#not even going to tag her bc ew

[weak-aesthetic]

you know, i am really glad andrew garfield is finally getting some down time. he has been busy since nwh and he deserves a breather.

should said breather be with the shadiest person he’s dated? imo, no, it shouldn’t. however, he’s a grown man and if he wants to make bad decisions, that’s on him, nothing i can do about it. do i support this stupid decision? absolutely not, but i still support him and i will continue to support him. he is going through lot, like losing his mother, i believe he, like many of us, is still recovering from the mental and emotional issues the virus left us with, he suddenly overloaded his schedule and was thrown heavily back into the limelight with nwh. dude is grieving and trying to piece himself together and while i personally haven’t gone through losing a parent, i know what some sort of loss and heartbreak feel like and i know it can really mess with your head and lead to you making some of the worst mistakes of your life. now i am not excusing his decision to date such a shady woman, but it’s his life.

imo, she is more than likely taking advantage of his vulnerable state and using it to her advantage. i imagine her tiktok and whatever else social media she uses has blown up because we keep checking it out to prove she’s shady and that’s probably what she wants. she’s gaining viewers even if you’re viewing to prove she’s a shady person. now i cannot confirm this, it’s just my personal opinion, feel free to disagree.

back to andrew, i have been a fan of his since i was 12, i am 24 now; that is literally half of my existence. this parasocial relationship i have “with” him has been a HUGE part of my life, clearly since it’s been there for half my life. i personally will continue to support him (unless he does something that is just absolutely awful) and not blame him for choosing a terrible partner at this moment in his life. i have been in a dark place before in my life to where my decisions weren’t the best ones, in fact they were the worst ones. so to put blame or hate on someone for choosing a shady partner while they’re publicly stating that they’re grieving is, imo, such a weird thing to do. again, feel free to disagree. his movies and his interviews personally helped me through a lot and i am sure they’ve done the same for many others. like 65% of my personality is being a fan of his. people i barely talk to but who know me on some sort of personal level, immediately think of me when they see anything related to andrew garfield. hell, my phone sometimes automatically fills in ‘and’ as ‘andrew’ because i talk about him so much. he was my third most listened to artist on spotify last year. i won’t go on about my personal belongings that are related to him because we will be here all day. but to stop supporting someone who has been a part of my life in some way for a long time all because he’s choosing a shady partner in a dark time in his life is an absolutely wild concept to me.

yes, i am fully aware of what she has done and it’s really fucking shitty. she is, imo, a terrible person. she uses people for money, which in this economy, should be a crime, it really should.

if you wanna stop being a fan or stop supporting him or hate on him, that’s 1000% your choice and i personally will not fight you on it. it’s your life, no one can stop you from making the decisions you want to, even if they’re bad ones.

[givemedamage]

ultimately!

[cantarella]

love when an immortal character looks like a teenager behaves like a teenager is treated by everyone in the story and by the narrative like a teenager and is just purposefully written like a teenager and yet people refuse to accept maybe they're intended to be read that way. media literacy am I right

[angeltism]

when 99% of the content of one of uur fragments is weird icky stuff

[cxlrose]

once ir reached 3am im gna plsay ml

[maplesyrupsainz]

˖⁺｡˚⋆˙dont call me kid | CL16˖⁺｡˚⋆˙

pairing: ex!charles leclerc x singer!reader y/n (she/her) (also some subtle lando norris x reader bc i cant help myself)

genre: social media au

warnings: angst!! sorry charles is the bad guy lol

summary: in which a very illicit affair finally gets out and you face the backlash

a/n: obsessed with this request ahhhh i need to write more angst!!!! also yea okay IM BACK IM BACK

request!!!: singer!reader and charles date but he kept it private so no one knew which is why they break up and like the fall out when ppl find out abt it online <3 maybe her healing and him regretting it? or like her moving on with someone else

my masterlist

fc: holly humberstone

twitter ->

messages ->

instagram ->

f1gossip

liked by user3, user17, user44, and others

f1gossip charles leclerc seen out shopping today with girlfriend alexandra saint mleux

view all comments

user6 what hahaha

user7 so y/n must've been a while ago right??

user8 crickets from y/n

user9 they're so cute together y/n is deffo trying to split them up or something

user10 this whole situation is weird imo

user11 right like im confused and dont think y/n is the villain??

user12 be fr charles fumbled y/n.

user13 okay 😂

user14 sureeeee

user15 yuppp y/n defenders rise fr!!

charles_leclerc

liked by pierregasly, carlossainz55, and others

charles_leclerc the good life ☀️

view all comments

user16 omgg charles & alex are so cute together

user17 omgg such gorgeous pics

user18 dont know who im more jealous of

carlossainz55 looking good 🏝️

charles_leclerc who, me or the beach?

carlossainz55 no comment

user19 charlos you will always be famous

user20 alex is the best wag <3

user21 ahh a leo leclerc cameo we love to see it

alexandrasaintmleux i love summers with you 🫶

charles_leclerc it is an honour to be in your company

user22 STOPPPP

user23 me whennn omg

user24 downgrade from y/n lol.

*comment deleted by charles_leclerc*

user25 justice for y/n much 🙄

*comment deleted by charles_leclerc*

user26 wait is he deleting comments about **

yourusername 📍 london

liked by yourbff, landonorris, and others

yourusername back home ❤️

tagged: yourbff

view all comments

yourbff love you

yourusername love you

user27 is this charles’ attention seeking fling 💀

user28 geez & she thought she could compete with alex

user29 ikr she's the wrong vibe fr

user30 emo vibes

user31 here u go here's ur clout 💀

user32 music sucks too

user33 lando in the likes? her nxt target bro

user34 bffr even he doesnt want her

user35 wtf is this comment section

user36 why so much hate???

*comments on this post have now been limited*

twitter ->

messages ->

instagram ->

ynupdates

liked by user11, landonorris, yourbff, and others

ynupdates y/n spotted in a parking lot talking on a phone call this afternoon!! the first sighting of her in over three months ❤️

view all comments

user43 OH MY GOD FINALLY

user44 ew stay hidden

user45 girl get off a y/n fan page then 💀

user46 omg she looks happy or is it just me???

user47 i hope she's healing🥹🥹

user48 our girl is back omg

user49 A CAR PARK?! HAHAHA

user50 she real for dat

user51 y/n we miss you 😭

user52 COME BACK Y/N

user53 okay wait why is no one talking about lando norris in the likes

user54 this is so atrociously random.

user55 maybe he's a fan🥹

yourusername posted a story

liked by yourbff, sabrinacarpenter, and others

user56 OH MY GOD

user57 FINALLY

user58 new music please im praying

user59 Y/N WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH

ynupdates omg finally. war is over

gracieabrams so effing glad ur back.

yourusername dont you know it

phoebebridgers thank god, my queen is back

yourusername for good!!

billieeilish im locked tf in

liked by yourusername

charles_leclerc glad you're back y/n!

landonorris cant wait for the world to hear your voice

yourusername thank u lando 🥹🥹

landonorris of course. always thinking of you!

yourusername means so much xx

user60 im healed.

yourusername

liked by landonorris, alexandrasaintmleux, and others

yourusername you'll be flushed when you return ❤️ hi guys :) sorry that it's been a while... here's a lil peak into what i've been up to. my new song ‘illicit affairs’ is yours now.

view all comments

user61 oh my god

user62 WHAT STARTED IN BEAUTIFUL ROOMS ENDS IN MEETINGS IN PARKING LOTS???

user63 the way literally all the leaked pics of y/n with charles were in cars too...

user64 omg the song is so so heartbreaking... fym it dies & it dies & it dies ?!?!?

user65 OKAY BUT WHAT ABOUT THEY LIE AND THEY LIE AND THEY LIE

user66 A MIIIIILION LITTLE TIMES

user67 omg what did that man do to my girl

user68 such a beautifully heartbreaking song

user69 u showed me colours u know i cant see with anyone else:(

user70 u taught me a secret language i can't speak with anyone else:(

user71 okay but the lyrics look at this idiotic fool that u made me & for u i would ruin myself a million little times are so so heartbreaking like she fr got bullied off the internet over this secret relationship bro

user72 alex in the likes? lando in the last pic? is my girl winning in every category rn

user73 karma

landonorris such a beautiful song

yourusername tysm i rly appreciate u listening 🥹

landonorris 🧡

user74 now kiss

oscarpiastri amazing song y/n!

yourusername thanks osc <3

carlossainz55 as always such a lovely song. you're a rare talent y/n!

yourusername 🥹🫶

messages ->

twitter ->

instagram ->

f1wagupdates

liked by landonorris, user17, and others

f1wagupdates charles leclerc's wag alexandra saint mleux was seen last night leaving a restaurant alongside singer songwriter y/n y/l/n, who was recently connected to leclerc as having had a secret romantic fling together. what do you think is going on here?

view all comments

user75 oh my god

user76 WHAT???

user77 shit's about to get crazy 💀

user78 WHAT DID HE DO

user79 lando in the likes???

user80 y/n's biggest fan lol

user81 he's so real

user82 wtf are they talking about bro

user83 y/n stealing charles' new gf she's real

user84 im on board with this new friendship

user85 someone spill the tea RIGHT NOW im desperate oh my god

ynupdates

liked by lilyzneimer, landonorris, alexandrasaintmleux, and others

ynupdates y/n seen out last night in PARIS with lando norris. don't know what to think. head = empty.

view all comments

user86 what

user87 what

user88 WHAT?

user89 why is half the grid and their wags in the likes

user90 hello?

user91 what's happening

user92 IM SO CONFUSED Y/N PLEASE SPEAK PLEASE

user93 they're just friends, right?

user94 😂 yeah.

user95 charles found dead

user96 girl i need answers im foaming at the mouth

ynupdates you and me both

user97 FREE USSSSS

user98 so much has happened the past few months but im just even more confused than ever

liked by yourusername

user99 WHY DID SHE LIKE THIS

user100 @.yourusername you lurker

messages ->

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by landonorris, lilyzneimer, and others

yourusername look at this godforsaken mess that you made me 😊😊😊

view all comments

lilyzneimer 🧡

liked by yourusername

user101 HELLOOO??!?!!

mclaren good sweater choice!

landonorris i second this

oscarpiastri i third it

yourusername 😭😭

user102 what's going onnn

user103 new mclaren wag jus droppeddd

liked by landonorris

user104 i feel like this is confirmation that charles and alex are over.....

liked by yourusername, alexandrasaintmleux

user105 THEM LIKINGGG

user106 not the comment section lurking i cant cope

alexandrasaintmleux most beautiful mess in the world

yourusername oh, you 🥹

user107 she's real for this....

user108 charles is crying i think

user109 SHE WONNNNN

user110 need answers but im happy she's happy

user111 we've learned patience 🙏

user112 fanbase growth 🧡

yourusername love u

user113 Y/N!!!?!:!:!:!:!/!:!/:£:&;£;

landonorris 🧡

yourusername 🧡🧡

landonorris 🧡🧡🧡

user114 SHUT UP LMAOOOOO

THE END ❤️🧡

[saintobio]

₊˚⊹♡ daddy doctor saves the day!

pairings. zayne/li shen, fem!reader

tags. 1.6k wc, dad!zayne, mom!mc, domestic fluff, slice of life, established relationship, brief mentions of pregnancy, zayne in scrubs *phew* bc need i say more. divider by anitalenia.

if zayne were ever to have kids, he’d have liked two.  

a girl and a boy. not because he believed in symmetry or balance, but because he imagined them leaning on each other the way siblings in picture books did—arms slung over shoulders, shared secrets in the dark, always knowing they weren’t alone. that’s what he’d wanted for them. companionship and safety.

and that day, in the quiet lull following a ten-hour triple bypass surgery, he was reminded of that wish.

you sat on the little couch tucked into the corner of his office, the one he’d insisted on keeping even when they offered to replace it with something more suitable for the chief cardiac surgeon. but that couch had warmth stitched into its seams, and it reminded him of home. the kids were curled up beside you, both fresh from school, still in their matching navy sweaters and slightly crooked socks. your daughter, older by two years, had her head resting in your lap, while your son perched at the edge of the cushion, his feet swinging above the floor.

“mommy,” he asked, his voice sticky with curiosity, “how does daddy fix hearts?”

you smiled, smoothing your daughter’s hair back from her forehead. “well,” you began, your tone soft and thoughtful, “he does surgery. that means he opens the chest to get to the heart.”

they both stiffened with the delighted kind of horror only young children could summon. “he cuts people open?” your daughter gasped, her eyes going round.

you solemnly nodded. “yes. he makes a careful cut. then he opens the chest so he can see the heart. it’s very delicate work.”

your son’s face crumpled in awe and fascination. “like a... like a treasure chest?”

“kind of,” you said, chuckling, “only instead of gold, there’s a heart inside.”

your daughter shuddered dramatically. “ew! that’s so creepy.”

zayne stood in the doorway then, unnoticed. still in his navy scrubs, cap tucked into his waistband, his hair a little messy from hours spent in the OR. he looked tired, shadows carved beneath his eyes, but his mouth tugged into a quiet smile. you didn’t see him yet, but he saw you—all three of you—and it filled something deep in his chest he hadn’t realized had gone hollow during the hours of cutting and stitching and praying beneath the surgical lights.

“do people die?” your son asked suddenly, looking up at you with wide, serious eyes.

“sometimes,” was your honest answer. “but daddy works really hard to make sure they don’t. he’s the best there is.”

“so he’s like a superhero,” your daughter concluded. “but for hearts.”

before you could respond, you heard the subtle shift of shoes on linoleum, and turned your head to see the man of the hour. leaning against the frame of the office door, arms crossed, tired but watching the three of you with a soft, fatherly smile. you just couldn’t ever get used to the way your heart raced at the sight of your husband. 

“you guys talking about me?” he asked, his voice a little hoarse from hours of breathing through a mask.

“daddy!” and of course, his kids squealed in unison, springing from the couch and bolting toward him. he caught them both easily, pulling them against his sides like puzzle pieces falling into place. his hands were still cool from scrubbing out, but they didn’t seem to notice. or maybe they didn’t care. they were too busy clambering over one another to tell him everything you’d just said.

“daddy! you cut people open!”

“you open their treasure chest!”

zayne laugh came out raspy, and you knew that meant exhaustion. but the joy in his eyes concealed the tiredness he carried. “is that what mom told you?”

“uh-huh! and then you look at their heart and fix it like legos!”

you raised your brows at him. “legos? that didn’t come from me.”

your husband shrugged, adjusting your daughter on his hip. “not technically wrong.”

“do you use glue?” your son asked seriously, squinting up at him.

“sometimes.” zayne knew it was best to play along. “we have special glue for blood vessels.”

your daughter gasped. “that’s so gross.”

“no, it’s awesome,” your son countered.

zayne set them down gently before walking toward you, his steps a little heavy from the long shift. he leaned down, kissed your cheek, and murmured, “thanks for covering the debrief.”

you smiled up at him. “they had questions.”

he sat beside you with a quiet groan, his leg pressing against yours. the kids climbed right back into the space between you, curling close like this was just another part of their daily routine. maybe it was.

“can we be heart doctors, too?” your son asked, tucking himself into zayne’s side.

“if you want to,” zayne replied, brushing a hand through his son’s hair. “but i think you’d be an amazing engineer.”

“what about me?” your daughter demanded equal attention.

he leaned in and tapped her nose. “you? i think you’d be a writer. or a lawyer. or maybe an astronaut.”

“what if i want to be a bunny farmer?”

zayne thought for a moment. “then i’ll build you a bunny hospital.”

you laughed, covering your mouth as the kids began to plan their future bunny farm, arguing over weather conditions and carrot rations. zayne didn’t say anything more. he just leaned back slightly, one hand resting on your knee, the other curled protectively behind your daughter’s back. he listened to their chatter, his eyes finding humor in their animated conversations. he was probably thinking, ‘they definitely got that from their mom’.

in retrospect, he had fixed countless hearts in his life, stitched vessels, replaced valves, saved lives. but this… this quiet, chaotic, precious moment? this was the one thing he’d gotten perfectly right.

although, you did want to admit that it was difficult to have a decent conversation with your husband while in the presence of your hyperactive kids. thankfully, it didn’t take long until you heard the soft tap of shoes on the hospital floor. the door creaked open, and in walked yvonne, the hospital’s nurse and receptionist, smiling fondly at your little family. 

“hey, kids,” yvonne said brightly, “how about you come with me? i’ve got something special for you.” she paused, then with a wink, added, “dr. greyson’s got some treats in the breakroom.”

the kids’ eyes lit up, and without another word, they scrambled off the couch, practically tripping over their own feet in their hurry to follow yvonne. they were already chattering excitedly as they followed her down the hall.

as soon as the door closed behind them, you relaxed back into the couch and exhaled deeply. zayne, still in his scrubs from his long surgery, scooted closer and pulled you by the waist. he looked tired, but there was a softness in his gaze that was just for his wife.

