

I stared at his back--momentarily forgetting that there was another customer in front of me waiting to be served. Harry walked with the confidence of a star quarterback--if they had American football in the U.K., that is. He was just as popular as Quinn--I guess that’s why they fit so well together.

“What was that about?” Millie appeared beside me, handing a coffee to a customer and swiping a card on her register.

“I don’t know,” I watched as Harry sat with a group of friends a few booths away, smiling as Quinn cuddled into him.

I’d told Millie about the Worst Moment of My Life, of course, seeing as she was the only person I really spoke to on campus aside from Quinn. She was almost as traumatized as I was, minus the whole ‘one person in this sexual encounter is the person I’m supposed to end up with’ thing.

It had been a while since I experienced kindness from Harry Styles--and not in the usual sense. There were moments where he would say ‘bless you’ when I sneezed or even handed my the salt and pepper in the dining hall when I asked, but that was rather infrequent and never came without a sneer or a grunt.

This--however--the true moment of pure humanity that I just experienced--this was a once in a decade type of thing. The last time I really remember Harry exhibiting any type of emotion rather than utter annoyance towards me was when we were fourteen. Harry had long been ignoring me in school and most of our encounters happened on our walk home (which was often filled with silence) or when we were dragged to family dinners.

I had started dating Fin Devens, a blond-haired boy who’d asked me to dance at a school function and who played on the football team. He and Harry weren’t exactly friends, per se, but they were casual buddies and lunch time pals. Harry--who suddenly took an interest in my dating life--had been telling me for weeks that I shouldn’t date him.

When Fin Devens kissed Maisie Whitley in the park, Harry told him off in front of everyone the next day in school. It only made me love him more.

And it was strange--it wasn’t like Harry was super popular and I was a nobody. I had plenty of friends in school and was voted most talkative in year 6. People always liked me--except for Harry.

“Excuse me?” A voice sounded from in front of me, pulling me out of my primary school daydream and back into the crowded student center. “Can I get a tea?”

“Shit, yeah, sorry,” I smiled apologetically at the woman who was definitely old enough to be a professor and reached for a cup.

If walking in on Harry and Quinn resulted in Harry actually being nice to me for the first time in six years, maybe it wasn’t the Worst Moment of My Life.

**

I was never one to turn down a good time. If there was anything I learned in my first year at Uni, it was that I could handle a decent amount of alcohol before throwing up, and that parties in the senior housing complex were always just that--a good time.

Millie groaned behind me, already complaining about the heels she had strapped to her feet. Friday nights at London Metropolitan University were perhaps my favorite part of the university life. Minus Millie and the theatre group, Friday nights were definitely my favorite.

“Come on, stop complaining,” I said to Millie as I climbed the stairs. The elevator, unfortunately, was out of service, meaning we had to climb the 8 flights to our intended destination. Millie let out another whine but picked up her pace, almost bumping into me when I walked right into Harry’s back at the top of the 8th floor landing.

“Oh, hey!” Quinn smiled at me as she turned around to see us. “I had no idea you guys were coming, we would have waited for you!”

“You guys are hanging out with Preston and Katie?” Millie chirped from behind me, the look of confusion on my face was hopefully not as pronounced as hers.

“Yeah, Katie and I are in a biology class together,” Quinn explained, her hair perfectly curled as it fell around her beautiful face. Harry stood with his hand on the small of her back--when I noticed it, I did my best to not frown.

“You’re taking a biology class?” Millie pressed further, still shocked at Quinn’s connections and apparently, her cognitive abilities.

I placed a hand on her shoulder to quiet her. “That’s great! We were at Millie’s beforehand, I should have texted you to check if you were coming out tonight.”

At this, Harry let out a groan and rolled his eyes. If there was anything Harry disliked more than me, it was the fact that Quinn seemed to actually like me. We might not be the best of friends, but she was always more than willing to invite me along on their excursions.

Sometimes I questioned if she knew about the history between Harry and I--I mean, she knew we grew up together, she knew our families were extremely close--but it often seemed like she had no clue how much Harry really disliked me. He never seemed to keep it a secret--but it also didn’t seem like he had outright told his girlfriend.