“well,” you said with a light chuckle, “it’s nice to finally get some privacy.”

zayne’s smile was tender. “don’t get used to it.”

you laughed. “honestly, though, i’m surprised i don’t get jealous of yvonne. she practically has the kids wrapped around her finger. and she takes good care of you here.”

only then did your husband’s smile falter for a second, a brief moment of amusement flashing across his features. “jealous?” he repeated. “you’re jealous of her?”

“i just said i’m not,” you clarified. “but… well, she’s charming. sweet. she always knows exactly what to say.”

“you,” zayne cut you off, “are everything to me. i don’t need anyone else.”

you knew you’d always been his number one, but you always felt reassured when he said the exact words you wanted to hear. it was enough. and it always worked this way through your years of marriage—a little hint of jealousy could easily be fixed by reassuring words.

whatever zayne said, you believed. there was a sense of solemnity in his words that you’d be a fool to doubt him. perhaps, it was why your kids get scared when their dad gives them a little scolding.

“speaking of work,” you said, shifting slightly, “how did the surgery go? i heard it was a long one.”

zayne sighed at the remembrance. “it went well,” he started, “the patient is stable, but her family... they couldn’t pay the full fees. they just didn’t have the money.”

you frowned, your heart aching at the thought. “but you’re not charging them?”

“i waived my professional fees. i asked the husband to reach out to the government for financial assistance. they’re eligible for some kind of medical relief.”

you blinked in surprise, touched by your husband’s gesture. “you did that?”

he shrugged, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “it’s what i would want if i were in their shoes. i was never after the money when i practiced my degree.”

“if it were me,” you thought out loud, “what would you have done? if i needed that kind of help... would you have helped me?”

zayne turned to you fully, his eyes softening with sincerity. “i’d do whatever it took,” he firmly answered. “even if you needed a transplant, i’d give you my heart without hesitation.”

it might sound like a silly thing, but his quiet declaration tugged gently at your heart. there was a kind of love in his eyes you couldn’t quite put into words. and somehow, you were the one lucky enough to receive it. 

he’d fixed countless hearts in the OR, but you knew, in this moment, that the heart he valued most was the one beating inside you.

maybe that’s why now felt like the perfect time to bring up what had been weighing on your mind all day. the very reason you’d driven straight to the hospital after work.

“well, as it turns out,” you brought up, shifting slightly, “i’m not pregnant. i got my period today.”

zayne let out a soft chuckle. “well, two kids are enough for now, don’t you think?”

you pouted, feigning disappointment. “but i want one more.”

he grinned and kissed your forehead. “you can try again next month. i’m sure we’ll make a whole team of little heart doctors.”

[scorpioriesling]

Hear me out: (an x reader)

Liam, Ridoc and Dain.

Liam/Ridoc/Reader start with some #7 for celebrating.

Goes into a lil bit of #34 ofc cuz alcohol.

#34 plays into #13.

#13 turns into the other first year (whoever isn’t mackin on reader) doin a bit of #61.

Then Dain somehow catches them and they invite him in bc who doesn’t love a squad leader joining his fav first years ;)) with a bit of #68. He’s hesitant but he secretly loves it sooo.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. :)

Life Of The Party

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

Pairing(s): Modern!Liam x Ridoc x Dain x reader

Warning(s): 18+, mdni, smut

Summary: When attending a sorority party with your two roommates, you never imagined anything could go wrong -- but, how could it be so wrong if it felt so right?

SR’s Note: You guys are HUNGRY for these foursomes lmaoooo I love it. This is my first ever story with Dain... oof, let's see how that goes. I did change up a little, making it more of a modern-college-frat-roomie situation, and Y/N is in her sophomore year with Liam and Ridoc (let's pretend, here) while Dain is in his junior year. Other than that, enjoy some more smut involving our favorite men (; This uses prompts #7, #13, #34, #61, and #68! This is long, and took 3 days to write -- but on God, it might be one of my favorites of all time.

Tags: @mellowmusings @rcarbo1 @lilah-asteria @kitsunetori @velarisdusk @nctsawrus (inbox me or comment if you'd like to be added!)

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

"Y/N, I already told you -- I do not want to go to Violet's party-"

"Oh come onnnn," you whined, sporting a pouty face when Liam frowned at you. "She's our friend, and it'll be really fun!"

Your tone isn't convincing enough.

"I just don't want to go through an entire night watching her and Xaden eat eachother alive-"

"Woah!" Ridoc exclaims, waltzing into the kitchen lazily. He scratched at his tousled hair, his eyes still widening from his slumber. "Who's eating who?"

Liam chuckled at your shared roomate, but you only rolled your eyes.

"Violet is throwing another party tonight," you explained, hoping that the mention of your shared friend would pique Ridoc's interest. "She said it's some kind of fundraiser for her sorority-"

"Ooh, yeah. Uh. I'm out." Ridoc holds up both hands in surrender, and you huff.

"What is it with you two and not wanting to go tonight?" You frown, crossing your arms over your chest. "It's a party, for Christ's sakes -- I figured you of all people wouldn't want to miss that," you accuse, your eyes slicing to Ridoc.

"And you," you continue, zeroing in on Liam. "... wouldn't miss the chance to see your best friend. Isn't it obvious that Xaden will be there?"

Liam shrugs, his eyebrows raising as if he's considering the invitation.

"Yeah, he'll be there -- those two are connected at the hip," Ridoc starts.

"They're connected in more places than just that-"

"Ew!" You shout, covering your face with your hands. "Liam, that's disgusting."

Him and Ridoc howl in laughter as you work to get the mental image of your friend and her boyfriend being... well, connected.

"Anyways," Ridoc says, working to control his breathing. "What I was saying was that if Xaden is there, so is the rest of his frat." He shrugs as though he'd made up his mind.

"And, what's the problem with that?" You ask, brow raised. Before Ridoc can respond, Liam answers for him.

"You know those guys, Y/N -- the short one that tries to be everybody's friend... well, he's okay I guess."

"Sawyer?"

Liam nods. "Yeah, hes fine -- but the other ones, I mean... Bodhi, that freshman Aaric," he grimaces. "Their new VP? What's his name?"

"Dain." Ridoc says flatly, and Liam snaps his fingers before pointing at him.

"Right! Yeah, him." You huff a short laugh.

"I've never even met the guy before, what could be so-"

"Everything, Y/N." Ridoc responds lowly. "Everything, is so wrong with the guy."

You roll your eyes for what felt like the millionth time this evening.

"He isn't just the VP for their frat, ya know." Liam continues, and you slide your gaze to him. "He's the top of their class, apparently he's being considered for the class president role-"

"Okay, how do I not even know who we're talking about?" You ask.

Ridoc holds a flat hand just above his head. "About, this tall? Brown hair, tan-ish guy... I'm sure you've seen him around," he explains. You rack your brain, trying to think of anyone you'd seen on campus with that description. No one was coming to mind, which was concerning since you were sure you'd know someone just a year older than you with that kind of title.

"I don't know," you give up, and Ridoc drops his hand. "I thought their class president title was given to Imogen, anyway?"

Liam shakes his head.

"Nah, they wanted that asshole over her I guess." Ridoc remarks.

You frown. "What is it with this guy that you guys dislike so much?"

They both start talking at once.

Overbearing.

Controlling.

Know-it-all.

Entitled.

Douchey.

"Alright, alright -- I got it," you hold your hands up. "So what, this one person you don't like will be there, big deal."

"Big deal?" Ridoc's voice pitches. "This guy was the one responsible for Halloween last year -- and you remember how long it took us to clean all that up."

Your mind flashed to the memory. Your two roomates didn't live in a house with their fraternity, in fact, they didn't even really have one. Nonetheless, the Halloween prank war between all the fraternities didn't quite go in their favor last year...

...let's just say, they spent more time in the bathroom than you did for the following month. And your shower smelt heavily of eggs and fish.

"Waa waa, so what." You shrugged, and they both looked at you incredulously. "Is it so hard to ignore him? You both know we should be there to support Vi," you try reasoning with them. Liam sighs, running a hand over his face before looking at you solemnly.

"This is her first fundraiser, and she really wants us there."

Ridoc huffs, scratching his post-nap hair again.

"You know Jesinia will be there..." you tease quietly, and Liam's eyebrows raise.

"I'm in," he says immediately, and Ridoc scoffs.

"Dude -- you won't even talk to her until you're two beers in," he says, and Liam rolls his eyes.

"So? It is a party, won't they have-"

"No dude -- it's a fundraiser," Ridoc says slowly. "They won't provide any alcohol, since they're hosting. Sorority rules." He shrugs, and Liam groans.

"Okay -- just hear me out," you say, walking toward the fridge. You open it silently, and gesture to the half-empty boxes of various alcoholic beverages inside. Ridoc shakes his head, and Liam seems to weigh his options.

You stare pleadingly at the pair before Ridoc speaks again.

"Fine. We'll go. Only on one condition. We get plastered first."

* ✧･ﾟ: *

You stumbled out the front door, following after your friends as you headed for the sidewalk. Liam said something ahead of you, and Ridoc let out a rediculous laugh.

"W-what... are you guys talking about?" You grinned, and Liam looked over his shoulder at you.

Ridoc let out another chuckle, and the two of them glanced at eachother.

"Nothing, nothing." He mumbled, and you rolled your eyes.

"You know, if Rhi were here, she'd torture the answer out of the both of you." Rhiannon, your third roomate, who was conveniently out of town this weekend visiting her family.

"Good thing she isn't," Ridoc says, tossing an arm around your shoulders. "You're stuck with us this weekend."

You look sidelong at him, giggling at the pink staining his cheeks. He'd chugged three Nutrls before you left, and Liam was in fact already twp beers in -- he shouldn't have any problem talking to his crush.

"Damn! She really decked the place out!"

Ridoc's voice faded as the three of you stalked closer to the soririty house, the music blasting through the wide-open front door. People loitered in the front lawn, enjoying their filled solo-cups while enjoying the nice weather and setting sun.

"Hey, I thought you said no alcohol?"

Ridoc shrugged at Liam's question as you crossed the street, making your way up the stone steps to the front door.

"Maybe it's soda."

A girl to your right laughed loudly, tripping over her own feet as she worked to regain her balance -- using the arm of male next to her, of course. Liam turned sharply, chuckling at his friend's incinuation.

"I can guarantee you... it isn't water, in those cups."

Once crossing through the doorway, you look around in amazement. Purple streamers, multicolored balloons, and silver glitter adorned the high ceilings and grand staircase of the sorority house. It looked like Elle Woods just threw up on the damned place -- if Elle Woods didn't wear pink, anyway.

"Guys!" You heard the familiar shriek of excitement, and you turned to see Violet bounding over to the three of you. She threw her arms around you, and you embraced her right back.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" She looks to Liam, giving him a warm smile.

"Wouldn't miss it," Ridoc says sarcastically, and you elbow him in the ribs. Violet didn't seem to catch his tone.

"So -- what do ya think?" She asks, gesturing to the decorations and the people mingling under them. Liam nods, his eyes peering through the crowd surely in search of the brunette he fancied.

"It's... it's so cute, Vi. You did great," you muster, the effects of the single White Claw lightly clouding your brain. She looks to you again, her eyes wide.

"Can you tell what the theme is?" She asks, and you look around quickly. With all the random decorations, the mix of colors... you spot a blown up plastic snake in the corner, that looked similar to a pool floatie. Shake It Off blaring over the speakers didn't really help your mental state, either.

"Uhh... Taylor Swift?" You guessed. She laughed, tossing her head back.

"No! Silly," she mused, her words dripping with the effects of a drink or two herself. "It's Greek Mythology -- you know, because sororities are, greek?" She shrugs, and you paste on a knowing expression.

"Right! Right, I totally see it now." You didn't see it at all.

She pointed to the snake balloon. "See, this one is like that one goddess with the snake hair, and," she takes ahold of your arm, guiding you further into the foyer. You toss Ridoc an apologetic look, but he only chuckles at your predicament.

"...and I did purple for like, Atremis, ya know... oh, and the silver glitter for like, magic or whatever." You nod as though you understood her reasoning. Was she intoxicated when she came up with this plan?

She lead you into the kitchen, where you were greeted by more familiar faces. She eventually dropped her arm, rushing over to the back door as her boyfriend waltzed in, his posse behind him.

"Babe!" She squealed, running to him and pressing a kiss to his lips. You continued your conversation with Cat, another one of Violet's sorority sisters -- but your attention began to waver as each member of Xaden's frat followed through the door behind him.

Bodhi, of course, walked in and had girls flocking him immediately -- his polite smile and kind eyes were vaguely similar to his cousin's. Aaric, the freshman, followed after; he looked sky, but cute nonetheless.

And then... holy shit.

It may have been the most beautiful man you'd ever seen.

"Yeah, so anyways -- Vi wants me at the booth out back, I'll catch ya later?"

You shake your head, trying to refocus on Cat as she left the kitchen island.

"Yeah... I'll... see ya..."

Fuck.

His toned arms were sun-kissed beneath the thin material of his tank, the clean white of the material only enhancing the contrast between skin and clothing. His hair looked so soft, swooping to the side and revealing his deep brown eyes--

"Might want to close your mouth, Y/N; you'll catch a fly."

You glare over your shoulder, Ridoc's body approaching behind you. You heard his mocking tone before you saw him, walking over with two pink cups in his hands.

"I wasn't..." you start to protest, and he reaches around you to put one in your hand. You swish the liquid around, discerning what he'd just handed you. Water.

"Oh for the love of God -- do not tell me you were seriously checking out--"

You ushed back against him, craning your neck as you held the back of your hand to his lips.

"Shh!"

He leaned in, taking your hand in his as he moved your arm back down to your side. His lips tickled as he spoke softly against your ear, his voice low.

"...Dain, Aetos."

You huffed, lifting the cup to your lips as Ridoc moved behind you, opting to sit on a clear space of countertop as he looked to you quizzically. You took a large gulp, the refreshing feeling a welcome one as opposed to the burn of the alcohol you'd consumed earlier.

"So?" You shrugged, and Ridoc shook his head slowly. "So what if I was?"

He chuckled, pincing the bridge of his nose.

"Just know, I wish you all the luck, Y/N." He says, his tone resigned. You roll your eyes, walking over to stand between his knees. He stares down at you, raising a single eyebrow.

"I don't need, your luck, Ridoc," you say, and his thumb and forefinger lightly grip your chin.

"You don't need, that," he says the word as though its poisonous, glancing toward Dain again. Your eyes follow, watching as he greets a few girls on his way through.

You look back up at your dark-haired friend, your eyes catching on a few strands that fall across his forehead.

"You have no idea, what I need."

* ��･ﾟ: *

It'd been a pathetic hour that you roamed the house, talking with friends as you searched for Liam. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting a orangey glow throughout the mansion. You dodged person after person, scanning for a certain face you were sure you wouldn't forget.

Did you want to run into him? Oh, yes. But what would you even say?

The thought made your stomach churn.

A stranger to your right brushed past you, uttering a giggly apology as htey continued on their way. Many of the partygoers seemed... more than happy, at that. Where were these people getting the goods?

"In the back!" Violet's voice rang through the hallway, her sing-songy tone ushering people outside. "The booth is in the backyard -- only a dollar!" She called, her face coming into view as more people filed through the kitchen and out into the sun.

She grasped her arm when she found you, her eyes glazed. Her brow furrowed as she looked down at your cup, noticing the emptiness of it.

"You don't look like you're having enough fun," she comments, and you shrug.

"It's a great fundraiser, Vi," you assure her, and she chuckles.

"Wanna drink?"

Now it's your turn to frown in confusion.

"I thought you weren't allowed-"

"We're not," she cuts you off. "But Xaden's frat brought a bunch of coolers -- they're in the back," she shrugs, and your face falls. This entire time, you could've been enjoying yourself more, and didn't know it?

She pats your arm once, then rushes off, ushering more people to the backyard. You round the corner and find Liam in the study, his unmistakable blonde hair glinting with the setting sun. Beside him stood Jesinia, smiling politely at something he was saying.

You didn't want to intrude, but... the girl looked like she might be grateful for it.

"Where the Hell did you get that?" You asked, looking at the Coors Light bottle in Liam's hand. He looked to you, a flash of annoyance and... something else crossing over his face before he answered.

Jesinia beat him to the punch, pointing at the door through the kitchen toward the backyard.

"Xaden and his bros brought them in," he said with a chuckle, glancing down at the poor girl when she didn't laugh with him. You swore, his dorkiness could only go so far -- and this, this was proof.

"Right," you said slowly, glancing over your shoulder and doing a double take when you watched a familiar white tank top saunter through the open door. Liam laughed, lightly shoving your shoulder.

"Hmmm, I see she's taken a liking to Dain Aetos," he dawls, and you glare at him. Jesinia only shrugs, chuckling as you smile knowingly at her.

The three of you are interrupted as a strawberry blonde approaches, leaning into the doorframe as he stares directly at Jesinia.

"Hey, Jes -- play flip cup with me?" He asks, and her cheeks pinken at his request. Nonetheless, she gives Liam a polite nod before joining the new male, leaving the two of you in the study.

Liam tips his bottle back as he watches her walk away, the guy's hand resting on her lower back.

You glance up at him, and he only shakes his head lowly.

"Fucking Sawyer," he grumbles. "Maybe I don't like the guy much."