Harry nudged Quinn forward, Millie and I followed behind as we rounded the corner in the hallway and walked towards the flat. Outside the door were two guys I’d known from a previous class--both smiled and greeted our group as we walked inside.

The flat--which was dimly lit save for a rotating plastic disco ball that sat on the kitchen table--was filled with students from our school, all of whom seemed decently intoxicated and happy to be back for a new school year filled with partying. Music played through speakers near a TV as I scanned the crowd for familiar faces.

Millie hugged a friend from our theatre group beside me as Harry and Quinn pushed through the crowd--heading straight for the kitchen to get some drinks and greet the others.

“Hey,” a familiar voice sounded from beside me as an arm slung around my shoulder. A quiff of dirty blond hair sat on top of Niall’s smiling face. “Didn’t know if you’d come out tonight.”

I let out a laugh and turned to face him. “Would Harper Coleman miss the first 819 party of the year?”  

Niall brought the beer can he held to his lips, taking a sip before shrugging his shoulders. “I guess not--it’s just that Harry didn’t say you’d be here.”

I raised my eyebrows in an unsurprised fashion. “Harry does his best to ignore my existence,” I reminded him, stepping closer to Niall to allow a small redhead the space to squeeze behind us.

Niall Horan was known on campus as a bit of player, in the most charming way possible. Harry met him during our first year, and though I didn’t know him well, I knew he was also always up for a good time. Harry had reluctantly introduced us in this very flat, eye roll included, and Niall proceeded to get extremely drunk and touch my butt every chance he got that first night.

He was cute--and when we first met, I thought that maybe he’d finally be the person to distract me from Harry. But--again--Harper Coleman was terribly wrong.

“Don’t know how he manages to do that,” Niall smirked, grabbing a beer from the hand of another party goer--offering it to me with a wink. “Here.”

Millie--who completely supported my unrequited love for Harry--also totally supported the fact that Niall seemed like he would marry me if I said ‘I do.’ I took the beer graciously, my eyes wandering the room to see where my friend had wandered off.

I spotted her in the corner of the living room with Preston and Katie--the two who currently lived in flat 819. Flat 819 was always occupied by seniors, and it had the reputation of being the best party spot on campus. Preston and Katie, two seniors who were dating, shared the flat with two other friends--Hollie and Niall.

“How was your summer? First week been alright?” He asked, his eyes scanning my face as if he could tell I was somewhat distracted. It wasn’t that Niall wasn’t cute and funny and nice--in fact, he was all of the above. Most girls would be extremely pleased if Niall Horan were showing them attention at the first 919 party.

This girl, however, had her eyes glued to the hand of her betrothed that slowly slid it’s way up and down Quinn’s back as they whispered to each other in the corner.

“Good, yeah,” I smiled back up at Niall, trying my best to focus on him. He returned my smile, his eyes still searching my face for anything. “Would you excuse me?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he nodded, surprised by my sudden shift in attention. I took the beer with me, shirked away from his arm around my shoulder, and pushed through the people in the living room to find Millie.

Katie spoke animatedly beside her, her hands flying in every direction as she laughed. Millie--who was thoroughly enthralled--didn’t notice my presence until I clamped a hand on her shoulder. I apologized to Katie and pulled my friend away, hoping that the bathroom down the hall would grant us the privacy I needed.

“Niall is at it again,” I told her quietly as I flipped on the light switch.

“Yeah? Are ya into it?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed, taking a seat on the side of the bathtub. Millie checked her makeup in the mirror, adjusting the crop top she wore before turning to face me.

“A little one night stand never hurt anyone,” she wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, laughing when I rolled my eyes at her crudeness. “I’m just saying, you won’t know if you can get over Harry until you try.”

“Who said I’m trying to get over him?” I defended, taking another sip from the beer can as Millie brought her phone up to read a message.

“Okay, well--you know what I mean--swim the sea, realize what else is out there! There’s more to life than a moody kid with poofy hair and a bunch of tattoos.”