You place a comforting hand on his upper back, rubbing back in forth comfortingly. His back muscles flex beneath the thin fabric of his black tee, and he looses a long breath.

"Come onnnn; let's go get you a drink."

* ✧･ﾟ: *

You'd managed to snag and finish two more drinks before Ridoc caught up with you again -- all the while, avoiding Dain.

"Make a move on your new little crush yet?" Ridoc taunts, and you smack his shoulder.

"No," you say assertively, and he grins down at you.

"She's being a chicken." Liam says, glancing around the full yard over the rim of his cup. You glower at him.

"I am not -- I just... would rather have better conditions to meet him for the first time." Your cheeks flush. A cropped graphic tee and jean shorts didn't exactly scream "fuck me, please"!

Ridoc snorts. "Like, what, in a wedding dress?"

Liam laughs, Ridoc following right along. You roll your eyes in annoyance.

"Why don't you guys leave me alone? Go figure out what those tables are for or something." Their eyes catch on the long white pop-up tables, adorned with a pie at every folding chair. Liam shrugs, tossing his can in a nearby bin before heading that way.

You thank God when Ridoc follows.

"Y/N!"

You hear Imogen's voice over the crowd, and your eyes search for her bright pink hair. When you find it, you start making your way toward her -- next to the kissing booth.

"Listen, Gen, I understand why, but, I'm straight."

She laughs, leaning against the wooden frame that Cat sits behind. She looks miserable, biting on the edge of her solo cup as she sits there.

"No no, not for me," Imogen assures, gesturing to Cat. "My friend here hasn't peed in two hours, andddd since I can't find the other girls, I was hoping maybe you could cover?"

Your brows shoot up, and Cat widens her eyes.

"Please, Y/N -- just for a minute, I really gotta go," she pleads. You look around the backyard, searching from person to person.

You try to ignore the way Dain's muscles flex when he tosses a beanbag.

"Why can't Sloane do it?" You point to the freshman, standing shyly near the entryway to the kitchen.

"Because freshman aren't allowed to run the booths," Imogen says sternly. The idea of sitting here, waiting for some gross guy to come up and pay for a kiss? Gross.

You glance to her again. "Why not Vi?"

Imogen snorts. "Really? You think Xaden Riorson is letting any other man put his mouth on her?"

You shrug in agreement. "Why not you, then?"

She levels a hard stare at you. "I've already done my time with fundraiser booths. No thanks."

You huff. "I'm not even in this sorority-"

"Pleeease," Cat begs, her eyes as round as saucers. "It's just a few minutes, and I've barely had anyone all night." She assures, and you groan in defeat.

"Ughhh, fine." She excitedly slips from behind the booth, and you shuffle to take her spot. She scurries toward the house, and Imogen slaps a hand on the wooden frame once.

"It'll be fine," she reassures. "I think Cat's only made like, five bucks all night."

You sigh, glancing out at the lively scene around you. You spot Ridoc in his red jacket, talking with a redhead near the pie table. Liam is near the cooler again, rummaging through for surely another beer.

"Are you open?"

Your gaze fixes on the male before you, and your breath catches in your throat.

You open your mouth to answer, but it just hangs open. No sound comes out.

"It's... one dollar right?" Dain asks, sitting on the short stool on the other side of the booth. You force your mouth closed -- don't want to catch a fly, right? -- and nod, swallowing hard.

Dain nods once, a light smile playing on his lips as he tears his gaze from yours and moves to take out his wallet. He rifles through it, his long fingers filing between receipts, cards...

Ugh, his hands.

"Shoot, well, I only have a five," he says, his gaze finding yours again. He pulls it free handing it to you. You take it, glancing at the money jar behind the counter to find only a couple of bucks.

"I-I don't have, change," you stutter, and he chuckles.

"Guess I'll just have to redeem all five then — your boyfriend isn’t mad that you’re doing this?”

Your brows knit, and fully furrow when Dain motions to Ridoc.

“He’s absolutely not my boyfriend.” You scoff.

Dain grins.

“Good.”

He leans in immediately, pressing his lips to yours. You don't have time to react as his mouth moves against yours, the kiss feeling like five minutes and only thirty seconds at the same time. When he pulls back, he smiles at you -- his teeth impossibly white.

You blush as he pushes a hair out of your face, tucking it behind your ear.

"Four more to go."

You nod, a dorkish grin spreading across your face as he stands. He licks his bottom lip, waving to someone behind him as they call him over. He leans in one more time, speaking while staring you right in the eyes.

"But, we have all night."

With that, he grins and walks off, leaving you flustered and hot and ... everything, all at once. Your chest heaves, the weight of what just happened settling in.

You look across the yard, realizing everyone also just saw that happen.

But, no matter where you look, you only find one pair of deep brown eyes glaring back at you.

* ✧･ﾟ: *

"Pie time!"

Violet annouces with a clap of her hands, and the crowd gathers before the tables as men from Xaden's frat take their seats.

"I mean, I'm glad you like someone but... him?" Ridoc chastizes, shaking his head as the two of you join the herd.

You scoff. "Ridoc, what is this obsession over Dain Aetos? I mean, really." You ask, and he takes a long swig from his can.

"The guy is just an ass, and thinks he's better than everyone. At everything."

"One more spot!" Xaden calls, motioning to the chair before him. "Somebody come claim it! Only five bucks!"

"And that bothers you...?" You continue, watching as Ridoc's face shifts into a mask of cool calm.

"It bothers me because he isn't better. At anything." He hands you his canister, breaking through the crowd as he makes way for the table. He holds up a $5 bill.

"Ridoc! What are you-"

"I'll take it," he annouces, reveling in a the cheers sounding around him. You shake your head, watching as Xaden takes his cash and then ties his hands behind his back. He smiles cheekily at you, and the male sitting next to him follows his line of sight.

That's when Dain Aetos' eyes meet yours once more.

"3...2...1... go!"

The thoughts that filled your mind were... unholy.

Your eyes were glued to Dain, watching as his face devoured the pie before him. His tongue, stained by the red berries inside, swooped out and into the pie as he feasted on it, licking around the indention he'd made with his teeth.

Gods, his lips had tasted good. Better yet, he still had four more this evening to go.

In your hazy, lust-stricken gaze, you found yourself almost distracted, your eyes catching on the dark head of hair next to the handsome male.

Your mouth watered more, despite your inner protests.

Ridoc was your friend, one of the best at that -- however, your mind began to race watching him nise-deep in the pie tin. The obscene sounds of slurping and sucking didn't help either.

Mental images raced through your head, each one sending more and more flurries through your lower stomach.

Ridoc's lips on yours.

The feeling of Dain's hands on your body while you kissed.

Ridoc over top of you, kissing over your neck and chest.

Dain pulling down your soaking panties.

Ridoc sliding his rough fingers into your wet cunt.

Dain's tongue on your clit as he ate you out.

Ridoc's forearm across your waist, holding you down as you cried out for him-

"Y/N!"

You snapped out of your daze, realizing how far you'd gone into it. Your best friend appeared before you, his shit-eating grin telling you all you needed to know.

"I won, Y/N! I told ya I could," he smirks, his mouth stained a deep pink. You chuckle, watchign as he wiped his lips across the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"Proud of you," you tease, and he slings an arm over your shoulders. His scent of freshwater and sage wafted in -- you'd never pondered how good he smelled.

"Let's get you another drink, to celebrate."

* ✧･ﾟ: *

You were happy to blame the alcohol for the situation you were in.

Somehow, Violet had convinced you to join the large group game called Medusa -- one you'd never played before. However, all the singles were urged to play and had to pay $1 for what Violet was selling as "the luckiest 10 rounds of your life".

You weren't too sure of that.

The game was simple; every one closed their eyes, and when Violet shouted Medusa, you opened them and looked at another person in the circle. If you locked eyes, you had to kiss -- if the person was not looking at you and instead looking at someone else, you simply waited for the next round.

"Okay everyone, eyes closed!"

Violet of course, wouldn't be participating.

"Medusa!"

You warily opened your eyes, your gaze locking on Imogen. She was looking elsewhere, and somehow, no one locked eyes this round.

"Ooh, okay," Violet mused. "9 rounds left. Eyes closed!"

You obeyed, waiting for her call. Ridoc squirmed beside you, and you huffed in irritation.

Irritation for his movements, and potentially because a certain third year was not participating also.

"Medusa!"

You'd gone three more rounds after that, and by round five someone finally made eye contact with another person. In round eight, Cat and Aaric looked at eachother before he leaned in, pressing his lips to her quickly.

"One I didn't have to pay you for," he smirked, and Cat shoved his shoulder.

"Hush it, freshman."

The next round, your eyes found Liam -- he of course, was not looking at you. You followed his line of sight, straight to Jesinia of course.

But, she was looking at Sawyer.

And he, was looking at her.

The redhead smiled, leaning in and kissing the brunette as though he'd done so a million times. Liam's gaze grew cold, his brows furrowing as he gripped his beer tighter. You wished you could do something, make him feel better some how-

"Eyes closed! Last round!"

You closed your eyes, Ridoc sucking in a breath as he took in his friend's angered expression.

"Medusa!"

You felt Ridoc's eyes on you, burning into the side of your head -- however, your gaze was locked squarely on Liam.

And his, hard and vengeful, was looking right back at you.

Violet gasped, but Liam didn't say a word. In fact, he made a show of standing and walking over to you, not even daring to look sidelong at his crush.

When he was within mere inches of your face, he kneeled, pressing his torso between your parted thighs as you sat helplessly on the plastic folding chair.

"Liam, you don't have to-"

His lips crush yours in an instant, his mouth moving furiously with yours. The taste of his drink felt good on your mouth, even better when he slid his tongue past the seam of your lips. You nearly groaned when his hands found your cheeks, cupping your face with his caring touch so at odds with the way he was practically devouring you-

"Alright, alright. Damn."

Liam pulled away, his darkened blue irises peering up at you from the floor. You grinned, enjoying the view of his handsome face as well as the lingering feel of his mouth on yours. He chuckled, his hands falling from their position as Ridoc continued his brooding beside you.

"He didn't have to," Violet teased. "But, I think he wanted to." She giggled.

Yeah, you'd definately be blaming the alcohol tonight.

* ✧･ﾟ: *

10:07.

How was it already 10 o'clock at night?

You tipped back your cup, welcoming the water into your system once more. You were listening to Sloane, another freshman, drone on about her classes this semester as you worked to regain some sort of control over your body and mind.

The reminders of the last game you'd played though -- you couldn't surpress those.

It was wrong, thinking of your long time friend and roomate in such a way. Never had you been attracted to that blonde head before, but... tonight...

Shit.

"Hey, I'm gonna go grab another box of the Coors!"

Your head snapped in the direction of the voice, watching as the third year made his way toward the front door. You felt bad, abandoning Sloane this way, however... you wanted to follow him. You wanted to, but didn't at the same time.

You cut the blonde freshman off with a quick, drunken hug.

"Hey, I'll be right back, I'm so sorry-"

She shook her head, smiling at you.

"Go! Go, I'll catch up with you later."

You gave her a hazy smile before walking (as straight and fast as possible) up to and out of the front door, your eyes scanning the front lawn for that white tank.

Sure enough, there he was -- braced against the side of a huge black truck, reaching into the bed in search of more alcohol.

Bingo.

You walked over, coughing once and working to mask your face in cool indifference.

"Use some help?"

He turned at the sound of your voice, a smile instantly curling his lips.

"From a pretty girl like you?" He hopped off the back, abandoning the beer on the grass as he looked to you. "Anytime."

Your cheeks flushed at his words, and he leaned against the side of the Ram.

"Do you have more you need me to-"

"Nah," he said, inching closer to you. His arms crossed over his chest, and you stared up into his deep brown eyes.

"I'd rather just take a minute and... talk,"

You arched a brow, offering to answer whatever he wanted to inquire about. It felt so natural, your conversation coming so easy with him -- that was, until Bodhi appeared in the front door and called to him.

"Dain! Beer? C'mon man," he shouted, and Dain waved him off.

"Guess I should probably take this back inside," he chuckled, leaning to reach for the heavy box. You absentmindedly reached for his arm, your hand bracing against his bicep.

He looked up, your pleading eyes on his face.

"Wait," you said, and he straightened. A small smirk tugged the corner of his lips up, and he stepped closer to you. So close, your chests touched.

"Hm?" He asked, his right hand slowly finding its way to your waist.

"I... uh," you stuttered. "You have four more left to-"

He pulled your waist to his, cutting you off with a kiss to your lips. Your breath hitched, drinking in every inch of his toned body pressed against yours. Both hands now rested on your hips, and your arms tangled around his neck to pull his mouth to yours. He broke away only for a moment, smiling down at you.

"Three."

He kissed you again, harder this time. His lips slid across yours, the sweet taste of whiskey rolling off his mouth and onto yours.

"Two."

You whimpered, parting your lips as his tongue dove into your mouth. He squeezed the exposed skin of your waist, groaning into your mouth as his hardening length made its presence known as it pressed against you.

"One."

He whispered the last word, not going in for more this time. You sighed, looking up at him.

"C'mon," you pleaded. "You still have one left-"

"I'm saving it," he said, pressing a lingering kiss to your cheek. "I want to use it later."

He said it with such sincerity, the soft gaze sweeping over your face that you wished it were later already.

Oh God...

Your pussy clenched at the thought.

"I don't know how we've never met before," he started, shaking his head at you. "You're... not like, anyone I know."

You blushed again, your bottom lip pulling between your teeth.

"Well, I am a sophomore-"

His hands were off of your hips, sliding slowly down as his face fell.

"Wait -- what?"

"Your brow furrowed in confusion.

"What?" You asked. "Is that, an issue?"

He huffed a short sarcastic laugh.

"Uh, yeah," he said, staring at you as he backed up a step. "I'm... I mean, I'm the head of my class, and with the frat -- you know we're not allowed to get involved with girls outside our year."

You rolled your eyes.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

He picked up the box, heaving it onto his shoulder.

"Maybe, but it's the rules."

He started toward the house, and you followed behind -- your steps shaky with the aftereffects of the alcohol. Your head swam, thinking of any way that this situation could be worked around.

"Then why do Xaden and Violet get to be together?"

He sighed, slowing to walk beside you again.

"Because, he's the head of our frat. He doesn't have to follow the rules." He shrugged. "And, quite frankly, as his second in command, I'm more in charge of keeping freshman and sophomores in line anyways."

Your brow furrowed as you approached the front door.

"If you're the VP, why do you have to-"

"Because it's the rules, Y/N."

He walked inside, the light from the mansion bending around his tall frame. Anger welled inside of you -- what a stupid regulation they had. What did it matter to anyone that he was involved with someone only a year younger?

No matter the frustration, your heart still skipped a beat as you though of his touch once more.

* ✧･ﾟ: *

Your mind was a blur as you waded through the crowd in search of your roomates. You thought you spotted Liam, but realized it likely wasn't him. He was probably off brooding somewhere, you were sure. After all, you had passed Jesinia and Sawyer in the study, their mouths in a tango.

God, he was probably pissed.

Finally, Ridoc's familiar red jacket came into view across the yard as he stood talking with a few guys before a bonfire. You reached a hand up, preparing to wave him over.

"Ridoc! Hey-"

Your call was cut off by a gasp. Cold, fermented liquid doused the front of your shirt -- and a freshman girl stood before you in shock.

"Oh my God!" She squeaked. "I'm so sorry, I-"

You held up a hand, your lips pressed into a tight line.

"It's fine." You said, your words short and temper even shorter. Partygoers around you stopped to gawk, staring straight at your chest as the pink liquid soaked through the white fabric. You turned on your heel, embarassment creeping its way up your neck and across your cheeks as you stomped toward the house once more.

You'd ignored the sound of your name behind you, not even stopping to look as you angrily bounded up the stairs and made way for the upstairs bathroom.

The exhaustion of the night weighed heavily on you, and you really just felt like going home at this point -- but door after door, you grew increasingly frustrated as the bathroom was not where you remembered it to be from last time.

You groaned, angry tears pricking your eyes as a couple of seniors walked out of an empty bedroom, glancing pitifully at the front of your favorite tee. You turned around in frustration, the never-ending hallway not yeilding any sort of washroom.

Just then, an iron-grip closed around your arm and yanked you into the vacant bedroom.

* ✧･ﾟ: *

"Here," Ridoc said kindly, pulling you through the door and guiding you to sit on the bed. You obeyed, sitting on the plush mattress and glancing around the rather bare sleeping quarters. He moved before you, unzipping his jacket.

"How did you know this was vancant?" You asked, and he slid the material over his shoulders. His tan skin poked out beneath his own gray t-shirt, the arm holes straining around his biceps.

You tried not to stare.

He chuckled, his fingers hooking under the hem.

"Let's just say... I've been in here before," he winked, lifting his arms over his head and taking his shirt with them.

Holy fuck.

His abs flexed, the tattoos along his left side swirling over his hardened muscle. He sighed as he pulled the shirt completely off, balling it in his hand and extending it to you.

"Here," he said softly, his expression full of concern and ... something else. You silently took it from him, and he breathed deep before settling on his knees between your legs.