I stood from my spot on the edge of the tub, taking another sip and letting the cheap liquid slide down my throat. I didn’t know if Millie was right, but I figured the only way to find out was to keep drinking and to do my best to forget about the moody kid with poofy hair and a bunch of tattoos.

**

“That’s what I’m sayin’ though!” Niall laughed as he leaned against the wall in his bedroom. “This album,” he held up the vinyl in its case and waved it in front of my eyes, “is one of the best pieces of music I’ve ever heard.”

I wasn’t quite sure how I’d wound up sitting on a ratty old armchair in Niall’s dark and dirty bedroom--but I could guess that it had something to do with the drinks I’d consumed and the current MIA status of Millie.

“I don’t know,” I shook my head. “Unless it’s got a 7 minute power ballad, that just can’t be true.”

Niall threw his head back in laughter, placing the vinyl back down on his dresser. He took a step closer to me and smiled. “You, Harper Coleman, have the biggest set of balls I’ve ever seen on a girl,” he nodded. “Critiquing a band like U2? I don’t know who you think you are.”

“That is quite possibly the best compliment I’ve ever received,” I brushed hair behind my shoulder in an exaggerated moment of confidence. Niall, whose blue eyes didn’t light as much of a spark in me as Harry’s green ones, let his gaze flicker from my eyes to my lips, and before I could stand up to let him kiss me, the door to his bedroom opened.

“What the fuck?” a familiar deep voice sounded as Niall stepped back. I side stepped him to find Harry at the door, his brows furrowed as he took in the sight of me and Niall--alone in his room.

“Can I help you?” I shot back at him quickly, silently cursing the fact that he always seemed to pop in at just the wrong moments.

“Quinn wanted me to tell you we were leaving,” he said quickly, looking from me to Niall before slamming the door behind him, not even giving me time to respond.

“Sorry,” I breathed out, looking back up to Niall--who now seemed thoroughly distracted and somewhat disappointed.

“S’good,” he shrugged. “But I’m gonna go get another beer.”

And with that, he left me in his bedroom, alone with the desire for a spark between us that I knew just wasn’t quite there.

[rwbyremnants]

THIS CHAPTER: Fluff and hugs.

NOTES: This has been a great little project. Most of these fics are collabs, but this one I did all on my own (even if it was intended as a gift for PenpalPenny - and don't worry you'll see some work from her eventually!). Thanks for all your reviews! Hopefully this short little tidbit to wrap it all up is the icing on the cake you all wanted. Until next time! -NBW

=EPILOGUE

“THERE you are!”

Looking up from where she was trying to stash her suitcase in the very top shelf of the closet, Yang grinned to see the dark-haired girl striding into their room. She looked great, well-rested, and her skin even more tan than usual. Maybe she hadn’t been talking to her a lot while they were on separate vacations, but she had definitely missed her homegirl.

“Hey, Blake! Just… gotta get…”

“Here, let me help,” Blake Belladonna laughed as she jogged over to help Yang push the bulky thing upward. “Shit, it’s… okay wait… there. Got it!”

“Good!” Standing back, she watched it for a moment to make sure it wouldn’t fall, then grabbed one of the plastic hangers that she hadn’t quite put all her clothes on yet and used it to push the corner in a little better. “There.”

“So where were you this morning? Thought you were supposed to get here earlier than this! Almost worried you dropped out or got off-campus housing or something!”

Grinning at Blake’s obvious pleasure that her roommate was back, Yang went to the remaining pile of clothing on her bed and started sorting through them. “Got held up at home. Mom wanted to do some last-minute bonding shit. I think she felt my absence being gone half the summer, because she’s been doing… I mean, not a lot more mother-daughter stuff, but more than she used to before now. Kinda weird.”

“Probably still snaps at you over nothing, though,” Blake commented as she went back to her own side of the room. Everything was already mostly situated, including her teetering ‘to-read’ stack of books on the nightstand. “Or is that not still a thing?”

“Nah, it is. But… it’s like, she’s doing it, but she’s also catching herself doing it and stopping before it gets worse. So it’s getting better, just like, slow.”

“Ohhh, gotcha. Good. I mean, it’s good, right?”

“Yeah, sure! Well, except for this weird moment when I was giving her a footrub...” She waved a hand back and forth, as if hoping to dispel the topic of conversation. “Nevermind. Let’s just get settled in.”

“How weird is ‘weird’?” Blake insisted. She should have known she wouldn’t get off that easy.

“Not that weird! Just, like, for a moment it reminded me of something that happened in California. Not a big deal, I got over it pretty fast.” That might have been a slight stretch of the truth, but she didn’t want to go into details, anyway.

Nodding her acceptance, Blake plugged her phone into her charger and then walked back over to help Yang. It was great to see her again. Maybe they weren’t besties, but they had become very close during the previous year. After their initial roomie-discomfort faded, they had formed the kind of casual friendship that let them treat each other like sisters, more or less.

Even though that word took on a different meaning for Yang lately…

“My vacation was super boring,” Blake sighed as they started hanging up her clothes together. “Italy itself was fun, but Mom and Dad wouldn’t stop asking about Sun, when they were going to get to meet him, why I wasn’t showing them pictures of him, blah, blah, blah… oh, and yelling about my grades, and trying to micromanage. Like, why?”

“Right? I got a little of that from Summer and my Dad, too. Not that bad, though; since I’m kind of the long-lost kid, I get a little bit of a pass. Plus they have that whole ‘L.A. chill’ and aren’t mean about much of anything to begin with.”

“Sounded like you got a lot more than that from Summer,” Blake muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Yang bumped her with her hip. “What? Don’t blame me - you made it sound that way!”

“Don’t give me shit! And I told you that in confidence, so quit throwing it around all over the place!”

“Hey, our dorm room is not ‘all over the place’, is it? Besides, you keep dodging around the deets!”

“I could do that to you - why aren’t you showing them any pictures of Mr. Wukong? Hmmmmm?” As she crammed her giant panda into the far corner of her bed, she smirked over her shoulder. “Don’t want them to know you’re dating a Chinese track-and-field jock?”

Pursing her lips for a moment, Blake put the next dress on the hanger with an unnecessary flourish. “He is the pole vault king. Show some respect. And it’s got nothing to do with him being Chinese or a jock. Just… none of their business.” Then she glanced down at the dress and back up at Yang. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“It’s… really cute. I just never see you wear stuff like this.”

“Oh…” Her smile was a little shy. “Well… yeah, I tried on a few things while I was down there. And, I dunno, just… starting to feel braver, maybe.” Her father’s goodbye came back to her, and she couldn’t help smiling wider. It had been a great trip overall, as bittersweet as thinking about it was now.

“That’s great to hear,” Blake told her honestly, hanging it up and giving her a little hug. “You know I got your back. And you’re fucking gorgeous, so anybody who wants to be a transphobic ass to you has to go through me.”

Hugging back, Yang patted her a few times before they released and went back to get more clothes from the bed. “You just want me around because you keep hoping to get another look at the D.”

“Hey, blame me. Yours is pretty great; if it weren’t attached to my roomie, I’d be on it like Adderall during finals week.”

As they laughed and finished stashing the clothes, they chatted and caught up on each other’s lives a little. Most of it had been covered in texts before now, but it was still nice to talk in person again. Sorry as she was to leave her family - especially one of them in particular - she was glad to get back to her life on campus, and to her teammate and friend. As silver linings went, this was a pretty great one.

Blake was just waggling her eyebrows at Yang and holding up her new swimsuit, causing Yang to snatch it and throw it in a drawer of her dresser, when there was a knock at the door. Glancing over at Blake, who only shrugged to show she wasn’t expecting anyone, she walked over and yanked it open.

“What’s- OOF!”

That was all the warning she had before Ruby Rose-Xiao Long, of all people, was crushing her as tightly as her little arms could manage. Yang sputtered and tried to recover, to think, to breathe, but everything was proving to be impossible.

“RUBY?!”