Just like Liam had.

No, you scolded yourself. Stop that.

You sat silently, staring down at the floor as he inched closer. His fingers reached for the edge of your own ruined shirt, his eyes asking permission before you nodded.

Yes. Please.

He slowly lifted your shirt, gently pulling it over your head as he sucked in a harsh breath. Goosebumps erupted over your skin, the cool night air coming in from the open window mixed with the way his eyes roved over your exposed top.

Your nipples hardened beneath your lacy bra.

His face inched closer to yours, his right hand pushing your hair behind your ear.

"Can I kiss you right now?"

His question came out strained, his voice gravelly as though he was holding back. Your eyes met his, ablaze with a fiery lust you'd never quite seen before.

You answered wordlessly again, your bottom lip pulling between your teeth as you nodded your reply.

Yes.

He pressed his lips against yours, the touch so gentle and at odds with his usually overecstatic, joyous attitude.

Neither of you moved, his lips stayed on yours and yours stayed on his. You reveled in the feeling, replaying every time you'd thought about this very inappropriate, very sinful thing.

Every time he left the bathroom in nothing but a towel.

Every time he came home late, spending the evening with yet another female.

Every time he cooked breakfast shirtless.

Your panties grew wetter.

He breathed in deep, pressing up onto his knees to kiss you deeper. You leaned back slightly as his hands found the small of your back, pulling you into him as he finally continued the kiss. His soft lips glided on top of yours, the remaining taste of the sweet pie on his mouth a warm welcome.

Just when he swiped his tongue over your lower lip, asking for entrance did you pull back. Your eyes were wild when they met his.

"Ridoc... we can't, this... this is so wrong."

A look of defeat flashed in his eyes before being quickly replaced with something else. His hands caressed your skin, rubbing small circles on your back as he hovered closely to you.

"It doesn't feel wrong to me," he admits, his voice low.

You sigh, your hands draped over his shoulders.

"Tomorrow will be one Hell of a morning-after," you suggest, and he grins.

"I don't care. I'd take a million hellish morning-after's just to do this."

When his lips found yours again, it wasn't soft. It wasn't nice.

It was hungry.

Your hands tangled in his hair, and he groaned when you tugged lightly on it. Your hips moved along the edge of the bed, the growing ache in your lower belly near unbearable as his mouth continued to assault yours.

He seemed to take the hint, one hand moving from your back to press against the fabric of your jean shorts. He rubbed back and forth, his strong fingers pressing into your most sensitive spot.

You didn't care that the window was open. You didn't care that the door was unlocked. You moaned loud, the feeling sending what felt like champagne bubbles right up to your brain.

"Ridoc," you panted, grinding your hips into his touch. "More."

That's all it took.

He pushed you back onto the bed, laying you flat across the plush duvet as he rose, unbuttoning his jeans and kicking them off along with his shoes. He worked on you next, unzipping your shorts and then hooking his fingers through your beltloops, removing the garment in less than a minute.

"Please," you begged, and he chuckled darkly at you.

"Don't beg," he teased, settling on his knees once more. His breath was warm against your thighs, but his touch was cold as he placed a small kiss to the inside of your left one. "Not yet."

Your mind flashed back to the pie contest, his face smeared with the berry filling, the sounds he made as he ate--

None of that, compared to this.

"Oh my God," you squeaked, your hand finding a fistful of his hair as he licked up your folds. His tongue worked, swirling mercilessly through your folds as you clenched around nothing. You sucked in breath after breath, your head falling back in pleasure as he continued eating you out. The way his lips roved and sucked, his nose nudging your clit with the movement; fuck, it was electrifying.

Your gaze lifted as you heard the doorknob turning, a jolt of fear running through you. Ridoc only paused a moment, looking over his shoulder as the door opened slightly. Your eyes met the wide blue ones you were so familiar with, and his jaw dropped.

"What the fuck-" he muttered, unable to tear his gaze away from your body. He unashamedly looked you over, not moving into or out of the room.

"Liam, please-"

You were cut off with a whine as Ridoc shoved his forefinger and middle inside of you, your face contorting in pleasure. He smirked, looking at his friend once more.

"Ahhh, come on man -- you know you don't want to go back downstairs."

Liam watched, looking almost horrified as Ridoc continued fingering you. The small squeaks coming from you must have propelled him inside, as he quickly crossed the entrance and shut the door. He sat down his glass on the nightstand, his eyes taking in the scene before him.

Ridoc set a punishing pace, curling his fingers inside of you every time he pulled out and re-inserted them.

"Oh God," you whined, and Liam quietly walked around the other side of the bed. He sat behind you, awkwardly for a moment, just watching. Your fingers found your nipples, pinching hard as you toyed with your boobs in front of the two men.

"Seems like you have a little problem," Ridoc taunted, and you arched off the bed a bit. Your gaze foudn Liam sitting behind you, upside down, yes, but you didn't miss the tent in his pants.

No going back now.

"Liam," you whined, feeling your impending orgasm nearing its peak. "I want to cum."

He sucked in a short breath, leaning over on the bed and pressing his lips to yours once. You moaned into the kiss, queaking as his large hands found your breasts and squeezed.

His voice was a mere growl as it found your ear.

“Let me help you with that.”

"Oh fuck!" You chanted, the feeling of Ridoc fingering you and now lapping at your clit almost too much -- especially with the way Liam pinched and rolled his thumbs over your hardened peaks.

"Fuck, fuck, I'm cumming-"

You unleashed your orgasm with a sigh, your quivering hole clenching around Ridoc's digits over, and over, and over again. Your abdominal muscles flexed and unflexed, the feeling of Liam's hands cupping your boobs made you want more.

Before you could think too long about it, Liam was sliding off the bed behind you, his gentle hands guiding you to lie flat on your back. You did as such, submitting to whatever he gave you.

It turns out, he wanted something from you.

Your head hung over the edge of the bed, and your gaze found the floor. Liam hovered over you, the distinct sound of his jeans zipper cut through the otherwise quiet room before his fingers gripped your chin.

He tapped his hard cock on your lips once, twice -- groaning when you opened your mouth and stuck your tongue out flat. His fingers pumped his dick above you, before guiding it into your wide mouth.

Fuck.

You garbled around his thick length, the sheer size of it forcing your throat to open wide. He shoved all the way in, his pelvis meeting your nose before he pulled out, and pushed back in, slowly fucking your mouth.

"So fucking good baby,"

You blushed at the praise, your head still swimming with the effects of the alcohol you'd consumed. In the back, you could hear Ridoc's soft praises as he fisted his own cock at the sight.

"So pretty, taking dick down your throat."

Your pussy clenched at his words.

Liam continued thrusting, only slowing when his dick began to lurch. He was close, and you could feel it.

"Fuck -- oh fuck," he chanted, ramming his cock down your throat before halting. He breathed heavily as cum sprayed your throat, his release bittersweet as you swallowed it.

"Mmm yes... swallow all of it."

You do as your told, gulping down the last remnants of his seed before he yanks his cock from you. Gasping for air, your mind swims. Lifting your head up and regaining focus is a monumental task -- and before long, Ridoc is trading places with his roomate.

"Hands and knees, gorgeous."

His rough tone sends a shiver down your spine, but you obey. You lean forward, ass up and pussy spread to Ridoc behind you. Liam appeared before you, leaning onto the bed once more before fisting your hair in his hand. You whimpered, and felt the unmistakable tap of Ridoc's length on your ass cheek.

"Gonna take all of me? Like the good girl you are?"

All you could do was nod, unable to look back at him. Liams fingers toyed with your breasts, his other hand still gripping your hair tight. Your mouth fell open as Ridoc pushed in, inch by agonizing inch, until he was seated at the hilt.

"OH-"

You cried out when he retracted, slamming back into you at full force.

"Fuck, babe -- perfect pussy," he praised, his rough pace already causing a weakness in your knees. Liam licked his lips, his fingers trailing lower toward your aching clit.

"Please -- oh fuck, yes Ridoc," you chanted, lurching forward with every sharp drive he gave you. Your eyes rolled back as Liam found your clit, rubbing slow circles around it.

"What... the Hell... is going on here?"

Your eyes shot open at the tone, your cheeks immediately pinkening in shame. Ridoc nor Liam let up, still rubbing and thrusting into you as though Dain Aetos wasn't standing in the doorway.

"D-Dain.... oh fuck," you groaned before meeting his gaze. His brows narrowed as he took in the scene, though he didn't leave the doorway. "P-please, it's not what it-"

"What it, what, looks like?" He scoffs incredulously. "Because to me, it looks like you're fucking your non-boyfriend, or, boyfriends? Maybe?" He shakes his head, his eyes not so subtly tracing over your form.

Your mouth twists as Ridoc hits a particularly sensitive spot.

"Correction," he says, finally adressing the junior. "We, are fucking, her." He chuckles. "And, no, we're not her boyfriends."

Dain shakes his head again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look, I don't give a fuck what you all are. But, I swear to God, everyone can fucking hear you through that window-" he gestures to the open window, moonlight pouring in.

Liam pinches your clit, and you squeal.

"See?" He throws his hands up. "Everyone can fucking hear you."

"Why don't you come shut her up then?" Liam asks, taking on a tone you'd never heard before.

"Yeahhh," Ridoc agrees, his fingers gripping the meat of your ass. "You're the VP here -- teach her a lesson."

Dain sighs, stepping into the room and locking the door behind him.

"I fail to see how this is a good idea," he hesitates, but nonetheless stalks closer to the bed. You peer up at him, your rounded glassy eyes only sending a rush of blood straight to his cock.

"P-please, Dain," you beg, biting your lower lip. "You still... oh," you pause, feeling Liam's fingers rub your clit. "Y-you still have... one more..."

"Oh, I'm well aware." He grumbles, his fingers wrapping around the base of your throat as he squats before you. At eye level, he's even more devastating. He leans in, kissing your lips timidly before backing away, studying you with uncertainty.

"Come onnn," Ridoc pants, egging him on. "I know you want to -- you've been undressing her with your eyes all night."

Dain sighs, his tongue running along his bottom lip before he rises. He unbuckles his belt, letting it fall to the floor before sliding down his jeans. His cock springs free, slapping against his pelvis. He takes it in his hand, rubbing his fingers up and down the length.

"There you go -- now, show her how to be quiet." Liam urges.

Dain steps forward, his darkened eyes meeting yours as he guides his cock to your awaiting mouth. He slides it past your lips, shuddering when you swirl your tongue around the tip.

"Shit," he groans, his hand finding your jaw as he pushes in further. You gag as he stuffs your mouth, reveling in the way he throws his head back in pleasure.

He syncs with Ridoc, his cock pushing down your throat with every thrust Ridoc drives into you. You're moaning, the sound strangled around Dain's dick as he continues fucking your mouth, slow and deliberate.

"Shit, I'm fucking close-"

Ridoc drives in harder, his cock rubbing your g-spot before he bursts inside of you. His warm seed paints your walls white, pushed further inside as he delivers a last few, languid strokes. You clench around him as you find your own release, the fire in your lower abdomen burning hotter than it did the first time you came.

Liam sighs beside you, abandoning your pussy as he makes to rise off the bed. You groan at the sudden loss of Ridoc inside of you and Liam's fingers on your clit, the primary focus now being on Dain and his jerking cock. He growls as he fucks your face faster, his eyes studying your arched back and rounded ass as he drives himself in.

"Fuck sweetheart," he grumbles, his hand cupping your chin as he fucks your face with fervor. "This is what happens when you don't follow the rules, gonna get me in trouble-"

He pull shis cock from you, his hand pumping it before your face as you realize his impending release. You look up at him innocently, laying your tongue out flat for him. He moans, loud and clear, before semen shoots from the head of his cock, painting your face white with each ejaculation.

He breathes heavy, working to come down from his high while the other two quietly dress and make to leave the room. You continue to stare, flashing him an unabashed, drunken grin.

"Maybe I'll break the rules more often, then."

* ✧･ﾟ: *

The Morning After

[bucketbueckers]

I'D RATHER PRETEND

extra 3: life “over and over the only truth, everything comes back to you”

tags: @angryflowerwitch @avvwritesstufff @melpthatsme @rebecca-woso @bueckersg1rl @l0verl4ne @clouded-whispers @dolliest-thena @katemartinlvr @numberonepartyanth3m @glamourdaya @pbbucks @unadulteratedcyclepaper @paiges-1vur @thelightknight21 @ellehoops

wc: 9.0k

notes: finally getting through the last of the irp extra requests 😮‍💨 yes i didn't make a new banner and no i didn't want to. this is def the last extra chap i'll do (this is the end for real...that's crazy) bc after a while i feel like im beating a dead horse. tess kennedy you will always be famous. thank you all for loving irp, i loved writing it but she must go on her own way now 😓 poorly proofread but as always lmk what you guys think 🫶

i. why does ‘TessKennedysControversiallyYoungGirlfriend’ want you to step on her and how do i tell her to get a job

APRIL 2025, POST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

If you were to ask Tess, she would probably say, no, I’m not a jealous person. In a materialistic sense, she doesn’t make a habit of looking at what other people have and deciding that her life has any less value because of what she may lack. She’s a wholehearted believer that she could get anything that she wants (barring that slight crash out from a year and a half ago when she thought she couldn’t have Paige…but that’s neither here nor there) and if she couldn’t immediately get it, then she knows she could work for it. Those are the two fundamental truths of her life.

However, in the sense of her and Paige, Tess still doesn’t think she’s jealous. They’ve been together long enough that Tess is comfortably secure in their relationship. She has no reason to not trust Paige, Paige has no reason to not trust her, they’re happy and committed to each other and all is well.

But the lack of jealousy doesn’t mean a lack of possessiveness. Maybe possessiveness isn’t even the right word. Tess doesn’t necessarily think that Paige belongs to her and feeling owned honestly gives her the ick, so she’s fortunate that Paige doesn’t really think that way, either. There’s a simple understanding that they’re girlfriends – that means something, and if Tess had to admit anything, it’s that she enjoys Paige’s undivided attention a lot more than she lets herself realize or more than she will ever tell Paige (although there’s a small part of her that’s sure Paige has her suspicions).

Which brings them to where they are now.

The bathroom door in their hotel room is cracked open, the sound of water hitting tile echoing as Paige showers before their date. Following UConn’s championship win, Tess and Paige were treating themselves to a vacation before the draft rolled around. They knew they would immediately be in training camps and moving across the country, so they just wanted to enjoy this last bit of uninterrupted time together before shit truly hit the fan and the only way they’d get to see each other is during games. That was honestly a hard pill to swallow – being apart for so long, but they had a long, thoughtful discussion about it, promising to communicate and be present and all of that other sentimental shit.

Tess frowns down at her phone, her eyes all but burning a hole through the device as she reads Maddy Siegrist’s comment on Paige’s latest Instagram dump. Honestly, it’s not even that bad, but what is Tess if not a crash out? It was simple, reading dallas is about to get a whole lot hotter. First of all, ew? Second of all, Tess feels like that should be illegal. It feels like draft tampering. She can’t argue why but it just does. And third of all, has she said ew yet? She knows it’s probably teammate banter, but if she said that to Raven, then Raven would probably kill her before she got the chance to kill herself.

“Paige!” she calls, sliding off the bed and into a pair of slippers to pad into the bathroom.

“Yeah?” Paige says, opening the textured glass door to poke her head out.

Tess keeps her gaze respectful, not allowing her eyes to trace the water droplets as they trail down Paige’s cheek and jaw, dropping onto her chest. She flips her phone around, showing the comment section to Paige. “Tell your thirsty ass teammate to stop trying to homewreck.”

“My who?” Paige echos, biting her lip to stop her laughter as her eyes scan the comment.

“Your thirsty ass teammate.”

The look Paige gives her is nothing short of wicked. “One, she’s not my teammate.”

“Not yet,” Tess huffs.

Paige rolls her eyes. “Two, she’s engaged.”

“You do understand that you knowing that is like, worse, right?”

“Three,” Paige emphasizes. “Look who just followed you.” Tess resists an eye roll as she navigates to her notifications, her eyes catching on the one reading cameronbrink22 has followed you! When Tess glances back up, Paige looks smug, raising a brow. “You got a thing for blondes or sum?”

“You are so annoying,” Tess admonishes.

“Tell your thirsty ass teammate to stop trying to homewreck.”

“Not teammates!”

“Yeah, just like you’re not jealous,” Paige retorts.

Tess gives up on restraining herself and rolls her eyes fully. “I am not jealous.”

Paige grins insufferably. “Whatever you say, ma. You gettin’ in?” she asks, referring to the shower. “Save water?”

Tess huffs again, already reaching for the hem of her shirt. “Don’t say it like that,” she states, but she can’t help the way she preens when she feels Paige’s gaze fixed on her.

“I didn’t say nothin’ any type of way,” Paige says. “Just tryna be environmentally conscious and all that, let my jealous girlfriend know I ain’t showerin’ with nobody else.”

Tess turns, narrowing her eyes at Paige. “I’m gonna put my shirt back on,” she threatens.

Paige’s bottom lip juts out in a dramatic pout. “Noooo,” she whines. “Please don’t.” She reaches for Tess’s wrist, water droplets splashing against the bathroom tile and Tess lets herself be dragged in. “C’mon. Let’s talk. I know I’m being annoying but you’re being kinda passive aggressive so now I know you’re not just fucking around.”

Tess sighs as Paige shuts the sliding glass door behind them. Paige guides her under the shower stream, her hands rubbing her shoulders as the warm water envelops them. “I’m sorry. You’re right,” she concedes, drawing a hum from her girlfriend as she reaches for the loofah and the bodywash, beginning to work on scrubbing her back. “I’m not like, actually jealous, you know? I’m secure in our relationship and we both know neither of us are going anywhere. So I don’t feel threatened, but it’s just – she,  and the rest of your teammates – are gonna get to see you on a constant basis for four years and I – I don’t know. You’re not even gone yet but I miss you already. I know it won’t be that different from college and we’ve made our peace with that, but I guess some part of me had hoped otherwise for so long and the realization that we’re actually going to play away from each other professionally is sinking in. It’s stupid –”

“Not stupid,” Paige interrupts, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to the back of her neck. She places the loofah on the rack in the shower and wraps her arms around Tess’s waist, pressing their bodies together. It’s the casual intimacy like this that Tess will probably miss the most now that she’s had a taste of it. There’s no expectations right now, just her and Paige, and she sinks back into her hold gratefully. “It’s a big change for us, right? Even if we’re used to it, or whatever, it’s different ‘cause we’re like…locked in, you know? We’re not just girlfriends.” Paige huffs. “I’on even know if that makes sense.”

Tess shakes her head, her hands coming down to rest over Paige’s. “No, I know what you mean,” she agrees.

Paige squeezes her gently. “Point is, s’okay to be a little upset about it. Just don’t be scared of it. It’s not easy to…I’on know, think about right now, but once you’re actually livin’ it up in LA, playin’ with KP and Rickea and Cam, it’s not gonna feel as bad. This is your dream, baby,” Paige reminds her, kissing her cheek as she rocks them side to side. Tess can feel the smile Paige presses against her skin, one of her own growing despite herself. “Whether I’m right next to you, at UConn, or in Dallas, I’m blessed to even be part of your life. We’ll make it work. We always do.”

It’s then that Tess twists around in her arms, resting her hands upon Paige’s shoulders. Her thumb absentmindedly brushes across the slope of her collarbone but neither of them fully register it. “Are you…?”

“Upset?” Paige finishes. “Scared?” Tess nods, not trusting herself to speak. Paige’s expression melts into one of soft understanding. “‘Course I am,” she murmurs. The tension in Tess’s shoulder washes away under the shower stream, but she finds herself feeling guilty. Paige was also struggling with this change, and here she is comforting Tess about it. Paige seems to recognize the look on her face because she shakes her head. “I wish we could be closer, too. Like, if everything lined up perfectly and somehow we went to the same team. The league wouldn’t know what to do with us.” That makes Tess laugh, which makes Paige’s face brighten. “I just…gotta remind myself that it’s just different, not impossible. I promised you don’t gotta be scared with me. I meant that. And I know I don’t gotta be scared with you, either. So…it might be a little hard for a while, but we’ll settle in and we’ll be okay. It’s new and different but it’s exciting, right? Us, getting drafted? Me kicking your ass in the championship?”

“Okay, you ruined the mood,” Tess complains, extracting herself from Paige’s grip as the blonde laughs smugly. Despite her words, her tone lacks any real heat and she fights to keep the smile off of her lips.

“Hey,” Paige calls out to her, passing her the bottle of her shampoo. “Good?” The check-in is a gentle reminder that regardless of their conversation being softened by humor, Paige is still looking out for her, for her feelings.

Tess nods, wrapping Paige in a gentle hug as the blonde presses a kiss to her temple. “Good,” she confirms. “Thank you. For…” Her words falter, not because she doesn’t know what she’s thanking Paige for, but because she knows that there’s so many things that she could be thanking her for. 

Paige understands her all the same – she always has, which is just another thing on the long list of things that Tess finds herself thankful for. She smiles softly, her hand squeezing Tess’s hip. “I got you,” she promises, and Tess knows that’s the one thing she’ll always be certain of.

This brief period of peace doesn’t last for too long. They finish out the rest of their day, lounging around and enjoying their postseason vacation. They post a few TikToks together (which consist mostly of Paige roping her into thirst traps and funny couple’s challenges), DoorDash an unhealthy amount of snacks, and binge-watch movies until midnight when Tess falls asleep in the middle of a trashy rom-com.

Tess is in the middle of a strange dream – one wherein she and Paige are, for whatever reason, football players (although she supposes the recent football fixation is because Paige forced her to watch the Superbowl with her this year), when she’s gently shaken away. The voice in her ear is a soft murmur, pulling her out of sleep. The exhaustion makes her eyelids heavy but when they open fully, she sets her gaze on Paige. “You better have a good reason for waking me up this early,” Tess grumbles, pressing her face further into the space where Paige’s neck meets her shoulder, and she feels Paige’s body shake as she laughs.

“It’s 10am,” Paige says. “And I was bored. Tried waiting for you but you just kept on snoozing.”

“Paige Bueckers complaining about someone sleeping in,” Tess teases, mock-amazement filling her tone. “Someone pinch me.” Paige does, which makes Tess yelp and grab her hip. “Jackass,” she says. “Maddy Siegrist can have you. I don’t even care anymore.”

Paige’s eyes light up in remembrance. “A’ight, so I woke you up for a reason, actually,” she starts. Tess groans, but Paige’s hand traces the dimples on her back and that makes her forget all about her indignance. “So I was scrolling through TikTok. You remember that one we posted yesterday, the boogie on down trend?” Tess hums tiredly, the drag of Paige’s fingers lulling her back to sleep. “Never in a million years will you guess who commented on it.”

“Was it Sab?” Tess asks hopefully.

Paige huffs. “Worse.” Paige angles her phone to show her and at first, Tess is thankful that she had the foresight to at least turn her brightness down. “Why does ‘TessKennedysControversiallyYoungGirlfriend’ want you to step on her and how do I tell her to get a job?”

“Who?” Tess blinks once, lifting her head to look at Paige’s phone. True to her word, there was such a commenter, but what truly makes Tess giggle is the comment reading, ‘i want tess kennedy to step on me if only so she can scrape me off of her sneaker like day old gum.’ “Holy shit. That’s actually the craziest thing I’ve ever read.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’!” Paige cries. “We need to do something about this.”

Tess snorts. “Yeah, okay, let me just message my controversially young girlfriend and tell her my actual girlfriend is crashing out so she needs to stop commenting weird shit on our TikToks.”

“You laugh now but I’m serious,” Paige says, her tone leaving no room for argument. The pleading expression on her face tells Tess all she needs to know. She sighs again as Paige continues. “We need to post another TikTok.”

Tess gazes at her, amused. “Do you really think that will solve anything?”

“Prolly not,” Paige concedes. “But it’ll make me feel better. You don’t want me sad, do you?”

Tess narrows her eyes. “You are such a pain in my ass.”

“That’s not a no!”

Paige was correct. It was not a no. It became an okay, fine after Paige DoorDashed her a coffee and a bacon, egg, and cheese for breakfast, and once she was finally awake and coherent, she let Paige guide her to her heart’s content. Tess was actually pretty familiar with whatever trend Paige was trying to get them to do, but she kept that to herself because Paige had seemed so proud of herself and Tess wasn’t trying to take that away from her. It was simple – Tess was going to apply a thick layer of her lipstick – her go-to shade when she’s not settling for her usual gloss – and she would kiss lipstick stains onto Paige’s face. The actual video would start with Tess swiping the lipstick onto her lips and “accidentally” smudging it, then Paige would reach out to try and clean it, only for the camera to pan over to her face, revealing all of the kiss marks.

If Tess was being completely honest, she wasn’t sure how this was going to deter anyone. She’s sure it’s more fanservice at this point than anything else, or maybe Paige just wanted an excuse to post something like that. Regardless, Tess knew her intentions weren’t as pure as they seemed, but truth be told, she didn’t really care.

“Are you ready?” Tess asks, endlessly amused as she watches Paige inspect her face in the mirror, a ridiculously proud expression on her face.

Paige hums. “Nah. You missed a spot,” she says innocently, motioning to her lips. Tess rolls her eyes, but she obliges, kissing Paige soundly and leaving a red smudge across her lips. Paige examines herself once more, tilting her head back and forth each way like she’s actually going to find an inch of skin that Tess hasn’t stained, but she eventually settles down. “Perfect. Now we can start.”

Tess chuckles and locks in. The TikTok counts down from three before Daniel Caesar and Kali Uchis’s Get You starts playing. Tess swipes the applicator across her lips – her hand falters, dragging the lipstick off course. Paige reaches in, her thumb finding her chin and wiping the lipstick away as Tess pans her phone over to Paige, showcasing her covered in lipstick stains and the sickeningly in love expression on her face. Despite herself, Tess can’t help but be a little shocked – from the slight blush on Paige’s cheeks, the dopey grin, and sheer amount of affection that is reflected in her eyes, and she finds herself melting, too. She knows that Paige loves her – she says as much everyday, shows her how much everyday, but seeing how much when Paige isn’t doing or saying anything is a good kind of different.

Tess stops the recording, watching it back with Paige once. They’d gotten it perfect on the first try and after a lot of deliberation, Tess captions the video with the lipstick stain emoji and posts it. Paige looks unbelievably smug as they watch the comments roll in, a large majority reading, “just fell to my knees in a Walmart parking lot” (whatever that means).

“You done being jealous of fangirls online?” Tess asks teasingly, to which Paige kisses her teeth and shoves her shoulder lightly. Tess hardly moves and all it does is make her more amused.

“Wasn’t jealous,” Paige states. “Just wanted you to do that trend with me and make it very clear that you’re off the market and you’re not stepping on anyone. Let alone your apparent ‘controversially young girlfriend.’”

“Don’t worry,” Tess croons, squeezing Paige’s hand. “You can be my controversially clingy girlfriend. Or my controversially annoying girlfriend. Or–”

“Chill!”

ii. how many golden state valkyries does it take to screw in a lightbulb (spoiler: a lot)

LATE APRIL 2029

When Azzi suggested a team bonding activity to welcome in the Valkyries’ newest free agency pick-ups and their single draft selection, Tess had a couple of ideas. Maybe they’d all gather in the gym for some friendly scrimmage. Maybe they’d gather at someone’s house to have dinner and play party games like they weren’t pushing thirty. Or maybe they’d even go out on some fancy teammate preseason vacation – in her fourth year with the Sparks, Tess and her teammates went to Greece. But this? Tess didn’t even consider it.

“An escape room?” she repeats.

“Hear me out!” Azzi exclaims, water bottle in hand. The Valkyries had just wrapped up their first training camp practice of the season and even though it was grueling, Tess couldn’t deny that she was incredibly excited to play basketball with this roster – Azzi had developed into a monster in her last year at UConn and her time with the Valkyries had only strengthened that. Tess herself had improved her game tremendously and she knew that between her, Azzi, and Paige, the Valkyries would be a force to be reckoned with. Logistics and basketball aside, Tess was over the moon to be able to play with Paige – her wife, which Tess still isn’t used to thinking about. Life in the Bay was amazing so far. “So, an escape room teaches you how to work together, right?”

“Sure,” Kiki agrees, stretching her legs out. A few more of their teammates hum, their gaze set on the shooting guard.

“But most importantly, working together in high pressure situations,” she states. “Like, have you ever been in an escape room with your friends and you’ve got less than five minutes on the clock and you’re not close to finishing and everyone is screaming and yelling?”

“I’ve never done an escape room at all,” Tess admits, and Azzi’s eyes nearly bug out of her head.

“What?” she cries in disbelief. “You’re twenty-seven and you’ve never done an escape room?”

Paige nudges Azzi, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips as she wraps her towel around her neck. “Not too much on her now,” her wife says. “She ain’t even have an Xbox until I first made her play Fortnite with me.”

That draws more disbelieving gasps from their teammates and Tess throws her hands in the air, exasperated. “This isn’t about me! Azzi, please tell us more about your wonderful idea. Or literally anything else so Paige stops talking.”

“You married her,” Ayoka reminds her.

Tess shrugs. “I didn’t have enough community service hours at South Carolina,” she says. “Cathy said I couldn’t get picked up out of free agency unless I gave back to the world. Hence me marrying Paige so she learns to behave.”

Paige rubs her temples, opening her mouth like she wants to argue, but Azzi groans. “Guys! My turn to talk.” Everyone goes quiet, sheepish looks on their faces. “Thank you. So, I think we should do an escape room. Teamwork in high pressure situations, learning how to work together even when you’re pissed, ‘cause let’s face it, we know Paige is gonna pass to Tess religiously–”

“I’m a 64% three point shooter,” Tess interrupts. “There are worse things that could happen.”

“–and because I think it would be fun,” she finishes. Azzi scans the team with hopeful, doe eyes, and Tess knows in her heart of hearts that it’s not possible to say no to Azzi Fudd. “All in favor?” Simultaneously, every hand in the huddle raises and Azzi grins proudly. “Perfect. We’ll go on Saturday.”

The rest of the week passes in a blur of practice, shopping for more home decor, and even more practice. Finally, Saturday rolls around and Tess and Paige load up in Paige’s Jeep to head out to the escape room facility. They’d paid a little (okay, a lot) extra to rent out the entire place, knowing that if the media knew where they were, they wouldn’t be granted a second of peace. Paige offered to drive a few of their teammates, although Ayoka and Kiki adamantly refused, claiming that Tess and Paige were in a perpetual honeymoon phase and they couldn’t sit in the back and watch them make heart eyes at each other.

Contrary to popular belief, Tess and Paige could keep it together, but whatever. Riding alone just meant they could sing along to the High School Musical soundtrack in peace without being mocked.

They arrive at the escape room facility and only have to wait around five minutes for everyone else to show up. Azzi leads the Valkyries into the building, signing them in and delegating teams. They’d decided to separate into two groups of six with Tess, Paige, Azzi, Ayoka, Kiki, and Kate in the first group and the rest of their bench in the second group. Tess is quiet, taking her new team in, and a slow smile grows on her lips before she can truly process it. Paige has her arm wrapped around her waist, almost absentminded in the touch – Paige always has to have a hand on her one way or the other; over the years, it just became something that Tess doesn’t think twice about – as she bickers with Azzi over something stupid like “This escape room is ‘get away from your kidnapper’ themed? Az, we have got to get those Ellen Mover books away from you!” to which Azzi responds with, “First of all, it’s Colleen Hoover. Second of all, I don’t read her books – you were the one who dared me to read one and it made me throw up. And third of all, she’s literally in jail. There are no more Colleen Hoover books.”

Moving her attention away from her wife and her best friend’s latest debate (there was just something in Paige’s genetic code that made her want to test everyone’s last nerve), Tess glances at Kate, who’s grinning excitedly at Ayoka and Temi as she shows them photos of her dog. Kiki and Janiah are in the middle of a long-winded argument about a USC/UCLA match-up from last month where, according to Janiah, “The refs were blind as fuck, Kiki!” and, according to Kiki, “Invest in some LASIK for you and your bum ass Bruins so y’all can see what winners look like.” That makes Janiah gasp in indignation, but both she and Kiki dissolve into cackling laughter that draws the attention of Madison, Kayla, Celeste, and Dorka. The six of them lapse into an entirely new argument about which of their colleges were better.

Tess tunes them out, her smile turning fond as her heart constricts with happiness. She’s pretty sure that the second group – Temi, Janiah, Madison, Kayla, Celeste, and Dorka – is going to be just as much chaos as the first group, but she gets the impression that they’re going to make it out in time.

Finally, the escape room operators return to let everyone know that the rooms are ready. Without further argument, the Valkyries separate, although Janiah glances back to taunt, “See y’all after we win!”

Tess and Paige share a glance. Then they look at Azzi, then Ayoka and Kiki, and then Kate, and they don’t need to say anything else to know they’re going to make Janiah and her team eat shit.

The six of them are led into a dim room, locking hands to make sure none of them trip or stumble, although someone — Paige — seems to bump into the wall as evidenced by a high-pitched “Ow!” that causes Tess to snicker. The operator sits them down and adjusts the bindings on their wrists and ankles. They’re loose enough that they could easily slip out of them, but where’s the fun in that? The door closes without another word and the Valkyries sit in silence until the overhead speaker crackles to life. 

The operator’s voice is affected by a voice modulator, sounding distorted and mischievous as they explain the set up. You’ve been kidnapped! Luckily for you, your assailant is away for an hour to collect supplies. You and your party must work to escape before he returns. Pretty standard stuff. Per the operator’s instruction, one person’s bindings weren’t fully locked, so it’s their responsibility to figure out who it was, and then they must locate the master key that’s hanging on the wall by the door. 

“Okay,” Azzi says calmly. “Who’s not locked up?”

Tess stretches out her wrists and her ankles to no avail. “Not me,” she states, followed by agreements from Paige, Kiki, and Ayoka. Tess hears the click of someone’s bindings before their victorious cheer. 