“I got the right room!” she piped up, hopping up and down and making Yang hop up and down along with her to keep from being knocked over. The twin halves of the heart-charm necklaces jingled together noisily where they collided between their chests; seemed neither of them could bear to go a day without wearing it. “Oh, I was so worried I’d be knocking on a random stranger’s door, and they’d think I was a spaz, and the campus police would throw me out and I’d have to prove I belong here - and I don’t have my ID yet, they were supposed to mail it I think, but it never showed up, and it’s stupid to have to pay a replacement fee when I never had one in the first-”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down!” Yang laughed weakly, pushing her back to arm’s length. “I’m… what are you doing here?”

At that question, she took a step backward, looking more full of energy than Yang had ever seen her - which was saying a lot. Arms spread wide, she announced, “Meet your new fellow Beacon University student! Except for the stupid ID, I’m all official!”

The blood drained from Yang’s face. She couldn’t be serious. She couldn’t be. Still… the light-grey Beacon t-shirt she was wearing did look like it had been through a wash cycle or two. As if she had ordered it before she got to New Hampshire.

“No… fucking… way.”

“Um…” Approaching from off to the side, Blake let out an uncertain laugh. “Not to break up whatever this is, but… what is this? Who’s this chick, Yang?”

“Oh,” she said, snapping out of it despite her voice still being a little numb. “This is my si-”

“Siiiiignificant other!” Ruby sang out, covering what Yang had been about to say as she hugged around her middle. While Yang was still being baffled, she went on, “We met in L.A.! And I don’t think she really expected me to follow her here, and I didn’t really think I’d get into Beacon when I applied so late, either, so I didn’t say anything! But I got waitlisted and I guess waiting paid off, so… here I am!”

Rounding on Yang, the amber-eyed roommate snapped, “SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. You never said anything about- this is huge news, Branwen! You had a summer fling - that wasn’t with Summer?! Why would you hide this?!”

“Awww, you didn’t tell her about me?” Ruby went on while Yang’s mouth was flapping uselessly. “Are you embarrassed of me? Ashamed?”

“WHAT?! No way, don’t say that!” Yang piped up. “You know I love you, don’t be a dick!”

The words had slipped out way too easily, and now Ruby was beaming through rosy cheeks while Blake simply blinked and tried to mentally catch up. She wasn’t the only one.

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Ruby chirruped, hanging onto Yang’s bicep. “Well, most of it; the prissy German girl in my room acted like I was the scum between her toes, but I mean, I only have to sleep there, right?” Then she added in a suggestive voice, “And maybe I don’t even have to do that…”

“Whoa, whoa,” she said firmly. “We’re not doing that with Blake in the room, come on! You’re losing your mind!”

“Wait,” Blake said, finally able to speak again. “I thought… didn’t you say your sister’s name was Ruby?”

“Is it?” Ruby asked in a casual voice. Yang was secretly very impressed with how prepared for all this she seemed to be, even while she wanted to die and melt through the floor. Up to and including cutting Yang off before she could announce that Ruby was her sister; she seemed to think it was somehow possible for them to keep the true nature of their relationship under wraps for their entire academic career. “What a weird coincidence. But I bet she’s a hot blonde, too. Think I could set up a Yang-and-Ruby-and-Ruby sandwich?”

“WHAT?!” Yang burst out.

“Kidding, kidding!” Ruby giggled, leaning up to kiss her cheek. When Yang blinked, she turned just enough so that Blake couldn’t see her face through her hair. Her face was suddenly full of a lot more emotion and adoration than before, reserved for only Yang. “You’re all I need.”

“WOW,” Blake breathed, goggling and clutching at her heart. “This is like, straight out of one of my books!”

Though Yang felt like she was going to die of embarrassment, and a little lingering confusion, she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t happy. Her own smile finally won out and she hugged Ruby back.

“You too, Rubes. Every little part of you; it’s my whole list, front and back.”

“Is my kiss on the list?” Ruby whispered with a little grin, before she started doing a little dance and quietly singing, “Because your kiss, your kiss, is on my list, because your ki-”

Then they were kissing so Yang could shut her up, trying to ignore Blake’s incessant questions, plus the chorus of “OooOOoOOoohh”s from passerby in the hallway. She couldn’t handle them and her chattering half-sister at the same time. She just couldn’t.