“Don’t worry, guys,” Kate says proudly. “I got this.”

“Our hero,” Kiki mutters dryly as Kate begins feeling around the room in search of the key. 

Tess eyes the clock in the corner of the room. 59 minutes left. “No rush, Money,” she says nonchalantly. “There’s not a kidnapper on his way back or anything.”

“Paige, get your wife,” Kate gripes. 

“I said no rush!”

“Feels like you’re rushing me,” she says, her tone clearly teasing, and Tess grins despite herself. Kate makes another noise in celebration once she’s finally found the key. “Okay, I’m gonna unlock Azzi first, give her the key, then I’m gonna try to find our next clue.” After Azzi is free, she makes her way around the room to unlock everyone else as Kate begins her search.

Soon, they’re all free, and Kate has narrowed down their next step. To open up their next clue box, they have to replace the flickering lightbulb in the room. Removing the old bulb requires them to solve a puzzle, so Kate directs their group to split. Kate, Azzi, and Paige work on solving the puzzle to unscrew the lightbulb while Ayoka, Kiki, and Tess work on solving the puzzle to get the new bulb.

Evidently, this task is incredibly difficult. Paige curses under her breath as she reads the instructions again, adjusting the number sequence and pulling. The lock doesn’t budge. Meanwhile, the clue to unlock Tess’s puzzle is written entirely in a cryptogram – albeit, a really simple one, but the six of them are operating on one shared brain cell (which Azzi probably has) – and Ayoka and Kiki can’t seem to figure it out.

It’s then that the operator phones back in to offer some advice. “How many Golden State Valkyries does it take to screw in a lightbulb?” the operator asks, their voice deep and teasing, and all it does is cause the room to let out simultaneous groans. “Time’s ticking, Valkyries. Perhaps you should consider how…connected, these clues are.” The room goes silent again and instantly, Tess knows what to do. Cryptogram in hand, she spins around and meets Paige, who is on the same wavelength. They pore over both of their clues until Tess keys in on the strange spacing between the letters of Paige’s clue and the symbols on her cryptogram. Placing the papers over each other, Tess and Paige cheer when the cryptogram symbols line up with several letters. It gives them enough to work with and Tess inputs the answer. To everyone’s relief, the lock gives and Tess produces a lightbulb and another clue from the chest.

The new clue lines up perfectly with Paige’s initial clue and she puts in her new sequence, too. Her lock opens up and she extracts the lightbulb, swapping it out with Tess’s, screwing it back in, and locks it into place. Finally, the light in the room returns fully and the Valkyries cheer now that they can see better. Paige raises her hands in a high five, bumping chests with her wife, and nobody in the room can truly keep the grins off of their faces.

From then on, the six of them work like a well-oiled machine. There’s no true “leader” as everyone showcases their strengths on different puzzles. The clock in the corner of the room serves as motivating pressure, but they don’t let it get to them, staying focused and working together quickly. 

With five minutes left on the clock, they’re struggling through the last puzzle together, searching for the final key to unlock the remaining door to escape. It’s Paige who clutches up with less than thirty seconds remaining, finally solving the puzzle and securing the key. Ayoka, Kiki, Tess, Azzi, and Kate all cheer as Paige fumbles with the key, sticking it in the lock and twisting. The door opens with a click! and the six of them rush out, high fiving each other with huge grins on their faces.

The operator meets them at the exit, grinning and congratulating them, but the sweetest reward of all is the maniacal laughter coming from within the room across the hall from them, followed by screaming. The six of them share a glance and within moments, the other half of their team exits their escape room, defeated looks on their faces, but no one is truly upset. Temi claps them all on the back, expressing her pride and the sentiment that “you don’t win them all,” and Tess softens a little bit.

Tess locks eyes with Janiah, who smirks at her. “Don’t wanna hear it,” she says, drawing laughter from the shooting guard as she raises her hands in surrender. “I ate my words – that’s okay.”

They gather for pictures, posing with weird props, and Paige rests her arm on Tess’s shoulder as if she’s more than two inches taller than her. Tess rolls her eyes, but grins when Paige presses a cheeky kiss to her temple, her lips curling into a faux snarl as she holds up a prop knife. Tess knows better than anyone else that these photos are going to cause the Internet to explode once the Valkyries media team posts them, but she can’t find it within herself to care, especially not when Paige pulls her a little tighter into her side.

The ensuing argument about where they should get lunch eclipses any argument or disagreement they had while they were in the escape room, but they eventually settle on a steakhouse not too far away. Everyone loads up, driving away without a second glance, but Paige hesitates for a moment in her Jeep.

“Everything okay?” Tess asks her, concerned as she places her hand over her wrist.

“Yeah,” Paige says softly, her shoulders relaxed. Tess knows instantly that it’s the truth. “I just…I’m really happy. I’m here with you. I love our teammates. Everything’s perfect.”

“It is,” Tess agrees, which makes Paige squeeze her hand gently. It’s a little strange to think back on everything they had to do to get here. The whole fake dating thing – to go from that to being married for real is hilarious in retrospect, but Tess wouldn’t change anything about them – the hundreds of miles apart during their rookie contracts, the countless hours of work and commitment and honesty. All of that has led Tess to where she is now – married, playing professional basketball with her best friend, and living the kind of life she used to always dream about.

iii. bueckers-kennedy to bueckers-kennedy for three, good if it goes…

OCTOBER 2029

Tip-off wasn’t for another ten minutes, but the Chase Center was already roaring. The cheering from both sides of the arena was almost suppressive, half of the stands donning the Valkyries white and purple and the other half clashing with the Indiana Fever red. Both the Valkyries and the Fever were equally matched – after DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard’s departures/retirements, the Fever scouted for young talent just as the Valkyries had. A couple of free agent steals added to their already stacked roster, but Tess knew that she was leaving this arena with another ring on her finger tonight, even if the Fever made her work for it.

To be honest, Tess didn’t really plan to go to the finals in her first year as a Valkyrie. Playoffs, sure, but the league was stacked. The Valkyries, however, rose to the challenge. They dominated the league with a staggering 39-5 record. Their starters were deadly and their bench was full of energy and experience. It took weeks of practice, drills, and film to get here, but Tess knew that her team was willing to do what it takes to shut down the Fever tonight.

Tess makes her final rounds to her teammates, offering words of encouragement. She’d truly grown into her own leadership role on this team, too, providing excellent veteran experience. She knew how to push the right buttons to get her team going, a trait she’d picked up from five years with Coach Staley, who was in the crowd tonight. She was actually courtside next to Geno. Knowing the both of them, they’d probably spend the entire game roasting their respective players. Smiling at that thought, Tess finally makes her way over to her wife, who is working on her handles and sinking the ball in from the midrange. Paige grins when she sees her, pulling an airpod out of her ear and joining Tess for their silly, pregame handshake with several steps.

“You ready for this?” Tess asks teasingly.

Paige kisses her teeth, waving her off. “‘Course I am,” she states confidently. “Just make sure you land your shots, a’ight? Azzi already thinks 75% of my passes go to you.”

Tess snorts. “That’s because they do, babe. And because I do land my shots, thank you very much. 67% three point shooter, remember?”

Paige smirks. “You tryna flirt with me before our big game?”

“Oh, are you turned on by numbers now?”

“Just the ones that show my girl’s the best shooter in the nation.” Tess rolls her eyes, unable to stop the blush from lighting up her cheeks. “You ready?” Paige’s voice softens.

“Yeah,” she confirms, no hesitation. “We’re unstoppable. We’ve got Azzi. Ayoka. Kiki. Kate. Madison–” Paige clears her throat, raising a pointed brow. “Oh, right. Saniya, Kayla, Celeste–”

“Heard,” Paige mutters. “I’m only passing to Azzi tonight.”

Tess laughs, her eyes shining. She squeezes Paige’s hand quickly, not wanting to do too much in front of the cameras that she knows are undoubtedly trained on them. “And the best point guard in the country,” she finishes in a murmur. Despite herself, Paige’s lips quirk into a smile, a little bashful. “What do you say about winning our first chip together tonight?”

“I’d say you’re running out of fingers to put your rings on,” Paige jokes.

“Well,” Tess hums, raising both of her hands and examining her ring fingers. Her engagement ring and wedding bands are both absent – because playing with jewelry was hazardous and Tess would lose her mind if her rings ever got damaged – but she smiles at the sight of the dual tattoos on both of her ring fingers. During the All-Star break, she and Paige had finally mustered enough courage to get matching ring tattoos so they could show it off, knowing that they couldn’t wear their rings as much as they’d like to due to their professions. “At least I always have the important ones.”

Paige’s smile turns impossibly tender. Seeming to forget about the cameras, she lets the ball fall to the ground, stopping it from rolling away with her foot, and takes both of Tess’s hands in her. Delicately, she presses her lips to both of Tess’s ring fingers, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. “I love you,” she whispers. “You and me?”

“You and me,” Tess agrees, smiling widely. “I love you, too.”

The time passes quickly and finally, the ball is tipped. Ayoka just barely beats Aliyah, awarding the Valkyries the first possession of the game, and Kiki passes the ball to Paige with haste as she begins directing traffic to her liking. The offense rotates seamlessly until a hole in the passing lane opens up and Paige sails it swiftly to Ayoka, who lays the ball in with ease.

The Fever open up their possession with a signature Caitlin Clark three. Paige, Tess, and Azzi share a glance as the ball falls through the net cleanly. If that’s the pace they want to play at, then the Valkyries are happy to oblige.

The first quarter passes in a series of back and forth buckets, crucial defensive stops, blocks and steals, and Tess ends it off with a clean eight points. Azzi trails her with six, then Paige with five (although she’s racked up five assists of her own), and Ayoka and Kiki combine for another eight points in the paint. The Valkyries hold a slim three point lead over the Fever, 27-24, but going into the second half, they’re unwilling to let that lead go.

And they don’t. The Valkyries double down on their defensive pressure, holding the Fever scoreless for the first four minutes. Kate, Saniya, and Madison provide great minutes for the Valkyries as they log a combined 14 points. Paige and Tess sit for the last three minutes of the half. They head into the locker room 53-48, where Natalie emphasizes the need for stops. The Fever were a very powerful team offensively – if they were able to shut them down there, then their defense would falter, too.

Although the Valkyries come back stronger in the second half, the Fever do, too. Caitlin opens the third quarter with two back to back threes that put the Fever in the lead by 1. One possession later, when they’re all in the huddle after Kiki was fouled by Aliyah in the paint, Paige reminds them to get their head in the game, to refocus. Caitlin was starting to take the game into her hands, which means she was passing less and shooting more. Applying pressure on Caitlin would get the ball moving, and since the rest of her team wasn’t as hot yet, applying pressure on them would stagnate their offense.

The rest of the third quarter passes quickly. The Valkyries are able to hold Caitlin out, but the rest of the Fever start warming up. Lexi Hull is explosive from the wings, adding to Aliyah’s paint dominance, and by the time the quarter ends, they’re tied 71-71.

This was their final game of the season. Win or go home. They’d played six games against the Fever already with the series tied at 3-3. The Valkyries need to put an end to this game, now. The final quarter was a defensive battle through and through. Tess comes down with two critical steals which allow for two, quick transition scores from Paige and Azzi respectively. Kiki and Ayoka own the paint, sending three different lay-up attempts flying into the fifth row of the stands. And Tess? She’s hot from three, sinking two back to back shots in seamlessly and forcing an early Fever timeout.

With three minutes left in the game, they’re still tied 82-82. They’d played a clean quarter and had a couple fouls to give, so the final minutes of the game were a test of clean clock management or getting the ball to their sharpshooters to hopefully make the deficit too large to come back from. After the timeout, the Fever have possession, and the game starts back up again.

The last minutes are tense, a mix of shots and bricks and running down the clock to try to get a hold of the last possession. The game is still tied 87-87 and with twenty-five seconds left on the clock, it appears as though the Fever are letting the time run down before they try for a final shot. Tess is on Caitlin like glue, the look in her eyes reminiscent of the second Final Four they’d ever played against each other in college. Tess has spent enough time playing against her and watching her play to read her tells perfectly. So when Caitlin steps back, gearing up for a deep three to either send the game into overtime or send the Fever home with a championship win, Tess jumps with all the power she can muster, the muscles in her body rippling as she extends her fingers as far as they could go.

The ball scrapes against her fingertips, sending it off-course and directly into Paige’s waiting hands. Tess and Paige are speeding off in tandem without another thought, but the Fever are quickly back on defense. With five seconds remaining, Tess makes a break to weave around Caitlin, acting as though she’s driving to the bucket, although she plants her feet and steps back, watching as Caitlin slides harmlessly across the court. She angles her body to receive the incoming pass from Paige and without a second thought, she pulls up to shoot the three.

Over the pounding of her heart, the roar of the crowd, and the commentator’s cry of, “Bueckers-Kennedy to Bueckers-Kennedy, good if it goes…”

The buzzer rings, echoing in the arena, but the swish of the net is all Tess truly registers.

“It’s good! The Golden State Valkyries are your 2029 WNBA Champions!”

Tess is immediately swarmed by her teammates, their laughter and cries and cheers like music to her ears. She feels the tears spring to her eyes as she wraps her arms around whoever, she doesn’t know, but she holds onto them as tightly as she possibly can. The one thing she does know like the back of her hand, however, is the looping arm around her waist, the warmth of the palm against her stomach, and Tess turns in their group hug to throw her arms around Paige’s neck. Her wife’s hold on her tightens as they share elated giggles. Tess can feel Paige’s tears as they soak into the fabric of her jersey, and this feeling right here – winning a championship and having your wife be the first person you see after sinking the game winner? There’s no better feeling in the world. Paige lifts her clean off the ground, the rest of the arena fading into nothing behind them, and the one thing Tess is certain of is that she and Paige have plenty more wins in front of them.

Tess lifts her head, scanning the crowd, the sea of white and purple jerseys that are here for her, for her team, at her home in the Bay. She watches as Azzi pulls Kate into a bone-crushing hug – they were truly a dynamic duo; Kate, becoming the face of the organization after the expansion draft and Azzi being the organization's first drafted Rookie of the Year. The both of them had truly put so much into this team and Tess can’t help the fresh wave of tears that pools in her eyes. Temi and Kiki pull Natalie onto the court to celebrate with her, too, because why wouldn’t they? Natalie is the fucking coach of the year and she’d just guided her team to a championship win in her fifth year as head coach.

Her feet touch the ground again, dragging her out of her thoughts, and Tess all but beams as she glances up at Paige, her hands resting atop her shoulders once more. “What I say, huh?” Paige jeers, a wide grin on her face. “Game winning three? You’re like that, baby?”

“Game winning assist?” Tess echoes, tangling her fingers in the fabric of Paige’s jersey. “We’re like that?”

Paige’s nose brushes hers, her teeth bared in excitement, although the look in her eyes is impossibly soft, reserved just for her. The kiss that Paige plants on Tess’s lips, in front of the crowds and the cameras and the eyes, softens the heat and the thrill of the moment, and Tess can’t help but sink into Paige’s embrace. They’d done it. They’d really done it. She almost can’t wrap her mind around it, but Paige is firm, tangible, here, and it’s all the proof that Tess needs to know that this wasn’t just a dream.

When Paige pulls away, her smile is tender. “Same time next year?” she murmurs, and all Tess can really do is pull her back in, whispering the same promise against her lips.

iv. no, sweetie, mamma does not have more championship wins than mommy, she’s lying to you

SOMETIME IN 2044

“And so that’s how you and Mamma fell in love? Like for real?”

Carter’s voice is childlike, full of wonder as she stares at both of her mothers in awe. At five years old, she’s the oldest of Tess and Paige’s two children. Their youngest child, another daughter named Alessia, is only a year younger than her sister, but Carter holds onto that year like it’s the most important thing in her life. To be honest, Carter probably gets that from Tess, which is something that Paige teases the both of them for on the daily. Both of their children are laid in their beds, having demanded a bedtime story like the hours they spent running around all day didn’t tire them out.

“For real,” Paige agrees, wide-eyed herself, and even after fifteen years married, nearly twenty together, her antics still make Tess smile like they’re lovesick twenty-somethings.

Both of them had retired in 2039 after ten successful years with the Valkyries. After their first championship win, they added on four more, which would probably be enough to secure their spots in the Hall of Fame. They’d long since retired their jerseys – both at the collegiate level and for the Valkyries. Numbers 5 and 25 would never be worn again, although at the rate Carter and Alessia are progressing, Tess and Paige think that they might have to make an exception for the next generation of Bueckers-Kennedys to carry on the torch. Carter and Alessia, fortunately, aren’t at the age where they want to argue about who gets which mother’s jersey number, but Tess knows that day is coming sooner rather than later. Following retirement, Natalie brought them on as assistant coaches, although Natalie herself retired a few years later. Tess and Paige were going into the 2044 season with Paige as the official head coach of the Valkyries and Tess as the associate head coach. Tess was content to let Paige have it, knowing the sheer amount of paperwork that came with being the head coach, although that was for naught as Paige tends to drag her into head coach conversations, anyways.

At first, Tess and Paige had wanted to adopt, but after looking at the IVF options, Tess quickly found the appeal in carrying. Paige was a hard no, which Tess wasn’t really bothered by, but pregnancy was a discussion that took a long time before they ever truly reached a consensus. It wasn’t that they were in disagreement on a lot of things. It was more so the fact that pregnancy was huge, even for them, and they wanted to give themselves enough time to fully consider the ins and outs of it and the extensive process that was IVF. Ultimately, Tess ended up carrying both Carter and Alessia, and that was that.

“And then you had me and Carter,” Alessia states matter-of-factly.

“I came first,” Carter points out proudly, puffing her chest out, and Tess and Paige share an amused glance. 

“Yes, you did,” Tess agrees, brushing her fingers through Carter’s hair, her heart swelling when a toothy smile lights up her daughter’s features. 

“Why couldn’t I have been born first?” Alessia complains. 

“‘Cause you’d be named Carter,” Paige retorts, which makes Carter gasp and Alessia nod as if it makes a ton of sense.

“I like being Alessia,” their youngest daughter says, yawning when Paige adjusts her comforter, tucking her in and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Wait,” Carter says, a confused expression on her face as she sticks up her fingers to count. “So Mamma has one…two…champ-ships in college. Mommy has one.”

Paige’s eye twitches and Tess fights the urge to laugh. “Championships,” Tess enunciates slowly, smiling when Carter tests the syllables out on her tongue and strings the word together. “But yes, honey, Mamma had two championships in college and Mommy had one.”

“Then Mamma beat Mommy in the other champ – championship –” Tess nods proudly when Carter looks up at her for reassurance, “– and then Mamma and Mommy won five together.”

Tess hums in confirmation. “Your Mommy could never really win when it came to me, huh?”

That makes both of their children giggle, although Paige huffs dramatically. “Mamma wins more?” Alessia asks.

Tess nods again and Paige kisses her teeth. “No, sweetie, Mamma does not have more championship wins than Mommy, she’s lying to you,” she argues.

“Babe, what’d we say about lying to the kids?” Tess teases, but she knows Paige is just joking, too, matching smiles on both of their faces.

“Lying is bad,” Carter agrees wisely, waggling a small finger at Paige. The blonde swoops down, pretending to bite her finger, and that just sends Carter into another flurry of giggles.

“You’re too smart for your own good,” Paige murmurs, kissing Carter’s forehead. She makes sure to turn back around, brushing Alessia’s hair out of her face and grinning at her. “You, too. You both are the smartest, most beautiful, kindest girls in the world.” A smile grows on Tess’s face as she watches Paige interact with their children. When they were first seriously talking about pregnancy, Paige was always a little worried that she wouldn’t be a good mom. She thought motherhood had to be natural, that it couldn’t be trial and error. Tess finds that Paige is a mix of both. She’s a natural in the way she uplifts and encourages their daughters, in the way she teaches them how to be better humans, although it took her a few attempts to figure out how to discipline them (on the rare occasions it was warranted – Tess and Paige truly lucked out and got the perfect children).

Tess used to think that one day, it would be impossible to fall anymore in love with Paige, but she continues to surprise her. Watching her be a mother to their daughters activates a different part of her brain entirely. It’s like it was something she was destined to do, and Tess can’t help the way her heart swells at the sight.

“Time for bed,” she says softly. Surprisingly, Carter and Alessia don’t complain, only sticking out their tiny arms. Tess and Paige both wrap them up in tight hugs, leading them both through their goodnight prayers and making sure to whisper their I love yous. With a gentle chorus of “Night Mamma, night Mommy”, Paige shuts off the light in their room, closing the door with a gentle click.

Paige doesn’t waste anymore time after. She wraps her arms around Tess from behind, sighing against her softly as her head falls onto her shoulder, pressing a chaste, innocent kiss to her neck. “You’re really good with them,” Tess comments.

Paige squeezes her waist a little tighter, a soft noise that sounds vaguely like disbelief building in her throat. “They’re my girls,” she murmurs. “So are you.” Her hands trail to her stomach, fingers brushing against the soft skin of her navel, the sinew and the power in her muscles despite how motherhood has softened her. “I love you so much, you know that?”

Tess chuckles, twisting around in Paige’s embrace to hug her fully. Her body is warm against hers, solid. It’s always the easiest way to ground her after long days where being a mother tests her patience. Paige’s arms envelop her fully and Tess sighs, melting into her. “Been told a time or two,” she murmurs, which makes Paige huff out something akin to laughter as she sways them back and forth.

“You’re good with them, too, you know,” Paige reminds her after a while.

“You make it easy,” she states.

“We’re a team.”

In lieu of a verbal response to that, Tess presses up on the tips of her toes to kiss her wife, soft brushes that make her feel like it’s their first kiss all over again. The peace in her heart feels like contentment, like relief. She has everything she’s ever wanted in life; her wife, her family, her legacy. Wrapped up in Paige’s arms outside of their childrens’ bedroom is truly what fulfillment feels like.

When Paige draws back far enough to whisper, “Thank you for giving me this life,” Tess knows exactly what she means. Her love, her heart, their children – they all add up to be the greatest successes of their shared life together. Tess couldn’t be anymore thankful, more appreciative of the way her life has played out. Paige is worth it. Their children are worth it. And for as long as she has her family, she knows that home isn’t so far away.

[leclercdream]

tell me who i am pt.3

pairing: daniel ricciardo x reader

when in austin everything comes crashing down on reader because people on the internet are mean af

author's note: not much going on in this chapter bc of picture limit haha, will probably upload part 4 after the gp so i have more social media content!

tw: slut shaming

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

yourusername

liked by danielricciardo, lilymhe, charles_leclerc and 182,325 others

yourusername: im damned if i do give a damn what people say

tagged: danielricciardo, alexandrasaintmleux, landonorris, friend1, friend2, friend3

view all 55 comments

danielricciardo: there’s just no reason for you to be this fine

danielricciardo: wow

danielricciardo: marry me

↳ yourusername: brb crying

landonorris: ew

↳ yourusername: shut up this is your fault

lilymhe: you are glowing!!

↳ alexandrasaintmleux: oh trust me, she is being well taken care of, thats why

↳ friend1: yeah we can all hear it

↳ yourusername: jealous bitches

comments in this post have been limited

danielricciardo

liked by landonorris, alexandrasaintmleux, kellypiquet and 439,234 others

danielricciardo: As many of you know, this is my girlfriend y/n. We have been dating for 3 years now and she is not only my girlfriend but also my best friend, biggest supporter and the love of my life. For some unknown reason many of you have taken upon yourselves to leave hateful comments on her social media, even taken it as far as saying stuff to her face at the GPs she attended. Do not slut shame women for being proud of their bodies and feel comfortable with it. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to look. yourusername happens to be one of the people I know, that being one of the main reasons I fell in love with her. She is passionate, selfless, funny, caring, beautiful. So please, if you consider yourself a fan of mine and have ever treated her like less than any of that, you are not welcome here.

Any hate comments, threats or anything slightly disrepectful will be deleted and blocked. If you treat the people I love like that, you are not my fan.

Thank you for the tattoo baby!

tagged: yourusername

view all 24 comments

landonorris: imagine having a girlfriend that gets a tattoo because of you

↳ yourusername: you will never know ha

↳ landonorris: haha so funny!!

landonorris: jokes aside, hate comments are NOT welcome on my profile either. y/n is my best friend and i love her (dont let this get to your head PLEASE) so i wont tolerate any hate towards her.

liked by danielricciardo and yourusername

maxverstappen1: 🧡

alexandrasaintmleux: love you guys!

charles_leclerc: You guys are amazing, see you in a few days!

yourusername: i love you sososo much 🍯🦡 you are the love of my life!!!

yourusername: how did i get SO lucky

yourusername: thank you so much for this

comments in this post have been limited

landonorris

liked by danielricciardo, yourusername, maxverstappen1 and 637,231 others

landonorris: Nothing better than a few days with friends.

tagged: danielricciardo, alexandrasaintmleux, yourusername, maxfewtrell, friend1, friend2, friend3

view all 1,425 comments

yourusername: low quality lando.jpg

↳ landonorris: its because i have a low quality model

↳ yourusername: yourself?

↳ landonorris: shut up

maxfewtrell: bob stop drinking you have media day tomorrow

↳ danielricciardo: time for a break i guess

user1: kinda love this friend group

user2: 8 pretty best friends

user3: the switch all of you had after daniels post lol

↳ user4: i mean it was about time they left the poor girl alone

taglist: @urmotheris @minkyungseokie @dhhdhsiavdhaj @dl-yum @1655clean @skepvids @forevercaffeinated-lee @laneyspaulding19 @dark-night-sky-99 @bibissparkless @crlsummer

[gothmiqote]

Also worth noting that she feels weirdly guilty about admitting any of this to the Scions?

The thing about Varha is that she just doesn’t talk about herself much at all. Like, she’s relatively open if you ask her something that’s presently relevant somehow, but she doesn’t ever volunteer information about her past unless really pressed for it somehow. The first time anyone picked up on this was a good few years into knowing her when the topic of name days came up & no one had any idea what hers was or even how old she was outside of a good guess.

(It’s actually not related to any sort of past tragedies or even the calamity. She just passively absorbed a distinct lack of importance when it came to her household, almost like everyone was too tired to really care all that much once the rest of her siblings were celebrated properly. When she hit the age where ‘friend’ parties were expected to take the place of family ones, she just kinda… stopped doing anything since most years she found herself without any real friends anyway. She knew people in her area and liked them enough, but no one ever ‘clicked’ with her in a way that mattered. Most name days after that were spent out of the house as much as possible, on the off chance one of her parents ever questioned her about it. She still found ways to enjoy it, she just had no desire to have a conversation about her plans. To this day, she still gets weird around the name day itself & is actually pretty uncomfortable with the idea that anyone wants to have any kind of celebration for her.)

And she knows it’s also not on her that the current family dynamic is what it is. It’s not like she chose hostility with her brother, and plenty of others lost people in the calamity. That doesn’t stop her from feeling somehow like she’s failed at something very important though. It seems like such a simple thing, for her to be on speaking term with her brother, but she isn’t and she’s afraid if she’s honest about that, then somehow his feelings about her will leech into other people. She’s got no idea what she would do if they started seeing her like he did (irritating, clingy, someone he’s happy to dismiss) but she’s pretty sure she wouldn’t cope well. She doesn’t want to feel like she’s holding her friends at a distance, but letting them see that part of her personal life feels like giving up a massive amount of control over her image. Her sister threw herself off the roof as a last resort and her only other living sibling can barely stand to be in the same room as her. It all feels extraordinarily pathetic and not at all the image she wants to project.

She needs these people to keep on liking her. She’s gotten too used to it now and doesn’t think she’s capable to going back to that quiet rejection. Not unlike a wounded animal who does its absolute best to avoid showing injury, Varha is desperate to keep her weak points under wraps just in case someone else decides to hate her for it. If it was enough of a reason for her own blood to abandon her when they should have been using each other for support, she’s got no reason to thing people outside of that wouldn’t also start to look at her with disgust.

Her confrontation with Rhaya’ra in Sharlayan was painful & unexpected, and while she should have just been focusing all her energy on saving the star, she keeps getting distracted by a past she never wanted to deal with again.

Varha keeps poking at me with more Family Lore TM as an explanation for why her current relationship with Rhaya’ra is Like That & it’s coming in the form of “actually Three of us survived the calamity physically but one is suspiciously Not Present Now & also she was definitely Rhaya’s favourite sister :)”

I don’t have a name for this sibling yet but she’s. Definitely not going to be making any present day appearances that’s for sure.

[captainwans]

she looks absolutely gorgeous…and he’s there! (smau)

arabella series!

masterlist!

pairing: alex turner x fem! actress reader

summary: the media and fans are taking a liking to y/n being apart of alex’s life, but there’s also a downside when your relationship gets public and having to deal with haters and nasty comments.

timeline: 2014

note: this format / layout is heavily inspired by my love @ithinkimokeei 🩶

Liked by elizabetholsenofficial, imsebastianstan and others

yourinstagram a little breakie 🍸✨ (feat. cindy’s legs)

 ㅤ View all the comments

username she’s so fine bro

username ok but let’s talk about the dress 😍

username i would bark for her if she asked me 🐕

elizabetholsenofficial cindy those LEGS 😩

iamcindy damn liz i’m taken 😪

username lmao cindy

username she’s so real tho

username how many letters in y/n y/l/n

username gorgeous woman ❤️

username she’s literally so wife hello??

mileskane why did you tag cindy and not me 🙄 i took those photos 😒

iamcindy bc i’m her best friend and she prioritizes me before anyone else duh

mileskane oh really? she didn’t say that last night

matthelders i can already smell a fight coming through mileskane iamcindy

iamcindy yourinstagram you cheater

mileskane iamcindy *you’re a cheater wtf 😭

yourinstagram what i can’t have both of you as my besties? 🙃

iamcindy no ❤️

mileskane no ❤️

 ㅤ yourinstagram just tagged mileskane in her photo

mileskane thank you love 😘

username the heart im dead 😭😭

username NOT THE HEART IM—

username istg her comment section is like watching an episode of the office

username i love mindy!! fav couple

iamcindy ew they have a ship name for us mileskane see what you did idiot

mileskane i didn’t even do anything???

username it’s so funny how they interact like they haven’t been together for 7 years pls

username this is so funny im crying

username cindy 😭😭😭😂😂

breanahelders you two need to log off insta and touch some grass or smth

katiee_cook_ leave y/ns comment section iamcindy and mileskane

iamcindy ok mom and dad 🙄🙄

Liked by sabrinacarpenter, breanahelders and others

yourinstagram about last night 🖤 🚬#leedsfestival2014 arcticmonkeys

 ㅤ yourinstagram has tagged katiee_cook, breanahelders and iamcindy

 ㅤ View all the comments

username y/n y/l/n is so arctic monkeys coded

 ㅤ Liked by 23,6k users

username you can’t see it but i’m the smoke

username katie is so pretty oh my godd

elizabetholsenofficial how did you manage to make time to fly to leeds i’m here stuck inside my trailer 😭

yourinstagram i didn’t really plan on going lol i acted on impulse

robertdowneyjr breaking the rules y/n? 👀

cobiesmulders ^ bc you missed your man just say that y/n 😉

yourinstagram cobiesmulders yes that’s true 😩

yourinstagram pls don’t tell joss robertdowneyjr

username she got her prioritizes straight i mean if alex was my man i would do the same

marvel i’m snitching.

yourinstagram marvel which side are you on? 🙄

username NOT MARVEL COMMENTING

username breana looks so fine 🥵

mileskane you’re gonna give alex a heart attack if you keep showing up unannounced

yourinstagram i already did when he saw me in the crowd 😘

iamcindy memorable i actually got that on camera you should’ve seen his face what a fucking simp <3

yourfriend ^! went from 😲😯 to 😄😉😘

username yourfriend and what a coincidence when he was just about to sing arabella

 ㅤ Liked by yourinstagram, iamcindy and yourfriend

username i remember that omg it was so cute!! and the camera even showed y/ns reaction in the crowd

username pls they’re so in love it makes me cry i want what they have 😩😩

username the first pic is doing smth to me 😩

username y/n you will always be famous

breanahelders best night ever ❤️

katiee_cook_ j unforgettable 😍

iamcindy had the best night ever babe 😙

yourinstagram breanahelders katiee_cook_ iamcindy my girls 💕💘💖

yoursister i need some context on the last picture are y’all okay?

katiee_cook_ there was a bunch of paps outside and wanted a picture and y/n being y/n decided to pose by leaning against the window upside down

breanahelders you can literally see alex having a stroke while holding her for dear life 😂

username help- why did jamie pull out his guitar 😭😭

Liked by yoursister, zendaya and others

yourinstagram fashion week never disappoints ✨

 ㅤ View all the comments

username forget alex i want HER 😩

username i love her new stylist!! the outfits fits her perfectly compared to her last stylist

username the woman you are y/n 🔥😍

iamcindy hey hottie ;)

mileskane you’re married remember :)

iamcindy you’re such a cockblocker🖕🏻

username not me always scrolling into y/ns comment section to see a mindy interaction

alexachung looking STUNNING my love ❤️

yourinstagram thank you beautiful 😘

username did i just miss a chapter?

username um that’s not—

username i didn’t know they were friends??

username i don’t think so they have briefly interacted on fashion shows and they were seen taking pictures and sitting beside each other

username that must be so awkward for alex having your gf and your ex sitting beside each other yikes

username username right they looked like they didn’t wanna sit beside each other did you see y/n’s face

username username even if they are that’s none of your business leave alex out of this

username i don’t see y/n and alex’s relationship to last long he’s clearly still in love with alexa and it’s just embarrassing for y/n really

username i miss alexa and alex they were a better couple and y/n is just using him for more fame and attention that whore

username y’all love to pit women against each other and change the narrative! first of all if you were at the fashion show you know that they weren’t sitting beside each other. it was literally two people sitting between them so they didn’t even interact at all (1)

username (2) and second of all mind you that they were grouped together and shared their interest with the designer which is why they took pictures. they looked pretty happy and smiley to me!