                                                               THE END

[seshathawk]

The Last Jedi thoughts

Spoilers. Now a week old, posted at the request of @glowyjellyfish.

Good:

-Grumpy Old Man Luke Skywalker

-Force Ghost Yoda, laughing and making fun of Luke and smacking him in the face and setting shit on fire.

-Leia, literally everything she did but also her general presence (ha!)

-Leia actually gets to chit-chat with a contemporary woman in her age bracket. LEIA HAS A GAL PAL EVERYONE. Because of this, this movie passed the Bechdel test. (Do Leia and Rey talk? Now I can’t remember.)

-Presenting Rey and Kylo Ren as mirrors of each other, as both desperately wanting companionship so much that they see what they want in the other despite the complete lack of it.

-The reunion between Luke and Leia was everything I ever wanted. I wept copiously, squeezing my husband’s hand. My sister, next to me, also wept copiously. My husband, who I’ve only seen cry once in my life, was wiping his eyes. A woman somewhere behind us was sobbing aloud. It was so perfect and so beautiful.

-The theme of this movie: I’VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE.

-Luke, instantly good at all the Force things he’s ever done, closes in on himself in shame when he realizes he’s failed Ben and becomes a hermit for the rest of his life.

-Also, Luke, who used the power of Feelings more than he really utilized the Force, manipulated Kylo Ren using Feelings like a BAMF.

-Sassy Old Man Luke Skywalker

-Stubborn Bastard Luke Skywalker, who we have all missed

-Luke’s face lighting up when he sees R2

-R2 replaying the original Leia message

-Re: Reylo: I saw them bonding. I saw them fighting together. I felt like I could get on board with redemption for Kylo Ren although I still adamantly did not want them to get together. Then at the crucial moment, Kylo Ren proved himself to be a selfish asshole who says the worst possible things in the worst possible way, which to me says that despite all the hand-holding and shared Force glances and life-saving, Kylo Ren is irredeemable and unacceptable as a partner for Rey.

-Finn RUNNING toward Rey and their sweet cheek-smushing hug.

-The code-breaker returning Rose’s necklace to her

-Poe being too headstrong

-Leia slapping Poe

-Leia shooting Poe

-The “Luke”/”Leia” moment a la Empire (which was by itself one of my favorite Star Wars moments, so happy to have it mirrored here)

-There was so much of Mark Hamill in Luke and so much of Carrie Fisher in Leia, I appreciated and loved it so much.

-Anytime any original trilogy music played while Leia was on screen I burst into tears

-Chewie. He feels more and more real as a character with every movie and I love it.

-The Force moment between Leia and Kylo Ren

-Leia’s Force space moment was so cheesy-looking but let’s all be glad we got to see her use the Force like that

-We SO VERY RARELY see Jedi teaming up and fighting together! We only saw it in the prequels, and the acrobatics made it a little hard to watch. It warmed my heart to see Rey and Kylo Ren fighting together. For one beautiful shining moment I hoped that they would turn together to focus on Force-training people without focusing on Jedi/Sith, just make a new team of Friends Helping Friends.

-I am sorry everyone, I know it’s shallow, but I love me some over-the-top couture-ass space costumes, and this trilogy is severely lacking in them so far. I was glad to see a little class and fun in terms of clothing in the space casino.

-Laura Dern

-Captain Phasma’s eye

-Some parts of this movie were REALLY brutal! The constant running of the fleet, slowly being killed off. Kylo Ren deliberately blowing up ships. (OMG BB-8)

-BB-8 being the greatest droid of all time in every possible way

-Finn’s face when he thinks BB-8 flew a ship

-Possibly the FUNNIEST Star Wars movie I’ve ever seen? I doubt I’ll say that again.

-The salt plains = SO BEAUTIFUL

-Kylo Ren vs. Hux was kind of amazing. Fingers crossed that in Episode IX, Hux will shoot him in the back.

-”Rey already has everything that’s in those books.” YODA YOU ARE SUCH A DICK.

-Flying ancient Rebellion ships. “What the hell?”