pinned comment 📌 yourinstagram the amount of hate in the comments makes me want to puke. if you don’t have anything nice to say keep it to yourself and spread the negative energy elsewhere. ❤️

 ㅤ Liked by 239k users

 ㅤ Liked by alexachung

iamcindy babe you’re too chill about this if i were you i would send hate letters to every single person.

username shajsjsj cindy

username i’m actually so scared of her i’m not even joking 😭

username i know not to mess with her damn

[ddlcbrainrot]

Refrigerator door closing headcanons <3 Monika is the type to open the fridge with any appendage that isn't her hands, if she could, she'd use her hair to open it, but seeming as she can't she just opens it using her legs, usually like, it isn't even productive most the time, sure, sometimes she'll be holding stuff and actually opening the door with either elbow or legs would make sense in that case, but otherwise she just does anything you wouldn't expect, in all fairness For closing the door, she'd either nudge it shut with her lower calf, or just by hitting it with her side/hips also, unrelated but she absolutely has tortilla chips as something she really likes, probably eats it with salad and like, ranch [derogatory...] [[not really]] Sayori doesn't really differ much from any refrigerator opening norm, but she does kinda just stare blankly into the fridge searching for something that she wants to eat, just to close it, and immediately open it again. like she will do this for minutes at a time, girlie lives in an ingredient house and it is an oppressive environment.. </3 Natsuki would be shockingly averse to slamming open or close refrigerator doors, she'd treat it fairly delicately, it's sacred after all, a housing place for all things baking, it must be held with respect she also keeps flour in the fridge, no argument about this, she just does if she had it in her though, she'd absolutely kick the door close or just generally be aggressive in the kitchen, but she really can't all too much Yuri opens the fridge by putting her hand on top of it, and opening it like that like, not going for the clear and normal person handle, but just opening it from the top augh, tall people, ew anyhow, Yuri, absolutely eating most of her calories at night, can't convince me she doesn't eat like everything in one go and somehow wakes up feeling only slightly off I know for a FACT that sleep schedule wise, Yuri has a bizarrely natural and just good sleep schedule she just takes naps midday, that's her saving grace I think oh and she either gently pushes the door close so that she has to knock it fully closed because the force she put the first time wasn't enough, or slam it the first time accidentally and shock herself a bit because of the noise. this cool? am I on point? what we think of this, guys?

tag urself im a mix of yuri and sayori

also natsuki not liking slamming the fridge door or any door bc of her homelife AARHFHCHHHGGGG

[chthonicgodling]

‼️for best experience turn your phone brightness up🤪‼️

Today is Vryk’s birthday! Re-birthday? Vryk, who belongs to & is portrayed by my wonderful RP partner the hiatus'd @fenixethekid, is super fun and super normal, and I do noooottttt draw him enough, so I’m Sharing some super fun super normal facts about him for his special day! 9 years of abridged lore condensed into this post!

I did this soooo last minute but I’m so happy w how it came out yayay!! I cannot believe these events happened NINE YEARS AGO. stroll down memory lane through that ye olden Elysium Drama Update from as this was happening way back when// remember??? REMEMBER!!! ?? [tbh i really wanted to redraw all of that but ran out of time, maybe next year for 10 year bday.... hmmmm well!!!]

commentary track under the cut!

🩸 The details are, after ELoki got him accidentally pregnant, Epi miscarried Vryk which was devastating for two weeks until Vryk reassembled & reanimated himself to escape his own grave.

🩸(Back in 2016 - the events surrounding Epi’s pregnancy + Vryk’s rebirth were some of the first formal Elysium Drama Updates! Maci & EeL were at war at the time over Epi— plus it was all tied up in what was going on with Chal who was newly starring in our cast — Peak soap opera sequence of events! they're obviously all on my blog... here! if anyone wants to peruse The Past... the EDU tag in its entirety literally starts with Epi's pregnancy with Vryk actually !!)

🩸Though initially after Vryk’s (re)birth Epi was utterly wrecked with PPD & had a very difficult time bonding with him, by the time Vryk was a year old Epi had recovered, and today everyone’s all a happy family🥹

🩸Vryk spent so much time with Maci & Tory for Warmth that he actually calls Maci Mama lol. & This necessary cuddle time sparked the final formal truce between Maci & EeL’s war, the first ever time they spent quietly sitting together without fighting was with Vryk falling asleep in Maci’s arms :) [NOW LOOK AT US LOL]

🩸Death god Thanatos was already dead by the time Vryk was born so they never met but Death god Ker stumbled into them when Epi took Vryk to meet Nyx outside of the palace & nearly mauled him on the spot bc EW, GROSS! (Epi, daemon himself, shifted to attack her first on the defense fggkfkg). Neo and Ker can’t even tell what Vryk looks like - in their eyes his appearance is mangled and twisted, & their powers block his true self from their vision. At least Neo’s nice about it!

🩸Finally it broke my heart to leave out Vryk’s 12 siblings on Loki’s side + 6 siblings on Epi’s side but….. limited space over here. Augh.

Vryk is Fenixe's and so are Epi & Eury; Maci, Rane, EeL (lol) are all mine!

[hlples-s]

"you're divorced bro" ✸ Alexander Hamilton & Elizabeth Schuyler

Note: Before you start, I want you to know that I am not an "active" or "good" writer. I do this for mere entertainment and practice. i will do a masterlist of this (⁠*⁠ﾉ⁠・⁠ω⁠・⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♫

warning: none / word count: 623 we are making progress!! / angst(?) comedy at some point (?) / tags: @hamliza-trash @shooter4rhaenyra bcs this is your idea and i just love it fr 🫶🏻/ modern au hamliza - hamgang 👥

These past few months have been difficult for Hamilton. 3 months ago, he didn't just break up with the love of his life (as he often says), but it was all his fault (although he denies it). His divorce from Elizabeth was what caused him to fall to the bottom of the food chain — in Jefferson's words — "you fell, you rose, and you fell again like the stock market." Alexander just rolled his eyes as always trying not to fall back into that thought of: "if only..." we all know that "if only" does not exist.

—yo' me, John, and Hercules are going to the pool hall together. Do you want to come?— Lafayette asked with a genuine face. Alexander looked at him, took off his glasses, and rubbed his face with both hands.

—I don't know, bro. My wife asked me to buy some things for the kids. I highly doubt I'll be free this afternoon... —Alexander sighed as he listened to that damn laugh he hated, Jefferson approached his chair hugging him from the side as if he were something "cute"

— I remind you, Hammy, that you don't have a wife... she's your ex... you're divorced, dear —Jefferson and Lafayette laughed in unison as if it were a big joke. Alexander hit Thomas's arm, looking at him with a very, very angry face. Although the truth hurt, she was no longer his wife...

— Thomas, this isn't a game anymore. I always pass it to you, but not now. Let me live out my grief! — he said as he stood up from his chair, scolding him like a little kid.

— Hey, calm down, cowboy. May I remind you what made Elizabeth divorce you? And yet you have the nerve to get angry about it?— Jhon arrived at the office, due to the screams that were heard and if there was one thing he knew how to do it was to shut up Alenxander, he sighed while his eyes glared at him— You were unfaithful to her, and yes, you've already told us your version a thousand and one times, but that doesn't mean that what hurt Eliza the most was that you did it in the bed where you both slept.

—EW! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT PART, YOU'RE A PIG HAMILTON.— Alexander just rolled his eyes at Jefferson and John's comment, although it was true he wanted them both to shut up.

And the situations where he told Eliza his wife continued, the boss of his company had lost his mother, all the employees went to the funeral, Eliza sent him a message:

"Hey, Are you coming to pick up the kids late? Why didn't you let us know?"

Alexander quickly answered that:

"I'll be there in 10 minutes. I'm at a funeral."

"oh sorry... who died?

"my boss's mother"

"oh my god... My condolences, don't worry if you can't get there soon... just be careful, see you."

The urge to say I love you was too much, but he controlled himself. He sighed as he remained in the funeral chairs, watching his boss in disarray. He stood up and cleared his throat.

—Mr. Washington... my wife and I offer our most sincere condolences. I know it's not easy, the loss of someone like a mother will nev- — His speech was interrupted by a mocking laugh that was nearby. Mr. Washington turned with an angry and discontented face to look at Thomas.

— you're divorced bro...—Thomas burst out laughing again. Mr. Washington gave a sideways smile and shook his head, sighing. These jokes were never going to end and now... he was taking them with a certain comedy...

Although this time he came for his children with his fist shattered from hitting Jefferson's face. That was pure comedy.

[milo-mars]

m a r s i got this request nd im gonna write it but i also wanna see how u do with it, ive always really liked ur writing :< u dont have to im js curiousss

"luigi x male reader, pov luigi is your senior year [___] professor (pick a class, make one up even) and theres only like a 1-3 year age gap between you and him, and your friend is picking on you bcs she dont think he gonna go to [insert upcoming dance] with you so you ask him in front of the whole class just to prove her wrong"

Holy shit, im so sorry this is a couple months late. I haven't really looked at my inbox (no one has given me any asks since the dawn of my account) but I love this, thank you for giving me more writing fuel <33

| Roses | Luigi Mangione X Male!Reader |

{Y/N finds himself falling for his handsome professor, Luigi Mangione, but his bff doubts he'd go to the spring formal with him because he's a teacher. And now Y/N is going to prove her wrong, in front of the whole class.}

{Tags; Fluff, College AU, Professor/Student, Very lighthearted fluff.}

{A/N; Thank you anon for the prompt, I hope you like it! <3}

{F/N = Friends Name}

Photography class was pretty easy, but Y/N’s only source of inspiration was the professor himself, Luigi Mangione.

And it was hard to explain his muses for certain pictures when they all lead back to the man asking the questions; he had to know by now from every time Y/N stammered and looked through his notes, about how nervous and bashful the professor made him. but maybe he mistook it as just anxiety? that's what Y/N’s bff was saying anyway. “Listen, as much as i want you to get a boyfriend; do you actually think professor Mangione would go to the spring formal with you?” She punched Y/N’s shoulder while he was trying to decide what to eat for lunch. “Geez, do you always have to bring me down with you?” He said lightheartedly and gave her a shoulder punch back. “Well think about it, He’s a professor, you’re a student; if you two are seen having a few steamy affairs then he’ll get fired.” “Ew, come on, I’m not going to make-out with him on the spot… I just want to get to know him more.” F/N gave him a smug look as they sat at a table with their food. They ate in silence until F/N put her fork down “How about this, I’ll set you up with a different guy; someone who's actually a student.” “You can’t actually not believe in me this much, right?” F/N stammered a response “I- I believe that there’s plenty of fish in the sea for you.”

Y/N groaned and stood up from his chair.

“Fine! You know what? I'm gonna prove you wrong. I’ll ask him in front of the whole class then, and if he dumps my sorry-romanticizing-ass, then you have something to tease about til the end of time.”

Y/N left the cafeteria, letting what he just said he’d do sink in.

Photography class didn’t bring Y/N quite as much joy as any other day; on other days he wasn’t going to say anything other than ask questions, or for a presentation. So he waited until some of his classmates were getting their things before he made his way towards Mr. Mangione’s desk, “Um, Professor Mangione?”. His eyes met Y/N, and they were so beautifully daunting that they made Y/N doubt if he was even worthy of speaking to him. But F/N would probably ask Mr. Mangione for him if he chickened out now. Especially now that he had eyes on him. “So uh; Spring formal is next week and I was wondering if you…” Y/N grimaced, and by the raise of the professor’s eyebrows; Y/N didn’t need to finish his question. “Y/N” Mr. Mangione started, “I’m sorry, but I don't think that’d be appropriate. I’m sure there are students that would love to go with you.” Y/N was always glamoured by how professional he sounded, but his hopes of hearing his casual tone were gone. Y/N’s shoulders slumped slightly and he tried not to sound too bummed out, even though acting like he wasn’t only made his feelings more obvious. “I’ll see your photographs tomorrow, Y/N.” “Okay, have a good day, professor.” Y/N said over his shoulder. “You as well.” the professor said back.

Y/N caught up with F/N and she had an awkward smile on her face, Y/N sighed “How much did you hear?” “Everything…” She responded. Y/N ran a hand through his hair as they walked on the campus’ grassy grounds “At least I ripped the bandaid off quickly…Right?” F/N put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry I was making fun of you, I’ll do whatever I can to still make the spring formal fun for you.” F/N reaffirmed as she put a hand on his shoulder. Y/N smiled slightly, “you’re right, we can still have fun.”. The two of them liked walking around campus after classes; talking about their day and whatnot, before they had to study. Y/N parted ways with F/N and began to make his way towards the dorms, when on his way he saw some roses. But it wasn’t the roses themselves that made him stop; it was their color. They were the same cranberry-maroon of Mr. Mangione’s sweater he was wearing today. Y/N took out his polaroid camera and snapped a picture; took a moment to memorize the folds and waves of each roses petals, feeling their softness as well, and put the small polaroid inside his bag as he started to walk to the dorms again.

The next week went by like that flash from his polaroid camera, and now it was the evening of the spring formal.

“How do I look, Y/N?… Y/N!” F/N hollered at Y/N when she got her dress/suit on. Y/N snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his friend's voice “Great! you look amazing.” inside he was thinking about how awkward it’s always going to be every time he sees his professor; it has been for the past week. “Thanks, you look great as well. Even if you don’t have a date for the formal, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a cute guy to dance~” She said as she delicately applied her mascara on her eyelashes, “I think they’d be stupid to not dance with you.”. Y/N chuckled and smoothed out his pinstriped pants in the mirror; that also matched his suit coat and tie. As Y/N brushed out his hair and styled it in different ways, F/N held her hand out to him. Two tiny rose studs laid in her palm “These go well with your outfit. I can wear a different pair.” Y/N looked between F/N and the studs. “Oh, thanks.” He accepted them and put them on, and it was safe to say she was right; she always was. First it was the rose bush last week he saw, and now these rose earrings. He took them both as good signs.

At the door Y/N and F/N show their student IDs before they enter the gymnasium, greeted by loud music and even louder classmates and students. The two danced to a few songs, got drinks, and danced some more. Y/N couldn’t seem to get anyone to dance with him though, was it the earrings? He didn't want to think about it too much. He should just be having fun with F/N. The last slow song of the night played and F/N was able to get someone to dance with her, so Y/N decided to just go outside of the building. A chilly spring breeze blew past him and he shuddered a little, but the slightly cold weather would be better than the oven that was summer. So he tried to enjoy it, it was just that seeing some of his classmates going home with their dates,with their jackets over their shoulders; it made him feel a bitter melancholy. So he sent a text to F/N about where he’d be, and walked out to the football field to mope on the bleachers. He took out his phone again and looked at his phone case, where he put the polaroid of the roses in. All he could think about was his professor, every color he wore, everything he said, Y/N saw and heard him in everything. It was as if he was made of roses, and all Y/N wanted to feel how soft he was and memorize the folds and contours of his face.

“Nice picture, I haven’t seen roses like those in a while” Luigi said as he looked at the polaroid over Y/N’s shoulder, he flinched a tad at the sudden pierce of silence. “Professor Mangione- I uh, I saw them on campus.” Y/N shifted to make room for him, Luigi’s lips lifted up in a small smile. “You don’t have to be so formal with me, Just call me Luigi.” Luigi remarked, as Y/N put his hands in his pockets. The professor took in how Y/N’s hairs stood up in the breeze. He didn’t ask before he took his coat off and put it on Y/N; he tried to keep his touch on him brief. Y/N looked at Luigi with surprise “Pro- Luigi?, I’m fine, you don’t need to give me your-” “Nonsense, you looked cold… On top of looking lonely.” His considerate tone nearly took all the wind out of Y/N, and his face grew pink and bashful. Y/N didn’t get why Luigi seemed to be so caring now, after how professionally he rejected him, but he liked it nonetheless even if it confused him.

Luigi broke the tension by scooting closer to Y/N and placing his hand on his knee, “What you asked me last week, about the spring formal, i wanted to accept… But you do understand the consequences of what’ll happen if we’re together. I don’t want to jeopardize your future, especially with eyes like yours”. Y/N gulped down the echoes of his beating heart “I know, really I do. And I wouldn’t want to lose my inspiration.” He said, which made Luigi curious as to how he could be; Y/N explained further “I only took that picture of the roses because they reminded me of you. If something doesn’t connect with me, then I don’t waste film on it.” Y/N said, and he found that maintaining eye-contact with Luigi proved to be difficult when the rest of him was already attracting his attention. A smile returned on Luigi’s face as he brushed some of Y/N’s hair behind his ear, the sudden contact made Y/N’s chest feel as light as sun rays “I’m glad we have that in common. I just hope I’m not a waste of film to you…”. Luigi’s fingers traced down Y/N’s jaw, then his neck before they glided down to his waist, causing Y/N to lean closer to him. He welcomed the blackness of his eyelids as Luigi kissed him, focusing on the softness of Luigi’s lips. After all those months of daydreaming about how Professor Mangione’s lips would feel like; He concurred with all the other hopeless romantics, that they felt just like roses.