-If I have a complaint about TFA, it’s that we never had an “I love you”/”I know” moment between Han and Leia, but LEIA SAID “I KNOW” TO LUKE AND I’M TAKING WHAT I CAN GET RIGHT NOW.

-Rey’s parentage being ultimately meaningless. Although I love the idea of her being a Kenobi, I also hate the idea that the Force only shows up in these two families. Also, I thought it was a thing about her waiting for her parents, but she actually doesn’t know her parents, which I thought was a nice touch.

-Luke being so terrified of the pull of the Dark Side that for one second, he’s completely prepared to kill his nephew rather than deal with that again.

-SPACE JEWELRY. 

-I forgot Carrie Fisher’s daughter was in this movie until the credits but I think she was the adorable curly-haired woman who helped Poe with his crafty plans. I approve!

-SO MUCH CRYING

-Luke on the Millennium Falcon

Bad:

-Finn: severely underutilized

-Phasma: severely underutilized

-Rose: severely underutilized

-Costumes: see above note about couture-ass space costumes. I want nothing more in the whole world than to see Rey (and Leia, which I will never see) in some kind of fancy outfit. It doesn’t have to be insane, like, it could be like Leia’s Bespin outfit. SOMEONE BE MORE FANCY PLEASE. Even Leia’s outfits are more dramatic and utilitarian than nice for the sake of appearances. (Also: Laura Dern’s weird cold shoulder turtleneck? Okay.) Please, I need Anakin’s fake refugee outfit, Luke’s weird gold jacket at the end of A New Hope, Leia’s white ceremonial dress, JUST SOMETHING.

-Finn/Rose - PLEASE GOD AND ABRAMS, DO NOT MAKE A LOVE TRIANGLE, PLEASE DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR THESE RANDOM SHIPS

-Rey/Kylo: see above. I can believe that they can form a bond and move forward with that, but I can never believe that Rey would hook up with someone who violated her and killed Han Solo. I would have to see some serious groveling, Zuko-to-Iroh style, to believe that this could even be a possibility.

-KYLO REN PUT YOUR FUCKING SHIRT ON, NO ONE CARES HOW RIPPED YOU ARE

-The opening scene was a little jarring and a little anachronistic. Funny, but anachronistic.

-It’s stupid and I’m selfish but WHERE WAS THE EWAN MCGREGOR FORCE GHOST?

-SO MANY NEW CHARACTERS and yet the existing characters weren’t given a lot of attention.

-I have to agree with the complaints about Finn and Rose’s side plot. While I think it was important for Finn to have a reason to stay and fight and to see what the First Order does on a larger scale that ISN’T about killing citizens (and I hope that that will be instrumental to his character in Episode IX), the fact that the whole thing literally ended up being pointless was a little frustrating. At least they could have gotten that tracker disabled and THEN been caught and posed for execution.

-Rose says she loves Finn (? I guess?) and then kisses him but she’s literally known him for less than 24 hours. Maybe she’s just vulnerable because of the loss of her sister?

-Snoke’s red audience chamber was so intense that it looked fake

-Honestly, in the Rey/Kylo Ren moments I saw intimacy, yes, but honesty and understanding. I saw the potential in Kylo Ren for redemption, which I hadn’t seen in TFA. I saw two young people in similar situations being forced to reach out and touch each other despite not really wanting to. And then I saw the Tumblr reactions and it was hugely disappointing. Could I have read platonic desires for companionship and being equals where there was actually romantic tension? Was there really a reason for Kylo Ren to be shirtless if not to signal to the audience that there’s the possibility of sexual interest on the table? (I saw two people interrupted in their daily lives, whether that meant walking around, working, or getting dressed.) I’m gonna say it again: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE THEY CANNOT HOOK UP I WILL QUIT STAR WARS.

-Not a ton, but a strange amount of alien breasts/teats? Not in a sexual way but a funny way? I’m not sure how to feel about that. I thought it was weird. Am I wrong to feel that?

-I know this is silly and selfish, but I really wanted his name to be Ben Organa, not Ben Solo. (Can you imagine the fan uproar if they had made it Organa?) Just makes more sense to me.